Make Your Own Family

[Red Ranger 1]

Thank you, Jarliefan, JosieTash, Romeo Indi Forever and pembie!Hope everyone like this.

CHAPTER 11

Leah was in the middle of sorting out the coffee machine when she heard a discreet cough behind her and turned to find a familiar figure standing at the counter.“Miles!What can I get you?”

Miles hesitated for a long time, obviously finding the subject embarassing.“Can I talk to you?”

Leah looked at him for a moment before calling into the kitchen.“Roo, can you keep an eye on things out here for a moment?”She gestured to Miles.“Come on.”

They headed into the now empty kitchen where Miles leaned against one of the work surfaces. “We’re friends, right?”he asked,“I mean, we’ve had all sorts of messiness in the past.But we’ve got past that and we know each other.”

Leah looked at him suspiciously.“Miles, what’s all this about?”

Miles took a deep breath.“What are you doing with Dex?”

Leah bristled slightly.“Miles, if this is jealousy…”

Miles waved a dismissive hand.“I don’t feel like that about Dexter anymore.Look, this isn’t a lecture.I’m asking a serious question.I want you to be happy.Are you?”

Leah stopped, thinking.“Yes,”she said at last,“I mean, I’m not delirious, head-over-heels-in-love happy but I am enjoying-myself, having-a-good-time happy.”

“Good.That’s good.”Miles nodded repeatedly before asking,“So what happens next?”

Leah looked at him in confusion.“What do you mean?”

“Well, if you’re in a fun, non-serious relationship, it can go one of two ways.Either it becomes serious or it ends.So…which do you want this to be?”

Dexter opened the door in response to the persistent knocking to find Indi and Sasha standing there. “What’s this, another intervention?”he asked as he let them both in.

“Why didn’t you tell us?”Indi demanded.

“Do you think we wouldn’t want to know you were seeing someone?”Sasha echoed.

Dexter shrugged awkwardly.In truth, he wasn’t really sure about a lot of the things he’d done.“It just felt like something private, you know?Something we needed to keep to ourselves for a bit.Like the script for the new Star Wars film.”

Indi looked bemused at the last one.“What?”

“Well, you know, how all the scripts get special numbers printed on them so if one goes missing they know who…”

“Back on topic,”Sasha interrupted,“are you okay?”

Dexter looked slightly stunned.“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Well, because you kept it a secret,”Indi replied,“And because there’s a bit of an age gap.”

“I’m not the only one dating someone older,”Dexter argued.

“There’s only seven years between me and Heath,”Indi protested,“There’s, like, twice that between you and Leah.”

Dexter hadn’t finished.“And it’s not like I’m the only one who’s keeping secrets,”he added, looking at his other sister.

Sasha flushed slightly.“How did you know?”

“I work in mysterious ways.And I looked in your bin.”

Indi looked at Sasha in confusion.“What’s he..?”

“Casey and I are…expecting,”Sasha admitted,“We were keeping it secret.”

Indi smiled delightedly.“Really?That’s great!”She looked like she was about to hug Sasha, then she remembered why they were there and looked back at Dexter.“So, as long as you’re happy and sure about all this, we’re okay.And you are?”

Dexter opened his mouth to answer, then closed it again.He had a long think.“Let me get back to you on that one.”

“So what did you want to talk about?”Liam asked as he sat down next to Sally on the sofa, “Something serious?”

Sally bit her lip.“Well, that’s something we’ve got to decide.”

Liam looked at her in confusion.“Sorry, you’ve lost me.”

“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately and…this…us…I think we need to decide whether or not it’s serious.”

“Oh.Right.”

“I mean, I don’t know what you want from the future.But if you want marriage and kids…well, I can’t give you one and I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to give you the other either.So if that’s a deal breaker, then we’ve got a problem.Or maybe you think it’s too early to be thinking about that sort of thing and I…”

“No, no, it’s okay.”Liam took a deep breath.“Marriage and kids.Well, I’ve not been too good at either of those, as my two ex-wives and the son who barely knows what I look like can tell you.So, maybe I’m the one who can’t give you those things.But if what you want is the two of us together, muddling through and making this work, long term, then…yeah, that’s what I want too.”He hesitated. “Is it?”

Sally smiled slightly.“I think that sounds pretty good.”She leaned over and kissed him, letting the kiss deepen as she felt him running his fingers through her hair.The kiss broke and she took his hand. “Come on.”

He looked at her.“Are you sure?”

She nodded.“Oh yeah.”She pulled him to his feet and led him upstairs.

[Red Ranger 1]

Thank you for all the comments!Here's a short chapter to be getting on with.

CHAPTER 12

Liam caught Sally around the waist as they re-entered the living room, nuzzling the back of her neck. “Liam!”she protested, although she didn’t sound that put out,“Stop it.”

“Well, you make it so hard for me to resist,”he retorted, twisting her round and kissing her.She melted into the kiss without any objection…until a cough from the direction of the other doorway let them know they weren’t alone.

“Getting a worrying sense of déjà vu here,”Miles remarked,“Only, that time it was you and Nicole.”

Sally looked at Liam.“You slept with Nicole?!”

“It was a long time ago.”He paused.“That doesn’t make it sound any better, does it?”

“You certainly make a better brother-in-law than son-in-law,”Miles agreed, heading off in the direction of the kitchen.

“So, ah, are we going to see each other again?”Liam asked.

Sally kissed him again.“I think that can be arranged.”She watched him leave, then turned her attention back to Miles, who raised an eyebrow in amusement.

“Well?”he asked.

Sally chose her words carefully.“Liam and I…have decided…to progress our relationship.”

“Wow.You must really like him.I don’t think I’ve ever known you to do that.”

“I admit it’s been a while,”Sally acknowledged, flushing slightly.

“Well, at least there’s one person in this household who’s in a happy relationship.”

“No-one on the horizon for you?”

“I don’t think I even know where the horizon is anymore.Which is okay.It’s better not to be in a relationship than to be in a relationship with the wrong person.At least, that’s what I’ve been telling people.”

Sally looked at him suspiciously.“What people?”

Miles was silent for a moment.“Do you fancy some coffee?”he asked at last,“I do.”

Dexter could see Leah working at the sink as he arrived at the back door.He rapped lightly on the door frame.“Knock knock.”

Leah turned round and the uncomfortable look on her face confirmed his own feelings.“Dex, hi. You got my message?”

Dexter nodded.“I was going to come round anyway.”

“Right.”Leah gestured him towards the table.“Do you want to..?”

They both took a seat.“I think I know what this is about,”Dexter noted,“I mean, I’ve been having certain thoughts lately about the way things are between us.”

Leah nodded.“I mean, these last few weeks have been great, don’t get me wrong but…I don’t think this is the sort of relationship that can last.”

“Somewhat tragically, I have come to that conclusion myself.”

“So, I think we need to put an end to it now.Before Stephen gets confused or before we do.”

Dexter nodded.“Have to say this is a pretty civilised break-up.”

“Well, I guess we’ve got practise.”

“Right.So what do we do now?”

Leah shrugged.“Just sort of carry on like we were before, I guess.”

“Just without the sex?”

Leah couldn’t help smiling.“Without the sex, yes.”

“I, ah, think I need to get away for a bit.See William and Louis.”

Leah looked at him suspiciously.“And Dallas?”

Dexter shrugged.“Well, I expect she’ll be there as well.”

“They say absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

“Well…I guess we’ll see about that.”

[Red Ranger 1]

Although it had the potential to be VERY messy, I quite like the idea of Dex/Leah!!!

It's a shame Leah and Dex have called it a day.

I admit I was very much in two minds about breaking them up.Thank you, everyone, for your comments, sorry for the long wait, wrote this one in a bit of a hurry, hope it's okay.

CHAPTER 13

Dexter wondered if there was a way he could stop feeling nervous.It wasn’t like he hadn’t been to visit Dallas and the boys before.Of course, on the previous occasions there was the comforting knowledge that he had another family unit to fall back on.Which in a sense he still did but…He decided to stop thinking and knock on the door.

He’d been expecting Dallas to answer and preparing greetings so he was slightly thrown when he heard the sound of tiny running footsteps and William and Louis pulled the door open instead. “Daddy!”Louis bellowed in delight, throwing himself into Dexter’s arms.

Dexter lifted his son up, while patting William on the head.“Hey, Wills.How’s school going?Learnt how to build an atom bomb yet?”

“No,”William answered seriously.

“No?Okay, maybe next year.”

Dallas appeared round the corner, smiling.“I told them you were coming.They’ve been very excited about it.”

“Yeah?”Dexter gave the two boys an enthusiastic grin.“Me too!”

“Come on in, they can show you the painting they’ve been doing.”

Dexter put Louis down and followed the pair into the kitchen.

VJ looked at Leah carefully.“So you and Dexter broke up?”

Leah nodded slowly.“Yes.”

“But you’re not crying.”

Leah digested the comment.“I guess it’s not that kind of break-up.”

“Makes a change from your usual kind.So, are you going to stop dating people now?”

Leah looked at him, amused.“What, you want me to be on my own for the rest of my life?”

“I guess you can start dating people again when I leave home.Unless you think you’ll be too old by then?”

“Not unless you wait until you’re forty to leave home.And maybe not even then.”

VJ sighed.“Well, I suppose that’d be okay.”

Dexter sat in the living room, holding the painting William and Louis had done for him at every conceivable angle as he tried to work out which way round it was supposed to go.They’d told him it was meant to be him.Given the curious mismatch of shapes and colours, he was taking their word for it.

Dallas came through from the bedroom with a smile on her face.She’d been smiling most of the time he was there, for reasons he wasn’t entirely sure about.Maybe she was just trying to make him feel welcome.“The boys are finally settled.William wanted you to come in and read him a story.”

“Well, I could have done that.I mean, I have learned to read.”

“Yes but when you read them a story they always seem to end up more excited than when you started.”

“Also true.”

Dallas picked a bottle of wine off a shelf.“Do you want some?”

“Ah, yes, please,”Dexter answered, doing his best to hide his surprise.

Dallas poured him a glass and handed it to him.“So, what have you been doing lately?”she asked as she settled in a chair across from him.

Dexter decided the time had come to reveal certain facts.“Well, I dated Leah for a while.”

Dallas seemed to tense up suddenly, the smile disappearing from her face.“Leah?”

“Yeah, you know, Leah.Stephen’s mum.”

“I know who Leah is.But you’re not dating her now?”

“No.We had a break-up.Very civilised.Very amicable.Bit like us actually.”

Dallas looked away briefly.“Yeah.”

Dexter felt a sudden desire to move the conversation on.“So what about you?Anyone on the scene?”

“No.”

He looked at her in surprise.“No?”

She looked him straight in the eye.“No.There hasn’t been anyone since I broke up with you.”

Dexter felt even more awkward.He carefully laid his glass down on the table in front of them.“You know, I’d better head off.Long journey home.I’ll see you soon?”

She didn’t move.“Yes, I expect so.”

He got up quickly and headed out the door.He had the oddest feeling he knew what the smile had been for.

[Red Ranger 1]

Thank you for the comments!This is the last chapter, hope you enjoy it.

CHAPTER 14

“So how did things go with Dallas?”Indi asked.

Dexter had to give his sisters credit.They’d managed to be in the flat all evening, since they and their partners had dropped round for an impromptu dinner party, without mentioning the elephant in the room.“They went…okay,”he answered cautiously.

Sasha eyed him suspiciously.“How okay is…‘okay’?”

“We were civil.Courteous.Two mature adults who were once in a relationship and have now learned to co-exist peacefully for the sake of the children that they both deeply care for.”

Sasha looked at him sympathetically.“Wow.That must really suck.”

“It did lack a certain sense of fulfilment,”Dexter admitted.

Heath and Casey had been keeping out of the way in the kitchen but now they came over to them. “Dude, you have got nothing to complain about,”Heath told Dexter,“Despite being a total wuss, you have managed to pull two of the most gorgeous women I’ve ever seen.”

“Ahem?”Indi interceded.

“Apart from your sister,”Heath continued without looking away from Dexter,“Which is a good job cos that would be kind of weird.So, no doubt you’ll have another gorgeous woman come along soon.”

“I think he might be realising he liked the one he had,”Casey interjected.

“Never saw the point of that,”Heath retorted.Indi looked daggers at him.“Until I met your sister.So, just for the record, which is it you want back, Dallas or Leah?”

It was a question Dexter had been asking himself quite a bit.He got on well with both women but… he thought back to the family life he’d had with Dallas, how content they’d been and he realised that, no matter how close he’d managed to get to Leah and to a family life with her, he’d never stopped missing it.

He realised Heath was still looking at him.“Haven’t decided yet,”he answered at last.

“Keeping your options open,”Heath observed approvingly,“I like it.Indi, stop glaring at me.”

“Only because I know you’re doing your best to help,”Indi replied,“And on that note, I think we’d better leave my brother to mull things over.”

Sally carried the two glasses of wine over to the sofa where Leah was sitting and handed her one before settling down next to her.“So how’s single life treating you?”

Leah sighed.“Well…”

She was interrupted by Liam entering the house.“Hey, Sal, have you got any plans for..?”He broke off as he took in the scene in front of him.“You’ve got plans for tonight, haven’t you?”

Sally got up and went over to him.“Leah just turned up,”she explained quietly,“I get the feeling she’s lonely and needs someone to talk to.”

Liam nodded.“Okay, well, we’ll take a rain check.”He gave her a lingering kiss before making his exit.

Leah raised an eyebrow as Sally came back to sit with her.“Maybe I should be asking you how life in a relationship is treating you?”

“We’re not talking about me,”Sally reminded her.

“Well, it’ll take my minds off things.”

“It’s…pretty good,”Sally admitted,“I’m feelings things that I haven’t felt in a long time.”

“I know what you mean,”Leah agreed,“I felt things with Dexter.I’m not saying I was in love with him or anything…”

“Hey, I never said I loved Liam,”Sally protested.Leah gave her a look.“But…maybe I do, a bit,”she conceeded.

Leah smiled wistfully.“It was nice to explore that side of me again.I just hope we can stay friends now it’s over.He deserves to be happy.”

Dexter was surprised by the knock at the door, wondering if one of his sisters had forgotten something.He went over and opened it.

Dallas was standing there, William and Louis holding onto her hands.Dexter noticed that all three of them were carrying bags.She didn’t say anything.She just smiled hopefully.

Dexter held the door open and let them inside.

Dexter had put William and Louis to bed in their old room.If it wasn’t for the fact that most of their belongings were still packed away, he’d have thought that the last few months had never happened. He headed back into the lounge where Dallas was sitting and looked at her awkwardly.“So, er, what is this?”

“This…this is me admitting I may have made a mistake.”Dallas looked at him sincerely.“Dex, I was on my own with William for a long time.And I managed.Maybe I managed a bit too well, I got used to being able to do things my way.So I thought that I could do that again, manage on my own.But truth is…I got lonely.”

“You could get a dog?”Dexter suggested.

Dallas laughed.“I’ve got two kids.I don’t need a dog.I need…I need the best thing that’s ever happened to me.Do you think there’s a chance?”

Dexter looked at her in surprise.“Were you talking about me just then?”She nodded.“Maybe… maybe there is a chance.I kind of want there to be.I’m just not sure what we can do.”

“We could get married.”

Dexter didn’t think he could feel more shocked.He was wrong.“What?”

Dallas knelt down in front of him, taking his hand in hers, a smile on her face.“Dexter Walker…will you marry me?”

He leaned forward and kissed her.And it felt like she’d never been away.