2. Welcome back to the Devereaux Legacy! As
of this time, I'm back to yucky looking cover
pages. I swear, someday I will learn how to
use Photoshop myself so I don't need to
bother my husband.
Anyway, last chapter, Sebastian and Kitty had
two children, Mary and Miles. However,
Mary came out in a rather unconventional
manner; but due to the rule that the first born
inherits the legacy, she is the fourth
generation heiress. After the death of her
grandmother, Ansley, Mary has vowed that
she will have the perfect life. She wished for
Eternal Happiness from the genie, so she is
convinced that her wish will come true.
If absolutely none of this sounds familiar then
feel free to click on the Devereaux Legacy
link in my Live Journal. That will take you to
the main chapter listings on Boolprop.com
For everyone else, enjoy the chapter!

3. Chapter One
Hunter laid in his empty bed. He could feel
himself becoming an ornery old man, but he
couldn't help it.
He missed Ansley.
It wasn't like he wallowed in grief the entire
time; it was more that he could feel the
patience he had over the years wearing thin.
Inherently, he wasn't a very nice person; he
wasn't the meanest person he knew, he just
didn't tolerate foolish people.
Unfortunately for Hunter though, every one
seemed foolish to him these days.

4. He avoided most of the public at all costs,
preferring to stay at home and watch the
kids while Sebastian and Kitty went to work
and learned new skills.
Often times over that winter, he would find
solace in building evil looking snowmen
because they suited his ill humor.
However, he would stop himself from
knocking them over; he wasn't that mean.

5. He was even disgruntled when he would sit
in the hot tub naked; something that he had
been dying to do ever since he got married
to Ansley, but she had been too horrified at
the very thought.
The thing he hated the most though, was
that he felt useless. He had retired from his
job at the SCIA a long time before, when
Mary and Miles had been born. Now that
he was past retiring age, nobody wanted to
hire him for a “real” job, and he was not
about to work in a retail job with some kid
more than half his age bossing him around.
Hunter sighed as he thought about all of this.
He hated to admit it, but he felt like he was
just on a death watch, waiting until it was
time for him to move on from this plane of
existence.

6. Hunter wasn't the only one who missed
Ansley. Mary was keenly aware of her
grandmother's absence, especially since the
contractors came to redecorate her
bedroom; something that Ansley had ordered
to be done before she died.
Mary looked around at the very grownup
looking bedroom and the realization came to
her that when she grew up, she was going to
be the head of the family.
That thought was very unsettling. It wasn't
that she thought that she couldn't handle it; it
was more that the thought of being a
grownup and getting married seemed so far
away.
Mary sighed and plucked at her nightgown as
she wriggled her toes in the new green
carpet. Then she took a deep breath, put on
a cheerful smile, and opened her bedroom
door, ready to face the day as brightly,
cheerfully, and perfectly as she could.

7. “Who were you on the phone with?” Mary
asked Miles as she put away their breakfast
dishes.
“Amelia and Aviendha. Dad said that we can
have them over to play today, remember?”
“Oh! That's right! We're gonna have so
much fun!”
“Maybe,” Miles responded hesitantly,
“Amelia said that she's bringing over a friend
but she wouldn't say who.”
“Well Miles, you ought to know that we are
to be pleasant to any guests that enter our
home, even if they are unexpected or we
don't like them.”
Miles rolled his eyes at Mary but said nothing.
Inside, he sincerely hoped that whoever
Amelia brought with her wasn't going to be a
complete downer.

8. “See? Now THIS is the type of house we
should be living in!” Keith said enthusiastically
as he and Amelia approached the Devereaux
residence.
Amelia was mortified. It was hard enough
trying to keep her friendship with the
Devereaux family on the down low; her
mother acted really strange whenever Amelia
talked about her friends. However, today,
her mother was still asleep from the night job
she had and Amelia thought she would be
able to slip away without any harassment.
Her father noticed though, and insisted on
coming with.
Amelia knew her dad was bored, but his
claiming to be her chaperone was
embarrassing, especially since Amelia knew
that Miles' grandfather was going to be at
home.
“Daddy,” Amelia said, embarrassed, “you can
go home now. I made it here safe.”
“No, no. I should stay here and make sure
you crazy kids don't get yourselves into
trouble.”
Amelia cringed inwardly as their hosts let
them into the house.

9. Keith, of course, had other reasons to want to
visit the Devereaux house. The main one
being the hot tub.
“How often do I get access to a hot tub?” He
asked himself as he jumped in. “I like
bubbles!”
For most of the kids day visit, he remained
content in the hot water, despite the fact that
it was in the middle of the winter.

10. “Miles! Miles! Hey Miles! Look, Aviendha is
here, we can all play now!” Mary said very
enthusiastically.
Miles felt his eyelid twitch. Ever since their
grandmother died, Mary had taken it upon
herself to be sickeningly cheerful, despite
how she might actually feel inside.
Quite frankly, it was getting on his nerves and
it had only been a week. He had heard of
nice, but Mary was going way too far, in his
opinion.
He let it go, though. Far better for her to act
cheerful than for her to be a serious downer;
something that she was turning into before
Ansley died. That is what he thought,
anyway.

11. The kids had a grand time playing. None of
them went outside because of the cold, much
to Miles' disappointment.
But they had fun playing with the karaoke
machine; though Amelia stammered and
blushed when she noticed that Miles was
watching her.

12. They also had fun Smustling throughout the
house.
Even Keith joined in for that.
“Hey Daddy? Isn't Mom going to be upset
with you when she finds out that you are
here?” Amelia asked, silently hoping that her
father would get the hint and leave.
“Nah. What she doesn't know won't hurt
her,” Keith replied with a grin. He knew for a
fact that Amelia didn't want him there, but he
took great pleasure in playing stupid.

13. Eventually, the four of them split off into
different rooms of the house to chit chat.
Mary found Amelia sitting at the sewing
machine, looking at all of the portraits of the
family hanging on the wall.
“So, these pictures,” Amelia began when she
saw Mary, “these are your relatives?”
Mary shrugged and nodded. “Some of them.
Aviendha's family isn't here though; just my
and Miles' direct line.”
Amelia contemplated this for a moment. “So,
when you are older, your picture will be
painted and hung up here, too?”
Mary thought about that for a moment
before she nodded again. “And whoever I
marry, I think.”
“Weird. Are you gonna get married?”
“I think I have to.”
“What about Miles?”
Mary shrugged. She didn't know all the rules
to a legacy, but she knew that she was going
to 'get' the family while her brother wasn't. It
seemed unfair, but Miles didn't seem to mind.

14. Actually, being grown up and running a
household was the last thing on Miles' mind
at the moment; he and Aviendha were having
a blast coming up with new naughty words to
use. More importantly, they were both
excitedly talking about when spring came
and all of the fun outdoors stuff they would
be able to do together; like finding insects.
Miles particularly looked forward to finding
insects and hiding them in Mary's bedroom;
she HATED bugs and considered them 'icky.'

15. All too soon, Amelia and Aviendha had to go
home. The get together had been a blast and
all four of them vowed to repeat the
experience often.
When it came time for bed, Mary hugged her
father tighter than normal.
“So you had fun to day, I take it?” Sebastian
asked his daughter.
“Yes Daddy, I had LOTS of fun! It was a
perfect time. Thank you. Daddy?” Mary
began, a question forming.
“Yes?” Sebastian responded when Mary
hesitated.
Mary opened her mouth and then closed it.
She shook her head and said with a smile,
“Nevermind. Good night. I love you.” She
kissed Sebastian's cheek and left the room.

16. Chapter Two
“Framgoozlefribbits! I'm TOTALLY the Mayor
of Sim City and I'm STILL having to clean my
own toilets!” Xander muttered to himself as
he flicked the last bit of water off the toilet
brush into the bowl.
He suddenly paused and asked loudly, “Why
does it feel like some parts of my life are
running jokes?”
He sighed as he heard Marsha's dulcet tones
lecturing; the lecture wasn't directed at him.

17. “Why must you be such a willful child all of
the time, Aviendha?” Marsha asked her
daughter in an exasperated manner.
Aviendha glowered as her mother lectured
her, not replying. She hated being yelled at,
even though it was her own fault.
Her mother caught Aviendha talking to
herself, testing out some of the new naughty
words she made up.
Again.
Aviendha stifled a sigh and tuned her
mother's lecture out.

18. Marsha looked down at her daughter and
scowled. She could tell that Aviendha wasn't
paying attention.
“Aviendha! Are you listening to me?”
“Yes Mom, I am.” Aviendha replied.
“Then what did I just say?”
“You said that I should watch my language
otherwise I'm going to be grounded,”
Aviendha said mechanically.
Marsha looked at her some more. Aviendha
was correct in her reply, but Marsha had the
feeling that was only because the lecture was
the same over and over again; so her
daughter was most likely parroting from
memory. Marsha sighed.
“Well, I hope you are paying attention,
because if I catch you again or your teachers
catch you again, being grounded will also
include not having a birthday party.
Capiche?”

19. Aviendha looked up at her mother and tried
to keep her face neutral.
She could feel that she was failing miserably
at that attempt, but her mother hadn't
commented on it.
“Yeah Mom, I understand,” was all she said.
Marsha pursed her lips at her daughter's
expression. She was going to say more, but
she heard the school bus pull up.
“Alright, get ready for school. And remember
what I said!” Marsha called over her shoulder
as she left her daughter's bedroom.

20. As Aviendha hurriedly dressed in her school
uniform, the same thought kept running
through her head:
She couldn't wait until she was an adult; then
she could say and do whatever she wanted.

21. Aside from the constant lectures, the Lewis
household remained the same.
Marsha was working for the local school,
along with Merlin, and Xander had managed
to finally become the Mayor of Sim City.
Not that being the Mayor was all that it was
cracked up to be. The political tensions were
rising drastically, ever since Alexander Goth
entered into the political field and began
surreptitiously hinting that Xander was
unqualified for the job.
Of course, no matter how secretive
Alexander thought he was being, word still
traveled fast back to Xander, who found his
hands tied on the issue.
What could he do? Technically Alexander
had done nothing wrong, other than make a
few hints. Plus politics always has been, and
always will be, filled with nay sayers and
unscrupulous people.
Xander felt that he was one of the only
honest people left in the political realm; and
that thought made him sad.

22. Of course, Xander did his very best to make
sure that all of his troubles that he had at the
office remained at the office.
That task became harder and harder though,
as Alexander had started the ball rolling on a
Devereaux smear campaign. Xander
managed to nip that nasty bit in the bud;
however the seeds had already been planted.
Xander was coming to the realization that he
was never going to be able to retire; not if he
wanted his extended family to have a
somewhat peaceful existence. Marsha,
understood his predicament and supported
his decision.
Xander tried very hard not to think about
what was going to happen when he passed
on. Thankfully, that was an eventuality that
he wouldn't have to worry about for for a bit
yet.

23. His father was growing more eccentric as
time passed. This was not to say that Merlin
was insane, or even close to senile; it's just
that he took great pleasure in telling dramatic
stories, whether or not they were true, or
whether or not other people wanted to listen.
“Uh, Xander my boy, er, did I ever tell you,
uh, about how, er, I found this, uh, ancient
Tiki Idol?”

24. “Er, it was a dark and stormy night. Uh, and,
the sea was, er trying to, uh, capsize the boat
I was, er sailing on...”
“Pop, you have never been on a boat and the
Tiki Idol came with the house; along with
most of the other knick knacks on the shelf. I
know that you were TOTALLY a drama
professor but, seriously.”
“Uh, have you, er, heard about the, uh time,
er, I saved all those, er, orphans from the, er,
burning church?”
“Actually, yes, I have. And you didn't do that
either.”
Merlin sighed in disgust.
“I realize that, my boy,” Merlin snapped, not
stammering for once. “But sometimes the
absurd puts joy into our lives. You need to
lighten up. You used to be such a fun child,”
Merlin said sadly as he walked upstairs to his
bedroom.
Xander rubbed his head, trying to push away
the headache that was forming. He didn't
mean to be snappish, but keeping work
troubles at work was becoming more difficult
by the day.
And unfortunately, there was nothing he
could do about it.

25. Aviendha was oblivious to all the boring
political problems her father dealt with. Her
small world really only contained school and
home.
Of course, school wasn't that great. A lot of
the kids avoided her and her cousins; and her
teachers were always tattling on her to her
mother.
Aviendha didn't care too much about the
other kids, though. She had Amelia, Mary,
and Miles to talk to; they were her best
friends.
As for the teachers, well, Aviendha had
managed to clean up her language a little bit,
and she survived the rest of her childhood
age without being grounded.
And most importantly, not being grounded
meant that she was able to have her birthday
party.
Naturally, Amelia, Miles, and Mary were
invited, along with most of her other relatives.
“Oh, it's so cool that you're going to be a
teenager!” Amelia squealed as she threw her
arms around her friend.
“I know! It's going to be a blast!” Aviendha
said with a grin, her high school plans already
forming in her head.

26. Everyone gathered around Aviendha as she
approached the lit candles on her birthday
cake.
“Don't forget to make a wish!” Someone
from the crowd shouted.
“Wish for a good professor to marry!”
Xander called. Marsha and Merlin laughed.
Aviendha paused at that, then disregarded it.
“I already know what my wish is going to be,”
she replied as she tapped her head. “It's
already up here.” And before anybody could
make more suggestions, Aviendha blew out
her birthday candles.

27. Aviendha cheered along with everyone else,
but the comment about marrying a professor
bothered her.
As much as her dad referred to her as “Mini-
Me” she was her own person.
And as her own person, she chose what she
aspired most for in life.

28. “Yes,” she repeated again for the tenth time,
“I'm a Family Sim.”
Her announcement made both her father's
and grandfather's mouth drop open. Merlin
started blaming Xander, partly in a joking
manner, about Xander's 'bad influence' on
her.
Aviendha was pleased. If she couldn't shock
people with her language, then she was going
to shock them with her aspiration.
Of course, she didn't tell anyone about what
she wished for; she was saving that for
college. Besides, telling people what you
wished for always made the wish not come
true.

29. Sebastian was one of the only people who
took her announcement in stride.
“A Family Sim, eh? Well, I don't see why not.
Your father always acted more like one of
those than a Romance Sim, even back when
we were in college. He found and started
dating your mother around the same time I
started dating...my first wife.”
“Did you hear my dad? 'Wish for a good
professor to marry,'” Aviendha mimicked her
father.
Sebastian shrugged. “Apparently it's your
family tradition. It's a bit odd, but the
professors at the university are among the
most intelligent people I've ever had the
pleasure of knowing,” he responded happily,
the Knowledge Sim part of him shining
through brightly.
“Hmmm,” Aviendha responded,
noncommittally.

30. “So, uh, what did you wish for?” Merlin asked
after he and Xander called off their mock
argument.
“Aw, come on Gra'pa, you know I can't say.
It won't come true otherwise!” Aviendha
replied, playfully punching Merlin on his
shoulder. “I can give you a hint though.”
Merlin arched his eyebrow. “Uh, what is
that?”
Aviendha grinned gleefully. “Well, while it is
true that I want to eventually settle down and
get married, I do want to have as much
romance in my life as possible before that
happens. And that's all I'm saying.”
Merlin cheered. “Uh, she's a Romance
secondary! Er, she isn't broken!” He
announced to the room. Everyone laughed
except for Aviendha, who looked hurt at the
'broken' comment.
She let it go, though. Her father and
grandfather's feelings were at stake, so she
didn't even think the choice words she
wanted to say; a first for her.

31. Chapter Three
Time moved on at the Lewis household.
Aviendha spent much of her time working
towards scholarships, which meant that she
was working at her part time job among
other things.
Xander was pleased that his daughter was
growing up in a respectable manner. Her
intent to use bad language was almost
nonexistent, as she had learned early on that
talking to her bosses like that usually got her
fired.
She was hard working, appeared friendly, and
smart. All Xander could think was, 'Like
father...

32. ...like daughter.'
While it was true that Aviendha resembled
her father a great deal in her personality, she
didn't have the same goals that he had in
mind.
That bothered her; not the different goals
part, more rather, the expectation that she
was to follow in his footsteps without
question.

33. “Gra'pa?” Aviendha asked Merlin, “Do I have
to marry a professor that I meet in college?
What if I don't find one that I like?”
Merlin looked at his granddaughter and
shrugged. “Er, I don't know.”
“What if don't want to marry a professor at
all?” She asked persistently, “What if I found a
completely regular person to marry and my
life promised to be a happy one in spite of it?
Is there any written rule that I have to marry a
college professor?”
“Er, Aviendha, uh, you are perhaps, er, asking
the wrong person. Uh, your grandmother
and I had, er, no intention on marrying, uh,
way back when. Er, it was a command, uh,
that came from on high. Uh, not that I regret,
er, it, I must, er, hasten to add. Uh, perhaps
you should, er, ask your father these, uh,
questions. He came up with, er, the 'rule'.”
Aviendha sighed. She knew it was going to
come down to that, but she had secretly
harbored the hope that her grandfather
would give her a better answer. Squaring her
shoulders, she went downstairs to talk to her
father.

34. “Dad, I have decided that I am going to
marry for love,” Aviendha began.
Xander looked over at her, unsure of where
she was going with the topic. “Well...of
course you are. I would TOTALLY hate to
see you miserable.”
“Right. And I think I would be miserable if I
were forced to marry a professor that I meet
in college. Just because you and Gra'ma got
married to professors doesn't mean that I
should be expected to marry one.”
Xander felt the irritation rising up in his chest.
“Aviendha, many families have traditions that
they carry out through the generations. I
chose the tradition to marry professors, in
honor of my parents. I am TOTALLY happy
with my decision, and you will be too when
the time comes.”
“But, what if I don't find one that I like? What
if I fall in love with someone who isn't a
professor?”
“Well, make sure that doesn't happen, and it
won't be an issue.”
“But...”
“No 'buts' about it. You will find a nice
professor to marry, trust me on this.”

35. Aviendha went to her bedroom feeling
frustrated. Her father refused to see her point
on the matter, and that was irritating. What it
came down to was, instead of looking around
at all potential prospects and perhaps falling
in love with a professor, she was forced to
look at only professors and find a husband
from that select group.
That did not sound appealing at all; it
sounded too forced and rigid. She wanted to
find the best possible candidate for a spouse
and her father, she could tell, was going to
remain adamant on the 'professor' issue.
Still sad, Aviendha crawled into her bed.
Sleep was long in coming that night for her.

36. Early the next morning, Merlin talked to
Xander. He had overheard the conversation
the night before and he felt that Xander was
being rather close minded on the entire issue.
“Er, Xander, uh, you shouldn't be so strict
about this,” Merlin began cautiously. “Er, if
your mother and I, uh, we so strict about, uh,
how you were to live your life, er, you
wouldn't be married at all.”
“Pop, look, I know you mean well and all, but
tradition is tradition.”
“Er, it's only tradition, uh, if it goes on for
more than, uh, one generation,” Merlin
responded wryly.
Xander made a dismissive gesture at that.
“There is TOTALLY nothing wrong with
wanting a very educated spouse for my
daughter. Aviendha is only saying that she
doesn't want to marry a professor to shock
and irritate us. Much like her swearing phase,
this too will TOTALLY pass.”
Merlin saw the firm look in Xander's eye and
decided to not press the issue any further,
despite the fact that his son was wrong; this
did not look like a 'phase' that Aviendha was
going through.

37. Merlin thought about traditions and how they
started as he sat on the couch with Hunter a
few days later. Apparently, another tradition
was set when Savannah died.
But attending his own wake before he died
was rather morbid, so he was mostly silent at
his party as everyone else socialized.
Hunter voiced Merlin's thoughts when he
said, “This is kind of depressing, isn't it?”
Merlin chuckled a bit in response.
“Uh, kind of. Savannah, er, didn't plan on, er,
passing on at a party; but now, er, it seems
that she set a new, er, standard. What, uh,
can we do about it?”
“Why did you agree to it then, if you find it
depressing?” Hunter asked.
Merlin shrugged. “Uh, well, Xander's work
life is spinning out of his, uh, control. The
best I can figure is, er, he wants to feel that he
has some say in his life. Aviendha. This...” he
trailed off for a moment before he continued.
“He'll figure it out eventually, and, er, I love
my son too much to disappoint him. Not, er,
over something rather, er, minor like, uh,
this.”

38. “Well, if that isn't the dumbest thing I have
ever heard, I don't know what is!” Hunter
exclaimed. Merlin looked over at him.
“Er, what is? Giving my son, uh, the illusion
of, er, control?”
“Yes. Downright stupid, I say.”
Merlin passively shrugged. “Er, life is too
short to get upset, uh, about the minor, er,
things.”
Hunter scoffed. He made his point on the
issue clear.
Merlin was silent again as he watched his
family 'mourn' over him. He chuckled when
he saw Aviendha telling his story about how
he 'found the Tiki Idol'. Suddenly, he felt glad
that he let Xander have this party.
He clapped Hunter on the shoulder as the
expected visitor arrived. “Er, you'll
understand when your time comes Uh, but
it's time for me to go now. It was nice
knowing you.”
Merlin stood up and greeted the Grim
Reaper.

39. Merlin could tell right away that this Grim
Reaper was different from the one who came
for Savannah. Instead of the regular chill and
sonorous voice, Grim 'felt' almost cheerful
and his voice was pleasant.
“I apologize for interrupting your party,”
Grim said politely. Merlin smiled.
“Er, the plan was to have a party for me when
you came. Uh, you aren't interrupting
anything.”
“Ah, I see. Well then good, I'm glad that
everyone is prepared for your passing. I
hope it doesn't cause too much heartache;
you lived a good life, so there is nothing to be
mournful about.
I also have a message from your wife. She
said to 'stop being such a Family Sim'.” Grim
shrugged at the message as Merlin smiled
again.
“Er, well then, I mustn't, uh, keep her
waiting.”

40. Grim handed Merlin a suitcase, which Merlin
fumbled. As it clattered to the floor, it
popped open and revealed that there was
nothing inside.
“I am so sorry,” Grim said in an embarrassed
tone. Merlin's mouth dropped open.
“Er, I always, uh wondered what was in
there.”
“I don't even know why I must give you a
suitcase. Apparently it's a tradition to
symbolize your great journey ahead. I wasn't
given any real clear answer when I asked. 'It's
just how it is done,' was all I was told.”
“Er, I am very, uh, familiar with 'tradition talk'.
I guess traditions just happen, don't they?”
“I guess so. So, are you ready?”
“I am, er, Mr. Reaper.”
“Please, call me...” Grim started to say as they
both faded out, leaving a cheerful feeling
behind.
The cheerful feeling made Merlin's wake
party a Roof Raiser.

41. The party continued on around Merlin's
Platinum urn. Most of the stories that were
told were filled with laughter, love and
fondness for the stammering, Romance Sim
drama professor.

42. As the party was wrapping up, Merlin
appeared to say his final farewells.
“Goodbye everyone. Er, it's been fun.
Xander, I hope, uh, someday you will learn
that traditions can't be forced; uh, and even if
we abide by them, er, breaking them can also
be a good thing.”
“Let's GO Family Sim!” Savannah's voice said
faintly from another realm.
“Er, your mother says 'Hi' and sends her
love.”
And with that, Merlin disappeared, happy to
rejoin his wife.

43. Chapter Four
As spring broke out over Pleasantview once
again, Sebastian found himself admiring the
new Koi pond the family had installed in the
family's cemetery. It was so similar to the one
they used to have back in London Bridge that
Sebastian felt the same kind of peace and
satisfaction that he did with the old one.
His thoughts were vastly different, however.
He smiled to himself as he remembered the
thoughts he used to brood over when he was
a teenager, destined to be the 'useless' spare.
He looked around at the graveyard and the
house beyond and he was proud. “Even after
everything, I wouldn't change it for the
world,” he said to the fish as they greedily ate
the food he had tossed to them.

44. “Finally!” Kitty exclaimed happily. “I finally
got the stupid Gold Talent badge. Now we
don't have to worry about taking care of our
stupid needs anymore!”
Kitty hummed happily to herself as she made
a few more Snapdragon bouquets that would
be strategically placed around the house.

45. The first ones she made, of course, were for
the bedroom she and Sebastian shared. As
she was arranging the flowers on the
nightstands, she felt herself swept onto the
bed and her face was showered with kisses.
Giggling, she looked up into Sebastian's
smiling face. “What was that for?” she asked.
“No reason. Just because,” he replied. He
looked over at the Snapdragons. “Hey, I
remember these. Did you make them?” Kitty
nodded in response. “Yeah,” he continued,
“they make it where you only feel tired,
nothing else. It's such a shame...” he trailed
off.
Her brow furrowing slightly, Kitty asked,
“What is?”
He grinned even wider. “I'm not really that
tired.”
Kitty smiled and slid her arms around his
neck. “Oh, I'm sure we can fix that...”

46. While his son and daughter-in-law were
canoodling upstairs, Hunter was having an
encounter with his own wife.
“Hunter,” he imagined her saying, “when are
you going to join me?”
“As soon as I can. Just a little while longer,”
he said out loud to Ansley's apparition.

47. He sighed as Ansley's ghost floated through
the house. He went into the living room to
check up on Mary and Miles, who were
studying for scholarships early.
“Just a little while longer. I want to make sure
they grow up well,” Hunter said as he sat
down on one of the chairs.
“What was that Grandpa?” Mary asked,
looking up from her book.
“Nothing dear. Just an old man rambling.”
Mary and Miles giggled to each other, but
stopped when they saw Hunter throwing a
mock scowl at them.

48. 'Just a little while longer' were words that
stayed with Mary. She didn't like how it
sounded like her grandfather was just waiting
for she and Miles to grow up before he died.
She knew he was going to die eventually, and
that thought hurt, but he sounded like he had
nothing else to look forward to.
Mary thought about this as she made her
bed. She was determined that when she got
older, she would never let anything make her
sad and she was going to make sure that she
always had something to look forward to.
Beginning today, as it was Miles' and her
birthday.
She patted the perfectly made bed with
satisfaction, placed a happy and cheerful
smile on her face, and left her bedroom to
help with the preparations for the birthday
party.

49. As everyone gathered around the birthday
cakes that night, Mary contemplated what
her wish would be. Everyone stood around,
expectantly, as she did this.
Finally, after some thought, Mary sighed
happily. “My wish has already come true,”
she said sweetly, “I am already surrounded by
my family and friends. What more could I
want?”

50. “Awww” everyone responded as she leaned
over her birthday cake. “She's such a good
girl,” Kitty exclaimed to the crowd in general.
After Mary transitioned, she looked down at
her outfit in horror. “Oh dear, this is not the
perfect look I want to achieve. I simply must
change after your birthday Miles!”

51. “Kiss ass,” Miles muttered quietly to himself
as he moved towards his own cake. He
wasn't all that bitter, as he was the next nicest
person in the household, after Mary that is,
but he couldn't top her sweet attitude.
His eye caught Amelia, who was also a new
teenager, and he smiled. He knew what he
wanted for his birthday.

52. “At least I match,” Miles said as he looked
down at his bigger self. The crowd laughed.
“Is that what you wished for?” the family's
new friend, Keith, said.
“I wouldn't waste my wish on something so
stupid!” Miles responded jovially. Again the
crowd laugh, and didn't notice Mary as she
quietly left the room, blushing. Her outfit
didn't match, and she was mortified.

53. “So, what did you wish for?” Amelia asked as
people started taking pieces of the birthday
cakes. Miles grinned his father's smile as he
looked at her.
“I don't know if I should say. I'm afraid it
might not come true. But, maybe you can
help me get it...”
Amelia blushed furiously. She thought she
knew what he meant, but she wasn't sure.
He had only shown a passing interest in her
growing up; mainly by teasing her and pulling
her pigtails. Her mother told her that boys
will tease a girl they like, but her mother was
wrong an awful lot.
Looking at Miles' smile, though, she thought
her mother might have been right about that
one thing.
“Sure Miles,” she said, still blushing. “How
can I help?”
“Well, it's my birthday. Can I get a birthday
kiss?”

54. Amelia nodded and Miles leaned in. It was a
first kiss for both of them. Amelia squeed a
little inside, but she kept her composure
when Miles pulled away.
“So, are you like, my girlfriend now?” Miles
asked.
“Totally,” Amelia replied with a smile.
“Awesome!”

55. Mary was absent from the rest of the party.
After the guests had left, and Miles himself
changed his outfit, Mary emerged from her
bedroom and went downstairs to showcase
her new look.
Miles looked her up and down before
commenting. “You changed your hair.”
Mary nodded and flicked the casual curl from
her face. “It took me almost an hour to get
my hair perfect. I think it suits me more.”
Miles eyed the rest of her outfit. It was very
cheerful and pretty, something of which Miles
was certain that Mary was aware of. He
shrugged.
“You look nice,” he said to her.

56. “Do I look perfect?” she asked him anxiously.
Miles shrugged. “Yeah, I guess so...”
Mary gave him a thumbs up. “Good, that's
what I am going for. Perky, pretty, and
perfect. The three 'P's' in life.”
Miles' mouth dropped open. “What?”
Mary didn't respond, however. She turned
from the room, head held high as if she were
balancing books on her head, and went back
to her bedroom to get her 'beauty sleep'.

57. Chapter Five
A few days after the birthday party, Sebastian
approached Kitty in the living room.
“Kit, I've been thinking,” he began.
“What about?”
“Well, I've already done the City Planner
thing, which was useless since the
Pleasantview building committee has
determined that my building plans were too
expensive. I've also done the College Dean
thing, which I've enjoyed. But...” he sighed.
“But you want to open up your own business
now, right?”
Sebastian smiled at his wife, who always
seemed to know what he was thinking.
“Yeah, I kinda do. I was hoping it would be
okay with you if I quit my job and
concentrate on that.”
“Will that make you happy?” Kitty asked,
knowing the answer. Sebastian nodded.
“Then go for it. It'll be fun.”
Sebastian leaned over and gave her a kiss. “I
have the best wife in the whole wide world.”

58. Sebastian wasted no time picking out the
location for his first business. It was an
absolutely tiny little place, run down, but it
had character.

59. It was absolutely perfect for a bookstore,
which was simply named “The Devereaux
Bookstore.”
He wasn't sure how well the family name on
the sign would go over with the other
Pleasantview citizens; but even if the name
would have been different, it would have
soon become obvious who was running the
place, so he let the name remain.

60. The other business was not nearly as low key.
“The Bubble Den” was bright and gaudy; so
much so that even the Pleasantview
Conditioning Squad stayed away from it.

61. It was tacky. It was gaudy. It was bright. It
was expensive.

62. It was also fun and successful. It was also far
easier to maintain than the bookstore.

63. Both businesses were successful, actually.
With the help of Kitty's Snapdragons and the
Energizer, Sebastian was able to make both
businesses more successful than any other in
Pleasantview in under a week.
His crowning achievement was when he
received “The Best of the Best” Award for
both places. That brought customers in from
all over, appealing to Sebastian's Popularity
aspect of his personality.
He did find it strange, though, when one of
his customers sought him out and
congratulated him personally for being a hit.
“Your approval fills me with shame,”
Sebastian said to the woman.
“What?” she said back, appalled. Sebastian
pointed at her shirt.
“I was reading your shirt.”
“Oh! Right,” the woman said back. It took
Sebastian a moment to remember who she
was. She was the 'drunk' woman at the bar
who told him that Kitty liked him. Before he
could thank her for that, though, the woman
walked out of the store, not purchasing
anything.
Sebastian just shrugged and went back to the
only thing he needed to practice...

64. ...the cash register.
“Dude, you TOTALLY need to hurry up,”
Xander said to his cousin, who was poking
away at the machine. “I mean, uh, thanks for
the discount on the books, you TOTALLY
rock.”
Sebastian just smiled at Xander's 'slip.'
Indeed, Sebastian was quite content working
for himself.

65. Because Mary was to inherit the businesses,
Sebastian took it upon himself to pass along
all of the perks that he had learned.
Mary was quite insistent on learning
everything as fast as she possibly could. Even
though Sebastian wearing the thinking cap
wouldn't help her learn faster, he humored
her request; even though it was a complete
waste of a charge.

66. Mary fretted over every thing that didn't turn
out perfect on the first try. She absolutely
hated erase marks on her homework, and she
would often rewrite an assignment over and
over until it looked perfect.

67. She also had a part time job assisting her
teachers after school. She excelled at it so
much that she was often trusted to substitute
the tutoring classes after school; this led to
her teachers writing a recommendation to
the scholarship society, and Mary was able to
collect the money for yet another scholarship.

68. In fact, Mary spent much of her time studying
for scholarships, despite the fact that she
wanted to find a boyfriend. She figured that
when she won all possible scholarships, she
would be able to enjoy the dating life, much
like her brother was with Amelia.

69. “Miles,” she asked one day over the rare
game of chess, for he usually disliked sitting
still for so long, “why aren't you studying as
hard as I am? You know that we both ought
to win as much money as possible to have
more fun in college.”
“My mind is a steel trap Mare,” he replied as
he tapped his finger to his temple, “besides, I
think I have you beat on scholarships. There
are ones that involve fun activities, like the
Tsang Footwork one.”
Mary added to her mental to-do list to also
win the Tsang scholarship. She sighed
inwardly, thinking that there wasn't enough
time in the day to do all the things she felt she
must to be the perfect heiress. However, she
smiled cheerfully at her brother and was
about to reply when her father entered the
game room.
“Hey guys, your grandfather wants to see you
in the living room.”
Mary's smile tried to falter, but she firmly kept
it in place as he heart thudded in her chest.
She had a feeling she knew why her
grandfather had summoned them.

70. “So, I just wanted to say that I love you guys,
I'll miss you, and I'm proud of you,” Hunter
said to his family.
“Um, thank you Grandpa,” Miles said. “Why
are you telling us this now?”
Mary looked over at Miles like he was stupid,
but said nothing. Sebastian was the one who
answered. “Because, well, he wanted to say
goodbye. He has an appointment that he has
to keep.”
“An appointment with who?” Miles asked,
still confused.
“Grandpa is dying today Miles,” Mary said
quietly, trying to maintain her composure.
“He just didn't want to throw a party like
Aviendha's family does.”
“Oh...”Miles trailed off looking at his watch.
“Doesn't he usually come at six?”
Hunter looked at the clock and saw that Grim
was more than an hour late. Hunter
shrugged. “Yes, he is running late, isn't he?”
The family sat there until the hour grew late,
all keeping Hunter company. Eventually they
had to retire for the night. They all kissed
Hunter goodnight, convinced that they would
see him the next morning.

71. Hunter himself was about to turn in for the
night, thinking that he had his timing wrong,
when the familiar figure of Grim appeared in
his living room.
“I apologize for my tardiness, um, Hunter. It
shouldn't have happened.”
“Then why are you late?” Hunter demanded,
angrily.
Grim hung his head. “To be honest, the
thought of collecting you made me sad. My
companions here insisted that I had a job to
do, and they reminded me that I was the one
who wanted to be assigned to this
dimension; more specifically, this family.
They are right, of course, but it still saddens
me.”
“You...you had yourself assigned to us?
Why?”
Grim shook his head. “I cannot tell you now.
When you are fully processed, then I can
reveal everything. Rest assured though, I did
it with the best intentions.”

72. Hunter tried to peer into Grim's cowl, but he
wasn't able to see anything but blackness.
“You had better not have any intentions of
harming this family,” Hunter said
authoritatively. Hunter got the feeling that
Grim was surprised by the implication.
“Good heavens, no. That is not my intent at
all. At least, not directly. My job is to collect
dead people; I don't actually kill them. I want
to make that clear.”
Hunter took the drink from Grim's hand and
took a sip. “You had better not harm a single
hair, otherwise I will break every single one of
your bones. They look awfully fragile!”
Grim squirmed like a small child under
Hunter's glare. “I promise, upon my own
soul, that I will not harm this family. Please,
sir, I will be able to tell you more when you
are processed.”
“Because the dead don't tell secrets, right?”
Grim nodded. One of the Hula Girls let out a
small sigh, letting Grim know that he was
taking too long. Grim held out his hand to
Hunter, who took it, and they both
disappeared.

73. The moment that Hunter died and Grim
disappeared, Mary was jerked out of her
sound sleep. Scrambling out of bed she
looked about frantically. She recognized the
feeling. Indeed, though she didn't mention it
to anyone back then, she felt the same feeling
when Ansley had died.
Mary was able to sense Death. Not in the
same way that a person dying would; closer
and more intimate than that. She felt almost
a kinship to the Grim Reaper, and that scared
her.

74. After her brief moment of panic wore off, the
implication hit her: Her grandfather had died.
He had died, all alone, and probably scared.
Mary sunk her head in her hands and cried.
“My life is supposed to be perfect,” she wept,
“this is not perfection. Not at all!”
She cried in her bedroom for the rest of the
night.

75. The next morning, as the household was
beginning to wake up, Miles met Mary
outside of her bedroom. She was smiling,
and looked cheerful, but he could see the
puffiness around her eyes.
Gently placing his hand on her arm, he asked
her, “Are you okay?” Mary nodded and
sniffled.
“Grandpa is dead. He died after we all went
to sleep.”
“How do you know?”
“I heard it happen,” she lied, lamely. Miles
hugged her and they both went downstairs to
mourn with their parents, who had already
found Hunter's urn.

76. Chapter Six
That summer, Sebastian and Kitty found a
spare moment to themselves. Between
Kitty's job, activities with the kids, and the
stores, finding spare time was difficult.
But, today was a day of rest and relaxation; it
was Sebastian's birthday and the whole
family, as well as a few friends, were going to
be at the house to celebrate it.
Sebastian placed his arm around Kitty's waist
and ran his hand along her face and hair.
“So, will you still love me when I'm all old?”
he asked her, just a bit apprehensive. Kitty
gave him a teasing smile.
“Nope. In fact, first thing, you're going into a
home. It's hard to keep my harem of young
studs when I have your old, senile butt
around here. What would Raul think?” She
slid her arms around his waist as a sign that
she was teasing him. Sebastian held her close
to him as he gave a little laugh.
“One of these days, I'm gonna catch that Raul
character and strangle him. Not because he's
carrying on with you, but to prove that I can
still kick ass and take names when I'm old.
You might want to warn him.”
Kitty smiled into her husband's chest,
enjoying their inside joke.

77. That night, the crowd consisted of of usual
suspects, as well as one other new face.
Mary noticed him dancing while she was
showing off her new moves, the moves that
had won her the Tsang Footwork scholarship.
Before she was able to talk to him, though,
everyone was summoned into the party room
for Sebastian's birthday.

78. Mary was able to look at the stranger from
where she stood. His clothes were appalling,
but that could be changed. He
had...potential. Her thoughts turned away
from the stranger as Sebastian began joking
around in front of the lit birthday cake.
“I know exactly what I'm going to wish for!”
Sebastian stated. “I'm going to wish for
matching clothes when I transition!” And he
leaned in to blow out his candles.

79. Everyone was laughing before the confetti hit
the floor. Closing his eyes, Sebastian hung his
head, and said in a mock sorrowful voice, “I
have bad clothes don't I? I knew I shouldn't
have said my wish out loud!”
“I don't see anything wrong with your
clothes,” the strange man said to Sebastian,
which just made everyone else in the room
laugh even more.

80. Sebastian quickly changed back into his old
clothes, thankful that his body hadn't changed
all that much. Entering back into the party
room, he pulled Kitty gently away from Miles
and gave her a kiss.
“I'll bet that Raul character doesn't kiss like
that, does he?” he asked with a grin.
“Only on days that end with a 'Y'” Kitty
responded, laughing.
“Hmmm, how is he on the karaoke machine
then?”
Kitty was forced to admit that Sebastian had
“Raul” beat in that area.

81. “I wanna make you smile whenever you're sad
Carry you around when your arthritis is bad
Oh all I wanna do, is grow old with you.
I'll get you medicine when your tummy aches
Build you a fire if the furnace breaks
Oh it could be so nice, growing old with you.
I'll miss you, kiss you
Give you my coat when you are cold
Need you, feed you
Even let you hold the remote control
So let me do the dishes in our kitchen sink
Put you to bed when you've had too much to
drink.
Oh I could be the man who grows old with you.
I'll miss you, kiss you
Take your shoes off and rub your feet
Need you, feed you
And when we chess, I'll let you cheat
So let me do the dishes in our kitchen sink
Put you to bed when you've had too much to
drink.
Oh I could be the one who grows old with
you.”
---
“Grow Old with You” from “The Wedding
Singer”

82. While her parents were singing their sappy
song, Mary was able to approach the
stranger. Putting on her most cheerful smile,
she approached him.
“Hi, I'm Mary Devereaux. What is your
name?”

83. The man looked at her contemplatively. It
was very rare that people didn't know who he
was. He tapped his lips as he looked at the
teenaged girl.
She was a little young for his taste, but she
would get older. Heck, she was downright
cute, and it had been a while since he had
hooked up with anyone.

84. Puffing out his chest, he announced to her,
“My name is Goopy GilsCarbo. I am sure
that you are pleased to meet my
acquaintance.”
“Goopy? Is that short for anything?” Mary
asked.
“Um, no. No it isn't.”
“Oh. Can I call you Gil for short?”
Goopy blinked. Then shrugged nonchalantly.
“Sure, whatever floats your boat, kid.”

85. Mary clapped her hands excitedly. He was
perfect. Oh, sure, he needed new clothes
and a new hairstyle, but Mary wasn't afraid of
a little hard work. He had outstanding
potential.
Right then and there, Mary knew who she
was going to marry when she graduated
college.

86. Chapter Seven
“You TOTALLY need to knock it off,
Aviendha!” Xander commanded his daughter
in an impatient tone. “You know what is
expected of you. Our family gets married to
professors. Professors are highly educated
people, and we want to have the best of the
best!”

87. “But, if I found a student at the University,
and they graduated, they would also be
educated, Dad. They might not be a
professor, but I might think that person is the
'best of the best.' Ultimately, I want to be
happy and not be forced to look in only a
small group of people.”
Xander closed his eyes with impatience. “We
are TOTALLY done with this conversation.
Your constant need shock people is wearing
thin, kiddo. It's downright exhausting,”
Xander sadly stated before he left the room.

88. Aviendha ground her teeth at her father's
obvious dismissal of her feelings. As she
went into the kitchen to prepare dinner for
the family, she found herself slamming
around and chopping the vegetables with a
mood of violence that surprised her.
“Marriage should be a happy arrangement,
not a forced one,” she muttered angrily as
some of the green peppers flew to the floor.
She was silent for a while as she glared at the
food. Then a thought occurred to her:
Maybe if she found someone before she
went to college, her father would recant his
decision and she wouldn't be forced into a
marriage of her father's choice.
That thought made her happy, and she
whistled while she finished the dinner
preparations.

89. Dinner was a silent affair, but Aviendha didn't
notice or care. She ate in a hurried manner
and placed a phone call, silently thankful that
it wasn't her night to do the dishes.
The gypsy promised that she would be at the
house within the hour.
Aviendha sat on the front steps impatiently
waiting for the old woman. When the gypsy,
Madame Fortuna, who claimed to be as
lovely as the day is long, showed up,
Aviendha pulled out $5000 and handed it to
the woman.
“Please find me someone that will make me
so incredibly happy, my father won't force me
to look at my college professors. Please.”

90. “Well with that kind of donation to the cause,
I will do my very best,” Madame Fortuna said
as she began looking into her crystal ball.
Aviendha looked into it with her.
“Ahh, yes, I see the perfect beau for you.”
“You do? I can't see! What does he look
like?”
The old woman swept her hand over the
crystal ball, and suddenly Aviendha's perfect
beau was standing before them.
“Thank you again for your generous
contribution. I must get going now,” the old
woman said before she scurried off, assuring
that Aviendha wouldn't be able to voice a
complaint.

91. His face looked like he fell from the ugly tree
and hit every branch on the way down. He
was also kind of stupid and neither of them
had anything in common.
Aviendha didn't care, though. This guy might
not be the perfect guy, but she felt a certain
amount of freedom in what promised to be a
new dating habit.

92. Her new plans for finding the 'perfect non-
professor guy' was solidified when the red
haired dude (she didn't remember the guy's
name) sent her a 'Thank You' card the next
day.
Of course, “Thank You” was misspelled, but
that was besides the point. It was totally
worth it and she grinned happily as she
placed it on her nightstand in her bedroom.

93. Naturally, her mother found the card, so
Aviendha was forced to listen to yet another
lecture from her parents.
“I didn't even kiss the guy, I don't see what
the big deal is,” she whined as her parents
looked at her sternly.
“The point, dear daughter of mine, is that you
are willfully trying to go against what your
father and I feel is a reasonable request. You
know that we don't want you dating...”
“You never said I couldn't though,” Aviendha
interrupted.
“You are TOTALLY missing the point, Mini-
Me. Why are you wasting money to find a
boyfriend that you know you will have to
TOTALLY dump when you get to college?”
Xander asked.

94. Aviendha stood up angrily. “Oh my effing
GOD Dad! You are a ROMANCE Sim who is
against dating! Are you serious?”
“I am TOTALLY not against dating. I am
TOTALLY against your blatant attempts to
piss us off!” Xander shouted back.

95. Aviendha tried to storm away, but her mother
grabbed her. Aviendha finally had enough.
She plugged her ears and began to scream at
the top of her lungs.
“I DON'T WANT TO MARRY A PROFESSOR!
I AM SO AGAINST THE IDEA THAT I
WISHED TO WOOHOO WITH TWENTY
SIMS AS MY BIRTHDAY WISH! HOW IS
THAT FOR A BLATANT ATTEMPT TO PISS
YOU OFF?!”
Before her parents could say anything else,
she let out another wordless scream, and
stormed out of the house.

96. It took her quite some time to cool off, and
by the time she did she realized the huge
error that she made. She had announced, out
loud, what her birthday wish was; thus
assuring that it would not come true.
“Oh, God, what did I do?” she mumbled
miserably.
Of course, the superstition was just that, but
Aviendha had a feeling, deep down inside,
that her wish was not going to come true. It
was almost as if a higher being had just
assured her that it absolutely wouldn't, so she
shouldn't fight against it.
She idly kicked her foot against the pole
running through the middle of the play fort,
contemplating what she should do next.

97. Eventually, Aviendha felt both resigned and
chagrined. She had blown her stack at her
parents and ruined her chance at having a
little fun at college. She sighed as she slid
down the pole.
She had made her decision.

98. She didn't bother telling her parents for a few
days though. She was pretty much given the
silent treatment; only the minimal amount of
words were spoken to her as her parents got
over their anger at her audacious
announcement.
Eventually things cooled down enough for
everyone to speak civilly to each other.
Aviendha finger gunned her mother as she
walked into the kitchen to grab some
breakfast.
“So, Mom, Dad, I've been thinking...”
Marsha looked up from the book she was
reading, inwardly cringing, waiting for some
bombastic announcement. “What about?”

99. Aviendha waited until she grabbed some
leftovers for breakfast before she continued.
Smiling sweetly up at her parents she said,
“I've been thinking that you were right and I
was wrong. I will find a nice professor to
marry. In fact, I'm planning on getting started
on my college career right after you guys
have your birthday.”
This was met with sighs of relief from Xander
and Marsha; they felt that her announcement
was the most mature thing she had ever said.

100. Chapter Eight
“So, you already found a place for all of us to
live?” Mary asked her cousin. Aviendha gave
a satisfied nod.
“It could comfortably hold six people, so the
four of us will be able to live there just fine.
With all of our scholarship money pooled
together, we can easily afford it. I'm leaving
tonight so I can get all the paperwork done
tomorrow. That way, everything will be taken
care of by the time you, Miles, and Amelia
graduate high school.”
Mary bounced around a little bit. “It's going
to be so much fun, I can wait!”
“Yeah, neither can I,” Aviendha muttered,
attempting to keep any trace of bitterness
out.
Before anything else could be said, it was
time for Xander to blow out his candles.

101. Everyone laughed as the confetti flew,
revealing an elder aged Xander. Xander
looked down at his clothes. “Hey, this is
TOTALLY not that bad, why are you guys
laughing?”
Nobody would answer him as he glowered at
all of them. “Seriously dudes, it could be so
much worse. I have half a mind to TOTALLY
keep this outfit.” He reached up to run his
fingers through his hair. His hand stopped
when he felt the bare skin on top of his head.
“MY HAIR! OH MY GOD, THIS IS TOTALLY
NOT COOL!”

102. “No way am I going to be bald,” he said as he
made his way to his bedroom to change. “I
am TOTALLY going to Shatner it from now
on.”

103. Thankfully, his parents had stored away a
gray toupee; though WHY they had one is a
question Xander never wanted answered,
ever, in this life or the next.
He was a tad bit regretful about changing out
of his smoking jacket, but he had the feeling
that the outfit would always be associated
with his sudden baldness, so he had to pass.

104. Marsha aged in a much more graceful and
dignified manner, much to everyone's
disappointment. However, she felt that her
outfit was meant for someone much younger
than she was, so she, too, opted to change.

105. Xander caressed Marsha's face when she got
done changing. “I'm old,” Marsha whispered
plaintively.
“You are TOTALLY not old, and you are as
beautiful as the day I met you to boot,”
Xander said adoringly. Marsha leaned into
his caress and smiled at him.
“Are you upset about your hair?”
“What are you talking about? This is
TOTALLY my natural hair!” Xander exclaimed
loud enough for the room to hear. Everyone
laughed. “No dudes, seriously, I am
TOTALLY going to keep saying that until
everyone believes it. It's like, 'The Secret' or
some crap like that. I'm putting those words
out there, then they will come true.”

106. Eventually the party ended and it was a
rousing success; something that the Lewis
family had come to expect in their parties.
Aviendha watched her father as he said
goodbye to the guests, feeling a little sad. For
a lot of her life she kept hoping and wishing
to grow up faster, and now that time had
come. The cab had been called, and her
things had been packed. She was ready to
leave for school.

107. Xander saw his daughter watching him with a
small smile. He heard the cab beeping
outside and he realized his little girl was all
grown up. Feeling a little choked up, he
grabbed her into a bear hug.
“You'll have so much fun at school, I know
you will, Mini-Me.”
“I know, too Daddy. I'll make you guys
proud by getting good grades and stuff,
honest. I'll also try not to swear at my
professors too much.” Xander chuckled a bit
at that and let her go.

108. Both of her parents walked her outside and
said their goodbyes as she walked to the
waiting cab.
“Be good at school. And remember to get
good grades before you meet the professor
of your dreams. You don't want people
claiming that you are getting your good
grades because of your relationship!”
Marsha called to her daughter's retreating
form.
“Okay Mom, I will.”
“Remember to have lots of toga parties! And
don't forget to TOTALLY give your old 'rents a
call once in a while, college girl!”
“Okay Dad, I'll remember.”
“Have fun!” Both her parents said in unison.
“I'll try. Bye! I love you!”
And her cab drove away.

109. Xander and Marsha kept waving at the cab
until even the taillights couldn't be seen in the
distance.
“Do you think she'll be okay?” Marsha asked.
“TOTALLY! She's our daughter, how can she
not be okay? Academie Le Tour is TOTALLY
going to be taken by storm!”

110. Chapter Nine
Sebastian stared at Tristen's urn for quite
some time the morning of Kitty's birthday.
He tried to remember what it was like being
married to her way back in the day. But
every time he came up with a solid memory,
he realized that it was actually of Kitty
instead.
He realized, with a sudden clarity, that he had
long since been over Tristen.

111. He gazed at her portrait, remembering snips,
bits, and impressions of their brief marriage,
trying to get a solid memory.
Then he laughed out loud as he remembered
one. He remembered how he asked her to
marry him before he knew her name. Smiling
at the memory, he realized what he needed
to do; it was something he should have done
a long time ago.

112. As he had her urn sent away to the city
graveyard, Tristen's ghost appeared for the
last time. She smiled and waved at him, and
he tipped an invisible hat back at her.
And then, she was gone for good.
As Sebastian reached up to take Tristen's
portrait down, it had long since been
replaced in the game room by Kitty's own
portrait, he heard Kitty come up behind him.

113. “You didn't need to do that, Sebby,” Kitty
said softly as he turned to face her.
“Yeah, I did. I should have done it a long
time ago.”
“Why today?”
“Well, I couldn't think of any better present
for you. Things are things, but this,” he
gestured vaguely to where Tristen's urn had
occupied on the shelf, “this is something that
only I could give you. I wanted to have proof
for the remaining generations of this family
that you are my wife, and you are the one
who will be buried beside me. Having her
float around, well, I don't want anyone to
mistake her for you. You know what I
mean?”
Kitty did, more than Sebastian would ever
realize. She knew, from a SimSelf
perspective, that his family tree will never
register Tristen on it. It hadn't in a while; but
with her ghost gone, Tristen might as well
have been erased from existence. Touched,
Kitty gave her husband a gentle kiss on his
lips.
“Thank you. It is the best gift you have ever
given me. Well, other than you, yourself.”

114. As touching as Sebastian's gift was, Kitty still
had a hard time facing the fact that she was
about to turn into an elder. Only rarely did
SimSelves age, and she kind of wished that
she got to be one of them.
On the other hand, she didn't want to live
forever if Sebastian was going to die on her.
She just had to make herself content with the
thought that in her home dimension, both of
them have the distinct possibility of living for
all eternity.
Once that mess gets cleaned up, of course.*
She sighed with a smile as her family gathered
around yet another birthday cake, waiting for
her to blow out her candles.
---
*I have been real lax in mentioning this, but
“Kitty” is a version of Tribebohemian's
SimSelf, and she writes “The Victorian's: A
Legacy.” Unfortunately, it's undergoing a
rebuild at the moment, hence 'the mess'
statement.

115. As everyone gathered around, Kitty did the
traditional 'contemplating what her wish
would be' face. Everyone groaned as she
hemmed and hawed theatrically.
“I know! I wish to be immortal!”
“Ahhh! Don't say it out loud! It won't come
true!” someone from the crowed shouted.
“Too late!” She replied, and she blew out her
candles.

116. Xander and Sebastian peered at Kitty. She
looked like she hadn't aged a single bit.
Xander was a bit scandalized, as well as a
little jealous; she didn't lose any of her hair.
Not even her hair color!
“Are you TOTALLY sure that you aged there
Kitty?” He asked.
Kitty flexed her hands, which had started to
hurt a little bit. “Yeah, I'm pretty sure I did,
Xander.”
“Well, you certainly carry it well then,” the
toupeed man responded, enviously.

117. Sebastian grinned at his wife and gave her a
wolf whistle. “How on earth did I get so
lucky?”
Kitty blushed and shrugged, appreciative of
Sebastian adoration.
Sebastian then turned serious. “Did you
really want to be immortal?”

118. Kitty reached over and caressed his wrinkled
cheek. “Not really. That's why I said the wish
out loud, because I knew it wouldn't come
true.”
Sebastian gave her his lopsided grin, the grin
she had fallen in love with, and gave her yet
another birthday kiss.

119. While Xander and her father were
commenting on how young Kitty still looked,
Mary had the opportunity to have a one on
one conversation with Amelia's father.
“Mr. Uh, hey, I don't know your last name,”
Mary began with an embarrassed smile.
Keith looked at her and made up a last name
on the spot, as SimSelf would have been too
hard to explain.
“Bond. Keith Bond.”
“Mr Bond, can I ask you a question?”
“Shoot.”
“Well, when you met Amelia's mother, did
you know that you were going to marry her
right away?”
Keith thought about it for a moment. “Yeah,
pretty much. She had a boyfriend at the time,
so that was inconvenient, but she dumped
him a few months after I met her and we got
together. I proposed to her three months
into our relationship. It pretty much was love
at first sight for me, and she eventually came
around. Why?”

120. Mary was embarrassed as she realized that
this type of conversation was something she
should be having with her own father; but
something about Keith Bond made her want
to talk to him. It was almost as if he knew her
as well as her own family knew her.
“Well, I kind of met this guy, and he has a lot
of potential. I am a bit too young to fall in
love with him, but I was kind of hoping that
when I go off to college that some feelings
will come about.”
“Well, start off by being his friend. That
always worked out for me. What do you like
about him?”
Mary shrugged. “His potential. His clothes
need to change, and maybe his hair, but he
might turn out to be someone perfect for me
to marry.”
“Are you talking about Goopy?!”
“Please. I refer to him as Gil.”
“Ooookay Well, if that's who you want, then
start out by being his friend. Don't force the
issue and everything will turn out okay.”
Mary grinned happily. “Thank you Mr. Bond
for your sage advice.”
Keith snerked back a laugh and muttered,
“Goopy GilsCarbo,” under his breath.

121. As the party was dying down, Mary found
Goopy in the living room talking with her
Great Aunt Aylee's robot, Zeke.
“Gil, I'm leaving for college tomorrow.”
“That's nice,” Goopy replied.
Mary took a deep breath. “I was hoping that
you would call on me while I am there.
Maybe go out and have coffee and such.”
Goopy shrugged with a confident air. “Sure, I
don't see why not.”
Mary smiled and wrote the phone number to
the house she would be staying at down on a
piece of paper. As he took it, Mary hugged
him. “I look forward to hearing from you.
Sooner than later, I hope.”
Goopy amiably hugged her back. Aww yeah,
the Goopster's still got it, he thought as he
watched Mary leave the room.

122. The next morning saw Mary and Miles saying
goodbye to their parents. Each child hugged
their parents tightly with whispered words of
promises to call, study hard, and have fun.
“You guys grew up so fast,” Sebastian said as
he hugged Mary one last time.
“Time flies when you're having fun!” Miles
responded as Kitty hugged him again.
As their children walked out the door to meet
the waiting cab, Sebastian and Kitty put their
arms around one another and waved through
the window.
“Our babies,” Kitty said, choked up.
“Yeah...”Sebastian replied, at a loss for words.

123. Waving to her parents one last time, Mary
put on a cheerful smile and entered the cab.
College was promising to be the most perfect
experience, at least until her wedding day,
and she was determined that absolutely
nothing will get in her way of a perfect, happy
life.
She couldn't wait.

124. Epilogue
After watching Mary's cab leave for college, I
was forced to come out of my observational
place on the sidelines because I saw Keith
approaching the Devereaux house. He
stopped dead in his tracks when he saw me.
“What on earth do you think you are doing?”
I asked in a tone that demanded an answer.
“And why in the hell are you wearing a
Mayor's outfit?”

125. Keith didn't even have the shame to look
embarrassed. “I was going to visit Sebastian
and Kitty. They asked me to come over
because Amelia is such good friends with
Miles and Mary. As for the Mayor's
outfit...well, I'm married to a SimSelf; I think I
should look important.”
“Nobody is supposed to know what
SimSelves are here, number one. Number
two, you, of all people, should know how I
feel about consorting with this family. We
aren't supposed to socialize with them; that
way we don't have to answer any
uncomfortable questions about why we
aren't aging or dying when they are. I've
managed to make them practically forget that
they are being controlled by me, and I can't
have you ruining that because you are bored
at home!”
Keith squared his jaw and was about to reply
when I beat him to the punch.
“Just get home and change out of that
ridiculous outfit. Amelia is about to go off to
college herself and we ought to say goodbye
to her...among other things.”
Keith cricked his neck and walked away in
the direction towards home; he didn't even
look at me as he passed.

126. I sighed as I looked at my legacy family's
house. Thankfully, none of the residents
noticed me out there.
With Ansley, Savannah and Merlin all dead
now, Kitty was the only one in the family who
knew exactly who and what I was; but she
isn't immortal here, and I can trust her to
keep the secret. Of course, the Pre-Made
population of Pleasantview knew too, but
none of them really talked to the family.
I made sure of that.
And now Keith and my daughter were on the
path to destroying the anonymity that I had
painstakingly created.
With one last look at the house, admiring my
awesome building skills I must admit, I myself
headed home.
Amelia needed a talking to.

127. “Amelia,” I began, “I cannot even begin to
tell you how proud your father and I are of
you. You're all grown up and ready to leave
for college. And then, when you're done with
college, you can come back here and help
me with my project. Help your dad too, I
suppose.”
Amelia gave me a strange look. “What
project is that?”
“Well,” I said, trying to find the best way to
answer, “I want you to be an observer with
me.”
“An observer? What?”
I sighed. “An observer of the Devereaux
family, their extended family, as well as
Pleasantview, though they are secondary and
minor this time around. You get to be
immortal and make decisions on how they
live their lives. It can be hard, and even sad
sometimes; but in the end, looking back on a
ten generation challenge, all documented,
will be rewarding. That is my hope anyway.”

128. Amelia gave me a suspicious look. “That
sounds awfully appealing, I guess. But what
is the catch?”
My shoulders slumped. This was going to be
the hard part. I leaned in and whispered the
answer in her ear. “The catch is, you can no
longer talk with them. It's one thing to be
attached to something you created and you
have to see die; it's another thing to have it
happen right in front of you, forcing you to
live the entire experience personally.”
I took a deep breath and dropped the bomb
on her. “That means, no more Miles.”

129. She jerked away from me. “What?! No!
Then I don't want it. I don't want to help you
with your stupid project. I don't have the
same 'God Complex' you apparently have!”
“Baby,” my voice was frantic, “you can't be
with him. You should never have been
exposed to any of them! It was a freak
accident that you met Aviendha! I knew I
should have home schooled you!”
“No mom, it wasn't an accident! It was fate
for me to be with Miles. I'm going to marry
him after college and you can't stop me!”
“Yes I can!” I shouted back. “You aren't
going to talk to them anymore! You can't!”
“Ang! That's enough!”Keith shouted.

130. Furious, I looked down at him. “What did
you say?” I asked him, my teeth clenched.
“That's enough. I'm putting my foot down
here and now. You may be able to dictate
how everyone else lives their lives, but we are
your family, simulated or not. I will not let
you force our daughter into doing something
that she obviously does not want to do.”
“MUTINY!” I cried.
Keith nodded in response. “That may be the
case, but I think we should let Amelia make
her own decisions.”
“I won't watch her die! I refuse!”
Keith held up his hand. “How about we let
her live her own life? Let her talk to her
friends, like she always has. Then, when she
graduates, she can make her decision. This is
not a request.” He stood up and hugged our
daughter.
“Have fun at school, princess. But I want you
to think about what your mother has said,
okay?”
Amelia nodded, walked out the door, entered
the waiting cab, and left for college.
**********************************************
Thank you all for reading! And as always,
thank you for all your awesome comments!