Time: Present Day

Location: HereAfter

Amanda and Collette finally found Louise. They told her that they had been searching everywhere for Amelia but couldn't find her and they didn't see Andre anywhere either.

Amanda finally summoned the courage to speak up, "Just how well do you know this Andre guy?" Amanda asked suspiciously.

"Dad knows his father really well he said. They go back a long way, when Dad was starting up his business in Germany. They've probably gone someplace else for a while, I'm sure they'll be back. Maybe Dad's heard from them, I can call him if you like."

"Yes, do that please. I'm worried, it's just not like Amelia to do something like this," Amanda explained.

They went to the quietest corner of the club, a little wine bar, and Louise called her father.

She returned looking perplexed.

"Well . . . ?" Amanda asked.

"He hasn't heard from them, but he told me Andre was scheduled to be flying out to Berlin on the red eye, at one am. His Dad isn't well and he is going home for a visit. Dad arranged for his bags to be picked up from his hotel and delivered to the airport this morning. Andre had a hire car but doesn't know the city that well. He reckons Amelia is probably dropping him off at the airport."

"I don't think Amelia would do that, not without telling us, and anyway she's been drinking, that's why we got a taxi isn't it so none of us had to drive?" Amanda argued.

"Maybe she tried, it's a big place, maybe she ran out of time, didn't want Andre to miss his flight perhaps, it's the only possible thing that makes sense, to me anyway," Collette agreed hopefully.

"Look, it's nearly one am already, let's wait another half an hour or so and if she isn't back by then we'll turn the place upside down till we locate her," Louise suggested.

"You two can, but I'm looking now. I can't enjoy myself while ever I don't know where my sister is," Amanda said.

Carter watched as they searched every dance room until they were told it was time to go, as the club was about to close. Once outside they started to panic, started searching the surrounding streets until four am then they decided that they had to go home; exhausted and without Amelia. Margot would be furious when she found out, but what else could they do?"

Amanda snuck into the house when the taxi dropped her off, she didn't want to wake Margot, half from not wanting to disturb her sleep, and half not wanting to face the inevitable grilling about where Amelia was.

She woke up with someone screaming, then sobbing, crying, sobbing, someone was saying, "Oh no . . . no," over and over, it was Aunty Margot.

Amanda pushed through her headache and lack of sleep to rush downstairs from the loft where she'd been accommodated in her Aunt's apartment.

"What is it, Aunty Margot, what's wrong? My God, it's Amelia isn't it?" Amanda knew before her feet hit the ground floor that her twin was dead.

Carter felt her pain and anguish, he squirmed in his seat, she was also his Mum, the only Mum he really knew, the fact that his Mums were twins served to double the joy and the sorry he experienced in sympathy with them.

He looked down fascinated at the changing colours of his stem, as he'd decided to call it. He discovered he could extend it out of him at will sort of like an extended umbilical cord. It took his mind off the emotional horror playing out on the screen as Margot and Amanda rushed down to the morgue to formally identify Amelia's body.

Apparently the police had told Margot there was little doubt that the body they found in the alley near Le Balajo was Amelia because the young girl still had her bag with her, she had not been robbed and her bag contained her purse, cards and passport identifying her as an Australian citizen, Amelia Cheval, with her residential address and phone number in Paris on her visa. The Australian Embassy had also been informed of the discovery of her body and had undertaken to inform the next of kin in Australia.

The movie seemed to shudder a bit and then jumped to Margot's lounge room, Amanda was there, Roger had joined her and was cuddling her on the couch, on the other couch were Monique and Michelle also comforting each other. Margot was busying herself in the kitchen getting a cheese platter together and opening a bottle of red wine.

It had been a gruelling few days, police interviews, media attention both in Paris and from Australia. A TV reporter from "A Current Affair" had flown out from Sydney and taped an interview with Amanda as a human interest story, about the Australian girl who had lost her twin sister to drugs in Paris. They were all exhausted as they had grappled with decisions about what to do about Amelia's death. Where to have her funeral, in Paris? Or would they bring her home, and then there was little Peter, what was to become of him? He hadn't asked a lot about where his mother was, maybe he was still a little confused with Amanda there, who looked exactly like his mother and who loved him nearly as much. He had only seen them both together once or twice because mostly he'd been asleep when Aunty Amanda had visited.

It was difficult sometimes for Carter to come to terms with the fact that little Peter, there on the screen, was actually him.

Monique broke the silence first, "Look, I know this is going to be difficult but Jean has just arrived he'll be here before you know it. He is devastated as we all are. He is also angry because of what the media have been asking about his little girl. He is a very proud man, his family, and its reputation mean the world to him. We have to have made decisions before he gets here. If it's a fait au complis and we all have agreed then he is less likely to argue. Monique had always been the strong one in times of trouble, she was the glue that held the Cheval family together.

And so it was today, as she said matter-of-factorily, "I'll start with my opinion of what I think would be best to happen. I think we should get my baby girl home and let her rest in peace in Australia. It was always her intention to return and as we found out she had planned to return in secret two days ago and bring little Peter with her. Which brings me to little Peter, much as I've grown to love my little grandson. I think now, adoption is the only answer, just whether we arrange it here or in Australia. Maybe here would be better, a clean break and let him have a new life with his adopted family in Paris or wherever in France. After all he is a French citizen."

There was a stunned silence.

Carter felt the tension in the room. It was Amanda who broke the silence, "I know what Amelia wants. She talks to me, at night, she talks to me, she wants me to look after Peter, and that's what I'm going to do! No adoption, not over my dead body!" She wished she hadn't said the last bit but it was out there now, no going back.

Then Michelle said, "Maybe Tony and I could adopt him."

The phone rang, "That's probably Jean after a lift from the airport," said Monique.

Margot was talking to someone on the phone so they sat in silence again. Margot came back into the room and announced, "That was the police, the coroner has pronounced her death as an accidental drug overdose. We can have Amelia back in morning we just have to give them an hour's notice."

The doorbell rang, so she went to open the door, it was Collette, and directly behind her Jean, she had picked him up at the airport.

Carter watched as they joined the others and settled in and after the usual enquiries about the flight, Monique was about to say something when Amanda said, "Roger has something to say, don't you Roger?" Amanda dug him in the ribs as if to remind him of some sort of obligation he had.

He shuffled nervously to his feet and started, "Er . . yes . . .er Mr and Mrs Cheval I would like to ask your blessing, I've asked Amanda to marry me, and she has said yes."

Jean nearly dropped his glass of water, "I thought you two were just friends, you're her teacher Roger!"

"Yes, only her archery teacher, but I also love her. We love each other, have done for over a year now, sorry to go behind your backs but we didn't know how you would react. We were going to tell you all sooner but with all that's been going on . . .there just didn't seem to be the right moment."

"And you think this is? I've hardly had a chance to sit down." Jean was genuinely surprised. Monique said, "Oh Jean don't be so dramatic. I've known for months, let's just say I've suspected something was going on between you two for months. You were just too happy and comfortable in each other's company for it to be anything else but love."

Amanda said,."Well Dad? What's it to be? Are you going to fight us on this or give us your blessing?"

"Well, I know all you girls are headstrong. I've just lost one daughter, I'm not going to risk losing another one, so I guess you have my blessing."

Amanda rushed over, burst into tears and hugged her Dad for all she was worth,mJean broke down into tears as well.

"Thank you Mr Cheval" said Roger.

"You'd better start calling me Jean, I guess, not Dad though, you'll make me feel too old."

They all laughed which broke any leftover tension in the room.

"That's not all though Dad, Roger and I have discussed this and I was just telling everyone that we are keeping Peter. We'll adopt him."

"Isn't that putting the cart before the horse, having a baby before you two are even married?"

"It's what Amelia wants, I know you might think I'm mad but she talks to me. I know it's her. I know it as sure as I'm talking to you. It's what she wants me to do. It's what we want to do, isn't it Roger?"

"Yes, I am fully on board, love the idea, love Amanda and everything that comes with her, her family, the lot!"

Monique said, "There is one problem with this idea. Peter can never find out about the baby. I promised Father Dan, and the Margates. If you arrive back in Australia with a baby, the media will be on to it, and Peter will find out, especially a baby named Peter. There will be another scandal, they are already trying to label our poor Amelia a drug addict."

"How do you intend to explain the baby Amanda, have you thought about that?" asked Jean.

"We are going to say that it's Roger's from a previous marriage, little Peter Ryder, his wife died in a car accident or some such," Amanda ventured.

"It's still too risky, you'll have to change his name!" suggested Monique.

There was stunned silence again for a time. Then Jean added, "The media can't know that it's Amelia's baby. Amanda, you've done media studies and your Mum is a journalist you know more than most what I think the media will do with this. I'm not having my little girl's reputation dragged through the mud. We've just now come to terms with what happened just two years ago."

"Not to mention the fact that I promised Father Dan, in the confessional, that I would keep the secret to the grave, and that Peter was never to find out that he had a son in Paris. He wanted nothing to jeopardize Peter becoming a priest. You must change his name. I mean look at him, look at that beautiful boy. He's the spitting image of his father, don't you see Amanda, if Peter finds out that Amelia had a child, if he finds out you are looking after a baby named Peter, he'll put two and two together. He's a smart boy, and then when he sees him, that will be the end of it, all hell will break loose. Either we adopt him out here in France or you if you're determined to bring him back you must change his name! That's final!"

"Okay, Okay, Mum I don't want to fight about this. Anyway I've already got the perfect name for him. What was it you said Dad, putting the cart before the horse . . . " Amanda went over to the cot where little Peter lay sleeping, picked him up and announced, "Say hello to little Carter Cheval, I mean Carter Ryder, no, Carter Cheval-Ryder."

Chapter 36 - What's in a Name.

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