Hello, hello, hello! Wow, it's good to be back. Things have been crazy on my end. Too crazy for Sims, unfortunately. To make it quick, I got another new job and got engaged. Hooray! Now life has settled down a tad, and that is why I bring to you the very much, so behind, chapter 27! *Drum Roll*
This chapter isn't one of my favorites, to be honest. I need to get back into the flow of my writing style and the story itself. Despite that, some pretty noteworthy things are happening! So stop reading this yammering and scroll!
You're still reading this? Wow, you must really care about what I have to say. If that's the case, why don't you leave me a comment, rating, email (hmrnd3@aim.com), pr PM? I'd really appreciate it!
Oh! Just a little warning, I've installed some new default eyes and skins. You won't see them in this chapter, but I was planning on having them debut in the next chapter. I think they're beautiful; realistic yet Maxis matches, so the changes won't be too drastic. Does that weird anyone out? I know it used to take me some time to get used to a writer suddenly switching skins or using a filter on all their pictures. If it bothers somebody, I won't change it. But I promise you, it looks prettier. Speak now or forever hold your peace!

CALIENTE

Ricardo Caliente concentrated on his painting, a wide grin on his face. Despite some of the more difficult things the man once faced in his life, his existence had come to a place of contentment. Ricardo had a good job, a loving wife, and a set of darling newborn twins. He had done just what he said he would, let go of his past and create a new family. He wanted a family without secrets, a family with a positive male role model.


It seemed to Ricardo that the all the skeletons in his family closet had finally been unleashed. Much of the storm had now calmed. Ricardo’s mother was living safely with his Aunt Nina. His half sister and cousin Letti was settled down with a good man, even if she did not care for him. His half siblings Lorenzo, Gideon, and Carmen were living their lives successfully. His father Don and step mother Kaylynn were still happily married. The only new troubles were the deaths of his step siblings, Cassandra and Alexander. Even still, Ricardo had never known them very well. There was much to be happy about, and Ricardo finally felt at peace.
So deep in thought and reflection, Ricardo barely heard the doorbell ring downstairs. He set down his brush and wiped his hands on a paint stained rag. “Coming!”, he yelled.


Ricardo skipped down the stairs and found his brother, Gideon, standing outside the front door. Gideon gave a shy wave before Ricardo yanked open the door and crushed him in a big hug. “It’s great to see you, Gideon!”
Gideon chuckled and embraced his brother in return. “It’s uh, good to see you too! I’m a little surprised by all this.”


Ricardo retreated slightly, clearing his throat. He suddenly felt a little ashamed. “I’m sure you are. I know we weren’t…very close growing up. Or in college. I’m sorry for that. I want things to change. You’re a good guy, Gideon, and I want you to be a part of my life. My children's lives.”
Gideon was quiet for a moment. “I’m touched, Ricardo. Really. Growing up, that’s all I ever wanted. I only wanted you and…you know, to love me.” The brothers winced at the subject of their mother.
Ricardo forced a small smile, relieving some tension. “Come upstairs with me; there’s a couple little people I want you to meet.”


Gideon followed Ricardo upstairs to the nursery, where the twins lay sleeping. Ricardo gave his brother a reassuring nod and Gideon gently reached inside the crib to pick up his niece. Her eyes snapped open to look at who was holding her. Gideon’s mouth fell open slightly at the sight of the infant’s jade green eyes that reminded him so much of his mother. “What’s her name?” Gideon asked, bringing the baby closer to him.


“Magdalena. Jane and I call her Maggie for short.” Ricardo shone with pride while fitting his son into the crook of his arm. “And this little guy is Marco.” Gideon smiled and lifted Magdalena up, making her smile a precious, toothless grin. “They’re beautiful, Ricardo.”


Ricardo smiled and rested Marco on his chest. “Thank you. I’m glad they got to meet their Uncle Gideon.”
“It’s neat that there’s another set of twins in the family. Just like…Mom and Aunt Nina. They’ll always have each other.”
Gideon nodded. “Twins or not, I only hope they’ll be as close as Letti and I.” Ricardo frowned at the thought of his sister. They had once been the best of friends, but lately they hadn’t spoken much. Letti had changed since her pregnancy and marriage. Ricardo saw an unfamiliar sadness in her, a sadness he could only hope would soon subside.


Later that night after Gideon went home and Jane returned from work, the phone rang and interrupted the Caliente family dinner. Ricardo hoped up to answer and was happy to hear the sound of his Aunt’s voice on the other end. “Hi, Aunt Nina! What’s going on?”
Nina’s usual peppy voice was mild and grim. “Ricardo, there’s no easy way to say this. I have bad news.”


Ricardo felt his heart fall into the pit of his stomach. “Nina, no…” He heard a sob from his Aunt’s line.
“Ricardo, it’s your mother. Dina, she...passed away today.”

LOTHARIO

Carmen Lothario breathed deeply after her morning run, her lungs expanding with fresh spring air. She smiled, adrenaline pumping through her veins. “Oh Dad, wasn’t that a great run?”
Don Lothario grunted and groaned while pulling on his stiff leg. The man had always made sure he stayed in shape but lately, his father-daughter runs were getting increasingly difficult. “I don’t know Carmen. I think I’m getting to old for this. I can barely keep up with you these days.”


Carmen giggled. “Oh c’mon Dad, you’re not that old. You do pretty well for someone with white hair, anyway.”
Don laughed. “Seriously, Carmen. I’m old. I’m a grandfather now. That’s alright though; I’ve accepted it. Besides, soon you’ll be off to college and you’ll find a new running buddy.”


Carmen smiled at her father and put her hand on his shoulder. “Oh Dad, I love you.”
Don smiled at his youngest child. Out of his four kids, he had been the most present for Carmen’s life. To his surprise, it had been incredibly rewarding. Don pulled her in for a tight hug. “I love you too sweetie, and I’m so proud of you. You’re so smart, so beautiful. I know you’ll do amazing things and always keep on making me proud.”


The hug ended and Carmen bashfully turned around and started to head towards the house. “C’mon Pops, let’s go inside and…”. Before Carmen could finish her sentence a dark, hooded figure stopped her dead in her tracks. Carmen gasped as tears welled in her eyes. “No,” she whispered.


Don smirked in the face of the Grim Reaper. “At last, we meet.”
The Reaper thrust his infamous tiki drink in Don’s hand. “Yes, Don Lothario, your time has come.” Afraid of the Reaper’s dark, gravely voice and the reality that was her dear father’s death, Carmen was frozen. She wept, faced away from the heartbreaking scene.


Kaylynn ran outside after hearing all the commotion, just in time to see her husband fade away against the blue Pleasantview sky. She sobbed with her daughter and when they were strong enough to return indoors, they held each other and cried some more.


For the next few days, Carmen healed while Kaylynn mourned. The family was notified and a lovely funeral was held. Despite the positive response, Kaylynn failed to show any emotional improvement. Worried to leave her mother alone while she left for college, Carmen decided to call for reinforcements. Lorenzo picked up his kitchen phone, surprised to hear the voice of his little sister. They had never been very close. “Carmen? What is it?”
Carmen sighed. “It’s Mom. Lorenzo, she’s still such a wreck. She just lies around all day, crying and wailing. I can barely get her to eat or bathe. I have to leave for Sim State tomorrow morning. I can’t leave her here like this.”


Lorenzo sighed and rubbed his forehead. “That doesn’t sound good.”
Carmen rolled her eyes. “Tell me about it. Do you think you could come give me a hand?”
Lorenzo nodded. “Yeah, I suppose I could drop by when you catch the taxi, keep her company while you head out.”
Carmen made a disgusted sound with her mouth. “Lorenzo, that’s not what I meant! I think you need to move back in with Mom for a while! She needs us, and I have to go to college!”
Lorenzo raised his voice. “Are you kidding?! I’m a grown man living with my girlfriend! I have bills and a job; I can’t just move back in with Mom!”


“Oh give me a break, Lorenzo. This is Mom we’re talking about. You need to be there for her. Bring Destiny with you, you know she loves her.”
Lorenzo was quiet for a moment, he tapped his foot, agitated. “Carmen, I can be there tomorrow for your send off. But I’m not making any promises about moving back home.”
“Just wait until you see her,” Carmen scoffed and then hung up the phone.


Just as promised, Lorenzo and Destiny headed back to the Lothario house in the morning to send Carmen off to college. Lorenzo immediately pulled his mother in for a big hug after stepping through the door. “Hi Mom, how are you doing?”
Kaylynn frowned as her eyes filled with tears. “Not very good, son. Not very good at all.” Kaylynn whimpered. “I forgot how much you look like your father!”


Carmen shot her brother a death stare before bounding across the room the distract her mother. “Alright Mom, the taxi is here! Be strong okay, give me a hug! I’ll come to visit as much as I can, alright?”
Kaylynn sniffled and hugged her daughter back. “Alright sweetheart. That sounds good. You take care, alright?” Kaylynn kissed her daughter’s cheek before the whole family waved goodbye to the cab out the window.


For the remainder of the evening, the melancholy group of three sat around making small talk and watching television. Lorenzo felt increasingly guilty while watching his mother mope around and sigh.


Kaylynn told stories over and over about her life with Don. Destiny tried to listen, but as the night went on she began to feel ill. Her skin grew clammy as her stomach did flips inside her. “Don and I were just so in love! I'll never forget the day he asked me to marry him.” Kaylynn’s words pounded in Destiny’s ears along with the sound of her own heartbeat.
Destiny felt her body grow weak as she licked her suddenly dry lips. “I need to use the restroom…” Her voice was barely above a whisper.


Destiny flung her hand over her mouth and raced to the bathroom. She slammed the door shut, just barely hearing Lorenzo call her name worriedly. Destiny fell to the floor and hurled into the toilet, her arms wobbling and head spinning.
After emptying her stomach, all the feelings of sickness subsided. Destiny stood up and wiped her mouth while breathing a sigh of relief. Then, it suddenly hit her. “Oh no,” she whispered.


Destiny froze as she her heard the door click open. Lorenzo walked in as her head started spinning again. No. There’s no way. It can’t be.
Lorenzo’s eyes, filled with concern and curiosity, looked Destiny up and down. He shut the door behind him and moved closer. “Are you okay?”
Destiny grimaced. “I am now. Well, I think so. I mean, I guess so. I don’t know. Lorenzo, I think I’m pregnant.”


Lorenzo’s eyes widened and then his face erupted into a large smile. “Pregnant?! Darling, that’s wonderful!” He wrapped his arm’s around Destiny’s waist, slightly lifting her off the ground.
Destiny pulled away from her boyfriend. “Is it? We have a one bedroom apartment, we’re not married, we’re just getting started in our careers. A baby, Lorenzo. Is that really good?”


Lorenzo didn’t flinch, and simply pulled Destiny close again. “Of course it’s a good thing. I love you so, so much. I’ve always wanted children and there’s no one I know who would make a better mother. We’ll work out the kinks, don’t worry. Don’t worry for a second.”
Although still unsure, Destiny needed comforting and fell into Lorenzo’s embrace. The couple was silent for a short moment until the quiet was broken behind them by a small voice. “You can live here with me.”


Destiny and Lorenzo spun around to see Kaylynn had joined them in the bathroom. “Mom! What are you doing in here?!”
Kaylynn hung her head slightly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t want to intrude. I just heard your little predicament through the door and couldn’t help myself but to offer a solution. You can live here with me.” Lorenzo interrupted. “Mom, I-”
Kaylynn held up her finger. “Hear me out! I can’t stand the thought of staying here alone without your sister or father. You need a bigger place to live, and I want to spend as much time with my grandbaby as I can before my time runs out too. Please, please move in with me.”
Destiny and Lorenzo were quiet. They looked at each other, unsure of what to say.


With tears in her eyes, Destiny suddenly reached out for Kaylynn. The women embraced, both crying ever so slightly. “Thank you,” Destiny whispered. “This is just what we need.”

GOTH

Lucy Goth lovingly ran her hand along her smooth, pregnant belly. In her final trimester, she was feeling exhausted and sore. It’s worth it though, she thought to herself while trying to get comfortable on the OB/GYN office’s couch. She and Alex had been trying to conceive since their wedding night. Strangely enough, when they stopped worrying about so much about making a baby, the pregnancy happened naturally with grace. Lucy loved her half alien daughter, Alba, with all of her heart. Still, she was craving the experience of giving life and had cried tears of joy when she realized she was expecting.


Not long after Lucy checked in at the front desk and seated herself, a red headed woman waddled into the clinic. Lucy looked her up and down, noticing her belly was just as swollen as her own. The red head sat down next to Lucy, bracing herself against the white vinyl and eventually tilting backwards. She fell on the couch and groaned. “I can’t believe I’m doing this again.” The woman shook her head and laughed lightly.


Lucy raised her eyes at the woman, slightly offended that anyone could possibly be unhappy with experiencing the “miracle of life”. “I beg your pardon?”
The red head looked at Lucy, nodding towards her tummy. “That must be your first?” Lucy nodded, placing her hand on her stomach protectively. The woman laughed. “Well, this is my second. Let me tell you, it’s not quite as magical this time.” Lucy frowned and looked away, not wanting to say something she’d regret. The red head laughed. “I’m Circe. Circe Beaker. You must be…Lucy Goth?”


Lucy smiled slightly, she was getting used to being the new face in Strangetown. “Yep. That’s me. It’s nice to meet you, Circe.”
Circe smiled coolly. “Likewise. Your husband is the scientist, right?”
Lucy nodded. “Yes. Well, he’s not doing much research anymore. We’re trying to give our daughter a normal childhood. As normal as possible, that is.”
Circe laughed. “Normal? In Strangetown? Good luck.”
Lucy’s cheeks reddened; her wild hormones were letting her become easily offended today. She tried to keep her cool. “Like I said, as normal as possible. We brought her to Strangetown to keep her safe and happy. Nobody cares if you’re from outer space here.”
Circe rolled her eyes casually. “Right. Unless your last name happens to be Grunt.” Circe put her hands up as if to express defeat. “Look, you were right to bring your daughter here. She would have most likely been killed had you not. But don’t expect a normal life here.”
Lucy narrowed her eyebrows defensively, ready to fire back. Just as she opened her mouth, a nurse came out of a nearby exam room. “Lucy Goth, Dr. Curious is ready for you in room one.”
Lucy nodded towards Circe sharply and stormed away. “Lovely meeting you.”


Dr. Lazlo Curious scratched his beard while inspecting the sonogram. “Well, the ultrasound looks great, heartbeat is normal, you’re even dilated about a centimeter. You’ll probably be going into total labor fairly soon. But Lucy, you should know you’re having-”
Lucy cut Dr. Curious off, her mind was elsewhere. “Do you know that patient who was waiting with me outside, Circe Beaker?”
Dr. Curious sighed. “Yes, unfortunately.”
Lucy frowned. “Why is she so…so-”
Dr. Curious finished Lucy’s sentence. “Awful?”


"Yes!” Lucy exclaimed. “Wait, you seem like you really know about her.” A quizzical expression formed on Lucy’s face.
Dr. Curious slumped his shoulders. “I do, for unfortunate reasons. It’s really not professional for me to say, but, it’s not like I’m under confidentiality. Everyone knows it. Circe is married, but that baby she’s carrying, it’s not her husband’s. It’s my brother, Vidcund’s. She’s been leading him on and breaking his heart since high school, I’m afraid. Not only that, but it was recently discovered she and her husband were holding somebody hostage in their basement, doing experiments on him. Needless to say, they can no longer legally practice medicine or science.”


Lucy’s eyes widened. “Oh my…”
Dr. Curious nodded in agreement. “She can’t stand me because I always try to tell Vidcund that she’s just using him. Little does she know, I’m her new Dr., because her regular, Dr. Jenny Smith, just retired.”
Lucy laughed at the thought of her ditzy neighbor as a doctor. “Well, she’s certainly in for a shock.”


Several days later, just as Dr. Curious had predicted, Lucy found herself the one in shock as she went into labor in her living room. Lucy squeezed her fists and screamed at the top of her lungs. Alexander came running and tried to calm his wife down. “Just continue pushing! I know it hurts, believe me.”
Lucy clutched her stomach. “Not…helping,” she growled through gritted teeth.


Sure enough, all the pushing worked and Lucy found herself holding a black haired, brown eyed baby boy. Alba came running in from the kitchen. “I have a brother?!”
Lucy handed the infant to Alex as electric pains continued shooting through her abdomen. “Just a minute, Alba…”


With a little twirl, Lucy was suddenly holding yet another baby boy, this time with her own brown hair. “Twins!?”, the entire family exclaimed together. They all looked at the babies in a stunned silence before bursting into elated laughter.


The Goth family, now considerably larger, spent the remainder of the evening marveling over the two new little brothers and sons. Alba helped pick out the names Oliver and Owen, and also helped accommodate the nursery for an extra baby. Lucy and Alex wrapped their arms around each other, amazed with their sons. Lucy smiled. “Nothing is ever going to go as planned, is it?”
Alex chuckled. “It appears that is our lot in life.”
Lucy beamed and kissed her husband. “That’s not always a bad thing. Maybe I’m okay with abnormal.”
Alexander kissed Lucy back. “It’s wise to see luck instead of misfortune. We’re creating our own happiness. As long as we’re all together, we can handle anything abnormal.”

TO BE CONTINUED