Leal stood on her porch, watching the girls play with their Lego toys and dolls.

Aubrey would fix the swings, while Ashley the dolls, then they would build the house together and put the miniature dolls in it. It had always been that way and they seemed so satisfied with it.

They were so identical, and that confused a lot of people. Only she could tell them apart. Aubrey had a birthmark next to her right ear and she was more outspoken.
She watched them till she zoned out.

Leal was discharged two weeks after she gave birth. Mr. Oswald and his wife had also postponed their trip when they heard the incident.
Cameron's internment had been brief and only close associates were informed. The police investigation was a futile one, as no evidence was found. Everything led to a dead end. Asides the bullet in Cameron's body, it seemed like the murder never took place.

The Cutlers, including Leal and her twins, moved to Canada a month after his internment. There, they hired stay-in nurses that took care of the babies and a maid for Leal.

Leal barely said anything for months, except when really necessary. She would only look at the twins when she had to feed them. They reminded her of Cameron, his light brown hair and grey eyes. Only that theirs were just as straight as hers.

The years had gone past quickly. She had missed out on so much already: their first words, first laugh, first time standing, walking.
She felt it was time to move on and be a part of their lives, just as Mr. Oswald had advised.

Mrs. Olive let them return to Bordeaux after Leal had assured her that they would be safe and call whenever they needed anything.

"Mom, Aubrey took my doll!" Ashley wailed, bringing Leal's attention back to them.

"No, I didn't" Aubrey retorted, folding her arms.

"Yes, you did!!" Ashley whimpered.

"No, I didn't!!!" Aubrey said giggling.

"Oh, c'mon. Aubrey, please give your sister her doll" Leal pleaded.

"Fine... Only cause I'm older" Aubrey huffed dramatically.

"By just an hour" Ashley rolled her eyes.

"Alright, come on let's all get a snack. You've been out for long already." Leal said, helping them put their toys in the box before going in.

                      ***✴️***

"One vanilla sundae for Ashley" Leal passed the glass to her. Ashley took hers to the sitting room, turning on the TV.

"One with extra strawberry toppings for Aubrey" Aubrey grabbed it enthusiastically, and popped a strawberry slice into her mouth.

"And one plain yogurt for me."

Leal never forgets to leave Ashley's meals strawberry-free. The last time Ashley had one, she couldn't stop coughing and itching her throat. They had to stay in the hospital for 3 days, where they confirmed Ashley was strawberry intolerant.

On the other hand, Aubrey literally lived for strawberries. She added it to her cereals, her jam and salads.

Leal sat on her favourite seat just in time to hear the newscaster.

"...Here in Bordeaux, Mayor Alexandre Gregoire has allocated a percentage of the budget to new shelters for the homeless and aged that cannot fend for..."

"It's boring" Aubrey changed the channel to Disney junior, while they sat on the carpeted floor having their sundaes.

The new mayor looked oddly familiar she thought, but she couldn't pinpoint where exactly she could had seen him.
She brushed it aside when the twins squealed at Flynn Rider saving Rapunzel from the tower. She shook her head at them, taking in another scoop of her yogurt.

                         ▪️▪️▪️

Nina LeClaire walked into her dining room after a long shower in her bathrobe. She spent more hours out lately with the event planner organizing her 40th jubilee. She had been choosing decor, preferred meals and other things for the event.

Her maid, Ms. Connelly, had been serving her since she got married to her (now late) husband. Mr. LeClaire had died a year earlier in his sleep, heart attack, they had presumed.

"Une plat de tartiflette, just the way you like it" Ms. Connelly said in her French accent, dropping the plate of tartiflette in front of her, before walking back to the kitchen.

"Merci" Nina called behind her.

Nina took a bite of her meal, savouring the blend of flavour of the cheese and potatoes in her mouth. She stretched her hand across her meal to get the red wine from the ice-bucket.

Wine was never a problem for her. Not surprising, LeClaire winery had been top-notch in the city for over a decade; with numerous foreign investors and tourists always wanting a taste of their wine.

She poured some into her glass, to go with her meal.

The dining was empty, just like every other place in her house. She ate in silence.

If only I had a child, she sighed, raising her glass to the empty room.

                        ▪️▪️▪️

Leal and the twins had finished cleaning up after dinner. She took them to their room to help them prepare for bed.

"Mum, where's Dad" Ashley asked

"Yeah, other kids at school have Dads, except us" Aubrey added with her brush in her mouth.

"Um... Well, he's in heaven" Leal said while helping Ashley brush hers.

"The place with all the angels in white, right?!" Ashley asked her eyes glistening.

"Yeah, that place" Leal laughed.

They were only five but they knew a lot already.

"Do you think Dad would have loved us" Aubrey looked at her mum, wide-eyed.

"Of course. He loved you even before you were born."

"...and he's the reason why we're all here now" Leal put them in their beds tugging them in.

"I wish Dad was here with us" Ashley whispered.

"Yeah, me too" Leal gave her a sad smile. She hugged her kissing her forehead.

"Mum, tell us more about Dad" Aubrey pleaded.

"I'll do that some other time..." She hugged Aubrey and kissed her goodnight.

"...but for now, it's past your bedtime" she said, flipping their light off.

She stared into the darkness for a while, before shutting their door close.

                       ***✴️***

Leal got in bed after a quick shower. She took the framed picture of Cameron and her when she was pregnant from her bedstand.

We would have been so happy, she thought, placing the frame back.

She missed Canada, their butter tarts and poutines especially, though the weather could be so cold some days.

Mrs. Olive and Mr. Oswald also made her feel wanted and happy, but she still wanted to be back in France, where all her memories with Cameron lay.

It was past 9 already and she had volunteered to help out with a shelter home close to the twin's school. She had resigned from her previous workplace a month after she got back.
They had always looked at her with pity since she returned, a daily reminder of the incident.
Now, she worked in a non-governmental clinic in the town. The pay was small, but she didn't mind. Not like she needed the money anyway.

She loved seeing the smiles on their faces, that alone was satisfying to her. And with that in mind, she drifted off.

~~~~~
Finally!!! Another anticipated update #TBC❤️❤️❤️. Thanks for over 400 reads!!!
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