Taffity Family Legacy

Generation 8, Chapter 12

"And they all live happily ever after." Jared looked up at the kids with a smile, probably expecting praise and adulation for his story telling.

"But that's not the end!" Cam exclaimed. "We haven't even been born yet..."



"Who said this story was about this family?" Jared teased.

"Well duh Dad!" Seeley rolled his eyes. "Who else's grandparents were a King and Queen and former vampires?"

"More! More!" As usual, Russ and Angie were in perfect sync. I'm sure those two had some sort of twin telepathy.

"Oh alright then...after we were reunited with Tempy, we returned here to Twinbrook - where Grandma and Grandpa lived at the time..."

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"I can't believe how big the triplets are now...in truth, I can't believe I'm even here and soaking up the sun like this..." I mused to my mom. Ever since becoming human again, I'd gone out of my way to enjoy the sunlight on my skin as much as possible. Mom and Dad seemed to be of a similar mind.



"We're just glad you're home safe and sound Luna..." she turned toward me and gave me the strongest mom-glare she could, "though we do wish you would have let on what was happening."

I'd been reluctant to tell them everything that had happened since they'd left that night at first but, with Jared by my side, I'd told them everything. Dad was furious and I knew I'd done the right thing keeping it from them. It was hardest on him, being that he'd been a vampire for more than five centuries, to adapt to humanity again. And to accept that he had weaknesses.

I said nothing in response - there was nothing to be said. "How are those hot dogs coming?" Mom called back toward where Dad and Jared were attempting to grill.



Minerva, Andromeda and Lily joined us at the beach after school, as they did most afternoons. They were less than a year away from starting middle school and I had a hard time thinking of them as near teenagers.

"We've made a decision about something..." My mom spoke up, after the sun had began it's descent for the evening.

The whole table fell silent and serious at her pronouncement and all eyes turned toward her. "Go on dear." Dad said reassuringly.

"Well, with the return of Luna, Jared and Tempy - I think we've all felt the how full the house is..." I started to interrupt here, Jared and I had recently started looking for a house actually, but she waved me off. "And we realize that we made a horrible mistake keeping you from the vampire world as a child Luna - if you'd been a part of it from the start..."

"It's not your fault!" Jared exclaimed quickly. We could all see the burden on my parent's shoulders right then.

"Nevertheless, we've found a school for the triplets to go to where they can be part of that world properly. Better to know our kind and have friends among them than enemies..."

"And we'd like you all to keep the house." Dad finished with a nod in my direction. "We'll be moving to Hidden Springs, to be near the school."

------

They moved soon after and while I missed them, the house suddenly felt massive without two adults and three teenagers. Tempy was enrolled in the local public school. She missed the friends she'd made in her short time at the supernatural school but she was young and was thriving. Except she didn't like the homework much - but then who did?



And with Tempy away at school every day, Jared and I were left to find other ways to keep busy. Money was no issue as all of the money from Robert Van Allen's estate had been given to Tempy as his only living heir (Jared was dead for five years after all).

Over time, the family had accumulated many different things for every potential under the sun. I remember taking Jared down into the basement the first time and he looked stunned by all the different things. "Is that a snake basket? Like from Egypt?"

"Er, year...I think my great great grand parents brought it back from a trip ages ago. I'm sure the snake is long gone by now...."

While he fiddled with the basket, I picked out the sculpting station just for fun.





Tempy, meanwhile, was adjusting to life in Twinbrook quite easily. She'd come home, clearly excited one day, talking about the Scouts and camp and all sorts of things. It took about five seconds for her to convince Jared and I to sign her up for the activity.



And so it happened that nearly five years passed. Jared and I had all but given up on having another child at that point. I was convinced that my miscarriage history with Robert or even Vincent's birth and the following events had done something to me.

Jared took the blame on himself, "I was dead, more or less, for so long...maybe..."

So when I started feeling nauseous after so many years of trying, I brushed it off as a stomach bug.



But after a few weeks of that, my great hopes were confirmed. We were pregnant!

Tempy was overjoyed - she'd been pestering us for a sibling for ages but we hadn't the heart to tell her it wasn't going to happen. Now I'm glad we didn't! I was only two months along when my belly popped and a couple doctors' appointments later, they confirmed that we were having not ONE baby but TWO!







Nine months later, Camille and Seeley were born at home.



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"That's us!" Cam nudged her twin brother in the shoulder and he just grunted in response. He'd been tuning out most of the story really but, for once, kept his mouth shut at least.

"I was a cute baby" she pointed toward the pictures in the photo album with amusement. Then she looked at Seeley and laughed, "Big bad Seeley was scared of Dad's hand?" she teased.



"T'was not" Seeley muttered.

"Let's get back to the story shall we?" I urged.

------





It wasn't long after their second birthdays that their personalities really started to come out. It was then that I sort of regretted the decision to teach them how to walk and talk. Maybe if we hadn't, things would have been different.

Seeley had a bit of devious streak I couldn't really explained. He didn't do anything MEAN exactly and could play the part of the perfect angel when necessary but I could always tell he was playing a part.

Cam on the other hand...she didn't really bother hiding her stubborn streak.

"Tempy! It's Saturday, come on outside with us!" Jared called as he passed her. He had Jared in his arms and we were heading out to the play ground.



She didn't have to be told twice! She dropped her homework on the table and ran to get shoes and join us outside.



After a couple hours, lunch was creeping up on us and we told the kids it was time to go inside. That's when we first really noticed Cam's 'tude.

"No! Play! More play!" she shouted, for all the world to hear.

"Cam Cam! It's lunch time...we have to go inside to get yummy food..." Jared tried to sooth her, looking around occasionally to see who was watching.

"No!!"



"Cam...."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Oh please don't do that Camille, I just want....well, I was going to give you cookies with lunch but if you don't want cookies..." Jared was lying through his teeth but he'd do anything to stop the tantrum before it exploded.

"Cookies?" The smile was tiny at first but she allowed herself to be picked up at the promise of cookies.

"She's got you wrapped around her little finger." I teased, with Seeley already tucked in my arms.



At least, together, they had a built in playmate. That's one of the great things about being a twin I guess - there's always someone your own age around.



Tempy didn't have that luxury - and as she was five years older than her siblings - it was hard for the three of them to have fun playing together.



But she had friends at school. One in particular was her very best friend. Her name was Jelly Bean and she seemed to be at our house nearly as often as we were! I'm not even sure Jelly had parents with the amount of time she spent with us!





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"I remember when Jelly Bean moved away..." Tempy said, her voice filled with sadness. "I miss her sometimes."

Jelly Bean's family had moved just before they were to go into middle school and Tempy had been devastated for months - refusing to make any effort to make other friends.

She'd come around in time for her birthday and that of her siblings but she still didn't have quite the same happiness she'd had with Jelly around.

------

By the time they started school, Cam and Seeley had the type of relationship you'd expect from a brother and sister. One minute they were fighting or playing pranks on each other and the next they'd be playing happily as if there'd never been a quarrel at all.







It was about this point that I found out I was pregnant yet again. Unlike the pregnancy with Seeley and Cam, we hadn't tried AT ALL to get pregnant in the last five years. To be honest - I was perfectly happy with our family of five and didn't feel the need to add to it.

But mother nature, it seemed, had other plans for us. BIG plans it would seem, as I was pregnant with yet another set of twins!





I was near to bursting when Tempy's first formal dance...and therefore her first real date..came up! She'd known for months about the dance but with all her school activities, it seemed she could never catch the guy she really wanted to go with. "I don't think he even knows I'm alive..." she whined.

"Well, is there someone else you might like to go with? Someone from art club maybe?"

She didn't like my suggestion of giving up on her 'one true love' and stomped away in a teen fit. I took my frustration out on a shrub.



------

"It wasn't a teen fit!" Tempy argued, making everyone jump. "But I guess you were right..."

"You went with Bubba." I pointed out with a smile.



"Who I met in Art club and ran into after the game one day..." she smiled sheepishly. She and Bubba had been an item pretty much since that fateful day and she'd forgotten all about the popular boy who didn't know her name.

"Come on...this is where Angie and Russ are born!" Cam said impatiently.

------

So while Tempy was upstairs getting ready for her big night, I was playing around with the sculpting station again. It was quite a stress reliever while waiting for this pregnancy to end. It seemed to be taking forever this time...

Of course, in hindsight, I should have recognized the symptoms of oncoming labor but I was too distracted by sending my oldest baby girl out on her first date!



Before Tempy even made it home that night - with the Prom Queen crown no less! - Angela and Russ Taffity were born!



With two babies, two children and a teenager in the house, it was no wonder that we seemed to blink and they were ready to grow up. I knew - or at least I told myself that I knew - they were my last two babies and I was a little sad as first one birthday and then another passed.

Soon they were all over the place, tripping us all up.









And NOW, hey lived happily ever after...

Tempy


Cam


Seeley


Angie


Russ


------

"Don't forget Mom and Dad..." Cam said with a smile. By then just about everyone else had disappeared for their own beds but Cam was determined to see it to the end.



"Right, and Mom and Dad."



End Chapter

A/N: That's a wrap for Luna's generation...this was the happily ever after chapter obviously lol. Took her awhile to get here!

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