Next In Line

With Cassia and Lucas out of the house and Evaline occupied with the twins, Lalor managed to embrace some of her spookier abilities.

Scaring people got old fast but the good ol' disappearing trick stuck around for the majority of her teen years - no one could find her even when she wanted them to find her!
It was only on the cusp of adulthood that Evaline finally tracked her down - in the graveyard, no less! You'd think being the spawn of an essentially dead man might keep her from wandering between tombstones for fun, but not Lalor, no.

And with curves that could bring even the most liveliest of men to their knees, Lalor suddenly gave up on the disappearing act and took up something a little naughtier ...

It didn't take long for her high school crush to turn into something less naughty and more adorable. Realising what a lucky man he was, Wendell did the only logical thing and proposed to his glimmering princess!

She totally said no.

Lies! I speak lies!
Her yes could be heard in the neighbouring town!!

Lalor's life wasn't the only one moving at lightning speed in this busy little neighbourhood. Harper and Harlow bounced into toddler-hood with the eager ferocity of toddlers ready to explore the world.


Harlow couldn't get enough of the special toy, Peanut, that her Great Aunt Addy had sent as a birthday present.

Meanwhile, Harper never left Evaline's side, playing with her until her Mummy's arms grew tired with lifting her heavy little toddler body.

Fortunately, a long engagement for Lalor meant that most of the hard work was over for Evaline before the celebrations began, with the twins grappling with childhood sooner than she could have imagined.

Little Harper was completely uninterested in anything that had no scientific basis - and that included fashion.

Playful Harlow couldn't have been more different - if it wasn't fun, she wasn't interested! And fashion was most definitely fun. I mean, check out those glasses, you don't really think she actually needs them for her eye-sight, come on!

With the twins on their way to being fully grown, the wedding was a calm and sweet affair that somehow didn't result in the newlyweds moving out. It had Evaline scratching her head in wonderment until she recognised that familiar look on her ghostly daughters face ...

The bump in her stomach helped a little too.

It was a badly timed turn of events, what with Evaline's latest trek days away. Fortunately Lalor was happy to get some practice in before it was her turn so Evaline didn't have to lose her hard earned pennies.

Paris, here comes Evaline!

Of course she did the usual touristy things ...

Learnt the language, viewed the ancient relics, got friendly with the locals ...

Really friendly with the locals ...

And so we cut to the end of the vacation and Evaline's triumphant - and pregnant! - return.

At least Lalor had someone to tackle the hormone induced highs and lows with!

Let's just hope that the saying, 'like mother, like daughter' doesn't hold true in this case!

Although the child collecting didn't stop with the burgeoning bumps - somehow, along the way, Evaline managed to add another lonesome kid to her brood, a boisterous one with funny coloured hair and an even funnier name - Peanut.

Lucky for him, Evaline didn't have too much time to ponder the coincidental disappearance of Harlow's toy Peanut and the appearance of the newly minted child version- Labour tended to be a pretty significant distraction from such things.

Especially when its your pregnant ghost of a daughter's first child.

A quick cab ride and a couple of not so quick nervous hours later ...

Little Lalor had a little ghost baby of her very own!

Remembering the craziness of raising a ghost the first time around made Evaline a little hesitant to go through it all again. Fortunately that little foray into writing seemed to be paying off, so with a little sneaky manouvering and a lot of cash changing hands, Lalor, Wendell and baby moved into their very own place.

It was just in time too - labour pangs of her very own had decided to make their appearance!

Evaline was an old hat at all this labour stuff, so after a quicker than quick labour, she bounced out of the hospital with not one, not two, but three bubbas!

Meet the triplets ...

Baby No. 14 - Adair Masterton

Baby No. 15 - Savannah Masterton

Baby No. 16 - Lachlan Masterton

While the new trio of babies was busy screaming up a storm (especially Savannah!) Harper and Harlow were getting busy with the growing up side of life.

Harlow took after her mother, that mischevious glimmer in her eyes, while Harper, well she managed to turn out pretty cute as well somehow.

Oddly enough, Harper's imaginary friend put in one last appearance before kicking her in the shins and running away. It's a completely new version of good bye I guess - and the round glowing head was starting to freak her out anyway, so good riddance!

Harlow and Harper weren't the only ones getting older - tag-a-long Peanut grew up too!

And apparently he finally found the courage to pronounce his undying affection for a certain blushing Harper ...

Luckily it was reciprocated ... In the kitchen ... At school ... At the park ... Outside the stadium ... And, well, pretty much everywhere! Those two just couldn't keep their hands off each other.

Let's just say that if they didn't get a hold of themselves, they'd be dealing with their very own toddlers!

It was bad enough in the house now that the babies had grown into chubby, less-than-cherubic toddlers ...

Adair was always hungry.

Always.

Lachlan was always crying.

Always.

Unless Evaline gave in and kept him attached to her hip, that is.

And Savannah, well, she enjoyed her own company so much that it was a little odd. But considering how demanding the other two were, Evaline figured she couldn't be too picky.

After all, mental instability obviously ran in the family anyway!

Ghostly Impressions

Despite Lalor's unique - er, attributes, she progressed through her toddlerhood with the finesse and skill of the smartest, cutest little humanoid.

Alas childhood came a knocking all too fast and pretty toddler Lalor grew into cute little child Lalor!

With such earnest preparation in toddlerhood, Lalor pretty much sailed through her childhood, without any bumps or hasty fix-ups. An easy-going child - shock horror! - meant that Evaline was finally able to take some time for herself and go on vacation before the next round of baby births!
She travelled to lands full of history and magic, exploring temples and pyramids, making tracks along the dusty lakes and breathing deeply of the exotically spiced air ...

And along the way, she found something she hadn't expected ...

Someone who was kind and sweet ...

And perhaps a little naughty!

It wasn't love, but it was the first time since Nikolai that someone had made her feel beautiful. And after all, what happens on holiday stays on holiday.

At least, it usually does.

Nine months and several hours of contractions later, Evaline brought home her sweetest, cutest souvenirs so far!

Baby 12 - Harper Masterton

Baby 13 - Harlow Masterton

The new babies invigorated the household, and a new round of birthdays didn't hurt either!

First up was Cassia ...

So sweet she's even got the snake's on her side.

It was Lucas's turn next ...

Unfortunately, he was a charmer of a different kind. The kind that was either extremely entertaining or completely annoying, but at least he was committed.

Last in line was little Lalor ...

Hairstyles are hard to sort out when you're a ghost, so fortunately by the time teenhood was upon her, Lalor had found her 'look.

Which came in handy for Prom time ...

Although the return trip wasn't as flash as they talked it up to be ...

Not that anyone listened to her ethereal whining, what with Lucas skipping town to join the circus and Cassia proving that the initiative of all modern women was something to be admired.

Yippee! More grandbabies would be on their way soon, Evaline just knew these things. Watching her babies find their loves and make their own made her as happy as she could be without her beloved Nikolai by her side.

Another Chance At Beginning ...

Making a vow as a sparkly-eyed newlywed was one thing.

Fulfilling it as a wizened and hesitant adult was another reality completely.

The thought of all she was yet to achieve weighed heavily upon Evaline. Nikolai’s mortality relied solely on her ability to continue on her path to birthing 100 babies and Domino birthing 50 foals. And her heart longed for his return more than it baulked at the task, so she threw herself into it with a terrifyingly determined zeal.

Fortunately, her unborn baby shared her eagerness at the new chapter in their lives, making its presence - and desire to escape the womb - very well known!

It didn't matter how many times she did it, labour never got any easier or any less painful!

But fortune smiles on the brave, and considering her lengthy list of children, Evaline classified. Her labour was short and sweet, and just a few days later she left the hospital with her brand new baby girl, Lalor, who had taken on one of her father's more ethereal qualities.

Meet Miss Lalor Masterton, Baby No. 11.

Having a baby in the house always mixes things up and this time was no different. Although it was a remarkably good way this time. Valor took up the gardening chores ...

And Hope took care of the house. She may have worked a little too hard though, given how frequently she seemed to pass out from exhaustion ... Not to mention the smell she managed to emit when she'd forgotten to shower ...

Remember, its not child labour if they're over 16!

Jokes

With the new baby bringing some joy to the human inhabitants, it was only fair to give Domino a chance at the very same thing.

Please, allow me to introduce the newest soon-to-be Masterton conquest, Xaio.

While Domino and Xaio were getting friendly, Cassia and Lucas were joining the ranks of the little munchkins in the neighbourhood.

Hope and Valor weren't too far away from their birthdays themselves, a bit of twisty turvy and adulthood beckoned for the twins.




Usually once the teen years have disappeared, the kids seemed to sense that it was time to move on and get away from the craziness. But not Valor, no! He decided to stick around for awhile longer ...



Looks pretty relaxed, doesn't he?

Hope, on the other hand, was quite keen for her teen years to end and her adult life to begin!

It was a shock that she hadn't expected, that was for sure!

And the second adulthood had settled fully upon her pretty little shoulders ...

Sweet little Hope got a little less sweet and whole lot naughtier. After one too many awkward run-in's with Evaline and her 'friend' Kanoa, Hope decided that it was time to move on - and out - with Kanoa.

It might have taken a few extra bits of prompting, but soon enough Valor got the hint and was on his way to face the big bad world.

Evaline never actually said it out loud, but I'm pretty sure Valor's timely move had something to do with Lucas and Cassia approaching their teen years at a remarkably fast pace. He'd heard plenty of stories from Arabella, Emmett, Drake, Niamh and Maximilian about the terrors of siblings and teendom. Valor had absolutely no interest in any mood swings or rebellious trysts interrupting his reading.

Cassia's time came first, with her appearance drawing a less than impressed reaction from Xaio. Poor girl's self-esteem was shot from the beginning.



Lucas had a much more kinder reaction, with the frequency of female callers increasing in a sharp - and annoying - spike.



He had nothing on Drake, but still, his head grew a little bigger than it should have.
While Lucas and Cassia were living it up as newly minted teenagers, Domino was doing a little huffing and puffing of her own.

Until ...

Little Hikaro made his entry into the Masterton family!
A foal and a baby made for a busy household, that only got busier when Lalor entered her toddling years.


Teach to talk, check. Teach to walk, check. Teach nursery rhymes, check.


Ahh the joys of motherhood and ranch ownership!

Determined as she was, Evaline still couldn't wait for that glorious moment - most likely when she's clicked into triple digits - when she could get more than an hour of uninterrupted sleep.

11 babies. 6 foals.

It was a long, long, long, way away.