Welcome to the Wrongway Legacy, generation four, part six!

Last time, we saw Lee worry over becoming a guardian, Maddie being nice to Lee which surprised him, Mark and Lavender's couple problems continued, and he left for the city early, while Lavender discovered she was pregnant. Grace and Orlando tried to tell Maddie she wasn't to blame for her father leaving. The family met Forrest's new partner, Betria, who was expecting a child also. Mark's bandmate Michelle kicked him into shaping up, Maddie took up a lot of activities and made friends with the Fighting Four. Robin and Austin were having difficulties getting pregnant, Maddie completely ignored her father when he came home, Lavender gave birth to twins Lance and Leda, while Betria had baby girl Ophelia. Lavender told Mark he had to make more of an effort with his family. Rose married Sullivan Phelps in a small family affair.

If it's not familiar, take a look back. As for this chapter, enjoy →

The vial of elixir kept them both young. It was not uncommon to see a bottle of it on the counter in the kitchen, ready to be taken alongside breakfast, and this morning was no exception.

Sure, it didn't have the greatest taste in the world, but it did the job.

Lee whistled, merrily, as he poured his cereal, knowing that he had already taken his elixir for the day – the vial next to his breakfast belonged to Hex.

Hex wandered into the kitchen, sleepily, glancing briefly at Lee on his way to the coffee machine.

“Did I raise you to eat like a slob?” Hex asked, in a light-hearted voice, as he held back a yawn.

Lee carefully put his bowl back on the table.

“Nope,” Lee replied, with a smile, “but you raised me to enjoy my food.”

On the other side of the room, Hex nodded.

“I left some elixir out for you.”

“I'm not drinking it anymore,” Hex said, quietly, “I want to be mortal again...I guess...I'm just tired of being the same age. It's been almost five generations...”

Lee was about to reply with a counter argument of some kind, even though he had no idea what he could say, when the phone rang.

“Damn,” Hex remarked, putting his cup on the counter, near the vial, “I'll get that.”

“he would realise if I poured the vial into his coffee...” Lee mused, as he put his bowl into the dishwasher, “but he won't notice if I use the elixir from the fridge...”

The bottle from the fridge was only half full when Lee had found it, but it was enough to do the trick. Without hesitation or a second thought, Lee poured what was left into the coffee.

It's better if the Wrongways have two guardians anyway, Lee told himself, with there being two lines and everything...

When Hex came back into the room, Lee was back in his original seat, noticing Hex looked a lot less cheerful.

“What's up?” Lee asked.

“Just got a call from Robin,” Hex replied, “apparently she wants to talk about this curse thing with me...”

“I hope she's okay.”

“She'll be fine,” Hex picked up his cup and sipped his coffee, shuddering a little at the bitter taste, “Lavender's coming over, later.”

Lee nodded, “Full house, I guess.”

A few hours later, Austin and Robin had arrived at the apartment Hex shared with Lee.

“See? We're going to get this sorted,” Austin said, softly, “you will be a mother, I promise.”

Robin watched Austin for a moment, a slight smile on her face. Eventually she replied, “I love you.”

Hex entered the room, and offered the couple a smile.

“This isn't a visit just for fun, is it?” Lee asked, frowning as he took his seat next to Hex.

“Not exactly,” Austin answered, “it's about this curse thing. Could it be stopping Robin from getting pregnant?”

Hex tried to remain positive, tried to hold his smile in place. If he couldn't give the couple a real answer, he wanted to give them reassurance.

Hex paused, thoughtfully, to contemplate the problem, allowing an awkward silence to fall over the room.

In a calm voice, he said, “It could be two reasons, Robin.”

“Which are?” Austin prompted.

“I think it could either be Lavender's success – she has three children now – or the fact Austin is from the line you can't be near.”

Austin's smile dropped, and Robin cast him a nervous glance, biting her lip. When Austin didn't respond, her grip on his hand tightened.

“So I can't give her a baby,” Austin murmured, “but any other guy could.”

Hex frowned a little. Was this job ever going to get any easier?

“It's just a theory, Austin,” he pointed out, “I could be completely wrong.”

Robin stared at Austin with a pained expression, “Please don't blame yourself. It's not your fault.”

“Listen to her,” Hex said, “don't blame yourself.”

“We have a lot of things we can be happy be about,” Robin murmured, her frown easing into a light smile, “we have a beautiful home and amazing friends.”

“But it's not what you want,” Austin replied, with a sigh, “and I might be the one standing in the way of you and your duties as heiress.”

“Austin. It's just a theory.”

“I now completely understand why you want to give up being a guardian,” Lee said to Hex, quietly, “it's a difficult job.”

Hex didn't comment on the job, “I think you can handle it.”

“How about you deal with Lavender this afternoon,” Lee smiled, “seeing as you're planning to retire soon. That, and I already promised Maddie I would drive her to martial arts today.”

* * *

“This is such a proud moment,” Hex said, amused, “it seems like just yesterday you moved all of your family to the desert just because there was a park for her.”

“I know. From a tiny toddler to a young lady about to take her first martial arts grading,” Lavender pretended to be choked up, “it's so unreal.”

“Come on!” Maddie protested, “I'm not that old!”

Both Hex and Lavender laughed, while Maddie smiled, feeling a strange combination of nerves and excitement.

“Can we go now?” Maddie asked, “I'm going to be late!”

“You are not going to be late.” Lavender replied, cheerfully, while Maddie started fidgeting.

“Yeah, I'm driving you,” Lee said, joining the conversation, “and I'm never late.”

Maddie looked a little uncertain, glancing at Hex for confirmation. Hex grinned, “It's true. Trust me,” to Lee he said, “drive safe, won't you?”

Lee nodded, “See you in a few hours. Hopefully with a new red belt!”

Lavender hoisted herself up onto the counter as the front door slammed behind Lee and Maddie, leaving Hex standing opposite her. An uneasy silence followed it, and Lavender pulled a face.

“How are things, Lavender?” Hex asked, eventually, “Mark home?”

“No. He left this morning for a week,” Lavender replied, miserably, “and things are fine.”

“Lavender,” Hex called, softly, “it's me. You don't have to tell me that everything is fine, because if it was I would be unemployed.”

Biting her lip, Lavender responded, “I don't know if things are okay or not anymore. I'm worried about what Mark is up to in the city. I'm worried he won't be there for the twins. I'm worried that Maddie will never forgive him...I'm just...really worried.”

“Really? I would never have known,” Hex smiled a little, “what's the biggest problem in your eyes at the minute? Let's tackle this one thing at a time.”

“It's all one problem, though, isn't it?” Lavender answered, “It's all Mark.”

“Very true.”

“I'm wondering if we were rushed, you know? We had to rush down the aisle because he was moving away. I was expecting Maddie the morning he left town...”

“Alright, let's try something different,” Hex decided, “for the moment, pretend I'm Mark.”

“What?!” Lavender demanded, confused. Hex grinned, sheepishly.

“Well, obviously you're going to have to talk to him about all of this. This is so you can practise what you're going to say,” Hex explained, “so, I'm Mark.”

“This is weird.”

“But it might work,” Hex said, “just give it a try.”

“Right, uh...Mark...there's been quite a few things bothering me lately,” Lavender paused, as Hex nodded enthusiastically, “and I thought you should know...”

“Uh huh. What kind of problems, sweetheart?”

“What? Did you just call me sweetheart?!”

“Lavender. I'm Mark, remember?”

“Oh, right. Um,” Lavender looked nervously at the floor, “well, I told you about Maddie.”

“Right,” Hex replied, seriously, “what else is on your mind, darling?”

Lavender frowned a little, “I'm...when you're away...I don't like it. You could be with other women, or finding some excuse never to come back. To never come home.”

“Sweetheart, you know I'll always come home.”

“He always promises that,” Lavender whispered, “always.”

“You're doing great, Lavender,” Hex commented, breaking out of his role as Mark, “you're saying exactly what you need to.”

“Now you just need to tell these things to the real Mark.”

Lavender smiled, “It's so much easier telling you.”

“It's because I'm not actually Mark.”

“Shame.” Lavender replied, without thinking about it first, as she jumped down from the counter.

“What?” Now it was Hex's turn to be confused.

Hex took a step back, wary, as Lavender reached up and put a hand to her chin. In a small voice, she said, “I didn't mean to say that out loud.”

“What did you mean, Lavender? Are you actually attracted to me, or...?”

“I don't...I don't know,” Lavender admitted, “I don't know anything for definite anymore.”

“I was worried I was getting too close,” Hex admitted, “but I thought I was being too paranoid.”

“I'm sorry.”

“It's not your fault.”

A brief silence fell over them, before Lavender dared to ask, “What happens now?”

“I don't know,” Hex replied, “I honestly don't know.”

* * *

An hour and a half later, Lee was driving Maddie back into Mirage, grinning.

“You did great! I was so proud of you!” He said, cheerfully.

“Really? I was really worried I was going to forget everything!”

“That's normal,” Lee replied, dismissively, “you were excellent!”

“It's not a big deal.” Madeline said, blushing.

“It is,” Lee told her, as the houses of Mirage came into view, “I wish I'd had something like that when I was your age. Then again, my upbringing was far from normal.”

“What do you mean?” Madeline asked, curious.

“Let's just say that I almost gave everything up for a little bit of the past I never had,” Lee fell into a wistful silence for a moment, while Madeline stared at him, confused. Lee stopped thinking about it, and smiled, “but none of that matters, today is your day!”

The car reached Lee's apartment building, and up ahead, he saw Lavender's car still parked on the kerb. Frowning a little, he looked up at the building.

“I'll just nip inside and ask whether I'm dropping you off here, or at home,” Lee explained, pulling to a stop, “wait here.”

“Alright.” Madeline replied.

Nothing prepared Lee for what was waiting in the apartment. He entered silently, not bothering to shut the front door, determined not to disturb Hex and Lavender.

“Well, look,” Lavender was saying, “why don't we try it? That's better than standing around wondering what we should be doing.”

“Lavender...I don't think....” Hex trailed off, his doubt clear.

Lavender kissed him.

It was a sweet, light kiss, but did it mean something? Hex couldn't decide. He was thinking too much. That shouldn't be normal when someone was kissing you.

The couple were interrupted by someone clearing their throat.

Lee folded his arms, “Maddie is still in the car. Did you want me to bring her in, or drop her off at home? I'm assuming I'm not disturbing anything.”

Hex and Lavender fell into an embarrassed silence.

“I'll go get her and drive her home,” Lavender murmured, not looking at Lee, “and I'll pick up the twins from Forrest on the way.”

Lee looked extremely unimpressed. Hex wasn't sure what he could say. Lavender took a step towards the door, twisting her wedding ring round and round her finger.

Lee stepped in her way, “No, I'll go pick up the twins and drop Maddie off. Clearly, you two have a lot to talk about.”

“But...” Lavender trailed off, uncertain as to what she could say.

“Just remember,” Lee said, coldly, “that you were the one worried about what Mark was doing in the city. You didn't want him to have an affair. That doesn't mean you can have one. You can't have it both ways, Lavender.”

“You're right,” Lavender said, weakly. She was near tears, but she didn't want to admit it. Instead, she just repeated herself, “you're right.”

Hex hadn't moved, her was still stood in the kitchen, watching the events unfold.

“Lee,” he said, firmly, “that's enough. We all make mistakes.”

“You're right, everyone does,” Lee replied, pushing past Lavender and walking over to Hex, “but don't let a few small mistakes ruin your life. Aphrodite taught me that.”

Hex couldn't look Lee in the eye.

“Let me guess, this is the reason you're retiring, right?”

“Retiring?” Lavender repeated, quietly.

“Yeah. Hex is planning to give up his role of guardian,” Lee explained, “I'm thinking you just might be the reason for it.”

“Lee that decision was made before...this.” Hex murmured, but Lee continued to scowl. Turning around on his heel, Lee faced Lavender.

“I know I was horrible to you as a teenager, Lavender. And I know I blew my chances of ever meaning something to you. But I still see you as my friend, even if I no longer am to you, and I'm asking you just to take a step back and take a look at what you're doing.”

With that, Lee walked out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him. In the silence that followed, Lavender could hear Lee stomping his feet as he went down the stairs.

Once Lee was outside, he leaned on the gate to the apartment building, breathing deeply.

“I need to calm down,” he murmured to himself, “I was too close to being Hercules again.”

After composing himself, Lee headed back to his car, ready to drive Maddie home. But the events of the day were still firmly on his mind.

Upstairs, Lavender had moved closer to Hex, “You're retiring?”

“I've stopped drinking elixir. I'm not going to live forever. And Lee is taking my place as a guardian.”

“What made you decide to do that?”

“Take today, for example. It's been an extremely long day. I'm just tired, Lavender. I just want a family and not have to worry about curses and Ralph for a change.”

Hex smiled a little at Lavender, “In regards to you and me...I think we should write that kiss off as a mistake. You know, a one-off, a blip, a bad idea...”

“Absolutely. I love Mark...I don't know why this happened...”

Hex shook his head, “It doesn't matter. It'll be like it never happened, right?”

“Right,” Lavender agreed, biting her lip. Was that what she wanted?

“Truth be told, I don't think I'm entirely over Kendra. I gave her everything I could and it still ended horribly.”

“Like you said, we both messed up.”

Hex nodded, “I'm not going to let this ruin our friendship, Lavender.”

“Me either. Now I better get home and phone my husband,” Lavender smiled, weakly, “it's time to tell him just how worried I am about everything.”

“Glad I could help.” Hex said, swapping his frown for a smile.

* * *

Mark was home earlier than he expected, by about four days. His success in the city had given him a lot to think about.

“And I know you've been waiting to hear me say this,” Mark paused, “I'm sorry, and I love you.”

“Mark, I don't think that apology counts if she's asleep.” Lavender said, from the corner of the room. Mark smiled.

“You're right, of course,” Mark looked to Lavender, “why are you always so right?”

“I am not always right.” Lavender replied, firmly. In the days since that kiss with Hex, not much had changed. Unless you counted Hex keeping his distance and Lee not speaking to her.

“I feel like I've missed her whole life.” Mark murmured.

“You have.”

“I can't believe she'll be a teenager tomorrow.” Mark said, pulling Lavender close. She smiled a little.

“It's hard to believe. Even I'm struggling with that idea.”

“And then the twins will be children...” Mark sighed, “I've missed so much.”

“It's okay. We forgive you. You're here now.”

* * *

The next day, Madeline stepped up to her cake. She still hadn't spoken properly to Mark, but that didn't matter – she wasn't going to let her father get in the way of her birthday.

“I wish for friends and parties and fun.” Madeline whispered to the candles.

“My baby is all grown up!” Lavender grinned, hugging Madeline as she wandered in after getting changed, “Your birthday present is upstairs, on your desk.”

“Thanks, Mum!” Madeline grinned back.

“Maddie, my gift will be delivered shortly.” Mark said, smiling.

And you bought a separate gift because...? Madeline wondered, but didn't say anything.

“What did you get for her?” Lavender asked, when Madeline had left the room. Mark and Lavender hadn't had a chance to discuss the gift earlier.

“Well, my band is releasing our debut song tonight,” Mark explained, “and it's called Madeline.”

“You're releasing a song for her birthday? Mark! That is fantastic!”

“I just hope she likes it...you mentioned she loved music.”

“She will love it.”

Upstairs, Maddie was using her new laptop and a social networking site to chat with Tina about the upcoming party, her radio playing all the while.

“That was the Son of the Left with 'Life Story'. Next, we have a debut song from City Watch. But first, let's just recap the top twenty.”

Maddie looked up, frowning, at her radio. City Watch was her Dad's band. She hadn't known they were releasing a song tonight.

“This is 'Madeline', by City Watch.”

“What's on your mind? Do you ever miss me?Is it too late,Madeline, baby,To tell you how muchI miss your smile?”

Maddie signed off the internet, and carefully shut down her computer. Before rising from her seat, leaving the song playing to her empty room.

“I'm heading out,” Maddie called over her shoulder to her parents. Both of them looked at her, puzzled.

“Did you hear it?” Mark asked, nervously.

“Hear what?” Maddie questioned, “Can we talk about this later? I'll be late meeting Tina otherwise.”

As Maddie left, Mark frowned and looked at Lavender, “I guess she didn't have her radio on?”

Lavender didn't bother pointing out that Maddie's radio was always on.

* * *

Lee Wrongway finished reading the paragraph and laughed, “How Aphrodite reads this romance novels without laughing hysterically, I'll never know.”

His peace and quiet was interrupted by a knock at the door. Sighing, Lee carefully marked his place, and rose to his feet.

“Coming!”

“Maddie?” Lee asked, surprised when he found her standing outside his apartment door.

“Hey,” Maddie said, in a quiet voice, “do you mind if come in?”

“No, of course not. Did you get a lift here?”

“I walked.”

“Maddie, it's too late at night for you to be out on your own,” Lee moved to let her into the apartment, “even if you do know how to knock someone out using an axe kick.”

Once inside, Lee decided to find out what was going on, “So Maddie, what's up?”

“Dad's back. And he's sorry, apparently.” Maddie replied, rolling her eyes.

“I see. You still don't like him?” Lee chuckled, “That man has no idea how many problems he causes.”

Maddie smiled, weakly, “True. He wrote a song for my birthday, so he's probably trying to make up for all of the birthdays he missed.”

“Everyone makes mistakes, Maddie,” Lee laughed, “you have no idea how many I made as a teenager. And when I was at uni.”

“Did you abandon your loved ones?” Maddie asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I did,” Lee replied, surprising Maddie, “I didn't mean to, but I did. I can't imagine how I must have made them feel.”

“Are you asking me to forgive Dad?” Maddie questioned. Lee shook his head.

“No one can make you forgive him, only you can decide that one,” Lee paused, “I have an idea that will make you feel better. Stand up.”

Moments later, Lee had shared his idea, and Maddie was standing in the stance she used at martial arts.

“Martial arts? Now?” Maddie asked again.

“Yes,” Lee answered, “come on, you can channel your rage this way!”

Maddie punched the air in front of her, echoing the way she had been taught – twisting her leg to push her punch further, breathing properly like her instructor – everything about the punch seemed flawless.

And the best part was, it made Maddie feel much better.

After punching for a few moments, Maddie turned round and hugged Lee.

“Thanks. I'm going to do my best to forgive him.”

“That is the smart thing to do,” Lee told her, “come on, I'll drive you home.”

* * *

That's it for this time, but before you go, can anyone explain to me why Maddie's new hairstyle only does this on the main lot, and none of the others? It's really bugging me because I can't seem to fix it.

Anyway! Join me next time for law-breaking, parties, and rescues! Plus kids!

Thanks for reading!