The Devereaux Legacy: Chapter Three - Part 4

Welcome back to The Devereaux Legacy. In
a brief recap of last chapter, Sebastian
Devereaux, the third generation’s heir, and his
wife, Tristen, were having problems
conceiving to continue the family line. After a
multitude of silly mistakes, Tristen
inadvertently took a dose of poison thinking it
was a fertility tonic, and was thus killed in the
process. This leaves Sebastian as a widower.

Lillian Devereaux, Sebastian’s sister, is also up
to no good. She has a son, Zane, whom she
is grooming to take over the Legacy after her
plans to re-inherit the throne takes place.

To make matters worse, London Bridge
became a BFBVFS, and much undocumented
chaos ensued as people were frantically
abandoning ship in an attempt to save their
own lives.

And the dust is only just starting to settle…

Prologue

The Stargate to this world had been inactive
for months. It had sat quietly, minding its
own business, ever since those disgruntled
looking Sims were practically tossed through
it last October. Did those Sims thank the
Stargate for gating them safely? No, they did
not. Instead, they glared at it and walked
down the road to the town below, muttering
to themselves. One in particular was very
fussy, brushing at his clothing. But that was
neither here nor there.

Ever since then, the Stargate was left alone. It
preferred its solitude.

Needless to say, the Stargate would have
groaned (if it had the capabilities to do so)
when it felt a very familiar feeling of a worm
hole trying to contact it. Wanting to get back
to it’s solitude, it reluctantly opened up the
event horizon to admit the travelers.

Four figures emerged from the gate. They
looked like they were old pros at inter-world
travel, though their hands looked strangely
empty, lacking the guns that they would
normally carry. The blonde woman looked
over at the stoic bald man.

“Are we sure this is the Alpha site? The worm
hole had problems connecting, though I
suppose that might have something to do
with London Bridge’s gate being destroyed.”
Major Samantha Carter’s voice sounded
concerned. Teal’c raised an eyebrow at her.

“Is this not P3X007, the proper location that
the coordinates implied?” he asked as he
scanned their surroundings.

“Carter, I’m sure that this is the right place,”
Col. Jack O’Neill interrupted before Carter
could respond, “Why don’t you make sure
that the DHD is working so we can contact
Thor, so the Asgaard can bring over the
people who are being held in stasis. Daniel,
why don’t you check the immediate area out,
make sure that this is the right place.”

Carter walked over to the Dial Home Device
and inspected it. “Sir, it appears that
everything is functioning as it should. But the
symbols aren’t in the order that they should
be,” as she examined the symbols closer, her
eyes widened.

“It appears that this gate’s home symbol is…
Oh my God. Sir, we need to leave now! We
are NOT at the Alpha site!”

Daniel Jackson’s curiosity overtook him as he
walked the perimeter. “Whoa,” he called out,
“there’s a cliff right here, watch your step.”
He tried to look around through the trees at
the town below. He could see a huge sign,
but he couldn’t make out the letters.

Vexed, Daniel pulled out his binoculars to
make out the sign, tuning out Carter’s
panicked voice. What he saw made the
blood drain from his face.

“Oh my God, Jack. We’re not at the Alpha
site. We're in Pleasantview!”

Jack sighed and sat on the stone steps with
Teal’c standing over him, still scanning their
surroundings. “Pleasantview? Why does that
name sound familiar?” He pondered for a
moment before it came to him. With a snap
of his fingers he said, “Oh, that’s right .
Pleasantview. Hey Teal’c, isn’t this where we
sent that one guy. You know the one, with
the huge attitude problem in desperate need
of a smack? What was his name? Something
like…Cedric, right?”

Teal’c ground his teeth in remembrance. “His
name was Cecil, O’Neill.”

“Cecil! That’s right. I’m REALLY bad at
remembering names. And me without a gun.
What a shame,” Jack responded, rolling his
eyes. It was clear that he DID remember the
names, but he just chose to “forget” them to
piss the people he didn’t like off. He grinned
inwardly. That was what made his job fun.
Diplomacy was not his strong point, that’s
why he kept Daniel around; no matter how
much Daniel was also in dire need of a good
shot in the face with a Zat gun most of the
time.

“Well, seeing as we’re here, we might as well
see what all the hubbub is about,” and he got
up from the stairs and took out his own
binoculars to scan the horizon.

“Aw, this isn’t so bad,” Jack said in an almost
disappointed tone. “Look, there’s a bunch of
nice, big houses surrounded by lots and lots
of trees. And there’s a rather nice looking
park,” Jack inhaled a deep breath,
appreciating the smell of fresh air. “I think
Pleasantview’s horribleness has been just a
tad bit exaggerated.”

Daniel sighed and turned Jack’s body to the
right, directing him to look in another area.

“Ah, see? Now THAT’S more like it,” Jack said
as he looked at the smoggy, run down,
industrial like area of Pleasantview, “I guess I
can understand why people wouldn’t want to
live here. Carter, we’re going to have to
contact the Asgaard and tell them that for
some reason, we weren’t able to reach the
Alpha site, what with the worm hole thingie
doing that weird…stuff and…stuff. Yeah.
ANYWAY…”

“Sir, we just got a message from Thor,” Carter
replied. “He said that the stasis devices that
are holding the people from London Bridge
are going to fail soon, and we’re going to
have to implant everyone here; otherwise
they are going to be lost.”

Jack sighed and shrugged. “Well, then they
come here. Let the Asgaard know that we
are ready for them.”

Daniel started to protest. “Jack, we can’t let
them live here! It’s inhumane, and they
certainly will not achieve a happy state of
mind, something that the Sim race refers to as
Perma-Plat. From an ethical standpoint , it
should not be allowed. Do you want
something like that on your conscience?
How will you be able to sleep at night?”

Jack sighed again and rubbed his forehead.
“Daniel, if we don’t let the Asgaard transplant
those Sims here right now, they are all going
to die anyway, Perma-Plat or not. At least
here they might have a fighting chance. And
hey, for all you know, these transplants might
be treated better than the other inhabitants of
this world. I’ve seen weirder things happen,
and so have you. Oh, and Daniel? I sleep like
a baby. Every night.”

Teal’c looked over at Carter and said in a
contemplative tone, “I wonder how the other
denizens will feel knowing that they might be
treated as a second orange to these
transplants.” Carter looked over at Teal’c and
smiled.

“I think you mean second banana , Teal’c.
And maybe, they might not even notice…”

Chapter One

“Bringing you hard hitting news, with your
news team: Matt and Jess Picaso!”

“….And then I said, ‘WRECKED ‘em? I darn
near KILLED ‘em!’ Ahahahaha! Anyway,
that’s the story about how I became a news
anchor.”

“Hahahaha. Oh Matt, that was a very clever
story. What? Oh, we’re on air!”

“Good evening, I’m Matt Picaso.”

“And I’m Jess Picaso. Thank you for tuning in
to Pleasantview Action News.”

“Well Matt, it looks like things are no longer
pleasant in Pleasantview.”

“Jess, things have always been rather
unpleasant, but now the citizens are
beginning to stand up and take notice.”

“Which brings us to our top story. A near riot
broke out today when many of the
established citizens of Pleasantview were
uprooted from their homes to make way for
the new Legacy family that has been placed
here.”

“Mortimer Goth led the high profile citizens in
a wild protest, stating that they have had
enough.”

“What do we want?!”

“EQUAL RIGHTS FOR MAXIS PRE-MADES!”

“When do we want it?”

“NOW!”

“No longer will we idly stand by as Legacy
Family after Legacy Family is favored over us.
No longer will archaic Legacy rules make us
ineligible for on screen time by barring us from
marriage into those families. No longer will
we be kept in hovels as Legacy brats practice
their sales pitches and makeovers on us, only
to have them laugh at us later.
FREEEEEEEDOOOOOOOOM!”

“HUZZAH!!!”

“The Pleasantview Conditioning Brute Squad
broke up the unauthorized assembly shortly
afterward. Mortimer Goth has since been
stripped of his lavish estates and has been
seen rifling through garbage cans near the
Budget Slum Unit he was assigned to. Rumors
of a lobotomy have yet to be confirmed.”

“Of course it is not only the established
residents of Pleasantview who are unhappy
with the new Legacy Family transplant.
Savannah Lewis, second generation spare to
the Devereaux Family Legacy, is also quite
displeased with the new living arrangements.”

“She PROMISED! I was told that I would only
have to live here if I Public WooHooed more
than that one time! I refrained from doing it
anymore! And now, I STILL have to live here.
IT’S NOT FAIR! I WANT MORE PUBLIC
WOOHOO!”

“Of course, we can only assume that the ‘she’
that Ms. Lewis is referring to would be
peasant007, the so-called creator of this mini-
verse. Peasant007, known otherwise as Ang,
has been keeping a low profile from both the
Devereaux family, as well as the rest of the
citizens of Pleasantview.”

“Well Matt, I can’t say that I blame her for
laying low. She apparently has a lot to answer
for if anyone gets their hands on her.”

“Very well put Jess. I know I have my torch
and pitchfork ready, how about you?”

“Oh indeed I do, Matt. Indeed I do.”

“On to more happy news though, how are
things on the Celebrity Gossip front?”

“Oh, things couldn’t be more exciting there,
Matt! Oops, I gestured to high, now I
suppose my hand will be cut off by the pop
up screen…”

“Anyway, a Royal wedding of sorts took place
at the Lewis household when Xander Lewis
became officially married to a former Drama
Professor from Sim State University, Marsha
Sell. It was a very small ceremony, limited to
only the Devereaux family.”

“Our reporters managed to get a few pictures
of the wedding before Mr. Xander Lewis
rather forcefully informed them that they
were not on the guest list.”

“However, our intrepid reporters still managed
to get a few pictures, though.”

“That cake looks delicious, Jess. Who was the
baker?”

“Ah, the baker for the cake was none other
than the famous Maxis designers, from their
Celebration Line. It does look rather
delectable.”

“Mmmmm, I could go for some cake now,
couldn’t you?”

“Ahahaha, oh yes Matt, I certainly could!”

“And then, of course, the elusive Sebastian
Devereaux was also seen at the Lewis
wedding. Sebastian is the current heir to the
Devereaux Family line, and he is currently
single.”

“Wow Jess, an heir of this mini-verse’s Legacy
family is single? That is most bizarre. Don’t
they usually have the heirs lined up with a
spouse when they are born?”

“It seems, Matt, the circumstances
surrounding Sebastian’s marital status is
rather muddled. All we are aware of is that
he is a widower.”

“Oh, ho, I bet there will be plenty of girls
lining up around the block to get married into
the Devereaux family. He’s rich, good
looking, and he needs to produce an heir for
the family line to--”

Ansley shut off the television and looked
down at Sebastian to gauge his reaction.
There was none. It seemed that Sebastian
was just staring off into space.

Ansley sighed, and placed the remote down
next to him. “Sebastian,” she began in a
halting manner, trying to find the right words,
“ignore them. The media, well, they are a
bunch of vultures.” Sebastian just blinked, still
staring ahead.

Ansley reached out to touch his hair, then
pulled her hand back before she made
contact. For one of the first times in her life,
she didn’t know what to say or do. She knew
her son was mourning, and the entire process
of moving to a new area wasn’t helping
much.

Everything was unfamiliar. The house, the
outside sounds, even the smells were foreign.
Then there was the media constantly
haranguing them in their attempts to
interview the family. No, none of it was
helping, and Sebastian just seemed to be
withdrawing more and more. Ansley sighed
again.

“Sweetie, take all the time you need.
Everything will be…”she stopped herself. She
couldn’t lie. Things might NOT be okay. She
reached out again and this time made
contact. She stroked his hair, kissed the top
of his head and then left him alone.

As his mother left the room, Sebastian picked
up the remote and turned the television back
on. He went back to staring at it, not seeing
or hearing what it was displaying.

“Tris,” Sebastian began with a smile, reaching
out to caress her shoulder, “I love you. You
know that, right?” Tristen gazed at him with
her beautiful smile.

“Yeah, I know ‘bastian. Oh guess what!
There’s someone who wants to meet you!”

Sebastian looked down at the small boy
Tristen was holding. “He’s beautiful, Tris.”
His heart choked in his throat as he tried to
hold back the happy tears. He gathered his
son into his arms and held him.

Chapter Two

“Frazzlegrumblegrbit. I’m a Council Member
of SimCity, and I’m still TOTALLY having to
repair things around the house,” Xander
muttered loudly to himself as he tightened
what he hoped was the screw that was making
the trash compactor malfunction.

Marsha sighed in a tired manner. The baby
kicking had kept her up for most of the night
and she was exhausted. “Xander,” she called
out, “if the leader of the free world has to
smoke in a tiny bathroom off the Oval Office
with the fan running and the window opened
a crack, of which you know he does, than I’m
sure you can take the time out of your busy
day to fix the stuff that breaks around the
house. Yes you can!”

Xander walked into the living room and
grinned at his wife, giving her a finger gun.
“You’re TOTALLY right, babe.”

“I know I am. You just know that Michelle is
also pounding on the bathroom door
screaming, ‘Barack? BARACK? Are you
smoking in there?’ and he’d be waving the
smoke out the window replying back, ‘No
dear, you know I’m not.’” The two of them
laughed at the image. Xander walked over to
Marsha and rubbed her protruding belly.

“So, you think today’s the day the baby will
come? Maybe I should stay home...” Marsha
shook her head.

“No, you should go in and try to keep the
ruckus down about our being moved here.
Be a positive front for the family while your
cousin adjusts to everything.”

Xander’s grin faltered for a moment before he
responded, “Yeah. Well, I’m still gonna
TOTALLY tell my ‘rents to keep an eye on you
and have them call me at the office if the
baby is born,” he gave her a quick kiss on the
cheek before he went outside.

“Dad?” Xander called out as he watched
Merlin strut towards the gardening shed
where Savannah undoubtedly was. “Dad.
Really. Dad? I need to ask you a favor.”

Merlin sighed longingly at the missed chance
of garden shed WooHoo as he turned
towards his son. “Uh, your mother, er, she’s a
dem fine woman, uh Xander. A dem fine
woman.” Merlin grinned enthusiastically as
he began walking towards the shed again.
Xander rolled his eyes.

“Gross Dad. That’s TOTALLY my mother
you’re talking about. Anyway. Dad. DAD.
For the love of… DAD!” Merlin stopped
again as Xander demanded his attention .
“Dad. Marsha’s probably going to have the
baby today. Could either you or Mom give
me a call when that happens, so I can
TOTALLY come home?”

Merlin nodded his head. “Uh, er, I’ll let your
mother know. I have to, uh, go to work
today, but, er, she’ll be here.” And he walked
away again, determined to get his WooHoo
before going to work. Xander sighed for the
umpteenth time that day and left for his own
job. That was probably the best answer he
was going to get.

And indeed, Marsha did go into labor that
very afternoon. Watching Marsha with one
eye, Savannah made the quick phone call to
Xander, and then rushed into the living room
to cheer Marsha on.

After much screaming, Marsha gave birth to a
baby girl, Aviendha.

Savannah took the little girl into her arms
while Marsha went upstairs to sleep off her
exhaustion. Making sure that nobody was
around to watch, Savannah smiled down at
her granddaughter and cooed soothingly into
her ear.

Driving from SimCity faster than he should
have, Xander burst into the house in record
time to get his first look at his daughter. He
smiled, speechless, as Savannah handed
Aviendha to him.

Cradling the baby in his arms, Xander felt that
he could float away with pride. “This is my
daughter…” he said, trailing off, speechless
once again in his overly articulated life.
Savannah just smiled at him. She knew the
exact feeling he was having; she had felt the
same sense of awe and wonder when she
held Xander in her arms the first time.

Xander got over his speechlessness
eventually, as he held Aviendha up in the air,
playing with her. The baby laughed and
grabbed two fistfuls of Xander’s hair. Wincing
in pain, Xander laughed himself and tried to
untangle Aviendha’s tiny fingers that seemed
to be determined to stay latched on his head.

Rocking the baby in his arms once again,
Xander turned to his mother and asked,
“Marsha upstairs sleeping?” Savannah
nodded in response.

“It was a rather hard pregnancy for her, kiddo.
She needs her rest. Speaking of which, the
baby should probably go down for a nap as
well.” Xander knew his mother was right, so
he went upstairs and placed Aviendha into
the crib that has been waiting for her for the
last two months of Marsha’s pregnancy.

As Xander placed the baby in her crib, he
noticed his father’s car pool pulling up to the
front of the house. Bounding down stairs and
out the door, he breathlessly gave Merlin a
thumbs up. “You’re TOTALLY a grandfather,
Pops.”

Merlin, for his part, tried to appear nonchalant
as he shrugged. “Uh, son, er, remember what
I said, er, about keeping, uh, up the, er,
appearances in the name of Romance Sims
Er, you shouldn’t act so, er, happy about it…”
Xander interrupted him.

“For the love of Bob, Dad. Just go upstairs
and behold the beauty of your granddaughter
and TOTALLY shut up about how Romance
Sims are ‘supposed’ to act.”

Merlin didn’t want to seem too eager, so he
waited until Xander went to use the
bathroom before he tiptoed upstairs. He
walked into Aviendha’s room and gazed
down at her. Smiling softly, he reached out
and stroked her sleeping head.

Later that night, Xander crawled into bed next
to the semi-awake Marsha. She snuggled
against him as he gathered her into his arms
and stroked her hair. “She looks like you,”
Marsha murmured. Xander grinned
wholeheartedly.

“Well, then she’s going to be a total heart
breaker when she grows up. I’ll TOTALLY
have to beat the boys off with a stick,” he
replied with a chuckle. “Is it too late to name
her Mini-Me?” Marsha playfully slapped his
chest before drifting back off to sleep.
Xander kissed her forehead and listened to his
wife’s even breathing. Despite all the political
trouble that kept coming up as a backlash to
his family line being moved here, Xander
couldn’t help but feel that all was still right
with the world.

Downstairs in the living room, the two new
grandparents sat cuddling on the couch. “So,
‘Grandpa’ you still feel spry enough for a little
bit of WooHoo?” Savannah asked Merlin in a
teasing manner. Merlin waggled his
eyebrows at Savannah and led her to their
upstairs bedroom, both of them giggling
quietly, so as not to wake the new baby in the
house.

Chapter Three

Sebastian grinned at Tristen’s reflection as she
fussily fixed Rick’s hair. “Come on Ricky, stay
still while Mommy fixes your hair,” Tristen said
to the child while he squirmed in her arms.

“No Mommy. Down!” the toddler
demanded. Tristen caught Sebastian’s grin at
her and she threw him a mock glare.
Sebastian tried to, unsuccessfully, cover his
grin with his hand.

“Do you want me to take him, hon? I can
teach him how to walk.”

“Oh yeah, so he can get into everything
above floor level, that would be nice,” Tristen
replied, handing Rick over to Sebastian.
Sebastian threw his head back and laughed,
and then gave her a kiss.

“Come on Ricky. Come to Daddy. Just a few
more steps, and then you’ve got it.” The
small boy rubbed his eyes and then smiled at
Sebastian. He then toddled the last few steps
into Sebastian’s arms and---

Sebastian blinked and looked around. Biting
his lip in frustration he glowered at his
surroundings and got up from the chair he
was apparently sitting in. He winced inwardly
as he realized that his leg had fallen asleep.

Flexing his leg muscle idly while it regained
feeling, Sebastian began walking through the
house, trailing his hand along the wall. If I
don’t accept this as real, then it isn’t, he
thought to himself as he felt himself drawn
towards the living room.

He stopped in front of the shelf that was in
the corner.

There it was. Tristen’s urn. Sebastian sunk his
head into his hands and sighed. This isn’t
really happening to me. This is happening to
someone else. Not me. Someone else. Not
me. He continued his inward mantra,
desperately attempting to block out his reality
in favor of his fantasies. He was unsuccessful.

He didn’t worry overmuch about it though.
He knew that he would be able to conjure
them up again, eventually. He continued his
walk through the unfamiliar house in a dazed
manner.

He stopped in the front room when he saw
his parents sharing a private moment. He
looked wistfully at them, knowing that it
should be HIM that was holding Tristen, like
his father was holding his mother. Inside, he
grew angry.

Why hasn’t your world ended like mine did?!
He silently screamed at his parents, Why
aren’t you miserable like I am?! He knew he
was being unfair, but he didn’t care. Part of
me has DIED! Why are you so HAPPY?!
HOW DARE YOU!

His face remained expressionless, however.
None of his thoughts were betrayed as he
walked past his parents, continuing his
unseeing stroll through the overly large
rooms.

Ansley found her mind wandering as she
prepared dinner that night. Her thoughts
kept landing on Sebastian’s downward spiral.
She knew that it was probably wrong to think
the way she was; but she really hoped that he
would snap out of the funk he was in, and
soon. It sounded almost selfish in her mind,
but she wanted to be assured that the family
would continue on after she passed.

She angrily stuffed the turkey. She didn’t like
thinking about her own mortality, no matter
how much her body reminded her that she
was no longer a spry young woman.

Then her thoughts landed on Lillian. She
paused for a moment and shook her head.
She knew for a fact that Lillian had something
to do with Tristen’s death. She saw the
newspaper ad with the very recognizable
picture of Josh in it. She just didn’t think
Tristen was stupid enough to fall for it. I
should have done something when I first saw
it, though. This is my fault. She slammed the
turkey into the oven, trying to squelch those
thoughts.

“I take it Sebastian isn’t joining us for dinner
tonight?” Hunter asked, picking at his food.
“Does the boy even eat anymore?”

Ansley sighed in a patient manner before
responding.

“He does. I know because I see leftovers
missing from the fridge. I hear him walking
around at night, microwaving the meals. I just
think…well…I think he’s in his own little reality
right now, and it doesn’t involve talking to
us.”

“Ansley, how long? How long is he going to
be like this? A part of me wants to hug him
like a little kid, and the other part of me wants
to shake him and tell him to snap out of it and
that life goes on.” Hunter stabbed at a piece
of turkey in frustration.

Ansley smiled in understanding. “I know, I
want to do the same thing. Let’s say we give
him a few more days and then we’ll try to talk
to him.”

No matter how much he tried, Sebastian
couldn’t tune out the conversation that his
parents were having about him the next room
over. Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP! he
mentally shouted as he tried to conjure up his
happy life world.

Having Tristen’s ghost reenact her death was
also not helping. I’m sorry Tris, I should have
moved faster, he mentally projected to her.
Tristen not only haunted his dreams and
thoughts, but her ghost had taken to
following him around the house either crying
or dying. Over and over again. She didn’t
interact with him directly, but he still felt her
presence and would grimly torture himself as
he watched her.

She died again. And again. And again.
Finally, her ghost went outside. He was
tempted to follow her, but a weary
exhaustion took over.

As he took one last gaze at her crying in the
flower bed outside, he turned and walked up
the stairs to his very empty bedroom.

He sighed as he pulled the covers back. This
reality is too morbid, and they wonder why I
prefer my thoughts. As he settled down and
closed his eyes, he smiled. Finally, he was
able to see his happy world again…

The green pajamas really brought out her
eyes. Sebastian felt himself smile adoringly at
her. “You’re beautiful, babe,” he said to her.
Tristen giggled and did a model pose,
blowing him a kiss.

Rick sighed in disgust. “Yuck, you guys. Can
we open the presents now? I’ll be Santa!” He
scooted over to the presents under the tree
and started looking at the name tags as he
tried to ignore his mushy parents.

Chapter Four

“Frazzlegribbitsflutish…I’m TOTALLY a
Congressman and I’m still having to plunge the
stupid toilet,” Xander muttered loudly as he
worked the plunger.

“FRAZZLEGRIBBITSFLUTISH!
FRAZZLEGRIBBITSFLUTISH!” Aviendha
chanted loudly as she pounded away at her
toy xylophone.

Savannah quickly went into Aviendha’s
bedroom and picked the cursing toddler up.
Looking the child directly in the eye,
Savannah said sternly, “Avi, you shouldn’t use
naughty words like that.” The toddler
wrinkled her nose.

“Daddy does,” she replied in a patient tone,
clearly thinking that her grandmother was
being unreasonable. Savannah raised her
eyebrows back.

“Yes, and your daddy shouldn’t be using
those words either. BUT,” she added to stress
her point, “your daddy is an adult. Grownups
may use that language sometimes. But little
girls shouldn’t. Okay?”

Aviendha huggled her grandmother, holding
her tightly around the neck. “K’kay Gra’ma,”
she mumbled into Savannah’s neck.
Savannah stifled back a sigh. This wasn’t the
first time she had to scold Aviendha about
naughty language. She had numerous talks
with Xander about watching his mouth
around impressionable young children; but
though he generally kept it to the bare
minimum, Aviendha still managed to parrot
him.

Savannah kissed the child on her forehead
and set her down to play.

Savannah managed to catch Xander on his
way out the door. She gathered him into a
hug and whispered in his ear, “Mouth Xander.
Avi is imitating you again.” Xander tried not
to laugh.

“Mini-Me strikes again! Sorry, sorry. I know,
I’m trying. I don’t even say the real words,
you know,” Savannah tried to interrupt him
but he continued, “I know, the intent is still
there and it’s just as bad. Maybe it’s just a
phase that she’ll grow out of?” He sounded
hopeful at the last part.

Savannah hugged him tighter. “I’m not going
to be around forever you know, kiddo. But, I
know you are trying your best. You’re a good
kid, and a good parent…despite your intent to
use bad language. I just…want you to know
that.”

Xander’s brow wrinkled at the tone in
Savannah’s voice, but he said nothing and just
hugged her back.

“Uh, whose birthday, er, is it today?” Merlin
asked his granddaughter, playing peek-a-boo.

“Mine Gra’pa!” Aviendha giggled back.

“Er, how big are you, uh, going to be?”

“SO BIG!” she replied throwing her hands in
the air, loving the game.

Merlin laughed and swung the girl up in his
arms. “Er, that’s right! Give your old, er,
grandpa some sugar.” Aviendha laughed
again and gave Merlin a sticky toddler kiss.

“Hey Family Sim,” Savannah shouted up the
stairs in a teasing manner, “the guests are all
waiting for the birthday girl. Maybe you
should bring her down before you get moved
to tears about how fast they grow and other
mushy stuff.” Merlin resisted the immature
urge to stick his tongue out at his wife; but he
did cuddle Aviendha one more time before
carrying her downstairs.

Of course all of the Devereaux family was
present to watch the birthday girl grow up.
Xander beamed at his relatives as he held
Aviendha in his arms.

Transition done, birthday cake eaten, the
family merrily socialized with one another.

All of them except for one, that is. Hunter
looked at Sebastian, who had detached
himself from the rest of the party almost as
soon as they walked in the door. At least he’s
dressed, Hunter thought to himself, even if
he’s still not talking. Hunter called Aviendha
over to him.

“Hey Aviendha, see that guy over there?
That’s your second cousin, Sebastian. Why
don’t you go over there and talk to him.”
Aviendha grinned up at Hunter, always willing
to talk to family members, distantly related or
not.

Sebastian saw the girl coming for him, so he
got up to try to avoid her. Aviendha blocked
his escape. “Hiya Sebastian. I’m supposed to
talk to you, but I don’t know about what. Do
you have any kids for me to play with? Why
are you so sad looking? Ma and Daddy say
that all you do is sit at home in you pajamas.
Are those your pajamas? They don’t look
very comfortable…Hey, where are you
going?”

Sebastian had managed to walk around the
coffee table and out the door, blocking out
the barrage of questions Aviendha was
throwing at him. Aviendha watched him
leave with a shrug, and she picked up an
abandoned bag of potato chips and began
eating them. “Gramfrazleoobits,” she
muttered cheerfully to herself. She looked
guiltily over her shoulder, then grinned
happily when she saw that nobody had heard
her.

After everyone had left, Aviendha pulled
Savannah into an impromptu dance. “That
was a frelling AWESOME birthday party
Gra’ma,” she said with a smile.

“AVIENDHA! What have I told you about the
language?”

“But you said that little girls can’t use it. I’m
not a little girl anymore,” she stated in a
logical tone.

“No, I told you that only may adults use it.
Sometimes.”

Aviendha sighed and threw her arms around
Savannah’s neck.

“K’kay Gra’ma,” she mumbled. She knew
that Savannah couldn’t resist her sweetness
and charm. She grinned impishly as she
could feel Savannah relax. “You’re the
BESTEST Gra’ma in the WHOLE world,” she
added for good measure.

Savannah smiled. She knew exactly what
Aviendha was doing. “Oh Avi, what are we
going to do with you?”

“Make me eat pie and send me to bed with
kisses?” Aviendha asked in a mock sorrowful
tone.

“No pie, but it is time for you to go to bed.
You’ve got school tomorrow.”

“Oookaaay,” Aviendha received her kiss and
went off to bed.

The next day was one of Savannah’s days off.
She made breakfast for the family and waved
to Aviendha as the child got on the bus to
school. Then she was alone. She rubbed her
neck in a distracted manner as she
contemplated how she was going to go
about what she needed to do. She sighed
and made a few phone calls.

Ansley was the first person to show up.
Giving her sister a hug, Savannah smiled.
“How are things at home?” she asked.

“The same. He’s still withdrawn. Hunter and
I are going to have to intervene soon,” Ansley
replied with a sigh.

“I wish there was something I could do to
help…”

Ansley pulled out of Savannah’s hug and
looked at her. “Is that why you invited me
over? You could have just called on the
phone to talk…oh…”

Ansley placed her hands to her chest and
closed her eyes sadly. “That’s not why, is it?”
Savannah shrugged and shook her head.
“Not really, no.”

“…When?”

“Sometime before Spring. I wanted to get all
of this out of the way, on my own terms, so
there would be no regrets.”

Ansley took a deep breath. “I can’t. I don’t
want to.”

“Oh lighten up!” Savannah reached over and
began tickling Ansley. “Oh, and by the way,
boys are still so much better than toys!”

Giggling at the old childhood argument,
Ansley responded, “Nuh uh! Toys before
Boys!”

The two sisters continued tickling each other
until their bladders couldn’t take any more.
Both of their sides ached with laughter when
they wordlessly hugged each other.

The other phone call Savannah placed was to
her alien sister, Aylee. Aylee showed up with
a smile on her face and a strange costume.
Savannah took in the ballerina outfit, cape,
and blast goggles. She blinked, not knowing
what to say. Clearly, Aylee was pleased with
her outfit.

Savannah just threw her arms around Aylee.
“Oh Aylee, don’t ever change,” she said with
a laugh.

Aylee was surprised at the hug, but she
returned it gladly. It wouldn’t hurt her outfit
too much if it got a little wrinkled.

After her sisters left Savannah spent some
time laying on the grass with Merlin, looking
at the stars. ‘Er, this is a nice, uh, night for
this,” Merlin said to his contemplative wife.
Savannah just nodded and they lay silent for a
while before Savannah spoke.

“You know, I never really had any regrets
about marrying you. You do know that,
right?” Merlin looked at her with surprise.

“Uh, hey Family Sim, er…” and he trailed off,
not knowing what to say.

“Do you know what I hope dying is like? I
kind of see it like the end of the ‘My
Philosophy’ episode of Scrubs. I would like to
go out like that. Everyone happy and
singing…”

Merlin interrupted her by giving her a fierce
hug, then he got up and walked into the
house.

Savannah sighed and followed him in.

“Hey Family Sim, what’s wrong?” she asked
as she rubbed Merlin’s back. Merlin closed
his eyes and wouldn’t look at her when he
responded with, “You’re, uh, being morbid.”
Savannah sighed and continued to rub his
back.

“I’m not dead yet. I feel happy. I think I’ll go
for a walk,” she joked back, quoting Monty
Python.

Merlin turned around and caressed her face.
“Er, it’s not funny.” Savannah smiled and
leaned into his hand.

“I know, it’s not. But, really, I’m not dead yet.
I’ve still got life in these old bones of mine.”
She grinned in a knowing manner. “You
catch my drift?”

Merlin grabbed her for a kiss, which led to
another, and another…

…until they found themselves on the couch,
making out.

Xander was not a happy camper. “Gross,
guys. TOTALLY gross. You should TOTALLY
get a room,” he said as he kept his eyes on
the book he was studying from. Merlin and
Savannah looked at each other and laughed.
“What kind of Romance kid did YOU raise
Family Sim?” they asked each other in unison.
Xander rolled his eyes; but at least his parents
DID go upstairs.

When they were done and Savannah was
drifting off to sleep, Merlin looked at her in
the moonlight. He cuddled up to her and
whispered in her ear, “I love you Savannah,”
he said, not stammering for once. He kissed
her neck tenderly. Savannah smiled softly
and murmured something unintelligible into
her pillow and they both fell asleep.

Chapter Five

“Aviendha, come down from there, right now!
It’s starting to snow and you might slip and
fall. And don’t think I can’t hear the atrocious
words you’re singing to yourself up there
young lady! Keep it up, and you won’t be
able to stay up until midnight tonight!”

Marsha sternly looked at her daughter who
was, up until that point, cheerfully singing
songs about pirates and busty maiden
wenches. And scurvy and rickets, because
those words sounded fun.

Aviendha slid down the pole of her new play
set. “K’kay Ma!” she replied to her mother,
cheerfully, not making any promises about
her language. She would just have to be a bit
quieter about it, she supposed. “Daddy’s
home anyway,” she continued as she ran past
her perturbed mother.

“Daddy!” Aviendha sang cheerfully as she
threw herself into her father’s arms.

“Mini-Me!” he responded back, giving her a
hug.

“Daddy? Is everyone coming over for the
New Years party? Gra’ma is at work, will she
home in time? Can I stay up until midnight?
Huh Daddy? Can I pleeeeeeaaaaase?”

“Yes, yes, and yes to all your questions. Just
let me get inside so I can make the phone
calls. I’m going to make sure that this party
will finally be a Roof Raiser. Mark my words,
kiddo. It will be a night to remember.”

“Yay!” his daughter cheered.

And, everyone who was invited DID show up
to the party, as well as two rather unexpected
guests…

As Savannah’s car pool pulled up to the front
of the house, she smiled sadly. She knew this
day would come, but she wasn’t expecting it
to happen on this very night. She stepped
out of the limo and approached Grim.
“Father Time hitched a ride with you on your
pale horse?” she asked with a smile. Grim
nodded.

“I figured that seeing as we were coming to
the same place, the old man could rest his
legs. It appears you are more than ready for
this, Savannah Devereaux Lewis. You lived a
good life and you already said your
goodbyes. You had no regrets, with the one
exception of not having enough Public
WooHoo. You are entitled to your well
earned Platinum Gravestone and this Mai
Thai drink. Be assured that though your
family will mourn your passing, they will also
celebrate your life with song.”

Savannah nodded gladly. “Good, I’m glad
that I’m going out with style then. Let’s go
and let them celebrate the New Year. Oh,
and by the way, I know the entire booming
voice thing is just for show…”

As the family gathered around Savannah’s
gravestone, Father Time stepped into the
middle of the group and shook his hour glass.
“Do not mourn, for she lived a happy life.
She wanted to go out with style, and by golly,
we will give her the send off she deserves!
Everyone! Gather your pots and pans! Bang
on them loudly! Cheer! Sing! Let her hear it
from beyond the grave!”

“That’s right everyone! Bang! Cheer! Yell!
Let your song raise to the rafters!”

They cheered. They sang. They pounded
their pots and pans. Father Time burst into a
flash of light, all the while coaching them on.

“Don’t stop! You’re almost there. Give her
the best send off in ALL the mini-versus
combined! Celebrate her life as she goes
down in history! Sound your barbaric Yawp
over the rooftops of the world!”

And finally Father Time/Baby New Year
was pleased. With a tip of his top hat, the
baby smiled at the family. “Now THAT is
going out with style. Congratulations,
your party is a Roof Raiser. The London
Bridge curse has been officially broken.
Look over there. There is someone else
who wants to congratulate you.”

Everyone turned to look where Baby New
Year was pointing.

Savannah’s ghost smiled as the last echo of
celebration faded into the night. “Thank you
everyone. That was exactly what I wanted. I
love you all.” Her ghost waved and faded
away with the last whispered words of, “God,
I’m such a Family Sim…”

And she was gone.

Aviendha tried not to cry as Xander put his
arms around her. “You think she’s happy
Daddy?” she asked him tremulously. Xander
cleared his throat from the tears that kept
threatening to choke him.

“Yeah, Mini-Me, I think she’s very happy. In
fact, I know she TOTALLY is…”

Merlin had gone inside, away from everyone
else, to mourn. He knew that Savannah
didn’t want him to be this upset, but he
couldn’t help it. He cried softly into his
hands, unaware of his nephew watching him.

It sucks to lose you wife, doesn’t it? At least
you lived a full life with her, Sebastian thought
to himself, feeling bitter. He checked himself
from anymore hateful thoughts as he walked
out of the room, leaving Merlin to mourn in
private.

After everyone left the party, Merlin laid
down on the couch. He couldn’t bring
himself to sleep in the bed that he so recently
shared with his wife. Feeling a distinct sense
of loss, he curled up into a ball and let the
tears flow freely until he fell into a fitful sleep.

The next morning, Aviendha confronted her
very sad grandfather. “Gra’pa, would you
please read me a story? I have the book
picked out. Pleeeeeeaaaaase? It’s a good
one! I promise!”

Merlin wanted nothing more than to just be
left alone, but when Aviendha gave him her
biggest, wide eyed, pleading look, he
relented. “Uh, er, alright, but only, er, this
one.” Aviendha jumped up and down
excitedly.

Not really paying attention to the book cover,
Merlin opened the book to a random page.
His eye caught Savannah’s handwriting. He
blinked and his mouth dropped open at what
was written in there. Gape mouthed, he
looked at his grinning granddaughter. “Er,
um…have you read this already?” Aviendha
grinned even wider as she nodded. She had
learned LOTS of new words from Savannah’s
diary.

“Yep yep Gra’pa. Can you tell me what this
words means?” and she reached for the book.
Merlin snatched it out of her reach. “Er, no.
I, uh, don’t think, er, it’s, uh…” and he
sputtered off. Aviendha was disappointed.

“Aww. Fine. But you should read the first
page. I think you’ll like it.”

Merlin turned to the first page of the book.
As he read the words, his eyes welled up.

He stood up and hugged Aviendha. “Thanks,
kiddo…” Aviendha hugged her grandfather
tightly. “Gra’ma really loved you, didn’t she?”
Merlin squeezed her in response and told
her to go play. As Aviendha skipped out of
the room, he sat down on the couch and
reread the first page of Savannah’s diary.

This diary is dedicated to the love of my life,
Merlin. The first, last, only and best lover,
husband, father, and friend that a fake
Romance Sim like me could ever have.
Yesterday, today, tomorrow, and always. I will
love you forever.

Chapter Six

Sebastian revved the engine of the old beater
Rick bought, while his son tightened the bolt
that was securing the alternator. “That
sounds good. So, you think you’re going to
have this old junker fixed before the prom?
I’ll bet that Marsha Bruening girl would love
to have a stylish ride like this escorting her to
the dance,” Sebastian teased his son.

Rick glowered at him. “Dad, seriously. This is
going to be a sweet ride. Marsha is gonna
love it.”

Sebastian smiled. “You’re going to marry her
someday. I know you are.”

Rick rolled his eyes. “Oh my God, Dad.
Really. I can’t believe that you…”

“…were so absolutely right. Remember that
day with the car when you predicted that I
would marry Marsha? I remember laughing,
thinking that was the most stupid thing I had
ever heard.” Rick ran his fingers through his
hair with a grin. “Boy, was I wrong. I can’t
imagine my life without her now. Did you
feel this way when you married Mom?”

Sebastian smiled fondly. “Yeah,” he said with
a crack in his voice, “yeah I did. I remember
thinking that I would die if she died.” His
smile faltered, as if trying to remember
something, but he disregarded it. “Did I ever
tell you that I asked her to marry me before I
even knew her name?” Sebastian and his son
laughed companionably.

Then the wedding music started and Marsha--

Hunter slamming around in the kitchen
startled Sebastian out of his reverie.
Sebastian gritted his teeth in frustration and
took another sip of the espresso he had
apparently made for himself. Go away Dad,
Sebastian thought.

Hunter didn’t go away, though. He grabbed
his own cup of espresso, sat down next to
Sebastian, and began slurping the hot
beverage loudly. “Wow, this is some pretty
potent stuff, isn’t it?” Hunter asked casually.

Sebastian calmly put his cup down on the
counter and walked out of the room. Hunter,
in turn, slammed down his own cup and
followed.

He managed to get in front of Sebastian and
he began lecturing his son. “Look, I know
this is hard for you. God knows what a mess I
would be if your mother died. But how long?
How long are you going to be like this? Your
mother and I are worried, kiddo, and it’s not
even about carrying on the family line. We’re
worried about YOU. You can’t keep doing
this to yourself. We’re not asking you to
forget Tris, but I’m sure that even she would
want you to--”

Sebastian just crossed his arms and tuned out
his father’s voice. Leave me alone. Let me
die, okay? I don’t want this anymore.

Hunter sighed in frustration as he recognized
the far away look in Sebastian’s eyes. He
stepped to the side and watched his son
wander into the living room.

Tristen looked as beautiful as the day he met
her. Sebastian reached out and touched her
face, pulling her in for a tender kiss. Tristen
smiled as he stroked her aged face.

“I love you ‘bastian. You made me very
happy.”

“Made?” Sebastian blinked, shook his head,
and continued. “Tris, I will keep making you
happy. You know that.”

Tristen peered at him. “Sebastian. You need
to (“Oh my GOD! What are YOU doing
here?!”) pay attention. You need to listen to
(“Hello Father. Hello Mother.”) what’s going
on around you.”

Sebastian was confused. “Tristen, what are
you talking about? (“I see Sebastian is just as
useless as ever.”) Honey, Rick and Marsha are
coming over today. They said that they (“No
worries though, I have someone that you
should meet.”) have some great news for us. I
think they (“Of course, I am here to reclaim
what is rightfully mine.”) might be (“It doesn’t
seem that Sebastian is going to argue about it,
now is he?”)…”

Tristen interrupted him frantically. “Sebastian.
I love you. I always will. You have to say
goodbye though.”

“Goodbye? What? What on earth…”

“SEBASTIAN! PAY ATTENTION!
(GRANDMA!! GRANDPA!!)”

!!

“Grandma? Grandpa? Rick and Marsha
don’t have kids yet…” Sebastian said out loud
to himself, speaking for the first time since
Tristen died. He slowly turned his head and
his eyes widened at what he saw.

In what almost seemed like a freeze frame
picture, he saw Lillian sneering at him with a
triumphant look. He saw both his father and
mother looking surprised. He saw what
appeared to be a small boy child reaching up
for a hug from Ansley. Sebastian felt his
mouth drop open as he truly became aware
of his surroundings.

He slowly stood up, and he felt his arms wrap
around his body as he approached his sister;
someone that the family thought was
completely lost when London Bridge was
destroyed.

Standing before her, Sebastian whispered,
“What are you doing here?” Lillian laughed in
amusement.

“Well little brother, I came here to reclaim my
title as heiress. You failed, just like I predicted
you would. I, however, managed to produce
a child who is being groomed to inherit after
me. What have you done? All you have
managed to do is wallow in self pity over your
stupid wife who drank some poison. Perhaps
she did it intentionally? Surely she was aware
of what a colossal failure you would turn out
to be. Isn’t her death filed under ‘suicide’?”

Hurt, but mostly stunned, Sebastian looked at
Lillian with a sudden understanding.

“Nobody knows that. Mom and Dad made
sure that it was kept secret. How could you
possibly know that?!”

Lillian smiled and shrugged, but said nothing.

“Oh my God…” Sebastian felt something
rising up inside of him. He had, after Tristen’s
death, managed to mostly maintain a numb
status; so the feeling was rather surprising and
foreign to him. In a split second, his mind
recognized what the feeling was and allowed
it to continue it’s rise up.

Anger, married to Grief, burst forth.

“IT WAS YOU! YOU GAVE IT TO HER!”

“Sold it to her actually…” Lillian gloated.

“You‘re the one who essentially killed her!
YOU KNEW SHE WAS DESPERATE TO
CONCEIVE! You…killed…my…WIFE!”

Lillian yawned in a bored manner. “No, I
didn’t. She didn’t have to purchase the
‘Fertility Tonic’, yet she did. She didn’t have
to drink it, yet she did. You could have
stopped her, but you didn’t move fast
enough. Face it brother, you failed. Step
aside and I might be merciful when I am the
heiress again. And I will make certain that the
boy will be, too. Won’t we, my son?” Before
she could turn to look for the child, Sebastian
grabbed her.

“Get out of my house,” he said through
clenched teeth, “and take the child of
whatever demon chose to mate with you out
as well. You…will…NOT…take…ANYTHING
else from me. EVER AGAIN!”

Zane, for his part, ran out of the room crying
when he heard what was supposed to be his
uncle refer to him as a demon child. Things
were not turning out how he had hoped. His
mother told him that everyone would be
happy to meet him, and they would all live
together as a big happy family.

She PROMISED him that.

Nobody was happy. Not at all.

Zane sat in the corner, knees drawn to his
chin, and he sobbed until his mother stalked
into the room. “We are leaving now, my boy.
Say goodbye to your Grandparents.” Zane
stood up and nodded compliantly.

He stood before his grandparents, tears in his
eyes, not looking at them as he spoke. “I’m
sorry you aren’t happy to meet me,” he said
sadly. “I really wanted to meet you, and live
here with you, and play outside.” He gave a
shuddering sigh and a tear rolled down his
cheek. “Momma said you wanted to have a
grandchild like me. She promised…”

Hunter and Ansley looked down at the boy,
not knowing what to say. Then they looked
at each other, a horrible question rising up
between the two of them. Lillian had not
referred to the child by anything other than
’Child,’ ’Son,’ or ’Boy’. Finally Hunter spoke,
asking his grandchild the most simple
question in the world.

“What is your name?”

“Oh,” Zane replied, surprised, “my name is
Zane…”

Hunter tentatively gathered Zane into his
arms for a hug while Ansley watched with
sadness. “It was very nice to meet you
Zane.” Zane responded vigorously to his
grandfather’s hug, a little bit of hope rising
evident on his face.

Lillian interrupted the moment when she
imperiously commanded, “Let us go. Now,
child!”

As his mother strode out the door, Zane took
one last moment to wave goodbye. “I hope I
can come here again real soon. I wish I could
swim in your pool. I know that I ought to
wait at least an hour before I swim after
eating. I can do that, I promise. Can I come
again, please? I’ll be real good, and you
won’t even know that I’m here. I’ll be quiet. I
promise.”

Before anyone could make a response
though, Lillian grabbed Zane by his arm and
dragged him out the door. “When I
command you to do something, I expect you
to obey immediately.”

“Yes Momma. I’m sorry Momma.”

And with that, they left.

After a few stunned moments of silence,
Sebastian sunk his head in his hands. “My
God. She’s allowed to have a child and I was
not. It is official. There is no justice in this
world and the creator hates me.” Ansley put
her arms around Sebastian, rubbing his
shoulders. Hunter looked on, glad that
Sebastian had at least decided to come back
to this reality.

A few more moments passed while the three
of them stood there like that. Finally,
Sebastian raised his head with resolve. “I
think, the first thing I am going to do is take a
bath. Then, we can move on from there.” He
nodded his head at his parents and went
upstairs.

He soaked in the bathtub for a long time,
letting the hot water relax his tense muscles.
He leaned back and tried to conjure up his
fantasy world…then stopped himself. His
fantasy world was not going to help his reality
world. He knew that now.

He remembered Tristen’s face, the way she
looked when they got married, and softly said
to the image, “Goodbye Tris. I love you.
And…thanks.”

The last tense muscle, his heart, relaxed with
those words.

Hunter checked his sigh of relief as he
watched his son come down the stairs, fully
dressed and shaved. Sebastian still looked
tired, but…it was a start.

“Well son, the pond has thawed out. Would
you like to, maybe, go fishing with me?”
Sebastian raised his shoulder in a half shrug.
“Sure. Why not?”

The two of them stood at the pond, quietly,
for a while. Sebastian was the first to break
the silence. “This is nice.” Hunter nodded
and looked over at him. “So, are you okay
now?” he asked.

Sebastian moved his hand a little to let the
sunlight glint off the wedding ring he was still
wearing, and sighed. “No, I’m not,” he
looked over at his father, “but…I will be. I
know that now.”

Hunter just nodded in response.

They stood there a few moments longer
before Hunter felt a tugging on his fishing
pole. With a quick jerk, he pulled out a dirty
boot. “Ugh. Pleasantview is such a hole,” he
said in a disgusted voice.

At that moment, Sebastian pulled out a rather
large catfish. Looking over at his father,
Sebastian gave him a small smile, the first
since before Tristen’s death. “I don’t know,
Dad. Maybe it won’t be so bad living here.”

Hunter chuckled softly. Things were going to
be fine.

Epilogue

On the outskirts of town, on a cliff
overlooking Pleasantview to be exact, three
more transplants became situated. The two
adults looked at the dilapidated house with
only a little bit of interest. The child with
them couldn’t have cared less as she
snuggled in her mother’s arms.

“So, why couldn’t we have a better house
than this one? We’re SimSelves, aren’t we
supposed to live in the lap of luxury?” Keith
asked me in an irritated tone. He kicked the
wood of the rotting staircase, and winced as a
good chunk of it flew off.

“Low profile, hon. I am not a very popular
person in Pleasantview. If we lived in the
valley with the rest of them, we would have
an angry mob on our doorstep before the day
is through. As it is, you’re the one who will
have to go into town to shop and stuff. My
face, well, my face is VERY familiar to the
Pleasantview Maxis Pre-Mades. I suppose I
shouldn’t have laughed so hard at all the
times I deliberately made them miserable, but
hindsight is always 20/20.

“Besides, this house isn’t so bad. It’s a fixer-
upper. I know how much you like to putter
around the house…”

Keith shrugged and we walked inside. He
gritted his teeth when he saw the lack of
furniture. He certainly got spoiled in London
Bridge, considering how little time he actually
lived there as a SimSelf. Of course, I wasn’t
going to say that to him. The last person I
ever want to argue with is my husband, God
bless his soul.

He turned and looked at me. “What about
the control?”

“What about it?” I asked.

“So, you’re giving it up completely? You’re
just going to ignore everything? What’s the
point of us being here then?”

“Not completely. I just won’t be directly
involved with my Sims down in Pleasantview.
But don’t worry, I recruited help, someone
that I will be able to talk to directly. And we’ll
train little Amelia here how to be an observer
as well. Everything will be fine. Now hon,
why don’t you just strip down into your
underwear, like I know you are dying to do,
and let me start looking at some furniture to
fix this place up. The person I recruited got
my message…”

“In fact, she should be showing up here at
anytime now.”

***
Special thanks goes out to Tribebohemian,
author of “The Victorians: A Legacy” for
voluntarily being recruited into my story.

Thank you for reading, and thank you all for
your awesome comments and feedback. I
really appreciate it!

The Devereaux Legacy: Chapter Three - Part 4

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The Devereaux Legacy: Chapter Three - Part 4