by Alex Tryst

Dedication & Author's Note: See Chapter 1.

Feedback: Drop me a line if you’d like at alextryst@e-scribblers.com.

Copyright © June, 2008 by Alex Tryst. All Rights Reserved.

---

About three months later the Fulton residence had returned to as much normalcy as possible, given there were two newborns at home. Alexa still spent as much time as she could with the five women she adored, but her international business kept her traveling abroad and doing the bidding of the queen. However, one night she arrived home late from Europe and had every intention of heading straight to Lauren’s after a brief stop at the palace, but upon entering her bedroom she found her wife sitting there, obviously awaiting her arrival.

“Mere, good evening. Why are you awake at such a late hour?”

“I need to speak with you immediately, Alexa,” she said.

It was obvious she was unhappy over something, so the heir took a seat next to her. “What is the matter?”

“This is the matter,” her wife replied, dropping a stack of photographs into Alexa’s lap that had been sitting by the nightstand. “I demand an explanation.”

Alexa looked at what had been thrust at her. The top picture was of her and the five Fulton women. She was holding Anastasia in one arm and Caroline in the other. “What explanation can I give? You already know that Lauren is in my life. It should be no surprise to you. Where did you get these pictures?”

“They were in your desk! I was simply looking for paper to leave you a note! Do these children belong to you? Do not even think of denying it! The resemblance leaves no doubt that you have conceived four children with this woman!”

Knowing there was no way out of the situation, the princess nodded her head. “They are mine,” she admitted.

Meredith’s tears began as she yelled, “How could you do this to me? For the past eleven years I have tried in vain to give you a child, but you go off and have four with this woman! Why put me through such agony? You have your heirs! Why demand I continue in my futile quest to conceive your child?”

“Because you know as well as I do that my mother demands it of us.”

“But our child would not even be next in line to the throne! I wish you had been honest with me about your relationship!”

“I never intended to hurt you, Mere.”

The younger princess continued to cry. “There is nothing left to do here. Another woman has fulfilled my one requirement as your wife. I believed we had an understanding that we would remain married for our future child, a child we now know will never be.”

Alexa nodded her head. “I have come to accept that. You have put yourself through so much trying to please my family. I do not wish you to suffer any longer.”

“Nor do I.”

“So what do you propose we do?”

The younger princess sat for a moment in contemplation. “There is only one thing to do. We divorce. Neither of us wants to be in this marriage any longer. I wish to be with Janice, and you now have your obligations to Lauren. It is in everyone’s best interest for us to move on with our lives. We cannot spend the rest of our lives married to each other, especially since you have children by another woman.”

“Are you certain you wish to divorce?”

Meredith sighed as she looked at her wife. “Alexa, I am young enough to still have a life once I leave here. I wish to enjoy my life, and I will have that opportunity with Janice. I know you love Lauren. How could you not after having four children together? It is best for both of us. Do you not agree?”

Alexa nodded. “If it is what you want, I will grant you that. Of course you know that my mother will try to persuade us otherwise.”

“She will not be able to deny the necessity of it when she learns of your four children.”

“Except I have no intention of telling her about them. I made Lauren a promise that these girls would not know of their situation in life until they were old enough to understand it and make a decision on how they wanted to live their own lives. Neither of us wants these girls to take the throne. It is a burden we do not wish to bestow on them.”

“Nevertheless, it is not for you to say. It is their destiny, and you know that.”

Alexa gave a nod of concession. “I beg you, Mere. Please do not tell my mother about these children. I do not want her to know until the time is right. We must present our decision to her independently of these children. I made my promise to Lauren. Please allow me to keep it.”

Her wife reluctantly nodded her head. “Very well. I do not wish pain upon your family. I will not say anything about them to the queen. I suppose we can use the infertility clause in the law for our grounds.”

“Are you comfortable with that?”

“I am infertile, Lex. We both know that, and it is not going to change. I am not embarrassed by that fact any longer. It is something I accepted years ago. The queen cannot deny that fact, or the reality that it allows the two of us to divorce. She will be unhappy, but we just must stand our ground and do what we both know is right.”

“Very well. I will speak to her about it tomorrow.”

“And I will make arrangements to move my things out of the palace.”

“As would be customary, I will be more than amiable to give you a house of your choosing and support for you to carry on with your life. After all, you will retain your title of Princess unless you remarry. Then everything will stop.”

“I already know that. I appreciate your offers, and I will be amiable with whatever you decide. We are fortunate enough not to have children involved in this. It does make it easier. Do you want me to be with you when you tell your mother?”

“No. It probably would be best coming from me alone. I have no doubt she will try to dissuade you at some point. No need to do so in front of me.”

The two women hugged each other in silence for several minutes. “I am sorry for whatever pain I might have caused you, Lex. I have always loved you, and you will hold a special place in my heart.”

“You too, Mere.”

“I need to go now. Janice is expecting me.”

Alexa nodded. “And I need to get home to my children.” Once Meredith had taken her leave, the princess stowed her photographs in the table by her couch. Quickly she set off on the task that had drawn her into the room in the first place before heading to Lauren’s.

She expected all to be quiet when she arrived. However, she was surprised to find her lover sitting on the sofa trying to nurse two infants at the same time. The redhead looked exhausted. “I thought you would never get here,” the librarian commented. “It has been a long week without you.”

“I am terribly sorry. You know I would have much rather been with you and the girls. Is there anything I can do?”

“Just sit with me.”

Alexa did as she was told, coming to the couch and taking her place next to her beloved. She slid an arm around her shoulders. “I have just come from the palace. Mere and I came to a decision tonight that we are tired of living our lies. She asked me for a divorce, and I am going to grant it to her.”

“And what of an heir for the throne?”

“She is infertile. The doctors have made the prognosis official, and there is nothing we can do to change that. There is no reason for us to remain married. She wants to go on with her life with Janice.”

Lauren nodded her head. “I suppose that is understandable. It does open up a world of questions about our daughters, though, especially since you will have no other children. I was not prepared for that.”

“I know. We should only think about one thing at a time, though. Mere knows about the girls, but she has promised me she would not tell the queen about them.”

“How did she find out?”

“She found a picture of the six of us together in my bedroom. She assured me the secret would be safe with her, and I trust her.”

“Still that does not change the fact that Anastasia would be your undisputed heir. I do not want that for her.”

“I know, but staying married to Meredith does not change that fact. Mere will never have a child regardless of whether or not we are married. That is a fact we have both come to accept. We will try to figure out what to do with our daughters in time. For now, I just wanted you to know that I will be divorced, and then we can work on our marriage that I promised you all those years ago.”

Lauren gave a partial smile that did not quite reach her eyes in response. She did want to be married to Alexa, but things were beginning to get even more complicated between them. She had doubts that her lover would be as eager to abdicate as she once had been, and she had no idea how that might fit into their lives, if it even did. Sensing that Camille was finished eating, she handed her over to Alexa while she continued to hold Caroline.

The princess held her daughter against her shoulder and gently began to pat her on the back as the two women sat in silence. Neither spoke again as they tended to their daughters. Finally when the babies were once again asleep in their cribs in the master bedroom, the two adults settled down into bed to nap before the infants awoke again.

In the morning Alexa headed back to the palace to for the dreaded meeting with her mother. She knew it would not be pleasant, but it was necessary for her to move forward with her life. Going to her mother’s office, she came across her parents talking quietly alone.

“Lex, good morning. You do not look well-rested. A difficult flight back last night?” her father asked.

She nodded. “I am glad you are here, Father. I need to speak with both of you on a matter of importance.” Her mother gestured toward a chair for her, but Alexa remained on her feet.

“What is it, Alexa?” the queen questioned warily.

“After eleven years Mere and I have decided to end our marriage. We decided last night.”

“No. That is not possible. I will not allow it,” her mother immediately stated.

“This is not your decision to make, Mother. Mere has asked me for a divorce, and I will grant it to her.”

“But you have not even had a child together. You have no heir.”

“Nor will there ever be. We made that clear to you already. The doctors have said it is no longer possible. We did our best, but the window of opportunity has forever closed for us. The main purpose of our marriage was to conceive a child, and that is no longer a possibility. Mere wants her freedom, and I want mine. This is what is best for the both of us.”

“It is not what is best for the people, Alexa. I will not allow you to throw away your life.”

“Again I have to say it is not for you to decide, Mother. Besides, we are not throwing away our lives. We are winning them back,” she stated firmly.

“How dare you say that to me? I am your queen, and you will do as I say.”

“And if I do not?” Alexa pressed.

“Then you will suffer the consequences.”

“Exactly what are those consequences, Mother? Do you wish to see me abdicated from the throne? You are not in a position currently to automatically renounce me for not doing your bidding! Are you to throw me in prison? The people will not see justification in that! Just exactly what would you do to me if I did not follow your orders?” the princess yelled. “You seem to forget this is not about just me! This is about Meredith as well! She has a right to live another life if she so chooses!”

“She does not! She gave up her life to serve this country! She, too, will feel my wrath for disobedience to the crown!”

“I am sure she is prepared to accept any consequences for her actions as am I! You cannot intimidate us into remaining in a farce of a marriage! Neither of us wishes to be together any longer! Do what you will, but we will be divorced!”

The queen stood from her chair in rage. However, she said nothing at first and before she could her husband broke into the conversation for the first time. “Faith, do not think on this as a failure on their part. After all, it might be an opportunity for Alexa.”

“How so?”

“Well, if Lex and Meredith were to remain married, there would never be an heir. However, if they were to divorce and Lex remarry, she would have another chance at becoming a mother. There would be another opportunity to produce that heir.”

“You could still have an heir with Meredith if you used a surrogate to carry the baby! You have never tried that alternative!”

“And we never will! It is an insult to Mere to have a surrogate! It is degrading to her as a woman and as the princess! I will not put her through more! We have made up our minds! Our marriage is over! This meeting is just a courtesy to allow you to know first before the public hears of it!”

“If you tell the press about this, you are in trouble, Alexa! I will not stand for such behavior!”

“Then do your worst to me, Mother! You will also have to answer to the people for your actions! This is my life, and it is about time I start living it for myself! Now excuse me! I have to inform Matthew of an impending press conference this afternoon!”

That afternoon Lauren was at home with the four girls playing in the living room while she had the TV on the news to catch up on the day’s events, because she and Alexa had been up most of the night with the girls when she suddenly heard that a press conference was about to begin at the palace. She had no doubt that it was the news that the princesses were ending their marriage, so she picked up the remote to change the channel before her daughters noticed Alexa on TV. However, Anastasia did observe her.

“Look, Mommy. It’s Lexi.”

“I see that.”

“What is she doing on TV?”

“She is giving a speech, sweetie. You do not need to watch it, though.”

“Oh, please, Mommy.”

“No. It is not meant for you to hear. We need to work on your homework,” she said, turning off the TV, even though she was curious as to what was being said. She knew she would find out eventually, as it was earth-shattering news the world would be carrying for several days.

By the time Alexa arrived back at their home, the princess looked exhausted. However, she wore a content smile for her lover as she took a seat at the dinner table with the five of them. “Lexi, I saw you on TV today,” Anastasia announced as she took her chair.

“Oh really? You were watching the news?”

“Only for a moment,” Lauren informed her.

“Mommy wouldn’t let me watch you, though. She said I had to do homework.”

“Well, your mother was right. Homework is much more important.”

“How did it go this morning?” the librarian asked.

Alexa just shook her head. “We will talk about it later after the girls go to bed.”

Lauren nodded her head in agreement and patiently waited for bedtime to come. When it did, the couple made themselves comfortable in bed, being that they were both tired as well. “So tell me. How were things with the queen?”

“She was not happy of course. She threw out vague threats for my insubordination, but for the first time in my life I stood my ground. It felt good. I told her that just as I had to answer to the people so did she, so she needed to choose her own actions carefully. I told her I was not afraid of her threats and that I knew the law well enough to know she cannot have me renounced or thrown into jail for my choice. I am well within the law to be making this decision, and there was nothing she could do about it. Needless to say, my choice stood, and I made the announcement this afternoon. I have not seen her since, so I have no idea what is to come with her. However, this was the right thing to do for Mere and me, so I have no regrets. Besides, now I will be able to focus on you.”

“How long do you think it will take until your divorce is settled?”

“I do not know, but each of us is looking for quick resolution. Neither of us is making unreasonable demands, and we have no children over which to argue, so it should be soon. It is a matter of it making its way through the court system. I am sure we will be able to take precedence over other cases. Once that is complete, I look forward to giving you the wedding you desire,” she whispered, kissing Lauren on the neck.

Lauren indulged in the feeling of her lover’s mouth and words for a moment before finally saying, “You forget one small detail. Your mother will still not allow you to marry me. I do not expect her to make any concessions of law for our happiness. She sees me as common and has never liked me.”

“We shall cross that bridge when we get to it, darling. Besides, how do you know she dislikes you?”

“She made it clear on our one occasion of meeting.”

“What occasion was that? You never told me you met with her.”

“I could not bring myself to do it before. It was such a difficult conversation to have with her, and I did not want to relive it. However, it does not bother me as much as it did then.”

“When was this conversation? What did she say to you?”

“It was a just a short time before you were to marry Meredith. She requested my presence at the palace, so I of course felt obligated to go. She told me that you had spoken to her seriously about abdication, and she wanted to know if it was my influence. She insinuated that I was a courtesan, more interested in your monetary possessions than you, because I had accepted your gifts of my home and my position at the library. At that time I had no idea you were paying my salary until she told me so.”

“Anything else?” The librarian shrugged. Of course there was more, but it was hard for her to talk about even to that day. “Lauren, you can tell me what she said,” Alexa prodded gently.

“She cornered me about my feelings for you and made me admit that I would do anything for you, including letting you go, if it was for the best. She managed to convince me that it was in your best interest to leave you. I believed her. Looking back I never should have believed her.”

“Is that why when I proposed to you that you said no?”

The redhead nodded slowly. “I thought I was doing the right thing, but the pain of it was unimaginable. I regretted my decision the moment you walked out of my life that day, and I still carry the weight of that guilt. Had I gone with my heart, neither of us would have been in this predicament. We would have been together years ago and living the life both of us had wanted. We would have been happy, Flash. I know we would have. I am so sorry I allowed myself to be deceived. I have always loved you, even when I thought I could not be with you.”

Alexa sighed and kissed her beloved sweetly. “We are together now, and I will never leave you. That is all that matters.”

“I am terrified of our future,” the older woman whispered, pulling the princess closer. “The unknown scares me more than I am even willing to admit.”

“Me too but we will be together. We will get through it with each other.”

The next morning when Alexa returned to the palace, she found her Secretary of Affairs sitting in her office. Matthew wore a solemn countenance. “Your highness, good morning,” he greeted seriously.

“Matthew, good morning. You do not look rested. Are you all right?”

“No, Alexa, I am not,” he replied, extending an envelope to her.

She looked at it. Her name was hand-written across the front in his handwriting. “What is this?”

“I have come to submit my resignation, your highness.”

“What? Why?” she asked in confusion. “What is the meaning of this? I thought you were happy here.”

“I am, Lex. At least I used to be. The queen and I had a conversation yesterday about your impending divorce from Meredith. She suspects you have fallen in love with another woman and demanded to know who it was. I refused to tell her. She made reference to Lauren as a suspect, but I still refused to divulge your relationship. She made it clear to me last night that I was to either give her the answers she sought or quit my post. I have been up all night thinking about what I should do, and I come here now to resign my position.”

Alexa sighed. “You are a loyal friend, Matthew, but I cannot accept your resignation. I need you now more than ever.”

“She has left me no option, Lex. She will fire me. I care about you so deeply. You are like a little sister to me. I would never betray the trust you have put in me all these years. I cannot. I will not, not even for my queen.”

“Matthew, I care about you, too. I will not let you do this. Your place is at my side. It always will be for as long as you choose to be here. You are my most trusted friend. This action you are suggesting just proves that point further. I will not accept your resignation today. I will talk to my mother.”

“And say what, Lex?”

“Do not worry about that. Just come with me. We are going to see her right now.” The princess led the way to her mother’s office and gave a strong knock. When the queen beckoned them into the room, Alexa dragged Matthew in with her.

“Alexa, Matthew, what can I do for the two of you this morning?”

“You can explain this!” Alexa yelled, waving Matthew’s letter at her. “You are trying to force out Matthew for no reason!”

“He was given a choice. If he decides to resign, that is his right. Am I to assume that is your decision, Mr. Franks?”

He looked at Alexa. She spoke for him. “I will not allow Matthew to go anywhere! He is my Secretary of Affairs, and I need him! You cannot manipulate him into betraying me!”

“That is not for you to decide. He knows as well as you do I supersede any authority you have to keep him.”

“He stays, Mother.”

“No he does not, not unless he tells me what I wish to know.”

“I will tell you what you want to know but only if he stays! You must agree that he can stay for as long as he chooses! You will never try to use him as a pawn against me again!”

“You will be truthful with me and tell me absolutely everything I want to know?”

“Yes, Mother. Do we have a deal?”

She sat silent for a moment before she finally nodded. “Very well. Matthew’s position is safe for as long as he chooses to occupy it. Now, Matthew, you may be excused while I speak to my daughter.”

He bowed in her direction before turning to the princess. She gave him a reassuring smile as he touched her on the arm in support. “I will be in the office when you are finished,” he said.

“I will be there as soon as possible.”

With that the two women were left alone. The queen picked a large envelope up off her desk and stood. She walked toward her daughter and thrust it at her. “You have brought disgrace onto this family with your abhorrent behavior. As your queen I cannot even begin to express my disappointment in your explicit disregard for the law and your people.” Alexa opened the envelope to find the same pictures Meredith had shoved at her the night before when they argued. It was of the five Fulton women and her. “I cannot believe you are still with this woman. I thought I made it clear to her that she was not to see you again. Not only that, you have had children with her. There is no sense trying to deny it. The resemblance is obvious enough. There are four illegitimate princesses because of what you have done. What do you have to say for yourself?”

Alexa looked at the picture of her family before looking at her mother. “The only thing I can say. I love her, Mother. I love Lauren Fulton. I always have, and I always will. She has honored that love we share with four beautiful daughters. I am proud of the five of them, and I could never be with anyone else.”

“This is why you have chosen to divorce Meredith?”

“No, not exclusively. Meredith is still young enough to have a life, to find someone else. She is infertile. We would have never had an heir, and I promised Lauren children. I wanted to have children with Lauren. She is the woman I love, Mother. Nothing else matters more to me.”

The older woman gave a sigh of disappointment. “You are unfit to rule this country, Alexa. You are too selfish. You need to stand down and allow George to take your place. I cannot allow you to remain heir to the throne. You have totally neglected every law meant for the protection of the royal family.”

“I will not abdicate, Mother. I promised George I would not.”

“You have no choice here!”

“I disagree! Only I can abdicate my position, and I will not!”

“Then I will change the law to see that you never take the throne!”

“And just how will you explain that to the people? George is not fit for the position! We both know it! Even he knows it! He does not want the throne, never has!”

“We cannot remain at this impasse forever, Alexa! You must do what is right for your people for once in your life! Stand down!”

“No! If you are so concerned about the people, why do we not let them decide if I should abdicate?”

“You cannot be serious!”

“Why not? Are you afraid they would want to keep me as rightful heir?”

The queen was quiet for a moment. Finally with a controlled voice she asked, “You would let your fate rest with the people of this country? You will allow them to decide whether or not you remain heir?”

It was Alexa’s turn to ponder her proposal. “I would, Mother. The Congressional elections are coming up this fall. Let them vote. If they want to remove me, I will go. If they do not, I will stay.”

“I can only agree if they know the truth about what you have done. They must know about Lauren and the children.”

“That only seems fair.”

“And I want you to be the one to tell them. You will confess your sins on national television to our people and ask them to vote on you. Either you do that, or I will remove you from your place.”

“Fine. I will have Matthew arrange it.”

“I want it done within the week.”

“Agreed. We will be bound by the results?”

The queen nodded in agreement before looking at the princess in a long stare. “You have disappointed me, Alexa. As your mother I am disheartened at your actions. I thought you knew better. As your queen I am sickened to know that the princess has blatantly disobeyed me. You have put me in jeopardy with our people. If I am seen as weak in their eyes for what you have done, the response could be disastrous. You could cost the entire royal family their power. We have ruled this country for over two hundred years, and I will not see it fall, because you have chosen to follow your heart instead of your duty.”

Alexa nodded her head. “If you will excuse me, I need to start on my speech.”

“You are excused.”

Heading back to her office, Alexa saw Matthew anxiously awaiting her. “What happened after I left, Lex?”

The brunette sighed. “An unusual twist actually. My mother and I came to agreement about my future as queen. She wants me to abdicate, but I refused. We agreed to allow the people to decide my fate. They will vote on whether or not I should be queen during the Congressional election in the fall.”

“What? How could you agree to that?”

“I am trying to protect George. He does not want to be king, but should I get voted out, then we can at least say the people spoke. My mother found that amiable. There is only one small obstacle. I have to confess my affair and the girls to the people. My mother demands they know the truth about Lauren and the children.”

“How is Lauren going to feel about that?”

“She is not going to like it. We had not wanted the girls to be exposed, but I have no choice. Now I need your assistance. I have to prepare a speech that I must give on television in one week’s time. I have to figure out how to tell the country I have had an affair and four heirs in the process. It is not going to be easy.”

“How you want to spin it? What are you hoping to accomplish? Do you wish to remain heir or abdicate?”

She shrugged. “Honestly, I just want it to be over. I want whatever the people want. I know I can do the job well. I have prepared my entire life for the task. I do not want it taken away simply because my mother disapproves of my choices in life. However, I will go if the people wish me to.”

“Then I say we just tell them the truth and let it unfold as it will. Perhaps Meredith could come to your aid here.”

“I can ask, but I think it is best I go it alone. I will attempt to write the speech, but I will need your help refining it.”

“Of course. Anything I can do to help you, Lex.”

That night when Alexa got back to the Fulton residence, it was time for dinner. She tried to put everything out of her mind as she focused on her children, but she knew she had to tell Lauren what happened. In fact, she could tell her lover knew something was wrong but was waiting until the girls were asleep to bring it up in conversation. The opportunity came several hours later when the two oldest were tucked into bed for the night.

“You have been upset since you came home. I can only assume you had an altercation with your mother.”

“Yes. This morning I walked into Matthew trying to resign, because she demanded answers, which he would not divulge. She insisted on him sharing the details of our relationship with her, but he refused. She said either he tell her or resign. I could not allow that.”

“So what happened?”

“I told her the truth and saved his job. She found the photograph I keep of you, the girls, and me. I could not deny the obvious. She knows we are involved again, and the girls are mine.”

“I am sure she did not take that well,” Lauren mentioned, with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She knew now that the queen was involved things had a chance of becoming nasty.

“Not at all. We fought bitterly. She demanded I abdicate the throne because of my behavior, but I refused.”

“Why did you do that?” Lauren asked in confusion. She figured if Alexa had agreed to abdication, they could be married finally.

“Because I had promised George I would not. I cannot force him to take my place when he does not want to. I am the heir. I am the one responsible for my people, and I must fulfill that obligation. She disagreed.”

“Then where did the two of you leave things?”

“We agreed to allow the people to vote on my fate. I am to be put on the ballot for the Congressional election. The people will be given the chance to decide if they want me as their queen or not, and both my mother and I agreed to abide by the results, whatever they may be.”

“What about us?”

“I have to tell the world about you and the girls. She insisted I be honest with the people about our relationship and the fact that I have produced heirs to the throne with you.”

“Then the secret will be out. The girls’ lives as they know it will not exist any longer. Lex, I thought we agreed we would not tell anyone about the girls for their protection.”

“I have no choice, Lauren. They are princesses, and we have sheltered them as long as we could. Anastasia is my daughter and second in line for the throne. It is her rightful place whether we like it or not.”

“They do not even know you are their other mother. How are they going to take it to find out you are their mother, you are a princess, and they are princesses? That is too much for a child to handle.”

“They have to know sooner or later. We cannot hide it from them forever. You know I am right about this.”

“And if you abdicate?”

“Anastasia becomes first in line to the throne. She cannot be spared, Lauren. We can only delay the inevitable for a little while. I think we have postponed it as long as we can.”

“I do not like this.”

“Neither do I but you have to understand.”

The redhead nodded. “I knew we were just deceiving ourselves by believing we could protect them longer. We just put ourselves in denial of the truth.” She paused. The weight of the situation made her quiet. Her mind was bothered by thoughts of her relationship with the princess. She knew the results of the election would dictate their future. If the people reconfirmed Alexa as the rightful heir, they would never be married. If she were forced out, they would be able to have the life they always desired. It left her conflicted, because she sensed Alexa would rather remain heir than be forced from her post. Knowing there was nothing she could do about it, she focused on her children. In her heart she knew they would not be able to shelter them forever, but it just seemed to be too soon to reveal them to the world. She didn’t want them to grow up in the fashion Alexa had. “I suppose we should talk to them in the morning. They need to know now that you are their other mother and they are royals. I guess it would only be right to introduce them to your family as well. I just wish they did not have to meet the queen.”

“They do not have to meet the queen. My mother and father will be out of town beginning tomorrow. They are going to France for a few days. Perhaps we could take the girls to the palace to meet George, Kelly, and Morgan. I would like my brother to know his nieces. I have denied him the truth long enough.”

“It would probably help them to know the rest of your family, so they know they are not alone.”

“Fine. Tomorrow after Anastasia gets out of school, we will take them to the palace.”

“Now for the hard part of telling them the truth. Perhaps we should keep Anastasia out of school tomorrow. We cannot have her telling anyone what we tell her.”

“True. We can have her tutored for the rest of the week, so she does not get behind, but we cannot have her telling anyone before I make the announcement. I will arrange it in the morning with Matthew.”

“We should try to go to bed. The twins will be up soon enough to eat, and I know rest will not come easily with tomorrow’s discussion ahead of us.”

Alexa agreed. “You are right. Let us at least try to get some rest.”

The night was restless for both of them. The twins were fussy, and neither could figure out how to tell their daughters the truth. However, they knew they had to, so when Victoria crawled into bed with them, they knew it was time.

Smiling at her daughter, Alexa said, “Morning, Victoria. How did you sleep?”

“Fine.”

“Is Anastasia awake?” She shrugged. “Well, we have a big day today. Come with me to wake her,” the princess suggested.

Victoria took her hand and excitedly led her down the hall. Going into Anastasia’s room, Alexa gently woke the grumpy child. She fought against waking until Alexa told her she was not going to school that day. That struck her interest as she sat up in bed. Trying to delay the inevitable for just a little bit, Alexa decided to get the girls dressed for the day and feed them breakfast. Lauren joined them with the baby monitor after she had dressed for the day.

Alexa knew the time had come so when her two eldest girls were playing in the living room, she and Lauren took seats on the floor with them. “Girls, we want to talk to you about something important,” the librarian began. She looked at her lover for support. They had decided she would be the one to tell them that Alexa was their other mother, and let the princess tell them about being royals. “Anastasia, do you know your friend Nikki at school?”

“Yeah.”

“You know that Nikki lives at home with her two mommies, right?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I saw her mommies at school one day.”

“Right. Well, sweetie, we never told you this, but it is important for you to know that Alexa is your other mother.”

“I know.”

“You did?” Alexa asked.

Anastasia nodded. “Miss Morris asked me what parent I looked like one day, and I said Lexi.”

Lauren knew that was her daughter’s teacher, who was known to be a little bit too nosey in her opinion. “Did she ask you who Lexi was?” The little girl nodded. “And what did you say?”

“My other mommy.”

Alexa smiled at her girls. “So you have known for awhile?”

“Yeah. Miss Morris asked if you two were married. She said mommy doesn’t wear a ring.”

The princess looked at her lover. “Sounds like Miss Morris has taken interest in you, darling.”

“I had gotten that indication before but just tried to ignore it. I did not realize she was gleaning information from our daughter.”

“Are you married?” Anastasia asked.

“No, sweetie. We are not married,” Lauren answered honestly.

“Why not? Nikki’s mommies are married.”

“Sweetie, we cannot answer that question at this moment in time. It is complicated. However, I hope when you get older you will understand why Mommy and I are not married,” Alexa said.

“Do I still have to call you Lexi?” the child asked.

“Do you want to call me something else?”

She nodded. “I wanna call you Mom.”

“Okay. You can do that.”

“Me too,” Victoria piped in for the first time.

“You can both call me Mom. I would like that.”

“Yeah,” Victoria cheered, cuddling up into Alexa’s lap.

“There is something else Mommy and I need to tell you, girls. We should have told you this before now, but we did not. Do you girls know that the country is run by a queen?” They shook their heads. “Well, it is. Her name is Alexa Georgianna Faith Washington. She is my mother, just like Mommy and I are your mothers.”

“Does that make you a princess?” Anastasia asked.

Alexa wasn’t surprised her daughter would come to that conclusion on her own, knowing her love of fairy tales. “Yes, I am a princess.”

“Do you have a wand?”

Alexa chuckled. “No. I do not have a wand.”

“Do you have a crown?”

“Yes. I have a crown.”

“Do you have castle?” excitedly Anastasia inquired.

“I have a palace. Would you like to see it?”

“Yeah.”

“All right. I will take you there today. Do you two realize that because I am a princess and I am your mom, you are also princesses?”

“Really?”

“Really. You are both princesses as are Camille and Caroline.”

“Can I have a wand?” Anastasia asked.

“Real princesses do not have wands, sweetie.”

“But I want one.”

Lauren smiled at her child sitting in her lover’s lap before looking at her eldest. “Perhaps we can make an exception and get you one.”

“Me too, me too,” Victoria added.

“All right. I will see what I can do. Do you want to go to the palace now?”

Both girls answered yes. Alexa promised them they could go after she made a phone call. Going into the kitchen, she used her cell phone to call her brother. “George, good morning.”

“Morning, Lex. Why are you calling me from half way across the palace?”

“I am not at the palace right now, but I am coming back. I was hoping you had some free time today. I need to see you and Kelly as soon as possible.”

“Is this about your impending divorce?”

“In a small way. I actually need to tell you two something important.”

“Well, I can squeeze you in this morning.”

“Trust me. You are going to want to take the morning off.”

“Why? Is something wrong?”

“Yes but I am trying to make it right with you. Allow me to do so by giving me the day.”

“All right. I will have my secretary clear my schedule and have Kelly’s do the same.”

“Thank you. Now what time does Morgan get out of school?”

“She gets home around 4:00 after tutoring. Why?”

“This concerns her too, but I want to talk to the two of you first.”

“Well, we will be here.”

“I will be there shortly.”

An hour later the five Fultons, the nanny, and Alexa arrived at the palace. The princess left her daughters in the nanny’s care while she and Lauren went to find George. He and Kelly were waiting in his office when they arrived.

He was obviously shocked to see Lauren. “Lauren, this is certainly a surprise. Is this why you wanted to talk to us, Lex?”

“Only in part. You better sit back down, both of you.” She waited until they had done so before gesturing toward the sofa for Lauren. Both of them took seats before Alexa said, “You both know that Meredith and I are getting a divorce. It is for the best. She does not wish to be here any longer, and I am still in love with Lauren after all this time.”

“Does Mother know?”

“I told her yesterday.”

“How did she take it?”

“We will get to that later. Right now there is something more important to discuss. I have not been honest with the two of you. In fact, I have been lying to you for years. Lauren and I have been having a relationship, and we have conceived children.”

“What? You have children?” George inquired in shock. “Where are they?”

“They are here now. I brought them to meet you.”

“How many?” Kelly asked.

“We have four girls,” Lauren stated.

“You have four daughters? Does Meredith know?”

“Yes. It is a catalyst in our divorce.”

“Lex, how could you do this to us? All this time you let us believe you had given up on children. Why did you keep it from us?”

“Because I did not want Mother to find out until she had to.”

“She knows?”

“Yes and she is not happy with me. She asked me to abdicate yesterday.”

“What did you say?”

“We came to an agreement. We decided to allow the people to decide whether or not I should be allowed to rule. Part of the agreement is that I have to tell them about my relationship with Lauren and the girls. I needed to tell you now before I told them. I am so sorry I have kept this from you for so long. I have wanted my children to know you. You two are some of the best parts of my life, but they did not even know they were princesses until today. I could not bring them here, nor have you there to see them. I know this must hurt you, and for that, I will always be sorry, but I hope you can understand why I did it.”

Kelly nodded her head. “Of course. The queen would have never accepted them. We would have been expected to follow her course.”

“But they are your children. I would never have turned my back on them,” George stated.

“I know that, but I did not want you to have to choose between Mother and me.”

Kelly stood from her chair. “Enough of this talk. Lauren, take me to my nieces.”

“Yes, take us. We want to meet them now,” George said, taking his wife’s hand. Alexa and Lauren followed suit and led the way.

Going to where they had left them, Alexa smiled seeing they were behaving and watching a cartoon quietly. “Girls, I want you to meet some people. Come over here,” Alexa requested, kneeling. George and Kelly did the same on either side of her. Both Victoria and Anastasia did as they were told while Lauren went to fetch their youngest ones. “Girls, I want you to meet my brother and sister-in-law. This is your Uncle George and your Aunt Kelly. George, Kelly, this is my oldest Anastasia and my next oldest Victoria.”

George smiled at the little girls. “Hi, Anastasia and Victoria.”

“Hi,” the greeted simultaneously.

However, the little redhead asked, “If your Mom’s brother, are you a prince?”

“Yes. I am a prince, and your Aunt Kelly is a princess.”

“And here are the two others. This is Camille and Caroline,” the librarian introduced.

“Oh, they are precious,” Kelly said, looking at the infants. “Could I hold one?”

“Of course. Take Caroline. She is a little less temperamental than Camille.”

Kelly took the baby and cooed at her. “You are so cute.”

Alexa looked at her brother and laughed. “Uh oh. Sounds like Kelly’s clock is still ticking,” she joked.

“I never said it was not. You have beautiful girls, Lauren and Lex.”

“Thanks, Kelly.”

“You know, girls, Kelly and I have a little girl, too, at least she is little to us. She is your cousin. Her name is Morgan.”

“How old is she?” Anastasia asked.

“She is twelve. You will get to meet her later today.”

Continued in Chapter 13

Feed the Scribbler: alextryst@e-scribblers.com.