tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13139718054245587072024-03-04T21:59:21.449-08:00Chronicles Of The McKinley ClanBuckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15791098360536318915noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125truetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313971805424558707.post-29291864745238350712013-07-17T06:48:00.000-07:002013-07-17T06:48:31.148-07:00Chapter 8: Colors and Promises<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The following morning, Kieran awakens to the delighted shouts of children ringing in his ears and the smell of baking bread wafting through the air. With a yawn, he glances around his distinctly medieval surroundings and absently pulls a piece of hay out of his hair, wondering what to do next. He doesn’t have to wait long, however, as a faint giggle suddenly alerts him to the presence of another person in the barn.<br />
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Kieran immediately locates the source of the noise, and with a drowsy smile he beckons her closer. “Hello there,” he calls out. “What’s your name?”<br />
<br />
The girl’s eyes widen in surprise, and her face turns a deep shade of scarlet. “B-B-B-B-Brigid,” she stutters.<br />
<br />
“You don’t have to hide,” he tells her as he rises to his feet. “I don’t bite.” The girl, however, refuses to budge, and Kieran can’t help but notice that she looks absolutely petrified of him.<br />
<br />
“M-M-Mama says you n-need t-t-t-t-to come in for breakfast n-now, and she w-wanted me to t-t-t-t-tell you that she p-packed you a lunch t-to take to the vineyard.”<br />
<br />
“Okay, I’ll be right there.” He grins at her again, hoping to talk with her some more, but Brigid stubbornly avoids his curious gaze. Mumbling something under her breath, she hands him some clothes and abruptly turns around and scampers away.<br />
<br />
With a confused shrug, Kieran changes into his new wardrobe and follows Brigid’s path back to the small, rundown cottage at the other end of the property.<br />
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“I’m Quinn O’Hara!” a young girl with curly brown hair announces as soon as Kieran walks through the door. “What’s your name?”<br />
<br />
Kieran smiles down at the enthusiastic child. “Kieran,” he replies. “Kieran Everard.”<br />
<br />
“Mama says you’re gonna stay with us for a while and help us with our vineyard, and I think that’s neat. We don’t have any men ‘round here anymore since daddy left, and I miss gettin' to go fishing. Will you take me fishing?!”<br />
<br />
Kieran rubs his head awkwardly, trying to think up an answer. “Well, I’d love to, but I don’t-”<br />
<br />
“YAY!” Quinn screams, jumping up and down in gleeful excitement. “Did you hear that Shannon?! He promised to take me fishin’! Just me and not you!” she adds as she sticks out her tongue at the redhead on the floor.<br />
<br />
“Now wait a minute,” Kieran tries to explain. “I never said-”<br />
<br />
“You’re the greatest, Kieran,” Quinn tells him as she wraps her thin little arms around his waist. “And I just know that we’re going to be best friends.”<br />
<br />
“That’s enough, Quinn,” Juno, the grandmother, barks from the corner. “Leave the poor boy alone.”<br />
<br />
“Brigid, why don’t you take Kieran outside and show him around?” Eileen instructs her eldest daughter in a stern tone of voice. “Once I’ve fed the baby, we can head over to the vineyard and get started,” she adds as she turns to face Kieran.<br />
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Obediently following her mother’s orders, Brigid leads Kieran around their tiny farm and silently points things out to him. She still refuses to look at him, however, and every time Kieran speaks she seems to jump out of her skin. Finally, at the chicken coop, he decides to ask her about it.<br />
<br />
“Do I frighten you, Brigid?” he says as kindly as he can.<br />
<br />
Brigid shakes her head and picks up one of the baby chicks, stroking it gently and cooing to it in a high pitched voice.<br />
<br />
“Then why won’t you talk to me?” he demands with a bemused frown.<br />
<br />
“I s-s-s-s-stutter,” she whispers, her face full of shame. “I d-d-don’t want you to t-t-t-tease me.”<br />
<br />
Shaking his head, Kieran bends down and reaches out for one of the chicks, but they hurriedly waddle away. “Do your sisters tease you about it?” he asks softly.<br />
<br />
Brigid nods. “Everybody d-does. Mama says I’ll n-never marry b-b-because I c-can’t talk right.”<br />
<br />
“Well, you talk fine to me,” Kieran tells her without a moment’s hesitation. “And anyway, stuttering is nothing to be embarrassed about. It’s no big deal. Really,” he adds, noticing her skeptical expression.<br />
<br />
Brigid shrugs nonchalantly, but her pale face lights up at his words. “You don’t have t-t-t-t-to be nice to me,” she replies in a meek voice.<br />
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Kieran chuckles. “It’s true though,” he insists.<br />
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Over the next few weeks, Kieran struggles to cope with the demands of his new medieval life. Each and every day begins at the crack of dawn with the rising of the sun. As soon as he awakens, Kieran heads to the well for drinking water, feeds and grooms the horses, chops the firewood, tends to the livestock, and mucks out the stables. After breakfast and a few more chores, he walks the three mile trek down to the O’Hara’s vineyard, where he spends the rest of his day plowing, sowing, digging, hoeing, reaping, weeding, tilling, and harvesting the grapevines. By the time the sun sets each night, he can barely muster the energy to make the long hike back to the farm, where even more chores await him.<br />
<br />
However, despite his blistering hands and aching muscles, Kieran throws himself into his duties, and soon his body starts to adjust to the backbreaking labor. Indeed, the harder he works, the easier the job becomes, and within a couple of weeks the work starts to feel like second nature to him.<br />
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With five active daughters to care for and seven hungry mouths to feed, Eileen and Juno welcome Kieran into their home with open arms, and as the days pass by he quickly grows to feel like part of their family.<br />
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Quinn, the tomboy of the group, was disappointed to learn that Kieran can’t fish, but soon she discovers that he has another, better talent. The stories he weaves are like none she’s ever heard before.<br />
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<br />
“Kieran, will you take me fishin' tomorrow?” Quinn demands after he finishes up his nightly tale.<br />
<br />
“I thought we went over this, squirt,” Kieran chuckles as she climbs up into his arms. “I don’t know how to fish, and anyway I’ve got to work at the vineyard all day tomorrow.”<br />
<br />
Quinn sticks out her bottom lip. “But, <i>Kieran,</i>” she whines, “Mama said you should take a day off. She told me so herself.”<br />
<br />
Kieran sighs. “You know I’d love to Quinn, but I can’t. I’ve already been here for three weeks now, and I’m nowhere close to finishing the harvest.”<br />
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“Pleeeeease?” Quinn begs, her eyes wide with hopeful anticipation.<br />
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<br />
“Remind me how I got talked into this again?” Kieran scowls as he leads their horse along the river bank the following morning.<br />
<br />
Brigid smirks at him. “You should n-never let Quinn give you her p-puppy dog eyes. B-B-Big mistake.”<br />
<br />
“He wouldn’t have agreed if he didn’t want to go!” Shannon, the redhead, pipes up. “You do want to go with us, right Kieran?” she adds nervously.<br />
<br />
“Of course I do!” He smiles at her warmly, but inside he feels a twinge of guilt. The sooner he gets the vineyard harvested, the sooner he can find Atticus and figure out how to get home. Taking a day off just delays his return to the present. <i>To Delilah,</i> he thinks before sternly pushing her memory out of his mind.<br />
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<br />
Nevertheless, Kieran thoroughly enjoys his time with the O'Hara girls. The Arundel of a thousand years ago looks jaw-droppingly beautiful compared to the Arundel he knew in his own time, and the peace and quiet of the countryside is a welcome change from his hectic life at mage school. Admittedly, the adjustment was hard at first, but the longer he spends with the O’Haras the easier it becomes to forget about all the many, many things he left behind.<br />
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<br />
All but one.<br />
<br />
He found the pictures in his wallet the day after he arrived. He almost wishes that he didn’t have them, that he didn’t have the chance to look at her face every night and remember the girl he so desperately yearns to forget, but each time he tries to get rid of them something holds him back. Some foolish, misguided hope that someday, somehow, she may find a way to love him too.<br />
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<br />
Layers of sumptuous white silk cascade down around Delilah’s ankles, rustling ever so faintly as she paces back and forth through the luxurious bridal suite, but with each step the once spacious room seems to grow smaller and smaller. Stopping suddenly, Delilah presses her forehead against the cold glass window and stares outside, watching as a couple of children scamper by on the beach below. They play together in the surf for a moment, splashing around in the gentle ocean waves before continuing on their way down the shoreline. The sight leaves a lump in her throat, a painful longing for the simplicity of her own childhood.<br />
<br />Shaking her head, Delilah brings her mind back to the present. On the surface, marrying Beau feels like the right decision. He will provide a safe and secure future for her kids, and with enough time Lila knows that she can learn to love him too. After all, what choice does she have? Raising three infants alone seems like a ridiculous and impossible alternative to her.<br />
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<br />
“You look beautiful,” Beau whispers.<br />
<br />Delilah jumps back, startled by his hand on her shoulder.<br /><br />
“Are you nervous?” he asks as he brushes his lips against her fingertips.<br /><br />
“No,” Lila forces herself to smile. “Are you?”<br /><br />
“A little bit,” he chuckles. “After all, this is the biggest day of my life.”<br /><br />
Delilah laughs uneasily. “You make it sound so serious!” she exclaims.<br /><br />
Beau nods. “It’s a promise, my darling, a lifelong commitment and nothing less. I take these vows very seriously, for a happy marriage is the foundation of a happy life. But enough chatter,” he tells her with an indulgent grin. “Let’s go and check out the wedding site now.”<br />
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<br />
“Wow!” Delilah breathes as Beau guides her to the clearing where they plan to exchange their vows. “How did you do all this?” she demands. “You only proposed three days ago…”<br /><br />
Beau smirks at her. “I knew you’d say yes,” he replies in an infuriatingly casual tone. “I ironed out the details before we left Jericho.”<br /><br />
Delilah scowls at him, feeling both pleased and put out. “I could’ve said no,” she reminds him stubbornly.<br /><br />
Beau laughs. “You could have, but you didn’t,” he retorts.<br /><br />
“How did you know that I’d agree to get married out here anyway, so far from my family? That seems like a pretty big gamble, even for you.”<br /><br />
“Now that I wasn’t sure about, so I came up with a backup plan.”<br /><br />
“A backup plan?” Delilah repeats skeptically.<br /><br />
And then, as if on cue…<br />
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“DELILAH!” Oona screams as she jumps up and down and waves her arms about in gleeful excitement.<br /><br />
“Oona?” Delilah laughs at her sister’s enthusiasm. “And Rigby and Heidi?! Beau, did you-”<br /><br />
“I flew them out here, just for you,” Beau whispers as he wraps his arms around her neck. “Pretty good surprise, huh?”<br /><br />
Fighting back tears, Delilah can merely nod and kiss him in gratitude. It’s been ages since she’s gotten to hang out with her brother and his wife (Delilah’s closest friend), and longer still since she’s even seen her little sister. To Lila, calling it a “pretty good surprise” seems like the understatement of the century.<br />
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After spending the rest of the afternoon catching up with her siblings, Delilah forgets all about her previous apprehensions, and as the last light of day fades from the sky in a glorious blaze of pink sunlight she and Beau exchange their vows.<br />
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…And seal their union with a kiss.<br />
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<br />
While she thoroughly enjoyed her vacation, Lila is grateful to be back at home with her kids.<br />
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<br />
With the triplet’s first birthday just around the corner, the newlyweds discuss the possibility of Delilah going back to work now, but at Beau’s urging she decides to postpone it for a while longer. Not hiding the disdain in his voice, Beau insists that she can practice her music by singing lullabies to the babies, and as he absolutely refuses to even consider hiring a nanny what other options are there? Delilah halfheartedly tries to explain to him that her job is quite a bit more complicated than that, pointing out that there is no way she can write music or promote the band if she’s stuck at home all the time, but eventually, however, she relents. Surely her fans will still be waiting for her whenever she’s ready to come back, right?<br />
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In what seems like no time, it’s the day of the triplet’s birthday. Beau is out of town this week shooting some scenes for a fancy new crime drama he’s starring in, so in place of a big party Delilah invites Rigby and Heidi over to celebrate.<br />
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<br />
Lila realizes that helping her daughter blow out the candles on her first birthday cake should be a happy occasion, but she struggles to feel anything but empty inside. Kieran has been gone from her life for over a year now, but his absence still stings, especially at moments like these.<br />
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The triplets age into toddlers.<br />
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<br />
Phoenix.<br />
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<br />
Griffin.<br />
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<br />
And Fable.<br />
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<br />
Rigby and Heidi are expecting their first child soon, too, so while Delilah coos over her best friend’s belly…<br />
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Rigby spends some time practicing his child rearing skills on his nephews.<br />
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<br />
For Delilah, the following weeks seem to drag by. With Beau’s shoot running woefully behind schedule right now, she is left to care for the triplets all by herself, and after a while the loneliness and boredom really begin to grate on her.<br />
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It’s not that Lila doesn’t love her kids; indeed, she loves them very much. But with three rambunctious toddlers to look after, she rarely gets a minute to herself anymore.<br />
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<i>Only three more days until Beau gets back,</i> Delilah patiently reminds herself as she puts an unusually fussy Phoenix to bed for the third time tonight. <i>And then he and I are going to have a long conversation about me going back to work, and this time I won’t take no for an answer.</i><br />
<br />Phoenix cries a bit as Delilah shuts the door behind her, so she dutifully waits outside his bedroom to see if he quiets down, and sure enough within minutes his tearful wails begin to subside. With a grateful sigh, Lila peaks her head inside the room to check that he’s asleep, before turning and stumbling down the dimly lit hallway to her own bedroom.<br />
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She never quite makes it there, however.<br />
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<br />
The man smiles at her, his wild blue eyes agleam with triumph, and for a split second Delilah swears she can literally smell the insanity oozing out of his skin like festering maggots on a dying man’s last breath.<br />
<br />
“Are you going to be a good little girl tonight, Delilah?” the man whispers as he viciously slams her head against the wall. “Or are you going to scream and cry and plead for mercy like your mother did?”<br />
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<u><b>Challenge Notes:</b></u><br /><br />
So now you guys know for sure who the triplet’s daddy is! *cheers and claps like a sim at a birthday party* On some level, Delilah probably already suspected that they were Kieran’s kids by this point as well, as I kind of picture the babies growing wisps of hair before they age into toddlers and I’m sure she immediately recognized that particular shade of blonde, but the question is, will Beau? ;)<br /><br />
It does bring up an interesting argument, however, one that I have not exactly figured out an answer to yet. As a player, I know that a sim will either inherit his mother’s exact hair color or his father’s exact hair color (or perhaps one of the grandparents’ hair colors), but do sims know that? Because, if Beau and Delilah had a child with Fable’s coloring in the real world, nobody would think twice about it. His golden blonde and her deep brunette could easily produce a kid with that medium blonde shade. It definitely requires some thinking on my part, but as always I'd welcome opinions!<br />
<br />Those pictures that Kieran “found in his wallet” were supposed to be the ones that he and Lila took waaaay back when she was still pregnant with the triplets, <a href="http://i1038.photobucket.com/albums/a466/colleen_davis/The%20Sims%203/Chronicles%20of%20the%20McKinley%20Clan/Chapter%20004/Screenshot-08_zps1d0485ae.jpg">here</a> and <a href="http://i1038.photobucket.com/albums/a466/colleen_davis/The%20Sims%203/Chronicles%20of%20the%20McKinley%20Clan/Chapter%20004/Screenshot-09_zpsf4101785.jpg">here</a>. In my mind, Kieran nailed them to that piece of wood after he arrived at the O’Hara’s farm, but I couldn’t find any other way to display them so I did the best I could with what the game had to offer. I hope it was still somewhat believable. :/<br />
<br />Soooo, anyone recognize the psycho sim at the end? =D (Not that I expect you too, of course, but if someone does I will be beyond impressed.)<br />
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Thanks for reading guys! *hugs*<br />
<br />
P.S. If the title seems kind of random, well, it is. No, not really, but sort of. It's the second line from the song "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri. If you want a really big spoiler, listen to it sometime (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtOvBOTyX00">here's</a> a link to the "official" music video on YouTube... Don't actually watch the video though, cause it's some Twilight crap, just listen to the words in the song). It's eerily similar to my story in <i>a lot</i> of ways.Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15791098360536318915noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313971805424558707.post-24836524481978359402013-07-09T17:36:00.000-07:002013-07-09T17:36:44.006-07:00Chapter 7: Back and Forth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Back and forth, back and forth. Forever back and forth. As the mother of five children, Eileen O’Hara knows the creaking sounds of her old rocker as well as she knows the voices of her slumbering daughters. The one in her arms curls closer to her chest, finally lulled to sleep by the rhythmic motion of the chair, and Eileen sighs in relief. The little girl was restless tonight, and it took ages to calm her down.<br />
<br />Just as she goes to lay her in bed, however, a sound startles her out of her reverie. Voices. Angry, male voices, loud and nearby. Making sure not to wake her daughter, Eileen swiftly takes the child to the back room and heads outside to investigate.<br />
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<br />
Collapsing to the ground in a violent fit of coughing, Kieran writhes and shakes from the searing pain in his chest.<br />
<br />“Get up ye lazy dog!” the man beside him shouts. “We’re takin’ ye to the sheriff, and we don’ want ye covered in dirt when you’re hangin’ from that noose.”<br /><br />
“Noose?” Kieran gasps for air as he struggles to regain his footing. “What is my crime?”<br /><br />
The man snickers and kicks him to the ground again, viscously grinding the heel of his boot deep into Kieran’s already bruised stomach. “You were stealin’ from m’ lord’s private garden!” he spits. <br /><br />
“Yeah,” the other man nods his head vigorously. “Besides, you talk like ye ain’t from ‘round these parts, and we don’ like strangers lurkin’ near our town. Too many bad things been happenin’ lately, ye see?”<br /><br />
“Strange things,” the first man continues. “Ye were mighty close to them woods, boy, and there been talk of a witch livin’ out there. Wouldn’t be surprised if ye knew somethin’ ‘bout all that.”<br /><br />
“Twenty minutes on the rack oughta straighten ‘im out, huh Merrick?”<br /><br />
“Twenty minutes?” Merrick laughs heartily. “I bet he don’ last twenty seconds!”<br /><br />
“What is going on here?” A woman’s curt voice cuts into the conversation, and the men abruptly fall silent.<br />
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Eileen’s eyes dart back and forth between Merrick and Silas, the town bullies, to the bloody young man sprawled out in the middle of the road. With a furious snort, she strolls over to Kieran and takes his hand, determinedly pulling him to his feet.<br />
<br />“I should have expected to find you involved in such a situation, Merrick,” she hisses, “but I see you’ve dragged Silas down your same wicked path. Beating up a defenseless stranger? Absolutely shameful!”<br /><br />
“But this man’s a criminal!” Merrick retorts. “He was stealin’ from Lord Hadrian’s garden!”<br /><br />
“Since when do you care about Lord Hardian’s welfare?” Eileen snaps. “He’s done nothing but terrorize our town since the day he took over the fiefdom.”<br /><br />
“But he talks funny!” Silas chimes in. “Listen to ‘im. He talks like one ‘o them foreigners.”<br />
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“Despicable,” she snarls as she grabs Silas by the arm and drags him away from Merrick. “You of all people should know better. Or have you already forgotten the day you showed up in town, a runaway slave, half starved to death and within an inch of your life? My husband took you in, no questions asked, found you work and hid you from the bounty hunters. Why, if he could see you now-”<br />
<br />“Ah, leave ‘im alone Mrs. O’Hara,” Merrick calls out. “If you want a good-fer-nothin’ lout hangin’ ‘round your place, then fine. We’ll leave. We don’ want no trouble or nothin’.”<br /><br />
“Trouble finds those who go looking for it,” Eileen replies with a scathing glare. “Best keep your fists in your pockets, boy, else I shall be paying a visit to your Nana. And you, Silas, would do well to remember past kindnesses, for the way you’re acting now there may not be any more in your future.”<br />
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<br />
“Thank you,” Kieran mumbles as Eileen leads him into her small cottage. “I’ve been traveling for days now without food, and I was getting desperate. I- I’m sorry.”<br />
<br />Eileen shrugs indifferently, but her watchful eyes never leave Kieran’s face. “Lord Hadrian wastes more food than my whole family eats in a year. He won’t miss a few apples from his orchard.”<br /><br />
Kieran nods and rubs his aching head. “Regardless, I won’t make that mistake again,” he assures her.<br /><br />
“What is your name?” Eileen asks in a slightly softer tone.<br /><br />
“Kieran,” he grunts. “Kieran Everard.”<br /><br />
“What brings you to Aaron’s Dale, Kieran?”<br /><br />
“I’m searching for a man,” he replies vaguely. “I need his help with something.”<br /><br />
Eileen frowns. “Where does he live?”<br /><br />
Kieran glances up, meeting her gaze for the first time since she rescued him. “I- I don’t know. That’s why I’m searching for him.”<br /><br />
“Maybe I can help. I’ve lived in the valley my whole life, and I know most of the families around here.” She smiles at him, but her eyes remain hard and serious.<br /><br />
Kieran pauses for a moment, considering. “His name is Atticus Thorel,” he says at last. “He’s a mage that used to live in this area.”<br /><br />
Eileen begins to speak, but a woman cuts her off.<br />
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“I’ve heard of your mage,” a raspy, but determined voice announces. “When I was a child, he used to perform magic tricks for the kids in town. He moved to the other side of the pass, but I can’t imagine that he’s still alive. His grandchildren, however, might be.”<br />
<br />“What are you doing awake, Juno?” Eileen demands, not bothering to hide the irritation in her voice. “You should be in bed right now. Asleep.”<br /><br />
“I’m old, not dead, Lily Pad,” Juno says with a mischievous grin. “And until I die, you live in my house, under my rules.”<br /><br />
Eileen scowls back at her, but Kieran doesn’t give her a chance to reply. <br /><br />
“You know Atticus?” he asks briskly.<br />
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Walking over to stand beside her daughter-in-law, Juno shakes her head. “Not really,” the old woman replies. “He left town when I was just a little girl, but I heard rumors that people used to see him in Alderney occasionally.”<br />
<br />
“Alderney,” Kieran repeats. “Where is that?”<br /><br />
Eileen frowns and drums her fingers on the table. “The other side of the pass,” she tells him. “A good two weeks on horseback.”<br /><br />
Kieran feels himself deflate. He’ll never make it all that way without food or water, especially since he doesn’t even know where he’s going.<br /><br />
Watching the young man carefully, Eileen’s eyes suddenly light up with an idea. She glances back at Juno and mouths something to the older woman, who shrugs and nods her head. “Kieran, did you say?” Eileen asks as she turns back around.<br /><br />
“Yes?” Kieran looks up sharply, having been lost in his own thoughts.<br /><br />
“Kieran, my family owns a small plot of land near the abbey by the hillside, a vineyard that we keep for his lordship. Due to my husband’s sudden passing this last summer, we have not been able to bring in a sufficient harvest this season, and with winter looming I fear that we do not have the time or resources to gather enough crop to satisfy Lord Hadrian and pay our fealty to the king. If you will stay and help us, then I will arrange for a guide to take you to Alderney before the pass becomes snowed in for the winter.”<br /><br />
Kieran pauses. “How long until the pass closes?”<br /><br />
“Should be at least a couple of months away,” Juno replies. “And since you will be working solely in the vineyard, the harvest should take no more than six weeks to gather.”<br /><br />
Eileen nods. “Six weeks of labor in exchange for room, board, and transport to Alderney sounds fair to me. What do you say?”<br /><br />
Not seeing any other choice, Kieran reluctantly agrees. Six weeks isn’t so long, he tells himself, and although he’s eager to find Atticus and return to his time, to the present, the experience could actually prove quite interesting.<br />
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<br />
With a wide, playful grin, Beau grabs Delilah and sweeps her in for a heated kiss. <br /><br />
“What was that for?” Lila giggles as she tries to break free from Beau’s firm grasp.<br /><br />
Beau shrugs and tries to act nonchalant, but he feels unusually nervous today, fidgety and uptight. He and Delilah have been in Sunlit Tides for one whole week now, and he has yet to pop the question. <i>But tonight,</i> he thinks ruefully, <i>tonight that all changes.</i><br /><br />
“You look tense, darling,” Beau smirks as he teasingly slides his hand up under the skirt of her dress. “Why don’t you slip out of those clothes and into something a bit more comfortable? I want to give you a massage,” he adds with a wink.<br />
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Delilah is more than happy to oblige.<br />
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Beau starts out slowly, gently rubbing the warm oil into her smooth, sun-kissed skin and working his hands up and down the length of her bare back. The faint scent of coconut wafts through the air, mixing with the light tropical breeze to create an intoxicatingly rich aroma, and Beau quickly feels himself grow aroused by the sheer sensuality of the moment.<br />
<br />“Delilah,” he whispers, his voice a low growl against the soft hum of the island jungle.<br /><br />
Glancing up, Delilah looks straight into Beau’s hungry blue eyes.<br /><br />
“I want you,” he breathes.<br />
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<br />
Delilah smirks and pulls Beau on top of her, wrapping her legs around his waist as her hands impatiently fumble with the buttons on his shirt. She knows that expression on his face quite well by now, but she never tires of seeing it. The hold she has over him, the sexual chemistry between them, still feels absolutely electrifying to her.<br />
<br />“Let’s go back to the hotel room,” she suggests as he starts to undo his shorts.<br />
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<br />
Laughing at the shocked expression on her face, Beau sweeps Delilah into his arms and carries her across their lanai.<br />
<br />“I love you,” he murmurs.<br /><br />
Delilah just giggles and kisses him in response.<br />
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As soon as they reach their room, the rest of their clothes fall away, and they spend the remainder of the afternoon tangled up in each other's arms.<br />
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<br />
“The stars look beautiful tonight.” Delilah sighs and walks over to the window to get a better look. <i>Kieran would have loved it here,</i> she thinks as a sharp pang of regret tears through her chest.<br />
<br />“You look beautiful tonight,” Beau replies.<br /><br />
Lila forces herself to smile. <i>This isn’t right,</i> a small voice whispers in the back of her mind. <i>You don’t love him, and you never will. Stop trying to fool yourself into believing this is something it isn’t.</i><br />
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<br />
“You seem sad,” Beau murmurs as he comes up behind her and wraps his arms around her waist. “What are you thinking about?”<br />
<br /><i>Kieran,</i> the voice says.<br /><br />
“Nothing,” she lies instead.<br /><br />
<i>Tell him that it’s over. Tell him that you tried to make this work, that you tried to love him, but you’re not over Kieran. That you’ll never be over Kieran.</i><br />
<br />Delilah shakes her head, but Beau doesn’t seem to notice. He continues talking to her, whispering sweet words of adoration into her ear, but she isn’t listening to him. <br />
<br /><i>I am over Kieran,</i> she tells herself sternly. <i>And I do love Beau.</i><br />
<br /><i>Liar,</i> the voice snaps back. <i>You’re only with him because you’re afraid. Afraid to be alone, afraid to grow up, afraid to take responsibility for the mess you’ve made. But it’s time to face the consequences of your actions. You’re better than this, Delilah. You know you are.</i><br />
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<br />
With a sickening jolt, Delilah’s mind leaps back to the present. “What are you doing?” she demands as Beau drops to one knee.<br />
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<br />
“Proposing,” he quips before reaching over and pulling a box out from under the bed. “I love you, Delilah, and I want to spend the rest of my life trying to make you as happy as you have made me. Marry me, darling?”<br />
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<u><b>Challenge Notes:</b></u><br />
<br />I couldn’t abandon Kieran <i>that</i> easily, now could I? ;) So yes, this means that we will be following his story as well as Delilah’s. I just hope that it all makes sense and doesn’t confuse you guys. If you ever have any criticism/advice/feedback/tips/whatever, please don’t hesitate to leave me a comment with your suggestion! I’m always looking to improve. =)<br />
<br />
Thanks for reading! <3Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15791098360536318915noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313971805424558707.post-22924693695736490712013-06-30T19:33:00.000-07:002013-06-30T19:33:25.393-07:00Chapter 6: Like Sand in an Hourglass<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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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.<br />
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“Delilah?” A sleepy voice echoes down the hall, and within seconds Beau appears in the doorway.<br />
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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.<br />
<br />
“You’re sad,” he murmurs in a worried voice.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
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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. <br />
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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.<br />
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<br />
“Are you okay?” Beau asks as she turns around to face him.<br />
<br />
“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.”<br />
<br />
Beau doesn’t look convinced, however. “You can talk to me, babe,” he tells her gently. “About anything. Ever.”<br />
<br />
“I’m going for a walk,” she announces. “I need some fresh air.”<br />
<br />
“I’ll go with you,” Beau offers, but Delilah just shakes her head and quietly slips out the door. <br />
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<br />
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.<br />
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<i>And I’ll never get to tell him how much I love him,</i> she thinks with a sharp pang of regret.<br />
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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.<br />
<br />
Delilah quickly grows bored of the conversation, however, and silently sneaks away to join her stepmom in the nursery.<br />
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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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
“They boys, they look like you,” she says softly. “I think they’ve got your coloring.”<br />
<br />
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’.”<br />
<br />
“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.”<br />
<br />
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.”<br />
<br />
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.”<br />
<br />
“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.<br />
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<br />
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.<br />
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<br />
“You loved him?”<br />
<br />
Delilah jumps, startled by Atticus’ sudden appearance. “How did you-”<br />
<br />
Atticus waves his hand impatiently. “Did you love him?” he asks again.<br />
<br />
Lila hesitates. “He was my best friend,” she replies guardedly.<br />
<br />
“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.”<br />
<br />
Delilah nods.<br />
<br />
“You’d be happy to know that he died well,” Atticus continues. “Valiantly, fighting for something he believed in.”<br />
<br />
“But- I thought… You said there was an accident. That he was driving, and a-”<br />
<br />
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.”<br />
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<br />
Glancing up, Delilah wipes a tear off her face and sits back. “What happened, Atticus?” she asks quietly.<br />
<br />
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.”<br />
<br />
Delilah’s eyes grow wide. “So what happened?” she breathes.<br />
<br />
“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.”<br />
<br />
Delilah frowns, confusion written all over her face. “So he’s not dead?”<br />
<br />
“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.”<br />
<br />
“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-”<br />
<br />
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.”<br />
<br />
“I just…” Lila trails off into a stunned silence. “It’s a lot to take in,” she mumbles.<br />
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<br />
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. <br />
<br />
“I want to marry Delilah,” Beau blurts out, seizing upon the rare moment of quiet to bring up the sensitive subject.<br />
<br />
Luca eyes the boy warily. “Have you spoken with Lila about this?” he asks.<br />
<br />
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.”<br />
<br />
“It’s not my hand to give,” Luca retorts with a frown. “Have you thought about how you’re going to ask her?”<br />
<br />
“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.”<br />
<br />
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.<br />
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“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.”<br />
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<br />
“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”.<br />
<br />
“You’ll see in a moment,” he tells her affectionately.<br />
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<br />
Delilah gasps as they reach the overlook at the bottom of the hill.<br />
<br />
“Wow!” she breathes. “The view… It’s stunning!”<br />
<br />
Sweeping her into his arms, Beau twirls her around and playfully kisses her neck. “You like it then?” he whispers.<br />
<br />
“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?”<br />
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<br />
“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.<br />
<br />
Delilah feels herself melt at his words. <i>He’s so perfect,</i> she sighs. <i>So handsome and charming and considerate. He’s everything I should want in a guy.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Except he’s not Kieran,</i> a small voice rips through her mind like a gunshot, and Delilah’s face falls slightly. <i>Kieran’s dead,</i> she reminds herself sternly, pushing his face out of her thoughts. <br />
<br />
“I love you,” she tells Beau in an almost defiant tone of voice.<br />
<br />
Oblivious to her internal struggles, Beau nods and gently brushes a strand of hair out of her face. “I love you too, babe.”<br />
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<br />
“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.”<br />
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<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
“What’s wrong, darling?” he asks as he props himself up on his elbows.<br />
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<br />
Lila sighs and crawls into his lap. “Do you love me?” she demands in a pouty voice.<br />
<br />
“Baby, you know I do,” Beau chuckles. “Why do you even need to ask?”<br />
<br />
“Then kiss me,” she breathes.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
Delilah hesitates, her gaze never once leaving Beau’s face. “You know my friend?” she whispers. “The one who died?”<br />
<br />
Beau nods, his face unreadable under the bright tropical sun.<br />
<br />
“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.<br />
<br />
“You cheated on me?” His voice sounds pinched and tight.<br />
<br />
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.”<br />
<br />
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.”<br />
<br />
“You can,” Delilah assures him with a forced smile. “I have nothing else to hide.”<br />
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Challenge Notes:</b></u><br />
<br />
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).<br /><br />
So, I’ve never seen this happen before…<br />
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Apparently, even Delilah’s dad doesn’t like Beau. LOL…Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15791098360536318915noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313971805424558707.post-79796113549609083752013-06-11T04:48:00.000-07:002013-06-11T04:48:44.441-07:00Chapter 5: Hello, Goodbye<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
The suffocating silence bears down on Delilah with brutal intensity, crushing her under the weight of their unspoken words, and the oppressive summer heat coats her skin in a fine layer of nervous sweat. Taking a deep, shaky breath, Lila forces herself not to cry, but Beau’s piercing gaze feels almost knife-like in its severity.<br />
<br />
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asks at last, finally breaking the uneasy tension between them.<br />
<br />
Delilah shrugs noncommittally. “I didn’t want to bother you,” she answers in a meek voice.<br />
<br />
“Bother me?!” he hisses. “Delilah, we’re not talking about left over laundry here! You’re fucking pregnant! With my fucking child!”<br />
<br />
“Our child,” she snaps with a furious glare.<br />
<br />
“Exactly! Last I checked, it takes two to make a baby,” he snarls.<br />
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<br />
Delilah feels her temper start to flare, but the fire in her chest quickly dies out, replaced by a smoldering sense of guilt instead. “Why do you even care?” she asks quietly. “From what I heard, you moved on from me ages ago, dating a new girl every week according to the tabloids. I thought a baby would be the last thing you’d want to deal with right now.”<br />
<br />
“Does that honestly sound like me?” he demands with an exasperated sigh. “Yes, I dated around a bit after we broke up, but only because I was looking for someone to fill the void you left in my life. I was heartbroken when you ended it between us, Delilah. I still am,” he adds softly.<br />
<br />
Delilah scowls at him, weighing the sincerity of his words. “You don’t need to be tied down to a child, Beau. You have your name to think about, your career in show business, and a baby would only get in the way.” Beau laughs, but Delilah remains unconvinced. “Seriously! Your fans would be livid, and a scandal like this could ruin your squeaky clean reputation!”<br />
<br />
“I don’t care,” he smiles. “I’ve always wanted a family, and we could-” He stops short as Delilah cringes slightly. “What’s wrong?” he asks, worry written all over his face.<br />
<br />
“The baby kicked. It happens a lot nowadays,” she reassures him.<br />
<br />
“Can I feel?” he whispers with wide-eyed excitement.<br />
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<br />
Delilah grins at his enthusiasm and readily agrees to his request, gently taking his hand and placing it on her belly. “I don’t know if it’ll happen again though,” she warns. <br />
<br />
Beau nods in understanding, but within just a few moments the baby starts kicking up a storm. “Does it hurt?” he asks breathlessly.<br />
<br />
“Not really,” she replies, giggling at the awestruck expression on his face. <br />
<br />
Once the movement stops, Beau reluctantly steps back, his hand brushing against Delilah’s as he pulls it away from her stomach. “I miss you,” he sighs. “And I… I still love you.”<br />
<br />
Lila freezes, her heart racing at the hungry look in his eyes. “Beau…” She tries to use a firm tone, but her voice comes out sounding more wistful than cautionary.<br />
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<br />
“Delilah,” he whispers affectionately, his tongue tasting the delicate sound of her name. Grabbing her hand, Beau brings her fingertips to his lips and softly kisses her smooth skin. “I can give you so much, baby. I can love you and support you and provide for you. We can get married and buy a house and I can relocate to Jericho and you can quit your band and we can raise this child together as a family. What do you say, darling? Let’s try it again, okay?”<br />
<br />
Delilah frowns but doesn’t pull her hand away. “Beau,” she begins hesitantly. “I- I can’t. We can’t. I’m not ready for any of that. I don’t-”<br />
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<br />
“Come on, Delilah,” he murmurs, stepping toward her and wrapping his arm around her waist. “I want to be with you, baby. I love you.”<br />
<br />
Delilah feels her breath catch in her chest as Beau pulls her against him and leans in to kiss her. She tries to back away as his lips press against her face, his tongue probing her mouth for acceptance, but he tightens his already firm grasp on her arm. <br />
<br />
“Come on,” he implores. “Kiss me.”<br />
<br />
And so she does, relaxing into his strong embrace.<br />
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<br />
“Delilah?”<br />
<br />
Kieran’s voice, heartbroken and disconsolate, rips through her consciousness, and Delilah leaps back out of Beau’s arms. “Kieran!” she shouts as she turns to face him, struggling to come up with a story, an excuse, anything to explain the situation, but he’s already gone.<br />
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<br />
Three agonizing days pass before Delilah can convince him to see her again, and even now he only relents because he can’t bear to leave without saying goodbye one last time.<br />
<br />
“I’m sorry,” she sobs as he snaps closed his final suitcase. “It didn’t mean anything. Kieran, please, you must believe me! I didn’t even want to kiss him!”<br />
<br />
Kieran shakes his head, fighting the urge to run over to her and kiss away her tears. “No,” he says, more harshly than intended. “I can’t, Lila. I won’t. I need to get away from you, from this, before it kills me. Atticus offered to help me find a place to stay in Arundel, and I’m going to study at the university for a few years. Please, just do me a favor and leave me alone. I need some time on my own. I need some space away from you.”<br />
<br />
“A few years?!” she cries. “But Kieran, I can’t raise this baby without you! I need you! I-”<br />
<br />
“You need to think about someone else besides yourself for once,” he retorts angrily. “I’ve got a train to catch. If you have to reach me for some reason, you can write to Atticus and he can find me. Goodbye, Delilah.”<br />
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<br />
In a numb stupor, Lila makes her way home and collapses into a chair at the kitchen table. <i>Gone.</i> The word washes over her like a cold winter rain, sending chills down her spine as the bitter loneliness seeps into her bones. She desperately tries to hold back another onslaught of tears, but the memory of Kieran’s heartbroken face flashes in front of her and she breaks down into ragged sobs once more.<br />
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“Delilah?” Beau tentatively pushes open the slightly ajar door and peaks inside. “I wasn’t going to come up, but you haven’t been returning my calls and I wanted to check on you and make sure everything was o-” He stops suddenly as his eyes come to rest on her damp, tearstained face. “What’s wrong, baby?” he whispers worriedly.<br />
<br />
Delilah looks over at him and attempts to smile, but her trembling lips refuse to cooperate.<br />
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Pulling up a chair to sit beside her, Beau stares at her anxiously, uncertain of how to handle the situation. After their encounter the other day, he fully expected to have to woo Delilah away from another man, but judging from her tearful and often unintelligible jabber he may not have any competition after all. Either way, Beau knows that he needs to assert his claim now, and he’s not above using her current vulnerable state to his advantage. Still, watching her now, he feels a fleeting sensation of guilt pass through his consciousness, but he quickly shrugs it off. Delilah will be far happier with him than that other guy, he reasons, and by helping her move on from the relationship he’s really doing her a favor and saving her from more heartache.<br />
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As her sobs begin to subside, Beau stands up and pulls Delilah in for a hug. <br />
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“There, there,” he soothes. “It’s not so bad, darling. You don’t need him anyway.”<br />
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“B-But the b-b-baby,” she cries into his shirt. “I c-can’t raise it a-l-lone.”<br />
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Beau forces himself to suppress a smile. She’s playing right into his hands, and now all he needs to do is seal the deal. “You won’t be alone,” he assures her smoothly. “I will be with you every step of the way.”<br />
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“You w-will?” she breathes.<br />
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Slipping his hand beneath her chin, Beau tilts her head up and forces her to meet his steady gaze. “Of course I will,” he murmurs as he wipes a tear off her cheek. Hesitating slightly, he presses on. “Let me move in with you, my darling. At least until the baby is born. I don’t want you living alone right now, especially considering your condition, and I’d feel much better if I could be here to look after you. Besides,” he adds with a small smirk, “I don’t want to miss a single minute of our baby’s life, and this way we can experience every moment together, as a family.”<br />
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Delilah falters, her mind turning to Kieran. He was going to move in with her and help take care of the baby, but now he’s gone. <i>And he didn’t even let me explain,</i> she thinks bitterly, her eyes brimming with fresh tears.<br />
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“Alright,” she agrees after a pause. “But only until the baby is born.”<br />
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After Kieran’s heartbreaking departure, Delilah turns to her music for comfort, throwing herself into her band responsibilities with ardent desperation. At first, Bexley and Roscoe were furious about losing the group’s most talented member, but they quickly found a replacement keyboardist to take Kieran’s place, suitably pacifying their melodramatic tempers. Still, now that he’s gone the song writing duties have fallen squarely onto Delilah’s shoulders, and she is anxious to prove to their numerous critics that the band’s popularity is more than just a passing fad. Fortunately, she has no shortage of inspiration lately, and her powerful lyrics about heartbreak and betrayal sound strikingly beautiful when paired with her skillful guitar accompaniment.<br />
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She makes sure to work in a couple of angry rock ‘n’ roll songs, too, complete with her signature crazy-rocker-chick face.<br />
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Her relationship with Beau moves slowly in the beginning, and he spends his first several weeks in Jericho sleeping on the sofa in the living room. Nevertheless, Beau proves wonderfully helpful and accommodating around the house, and Lila soon warms up to his presence in her life.<br />
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Still, despite sharing a bed now, Delilah steadfastly refuses to discuss their relationship or make any long term plans with him. <i>We can talk after the baby is born,</i> she stubbornly replies whenever he tries to bring it up.<br />
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Fortunately for Beau, he doesn’t have to wait very long. Delilah goes into labor several weeks before her due date.<br />
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And for good reason. She gives birth to triplets, two healthy baby boys and one rambunctious baby girl. Phoenix (blue) is the oldest, followed by Griffin (yellow) then Fable (pink).<br />
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With three newborns to care for, Beau and Delilah seldom get a minute alone together. Tonight, however, none of the triplets put up a fuss at bedtime, and Beau seizes upon the rare moment of peace to make an important announcement.<br />
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“I sold my house,” he tells Delilah with a tired grin.<br />
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Lila glances up sharply, startled by his news. “You own a house?” she demands.<br />
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Beau nods. “Owned, actually. In Bridgeport, but now that it’s sold we can buy a place together here in Jericho.”<br />
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Delilah frowns, her forehead crinkling in thought. “Are you sure?” she asks, doubt seeping into her words. “You don’t have to move here if you don’t want to.”<br />
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Chuckling, Beau leans over and lightly kisses her lips. “A pack of wolves couldn’t keep me away from you and the kids,” he replies firmly. “I want this. I want you,” he adds with a small smile.<br />
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Delilah sighs and joins him on the bed. “I can’t afford a new house, Beau” she tells him quietly. “Roscoe signed our band to his label when we were just teenagers, and he gave us a downright lousy deal. I won’t start taking home a decent paycheck until our contract is up for renewal in a couple of years. I’m sorry, baby, but moving just isn’t possible for me right now.”<br />
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Pulling her on top of him, Beau reaches up and brushes a strand of hair out of her face. “Darling, I will buy the house,” he whispers.<br />
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Delilah stiffens. “I can’t ask you to do that,” she replies with a scowl. <br />
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“And I can’t ask you, the mother of my children, to raise our babies in a tiny one bedroom apartment in the middle of the city,” he exclaims irritably. “They are sleeping in the living room right now, Delilah. They need a real house, with a nursery and a backyard and space to run and play.”<br />
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“But-”<br />
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“It’s not fair to the kids, my darling. Besides, I want to do this for you. For us. For our family.”<br />
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Reluctantly, Delilah agrees to go look at a few houses with him the following weekend, and so that Saturday they leave the triplets with their Uncle Rigby and Aunt Heidi and head out to start their search. After a semi-long car drive, Beau and Delilah pull up in front of a secluded oak grove located at the end of a winding, dead-end street. They get out of the car, and Beau leads her down a well-worn path, past a small pond, and over a rickety wooden bridge.<br />
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“Close your eyes,” he commands as he takes her hands and guides her down the final few steps.<br />
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“Aaaand open,” Beau exclaims with an enthusiastic grin.<br />
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Delilah gasps at the sprawling old farmhouse stretching out before her eyes. Lush hydrangea bushes, towering sunflower stalks, and imposing oak trees adorn the sumptuous and expansive grounds, and the weathered stone house appears to wrap around a charmingly unkempt courtyard. Breathing in, Delilah smells the faint scent of lavender drift by on the warm autumn breeze, and the rustle of the wind carries nothing but the soothing sounds of nature on its breath.<br />
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“Do you like it?” Beau asks as they wander through the kitchen and dining room.<br />
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“It’s-” Delilah stops and sighs, her eyes alight with excitement. “Amazing,” she whispers.<br />
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“I’ve always dreamed of raising my children in the country,” Beau explains happily. “Away from the dirt and smog of the city, from the tabloids and paparazzi, the pressures of my career and the influences of the media. My grandparents owned a farm down south, and I spent every summer out there with them. I want to give my kids, our kids, those same wonderful memories.”<br />
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“I love it,” Lila gushes as she glances around the quaint, but endearing family room. “I never thought I would like a farmhouse, but this… This is beautiful.”<br />
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“You haven’t even seen the best part yet,” Beau beams.<br />
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Delilah can merely shake her head in awestruck disbelief as she walks into the adorable playroom.<br />
<br />
“It’s perfect for them. For us,” she smiles before pulling Beau into a deep kiss. “Can you afford it?”<br />
<br />
Beau chuckles and tweaks her nose affectionately. “Don’t worry, my darling. I wouldn’t tease you like that.”<br />
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True to his word, Beau calls the realtor that very same day, and less than a month later they move into their new home.<br />
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For a while, life settles into an easy and comfortable routine. Beau continues to work off and on, flying to the nearby city of Boscaster every few weeks to promote his newly released crime drama and drum up publicity for his upcoming role as the title character in a big budget action film, but for the most part he spends his days at home with Delilah and the triplets. Despite the never-ending diaper changes and frequent late night feedings, Beau adores his children, and he revels in his responsibilities as a new dad.<br />
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Lila never expected Beau to be such a loving and devoted father, but with three newborns to look after she welcomes his involvement with open arms. Snuggling her daughter close to her chest after a particularly long and fussy night, Delilah feels overwhelmed by gratitude toward her partner. What if Beau hadn’t wanted anything to do with her or the kids? She’d be all alone right now, trying to raise three babies in a tiny apartment without any help.<br />
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<i>No,</i> she reminds herself with a pang of regret. <i>Kieran would be here.</i> Sighing, she desperately tries to push his image out of her mind, but she can’t help but miss him at moments like this. <i>He’d probably have found some other excuse to abandon me by now anyway,</i> she thinks angrily.<br />
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“I’m not ready to come back yet,” Delilah exclaims the following week when Bexley drops by her new house for a chat. “My babies are still too young to be left with a sitter.”<br />
<br />
“But your fans miss you,” Bexley declares with a dramatic sigh.<br />
<br />
“What about Rigby and Austin? Can’t they-”<br />
<br />
Bexley shakes her head. “<i>You</i> are the face and voice of the band, Delilah dear. They want to see you. Besides,” she adds with a moody scowl, “Roscoe was promoted to president, and he’s been on a power high lately. He keeps threatening to sack me if I can’t get you back on stage again by the end of the month.”<br />
<br />
“Well, tell Roscoe that he can wait a while longer. I don’t want to start performing again until the triplets are at least six months old.”<br />
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“Six months old?!” Bexley cries. “That would be career suicide!”<br />
<br />
“Fine,” Delilah retorts. “Then consider the band dead.”<br />
<br />
“But-”<br />
<br />
“My priorities have changed, and with Beau around now I don’t need the work anymore.”<br />
<br />
“You can’t quit,” Bexley proclaims with a distinct air of haughtiness in her voice. “Your contract-”<br />
<br />
“My contract doesn’t give you the right to dictate my life,” Delilah cuts her off furiously. “You’ve meddled in my affairs too many times, Mrs. Maddox, and I for one am sick and tired of it. Get out of my house and don’t come back until you’ve lost the attitude.”<br />
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“But I told her I wasn’t ready to leave the babies yet, and then she started acting all pissy about it so I kicked her out!” Delilah gushes that evening when Beau gets home from the studio.<br />
<br />
Chuckling at her excitement, Beau squeezes her hand adoringly. “I’m so proud of you, baby,” he grins. “Did you send in your resignation letter yet?”<br />
<br />
“Oh, I didn’t officially resign,” Lila giggles. “I just threatened to.”<br />
<br />
“Well, you should take care of that pretty soon,” Beau tells her absently. “You don’t want to drag it out now, do you?”<br />
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But Delilah doesn’t even hear him, too busy thinking about her earlier conversation with Bexley to pay him any attention.<br />
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After dinner, Beau proves to be in quite a frisky mood. Lifting Delilah up onto the counter, he runs his hand along the inside of her thigh and playfully, teasingly hikes up the edge of her skirt. Delilah grins against his tender kiss and responds by seductively wrapping her legs around his waist.<br />
<br />
“Are you ready for this?” he mumbles as he pulls away slightly. While they shared a bed during her pregnancy, Lila never felt like doing anything besides sleeping in it, but now that the babies are almost two months old Beau is eager to test the waters again.<br />
<br />
“Yes, absolutely,” Delilah tells him determinedly. Fumbling with his shirt, she stops suddenly as a thought crosses her mind. “Why?” she asks. “Aren’t you?”<br />
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Beau smiles in reply, and picking her up he sweeps her into the bedroom.<br />
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With a heated kiss, Beau lays Delilah down on the bed and removes her dress and jacket, savoring the touch of her bare skin pressed against his body. Lila eagerly slips her hands beneath his shirt, letting her fingers explore his sculpted, muscular chest as their lips collide in a flurry of passion, but Beau soon regains control. Pushing her back onto the covers, he holds her hands down and runs his mouth along the side of her neck, eliciting a satisfied groan from Delilah before pulling away and wriggling out of his top. She smiles at him shyly, feeling a bit self-conscious as his eyes trace her new, curvier figure, but with an appreciative growl Beau leans in and rips off her bra.<br />
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<br />
It’s been ages since either of them has been intimate with anybody, and so the sex feels almost overwhelming in its intensity. At the height of her orgasm, Delilah calls out to him, screaming the only name that comes to mind.<br />
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“Kieran!” she moans as she trembles and shakes from the ecstasy.<br />
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<br />
Beau tries to brush it off as nothing, a slip-up that anybody could have made, but he doesn’t sleep well that night as her voice, shouting another man’s name, plays over and over again in his head.<br />
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Delilah, for her part, doesn’t even realize she made a mistake, so Beau’s cold behavior toward her the following day feels hurtful and confusing. Nevertheless, she goes about her daily chores without a word, trying to shrug off his aloofness as exhaustion from their previous night together.<br />
<br />
Setting Griffin down in his crib, Delilah hears a knock at the front door. “I’ll get it,” she tells Beau gruffly, assuming it must be Bexley back for round two.<br />
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<br />
“Dad!” Delilah exclaims excitedly as she throws her arms around his neck in a warm embrace. “And Emily too! I didn’t know you guys were coming for a visit,” she beams at them.<br />
<br />
Luca, her father, welcomes the exuberant greeting, and he pulls his eldest daughter in for a tight hug. “We should’ve called ahead, but with everything going on yesterday we forgot,” he mumbles apologetically.<br />
<br />
Delilah frowns, noticing her father’s tired, raspy voice. “Everything going on?” she asks. “What happened, Dad?”<br />
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Luca doesn’t say anything, instead moving to stand next to his wife Emily. Delilah watches them closely, her eyes darting back and forth between Luca’s pinched, worried gaze and Emily’s blotchy, tearstained face. “What happened?” she repeats again, more sternly this time.<br />
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<br />
Just then, Atticus appears at her door.<br />
<br />
“Delilah,” he forces himself to smile. “May I come in?”<br />
<br />
Lila nods and beckons him inside. “Grandpa?” she greets him with a scowl. “What are you doing here?”<br />
<br />
“We need to talk, Delilah,” he tells her somberly. “It’s about Kieran.”<br />
<br />
Lila feels the room begin to spin at the mention of Kieran’s name. She glances over at Emily, whose now sobbing softly in Luca’s arms, before turning her full attention back to Atticus. “What happened?” she demands in a piercingly sharp voice.<br />
<br />
“Can we sit down, honey?” Luca chimes in. “I’d rather-”<br />
<br />
“What. Happened.” She spits the words at Atticus, her eyes never once leaving his cold, impassive face.<br />
<br />
Taking a deep breath, Atticus nods curtly. “Kieran…” he hesitates ever so slightly, as though struggling to find an easier way to tell her. “Kieran died, Delilah,” he says at last.<br />
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Challenge Notes:</b></u><br />
<br />
Wow, busy chapter! I probably should have split it up into two, but I couldn’t find a good place to stop.<br />
<br />
Let’s see here, what do I need to talk about? Oh yes. The challenge. ;D Beau and Delilah are now *officially* living together. According to her roll, she gets to have a partner, so that solves that little mystery. =D I moved Beau in before the babies were born, but holy crap it was a really close call! The triplets honestly did arrive early, or so it seemed anyway. I thought Sim pregnancies lasted 72 hours, but I don’t think this one even reached the 70 hour mark.<br />
<br />
TRIPLETS! *dies* I was aiming for twins, as Delilah only rolled for one kid and I couldn’t bear to raise a singleton, but I definitely overshot it a little. I made her listen to kids’ music all day long on a portable boom box, and I may have given her the fertility treatment LTR on the sly. =P However, I made certain to shut off the quadruplets “feature” right before she went into labor. I seriously don’t need four little brats terrorizing poor Delilah, even if Beau is around to help out.<br />
<br />
I have no idea what I was thinking when I named the babies like that, by the way. It was late, and I was tired, and it seemed like a good idea at the time. I’ve been dying to use the name Fable for a girl (nickname Fae), and I really wanted something that wasn’t matchy matchy for the boys. But yikes, did I ever fail! Well, at least they don’t rhyme…<br />
<br />
So, I bet you’re wondering how a first generation founder Sim can afford such a large house, eh? Well, I shall tell you. ;) While I absolutely consider Delilah to be my “founder”, she isn’t technically my first generation. Basically, I caved and gave her the money that Luca (her rich doctor dad) earned during his time as my founder. He lived by all the challenge rules and never cheated or anything like that, so I figured it was fair game. I plan to pay it back, too, if that helps any. I’m just sick and tired of watching my Sims live in crummy little houses, and I really wanted to use one of the lots that I’d already built. Am I lazy? Yes. Am I cheating? Well, that’s up for debate.<br />
<br />
What else? Oh yeah. Kieran. *sobs hysterically* If it is any consolation at all, I can promise you that my next update will explain it ten times better than I could this chapter. Still though… :’(<br />
<br />
P.S. I promise I'll actually respond to comments this time. /failBuckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15791098360536318915noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313971805424558707.post-16578933725026625352013-05-27T08:25:00.000-07:002013-05-27T08:25:23.086-07:00Chapter 4: Labeled<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span id="goog_1709161224"></span><span id="goog_1709161225"></span>During the early months of her pregnancy, Delilah struggles with acute nausea and debilitating headaches almost every single day, and the sudden influx of hormones coursing through her system often leaves her feeling tired and cranky. Most mornings, she doesn’t even want to get out of bed, let alone go to the studio or perform on stage with her band.<br />
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<span id="goog_1709161224"></span><span id="goog_1709161225"></span>Throughout these challenging first few weeks, Kieran devotes himself wholeheartedly to helping Delilah whenever he can, and despite her bad mood and short temper the friends grow closer than ever before.<br />
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<span id="goog_1709161224"></span><span id="goog_1709161225"></span>“What are you reading?” Delilah asks one lazy Sunday afternoon as she quietly comes up behind him.<br />
<br />
Kieran jumps at the sound of her voice and frantically attempts to close the browser, but in his panic he fumbles with the mouse and misses the “X”.<br />
<br />
Frowning, Delilah folds her arms across her chest and glares at him irritably. “Houses? Really? Are you in the market, Kieran?” she demands.<br />
<br />
“Don’t look at me like that!” he snaps, sounding almost sheepish in his embarrassment. “I just thought that… You know, with the baby coming… You might need a bigger place, and…” Kieran sighs and rubs his head anxiously. “I didn’t want to ask you this way.”<br />
<br />
“Ask me what?” she replies stiffly.<br />
<br />
“I already spend most of my time over here, Lila,” he begins with a nervous smile. “And when the baby arrives, I imagine I’ll be here even more often. So, I thought that perhaps we could, I don’t know, move in together or something…”<br />
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<span id="goog_1709161224"></span><span id="goog_1709161225"></span>Tilting his head back, Delilah traces her hand along the edge of his rough, unshaven jaw. “Why do you care?” she scowls. “You aren’t the father of this baby, Kieran. You aren’t my husband. You aren’t even my boyfriend. You have no obligation to me or my child. So I repeat- Why do you even care?”<br />
<br />
“So now I need a label to care about you?” he exclaims. “I don’t give a damn if that kid shares my blood or not. I want to be its father, Lila. I want to be your boyfriend and someday, someday soon I hope, your husband too. I don’t understand why you keep pushing me away. You said that you love me, so why can’t we be together?”<br />
<br />
But Delilah has no answer for him. She never has an answer for him, so she just sighs moodily and changes the subject. “I haven’t told Beau yet,” she says as she idly runs her fingers through his hair. “I don’t think I’m going to either.”<br />
<br />
Kieran frowns. “He has a right to know, Delilah. He’s just as much a parent to that baby as you are.”<br />
<br />
“But I don’t want to get him involved,” she pouts.<br />
<br />
“Sooner or later he’s going to find out,” Kieran reasons. “It’ll be easier for everyone if the news comes directly from you.”<br />
<br />
“I’m going to take a nap,” Delilah announces, pointedly deflecting his argument. “Don’t do anymore house hunting while I’m asleep.”<br />
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<span id="goog_1709161224"></span><span id="goog_1709161225"></span>If Kieran had his way, he’d happily spend every night cuddling with Lila on the sofa at home, but she refuses to stay cooped up in a “shoddy old apartment drinking cheap wine and gossiping about their neighbors’ love lives like that crotchety old married couple who lives downstairs”. So, with no other plans and nothing better to do, the pair find themselves back at their old high school hangout, a loud and brightly colored arcade located just outside downtown Jericho.<br />
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<span id="goog_1709161224"></span><span id="goog_1709161225"></span>“Can you drop it please?” Delilah exclaims when Kieran attempts to bring up their living arrangements yet again that night. “The baby doesn’t need a father. I will be its father.”<br />
<br />
Kieran smirks, his eyes twinkling in amusement. “Must you always be so stubborn, my love?” he laughs. <br />
<br />
“Don’t call me that,” Lila snaps with a withering glare. “I am perfectly capable of raising this child without you, Kieran.”<br />
<br />
Sighing, he pauses the game and looks straight up into her stormy violet eyes. “Yes, yes you are,” he agrees. “And I have no doubt that you will make a wonderful mother, Delilah, but until you stop running away from reality and start facing your problems head on that baby will need a father figure in its life. Let me be there for you, my love. Let me be there for both of you.” <br />
<br />
“And what do I owe you for that fascinating and insightful lecture, Dr. Everard?” Delilah glowers. “Or is the counseling session free today?”<br />
<br />
Kieran frowns. “You didn’t hear a single word I said, did you?”<br />
<br />
“My brain shut down once I realized you were talking psycho-babble at me again,” she retorts crossly.<br />
<br />
Shaking his head in resignation, Kieran turns his attention back to the game. He doesn’t want to start a fight tonight, and he knows that if he continues to push her she’ll just completely shut down on him.<br />
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<span id="goog_1709161224"></span><span id="goog_1709161225"></span>Tired and ready to call it quits, the friends prepare to head home, but before they get to the door Delilah stops suddenly and grabs Kieran’s hand.<br />
<br />
“I want a picture,” she explains as she pulls out her phone.<br />
<br />
“Of what?” he asks.<br />
<br />
“Of us!” she grins enthusiastically.<br />
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<span id="goog_1709161224"></span><span id="goog_1709161225"></span>Wrapping his arm around her shoulder, Kieran turns to say something to her, but before he gets a chance Delilah presses her lips against his in a surprisingly public display of affection.<br />
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<span id="goog_1709161224"></span><span id="goog_1709161225"></span>“Oh, it turned out awesome!” she giggles as she flips to the photo.<br />
<br />
“Let me see,” Kieran says.<br />
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<span id="goog_1709161224"></span><span id="goog_1709161225"></span>“Not too shabby. Not too shabby at all,” he chuckles. “I must admit that I look pretty badass with such a hot chick on my arm.”<br />
<br />
Delilah punches him indignantly, but she can’t resist smiling at his lame attempt at a compliment. “I’ll text it to you,” she decides. “That way we can both have a copy.”<br />
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<span id="goog_1709161224"></span><span id="goog_1709161225"></span>As the days turn to weeks and the weeks turn to months, life in Jericho drifts by in uneventful harmony. Despite her steadfast insistence that she doesn’t need, let alone want, him around, Delilah grows increasingly dependent on Kieran, not only for his help around the house and with the band but for his company and friendship, his tender words and gentle affection, his unwavering support and unconditional love. Tonight in particular she welcomes his soothing presence. <br />
<br />
“Bexley wants to speak with me tomorrow,” Delilah sighs as she snuggles up against his chest. “She said that we need to discuss my figure.”<br />
<br />
Kieran nods. Even with her excruciatingly careful efforts to hide it, Lila’s baby bump has definitely begun to show, and they both knew that it was only a matter of time before their bosses at the record label noticed her ill-fitting clothes. “What are you going to tell her?” he asks.<br />
<br />
“The truth,” she replies with a contented smile. “That I’m pregnant and the band will just have to live without me for a few months.”<br />
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<span id="goog_1709161224"></span><span id="goog_1709161225"></span><br />
<span id="goog_1709161224"></span><span id="goog_1709161225"></span>“Yes, well, I can’t say I’m surprised,” Bexley confesses the next day when Delilah tells her the news. “I’ve been suspicious for quite a while now, ever since you turned down that swimsuit photo op last month. Who is the baby’s father?”<br />
<br />
Delilah freezes, her eyes widening with panic. She wasn’t expecting Bexley to be so blunt, and the question catches her off guard. <i>It’s probably my ex-boyfriend’s kid, but honestly it could belong to any number of other men, including my band mate Kieran. You know, the guy you explicitly forbid to get involved with me...</i> “I’m, uh- He’s a- You wouldn’t recognize his name,” Delilah blurts out.<br />
<br />
“Try me,” Bexley retorts coolly.<br />
<br />
Delilah flinches. “I’d, uh, I’d rather not say…” she whispers faintly.<br />
<br />
Bexley’s eyes narrow into angry little slits. “Delilah, <i>dear</i>, if you can’t trust me with a harmless little piece of information such as that, then I’m afraid that my job as your manager is doomed to failure. I’d hate to put an expectant mother out on the street, but we have girls lining up around the block to take your place, many of whom actually know how to keep their legs closed…”<br />
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Whether it’s her pregnancy hormones, the threat of losing her dream job, or Bexley’s cheap jab at her less than pristine reputation, she isn’t sure, but whatever the cause Delilah breaks down into hysterical sobs right there in her boss’s office. <br />
<br />
“Delilah, dear, calm down,” Bexley scolds with an uneasy laugh. “I’m just as eager to break in a new lead vocalist as you are to find another job, and besides, your album is selling well right now and Roscoe quite likes you for some reason. However, as your manager it’s my responsibility to cultivate and maintain your image, and in order to do so I need to know exactly what I’m dealing with here. I need to know the name of your baby's daddy.”<br />
<br />
Wiping her eyes, Delilah glances up miserably. “I’m not entirely sure,” she sniffs, “but I think it probably belongs to Beau.”<br />
<br />
Bexley’s eyebrows shoot up. “Beau Henderson?” she asks. “The actor you were dating last summer?”<br />
<br />
Lila nods.<br />
<br />
“Interesting,” she purrs, suddenly sounding much more upbeat. “You should go home and rest, Delilah dear, while I take care of the announcement. There’s already been some speculation about your, uh, condition in the press, but obviously we have yet to confirm anything.”<br />
<br />
“You won’t mention Beau though, will you?” Delilah pleads. “I haven’t told him yet, and I really don’t want him to find out through the tabloids.”<br />
<br />
“Don’t worry,” Bexley smirks. “I wouldn’t do anything that wasn’t in your best interest.”<br />
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<span id="goog_1709161224"></span><span id="goog_1709161225"></span>Across town, Kieran attends his weekly lessons with Phineas Ellsworth, the young professor who tested Delilah’s magic a few months back. Atticus, Kieran’s mentor and Delilah’s maternal grandfather, insisted that he continue his training under the supervision of the more experienced mage, and so once a week Kieran drops by the Ellsworth residence to practice his spells.<br />
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However, after just a few months of these sessions Kieran outgrew his instructor’s teachings, and Phineas decided to let him train on his own, turning the visits into little more than a formality. Still, Kieran enjoys spending time with the well-studied mage, and he finds Phineas’ stories about the secretive world of magic fascinating and informative.<br />
<br />
“You didn’t know?!” Phineas exclaims in a hushed tone when Kieran asks him about the rigid ban on human mage marriages. “The law came into being around the time of the Great Plague, during the darkest of the Dark Days when the epidemic was wiping out hundreds upon thousands of people every month. Facing extensive protests and an ugly civil war, the ruling monarch, King Aylwin, became desperate to find someone, anyone, to blame for the deadly outbreak, and in his fear he turned on us magic folk, claiming that we started the plague. He ordered anyone suspected of using witchcraft to be tried and hung, and so we were forced to flee our homes and hide our powers in order to escape the massacre. The mage’s council forbade interbreeding with humans as a way to further distance the community from our bloodthirsty neighbors, and over the years the custom became ingrained in our culture. I admit, to an outsider it can seem a bit dated by today’s standards, but with the widespread unrest currently sweeping through the community nobody would dare challenge such a familiar and well-established law right now.”<br />
<br />
Kieran frowns. “Unrest?” he repeats.<br />
<br />
Phineas nods solemnly. “Oh yes, and it’s reached a fever pitch as of late.”<br />
<br />
“What happened?”<br />
<br />
Lowering his voice to a soft whisper, Phineas leans in and locks eyes with Kieran. “Most mages in the community refuse to discuss it, and those who will usually condemn it as a lie. However, denial never fixed anything, and I believe, as do many of our foremost academics, that this problem demands awareness and attention. What I say here should not be repeated thoughtlessly or discussed within the earshot of strangers,” he warns in a somber tone. <br />
<br />
Kieran nods in agreement, and Phineas begins his tale.<br />
<br />
“Several centuries ago, a pair of scholars started investigating a perceived decline in the raw power of magic throughout the known world, and they gathered and compiled encyclopedias full of data. They were never able to substantiate their hypothesis, however, but some five hundred years later one of our leading analytical minds at the university in Arundel discovered their research. Professor Cyrus Delmar, my mentor as a matter of fact, reopened the study, and using current numbers he conclusively proved their theory of magic decay. He even went so far as to predict that in another five hundred years or so, there won’t be any magic left in the world at all.”<br />
<br />
“Wow, that’s intense,” Kieran breathes.<br />
<br />
“Quite,” Phineas agrees. “Professor Delmar just recently released his findings to the public last year, and it set off quite a buzz throughout the community. People have long speculated about such a phenomenon, but there were never any hard figures to back it up. Naturally, this new information makes the community extremely uneasy, especially as no one knows what’s causing this rapid disintegration of power or how we can stop it.”<br />
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With his mind still churning from his conversation with Phineas earlier in the afternoon, Kieran welcomes the thought cleansing peace of Delilah’s latest fad, candle-lit meditation sessions on the living room floor.<br />
<br />
“You’re tense tonight,” she notices as he settles down beside her.<br />
<br />
“Long day.”<br />
<br />
“Everything okay?” she asks.<br />
<br />
Kieran grunts indifferently.<br />
<br />
“Do you want to talk about it?”<br />
<br />
“Aren’t we supposed to be silent when we do this?” he retorts.<br />
<br />
Delilah opens her eyes and glares at him. “I’m bored,” she complains. “Besides, you’re distracting me.”<br />
<br />
“How?! I haven’t said a word.”<br />
<br />
“You took your shirt off again. You know what that does to me.”<br />
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<br />
With a grin, Kieran leans back and winks at her enticingly. “Maybe that’s why I did it,” he smirks.<br />
<br />
Delilah groans and shuts her eyes again. “Now you’re just being cruel. Besides, wasn’t the ‘no sex until I commit’ rule your great idea?”<br />
<br />
Kieran laughs. While he hadn’t phrased it quite that way, he did make it clear that their relationship was strictly nonsexual until she agreed that they were officially and exclusively a couple. “I can always make an exception…” he replies mischievously.<br />
<br />
Delilah’s eyes fly open. “Really?” she breathes.<br />
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<br />
Coming up behind her, Kieran kisses her deeply. “I miss you,” he murmurs when they break apart. “And I’m sick and tired of waiting for you to make up your mind.”<br />
<br />
With a satisfied moan, Delilah turns around to face him. “You don’t have to wait any longer,” she whispers. “I’ve decided. I’m ready, Kieran. I’ll be your girlfriend.”<br />
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<br />
As her words gradually sink in, Kieran struggles to contain the explosion of happiness ricocheting through his chest. <i>My girlfriend</i>, he thinks with a thrilling jolt. After so many years of waiting, he can finally call her his girlfriend.<br />
<br />
“And I think you should move in with me,” he hears her say. “I don’t want to be alone any longer.”<br />
<br />
“Of course, Lila,” he murmurs as he leans down to kiss her. “You know I will.”<br />
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<br />
They make love that night, sweet and slow and unhurried love, and for the first time Delilah notices how well they move together, almost as though he can read her thoughts and anticipate her actions.<br />
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<br />
When Kieran wakes up the following morning to find Delilah still fast asleep beside him on the bed, he feels blissfully relieved. After his two previous, heartbreaking experiences with her, he feared that she might have changed her mind and snuck out sometime last night, but he’s never been so happy to be wrong. She’s in it for good this time; he’s absolutely certain of it.<br />
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The couple drops by Rigby and Heidi’s new apartment later that morning, and they don’t make any effort to conceal their relationship status from Delilah's brother and sister-in-law, even cuddling together on the sofa before lunch. At first, Rigby seems genuinely taken aback by how openly affectionate they are toward each other, but he wisely holds his tongue and goes with the flow.<br />
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<br />
<span id="goog_1709161224"></span><span id="goog_1709161225"></span>His wife Heidi, however, proves far less tactful.<br />
<br />
“Darling, can you pass the salt?” Kieran asks as they sit down for lunch a short while later.<br />
<br />
“Darling?!” Heidi sputters and chokes. “But, Lila, you’re not dating… I mean, what about B-”<br />
<br />
Rigby kicks her under the table. “Heidi and I weren’t aware that you two were an item, but congratulations! That’s exciting news, isn’t it dear?” he adds with a meaningful glance at his wife.<br />
<br />
“Oh, um, yes. Quite exciting. Thrilling even.” She smiles at them, but it looks rigid and forced.<br />
<br />
Delilah laughs and squeezes Kieran’s hand. “Yeah, I guess so,” she replies before turning back to her meal.<br />
<br />
Kieran, however, sees right through their act, but he decides not to push it right now. He has more important matters to worry about today, like telling his roommate Austin that he’s moving out of their shared apartment next week.<br />
<br />
After lunch, the couple says goodbye to their friends and leaves. Delilah has some errands to run and Kieran wants to see if Austin is home, so they go their separate ways, making plans to meet back at Delilah’s place later that night.<br />
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Unfortunately, it isn’t Kieran’s cheerful face that greets Delilah at her doorstep when she gets home. While she can’t quite make out his expression through the pouring rain, Delilah can tell that Beau Henderson doesn’t look pleased. Not pleased at all.<br />
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Challenge Notes:</b></u><br />
<br />
Blargh. Sorry for the walls of text. :| I didn’t realize how bad it was until I typed it up in blogger, and I’m too lazy to go back in game and take more pictures. My apologies.<br />
<br />
So, for those of you who didn’t skim right through the ridiculously long paragraphs, I’m curious what you think! Some more of the overarching plot came out this chapter, and much, much more will be revealed in my next update. I have some (hopefully) very exciting things planned for Delilah and Kieran, and I’m dredging up some old characters from Luca’s generation. I haven’t forgotten about anyone, by the way, it’s just taken me six months to get back to them. o_o<br />
<br />
Also, this is turning out to be the longest goddamn pregnancy ever. Just as a warning, I’m using the pregnancy controller mod to try and keep Delilah’s baby bump consistent, but it’s a lot more challenging than I realized it would be. Prepare for some strange fluctuations in the size of her belly. Sigh.Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15791098360536318915noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313971805424558707.post-69636764871421140542013-05-15T18:19:00.000-07:002013-05-30T17:53:32.219-07:00Chapter 3: Those Three Little Words<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
As she climbs the final steps up to the top of the wall, Delilah gasps in astonishment at the breathtaking views stretching out before her.<br />
<br />
“Oh, Kieran!” she cries. “It’s magnificent!”<br />
<br />
Kieran doesn’t even bother to turn around, preferring to gaze upon Delilah’s awe-struck smile instead. “I love it up here,” he tells her quietly. “This old fortress has been abandoned for years now, and the hike is too long and arduous for most of the villagers to trouble with it. I come here to think sometimes when I want to be alone.”<br />
<br />
Delilah nods and walks over to the edge of the crumbling old wall. “It makes you feel so insignificant,” she whispers, “standing beside such majesty.”<br />
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Coming up behind her, Kieran gently runs his hand along her smooth, delicate shoulder. “You will never be insignificant to me,” he murmurs in her ear. “Never.”<br />
<br />
Delilah feels a shiver course through her body as Kieran’s warm hand lightly caresses her exposed skin. Sighing, she leans against him and allows her worries to float away with the afternoon breeze. Here in her dreams, she can forget about all her insecurities and doubts, brush off her fear of dependency and commitment, and ignore the voice in her head urging her to run. Here in her dreams, she can tell him how she truly feels. She can say those three elusive little words that so stubbornly evade her in the real world.<br />
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<br />
“I love you, Kieran,” she breathes.<br />
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<br />
Kieran awakens from his dream with a start, his mind suddenly in overdrive. As the blissful memory of last night slowly trickles back to him, he realizes with a heart wrenching jolt that he is bitterly, painfully alone. Delilah is long gone, her side of the bed as cold and empty as the knot in his stomach.<br />
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<br />
Kieran doesn’t get a chance to speak with her until after the band’s concert that evening. Roscoe, their agent, wanted to drum up some local interest in the group before their first album comes out late next month, and so he booked them for a weeklong charity gig at a night club downtown.<br />
<br />
With Delilah’s smooth vocals and energetic stage presence, Kieran’s expert guitar and keyboard skills, Rigby’s much improved drumming, and Austin’s… enthusiasm, the band thoroughly impresses the audience, charming even their most disparaging critics.<br />
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After several failed attempts to get Delilah alone, Kieran finally manages to corner her in her dressing room during intermission.<br />
<br />
“Last night?” she asks, feigning surprise. “What about it?”<br />
<br />
Kieran feels his stomach drop. He knows that look in her eyes all too well, and he can sense the cold fear lurking behind her facade of innocence. “Lila…” he frowns. “Don’t do this.”<br />
<br />
“Do what?” She giggles, but her voice sounds just a little too high, too tight. “You’re the one who wanted to talk to me…”<br />
<br />
“You were gone when I woke up this morning.” He states it matter-of-factly, with no hint of anger or hostility.<br />
<br />
“I had an early photo shoot, and I didn’t want to bother you,” she replies, trying to sound relaxed and carefree.<br />
<br />
Kieran, however, isn’t fooled. “Lila…” he begins.<br />
<br />
Placing her hands on her hips, Delilah assumes a defensive stance. “I broke up with Beau this afternoon,” she tells him bluntly. “I said that I didn’t want to be tied down, and I explained to him that I’m not looking for a serious relationship right now.”<br />
<br />
Kieran’s face brightens slightly at the news of her breakup, but Delilah doesn’t give him a chance to cut in. “I’m not looking for a relationship, Kieran,” she repeats again. “Let’s just be friends, okay?”<br />
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<br />
Kieran stands there silently for what feels like hours, his heart sinking under the crippling weight of her rejection. <i>Friends.</i> The word echoes through his mind like a jingle from a catchy radio commercial, only with each repetition a fresh wave of pain rips through his chest.<br />
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Unable to watch his heart break any longer, Delilah silently turns to leave, but Kieran grabs her arm before she can slip away.<br />
<br />
“Did last night mean nothing to you?” he demands, his voice cracking slightly. “Do I mean nothing to you?” he adds softly.<br />
<br />
“It was a mistake, Kieran!” she snaps. “Can’t we just forget it ever happened and go back to the way things were?”<br />
<br />
“I love you, Lila! I-”<br />
<br />
“Don’t say that!” she screams. “Don’t make this any harder than it needs to be.”<br />
<br />
“You’re the one making this hard!” he exclaims. “You’re so terrified of standing on your own two feet that you let people walk all over you, yet you’re too stubborn, too proud, to admit that you might actually need me, that you might actually love me, too!”<br />
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Furiously tearing her arm out of his grasp, Delilah turns around and storms away.<br />
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Exhausted, dejected, and overwhelmed, she eventually makes her way back to her apartment after the show, but sleep eludes her that night as she replays her fight with Kieran over and over again in her head.<br />
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For the rest of the week, Delilah obstinately ignores him, filling the piercing loneliness with a new fling instead, the first of many over the following weeks.<br />
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These relationships, these flings, never last long, one or two dates at the most. They start with a bad pick up line, some light flirting, a couple of drinks, and a bit of dancing, and they end in a strange apartment with a strange man wrapped up between her legs.<br />
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In the morning, regret and self-loathing quickly replace any lingering sense of pleasure or satisfaction from the night before. <br />
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Sometimes, rarely, the guy disappears after their evening together, but more often than not a few days later Delilah receives the dreaded phone call. He wants more from her than a single night, another date perhaps or a friends-with-benefits type of arrangement or simply to see how she is doing, but her response never varies. She was only looking for once, so please don’t call again.<br />
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Rejection stings no matter the circumstances, and after every fling, every phone call, every letdown comes the inevitable backlash, the name-calling and slut shaming, the snide remarks and callous jabs. And every time she hangs up the phone, after every insult and every putdown, Delilah finds herself falling back into Kieran’s ready arms.<br />
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“Kiss me,” she pleads one night after a particularly nasty encounter.<br />
<br />
Kieran freezes, his eyes glued to her sad, watery gaze. It’s been just over a month since they slept together, four brutal weeks since Delilah tore up his heart and threw away the pieces, but Kieran’s feelings for her remain unchanged. He loves her with every ounce of his being, and he craves the touch of her skin and the taste of her lips like a drowning man craves air.<br />
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And so he kisses her, recklessly shoving aside all his many, many reservations to enjoy these few precious moments with her when he can earnestly fool himself into believing that she loves him too.<br />
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Her passion spent, Delilah quickly falls asleep to the soothing sounds of his beating heart, but Kieran forces himself to remain awake all night, clinging to her with the desperate hope that this time will be different, that this time she’ll stay.<br />
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When she leaves the next morning without so much as a second glance, Kieran tries not to let his disappointment consume him. He should have known better, really. He should have known that every time he kisses her, every time he holds her, touches her, makes love to her, she pulls further away from him, that by sleeping with her he’s irrevocably damaging their relationship. He should have seen a pattern in her bad decisions and impulsive behavior, recognized the cycle of self-destruction currently dictating her actions, understood that she needs a friend right now, not a lover.<br />
<br />
But still, watching Delilah make out with another man right in front of him a few nights later ignites a fire deep within his chest, a jealous blaze that threatens to burn him up from the inside out.<br />
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Rigby worries about his roommate often these days. He may be Delilah’s stepbrother, but he and Kieran are friends, best friends even, and he hates to see him in so much pain. Between Kieran’s unusually bad mood, abnormally short temper, and numerous, unexplained disappearances, Rigby knows that his friend has a girl. He just hopes that whoever she is understands Kieran’s sensitive, compassionate nature and doesn’t take advantage of his fierce loyalty, but if this girl is, as he suspects she is, his sister Delilah, Rigby has a sinking feeling that his buddy’s in for a rude awakening.<br />
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Two long weeks, three major meltdowns, and countless one night stands later, Delilah feels her already chaotic world come crashing down around her ears. Tired of the drama, the pain, and the heartbreak, Kieran almost doesn’t come over when she calls, but the raw desperation in her voice alarms him.<br />
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Walking into her apartment, Kieran immediately senses her despondency, but it isn’t until he finds her lying on the bathroom floor huddled up beside the toilet that he realizes the cause of her anguish. With a sickening lump in his stomach, Kieran crouches down beside her just as another wave of nausea overtakes her worryingly frail frame.<br />
<br />
“K-Kieran,” she stammers, struggling to speak through her tears. “I-I-I’m- I'm-” But the word refuses to leave her lips, and she breaks down into another bout of violent sobbing.<br />
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Pulling her into his lap, Kieran runs his hand up and down her back as he murmurs comforting words of sweet nothing in her ear.<br />
<br />
“B-But you d-don’t understand!” she cries when he tries to tell her that it will all be okay. “I-I’m-I’m-”<br />
<br />
“Shhh,” he soothes. “I know, my love. I know. I’ll drive you to the doctor this afternoon, and we can talk about the rest later.”<br />
<br />
“K-Kieran?” Delilah whispers after she’s regained more of her composure.<br />
<br />
“Yes, Lila?” he murmurs absently.<br />
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Taking a deep breath, Lila snuggles her head into his shoulder and says, “I-I love you.”<br />
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<u><b>Challenge Notes:</b></u><br />
<br />
So… Unhealthy, pathetic, and depressing? Or sweet and poignant in a misguided sort of way? ;)<br />
<br />
I don’t know how clear that all was, but there are a couple of things that I want to address before anyone decides to thrash Delilah and/or Kieran in the comments. You are more than welcome to do so, of course, but just hear me out first. To start with, Delilah has some serious issues that she needs to work through, insecurities and fears that stem from her mother abandoning her as a toddler as well as her own inborn self-esteem problems. Although she does not have many memories of Maeve (her mom) from her toddler years, Luca (her father) never kept it a secret from Delilah that Emily (her eventual stepmother) was not her biological parent and Maeve wanted nothing to do with her or their family. Actually, he was probably pretty aggressive about it, as he was deeply hurt by Maeve’s sudden departure and either consciously or subconsciously passed on those negative vibes to their daughter. As far as her esteem issues go, well, in my opinion some people are just more prone to internalize their anxieties and self-doubt, and during her childhood and especially her teenage years I tried to show cracks forming in Delilah’s veil of confidence. She hid her insecurities quite well though, but seeing as no one really knew how she was feeling Lila became like a ticking time bomb just waiting to go off. With every additional pressure, each new stress, her fuse grew shorter and shorter, until finally she just shattered from the strain and went into full-blown self-destruct mode (hints all the casual sex and one night stands). Unfortunately for Kieran, the sudden transition of their relationship from platonic to physical, and the subsequent loss of their comfortable and familiar friendship, is what finally triggered Lila’s implosion.<br />
<br />
Now, Kieran admittedly did not handle her meltdown very well, and you could even argue that he took advantage of the situation to get in her pants. However, I don’t think he fully realized the extent of her condition until after they slept together the second time, and by that point he’d become so embroiled in his own emotions and heartbreak that he had trouble stepping back and seeing just how desperate Delilah had become. All Kieran knew is that he loved her, and she had rejected him. The pain blinded him, at least for a little while, to Delilah’s own problems.<br />
<br />
Sorry for the long-winded explanation! I just really hope that at least some of that came through in the story itself. I’m trying to work on creating better characters this generation, and so I decided to devote this entire chapter to developing Delilah’s personality.<br />
<br />
But anyway, enough of that. =) Despite how it may seem, Delilah’s dream at the beginning of the chapter was not merely an excuse to show off Kieran or the drop dead gorgeous world of Praaven (a work-in-progress by the insanely talented jje1000, found <a href="https://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=488232">here</a>). They do, in fact, mean something, and they are (or will be) important at some point. Just as a heads up.<br />
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So, any guesses as to who her baby daddy is? >:) Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15791098360536318915noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313971805424558707.post-46534453008735506072013-05-08T12:41:00.000-07:002013-05-30T17:46:11.509-07:00Chapter 2: Sweet Reality<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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With a contented sigh, Lila closes her eyes and runs her fingers along the ridges of his abdomen, letting her hand rise and fall to the rhythm of his breath. His soft scent, like a spring morning by the seaside, mixes with the smell of the rain pouring down outside as he gently wraps his arm around her delicate waist.<br />
<br />
“I love you,” he murmurs, his voice barely louder than the rumbling of the storm.<br />
<br />
Lila’s eyes flutter open, and she smiles, savoring the sound of those three beautiful words. “I love you too,” she whispers as she leans over to kiss him.<br />
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Pulling her on top of him, Kieran glances up skeptically. “You… You do?” he asks.<br />
<br />
He sounds surprised almost, but Delilah barely even notices. It just doesn’t seem to matter right now. She nods and kisses him again, softly pressing her lips against his.<br />
<br />
Kieran stiffens slightly as Lila’s hands wander suggestively down his body, her breasts brushing ever so lightly across his hips. She usually leaves by now, disappearing back into the deepest crevices of his desires, but tonight she’s stayed longer than she ever has before. “We can’t,” he begins, pushing aside her eager caresses.<br />
<br />
Lila looks startled by his refusal. “Why not?”<br />
<br />
“They’re coming,” he tries to explain. “My father, he can’t know about you.” Kieran glances outside as a lightning bolt cracks across the night sky. He’s been through this countless times before, and he knows exactly what that means. Atticus will be here any minute now, but still Delilah remains.<br />
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Kieran rises to his feet and begins to dress, watching her with uneasy eyes. Why hasn’t she left yet?<br />
<br />
“At least put some clothes on,” he implores.<br />
<br />
Delilah sighs and reluctantly reaches for her dress. She doesn’t understand Kieran’s sudden change of mood, and in her current haze his urgency seems excessive. “But why can’t we-?”<br />
<br />
A voice, loud and angry, echoes through the barn, cutting her off short. “KIERAN!” it calls. “I’m going to rip you to pieces, you impertinent pox-marked lout! I shall cut off your head and feed your shriveled flea-bitten remains to the maggots!”<br />
<br />
“Hide,” Kieran whispers, pushing Delilah behind a stack of hay. “They can’t know you’re here!”<br />
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<br />
“You lied to me!” the man shouts. “You told me that you could rid us of this plague, but you have failed! For two days and two nights, it has rained over our lands, but still our people die!”<br />
<br />
Delilah frowns. Why does that man look so familiar? She's sure she has seen his face before…<br />
<br />
“I said I would cure it, and I will,” Kieran retorts. “The antidote will take some time, but-”<br />
<br />
“Time?” he scoffs. “You’ve had enough time. Tell me, boy, why should I hide you any longer? The bounty on your head is large enough to entice even the most charitable of souls, and I-”<br />
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<br />
Delilah awakens with a start, only to find herself safely curled up at home next to her boyfriend Beau. As her surroundings begin to come into focus, the realization slowly dawns on her. <i>It was just a dream.</i><br />
<br />
At first, she can recall every single detail with absolute clarity, from the pounding of the rain to the heat of the fire, but as the minutes tick by the fragile memory starts slipping away from her like sand through a sieve, until finally all she remembers clearly is Kieran.<br />
<br />
<i>Kieran</i>, she sighs wistfully. She can still see the hunger in his sparkling blue eyes, hear the pleasure in his satisfied moans, still feel their bodies intertwined in blissful ecstasy. Burying her face in a pillow, Delilah tries to ignore the embarrassment and confusion creeping into the back of her mind, but lying next to another man she feels dishonest, disloyal, and downright dirty for allowing herself to dwell on such thoughts. <i>It was just a dream</i>, she reminds herself again. <i>Just a harmless, pointless dream.</i><br />
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<br />
Despite her steadfast insistence that it meant absolutely nothing to her, Delilah decides to avoid Kieran as much as possible over the following few weeks in the desperate hope of pushing him and her infuriatingly inappropriate fantasies out of her head, and for the most part her plan seems to work. Until today, that is.<br />
<br />
“I don’t know why I need to come,” Delilah pouts.<br />
<br />
Kieran sighs, struggling to hide his exasperation. Her attempts to evade him have been about as subtle as an elephant in a neon pink tutu, and he feels hurt and confused by her recent aloof behavior. <br />
<br />
“You promised, Lila,” he replies impatiently.<br />
<br />
Delilah glowers at him but remains quiet. She wouldn’t break a promise to Kieran no matter how uncomfortable it makes her.<br />
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<br />
A lanky man with a goofy grin and intelligent green eyes opens the door and ushers them inside, greeting Kieran and Delilah with an enthusiastic handshake and nearly giddy excitement.<br />
<br />
“Welcome, welcome!” he sings. “Welcome to my humble abode! You must be Kieran,” he says, carefully studying the younger man’s face. Once satisfied, however, he turns his full attention to Delilah, and taking her hand in his the man bows down and sweeps his lips across the tips of her fingers. “And you, my dear, must be the lovely Delilah that I have heard so much about. Welcome! Welcome to you both. I am Professor Ellsworth, but you may call me Phineas.”<br />
<br />
Stunned into silence by his grand gesture, Delilah can merely nod and blush at his flamboyant greeting. <br />
<br />
“Thank you, Phineas,” Kieran replies, stepping between him and Lila in an almost protective manner. “I take it you’ve spoken with Atticus?”<br />
<br />
“Indeed,” Phineas nods solemnly as he tears his eyes away from Delilah. “I speak with Atticus quite often these days, but let’s not discuss business matters here. Shall we?” he smiles, motioning toward the living room.<br />
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<br />
“Your grandfather talks about you quite a lot, Kieran,” Phineas continues once they’re all comfortably seated in the parlor. “He was thoroughly impressed with the progress you made over the summer, and he firmly believes that you have more potential than any mage he’s ever worked with.” Chuckling at the memory, Phineas presses on. “He was quite adamant that I convince you to move back to Arundel to study at the university full-time.”<br />
<br />
Delilah frowns, shifting uneasily. Kieran never mentioned a university to her before, and the thought of him leaving Jericho makes her cringe. “Atticus is my grandfather,” she tells Phineas. “Kieran is just a-”<br />
<br />
“Just a distant cousin,” Kieran interrupts with a pointed glance in Lila’s direction. “Atticus always thought of me as a grandson, but I am only related to him through his marriage to Esme.”<br />
<br />
Phineas scratches his chin, idly pondering this new bit of information. “So you are Esme’s grandchild?” he asks at last.<br />
<br />
Kieran shakes his head. “Esme’s sister's niece’s cousin’s son. It’s a bit of a twisted family tree,” he explains, lying with such effortless charm that Delilah almost believes the story herself.<br />
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<br />
Phineas, too, seems to buy Kieran’s tale, and so he allows the conversation to drift to other topics.<br />
<br />
“So, Delilah,” he says after a brief discussion about Jericho’s unusually rainy summer. “Atticus informs me that you’ve never had your powers formally tested before. Why is that?”<br />
<br />
Lila looks taken aback by the question. “I, uh- I don’t have much magic,” she replies, glaring at Kieran irritably. He warned her not to say anything about her human father, but other than that Kieran gave her no instructions or advice.<br />
<br />
Phineas frowns. “Yes, well, I suppose it isn’t that uncommon for mages who live outside the capital to skip their tests. Still, I never thought that Atticus would approve of such apathy…”<br />
<br />
“Atticus was not in direct contact with our family for several years,” Kieran retorts. “It was not his decision to make.”<br />
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<br />
Phineas nods in understanding and gets up to poke the fire. “I have known Atticus since I was a little boy,” he tells them with an amicable grin, “but some days I feel like I barely know the man at all. Your grandfather has always been quite a mystery to me, Delilah, a mystery I'm eager to solve.”<br />
<br />
Noticing Kieran’s tense stare, Delilah decides to change the subject. “Yes, well, shall we get on with it?” she asks.<br />
<br />
“Ah, of course! The test. Come here, Delilah dear, and we can-”<br />
<br />
“Phineas!” A female voice calls out suddenly. “Phineas, where are you?”<br />
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<br />
Kieran jumps to his feet as a wispy young woman strolls into the room.<br />
<br />
“Honey, the grocery store was an absolute zoo! I couldn’t find any fresh basil, and they were all out of con-” Stopping short, she turns to look at her guests.<br />
<br />
“You didn’t tell me we had company,” she giggles as Phineas gives her a peck on the cheek.<br />
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<br />
“Eva, honey, this is Kieran and Delilah,” Phineas announces cheerfully as Kieran reaches out to shake her hand. “Kieran, Delilah, this is my wife Eva.”<br />
<br />
“Pleasure to meet you,” Kieran mumbles awkwardly, feeling inordinately shy around the pretty blonde.<br />
<br />
Delilah doesn’t even bother getting up. With a halfhearted wave, she turns her attention back to Phineas. “Can we get started please?” she demands. “I have a busy day today, and I really can’t hang out here all afternoon…”<br />
<br />
“Right, of course,” Phineas chortles. “All you need to do is stand here, like this, and relax your mind. I’ll take care of the rest.”<br />
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<br />
Taking her hands in his, Phineas begins to weave a binding spell around them both, and within a few moments Delilah falls into a sleep-like trance.<br />
<br />
At first, Kieran watches the scene with a mixture of idle curiosity and innocent indifference, but as the spell progresses and their connection deepens he becomes increasingly agitated and annoyed.<br />
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<br />
Eva, a notorious romantic among her own friends around town, quickly picks up on the jealous vibes emanating from her house guest, and with a sly smile she silently steers Kieran into the kitchen and away from the source of his irritation.<br />
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<br />
“How long have you two been together?” Eva asks after fixing Kieran a cup of coffee.<br />
<br />
Kieran glances up sharply, surprised by the seemingly random question. “What?”<br />
<br />
“You and your girlfriend,” Eva repeats. “How long have you two been together?”<br />
<br />
“Oh, no, we’re not-”<br />
<br />
Eva ignores him. “Because you don’t have to worry about her and my Phineas,” she says with a slight smirk. “I love the goof, and he can be a bit of a flirt sometimes, but I promise you he’s totally harmless. He was a professor back in Arundel, and before that he worked as a TA, so he’s quite familiar with the testing process.”<br />
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<br />
“In fact,” she continues before Kieran can cut in, “that’s how I met him. He was a grad student studying under my uncle, and I was in one of his classes. It was quite adorable, too, when he finally got up the nerve to ask me out. You see, he didn’t think my uncle would approve, but Uncle Cy didn’t care in the least! The old man can be a bit testy sometimes, but he doesn’t have any kids himself and I think he’s eager for an heir. Not that Phineas and I are ready to start a family yet, of course, but whenever we do I hope we have a son. That way we’d be a shoo-in to inherit part of Cyrus' estate, and I just know he’d choose our kid over my sister’s little brat…”<br />
<br />
As Eva babbles on and on, Kieran quickly finds himself growing weary of her grating, high-pitched voice. He’s never been very good at making small talk, but Eva doesn't even notice, too preoccupied listening to the sounds of her own chatter to pay any attention to her guest. To Kieran’s relief, Phineas and Delilah finish up before long, and the friends depart soon thereafter.<br />
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<br />
Delilah doesn’t see Kieran again until a few nights later at her stepbrother’s engagement party. Due to limited finances and a lack of time and energy, the couple decides to keep the event extremely low-key, only inviting their absolute closest friends. Delilah, for her part, is secretly glad she has an excuse to spend the entire evening away from her boyfriend Beau, even if it means being in the same room as Kieran for a while.<br />
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<br />
From left to right: Heidi Schmidt (Rigby’s fiancée), Rigby McKinley (Delilah’s stepbrother), Austin Hayes (bassist in their band), Mia Sinclair (childhood friend of Delilah’s), Delilah McKinley (heir extraordinaire), and Kieran Everard (???).<br />
<br />
At the beginning of the party, Lila stubbornly avoids Kieran whenever possible, but as the night progresses she finds herself increasingly drawn to him, even cuddling up next to him when he sits beside her on the sofa. Kieran, for the most part, tries to ignore her confusing and often frustrating behavior, but he can’t deny the tension between them, so thick and palpable that even oblivious Austin can feel the heat in the air.<br />
<br />
Unable to stand it any longer, Delilah excuses herself from the party early, claiming that she has a big photo shoot in the morning and needs her beauty sleep.<br />
<br />
“I’ll walk you home,” Kieran decides, jumping to his feet as Delilah prepares to leave. <br />
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<br />
“I don’t need an escort,” she sulks as they stroll down the largely deserted city street. “I’m a big girl now. I can handle myself.”<br />
<br />
Kieran chuckles bemusedly. “Perhaps so, but I'm not doing this for you,” he retorts. “It makes <i>me</i> feel better, knowing you are safe.”<br />
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<br />
Giggling, Delilah jumps on his back. “Well, if you’re going to insist on walking me home, then I think you ought to do all the walking,” she teases. “No point in wearing out two pairs of feet.”<br />
<br />
Kieran laughs and shakes his head. “Why do your feet get the free ride?” he asks with a lopsided grin.<br />
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<br />
“Because you’re nicer than me,” she replies before planting a big, wet kiss on his cheek. <br />
<br />
“I don’t know about that,” he counters. “Nice guys never get the girl, and I’ve got the prettiest girl in the world wrapped around my shoulders right now.”<br />
<br />
Delilah snorts and quickly hops off his back. “I don’t need the flattery,” she protests.<br />
<br />
“I would never tell you something that I don’t wholeheartedly believe,” he responds, his voice low and serious.<br />
<br />
Frowning, Delilah folds her arms across her chest and sighs dramatically. They are quite close to her building now, but she doesn’t feel like going home just yet. “Kieran,” she begins, an idea forming in the back of her mind. “Kieran, let’s go swimming!”<br />
<br />
Kieran tries to object, but Delilah remains steadfast in her resolve. Practically dragging him behind her, they arrive at a small, sandy beach that sits just down the block from her apartment on the banks of the Kaen-Garen River.<br />
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<br />
Kieran’s protests grow louder when Delilah tells him just how she plans to go swimming.<br />
<br />
“Naked?!” he cries. “Lila, it’s totally illegal! What if someone sees you?! Or worse, what if someone recognizes you?! Do you know how much trouble we could get in if the tabloids photographed you dressed like that?!?!”<br />
<br />
“Relax, Kieran!” she calls over her shoulder. “There’s nobody here but us.”<br />
<br />
Kieran frowns, glaring at the back of her head. “You don’t know that, Lila. There are paparazzi everywhere.”<br />
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“Join me!” Delilah shouts. “The water feels amazing!”<br />
<br />
“And get arrested? I think I’m fine right here,” he retorts.<br />
<br />
“Ahh, come on Kieran! Don’t be such a killjoy!”<br />
<br />
“Lila…”<br />
<br />
“Can’t you just loosen up and have some fun once in a while?” she cries. “I mean, seriously. I never realized what a drag you were.”<br />
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Grumbling the whole time about the outrageous things he does in the name of love (or pride, as the case may be), Kieran strips down to his boxers and wades out into the cold river water.<br />
<br />
“I can’t believe you talked me into this,” he groans. “Someone is going to see us and get the wrong idea…”<br />
<br />
“I don’t care,” Delilah exclaims. “Let them see. My life is no one’s business but my own.”<br />
<br />
“And Beau’s,” he counters.<br />
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Flipping onto her back, Delilah lets herself drift in the river’s gentle, slow-moving current.<br />
<br />
“I don’t love him,” she says as Kieran comes up beside her. “I don’t even like him most of the time.”<br />
<br />
Kieran frowns, mulling over her words. “Then why are you still with him?” he asks after a minute.<br />
<br />
Delilah shrugs noncommittally. “He says he loves me, that he wants us to get married and start a family together. Heidi tells me that we’re perfect for each other, and Bexley and Roscoe like all the free publicity our relationship gives to the band. It just seems to make everyone else so happy.”<br />
<br />
“Everyone but you,” Kieran amends.<br />
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Tired, cold, and wet, the friends decide to head for dry land. <br />
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(Alternate caption: Kieran quite likes the view from down here...)<br />
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As they begin to put their damp, sandy clothes back on, Kieran gets the overwhelming urge to show Delilah just what a great idea skinny dipping was, and at this hour of the night tickling seems like the best revenge.<br />
<br />
“Stop!” she shouts, gasping for air. “I’ll say it! I’ll say it!”<br />
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Kieran grins and loosens his hold. “I’m waiting,” he tells her with a laugh.<br />
<br />
“I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry.”<br />
<br />
“And?” he presses.<br />
<br />
Delilah sighs. “And-the-next-time-I-want-to-objectify-your-body-all-I-have-to-do-is-ask,” she mumbles.<br />
<br />
“That’s right, because I don’t mind sharing the love,” he smirks.<br />
<br />
Turning to face him, Delilah carefully studies his bright blue eyes. “Even with a lying, two-faced coward who shamelessly exploits her best friend’s feelings for her in order to cling to some ill-conceived notion that she’s not a worthless pile of dog shit?” she whispers as she fights back a sudden wave of tears.<br />
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<br />
Kieran freezes, the smile vanishing from his lips.<br />
<br />
“Lila, look at me,” he whispers. <br />
<br />
“No,” she sobs, hanging her head dejectedly. “I’m s-sorry. I-I shouldn’t have s-said anything. I don’t know what’s wrong with me lately! I just thought…”<br />
<br />
“Look at me,” he repeats again, more firmly this time. Running his hand along her wet, tear-stained cheek, Kieran gently turns her face toward him. “It's true," he sighs. "I love you, Lila. I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember. I never told you because I was afraid, afraid that I would disappoint you or hurt you or... or lose you. But I was a fool. I was the coward. I- I’m the one who should be apologizing.”<br />
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And then, because he's certain he'll never have another chance, he kisses her, lightly brushing his lips against her soft, delicate mouth.<br />
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“Come home with me,” Lila murmurs, struggling to speak, struggling to breathe, through the pounding in her chest.<br />
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Once they arrive back at her place, Kieran and Delilah spend the rest of the evening tangled up in each other's arms.<br />
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<br />
...Turning sweet dreams into even sweeter reality.<br />
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<br />
<u><b>Challenge Notes:</b></u><br />
<br />
This is probably my most favorite chapter that I’ve ever written. <3 I’m sorry, I know it got a bit sappy there for a while, but I couldn’t resist. I am a diehard hopeless romantic with no other outlet for my sad addiction besides Sims stories, <i>The Princess Bride</i>, and old <i>I Love Lucy</i> reruns. Seriously though, I’ve been dying to get them together since… forever, and I’m sure most of you saw this coming a mile away. =D<br />
<br />
So, to sum up my ramblings, thanks for putting up with my corny writing, and I promise it will get interesting again soon! (As in, I will actually go into detail about how magic works in my world and the "tests" that Lila underwent this chapter and Maeve's death and the stuff that Kieran learned over the summer and how Atticus fits into this whole twisted story and... I think I need to shut up before I give anything important away!)<br />
<br />
In other news, Delilah apparently has trouble keeping her clothes on. I didn’t realize it until just now, but it’s been more than three updates since she last went for an entire chapter without taking her shirt off for the camera. =P Also, I know that Lila’s apartment is a peeping Tom’s paradise at the moment, but she can’t afford curtains right now and even if she could she has more important things to spend her money on. Like a toilet that doesn’t overflow every five seconds.<br />
<br />
Would anyone find it useful if I were to put together some sort of summary page that goes over the story’s main characters and places and some of the more important plot points? I’ve been toying around with the idea for a while now, but I’m not sure if people would even look at it, let alone read (or at least skim) it. I kind of doubt that my story is really complex enough to warrant writing a cheat sheet, but as the author it’s really hard to tell.<br />
<br />
Finally, a blooper I want to share. Why I feel the urge to share it I have no clue, but I just… don’t even… know… what... to say... o_O Words escape me.<br />
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Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15791098360536318915noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313971805424558707.post-11438326481626797642013-05-03T09:14:00.000-07:002013-05-03T09:14:14.670-07:00Chapter 1: Focus<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Like sticky red strawberry juice splattered on a clean white blouse, she remembers the way her mother’s blood clung to her that dark April morning, seeping into every wrinkle and pore. With a shudder, Delilah closes her eyes and attempts to redirect her thoughts, but the memory grips her like an invisible hand tightening around her neck. The more she fights it the stronger it becomes.<br />
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Three months ago, Delilah found her mom's dead, mangled body on the floor of her father’s kitchen. The police wrote it off as a suicide, a heartbroken woman getting the ultimate revenge on her newly married ex, but Lila's dad doesn’t buy that story. He claims she was murdered, her wrists slashed in an attempt to hide the crime and mislead the cops, but as for who killed her or why, his theories stop there. <br />
<br />
Either way, Lila knows one thing for certain- Her life changed forever that cold spring morning. No longer able to stomach living in Jericho, her father and stepmother packed up her siblings and moved across the country. Her childhood home, the only house she had ever known, was sold and torn down, and her best friend Kieran, who had lived with her family since before she was born, deserted her, leaving town earlier than planned to stay with her grandfather for the summer. As for Delilah, she and her stepbrother Rigby remained in Jericho, ultimately resorting to couch surfing until they could find a decent place to rent.<br />
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“I can’t sleep again.” Delilah hears the words tumble from her lips with unexpected emotion, but she’s far too exhausted to hide her desperation.<br />
<br />
“Do you want me to come over?” Kieran asks in a worried voice.<br />
<br />
She assumed he’d be angry, that he’d sigh and groan and complain about the outrageously early hour, so his sincerity takes her by surprise. “Yes,” she whispers in reply. “Please.”<br />
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After returning to Jericho last month, Kieran moved into an apartment with Rigby and their band mate Austin. The building is just down the street from Lila’s flat, and so he arrives at her door within minutes of hanging up the phone. Yawning and rubbing his eyes, he settles down next to her on the sofa and waits for her to speak.<br />
<br />
“Were you thinking about Maeve again?” he asks at last, breaking the drowsy silence.<br />
<br />
Delilah nods but doesn’t elaborate, and Kieran decides not to press the issue. She’s had a rough time dealing with her mother’s gruesome death, and he knows better than to push her right now.<br />
<br />
“Did I wake you up?” she wants to know.<br />
<br />
Kieran shrugs. “Doesn’t matter,” he says as he fights back another yawn. “I don’t mind.”<br />
<br />
Lila smiles tiredly and lets her eyes begin to drift closed. Kieran’s presence has always had a soothing effect on her, and tonight is no exception. She feels sleep wash over her at last, blowing in like a warm breeze on a chilly winter day.<br />
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A small glimmer of sunlight peaks through the gloomy morning sky as Delilah lazily cracks open her bleary eyes. She feels tired, disoriented, and achy from sleeping upright on the couch all night, but still she forces her mind into focus.<br />
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“Kieran,” she whispers as she nudges him with her knee. “Kieran, wake up.”<br />
<br />
“In a minute, Lila. I’ll be over in a minute,” he mumbles under his breath.<br />
<br />
“Isn’t there somewhere we’re supposed to be today?” she asks distractedly. “Like a gig or something?”<br />
<br />
Kieran’s eyes fly open as he begins fumbling around for his watch. “The studio!” he yells, jumping to his feet. “We start recording today!”<br />
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<br />
Melvin Roscoe, the vice president of their record label and the man who gave Delilah’s band their big break, rarely tolerates tardiness at the office, unless it’s his own that is. Luckily for Delilah and Kieran, he shows up for work even later than they do, and so their transgression goes largely unnoticed.<br />
<br />
“Excellent work,” Roscoe chortles through the speaker as the pair finish up an acoustic number. “I think we’ve got enough material to call it a day. Delilah, Bexley and I would like to see you once we finish up in here.”<br />
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<br />
“I wonder what he wants?” Kieran muses in a hushed tone.<br />
<br />
Delilah glares at him and shrugs moodily. “He doesn’t want to speak with you guys,” she retorts. “Whatever it is, I’m the one in trouble this time.”<br />
<br />
“Do you think it’s about the concert?” Austin whispers.<br />
<br />
Rigby rolls his eyes and shakes his head. “We’ve already been lectured about that, dude.” Assuming Mr. Roscoe’s deep, commanding voice, he continues. <i>“You four are damn lucky that I don’t fire you right this instant. I have never been so outraged in all my life! Performing a halfway decent set instead of the shit I told you guys to play. And at the Simmy Awards too! Why, if the audience hadn’t of loved every minute of it, I’d drop you faster than you can say ‘terminated’. You must be the luckiest bastards to ever walk into my office, getting away with a stunt like that. I swear, if you ever disobey me again I’ll stick my foot so far up my a-”</i><br />
<br />
“Ahem,” a small, dainty cough interrupts Rigby’s spiel, cutting him off short. Bexley Maddox, Roscoe’s assistant, silently motions for Delilah to follow her, and with a pointed glance in Rigby’s direction she disappears back into the studio.<br />
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<br />
“Good work today,” Roscoe declares as he swivels his chair around to face Delilah. “I hope we can keep up the momentum tomorrow.”<br />
<br />
“Yes sir,” Lila nods, feeling unusually shy. She’s been around Mr. Roscoe plenty of times before, but something about him always makes her nervous.<br />
<br />
“Did you see yesterday’s paper?” he asks. “Front page, bottom right?”<br />
<br />
Lila frowns, startled by the question. “No, I don’t usually read the newspaper. Why? Did our band get a mention?”<br />
<br />
“Indirectly, I suppose,” Bexley says with a smirk. “The article was about you, Delilah dear. You and Beau Henderson…”<br />
<br />
Delilah feels her cheeks begin to burn as Bexley’s words sink in, but she manages to maintain her composure.<br />
<br />
“You didn’t tell us that you two were dating,” Bexley continues in her typical condescending voice. “Why?”<br />
<br />
“H-He told me not to," Delilah stammers as she fidgets with a loose strand of hair. This contract means the world to her, and she'd do anything to keep her employers happy. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think-”<br />
<br />
“Sorry?” Roscoe chuckles amusedly, but his eyes remain hard. “Whatever for? Beau Henderson is one of the most visible actors in show business today, and we think it’s great that you’ve taken it upon yourself to cultivate your image like this. Tell me, where did you two meet?”<br />
<br />
“At an after party at the Simmy’s, but Mr. Roscoe, I’m not trying to ‘cultivate my image’,” she says, shaking her head. “I just enjoy-”<br />
<br />
“Of course, of course,” he replies with a knowing wink. “I understand how it is. Naturally we wouldn’t want anyone to get the wrong idea. I just wanted to tell you that we here at Zephyr Records fully support your relationship and wish you two the best of luck together.”<br />
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<br />
“He wasn’t mad?” Kieran frowns and sets down his glass, making a loud thud on the table.<br />
<br />
“Nope,” she replies cheerfully. “Not even a little. I think he thinks it’ll be good for the band, all the extra publicity.”<br />
<br />
“But- Doesn’t Roscoe want you to focus on our album? I mean, we’re at a critical point in production right now, and once we release our second single you won’t have time for a boyfriend…”<br />
<br />
Delilah giggles and playfully shoves Kieran’s arm. “Keep thinking like that and you’ll never get laid. Dating Beau is no more time consuming than being friends with you or Austin or anyone else. Speaking of Beau,” she adds, glancing around, “I wonder where he is?”<br />
<br />
“Maybe he got tied up on set,” Kieran mumbles irritably.<br />
<br />
“But surely he’d call or text or-” Delilah stops suddenly as her eyes come to rest on a man by the elevators. “Oh!” she breathes, jumping up to greet him.<br />
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<br />
Kieran tries not to watch as Lila throws herself into Beau’s arms, but a masochistic sense of curiosity keeps him engrossed in the scene before him.<br />
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<br />
“You alright?” Rigby places a concerned hand on Kieran’s shoulder, startling him out of his brooding silence.<br />
<br />
“Yeah, never better,” Kieran snaps.<br />
<br />
Rigby smiles sympathetically at his longtime friend. “Pretty nauseating, isn’t it?” he asks as he motions towards Delilah.<br />
<br />
“You don’t like him either?” Kieran surmises.<br />
<br />
Rigby shrugs. “He seems like a nice enough guy, but they’re all wrong for each other.” He pauses, carefully watching Kieran’s face. “Why don’t you just tell her, dude?” he asks at last.<br />
<br />
The question catches Kieran off guard, but he is spared from having to answer by the arrival of Delilah and her date.<br />
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<br />
“We’re heading out,” she announces. “Beau has an early day tomorrow and doesn’t want to be tired on the set.”<br />
<br />
Beau nods and flashes a pearly white smile. “I’m a total disaster when I haven’t gotten enough sleep, and we’re shooting a big action sequence first thing in the morning.”<br />
<br />
“You’re leaving?” Kieran hears the words, dripping with disappointment, spill from his lips before he has a chance to stop himself.<br />
<br />
Delilah laughs uneasily as Beau’s hand tightens around her shoulder. “Yeah, Kieran, but I’ll see you at the studio tomorrow. Is that okay?”<br />
<br />
Kieran shrugs and drains the rest of his beer in one gulp, slamming the empty glass down on the table. “Fine, do what you want,” he replies gruffly. “I don’t care.”<br />
<br />
An awkward silence hangs in the air as Kieran pointedly avoids making eye contact with anybody, and so Delilah and Beau leave without another word.<br />
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<br />
“Your friend doesn’t like me very much, does he?” Beau asks once they arrive back at Delilah’s place.<br />
<br />
Lila shakes her head in reply, allowing Beau’s hands to wander leisurely up her shirt. “It’s nothing against you, babe. It’s just that Kieran can be a bit protective sometimes.”<br />
<br />
“I don’t like the way he looks at you,” Beau murmurs in her ear. “Is there something going on between you two?”<br />
<br />
Delilah rolls her eyes and turns around to face him. “No,” she declares, more forcefully than intended. “He’s just a friend. A good friend, but that’s all.” Narrowing her eyes, she adds, “Why does it matter to you anyway? It’s not like we’re exclusive or anything.”<br />
<br />
“Maybe we should be,” Beau whispers as he leads her over to the sofa.<br />
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<br />
“Really?” Delilah sounds skeptical, but noticing the crestfallen expression on his face she changes her tune. “Uh, I mean okay, sure, that would be great.”<br />
<br />
Lifting her into his lap, Beau smiles and pulls off her top. “My parents married young,” he explains in between kisses. “And I don’t want to spend the best years of my life living alone. I’m eager to find the perfect woman to wake up with every morning, and well,” he trails off, watching her closely. “I think I’m falling for you, Delilah. I realize that we haven’t known each other very long, but I can already envision our future together, from the beautiful house in the suburbs to the newborn baby in your arms…”<br />
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<br />
Delilah finally manages to shut him up with a tongue down his throat, but still it couldn’t come soon enough. His “vision” keeps her tossing and turning all night long.<br />
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<br />
The following day, Lila meets up with her friend Heidi for a late lunch at the diner across town. Heidi had insisted that they get together after receiving a frantic phone call from Delilah earlier in the morning. <br />
<br />
“He said he wants to find someone to wake up with every day,” Delilah exclaims with a dramatic sigh. “That he can already see our future together, everything from the cookie cutter house to the bratty children.”<br />
<br />
Heidi giggles, assuming the indulgent expression of a woman dealing with a willful five-year-old. “Well, I think it’s adorable,” she retorts. “And romantic too. He sounds like the perfect man for you, rich and successful and ready to make a commitment…”<br />
<br />
“But I’m only eighteen!” Delilah snaps. “I’m too young to be thinking about forever.”<br />
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<br />
Heidi freezes, her face hardening slightly at her friend’s words. “Well, I don’t think you’re too young,” she proclaims. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you, Lila, but I didn’t want to bother you so soon after Maeve’s death.” Taking a deep breath, she says, “Rigby and I are engaged. He proposed last month after your parents sold the house.”<br />
<br />
Delilah’s face lights up at the news. “Really?!” she enthuses. “That’s awesome, Heidi! I’m so happy for you guys!”<br />
<br />
Heidi shakes her head in confusion. “But you just said-”<br />
<br />
“It’s different for you and Rigby,” she explains with a shrug. “You guys have known each other for years, and you’ve been dating since high school. Honestly I’m surprised you waited this long!”<br />
<br />
Pleased with her friend’s response, Heidi spends the rest of lunch talking about wedding dresses and cake flavors.<br />
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<br />
Since Kieran lives in a cramped apartment with two non-magic roommates, he frequently drops by Delilah’s place to practice his spells. Well, that’s his excuse anyway.<br />
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<br />
The months Kieran spent with Delilah’s grandfather changed him in more ways than one. Not only did the ancient mage teach him how to use and control his powers, but he revived Kieran’s once dwindling interest in magic. Indeed, ever since his return to Jericho, Kieran spends more time fooling around with his spells than he does his instruments, a dramatic turnaround from his high school days.<br />
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<br />
“I thought we went over this already!” Delilah exclaims irritably as she joins Kieran on the couch. “I don’t care about magic, and I don’t want to waste my time with it. I’m perfectly happy pretending that I don’t have any powers at all.”<br />
<br />
“But it’s part of you!” Kieran retorts, sounding equally exasperated. “An important part too, if you’d let it be. Besides, Atticus knows that you inherited your mother’s magic. I told him so myself. He wants you to get evaluated by a friend of his, to test the extent of your powers.”<br />
<br />
“Atticus never gave a crap about me before. I don’t know why he suddenly cares now.”<br />
<br />
“Human mage pairings are extraordinarily uncommon,” Kieran explains. “The last known case occurred over three centuries ago, and those children had no powers whatsoever. As a result, the magic community shuns humans now, distancing themselves from their non-magic counterparts whenever possible. But you have the potential to change all that, Delilah. You are living proof that humans and mages can produce children with powers equal to or greater than their magic-bearing ancestors.”<br />
<br />
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Delilah frowns. “I don’t have much magic. You can start a fire with the snap of your fingers, but I can barely create a spark.”<br />
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<br />
“You could burn down this whole building if you wanted to,” Kieran insists, sitting up straight. “You have more magic than you realize, Lila, if only you would sit still and focus on it.”<br />
<br />
Delilah shakes her head. “You’re delusional! I can’t cast a spell to save my life.”<br />
<br />
“You’re wrong,” he declares. “Why don’t you try it? Right now?”<br />
<br />
“Try what?”<br />
<br />
“Casting a spell. If you can’t do it, I promise I’ll stop bugging you, but if you can then you’ll go with me to meet Atticus’ friend.”<br />
<br />
Delilah sighs, feeling resigned. “Fine, but it won’t do any good.”<br />
<br />
“Sure it will. I’ll guide you every step of the way.”<br />
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<br />
Rising to her feet, Delilah patiently listens as Kieran gives her some basic instructions. <br />
<br />
“And remember to breathe,” he adds, noticing her apprehension. “I’m ready whenever you are.”<br />
<br />
“Anything I can think of?” she asks with a nervous frown.<br />
<br />
Kieran nods. “It’s just an illusion, a trick of the mind. If you can visualize it, then you can create it.”<br />
<br />
Closing her eyes, Delilah reaches deep inside of herself to summon her magic to the surface. Sparks of light begin to play around her fingertips as she prepares to cast the spell, and then in a blaze of energy her vision suddenly materializes in the palm of her hand.<br />
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<br />
“An apple?” Kieran laughs.<br />
<br />
Delilah beams with pride, her eyes glued to the mirage. “I can’t believe I did it!” she exclaims excitedly. “And it looks so real too!”<br />
<br />
“I don’t know,” he says with a mischievous grin. “It almost looks too perfect if you ask me…”<br />
<br />
Delilah opens her mouth to argue, but the apple vanishes before she gets a chance to reply. “Where’d it go?” she cries.<br />
<br />
“You lost your focus,” he explains. “With more practice, you’ll be able to create and maintain illusions without so much effort, but for now it requires your full concentration.”<br />
<br />
“Well, that <i>was</i> kind of fun,” Lila admits reluctantly. “I guess we can go talk to your friend.”<br />
<br />
“Atticus’ friend,” Kieran corrects. “I’ve never met the man myself.”<br />
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<br />
“Thanks you,” Delilah says suddenly as she throws her arms around a wholly unprepared Kieran. “For believing in me.”<br />
<br />
Kieran feels his entire body tense up as she rests her head on his shoulder. “I- I- You’re welcome,” he sputters. “Any time.”<br />
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Challenge Notes:</b></u><br />
<br />
As I mentioned in my challenge notes last chapter, Delilah is now my generation one founder. I technically failed Luca’s generation, as I didn’t finish raising all the kids to young adulthood and Emily never achieved her lifetime wish, but I was more than ready to move on. I do want to share one cute photo from their teenage years, prom night at the McKinley household. It matches a picture I took ages ago of the gang as children (found <a href="http://i1038.photobucket.com/albums/a466/colleen_davis/The%20Sims%203/Chronicles%20of%20the%20McKinley%20Clan/Prologue%20Chapter%20012/Screenshot-25_zps790f6b1e.jpg">here</a>).<br />
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<br />
Also, after I made Beau, I made a grave realization. He looks *just* like a Ken doll! o_o<br />
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<br />Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15791098360536318915noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313971805424558707.post-48610874039310073382013-04-26T22:34:00.000-07:002013-05-03T08:39:37.916-07:00[Prologue] Chapter 15: Vultures<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Bexley Maddox glances around at her dirty surroundings and takes another long swig of her drink. Roscoe, her mentor and boss, sent her to Jericho to sign some band of rag-tag teenagers to their record label, and this rundown joint is the only place that will allow the unknowns to perform for her.<br />
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And are they ever unknown. The bar is almost completely empty except for a couple of high schoolers hanging out around the stage, and Bexley has a sneaking suspicion that even they aren’t enjoying the show. Nevertheless, Roscoe wanted to find a group with absolutely no professional experience or previous knowledge of the industry, and this band fits the bill perfectly.<br />
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After the end of the next song, the keyboardist comes over to introduce himself.<br />
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“Mrs. Maddox?” he greets her. “I’m Kieran. Kieran Everard.”<br />
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“You’re the one who sent in the video,” she surmises with a wide, but wholly insincere smile. “Pleasure to meet you. Shall we sit down?”<br />
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“I’d like to offer you four an exclusive contract with our label,” Bexley tells him in a blunt, straightforward tone of voice. “Roscoe, my boss, has been looking for a hot new band, and you guys are perfect.”<br />
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Kieran eyes her suspiciously. “Why us?” he asks with a frown.<br />
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Bexley looks taken aback by the candid question. “I, uh…” <i>Because you were the first group we could find, </i>she thinks to herself. “Because you have talent,” she lies instead. “A spark, a je ne sais quoi that we, as a record label, love to see in our artists.”<br />
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“But we suck,” he persists.<br />
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“It’s not about the quality of your music, but the quality of your motivation. Tell me, Kieran, are you guys ready for the big time?”<br />
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He nods. “Absolutely. We’ll do whatever you tell us. We want this more than anything.” The line flows easily off his tongue, but in truth Kieran only wants this for Delilah and his band mates. While he loves music, he hates the idea of signing with a big name record company, and he wants fame just as much as he wants a bad case of the chicken pox. But for Delilah, he doesn’t hesitate. “When can we sign?” he wants to know.<br />
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“I’ll need to speak with your parents, of course, as you four are technically still minors,” Bexley says as she rises to her feet, “but I can come over tomorrow and we can go over the details.”<br />
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“Alright,” he agrees. “Thank you, Mrs. Maddox.”<br />
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And with one final handshake, Bexley leaves, eager to exchange the seedy bar for her plush hotel room.<br />
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“No way!” Delilah excitedly throws her arms around Kieran’s neck in an enthusiastic embrace as he tells her the news. “She liked us? She really liked us?!”<br />
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Kieran smiles at the delighted look on her face. “Yeah, and she’s coming over tomorrow to talk with Luca about our contract.”<br />
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“Thank you, Kieran,” she beams. “This never would have happened if it weren’t for you.”<br />
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“We did it together, Lila. All four of us are in it together.”<br />
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After their “audition”, the band spends the rest of the evening hanging out at the bar with their friends.<br />
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Despite his normally laidback, easygoing attitude, Rigby does indeed have a competitive streak, especially when he’s playing against his sister. Delilah is always in the spotlight at school and home, but physical activities are when he gets his chance to shine.<br />
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All thoughts of winning are abandoned, however, upon the arrival of his crush Heidi.<br />
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With just a few weeks left until prom, Rigby and Heidi decide to make their fledgling romance official.<br />
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“You need a boyfriend too,” Heidi insists once she and Delilah break away from the rest of the group. “Have you ever even been kissed?”<br />
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“No I haven’t, and no I don’t. A boyfriend would just drag me down and stifle my creative spirit. I need to breathe, Heidi, and I don’t want a man bossing me around.”<br />
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“What’s with the feminist crap all of a sudden?” her friend demands.<br />
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Delilah shrugs. “I am enjoying my life at the moment, and a boy would just needlessly complicate things.”<br />
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Heidi looks bemused. “You don’t know what you’re missing,” she sighs.<br />
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“Duuuude. Electrical sockets. They’re, like, the best invention <i>ever</i>.” Austin, their bassist, tried the bubble bar upstairs, and… Yeah.<br />
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Just smile and nod, Rigby. Just smile and nod.<br />
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Meanwhile, Mason Gallagher, Rigby’s best friend since forever, is pouring his heart out to a rather reluctant Mia Sinclair.<br />
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“But I want you to be the mother of my children!” he pleads. “I want to marry you and have babies with you and-”<br />
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It’s probably well deserved, but Mason feels more than just his nose breaking.<br />
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Delilah feels unreasonably nervous the next day when Bexley comes over to meet her father.<br />
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“He’s going to embarrass me,” she whines to Kieran.<br />
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However, her worries prove unfounded. Luca and Emily ask all the usual “concerned parent” type questions, but they both seem onboard with the idea. Nevertheless, Bexley makes sure to skim over some of the more… uncomfortable clauses in the contract.<br />
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“And you’ll take care of them?” Emily wants to know. “Watch out for their best interest? I’ve heard some scary stories about teenagers in the music industry, and I want to make sure that doesn’t happen with our kids.”<br />
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“Of course!” Bexley reassures her. “Their group is my personal project, and I want nothing more than to see your children succeed. Their happiness and health is my first priority.”<br />
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As soon as the ink is dry on the paperwork, Bexley corners Delilah. <br />
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“Your first photo shoot is Monday morning,” she barks. “We need some cover art for your group’s breakout single, and Roscoe wants you to be the face of the band.”<br />
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Delilah frowns. “But we haven’t recorded anything yet…”<br />
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Bexley has to consciously force herself not to roll her eyes. “Delilah, dear, the song has been written and ready to go for a month now. Your band will learn it later, but for now we need to get you all ready to face the public. Monday morning, 10 o’clock,” she says, handing her a card with the address. “Don’t be late.”<br />
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“But, school?”<br />
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Bexley sighs dramatically. “I’ll have my secretary take care of it. Just show up on time ready for hair and makeup.”<br />
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“Do you think we’re doing the right thing?” Luca asks that night once the kids are all in bed. “Letting them sign a record deal at their age?”<br />
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“They are mature, responsible teenagers,” Emily replies. “I don’t think they will do anything stupid, Luca. I trust them.”<br />
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“Rigby I trust, but Delilah?” He shakes his head. “I worry about her.”<br />
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Emily reaches over and squeezes his hand. “I know, I know,” she soothes. “Lila is your little girl, but at some point you are going to have to let her grow up and make her own decisions. And this is such an incredible opportunity for her, for all three of them, that I’d hate to see you stand in their way.”<br />
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Luca nods, feeling better about his decision. “Have I told you recently that I love you?” he whispers as he leans in to kiss her. “I don’t know what I’d do without you, my darling.”<br />
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“I’m not going anywhere,” she smiles.<br />
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“Marry me,” he breathes as he pins her to the bed.<br />
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“Is that a question?” Emily laughs.<br />
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“Marry me,” he repeats again, more determinedly this time. “I want to have you forever, Em. I want to make our family whole.”<br />
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“I thought it already was, Luc,” she tells him gently.<br />
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“Let’s make it official. Marry me.”<br />
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Reaching up to kiss him, she nods her agreement. “I don’t want a big wedding though,” she murmurs. “Just us and the kids.”<br />
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“Deal,” he says with a wide, contented grin.<br />
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“You’ll go with me though, won’t you Kieran?” It’s Monday morning, two hours before the shoot, and Delilah is suddenly feeling overcome with nerves.<br />
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Kieran frowns. “I have school, Lila. I really can’t-”<br />
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“Please?” she begs. “I’ll cover for you if my dad finds out…”<br />
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He sighs. Luca would be livid if he knew that Kieran skipped class, but how can he resist her big, pleading eyes? “Fine,” he relents after a pause. “I’ll go.”<br />
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At the shoot, Delilah is quickly hustled off to get her hair and makeup done while Kieran waits for her outside. An hour or so later, they finally allow him in to see her.<br />
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“What do you think?” she asks with a shy smile. “They kind of went overboard with the makeup.”<br />
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“Your hair is different,” he observes.<br />
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“Yeah, the stylist straightened it.”<br />
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“It looks… different.”<br />
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Delilah fidgets uneasily with the ends of her locks. “Bad different?” she wants to know.<br />
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Walking over to her, Kieran softly runs his hand along the side of her arm. “You always look beautiful to me,” he whispers. “But I like your hair natural, the way it looks when you first wake up in the morning.”<br />
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“Well I think it is simply fabulous,” Bexley chimes in, causing the teenagers to jump apart in surprise. “Roscoe has arrived, Delilah dear, and he and the photographer are ready for you now.”<br />
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“Oh, um, okay. Thanks Mrs. Maddox,” Delilah mumbles as she hurries off.<br />
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<br />
Kieran starts to follow her, but Bexley cuts in front of him.<br />
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“Whatever is going on between you and Delilah needs to stop,” she tells him sternly. “Inter-band romances are frowned upon here, and I’m afraid I’m going to have to put my foot down.”<br />
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Kieran feels his face flush with anger at her bossy, condescending tone, but he manages to keep his temper in check. “Lila and I are friends,” he replies, choosing his words carefully. “And we wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize the band.”<br />
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“Excellent,” Bexley purrs. “Good choice, dear. That’s exactly the kind of attitude we like to see in our artists.”<br />
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<br />
“You must be Delilah,” Melvin Roscoe greets her with a firm handshake and his characteristic smirk. “Shall we get started then?”<br />
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Delilah’s eyes widen as she glances around the room. “There are so many people here,” she notices. <i>So many men,</i> she thinks with trepidation.<br />
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Roscoe’s smile falters. “I hope you aren’t the shy type, young lady. Our musicians spend much of their time in front of the camera, and I need someone who can handle the attention. Such a pretty face, it would be a shame to let it go to waste,” he adds with a wink.<br />
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Delilah clenches her jaws together with renewed determination. “I’m not scared, Mr. Roscoe,” she insists. “Let’s do it.”<br />
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Once out of her robe, however, Lila’s hesitation returns full force.<br />
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“Are you sure?” she squeaks, feeling blinded and dazed by the intense glare of the lights. “I mean, I can’t leave it on?”<br />
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“You’ll be fully covered in the photos,” Roscoe assures her in his velvety smooth voice. “And we’re all your friends here. There’s nothing to be worried about.”<br />
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“O-Okay,” she stammers.<br />
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<br />
Kieran stops dead in his tracks as he follows Bexley into the studio. It takes him a minute to fully process the scene in front of him, from Delilah’s petite, topless figure to the crew of adult men hovering around her like a swarm of hungry flies, but once he does his initial shock and embarrassment quickly turns to anger.<br />
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<br />
Three whole days pass before Delilah can get him to talk to her again, and even then it’s only because he needs help with his math homework.<br />
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“I don’t know why you’re so mad at me!” she exclaims as they work through a simple geometry problem. “Nothing was showing in the photos.”<br />
<br />
“<i>Because</i>, Lila. They’re taking advantage of you. They don’t give a damn about our music; they just want us to be the face of their newest brand of pop. It’s bullshit, and I can’t believe you’re playing along.”<br />
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Delilah rolls her eyes. “Do you think I’m an idiot?!” she demands. “I know that, Kieran, but once we’ve made a name for ourselves in the business we can start recording our own stuff, and then we’ll become famous in our own right. We just need to get our foot in the door, and working with Mr. Roscoe is our best option.”<br />
<br />
“You think?” he says, eyeing her skeptically. “Mr. Roscoe seems like a hard man to get away from.”<br />
<br />
“Sure,” she enthuses. “First comes fame, then comes fortune, then comes creative freedom. It’s the way it’s always worked.”<br />
<br />
“I hope you know what you're doing, cause your dad is going to be pissed when he sees those pictures.”<br />
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Delilah freezes, the realization hitting her like a bus. “Shit,” she groans. "I'm screwed."<br />
<br />
Kieran shrugs awkwardly, not knowing what to say. While he would do anything to help Delilah reach her dreams, he honestly hopes that Luca will see the photos and cancel their contract. That way, at least, she'd be safe from the vultures.<br />
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<br />
<u><b>Challenge Notes:</b></u><br />
<br />
Delilah's not a slut, she just doesn't always think things through. Whether or not Roscoe's a perv, however, is up for debate. ;)<br />
<br />
I'm very, very sorry about the lack of updates recently, but I'm going to try to post more regularly from now on. I've already written and edited the next chapter, so that should be up soon, but I must warn you- The transition between this chapter and the next is <i>extremely</i> rough, and while I tried to maintain some consistency there are a few things that just don't make sense (like parts of the timeline). In order to revive my interest in the challenge, I decided to skip the rest of Delilah's teen years and start over with her as my generation one founder. It was a difficult decision to make, and I'm not entirely happy about it, but I needed to do something to get me playing the game again. I hope you guys understand.<br />
<br />
As always, thanks for reading, and thanks for putting up with me and my spotty updates! =)Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15791098360536318915noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313971805424558707.post-65813410987263513952013-02-05T09:13:00.000-08:002013-05-03T08:39:27.609-07:00[Prologue] Chapter 14: Thank You for Being My Friend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Rigby and Delilah recently became teenagers, and to celebrate their newfound freedom they spend Friday night hanging out at the arcade downtown.<br />
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Blissfully unaware of Kieran’s true feelings for her, Delilah chats with him about everything from music to boys, clothes, and hair.<br />
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“Let’s get our picture taken!” she exclaims suddenly, noticing the photo booth behind him.<br />
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Kieran fidgets uneasily at her suggestion. Photo booths are small and cramped, which naturally leads to touching and contact, and he’s not sure that’s such a good idea right now. “I don’t know. I’m not dressed up or whatever.”<br />
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But Delilah won’t take no for an answer and stubbornly drags him inside.<br />
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<br />
“Oh, they turned out great!” she giggles as her eyes scan the page. “I look so fat though!”<br />
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Rigby snorts. “A chicken called, and he wants his legs back.”<br />
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Delilah glares at her brother, but Kieran cuts her off before she can think up a suitable response.<br />
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“Don’t listen to him, Lila,” he tells her softly. “I think you look beautiful, just the way you are.”<br />
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<br />
Mia Sinclair, one of Delilah’s schoolmates, butts her way into the conversation.<br />
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“I think he likes you,” she whispers once Kieran turns away.<br />
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Delilah frowns. “Why can’t guys and girls be friends without everyone reading something into it? There's <i>nothing</i> between Kieran and me.”<br />
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Mia smirks. “Well that’s good, cause I heard that Ondine Sutherland wants him to ask her to prom next month.”<br />
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Delilah pushes her away irritably. “Ondine is a senior. No way does she give a crap about Kieran.”<br />
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“Whatever you say,” Mia replies with a devious grin.<br />
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“What are you guys gonna do about prom?” Kieran asks as he sits down to play some video games with Mason and Rigby. “I mean, who are y’all going to go with?”<br />
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“Mia.” Mason’s answer is immediate and reflexive, with no hesitation whatsoever.<br />
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“Are you two dating now?” Rigby wants to know.<br />
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Mason shakes his head before angrily blowing up one of Kieran’s tanks. “Nah, not yet, but I’m working on it. She loves me; she just doesn’t know it yet.”<br />
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“What about you, Rig? Are you going to ask Heidi?”<br />
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Rigby blushes slightly and shakes his head. “She’d never say yes. Delilah told me that she wants to go with Austin Hayes.”<br />
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Kieran grins. “You gotta ask her, dude! You’ll never know unless you do.”<br />
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“What about you, Kieran?” Rigby laughs. “Last I heard, Delilah doesn’t have a date yet…”<br />
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Kieran refrains from replying, instead opting for a stealth attack on one of Rigby’s players.<br />
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“But you can’t go stag!” Heidi, Delilah’s BFF, exclaims. “What about Austin? Austin Hayes? He’s the only freshman on the varsity football team…”<br />
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“Rigby’s a freshman, and he’s varsity,” Delilah retorts, purposely avoiding her question.<br />
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“And besides, I’m going with Austin,” Mia chimes in.<br />
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Heidi glares at her. “Until he asks you, he’s free game.”<br />
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“I don’t want to go with him anyway,” Delilah grins. “He’s all yours, Mia, but just make sure to break it to Mason gently. He’s going to be heartbroken.”<br />
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Footsteps on the stairs alert the girls to another visitor, and Mia immediately departs to go say hello.<br />
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<br />
Ondine Sutherland doesn’t actually want to be here tonight, but she’s on a mission and no freshman is going to get in her way, particularly not one as annoying as Mia.<br />
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“Should we go rescue her?” Delilah asks quietly. “You know how Mia can be…”<br />
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Heidi smirks, watching the scene with a mixture of amusement and glee. “Nah, she can handle it herself.”<br />
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“Why are you talking to me in public?” Ondine sneers as Mia babbles on and on about something irrelevant. “I don’t believe I gave you permission to speak.”<br />
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Mia doesn’t miss a beat. “Because you own the world and every Sim in it, right? Oh wait, you’re not the boss of me. Nice try, but you lose.”<br />
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Ondine blinks, temporarily shocked into silence. “Your clothes are ugly,” she says after a pause.<br />
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Mia rolls her eyes and rejoins her friends. Verbal sparring is no fun if you don’t have a partner worthy of your skills.<br />
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<br />
“Hi Kieran!” Ondine chirps as she joins the boys on the couch. “What are you doing?”<br />
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Kieran glances over at her before quickly turning his attention back to the game. “Hi Ondine. Delilah’s over there,” he tells her pointedly, praying that she’ll pick up on his not-so-subtle hint.<br />
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“Okay,” she giggles. “But I came here to see you. Is that a new jacket? I really like it!”<br />
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“I wear it, like, every day,” he deadpans.<br />
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“It looks nice on you,” Ondine replies as she inches closer to him. “Do you like my top? I heard purple was your favorite color…”<br />
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Kieran doesn’t even glance up. “I like blue.”<br />
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Ondine frowns. “Oh, well that’s okay. So, are you going to the prom this year?”<br />
<br />
“Maybe.”<br />
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“Who are you taking?”<br />
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Kieran shrugs.<br />
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“I don’t have a date yet either, even though like a million guys have already asked me. I’m waiting for someone special.”<br />
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“Cool. Rigby, how’d you do that thing? With your gun?”<br />
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Frustrated, Ondine gets up to leave, but she runs into Delilah on her way out.<br />
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“Boys!” she vents. “I can’t believe he’d rather shoot imaginary people than talk to me!”<br />
<br />
Delilah grins sympathetically. “Yeah, never get between guys and their video games. You’ll never win that battle.”<br />
<br />
“Whatever,” Ondine rolls her eyes as she stalks away.<br />
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<br />
Luca gave Delilah a guitar for her birthday, and she spends most of her spare time trying to master the instrument.<br />
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<br />
Kieran smiles and leans up against the doorway, patiently listening as she strums her way through a simple song.<br />
<br />
“You’re pretty good,” he tells her.<br />
<br />
Delilah laughs and shakes her head. “Not as good as you. I’m just beginning.”<br />
<br />
“But you’re getting better,” he insists.<br />
<br />
She shrugs and sets down her guitar. “What’s up, Kieran?” she asks as she hops onto the bed. “I hope you didn’t come here just to embarrass me…”<br />
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Taking a deep breath, he sits down beside her. “No, I wanted to ask you something.”<br />
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<br />
“Sure,” Delilah grins at him with the same effortless charm that she’s always had. Kieran wishes it were that easy for him, but he’s not nearly as adept at social situations as she is.<br />
<br />
<i>Do you want to go out?</i> The words play through his head, the whole speech practiced countless times in front of the mirror, but he can’t seem to get his voice to cooperate.<br />
<br />
“Do you, uh… Do you want to start a band?” he blurts out instead.<br />
<br />
Delilah’s face lights up. “A band?! With you?! I’d love to, Kieran!”<br />
<br />
Kieran forces himself to smile, but inside he feels like screaming. “Great, yeah. A band.”<br />
<br />
“I can play the guitar and sing,” Lila says, “and you can play the keyboard and Rigby can play the drums, but what about the bass?”<br />
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<br />
“Hmm?” Kieran asks distractedly.<br />
<br />
“The bass,” Delilah repeats. “We don’t know anyone who can play the bass. And where are we going to practice? I doubt my dad would like a bunch of teenagers jamming away in his house at all hours.”<br />
<br />
“I’ll find some place,” he assures her. “And maybe Rigby can help us find a bassist?”<br />
<br />
“Awesome!” she exclaims. “I can’t wait!”<br />
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<br />
Thoroughly bummed out by his conversation with Delilah, Kieran heads to the nursery to visit with her little sister Zosia.<br />
<br />
“Kee-rin!” the toddler shouts excitedly.<br />
<br />
Kieran leans down and sweeps the child into his arms, tickling her the entire way up. “How’s my best girl?” he grins.<br />
<br />
“Kee-rin happy?” she asks, eyeing him suspiciously.<br />
<br />
Kieran chuckles and kisses her cheek. “No, Kieran is sad today, Zosia.”<br />
<br />
“Kee-rin sad?” Zosia repeats with a questioning frown.<br />
<br />
“Kieran is too shy to ask your sister Delilah out on a date, and he wonders if he’ll ever get up the courage to go through with it. Your friend Kieran is lame. Can you say lame, Zosia?”<br />
<br />
“W-ame.”<br />
<br />
“Close enough,” he smiles.<br />
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<br />
“This is amazing!” Delilah gushes the following week when Kieran shows her the space he found for their band. “I had no idea the public library even had a third floor! And it’s completely empty, too.”<br />
<br />
Kieran beams, pleased with her reaction. “Yeah, and as long as we practice when the library’s closed no one will even know we were here.”<br />
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<br />
“You’re the best!” Delilah exclaims as she throws her arms around him. “Thank you for doing this.”<br />
<br />
Kieran closes his eyes, savoring the touch of her body pressed up against him. “I-It was n-nothing,” he stammers.<br />
<br />
“Rigby found us a bassist, too. We can start practicing tomorrow.”<br />
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<br />
The next day, Rigby introduces Delilah to the fourth member of their band.<br />
<br />
“Austin Hayes?!” she sighs dramatically. “But he’s the school jock! What does he even want with our band anyway?”<br />
<br />
“He plays the bass,” Rigby explains, “and he is willing to jam with us. He doesn’t even like football, Lila. His dad makes him play.”<br />
<br />
“Ugh, fine. But I want to be center stage. I don’t need anybody crowding my spotlight.”<br />
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Rigby rolls his eyes but lets it go. He doesn’t feel like arguing with her today.<br />
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<br />
Band practice goes… well. They’re not awesome, not yet, but at least they hit all the notes and stuff.<br />
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<br />
A couple of weeks later, Kieran makes an announcement.<br />
<br />
“I sent off a tape of our band to some record labels,” he tells Delilah over leftover birthday cake. “We’ve gotten better, and I think that we’re-”<br />
<br />
“You did what?!” she gapes. “Kieran, we suck! The only one who’s even remotely capable of sounding decent is you, and-”<br />
<br />
“We don’t suck,” he interrupts. “I- I thought you’d be happy…”<br />
<br />
“I want to make a career in the music business someday, not shoot myself in the foot before I’ve even begun!”<br />
<br />
Kieran frowns. “I’m sorry, Lila. I didn’t mean to make you mad…”<br />
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Delilah just glares at him in response.<br />
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<br />
A few hours away in the bustling city of Boscaster, Melvin Roscoe rubs his head in agitation. As a top executive at one of Sim Nation’s leading record labels, he has the often frustrating job of finding and recruiting new talent for his company. With the recent, and sharp, decline in music sales, he knows that if he wants to keep his lucrative position then he will need to find a fresh face to exploit, but lately he can’t seem to hold on to any new artists. His label’s notoriously stingy royalties and stifling grasp on production tend to make his musicians feel inhibited and put upon, and in the golden age of the internet several of them have decided to go at it alone. No, he needs someone who doesn’t know any better, who will let him make all the decisions and blindly follow his orders.<br />
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“BEXLEY!” he calls out suddenly. “BEXLEY COME HERE!”<br />
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<br />
Bexley Maddox, a pretty redhead with long legs and even longer ideas, strolls into the room.<br />
<br />
“There is a device nowadays called a phone, Mr. Roscoe. It’s a pretty nifty little tool that allows you to speak into a box whenever you need to talk to someone, instead of yelling down the hall for them…”<br />
<br />
Roscoe glares at her. “I have vocal chords for a reason, <i>Miss</i> Maddox, and they’re far more handy than any phone ever was.”<br />
<br />
“Have it your way,” Bexley smirks. “Did you call me in here simply to bask in the glow of my company or did you have another reason in mind?”<br />
<br />
“Indeed I did. We need to sign some new talent to our label, Bexley, and soon. I want to find someone fresh and inexperienced, someone who won’t question our choices or challenge our tactics. I want to find a teenager.”<br />
<br />
“Fine, I will send our scouts out today, and hopefully in a few months-”<br />
<br />
“No. I need someone now. It doesn’t matter who. Any pretty face will do, but they need to be local and accessible.”<br />
<br />
Bexley frowns. “I suppose I could look through some of the tapes that we’re always getting,” she muses.<br />
<br />
“Bring them in,” he suggests. “We’ll do it together.”<br />
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<br />
Three videos later and Roscoe is already bored.<br />
<br />
“What about them?” he offers. “The girl is cute enough, and the boys make a good backdrop.”<br />
<br />
“It sounds like she learned to play yesterday!” Bexley exclaims. “The keyboardist is fine, but her guitar skills are laughable.”<br />
<br />
“Doesn’t matter. She’s the one,” he decides with an air of authority. “The papers say she lives in Jericho, and that’s not too far from here. You can go see them play in person this weekend, and if they look even halfway decent then we’re done. We’ve found our next star.”<br />
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<br />
“You can’t be serious,” Bexley scoffs, pausing the tape on Delilah’s face. “They’re totally unproven!”<br />
<br />
“That’s enough, Bexley,” Roscoe barks, his voice suddenly low and serious. “They’re our group, and I’m making you personally responsible for their careers. If they fail, then you fail. Understand?”<br />
<br />
Bexley nods reluctantly. “Yes sir.”<br />
<br />
“Good. Then I’ll see you when you get back from Jericho.”<br />
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<br />
“Hi Rigby!” Heidi greets him with a big smile later that day. “Where’s Delilah?”<br />
<br />
“She and Kieran already left for the library. The whole gang’s meeting up there tonight to hang out after the band practices.”<br />
<br />
“Oh.” Heidi’s face falls. “I guess you’ve gotta go then too, huh?”<br />
<br />
Rigby nervously drums his fingers against the side of his pants. “Yeah, I should, but…”<br />
<br />
“Yes?” she grins.<br />
<br />
Taking a deep breath, Rigby looks her straight in the eye and says, “Heidi, I think you’re awesome, and I want to go to prom with you.”<br />
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<br />
“Okay,” she giggles. “Is that all you wanted to say?”<br />
<br />
Rigby looks amazed at his good fortune. “Yes… I- Well, no. One more thing.”<br />
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<br />
And then he kisses her, short and sweet and perfectly to the point.<br />
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<br />
At the library, Kieran just received a phone call from Bexley Maddox’s personal secretary.<br />
<br />
“A scout from Boscaster wants to listen to us play!” he tells Delilah enthusiastically. “She is arriving in town today and can meet us at the bar off of Dalerport Street tomorrow night.”<br />
<br />
“You’re kidding!” Delilah squeals. “No way! What am I going to wear?! What songs should we do?! Oh my gosh, we’ve got to tell Rigby and Austin!”<br />
<br />
“Don’t get too excited,” he cautions. “They haven’t offered us anything yet.”<br />
<br />
“But a real record company scout? And she wants to come listen to us?!” Delilah shrieks again. “No way!”<br />
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<br />
In celebration of their audition tomorrow night, the band calls off practice for the evening to hang out with their friends. Kieran, who has never been a fan of large groups, borrows Lila’s guitar and allows himself to get lost in the melodies.<br />
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<br />
“It’s pretty,” Delilah tells him. “Did you write it?”<br />
<br />
Kieran nods, not looking up from his instrument.<br />
<br />
“What’s it about?” she asks quietly.<br />
<br />
“A girl,” he whispers after a moment of hesitation. “The most beautiful girl you’ll ever meet, with sparkling eyes the color of amethyst and skin that shines in even the palest glimmer of moonlight. And when she speaks, her voice fills the air with music, and when she laughs her face can light up an entire room with sunshine.”<br />
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Leaning up against him, Delilah smiles contentedly. <br />
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“Thank you,” she murmurs in his ear. “Thank you for being my friend.”<br />
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<i>Friend.</i> The word stings of rejection, but Kieran remains silent and continues playing, drowning his pain with the strum of his fingers.<br />
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<u><b>Challenge Notes:</b></u><br />
<br />
Let me start off by saying that I know NOTHING about the music industry or the recording process or any of that stuff, but I really wanted to try and make Delilah’s career seem plausible and realistic. So, here’s my feeble attempt to explain why Sims can go into their local community theatre as a roadie and come out as a pop icon! WOOT! But no, I realize that this whole story line is fairly unbelievable, but I honestly have no clue how one gets “discovered” in real life and this was the best I could come up with.<br />
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Also, to all those Kieran and Delilah fans… Y’all were right, of course. =D But really, HOW CAN I RESIST HIM?! This chapter was <i>not</i> supposed to be all about Kieran and his relationship with Lila, but I <3 him. And just wait until the next chapter or so… ;) Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15791098360536318915noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313971805424558707.post-77807492092349715052013-01-29T20:33:00.000-08:002013-05-03T08:39:18.552-07:00[Prologue] Chapter 13: Some Are Born To Sing the Blues<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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“Maeve,” he murmurs her name softly, letting the delicate sound linger on his tongue. “I’ve missed you.”<br />
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Maeve smiles and kisses him again. “You don’t know how long I’ve dreamed about this moment,” she whispers breathlessly. “But I need to tell you something, Luca.”<br />
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“Can’t it wait?” he asks as he runs his hands down her back and begins fumbling with her clothes.<br />
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She pulls away slightly and shakes her head. “No. I need to tell you something,” she repeats, more firmly this time. “Wait here.”<br />
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Grabbing her hand, Luca looks her straight in the eye and says, “Come back, okay?”<br />
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Maeve tries to laugh off his words, but Luca’s face remains hard and serious. “I’ll only be a second,” she assures him.<br />
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What she brings with her when she returns sends shockwaves down Luca’s body.<br />
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“This is Tallulah,” Maeve tells him quietly. “She is your daughter, Luc.”<br />
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A million emotions rip through his chest as Luca’s eyes come to rest on the child in her arms, but anger quickly overwhelms him.<br />
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“You were pregnant?!” he hears himself say. “And you didn’t tell me? We have another daughter, and you didn’t tell me?!”<br />
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Maeve’s face falls. “Luca,” she pleads. “It’s not like that! I didn’t know I was pregnant when I left, and before I could tell you they discovered me. The council, they found me, and I had to cut off contact, to protect you and Delilah.”<br />
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Luca takes a step back. “I’m so tired of your bullshit,” he whispers, shaking his head in disbelief. “You show up here after years of being gone, and then you drop something like this on me?! I can’t- I can’t do this anymore. I want to love you, but you’ve done nothing but hurt me and my family. No more, Maeve. No more.”<br />
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Tears begin to stream down her face as Maeve reaches out to him. “Please,” she cries. “I wanted to tell you, but I was scared! I couldn’t face you again so soon after leaving, and I needed some time away to think about things. I’m sorry.”<br />
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“No,” he breathes as he reaches for the door. “We’re done, Maeve. I’ll take the kid if that’s what you want, but I never want to see you again.”<br />
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“But I’m going to stay in Jericho!” Maeve sobs, desperation seeping into her voice. “To raise Tallulah near you and her sister. I want to be a family again, Luc. I want-”<br />
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But he’s already out the door.<br />
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After walking around town for hours, Luca comes home late that night to a warm welcome from Emily.<br />
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“I was so worried!” she cries, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him deeply. “Where have you been all day?!”<br />
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Luca closes his eyes and braces for the worst. “I saw Maeve today,” he whispers. “I- We have another daughter, Emily.”<br />
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To his complete and utter surprise, Emily doesn’t freak out or lose her temper. <br />
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Taking a deep breath, she simply nods and says, “It’s okay, Luca. It’s going to be okay. We can get through this. <i>You</i> can get through this.”<br />
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Hearing those words, full of love and support, Luca feels the walls of anger and frustration that have enclosed his weary heart for so many years collapse around him, and he begins to sob, choking on the tears he’s held back since before Maeve left.<br />
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“I love you,” she soothes as he cries on her shoulder. “I love you.”<br />
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Hoping to distract Luca from his worries about Maeve and their daughter, Emily arranges a day at the park that weekend with him and the kids. The ponds have already frozen solid for winter, and so the family decides to try their hand at ice skating.<br />
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Ever eager to show off his athletic prowess, Rigby is the first to try skating all the way around the pond.<br />
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Although he struggles a bit at first, he does eventually get the hang of it.<br />
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Not to be outdone by Rigby, Kieran also attempts to make it around the whole lake, but he’s much slower to pick up the skill than his nimble friend.<br />
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Delilah doesn’t like ice skating. It’s much harder than it looks.<br />
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Emily, however, finds the exercise stimulating and enjoyable, and she loves the challenge of trying to keep her balance, even if she isn’t that graceful yet.<br />
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Oona is a natural and doesn’t even fall once. Well, that is until she and Rigby decide to try spinning together…<br />
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Whoops!<br />
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Nevertheless, they get right back up and try it again.<br />
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After skating, the family starts a fire and roasts some marshmallows. Despite repeated warnings of burnt and blackened sugar, Delilah insists on doing three at a time…<br />
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And naturally she burns them all.<br />
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Aww, sad. ='(<br />
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Kieran gives her one of his extras, and the rest of the day proceeds without incident.<br />
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Meanwhile, Emily’s nausea continues to worsen to the point that even Luca begins to worry about her.<br />
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<br />
One night over dinner, he ventures a theory.<br />
<br />
“You’re not- I mean, you can’t be… Are you pregnant, Em?”<br />
<br />
Emily freezes, carefully considering the idea. “I- I’m not sure,” she admits quietly. “Will you go with me? To find out?”<br />
<br />
Luca nods and squeezes her hand reassuringly. He doesn’t want more kids, but pregnancy would be far better than some life-threatening ailment.<br />
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<br />
The night after the doctor’s appointment, they’re both in shock.<br />
<br />
“I’m sorry,” Emily whispers, barely able to make eye contact. “I should have been more careful.”<br />
<br />
“Stop it, Em. It takes two to make a baby.” He smiles and runs his fingers down her wet, tearstained cheek. “I love you, and I feel blessed that I’m going to be a parent again. Especially with you.”<br />
<br />
Emily looks up at him skeptically. “You mean it?” she asks.<br />
<br />
Luca nods. “I know it wasn’t planned, but we can handle this.”<br />
<br />
“But what about the kids?”<br />
<br />
“They need to know about us,” he replies with a sigh. “We should have told them from the start, but they’re good kids. They’ll understand.”<br />
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<br />
Pulling her into his arms, Luca kisses her fiercely. <br />
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“You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” he tells her when they break apart. “And I love you.”<br />
<br />
“I love you too,” she whispers contentedly.<br />
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<br />
For the most part, the kids take the news in stride. Rigby even suggests that the pair ought to get engaged soon.<br />
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Delilah, on the other hand, has the opposite reaction.<br />
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"How long do you wanna bet they stay together?" she frowns. "Six months? A year?" <br />
<br />
“Forever,” Kieran replies confidently. “I don’t think Miss Emily is going anywhere.”<br />
<br />
“You’re no fun!” Delilah pouts. “Besides, relationships never last, and this one won’t either.”<br />
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Kieran just shrugs and turns back to his cereal.<br />
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<br />
At Emily’s urging, Luca invites Maeve over to the house the following afternoon. He needs to tell her about Emily, and he wants to get acquainted with his other daughter.<br />
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<br />
He plays with Tallulah for a little while before sitting down to talk with Maeve.<br />
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“I’ve moved back into my mother’s old house,” Maeve tells him as he joins her on the couch. “Atticus had to return to his garden near Arundel, but I plan to stick around this time, Luca. I want Tallulah to know her father.”<br />
<br />
Luca sighs. “I want to know her as well, but that doesn’t change things between us, Maeve. I- I’m with somebody else now, and we’re expecting a baby soon.”<br />
<br />
Maeve inhales sharply, her eyes wide with surprise. “Who?”<br />
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One word, a single question, but Luca can’t help but feel offended.<br />
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<br />
“Does it matter?” he snaps. “I love her, and she loves me. I will be a father to Lulu, but I don’t want anything to do you with you, Maeve.”<br />
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Maeve frowns, feeling both frustrated and hurt by his angry declaration. “Fine,” she whispers at last. “But if you want to see Lulu, then I get to be a part of Delilah’s life as well.”<br />
<br />
Luca shakes his head. “No,” he says simply. “She has a mother, and you are not her. If she wants to meet you again when she’s older, I won’t stand in her way, but until she’s a teenager and fully capable of understanding her decisions then I don’t want you to have any contact with her. You hurt her badly the first time you left, and I can’t risk that happening again.”<br />
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Maeve tries to argue with him, but Luca remains firm in his decision. Seeing no alternative, she finally relents and agrees not to contact Delilah until after her birthday.<br />
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<br />
One day after school, Kieran and Delilah decide to check out the arcade games at the Old Station Venue near their house.<br />
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<br />
They both love music, however, and are immediately drawn to the karaoke machine.<br />
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<br />
♫ <i>Just a small town girl <br /> Livin' in a lonely world <br /> She took the midnight train goin' anywhere</i> ♫<br />
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<br />
♫ <i> Just a city boy<br /> Born and raised in South Detroit<br /> He took the midnight train goin' anywhere</i> ♫<br />
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<br />
♫ <i>A singer in a smoky room<br /> A smell of wine and cheap perfume<br /> For a smile they can share the night<br /> It goes on and on and on and on</i> ♫<br />
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<br />
♫ <i>Strangers waiting<br /> Up and down the boulevard<br /> Their shadows searchin' in the night</i> ♫<br />
<br />
♫ <i>Streetlight, people<br /> Livin' just to find emotion<br /> Hidin' somewhere in the night</i> ♫<br />
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<br />
♫ <i>Workin' hard to get my fill<br /> Everybody wants a thrill<br /> Payin' anything to roll the dice<br /> Just one more time</i> ♫<br />
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<br />
♫ <i>Some will win, some will lose<br /> Some are born to sing the blues<br /> And now the movie never ends<br /> It goes on and on and on and on</i> ♫<br />
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<br />
♫ <i>Strangers waiting<br /> Up and down the boulevard<br /> Their shadows searchin' in the night</i> ♫<br />
<br />
♫ <i>Streetlight, people<br /> Livin' just to find emotion<br /> Hidin' somewhere in the night</i> ♫<br />
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<br />
♫ <i>Don't stop believin'<br /> Hold on to that feelin'<br /> Streetlight, people</i> ♫<br />
<br />
♫ <i>Don't stop believin'<br /> Hold on to that feelin'<br /> Streetlight, people</i> ♫<br />
<br />
♫ <i>Don't stop!</i> ♫<br />
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<br />
Back at home, Emily’s baby bump continues to expand at a rapid rate. Despite his initial concerns, Luca actually feels excited at the prospect of another child, and he honestly can’t wait to meet the little stinker. Sure, the 3 a.m. feedings are a pain and he could live without all the dirty diapers, but he loves Emily and is looking forward to raising their baby together.<br />
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<br />
“How did it get in there?” Delilah asks one morning.<br />
<br />
Emily smiles as Lila gently presses her head against her belly. “When a man and a woman love each other very much, they will have sex together,” she explains carefully, “and sometimes, very rarely, a baby is created.”<br />
<br />
Delilah’s eyes widen. “But how does it get out?” she breathes.<br />
<br />
“With a lot of pushing,” Emily laughs.<br />
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A whole heck of a lot of pushing in Emily’s case.<br />
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<br />
After hours and hours in the delivery room, Luca and Emily bring home a baby girl, who they name Zosia.<br />
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<br />
A short while later, Kieran quietly ages up into a teenager.<br />
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And life at the McKinley household finally settles into a happy routine.<br />
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<u><b>Challenge Notes:</b></u><br />
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Zosia is pronounced like “Sasha” except with a Z at the beginning instead of an S. It’s the Polish variation of the name Sophia, which is Greek and means “wisdom”. Zosia was born with the computer whiz and bookworm traits, so I thought it suited her quite nicely.<br />
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The whole situation with Maeve got rather… sticky there for a while. When Maeve originally left my family, she was, unbeknownst to me, pregnant through a risky woohoo. When I found out, I decided to let her have the baby, thinking that I’d move it into my family and have Luca raise it, but then I decided that I *really* wanted to see a Luca/Emily kid. So this is the story line I came up with to accommodate all the changes in my plot.<br />
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However, I’m PUMPED to get on to my next generation! Kieran turned out really, really cute as a teenager, even better than I could have hoped, and Delilah and Rigby become teenagers next chapter as well. In case this wasn’t obvious, Delilah is going to be my generation 2 heir. =D<br />
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(Also, sorry for the shameless Glee insert. I was only really a Gleek for a couple of seasons, but I just love their version of that song!)Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15791098360536318915noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313971805424558707.post-10152891543735383802013-01-23T07:35:00.000-08:002013-05-03T08:39:09.673-07:00[Prologue] Chapter 12: A Study in Contrasts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Kieran and Delilah are practically inseparable these days. Her confidence seems to wear off on the normally quiet Kieran, and his humility helps keep Delilah grounded. Kieran’s careful nature balances out Delilah’s headstrong, often impulsive tendencies, while her boldness constantly pushes him out of his comfort zone. Kieran always lets Delilah pick the games, and she in turn lets him make the rules. He prefers listening and observing, while she loves to talk. And they both enjoy playing dress up and bossing around Lila’s younger siblings. Indeed, she’s the yin to his yang, the bark to his bite, the sun to his moon. They’re a perfectly matched pair in almost every way, best friends forever and then add a few more years.<br />
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But that’s not to say that they don’t get along well with the other kids at school. Delilah in particular stands out as one of the most well-liked students to ever grace the halls of Foresdell Elementary, and she thrives when surrounded by her peers.<br />
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Her best friend at school is Heidi Schmidt, daughter of the notoriously eccentric inventor Heinrich Schmidt.<br />
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Delilah and Heidi hang out with Mia Sinclair occasionally too, but Mia only ever wants to talk about scary horror movies and she always picks her scabs and chews her fingernails.<br />
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She does, however, pull funny pranks sometimes…<br />
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Rigby, of course, does not see the humor in this situation.<br />
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Lots of important girly girl things to discuss. Even at her young age, Delilah enjoys a good gossip with the gal pals.<br />
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Rigby has a best friend, too. Mason Gallagher grew up living in a cramped trailer with his largely absentee mom, but despite his lonely childhood (or perhaps because of it) the boy yearns to have a big family and lots of brothers and sisters. The McKinley household, with three kids and a toddler, is his idea of paradise, and Mason spends much of his time camped out in their living room raiding their fridge and watching their TV, desperate to get away from the searing emptiness of his own home life.<br />
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Ghost stories in the daylight aren’t quite as terrifying as Delilah had hoped, but she’s a good actress and does her best to frighten her friends.<br />
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Rigby can’t <i>believe</i> Kieran is actually scared. What. A. Dork.<br />
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Kieran redeems himself later by playing on the swing set with his friend. Rigby has always looked up to the older boy, and he loves it when Kieran pays attention to him instead of Delilah.<br />
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But Delilah for the most part rules the playground, and when she says jump the other kids will leap through the metaphorical hoops to make her happy.<br />
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Back at home, Oona celebrates her birthday.<br />
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And ages up into a child.<br />
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“She doesn’t look like me,” Luca comments that night after the kids have gone to bed.<br />
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Emily smiles and snuggles closer. “What do you mean? She has black hair…”<br />
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“It’s not my black hair though,” he sighs. “I can definitely see Bridget’s features when I look at her face, but I can’t see me in her at all.”<br />
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“What are you suggesting, Luc?” Emily asks gently.<br />
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Luca frowns, stroking her arm affectionately. “Nothing,” he murmurs. “Just… Nothing.”<br />
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Despite a happy family and a successful career, Luca feels… itchy. These days, his life seems safe, monotonous, and boring, and he constantly worries about his rapidly advancing age. Every time he looks at his kids, a suffocating feeling of responsibility overwhelms him, and every moment he spends with Emily Luca finds himself choking back a paralyzing fear of abandonment.<br />
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As a result, his behavior has become much more erratic recently, and he begins acting unusually... spontaneous.<br />
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“In the kitchen?” Emily laughs, trying to push him away. “But-”<br />
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“The kids are at a sleepover,” Luca whispers in her ear. “I’ve always wanted to try it…”<br />
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Emily hesitates. She’s seen how restless he is these days, and while she wants to be supportive and encouraging Luca’s pushy demeanor aggravates her to no end.<br />
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“We don’t have protection,” she tells him defiantly. “Your fantasies will have to wait until another time.”<br />
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Emily starts to walk away, but Luca grabs her around her waist.<br />
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“Come on, darling,” he persists. “We can be careful.”<br />
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Emily smiles at him faintly, loving the way his arms feel around her. <br />
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“Luca,” she groans, gently fighting away his wandering hands. “We can’t.”<br />
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“We can,” he grins.<br />
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And they do. It doesn’t take Emily long to succumb to his insistent pleas and her own desires.<br />
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Many, many times.<br />
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“Emily’s going to have a baby?!” Delilah looks inordinately worried about Kieran’s latest revelation. “But she doesn’t even have a boyfriend!”<br />
<br />
Kieran frowns, trying to focus on his homework. He hasn’t told anybody, not even Delilah, about Luca and Emily’s “affair”, as he thinks of it, and he doesn’t want to reveal their secret now. Nevertheless, he can sense the baby growing in Emily’s belly, and he fears that Luca will send him packing as soon as he finds out. <br />
<br />
“I wonder if she’ll leave us to go and raise the baby with its daddy,” Delilah continues. “I don’t want her to leave, though! Who is its daddy?” she asks, without pausing for a breath of air.<br />
<br />
“I don’t know,” Kieran replies hesitantly. It’s sort of the truth, as he’s not entirely sure it belongs to Luca. Emily doesn’t even know that she’s pregnant yet, and until she finds out Kieran won’t be able to read her thoughts on the matter. <br />
<br />
“You can’t tell anyone that I told you though,” Kieran whispers urgently. “It’s a secret, okay Lila?”<br />
<br />
“Fine,” she pouts. “I won’t tell anyone.”<br />
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A few short weeks later, Halloween arrives in Jericho. Emily promised to take the kids trick-or-treating, but she’s been suffering from acute bouts of nausea lately and doesn’t feel up to doing much of anything today. Luca, unfortunately, has to work, so Emily decides to let them go by themselves, and after a quick group photo they are on their way.<br />
<br />
(Costumes: Oona is a fairy princess, Kieran is a pirate, Delilah is a pop star, and Rigby is a cowboy.)<br />
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Figuring that they can cover more ground if they split up, Rigby and Oona take the northern half of the neighborhood, and Kieran and Delilah head south.<br />
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While hitting up Heidi’s house, the duo runs into a familiar face. Mia (also in costume) has plans.<br />
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<br />
Pulling Delilah aside, Mia tells her friend a “secret”.<br />
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“A haunted house?” Delilah sounds skeptical. “With a real witch?”<br />
<br />
Mia nods. “An evil witch, whose ghost only comes out on Halloween. If you can find her secret room, she’ll even give you a ride on her broom!”<br />
<br />
“I don’t believe you,” Delilah retorts, crossing her arms. “Everyone knows that witches don’t use brooms.”<br />
<br />
“It’s true! My brother told me so.”<br />
<br />
“Why don’t you go then? If you’re so brave…”<br />
<br />
“Curfew,” Mia sings. “But you told me that your dad didn’t give you a curfew tonight…”<br />
<br />
“I don’t know Mia. Sounds fishy.”<br />
<br />
“You’re such a scaredy-cat,” she taunts.<br />
<br />
“Am not!” Delilah exclaims.<br />
<br />
“Then go! Or else I’m telling the whole school that you kissed Mason.”<br />
<br />
“Liar!”<br />
<br />
Mia shrugs, undeterred by the accusation.<br />
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<br />
Hearing the commotion, Kieran comes over to see what’s going on.<br />
<br />
“Don’t be stupid,” he replies after Delilah tells him where she’s headed. “Mia just wants to get you in trouble.”<br />
<br />
“No I don’t!” Mia snaps.<br />
<br />
Kieran ignores her. “You’ll get grounded for, like, ever. It’s not worth it, Lila.”<br />
<br />
Delilah, however, has already made up her mind, and Kieran’s pleas do nothing to move her.<br />
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<br />
“You didn’t have to come,” she declares irritably as they pick their way through the overgrown trail that leads to the abandoned house. “You’ll get in trouble too, you know.”<br />
<br />
Kieran doesn’t hesitate. “I’d rather get in trouble than see you get hurt. Anyway, you need me. To protect you.”<br />
<br />
Delilah scowls at him but remains quiet. She <i>does</i> feel better knowing that he’s with her in case something goes wrong.<br />
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<br />
By the time they reach the house, the sun has long since disappeared from the horizon.<br />
<br />
“Do you think there’s really a witch in there?” she whispers.<br />
<br />
Kieran shrugs. “There used to be, but she doesn’t live there anymore. It’s empty now.”<br />
<br />
“Oh.” Delilah doesn’t know whether to be happy or disappointed, but she decides to go inside anyway since they’ve come all this way.<br />
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<br />
Getting into the house is a fairly simple matter, as the front door was left slightly ajar, but getting around the cluttered and disheveled interior proves to be a much more challenging feat.<br />
<br />
“Can we go now?!” Kieran demands. “This place is giving me a headache!”<br />
<br />
“We have to find that room,” Delilah hisses, keeping her voice down. “I wonder where it could be?”<br />
<br />
“Try the bookcase,” Kieran suggests.<br />
<br />
While she realizes that her friend has special powers, Delilah doesn’t fully understand how Kieran seems to know everything about everything, but she’s never really stopped to question it before. He’s always right after all, so what does it matter in the end?<br />
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<br />
“There’s nothing here,” Delilah sighs. “It’s just a bookcase.”<br />
<br />
“Let me try,” Kieran says.<br />
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At first, the shelf refuses to budge, but Kieran keeps trying. Soon, golden sparkles erupt from his hand, showering the bookcase in a flood of light.<br />
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Delilah’s eyes widen. “How’d you do that?” she murmurs.<br />
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<br />
“Yes, how’d you do that Kieran?” <br />
<br />
Delilah screams and begins crying as Atticus grabs the pair and forcefully drags them out of the house.<br />
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Across town, Emily can barely control her tears. Rigby and Oona arrived home hours ago, without Kieran or Delilah.<br />
<br />
“It’s all my fault,” she sobs. “I shouldn’t have let them go alone. I just felt so sick this afternoon, and I didn’t want them to miss out because of me, and-”<br />
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Knocking erupts from the front door, cutting her off.<br />
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“DAD!” Delilah bursts into the room and runs over to her father, throwing her arms around his neck.<br />
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“Oh thank God!” Luca cries, pulling her into a tight hug. “I was so worried about you, Lila!”<br />
<br />
“I found them wandering around Esme’s old house,” Atticus explains, eyeing the children with displeasure. “Good thing I caught them when I did. They were trying to break into her den.”<br />
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“WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!” Luca screams as he rises to his feet. “You could have DIED, Delilah! That house has been abandoned for years, and who knows what kind of dangers are hiding in there! And dragging Kieran into this mess?! You are in big trouble, young lady!”<br />
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<br />
“Dad, we’re fine…”<br />
<br />
“I don’t need the attitude, Delilah. You owe all of us an apology, and then you are grounded. Grounded until you turn thirty.”<br />
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“That’s not fair!” she cries. “I-”<br />
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“It wasn’t her fault,” Kieran blurts out suddenly. “I made her go with me. I- I was dared by one of our classmates, and I didn’t want to seem like a coward. Delilah knew we’d get in trouble, but she thought I’d get hurt if I went alone. If anyone should get grounded, it’s me.”<br />
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Luca’s eyes harden as he listens to his speech. “I’m so disappointed in you, Kieran” he says at last. “I would never have expected this kind of behavior from you, and I’m afraid to say that if you ever, <i>ever</i> put my daughter in that kind of danger again you will no longer be welcome in this house. Do you understand me?”<br />
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Kieran nods, hanging his head in a vain attempt to hide his tears.<br />
<br />
“Now go to your rooms,” Luca spits. “Both of you.”<br />
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Without saying another word, they disappear down the hall, closely followed by Emily, who gives Luca a furious glare before turning and storming away.<br />
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<br />
Not in the mood for niceties, Luca turns his frustration on Atticus.<br />
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“Why are you here?” he growls at the old mage. “You haven’t bothered with us before, so why show up now?”<br />
<br />
Atticus fidgets awkwardly. “My daughter asked me to accompany her,” he replies impassively. “Maeve wants to see you, Luca.”<br />
<br />
Luca feels a cold knot form in the pit of his stomach as a flurry of emotions overwhelms him. “When?” he asks breathlessly.<br />
<br />
“Tomorrow morning. At the hotel. Should I tell her that you’ll come?”<br />
<br />
Luca nods numbly, his heart pounding furiously in his chest. <br />
<br />
“Fine. She will explain everything much more clearly than I can.” And without so much as a simple goodbye, Atticus disappears just as suddenly as he came. <br />
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<br />
Luca doesn’t sleep at all that night, too focused on his meeting with Maeve to even think about closing his eyes. He goes back and forth for hours, debating with himself about whether he should even go at all, but eventually morbid curiosity and a fierce desire to see her again win out. He gets up at dawn that morning and leaves the house long before Emily and the kids are even awake. The next few hours pass by in a blur, and soon Luca finds himself standing in front of Maeve’s hotel.<br />
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The hotel manager gives him the room number, and she opens the door after his very first knock. Maeve looks older than when he last saw her, but Luca doesn’t even notice. They stand there for what feels likes hours, just staring at one another in disbelief, before Maeve finally motions for him to come inside out of the late autumn snow storm.<br />
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<br />
He’s barely taken one step into the room before they fall into each other’s arms, kissing and hugging like they’d never been apart.<br />
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<u><b>Challenge Notes:</b></u><br />
<br />
Don’t hate me! Or Luca! I <i>really</i> wanted to finish the scene with Maeve, but this chapter was already too long and I couldn’t find any other place to cut it off. Maybe I should put Part 1 in the title or something, but there’s more to come in my next update. If you want to judge him after that, be my guest, but I’ve worked SO hard at trying to make a likeable heir and I’d be sad to see it ruined by one kiss.<br />
<br />
In case there is any doubt, Kieran is not wrong about Emily's pregnancy, but I’m not going to say any more than that. I don’t want to spoil anything. =) Also, yes, Luca behaved like a total jerk to Kieran there at the end, but in his defense he was very angry and very frightened and very, <i>very</i> upset. Admittedly, he should have taken some time to calm down before speaking with the kids, but everybody makes mistakes.<br />
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What else? Mia Sinclair is the youngest daughter of Gibson Sinclair (Luca’s pink flamingo vest friend). She has the evil trait, and that picture of her cackling while Kieran and Lila are trick-or-treating was totally autonomous and absolutely perfect. Lila’s other best friend outside of the family, Heidi, has the good trait, which I find both ironic and hilarious.Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15791098360536318915noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313971805424558707.post-53151558119846175972013-01-17T16:18:00.000-08:002013-05-03T08:38:58.231-07:00[Prologue] Chapter 11: The Art of Keeping Secrets (And Giving Yourself Away)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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“Hi, beautiful.” Luca’s breath, soft and warm on her neck, sends shivers down Emily’s spine, but she doesn’t flinch or shy away from his embrace.<br />
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“I missed you this morning,” he continues. “I thought you’d be there when I woke up.”<br />
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Emily sighs and leans into his arms. “I got up early,” she tells him.<br />
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“Must we get up at all?” Luca murmurs as he nuzzles her neck affectionately. “I’d much rather spend the entire day in bed with you.”<br />
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“With a house full of children?!” she laughs. “I don’t think so.”<br />
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“We can hire a sitter,” he suggests with a devious grin.<br />
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Emily shakes her head, stiffening slightly. “I don’t think we should tell the kids about us,” she says after a second.<br />
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Luca freezes. “What?”<br />
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“I don’t want the kids to know about us,” she repeats. “About our… relationship.”<br />
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Luca looks confused. “But why?” he asks, frowning.<br />
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“<i>Because</i>, Luc. It will confuse them and give them the wrong idea. Who knows where this is going, where we are going, and I’d hate for them to feel abandoned if things don’t work out.”<br />
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“So you just want to hide the fact that we are together?! Is that even possible, Em?”<br />
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“I- I’m not sure that we are together,” she whispers. “I mean this… This is wrong. Scandalous, even. And the last thing you need is another blemish on your reputation.”<br />
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“Emily, you aren’t a blemish.”<br />
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“No, I’m worse than a blemish. I’m a stain. A black mark. A scourge. You don’t want to get involved with me, Luc.”<br />
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“I’ll decide what I do and don’t want,” he declares heatedly. “I could care less about what other people have to say, and as for the kids… Well, we can tell them whenever you decide you’re ready.”<br />
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Emily sighs again, running her fingers down the side of his cheek. “Alright,” she relents. “But this means no one can know about us. Especially not the kids.”<br />
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Kieran loves his stuffed dragon. It’s his favorite toy apart from the xylophone, and he can spend hours playing with it and never get bored.<br />
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Delilah, currently hiding in the toy box, knows that Kieran loves his dragon. In fact, it’s one of the few possessions he seems to care much about at all.<br />
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…But still she can’t resist stealing it from him once in a while.<br />
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Kieran knows who took his toy. Indeed, there’s only one Sim capable of taking his toy from him like that, and she’s as easy to read as his human caretakers. Nevertheless, the dragon’s sudden disappearance startles him, and he begins crying.<br />
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Delilah didn’t mean to make him cry. She just wanted to mess with him a little. The dragon’s return makes her friend smile again, and that’s much more fun than listening to him bawl.<br />
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Despite her pranks, Kieran likes Delilah. She plays the xylophone with him and looks at picture books with him and always makes sure to include him in whatever she and her siblings are doing. She’s also magic like him, and he finds her presence comforting and familiar amidst a sea of humans.<br />
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In fact, Delilah gets along well with pretty much everyone.<br />
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She plays dollies with Oona, always finding new ways to make her younger sister laugh.<br />
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And she builds blocks with Rigby, patiently allowing her little brother to ramble away about his latest obsessions (birthday cake, in this instance).<br />
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Even Miss Emily, as the kids call her, likes the energetic two-year old.<br />
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Delilah quickly warms up to her babysitter as well, and she enjoys the special attention that Emily seems to lavish on her.<br />
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Soon, Kieran has a birthday.<br />
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...And ages into a child.<br />
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Instead of a party, he asks Emily if they can have a picnic at the park, and so the following day the entire family (minus Oona, who needed her nap) piles into Luca’s car and heads to Landell Park, an urban oasis situated just outside of downtown Jericho.<br />
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A cool autumn breeze rustles through the colorful treetops as Luca spreads out the picnic blanket and settles in for a lazy afternoon away from the hospital. While his hectic work schedule has eased up quite a bit recently, Luc still treasures these rare moments of peace with his family. Delilah and Rigby are growing up quickly, and soon they will become children and start school. Oona, his youngest, is only a year younger than they are, and once she ages up the house will be empty. Luca knows for certain that he doesn’t want any more kids, but still the thought of living without a baby underfoot makes him feel old. <br />
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“When can we eat?” Kieran’s voice, timid but determined, interrupts his musings.<br />
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“Yeah, I’m hungry. What are you making for lunch, Kieran?” Luca asks with a wink.<br />
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Kieran grins, quickly picking up on Luca’s jest. “How about my famous mud pie with an earthworm crust and a snail salad on the side? And beetle chip cookies for dessert?”<br />
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Luca makes a face. “How about I grill up some hotdogs and hamburgers instead?” he suggests.<br />
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“Thought that might be your answer,” Kieran smirks.<br />
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“He looks up to you,” Emily tells Luca as he fires up the grill.<br />
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“Who?”<br />
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“Who do you think?” she smiles. “Kieran, of course.”<br />
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Luca shrugs. “I don’t know. He’s never seemed that fond of me, really.”<br />
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“I think Kieran feels confused by his lack of parents, but I know that he likes you, Luc. You should spend more time with the boy, even if he’s not your son.”<br />
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Pausing, Luca idly runs his hand through his hair. He’s not sure what to do about Kieran now that he’s a child. He’d been hoping that Atticus would show up and take him away, but unfortunately the mage has proven quite evasive so far. <br />
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“You never told me his whole story,” Emily continues. “You said that Kieran is the son of one of Maeve’s friends, but where is she? And why hasn’t she returned for him? He’s been with you for years now…”<br />
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“We have no idea where she is,” Luca explains with a sigh. “For all we know, his mother could be dead or in prison somewhere. She disappeared just before Delilah was born, and we haven’t seen or heard from her since.”<br />
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“Poor kid,” Emily laments. “But at least he has you, Luca. You’re doing him a great favor, you know, saving him from Child Protective Services.”<br />
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Luca nods, refusing to make eye contact. He doubts he’d be so willing to keep the boy if it wasn’t for his special situation, and even then he’s frequently thought about trying to find him another home. But now, hearing Emily’s words, he feels nothing but guilt for even considering the idea.<br />
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Luca has a lot on his mind over lunch that day, but Emily manages to entertain Kieran and the toddlers without his help.<br />
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After the picnic, Kieran finds a nice grassy spot in the sun and spends the rest of the afternoon playing games with Delilah and Rigby.<br />
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…Giving Luca and Emily some alone time with each other.<br />
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Unfortunately for them, Kieran is much more observant now than he was as a toddler. Nevertheless, he decides to remain quiet about what he sees, not wanting to make Miss Emily feel uncomfortable.<br />
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…At least for a little while. The toddlers don’t talk well yet, and they definitely don’t understand what he’s saying, so Kieran figures it doesn’t hurt anything to tell them what happened.<br />
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“I don’t want to lose Miss Emily,” he confesses to Delilah. “She’s the best babysitter we’ve ever had, and if they break up she might leave.”<br />
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Delilah smiles and giggles, largely ignoring Kieran’s chatter.<br />
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“Emily thinks he’s using her, you know. She worries about it a lot. And Luca worries that Emily’s afraid of being tied down so young. I- I can read them, you know. When I try, I can feel what they’re feeling and think what they’re thinking. None of the other kids at school can do that, I don’t think. I try not to do it very often, though. Their feelings are yucky sometimes.”<br />
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Kieran sighs and resumes playing quietly with his blocks. He wishes they were older and actually able to have an intelligent conversation with him.<br />
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He doesn’t have to wait long, however. Delilah and Rigby’s birthdays are close enough together that Luca decides to have one party for them both.<br />
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<br />
Delilah.<br />
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<br />
And Rigby.<br />
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Kieran tells his newly aged friends what to expect in school on Monday.<br />
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Rigby seems happy and excited at the prospect of hanging out with a bunch of kids all day, but Delilah on the other hand finds the concept boring and unappealing and immediately begins plotting ways to escape the whole ordeal.<br />
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But alas, her puppy dog eyes fail to charm Luca, and she comes home the following afternoon with a pile of homework the size of a small giraffe. She tries to talk jail break plans with Kieran that night over supper, but Emily doesn’t find her plot to booby trap the principal’s car very funny.<br />
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“You’re not even going to be home tonight to help me with my homework!” a frustrated Delilah exclaims.<br />
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Emily sighs. “Your father needs a date for the big hospital charity benefit this evening, and I agreed to go with him.”<br />
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Kieran glances up sharply. “So you’re dating Luca now?” he asks, trying to sound casual and disinterested.<br />
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Emily feels her cheeks grow warm. “N- No! It’s platonic, Kieran.”<br />
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“Play-Toe-Nick?” Delilah repeats.<br />
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“Platonic,” Emily corrects. “It means that we’re just friends.”<br />
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Kieran grunts, unable to hide his irritation. He doesn’t understand why Emily feels the need to lie to them about it.<br />
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“Listen to the babysitter,” Luca instructs his oldest daughter a few hours later. “And make sure you help her with your little sister. That goes for all of you,” he adds, looking over at Kieran and Rigby. “I want a good report when Emily and I get home.”<br />
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The trio nods obediently, excited to get a night away from their usual routine.<br />
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Glancing over, Luca’s heart stops dead in his chest. Emily smiles at him shyly, suddenly feeling awkward and nervous, but Luc can’t take his eyes off of her.<br />
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“I- I hope I look okay,” Emily stammers as Luca approaches.<br />
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“Wow,” he whispers. “That dress is… Wow.”<br />
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Jumping up, Kieran runs over and throws his arms around Emily.<br />
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“You look pretty, Miss Emily,” he tells her quietly. <br />
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Feeling baffled and a little embarrassed by his sudden display of emotion, she reluctantly bends down to receive his hug. “Thank you, Kieran,” she mumbles. “I’m glad you think so.”<br />
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“Don’t worry about the dress,” he whispers in her ear, just loud enough for her to hear. “Luca doesn’t think it’s too sexy at all.” And then he skips back to the couch, completely oblivious to the look of shock and horror on Emily’s face.<br />
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At the benefit, Emily tries to put Kieran’s last words out of her mind, but she struggles to concentrate on the situation at hand.<br />
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“That’s the mayor and his wife Margaret,” Luca explains. “And the woman with the short hair is Elizabeth Davenport, the only child of the fabulously wealthy David Davenport. And… Emily?”<br />
<br />
“Hmm?”<br />
<br />
“Are you listening?” he asks with a frown. “These people are Jericho’s elite, the richest men and women in the entire city. As the Chief of Medicine, it’s crucial that I make a good impression tonight. I- I thought you wanted to come…”<br />
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“I do!” Emily exclaims. “I’m just worried about Kieran, that’s all.”<br />
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Luca sighs, looking frustrated. “I’m going to get a drink. Do you want anything?” he asks.<br />
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Emily nods, and Luca wanders over to the bar.<br />
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“Well, look who it is,” Bridget smirks as Luca approaches. “I saw you and your date come in tonight. I noticed that you haven’t lost your taste for younger women, but is she even legal, Dr. McKinley?”<br />
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Luca grits his teeth, fighting back all the nasty things he wants to say to her. “Emily is a good friend of mine,” he replies carefully. “We’re just friends, thank you for asking.”<br />
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Bridget’s eyes narrow. “Just friends? The same way we were just friends?”<br />
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“No, because we were never friends, dear.” Noticing her companion, he adds, “Our daughter is doing well, by the way. A shame you can’t make time to see her, but I guess that’s what I get for fooling around.” And with that, he turns and storms away.<br />
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“What’s wrong?” Emily asks when Luca returns with her drink. “Are you okay?”<br />
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“I just ran into Bridget,” he says simply.<br />
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Emily nods, her eyes full of worry. “Why don’t we dance?” she suggests after a minute. “It’ll take your mind off of everything and allow you to loosen up a little.”<br />
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Luca starts to protest, but Emily drags him out to the dance floor anyway.<br />
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“You’re a good dancer!” she tells him with an encouraging smile.<br />
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Luca chuckles. “No, I’m not. I hate dancing, Em.”<br />
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But after a few more songs, he begins to relax and enjoy himself. Emily is a fabulous dancer, Luca notices, and her laughter makes even his most embarrassing moments seem fun.<br />
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She also hits it off well with Margaret and Elizabeth, two of the more important women at the party, and by the end of the night Luca has forgotten all about his initial frustration.<br />
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“Did I do okay?” Emily asks once they’re back at the house.<br />
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Luca smiles, pulling her on top of him. “Darling, you were amazing,” he whispers.<br />
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<br />
<u><b>Challenge Notes:</b></u><br />
<br />
Sorry for the uneventful chapter. It will pick up again soon. =) Maeve reappears in a chapter or two or three, if I don’t change my mind between now and then, and the kids become more relevant as well. Still one more baby to go, and that could prove interesting too. I have plans. >: ) <br />
<br />
Also, yeah, I realize that Emily’s dress at the “benefit” was a bit on the slutty side, but I thought Luca would appreciate it. I was trying to go for “young” and “sexy”, but I think I overdid it a little, haha. That whole scene was supposed to be much more involved, but I got lazy and my computer broke before I got all the pictures I wanted/needed. Same for the picnic and Kieran’s revelation about Luca and Emily’s relationship. Ah well. That’s life I suppose. Thanks for reading! =DBuckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15791098360536318915noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313971805424558707.post-26304050421180090682013-01-10T15:45:00.000-08:002013-05-03T08:38:47.021-07:00[Prologue] Chapter 10: Falling Again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Emily stares at the floor, her eyes fixated on a single stain in the worn gray carpet. She accidentally spilled nail polish there as a child, and her mother, with all her many neuroses, had completely freaked out, yelling and cursing at the chronically clumsy ten year old. Emily remembers sobbing, begging her mom to calm down, but Evelyn mistook her daughter’s pleas as a sign of insolence and became even more enraged. It was the first time she had ever slapped her, hitting Emily so hard that her cheek became bruised and swollen, but the physical pain seemed minor compared to the traumatizing realization that her mother didn’t want her, that she never wanted her.<br />
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Emily rises to her feet, her face suddenly full of determination. For years, the ugly pink blotch has mocked her, constantly reminding her of her many shortcomings, but not anymore. Today, Emily becomes a full-fledged adult. Today, she leaves both her childhood home and her mother behind.<br />
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Evelyn frowns as Emily drags her bags out into the kitchen.<br />
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“Well, I guess this is it,” Emily says, forcing herself to smile.<br />
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“Yes, I suppose so,” Evelyn replies distantly. “I can’t say I’m sorry to see you leave.” <br />
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Emily nods. Evelyn’s boyfriend has wanted to move in for a while now, but her mom refused to let him while Emily still lived in the house, claiming that her slutty teenage daughter couldn’t be trusted around older men.<br />
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“Who are you staying with again?” Evelyn asks as Emily leans down to pick up her things.<br />
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“Luca,” she repeats for what must be the twentieth time today. “His girlfriend left him a couple of weeks ago, and he needs some help with the kids.”<br />
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Evelyn narrows her eyes suspiciously. “I never liked him,” she declares emphatically. “Getting his intern pregnant while he’s living with another woman. Don’t let him talk you into anything, honey. He’s bad news, that one is.”<br />
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Emily rolls her eyes but remains quiet. Arguing with her mother only makes things worse.<br />
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A short while later, Emily finally arrives at Luca’s place. She knew the house was going to be a mess; after all, the man’s girlfriend just ran off, leaving him alone with four babies to take care of. However, she didn’t realize it would be <i>this</i> bad.<br />
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Glancing down, Emily notices Delilah, Luca’s oldest daughter, playing with the sparkly beads on her sandals. Scooping up the curious toddler, she gently begins to rock her back and forth. “Where is your dad?” she whispers to the smiling two year old.<br />
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Delilah doesn’t bother to reply, however, instead making a grab for Emily’s shiny hoop earrings.<br />
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“Emily?!” Luca’s voice echoes down the hallway. “I didn’t expect to see you so early.”<br />
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Whipping around, Emily comes face to face with a surprising sight. “I-I’m sorry,” she blushes, noticing his half-dressed state. “I can, uh, come back later…”<br />
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Luca shakes his head vehemently. “No, no! It’s fine. I was going to try to clean up a bit before you got here, but I’ll show you around first instead.”<br />
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After giving her a tour of the house and helping her move her bags into the spare bedroom, Luca goes over the kids’ schedules and explains her duties as their temporary nanny.<br />
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“I’ll try to be home by nine o’clock every night, but that’s no guarantee. My hours tend to be quite sporadic, as you’ll learn, but I can promise you every Friday night and all day Saturday off.”<br />
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Emily grins at her old friend. “I can’t thank you enough for giving me this opportunity,” she tells him appreciatively. “I needed to get away from that house, from my mom, but with the current recession I just haven’t been able to find a steady job. I promise you I will do my part around here, with the kids and the housework. You won’t regret your decision.”<br />
<br />
Luca looks bemused. “Of course, Em. I wouldn’t trust my kids with just anybody, and you’ve more than proven yourself to me in the past. I, uh, didn’t realize things were so bad between you and Evelyn,” he adds after a pause.<br />
<br />
Emily shrugs and quickly changes the subject. She doesn’t like talking about her mother with people, not even Luca.<br />
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Her first few days as a full-time babysitter offer some of the most challenging moments of her entire life, but eventually Emily and the kids find a routine that works for them both.<br />
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To everyone’s surprise, Kieran takes an immediate liking to Emily, and he can often be found following her around the house trying to help her with her chores. Emily supposes it’s only natural, as he’s the oldest of all the children, but her previous conversations with Luca always painted the toddler as shy and withdrawn.<br />
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Rigby for the most part could care less about who’s changing his diaper, but Delilah is another story entirely. She fusses and cries constantly these days, and nothing ever seems to keep her happy for long.<br />
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“I think she misses her mom,” Emily tells Luca one evening over dinner. “She talks about Maeve all the time, and she doesn’t seem to understand why she’s not around anymore.”<br />
<br />
Luca frowns but remains silent. <br />
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“Obviously I don’t know the whole situation,” she continues, “but maybe if you could convince Maeve to drop by once in a while? I think that would really make the transition much smoother for Delilah.”<br />
<br />
“That’s not an option,” Luca snaps. “Maeve doesn’t live in Jericho anymore.”<br />
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“But if you called her?” Emily presses. “Surely she could come back for a day or so to see her daughter…”<br />
<br />
“Drop it, Emily!” Luca growls as he slams his fork down on the table. “I talked to her father, and she wants nothing to do with me or our children. Delilah will just have to learn to live without her.” And with one last angry glance at Emily, he gets up and storms off.<br />
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Many hours later, Luca wanders out into the deserted living room. He can’t sleep again, not in the same bed he once shared with Maeve, and he needs a change of scenery. Luca sighs, fighting back a sudden wave of anger. He’s tired of his life, exhausted by guilt and consumed by loneliness. In his worst moments, Luca wants nothing more than to get in his car, drive away, and never look back at the four kids he’s taken responsibility for, but he refuses to linger on such thoughts. He can’t do that to his children. No, he won’t do that to his children. They’re the only family he’s got left. <br />
<br />
After Maeve’s sudden departure, Luca did receive a short letter from Atticus explaining that his daughter would be unable to help him raise the kids. As humans, Delilah and Rigby would not be allowed to live near Arundel, and the council knows nothing of Kieran’s existence.<br />
<br />
“But toddlers and children should not, for the most part, be able to access their powers,” Atticus had written, “so I would not worry too much about the boy’s magic. However, I will visit often in order to check up on him and keep track of his development.”<br />
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Of course, for an immortal mage, often could mean once every other decade, so Luca isn’t counting on regular visits.<br />
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<br />
As the months pass by, Luca’s life slowly settles into a comfortable pattern. He works a lot, but he always tries to be home before bedtime in order to see his kids.<br />
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And, as his anger toward Maeve begins to subside and the pain of his mistakes starts to lessen, Luca realizes that he doesn’t regret his decision to keep and raise his youngest daughter. Oona, as he lovingly calls her, quickly outgrows her baby blanket and becomes a toddler, inheriting her mother’s bright blue eyes and mysteriously dark black hair.<br />
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However, even with four toddlers in the house and a full-time job to maintain, Luca makes a concerted effort to spend quality time with each of his kids.<br />
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He even manages to convince Kieran to say a new word for him, “music”.<br />
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<span id="goog_897783909"></span><span id="goog_897783910"></span><br />
“It’s your day off,” Luca reminds Emily as she spreads out the beach blankets and opens up the umbrella. “You didn’t have to come.”<br />
<br />
Emily grins at her boss. She’s been working for Luca now for over nine months, and each week she grows to enjoy his company more and more. “You didn’t have to give me the day off,” she scolds him playfully. “Besides, I want to get a tan.”<br />
<br />
“You don’t need a tan, Em,” he tells her. “You look fine the way you are.”<br />
<br />
“I have a big date tonight, and I want to look better than fine. I want to look perfect.”<br />
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<br />
“You always look perfect,” Luca replies casually, “and if he can’t see that then you should find someone else who can.”<br />
<br />
Emily blushes and glances away, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. “Rigby looks pretty cute in his sailor costume, doesn’t he?” she asks, hoping to change the subject.<br />
<br />
Luca pulls the toddler onto his lap and surveys his outfit. “I can’t believe you dressed my son in a sailor costume,” he retorts with a lopsided grin. <br />
<br />
“What’s wrong with it?” Emily demands.<br />
<br />
“It’s so… cliché!”<br />
<br />
“I think he looks dashing.”<br />
<br />
“It’s a shame we left the others kids at home with a sitter,” he laughs. “We could have had the entire navy with us today!”<br />
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Emily rolls her eyes at his lousy joke but giggles in spite of herself.<br />
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<br />
They spend the entire afternoon lazing about on the beach enjoying the beautiful, breezy summer day, and for the first time since Maeve left Luca actually begins to let his guard down and enjoy himself a little. <br />
<br />
Watching Emily interact with Rigby, Luca can’t help but smile at the adorable duo. At first, he wasn’t sure about asking her to help out with the kids, worried that she might avoid her biological son, but thankfully Emily has proven him wrong time and time again. In fact, Luca thinks with a wistful sigh, hiring her might be the best choice he ever made. Or the worst, depending on your point of view.<br />
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<br />
“What happened to your date last night?” Luca asks as Emily grabs a snack out of the fridge the following evening.<br />
<br />
“He cancelled on me,” she admits. “Right at the last minute too. Apparently there was some sort of ‘family emergency’, but I haven’t heard from him since.” She shakes her head, trying to keep the bitterness out of her voice.<br />
<br />
“Classic,” Luca snorts. “What a jerk.”<br />
<br />
Emily just shrugs, not wanting to discuss her relationship drama with him.<br />
<br />
“Any big plans for tonight?” Luc wants to know. “I mean, it’s Friday after all, and you have the whole night off.” <br />
<br />
“I wanted to go check out that new fusion lounge that just opened up, The Gazebo near Landell Park, but I don’t have anyone to go with.”<br />
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<br />
She pauses for a minute, considering. “Why don’t you come?” Emily suggests.<br />
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Luca’s eyes widen in surprise. He was not expecting that, but after some persuasion he reluctantly agrees to go.<br />
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<br />
And he’s glad he did. He runs into his old friend Gibson, who’s taking an evening away his own family.<br />
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<br />
“You have four kids?!” Emily laughs. “How did I not know about this?”<br />
<br />
“Well, one of them lives with my ex, Rachel, but the other three stay with me and the missus.”<br />
<br />
“I still can’t believe you married Lilac!” Emily squeals. “You two make such a cute couple.”<br />
<br />
Luca laughs at Emily’s enthusiasm. “I honestly can’t believe he married at all,” Luca teases.<br />
<br />
Emily punches him playfully. “Be nice!” she giggles.<br />
<br />
“Aren’t I always?” Luca grins back at her.<br />
<br />
Emily beams. “I’m going to get another drink,” she announce suddenly, realizing that she has been staring at Luca for far too long. “Do you guys want anything?”<br />
<br />
They both shake their heads, and Emily heads over to the bar.<br />
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<br />
“You two get along well,” Gibson remarks once Emily’s out of hearing range.<br />
<br />
Luca shrugs. “We’ve always gotten along well.”<br />
<br />
“Yeah, but not <i>that</i> well. Dude, it’s me. Gibson. Your-best-friend-since-forever. I won’t judge you. I personally prefer my women a bit on the older side, but I know you’ve always had a thing for the young ones.”<br />
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Luca rolls his eyes. “Gibson, we’re talking about <i>Emily</i>. She helps me with the kids. I give her a place to stay. Simple as that.”<br />
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Gibson smirks. “Whatever you say, dude. Whatever you say.”<br />
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<br />
Meanwhile, Emily runs into a familiar face at the bar.<br />
<br />
“Hey babe,” the man greets her. “Haven’t seen you in a while.”<br />
<br />
“Have you ever heard of a little thing called ‘personal space’?” Emily demands as she angrily shoves Rock Hartwell away. “Because you’re violating mine.”<br />
<br />
“That’s not all I’ll violate if you give me the chance.”<br />
<br />
“Drop dead,” Emily snaps.<br />
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<br />
“Is that anyway to talk to the father of your child?” Rock spits.<br />
<br />
Emily feels her face flush. “You aren’t his father, dear,” she retorts furiously. “A real father wouldn’t abandon the mother of his child at the first sign of trouble. A real father would stick with his family and fight for his family, instead of turning and running away like a scared little boy. And a real father wouldn’t spread false rumors about his pregnant girlfriend in hopes of avoiding child support payments.”<br />
<br />
Rock smirks. “Pretty clever, eh? Claiming you’d slept with half the football team really did the trick. They weren’t about to deny fooling around with the prettiest girl in school, and you… Well, no one wants to believe the daughter of the town slut.”<br />
<br />
Emily reaches up to slap him, but Rock grabs her arm defensively. <br />
<br />
“And according to the gossip,” he continues, pulling Emily closer, “I heard you’re doing your mama proud, landing that doctor you were always hanging around.”<br />
<br />
Emily’s eyes flash. “You’re despicable,” she whispers.<br />
<br />
“Why don’t we take this somewhere more private, babe?” Rock says, running his eyes up and down her body. “I’d love to finish our discussion back at my place…”<br />
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<br />
“What is going on here?” Luca’s voice cuts through the room, stopping Rock dead in his tracks.<br />
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However, the younger man doesn’t take kindly to the interruption.<br />
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“Rock, stop!” Emily screams as he shoves Luca to the floor.<br />
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Rock snarls at Luc before turning his attention to Emily.<br />
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“You aren’t worth the effort,” he spits. “You’re nothing but a nice ass and a pretty face, same as your skanky mom. I bet those rumors I made up about you and the team were completely true, too. Who knows if that baby is even my son, considering you were more than likely cheating on me the whole time we dated. I bet he ends up hating you, Emily. Hating you the way you hate your mother. I wouldn’t blame him either, cause who doesn’t hate the-”<br />
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<i>Whap!</i><br />
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Emily slaps him hard across the cheek, ripping into his skin the same way her mother did to her so many years ago.<br />
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“Something my mama taught me,” she shouts, letting the tears stream down her face. “Go to hell, Rock. And stay away from my son.”<br />
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Emily sobs hysterically the entire way home, and by the time they reach Luca’s house she collapses into his arms in a devastated heap. For what feels like hours, Luca holds her while she cries, comforting her with soothing words of beautiful nothing.<br />
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“I’m sorry,” she says, finally regaining her composure. “I think I got your shirt damp.”<br />
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Luca smiles half-heartedly, his eyes full of concern. “Drenched is more like it,” he replies softly.<br />
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Emily tries to laugh, but it comes out sounding wet and blubbery. “I’ll pay for the cleaning,” she tells him.<br />
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“Don’t worry about it,” Luca chuckles. “You have bigger issues on your plate tonight.”<br />
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“I hate him,” she whispers. “I never liked my mom, but I truly hate Rock.”<br />
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“He’s a tool,” Luca agrees.<br />
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“I don’t know why I do that,” Emily sighs. “I always fall for the worst guys. If they’re not total jerks or selfish assholes, then they’re usually married or-” Emily freezes, catching herself before she speaks.<br />
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“Yes?” Luca presses.<br />
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“Emotionally unavailable,” she admits after a pause.<br />
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Reaching over, Luca carefully wipes a tear from her face. “Or, in other words, still hung up on a previous relationship,” he murmurs.<br />
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Emily’s heart begins to race as Luca leans in closer. “Y-yes,” she stammers. “But I didn’t mean y-you. I, uh-”<br />
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Luca doesn’t let her finish however, quickly closing the gap between their lips. <br />
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His kiss is soft and warm, Emily thinks, timid almost but edged in passion. When they finally break apart, Emily doesn’t want to open her eyes, fearing that she’ll wake up and find it was all a dream.<br />
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“Come with me,” he whispers. His voice sounds rough and husky to Emily’s ears, but full of desire.<br />
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Luca guides her to the bedroom, and as their clothes fall away so do their reservations.<br />
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They spend the night wrapped up in each other’s arms.<br />
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Exhausted, Emily falls asleep quickly, but Luca finds that his eyes simply don’t want to close. He can’t stop staring at her, completely captivated by her beauty. He wonders how he managed to get so lucky, to fall in love again so quickly.<br />
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<u><b>Challenge Notes:</b></u><br />
<br />
I want to take a moment to thank two of my readers, as this chapter wouldn’t have been the same without you guys. First, I want to thank <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/12570869365967598793">Zhippidy</a>. If it wasn’t for your comment on my second chapter, I never would have thought about hooking up Luca and Emily. And I’m so happy that I decided to go there, cause I’m really enjoying writing about their relationship.<br />
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Secondly, I want to give a big thank you to <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/17609229633852230459">Becky</a>, who gave me the nanny/babysitter idea. I was completely stuck, and you, once again, helped me out of a tight spot. <br />
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But back to the story! I’m extremely curious to hear your opinion(s) on Luca and Emily’s new love. Creepy or adorable? I can’t decide. =P<br />
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Oona, by the way, is of Irish origins and means “lamb”. It is pronounced like “Una”, in case you were wondering. <br />
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Also, before anyone starts ripping on Maeve, just remember that we haven’t heard her side of the story yet. It was Atticus who wrote that letter to Luca, not Maeve, and there may be more going on in Arundel than he let on. I’m still trying to work out the details, but I can promise you that she will return in a future chapter. So you can look forward to that. Or not, as the case may be. ;)Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15791098360536318915noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313971805424558707.post-67568216038548080142013-01-05T05:41:00.000-08:002013-05-03T08:38:36.770-07:00[Prologue] Chapter 9: Sacrifices<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Luca’s face lights up as Maeve throws her arms around his neck and kisses him, the sweet taste of her lips lingering on his breath. Today is exquisite, he thinks. Perfect in every way. His newborn daughter begins to drift off to sleep as the love of his life, his girlfriend and soul mate, gushes on and on about their wonderful new house.<br />
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“I’m sorry we couldn’t afford a larger place,” he tells her with an apologetic smile.<br />
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Maeve silences him with another kiss. “I don’t want a larger place,” she replies cheerfully as they break apart. “There’s much less to clean this way.”<br />
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Luca beams, pleased with her response.<br />
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Their new home, while still quite small, has everything Maeve wants in a house. The charming little cottage is bright and warm and welcoming, and there’s even a spot in the backyard for her to start a garden.<br />
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One night not long after they move in, Maeve approaches Luca about the conversation she had with Emily a few weeks ago. Her baby is due any day now, and Maeve thinks they should adopt the child.<br />
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However, to her complete and total surprise, Luca seems rather resistant to the idea.<br />
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“We already have a new baby to take care of,” he reasons. “Delilah needs all of our attention right now, and what about Kieran? We haven’t heard a word from your father yet, and who knows how long we’ll have the boy for. Has he even started walking yet?”<br />
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Maeve frowns. “Well, no. Not quite, but that’s completely irrelevant. We have room for another child, and I always did want a big family.”<br />
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Luca eyes her warily. “How big?” he asks.<br />
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“I don’t know, five or six I suppose.”<br />
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“Five or six?!” he explodes. “Are you insane? Maeve, we barely have time for the two kids we already have!”<br />
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“But-”<br />
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“Absolutely not!” he yells. “No more children.”<br />
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Maeve looks utterly heartbroken by his sudden outburst, and fighting back tears she gets up from the table and storms away.<br />
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Realizing that he may have overreacted, Luca forces himself to apologize later that night.<br />
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“I shouldn’t have snapped at you,” he says as he nuzzles Maeve’s neck adoringly. “I just never pictured myself having kids, and I guess I’m still adjusting to the role of fatherhood.”<br />
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Maeve nods. She’s seen how uneasy Luca is around their daughter, almost as if he’s afraid to touch her, but she didn't think he’d react so negatively to the idea of more.<br />
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“I love Emily,” she tells him after a minute. “She’s been your friend for years, and I know how much she looks up to you. I just… I can’t imagine the heartache of giving up your kid, and if we can make that transition easier for her then why not adopt the baby? Besides, I already feel bonded to that child, Luc, and I couldn’t bear to see it go into foster care.”<br />
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Luca sighs, feeling resigned. He doesn't want more kids, but for Maeve he can't refuse. “Fine,” he agrees at last. “We can adopt the baby.”<br />
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“Really?!” she gasps. “You mean it, Luc?”<br />
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He nods, smiling at her affectionately. “If it makes you happy, then it makes me happy,” he replies decisively. “I love you, Maeve, and I won’t let anything come between us.”<br />
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A few short weeks later, Emily gives birth to a healthy baby boy.<br />
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“What are you going to call him?” she asks, trying to sound relaxed and indifferent.<br />
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Luca watches Emily carefully, his eyes full of concern. “Rigby,” he tells her after a pause.<br />
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Emily smiles faintly. She likes that name.<br />
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Rigby proves to be the mellowest of all three babies in the McKinley household, and over the following weeks Luca actually begins to enjoy spending time with his kids.<br />
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Unfortunately, however, he was recently promoted to Chief of Medicine at the hospital, and with the longer hours and heavier workload he’s rarely at home anymore. In his absence, Maeve picks up the slack, taking charge of most of the household chores and childcare duties.<br />
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Kieran does eventually master the art of walking, but talking proves to be a whole different challenge entirely.<br />
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Maeve devotes every free minute she has to teaching Kieran to speak, but despite her efforts the tot stubbornly refuses to utter a sound. All he ever wants to do is play by himself with his xylophone, but his quiet, introverted tendencies only serve to further reinforce Maeve’s desire to coax him out of his shell. The world is a social place, she tells herself, and if Kieran has any hope of succeeding out there she knows that he will have to learn to deal with people.<br />
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One morning while Luca’s at work, a surprise visitor drops by the house. After spending months holed up in the enchanted town of Arundel, Atticus is delighted to finally see his daughter again.<br />
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“So?” Maeve asks nervously. “What did the council say?”<br />
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“Too much to remember,” Atticus replies with a tired shrug. Maeve doesn’t look satisfied with that answer, however, so he launches into a more detailed explanation. “I attempted to tell them about you and the plague and Ephraim and his curse, but I swear those idiots wouldn’t listen to me if a trained parrot flew out of my mouth and sang the whole story to them in Latin. They thought I was making it up.”<br />
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Maeve’s eyes widen. “Really? What happened then?”<br />
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“Well, the good news is that they let me keep my position as the guardian.” <br />
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“And the bad news?” she breathes.<br />
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Atticus fidgets with his coat sleeve, anxiously avoiding eye contact. “They think you’re dead,” he says at last.<br />
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“Dead?!” she shrieks. “But…”<br />
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“Of the fever,” he explains. “They would never in a million years allow you and Luca to stay together, and if they knew that you had a child with him, with a human…” Atticus shakes his head sadly. “It’s for the best, Maeve.”<br />
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“But my magic?” she exclaims. “Can I still-”<br />
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“No,” he cuts her off. “You mustn’t use your powers again, for that’s the only way they can find you. From now on, you’re a human.”<br />
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Willing herself not to cry, Maeve hangs her head dejectedly. She loves her magic. It’s part of her, like a sixth sense or an extra limb, but if this means she can stay in Jericho with Luca and her children then it’s not even a question. She won’t use her magic again, no matter what.<br />
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Atticus has a long trip back to his home, but he takes some time to meet his grandchildren and play with Kieran. The old mage seems mildly impressed by how much friendlier the toddler is on this visit.<br />
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“You’ve been spending a lot of time with him,” Atticus observes.<br />
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“Yeah, but he’s still so…” Maeve trails off, fumbling for the right word.<br />
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“Detached?” he offers.<br />
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“Yes, detached. I wish I could figure out how to make him smile once in a while.”<br />
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“He’s been through a lot,” Atticus replies absently.<br />
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Maeve leans down and picks up the child, and although Kieran fusses a bit at first he quickly relaxes in her gentle embrace.<br />
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“Did you find out anything more about his mother?” she asks, eyeing the boy fondly. “I know you said that you wanted to keep his existence a secret from the council, but I thought you might have spoken to some of your less conspicuous connections while you were in Arundel.”<br />
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“No, nothing conclusive unfortunately. I did receive one tip, but it didn’t amount to much.”<br />
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“Oh?”<br />
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Atticus nods. “Right around the time Isadora disappeared, a pair of students found a woman lying unconscious on the floor of the university library. The town healers were able to revive her, but the poor thing had no memory of who she was or where she came from. Thinking that it might be Isadora, I made plans to meet with her, but before I got a chance her brother showed up and identified her. Last I heard he had placed her in an institution on the outskirts of Arundel, claiming that she suffered from a severe personality disorder that caused her amnesia-like symptoms.”<br />
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“How awful!” Maeve cries. <br />
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"Yes," he agrees. "Quite tragic."<br />
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Before he leaves, Atticus has one other task to take care of. He wants Esme to come and live with him in his cottage near Arundel, but Esme seems reluctant to move so far away from her daughter. While she’s grown much more accepting of Luca, she still worries about whether he can provide for and protect Maeve and the kids.<br />
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But Maeve wants nothing more than to see her parents live happily ever after together, and so, at her daughter’s urging, Esme departs Jericho the following week to start her new life as Mrs. Atticus Thorel.<br />
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Not long after they leave, Rigby and Delilah outgrow their baby blankets. Rigby looks a lot like his birth mother Emily.<br />
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Delilah inherits grandma Esme’s dark brown hair, but it is her violet eyes that attract Maeve’s attention. Although somewhat common amongst mages, the color is rarely seen in humans. Could this mean that her daughter has some magic? Is that even possible for a child with human ancestry?<br />
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With three toddlers to look after, the McKinley household is constantly buzzing with activity these days, but the family quickly settles into a comfortable routine. Maeve, for one, couldn’t be happier, and for a while her life seems perfect.<br />
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But, as she learns one foggy summer morning, heartache is never too far away.<br />
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Luca immediately rushes home from the hospital after receiving Maeve’s hysterical phone calls, but by the time he arrives the situation has already spiraled out of control.<br />
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“You cheated on me!” she screams. “With one of your employees! How could you, Luca?! How could you sleep with her?!”<br />
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“We were broken up,” he yells, feeling his frustration boil over. “Maeve, please, you’ve got to listen to me!”<br />
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“NO!” she shrieks as the tears roll down her cheeks. “You slept with another woman. You knocked up another woman!”<br />
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“It didn’t mean anything,” he soothes. “It only happened a couple of times, and-”<br />
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“I don’t care!” Maeve shouts. Turning to look at the baby, she adds, “It’s me or the kid, Luc. I won’t tolerate that... that brat living under the same roof as us. Choose. Me or the kid.”<br />
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<br />
Luca feels his heart stop dead in his chest. <br />
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“Maeve,” he pleads. “Don’t do this. Don’t make me pick between you and my daughter.”<br />
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Maeve sticks out her chin defiantly, her face full of venomous hatred. “It’s me or her,” she repeats angrily.<br />
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It only takes a moment, one glance, for him to decide. <br />
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“Her,” he whispers softly. <br />
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Maeve is gone by dawn the next morning.<br />
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<u><b>Challenge Notes:</b></u><br />
<br />
Yay, babies! Finally, lol. So that's four of five down. =P To give you some background on their names, Delilah means “languishing”, “lovelorn”, and “seductive” and is probably one of my all-time favorite names ever, despite its less than flattering appearance in the bible. Kieran is of Irish and Gaelic origin and means “little dark one”. No comment on how, or if, their names relate to their future personalities, but Kieran really seems to be taking his name to heart...<br />
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Who'd have thought a toddler could look so devious?! o_O <br />
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Rigby is named after the Beatles song “Eleanor Rigby”. In high school, I listened to The Beatles a lot, and I always liked that song. Even though it makes me sad.<br />
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StoryProgression paired up Atticus and Esme, by the way. Without any intervention from me. I was pleasantly surprised, as Esme has the grumpy trait and most people around town HATE her, but she and Atticus have been happily married for a while now. We’ll see if it works out. *crosses fingers*<br />
<br />
Luca’s new house was built by ruthless_kk and heavily renovated by me. The original can be downloaded <a href="http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=6704601">here</a>. <br />
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Finally, for those of you who are interested, I posted my complete roll on the sidebar. =) As you can see, I have a horrible tendency to overcomplicate even the most basic of generations, and Luca still has a few more plot twists yet to come. *cue evil laughter* ;)Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15791098360536318915noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313971805424558707.post-81631340103194396402012-12-29T21:36:00.000-08:002013-05-03T08:38:25.901-07:00[Prologue] Chapter 8: Plan B<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Cyrus Delmar stares blankly into the fire, his eyes glued to the flames in an almost hypnotic trance. He feels anxious, waiting for her to arrive, but he won’t let his attachment to her interfere with his plan. As his grandfather always said, love is a liability, a weakness, and any man who suffers from the affliction deserves whatever failures life brings them.<br />
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In a cloud of dust, Isadora suddenly appears before him, coughing and sputtering as she struggles to breathe through the vapor.<br />
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“They’ve got Kieran!” she cries, her voice trembling with desperation.<br />
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Cyrus rises to his feet and slowly walks over to his lover. “Did you get it?” he demands, ignoring her frantic sobs.<br />
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Isadora nods and hands him the ring.<br />
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“And Ephraim?” he asks as he gingerly tucks the charmed object into his pocket. “Did they-”<br />
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“Atticus killed him,” she replies bitterly. “Just like I predicted he would.”<br />
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“Excellent,” Cyrus grins.<br />
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“But what about Kieran?!” she pleads. “Our son is in danger, Cyrus. We need to save him!”<br />
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Cyrus narrows his eyes and scans Isadora’s tearstained face. “Our son?” he repeats, sounding bored. “I thought he belonged to your vile excuse for a husband, my dear friend Ephraim.”<br />
<br />
Isadora lets out an infuriated scream. “How many times do I have to explain this to you?!” she shrieks. “<i>You</i> are Kieran's father!”<br />
<br />
Cyrus knows it’s the truth. He’s only met the boy a couple of times, but they have the same eyes. Yet, Isadora’s hiding something from him. He can sense it in her nervous gaze and the uneasy lilt of her voice. <br />
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“Come here, darling,” he whispers as he pulls her towards him.<br />
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<br />
Cyrus wraps his arms around Isadora’s shoulders and begins to stroke her cheek, allowing his magic to flow freely through his hand. <br />
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“Tell me about your vision,” he commands after a minute.<br />
<br />
Isadora yawns, suddenly feeling drowsy and relaxed. “I’ve told it to you before,” she reminds him as her eyes begin to glaze over.<br />
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“I want to hear it again,” he replies tonelessly.<br />
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“I see you standing in a battlefield,” she tells him quietly. “Soaked in blood and holding a sword. You are the head of a massive army, thousands upon thousands of soldiers under your command, but they are frozen in their tracks, completely motionless. A small child kneels before you, your nemesis I believe, but just as you are preparing to administer the final, fatal blow a knife rips through your heart, mortally wounding you.”<br />
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Cyrus’ eyes flash, but he lets Isadora continue with her tale.<br />
<br />
“Your army unfreezes as you fall to the ground, but, distracted and disoriented, no one comes to your aid. You glance up to see who holds the blade that took your life, and with your last breath you mumble the word ‘traitor’.”<br />
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“Who did it, Isa?” he presses. “Who stabbed me?”<br />
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Isadora pauses, subconsciously fighting Cyrus’ spell. Sensing her resistance, he pushes even harder.<br />
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“Tell me, Isadora,” Cyrus orders as he places both hands on her face. “Who was it?”<br />
<br />
She takes a deep breath, feeling dizzy. “No,” she whispers. “You’ll kill him.”<br />
<br />
“You said that Ephraim was the traitor. Were you lying, my darling?”<br />
<br />
Unable to stop herself, she nods.<br />
<br />
“Then it's Atticus,” he surmises.<br />
<br />
Isadora shakes her head.<br />
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“Who, then?” he demands.<br />
<br />
“I- I won’t-”<br />
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In a burst of rage, Cyrus forces himself into the very core of her mind, desperately searching for his answer, but the deeper he digs the more volatile and dangerous the spell becomes, until Isadora finally collapses onto the floor in a seizure.<br />
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As soon as she finishes convulsing, Cyrus numbly reaches down to check her pulse, but he struggles to locate a heartbeat. Panic immediately takes hold of the mage, and after quickly wiping away all traces of his presence he flees the library and vanishes into the night.<br />
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Hundreds of miles away, dawn breaks over Jericho, and Atticus finds himself in a tricky situation. After his encounter with Ephraim last night, the mystery of the plague has been resolved, but Ephraim’s ring, the source of his long life, disappeared with his wife Isadora. However, their son Kieran remains under the old mage’s care, and if the power he demonstrated yesterday is any sort of gauge the little toddler could prove to be quite dangerous.<br />
<br />
“Absolutely not,” Atticus declares. “It’s far too risky to leave him here with you, Maeve. No, Kieran comes back to Arundel with me.”<br />
<br />
Maeve sighs and rolls her eyes. “Dad, we’ll be <i>fine</i>!” she exclaims. “He’s just a baby. What’s the worst he can do?”<br />
<br />
Atticus glares at his daughter. “We already went through this, <i>dear</i>. It would have taken an enormous amount of raw magic to deflect Ephraim’s spell and shield you from that curse. A toddler of his age and size simply shouldn’t have been able to do it, especially considering his lack of training. He’s just too powerful and too unpredictable to leave in the care of an inexperienced, untrained hedge witch.”<br />
<br />
“What do you know about babies?” Maeve demands. “Have you ever even changed a diaper?!”<br />
<br />
“Certainly,” he nods.<br />
<br />
“How many centuries ago?” she smirks.<br />
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Atticus turns a dull shade of red. “About four, but that’s beside the point!”<br />
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“He’s a baby, and he has the same needs as all other two year olds,” Maeve persists. “How do you expect to keep him safe if you can’t even keep him clean, fed, and rested?”<br />
<br />
“But-”<br />
<br />
Luca places his hand on Atticus’ shoulder. “I know you’re concerned,” he tells him, looking the mage straight in the eye, “but Maeve and I can handle it. It’s only temporary after all, until you can locate his mother.”<br />
<br />
Atticus sighs and rubs his head, feeling outnumbered. “Fine,” he concedes at last, “but I will be back as quickly as I can. I must speak with the council about everything that has happened here, and their deliberations could take months. Unfortunately, I will have to remain in Arundel until they reach a decision about how to proceed, but I will try to stay in contact. Don’t expect regular updates, however.”<br />
<br />
“And Luca?” Maeve whispers softly. “You promised to talk to them about Luca and me…”<br />
<br />
Atticus glances away uneasily. “I will do my best, Maeve, but there is a deep-seated fear of humans within the magical community. It’s a long shot at best.”<br />
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“Just try, okay?”<br />
<br />
He nods, his face full of concern.<br />
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<br />
Atticus leaves that very morning, but not without first saying goodbye to Esme, Maeve’s mother. During his brief stay in Jericho, the pair rediscovered their old feelings for each other, and the abrupt separation feels heartbreaking to Atticus. <br />
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“I will return for you,” he promises as he tenderly strokes her cheek.<br />
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Esme just smiles and nods, fighting back a sudden wave of tears.<br />
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As the days turn to weeks, Maeve throws herself into her job as Kieran’s caretaker, fussing over the boy at any chance she gets. He hasn’t reached any of his major milestones yet, and so she decides to take on the monumental task of teaching him to walk.<br />
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But Kieran, for the most part, seems to shy away from the attention that she lavishes on him, and he usually prefers to play quietly by himself in the corner rather than interacting with other people. Even as he grows more familiar with Luca and Maeve, the tot remains stubbornly timid and antisocial.<br />
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However, despite her disappointing lack of progress with the boy, Maeve settles easily into her new life at the McKinley house.<br />
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One evening, a surprise visitor shows up on their doorstep. Emily Lockwood, Luca’s longtime friend and next door neighbor, seems upset tonight, so Maeve invites her inside for a chat.<br />
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“It’s about the baby,” Emily explains.<br />
<br />
“I didn’t realize you were expecting,” Maeve answers impassively. It’s not a judgment or a criticism, merely an observation.<br />
<br />
Emily nods. “Due in a few months. But-” she freezes, hanging her head in shame.<br />
<br />
“Yes?” Maeve presses.<br />
<br />
“I- I don’t want to turn into my mother,” Emily admits, letting the tears spill down her cheeks. “She had me as a teenager, and I just- I want so much more for my kid. And- And myself.”<br />
<br />
“You have options, Emily,” Maeve tells her kindly. “Have you considered adoption?”<br />
<br />
“Yes, but the idea of giving my baby away to a total stranger...” she trails off, carefully avoiding eye contact. “I know I’m not ready to be a mom yet, but I can’t imagine the heartbreak of never seeing my child again.”<br />
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<br />
Maeve smiles at the teenager warmly, sensing the question that is about to come. “It would be a heart wrenching decision to make,” she agrees.<br />
<br />
“Well, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” she says shyly. “I want my baby to grow up with the best parents possible, and frankly I can’t imagine anyone else I’d rather see raise the kid than you and Luca.”<br />
<br />
To Emily’s surprise, Maeve’s eyes light up at the prospect. “I- I don’t know what to say,” Maeve stammers, suddenly overcome with emotion. “I’m flattered, Emily, and I know Luca would be too, but… Are you sure? I don’t want you to make a choice that you are going to end up regretting.”<br />
<br />
Emily nods enthusiastically. “Yes, I have never been more sure of anything in my life. I have a future ahead of me, Ms. Saville, and I want to make something of myself. Luca thinks that I show a lot of promise as a future doctor, and medical school just isn’t possible if I’ve got a child to look after.”<br />
<br />
“Well, let me speak with Luc about it, but as far as I’m concerned the answer is yes.”<br />
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Emily is ecstatic. She finally has someone to share the aches and pains of pregnancy with.<br />
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The following week, Maeve brings up the adoption with Luca. Before they get a chance to really talk about it, however…<br />
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<br />
…She goes into labor.<br />
<br />
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<u><b>Challenge Notes:</b></u><br />
<br />
Yeah, I’m a bitch. Sorry, I know people hate those kind of cliffhangers (and I do too!), but this was the most logical place to stop. Because… Maeve gets a haircut next chapter. Yeah, stupid reason is stupid, but I need to show some time passing and that’s easier to do with a new chapter. (Or maybe I’m just a bitch. You decide. =P)<br />
<br />
Anyway, I really, really, REALLY hope that was all clear. I couldn’t figure out a clean way to include a more detailed recap of the events last chapter, but basically Isadora and her lover Cyrus plotted her husband Ephraim’s murder. Well, in truth, Isadora (who is a seer, in case that wasn’t obvious) had a vision of her husband’s death (unrelated to her vision of Cyrus’ death), and together she and Cyrus pulled the strings and made it happen. As in, she knew that his death involved Atticus, so she convinced Ephraim that he needed to face his old foe again in order to learn the “true” secret of immortality (versus the temporary life-extending method of the ring), and by using her visions as a guide Isadora helped her husband locate and infect Maeve, Atticus’ daughter, which she hoped would get Atticus involved. Then, once Ephraim died (she believes Atticus killed him and is unaware of her son Kieran’s involvement), she stole the ring and returned to Cyrus, and that’s where this chapter starts.<br />
<br />
…Probably should have found some way to include that info dump in the story, but oh well. I’m a horrible writer. Sue me. However, I’m secretly hoping that you all understood this chapter before my little summary, but I know it’s been a while since my last update. If you have any other questions though, I’m more than happy to answer them! =D<br />
<br />
Oh, also, there are two discrepancies which I want to clarify: 1) How Atticus knows Kieran's real name and 2) Why Emily isn't living in Luca's house anymore (like she was last chapter).<br />
<br />
1) He looked at a tag inside his clothes. =P<br />
2) It would be breaking the challenge rules. (But, story wise, I figure she made up with her mom and moved back in with her.)<br />
<br />
And now I'm going to go read <u>How NOT to Write a Story: 101 Common Mistakes Writers Make</u>. (Because lord knows I need the help!)Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15791098360536318915noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313971805424558707.post-71743068870121425222012-11-12T18:53:00.001-08:002013-05-03T08:38:16.874-07:00[Prologue] Chapter 7: Fire and Ice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As the early morning sun streams in through the leaded glass windows, little beams of light begin to dance playfully around the living room floor, but Luca and Maeve barely even notice. After such a tumultuous and eventful evening last night, they are completely caught up in each other’s company, totally lost in the moment.<br />
<br />
“She moved!” Luca gasps as he gently places his hand on Maeve’s belly.<br />
<br />
“She?” Maeve laughs.<br />
<br />
“We’re having a girl,” he tells her with a small smile. <br />
<br />
Maeve glances up at him skeptically. “How can you be so sure?” she asks.<br />
<br />
Luca leans in and kisses her. “Trust me,” he whispers as he nuzzles her neck. “I’m a doctor.”<br />
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Coming down the stairs, Esme watches the lovebirds dubiously. All her doubts and suspicions about Luca, all her concerns about his motives and his feelings toward Maeve, have been more than put to rest by his actions over the past few days, but still their relationship makes her uncomfortable. Magic and humans do not belong together- It’s a belief that has been driven into her over the years, and for her own daughter to defy tradition and break the council’s law in such a serious way… Well, she’s finding it very hard to accept.<br />
<br />
A loud knocking erupts from the back door, shattering the peaceful silence. Luca and Maeve show no inclination to get up, so Esme reluctantly goes to answer it. <br />
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Before she can get there, however, Atticus bursts into the room. <br />
<br />
“WHERE IS HE?!” the mage shouts furiously, his voice echoing off the old plaster walls.<br />
<br />
Esme folds her arms across her chest and glares at him, suddenly feeling protective of the man who saved her daughter’s life. She may not approve of Luca, but she’s not about to let him get killed by an enraged sorcerer with a badly damaged ego.<br />
<br />
“I don’t know who you’re talking about,” she replies coyly.<br />
<br />
“Don’t play games with me, Ezzy” Atticus spits. “I need to find that… that boy before he does anything stupid.”<br />
<br />
“Stupid?” she repeats. “Like what?”<br />
<br />
“The flower,” he snaps. “I need it back, and I need it back now.”<br />
<br />
“You’re too late,” Esme tells him triumphantly. “It’s gone. The reaper took it.”<br />
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<br />
Hearing those words, Atticus explodes in a tirade of incomprehensible swearing. <br />
<br />
“I’ll kill him!” he roars. “I’ll tear him to shreds! I’ll rip his nasty thieving hands off. I’ll-”<br />
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“Don’t you touch him, Atticus!” Esme bellows, facing him dead on. “He’s under my protection now, and I swear if you set one finger on him I’ll take you before the council, have you stripped of your position and imprisoned for the rest of your sorry little life.”<br />
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<br />
…The feeling is mutual.<br />
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<br />
As their yelling escalates, Luca and Maeve come running into the kitchen to see what all the commotion is about. Atticus seizes upon the brief moment of confusion…<br />
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<br />
And with a wave of his hands sets Luca on fire.<br />
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<br />
Maeve doesn’t hesitate. She recognizes Atticus from the stories Esme used to tell her about her father and immediately goes to confront him.<br />
<br />
“How could you DO that to him?!” she screams, ignoring Luca’s calls for help. “He saved my life, and <i>this</i> is how you repay him?!”<br />
<br />
Atticus waves his hand dismissively. “That <i>human</i> stole from me,” he replies angrily. “He deserves to die.”<br />
<br />
“He stole from you to help ME!” Maeve cries. “Your DAUGHTER!”<br />
<br />
Atticus’ face hardens, but he remains unmoved.<br />
<br />
“Do you even have a soul?” Maeve demands, feeling her frustration boil over. “Does family mean nothing to you?! Does <i>love</i> mean nothing to you?!”<br />
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<br />
“Love?” he laughs. “Love only leads to heartache and grief. Here’s some advice for you, from father to daughter. Don’t bother. I stayed out of your life for a reason, child. I don’t need family, and I don’t need love.”<br />
<br />
Maeve feels the tears streaming down her face, but she wipes them away defiantly. “Maybe you don’t need it, but I do. And I love him, Atticus. I love him with everything I am. You may have forever, but I have one chance, a single lifetime, to find happiness. Don’t take that from me. Don’t take him from me.”<br />
<br />
Gazing at Maeve’s distraught, tear-stained face, Atticus is suddenly struck by how incredibly similar she looks to her mother. The sight brings back long forgotten memories of the night that Esme told him she was pregnant, the emotional announcement that shattered the harmony in their relationship, the difficult decision he made to remain with his job, the confusion in her eyes when he asked her to choose between him and the baby, the heartbreak he felt when she refused him. He wouldn’t wish that agony on anyone. <br />
<br />
“Fine,” he whispers at last. “Fine.”<br />
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<br />
While Maeve and Atticus spend precious time quarreling with each other, Esme decides to take matters into her own hands. Grabbing a fire extinguisher, she desperately tries to put Luca out.<br />
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But it takes an ice spell to completely douse the enchanted flames.<br />
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Charred, frozen, and humiliated, Luca and Maeve leave without another word.<br />
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<br />
After their departure, an uncomfortable silence hangs in the air. <br />
<br />
“I- I’m sorry,” Atticus says after a minute. “I lost my temper.”<br />
<br />
“Don’t tell it to me,” Esme retorts. “I think your daughter is the one that deserves an apology.”<br />
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The mage nods and hangs his head. “But will she forgive a prideful old fool?” he wonders out loud.<br />
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<br />
A whole day passes before Atticus gets up the courage to speak with her. The conversation goes as expected, stiff and awkward at first, but friendlier towards the end.<br />
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<br />
Maeve can’t hide her gleeful smile as she pulls Atticus in for a hug. <br />
<br />
“That’s all I ever wanted,” she tells him softly. “An apology.”<br />
<br />
“What about Luca?” the mage asks as he backs away. “Will he still help us with this curse?”<br />
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Maeve shrugs. “I can be pretty persuasive when I want to,” she replies with a wink.<br />
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<br />
And so she can. <br />
<br />
At Maeve’s insistence, Luca gives the blood samples he stole from the hospital to Atticus, and the mage immediately gets to work creating a remedy. Meanwhile, Luc enlists the help of his best friend and resident computer whiz Gibson to process the data he surreptitiously “borrowed” from the lab, and tonight Gibson wants to show them the results of his handiwork.<br />
<br />
“I think I’ve found our source,” he exclaims excitedly as Luca leans over his shoulder to get a better look. “There appears to be a convergence of cases concentrated around this area.” <br />
<br />
Luca frowns. “Bluetree Hollow? That’s just a short drive from Esme’s house…”<br />
<br />
Gibson nods. “The Hollow is the common denominator,” he explains. “By charting each victim’s movements in chronological order, I was able to determine that the first dozen or so cases all spent time within a two mile radius of this point here, and only as weeks pass does the disease become more widespread. It must be originating from the valley somewhere. ”<br />
<br />
“That’s right near the old Manor Place,” Luca muses. “I wonder if-”<br />
<br />
“Let’s go check it out,” Maeve interjects enthusiastically. “See if we can’t discover what’s causing this virus.”<br />
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“I suppose it won’t hurt to go have a look around,” Atticus agrees.<br />
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<br />
Gibson opts to stay behind, and so the three of them pile into Luca’s car and head to the mysterious old house known as “The Manor Place”. Built centuries ago during a time of great prosperity in Jericho, the lovely Victorian has changed hands several times over the years, eventually ending up under the ownership of a wealthy, but highly secretive businessman named Edmund Everett. According to the legend, Edmund spent his whole life living alone in the house, and on his deathbed he vowed never to let another soul reside there. True to his word, the manor remains empty to this day, for strange as it may sound no one knows who owns the place anymore. Adding to the mystery, the property taxes are paid every year, always hand delivered to city hall in an unmarked envelope.<br />
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<br />
Tonight there are lights on inside the dilapidated old structure, so ever the gentleman Atticus bangs on the front door before letting himself inside.<br />
<br />
“You two take the upstairs while I look around down here,” he whispers as Luca and Maeve follow him into the house. “We’ll meet out front in fifteen minutes.”<br />
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<br />
As soon as they separate, Atticus heads to the back of the house. He can sense the presence of another mage here, lurking in one of the rooms, and so he keeps quiet and listens.<br />
<br />
“Why don’t you come in?” A voice, male and vaguely familiar sounding, echoes down the hall. Atticus traces it to a closed door at the far end of the room and boldly steps inside.<br />
<br />
The man grins at him and beckons him over. “Atticus Thorel,” he smirks. “Now what do I owe the honor?”<br />
<br />
Atticus pauses, desperately trying to place him. He’s seen that face before, but where?<br />
<br />
“Old age has made you slow, my friend,” the man laughs. “How could you forget someone you once upon a time condemned to die?”<br />
<br />
And then it hits him, like a punch in the gut. “Ephraim!” Atticus whispers, his voice trembling with rage. “Ephraim Everard. But- How- I- You’re dead!” he stammers.<br />
<br />
Ephraim chuckles, apparently pleased by Atticus’ reaction. “You didn’t think I’d let you outlive me, did you?” he sneers. “How… foolish.”<br />
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<br />
“Then you’ve been behind the fever!” Atticus exclaims. “This whole mess… It’s all been you!”<br />
<br />
“Such a shame,” Ephraim says, shaking his head in mock disappointment. “And here I thought you were an adversary worthy of fearing, but you’ve been two steps behind me this whole time.”<br />
<br />
Atticus narrows his eyes angrily. “How?” he demands. “How did you do it?”<br />
<br />
“The plague? It is a fairly complicated curse, but I always did love a challenge.”<br />
<br />
“No. This. You. Your immortality. How are you still <i>alive</i>?”<br />
<br />
“Ah, that. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to let you in on my little plan. It all comes back to you, actually.”<br />
<br />
Atticus look appalled. “Me?!”<br />
<br />
Ephraim nods and continues with his story. “When I first started on the journey to achieve eternal life, however many centuries ago, you refused to part with your precious little secrets, claiming that it was safer for only one man to have access to the knowledge. ‘I don’t want a repeat of the Vivician Wars’ you told me. I tried everything from bribery to threats, but nothing I did or said could convince you to part with the information. So I gave up and began seeking other alternatives, eventually stumbling across a powerful binding spell. Well, as I’m sure you are aware, every Sim’s lifespan is predestined. Barring accidents or other unplanned occurrences, each Sim lives to a certain, predetermined age, usually in elderhood, when the reaper ascends from the netherworld to take them to the afterlife. However, using my new spell, I discovered a way to capture the extra years from people’s lives and use them to extend my own time. By binding their years to a ring, I could essentially achieve immortality. The issue, however, became how to cut their lives short?”<br />
<br />
“So you created the Great Plague,” Atticus breathes.<br />
<br />
“Yes, but I never expected it to work as well as it did,” Ephraim says. “I wasn’t prepared to handle that large an influx of years, and now I’ve begun to run low on time. Which is why I cast the spell again, hoping to prolong my already lengthy lifespan.”<br />
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<br />
“But you see, Atticus, my lovely wife Isadora had a better idea,” he continues. “As a seer, she foretold that by casting the spell near the city of Jericho I could potentially infect the guardian’s one and only daughter. And I take it I was successful in my mission?” he asks with a small smirk.<br />
<br />
Atticus frowns. “But why would you want to hurt Maeve?” he demands.<br />
<br />
“Bargaining power, of course. You give me the true secret of immortality, and in exchange I reverse the spell, sparing your daughter’s life. What do you say, my old friend?”<br />
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<br />
“I say you’re despicable,” Atticus snarls.<br />
<br />
“Yes, I am well aware,” Ephraim chortles. “But I meant about our deal…”<br />
<br />
“I’m afraid you have made a slight miscalculation,” Atticus replies quietly. <br />
<br />
Ephraim’s face falls. “Miscalculation?” he snaps. “How so?”<br />
<br />
And then, as though on cue, Maeve’s voice resonates down the hallway. “Dad?” she calls out. “Dad, where are you?”<br />
<br />
“In here, Maeve,” Atticus answers, his eyes never once leaving Ephraim’s face.<br />
<br />
“What’s going on in here?” Luca demands as he and Maeve burst into the room.<br />
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<br />
“You said she was sick,” Ephraim growls to Isadora. “You said-”<br />
<br />
“I lied,” Isadora retorts in an icy cold voice.<br />
<br />
Ephraim lets out a furious howl. “I’ll deal with you later,” he spits. Turning to face Atticus, he adds, “If you won’t give me the secret voluntarily, then I guess I’ll just have to force it from you.”<br />
<br />
Assuming a defensive stance, Atticus prepares for a duel. “You’ll have to pry it from my cold, dead lips,” he roars.<br />
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<br />
“I’m not as dumb as you think, old man,” Ephraim yells as the power courses through his hands.<br />
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<br />
A gruesome cloud of death begins to swarm around Ephraim, but instead of hitting Atticus it heads directly for Maeve.<br />
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<br />
She freezes in terror as the curse lunges in her direction, but just before it completely engulfs her, a blinding light explodes around Maeve, shielding her from the spell.<br />
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<br />
…And causing it to bounce back at a wholly unprepared Ephraim.<br />
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<br />
Ephraim falls to the floor, writhing and screaming in agony.<br />
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<br />
Maeve and Luca watch in horror as the curse completely overtakes his body, killing the mage in a matter of seconds.<br />
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<br />
As Ephraim collapses in a lifeless puddle, Isadora hurriedly removes a single ring from his finger.<br />
<br />
Standing up, she turns toward Atticus. “My child, if you don’t mind,” she commands calmly.<br />
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<br />
Luca bends down and picks up the small boy, who’s sitting quietly at his feet.<br />
<br />
“You give me that ring, Mrs. Everard, and I’ll give you your son,” Atticus replies.<br />
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<br />
Her eyes narrow furiously. “You’ll regret this!” she shrieks as she takes a small pouch out of her pocket and throws it to the floor.<br />
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<br />
And in a poof of smoke, she’s gone.<br />
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Challenge Notes:</b></u><br />
<br />
I hope that was all clear. I know there was a lot going on in this chapter, and I’m not sure I explained it all that well, so please don’t hesitate to ask me if you have any questions. I don’t mind clearing anything up! =)<br />
<br />
Also, I don’t blame you if you didn’t notice the child before the third to last photo at the end, but he does make a (minor) appearance in two other screenshots. One of them is actually quite important for the story, as you will see in future chapters, but I’m not sure if anyone will pick up on it or not.<br />
<br />
As always, thanks for reading! =DBuckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15791098360536318915noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313971805424558707.post-1617904085378545742012-10-31T14:50:00.000-07:002013-05-03T08:38:05.088-07:00[Prologue] Chapter 6: Risk Management<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Looming like a shadow in the dark, Maeve feels death creep closer with each passing hour. Exhaustion is her constant companion these days, but yet sleep provides no relief for her tired mind. She struggles to stay coherent, often blurring the lines between the dream world and reality, but even in such a fragile state Maeve recognizes the man sitting at her bedside.<br />
<br />
“Luca?” she whispers in a faint voice. “Is that you?”<br />
<br />
“Hush,” he soothes, getting up to put a cool, wet rag on her forehead. “You need rest, my darling.”<br />
<br />
Maeve starts to protest, but the effort proves too much for her. Luca watches in pained silence as she collapses onto the bed and fades out of consciousness once again. <br />
<br />
As soon as he’s certain that she’s asleep, Luc reaches into his backpack and pulls out a single flower, gently placing it in the palm of her hand. <br />
<br />
“For you, love,” he murmurs with a final kiss.<br />
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<br />
Maeve’s mother catches Luca as he’s walking out the door.<br />
<br />
“She will be alright, won’t she?” Esme stammers.<br />
<br />
Luc glances away uncomfortably. “I- I’m not sure,” he admits. “She doesn’t have much fight left.”<br />
<br />
Esme nods, trying to remain composed, but Luca can see the despair in her eyes. <br />
<br />
“I will be back later tonight,” he says as he squeezes her arm reassuringly. “I have some business to attend to at the hospital, but Maeve should be fine until I return.” <br />
<br />
<i>I hope,</i> he adds silently.<br />
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<br />
After leaving Esme’s house, Luca heads home to change into his uniform and check his mail, but an unexpected surprise awaits him as he walks through the front door.<br />
<br />
“Emily?” he frowns. “What are you doing here?”<br />
<br />
Emily jumps up, aghast. Apparently she wasn’t expecting to see Luca either.<br />
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<br />
“I’m sorry, Mr. K!” she cries. “I wouldn’t have come here, but I thought you were going to be out of town for the week and the house was completely empty and I didn’t have anywhere else to go and-”<br />
<br />
Luca glares at her irritably, and Emily immediately stops talking. He has so many other things on his mind right now that the intrusion feels particularly invasive. <br />
<br />
“I don’t appreciate my house being broken into,” he snaps. “You need to go home, or I will have to call your mother.”<br />
<br />
His tone makes Emily cringe, and before she can stop herself the teenager bursts into a fitful bout of tears.<br />
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<br />
“I have nowhere to go home to!” she sobs. “My mom kicked me out when she found out I was pregnant.”<br />
<br />
Luca reaches over and awkwardly pats her arm. “I’m sorry, Em” he tells her distractedly. “I didn’t mean to-” He freezes, replaying her words over again in his head. “What did you say?”<br />
<br />
“I’m p-pregnant,” she repeats in a trembling voice.<br />
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<br />
Luca’s eyes widen in horror. “But- How- You- You’re only a kid!” he sputters. “Are you… Are you sure?”<br />
<br />
Emily looks up at him through tear filled eyes and nods. “I should have told you sooner,” she whispers dejectedly. “But you seemed so happy with Maeve, and then you were so sad when she broke up with you, and then there was the outbreak of the fever and you got so busy at work, and- and-” She trails off feebly, out of excuses. <br />
<br />
Luca sighs and rubs his aching head. “You can stay here tonight,” he tells her after a minute, “but when I come back tomorrow you and I need to sit down and have a long conversation about this. Understand?”<br />
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<br />
Sobbing, Emily throws herself into Luca’s arms. <br />
<br />
“Thank you, Mr. K,” she cries. “You don’t know how much this means to me.”<br />
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<br />
Luca would have liked to have had that discussion with Emily tonight, but unfortunately he has other, more urgent tasks to take care of right now. <br />
<br />
Sneaking into the lab at work proves to be an easier feat than he had expected. Before he left town, he asked his boss for a week’s worth of time off, claiming that he needed to visit his dying mother in Lucky Palms. He was worried that showing up at the hospital two days before he was due back would seem suspicious, but at eight o’clock at night no one even blinks an eye at him. <br />
<br />
He quickly locates the samples he needs for Atticus’ potion and tucks them into his briefcase. Just as he’s about to leave, however, a thought crosses his mind. Luca’s team spent hours collecting and compiling data about the White Fever and its victims, from their genders and ages to where they had lived and worked and any places they’d visited recently. Atticus specifically mentioned that the first plague, the Great Plague, had magical origins, but he had explained that they were never able to isolate its source. However, the disease was extremely widespread back then and much more advanced than it is now. If Luca could show Atticus their research, perhaps the old mage might see something that he and his team had missed. It’s definitely a long shot, but he is willing to take the risk. Luca wants to get rid of this disease once and for all.<br />
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<br />
Hurriedly Luc logs into the computer at the lab and scans through the files. There are literally dozens of hard drives full of information about the fever, but he doesn’t have the time or the space to take them all. Being careful not to trigger any security alarms, Luca copies over the most important documents to his flash drive.<br />
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<br />
He’s just saving the last file he needs when a familiar voice echoes over his shoulder.<br />
<br />
“What are you looking for, babe?” Bridget murmurs as she comes up behind him. “I can’t imagine its half as pretty as I am.”<br />
<br />
Luca frantically closes his browser. “Bridget,” he exclaims. “What are you doing here so late?”<br />
<br />
“Are we keeping secrets?” she purrs. “Well, well. I never thought of you as the type, Dr. McKinley.”<br />
<br />
“Um, no,” he stammers, standing up to talk to her. “No secrets. It’s just… I’m not supposed to be in town until Monday. I don’t want anyone to think that I’m skipping work at a time like this.”<br />
<br />
Bridget smirks. “I see. What a dilemma. It <i>does</i> look rather suspicious after all, since you’re supposed to be at your mother’s funeral right now…”<br />
<br />
Luca feels his palms grow sweaty. “Right. I am. I mean, I was. At her funeral. But… it’s over. It ended.”<br />
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<br />
Silence hangs in the air.<br />
<br />
“But maybe we could, you know, keep this a secret between you and me?” he asks her quietly. “I mean, no one needs to know that I was here tonight…”<br />
<br />
“Of course, baby. I would do anything for you. My boyfriend.” <br />
<br />
Luca frowns. “But we’re not-”<br />
<br />
“Dating?” she laughs. “Well, in that case, I guess I’ll just have to report this incident to the-”<br />
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<br />
Luca doesn’t even give her a chance to finish. He leans in and kisses her, desperately trying to distract her.<br />
<br />
“I thought that might be your answer,” Bridget whispers with a seductive grin. “Why don’t we take this somewhere more private?”<br />
<br />
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<br />
Seeing no choice but to oblige, Luca reluctantly follows her to his office, where things take a predictably steamy turn. He tells himself that he’s doing this for Maeve, for all the victims of the fever, but deep down he knows that keeping Bridget quiet helps one person and one person only. Luca loves being a doctor, and he won’t risk losing his position over this.<br />
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<br />
What he doesn't realize, however, is that while he fights to save his beloved job, something far more precious is in jeopardy across town. Maeve has finally succumbed to the fever, and the reaper is here to claim her life.<br />
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<br />
…Or so he thought.<br />
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<br />
With a lovely new flower to add to his collection, Grim returns Maeve’s spirit to her body, healing her physical form in such a way that only he can.<br />
<br />
“I thought I’d lost you,” Esme sobs as Maeve rises to her feet. “I thought you had died.”<br />
<br />
“I did,” Maeve soothes. “Only, I came back.”<br />
<br />
Esme has so many questions to ask her, but for now all she wants to do is hold her daughter close and never, ever let go.<br />
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<br />
A short while later, Luca arrives back at Esme’s house. Leaning up against the front door, he tries to prepare himself for whatever scene awaits him inside, but worry and guilt quickly overwhelm him. Although he’s eager to see Maeve, to check up on her condition and offer her what little comfort he can, Luca feels tired from the evening’s events and sick from his encounter with Bridget.<br />
<br />
Defiantly, determinedly, he takes a deep breath and opens the door.<br />
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<br />
Maeve heard Luca’s car pull up, and as soon as he walks inside she throws her arms around him, kissing him passionately.<br />
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<br />
“You’re alive,” Luca breathes when they finally break apart.<br />
<br />
Maeve nods. “The flower, it saved me. You saved me,” she smiles.<br />
<br />
“I can’t believe it worked,” he exclaims. “That’s incredible! The book at your father’s house said it could charm death, but I-”<br />
<br />
“No,” Maeve whispers, putting a finger over his lips. “I don’t want to know. Let’s just enjoy tonight, okay? We can talk about it tomorrow.”<br />
<br />
Pulling her closer, Luca kisses her again. “I couldn’t agree more,” he replies with a grin.<br />
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Challenge Notes:</b></u><br />
<br />
Did you know that you can’t kill a pregnant Sim in TS3? I was, like, shocked. Floored. Blown away. I <i>literally</i> couldn’t keep my pregnant Sims ALIVE in TS2! And now they won’t even let you kill them?!? I tried everything from starving her with TCE to twallan’s debug enabler mod/kill option, but it glitched out every time. So, as you may have noticed (or not), Maeve isn’t actually pregnant in the death scenes. Because, really. She needed to die. But how stupid is that that pregnant Sims can’t get killed?! I understand the whole “let’s not piss off the parents” issue, but seriously. What bullshit! Just one more way that EA fails! /rant<br />
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(By the way, I swear I’m not a horrible person IRL…)<br />
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Back on topic, I really dislike the way the death flower works. The Sim dies and then gives reaper the flower. As a ghost. It’s like, why would they still have the flower on their person as a incorporeal being?! But I guess it comes back to the whole inventory issue. Where do they store all those items? I did an interesting experiment though. FOR SCIENCE! In an alternate save, I gave Maeve the flower after she died (but while she was still human, if that makes sense), and reaper refused to take it. The whole interaction just didn’t happen, and she died for realsies. I guess that’s to keep you from cheating or something. <br />
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Yeah, I need to think of more to write in this section…Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15791098360536318915noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313971805424558707.post-6357943247799225492012-10-21T17:19:00.000-07:002013-05-03T08:37:55.933-07:00[Prologue] Chapter 5: Cover Your Bases<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After two long days of travel, Luca finally reaches the remote, untamed forests of northern Sim Nation. As per Esme’s instructions, he follows an abandoned railroad track through the thick, overgrown wilderness, only stopping once every hour or so to catch his breath and drink some water. The towering old trees seem to dwarf him as he hikes the rugged, desolate trail, and the dense forest growth feels stifling and claustrophobic. Within a few hours, Luca reaches the end of the tracks, but he hikes on, until at long last he finds the frog pond that Esme spoke of.<br />
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Three stones into the water, she had told him. Three stones are all it will take to summon the mage.<br />
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“Now tell me, child, did you travel all this way just to skip rocks on my pond?”<br />
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Luca jumps back, startled by the man’s sudden appearance.<br />
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“My name is Luca McKinley,” he announces, sounding much braver than he feels, “and I have come to speak with Atticus Thorel. I was told that he lives around these parts.”<br />
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The man crosses his arms across his chest and glares at Luca. “You were told wrong,” he replies gruffly. “Now leave, or else the bears might eat you for supper.”<br />
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“Are you not Atticus?” Luca demands. “The guardian of eternal life?”<br />
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Atticus growls, a low and threatening sound that sends chills down Luca’s spine. “You have come to steal my seeds!” he spits, his face reddening with rage.<br />
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“No, no!” Luca shakes his head vehemently. “I want nothing of your seeds, Mr. Thorel! I am here on behalf of your daughter, Maeve Saville.”<br />
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“Saville?” Atticus furrows his brow in thought. “As in Esme Saville? But- She said-”<br />
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Luca frowns. “Esme never told you about Maeve?” he asks.<br />
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Atticus turns a deeper shade of red. “I knew about the pregnancy of course,” he mumbles. “But a daughter? No, I had no idea…”<br />
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Luca awkwardly shifts his weight back and forth, feeling uncomfortable. “I realize this must be a shock for you,” he says at last, “but Maeve is sick, sir. Horribly sick I’m afraid. Esme thinks that there is magic at work, a curse as she puts it, but she doesn’t know much more than that. She sent me here in the hopes that you might be able to help us.”<br />
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“Esme sent a human? To speak with me?” Atticus looks him up and down. “She really must be desperate.”<br />
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“We are,” Luca replies, ignoring his disapproving stare. “I am a doctor in Jericho, the head of the hospital’s research department, and we are completely stumped by this disease. It is like nothing we’ve ever seen before. The White Fever, as it is commonly known, has already killed over three dozen Sims in our area alone. We need to cure this illness, and we need to cure it fast.”<br />
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“What do you want me to do about it, boy?” Atticus snaps. “Esme knows very well that I am bound to this forest by the very magic I protect.”<br />
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“The virus appears to bear some resemblance to the Great Plague. We were hoping that you might be able to provide some useful insight.”<br />
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Atticus sighs and rubs his head. “I remember very little about that period of time. The Dark Days, as they are known, were very dark days indeed. I might, however, have some information about it in my library.”<br />
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“Well? What are we waiting for?”<br />
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“I do not allow <i>humans</i> on my property,” he sneers.<br />
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“But you need me!” Luca insists. “I have studied the fever for months now, and I know everything that science can teach us about it. And besides,” he adds with a small grin, “Esme baked you her famous angel food cake. If I have to hike all the way back to the trail today, then I guess I will just have to eat the whole thing myself…”<br />
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Atticus scowls at him moodily. “Fine,” he relents. “But don’t touch anything and <i>don’t</i> go near the garden.”<br />
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Then, with a flick of his hand, the surrounding trees suddenly fade away, and a large cottage appears in their place.<br />
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“Now how about a bite of that cake before we get started?” the old mage suggests.<br />
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Once they’re safely inside the house, Atticus begins to let his guard down a little.<br />
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“So you said you’re a doctor?” he asks between large mouthfuls of cake.<br />
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“Yes sir,” Luca nods.<br />
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“You must be quite devoted to your practice to travel all the way here from Jericho,” Atticus smirks.<br />
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Luca feels his cheeks grow warm. “Well, it’s a very serious problem,” he explains. “There is a lot of pressure on the medical community to figure out what’s going on, and as the lead researcher I do feel a certain obligation to cure this disease. No one wants a repeat of the plague.”<br />
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“And how long have you been in love with my daughter, Dr. McKinley?”<br />
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Luca stutters and chokes. “I- I-”<br />
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“I thought as much,” he frowns. “I am sure you are aware that the council does not allow magic and humans to mix,” Atticus tells him sternly. “I will have to insist that once we cure Maeve, you distance yourself from my daughter.”<br />
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Luca hangs his head. “Esme said the same,” he admits dejectedly. “I just want her to live, Mr. Thorel. She means everything to me.”<br />
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The old man’s eyes flash with something like understanding, but the emotion is quickly replaced by their characteristic disdain. “Well then, what are we waiting for?” he barks. “Let’s get started already.”<br />
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Silently, Luca follows Atticus down a winding staircase and through a narrow hallway, eventually stopping before a large wooden door. The room they enter is pitch black, but with a snap of his fingers dozens of candles flicker on, revealing a large library lined with dusty old bookcases. <br />
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“Look at this place,” Luca gasps. “It’s so… antiquated!”<br />
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Atticus glances around the room and shrugs. “I suppose it could do with an update,” he concedes. “It has been a few hundred years since I last touched it.”<br />
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Luca shakes his head in disbelief, wondering how hundreds of years could seem so trivial to anyone.<br />
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The two men spend the entire afternoon down in the dank, musty room. While Atticus busies himself poring over an ancient spell book, Luca searches through volumes and volumes of old documents and battered texts, but even after hours of reading they are still no closer to finding a solution.<br />
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Luca does, however, stumble across one book that proves to be of great interest to him. Buried in the pages of a yellowing old manuscript, he discovers a fascinating excerpt about the duties of the “Guardian”. While the book fails to go into much detail, it briefly mentions a beautiful flower that can “charm even the most cold-hearted of souls.”<br />
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“So lovely are these blooms,” the passage reads, “that not even the harbinger of death can resist their allure. One blossom is all it would take to distract the reaper from his mission and upset the precarious balance of life. But a flower for a soul is a dangerous bargain to make, and so the Council established a guardianship to care for and protect these precious plants. Only he is allowed access to the gift of immortality, and only then under the watchful eyes of the Council.”<br />
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<i>A flower?</i> Luca muses. <i>I wonder if those are the seeds that Atticus mentioned…</i><br />
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“Luca!” Atticus shouts, interrupting his thoughts. <br />
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Luc quickly snaps the book closed and turns to face the mage. “Yes, Mr. Thorel?” he asks. “Did you find something?”<br />
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“I believe I may have. You said it’s called the White Fever? How did it get such a name?”<br />
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Luca frowns. “Each victim turns deathly white before they succumb to the disease. It’s a colloquial term, but it suits the illness well. The virus targets the body’s white blood cells, essentially destroying the Sim’s immune system, and-”<br />
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“White, you say?” Atticus taps the book impatiently. “White as snow?”<br />
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“I’ve never seen snow before, sir, but I can only imagine-”<br />
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Atticus cuts him off. “It doesn’t matter,” he says dismissively. “Luca, I believe that this fever does not merely resemble the Great Plague. I believe that it <i>is</i> the Great Plague.”<br />
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“But, sir, the plague was eradicated centuries ago!”<br />
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“Or so you’ve been told,” Atticus retorts. “According to popular belief, the virus ran its course and never resurfaced again. Most Sims, most humans, believe this theory. It’s comforting to them, see? But at the time, people attributed the plague to magic, and as is the case with most urban legends there is a shred of truth behind this story. The disease itself was most definitely a medical condition, a virus as you modern practitioners call it, but it originated from something much more arcane. Something…” he pauses, waving his hands for emphasis. “Something magical. The council was never able to establish what, or who, started the Great Plague, but through the determination and perseverance of the entire community we managed to discover a remedy for the disease. It did not cure those Sims who had already fallen ill, but it prevented the rest of the population from contracting the virus.”<br />
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“Like a vaccination?” Luca asks.<br />
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Atticus nods. “Yes, but on a much greater scale. We slipped the antidote into the rain and let it soak into the earth and wash into the rivers. For three days and three nights, it rained, and by the next full moon the plague was gone.”<br />
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“But how does this help us? We can’t possibly-”<br />
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“I can recreate the elixir,” Atticus tells him, “but I will need the assistance of a weather mage to manipulate the skies.”<br />
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“The virus is not widely spread yet,” Luca interjects. “Surely it wouldn’t be such a large task to make it rain over Jericho.”<br />
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“Perhaps not,” he muses. “And I think I know just the woman who could help us too. Which brings me to our next problem- Luca, the potion requires an active sample of the virus. Will it be possible to obtain one?”<br />
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Luc chews his thumb anxiously. “There are blood samples at the lab, but it might be tricky to sneak them out without anyone knowing. I can head back to Jericho tomorrow though to see what I can do.”<br />
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“But Maeve is ill, right? Can’t she-”<br />
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“If they teach you one thing in medical school, Mr. Thorel, it’s that you need to cover your bases. One sample is just not enough.”<br />
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Atticus nods. “Fine, then you can leave first thing in the morning.”<br />
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<br />
Later that night as Luca mulls over their earlier conversation, a realization strikes him.<br />
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“What about Maeve?” he asks suddenly. <br />
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“What about her?” Atticus demands.<br />
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“You said the elixir doesn’t cure Sims who are already sick. How are we going to save Maeve?”<br />
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Atticus doesn’t even glance up from his book. “We aren’t,” he answers simply.<br />
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Luca feels like the wind has been knocked out of him. “But- But she’s pregnant!” he blurts out.<br />
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Slowly, Atticus closes his book and turns to face Luc. “I’m sorry, but there’s nothing we can do for her,” he tell him quietly. “The solution we found prevents the virus from spreading, but it won’t do anything for Maeve.”<br />
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“That’s not good enough!” Luca cries.<br />
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“It’s unfortunate, yes, but death is a part of life I’m afraid.”<br />
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“How would you know anything about death?!” he exclaims angrily. “You’ve lived for centuries without ever having to face your own mortality!”<br />
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“I know nothing of death?” Atticus laughs, but the sound feels cold and empty. “I have lived a dozen lifetimes, boy, and in that time I’ve seen more death than you can ever imagine. My family, my friends, my lovers, everyone I’ve ever known grows old and dies, and yet I must live on without them. Grieving their loss only makes things harder.”<br />
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“But can’t you do something to help her?! Surely as the guardian of eternal life, you could-”<br />
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Atticus holds up a hand to silence him. “That is not an option, Luca,” he replies before turning back to his book.<br />
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Luca folds his arms across his chest and sits back, glaring at the mage.<br />
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<i>Not an option,</i> he seethes silently. <i>Well, we’ll just see about that.</i><br />
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The rest of the evening proceeds in relative calm. Atticus questions Luca about the current state of affairs in Sim Nation, and they discuss everything from politics to sports. After a while, Luca casually offers to prepare dinner for them both, and the mage eagerly agrees. Cooking is not one of his favorite chores.<br />
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Halfway through dessert, however, Atticus begins to feel… funny.<br />
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<br />
“Right on time,” Luca smirks, watching as he collapses onto the table. “I may not be magic, but we humans have a few tricks up our sleeves too. Crushed sedatives. Works like a charm.”<br />
<br />
After checking his pulse, Luca drags Atticus to the couch in the living room and hurriedly gathers his belongings.<br />
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<br />
He then heads outside to the garden, and after a few minutes of searching Luca finds it. Defiantly, he cuts a single flower from the tangled, thorny bush.<br />
<br />
“Beautiful, huh?” he mutters, gazing at the black and red blossom in the palm of his hand. It looks cold, lifeless, and haunting, like a dying tree in the middle of winter, and he shudders as its icy petals brush against the tips of his fingers. <br />
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Luca carefully tucks the bloom into his backpack and quickly rushes off. He has a long hike back to the trail, and he wants to get as far away from this forest as he possibly can before Atticus wakes up.<br />
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<br />
<u><b>Challenge Notes:</b></u><br />
<br />
This plot is taking FOREVER! Dear lord, I didn’t expect it to get so complicated! Lol. I know that I keep saying I will move on soon, but there’s at least one, maybe two, more chapters before we’ll meet the first kiddo. S/he hasn’t actually even been born yet, as I don’t like to play too far ahead. Ugh... <br />
<br />
Also, I know I’m not supposed to do this, but to avoid any confusion I just want to clarify that Atticus’ source of eternal life is, in my mind at least, a combination of the death flower and the ambrosia dish. In my world, that’s the only (known) way to reliably achieve immortality. I realize that there are probably a dozen other ways to get the same effect in game, but they feel way too simple to me and so I’ve banned them. In my opinion, something as powerful as everlasting life and eternal youth should be a challenge to obtain, and the Lifetime Rewards just ruin it for me. Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15791098360536318915noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313971805424558707.post-3834173003810234972012-10-11T18:43:00.001-07:002013-05-03T08:37:45.736-07:00[Prologue] Chapter 4: Pressure<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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She’s dying. Maeve feels it in each agonizing beat of her heart, every labored breath of air, the exhausted trembling of her hands. Her mother watches her closely, the older woman’s eyes filled with worry, but she doesn’t seem to realize the severity of Maeve’s condition.<br />
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<br />
“Luca?!” Esme spits the word out like poison. “That human? How could he possibly help?”<br />
<br />
Maeve takes a deep, shaky breath, struggling to stay upright. “He’s the lead researcher at the hospital,” she rasps. “If anyone can figure out what’s wrong with me, he can.”<br />
<br />
“I can heal you, Maeve. I can-”<br />
<br />
Maeve silences her mother with a glance. “Your remedies aren’t working,” she says simply. “We need a doctor, and he’s the only one I trust.”<br />
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<br />
Across town, Luca sits in his office, fighting to remain focused on the work in front of him. He closes his eyes for a second and distractedly digs his fingers into his forehead, trying to massage away the throbbing pain in his temples. He never used to suffer from migraines, but lately he can’t seem to go a day without one.<br />
<br />
Over the past few months, twenty-two more people have died from the White Fever, and still Luca and his team are no closer to finding a cure. Hell, they can’t even figure out what’s causing the virus yet, let alone how to stop it from spreading. As the head of the research department at Jericho’s one and only hospital, Luca is the face of the disease. He has to deal with the press day in and day out, calm the terrified masses, and explain to them why they haven’t been able to solve this mystery yet. The pressure from his bosses and the media, from the public, is enormous, but the pressure he puts upon himself is even more overwhelming. Luca feels personally responsible for every single new case, every single excruciating death, every single broken family. <br />
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<br />
A knock at the door interrupts his musings, and Bridget Callahan, a medical intern working under Luca, lets herself in.<br />
<br />
“Dr. McKinley,” she purrs, her voice like silk. “I didn’t expect to find you here so late on a Friday.”<br />
<br />
Luca frowns at the pretty young woman. He always works late these days, ever since he and Maeve broke up, and it’s rare to find him anywhere besides his office or the lab.<br />
<br />
“How can I help you, Bridget?” he asks, motioning for her to sit down.<br />
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<br />
Instead she leans in closer until their heads are mere inches apart. “You can help me out of this dress,” she murmurs barely loud enough for him to hear. <br />
<br />
Luca’s eyes widen as Bridget walks over and seductively begins to unbutton his coat. “Bridget, I don’t think-”<br />
<br />
“Don’t think,” she whispers, placing a finger over his lips. “Don’t argue. I know you want this just as much as I do.”<br />
<br />
Luca falters, feeling ambushed. Sure, Bridget is the most beautiful woman at the hospital, and most guys would kill to be in his shoes right now. But… His thoughts flash to Maeve, her smile and her laugh, her enchanting purple eyes, and he suddenly feels guilty for even looking at another woman that way. Just as he’s about to push her away, however, he suddenly stops himself. <br />
<br />
<i>Maeve doesn’t love me,</i> he thinks bitterly. <i>She never loved me. Why shouldn’t I enjoy myself a little? After all, it’s only sex.</i><br />
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<br />
And so he fucks her, desperately, defiantly pushing aside any thoughts of his ex-girlfriend.<br />
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<br />
Afterwards Luca feels nothing but disgust at himself. He doesn’t love Bridget. He doesn’t even <i>like</i> Bridget. Why did he allow himself to be tempted by her?<br />
<br />
Bridget, however, seems oblivious to Luca’s indifference. She smiles at him coyly, wiping a smudge of lipstick off his face before casually inviting him over to her place for the evening.<br />
<br />
Luca declines, claiming that he’s overwhelmed with work right now, and Bridget seems to accept this excuse.<br />
<br />
“But don’t think you can avoid me forever,” she smirks. “I’m eagerly awaiting our next… encounter.”<br />
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<br />
A few minutes after Bridget leaves, Luca hears another knock at the door. Thinking that she must be back for round two, he reluctantly goes to let her in, only to be greeted by none other than Maeve’s mother.<br />
<br />
“Mrs. Saville? What an… unexpected surprise.”<br />
<br />
Esme snorts her disapproval. “I want to be here just as much as you want me here,” she chides. “But I need to speak with you, Dr. McKinley. It’s about Maeve.”<br />
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<br />
Luca doesn’t even bother to hide his irritation. “Maeve is no longer my concern,” he tells her flatly. “She broke up with me, as you very well know.” <br />
<br />
“So she did,” Esme replies with an edge of satisfaction in her voice. “But she needs you now. She’s been asking for you.”<br />
<br />
“Asking for me?” he frowns.<br />
<br />
“She’s ill. Terribly ill I’m afraid. She thinks that you might be able to help her where my remedies have failed.”<br />
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<br />
“If she’s sick, you should take her to the hospital,” Luca says, waving his hand dismissively. “There’s not much I can do for her without the proper equipment.”<br />
<br />
Esme glares at him. “I forgot that you modern medical practitioners rely so heavily on your gadgets,” she chastises.<br />
<br />
“Our ‘gadgets’ are our tools,” he snaps. “Technology is the foundation upon which modern medicine stands.”<br />
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<br />
Esme shakes her head. “She doesn’t want to go to the hospital. She doesn’t want to see just any doctor. She wants you.”<br />
<br />
“Why?” Luca demands.<br />
<br />
“It is not my place to say, but I strongly advise that you put whatever you are feeling for my daughter aside and pay her a visit. You owe her that much, at least.”<br />
<br />
“I owe her nothing!” he fumes.<br />
<br />
Esme takes a deep breath, fighting the urge to argue. “Please, Dr. McKinley? All I ask is that you treat her the same way you’d treat any patient.”<br />
<br />
Luca hesitates, eyeing the old woman warily. The idea of seeing Maeve again terrifies him, but as a doctor he has an obligation to help those in need.<br />
<br />
“Fine,” he says at last. “But I can promise you no more than a few minutes.”<br />
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<br />
Back at Esme’s house, Luca finds Maeve in far worse condition than he could have imagined. When he first arrives, she greets him with a weak smile, but exhaustion soon overwhelms her and Maeve quickly falls into a fitful and restless sleep. With one glance, Luca knows her diagnosis, but wishing, hoping, praying that he’s wrong, he goes through the entire examination procedure, taking her temperature, checking her vitals, feeling her lymph nodes, and so on. However, the color of her skin, white as snow on a mountaintop, definitively confirms his worst fears.<br />
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<br />
Maeve’s mother takes the news as well as can be expected, lashing out at Luca with furious desperation.<br />
<br />
“You did this to her!” Esme shouts, cornering him in the kitchen. “If you hadn’t seduced my daughter, she never would have gotten sick!”<br />
<br />
“No one knows what causes this disease,” Luca snaps, trying to hold his own emotions in check. “We are trying to isolate the underlying agent, but it-”<br />
<br />
“No!” Esme cries, breaking down into sobs. “<i>You</i> exposed her to this- this plague, and <i>you</i> are going to cure her!”<br />
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<br />
Hearing those words, Luca feels his temper break. He loves Maeve too, and seeing her wasting away like that hurts him just as much as it hurts Esme. <br />
<br />
“We are TRYING!” he yells, his voice trembling with anger. “But there is nothing I can do for her at this point. Take her to the hospital, Esme, where they can make her last few days more comfortable.”<br />
<br />
“You’re just going to leave?!” she demands, tears pouring down her face. “Without even trying?!”<br />
<br />
“I <i>AM</i> trying,” he screams. “I have the entire lab working on it, but this disease is like nothing we’ve ever seen before.”<br />
<br />
Esme pauses. “What do you mean?” she asks quietly. “How is it different?”<br />
<br />
Luca sighs, rubbing his temples. “Most microbes can be replicated, studied, and analyzed, but this one… This one can’t. It attacks the body’s white blood cells, leaching onto and taking control of them before turning on the body’s healthy organs. The person’s immune system responds to the attack by creating more white blood cells, which quickly become infected and continue the attack. The whole destructive process repeats itself until the Sim dies, their body basically killing itself from within.”<br />
<br />
“And you can’t study it?” she gasps. “Why?”<br />
<br />
“Without a host, the virus dies. We’ve had some success keeping samples alive temporarily, but this particular microbe can only live for a short time outside the body, which is why we are completely baffled by how it is spreading. Normal, everyday contact does not appear to provide sufficient exposure to transfer the disease from Sim to Sim, but we’ve yet to find another solution.” <br />
<br />
Esme’s eyes narrow in thought. “Sounds like a curse,” she mumbles.<br />
<br />
Luca feels emotionally exhausted and completely spent by the evening’s events, and his patience for Esme has run out. <br />
<br />
“A curse?” he sneers. “What the hell are you talking about?” <br />
<br />
“Of course,” she exclaims. “I should have seen it from the get go! I can heal most ailments, Dr. McKinley, but I’ve never encountered one like this. It feels… different. Unnatural.”<br />
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<br />
Luca frowns. “Esme, I-”<br />
<br />
“You must believe me!” she cries. “I know of a man who can help us, but I cannot leave Maeve right now. You must go to him at once and ask for his assistance.”<br />
<br />
“I am sorry about your daughter, Mrs. Saville,” Luca tells her as he inches his way closer to the door. “I realize you are under a great deal of stress right now, but the best thing you can do for Maeve is take her to the hospital.”<br />
<br />
“Luca, please!” she begs, her voice fraught with desperation.<br />
<br />
But Luca just shakes his head in response. “I must leave now, Mrs. Saville. There’s nothing else I can do.”<br />
<br />
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<br />
He turns to go, but Esme follows him to the door.<br />
<br />
“She’s pregnant!” she blurts out, the words spilling from her lips.<br />
<br />
Luca freezes, his whole body glued to the floor. <br />
<br />
“What did you say?”<br />
<br />
“She’s pregnant, Luca,” Esme repeats. “And you are the father.”<br />
<br />
“That’s not possible. We- We- We were careful. We-”<br />
<br />
“I don’t need to hear the details,” Esme interrupts. “Please, just listen to me.”<br />
<br />
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<br />
Reluctantly, Luca follows her down a narrow hallway lined with dusty old bookcases.<br />
<br />
“A curse?” he asks as she fiddles with one of the books on the shelves.<br />
<br />
“Maeve didn’t tell you anything, did she?” Esme frowns. <br />
<br />
Luca shakes his head, feeling more confused than ever.<br />
<br />
“I am a witch, Luca. A healer. I primarily make potions, herbal concoctions that dull pain or alleviate nausea, but I can do a bit of illusionary magic as well.”<br />
<br />
“Illusionary magic?” Luca repeats, sounding skeptical.<br />
<br />
“Yes. Colorful lights, flashy sparkles, small mirages, and the like. Magic that tricks the senses.” <br />
<br />
“I don’t believe in magic,” he states matter-of-factly.<br />
<br />
“Of course you don’t. Most humans do not, and that is how we like it.”<br />
<br />
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<br />
Maeve pulls a book off the shelf, and a door suddenly appears. She leads Luca into a dimly lit room that smells strongly of sulfur and spices.<br />
<br />
“What is this place?” he asks, gazing around.<br />
<br />
Esme ignores his question and immediately heads to the cauldron in the middle of the room.<br />
<br />
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<br />
“You suffer from headaches,” she tells him as she pulls a strange looking bottle down.<br />
<br />
Luca is stunned. “How’d you-”<br />
<br />
“I’ve been a healer for much longer than you’ve been a doctor,” she replies. “I can see it in the way you squint your eyes against the light.”<br />
<br />
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<br />
“Drink this,” she commands, pouring the bottle’s glowing contents into a glass of water.<br />
<br />
Luca looks horrified at the prospect. “No!” he refuses.<br />
<br />
“It will help. You have enough on your plate right now that you don’t need to deal with migraines on top of it all.”<br />
<br />
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<br />
“It won’t do any good,” he says, eyeing the glass suspiciously. “I’ve tried painkillers, herbs, diet changes, vitamins, and more. Nothing ever works.”<br />
<br />
“This will,” Esme answers confidently. “This recipe has never failed me yet.”<br />
<br />
Closing his eyes, Luca takes a big swig of the mystery drink, downing it in one swallow. He feels lightheaded for a second, but when he opens his eyes the pressure, and the pain, are gone.<br />
<br />
“Well?” Esme grins.<br />
<br />
“That’s incredible!” Luca exclaims. “You should sell your formula to the drug companies. You could make a fortune!”<br />
<br />
“It cannot be replicated by human hands,” she snaps. “And besides, I’d rather sell my soul to the devil than make a deal with a pharmaceutical company.”<br />
<br />
Luca frowns but holds his tongue. She makes a fair point, after all.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Esme leads Luca outside to her garden. “So, Dr. McKinley,” she begins, watching him closely. “Are you ready to listen to me now?”<br />
<br />
Luca nods. “I’ll do anything to save Maeve,” he tells her.<br />
<br />
“And her baby,” Esme adds as she plucks a few pieces of fruit from one of the bushes.<br />
<br />
“Our baby,” Luca amends.<br />
<br />
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<br />
“There is a man,” Esme tells him while she slices the fiery fruit into razor thin pieces, “who lives in the wooded hills outside of the enchanted town of Arundel. His name is Atticus Thorel, and he is Maeve’s father.”<br />
<br />
“Arundel?” Luca repeats, letting the name roll off his tongue. “I’ve never heard of such a place.”<br />
<br />
“I grew up in Arundel," she explains, "as did my daughter. It is an ancient village nestled deep within the remote forests of northern Sim Nation and veiled by a powerful magic that hides it from human eyes. These dense woods contain more than a few secrets, but perhaps the most valuable is the one that Atticus guards. He is the keeper and protector of eternal life.”<br />
<br />
Luca rolls his eyes. “Eternal life?” he laughs. “Are you kidding me?”<br />
<br />
“Don’t believe me,” she scowls. “But Atticus is the only mage I know of with enough power and resources to help us.”<br />
<br />
“What is so special about this mage?” Luca demands.<br />
<br />
“As the guardian of everlasting life, Atticus himself enjoys an immortal existence. He was alive during the Great Plague, and he knows every curse, blight, and scourge that has ever beleaguered Simkind over the last seven hundred years. If anyone can solve this mystery, Atticus can.”<br />
<br />
Luca isn’t sure whether to laugh at the sheer ridiculousness of this story or cry at the hopelessness of his situation. Instead he remains quiet, watching as Esme continues to fiddle around in the kitchen.<br />
<br />
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<br />
“You must go to him,” she continues. “You must find him and convince him to help us reverse this curse and save my daughter.”<br />
<br />
“Why don’t you speak with him yourself? Surely, as Maeve’s father-”<br />
<br />
“Atticus and I did not end on good terms,” she says simply. “I wanted us to raise Maeve together, and he refused. I have not seen or spoken to him since before she was born.”<br />
<br />
“Why did he refuse?” Luca asks. “I can’t imagine not wanting to be a part of your child’s life.”<br />
<br />
Esme shrugs. “It doesn’t matter,” she replies. “Hopefully, the years have made him more compassionate and kindhearted, but I somehow doubt it.”<br />
<br />
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<br />
“Give him this cake,” she says, “as a token of our good will. I will give you a map of the forest he lives in, marked with the location of a small frog pond. Throw three stones into the water to summon him, and as soon as he arrives explain that Maeve has sent you. Hopefully he will be patient enough to listen.”<br />
<br />
Luca frowns. “And if he’s not?”<br />
<br />
“He will turn you into a toad,” Esme smirks, almost enjoying the idea. “But don’t worry about it too much. Atticus always could smell fear.”<br />
<br />
Healing witches, powerful curses, enchanted towns, and immortal mages? Luca finds this all a bit too fantastical for words. Sensing his skepticism, Esme smiles at him encouragingly.<br />
<br />
“Once you cure Maeve, I’m sure she will explain everything to you much more clearly than I can. Just trust me on this, okay?”<br />
<br />
And for some reason, he does.<br />
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Challenge Notes:</b></u><br />
<br />
So, I succumbed to temptation and decided to go for a magic/fantasy type story. I thought this arc was going to be short and sweet, but it keeps growing and growing; however, there will be babies soon, I promise! (But who’s to say which Sims are the parents... ;)<br />
<br />
A whole lot of this chapter was done in an alternate save, for which I apologize. I hope it didn’t detract from the story’s authenticity too much! I just couldn’t get the right pictures without taking control of certain Sims for certain scenes.<br />
<br />
Also, I know absolutely nothing about diseases, viruses, microbes, etc. I made all that stuff up, so hopefully it was kind of believable. Please forgive any mistakes in terminology or whatever, as it all sounds like a bunch of gobbledygook to me. =)Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15791098360536318915noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313971805424558707.post-25825445297533017272012-10-03T04:04:00.000-07:002013-05-03T08:37:34.742-07:00[Prologue] Chapter 3: A Fling and a Fairytale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
On the surface, their evening appears perfectly ordinary and unexceptional. A boyfriend invites his girlfriend over for a low-key night at his place. He makes dinner for her, a salad to pacify her vegetarian lifestyle, and they eat together in amiable silence, merely enjoying the pleasure of each other’s company. <br />
<br />
Yet, upon closer inspection, the boy seems… nervous, tense, and unhappy. His foot twitches uneasily, and the way he looks at the girl conveys a desperate sort of longing. He loves her, his soulful eyes reveal that much, but does she feel the same way about him? The girl notices his wistful stare and smiles at him reassuringly, her whole face lighting up with easygoing charm, but it does little to soothe his nerves. He wants more from this relationship, and he’s not sure that she can, or will, give it to him.<br />
<br />
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<br />
“Everything alright?” Maeve asks, oblivious to Luca’s inner turmoil.<br />
<br />
“Fine,” he answers shortly.<br />
<br />
She frowns but decides not to press the issue.<br />
<br />
“I was promoted,” he tells her after a minute, hoping to fill the void in the conversation.<br />
<br />
“Promoted?!” Maeve exclaims excitedly. “So soon? I thought you were just assigned to the Infectious Disease Research Team last month.”<br />
<br />
“I was,” Luca beams. “Dr. Devereux retired, and they needed someone to take over and continue her work studying the White Fever. They made me head of the department, Maeve.”<br />
<br />
“Oh, Luca, that’s wonderful!” she gushes.<br />
<br />
“I’m really excited about it. I’ve been eyeing the position for a while now, and I can’t wait to really sink my teeth into it. Five more people have died, you know,” he adds quietly.<br />
<br />
Maeve sighs and shakes her head. “It’s looking pretty grim then, huh?” she asks.<br />
<br />
Luca nods. “Unfortunately, we can’t seem to isolate the source of the infection, and until we can find out exactly how people are contracting the virus we have no chance of discovering a cure.”<br />
<br />
“You don’t think it’s related to the plague though, do you?” she whispers.<br />
<br />
“We just don’t know enough about it yet to say positively one way or another, but I tend to doubt that theory myself. It seems to be isolated to Jericho and the surrounding swamplands, and it hasn't spread as fast as the plague did during the Dark Ages.”<br />
<br />
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<br />
After dinner, Luca cleans up the dishes while Maeve disappears outside for a while. <br />
<br />
He finds her in the backyard looking through his telescope. “What are you doing out here?” he asks, coming up behind her.<br />
<br />
Maeve grins at him and points to the stars. “Venus and Mars,” she giggles, “are aligned tonight.”<br />
<br />
Luca laughs at the childish excitement on her face, but he ignores her comment. He’s never believed much in astrology, and besides, he has something else on his mind right now.<br />
<br />
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<br />
“You’re cold,” he whispers, stroking her cheek.<br />
<br />
Maeve shivers slightly at the touch of his hand. “A little bit,” she admits.<br />
<br />
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<br />
“Come inside,” he offers.<br />
<br />
Her violet eyes widen at his suggestion. “Inside?” she repeats. “I- I shouldn’t.”<br />
<br />
“Why?” he demands, more forcefully than intended.<br />
<br />
“I need to head home,” she replies.<br />
<br />
Luca sighs, his hands falling limp by his side. They’ve been dating for over three months now, and he has yet to convince her to spend the night with him. More so, she refuses to take him home or even give him her phone number, and they only ever meet up on the weekends. He knows she’s hiding something from him, but he tells himself that she’ll open up to him in time. Unfortunately, his patience is wearing thin.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Frustrated, Luca grabs her and pulls her into his arms. “Why don’t you stay tonight?” he suggests, kissing her passionately.<br />
<br />
His rough, commanding tone takes Maeve by surprise. She feels his hands slide lower down her back, and she suddenly finds herself weak in the knees. “Luca,” she half whispers, half moans. “I shouldn’t. We shouldn’t. I… I…” But the words don’t seem to come.<br />
<br />
Luca senses her failing defenses and seizes upon the moment. “Come upstairs,” he instructs, guiding her into the house.<br />
<br />
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<br />
They stumble their way to his bedroom, where Luca slowly undresses her, savoring every touch. <br />
<br />
“It’s my first time,” Maeve breathes as he kisses her lips, her neck, her shoulders, her breasts.<br />
<br />
Luca smiles and brushes a strand of hair out of her face. “Mine too,” he confesses. “Are you scared?”<br />
<br />
Maeve shakes her head and unsnaps her bra, as though to prove to him that she’s just as ready as he is.<br />
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<br />
Their first time is quick and fumbling, but there’s no denying the passion between them.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Exhausted, Maeve falls asleep curled up in Luca’s arms. He closes his eyes and holds her tight, desperately trying to stay awake for fear that he’ll wake up and she’ll be gone.<br />
<br />
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<br />
The next morning, his fears prove justified. She leaves a simple note on his bedside table, the only evidence that she was ever even there at all.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Gibson comes over for lunch later that week, and Luca ends up spilling the entire, painful story.<br />
<br />
“Are you sure she’s not seeing somebody else?” Gibson asks softly, purposely avoiding eye contact.<br />
<br />
Luca looks up, startled by the suggestion. “No! No. I mean- Just… No. Absolutely not.” He coughs awkwardly, remembering their evening together. It was the first time for both of them. He knows this, but still Gibson’s words strike a nerve. “I’m positive,” he insists, trying to convince himself as much as his friend. “There’s nobody but me.”<br />
<br />
Gibson watches Luca curiously, wondering how he could be so certain of himself. “Well, that solves it then,” he declares suddenly.<br />
<br />
“What?” Luca frowns. “What are you talking about, Gibs?”<br />
<br />
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<br />
“She’s using you, my friend.”<br />
<br />
“Using me?” Luca laughs, trying to sound relaxed and unconcerned. “For what? My money or my connections? Cause, dude, you know I have neither.”<br />
<br />
“Sure, I know that, but does she? It sounds like a typical sweetheart swindle to me.”<br />
<br />
“Sweetheart swindle?” Luca repeats incredulously.<br />
<br />
“Oh, yes. It’s a classic case. A young, beautiful woman will find a rich and powerful man to befriend, and over time she makes him fall madly in love with her. Then, once she’s certain that she has you hook, line, and sinker, she will start withholding sex and companionship until she gets just what she wants from you.”<br />
<br />
“And what does she want from me?” Luca demands.<br />
<br />
“Well, I’m not entirely certain,” Gibson admits. “Usually, they want money, but sometimes these women are far more devious than that.”<br />
<br />
“Maeve has never shown any interest in my wallet before,” Luca retorts. “And what else do I have? I’m just a measly doctor.”<br />
<br />
“You have access to vials and vials of controlled substances,” Gibson muses. “Perhaps she’s an addict?”<br />
<br />
Luca eyes his friend in disbelief. “Sounds like a stretch to me.”<br />
<br />
Gibson shrugs and continues eating his salad. “Either that, or she’s seeing someone else. Are you sure she’s not married?”<br />
<br />
Luca rolls his eyes and quickly changes the subject, but Gibson’s words stick with him like glue. What if she is dating other people? Or, what if she’s just using him? Luca fears that his friend may be on to something.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Even though Emily is a teenager now, Luca still spends his free nights helping her with her math homework.<br />
<br />
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<br />
He wants her to become a doctor, like him, and he doesn’t hesitate to tell her so. <br />
<br />
Emily claims that she’s still interested in pursuing a medical career, but tonight she seems distracted and preoccupied.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Moody might be another way to describe it, but Luca writes off her touchiness as typical teenage hormones.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Even when she can’t seem to hold down her dinner, Luca fails to see a connection and immediately, instinctively blames the nausea on food poisoning.<br />
<br />
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<br />
He only becomes really concerned when she disappears for over an hour.<br />
<br />
“Emily?” he calls out. “Is everything okay?”<br />
<br />
A small sob resonates through the bathroom door. “I’m fine,” she replies, but her voice sounds weak and shaky.<br />
<br />
Luca frowns. He’s not very good at this whole emotional… thing. And besides, he has plans to meet Maeve tonight, and he hasn’t seen her in weeks, ever since that night.<br />
<br />
“Are you… Are you sure?” he asks.<br />
<br />
More sobbing greets his ears, but Emily manages to choke out a small “yes”. <br />
<br />
“I’m just going to go,” Luca says awkwardly. “But if you need to talk about anything, you know how to reach me…”<br />
<br />
He turns to leave, feeling confused and flustered. He wants to help her, but how can he when he doesn’t even know what’s wrong?<br />
<br />
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<br />
Hearing the front door snap closed behind him, Emily feels a fresh wave of tears stream down her face. She so desperately wanted to tell him, but she just couldn’t. What if he never spoke to her again? What if he called her a whore? What if he told her to get an abortion? The idea of losing her friendship with Luca just seems too horrible to imagine. <br />
<br />
<i>No</i>, she thinks defiantly, getting up off the floor. <i>No one needs to know that I'm pregnant. Not my mom, not my boyfriend, not even Luca. I got myself into this situation, and I can figure my way out</i><i>.</i><br />
<br />
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<br />
Luca meets Maeve at Grandver Beach later that night. After his strange encounter with Emily, he feels grateful for her relatively calm and normal behavior.<br />
<br />
“It’s been a while,” he comments as they roast marshmallows over the open fire.<br />
<br />
“I was… busy,” she tells him.<br />
<br />
He eyes her suspiciously, remembering Gibson’s theories. “I don’t even have your number, Maeve. I couldn’t even call to make sure you were okay.”<br />
<br />
“I <i>told</i> you Luca. I can’t afford a cell phone right now.”<br />
<br />
“I could buy you one,” he offers.<br />
<br />
Maeve shakes her head. “I don’t need you to buy me things,” she insists.<br />
<br />
“Why can’t I come over to your place sometime?” he demands suddenly. “I’ve never seen where you live.”<br />
<br />
Maeve looks taken aback. “I- I don’t think that would be a good idea.”<br />
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<br />
“You’re married.” It’s not a question, but a statement.<br />
<br />
“A married virgin?” she laughs bitterly.<br />
<br />
“It could happen,” he counters.<br />
<br />
“I’m not married.”<br />
<br />
“Engaged?”<br />
<br />
“No,” she sighs.<br />
<br />
“Well? What is it?”<br />
<br />
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<br />
Crawling into his lap, Maeve runs her fingers through his thick black hair. “There’s nobody for me but you,” she tells him with a deep, passionate kiss. “I love you, Luca.”<br />
<br />
“You love me?” he repeats numbly.<br />
<br />
Maeve grins and kisses him again. “Yes,” she whispers.<br />
<br />
Luca pulls her closer, temporarily forgetting all about his concerns. “I love you too,” he replies.<br />
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A few minutes later, Maeve suddenly jumps up and clutches her stomach.<br />
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<br />
“Are you okay?” Luca asks, watching her from a safe distance. Why does he feel like he’s been through this already once tonight?<br />
<br />
“Fine,” she grunts. “Marshmallows… They’re too sweet for me I think. But I’m fine.”<br />
<br />
“Let me take you home,” he offers.<br />
<br />
“No!” Maeve shouts. “I mean, no. Thank you, but I will be fine. I can find the way myself.”<br />
<br />
“But I want to make sure you get there safely,” Luca argues.<br />
<br />
Maeve attempts a smile. “That’s sweet, but don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”<br />
<br />
“At least take my cell phone,” he exclaims, not hiding the frustration in his voice. “You can give it back to me the next time we see each other.”<br />
<br />
Not feeling much like arguing tonight, Maeve reluctantly agrees.<br />
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<br />
The following day Gibson casually mentions that Luca could, potentially, use his phone’s GPS to locate Maeve’s home and spy on her, but Luca scoffs. He trusts his girlfriend. They love each other. He would never take advantage of the situation like that. Would he?<br />
<br />
But now that the idea has been planted in his mind, Luca can’t seem to think about anything else. For the entire rest of the weekend he obsesses about it, but eventually the desire to know what she’s hiding overwhelms him. So, with the help of Gibson-the-computer-whiz, Luca tracks his phone to an isolated property on the rural outskirts of Jericho.<br />
<br />
He watches from the road, feeling oddly scared of the ominous old structure before him, but he’s not satisfied just knowing where Maeve lives. So Luca creeps closer.<br />
<br />
Yelling fills the air. A woman’s piercing shouts echo around him. He starts to bolt, fearing that he’ll be discovered, but suddenly he hears the sound of Maeve crying. What if she’s in trouble? What if she needs him? Defiantly, he heads to the door and shoves it open.<br />
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<br />
Maeve’s eyes widen as Luca bursts into the room. <br />
<br />
“What are you doing here?” she cries, burying her head in her hands.<br />
<br />
“Maeve, who is this?” the older woman demands, her voice firm and domineering.<br />
<br />
“I heard yelling. I thought- I thought you were in trouble,” Luca tells Maeve, ignoring the other woman’s icy cold stare.<br />
<br />
“M-Mother, this is Luca,” Maeve whispers in a trembling voice.<br />
<br />
The woman gazes at him long and hard. “He’s human,” she sneers.<br />
<br />
“Please don’t be mad Mom,” Maeve pleads. “He doesn’t mean any harm…”<br />
<br />
“Harm!” the woman huffs. “Of course he does. How do you know him?”<br />
<br />
Maeve opens her mouth to answer, but Luca cuts her off.<br />
<br />
“Maeve is my girlfriend,” he announces angrily. “What do you mean ‘he’s human’? Maeve, what is going on here?!”<br />
<br />
The woman’s eyes flash furiously. “You’ve been dating this- this-” She motions toward Luca in disgust.<br />
<br />
“No!” Maeve exclaims. “Well, sort of. I mean- He’s a doctor!” she stammers.<br />
<br />
“You spoiled, ungrateful child!” she shrieks. “Going behind my back to date one of- of- of THEM!”<br />
<br />
“Don’t you dare speak to her that way!” Luca shouts. “Maeve and I love ea-”<br />
<br />
“SILENCE!” the woman screams, her face twisted in rage.<br />
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<br />
Quicker than a blink of the eye, she reaches into her sash and pulls out a vial, throwing it at Luca before he even has a chance to react.<br />
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<br />
“You killed him!” Maeve cries as Luca sinks to the floor.<br />
<br />
Esme, Maeve’s mom, snorts disapprovingly. “If only,” she grunts. “It was merely a flask of sleep, <i>dear</i>. He will wake in a few minutes.”<br />
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<br />
“Why would you do that?!” Maeve screams. “Now he’s going to know about us!”<br />
<br />
“He won’t remember a thing,” Esme smirks. “It’s a potent enough formula that he’ll think of it all as merely part of his dream.”<br />
<br />
“I love him,” Maeve sobs.<br />
<br />
“You don’t know what love is,” Esme counters. “Besides, what would your father say?! Or, worse, what if the council found out? Magic and humans do not belong together, dear. We live in two separate worlds, and that is the way it must stay.”<br />
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<br />
Maeve’s face falls. “But-”<br />
<br />
“It is for your own safety, darling. How do you think that… that boy would take it? Learning that you were hiding such an important secret from him? If he didn’t send you straight to the insane asylum, he’d probably have you executed! You don’t understand how paranoid humans can be.”<br />
<br />
“But I know Luca. He wouldn’t-”<br />
<br />
“He would, and he will. You must believe me, dear. I only want what’s best for you. Now, go wake him up and tell him that it’s over, and then we can forget about this whole thing.”<br />
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<br />
Grudgingly, Maeve does as her mother says. Luca takes the news as well as can be expected, with confusion and anger and lots and lots of cursing.<br />
<br />
“Was it ever real?!” he screams, his voice cracking with emotion. “Or was it all just a lie? Just one big fairytale?!”<br />
<br />
“I never loved you,” she whispers. “I’m sorry I strung you along, Luc, but it was just a fling.”<br />
<br />
Luca feels numb, like his heart has been ripped out and trampled on, and he leaves without another word. <br />
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<br />
Tired, alone, and brokenhearted he heads home to wallow in his misery. He feels empty and defeated, like the butt of some cruel joke, and with bitter determination he decides to forget about love and happiness and focus on the only important things in life- his job and his research.<br />
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Challenge Notes:</b></u><br />
<br />
My goodness, this was an angst-filled chapter if I ever wrote one! I feel only partly accountable for all the drama though, as StoryProgression fucked me up royally. Emily’s pregnancy was not part of my original plot, and it honestly shocked the living daylights out of me when I got the notice that her high school boyfriend had knocked her up. I didn’t even know that I had teenage pregnancy enabled in my settings! But I decided to go with it and change my story to suit, which led to the shifting of my timeline and one miserably unhappy chapter.<br />
<br />
However, in other news, there will be children soon! I kind of screwed up my timing with Luca, as I spent way too many days trying to level up his career and not enough time getting him laid, and now he’s very close to being an adult with absolutely NO children to show for it. And he has to produce five, so… yeah. He’s going to be a bit older by the time he has all of the kids. Also, I decided at the beginning of this legacy to ban the fertility treatment lifetime reward because I only want twins and triplets if the Sim gods destine it to be so. I feel like it’s a bit more authentic that way, but I may eventually cave and use it.<br />
<br />
Maeve and Esme’s house was built by me and will eventually be available for download (after I figure out what the hell I’m going to do about that god awful ugly tower!), but if you want to give me feedback on it you can visit my thread in the Creator Feedback Forum at Mod The Sims (<a href="http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=487938">here</a>). I will edit this post with a download link once it’s available, but until then any advice is welcome!<br />
<br />
Finally, there is a minor discrepancy in one of my photos. I won’t tell you guys which one on the off chance you didn’t notice it *crosses fingers*, but in case you are curious about it my game crashed and I had to replay the scene twice to get all the screenshots I needed.Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15791098360536318915noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313971805424558707.post-22859446371566168772012-09-28T05:17:00.000-07:002013-05-03T08:37:22.080-07:00[Prologue] Chapter 2: Love Struck Idiot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Ever since Luca became a real, bona fide doctor, women have been all over him like bees on a honeypot, and in fact not a single male resident shows up for today’s vaccination clinic.<br />
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<br />
Elizabeth Davenport, daughter of the fabulously wealthy Harold Davenport, is single and interested. Her father owns the hospital where Luca works, and although she’s seen him around town before she’s never paid him much attention. Until he became Dr. McKinley, that is.<br />
<br />
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<br />
But Luca is far too busy for a relationship right now. Or at least that’s what he tells himself anyway when he turns down Elizabeth’s offer to attend a charity benefit with her tomorrow night.<br />
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<br />
Instead, he spends his Friday evening laying around the house in his underwear catching up on the latest medical journals. One article in particular grabs his attention.<br />
<br />
Last month, two children died of a mysterious illness in the rural swamp lands on the outskirts of Jericho. Their deaths made headlines all over the country as the first confirmed cases in Sim Nation of a rare and so far incurable new disease known in the medical community as Necrotizing Leukopyrosis, or the White Fever. While information about the illness is scarce, its symptoms appear to resemble early descriptions of the Great Plague, a devastating pandemic that swept through this area during the Dark Days, wiping out two-thirds of the Sim population and leaving chaos and fear in its wake. <br />
<br />
However, the pandemic ended almost as soon as it began, not even a decade after the first case appeared. Modern historians theorize that the king’s healers must have discovered a cure, but scientists argue that the survivors had a natural immunity to the virus. In all honesty, no one knows why the plague vanished so suddenly, but at the time most people believed magic was at work. For centuries after the outbreak, the Sim population became highly superstitious, bordering on fanatical, and anyone suspected of practicing witchcraft or sorcery was mercilessly executed. Yet, as the old monarchies gave way to modern democracies and the world transitioned into the industrial age, people gradually forgot their fears, and the focus shifted to science and logic. But vestiges of the old superstitions remain, and to this day people still panic at even the slightest mention of the plague.<br />
<br />
With medical technology on the cutting edge, people rarely die of anything other than old age or electrocution these days, but every so often an obscure new virus emerges, inevitably killing some of its victims before a cure can be discovered. In every such instance, the media publishes radical reports comparing the illness to the Great Plague, often setting off bouts of mass hysteria. Such is the case with these latest deaths, and in an attempt to prevent any undue worry the government has decided to fund a small research study into this new disease. And since both cases occurred near Jericho, the hospital that Luca works at was awarded the task. <br />
<br />
Although he just earned his medical license a few months ago, Luca dreams of being assigned to the research team. The mystery of the Great Plague fascinates him, and if he were able to discover a cure for the White Fever (and definitively prove it's not a return of the plague) he’d earn the respect of doctors all over Sim Nation. And so, he reads and reads and reads some more, until he can’t think from exhaustion.<br />
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<br />
Saturday afternoon, Luca takes a break from his studies in order to take Emily to the horse ranch. A few months ago, she saw a little girl riding her pony at the park, and she hasn’t been able to talk about anything else since. <br />
<br />
Luca watches uneasily as Emily steps right up to the stall and begins stroking the horse’s muzzle. <br />
<br />
“Be careful,” he warns her, eying the large animal warily. <br />
<br />
Emily giggles. “Are you frightened, Mr. K?” she asks.<br />
<br />
Luca glances up at the horse and shudders. In all honesty, the idea of trusting a half ton animal with his life scares him shitless, but he’d rather die than admit that to Emily.<br />
<br />
“No,” he replies curtly. “I just don’t think you should get that close until April arrives.”<br />
<br />
Emily grins at him deviously and continues petting the horse.<br />
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<br />
When Luca mentioned the outing to Gibson, his best friend demanded to be brought along. Gibson shows absolutely no fear of the giant, temperamental animal that April, their friend and resident horse expert, gave him to ride.<br />
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<br />
…Even after falling hard on his butt.<br />
<br />
Seeing Gibson’s struggles, Luc decides to sit this little excursion out. He’s fine keeping both feet on the ground, thank you very much.<br />
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<br />
They take a nice, easy stroll around the ranch, with Luca leading Emily’s horse and April leading Gibson’s horse (or steed, as Gibby likes to say). <br />
<br />
“Faster!” Emily hollers impatiently.<br />
<br />
“Absolutely not,” Luca retorts, purposely avoiding eye contact. Emily has long since mastered the art of the pout, and she knows just how to get what she wants from him.<br />
<br />
“You can let her take the reins,” April tells him in a whisper. “That horse is steadier than a rock.”<br />
<br />
“Yes, well, Emily’s never been on a horse before. She could fall and hurt herself.”<br />
<br />
“Good thing you’re a doctor then, right?” she replies with a wink.<br />
<br />
Luca just glares at her in response.<br />
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<br />
Anxious to get home and continue his reading, Luca is hurriedly ushering Emily back to the car when his eyes land on a gold-headed figure in the distance. As though pulled by a magnet, he stops dead in his tracks, staring at her, utterly and completely mesmerized.<br />
<br />
“Whatcha lookin’ at Mr. K?” Emily asks, trying to follow his gaze.<br />
<br />
“April?” Luca calls out to his friend. “April, who is that?” <br />
<br />
His voice sounds distant and strange, Emily thinks, and she wonders what is going on. She scratches her head, pondering the situation, when it hits her. That’s how boys act whenever they see a pretty girl, or at least that’s what happens in the movies whenever the prince sees the princess for the first time.<br />
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<br />
“Earth to Mr. K!” Emily exclaims loudly, bringing him back to reality. “Come in, Mr. K. Do you copy?”<br />
<br />
“Yeah, squirt?” he asks as he reluctantly turns toward her.<br />
<br />
“Why don’t you just ask her out and save us all the heartache?” she demands crossly.<br />
<br />
Luca flushes ever so slightly. “What do you mean, Em? Ask who out?”<br />
<br />
Emily rolls her eyes. “You don’t fool me for half a millisecond,” she declares. “If you looked any more lovesick, I’d have to call a doctor.”<br />
<br />
Luc glances over his shoulder. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he lies.<br />
<br />
“Fine,” Emily glares at him. “I’ll do it for you.”<br />
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<br />
And so she does, defiantly marching up to the mystery woman before Luca can stop her.<br />
<br />
“Are you really going to let a ten year old play cupid for you?” Gibson smirks. “Not even I am that brave.”<br />
<br />
Luca frowns. His friend makes a fair point.<br />
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<br />
Feeling like a fool, Luca awkwardly wanders over and introduces himself.<br />
<br />
“I’m Luca,” he tries to say, but the words stick to the roof of his mouth like peanut butter.<br />
<br />
The woman smiles at him sympathetically, and Luca wonders how often she gets harassed by love struck idiots such as himself. <br />
<br />
“I’m Maeve,” she tells him, shaking his hand in greeting. <br />
<br />
The touch of her skin against the palm of his hand leaves Luca feeling breathless and lightheaded, and he finds himself holding on for longer than strictly necessary. He stares at her dazedly, as though bewitched by her presence, but his gaze never once leaves her face.<br />
<br />
“Your eyes,” he says suddenly. “They’re- They’re purple.”<br />
<br />
Maeve glances away uneasily. “So I’ve realized,” she answers, not hiding the discomfort in her voice.<br />
<br />
Realizing his mistake, Luca backtracks. “No, I just- They’re beautiful,” he whispers.<br />
<br />
Maeve blushes, smiling in spite of herself.<br />
<br />
“So!” Emily chimes in, not wanting to be ignored. “What do you think, Ms. Maeve? Would you go out with him?”<br />
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<br />
“Emily!” Luca exclaims. Turning toward Maeve, he adds, “I’m so sorry. She and I are going to have a long discussion about manners tonight, and I-”<br />
<br />
“Manners are overrated,” Maeve grins. “I think your daughter is adorable.”<br />
<br />
Emily scowls at her. “He’s not my dad,” she tells her stubbornly. “And I am NOT adorable.”<br />
<br />
“I see,” Maeve replies, adopting a serious tone. “Well, I won’t make that mistake again. Forgive me?”<br />
<br />
Emily giggles. She’s not used to being spoken to like an adult. “Okay, but only on one condition.”<br />
<br />
“Yes?” she asks, quirking an eyebrow.<br />
<br />
“That you go out with him.”<br />
<br />
Maeve pauses and surveys Luca carefully, her eyes twinkling mischievously the whole time. “Well, I suppose I could make the sacrifice…”<br />
<br />
“Oh, no!” Emily exclaims, horrified. “He’s actually super nice most of the time. I think you just make him nervous.”<br />
<br />
“Well, maybe you can talk some sense into him before our date,” she laughs.<br />
<br />
Luca looks taken aback. “D-date?” he croaks. “With you?”<br />
<br />
“Only if you want to,” Maeve answers, her voice suddenly soft and shy.<br />
<br />
“He can meet you tomorrow night,” Emily butts in. “Can’t you, Mr. K?”<br />
<br />
“Uh, yes, but-”<br />
<br />
“That sounds wonderful. How about the Bistro Verdis? At 5:30?”<br />
<br />
“I’d love to,” Luca smiles weakly, not believing his luck.<br />
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<br />
Sunday evening, he arrives at the bistro a few minutes early, but Maeve is already there waiting for him.<br />
<br />
“I brought you some flowers,” he tells her bashfully, presenting her with a large bouquet of white roses.<br />
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<br />
“Oh, Luca, they’re beautiful,” she cries. <br />
<br />
“You like them?” he asks hopefully.<br />
<br />
“They remind me of my home out east,” she smiles, burying her face in their sweet scent. “My mother and I had a huge garden, full of roses and daisies and lavender and all sorts of other flowers. When I was a child, I would spend hours playing out there.”<br />
<br />
“Sounds wonderful,” Luca sighs. “I grew up in a desert, where the only flowering things were cactus and not to be touched.”<br />
<br />
Maeve giggles. “I couldn’t live without some greenery,” she replies.<br />
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<br />
At the restaurant, they decide to eat outside on the patio in order to enjoy the fresh night air. They spend the entire meal talking about everything and nothing at all, and for the first time in a long time Luca feels himself begin to relax. He tells her about his childhood, his family, his friends, his job, and Maeve listens in rapt silence, eagerly absorbing every word he says as though starved for companionship. As the minutes turn to hours, time becomes irrelevant, and Luca’s world seems to fade around him. He sees only Maeve, hears only the sound of her voice, the lilt of her laugh.<br />
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<br />
When the restaurant closes, they head to a nearby park, not wanting to say goodnight just yet. They walk together in silence for a while, stopping on an old wooden bridge to watch a pair of turtles wade in the stream below. <br />
<br />
“You’re quiet,” Luca observes, admiring the gleam of her golden hair as it shimmers in the pale moonlight. “What are you thinking about?”<br />
<br />
Maeve sighs. “This has been wonderful, Luca,” she mumbles absently, trying to work up her courage. <i>Too wonderful</i>, she thinks with a pang of regret. She takes a deep, steadying breath, willing herself to tell him, but the words just don’t seem to come. <br />
<br />
Luca smiles, oblivious to her turmoil. “I’m glad to hear you say that,” he tells her as he walks over to stand beside her. “I- I know I shouldn’t be so forward with you, Maeve. We’ve only just met after all, but I… I can’t help it. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before, and it frightens me. I think I’m falling for you.”<br />
<br />
“Luca, I don’t want-” <br />
<br />
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<br />
But before she can finish her thought, Luca leans in and kisses her, so softly, so sweetly, that Maeve feels herself sink into his arms.<br />
<br />
He pulls away abruptly and begins to apologize, feeling flustered, but Maeve silences him with another kiss.<br />
<br />
“I’ve- I’ve never done this before,” she whispers, her cheeks flushed pink.<br />
<br />
“Done what?” Luca asks, brushing a strand of hair out of her face.<br />
<br />
She blushes even more. “Kissed,” she admits shyly.<br />
<br />
Luca doesn’t even seem to register her words. “Do you want to come back to my place?” he stammers, not really sure how to broach the subject.<br />
<br />
If Maeve was pink before, she turns even redder at his suggestion. “I really should be getting home,” she sighs, wishing she could stay with him forever.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Luca nods and offers to catch a cab for her, but she insists on taking the subway.<br />
<br />
“Let me at least walk you to the station,” he pleads. Reluctantly, Maeve agrees.<br />
<br />
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<br />
When they reach a fork in the path, Maeve kisses him goodnight one last time, and they part ways. Luca halfheartedly wonders why she left so suddenly, but he doesn’t dwell on it much. His mind is elsewhere, reveling in the sheer perfection of the evening. <br />
<br />
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<br />
A few weeks pass by, and Luca doesn’t hear a word from Maeve.<br />
<br />
“And you’re sure she was into you?” Gibson asks.<br />
<br />
“Yes,” Luca declares without hesitation. “I felt it. We connected.”<br />
<br />
Gibson shakes his head in disbelief. “Then <i>why</i> didn’t you get her number?!” he demands.<br />
<br />
“She said she’d call. I believed her. What if something happened to her? What if she <i>died</i>?”<br />
<br />
“You’d probably have heard about it, dude, seeing as you are Jericho’s go-to trauma surgeon these days.” Gibson doesn’t hide the pride in his voice. He’s always been rooting for Luca, ever since they were kids, and he’s happy for his friend’s success.<br />
<br />
Luca sighs. “Perhaps, but I just don’t know.”<br />
<br />
“Aprils says that Maeve keeps her horse at the ranch. Why don’t you just drop by one day and check on her? Make sure she’s alright?” <br />
<br />
“Isn’t that a bit… creepy?”<br />
<br />
“It’s only stalking if she doesn’t want you to be there,” he replies.<br />
<br />
Creepy or not, Luca needs to see her. He craves her presence like a drug, and he feels sick not knowing if she’s okay.<br />
<br />
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<br />
So the following weekend, he heads to the stables, halfway hoping she won’t be there. What if he was wrong? What if she doesn’t want anything to do with him?<br />
<br />
Naturally, he finds her right away. <br />
<br />
“Hi, Maeve.” His voice sounds pinched and anxious, and he realizes that he hasn’t felt this nervous in a long time.<br />
<br />
Maeve jumps back, startled. “L-Luca,” she stammers. “What are you doing here?”<br />
<br />
“I didn’t hear from you,” he tells her. “I wanted to make sure you were okay.”<br />
<br />
She remains quiet, fidgeting with the brush in her hand. <br />
<br />
Luca feels like he’s been punched in the stomach. She doesn’t want him there. She doesn’t want to see him again. “Well, looks like you’re fine,” he chokes out awkwardly. “I’ll just be going then.”<br />
<br />
“No,” Maeve hollers instinctively. “Wait, Luca. I- It’s not like that. I just… I lost my phone. The one with your number. I’m sorry. I should have called.”<br />
<br />
It’s a lie. Luca knows this. He can see it in her face, the way she won’t quite meet his eyes. But he doesn’t care. He wants to believe her so badly it hurts.<br />
<br />
“Do you want to go for a ride?” she asks after a second. “I know this nice park we can go to.”<br />
<br />
Luca’s face lights up. “I’d love to. But…”<br />
<br />
“Yes?”<br />
<br />
He eyes her horse uneasily. “I don’t know how to ride.”<br />
<br />
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<br />
He won’t get on the back of a horse for just anybody, but for Maeve he doesn’t hesitate.<br />
<br />
“And you’re sure this is safe?” he asks, clinging on for dear life.<br />
<br />
“If you don’t suffocate me, then we should be fine,” she laughs. “Cosimo is gentle as a lamb. Aren’t you, boy?”<br />
<br />
The horse snorts in agreement.<br />
<br />
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<br />
They end up spending the entire afternoon together, just lying around the park enjoying each other’s company. While Luca goes on and on about his life and his job and everything that’s happened to him while they’ve been apart, Maeve remains unusually quiet.<br />
<br />
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<br />
“Is everything alright?” Luca asks, finally noticing her silence.<br />
<br />
She smiles and kisses him, with an almost desperate sort of passion. “I’m fine. Everything’s fine.”<br />
<br />
Luca frowns, but he doesn’t press the issue. She’ll open up to him when she’s ready, he decides.<br />
<br />
“When can I see you again?” he wants to know.<br />
<br />
“Next weekend? Meet me at the ranch?”<br />
<br />
A week seems like such a long time to wait, but afraid of pushing her too far too fast he reluctantly agrees. Still, he can’t seem to shake the feeling that she’s hiding something from him.<br />
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Challenge Notes:</b></u><br />
<br />
So, yes, I realize it’s cliché. Love at first sight and blah, blah, blah. But, in my defense, I don’t think I’ve ever done it before (at least not to this extreme), and I do love how romantic it is! (Well, can be…) Anyway, I’m sorry if the sappy sentimentalism was too much. I can try to reign it in if you guys don’t like it.<br />
<br />
Cosimo, Maeve’s horse, was created by PharaohHound and can be downloaded <a href="http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=478480">here</a> on Mod The Sims.Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15791098360536318915noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313971805424558707.post-53641859513019944522012-09-21T17:06:00.000-07:002013-05-03T08:37:04.424-07:00[Prologue] Chapter 1: Back to the Beginning<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Nine steps from the street to the door. Luca McKinley sighs, feeling relieved. Nine is good. At his childhood home in Lucky Palms, he had to walk exactly seventeen steps to the front door, an unlucky number if he ever heard of one. <br />
<br />
Luca tries not to be superstitious. Really, he does. Because after all, he doesn’t believe in all that nonsense. But numbers… Numbers are different. He lives for numbers, thinks and dreams and breathes in numbers. Everything has a number to him. The number of bites he eats, the number of people he meets, the number of words he speaks. <br />
<br />
Back home, folks claimed he was a genius. “<i>How can you remember so many numbers?</i>” they would ask, shaking their heads. <br />
<br />
He tried to explain that every number has a special significance and knowing that relationship was surely safer and easier than <i>not</i> knowing it, but they didn’t seem to care. He could pull dates and figures out of his head like some sort of circus freak, and that’s all that mattered to them. The town genius, that’s what he was.<br />
<br />
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<br />
A knock at the door interrupts his musings. Neighbors, arriving to welcome him to the street.<br />
<br />
“So, you’ve taken over the old Adler place?” the woman asks amicably after introducing herself as Evelyn Lockwood.<br />
<br />
Luca nods. “Finn Adler is my stepdad,” he explains. “He sold this house to me after I got offered an internship at Jericho’s hospital downtown.”<br />
<br />
“Glad someone’s finally moving in here,” she chirps, looking him up and down with wide, curious eyes. “This old building’s been vacant for years, ever since I can remember. I’m honestly surprised it’s still inhabitable at all.”<br />
<br />
“Well, it does need some work I suppose,” Luca concedes.<br />
<br />
“Work!” a small voice chimes in. “It needs a bulldozer and a wrecking ball, if you ask me.”<br />
<br />
Luc glances down, startled by the sudden input from below. “And who are you?” he asks with a forced smile. Children make him nervous.<br />
<br />
“Emily,” she beams proudly. “Emily Lockwood.”<br />
<br />
“Emily!” Evelyn scolds. “What have I told you about speaking to grownups?!”<br />
<br />
“Children should be seen and not heard,” Emily chants while making a face. <br />
<br />
Evelyn scowls at her daughter, not wanting to make a scene in front of their new neighbor. “Well, we’d best be scooting along Mr. McKinley, but we’ll be seeing you around I’m sure.”<br />
<br />
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<br />
In all honesty, Luca’s new house needs more than a little work. With no useable kitchen, he heads out to the local sports bar to grab some dinner.<br />
<br />
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<br />
A familiar voice interrupts him during halfway through his autumn salad.<br />
<br />
“Luca McKinley!” he calls. “Is that really you?”<br />
<br />
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<br />
“Gibson!” Luca jumps up to greet him. “How’d you know I was here?”<br />
<br />
Gibson smirks. “April told me.”<br />
<br />
“April couldn’t keep a secret to save her life,” Luca exclaims, smiling in spite of himself. “Where is she? Where’s Alex?”<br />
<br />
“They’re fighting. Again.”<br />
<br />
Luca nods. Alex and Gibson were his best friends back in Lucky Palms, and April was Alex’s high school sweetheart. The three of them moved to Jericho last year, but being a few years younger than them Luca had to wait until he graduated.<br />
<br />
“How are they doing?” he asks quietly. April and Alex were the “it” couple in high school, but unfortunately for them “it” happened to include more fighting than loving.<br />
<br />
“Oh, you know. They’ve broken up twice since we moved here, and April is threatening to move out again. There’s somebody else apparently.”<br />
<br />
“I changed my mind,” Luca laughs. “I don’t really want to know.”<br />
<br />
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<br />
Gibson offers to buy the very broke Luca a drink, and he readily accepts. <br />
<br />
They talk for a while, and Gibson tells Luc all about his latest flings. His friend has always been a bit flamboyant, and apparently Gibson has found a demographic who can appreciate his love of sparkly objects, pink flamingoes, and leopard print wallpaper. <br />
<br />
“Cougars!” he declares excitedly. “They can’t get enough of me! I’m with Rachel right now, but you know, Luca, she has a sister who’s finer than a nicely aged bottle of wine. I could set you up if you’re interested…”<br />
<br />
Luca chuckles. “Nah, I’m fine going solo at the moment.”<br />
<br />
“Still not over Nicole?” he complains. “Dude, she dumped you months ago…”<br />
<br />
Luca just shrugs and changes the subject. He’s not ready to talk about it yet.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd0ISfglkpuZZyHewkeWM_acMV4P2W9wbPnL6Ys8KyUBmTgXjNNVndvbx07w1vofzWGDv-JpHwyYf6cERzdwLB-osirGPsqRn6_fVoJFzf6xkJHe5vTisA3xRs-L-GWKauZrXanqJ872o/s1600/Screenshot-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd0ISfglkpuZZyHewkeWM_acMV4P2W9wbPnL6Ys8KyUBmTgXjNNVndvbx07w1vofzWGDv-JpHwyYf6cERzdwLB-osirGPsqRn6_fVoJFzf6xkJHe5vTisA3xRs-L-GWKauZrXanqJ872o/s1600/Screenshot-7.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
A sleeping bag on the floor is the only comfort that awaits him when he gets home later that night. He starts his first day of work tomorrow, and he wants to be fully rested for whatever they have in store.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj15ppfDLQnG13PH6V5-ioVX8rH9-o2TnJNTAXx4kulrxgM5mp4DztbBOmLoOdvx33A4TE0P_CxLMsFr-vrf-zJhPcmaMSMbRnH-8IvEhWqxUUsCnGoXIK69S0aayeyLyxEfZatPpzcE1E/s1600/Screenshot-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj15ppfDLQnG13PH6V5-ioVX8rH9-o2TnJNTAXx4kulrxgM5mp4DztbBOmLoOdvx33A4TE0P_CxLMsFr-vrf-zJhPcmaMSMbRnH-8IvEhWqxUUsCnGoXIK69S0aayeyLyxEfZatPpzcE1E/s1600/Screenshot-8.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
…Which apparently isn’t much. They give him the title of “organ donor” and tell him to find some odd jobs to do around the hospital until such a time as they need to borrow his heart or his brain or another such vital body part. He assumes that they are merely joking and that this is just some phasing thing they put all the new interns through in hopes of scaring them off, but he isn’t entirely sure.<br />
<br />
Nevertheless, Luca heads to the library after work to perfect his logic skills. You know, just in case he needs to reason them out of something drastic.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheLOlDlhLN4ds6VdeIKw2P2jCD494F0ao_fuMFCBQHrc9cdGGRWzcRApuDArl1iN44sGsDH0YQU8yKxnc6Nx9Omfi-a-ZMC9_FmBHFlS8bpb2cSP8hOJtHG5ziL0lVkKuBksdo4odgzcg/s1600/Screenshot-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheLOlDlhLN4ds6VdeIKw2P2jCD494F0ao_fuMFCBQHrc9cdGGRWzcRApuDArl1iN44sGsDH0YQU8yKxnc6Nx9Omfi-a-ZMC9_FmBHFlS8bpb2cSP8hOJtHG5ziL0lVkKuBksdo4odgzcg/s1600/Screenshot-9.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
“Hi there, Mr. McKinley!” Emily hollers, startling Luca out of his steadfast concentration. “Whatcha doin’ here?”<br />
<br />
Luca looks up at her and frowns. “What are <i>you</i> doing here?” he demands, not hiding his annoyance.<br />
<br />
“Oh, I come here every day after school,” she replies nonchalantly as she hops into the chair across from him. “My mom works afternoons and evenings at the diner in old town, so she makes me come here to do my homework until Mrs. Callahan can pick me up and drive me home.”<br />
<br />
“Well, you better get to it then,” Luca replies after a moment, hoping she’ll go away and leave him alone. <br />
<br />
“I already finished it all,” Emily grins. “Let’s play chess!”<br />
<br />
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<br />
Seeing no way out of this, Luca sets up the pieces, and they begin to play. Luc doesn’t really know how to talk to children, but lucky for him Emily seems just fine to do all the talking herself. She jabbers on and on about her schoolmates and her teachers and her mom’s cousin’s boyfriend’s great uncle Fred, all the while totally oblivious to Luca’s discomfort. <br />
<br />
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<br />
Suddenly, Emily stops talking and glances up. “Checkmate,” she smirks.<br />
<br />
Luca looks stunned. “But… How could- I haven’t been beaten at chess in years,” Luc stammers. “How’d you-”<br />
<br />
“I don’t know. Guess I’m just awesome or something. Wanna play again?” she asks, her eyes sparkling with glee.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Emily ends up winning two out of the three games they play.<br />
<br />
“You’re really talented,” Luca declares. He’s beyond impressed that a fourth grader could whoop him so badly. “I bet you’d make an amazing doctor someday,” he tells her absently.<br />
<br />
Emily shakes her head. “Nah, I’m failing in math right now. I understand chess because it’s a game, you know? With a clear winner and loser. I just get it, that’s all.”<br />
<br />
“You’re failing?” he asks, frowning. <br />
<br />
“Numbers,” she explains. “They don’t make sense to me. It’s all just a bunch of gobbledygook.”<br />
<br />
“Numbers are beautiful,” Luca insists. “They represent logic in its purest form. They bring order from chaos, certainty from ambiguity.”<br />
<br />
Luca laughs at the glazed expression on her face. “Well, anyway, it’s just something to think about,” he says as he gets to his feet to leave. “Have a good night, Emily.”<br />
<br />
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<br />
The next day at the library, Luca runs into Emily again. Hoping to avoid another embarrassing loss at the chess table, he offers to help her with her math homework, and she eagerly accepts. <br />
<br />
“I was thinking about what you said yesterday,” she announces suddenly. “And I decided that I do want to be a doctor when I grow up. But I told my teacher Mrs. Gallagher about it, and she said that I’m not smart enough.”<br />
<br />
“And you believed her?!”<br />
<br />
“Well, duh! She’s a teacher. An <i>adult</i>. She knows everything!”<br />
<br />
“I’m an adult too, Emily, and I say you are plenty bright enough to become a doctor.”<br />
<br />
“Really, Mr. McKinley? You think so?”<br />
<br />
“Of course. And please, call me Luca. All my friends do.”<br />
<br />
Emily’s eyes widen in astonishment. “I’ve never had a grownup friend before!” she exclaims.<br />
<br />
Luca laughs nervously. “What about your mom?” he asks.<br />
<br />
“Nah, she doesn’t like me very much. She says I’m a burden on her pocketbook and the biggest mistake of her life. I heard her telling her boyfriend, Mr. Martin, that one day.”<br />
<br />
Seeing the dejected look on her young face, Luca grinds his teeth irritably. He knows what it’s like to be unwanted by your parents, to feel like an inconvenience rather than a blessing. It’s why he left Lucky Palms as soon as he was old enough and why he hasn’t looked back since.<br />
<br />
“Why don’t I tutor you, Emily?” he offers without really thinking about what he’s saying. “I can meet you here at the library after school, and we can work through some of your homework problems. I bet you’ll be making A’s in that class in no time, and you’ll be well on your way to getting whatever job you want.”<br />
<br />
“Really?” she squeals. “That’d be awesome Mr. K!”<br />
<br />
“Mr. K?” he laughs. <br />
<br />
“I don’t like the name Luca,” she explains. “It sounds like a girl’s name. So from now on you’re Mr. K to me.”<br />
<br />
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<br />
Between his grueling work schedule at the hospital and his afternoon tutoring sessions with Emily, Luca finds very little time to spend with his friends, but tonight he joins them for an evening of video gaming.<br />
<br />
“You look like a librarian in that sweater,” Gibson teases as Luca sits down to join them.<br />
<br />
“So says the guy in the hot pink flamingo vest,” Alex counters.<br />
<br />
“Jealous?” Gibson smirks.<br />
<br />
“Guys, can we find nothing better to talk about than <i>clothes</i>?” Luca demands. “You all sound like a bunch of girls…”<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
“I hate losing,” Gibson grumbles after Alex beats him and Luca for the fourth time in a row. “Let’s go out and meet some chicks or something.”<br />
<br />
“Can’t,” Alex grins. “April’s coming over later. I think we’re going to get back together again.”<br />
<br />
Luca and Gibson both roll their eyes. <br />
<br />
“Me and Luca will go alone then,” Gibson decides. Turning to face Luc, he asks, “But you’re going to change right? I mean, a sweater? Seriously?”<br />
<br />
“Jealous?” Luca winks.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGfxCyKfDLhnpZ43vdugjiRqTIQc9Y2o2aGa-7ui5OAvFKs7_fqN9t6G5yCP5454kqLbB3mngWGfNNLOg0SfZhcBRma4czTRDRK_8eKKAl5Yl03SmolvIruev41lzcagQdNybsTZcSBkA/s1600/Screenshot-16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGfxCyKfDLhnpZ43vdugjiRqTIQc9Y2o2aGa-7ui5OAvFKs7_fqN9t6G5yCP5454kqLbB3mngWGfNNLOg0SfZhcBRma4czTRDRK_8eKKAl5Yl03SmolvIruev41lzcagQdNybsTZcSBkA/s1600/Screenshot-16.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
“We’re getting you laid tonight,” Gibson declares as he settles himself down at a table and surveys his surroundings. <br />
<br />
“I <i>told</i> you, Gibson. I’m not ready to start dating yet.”<br />
<br />
“Sex does not equal a relationship, dude!” he retorts. “What about her? She’s fiiiine.”<br />
<br />
Luca just shakes his head and keeps quiet, hoping that his friend will find another distraction to keep him occupied.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Which he does. Rachel Lancaster arrives a little while later and wholly succeeds at dominating Gibson’s famously short attention span.<br />
<br />
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<br />
That is, of course, until Gibson politely suggests that they move things to the privacy of the elevator, to which Rachel responds that she’ll need much more persuading than that if he expects her to woohoo in public.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Apparently, persuasion is Gibson’s specialty.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Having been ditched by both of his friends in favor of other women, Luca decides that he has had enough and heads home to his life as a bachelor. He doesn’t need a woman in his life, or so he tries to convince himself.<br />
<br />
(In the background, Margaret Henson, the mayor’s wife, hits on the semi-famous professional athlete Lucas Fox, but realizing the importance of maintaining a good working relationship between his team and the local government Lucas refuses her advances. That, and Margaret Henson will hit on anything that moves.)<br />
<br />
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<br />
Luca was recently promoted to paramedic, and with his new job comes new responsibilities. Today, he is in charge of running a vaccination clinic at the local cemetery. (Yes, the cemetery…) There have been rumors lately of a mysterious disease killing toddlers and children in rural areas of Sim Nation, but as of yet none of these cases have been confirmed. Still, people are growing uneasy about the whole situation, and in an attempt to stave off panic the county government has decided to hold these free clinics in order to show people that “they care”.<br />
<br />
Naturally, none of the vaccinations prevent anything more than the common flu, but it’s the effort that counts (or at least they hope so anyway).<br />
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Vanessa Hartwell wonders if ANTIFREEZE is safe to inject into a pregnant woman.<br />
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Luca assures her that it is. “After all, I’m a doctor,” he tells her. Well, he will be soon enough…<br />
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The following afternoon at the library, Luca has to deal with an unexpected medical emergency. Richard Henson, Jericho’s snooty mayor, is not feeling so well.<br />
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Adrienne Rivera looks on in disbelief. “I can’t believe I voted for such a sissy,” she mumbles irritably.<br />
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Luca is on the job in minutes. Luckily for Mr. Henson, he just happens to have a pocket-size defibrillator on hand.<br />
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Emily watches in awe as Luca checks his vitals, runs through his symptoms, and comes up with a diagnosis. It doesn’t matter to her that the old grouch was just suffering from a sudden onset of food poisoning. In her eyes, Luca is a hero, and she decides right then and there that she wants to be just like him when she grows up.<br />
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Evelyn, Emily’s mother, got promoted recently and often works late, so Luca, who lives just next door from them, has begun taking care of Emily in the evenings. Tonight, Emily wants to hear a bedtime story, and Luca happily obliges. <br />
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“That was so cool today at the library!” she tells him enthusiastically.<br />
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“What? The thing with Mr. Henson?” Luca asks.<br />
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“You saved him!” she exclaims.<br />
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“From a nasty bout of vomiting perhaps, but nothing more.”<br />
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“Would you save me, if I ever got sick?”<br />
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Luca smiles and tweaks her nose. “Of course, squirt. I won’t let anything happen to you.”<br />
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“Promise?” she demands with a big fat yawn.<br />
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“Promise,” he replies with a smile.<br />
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<u><b>Challenge Notes:</b></u><br />
<br />
Welcome to my new (…old) legacy! I decided to start over (again) because I was terribly, miserably unhappy with my last attempt, and I really want to write something that I’m proud of. For those of you who followed my old legacy (or legacies), Luca McKinley is Danielle McKinley’s oldest child and my chosen heir. After weeks of consideration, I decided to age him up to a young adult, move him to Jericho, and start fresh. I am so sorry for not finishing up my last generation, but it got to the point where I simply couldn’t bring myself to play anymore due to my frustration with Danielle and her story. At least with Luca I am enjoying myself once again, which is, after all, the whole point of this challenge (in my opinion at least).<br />
<br />
Because I’m sure inquiring minds want to know, Gibson, Alex, and April (who is a bit camera shy) are all from Lucky Palms. They were Luca’s childhood school mates and his best friends growing up, and I couldn’t bear to leave them behind in the desert.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I just want to say thank you to all of you guys who have stuck with me so far. I am going to do my best with this legacy, and maybe someday I will actually finish ten generations! <br />
<br />
P.S. I had no idea that inactive Sims could autonomously woohoo in public, but good ‘ole Gibson had to go and show me a new feature of the game. Of course, Rachel really did refuse his initial woohoo request, but I guess he eventually won her over. =PBuckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15791098360536318915noreply@blogger.com20