Chapter 2 - Part 5: Invention of Beauty

The morning began like any other; a broken sink, breakfast to be made, an overflowing washing machine.  Faith set out to accomplish the days' chores before her mind snapped, she had to get out of the house.

She packed up her tackle box and fled to her happy place.  Just her, the water and the fish. 

When life becomes too much and Faith finds herself in the wilderness it means there's a lot on her mind.  The outdoor air helps to relieve some stress about the upcoming event.  Was she ready?  Was she far enough in her career?  Was Pete the right guy for her?  Is this what cold feet feels like?

The fishing line suddenly tugged in a way that Faith had never felt before, almost as if it was saying "ding ding, pull me up".  She gave the pole a heave and saw something flying up at her from the water.

It was the largest, most perfect Angelfish Faith had ever seen.  In fact, it was the first Angelfish she'd ever caught.  Knowing that the Angelfish is a very close relation to the Butterfly fish, Faith couldn't help but wonder if this might have been a message from her mother.  A feeling of calm and serenity came over Faith as she unhooked the fish and set it back into the water.  "Thank you, mom," she said softly, watching it swim away.

Yes, she was ready, her career would wait and Pete was an amazing guy.  Faith would have no cold feet on this, the day of her wedding.

The main wedding venue that most residents of Harmony use was still a painful place for her father to go, being the last place he had been happy with Dixie, so Faith chose her favorite place in town.  The Butterfly Pavilion.

Pete brushed himself off nervously as he stood talking with Augustine, his brother-in-law, and a friend.  The soon to be wed groom came from a rather large family, with several of them making it out for the big day.

Morand kept the guests entertained by showing them pictures of his grandchild, Khalilah, since she was in school and unable to attend the wedding.  Faith's boss and best friend, Lyndsay Jacobs looks on in cleverly concealed humor.

When Faith showed up, she took everyone's breath away.  Morand had gifted her Dixie's own veil as her "something old", she felt like a princess wearing it.

The ceremony itself was short and sweet with Morand and Cecil standing in as witnesses.  Their vows were simple and true to their hearts, above all to love and cherish until death do them part.

It was really the cake that everyone was looking forward to.  Especially Cecil who was able to forgo his strict athletic diet for the day in celebration of his sister's wedding.

The best part about being the bride and groom is that you are first to get your cake while the horde of hungry guests you've invited are forced to attack the thing like a pack of starved sharks at a feeding frenzy.

Once the cake had been decimated and the guests were feeling stuffed, the reception continued with the well wishers congratulating the newly bound couple.  Morand shook Pete's hand, welcoming him to the family (and house) while Faith chatted up Cecil, congratulating him about his recent MVP award.

The reception then turned, as all good Cagley gatherings do, into a dance party.  The newly betrothed couple taking center stage.

Once they'd gotten all their pleasantries out of the way with the guests, the two were able to steal a moment together.  Pete gazed into his wife's glowing face.  "You are so beautiful," he told her, as he stroked her cheek.

He pulled her close to him and whispered in her ear, "I have your something new," he said.  "I bought this place for you and had it renamed the Dixie Cagley Butterfly Pavilion".

Faith was completely taken by surprise and pulled Pete into a hug, almost breaking into tears over his generosity.

"Pete, you shouldn't have," she said when she could finally speak again, "it's too much.  It's amazing.  I love it.  I love you," she said, dabbing a tear from her eye.

He laughed, wiping her other cheek, "You're right, I probably shouldn't have.  Lyndsay informed me now that we're married I have to quit the science lab.  Evidently they don't like it when the boss marries the help," he smiled.  "But," he continued, "I wouldn't have it any other way.  Besides, this will give me a chance to try out some ideas I've been tossing around in my head."

Faith was in far too good a mood to worry about Pete's unemployment status, "What do you say we go home and toss around ourselves?" She said quietly.

They slipped out before any of the guests even noticed.

At home, they flopped down on the bed, taking in a big breath.  Nothing needed to be said, they only laid together, enjoying the quiet after the rush of day.

Above all else, Pete made sure that she was comfortable, taking things at a slow pace, as this would be the first time for both of them.  "I just have one request, wife," her husband said.

"And what is that, husband?" his wife replied.

"Can we turn the picture of your father around?" he answered.

With all the trust in the world, Faith gave herself over to her husband.

Title / Son Ambulance

Chapter 1 - Part 11: Eternal Flame

The very next day there was an emergency at the stadium where Cecil was attending his first day of work.  Naturally, he was petrified as he knew his father was inside battling some unknown catastrophe.

Turns out it was nothing major.  The same guy who'd installed the air conditioning incorrectly at the hospital must have done the stadium as well.  No harm came to Morand and Cecil's first day of work went on, uninterrupted.

Cecil had been requested to visit a club he had never heard of as part of a publicity stunt.  Being the Fire Chief had lead him into gaining some noteriety around town and a self-appointed agent had been calling him, asking him to show up at various places for seemingly pointless reasons.

This place, however, was very different.  It was called "The Crypt Club" and was located in a very creepy cemetery, underground.  The venue immediately gave Morand the shivers making the hairs stand up on the back of his neck.

He nervously put on a brave face and told the very pale bouncer that he was there at the bar owner's request.  The man simply grunted and let him through the velvet rope.

Walking into the place, he'd never felt more nervous in his life.  It was dark, it was dimly lit and most of all, it was ... deathly.

What have I gotten myself into, Morand thought as he looked around the place.  This certainly wasn't your normal local watering hole.

He sat down at the bar and ordered the drink he'd been sent there for.  The music was somber, the place was virtually... dead, and most of all Morand didn't like the way the employees were looking at him with a fierce hunger in their cold black eyes.

He guzzled down his drink as quickly as possible and practically ran out of there with the feeling that if he'd stayed any longer, he might have ended up on the menu.

There was no way he was going back or have anything to do with those people again.

After a night filled with blood sucking nightmares, Morand awoke to a new day.  This was the eve of Faith's birthday, her teenage years just around the corner.  The two decided to spend a Father/Daughter day going to Faith's favorite place, the park.

For Morand, it was like reverting back to a childhood that he didn't really remember, playing on the playground equipment and acting like a kid again.  

They even spent some time fishing, Faith's current passion.  She had found all the local fishing spots and had been bringing in some really nice sized fish, which Morand then cooked up for the two of them for dinner.

Though not all of them went into the frying pan.  Some of them got homes, like Flakes.

When it came time for bed, Faith requested something she hadn't asked for since she was a toddler, a bedtime story.  Granted, back in those days, the books Morand read her weren't quite so technical, but it was Faith's choice, so he gave in to her whim, even letting her snuggle into the "big bed" for the night.

She was soon asleep and Morand couldn't help but take this quiet moment to simply be with his daughter.  She was looking more and more like Dixie with each passing birthday, he was happy that her memory was living on through their child.

He kissed his little girl goodnight for the last time, as after tonight, she wouldn't be little any more.

The party was small, just a few neighbors and her big brother.  As Faith mostly kept her nose in various books, she hadn't really met a lot of the other students at school nor counted any of the other kids as friends.

Father and son.  Morand was extremely proud of Cecil when he broke the news that he'd tried out for and gotten a spot on the local baseball team, the Pink Flamingos.  He was on due at practice, but wanted to make sure to stop by for Faith's birthday.

Wishes were made, candles were blown out, and Faith grew into a teenager.

She thanked her big brother for coming and promised to come see him play soon.

The Cagley family was growing up.

OUTAKES

I love the Sparkle Rocket! She's workin' that look!

The mutant!

Title / The Bangles