The Monroe Legacy - Generation 3 Finale - Last Orders

As Lillia's  16th birthday approached, Gray wondered if maybe he had announced his decision too soon and put too much pressure on his young daughter. It had been almost a five years since he had chosen, aware that for Eva, adult life had already begun and wanting to grant her the freedom she deserved but rather than giving Lillia purpose, the legacy seemed to weigh heavily on her mind. He'd seen her sit staring at the increasingly battered legacy journal for hours, a strange look on her face and he wondered if Lillia might be having second thoughts, though she always denied it when asked.

Gray had thought that his decision would give her confidence in her teenage years, should she ever want to stand apart from her friends. Maybe it had, but Lillia had never wavered in her social allegiances, she was as close to Daisy and Rose as she had ever been and the three of them ruled the school. Gray and Rachel had kept their eyes peeled for any sign that the Flowers were more mean girls than dream girls but so far they just seemed like the average popular kids, they had their moments, but so did most kids.

Flynn was certainly king of such moments. The fit he threw his first day at nursery would, Eva said, never be outdone as the most simultaneously hilarious and traumatic experience of her life. It was said that the screaming could be heard a block away.

For all his tantrums, Flynn was a good kid and Eva had done a wonderful job so far, he was definitely a momma's boy but she was firm with him and Gray was so proud of his daughter. He was ecstatic that she would soon be home for good, having just completed her final year at Brown and she had graduated magna cum laude, in front of her thrilled family and a beaming Hayden.

Eva had finally given Hayden the answer he wanted the day she had recieved her acceptance letter for Brown, they married a few months later at home with just family as witnesses and spent a Honeymoon weekend flat hunting around the Brown campus.

The day they moved away Gray had been a mess, he'd planned out a sort of speech and a big farewell, something about how proud he was and that the sadness of her leaving would be made sweeter by the knowledge that she was chasing her dream. But when the moment came that all flew out of the window and they just sobbed and hugged and cried. 

Now they were coming back, Hayden had busted his ass working whilst Eva had been at college and they had enough for the deposit on a tiny house on a new development. With Flynn about to start school, Eva was due to start working at the local science facility and Hayden's hard work had guaranteed him a transfer to his company's office in town. Gray was thrilled, it would be wonderful to have them close and to get to know his grandson properly now he was a big boy, holiday visits just weren't enough.

Lillia was excited to see Eva too, especially now she knew her sister wouldn't want her room back! Casper was warier, not about Eva and certainly not to see Hayden, he'd missed his chess nemesis, but to be around Flynn, who he mainly remembered as a screaming and disruptive baby.

It wasn't the baby's fault, Casper knew that, but if his nephew was still very loud it was bad timing, Casper had been accepted into an elite summer science programme at MIT and he had a lot of studying to do if he was going to blow them away. In the years since they'd moved away Casper had grown from a studious little boy into a studious young man, his academics beyond reproach, he even participated in the odd group study, though most social gatherings still sent him running to his chemistry set and Tia.

Fortunately the reunion went well, Rachel cried a little, Gray grinned constantly and Flynn rather overawed by all the people who turned up - half the extended family were there to welcome Eva home - was very well behaved and quiet. Casper have Eva a quick hug before making a chess plan with Hayden and then retreated to his room. His family were nice he supposed but there were ever such a lot of them! 

A few weeks later Lillia found herself the sole inhabitant of the Monroe residence. Her parents having flown across to Yale to get Casper settled, the house was strangely still. At first That was exciting, Lillia thought to herself that this was how it would be once she was in charge of the house.  Then it was too quiet, the silence expectant and oppressive and she did what she always did when she was unsure, she called in her friends. Fortunately it was too late for Rose and Daisy to organised a  party so they settled for raiding the wine rack and getting rather tipsy whilst watching movies.

After a while the conversation turned to boys, as it always did, Rose giggling over a new senior who had transferred and Daisy swooning over Rose's brother Axel, much to her disgust. As usual , Lillia was the quiet one, it wasn't that she wasn't interested, she just hadn't really seen anyone of her type in a while. Usually her friends just let it go, but the wine spurred them on.

'C'mon Lil! There must be somebody you like.' Rose whinged, 'All the guys in our year are panting after the "mysterious" Lillia Monroe, but you're always single!'

Daisy looked sideways at her, a slightly unpleasant smile crossing her face. Lillia stiffened, she knew that look.

'I know who Lil likes'  she snickered. Rose whipped round, eyes wide.

'No! Who?!' She was shocked.

So was Lillia, 'Oh really?!' She teased, 'who is my prince charming! waiting in the wings then? I'd love to meet him!'

'Jeremy Gilbert, your geeky lab partner. I've seen you get all hot and bothered taking to him.'

Lillia flushed red, 'I do not have a thing for Jeremy. We're just friends.' She insisted.

Rose shrugged, 'But you have enough friends. Better friends. You don't need losers hanging around you.'

Lillia tried to stay calm, 'Which is why Jeremy is my lab partner and not at this sleepover. You guys know I need a good partner to pass that class.'

The ping of the microwave diffused the tension in the room and Lillia went to get the popcorn. She took the trash outside to cool off and once she was alone she took a deep calming breath. What had just happened was exactly why she would never tell anyone, anyone at all, about her crush on Jeremy Gilbert.

When Gray and Rachel returned, tired and having left Casper halfway across the country to take care of himself, a challenge they believed he was ready for but that scared them nonetheless, it felt as if an era was drawing to an end.

Gray felt older somehow, as if he had had just enough energy to keep him going for as long as he was needed desperately. He'd long ago lost count of the grey-white hairs on his head and had been amused by the saga of Rachel's attempts to find an anti-wrinkle cream that worked. Age had crept up on them quietly, kept away only by the tireless energy that they'd expended to try and keep everything together.

Now Eva was off with a family of her own, a home, a son and a husband, not to mention a degree and a career. Gray couldn't even see the angry teenager he'd once known in her any more, the glowing young woman she'd become was a testament only to her own strength of character and the chance to start again.

Lillia was almost grown, she seemed happy and confident, she had her sports and her friends and her academic were good enough not to hold her back. Gray only wished he had taken more time to treasure her childhood years, caught between her siblings she'd grown up too fast and that was something he'd never be able to take back.

And Casper, for all the nights of sleep that Gray and Rachel had lost over him, he was doing so well. It seemed like he too barely needed them. His schooling was so advanced that they could barely follow it, he functioned with hardly a thing to distinguish him from his siblings. The only time when the Aspergers really affected things was when he was surprised by or under-prepared for a social situation. Gone were the days where his temper flared at the slightest misunderstanding, he was learning to cope with the world and with the people in it and that was his parents dearest wish for him.

Gray hoped that maybe one day Casper would find what he had with Rachel with another person, that his son would want that for himself, but for now it was more than enough to see his son becoming independent, even if that meant he didn't need Gray so much.

Yes, it was the end of an era.

Looking across to where Rachel sat engrossed in a recipe book muttering ingredients to herself! Gray smiled. It was twenty years since they'd first sat together like this, their dreams very different from what they were now. Those two decades felt like a whirlwind, a constant fight to do what was best for their family and Gray couldn't imagine a better partner to have seen him through it than Rachel had been.

Perhaps now was their chance to go back after those dreams they'd shared that had fallen by the wayside, the dreams which had been hung up and used to pad their children's way in the world. Their hair might be greyer and their joints a little stiffer but there was time yet, this time was theirs. It was time to let Lillia chronicle their history and make her own successes and mistakes, time for Gray to step back and support his children rather than pushing them along.

Crossing the room Gray joined Rachel on the sofa, tapping the page of her book until he had her attention.

'Rachel, I think it's time to have another try at opening up that restaurant we always dreamed of.'      

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Generation Four has now begun. Read Chapter 1 - Holding Court now!

The Monroe Legacy - G.3. Chapter 18 - Denial and Diagnosis

The five weeks Eva and Hayden had together before he went away seemed to exist in an impossible time bubble. Even as the days seemed hours long and their parting raced towards them unstoppable and heartbreaking, their feelings deepened naturally and gradually, as if they'd been together for months or years rather than days.

After only a fortnight Hayden told Eva he loved her, something he'd never told anyone, not even his high school girlfriend of three years. Once the shock had worn off Eva admitted to him what she'd known but refused to admit for months of tutoring. That she loved him too.

Glowing from this long imagined revelation the pair were inseparable, Gray and Rachel looked on fondly, remembering those early days they'd spent together. Hayden was a nice young man, he brought out the best in Eva and clearly adored her, besides how much trouble could he cause in five short weeks?

Those five weeks were gone too soon and despite Hayden's protestations that they should wait and make it special, the high emotions and passionate mood of their last evening together taught Eva that sex could be so much more than a quick fix. Even as they lay exhausted, just breathing together and falling softly into sleep Eva couldn't believe the closeness and safety she felt in Hayden's arms. She could still feel his hands on her, see the wonder of his expression as they'd finally given in to their bodies. It had been more than what Eva had felt missing with all the guys before him, she felt as if somehow it had changed her.

Though Hayden's departure was hard on them both it was better than expected. Before they had fought to convince themselves it was a fling which meant it would be over once Hayden left. Last night had shown them that this was something with a future. Knowing that they'd be together again tempered the sadness of parting with the hopes they had for that future.

Eva's final results were in a few days later and having just fallen short of what she needed she had summer school to distract her from the space that Hayden had left. Lillia had less to fill her days, her sister was preoccupied, her parents working and her brother off in his own world. She had passed well enough that school was on hold for a couple of months and with no athletics and soccer out of season she spent most of her time with Daisy and Rose.

The three girls were not so little anymore and would start middle school at the top of the social ladder, they were pretty, popular and had big personalities. Rose was the definite ringleader, she spoke for the group, started the trends and made the plans. Daisy was the trendy one, she came from a very wealthy family and was always in the best outfit, judging the dorky kids and restyling Lillia and Rose's hair. Lillia was the back-up girl, swim practice kept her busy enough that she wasn't with the others every time they hung out and without really noticing she found herself following them more than she walked her own path.

But follower or not, being with the Flowers was fun. They had pool parties and slumber parties, Rose and Daisy giggled about boys and Lillia laughed along though she didn't exactly see why Austin Carter was so exciting. Other girls wanted to hang out with them, even the older kids, and that made life exciting. Lillia was barely home that summer between swimming and her friends and when school started back not much changed.

Gray tried to keep an eye on Lillia, noticing her gradual transformation from the little girl who idolised her sister in to a self-consciously trendy tween but he never saw any cause for concern. The Flowers seemed like sweet girls and he was glad that one of his children was having the normal school experience. Eva's rocky start and Casper's strange behaviour gave him enough to worry about.

Casper's school experience became less simple as he moved into class with a less understanding teacher. It turned out that his old one had been quite lenient over Tia's "involvement" in class activities but the new teacher was old-fashioned and would have none of Casper's flights of fancy.

Casper responded in kind by fighting the teacher. When Tia didn't have a space on the coach to a field trip things came to a head. Casper wouldn't get in the coach, screaming and shouting that Tia would love to visit the science museum and discover more about his potion table while the teacher refused to let him on until he had apologised.

A horrified Gray arrived at the scene, shocked to see his son almost unrecognisable in his fury, wildly gesturing at the empty air beside him. After a meeting with the principal Gray drove his now exhausted son home, troubled by what he'd seen and knowing that he and Rachel couldn't ignore this any longer. A conversation weeks before with his brother Jet, who had had his own imaginary friend in childhood had confirmed what Gray had long feared, that Casper's relationship with Tia was more dependent than even his brother's had been, and that relationship had been co-dependent enough to merit Jet's transferral to a specialist school.

Determined not to send his son away Gray made an appointment with a leading child psychologist and after many weeks of consultation and tests they finally had a diagnosis. Rachel cried when she found out, it was such an unknown and unexpected concept and sounded like a sentence to a difficult life. Gray felt strangely relieved to have a name for Casper's problems, perhaps this wasn't something they could simply fix but at least they now knew what they were dealing with.

Aspergers explained a lot of Casper's more outlandish behaviour. A high functioning autism it is often accompanied by above average intelligence and difficulties deciphering and handling social situations, Casper's obsessions and loner ways were textbook symptoms but without the Tia outburst it might have gone undiagnosed for months or even years.

Through the imaginary friend wasn't a common behaviour, it was certainly not unheard of and hinted at Casper's condition being borderline rather than severe. His interactions with Tia were more developed than his interactions with the wider world and his therapist felt this was hopeful and possibly transferable to a certain degree . She believed there was a good chance that with proper treatment and behavioural therapy Casper would be able to live a full and independent life with his condition.

That said, the next few years would not be easy. Casper's destructive and disruptive behaviours would have to be managed, he'd need coping mechanisms for those parts of life that would always be a struggle for him. Most of all he would need those who loved him to be patient, to help him find his way but also let him be himself.

As they began to work with their son on making sense of the world Gray and Rachel thanked heaven that they had each other, any time either of them broke down or lost faith the other was there to carry them through. They began to notice tiny changes sooner than they'd thought, all of their reading about the condition allowed them to decipher some of Casper's actions. Gray tried hard to engage with Casper's interests and after a long afternoon as potion ingredient measurer was rewarded with a fleeting pat on the arm and a feeling of closeness he hadn't realised until that moment he had never felt. For a few hours Tia was noticeably absent.

With Gray and Rachel's focus leaning towards Casper and his needs, their daughters tried to work out their problems alone. Lillia had started to notice a less pleasant side to hanging out with the Flowers. There was a controlling and sometimes bullying influence that her friends used to get what they wanted. Without an outlet at home to express her discomfort she found herself going along with it. Home was in turmoil and at least with The Flowers she knew her place in school was secure.

Eva's crisis was rather more urgent. She'd ignored the niggling doubts for as long as she could, burying herself in schoolwork  and long emails to Hayden but almost three months after his departure she knew that if she didn't find a way to face it then she wouldn't be able to hide for much longer.

As the strip turned pink Eva buried her face in her hands, everything had finally been on track, her future had been bright and now it was going to change permanently. Hayden was half way round the world, she wasn't even nineteen and she'd always been so careful but there was no escaping it.

She was going to be a mother.

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Read on now - Chapter 19 - Losing Sleep

The Monroe Legacy - G.3. Chapter 15 - Hard Choices

Eva's first year in Lucky Palms was something of a battlefield. At first she just ignored everything and everybody. She spent her days calling Milo back in Mexico or working secretively on the computer, at night she would vanish, returning in the small hours with no explanation. 

She barely spoke to Gray and treated Rachel as if she weren't there. Gray tried to strike a balance with his daughter, flexibility and space to let her adjust and discipline to curb her more destructive tendencies.

Eva made a mockery of every nice gesture, especially those which came from her stepmother who tried desperately to connect with the wayward teen. Rachel had arranged for the guest room to be redecorated for Eva, Eva had turned her nose up at the decor, only grudgingly accepting Rachel's slightly strained offer that they redo it together, before shutting her stepmother out again.

Rachel never told Gray that she struggled with Eva, greeting him when he returned from work with smiles, dinner and armfuls of giggling babies but he could tell that all was not well by the tension at the rare dinners they dragged Eva down for. Eva's grades were terrible, she wouldn't socialise  with her cousins or most of the kids at school, spending her days smoking behind the gym with the rebel kids in the years above her. Things went from bad to worse when Rachel confronted Eva having found her in the hot tub with a senior year boy.

'Your father spent almost a decade fighting for you! Looking for you! Praying for your safety and that you would come back to him! I watched it almost destroy him. I saw the look on his face when he thought you were dead. Hate me all you want but don't repay him by throwing your life away!'

A slightly staggered Eva took Rachel at her word and went from largely ignoring her stepmother to actively tormenting her. When Gray found Rachel rocking baby Casper to sleep with traces of blue dye still in her hair he decided enough was enough.

He had tried kindness, he had tried firmness and he had had enough. When Rachel was out with Lillia at Saffron's, Gray sat Eva down and laid it out.

'Eva. Do you want to go back to Mexico?'

Her eyes widened slightly before she could smooth over her features.

'I knew you didn't really want me!' She retorted, 'You only brought me here because you had to!'

Gray's response was quiet but no less vehement than a shout would have been.

'Don't you dare say that again. Losing you all those years ago destroyed me, Rachel finally gave me a reason to start living again but for six years all I thought of was you. Finding you was one of the happiest days of my life and I would do anything, ANYTHING, to make you happy.

But you seem miserable here, and you make the lives of other people I love miserable with your behaviour. I can't let that happen anymore. So I'm asking you to choose.

Do you want to go back to Mexico? I would hate to lose you again, but I would hate even more to have all of our lives, yours included, ruined by my selfish need to have you near me.'

As Gray spoke tears began to trickle down Eva's cheeks, her shoulders heaving with all the tears she hadn't shed when she'd found her mother and sister, the ones she'd kept back every time she'd looked at herself and seen all the flaws that separated her from her father's perfect family.

As much as he wanted to rush and comfort her, Gray was done pushing Eva. Finally she pulled herself together enough to mumble her response.

'I want to stay.'

From that day things got a little easier, it wasn't a fast process but it was progress.

Eva's grades went from a D to a C, she wore a little less eyeliner and spent a little less time in her room. Gray might have missed a lot of firsts, her first day at school and first loose tooth, but he began to appreciate some new firsts, small signs that things might get better.

He smiled the first time Eva willingly joined them for a movie, laughing with them, a noise Gray had barely heard before that night. His heart swelled the day he caught her cuddling Lillia, crooning a little song to her in Spanish. He tried to be nonchalant the day he discovered Eva chopping vegetables for dinner and passing them to a slightly shell- shocked looking Rachel.

When Eva didn't arrive for Casper's first birthday, Gray's heart sank. They'd made so much progress, Lillia adored her big sister, Rachel was happy and comfortable again and Gray had begun to see flashes of the little girl he'd known under the black haired persona of his teenage daughter. Her absence without explanation on a day like today, not only a birthday but the anniversary of their reunion, weighed heavy on his heart.

Eventually they could wait no longer and Rachel lit the candles on the cake. Just as she put out the match the front door flew open and a teenaged whirlwind blew in. Eva's face was completely innocent, only a tiny smirk giving away her pleasure at her dad's surprise.

Gone was the black, her hair restored to its natural blonde, the pink streaks running through it a nod to her old look.

Quickly explaining that the salon had been running late Eva began singing happy birthday, jolting Rachel and Gray into action. As Casper blew out his candles Gray sent up a little prayer. Today was a day of transformation, his son was growing up strong and healthy, his little daughter was confident and sweet-natured and his eldest daughter had finally started to come back to him.

After the presents were opened and the cake cut, Eva offered to put Lillia to bed while adults sorted Casper and tidied up. After putting on the dishwasher Gray crept upstairs and watched from the hall as Eva read her baby sister to sleep, softly petting Lillia's hair as she nodded off.

As Eva crept out of the room, Gray couldn't help pulling her to him for a hug. She tensed but then relaxed, the bottom of his chin just hitting the top of her head. He could believe she was letting him hold her.

 Pulling away with a slightly shy smile Eva said,

'Gee, You really are a soppy mess sometimes.'

Gray cleared his throat and tried to retain his composure.

'Ah... Yep. I guess so. I just always get emotional on birthdays. I like the hair by the way.'

Eva gave another of her knowing grins,

'I knew you didn't like the black. You didn't have to say so. I just decided it was time to try out being Eva Monroe properly and send Maia Garcia back to Mexico where she belongs.

Anyway, I'm gonna go Skype Milo. G'night dad.'

As Eva scampered to her room, letting the door bang shut Gray felt Rachel's arms encircle him from behind. She had heard the whole thing.

'She called you dad' she whispered.

Gray didn't have to say anything, Rachel could feel his chest shaking with gentle sobs.

It was all going to be alright.

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Read Chapter 16 - Mind, Matter and Maverick