First Comes Love, Second Comes Marriage

Though Evaline snooped and spied to within an inch of her life when Emmett returned from Graduation, her sneaky endeavours came up empty. There was not a single reference to or picture of any girl in any of his things.

Not even in his diary!

One thing, however, had become vividly clear through her snoopings - Emmett's obsession with this Imaginary Friend, Kisses, had gone on for far too long. Evaline had smiled tightly and whispered to Nikolai, "It's just a phase, he'll grow out of it", many a time when he was a young boy, but now he was a man, and really, photo's of him hugging air were just plain creepy.

Little did she know just how creepy things could get!

While Evaline had been absorbed in investigating her eldest Son's romantic life, her first-born had been delving far more into the realms of scientific fantasy than she could have ever imagined. Arabella had spent every moment of her childhood, teen years, and now adulthood, exploring the secrets of science and alchemy in the hopes of turning her Imaginary Friend, Cuddles, into a real boy *cough cough* person, I mean.

And now, she had the chemical concoction that could finally achieve that dream!

If Cuddles was game enough to actually swallow it. After all, everyone knew it was the guinea pigs that got it first when it came to scientific experimentation!

Fortunately years of friendship and trust came in handy, and Cuddles downed it without the slightest hesitation.

A quick snap, crackle and pop later and Cuddles left existence as an Imaginary Friend behind and became a real, live boy!

Er, make that girl!



It didn't matter to Arabella one bit. She was so deliriously happy that her bestest friend in the whole wide world was finally real. All the funny looks and crazy hand gestures she'd been on the receiving end of would stop now that Cuddles was real. But most of all, now she could do the one thing she'd been dreaming of every day since she had realised the reason why her heart beat faster and her smiles grew wider whenever Cuddles was by her side.



She was in love!

Betcha didn't see that one coming Evaline!
The surprise announcement of Cuddles actual existence and their daughters discovery of true love  very nearly knocked Nikolai and Evaline to the floor. All their worries about Emmett dropped into the background as they found themselves caught up in Arabella's happiness.

And with one simple three letter word, Cuddles thrust them into flurry of happy activity. Their eldest daughter was finally going to walk down the aisle and start a family of her own!

The planning of a wedding is notoriously difficult and Arabella's and Cuddles was no different to any other. Evaline was run off her feet, her frantic form often found buzzing through the house with one arm holding baby Niamh and the other calling the florist, the caterer, and pretty much any other business that could possibly contribute to her daughter's big day.

So it's no surprise that her concerns for Emmett slipped to the back of her mind. And Emmett, like any self-respecting adult child, took full advantage of his mother's distratcion and sister's scientific skill, and slipped his own Imaginary Friend, Kisses, a little chemical magic.


Ta dah!



Kisses transformation blew Emmett's mind and turned his normally quiet personality into something almost painfully shy.

But it didn't take long for his game to come back, and when it did, boy did he make up for it!


Their first kiss was quickly followed by their first date, which became their "secret" engagement ...


Which then became the venue of their elopement!

All done in typical Emmett style - quietly, with no fuss, and his mother completely none the wiser!


Although if their lip-locking is anything to go by, keeping mum *wink wink* won't be possible for too much longer. Especially considering Kisses ability to live up to her name!

Out of respect for Arabella - and let's be honest, a little fear - they kept the news of Kisses newly established "realness" and their elopement under wraps until the wedding was done and dusted.
While Emmett's easily distracted thoughts were taking a raunchy leap elsewhere, the family watched as Arabella and Cuddles declared their undying love for one another in a beautiful ceremony.

Tears ruined the girls perfect make up and Nikolai nearly crushed Cuddles in a bear hug, and when the wine came out, Evaline spent the best part of the night telling everyone how much she loved them.

Which was a lot. A really, really, lot. Like, this much, see - No, no, bigger. Yeah, like that much.

Logically, Emmett decided that seeing as Arabella and Cuddles had taken off for their honeymoon about three wines ago, it was the right time to let Evaline in on his and Kisses little secret.

Um, Emmett, note to self: Don't tell a woman that her eldest son has dated, proposed and eloped with a girl she doesn't know when she's had enough wine to double her body weight.

Baaad idea!

Once she finished sobbing and started screaming, the party kind of came to an end all by itself but if you excluded the terrified look that overcame the party-goers as they left, it seemed like everyone had a good time.

The next few months were chilly for Emmett and Kisses, to say the least, but fortunately little Maxmilian and Niamh took a little of the spotlight off what "He Who Should Not Be Named" had done to his poor, poor mother *cough*. And yes, that would Evaline.

Little Niamh grew into a beautifully precocious toddler.

While Maximilian became a very smartly dressed young boy!

And just like his eldest brother and sister before him, he had an Imaginary Friend to accompany him every step of the way!

No wonder Evaline's sanity is stretched so thin. And if this is any inclination of what the future holds, it's going to be stretched a whole lot thinner in the next few years.

While the kids were growing up, Domino was growing out and soon enough, another little foal, Tinkerbell joined the family.

Foal Number Three - Tinkerbell

Which meant saying goodbye to Taio and Alabaster as a friendly rancher bought them for his stud at a very princely sum. Evaline didn't have time to shed a tear, but the loss of his first born foals made the manly Nikolai's eyes grow wet.

Not that the sadness lasted too long, with two lots of good news breaking the feud between Evaline and Emmett, and propelling them into new, uncharted ground ...
Soon-to-be-grandparents!

Kisses tummy made it to graduation before she did!
And Arabella's basketball bump made for interesting listening, at least to Cuddles!

Five babies and three foals and two grandbabies makes for a very happy Evaline and Nikolai, and an even happier Emmett - apparently a knocked up wife makes up for a speedy courtship and elopement in Evaline's eyes.
Let's just hope the other 98 kids don't follow his lead and send her down the path of true madness - on second thought, taking on 100 babies and 50 foals in one lifetime ... I think she's already halfway there!