It is back… and when I say 'it' I really mean me. Even though I have only been gone for a few minutes/hours/days or however long it has taken for you (my lovely readers) to click the next button on your laptop/phone/ipod/mobile device/well-you-get-what-I-mean… Which I hope has only been a few seconds! Cause that means you are enjoying the story. Am I right?! Please say I am right, otherwise I feel like I am talking to a deaf person… and if you are deaf, I apologize if I have offended you.

Moving on from my ranting I have big news! That you should know about…

~~~~I have been asked if Retna Colour and her family may be used in other FanFics~~~~ First of all… this makes me very excited that someone even wants to use my characters.

And second… duh! Use her, use them all if you want! I give all of my lovely readers the all clear on using her. It will make me delighted to know that other people want to use her personality/looks/just-over-all-character in their story.

Now I have ranted on enough… Enjoy!

Chapter 15: Different Starts,,,Different Endings

Talking with the Gorgons had etched a permanent smile onto Retna's face, and all the worries had seemed to wash away from her life as she sat there talking and joking around with the family. She wished her parents were more like them, and wished that they were not so uptight about everything. If only they were more loose and open.

"So, what are you going to do after you finish high school?" Mr. Gorgon asked during supper that evening. Deuce and Retna had excused themselves after their joking in the gazebo and had finished their homework, well homework and a few moments of chasing around his room and launching socks and other items at each other. They were now sitting down enjoying a wonderful supper.

"Oh probably go to college or something. I have to see what my parents have planned for me." Retna knew that her mother wanted her to get married as soon as possible, so college was out of the question.

"Oh how are your parents?" Mrs. Gorgon asked. "I am curious to how Naomi is doing." Mrs. Gorgon did not really care for Naomi, ever since they were kids and there was a fight between the two that ended with Mrs. Gorgon being pushed into a pond.

"Oh, Mother is doing alright. So is Father, his business has really taken off lately." Retna looked down at her plate and tried to look really interested in what she was eating. "All this food is really delicious." She tried to change the subject. "The best I have had in a long time."

"Well I will give your compliments to Mrs Cavane then." Mr. Gorgon responded as he nibbled on his own platter of food.

"Do you know what your parents are planning for you after high school?" Mrs. Gorgon apparently didn't want the subject to change. She had stopped eating and was sitting with her hands folded in front of her.

"Oh, well I believe Mother wants me to start thinking, um, about marriage." Retna squeaked out the last part. Slightly embarrassed, she lowered her head. She hoped that the Gorgons wouldn't ask a question concerning who she would marry.

"Oh really? But you are so young!" Mrs. Gorgon put three dainty fingers in front of her mouth with a slight gasp. "They couldn't possibly be wanting you to find a husband."

"Well, I don't have to find a husband actually." Retna realized her mistake, but sadly she couldn't pull her words back into her mouth.

"What? Why not?"

"My parents have pretty much decided for arranged marriage." Retna basically whispered. The table was quiet, except for Deuce who was choking on his drink.

"Oh my gosh, arranged marriage? But you are so young! And don't your parents realize we are no longer in the day and age where arranged marriages are the way to go?" Mrs. Gorgon asked concernedly.

"I don't think they care."

"You are getting married?!" Deuce managed to spit out, after regaining some form of composure.

"I think so."

"To who?!"

"Son, calm down, you could be scaring her." Mrs. Gorgon scolded her son. Deuce took a deep breath.

"Why wouldn't you tell me this?" He asked calmer.

"I don't think it will actually go through." Retna explained. "Mother says that if I can find another eligible suitor I wouldn't have to do arranged marriage. I could choose who my husband is."

"Do you still have to get married after high school?"

"Yes."

"Then it still is the same thing, except you get to choose from a limited pool of options." Deuce's voice began to get louder.

"I am sorry okay! I can't control this!" Retna yelled back. Tears had started to fall from behind her glasses. "Excuse me." She jerked up into a standing position and fled the room. She could hear Deuce calling from the kitchen to "please come back".

"I'm going to go talk to her." Deuce started to get up.

"No, I will." Mrs. Gorgon stood and started to exit. "It is better for me since I already am a female." She followed the direction where Retna and run off to and found her sitting in a corner in the library. Mrs. Gorgon could hear the young female crying and her own heart lurched. "You know, I didn't marry for love either." She said as soon as she found the girl. Retna's head shot up at her entrance.

"You didn't?" Her sniffles echoed in the large room. Mrs. Gorgon sat herself down on the floor next to Retna.

"Nope, but I learned to love him. It was hard at first, but I was determined to find love in the man that I was forced to marry. And I promise that you will find love too, as long as you keep your heart open to the possibility."

"But Mrs. Gorgon-,"

"Just call me Maddy."

"Oh okay. But Maddy, I just don't know what I am supposed to do. My parents already told me about this man that I am suppose to marry and I know for a while about it. It is just that I do not think he knows about our coupling."

"Does he know that he is up for an arranged marriage by his parents?"

"That is the problem." Retna's eyes sported a few more tears. "His parents don't even know."

"I am not quite following you, dear. Will you try to be more clear?" Maddy was becoming very confused.

"Mother wants me to marry a man who isn't even up for an arranged marriage, and his parents don't want him to put him through all that. The problem of whether or not I will learn to love him doesn't exist, because I already have decided how I feel in that category." The silence was deafening in the library.

"Can I assume that you are talking about my son, Deuce?" Maddy asked.

"I am sorry, I understand if you don't want me in your house anymore." Retna began to cry again. Maddy kept thinking on how anyone could force their child into this. It was horrible that Retna had to cry over the fact that she had to try and convince Deuce to marry her.

"Oh no, I would never throw you out." Maddy reached forward and pulled Retna into her arms. "I would rather my son marry you, than that Cleo. At least with you, I know he will be utterly happy."

"But Mother wants me to get married almost immediately out of high school. And I know that Deuce doesn't want that."

"I am pretty sure that he can be persuaded, dear. My son loves you as it is, and all he will need is a proper push in the right direction." Maddy continued to hold Retna.

"Why would you want your son to marry me? I thought you didn't want to put him into arranged marriage situation."

"I didn't want him to marry a woman he didn't love. I know that if I forced him to marry a woman he didn't love, he would hate me. So when your parents came to me suggesting that we put the two of you into an arranged marriage, I declined saying I wanted there to be love between you two first. Your mother threw a fit, just saying." It dawned on Retna.

"That must be why she kept pushing me to make him love me. It all makes sense now!" Retna smiled. "Thank you, Mrs., I mean, Maddy." Retna gave Mrs. Gorgon a big hug. Her tears had stopped flowing and she even was smiling. "I feel a lot better now."

"I am glad, now shall we get back to dinner?"

"I would love to." The two females stood up and made their way towards the door of the library, but when they opened the door they were greeted with a nearly frozen figure. Deuce was standing with a look of disbelief on his face.

"Marriage?" He asked.

"Son, it is not nice to eavesdrop!" Mrs. Gorgon scolded.

"You are suppose to marry me?" Deuce still had the look of disbelief on his face. Retna interpreted it wrong, and thought he was disgusted with the idea. Tears started to form in her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Deuce said in a kind voice. Retna looked at him through her teary eyes and saw that his face no longer had the look of disbelief but had a small smile.

"I thought you would be mad or disgusted or something."

"Why would I be mad or disgusted at the mention of marrying you? I love you, Retna. Don't you already know that? I was mad and disgusted when you said you were marrying someone, because I thought that you were going to marry someone else, and I was more mad and disgusted at your parents."

"Really?"

"Of course. I would rather you marry me, than anyone else."

"Really?" Retna's mind seemed to be replaying that word constantly. Deuce nodded before giving her a big smile. Before giving her a big hug and kissing her.

"I know this is not a proposal, but I do promise to propose to you, if you will say yes."

"I accept that promise!" Retna smiled back at Deuce, and he responded by giving her another kiss. The couple was interrupted by Deuce's mother who was still watching the whole ordeal.

"See dear, there is nothing to worry about. All you have to do is trust that it will all work out and you should be fine. Now lets head back to dinner."

Well, The End…

Nah I am just joking with ya! I can't just end a story like that. That would leave to many questions unanswered, like what happened to Retna's parents, and how is Cleo doing without Deuce, and other questions that I currently can't think of as I type this. So I know I am excited for the next chapter, so I am going to let you click the button that will take you to the next chapter. Enjoy!

Hugs and Kisses

Keli T (hearts)