Ch. 6: Marriage, Etc.

Derrick & Lauren's marriage got off to what they both felt was a satisfying start. Their communication was good, and they remained optimistic about improving their financial & living situation. Quirks such as Derrick's cooking food-burning & Lauren's walking around in granny undies whenever possible further endeared the newlyweds to each other.


"You tempt me so with your half-dressed granny allure."
"Oh, shut up and have some of this properly-cooked spaghetti."

I suppose life tended to be uneventful for the couple. Derrick steadily continued to climb the medical career ladder, and Lauren got a part-time job as a political lobbyist. She was more interested in culinary careers, though, but there were currently no culinary job offerings for her.

The only 'exciting' thing that occurred was that someone tried to rob them of the only electronic entertainment they had. The trusty burglar alarm went off, but the thief was unfazed by it.


Lauren snapped this quick photo of the thief, to show the police in case he got away. As she aimed the camera, she heard the thief whisper to himself, "He he, this is for Manette."


The police came in time, though, and the policewoman was able enough to capture the criminal. Lauren & Derrick received a small (too small, if you ask Derrick) monetary reward for helping apprehend the thief.

Lauren forgot to mention what she heard the robber say, and she would forget about it for a long time. Derrick had told Lauren about his past, but he didn't mention Manette's name. In the back of her head, she had assumed that Manette was the name of the robber's boss or significant other. It didn't matter much to her, as long as the robber ended up in jail.

Derrick was more shaken about the attempted robbery than Lauren. He cried about it for a couple of days, worried that he incorrectly judged the safety of his neighborhood. Lauren assured him that they lived in a very safe town, where burglars were rare and always got caught. Derrick believed Lauren, but he still felt depressed. Fortunately, a quick pick-me-up wasn't too far away:


"Is it caffeine? Is it a B-12 injection? No, it's the Super Energizing Contraption! Ok, now I'm just being silly...Ha ha ha!"

Lauren thought this might cheer him up as well:


She was so amused.


Derrick was not "amused" per se. Let's just say he put his arms around Lauren, looked at her with come-hither eyes, and whispered, "Oh sweetie, my mood isn't the only thing that just went up..."


Of course Lauren got pregnant soon enough. The couple were so happy to be expecting! Just when Derrick thought he couldn't love his wife even more, he did. Aww.


The pregnancy was pretty smooth. Lauren mostly slept and ate. Derrick continued to work at the hospital as a nurse and he started studying to become a doctor. He found out that the only way he could get a high enough salary was to earn an MD, so that's what he aimed for. The hospital was impressed with his loyalty & hard work, so they agreed to subsidize a significant portion of his med school tuition. Derrick wasn't too excited about having to get student loans to pay for the rest, but he decided it was a necessary evil.

Unfortunately, Derrick spent most of his time away from home due to his unrelenting work shifts & medical classes. He was at work when Lauren went into baby delivery mode.


Twins! Lauren had no idea she would give birth to fraternal Elune twins. They were adorable baby girls with Derrick's piercing green eyes & Lauren's shiny jet-black hair. Lauren named the first one to come out Maribel, and the second Luxe. Luxe had slightly darker skin than Maribel.


This is Lauren holding Luxe. "I feel sorry I left your sister on the floor, but I can't try to hold both of you. Don't worry, Daddy's going to be here soon. I'll make sure of it." Lauren called the hospital to send Derrick home "right now, dammit!" Lauren fed, bathed, and put the babies to sleep before Derrick arrived home. She was so tired, so she decided to take a nap insted of waiting up for her husband.


Derrick rushed home as soon as he was informed that Lauren had delivered their babies. He was extremely psyched about having twins. He felt like the luckiest dad in town when he came home & tucked in his two sleeping angels. "I can't wait to play with both of you!" he whispered.