Chapter Twenty → Do you know that there's still a chance for you, 'cause there's a spark in you

It wasn't easy after Cherie died, Kinsley having to sleep in her bed alone, her wife's Urn keeping watch. Zane had wanted to bury the woman properly, but Kinsley couldn't do such a thing, not yet. So he didn't push the subject, just allowing his mother to mourn as she wished.

Michael wasn't much better, the little boy not dealing well with his grandmother's death.

"Umm, what's with the outfit?" Zane asked his wife one morning as they got ready for work.

"I have to look 'professional' and nothing fits anymore." She said, making a little face. Cora had accidentally gotten pregnant when she and Zane had forgotten the protection during one of their early morning shags, but since Cherie's death, the woman didn't want to let on about the pregnancy to Kinsley just yet.

"Those stockings, are, um..."

"Terrible, i know, shut up." She said to her husband, the man just nodding with a little smile on his face.

"Smart man." She said as hugged him. "By the way."

"Hmm?"

"I hate the lamp."

"Be nice to my Dalek." Zane chuckled.

Eventually it became too obvious to hide, and one quiet night, amidst the reading, tinkering, imagination play and television watching Cora went into labor.

The next morning Cora and Zane brought home the newest addition to the family, Noah.

Of course there were more important things to do than to worry about a new baby, specially if this one didn't come with a 'slayer' mode just like the last one didn't. (omg ghost tree!)

Like trying to bite the heads off every dolly in the house, they looked so much better as extra's from Dawn of the Dead.

There was also school to worry about, which was never fun, for anyone. At least Michael had on a clean shirt, although he wasn't happy about it. Why did he bother going through so much trouble to make 'em dirty if Cora was just gonna wash all his work away!?

There was also welcoming the new neighbors to the block. "I can't help but notice you're blue."

"I've wings too."

"I noticed that as well, are they real?"

"Yep."

"Oh.... coffee?"

Too soon it was Tamara's birthday, the first thing she realized upon aging up was that he father's lab coat was horrible!

Noah just wanted to know what the hell was hanging over his forehead. Hair? Oh, that was new.

Tamara quickly found the sandbox.

While Michael found... OH SWEET JESUS WHAT IS THAT!!? Oh, it's a ladybug, okay, it's huge, but okay.

Next birthday was Zane's, but after that everything was quickly going to fall back into their normal routine.... right?

Right?

*sigh*

Chapter Notes:

I know the last few pictures sort of fell out of both story telling and proper story narration and went more towards me comment on them, but i was having a moment, call me fickle lol. Isn't Tamara a beauty? I love her, i'm so glad she's my heir. Noah, who i'm now calling 'oopise', is adorable, i love that they always cross their eyes after aging up, it's too funny. Zane started a midlife crisis the second he aged up, anyone who read chapter eighteen knows the issues i had with one of his wishes, grrr, next midlife crisis i get, i'm paying for it to be cured, i don't care how much it is, cause they're annoying!

Anyway, Noah's traits are Excitable and Athletic.

Also, chapter twenty, woot! I'm weird, i know :D

Chapter Nineteen → I have to go and leave you alone, but always know I love you so

It wasn't long before Peanut was considered part of family, the little girl soon falling into their routine.

Okay, so their routine was odd, any routine that consisted of taking a hammer to the sprinkler in the middle of the night left a lot to desire, but it fit them just fine.

Besides, their garden didn't exactly grow normal things.

Before anyone knew what was happening, it was Tamara's birthday, the months having flown past in a flash.

She was one of a kind, with a dark skin tone but natural blonde hair, she was sure to stand out for her entire life.

As time went on though, Michael's bouts of insanity seemed to get worse. The boy even going so far as to get into fights with beings only he could see, which usually ended with him choking himself, his parents having to pry his hands off his throat before he could hurt himself.

Cora, being the medical one in the family, tried her best to get through to the boy. "Mikey, when you get into fights, who are you yelling at?"

"What makes dandelions puffy?"

"Uh, i don't know honey, you'd have to ask your daddy."

"Do they smell like lions? What do lions smell like?"

"Ummm..."

While Zane and Cora worried over Michael, Kinsley took to teaching Tamara how to walk and talk.

The little girl was rather even tempered, which was nice considering most toddlers had at least one tantrum a day.

With all the children around, it was pretty much all Cherie ever talked about at work. "And this is Corinne, she's just a little older than Tamara, they were born within days or each other, so sweet."

"I swear, it's like the second i walk into the office everybody runs for it."

"Maybe if you'd keep your damn pictures in your wallet." Kinsley teased.

"But the kids are so damn cute." Cherie playfully whined, Kinsley just chuckling at her.

One of the more busy days of the week, while Cora was holding a free clinic at the park.

Kinsley decided to take Tamara to the library, which left the school aged children home with Cherie after they got finished with their after school activities. What no one knew was the children weren't exactly being looked after....

No other adult was home with Michael, Peanut and their cousin Mary when Cherie died.

Zane rushed home after he got a panicked and hard to understand phone call from Michael, something about grandma being her a room crying. "Mama?" He said softly as he walked into his parents bedroom only to find Kinsley sitting on the floor, he could hear Cora in the other room attempting to calm the three children down, to get the story out of them. "Where's mom?" He asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"She's gone." Was all Kinsley whispered before allowing herself to be pulled up and into Zane's arms.

"She's gone." She sobbed.

Chapter Notes:

*tear* Yep, Cherie passed away. I always thought she would be the last to go what with how active she was and that she was younger than Kinsley, but nope, she went when no one but the kids were there, talk about traumatizing!

Anyway, Tamara is adorable! I love her, she's too cute. I'm glad she got Zane's hair color with Cora's skin tone. Her randomly rolled traits are Excitable and Perceptive, but as she gets older i will starting picking her traits so that she will want to go into journalism. It's finally, cause Peanut got her lifetime wish, which is to go into journalism lol. So, they'll be working together when they grow up.

Another update is on it's way, stay tuned, or ya know, whatever ^^

Chapter Eighteen → Don't lose who you are in the blur of the stars, seeing is deceiving, dreaming is believing

Within weeks of their wedding Cora was pregnant, the two wasting no time expanding their family.

As Cora's middle got rounder, she started nesting which resulted in Zane arriving home one day to find a new bedroom set. "My books." He said, meaning the stacks of books he had been using as nightstands.

"We needed proper nightstands Zane."

"But, my books."

"It's not a big deal."

"My books." He said, giving a little pout.

"Is that all you're going to say?"

"My... books."

"Ugh, i'm walking away now." Cora said with a roll of her eyes as she went to walk away, Zane laughing and catching her arm.

"I'm kidding, i'm kidding." He assured. "I love it, it's fine."

"I just think we're getting a little too old to live like college students."

"You're never too old to live like a college student."

"Does that mean i won't get able to get you to shave?" Cora asked playfully.

"No." Zane shook his head. "In fact, when i get old and grey, just to spite the world i'm gonna grow a big 'ole Santa beard." He smirked, Cora just laughing as she hugged him.

Soon enough Michael's birthday was upon them, his grandparents throwing a small party for him, inviting only family, both immediate and distant. Of course it was then that Cora decided to go into labor, seemed like they were starting a pattern, a party and a birth for the price of one. As Zane whisked Cora off to the hospital, the festivities continued, although by then most of the adults were talking of babies.

Michael thought the idea of babies was dumb, he just wanted cake, and to be able to see the exact edge of his hairline. After trying for a moment he gave up, it hurt his head.

When Zane and Cora returned home it was well into the night, the man putting his loopy wife to bed as Kinsley took care of her newborn granddaughter, Tamara.

Michael wasn't sure how he felt about his new baby sister, she didn't do much. All in all he thought the idea of a baby stupid, she'd have been so much more interesting had she come with a 'slayer' mode or something as equally cool.

"Okay, i give, what's with the bedroom?" Cora asked her husband one afternoon after bringing Tamara home. 

"It's for Peanut."

"Who's Peanut?" She asked, looking at the man oddly.

"Okay, just remember i'm not crazy." Zane said as he stood, Cora arching an eyebrow at him

"Yet." She said, sounding like she wasn't liking where the conversation was headed.

"Peanut's Michael's doll."

Cora looked at him dully. "Yeah, walking away now." She turned to leave.

"No, i'm being serious." Zane said, stopping her. "You know Patches?"

"Your sister, yeah."

"Well, she's not really my sister, she's my sister's doll."

"You're insane."

Zane chuckled. "Let me explain, you know movie Chuckie?.... Wait, no, bad analogy. Anyway, basically the dolls are vessels for the souls of children that never got a chance to live. I had one, we didn't exactly get along, but both Katharine's and Suzanna's are still alive and kicking... well, alive again. You can ask them."

"So basically, the dolls are like a ghetto Toys R Us Horcrux?" Cora asked, only to get a nod in reply. "Who sends them?"

Zane paused, thoughtfully. "I don't know, Michael's came from an Aunt Beatrice."

"Do you have an Aunt Beatrice?"

"Well, i had an Aunt Bee, but she died like twenty-five years ago."

"So what, the dolls gonna just walk around like some kind of magical android?"

"No, there's a chemical formula that can bring them back to the form they were in when they died."

"And you know it?"

"Not quite..." Zane trailed off.

"Here ya go honey." Cherie said as she handed a small box to Michael.

"Whee!" He jumped up happily. "What is it?"

"Special juice, go give it to Peanut to drink."

"For Peanut?" He looked at her oddly. "I thought it was a gift for me."

"It's for both of you." Cherie clarified. Although Michael didn't like the idea of a shared gift, he did what he was told and went looking for Peanut.

"Here drink this." He said, handing the beaker to her.

"What is it?" She asked, her voice high pitched and squeaky sounding.

"Just drink it or i will and then i'll get sick and die and it'll all be your fault." Michael said, the boy having turned out extremely morbid, to no ones surprise really.

Peanut just gave a little shrug and drank down the liquid, her body starting to sparkle, startling both her and Michael.

Well, that was odd.

Chapter Notes:

Short, i know, but i've been up for over twenty-four hours so i'm kinda brain dead. Plus in game i am SO far past this point, have to flip back in the story to get a flow going with the pictures. Michael's childhood trait is Loner, Tamara's traits are Excitable and Perceptive and lastly, Peanut's is Frugal, Artistic and Family Oriented.

I've been having massive issues with the damn story progression, i have one NPC who's stuck walking around arched like she's pregnant, complete with belly but she's not actually pregnant, i checked. Then i sent the fam to Egypt because it was a midlife crisis wish, went and the fricking wish doesn't count because apparently the traveling towns are 'new' towns and the SP is reading it like you're starting new from scratch. Not to mention when i brought everyone home, it placed the kids in other peoples homes although they all still show up on my portrait panel  and gave Cora an NPC job as a spawned bartender! Safe to say i quit out and didn't save, fricking thing -_-

Also, no idea why the front changed mid post.