Chapter 38 -- The Circle of Life

Arden gets his room redone in his favorite color and places the easel in his room for easy access.

Arden wakes up in the morning and goes to eat breakfast before taking a shower. Lukas immediately orders him back upstairs, saying he won't have hobos sitting at his table.

When the twerp obliges, Lukas sits next to his hated son-in-law who also smells like his son. Edward tries to ignore the intimidating man, and S is just completely surprised to see them so close.

That night when he goes to bed, he finds S to tell him a bedtime story like usual, but seeing her converse with his grandpa makes him too scared so he runs back inside.

When he tells his parents of his fear, they just smile and nod, not completely understanding why someone would be so scared of Lukas.

It's a good thing great grandpap is still around because he tells some pretty good stories too.

At work, Edward is steadily getting promotions. Now a Fire Captain, he spends most of his days upgrading the truck, alarms, and extinguishers just in case there's a big emergency.

When he has to use a dull ax later that day, he makes a mental note to upgrade that too.

Arden is grounded today for booby trapping the sink, so he sits in the living room reading with great grandma.

They get along so well so he complains about not being able to go on the school's field trip and how being grounded for spraying someone with water is pooey.

When S turns to glare at him after his remark, Arden is initially frightened, but before he can apologize, she replies, "You just have to fight back harder, Lukas."

Even though Arden knows S is senile and didn't know what she was talking about, he takes her words to heart, turning his mother's hair turquoise.

Unfortunately, Quynh makes him write "I will never booby trap my mom ever again," 100 times.

Even his dad agrees with his mother. Life is just not fair for him.

Little Faolin feels left out...

...so he grows up into a child and gains the Genius trait.

Meanwhile, Arden is playing space captain... literally.

This time is different though, as he ends up a couple feet taller, and a little meaner inside.

Tim and S are becoming more and more blissfully unaware of their surroundings, and only have each other.

Arden unfortunately has his grandfather to still deal with. They really really do not get along.

After breakfast, Arden rushes to the bus, excited to meet all of the lovely teenage ladies.

Faolin is quite the opposite. What if someones mean to him?

After some comforting words from his big brother, Faolin starts to feel better in correlation to the distance from school.

Back at home, Lukas is trying to keep in shape now that he has Gena to constantly impress.

Downstairs in the barn, S and Tim are still going strong; either constantly flirting or fighting.

Quynh realizes she's pregnant once again, and although she's happy about another baby, it means she can't ride Angel's Glory in the Gymkhana that evening.

Around the corner, Gena is practicing her guitar when she notices a shadow cross over the lot. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Wait, what's a plane?

Realization comes seconds later as the sight of a huge meteor rushing towards the city becomes clearer. Running inside in panic, Quynh pleads with the Watcher to make sure her babies are okay.

The chances of the meteor hitting their lot was extremely slim, but in the end, that's where it lands. It crushes several objects and sets fire to the lot.

Once most of the rubble is cleared out of the way of the barn door, it is too late for Timothy. Begging with the Reaper, he begs to not make him leave his love.

After one last plead, he is sent to the grave as Savannah watches in tears.

Faolin comes home from school early, hearing of the events and is crushed. He knew something bad was going to happen... who will tell him awesome bedtime stories now?

Time flies and S deteriorates more and more each day. She wouldn't let Tim's urn be placed in the graveyard, instead putting it on the nightstand beside the bed.

She now sleeps on his side of the bed, hoping she'll wake up to find him there.

It's a night like this when death takes S. Feeling the odd sensation, she looks around for Tim.

When the Reaper shows up and offers her his hand, she turns away and asks him just to show her where to find her Tim.

The family sets their graves next to each other on the end of the pasture to forever be remembered.

Thankfully the depression that hit the family doesn't affect Quynh's pregnancy, and she gives birth to a girl, Estrella.

Riding back from the hospital, the couple remember all that they are thankful for.

When Estrella grows into a toddler, it's like a kick in the gut to the family.

Her hair color and eye color are exact replica's of Tims. </3