"But it isn’t like that anymore," she said softly to herself as she gazed out the dining room window. What HAD happened anyway? She found herself pondering that question for the millionth time. "I love him. That should count for something, right? It should count for everything!" She stood suddenly, but sat down quickly again when she realized that life was full of those types of questions—the should have’s, the what if’s—and she had yet to find the answer to those questions which so very many had sought to answer.

Still, Callie took a long, slow sip of her tea and let her mind wander. Less than a year ago—twelve short months—her life had been so different. She had been overwhelmed with joy when the man whom she had always loved had asked her to marry him. And, although it had been unexpected, it had been the greatest moment of her life. Just as unexpectedly, she had conceived their child, one who had held such promise, such dreams. Her life had been a mirror reflecting all that was good in her life.

Yet her life, like that mirror, had shattered. Cape May, the nightmares, watching Frank fall apart and Joe suffer—it had been the worst time of her life. And, just when she had really begun to believe that things truly couldn’t get any worse, they did. She had become gravely ill, Frank had almost died, Vanessa, apparently, almost lost her life as well. And then there were those accusations by Frank, those horrible, stinging words. Simply conjuring them up caused unspeakable memories to surface. Memories which kept replaying themselves no matter how hard she tried to forget them.

"But I love him," she whispered out loud again, as if trying to convince herself that that old saying, amor vincit omnia, "love conquers all", really could come true. She continued to talk to herself, allowing the cadence of her voice to try and calm her thoughts, to try and make her heart beat with some sort of normalcy again without that ever-present aching in her soul. "Well, Cal," she continued, "What do you want? I mean, really—what? Can you live without Frank Hardy, knowing how you feel? OR, can you live with him, knowing what he did? I don’t know." She paused a moment. "I really don’t know."

"On the other hand, he sacrificed for you—he gave you up just because he knew you would be happy. You saw how deeply that hurt him, how he wanted to cry for you but wouldn’t so that you wouldn’t cry." Pausing, the phrase came to her, the old cliché that never had held truer, and which she had never fully understood, until this very moment. "Oh, God." She covered her mouth momentarily before beginning again. "If you love something that much, you let it go. And if it comes back to you, it was meant to be. Yes." She nodded, tears welling in her eyes. "Yes."

At once, it hit her- the weight descended upon her like a lead fist for a moment, and then, equally as fast, it rose. She felt lighter than she she could remember feeling in a long, long time. "But… but I told him not to ask me to marry him again!" She said, laughing through her tears.

Hands on her hips, her newfound resolution and rebirth firmly on her mind, Callie crossed her arms and then laughed out loud as she wiped back the tears. "Well, then," she went on, " I guess I’m just going to have to ask him."

*****

Frank Hardy sat sullenly in the living room, pondering the irony of his life. He wasn’t really LIVING, he knew that. But he also knew that he could no longer wallow in the past. He had made the worst mistakes of his life this year. He had hurt himself, his family, and the woman he loved, and damaged those relationships, he had thought, beyond repair. But still, despite it all, he parents had forgiven him. Joe had forgiven him. Vanessa had given him a lot to think about, and had literally knocked some sense into him!

And Callie—although his heart ached without her in his life, and he really didn’t know if he could love again, he DID know that he could at least be okay--- because she would be okay. And "okay" was a pretty good place to be in. It sure beat hell, where he had spent a considerable amount of the last year. He decided, there and then, that he couldn’t waste another second of his life. Time was the one precious thing life had generously offered to all of them, and it seemed somehow wrong to take it for granted.

Still, there was Callie…

A brief flicker of hope leapt to his heart like a nimble flame, and then died down. BUT—he knew that feeling. It was the birth of a new idea, not yet ready to be brought to life, but making itself known. Before he had time to ponder it, though, the front door burst open, practically making him jump out of his chair. It was Joe and Vanessa.

They were both talking at once.

"Frank…"

"We…"

"And it was so romantic! I can’t believe it!"

"Sunset…. Motorcycle… new start…"

They were rambling on, finishing each other’s sentences and starting new ones before the old ones could come through. And, although he had no idea what they were saying, one thing was clear—they both looked deliriously happy. Caught up in their enthusiasm, Frank couldn’t help but to smile. Holding up his hand, he finally caught their attention long enough make them stop talking for a moment.

"Stop!" He finally managed to get out. Laughing, he went on. "Whatever it is, one of you better talk, or I’ll need a translator!"

When Frank paused, he didn’t miss the subtle exchange between Joe and Vanessa. Their eyes had met, and they had both become much more subdued, as if they had forgotten something that they shouldn’t have. Joe bit his lip and Vanessa shyly let her eyes gaze on the floor.

"All right, you two. What’s up? You might as well spill it before you make me wait and eventually give in anyhow."

"I’ll go," Vanessa said quietly, indicating Joe should speak to his brother alone, but Frank caught her arm. "Nope," he said simply. "Whatever you two came to tell me you do it together. It only seems right."

Vanessa looked at Joe. Joe looked at Frank. Frank looked at both of them as if they were crazy. Then, it came to him. Without even realizing that he could very well be wrong, Frank spilled out, "No way! You did it, bro?! That’s so awesome! Congratulations!"

He then proceeded to envelop first Joe, and then Vanessa, in huge bear hugs, leaving them dumbstruck.

When he noticed their silence, Frank immediately realized what he had just done. Had he just given away Joe’s secret?! Face turning crimson, he stuttered, "That is… I mean… I guess… Oh, man. I’m sorry."

At his brother’s discomfort, Joe started smiling. "Nah—you’re right. Vanessa and I just got engaged. Thanks for keeping that quiet, though, bro. I knew I could count on you," he ended, dryly.

Returning the smile, Frank let out a small chuckle. "Oops."

Joe went to Vanessa and wrapped an arm around her, holding her close. He was unsure of what to say to Frank, sensitive of his current predicament. Frank sensed that immediately and put a hand on his brother’s shoulder. "I really am happy for you. For BOTH of you," he added, turning to Vanessa. "Although I wonder why you’d want to marry into this family, especially with that knucklehead," Frank added playfully. Then, more seriously, he continued, "It’s about time. You two deserve some happiness, and I couldn’t be more thrilled for you. Congratulations. I love you both."

Beaming, Joe felt happier than he had in ages. Releasing Vanessa for a moment, he returned the hug. "I love you, too," he said softly to Frank. "Remember that."

Stepping back, Joe took a deep breath before allowing himself to continue. Finally, he said what had been bothering him the whole time. "We just—you know—we wanted to tell you first, but because of Callie and everything…" He stumbled over his words, "Well, I guess I didn’t know how you’d react."

At the mention of Callie’s name, a pained expression crossed Frank’s face. Still, he remembered something at that very moment as he felt the flicker of the idea come to him again, trying to burst its way through. Taking a quick glance at Vanessa’s hand, and remembering what he had spoken about with Joe, he said, simply, "Stay right here. I’ll be right back," before disappearing up the stairs.

When he left, Vanessa turned to Joe. "That went pretty well," she said softly, her pretty face still glowing from all of the excitement of the past few hours. "Of course, Frank’s still acting a little weird."

Joe laughed, and leaned over to kiss Vanessa on the cheek. "Yup- so you might say everything’s getting back to normal!" he quipped.

"Be nice!" Vanessa laughed, caught up in happiness. Before they could continue their banter, however, Frank reappeared, hands clenched. "Sit on the couch," he said to them, indicating the sofa next to them. Puzzled, they looked at each other before sitting down. Frank took a seat across from them.

Deciding not to pull punches, he sighed and then smiled sadly. "I told Callie that you guys might be getting engaged. When we were in the hospital. We were still talking then."

"Oh," Joe said awkwardly.

"And," Frank continued, "I also told her that you wanted to wait until you were able to afford a ring for Vanessa. She agreed with me that Vanessa would say yes anyway. I’m glad we were right."

Joe blushed. "I will get her a ring," he said, more defensively than he intended.

Frank smiled. "That’s not where I’m going with this. Calm down. And before you say anything, no—I don’t mind talking about Callie, so don’t interrupt."

"Okay," Vanessa agreed, interested.

"Callie and I were talking, and we realized that, if it should happen that you two got engaged, there was a good possibility that we wouldn’t be together. All these years we had always given you guys gifts together, so we decided that we had something really special that we wanted to give you—together. It’s no longer any good for us, but for you—well, I hope it brings the promise and joy that it once brought us." With that, he extended his hand to reveal the engagement ring he had once given Callie. "Please accept this."

Vanessa gasped, and Joe stood up. "No way! Frank, we can’t take that! I... I mean, that’s YOURS."

"It was," Frank gently corrected him.

"I… it’s just so sweet, " Vanessa smiled, wiping back a tear. "But really- Joe’s right. We can’t take that."

Seeing Vanessa and Joe’s reaction warmed Frank’s heart. He also felt it again, that idea--- and he gasped when he realized what it was.

"What is it?" Vanessa and Joe asked together.

Frank shook his head, and knew what to do. Why hadn’t he seen it earlier?! "I just promised myself that I wouldn’t waste any more time in my life," he said, excitedly. "That if I really want something bad enough, I should go for it. Well, seeing you two so happy just reminded me that I want Callie—and I’ll be damned if I’m going to wait another second getting her!"

Vanessa stood up next to the brothers, shocked. "That’s --- great," she said, sincerely. "But how exactly do you plan to get her back?"

"It IS a great idea," Joe said, gently. "But Frank—you promised her that you wouldn’t ask her to marry you again. You have to keep your word."

"I will," Frank replied, slyly.

"What are you thinking?" Vanessa asked.

Looking at his very valuable old engagement ring, he knew what to do. "Come," he said, heading for the door, "and all will be revealed on the way."

Looking at each other in amazement, Joe and Vanessa clasped hands before hurriedly following Frank to his car.

*****

Several hours later, Callie heard a knock on her door. "Great," she said softly to herself. She still hadn’t figured out what to say to Frank or when to say it, but she certainly didn’t want to be interrupted as she thought of her plan. When she opened the door, she drew in a sharp breath. Frank was staring at her. Behind him were Joe and Vanessa, conspicuously grinning. Totally caught off guard, Callie just stared.

"May I come in?" Frank asked politely.

"Oh—yeah, sure," she responded, ushering all three into her home. Her heart was hammering in her chest. To be confronted with Frank so soon was almost too overwhelming. Shakily, she invited them all into her living room. They went in.

"Callie," Frank said, point blank, "I have some unfinished business with you."

Callie felt her face go red as she stammered out a response. "Uh, ah—okay. Now? Here?" She glanced at Joe and Vanessa who stood, immobile.

"Yup," Frank replied, matter-of-factly. Despite the fact that he was nervous as anything, as he knew what was riding on the moment, he had to maintain a façade of confidence or this wouldn’t work.

"Oh—okay," Callie replied, stunned.

"Vanessa and I just got engaged," Joe chimed in, winking at Vanessa.

"R—really?" Callie was stuttering, caught between looking at Frank and figuring out his intentions and trying to figure out why Van and Joe were there. This was all happening so quickly. "Well...great!" Callie replied. "That’s really great. Congrat---"

She was cut off by Frank. "And that got me to thinking," he interrupted. "That we really should be engaged, too."

"Wh... what?" Callie backed up against the couch, eyes filling with tears. Was this really happening?

Frank got down on one knee beside the couch and took her hand. "I realized, Callie, that the consequences of what we DON’T do in our lives can be worse than the consequences of the actions that we DO take." He paused, and looked at her, beginning to lose some of the control he had tried to so hard to fake. "I love you. And I always will. So I won’t ask you marry me—I promised you I wouldn’t. I’m TELLING you to marry me. Or…" At a loss for words, Frank finally sputtered, "Or I’ll stalk you for life!"

The statement was so outrageous that Joe and Vanessa burst out laughing despite the seriousness of it all.

Finally, Callie laughed, too, as tears spilled from her eyes. "Okay."

Shocked, Frank almost couldn’t believe it. "What?"

"I said okay. Every girl needs a good stalker."

Slowly, a smile crept up Frank’s face and, soon, he was beaming ear to ear. "Really?!" He asked.

Callie nodded. Frank went to her and lifted her into his arms, holding her more tightly than he had ever thought possible. All four of them were laughing and crying at the same time.

Somehow, life had turned around for them, and the promise of a new day was possible.

After several minutes had passed, and everyone had calmed down some, Frank sat next to Callie on the floor, holding her tightly. Kissing her on the head, he heard Joe say, "AHEM! Don’t you have something, Frank?"

Caught in his reverie, Frank had almost forgotten! "Oh, yeah," he said, and, reaching into his pocket, he took out a box and opened it, presenting a beautiful but simple diamond ring to Callie. "Every girl needs a diamond ring!"

"But—how did you afford?" She was cut off again.

"Because," Joe interjected, arm around Vanessa. "Frank had gotten you a pretty big rock last time. We appreciated the offer to give it to us, but we couldn’t do that. Although," he added, "We were so touched by it." Continuing on, he smiled. "We were able to go to a local jeweler around here and trade in the ring. For the price of that one, we were able to get two smaller ones—one for you and one for Vanessa. Now we can all start over --- together."

As they all exchanged hugs, Callie excused herself for a few minutes and, when she returned, she held out four champagne glasses. Pouring the drinks, she asked, "What shall we toast to? There’s so much I’m grateful for!" She looked at Frank, who beamed down at her with such love she was overwhelmed.

"To a new beginning," Joe suggested.

"To forgiveness," Vanessa said quietly.

They raised their glasses.

"To the choices of the heart—may love always guide the way," Callie chimed in.

"And to their consequences—may they always prove correct," Frank answered.

Together, arms around each other, the four chimed in, "Cheers!" and drank to a new start…for all of them.

The End

The compilation of these two stories, "Choices of the Heart," and "Consequences," has been an incredibly enjoyable experience for us. Sometimes several chapters were written one day—other times one chapter took months! Still, what got us through was the ongoing support of all of you and your wonderful comments, which we always looked forward to! We can honestly say that writing with a partner has been one of the best and most creative experiences for both of us, and we look forward to writing more stories in the future. As a matter of fact, two are already planned, so watch out! J Although we may be taking a short break as a time out for LIFE, we’ll certainly be back in the future, and we will eagerly look forward to your support and enthusiasm for our collaboration. Thank you!

The "Sisterhood"