Romantic Camelot Cove

Though they were still very young, the relationship between the twins was stronger than even their parents had ever imagined it could be. They obviously loved one another dearly and were almost always found playing together in their bedroom or the living room, sharing secrets and generally behaving like sisters with a strong relationship. Neither of them required a whole lot of parental supervision either, and both Christy and Lancelot often felt that it was best to leave them alone to their play.

Neither of them, however, could avoid noticing the difference in Amelia after her fifth birthday had passed and Christy had made the announcement about the new baby. She seemed sullen and moody and rarely wanted to speak to either of them. Penelope didn’t seem at all affected by her sister’s changes and chattered on almost incessently about the upcoming addition to the family. The more her twin talked, the less time Amelia spent with her sister and the more she seemed to brood.

Clearly there was a problem.

(more…)

Throughout their relationship together there had been many things to fight about between Guinevere and Abhijeet, but the one subject they had always returned to was money. Most couples fight more about money than any other subject, and this had proven true for the Cornwells. Guinevere had always been irritated by the fact that Abhijeet’s job paid him so little and also by the fact that he didn’t seem to be advancing as quickly as he had once promised her he would.

Though she had tried to keep in mind that it was his dream, and therefore none of her business, Guin had found herself struggling with the fact that she made more money than her husband. She had always wanted to be able to stay at home and look after her children while her husband maintained a job. It would have been easier for her all along if it could have been that way for her family, but unfortunately the bills had to be paid and it was her cheque that paid them.

The woman had always wanted to be able to support the man she loved. His dream was to be a chef with his own television show on the Yummy Channel. His dream had always made Guin smile and even chuckle a little to herself, but it was Abhijeet’s dream and she was in no position to interfere with it. In the meantime she would just have to work as hard as she could to support their family.

And although she might never admit it, Guinevere was proud of her husband. He did work and study hard to get the promotion he dreamed of. It just seemed that he always got overlooked when it came time for the interview process to begin again. Perhaps it was because his employers were so pleased with his work that they wanted to keep him where he was. Neither of them would ever know the answer to that.

The change from fast food to restaurant work, however, was a boon. Even if it weren’t for the raise of 300 simoleans a week, it also meant that they had more time together and more time for their daughters.

One night Guinevere and Abhijeet were spending a long-overdue evening resting on their bed together. Abhijeet had already changed into his lounging clothes for the evening and Guinevere had grown quite fond of her uniform. Abhijeet had told her he liked the way she looked in it, and now that they had more time together she felt as though doing those little things that made him happy were more important than ever.

“It feels good to have more time to spend together, Abhijeet,” Guinevere told her husband with a broad smile as she snuggled up against his shoulder. It felt comfortable like this, warm, solid, secure.

He kissed the top of her head and held her gently in his arms. “Now that the girls are growing up and we have more time together — And no more diapers! — I think things are going to get better for our family, don’t you?”

Guinevere smiled and wrapped her arms more tightly around her husband. “I think so,” she whispered softly. “I love you Abhijeet.”

“I love you too,” he said, pulling her more tightly to him and pressing his lips to hers. It felt warm being like this together, cuddling on their bed in the romantic glow of the room. It wasn’t long before romance turned to passion and they fell asleep in one another’s arms, not to awaken until the morning sun had begun to creep in through their windows.

(more…)

It’s odd how sometimes everything you never thought would come together can come together in an instant. The twins were toddlers now, and both Christy and Lancelot were grateful to be out of the year of infancy. While both of them had discovered that they very much did love children, they had also realized that babies were difficult to care for and rarely entertaining. Toddlers, at least, would be fun to play with and watch grow together.

Now that the first year was over it seemed that Christy’s moods were stabilizing and she was feeling much better about her life with her partner and daughters. Suddenly motherhood didn’t seem so bad — in fact, it had become downright awesome! The romance between Lancelot and Christy seemed to be growing day by day, and finally Lancelot decided the time was right to present the woman he loved with the ring he had spent so long saving for.

One night after the twins had been put to bed, Lancelot made his move. The ring was already in his pocket, now all he had to do was ask. And that was going to be the hard part! “Christy!” he called from the living room into the kitchen area. “Can you come here for a minute? I want to talk to you about something important!”

“Sure thing, hon! Just let me finish wiping down the countertops!”

Lancelot sighed. He hated doing the cleaning himself and he was grateful that Christy was willing to keep the house clean for their family, but he wished she would take some time to do some other things, including focus on herself. It seemed that she spent so much of her time taking care of him and the girls that she rarely had time to do anything else.

Finally she came into the living area and gave him a quizzical look. “What is it you wanted to talk to me about, Lance?” She looked into his eyes for a moment and then quickly became concerned. “Is something the matter? Is everything alright? Are you feeling quite well?”

Somehow that question seemed to break Lancelot’s tension and he chuckled softly. “I’m fine, babe,” he told her, looking deep into her beautiful blue eyes. “Just fine.” He smiled softly and slowly sank to one knee. “There is something I wanted to talk to you about though…

The man took a deep breath and gazed up at the lovely visage of the woman he intended to marry. “Christy, we’ve been together for awhile now and we have two beautiful children together. I should have asked you this a long time ago, but I wanted to do it right… Christy Stratton, will you marry me? Will you make me the happiest man alive by becoming Mrs. Lancelot du Lac?”

Christy gaped for a moment, shocked by the proposal. She had long ago stopped expecting it and almost stopped hoping for it. Then she smiled broadly. “Of course I’ll marry you, Lancelot of the Lake. I love you!” She held her hand out for him as he slipped the carat diamond onto her finger and then pulled him into her arms, hugging him tightly. “I love you, she whispered in his ear as she showered him with kisses. “I love you.”

(more…)

Things were beginning to look better in the Cornwell household. Though Guinevere and Abhijeet still had little or no time to talk to one another about how they would deal with the problems in their marriage, both could sense the return of the love they had once felt for one another. It was a good feeling that was accompanied by a warm glow that seemed to follow both of them around much like the previous black cloud over their heads had done. Both were finding that they were enjoying the time they had with their daughters more than they ever had before and the atmosphere in the house was much more relaxed.

Work, however, was a constant struggle. Guin suddenly felt that she didn’t want to go to work every day and that when she was gone from the house she missed her daughters so much that she was only waiting until the end of the day when she could return to them. And there was a strange ache in her belly that told her that she missed Abhijeet too. If only neither of them had to work so much things would be better, she often thought to herself. But quitting their jobs wasn’t an option for either of them. Eventually they’d find some time to spend together and make things right again. Even on those precious days off it seemed as though there was too much to be done with two youngsters in the house.

Though it was painful knowing that both wanted a resolution, they also both knew that in order to find it they would need more time to spend together. Therese was growing up, and as she got older day by day, Guinevere realized that she felt she was missing her daughter’s babyhood. Morgaine would rush to the car to greet her mother when she arrived home for work, though Abhijeet was always too late and arrived home when the child had already been put to bed. Morgaine would sometimes ask why she didn’t get to see as much of her father now that she was in school, and Guinevere had begun to feel her daughter’s pain. She tried to make things better by giving the little girl as much of her own time as she could, though that didn’t make up for Abhijeet’s absence.

(more…)

Christy, for whom the pregnancy had come quite unexpectedly, was surprised and somewhat alarmed that it resulted in the birth of twin girls. She hadn’t been well throughout her pregnancy and had relied heavily on Lancelot’s support, which had always been in ample supply. Now, with two little ones to look after, there was a deep sense of depression and anxiety. She had never known she wanted children until she had conceived her girls and though she already loved them with all of her being, she also felt threatened by them — they took so much time to look after and she had been weakened by her pregnancy.

Of course Lancelot stood beside her unfailingly, helping her through the most difficult times and supporting her when she felt she could do nothing but cry. For the first few months it was him who did most taking care of the girls, and Christy felt herself guilt-ridden over the fact that she couldn’t do more for them and often didn’t want to do more for them. For awhile it seemed as though her life had ended with the birth of her children.

Her own mother had died in childbirth, leaving her single father to look after Christy and her two older sisters. It had always seemed unfair to her that she’d been denied a mother of her own and she had lived with a long-time fear of pregnancy and childbirth because of her mother’s own untimely end. Though she’d never known her mother she had heard enough about her to miss her all the same, and part of her feared that she herself might one day leave her children early.

She shared none of her fears with Lancelot, who she knew would only try to reassure her. She didn’t want to burden him with her worries. He already did so much for the girls! For nearly a year she lived with her worries and concerns and the constant feelings of depression that plagued her. She spoke to Dr. Portland of her concerns for herself and her children, and he worked hard to reassure her and encourage her to talk about things with her partner, but she just couldn’t bring herself to mention her concerns to Lancelot. She simply didn’t want to burden him.

(more…)

For the next six months the family relationship was strained. Guinevere had tricked her husband into making her pregnant and Abhijeet felt betrayed by her dishonesty with him. If they couldn’t trust one another, who could they trust? So much time had passed already that he barely remembered his brief affair with Christy Stratton. They never spoke any more and he thought he probably wouldn’t even recognize her if she walked down the street. In fact, he was finding that he had less and less interest in Christy, though occasionally another woman would catch his eye. What was important to him now was his daughter and he was beginning to realize he was willing to risk anything to strengthen their bond.

Abhijeet thought frequently about leaving the home to Guinevere and finding a place of his own where he would have the freedom to do the things he wanted to do and to pursue his own interests. But he also realized that his leaving would hurt Morgaine, and so he continued to muddle through as best he could. He was hardly attentive to Guinevere during her pregnancy and she didn’t ask him to be. Truthfully the couple rarely spoke anymore and seemed to have little interest in one another. What had once been had died down significantly in the meantime and both were aware that if things didn’t improve they were going to find themselves pursuing other ‘interests.’

Abhijeet had a lot of thinking to do. Guinevere was nearly due with their second child when one day he looked at Morgaine and realized something important: He loved his family more than anything he had ever known! He’d never wanted children — they just weren’t part of the package he was interested in, much to the dismay of his parents. What he wanted was women — lots of women — and a job as a Celebrity Chef. Those had always been the things that were important to him.

(more…)