Family Stories

chapter 20: Sudden Darkness

September 6:

Ryan: 10; Liam, Finn, Ruby: 7; Luca: 6; Mira: 3

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As planned, the wide awake Liam and his half asleep mother were sitting on the table the next morning, while everyone else was still sleeping. The boy's homework was ready to be done.

"Mom, stop yawning all the time! This was your idea.", Liam grinned.

"Limo-Bambino, stop annoying your mom this early in the day and finish your homework.", Amelia grumbled, taking a sip of her coffee and staring at her son.

"Okay mommy, I'm sorry for not being as responsible as the others.", the seven-year old answered, disappointed in himself.

"It's fine, Limo!", his mother replied calmly and grabbed his left hand gently. Suddenly, someone walked down the stairs. Finn joined the group of two with a smile.

"Good morning, brother!", Liam greeted him, while he received a kiss from his mama.

"Morning! I thought, I might be able to help. Ruby is still asleep and mom is just a zombie when it's this early.", Finn explained.

"Sure!", his brother laughed, as their mother shook her head. She watched her sons working together and felt her heart melt.

"Mommy?", Liam asked.

"I'm asleep.", Amelia dryly replied.

"Nope, you aren't. Otherwise dad would be here.", the seven-year old shrugged.

"Wait, what?", his mother wanted to know and opened her eyes again.

"You only sleep when daddy is with you.", Finn explained his brother's words.

"Or with dad in general.", Liam joked.

"Okay, shut up! Both of you!", the neurosurgeon laughed. "Now that you have finished homework, you can help me set up the table for breakfast."

As the rest of the family joined the tiny group a few minutes later, the morning routine of the Hunts could get started. Mira was sitting on her father's lap and basically still asleep, like she always was. Luca talked everybody's ears off and their siblings quietly and peacefully ate their breakfast, listening to their younger brother.

---

When Owen and Amelia picked up the kids in the afternoon, it was heavily raining. On the way home a thunderstorm surprised them. The trauma surgeon drove rather slowly, but fast enough for them to arrive soon.

He parked the car in front of the house and got out of it. They sent their children into the Hunt residence and told them to put on dry clothes. Owen lifted Mira out of her car seat and carried her inside, while Amelia decided to drive the car into the garage.

She was on her way in as her husband wrapped his arms around her delicate body and kissed her passionately. The brunette kissed him back until a loud thunder took over the silent moment, making both of them jump.

"Owen?", she asked a little dumbfounded, because he did nothing.

"Yes?", he teased, still not moving away from their spot in the dripping wet rain.

"Why do you want to kiss in the rain when we could get struck by lightening?", Amelia wanted to know.

"Maybeee you have a point there...", Owen winked, stealing one more kiss off his wife's lips and pulling her inside the house after. Both of them changed their clothes, just as the kids had done and met the Huntlings in the living room.

Suddenly, the lights went off, darkening every spot of the house. Finn, always the first to know what was best in a crisis, jumped off the couch and ran out of the room.

"Amazing!", Amelia sarcastically commented the situation, deeply annoyed by it.

"Sit still for God's sake!", Liam told his three-year old sister in a voice, which sounded rather pissed.

"I'm scared!", she whined. Owen picked his youngest child up and sat her on his lap, while his wife knelt down in front of her. She put her hands onto the toddler's cheeks and caressed them.

"Nothing bad is going to happen, baby! I promise.", Amelia said with a reassuring smile and softly kissed the child's forehead.

"Is it just me or is it super cold in here?", Ruby asked, joining the conversation about complains. Her mother stood up to get the extra blankets from under the windows, when she suddenly remembered her son leaving the living room.

"Finnie?!", she screamed into the darkness, concerned about what might had happened to him. He could have fallen down the stairs, broken his neck and really, everything could have happened by now.

"I found some candles!", the seven-year old announced, coming back into the room without any wound and saving his mother's sanity. Owen lightened them and at least a little bit of light filled the living room.

"Ryan, you are very quiet. Are you alright?", he asked his oldest son concerned.

"Sure, everything's great.", the ten-year old mumbled, annoyed. His parents looked at each other, both of them knew something was up. It wasn't like Ryan to reply this way to his father's questions.

Luca moved from his spot next to Liam to the other couch, on which his mom and big sister were sitting. He placed himself on her lap and hugged her silently.

"You okay, love?", Amelia wanted to know.

"I love you, mommy.", the six-year old said. Those words made the brunette beam. She stroked his dark curls, while her son played with her fingers. The neurosurgeon noticed the sad and angry glance, that Ryan flashed at his dad.

What was happening with him? Where did that sudden madness come from? As the ten-year old looked at his mama a moment later, his facial expression softed and he smiled at her as lovely as he always did.

"Are auntie Meg and auntie Addie coming to the zoo with us this weekend?", Liam asked, excited.

"If they want to. I'll ask them tomorrow, alright?", his mother answered.

"Yay!", the young redhead smiled happily.

"How about a game?", Ruby suggested. "Ry starts with a name, that all of us know. Then Limo has to say the next one, using the ending letter of the previous one as the first letter and so on."

"Derek.", Ryan started.

"Katie.", Liam continued.

"Evelyn.", Finn decided on using his grandma's name.

"Nathan.", Owen said, just as all the lights went back on. "I'll take care of dinner.", he announced, carefully giving his wife their sleeping daughter. The other five Huntlings went to play their favorite board game together, so Amelia took the chance of joining her husband in the kitchen. She entered the room with Mira in her arms and kissed the redhead's cheek.

"Are you okay?", the brunette wanted to know.

"Yes, sure.", Owen replied with a fake smile.

"You don't sound quite okay to me.", his wife challenged him, knowing they had to talk about it.

"No, no, I am! It's just...", the trauma surgeon started, but avoided saying it.

"Ryan.", Amelia finished for him and he nodded.

"Maybe he's just tired or something, but that he must be the one to react that way when I talk to him scares me.", Owen admitted sadly.

"Because you aren't his biological father.", his wife concluded.

Ryan had heard the whole conversation and started crying as he ran into his room. So he was right. Owen probably didn't love him as much as his other kids. The other pupils had been right too and adopted children were never as important as biological ones. He sadly walked down the stairs, quietly ate his dinner, brushed his teeth and let himself fall into bed as soon as he could.