The Quaranteam Universe is the creation of CorruptingPower, used with permission.
Thanks to BreakTheBar, AgathonWrites, RonanJWilkerson, The_Licentious_Laureate, BronanTheLibrarian, OtterlyMindblowing, SilverRyden, BirchesLoveBooks, Reader737b, and the other QT Writers for their feedback and contributions to this work. Be sure to check out their work
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Chapter 13
All Characters depicted in sexual situations in this story are over the age of 18.
**** Mount Pleasant Cemetery - Gainesville, FL - 1000, Sunday, August 16, 2020****
Sean and Ellie helped Miles transport the markers from the back of the Beast to the nearby headstone for Beth Davies, Miles' first wife. Using a post driver, he pounded metal T-posts into the earth just to the right of Beth's grave, and then affixed each marker to the posts using screw-on brackets. A quick application of Loctite ensured the fasteners would not be easily removed. They drove the posts deep into the sand until they'd met tougher resistance of actual soil, making it unlikely that anything other than a determined person with a post-pulling tool would disturb the markers.
Standing back to observe their handiwork, Miles was satisfied that each of the three markers was level and properly spaced from one another. Penny took hold of his hand as they stood together silently. Sean and Ellie went back to the beast, returning a few moments later with four bouquets, handing one to Miles and another to Penny.
Miles stepped forward and knelt before Beth's headstone, gently placing the bouquet just before it, then saying, "I've been a bit busy of late, dear, but I'm finally here. I've brought company, some to stay, I'm afraid. Hope you don't mind," he uttered, his voice cracking at the last as he forced a sad little chuckle. "I miss you so much! I love you." Having said his piece, he stood upright and stepped back.
Sean stepped forward and bent down at Marcus' marker, placing the flowers beneath it, then reached into his pocket and withdrew a small object, which he placed next to the flowers. It took Miles a moment to recognize that the object was a small diecast X-wing toy. Sean spoke softly to Marcus for a moment, then stood and stepped back next to his father, reaching for his free hand.
Ellie went next, stepping up to her sister's marker, laying the flowers before it, then knelt and spoke briefly to Mary Beth before standing and stepping back next to Penny, wiping at her tears.
Penny went last, placing her flowers at the base of Raul's marker, and just stood there silently for a few moments, quietly weeping. Finally, she reached into her purse and withdrew a tissue to wipe her face. Standing there another moment, she composed herself before returning to stand beside her younger daughter, reaching for her hand.
The four of them stood there silently for quite a while, until finally, Sean spoke up.
"We'll be having our first Den Meeting of the new year Tuesday night," he began, with only a slight waver in his voice. "I'm going to do my best to beat your record, Marcus, and earn my overachiever patch. I'm going to make you proud, I promise! And then I'll go on to do all those things we talked about - earn my Eagle, do well in school, and earn an appointment to the Naval Academy!"
Miles put his arm around his son's shoulders, hugging him as he silently communed with his dead wife and son.
Ellie spoke to Mary Beth next, "I don't know about the Naval Academy, but I plan to match Sean in the overachiever department, and I will earn my Eagle rank, just as I know you'd have done, EmBee. I'll make you and Daddy proud!"
Penny hugged her daughter silently, tears filling her eyes as she struggled to keep her composure.
Just then, thunder rumbled in the cloudy skies, and the rain began to fall. Florida rain was not cold, but the wetness combined with the oppressive humidity could be uncomfortable, so they all headed quickly to get into the Beast. Miles started the engine and put the vehicle in gear, taking them home to be with the rest of their new family.
**** Gainesville, FL - 1530, Sunday, August 16, 2020****
The front doorbell rang, and Sophia went to answer it. Miles had just stepped outside to take another load from his old office over to their newly designated workspace - formerly his hobby room in the Outhouse.
"Daddy!" she exclaimed in mild surprise, then nodded to her new... stepmother? No, that wasn't going to be her title. His newest partner and her former classmate, Brandi Dickson. "S'up, Brandi," she nodded cooly to the girl. "Come in, you two. We're just in the process of relocating the home office to the Outhouse. You can help me carry boxes over, if you don't mind."
Shutting the front door, she turned and stepped into the office, picking up one of the lighter boxes and handing it to her bemused father, then grabbing another to hand to Brandi, before grabbing a pair of monitors and heading toward the nearest French doors to the lanai.
Peeking out of the kitchen to see who was at the door, Penny waved an oven-mittened hand in their direction, "Oh, hello, David. Hi, Brandi," before she ducked back in to continue what she'd been doing.
"Penny and Jan are working on a birthday cake for tomorrow night - it's Ava's 22
nd
Birthday tomorrow," Sophia explained as she led them between the pool and the outdoor dining area to the back door of the pool enclosure.
"Why are you moving the office to the Outhouse, darling?" David asked between huffs as they walked.
"Oh, we're planning to turn the den into a nursery," Sophia explained, causing her father to halt for just a moment in surprise before he continued walking, albeit a bit more slowly.
"Is that so... is someone expecting, already?" he asked tentatively.
Glancing back at him, she saw the paleness in his face, and couldn't resist the temptation. "Well, I was going to tell you eventually..."