Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem ( Elysia and Tarquin)

Tarquin froze for a moment, then wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into a tight embrace. Suddenly, he took the lead, leaning in and kissing her...

The fireworks show ended, and so did their kiss.

The two of them held each other for a while, catching their breath, before sharing a smile. Hand in hand, they started strolling back toward the cozy cabin.

As they walked, they chatted quietly.

"So, what happened to those jerks?" Elysia asked.

"They're scared out of their minds-just as planned," Tarquin replied with a smirk.

Elysia didn't press for details about his plan. Instead, she asked again, "You're sure nothing's going to go wrong?"

"Absolutely sure. Don't worry."

"Oh, by the way, did Bernard see that guy? You know, the one with all the scars on his face?"

Tarquin nodded. "Yeah. Bernard told you?"

"No, but when Bernard came back, he was acting strange, trying to smile but clearly upset. What's the story there? What's his connection with that guy?"

Tarquin hesitated before answering, "They're old friends-well, more like rivals. Some old grudge, but it's been sorted out. By the way, did you talk to Grandma about the virus yet?" He lied, steering the conversation away.

The truth was, Bernard's grudge with the scar-faced thug went way deeper than he wanted Elysia to know-there had been violence, even deaths, and international trouble. He didn't want her to worry about it.

Elysia didn't question it further. She just sighed and looped her arm through his. "Not yet. We started cleaning up as soon as you left."

"Those jerks took over Grandma and Grandpa's house, so Grandma was grossed out-she changed all the sheets and threw all their stuff out in the yard!"

"Once we finished tidying up, we started getting dinner ready. I haven't had a chance to talk to Grandma about the virus yet."

Tarquin nodded. "No rush. It can wait."

"Yeah, I figure I'll tell her after dinner."

"Sounds good."

Dinner was at Tracey's place, and they had a classic fondue night.

The older folks were in good spirits. After giving Tarquin a stern warning, they quickly forgave and forgot. They treated him like their own grandson-in-law, one more enthusiastic than the next.

With the kids' laughter ringing through the cabin, the place felt warm and lively- full of that special kind of family comfort.

Not long after dinner, the little ones

drifted off to bed. They'd been

running wild in the woods for days? barely getting a full night's sleep. After everything that had

happened and with full

over

belfies-they were out like lights, fast asleep.

Elysia and Tarquin were tired too, but still too wired to sleep.

Once the kids were tucked in, Elysia went to find her grandmother to

Tarquin teamed up with the grandfathers to deal with the

finally discuss the virus.ne, net

unconscious poachers they'd found in the house.

With Tarquin's plan and White's help, they used the animals to drag the men far away, dumping them in a cave deep in the woods. Tarquin set up a little surprise-he left behind a hallucinogen in the cave before leaving.

The cave was safe from wild animals, but what would happen when the poachers woke up? Who knows-whether they survived or not was up to fate.

Everything was going smoothly on Tarquin's end, but Elysia soon ran into trouble.

When she told Tracey about the virus, Tracey didn't even blink. She immediately took Elysia to her lab.

Tracey wasn't exactly Mother Teresa and hadn't worn a lab coat in years, but she was still a healer at heart. She couldn't just stand by knowing there was a virus out there hurting people.

Even after retiring to the countryside, she wouldn't just watch the world burn.

In the lab, Tracey didn't bother looking at the virus notes. Instead, she jumped straight into research.

Most viruses were child's play for her she didn't need a case file, just rolled up her sleeves and started working on a cure.

But this time...noveldrama

Something unexpected happened.