Sunday, June 30, 2013

Chapter 6: Like Sand in an Hourglass


All day long, Delilah refused to cry, stubbornly burying her emotions under a fake, plastic smile, but now, after hours and hours of brutal silence, she finally lets go and allows the grief to wash over her. Not wanting to wake up Beau, Lila sneaks out of bed and makes her way to the nursery, but the sight of her babies, blissfully innocent and unaware, does little to soothe her broken heart.

“Delilah?” A sleepy voice echoes down the hall, and within seconds Beau appears in the doorway.


Delilah turns away from him, hoping to hide her red, tearstained cheeks, but Beau doesn’t need to see her face to know that she’s been crying. Coming up behind her, he slides his arm around her waist and pulls her in for a close embrace.

“You’re sad,” he murmurs in a worried voice.

Delilah shivers as his hot breath grazes against her neck, but she doesn’t move away or push aside his hands. “I’m fine,” she whispers, barely loud enough for him to hear.

Beau pauses, watching her uncertainly. He knows that someone died, a close friend of hers he presumes, but she refuses to tell him anymore than that. Indeed, Delilah pointedly avoided him all day today, practically running from him whenever he tried to talk to her, and the distance between them, the lack of trust in their relationship, bothers Beau more than he would like to admit.

With a heavy sigh, Beau brushes aside her hair and begins to kiss her neck, showing her that he loves her the only way he knows how, but Delilah tenses at the touch of his lips and squirms out of his grasp.


“Are you okay?” Beau asks as she turns around to face him.

“I’m fine,” she replies. Taking a deep breath, Delilah shuts her eyes and tries to regain control of her emotions. “Fine. I couldn’t sleep, and I wanted to check on the kids.”

Beau doesn’t look convinced, however. “You can talk to me, babe,” he tells her gently. “About anything. Ever.”

“I’m going for a walk,” she announces. “I need some fresh air.”

“I’ll go with you,” Beau offers, but Delilah just shakes her head and quietly slips out the door.


The brisk autumn breeze sends chills down her spine, biting at her bare skin and blowing straight through her thin clothes, but she doesn’t even notice. All that matters right now is that Kieran is dead, gone forever. The words feel so final to her, so terrifyingly absolute. She’ll never see him again, never hear the gentle hum of his voice or smell the soft scent of his skin. She’ll never talk to him again or laugh at his goofy smile, never kiss him or run her fingers through his charmingly unkempt hair. He’ll never meet her kids, never know their names or see their faces.

And I’ll never get to tell him how much I love him, she thinks with a sharp pang of regret.


After coming all the way to Jericho to break the sad news to her, Luca, Emily, and Atticus decide to stick around for a few more days to get to know Beau and the triplets. While Emily babysits the kids, Luca decides to interrogate his daughter’s boyfriend. Fortunately for Beau, the two men hit it off quite well, and they spend the better part of the afternoon engrossed in an enthusiastic discussion about the economics of the movie industry.

Delilah quickly grows bored of the conversation, however, and silently sneaks away to join her stepmom in the nursery.


Of everyone in the family, Emily seems the most broken up about Kieran’s death. Lost in her thoughts, she barely even glances up when Delilah enters the room, and her eyes, red and swollen from shedding so many tears, appear vacant and empty when they look upon her stepdaughter’s face.

Not knowing what to say, Delilah quietly shuts the door behind her and settles down on the floor at Emily’s feet. The two women sit together in silence for a while, taking what little comfort they can from each other’s presence, before Emily finally ventures to speak.

“They boys, they look like you,” she says softly. “I think they’ve got your coloring.”

Delilah nods in agreement, surprised by Emily’s choice of topic. “Fable seems to have Beau’s eye color though,” she replies with a sigh. “They have much more blue in them than either of her brothers’.”

“I’m not so sure,” Emily furrows her brow pensively. “They seem a bit too light to me. In fact,” she continues, watching Lila out of the corner of her eye, “they remind me of a pair of eyes I used to know. A pair of eyes I miss very much.”

Delilah looks up sharply. “N-No,” she stammers, suddenly feeling dizzy and out of breath. “She has Beau’s coloring. Whatever you’re suggesting, Emily, is wrong. Kieran and I- We didn’t- They’re not his! You’re wrong. That’s… That’s ridiculous.”

Emily’s lips curve into a worried frown, but her gaze remains kind and sympathetic. “You two have been in love since you were teenagers, Delilah,” she tells her bluntly. “Only a blind man could miss it. I’m not upset with you, Lila dear, if that’s what you think, but you can’t continue to string along another man like this. It’s not fair to him. It’s not fair to the kids.”

“No,” she snaps as a fresh wave of tears begins to stream down her face. “Kieran is dead, Emily. He’s gone, and no amount of wishful thinking is going to change that. Just- Just leave me alone!” Then, rising to her feet, Delilah turns around and storms out of the room, desperate to escape Emily’s knowing glare.


She wanders around outside for a while, enjoying the numbing chill of the cool afternoon breeze before finally collapsing onto a rickety old bench in a fit of tears. She feels worn out, stretched and exhausted. She doesn’t even know what the point is anymore. Living seems utterly meaningless without Kieran at her side.


“You loved him?”

Delilah jumps, startled by Atticus’ sudden appearance. “How did you-”

Atticus waves his hand impatiently. “Did you love him?” he asks again.

Lila hesitates. “He was my best friend,” she replies guardedly.

“I didn’t realize that,” the old mage frowns. “I knew that the boy had feelings for you, of course, but I wasn’t aware that you felt the same way about him.”

Delilah nods.

“You’d be happy to know that he died well,” Atticus continues. “Valiantly, fighting for something he believed in.”

“But- I thought… You said there was an accident. That he was driving, and a-”

Atticus shakes his head. “I only said that to satisfy your parents,” he explains solemnly. “They aren’t mages like us, and the truth would have hurt them worse than my lie.”


Glancing up, Delilah wipes a tear off her face and sits back. “What happened, Atticus?” she asks quietly.

Atticus sighs and carefully examines his granddaughter over the top of his glasses. Then, with a curt nod, he launches into his story. “Kieran was a special mage, Delilah, far stronger and more powerful than he had any right to be, not only adept at the art of magic but possessing a keen sense of intuition as well. I believe he inherited his gifts from his father, an old acquaintance of mine who died when Kieran was just a toddler, but that, my dear, is a tale for another time. When Kieran moved to Arundel, he got involved with a bad man, a professor at the university who claimed to be Kieran’s real dad. I tried my best to save him, but Cyrus, the professor, filled the boy’s head with lies and turned him against me. Nothing I said or did could stop him.”

Delilah’s eyes grow wide. “So what happened?” she breathes.

“Cyrus brainwashed Kieran into believing that magic, our magic, has started to run dry, and he convinced him that the only way to fix it was to open a portal for him, a hole in the very fabric of time. The spell calls upon some of the most potent and volatile forces in nature, and Cyrus needed Kieran’s raw power in order to control such violent magic. By the time I found out about their scheme, it was too late. Kieran had already cast the spell and torn open the portal, and when I went to shut it he jumped in and sealed it closed behind him.”

Delilah frowns, confusion written all over her face. “So he’s not dead?”

“No, that’s not what I said,” Atticus tells her gently. “After Kieran vanished, Cyrus tried to flee the scene, but I managed to capture and subdue him. That spell requires more than a little law breaking, and he will spend the rest of his life behind bars if I have anything to say about it. Anyway, once I had the situation under control, I headed to my library and started looking through my old archives, and eventually I found some interesting information about a rogue mage that died almost a thousand years ago. It’s been so long that I had forgotten all about it, but I left myself a note at the time, a note for you actually. Kieran loved you very much, Delilah, and he died trying to return to you.”

“What?” Delilah shakes her head in disbelief. “You’re telling me that he died a thousand years ago? And you knew him back then? But-”

Atticus sighs and rubs his head. “I’m immortal, Delilah. I thought your mother told you that. I knew him very briefly at the time, yes. As I recall, he was an enemy of the king and a highly sought after criminal. He was killed for stealing some precious artifact, I believe, and was buried near the town of Alderney. I can show you his grave if you don’t believe me, Delilah.”

“I just…” Lila trails off into a stunned silence. “It’s a lot to take in,” she mumbles.


The following evening, Beau corners Luca in the kitchen with an important question to ask him about his daughter. Atticus left Jericho yesterday to return to his house in the distant forests of northern Sim Nation, and Lila and Emily are out visiting Delilah’s stepbrother (Emily’s son) Rigby right now, so they are the only two adults currently at home.

“I want to marry Delilah,” Beau blurts out, seizing upon the rare moment of quiet to bring up the sensitive subject.

Luca eyes the boy warily. “Have you spoken with Lila about this?” he asks.

Beau shakes his head. “I feel that a man should always ask a father for his daughter’s hand in marriage first. It’s only proper.”

“It’s not my hand to give,” Luca retorts with a frown. “Have you thought about how you’re going to ask her?”

“No,” Beau sighs, “but I want to do something special. She seems so down lately, and I’d like to give her something to smile about again.”

Luca chuckles and grins at him encouragingly. Beau really seems to care for his daughter, and Luca likes the boy’s old-fashioned sense of etiquette.


“Walk with me,” Luca says as he puts his arm around Beau’s shoulder. “I think I have a wonderful idea of how you can propose.”


“Where are we?” Delilah laughs, her lips curled up into a crooked smile. The flight had been long and uneventful, but Lila was so caught up in her excitement that she barely even noticed. Beau, for his part, had stubbornly refused to tell her where they were going, saying only that she should pack “light and bring a swimsuit”.

“You’ll see in a moment,” he tells her affectionately.


Delilah gasps as they reach the overlook at the bottom of the hill.

“Wow!” she breathes. “The view… It’s stunning!”

Sweeping her into his arms, Beau twirls her around and playfully kisses her neck. “You like it then?” he whispers.

“Yes, I love it,” Delilah exclaims as she runs her fingers through his neatly trimmed hair. “I’ve never been any place so beautiful before. But… Why?”


“You seemed so sad after your friend died, and I hated to see you like that,” Beau replies, carefully skirting the true reason for their spur-of-the-moment vacation. “Besides, your parents offered to stay with the kids while they were in town, and I thought that you might enjoy some peace and quiet for a change. They’re such a handful,” he adds with a doting smile.

Delilah feels herself melt at his words. He’s so perfect, she sighs. So handsome and charming and considerate. He’s everything I should want in a guy.

Except he’s not Kieran, a small voice rips through her mind like a gunshot, and Delilah’s face falls slightly. Kieran’s dead, she reminds herself sternly, pushing his face out of her thoughts.

“I love you,” she tells Beau in an almost defiant tone of voice.

Oblivious to her internal struggles, Beau nods and gently brushes a strand of hair out of her face. “I love you too, babe.”


“I have an idea,” he whispers seductively as he traces his hand down her arm. “Why don’t we go check out our hotel room now? I booked the honeymoon suite, so we have the entire second floor to ourselves.”


For the next few days, Beau and Delilah split their time between the beach and the bedroom. Before they left, Luca and Emily emphatically assured them that they loved looking after their grandbabies, so the couple feels no rush to get back home any time soon. Indeed, Lila finds the relaxed pace of island life a welcome change from the hectic, nonstop job of mothering three newborns.

Running her toes through the silky soft white sand, Delilah’s face suddenly grows hard and serious, and her fingers tighten uneasily around Beau’s hand.

“What’s wrong, darling?” he asks as he props himself up on his elbows.


Lila sighs and crawls into his lap. “Do you love me?” she demands in a pouty voice.

“Baby, you know I do,” Beau chuckles. “Why do you even need to ask?”

“Then kiss me,” she breathes.

Beau happily obliges, but the intensity with which Lila returns his kiss alarms him. “What’s going on?” he asks when they come up for air.

Delilah hesitates, her gaze never once leaving Beau’s face. “You know my friend?” she whispers. “The one who died?”

Beau nods, his face unreadable under the bright tropical sun.

“He wasn’t just a friend,” she tells him quietly. “He was my lover, my love. I- I loved him.” The words slip from her lips like sand through her fingers, escaping her grasp and scattering into a million tiny pieces.

“You cheated on me?” His voice sounds pinched and tight.

Delilah shakes her head. “No, of course not. He left town after you found out about my pregnancy. It’s just- He meant a lot to me, Beau, and I want to be completely open with you.”

Beau shuts his eyes for a long moment before nodding and pulling her close. “I can live with that I guess,” he mumbles, more to himself than Delilah. “But no more secrets, alright babe? You’re my girl now, and if this is going to work then I need to know that I can trust you.”

“You can,” Delilah assures him with a forced smile. “I have nothing else to hide.”


Challenge Notes:

So, uh, was that clear? Cause I honestly have no idea. I’m specifically talking about the part with Atticus and Delilah, when they are discussing Kieran. It sounded alright in my head, but I realize it’s a lot of information to dump on you guys all at once and sometimes I forget to include little (big) details. If you need any clarification AT ALL, please don’t hesitate to leave me a comment or whatever, and I will get back to ASAP. I’ve been trying to foreshadow that whole series of events in previous updates, but I kind of got distracted by Delilah’s love life. Anyway, there will be more about what happened to Kieran next chapter (a lot more, actually).

So, I’ve never seen this happen before…



Apparently, even Delilah’s dad doesn’t like Beau. LOL…

25 comments:

  1. Whoa, I'd never seen that reaction before! Is Beau or Delilah's relationship bar low?

    Great chapter. Loved the autumn look. I have yet to experience autumn in my game. Still feeling bad for Beau. He's trying so hard.

    *hugs Emily*

    So, the magic and stuff. I'm guessing Kieran tried to steal some time travel device. I don't know if I have questions or not, since I don't know if that part of the story's over. You're very unpredictable about whether or not you'll leave us hanging. xD

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    1. Oh, somehow I missed this sentence. "Anyway, there will be more about what happened to Kieran next chapter (a lot more, actually)."

      FORGIVE ME.

      I was just so distracted by the lulzpics.

      Yay!

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    2. Their relationship bar was not super low, but it wasn't super high either. I'm thinking it was about halfway into the green when that picture was taken.

      Thanks! I *love* autumn. It's my favorite season, in game and irl. :)

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  2. The triplets are Kiernan's? CALLED IT.

    You have no idea how hard it was to keep that bloody secret you told me about this chapter. I mean, I was literally smacking my hands after the first few days.

    I'm still heart broken over Kiernan, but at least Delilah's grief heals that hurt just a bit.

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    1. Lol! Yeah, but you did so good! =D

      Thanks for reading. <3

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  3. I knew it!!! I knew those babies weren't Beau's and she knew it to. She was trying so hard to run from being committed and being scared to just be in love with Kiernan that she drove him away. UGH!!!!! And now he's gone or maybe not. I didn't get all of what Atticus was saying, but somehow I don't think he's dead dead. Just a little misplaced right now maybe. (or I hope!)

    She can't say yes, she doesn't really love Beau and she can't say yes. You need to go find out how to get those babies their real father back! (I'm really in denial on his death LOL) Either way she still can't say yes. Emily was right, she doesn't love Beau and it's not right to do what she's doing. Plus I still can't like him for some reason.

    ha, see even Atticus knows he's no good that's why he told him No in that blooper shot!

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    1. Hahaha, I'm not entirely certain if Delilah knew that the babies were Kieran's right away, but I'll admit that she probably had her suspicions about it. You're right though- If she'd have stopped running from their relationship and started appreciating what they had together, Kieran would absolutely not be dead right now. :(

      She shouldn't say yes, for so many reasons, but will she see it that way? ;)

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  4. I completely understand. Maybe it's too much watching Doctor Who or other kinds of sci-fi fantasy stuff but it made perfect sense to me. It's sad to think that he was alive when he left and might have spent years in his new time trying to get back to here when, in her time, he'd just barely left. Oh the sadness of it!!!

    I certainly am left wondering if the babies are Kieran's or not. Emily could just be seeing what she wants to see in her grief, hoping that a part of him lives on. Or they really could be his. I suppose we'll find out more as they get older. Ha, maybe it's one of those super weird, super rare occasions where the babies have different fathers. Wouldn't that be hilarious? (Of course, I don't think that's possible in sims but it happens, look it up!)

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    1. Awesome! I'm so glad it made sense to you! (That's always nice to hear, lol.) =D

      You're right about Emily. She could be seeing what she wants to, or she could actually be on to something. Only time will tell... ;)

      Thanks for the comment, heaven!

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  5. Wow, that was a shocker, so Kieran went through a portal into the past and died there trying to find a way back... I wonder whether the dreams Delilah was having suggest that she might find her way back there to him somehow...

    I'm torn about Beau, he was a lot less creepy in this chapter but Delilah clearly doesn't really love him (even leaving aside her feelings for Kieran) and it would be so wrong of her to accept his proposal given that.

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    1. Haha, you remembered the dreams! Yay! :D I think, though, that her dreams could mean any number of things at this point. They could just be foreshadowing Kieran's future, or they could have much more to reveal than that. We'll have to wait and see I guess, lol. ;)

      Yes, I agree about Beau. It would be very, very wrong for her to accept a marriage proposal from a man she doesn't love, but she may not view it that way. She's proven time and time again that she is a very self involved character, so why change now? I'd hope she would, but it all depends I suppose.

      Thanks for reading, Ali!

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  6. Beau is such a tool, but I kinda like him.

    I'm also wondering if Delilah makes it back to Kieran somehow. That would be sweet. :)

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    1. I don't *dislike* Beau exactly, but he still has a lot left to prove. As for Delilah and Kieran, yeah, that would be sweet. ;)

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  7. Does this mean he's actually dead?! What?!!?!?!?!?!!!?!?!!!

    HOW DARE YOUUUU!!!

    *Cue magical reappeance by Kieran, and som crazy soppy love scene ending in Beau being publicly humiliated*

    I guess Beau is getting a little better. Still don't like him, but he's not as evil as I first thought (although Luca seems to think so! LOL!)

    SO happy the babies are Kierans!!
    (And just read the other comments, think Ali is on to something!

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    1. Bahahaha! I love crazy soppy loves scenes! Don't count it out! ;D

      Beau is definitely not evil, but he may not be the nicest guy in the world either. We still don't know a lot about him yet, so I'd withhold my opinion if it were me.

      Thanks so much for the lovely comment! I really appreciate it. <3

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  8. Ha ha! I loved Luca's reaction to Beau asking for Lila's hand in marriage. That was too funny!

    The only bit I am slightly confused on--wasn't Cyrus Kieran's real father? Is the Professor's name just coincidence? Or did Atticus lie (or maybe he was mistaken) about Kieran's father dying when Kieran was a toddler? Or is it all some sort of time travel knot, lol And whatever happened with Kieran's mom's vision of how Cyrus died (something about a traitor--but it wasn't Atticus, or Ezekiel--was that his name? But someone else that she died trying to protect---maybe it was Kieran, himself?)----if indeed Cyrus is Cyrus, lol And was Lila's medieval dream---only a dream? lol Okay---I am done speculating for now! :P

    That would be neat if the babies ended up being Kieran's. Though I almost feel bad for Beau, since he does seem to care for Lila. Almost, lol

    I'm looking forward to your next chapter! =)

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    1. Yeah, I thought it was pretty hilarious myself. :D

      As for Cyrus- We never knew who Kieran's real father was, although it was heavily implied that Cyrus could potentially be his dad. However, Atticus never knew that Kieran's parentage was ever in question, as he never knew about the connection between Cyrus and Kieran's mother Isadora. So, no, Atticus did not lie about that, although some other parts of his story may not have been entirely accurate. ;)

      Kieran's mother's vision is still relevant, but not as important as I originally thought it would be. If I could re-write certain things, I would, but unfortunately the longer I work on this story the more it changes.

      What else? The Cyrus you remember from earlier is definitely the Cyrus that Atticus spoke of. It's not a time travel knot at all. The person who Atticus believes to be Kieran's father really did die however many chapters ago. As for Lila's dreams, they could have more substance to them than she realizes, or maybe not. ;) I'll leave you guessing on that one.

      Thanks so much for reading Nirar! I always look forward to your comments. =D

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  9. ...Please tell me the long comment I wrote the other day is in the spam box?! :| It might not have been long... Maybe I didn't even comment... D:

    No, I definately did. I remember, it was about this time yesterday, maybe a little earlier. It took me hours to write because my boyfriend stole MY laptop halfway through to look at something boring and wouldn't give it back.

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    1. It was in the spam box. Thanks for the heads up, though, as I rarely check there! =D

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  10. Well I'm with Luca on this one!

    So I guess I am a little confused. Kieran may be alive, but in another place in time?

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    1. Haha, yes. Exactly. He's not really alive though, as he died a thousand years ago.

      Thanks so much for reading, Misty! =D

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  11. Well it is 3:40AM and I am finally caught up with your legacy. Yay! I'm actually kind of sad that I got caught up, because I really want to know what happens next. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and I'm always amazed by your screenshots.

    I REALLY hope those babies are Kieran's, you keep teasing us with this so honestly, I don't know what to think about them anymore. I also hope Delilah finds a way to go back in time to rescue Keiran. I'm guessing this is where that dream town world comes into play?

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    1. Aww! <3 You're so sweet Jessica. I loved all your comments. They made me smile so much, you have no idea. :D

      The dream world may come into play that way, but I don't want to give anything away yet, so I'll just leave it at that. Lol, I'm sorry, I know that's not very helpful, but spoilers and what not. Thank you for reading!

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  12. NO! NononononononoNo! If he opened the portal to go back surely he can open one forward! Please? Pretty please with sugar on top? At least we get Kieran Delilah babies though. But it would still be better with Kieran hotness to drool over at the same time.

    Go Luca! That's the reaction I'm hoping for. lol. Though I have to admit that all Delilah's efforts to convince herself that she loves Beau are falling really short and I'm shocked he doesn't get it. Or does he just not want to?

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    1. Rofl! Oh, Sunny, you always make me laugh! "Kieran hotness..." Hahaha, love it. =D

      Beau kind of lives in his own world I think. He sees what he wants to and not a thing more, and if he can't twist/yank/mold the world to fit his tidy little vision of perfection then he becomes nasty. But more on that later. ;)

      Thanks for reading! <3

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