Louis was still shaking from a mixture of nerves and excitement from his first day at the new school, when he arrived home. However, the house seemed awfully quiet as he entered, the only sound being a soft sob coming from a living room.
Careful and a little bit scared of what expected him, he stepped into the next room, where he found his parents cuddled up on the couch. But it was not the usual kind of cuddle, as Louis could tell by the tears across his mother's face. Something was definitely wrong.
The news hit especially hard, since it was not long since Edward had passed away. Now, his beloved wife Maureen had gone, too.
Emma was heartbroken. Not only had she lost her mother who she had always been so close to, but she had lost both of her parents within a short time now. Kenneth was trying to put on a brave face and comfort his sister, but he, too, was much quieter than usual. Of course, they had expected it to happen eventually, but the grief was still hitting them both.
Ever since Leah's passing, the old Jones home had stayed empty, only the graveyard still in use and kept in the general family ownership. With nobody left to look after it, the house had quickly become overgrown with plants, but the family did not mind. If anything, it felt as though their ancestors were given new life through them.
The funeral was not just for Edward, either. Just that morning, Tilly's partner Everett had passed away, too. Since him and Edward had been friends since school years, before him and Tilly had even met, it did not come as a surprise, though that did not make it any less sad.
Christine was now the only member of the family left that had actually been born in the old house. With that thought in the back of her mind, she looked upon the graves in front of her, knowing that it likely was her turn next. Her husband Parker, who was stood just behind her, seemed to notice her pensiveness and gently stroked her shoulder, while their three children almost subconsciously moved closer in support.
Once everyone had broken off into separate groups, Emma sat down on the stairs with her brother, accompanied by their partners, for some catching up time. It had been a while since they had talked, apart from general family gatherings, since Emma was busy with the kids during the day, and Kenneth was often with his band at nights.
Aside from that, Kenneth and Tia had been busy with more than just music. Their romantic involvement had come to a level at which they had decided to just go and tie the knot. Feeling so elated after one of their performances, they had ran off to the town hall to elope, just the two of them.
Of course, Emma felt a bit sad about the fact that she was not at her brother's wedding, but she understood that a quick ceremony without big announcements was much more his style. Mostly, she was happy that he had found his way in life, and Tia was a lovely person, so he was in good hands. Deep down, she knew their father would have thought the same, and she made sure Kenneth knew about this, too. And still, even if not on the wedding day itself, the two siblings could have a late celebration some other day, or Emma would make sure to remind Ken about it until they did.
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[TRANSCRIPT]
Emma: "Gosh, I wish we would have had more time."
Kenneth: "Tell me about it."
Tatiana: "Right, I now wish he'd have been there with us."
Kenneth: "Me too."
Emma: "Been where with you?"
Kenneth: "Well, in between gigs, we sort of... eloped."
Emma: "What!? And you didn't invite me?"
Kenneth: "Hey, the point of eloping is that nobody's invited."
Tatiana: "We would have, had it been any other way."
Kenneth: "Though now I wonder how it might've been with Dad around."
Emma: "Oh, you know he's always been your biggest supporter. He'd be proud either way. But you've got to invite Niall and me for dinner some time to make it up to us!"
When it was time for Emma's and Niall's birthdays, they decided to host a double birthday party for their combined family and friends. It was a huge celebration, so much so that they had to add chairs to the table, and even then, there were not enough places to sit. Thankfully, during the party, every one was constantly on the move, viewing the house, helping with food, and entertaining Louis, so nobody missed out in the end.
The party was great fun to be had for all. It was so much fun, in fact, that Emma had barely noticed that one guest was missing from the group.
Tilly was definitely one of my favourite characters to write ever. Her life was a whole drama-filled romance, and in the end, she got the happy ending she deserved.
She was also the story's first trans character, and I think she can carry that title proudly with how important she was. When her brother was busy messing up his life, she was the rock to keep everything together, and she just deserves the world.
Really, this post also doubles as a memorial for her life partner, Everett Elderberry, who died some time ago. He was Edward's age, so he was a tiny bit older than her, but the two were inseparable throughout their relationship.
Still at the estate, the wedding dinner was held in the dining room that was decorated with lavish old furniture. While the children had been sent home due to it being late at night, the rest of the family gathered for fancy roasts and the cake Maureen had baked that morning.
Emma and Niall looked lovingly into each other's eyes as they made the first cut to the cake. It almost felt surreal that all of this was really happening, and yet it felt the most right anything had ever felt.
For the wedding, they had rented the estate in the chalet gardens for a beautiful evening ceremony on the rooftop. As soon as the sun started setting, the whole family was sat by the aisle and the ceremony could begin.
Emma had entrusted her young cousins, Sean and Darrel, to be the wedding's flower pal and ring bearer respectively. Niall had been led down the aisle by his mother, Linda, and soon after it was time for Edward to lead his daughter down the aisle to give away to the man she was about to marry.
And finally, Emma and Niall exchanged their vows and rings, becoming Mr. and Mrs. McGregor. As their shared their first kiss as spouses, despite their extended family's applause, they felt like they were the only people there on that roof, with the world around them slowly fading away.
