Chapter 13: Family Time

Lily hates leaving baby Ethan with Kristopher, but Sim law is very clear. Tessa died without a will, so custody immediately passes to the father. However, she resolves to keep an eye on the child, for the sake of her friend.

Despite being distraught about the future of Tessa's son, things are going well at home. Leo is thrilled about becoming a father, and Lily can't wait to start planning the wedding.

The delivery goes seamlessly, and Lily gives birth to not one but two healthy babies. A boy arrives first, and they name him Paxton. A little girl comes along next, and Lily calls her Beatrix.

With the arrival of the twins, Leo decides that they need to move to a bigger house with more land. He wants a home that his rapidly expanding family can grow into.

While Grandma Dakota watches the babies, Leo takes Lily to see a house that he thinks might work. Lily immediately falls in love with the house's soothing blue color scheme and beach-y feel. Without delay, the new parents purchase the property and move in.

Dakota takes a much more active role in the lives of her grandchildren than she ever did with Lily.

A doting dad, Leo can't get enough of his daughter Beatrix.

For the twin's birthdays, Lily decides to throw a big party. Phillip shows up, and Dakota can't resist bragging to him about her beautiful grand-babies.

His daughter Matilda, now a teenager, makes an appearance at the celebration as well. Her neuroses make it hard for her to enjoy the party, but unlike her mother she at least made the effort of showing up.

In the background, Tommy Ottomas, a good friend of Leo's and a long time married man, offers the soon-to-be-husband some marital advice. The three women on the couch, all unmarried, complain about the lack of eligible bachelors at the party.

Soon, it's time for the cake! Paxton, the oldest, goes first.

He has Leo's gray eyes. Who he got the blonde hair from is anyone's best guess.

Beatrix inherits her dad's black and blue hair and his gray eyes.

Leo's daycare business has become quite the family affair. When Dakota isn't upgrading appliances around the house or cooking meals for the family, she spends her time helping out with the toddlers. Likewise, Lily enjoys bringing Paxton and Beatrix down to the daycare center to play with the other kids.

Lily finds herself especially interested in one of Leo's new additions. Kristopher recently enrolled Ethan at the daycare, and Lily can't help but fuss over the poor, motherless toddler.

Ethan and Beatrix play together at the blocks table. They seem to get along fairly well, even at this young age.

Despite his reservations about Kristopher, Leo takes a keen interest in Ethan and even helps teach the boy to talk.

With the wedding just around the corner, Leo chats with the toddler about the upcoming event. Lily's been so preoccupied with the twins that Leo has had to do almost all of the planning himself.

The big days arrives at last. While the groom and his best man Paxton relax together in the groom's suite...

The bride and her little bridesmaid Beatrix fight a severe case of cold feet.

The ceremony goes off without a hitch however.

And Lily and Leo are married at last.

The event itself is quite small so the happy couple is actually able to sneak off and get a few minutes alone.

Which is abruptly interrupted by a scathing glare from Dakota. Apparently, she doesn't think that whatever Leo is saying to Lily is appropriate for Beatrix's ears.

After they put the toddlers to bed that evening, the newlyweds finally get some proper alone time. It's the first chance they've had to really be together since Paxton and Beatrix were born, and Leo makes the most of it.


Challenge Notes:

So yes, Lily had twins. I was so excited I literally started jumping up and down. And Beatrix is for sure going to be the heir. I like her hair color a million times more than Paxton's. When he aged up with blonde hair, I was seriously like What. The. Eff. I even went into a new copy of Riverblossom Hills to see if Leo's adopted mother, Vita Blanche, had blonde hair. But no, she had gray hair. So, yeah, no clue where that came from, lol. Here are my rolls for generation 3:

Generation 3 Information:

Name- Beatrix West
Marital Status- Single Parent
Number of Children- 2
Primary Income- Firefighter
Secondary Income- N/A
Generation Goal- Awesome!
Miscellaneous Fun- It's so YOU

I have always wanted to roll the "Awesome!" generation goal, but I have absolutely no idea what to do for it. The rules state that it is "preferable" to do something related to your heir's career or traits. Her career is firefighter, and her traits, thus far, are brave, good, and athletic. Nothing obviously awesome about that. I will have to think long and hard about this one.

Anyway, I ended up doing the wedding at this butterfly pavilion. It was a DISASTER! I shouldn't have brought the toddlers, as it was such a mess trying to look after them. And the venue was very pretty, but no one actually bothered to sit down to watch the wedding. I think there might have been some routing problems.

And Ethan! I cannot wait for him to become a young adult! I was planning on letting Tessa and Kristopher have more kids, but then her death fit so well into the story that I couldn't resist. I am curious what their spawn looks like. So far, he's adorable, but we shall have to wait and see.

Chapter 12: The Vampire's Muse, Part 2

Lily's never been much of a homebody, and even though she's pregnant she still frequents the bars and restaurants around town.

This afternoon, Lily meets up with Phillip to tell him about her pregnancy and engagement to Leo.

Poor Phillip sometimes gets confused now that he's older, but he smiles feebly and wishes her and Leo all the best. It saddens Lily to see him like this, but she knows deep down that he's happy for her.

Lily is just about to go rescue the bartender from Phillip's aimless ramblings when a woman comes over and introduces herself.

"Hello," she murmurs quietly. Lily leans in, struggling to hear her wispy voice above the music. "My name is Tessa Lockharte, and I'm new to town." She glances at Lily nervously before adding, "I noticed that you're pregnant as well."

Lily laughs. "Yes, I'm still quite a ways from my due date though. What about you? When are you due?" she asks, eying her large stomach.

"Oh, any day now," Tessa tells her shyly.

"I'm Lily West," she says as she firmly extends her hand in greeting. Lily notices that Tessa's grip is weak and her skin feels cool and clammy.

The woman seems taken aback. "You're Lily West?" she asks, stunned.

Lily gazes at her, confused. "Well, yes... Do I know you?" she scans her face, trying to place her.

"Oh, no. I'm sorry for being so forward," she mumbles apologetically. "Kristopher told me all about you. He neglected to mention, however, that you were pregnant..."

"Kristopher?" she repeats. It's been a few months since she's heard that name, and although it sounds vaguely familiar she can't quite match a face to it.

"Kristopher von Hagen..." Tessa says patiently as she anxiously stares at the ground.

Suddenly, his image materializes in her mind, and she recalls their last encounter as if it were yesterday. She hadn't even realized the vampire was still in town. "You know Kristopher?!" Lily tries to sound calm, but a hint of panic rings through her voice. She can't put her finger on it, but even the sound of his name puts her on edge.

Tessa smiles timidly. "I know him intimately," she replies as she gestures toward her swollen belly.

Lily racks her brain, trying to remember her last conversation with the vampire. He had mentioned a traveling companion, but she hadn't realized he'd arrived with his girlfriend.

As Lily stares at the woman, trying to get her mind around this new bit of information, Tessa squirms uncomfortably. "I'm sorry for how Kristopher treated you," she begins. "He can be a bit overwhelming at first."

"Tessa," Lily hesitates, unsure of how to broach the subject. "Kristopher was rather, um, forward with me when we met," she tells her, desperately hoping that she doesn't need to spell it out further.

Tessa laughs, but her eyes are serious. "Lily, you seem like a sweet girl. Can I be completely honest with you?"

Lily nods, and Tessa takes a deep breath before launching into her story. "Before we came to Riverblossom Hills, Kristopher and I lived in a land up North, a wild and lawless place where the ruling families fought with each other for control. After years of turmoil amongst the vampires in our clan, Kristopher tried to overthrow our leader. When his mutiny attempt failed, he and I were to be executed. We narrowly escaped alive." She pauses, watching Lily intently.

"We were planning on going all the way to Bridgeport," she explains, "but as soon as we arrived in Riverblossom, Kristopher got a whiff of your scent. He told me that the Watcher sent him a vision, a vision of two families united to form a powerful entity, practically undefeatable. He made it very clear that we were to stay and set up our home in Riverblossom Hills."

Noticing Lily's puzzled expression, she continues. "I was grateful to stop here. Exhausted from our journey and on the brink of starvation, a visit from the reaper was imminent. That night when you first met Kristopher, he was searching for medical care for me. We found out about my pregnancy that evening at the hospital, and I knew Kristopher was right. We had to stay and make Riverblossom our home.""

Lily stands silently listening to Tessa in disbelief. Vampire clans? Mutiny attempts? Visions from the Watcher? It is all too much.

Sensing her skepticism, Tessa pushes forward. "I understand this may be a bit hard to swallow. Sometimes, even I wonder if Kristopher knows what he's talking about. But I have to have faith in him. He's all I have left."

Lily glances around, making sure no one is listening. "He kept mentioning fate and destiny," she whispers to Tessa. "Honestly, I just assumed he was trying to get into my pants..."

Tessa frowns. "Don't you understand?" she interrupts. "In his vision, you and he joined together to create a mighty family, worthy of conquering the clan that exiled us." As Lily stares at her blankly, Tessa continues. "You are destined to mother his children, Lily."

Realizing the full scope of Tessa's statement, Lily's mouth falls open. "Tessa," she exclaims, "In case you haven't noticed, I am already taken..."

Tessa furrows her brow. "Yes... Yes, indeed I did. Kristopher is not going to be happy when he hears the news..."

Lily stops for a second, thinking over Tessa's last remark. "How do you feel about his 'vision' Tessa?" she asks. "You are already pregnant with his child... Surely it must bother you that he is actively seeking out another woman?"

Tessa laughs softly, but her eyes look sad. "In our country, poly-amorous relationships are the norm. I was one of many back home. His other lovers were not so fortunate as to be able to escape."

Lily looks shocked. It bothers her that any man would take advantage of this quiet, unassuming woman.

"Tessa, I need to go," Lily tells her. "But, why don't you come over tomorrow?" she offers. "You can meet my family, and we can talk some more."

Tessa, in turn, looks flabbergasted. "Really? You mean it?" she asks softly.

Lily smiles. "Absolutely."

The next morning while Leo works upstairs in his daycare, Lily and Tessa sit on the couch and chat. They keep their discussion light and easy and avoid talking about anything too serious. Mostly, they talk about babies, and their mutual fear of giving birth.

They quickly become close friends, so when Lily decides to have a bachelorette party, she makes sure Tessa gets invited.

Dakota is thrilled by her daughter's pregnancy and impending nuptials. Lily begs her mom not to come to her bachelorette party, but Dakota can't resist.

And boy, does she make her presence known:

 First she hits on the male dancer that someone (points finger at Dakota) hired for the party.

After harassing the innocent male stripper, she insists on terrorizing Lily's friends with a potent bottle of champagne. Luckily, Lily is a bit preoccupied tonight.

Kristopher shows up to the celebration unannounced and uninvited. When Lily notices him, she immediately loses her temper.

"What the hell do you think you are doing here?!" she demands. 

"I had to come and see for myself," he tells her coldly. "Tessa mentioned that you were pregnant, but I didn't believe her. Unfortunately, it appears that she was right."

"What does it matter to you?" she yells. "I want nothing to do with you or your vampire cult!"

"No," he says quietly. "No, I suppose not. Perhaps I was mistaken. Perhaps you are not the woman in my vision. Perhaps it is your child that I need..." he mutters to himself.

Hearing those words, Lily snaps. "Stay away from me and my family!" she screams at him. "We want nothing to do with you or your kind!"

His cold eyes meet hers, and he smirks. "You can only protect your family for so long Lily. You are mortal after all and will perish long before I even start to age. Then, perhaps, I will have my chance."

And with that, he turns and leaves, speeding away before she can even respond.

When Tessa shows up later that night, Lily immediately heads over to talk to her.

"I think you need to leave Kristopher," she tells her, cutting right to the chase. 

Tessa frowns. "Lily, he's all I have left..."

"He's evil, Tess. You need to protect yourself and your unborn child and get out of that house before anything happens."

"Lily, I know you think you're looking out for me, but Kristopher is a good soul. He just comes across a bit strong at times..."

Lily looks at her sadly. She knows it's a losing battle, but it would kill her to see anything happen to Tessa. "Just promise me, that if you ever feel unsafe, you will leave him immediately."

Tessa smiles. She's never had a friend who cared about her so much. "I promise Lily."

That night at the party, Tessa goes into labor.

With Kristopher nowhere to be found, Lily rushes Tessa to the hospital. After a long and difficult labor, she finally gives birth to a baby boy. But Tessa's joy turns to anguish as her weakened body struggles to handle the painful delivery. As Lily sits beside her, soothingly stroking her hair, Tessa's life quickly fades. She dies that night, without even naming her newborn son.

"What did she want to call him?" a nurse asks Lily.

Lily sits on the edge of the bed, tears pouring down her cheeks, her fingers tightly intertwined with Tessa's lifeless hand.

And, as if Tessa was whispering in her ear, Lily says "Ethan. She wants him to be named Ethan."

Challenge Notes:

I definitely went in a different direction here, but I hope this update explains things a bit more. I apologize for the walls of text and minimal pictures, but a lot of it was dialogue and those chatting photographs get repetitive really fast.

I struggled with a name for Tessa's son. He was born with the name "Dusty", and I really didn't find that fitting. Ethan means strong, and I think it suits the circumstances surrounding his birth.

Chapter 9: Closure

As she runs her fingers through the silky soft white sand, Lily finds herself staring hopelessly off into space. It's 2 o'clock in the morning, and no one has come looking for her yet. Not Phillip, not Leo, not even the cops.

After that horrific fight with her mom, Lily took off. She thought about going to Phillip's, but she knew he would take her straight back to Dakota. She also considered finding Leo, but now that he is a young adult he could get in serious trouble for taking her in.

So she wound up here, sitting alone in the sandbox at the park, pondering her next move.

She isn't alone for long though, as the police show up within a matter of minutes.

"Hey, you there!" the officer shouts. Lily considers making a run for it but decides against it. She probably could outrun the doughnut-loving cop, but where would she go? No, better to just get this over with, she surmises.

Without complaint, she gets into his squad car. She is polite and obeys his orders, so he let's her ride up front. She stares wistfully out the window, dreading her mother's reaction.

"Where on earth have you been?!" Dakota tries to sound angry but only worry comes through.

"What the hell does it matter to you?" Lily furiously retorts. "I'm the biggest mistake you ever made, remember?! Why do you care what happens to me?"

"Lily, I'm sorry," Dakota replies, her voice cracking with anguish. "I didn't mean it like that."

Lily snorts disdainfully.

"Lily, I love you," Dakota says simply, tears forming in her tired eyes. "I love you more than anything, and I want, no I need, you to know that." She begins to sob, her elderly figure shriveled with a lifetime of regrets.

Suddenly, Lily feels overcome with exhaustion. All of her feelings about Dakota come rushing to the surface. No matter what her mother said to her, no matter how horribly she behaved, Lily loves her, and it pains her to see her mother cry.

"I know you love me, Mom," she replies gently. Pausing for a moment, she adds, "I love you too."

Dakota reaches over and gently pats Lily's arm. "I am so lucky to have you as my daughter," she murmurs.

Lily smiles feebly, and complaining about a headache she heads up to bed.

Just as she expected, Dakota gets a call from Phillip the next morning.

"Lily got brought home by the cops?!" his voice roars down the line.

Dakota chuckles in spite of herself. "Phil, it's alright," she responds calmly. "We worked it out."

"That's not good enough Dakota! I need details."

She smiles. He is acting just like any angry father would. "Why don't we meet up and talk about it?" she offers. 

He agrees and they decide to meet at the beach later that afternoon.

"What is going on Dakota?" he asks her earnestly.

Dakota looks at him sadly. Just like her, he recently became an elder, and it shocks her to see how much older he looks.

"I miss you Phil," she begins. "Lily and I both do."

Phillip sighs. Despite the strong love he has for his children, he feels incomplete without Dakota in his life. Gina's mood swings are practically unbearable these days, and he finds that she's growing more and more distant with each passing year.

"I miss you too, Dakota," he says, his eyes shining as he fights back tears. He desperately wants to sweep her into his arms and kiss her with the passion he's held back for so long. But he can't do that to his family. He won't put them through that.

They spend the afternoon catching up with each other. Dakota talks about her fight with Lily, while Phillip listens with his trademark patience. He doesn't scold Dakota for her behavior, but she can tell that he's disappointed in her.

Phillip tells Dakota about his children. He and Gina had a son, whom they named August. Dakota let's him gush on and on about his kids, remembering how he used to do the same thing when Lily was a child.

As the sun begins to set, they part ways, Phillip promising to stay in touch. Dakota wonders if he really will.

Meanwhile, Lily meets up with a very grown up Leo. From the gossip at school, she knows how women all over town have been swooning over him since he became an adult. She constantly finds herself wondering if he's going to wait for her. Honestly, he made no promises when they were teens, so she can't really expect him to.

"I heard you got arrested by the cops," he announces.

"Yep. My mom and I got into a fight, and, well, I stayed out after curfew."

Leo frowns. "Why didn't you call me? You know I would have been there in a second."

Lily scowls. "I didn't want to get you involved. Besides, I can take care of myself."

"I know you can Lily, but I want to be there for you."

She feels butterflies dance in her stomach as he says those words. Perhaps the rumors about him dating other women are wrong?

"I don't need you, or anyone else," she tells him.

"So stubborn!" he smirks. "I've always loved that about you."

Lily feels like her stomach is doing somersaults. She can't take it any longer. She needs to know. "Leo," she begins, her heart racing. "Are you seeing anyone else?"

Leo looks down at her, flabbergasted. "Lily, is there something you want to tell me?"

"No!" she exclaims, realizing she might have given him the wrong idea. "I just want to know. I mean, the buzz around town is that you are exploring your options... Which is fine," she rambles, "I just don't want to be in the dark is all. You can see whoever you please, and do whatever you want with them. Not that I want you to do things with them, but I..."

Leo puts a finger on her lips, and gazing into her eyes, he grins. "I'm sorry Lily, I didn't realize my intentions were unclear." He pulls her close, and whispers, "I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I will wait for you, forever if I have to."

Lily blushes. He's never told her that he loves her before. "I love you too Leo," she murmurs.

The next day, Lily celebrates her birthday at home. She only invites one person to watch her blow out the candles on her birthday cake: her mother, Dakota.

And so Lily becomes a young adult. As a firsthand witness to her mother's rocky love life and ultimately her broken heart, Lily leaves her childhood with a deep-seated fear of commitment.

Challenge Notes:

And generation 2 has officially begun! I posted Lily's rolls on the sidebar underneath her picture, if you are interested. The final tally of her traits are as follows: Party Animal/Clumsy/Artistic/Charismatic/Commitment Issues. I chose to make her final trait commitment issues not because I love (or even like) that trait, but because I feel like it fits with her life experiences. After all, she grew up watching Phillip (her father figure) break her mother's heart and then abandon them for another woman.

Besides, Lily rolled couple as her marital status, so it will be an interesting challenge to figure out how to make that work.

Also, I think I've mentioned this before, but I'm going to say it again: Dakota and Lily are CLONES of each other. Literally. Take a look. The following pictures are of Dakota as a young adult and Lily, dressed identically, as a young adult. It's freaky, huh?

Dakota:

Lily:

P.S. Thumbs up to anyone who noticed the glaring inconsistency in one of my photographs. :)