Chapter 11: The Vampire's Muse, Part 1

Once Lily and Leo settle in together, Leo makes an announcement.

"I want to run a small daycare out of the house," he says casually over breakfast one morning.

Lily chokes on her bite. "You want to spend your days wiping snotty noses and changing stinky diapers?" she asks incredulously when she can breathe again.

"I love kids," Leo replies, unfazed. "Early childhood development fascinates me."

Honestly, the idea of having bratty little children running all around her home does not thrill her, but Leo has seemed so depressed lately and if it will make him happy then she'll play along. She reluctantly gives him her blessing.

They convert Phillip's old bedroom into a playroom, and on Monday the first kids arrive. One of Leo's very first customers is August Grapevine, Phil and Gina's son.

While little Julius plays in the toy box, Leo sits down to teach August to talk.

"And she says she's not ready for marriage!" he complains to the small child.

August just giggles and chews on his fingers.

Meanwhile, Lily's career as a stylist is off to a strong start. The folks of Riverblossom Hills are extremely grateful for her design sense, and she finds herself quickly gaining notoriety in the fashion world.

But her career is not really her focus these days. Truly a party animal, she spends all of her spare time at the various nightclubs and lounges around town. She has become quite popular around Riverblossom, and she thoroughly enjoys the late night social scene.

"Do you want to go clubbing with me tonight?" she asks Leo one morning before work.

"Again?! Lily, we've been out three nights this week!" Leo sounds exasperated. "Why don't we stay in and have a nice, quiet evening at home?" he suggests.

"How boring!" she laughs. "Well, if you won't go out with me, then I'll just go by myself," she tells him stubbornly.

So that evening, she gets dressed up and heads for Howl, one of her favorite hangouts. She enjoys the eerie atmosphere and dark ambiance of the vampire hotspot. Tonight, the lounge seems especially spooky, and as she sits at the bar waiting for her drink a cold shiver runs through her spine.

Slowly, she turns around and sees a pale man with glowing eyes entering the room. She tries to ignore him, but his gaze is unnerving.

She slides off her bar stool and walks over to the other end of the lounge, away from the man. She doesn't know why, but it's all she can do to get him and his iridescent eyes out of her mind. He seems fixated on her now, and as he slowly approaches her, a faint smile crosses his lips.

He steps in front of her and holds out a hand in introduction. Nervously, Lily shakes it, noticing his skin feels deathly cold.

"Hi, I'm Lily West," she tells him, trying to sound more confident than she feels.

"Hello Lily," he says with practiced eloquence. "My name is Kristopher von Hagen."

Their eyes meet, and Lily freezes. Suddenly, agonizing pain erupts from her head, and she feels like her mind is on fire. She cringes and looks away, and within a few second the pain subsides.

"I'm sorry," she begins. "I got a terrible headache all of a sudden. I don't know what came over me-"

He starts to chuckle, a low, harmonious laugh that sounds almost musical.

"Excuse me?" Lily asks, confused.

"Your mind is much stronger than I initially assumed," he declares. "I wasn't prepared for such a fight." He gazes at her, trying to read her expression. "I sincerely apologize for any discomfort I caused."

"You tried to read my mind?!" she whispers furiously, looking around to see if anyone is listening. "You're a vampire," she accuses, glaring at him suspiciously.

"You sound surprised," he observes matter-of-factly. "I assumed you knew."

Lily can only stare, bewildered.

Taking advantage of her silence, he says, "After an arduous journey, my companion and I arrived in your quaint town last night. We came here seeking refuge and a new beginning, and we hope to find peace among your people. I believe your help will be invaluable in this endeavor."

"Riverblossom has a large vampire population," Lily explains quickly. "Perhaps one of them can offer you some assistance? I am merely a local stylist. I know nothing about the supernatural..." she trails off nervously, trying to avoid eye contact.

He pauses, watching her closely. "Lily West, our fates are unavoidably intertwined. I sensed your presence as soon as I entered town, and I knew I had to find you. Only a fool spits in the face of destiny."

Lily's eyes widen. "Sir," she begins, choosing her words carefully. "I honestly don't know what you are talking about. How can I possibly help you?"

"Time will tell, darling," he smirks, his eyes lightly passing over her breasts.

Lily's mouth falls open at his insinuation. Sensing her disgust, he changes tactics. Kristopher doesn't want to scare her away, not this early in the game. Besides, human females always play hard to get, he assures himself.

"My companion is horribly ill," he tells her. "She is very weak from our travels and desperately needs medical attention. Perhaps you can point me to the closest hospital?"

Glad to be on familiar ground once again, Lily willingly gives him directions to the local clinic. She finds this Kristopher character extremely unsettling and is relieved that he is leaving.

Before he goes, Kristopher takes her hand and whispers softly in her ear, "Until we meet again, darling." And before she can blink, he's gone.

Lily gazes breathlessly at the spot where he stood, trying to soak in what just happened. "If anything happened," she muses, wondering if the whole night was just a figment of her imagination.

She immediately heads home to Leo's waiting arms, grateful for his soothing presence.

"You seem rattled," he comments between kisses.

"I'm much better now," she tells him with a smile.

The next few days drag by so normally that Lily begins to wonder if Kristopher really was imagined. Leo's daycare has become quite popular, and another family has decided to unload their child on him. Lily's stylist work is steady as ever, and she continues to get frequent calls requesting her services.

Still a bit shaken by her encounter with the vampire, Lily has yet to go out clubbing again. Leo is quite enjoying their time at home alone together. This evening, he decides to surprise Lily in the shower.

After their little rendezvous, Lily announces that she's going back to Howl tonight.

"You wanna come?" she asks.

Leo sighs. "No. I wish I could, but I've gotta clean up the playroom before daycare starts tomorrow."

Lily kisses Leo goodbye and heads on her way. She is nervous about running into Kristopher, but for some reason she desperately needs to see him again.

She walks into the damp, dark bar, and before she even has a chance to look around Kristopher appears by her side.

"You came back, darling," he whispers over her shoulder.

She jerks around, coming face to face with the vampire. "Quit calling me that," she begs, worried that someone might hear.

"Why do you fight it?" he asks. "We are fate..."

She rolls her eyes. "I have boyfriend," she explains. "We are in love. In fact," she pauses, considering her next statement carefully. "In fact, we are going to get married," she tells him confidently.

"Marriage?" he spits the word at her like venom. "Marriage is only for people who are too weak to make it on their own," he exclaims.

She looks at him angrily. "What do you know? Can vampires even feel love?" she demands.

"Vampires have no need for love. Sex and blood is all it takes to satiate our thirst."

She gazes at him with sad eyes. "Too bad," she tells him bitterly. "Love is the greatest gift a human has."

She glances over to the door. "Speaking of," she grins as Leo walks into the bar. Kristopher immediately notices Leo as well, and he leaves in a hurry.

That night, as Lily and Leo make out in their underwear, she asks him to marry her. Just like her proposal, she wants the wedding to be casual and easy.

But before they can even set a date, Lily gets the surprise of her lifetime.

She's pregnant!


Challenge Notes:

First and foremost, I want to say Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! to CDreams for sharing Kristopher (AKA Alucard) with everyone. He is brilliant, and he fit so perfectly into my story. I really did not plan on giving him such a large role in my legacy, but he's just so handsome that I couldn't resist! I promise he won't be a frequent character. As far as I can tell, he makes one more appearance in  the next chapter, and then maybe another cameo down the road. But, that's it, unless he surprises me and pops up more than I expect.

I decided to add him and another Sim named Meadow to my town in order to diversify neighborhood genetics. Meadow is a spare from Melissa's (yangthecat/calisims') legacy who I have always adored. She will most likely appear in the next chapter under the name Tessa Lockharte. I honestly wasn't even thinking about having them in my story, but then I decided they added some much needed spice. Also, I thought Kristopher was the perfect character to introduce some supernatural elements (vampires!).

And, I apologize if this chapter seems unfinished. This update and the next one, chapter 12, are closely tied together, but it would be horrendously long if I attempted to make it into one single chapter. So, even though it's corny, I will say it:

TO BE CONTINUED...

Chapter 10: Love Vs. Lust

Lily decides to celebrate her newly minted adulthood by going out dancing with Leo. They meet up at the Cathedral, the hottest night club in Riverblossom Hills.

"Hi there, gorgeous," Leo grins as he draws her in for a kiss.

Both self-proclaimed party animals, Lily and Leo naturally gravitate to the dance floor. After dancing for hours, Leo casually asks Lily if she wants to go for walk with him down to the beach.

"You know, so we can be alone together," he explains.

Lily notices that Leo sounds uncharacteristically nervous. She gazes at him curiously, wondering what is going on, but she readily agrees.

At the beach, they sit down together to watch the stars. Lily snuggles close to Leo, comfortably leaning against him. She closes her eyes, trying to savor everything about this moment. For an instant, Lily feels complete, like she finally understands what it means to be loved.

Likewise, Leo feels himself relax as he sits beside her, his arm wrapped around her waist. Lily's presence soothes his rattled nerves, and he allows himself to sit back and enjoy the exquisite evening. Tonight, he's going to propose, and he wants everything to be perfect.

After a while, Leo helps Lily get to her feet. They stand together quietly for a minute, enjoying the absolute stillness of the night. Finally, Leo breaks the silence.

"Do you remember the first time we met?" he asks, his voice barely louder than a whisper.

"Sure I do," Lily smiles contentedly. "I was playing in the sandbox at the park, and you came over and sat down next to me."

"I thought you looked so lonely, sitting in that giant sandbox all by yourself," he reminisces. "Do you remember what you said to me?"

Lily giggles. "Of course I do."

"You told me you were never going to get married," Leo looks at her carefully, with questioning eyes. "Did you mean it Lily?"

Lily's heart begins to race. She tries to speak, but her tongue doesn't seem to want to work.

"I sure hope not," he says quickly. "Because there is something I want to ask you."

She looks at him apprehensively, her voice still stuck in her throat. She silently begs him not to do what she thinks he's about to.

Carefully, he gets down on one knee, and with an anxious smile he proclaims, "Lily West, I love you more than anyone else I've ever known. Will you marry me?"

The terrified expression on her face speaks for itself.

After a long silence, she pushes the lid of the box closed. Leo gazes at her, a pained expression on his face.

"I'm sorry Leo. It's not that I don't love you," she tells him softly. "I'm just not sure I'm ready for marriage. You understand, right?"

He slowly gets up off his knee, and with an edge of bitter disappointment in his voice, he replies, "I will wait for you then. Forever, if I need to."

"I don't deserve you," she murmurs weakly, her eyes full of tears.

He reaches out and gently strokes her cheek, wiping a teardrop off her face. "You deserve to be happy, Lily. You just need to realize it," he tells her.

That night, they go home separately, Lily wondering if she'll ever feel ready for marriage.

The following day, Lily heads down to the salon to apply for a job as a stylist. Ever since she was a child, she has watched the poor, colorblind souls of Riverblossom Hills struggle with fashion. Now that she is an adult, she feels her calling is clear.

The weekend arrives, and with it brings graduation. Lily and Leo share a ceremony, as they were classmates in high school.

"Congratulations Lily!" Leo sneaks in a kiss after the ceremony.

Lily laughs. "You deserve the congratulations, Mr. Valedictorian." She pauses for a second before saying, "We should go out tonight. To celebrate."

Leo hesitates. The pain from Lily's rejection still stings, but with a little persuasion he finally agrees.

That night, they go to the Reserve Tavern. Lily promptly heads to the bar and orders a Cherry Casanova. Never having been much of a drinker, the juice has an immediate effect on her. Her eyes widen, and she suddenly feels extremely turned on.

She slides out of her chair, and spotting Leo she immediately grabs him and pulls him into a passionate kiss.

When they come up for air, Leo looks at her questioningly. "What was that for?" he asks.

"You just look so sexy tonight," she exclaims.

The grumpy bartender kicks them out right before closing time. As they stand outside on the sidewalk kissing each other goodnight, Lily gets an idea.

"Come back to my place," she urges, giving him a rather suggestive look.

"Lily!" Leo sounds shocked. "But, don't you want to wait?"

"Wait for what?" she laughs. "No time like the present!"

"It's just... I thought..." Leo trails off, not really sure what to say. He'd always assumed they'd save it for their wedding night, but they never did have that discussion...

"Come on Leo!" she pleads. "I really want to..."

"Are you sure? I mean-"

"Yes," she interrupts. "I'm an adult now. I've waited long enough! Please, don't make me wait any longer," she begs.

Leo smiles anxiously. "Well, alright. If it's that important to you..."

She shrieks excitedly.

He follows her home, and she leads him to her bedroom. Pushing him onto the bed, she kisses him lustfully.

They spend the entire night making love, and the next morning Lily decides to ask Leo a question of her own.

"Last night was fabulous," she announces as they cuddle on the bed together, exhausted by their busy evening.

"You were amazing Lily," he tells her.

"How would you like to be able to do that every night?"

"What?" Leo asks, unsure of where this is going.

"I mean, what if you were to move in with me? Then we could be with each other all the time," she explains.

Leo hesitates. He would much rather live with Lily his wife than Lily his girlfriend, but as he doesn't think that is going to happen any time soon, he reluctantly agrees.

The very next day he moves into the West household to start his life with Lily. Sure, it may not be under the ideal circumstances, but he can adjust... Right?


Challenge Notes:

The events in this chapter *may* not have occurred in quite the same order as I wrote about them. But that is just because I needed control of Leo for some of the scenes (mainly the proposal). Other than that, it is pretty accurate, down to Lily rejecting Leo. She has commitment issues, so that is to be expected I guess.

This chapter was a bitch to write though. I kept deleting everything and starting over. *Sigh* I think I finally got it to come across the way I wanted, but it took forever! Hmm... I just realized I only talked about 2 people during this whole chapter. I hope it doesn't sound bland. Maybe I should rewrite it again... *Scratches head* Screw it, I'm leaving it this way! Hope you enjoy!

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. :)

Chapter 7: Wedding Woes

Phillip takes Gina to her favorite night club to propose.

Sanjay Ramaswami looks on with disgust. Gossip spreads like wildfire in Riverblossom Hills, and by now the entire town knows about Phillip and Gina's illegitimate child. Most people also know about Phil's feelings for Dakota. How could they not? He's been ogling her for years. With hushed voices, they whisper about the scandal, wondering what Phillip will do next.

Apparently, Sanjay disapproves of Phillip's decision.

As expected, Gina is thrilled. She decides to postpone the wedding until after the baby is born as she doesn't want to look fat in her bridal gown.

Phillip hangs around the lounge after Gina goes home. Before long, he's completely drunk. He finds himself staring dejectedly into his glass, wondering how he could have gotten himself into such a mess.

Over the next few months, day to day life around the West household becomes practically unbearable, especially for Lily. She knows that Phillip will leave as soon as the baby is born, and she feels like he's abandoning her. A typical teenager, Lily blames her mother for everything, insisting she's ruined her life.

Lily always assumed that Phillip and Dakota would wind up together. She grew up amidst the tension, the constant back and forth of their relationship, and she knew that her mom loved Phillip long before Dakota even knew herself. This unexpected change of plans infuriates her. Between her father's absence and her mother's tumultuous personal life, Lily no longer believes in love and romance. To her, it's just a bunch of crap.

"Hi Lily." Leo Blanche, the most popular boy in high school, walks over and sits on the swing next to her.

"Hey Leo," Lily responds casually. He may be one of the "cool kids", but so is Lily. He doesn't faze her one bit.

"So," he says, trying to sound relaxed, "I heard your dating Ryan Yokel."

Lily makes a face. "I was," she replies. "But I'm so over it. I dumped him yesterday when I found out he was flirting with the entire cheer squad behind my back."

"Really?" he asks enthusiastically. He clears his throat, realizing he doesn't want to seem too excited. "I mean, uh, really?" he says in a more subdued tone.

"Yeah. Can you believe what a jerk he is?!" she exclaims. "I should have guessed. He's a man after all."

"You know Lily," he says carefully. "Not all guys are like that. Some of us treat women with the respect that they deserve."

She glares at him. "Oh yeah? Like who?"

"Like me. If you gave me a chance."

She snorts her disapproval. She should have known where this was going. "Leo," she begins, the why-don't-we-just-be-friends tone in her voice.

"Come on Lily!" he persists. "Just one date. Please?" He casts her a pleading look, his big eyes full of hope.

She giggles at the goofy expression on his face. "Oh, alright Leo. But just one date!"

That Friday night, Leo takes her to the Reserve Tavern. They immediately hit it off over a game of darts.

"I'm totally going to whip you," Lily tell him.

"You wish," he counters, a big grin on his face.

Leo ends up throwing the match and letting her win. It was worth it to make her happy.

"I really like you Lily," he confesses as the evening comes to a close.

Lily is surprised by how much she enjoyed herself tonight. She always figured that Leo was just like all the other teenage boys she knows, selfish and stupid.

She kisses him in reply.

Over the next few weeks, Lily and Leo spend all their free time together. To the dismay of the many other girls at their high school, they become an exclusive couple.

In what seems like no time, Phillip's daughter Matilda is born. He immediately falls in love the little girl, despite his mixed feeling about her mother.

They set a date for the wedding, and Gina gets to work planning the event. She decides to have the wedding outdoors at the local park.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Lily quietly asks Phillip. It's the day of the wedding, and the whole town is abuzz with gossip about the big event. Phillip looks pale and anxious as he silently stands around watching the guests arrive.

Phillip nods his head, resolute in his decision.

Lily persists, "Because, you know I could totally whisk you right out of here if you wanted." He smiles at her tenacity, but shakes his head no.

"Well, alright," she sighs. "But, just so you know, Leo has the car ready and is standing by just in case."

The ceremony goes off without a hitch. They exchange rings, say their "I do's", and become husband and wife.

Despite Gina's harsh objections, Phillip makes sure that Dakota is invited to the wedding.

Dakota surprises even herself by attending. "I must be a masochist," she muses. Or perhaps, just perhaps, she wants to be there for a friend who has always been there for herself.

After the ceremony, Leo finds Lily standing alone crying. He comes over to comfort her.

"I didn't realize I would be this upset about losing Phillip," she weeps.

"It's alright Lily," he consoles her as he strokes her back. "You've got me now, what more could you ask for?"

She attempts a weak giggle but ends up hiccuping instead.

As the party winds down, Dakota decides to talk to Phillip one last time. She catches him right as he is about to leave.

"Congratulations Phil," she tries to sound sincere but is afraid she came across bitter instead.

"Thank you Dakota," he smiles. "That means a lot coming from you."

"The wedding was beautiful," she tells him.

"It was a bit pink if you ask me," he laughs.

Dakota looks shocked. "But you love pink!" she insists.

"Yes, but you can always have too much of a good thing." He pauses, and choosing his words carefully he says, "Listen Dakota, take good care of Lily, okay? I know she can be such a handful sometimes, especially now that she's a teenager. But she needs you. Now more than ever."

Dakota pulls him into a hug, trying not to let him see the tears forming in her eyes. "You really are the best friend a girl could ask for," she whispers to him, her voice thick with emotion. "I only wish I'd seen it sooner." She squeezes him tightly one last time, and letting the tears roll down her cheeks she turns around and walks away.


Challenge Notes:

I didn't really know where to take my story after the last chapter, so I decided to let the game decide. If Phillip's baby ended up being a girl I would let him go through with the wedding and if his baby ended up being a boy I would let him break off the engagement. When little Matilda was born, I knew it was fate's way of saying that Phillip needed to be with his daughter. And to me, it makes sense. I can't picture sweet, kind Phillip abandoning his only child with a woman like Gina.

So, yes, I technically broke the rules. It was a single parent with help roll, and I moved Phillip out before the generation was over. But Lily only has 5 days before she becomes a young adult, so I don't think it's that bad.

Also, I cannot tell you what a pain in the ass that wedding was. I had to play it three times through because of issues. The first time, I put the ceremony off so long that it was too dark to get any good photographs. The second time, Gina showed up and then left within five minutes. And then, when I called her to re-invite her to the party, she refused to come back! It's like, I know your fickle woman but come on! It's your freakin' wedding! I finally got it the third time through though.

If you don't mind, let me know what you think of Leo. I know everyone talks about the terrible plague of vanillas, and I'm not 100% sure what that means. Do you think he looks a bit too vanilla? Feedback on this issue is appreciated!

And here is a reminder of what he looks like as a teen...