New House

"I can't believe she announced it like that," Jackie said as she drove. She and Andrea were in her department car heading towards downtown where Katie's new house was located. Following them was Mark and Charles in their own cars with their significant others.

"She's not that bad, I think she was just nervous...I'm more worry about Katie...I really don't want to lose her. I can't lose her like I did Nadia..." Andrea lamented trying to regain her emotions. She was not usually like this but since she knew she had to break the news to Katie about her separation she had been a wreck. She never fully recovered from losing Nadia. Deep down she knew her eldest was fine but she still missed her greatly. Andrea nearly had to twist Charles' arm for him to agree to buy the house for their daughter. In the end Andrea agreed to move out of their house so that he would have it to himself for him and Gloria. Andrea did not mind too much as she was already living with Jackie.

"How do you think she'll take it when we tell her we eloped a couple of weeks ago?" Jackie asked reaching over and squeezing her wife's leg. Andrea did not wear dresses that often though she had the body for it so when she did Jackie could never resist feeling leg up.

Andrea sighed and laughed. "I don't want to think about that now...I think we should let her and Mark settle down and then we'll tell her."

Jackie nodded, "that works, but don't wait too long. She's an adult and she could take it. I really want to be part of your family...and telling her is the first step. The sooner she knows the sooner she'll accept me."

"I know..." Andrea nodded. Jackie was right. As much as she loved Jackie, Andrea was not ready to risk her relationship with her last daughter to prove her love.

"That was a bad decision hon," Charles said shaking his head as he followed Mark's car. Andrea was very firm about taking everything slow with Katie. Katie was always the more delicate one of their two daughters. Andrea was really worried about having Katie run off like Nadia. Charles hope that house in town would keep around. Gloria breaking the news of their upcoming marriage might have ruined things. He hoped not.

"I'm so sorry...I got so nervous when I saw how sad she looked..." Gloria replied she was focused on the flipped down vanity mirror. It felt like she got slapped but there was no marks on her face. She had a pretty bad headache too. "How come I feel like I just got slapped in the face?"

"Probably because to you told everyone we were getting married when I told you not to," Charles grumbled.

"Hey it's done! Better it being done now than later. Andrea did not even tell her that she got married to Jackie yet."

"It's a delicate situation..."

"Katie is also a big girl, stop babying her," Gloria huffed as she sat back flipped the mirror closed. She rubbed her cheek. Did someone really slap me? she pondered.

They finally got to the house. It was located just off main street and was a five minute walk from the community college and ten minutes from everything downtown. It was a two story tutor with a wrap around driveway that led to a garage in the back. The front had a nice little covered porch that was also a deck.

Andrea looped her arm in Katie's as Charles led the tour. Mark followed close behind with Gloria trying to make small talk with him. She looked really good in her little black dress and Mark was wondering if she had underwear on under it. He was fighting himself not to stop time and did not hear anything she was saying. He just nodded and she kept smiling and talking. Jackie followed everyone else carefully inspected the house. Her fire marshal vision and instinct looking for hazards.

The front door opened to a living room that divided from the kitchen by a bar. The dinning room was combined into the kitchen which sported new appliances. A hallway in the back of the kitchen lead to the utility room where the HVAC unit was located along with the water heater. The washer dryer combo was also located there. In the back of the utility room was a door the led into the garage which was about half the size the house's main level. A hallway that broke off from the living room led to the downstairs full bathroom as well as staircase that took up to the second floor. A hallway separated the two bedrooms on the second floor. The master bedroom which had the second full bath faced the front of the house while the guest bedroom faced the back. It was a nice cozy house, it was something that Katie and Mark could have never afford so she was grateful that her parents had gotten it for her even though it felt like consolation prize to finding out that her parents were no longer married.

They were back downstairs in the living room. Charles and Andrea looked at Katie eagerly hoping to get their daughter's acceptance to everything. Mark was in the Kitchen checking out the new appliances. This place was pretty nice he thought. Jackie was in the utility room looking at the water heater while Gloria stood by the front door ready to leave. She had her phone out and was texting. Charles and Andrea were telling Katie about something, Mark was not really paying attention. He looked at Katie just in time to see her nod slightly and he knew what she wanted.

STOP.

Katie was unfrozen a second later. She ran to him and collapsed into his arms. He held her close to him as she sobbed. "I don't know how to feel," she said into her chest.

"Feel however you want," Mark said not really sure what to say. "This is a weird situation, you can feel however you want there's no right or wrong feeling for this."

"Are you sure you can't freeze them?" Katie asked pulling her face up from Mark's chest.

Mark smiled, "No, you have to face this."

"Right..." Katie sighed and looked around eying her frozen parents and their new partners. Her new family.

"We can have some fun though...a house warming party of sorts," Mark suggested.

"I like that..." Katie smiled.