Welcome back to my legacy story: The Devereaux Legacy! Sebastian and Kitty have been waiting patiently for me to write about their wedding and everything that happens afterwards, so here we go!

Here is a toast: A toast to the lovely bride and groom, Sebastian and Kitty. A toast to the fourth generation that will be born at the main house. A toast to the new legacy name. A toast to starting a new chapter.

In short, a toast to new beginnings.

Chapter One

The hustle and bustle of the wedding preparations could be heard throughout the neighborhood. Though the wedding was to be a private affair, the uninvited citizens of Pleasantview couldn’t help but walk by the Devereaux house to try and get a glimpse.

Ansley tried very hard to not take over. The last thing she wanted to do was step on Kitty’s toes; she didn’t want to be “that mother-in-law.” So when the urge to be bossy tried to overtake her, she would instead retire to her garden and talk to her plants there.

All of that talking worked, for she earned a high score with the garden club and earned her very own Wishing Well.

Sebastian, during this time, would practice his wedding vows and his wedding speech over and over. He was unsure as to why; as he was pretty certain that when the time came, all the practiced words would completely slip his mind.

He was okay with that, though.

Kitty, for her part, had moved into the Devereaux house. It was far easier for her to do that as opposed to constantly commuting back and forth between her own place and Sebastian’s. Of course, Kitty had her own bedroom as an unspoken agreement with Ansley; an agreement that was “not under my roof until you are married.”

Finally, it was the night before the wedding. The last detail was planned and everyone could breathe a little easier. Sebastian managed to catch a moment of alone time with Kitty before everyone retired to bed.

Grabbing her hand and giving it a kiss, he gave Kitty his shy, lopsided grin. “Tomorrow’s the big day,” he said.

Kitty grinned at him as she pulled her hand away and put it playfully behind her back. “You know that it’s bad luck to see the bride the night before the wedding.”

Sebastian raised an eyebrow at her. “You know how I feel about superstitions.” Kitty rolled her eyes in response.

“Yeah, I know, but still. We’ve got to go to bed anyway. I would hate to be all tired and stuff at the ceremony.” Sebastian nodded in agreement, and they both went to their separate bedrooms for the last time.

Sebastian and Kitty were not the only lovebirds looking forward to the big day. Hunter and Ansley lay cuddled in bed together as they looked to the future.

“So, we’re going to have our first grandkids soon,” Ansley spoke softly as Hunter hugged her. Hunter’s brow creased in confusion for a moment.

“What about…” then he stopped. He couldn’t remember what he was going to say. A memory nagged at his mind, but it slipped away when he tried to focus on it. He shook his head and smiled down at his wife. “Yeah, it’ll be strange to have small children running around again.”

The two of them lay in bed content, the future of the family looking bright.

Indeed, even Josh’s ghost could be seen with a rare, un-“rue”-ful smile as he wandered the house. The legacy that he reluctantly started was going to flourish and grow once again.

Chapter Two

The next morning, Sebastian paced nervously in the party room as he waited for the guest to arrive. As he was looking over the decorations and such, he noticed that someone had already opened one of the champagne bottles. Shrugging to himself, he poured himself a glass to help settle his nerves. Gulping it down in one swig, he wrinkled his nose.

“Blech! It’s gone flat.”

“Obviously we can’t have flat champagne, so I’ll just toss this away and get a new bottle out,” he continued to say to himself as he cleaned the bottle off the table. “It’s a shame, too. It looked like that was from a good year.”

Afterwards, he rinsed the flat, gritty taste from his mouth and prepared to greet the guest who had finally shown up.

Sebastian’s breath caught as he saw Kitty walking to the alter, looking beautiful in her black lace trimmed wedding dress. Kitty beamed up at Sebastian, knowing full well that though his practiced vows will be stumbled over, the love behind the meanings will still be there.

Surprisingly though, Sebastian managed to remember every single word.

After the vows were exchanged, the new husband and wife only had eyes for each other. Sebastian gazed into Kitty's eyes and saw her love for him back.

"Kit, I never thought I would be happy again," he said softly. "I cannot even begin to tell you how happy I am that I was wrong."

Kitty smiled back. "And I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am that I have you."

The reception lasted all day and well into the night. Everyone in the family had attended, as well as a few party crashers. Sebastian and Kitty didn't mind all that much; the more people to celebrate their happiness the better.

Finally, the guests all left. Hunter and Ansley cleaned up the remnants of the party while Sebastian and Kitty went upstairs to go to sleep. At least, that was the polite thing that they told Sebastian's parents; and Hunter and Ansley were more than willing to let it go at that. They were both perfectly willing to believe that any child that their son had came about by Immaculate Conception than by more traditional means.

Ansley in particular was positive that most multi-generational families who lived under the same roof convinced themselves of the very same thing.

The two of them lay in bed together, not saying much of anything at first. Sebastian was painfully aware of what needed to come next; he needed to produce an heir. A little bit of panic arose inside of him. What if it's the situation with Tris all over again? What if...

Before he could finish that though, Kitty put her arms around him. "Sebby, I am a different person and it's a completely different situation. Don't worry about it."

Sebastian's mouth dropped open. "How did you know what I was thinking?"

"Because I'm awesome, that's how," Kitty responded and she leaned over him for a kiss.

There were no more words after that.

A couple of hours later, Sebastian woke up feeling a little queasy. He looked over at the sleeping Kitty, and decided to exit the bedroom as quietly as he could. It must be the nerves finally running out of my system, he thought.

Chapter Three

Kit’s the one who is pregnant, yet I’m the one having the pregnancy symptoms, Sebastian thought ruefully as he made it to the bathroom in the nick of time.

Indeed, Kitty was pregnant; yet she managed to cheerfully go about her day with absolutely no trouble from morning sickness. Or afternoon sickness. Or night sickness. In fact, she wasn’t sick ever.

Sebastian thought the entire thing was rather unfair.

Of course, it didn’t help that everyone in the family knew about it. Ansley took it upon herself to show her playful side as she teased her son.

“Sebastian, maybe you’re ALSO pregnant!” she giggled as she reached over to tickle him. Sebastian glowered at his mother.

“Mom, maybe, just maybe, I’m just so in tune with my wife that my mind has decided that it doesn’t want to see her in any sort of discomfort. Either that, or I have the flu. Seriously Mom, I highly doubt that I’m the one who is pregnant.”

Ansley rolled her eyes. Clearly Sebastian couldn’t appreciate the humor in the situation.

So naturally, Ansley would seek out Kitty and the two of them would giggle at Sebastian’s misfortune.

“You’re so lucky you don’t have to go through all of that Kitty,” Ansley laughed. Kitty smiled back mischievously.

“Oh, don’t I know it! Men should totally feel what pregnancy feels like all of the time, I think.”

“Well, they do when they get abducted by aliens,” Ansley replied, warming up to the subject. “Wouldn’t that be funny? You having a kid and my son having an alien child?”

Kitty’s face creased into an uncertain look. “Um, we don’t have a telescope, do we? Sebby’s all about learning new things, and an alien child is right up his alley.”

Ansley shook her head. “No we don’t. We had one way back in the day, but now that we have a house that’s big enough for a chess board we go with that for logical pursuits.” Kitty breathed a sigh of relief.

“Well, good. Then maybe he is just suffering from my pregnancy symptoms.”

The two of them shrieked with laughter.

“Laugh it up ladies!” Sebastian shouted from the bathroom in between dry heaves, “I’m so VERY glad you find this all so amusing!” He groaned and placed his head on the cool porcelain as he heard the two of them comply with his wishes.

He grew worried a few days later when he felt a kicking sensation in his stomach. “Hey Kit? Is the baby kicking yet?” Kitty nodded as she ate her meal.

“Yeah it is, why?”

“Hmm. Because I can feel it.”

Kitty hid her smirk. “Maybe you are…”

“Don’t even complete that sentence. I know for a fact that I’m not.” He heard Kitty mutter something under her breath along the lines of, ‘oh so he’s going to be one of THOSE Sims.’ But Sebastian didn’t understand what she meant by that, so he just left the room, not even dignifying that with an answer.

He wanted to be absolutely certain though, so he went online and looked up ‘Male Pregnancy’ on Wikipedia.

Male pregnancy, though rare, is a possibility that can happen in some men. The most notorious cases are those who have been abducted by aliens thus producing a half alien spawn. (Pollination Tech #9). Other cases are more rare, such as the experimental cloning of themselves by combining their own DNA. (C. Goodytwoshoes). Even more rare cases are in the event that the target male summons Death himself, usually by the means of murder, and chooses to bear what is referred to as a “Reaper Child.” (C. Vetinari). The most rare case of all is in the event that the male engages in relations with what is known as a SimSelf, which can possibly lead to male gestation (N. Thayer).

External Links: Dead, Not Sleeping: Death’s Blog…

“What a bunch of freaks!” Sebastian muttered to himself as he scrolled past all of the links and what was apparently an “EZ Bake” recipe for producing clone and Reaper children. Satisfied that he didn’t meet any of those requirements, he turned around and grinned at Kitty, who was looking over his shoulder.

“Well babe, it looks like you’re the only one who is having the kid,” he said as he rubbed her belly.

“I don’t know Sebby, maybe you are and don’t even know it.”

He looked up at her and grinned wider. “Nope. I haven’t been abducted by aliens, nor have I decided to clone myself. I also am quite certain that I have not murdered anyone so I could summon the Grim Reaper. And what the heck is a SimSelf? Anyway, apparently this is all just psychosomatic.”

Kitty’s mouth dropped open at the mention of the word SimSelf. She managed to quickly cover it up though.

She giggled and started talking to Sebastian’s stomach. “Or maybe you’re just a miracle from on high. Yes you are! Aren’t you?” And she continued to babble in baby speak.

Sebastian bore it for a moment or two before stopping her.

“Kit, do I even look pregnant to you? By all accounts, I’ve been sick for as long as you’ve been pregnant. Wouldn’t I be showing as much as you if I were?”

Kitty looked at his flat belly. “Well, yeah, I suppose you would be.”

He gave her a thumbs up. “See, I’m not pregnant. So please, stop with the jokes.”

Kitty shrugged her shoulders. “Okay, you aren’t. Geeze, lighten up.”

At that moment, Hunter entered the room. “Hey! How are my two favorite pregnant people doing?” he said with a grin, giving them a finger gun.

Kitty closed her eyes and sighed. Sebastian was still for a moment as he felt his eyelid twitch. Then he threw his head back and screamed. Hunter and Kitty hid their snickers as Sebastian stomped out of the room, muttering to himself.

Time passed and the day of Kitty giving birth grew closer. Sebastian found himself on the same sleeping schedule as his wife, so often times they would go to sleep together, even when the sun was still shining.

Kitty thought the entire circumstance was very sweet, even if it was a bit odd. She had conveniently forgotten to inform the author of the entire situation. In fact, she had managed to avoid all of her calls ever since she got married to Sebastian.

As far as Kitty was concerned, nothing unusual was going on. Sebastian only acted like he was pregnant, he didn’t look it. Why concern the author when there was nothing to be concerned about?

Kitty did become a bit concerned, however, when in the middle of one night Sebastian woke up with massive stomach pains.

“Oh my God, Sebby! Maybe you were pregnant after all and now you’re going into labor!” Kitty shouted.

In between his gritted teeth, Sebastian groaned, “I’m not going into labor! It’s merely gas, or Captain Tripps!”

“For the love of God Sebastian! Face reality!”

When Ansley heard the commotion, she ran into the room. “Oh my God! Sebastian is going into labor!”

“I’M NOT PREGNANT!”

“Why oh why can’t my husband just face the facts and realize that he’s having a baby?!”

“Just breathe and push Sebastian!”

“GAHHHHHH!!”

Amidst the screams of denial, a baby girl was born. Mercifully Sebastian had managed to mentally block out the actual birth, never to remember again as to exactly HOW the process is succeeded when it’s a man in labor.

Sebastian looked at his new daughter curiously.

As he cradled her in his arms, Ansley looked at the baby and sighed happily. “It’s a girl! What are you going to name her?”

Sebastian, still stunned, responded with, “Kit and I chose the name Mary if we had a girl.”

Ansley smiled. “So, the new heir to our family is named Mary.”

Sebastian looked at his mother in a confused manner. “Heir? But Mom, she came from me, not Kitty, so that means…”

“That means that the current heir gave birth to the first born of the family. I know that we veered from that rule with Lillian, but with just cause. I would like to know that we are back on the original track. Now Sebastian, the baby looks hungry. You should feed her.”

With the confused look still on his face, he went downstairs and fed Mary. The baby gurgled contently as Sebastian patted her back and burped her.

Afterwards, he placed Mary into one of the cribs that was waiting. Fortunately, the house had four bedrooms, two of which were set up for a child of either gender.

As Mary lay in her crib quietly, Sebastian watched over her still in his puzzled manner.

“I was positive that I didn’t meet any of those requirements mentioned. How on earth did I manage to get pregnant?”

Before Sebastian could ponder any longer, he heard Kitty screaming downstairs. Apparently, not even one hour after Mary was born, Kitty was giving birth to the family’s second child.

Kitty would have loved, with all of her heart, to scream at Sebastian for ‘doing this to her,’ but she managed to remember that he ALSO just had a baby so any threats issued would have been pointless.

And so, with much less chaos, a baby boy named Miles came into the Devereaux household.

And there was much rejoicing. The fourth generation was now officially underway.

Chapter Four

Kitty took a moment for herself as she sat on a rocking chair in one of the nurseries. She mentally squirmed with guilt; she knew for a fact that Sebastian having a non-alien child was exactly the type of thing she was supposed to tell the author about.

On the other hand, Kitty knew that the author wasn’t completely in the dark; so she probably DID know about Mary’s birth and the decision to make Mary the new heir.

And that really ground Kitty’s gears, because it made Miles, the ‘legit’ child, an automatic spare.

And that was totally unforgivable. So Kitty decided not to worry about it much more.

She was also determined that Miles was not going to want for anything.

Of course, it wasn’t that she didn’t love Mary like she were her own child. Mary came from Sebastian, someone that she loved dearly. As she thought about this, she peered down at her daughter.

“Maybe you just came about as a safety net? You know, just in case I had the same problems that your daddy’s first wife did.” Mary smiled up at Kitty and began sucking her thumb. Clearly Mary didn’t care, as long as she was snuggled, fed and loved.

Regardless, both children were doted upon by their grandparents. Hunter took it upon himself to spend as much time with Miles as he could. He was regretful that he didn’t do the same for Sebastian when he was a child, and he wanted to make up for it.

Of course, Sebastian and Kitty couldn’t get enough of their children either. One thing did weigh on Kitty’s mind, however.

“Sebby? So what are we going to tell them when they get older?”

“Whatever do you mean?” he responded as he tickled Mary’s tummy.

“I mean, about who gave birth to who?”

Sebastian pondered the question for a moment before he replied. “Honestly, I don’t see why the issue even needs to come up. As far as I’m concerned, they are twins. They were both born on the same day, heck practically the same hour, and they have the same parents. Why should they be told differently?”

Kitty thought about that. “You know what? You’re right. It shouldn’t matter.”

The conversation then became derailed as the two of them played, laughed and fawned over the ‘twins’.

Time went by too quickly in Kitty and Sebastian’s opinion. It seemed that their children had just been born, and already they were calling the extended family to celebrate the twins’ birthday transitions to toddler age.

Because Mary was older than Miles by an hour, she was the one who got tossed in the air first. When she landed back into her father’s arm, she closed her eyes against the confetti and buried her head into Sebastian’s neck. Though she wasn’t necessarily a shy child, all of the cheering and loud noisemakers proved to be too much for what was apparently a very serious little girl.

Miles, on the other hand, clapped and cheered as he transitioned and was very anxious to get his hands on one of the noisemakers. Or possibly the birthday cake. Whichever one he could get his hands on first.

Chapter Five

Though having two children of the same age to look after was often tiring, Sebastian and Kitty managed to take everything in stride. They both managed to fulfill their lifetime greatest wish, but more importantly, they both managed to continue spending their spare time together.

However, they did come to the mutual decision that Mary and Miles were the only children they wanted. Sebastian was working long hours and he was contemplating going into business for himself when the children were a little older.

Kitty, on the other hand, spent much of her time perfecting her flower arranging techniques; with the intent of filling the house with Snapdragons once again.

"Taking care of every need is for the birds," she muttered to herself as she tried to deftly tie a rose bouquet together. She yelped in pain as a thorn pricked her finger. She kept the rest of her irritated mutterings to herself.

Of course, it wasn't all work with no play. The Devereaux family enjoyed throwing random parties, especially since both Hunter and Ansley had retired from their own jobs to spend time with their grandchildren.

Parties that would always have the inevitably naked Xander soaking in the hot tub. The sight always horrified Ansley, but Hunter would chuckle to himself. Though he never did it in front of his wife, Hunter was prone to skinny dipping in the hot tub from time to time himself.

But, most importantly, everyone spent time with Miles and Mary. Sebastian, though he never said it out loud, was determined to have his own children go without neglect. He had long since forgiven his parents for his own upbringing, but it still made him happy to see that his parents were making up for their past mistakes.

Mary was a very bright, earnest and cheerful child.

She was also a very serious child. Very rarely did she become distracted when her grandmother was teaching her how to talk, nor did she chew on her crayons or pound around with her blocks, like her brother tended to do.

This was not to say that she didn't enjoy it when someone like her father would pick her up and toss her into the air...

But she did prefer the much calmer activities, such as snuggling with one of the adults in her tiny little life.

Miles, on the other hand, was far more rambunctious than his sister, though he was only slightly less friendly.

Indeed, Miles had very little patience with his grandfather when he was being taught how to talk; he much preferred play and play hard.

Playing hard, particularly with Mary's blocks and crayons. He would pound loudly making exploding noises with the blocks; and when he was done with that, he would take the more quieter approach and eat Mary's crayons.

Miles also had problems staying on his baby mat, and often times he would toddle around through the bedrooms...

Despite the fact that his parents were often asleep when he did that.

Miles was also quite a dare devil, and often times he would make Mary cry with panic when he attempted to go down the very long flight of stairs unattended.

But, though the two differed slightly in their personalities, they got along very well. If Mary was still napping when Miles was done with his own, he would make his way into her bedroom and quietly eat her crayons until she woke up. When she did wake up, the two of them would play together happily until one of the adults came in to spend time with them.

Life was good for the tiny Devereaux children.

Chapter Six

Kitty smiled fondly at Mary when the child reached her arms up for a hug. Lifting the child into her arms, Kitty brushed the hair out of Mary's eyes and said cheerfully, "Guess what day it is?"

Mary serenely placed her head on her mother's shoulder and said quietly, "Birthday?"

Kitty cuddled the child to her and nodded. "Are you ready? Miles is already downstairs."

Mary smiled and nodded vigorously.

And, once again, because Mary was slightly older than her brother, she got to blow out her birthday candles, with Kitty's help, first. All of the extended family was there once again to help the family celebrate.

Aviendha in particular was very excited to see her cousins grow up. School was kind of boring when hardly anybody wanted to talk to her. In fact, she had made only one friend. Everyone else avoided her and she didn't understand why. Why was everyone so mean about who she was related to?

But that wouldn't matter anymore, now that Mary and Miles would be joining her at the private school the following Monday; if they got accepted that is.

Needless to say, Aviendha was the one who cheered the loudest as Mary grew up and looked herself over.

"Wow, I'm so big now!" Mary exclaimed as she wriggled her fingers.

She didn't have much time to examine her newfound bigness though as it was time for her brother to grow up. Grabbing a noisemaker, feeling a little bit silly for doing so, she blew into it loudly as the family cheered; Aviendha once again being the loudest.

"AWESOME!" Miles cheered for himself as he pumped his arms and bounced around a little bit; he couldn't wait to try his new steady legs that could carry him up and down the stairs easily now.

"Fra...er...woohoo!" Aviendha cheered, barely catching the naughty word that was waiting to slip out of her mouth. "Mary, come over here! We need to have a meeting!"

Mary complied and she listened in as Aviendha and Miles began talking to each other in an animated manner.

"So, now that you guys are my age, you'll be going to my school. There is this one cool girl you guys should TOTALLY meet..."

Mary smiled happily. There was nothing better than being surrounded by her loved ones.

Being bigger certainly had its advantages. After Miles would prod Mary into playing with him, the two of them were able to run around the house and have a splendid time playing Cops and Robbers; Miles would insist on being the Robber because it involved a whole lot more of him throwing himself around and falling to the ground.

Two days after their birthday party, the two of them were once again (Mary reluctantly) playing their game. Miles could see Mary's interest begin to wane. Miles, for the moment, decided to give it up because there was something far more interesting to see anyway.

"Hey Mare, there's something cool outside, want to check it out?"

"It's cold out, and you only want to show me that bunch of snowballs you made."

Miles was slightly perturbed; he DID want to show her his stash of snowballs, preferably in the form of a snowball fight. But he sighed and shook his head. "Nuh uh, that's not what I wanted to show you. Come on! Let's put on our coats!"

Mary shivered as she looked at her brother. "Miles, perhaps we ought to go inside. We should be studying for college."

Miles wrinkled his nose at her. "College?! That's like a million years away. Besides, this will only take a minute."

"Well, then maybe we should study for the Headmaster visit."

Miles rolled his eyes. "Avi said that we don't have to do anything for that. That's all about Mom and Dad making a good meal and making our house look pretty. Come on, Mare…

“...the Gypsy lady left us a magic lamp, and I want to make a wish!"

Miles walked up to the lamp and rubbed it. The purple genie popped out and presented Miles with two possible wishes someone his age could make. Miles chose Eternal Happiness.

Mary then walked up to the genie herself. "Isn't wishing for Eternal Happiness like cheating?" she asked the genie in a worried manner.

"Nonsense!" the genie replied, "Your very own grandmother wished for money. THREE TIMES because she was already eternally happy. Your family earned the right to make three more wishes fair and square. So, what is it you wish?"

"Well..." Mary began, "eternal happiness would be a relief. So, I guess I'll wish for that."

"Granted!" the genie cried and he waved his arms over Mary's head in the same manner as he did over Miles'. "And now that you children are too young to wish for anything else, I shall now go back into my bottle and await for an adult." And with a flourish, he sucked himself back into his lamp.

"See Mare? It's just that easy! Now we will never have to worry about going crazy," Miles said happily. Mary was not quite so certain.

"I don't know Miles, it still feels like cheating. I mean, aren't we supposed to work at being happy?"

"Oh! We'll still work at it. Watch!" And he belched loudly over Mary's plate of food and blew it towards her for good measure.

"EWWWW! GROSS MILES!" Mary cried in a disgusted manner.

"But you see, that made me happy. Just because we wished for happiness doesn't mean we have to stop doing things that make us happy," Miles replied in a logical tone.

Mary sighed and changed her tactics. "Miles, you know that we are supposed to be on our best behaviour in front of the Headmaster. Mom and Dad will be very happy if we get into private school and I don't think the Headmaster approves of you being disgusting."

Miles rolled his eyes and gestured to the end of the table.

"Pffft. Who do you think I learned it from?"

Mary didn't need to worry about Miles' bad table manners; the children got into private school with flying colors.

The next morning, Mary woke up excitedly, looking forward to going to school for the first time. Miles, however, was a tad bit more reluctant. Sitting in a desk all day with only a little bit of playtime did not suit him. He sighed as he trudged down the stairs behind his sister. "Hey. Wasn't this staircase so much bigger when we were little?"

"Yeah, but we're old now, so they look smaller."

Miles sighed again. "I don't like being old," he complained.

Then the two of them got onto the bus and went to school.

Chapter Seven

Hunter and Ansley lay in bed together, quietly musing to themselves about how fast life passes by.

"Well, I don't think we've been unsuccessful," Ansley said. "We've got a huge house, a lot of money, and a lot of nice things. I think whoever is keeping score would be very proud of us."

"Lillian." Hunter stated bluntly. Ansley sighed.

"Well, yes. I didn't say we were perfect. But, there's Sebastian. I think with everything he's gone through, he turned out to be a man of great caliber. And then we've got two beautiful grandkids. The legacy my father started is secure."

Hunter wrinkled his brow at Ansley's mention of Miles and Mary. "Ansley, do you sometimes feel like we're forgetting about something?" Ansley sighed in relief.

"I thought it was just me, but yes. It does feel like there's something that keeps slipping my mind."

The two of them tried to concentrate on what that something was. After a few moments they both shook their heads. "What were we thinking about?" Ansley asked Hunter.

Hunter slid his arms around her. "I know I was thinking about how much you mean to me and how sorry I am that I was a disappointment to you." Ansley gazed sadly into his eyes.

"Hunter, you were not a disappointment. I was the disappointment. I am so sorry about how I treated you when we were younger. I wish I could take everything back, I really do. I sincerely thought that by earning the family money and awards from my jobs was the best way to go about building a happy home. I was wrong and I am glad that I realized that with enough time to actually enjoy my life with you." She slid her own arms around his neck and kissed him.

Hunter smiled back. "I'll try not to mess your hair," he teased. Ansley squeezed her arms tighter.

"I won't mind if you do. I promise."

Afterwards, Hunter snuggled Ansley close to him. Ansley sleepily looked over her shoulder. "I'm going to miss this," she whispered.

Hunter closed his eyes. "Me too Ansley, me too."

The following evening found Hunter and Ansley waiting on the couch for their expected guest. Ansley looked over at Hunter when she heard him sigh glumly. "You're really bothered by this, aren't you?"

"My God! This is death we're talking about! As in the end of life! As in, no more seeing the grandkids. No more holding you! How can you take all of this in stride?"

Ansley climbed into her husband's lap for the last time. "Hunter, I am actually terrified. But, at the same time, I'm not. I know that he's going to come in here with a cold mist, booming voice, and those tacky Hula Zombies; and all I can think is that the entire situation is absurd.

“You lived a good life. I lived a good life. Sebastian, Mary, and whatever child Mary will have will also have a good life. It might not be easy, but in the end, we will all get our eternal rest and relaxation. We will leave behind something to be proud of."

Hunter could hear the uncertainty in her voice as he hugged her body to his. "That wasn't all that reassuring, but I get what you're saying."

Ansley let out a shaky giggle. "Yeah, I kind of stink at goodbyes, don't I?"

Hunter pulled Ansley to her feet. "A goodbye kiss and all will be forgiven." Ansley complied, and then snuggled close in his arms while he rocked her.

Right on schedule, the Grim Reaper showed up for his appointment.

Surprisingly though, the typical cold air that accompanied the Grim Reaper was absent. Instead, Ansley felt a warm feeling as he approached her. She cocked her head curiously as he spoke.

"I am very sorry that you must leave your family...Ansley. I know how hard this must be for you. Were I in your position, I would find that saying farewell is the hardest thing to do."

Ansley truly felt the compassion in what he was saying. "Why aren't you talking in your booming voice?"

Curiously, Grim ducked his head in what seemed to be an embarrassed manner. "Am I supposed to? I would think that would be a terrifying last experience, but I am very new at this."

"You're...new at this? I thought, well, I don't know what I thought. You got the Hula Zombies right."

Grim chuckled. "They were very insistent on coming. They are kind of coaching me on what to say, but I keep veering away from the script."

Ansley smiled. "I think you are doing a fine job. I am not so scared anymore."

"Then it would make sense to give this to you," Grim said as he handed Ansley her drink. As Ansley took it, they both faded away, leaving the warm smell of spring in the air.

And Ansley was gone.

Miles looked at his sister as she sobbed uncontrollably. He tried to remain as stoic as he possibly could, though his grandmother's death hurt him as much as everyone else. He clumsily reached out and patted Mary on her shoulder.

"Mare, I don't think Grandma was sad when she left. She was smiling."

"Why did she have to leave?" Mary asked, still crying.

Miles shrugged uncomfortably. "I dunno, but she was, like 30, so she was really really old, so maybe she had to."

When Mary didn't respond, Miles looked around. He saw his parents and grandfather acting really upset, but they had stopped crying. "Mary, I think we should give Dad and Grandpa a hug. Maybe that will make everyone feel better."

Mary wiped her eyes. "Do you think so?" Miles nodded. He knew he really wanted a hug.

Mary found Hunter by the karaoke machine, staring at it sadly. Mary walked up to him.

"Grandpa? Do you need a hug?"

Hunter looked down at his granddaughter and saw the tears swimming in her eyes. "Yes Mary, I do need a hug. Do you need a hug?"

"Yeah Grandpa, I do," Mary said as she reached up and hugged him. As Hunter held his granddaughter in his arms, he thought about what Ansley had said about life not being easy, but in the end it would all be worth it.

He hoped Ansley was right.

Before going to bed, Miles found his father and gave him a hug. "I love you Dad," he said.

Sebastian smiled. "I love you too, Miles."

Miles went to bed, feeling very satisfied that he handled the sad situation like a man. Just like his father did. He couldn't imagine his dad ever being sad or upset, and he wanted to be just like him.

After the kids were in bed, Sebastian and Kitty went out to soak in the hot tub. Sebastian sighed sadly as Kitty put her arms around him. "I'm sorry," Kitty said.

Sebastian hugged her. "It's not your fault, don't be sorry."

The two of them soaked silently for a while. "Are you going to be okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, I will. This was one of those 'it was her time' sort of things. It still sucks, but it's not as bad as...well...you know what I mean."

Kitty nodded and became thoughtful. "Do you still think about...her?" Sebastian half shrugged.

"Occasionally. Not as much as I used to. In fact, hardly ever, now that we have the kids to look after and stuff. But...sometimes a random thought will pop up." He looked down at her. "Does that bother you?"

Kitty smiled, but it did kind of bother her. Not enough to be angry about, but she was jealous that Tristen had him before she did. Sebastian tilted her chin up to his face.

"I want you to know that you are the first person I think of when I wake up, and the last person I think of before I go to sleep."

And, suddenly, Kitty wasn't so bothered by it anymore.

Long after everyone had gone to bed, Hunter was still awake. As he gazed out the window at the freshly fallen snow, he sighed. He allowed himself to be depressed, even if it was going to be in private. The last thing he wanted was for the kids to see him a wreck, like Sebastian was after Tristen died.

But, he now had a better understanding of how Sebastian felt back then.

Turning away from the window, Hunter eased himself onto the couch, closed his eyes, and thought of Ansley. He was determined to grieve as much as he possibly could before the rest of the household woke up. And he would do it the next night, and the night after that until it ran its course.

Hunter eventually fell asleep, dreams of the two of them in their youth running through his mind.

A day or two later, Mary was standing in front of the fish tank. As she idly tapped on the glass, she thought about death and sadness. She was very glad that she had wished for Eternal Happiness.

She smiled at the fish in the tank and whispered to them, "I am going to lead a perfect life. Everything will be perfect. Yes. Yes it will. I will have the perfect husband, a perfect job, perfect kids. Perfect EVERYTHING. Because I wished for Eternal Happiness, I know that all of my dreams will come true."

Her eyes sparkled as she smiled even wider at the fish.

Epilogue

"The Exchange is still down, so I had to break a 122 page story into three parts, and then I converted all of my back stories into a Power Point format, including this one! Stupid stupid Exchange!"

"You're ad-libbing Ang. That's not part of the script," Keith said back to me.

"I WRITE THE SCRIPT!"

"Mom? Dad? Can I call my friends and invite them over?" Amelia asked as she climbed out of her chair in an unlady like manner.

"I'm just saying hon, that you had something totally different to say when you arranged the pictures."

"But I had nothing written, so I can say what I want. And I want to talk about how much Slide Share is giving me problems and the stories aren’t embedding right.”

"Okay, that‘s not even what you had written when you originally posted this on Live Journal."

"DETAILS!"

"Mom? Dad? I'm going to invite a couple of my friends over and hang out with them outside, okay?"

"Yes Amelia, that's fine. Anyway, the Exchange is a stupid head and the BBS is full of thundering morons."

"What does the BBS have to do with the Exchange?"

"AGAIN WITH THE DETAILS!"

"Yeah, you guys can come over. No, you can't come inside, because my parents are crazy. I hope you don't mind. What? Why wouldn't I want to hang out with you? Really? That's a dumb reason. Just come over. Okay, I'll talk to you in a bit."

"Aviendha, aren't you cold?" Mary asked as she looked at her cousin.

"Heck no, I'm not frelling cold. Being cold is for framming sissies. When I get older, I'm going to TOTALLY walk around nude because I'm that fracking tough. Right Amelia?"

Amelia was a bit cold herself, but she wasn't going let Aviendha know that, so she just shrugged in response. Besides, she could feel her cheeks heat up whenever she looked at Miles, so that kept her a little warm.

"So, it was really cool of you to invite us over Amelia," Miles said with a grin, "but why can't we go inside. I'M NOT A SISSY AVIENDHA! I'm just asking!"

Before Amelia could answer, a voice from inside could be heard.

"WHY DO YOU KEEP PESTERING ME WITH DETAILS?"

"That's why." Amelia said dryly. "My parents talk about crazy things. Mainly my mom, but my dad humors her. Seriously, he could be sitting on the computer while my mom rants. She's not ranting at him, but she rants and she's happy if he gives the appearance that's he listening, even when he's clearly not."

The other three children laughed. "Ah parents. What are we going to do with them?" Aviendha said mirthfully as she shook her head.

"Oh well, what am I going to do except post on Live Journal?"

Keith just shrugged. That's when I noticed that Amelia wasn't in the house. "Keith? Where's Amelia?"

"She went to play outside with your Legacy kids," he responded serenely.

"What?! Keith!" I lowered my voice to a whisper. "She can't play with them! She can't get attached! She's supposed to remain distant so she doesn't get upset when they die of old age on her!"

"Ang, she's like ten years old or something. I don't think we need to worry. Besides, I saw you wiping a tear away when Ansley died."

"That's different!"

"Like I said, what are you worried about? She's only a kid. Childhood friends grow apart."

And that was when I knew just how little Keith knows about the Sims.

*** Thank you everyone for reading. Happy Simming!