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Family to Taggie O'Hara had always been an extra responsibility she had. From a young age she was cooking, cleaning, getting her siblings ready for school, sobering up her dad, tolerating her mum's complaints and trying so desperately to keep her parents together.
Family to Taggie O'Hara meant disappointment and stress, it meant constant headaches, no time to rest, and on one there for her. It left her with a sense of longing, with a simple dream of having a family that cared, that loved her, respected her and didn't think she was a bloody maid.
For her, family was just a dream to Taggie, well, until she met Rupert Campbell-Black.
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Family to Rupert Campbell-Black held expectations, it held ideals about public image, it meant how much wealth each member had. It meant privilege and it meant distant relationships to those that were meant to provide comfort for a young boy as he pleaded not to be sent away.
Family to Rupert Campbell-Black meant having little understanding on how to support others. It meant failing his first wife, his children and not caring about who he hurt. It meant his heart was full of regret, he hated how he fated his children to the same life he had.
For him, family was lost to Rupert, well, until he met Taggie O'Hara.
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One fateful summer afternoon had changed the course of both Taggie and Rupert's lives for the better.
Though their introduction to each other may not have been what many would call "romantic", words such as 'fire' 'abhorrent' and 'brute' had been thrown between the pair in their unlikely confrontation.
Taggie felt frustrated by the man her sister would fan herself to, the man she knew had a notorious reputation as a rake. She felt angry towards herself for letting him affect her so much. She felt that he would become a repeating presence in her life.
Rupert felt intrigued by the little auburn girl running into his tennis match. He felt proud of the reaction she had to seeing him standing there nude as the day he was born, seeing how flustered she got from the little interaction, he was desperate to see that again. He felt like their story had just started and he couldn't wait to see what happened next.
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A game of cat and mouse proceeded the following year;
A vile move at a dinner party, leading Taggie to want nothing more to do with Rupert.
A dance on New Years Eve, seeing himself reflected in her eyes and wanting to change.
A moment of complete fear as she watched her father interview him, terrified about what would be revealed.
A sense of hurt after he promised to help her father resulting in the loss of his job.
A sense of relief when he announced creating their own production company, keeping her in Rutshire.
A dishonourable moment of using another woman just to try and win.
A heart shattering moment when said woman had moved in with him, leaving her alone once again.
A hug after a crash, protecting her from all that could harm her, tucked into his arms.
A look of longing that seemed to be reciprocated.
A kiss.
A kiss that ended the game.
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Not long after that kiss, Taggie moved in with Rupert. She needed to escape from the Priory, the last place she has ever felt trapped and like she was a prisoner rather than a daughter.
Her moving in had quickly revealed the nature of their relationship to the rest of the gossip filled town, many were shocked, notably her father though he seemed to have developed a closeness to Cameron, whilst the majority were happy for the pair.
Articles had been released during the early months of their relationship criticising Taggie, saying she was just another conquest and he'd be bored of her within the the month, some even dared to say he would treat her worse than his first wife, or even he only tolerated her for her 'live in services'.
Rupert had threatened to sue every last one of them for all the harmful things he was saying about his angel, he cared little regarding his own reputation, but to insult the one he bared his soul to? He would never let it slide. Taggie had calmed him down, stating that the only way to get them to stop was to show them they were wrong. He fell asleep laying on her chest that night, apologising over and over that he caused this. She whispered sweet nothings to him until she felt the calm fall and rise of his chest indicating he was asleep.
Taggie knew what she got herself into, she knew what people thought. But for once in her life, she couldn't give a shit about other people. She was happy, she was loved and for the first time in a long time she felt like a family was forming.
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Family meant everything to Taggie and she couldn't wait to start her own, but their relationship was still so new she didn't want to push him.
Then, for the first time since she moved in, Rupert informed her that Marcus and Tabitha were due to visit for the weekend.
His children. How could she forget he already had a family of his own?
The days leading up to that weekend filled Taggie with dread, she kept messing up her recipes, forgetting things in the oven and tripping over her words more frequently. Rupert sensed she was nervous and in complete honesty so was he, he desperately wanted to fix his relationship with his children and he wanted them to like Taggie even more. They ended up cuddled on one of the many sofas just holding each other, wanting to make their little family work.
The Friday evening the children arrived, Taggie had cooked a feast, Rupert had tried to get her to let Mrs Bodkin sort out the meals for the evening. She promptly snapped at him before immediately bursting into tears frantically trying to explain herself, she wanted to make a good first impression, she wanted his children to like her, she wanted to prove that she could be worthy of joining their family. As she continued to sob, Rupert held her gently and guided her to one of the dinning room chairs. He knelt beside her as she continued to sniffle proclaiming how he was certain they would love her, Marcus would adore her from the start, Tabitha may put her walls up but Rupert was sure that the second she saw how much Taggie loved the animals, how much she loved Rupert, she'd let her walls down.
When the children did arrive that weekend, Marcus became quite shy usually falling into the shadows around his father and sister. Taggie noticed immediately, a kindred spirit, she approached him slowly. She introduced herself to Marcus asking him if after lunch he would mind playing a song for her on the piano. Marcus immediately lit up , the only time anyone ever wanted to hear him play was when he and Tab had mandatory practice, no one ever wanted to listen for fun. Taggie felt relief flood through her system, one child down one to go.
Taggie looked over to Rupert who was in a heated debate with Tabitha over some sort of horse. Taggie walked up to Rupert and gently linked her arm with his, she smiled down at Tabitha saying hello. Tab gave Taggie a once over and replied sharply. 'Right..walls.' Taggie cleared her throat and started talking about the Wembley race Tabitha had been in and how beautiful she looked. Tabitha perked up slightly but held her place, shrugging off Taggie's praise. When Taggie mentioned wanting to meet the pony, Biscuit, if she recalled correctly, Tabitha started to look more towards her way. She told Taggie that Biscuit was at her other home with her mother and step-father. Taggie feigned a sigh, telling Tab it was such a shame as she had bought extra carrots just for the horse and even whipped up some fudge for Tabitha. The nine year old smiled at Taggie, they continued to chat and when Rupert, who had moved away to let his girls talk, called for 'Tag', both girls replied, they looked at each other and burst into laughter. Tabitha proceeded to take Taggie's hand and take her to where her father had called for her. Taggie's heart began to flutter, they both liked her, she had made a good impression, maybe getting them to accept her into their family wouldn't be as hard as she anticipated.
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Months passed and soon a gorgeous diamond adorned Taggie's left ring finger. He proposed in such a them way, writing the question out in the fogged up car window.
She was petrified what her father would say, she knew he had seemed to mellow out regarding their relationship and as much as she held some resentment towards him for how he's treated her in recent years, he was still her father and his approval meant the world to her, he was family after all. To her surprise he had no objections to the engagement, stating he had never seen Taggie happier and that's all that mattered.
Preparing the wedding had been…stressful to say the least, to her surprise it was Rupert that was more worked up about the event. Taggie knew who her bridesmaids would be, Caitlin insisted on wearing jeans but thankfully was able to be talked out of that, and Tabitha, Tabitha had cried. The little girl had grown so attached to Taggie and when asked to be a bridesmaid she started sniffling then dug herself into Taggie's stomach, clutching her for dear life. Taggie wrapped her arms around the girl, laying her cheek against her brown hair, she gave the girl a squeeze. This feeling of love kept growing and growing the more time she spent around the children and their father.
Declan persuaded the bishop of Cotchester Cathedral to host the wedding as soon as possible for the couple. An offer to join the Venturer board seemed to solidify the deal. They settled on having a small ceremony, family, friends and of course everyone involved with Venturer.
Bas wasn't too pleased with Rupert's stag do, complaining that Rupert stayed sober, away from any of the entertainment and just babbled and babbled about how much he loved Taggie and how he wasn't good enough for his angel. He was on 'calm down the groom' duty, constantly reassuring he deserved Tag and deserved a happy life. The wedding day proved to be a challenge for Bas, Rupert was constantly pacing in the backroom waiting to walk down the aisle and wait for his bride, Bas had tried to give him a couple of brandy's but Rupert just ignored him and kept pacing until it was time.
In the end it was all worth it, there he stood watching the love of his life trembling as she walked down the aisle, everyone's eyes on her, his mothers tiara sat atop her auburn curls and the Campbell-Black veil covering her face. The long train of her dress trailed behind her, intricate lace patterns covered the fabric, the bodice of her dress hugged her figure and the skirt of the dress flowed gracefully down her body caressing the floor gently. On her left, Rupert's original angel, Tabitha walked in dressed in her light pink bridesmaid dress holding Taggie's hand. Rupert felt his heart leap, he knew every detail about the wedding yet here he was being surprised by the two girls he cared most about, seeing them walk hand in hand towards him, it warmed him, his little girl welcoming the newest addition to their family. He whipped a tear from his cheek and smiled brightly at his girls. Rupert stepped forward and met the pair, Tabitha rushed towards her a massive smile on her face asking if he liked her dress, after telling her she was beautiful, he pulled Taggie close, whispering he loved her and walked back to the alter with her.
Whilst the pair exchanged their vows, rows were filled with their loved ones and not so loved ones, Taggie's mother sat in an outrageously extravagant pink pantsuit glaring daggers at the tiara Taggie wore but she did shed a secret tear watching Taggie walk down. Rupert's mother and father sat as far apart from each other as they could, his mother with husband number five and his father talked loudly throughout the ceremony. Though they had strong feelings regarding these family members, others were sat that they would be forever grateful for, Caitlin who, despite managing to sneak wearing jeans under her dress, had spent the whole day making sure no one pestered Taggie and now she sat sobbing watching her big sister finally get the love she deserves, Patrick had been on guard duty ensuring all media personnel remained away from the venue and couple before slipping in and taking a seat beside Caitlin, Declan who smiled the widest Taggie had ever seen as he realised his baby girl had grown up so quickly and finally little Marcus, sat at the organ using his musical talent to play the accompanying music for the event.
Once the ceremony had completed and most began to exit the cathedral to head on over to Penscombe, family stayed. The O'Hara's engulfed Taggie in a group hug, making her the centre of the family for once. Taggie laughed and cried. Rupert stared adoringly at his wife, his wife, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and there stood his parents, together. His mother reached towards him and pulled him down into a hug. Rupert froze for a second, flashes of being told his mother's job was done and all 'affection' he received would come from the nannies, him screaming tears running down his face as she stood there watching him be sent away to boarding school for the first time. He snapped back quickly and hesitantly placed his hands on his mothers back, she proceeded to pull him closer and squeeze, Rupert fell into the hug and tucked his face into her neck, finally receiving his mothers love. He lifted his head, still holding onto his mother and saw his father. His father who never really cared what Rupert did as long as he didn't disgrace the Campbell-Black name, who was cruel to him at times, believing corporal punishment was the right way to go. His father who here on his second wedding day, smiled at him. Rupert felt his eyes begin to gloss over and dug his head back into his mother's neck savouring the contact as long as he could.
Once each member had separated from their family members, Rupert called over the children and walked over to the new Mrs Campbell-Black. He picked up Tabitha, Taggie wrapped her arm around Marcus and the group proceeded to have their own moment as a family.
It was safe to say to each member involved that the wedding not only was a huge success but it also created a new beginning for both Taggie and Rupert.
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Not long after returning from their honeymoon, Taggie Campbell-Black had fallen pregnant. When she saw that little stick turn blue, she quite literally jumped for joy and squealed so loudly Rupert had come crashing in full of concern for his wife. When Taggie showed him the stick, his face went from one struck with panic to one of pure unadulterated joy. He raised his hands high and just let out a loud "Yes!", he placed his hands on his head and spun quickly before facing Taggie once again. He ran at her, lifted her up and spun her around, he placed kisses upon kisses on her face, on her shoulders, and finally on her stomach, where his new child was residing. Kneeling in front of Taggie, he wrapped his arms around her pushing the side of his face into her stomach, Taggie laced her fingers into his hair and chuckled slightly.
At their first hospital appointment they received the bad news.
The doctor was unable to detect a fetal heartbeat, Taggie's pregnancy was no longer viable, she was having a miscarriage.
And just like that, Taggie's dreams of a family, a family she had just started, gone.
As she lay in the hospital bed, just staring at the ceiling she overheard the doctors tell Rupert that it was a chemical pregnancy, she hadn't even reached five weeks yet it was so early. She felt Rupert sit by her side and take her hand apologising over and over but all she could do was just stare and think, 'whats the point?'.
The car ride home was silent, Rupert kept looking over at Taggie asking her what he could do but all he got in return was a shrug. For the first time in what felt like a life time, Rupert was glad the children were with their mother for the next week, it gave Taggie time to let herself not have to put a mask on. The next few hours were horrible, all Taggie could do was sit on the bathroom floor, clutching the side of the bath as her body discarded the miscarried pregnancy, she had never experienced the level of pain she had that day before in her entire life. She was sat there sobbing, screaming, clutching her stomach as the cramps progressed and worsened. She had shunned Rupert from the room, so instead of being able to comfort his wife as he so wanted to, all he could do was sit with his back against the bathroom door listening to her pain as tears streamed down his own face.
Rupert had to help Taggie up when she wanted him, he had to help her get changed, the pain too much for her to even lift her legs. He guided her into their bed and tucked her, placing a kiss on her forehead. She asked him for a glass of water, he happily agreed just wanting to help in anyway he could.
Once he came back upstairs, he dropped the glass.
Taggie had may her way back into the bathroom.
He ran towards her, smacking the pills out of her hand.
The sound she let out.
She was furious with him just asking him why did he stop her? Screaming that she didn't have anything to live for! He just fell to his knees and engulfed her in his arms, she sat there wailing, hitting his arms begging him to just let her go. He began rocking her, whispering sweet nothings in her ear, reminding her all she still had and when it was time the baby they weren't able to have would be visible in all it's brothers and sisters.
She cried herself to sleep in Rupert's arms.
Rupert stayed awake that night desperate to never let Taggie out of his sight.
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Taggie slowly began to get better.
She kept repeating Rupert's words, the children they'd have later would have a part of the baby they lost within them.
For the time being, she put all her focus into Marcus and Tabitha. She just wanted them to be kids, she wanted them to be loved and respected and have the freedom to make the silly mistakes children their ages make. She knew a lot was expected of them, each with their own set of hobbies and their schooling but she wanted them to be able to rely on herself and their father, she wanted them to have fun.
Taggie takes them out to the park, she takes them on play dates with Lizzie's children, she lets them get covered in grass stains and mud and god knows what else. She lets them have a childhood. The laughter that fills her following weeks heals her wounds bit by bit, she will forever live with the pain of losing a child but having two that had accepted her into their family so easily made life worth living again.
She spent most evenings cuddled up in Rupert's arms apologising over and over, telling him she didn't want to go anywhere anymore, reassuring him that she was staying right by his side just as he did through the worst moment of her life.
Rupert became more reliant on physical touch after that. As touch starved as he already was, it doubled over after he almost lost Taggie. The pair would constantly be touching be it, holding a finger, touching elbows or resting their heads together. She made sure whenever he was near, there was a part of her touching him, he needed it and so did she.
The only other person that is aware of what happened at Penscombe that tragic night is Lizzie. Her being Rupert's most trusted friend and instantly bonding with Taggie, becoming a surrogate mother for her, they both relied on her. Lizzie would come over for tea and stay for supper, giving Taggie her beloved cooking time that she actually wanted to do, she would watch Marcus and Tabitha as Rupert surprised Taggie with a visit to London to see some friends she left behind. When Taggie saw her old friends she squealed and ran towards them quite literally jumping with glee, it suddenly reminded Rupert that he had married a 20 year old, respectfully 22 now but his point still stood. Even though Rupert planned the trip he hadn't quite realised how much Taggie's friends would start hounding him for information, making sure he was treating her right, making sure he wasn't stringing along the girl, he promptly reminded them that they were married thank you very much.
Being in her old stomping ground, Taggie immediately grabbed her friends and suggested going clubbing. He's known his angel for just over two years now and would have never taken her for the clubbing type, but it was a nice surprise to say the least, she deserved to have a social life that didn't involve the grouchy ladies of Rutshire at their new monthly event they only host to show off their wealth.
He went along to the venue with the group, some underground place in a alleyway in Soho. It specialised in quirky New Wave music the honestly just sounded like beeps and boops to Rupert's ageing ears. Inside the club they made their way up to the bar, Taggie ordered a round of vodka shots for everyone, Rupert hated the stuff but it was fun seeing his angel so carefree, so with the rest of the group he downed the shot, gagging slightly at the cheapness of the alcoholic drink. He was about to turn back to Tag to see if she wanted another drink when she suddenly shot up, grabbed one of the girls hands, Jenny? he believed, screaming that a song by Duran Duran? odd name, was playing and they needed to dance. He stayed at the bar and just lent there watching her sing her heart out dancing like a complete fool with her friend, laughing as she flailed about, jumped, knocked into people by accident. He just stayed and watched her have fun, that is until some random bloke tried cupping a feel.
It was like someone had wrapped a red cloth over his eyes, one minute he was at the bar, the next he's pushing a guy off his wife and decking him right across his smug face. He remembers Taggie scrambling at him to get off the guy, he remembers the guy trying to hit him back and he remembers getting the group of them kicked out the club.
Rupert was embarrassed, he just humiliated himself in front of a group of 22 year olds. Just as he was about to apologise, they erupted into laughter and chatter, saying it was a proper night out now, exclaiming to Taggie how lucky she was to have a man that would protect her from anything. He bashfully turned to Taggie, there she stood, her arms crossed and a brow raised, a look she usually reserved for subtly telling Tabitha she was acting like a brat. He opened his mouth to speak but Taggie just rolled her eyes and pulled him towards her kissing him passionately on the mouth. She whispered a thank you then pulled him in closer and spoke softly next to his ear, "if you ever do that again you can sleep downstairs with the dogs for a week." She moved away and smiled at him softly, Rupert gulped and nodded.
Taggie began to walk away with her friends and gestured for Rupert to follow, he scampered up to them hanging his head low, if he had a tail it'd definitely be between his legs.
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A late night in May, Rupert returned home from a long day of networking for Venturer and then travelling to London for his parliament duties. All he wanted to do was get into bed and cuddle his warm wife forever. He took his coat and shoes off and was about to make his way upstairs when he realised none of the dogs had come to greet him, he made his way further into the house and noticed warm candlelight coming from the kitchen. He gently pushed the door further open and there at the breakfast table was truly a sight to be held.
Lying her face on her hand propped up by her elbow, Taggie appeared to be nodding off slightly. The table had been decorated in petals, candles and there laying in front of her sat a beautifully wrapped box.
He sat in the chair next to her and gently rubbed her back prompting Taggie to open her eyes fully. She gave him a sleepy smile and pushed the present towards him. Rupert took it hesitantly, he was absolutely positive that this day was not an anniversary of any kind. He looked at Taggie one last time and she nodded prompting him to open it. He carefully unwrapped the shiny paper and pulled out a small cardboard box, he lifted the lid and was greeted with bits of tissue paper concealing what lay inside. Rupert moved the pieces of paper aside and revealed a different type of paper gently folded in half sat on top of some sort of object, he picked it up and placed it aside so he could see what the object was first.
A small stick, a small stick with a little plus on it? He looked up at her, a slightly confused expression on his face, she gestured to the piece of paper he put aside, gently he unfolded it and gasped.
Rupert's eyes flicked back and forth between Taggie and the piece of paper, she giggled at him and nodded once again. He almost fell off his chair with the power he threw himself at Tag. He hugged her and pressed his face into her neck, he asked her if she was sure to which she nodded again, she told him she waited longer this time, she went to the doctors at twelve weeks and they confirmed that her pregnancy looked really strong this time.
He lifted his head off her shoulders and wiped away the small tears that fell from her eyes, she reciprocated the action. He knelt between her legs and grabbed the paper with the little scan showing their developing, healthy, baby. He pulled her into his lap from her chair and just hugged her as the pair stared at the picture. He placed a kiss on her forehead. They sat together for a few minutes just grateful for this second chance, building their family further, before Rupert proceeded to carry Taggie upstairs to bed, stating she was now no longer to do a single thing without him by her side.
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Four months later, and Taggie was now seven months pregnant. Everything so far had gone smoothly, all Taggie's checkups had been perfect the doctors weren't worried at all which filled Taggie and Rupert with so much relief. The town had reacted to her pregnancy with such joy, everyone wanted to celebrate Taggie for once, people started sending gifts, calling daily offering to help, Taggie became overwhelmed by all the support and Rupert had to put on a bit of a security guard charade to get everyone to stop hounding the couple.
Everything was going smoothly, until a new present arrive.
Taggie picked up the note and read each letter carefully, forming the words in her head.
It was from Rupert's parents.
Rage flooded her veins,
Rupert hadn't seem them since the wedding, since their pathetic attempt at mending their relationship with their son, and now they suddenly wanted to be involved because of a new grandchild? They barely paid attention to the two they already had.
Enclosed in the note they had included their phone number, only one, they must have made amends at the wedding. Taggie never had a problem with numbers those came easy to her, she waddled as fast as she could over to the house phone.
Rupert saw her facial expression and knew whoever she was about to call had one hell of a conversation to look forward to.
Taggie dialled the number and after four rings someone answered. Luckily it was Rupert's mother, she would feel so guilty if some poor housekeeper had to face her rage. The words began to spill out of her mouth faster than she could think. She yelled and yelled at Rupert's mother, asking her how dare she think one expensive present makes up for abandoning their son again. She informed her mother-in-law that unless the pair got their act together they wouldn't be seeing any of their grandchildren. And with that she hung up the phone, slamming it down on the receiver. She turned around taking a deep breath. There her husband stood looking at her as if he just fell in love with her all over again, he raced forward and kissed her passionately whispering a thank you to her as he lay his forehead against hers.
The next day it was Rupert's turn to get angry at his in-laws.
Declan and Maud had popped by for a visit to see how the pair were, asking how Rupert's other children were coping with Taggie's pregnancy. Rupert felt full of pride informing them that both Marcus and Tabitha couldn't wait to meet their sibling, Marcus played classical music as much as he could when he was round to help stimulate the baby and Tabitha was obsessed with the idea of buying matching outfits for her and the baby. As they're deep into conversation about the children, Declan nonchalantly asks Taggie to go pop the kettle on. Rupert stops mid sentence and glares daggers at his father-in-law, before carefully pulling his wife down onto his lap, reaching to the side table next to him and picking up a bell resting on the table. Within a few minutes Mrs Bodkin came in with a tray of teacups and a freshly brewed teapot. Declan fumbles out an apology mumbling about old habits and Maud scoffs slightly wondering why they even had help when Taggie was more than capable but she was glad Taggie got to rest, after all she was carrying her first grandchild.
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The day before Taggie was due to give birth, Rupert was an anxious mess, he paced the house non stop constantly checking on Tag when he heard even the slightest rustle from her. After a few hours of Rupert making her dizzy with his pacing she called him over to their bed and patted the bed asking him to lie next to her, he did so resting his head on her nine month belly. She ran her fingers through his hair, scratching his scalp slightly the way he liked it. She whispers words of comfort to him, leaning forwards to press kisses into his hair. Rupert moved his head back to look at her and when she looked at him she was greeted with huge puppy dog eyes absolutely filled to the brim with worry. God she loved this man.
Within the early hours of the following morning, Taggie was rushed to hospital, it was time.
She was given an epidural to help with the contractions.
A few puffs of gas and air and Taggie felt she could relax. She felt sweaty and gross but Rupert just stared at her with a stupid lovesick smile on his face.
Five hours later their baby girl was born.
After baby was checked out and everything was deemed okay, she had cuddles with her parents for the first time. Taggie sniffled looking at her, saying how tiny she was, Rupert placed his finger into her tiny hand and watched as she gripped it. Complete. He felt complete.
Rupert sat on the chair next to the bed with his new baby girl, letting Taggie get cleaned up with the nurses. When she waddled back in, slow and steady being careful of the stitches she had, she looked at the chair and her heart melted.
As she got herself back in bed the door opened and in walked Lizzie followed by Marcus and Tabitha. Rupert stood up with the baby and walked over to Taggie sitting on the edge next to her. Taggie beckoned Marcus and Tabitha over, Marcus sat at the end of the bed, being careful of his step-mum and new baby sister, Tabitha shot straight up and plopped herself right in the middle of the bed. Taggie gestured for them to get closer and so they did.
Rupert held the baby out in front of his children and watched their faces brighten, Taggie wrapped an arm around Rupert and the other around Tabitha and Marcus.
There they sat all looking at this new, perfect, little girl and all Rupert could say was;
"Now our family is complete."
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