This is goodbye...at least, for a while

Well, I've never wanted to do this, but it's been bugging me for a while, and I guess I have to announce it sooner or later.

I'm not going to be continuing this legacy anymore.

I've hit a patch where I don't want to go through the trouble of taking pictures then writing an entire post...to be honest, I'm tired of the Sims game. I've always liked action/fantasy games more, which is why I'm currently playing World of Warcraft on a regular basis. It just has more to offer than Sims.

I really wanted to go on till generation 5 and end it there (I like the number better), but I just don't have the strength for it now.

Perhaps someday, I might feel the need to write again, which means I'll pick off where I left this generation off. Maybe next year, I'll see if I've changed my perspective.

But until then....goodbye, and I do apologize for not seeing this through.

~Destiny Hailey Rose

Generation 4, Chapter 16: That gut-wrenching feeling when you know something is wrong...

Ever since the day Vala told me she was pregnant, we weren't able to have a normal conversation without it turning into an argument.

It was an odd turn of events, and definitely unexpected. But Vala...she seemed genuinely upset, like she didn't want to be pregnant. I could understand that, she had never been faced with such a thing before. However, to think of having an abortion...was against all my moral values.

"Vala? Are you alright?" I asked her one evening after we returned from watching a movie.

"Oh, I see where this is going," she huffed. "You're gonna find some way to turn this conversation back to my pregnancy, huh?"

"Um...no. You did."

"Let me tell you something..." She seemed at a loss for words, being thrown off by my calm reply. "I hate your perfect composure!" Before I could even grab her hand to stop her, she stormed inside.

What we didn't know was that Mitchell and Darcy seemed to have made our home theirs already, without an invitation. I was okay with it, seeing as Darcy had already stayed with me in Bridgeport. But Mitchell...was a whole different case. He occasionally raided the fridge for all the leftovers of the previous day, leaving us without dinner. 

Sooner or later, I would have to throw them both out. 

"Boy, do you two need a vacation. You looked stressed out...," Mitchell stated, a frown caught between his eyes.

"Not today, Mitchell. The mood isn't good for those kind of jokes, yet."

"Which is why I suggested the vacation!"

"Where's Darcy?" Vala interrupted the bantering.

"Kitchen, looking for a snack for me," he grinned widely.

"Uh huh... I'll start some dinner."

"That's okay, I can do it," trying to be sensitive and getting her back to her usual happy mood, I offered to make dinner without thinking of her reaction to this.

Needless to say, it ticked her off even more.

"Daniel, you're a horrible cook, and I'm not useless. Leave it to me, okay?"

Reasoning with her wouldn't help, and the sad thing was, I didn't know how to help, how to react, or what to say to her when she was like this. Calling my father was not an option as he would have no knowledge of this. My mother had had a lot of problems, having had some kind of amnesia in the past, but nothing like this. Apparently, she had been quite happy during her pregnancy, like my grandmother Kaylin had been, as well as great-grandmother Destiny. It was a family filled with family oriented people.

What worried me was that good family nature would come to a screeching halt.

"Daniel!" Darcy whispered from the kitchen, with an urgency mixed into her voice. "What the hell is going on with her? Did you see her with that knife?! We have a serial killer on our hands."

"No, we don't," I shook my head. At least, I hoped we didn't.

"Then why is she so moody?"

"Well, she's pregnant and she doesn't want to be, I believe."

"And you didn't tell me?!" she yelled, causing Vala to peek over her shoulder. "And you didn't tell me?" she lowered her voice. "I'm your sister, dammit. If you can't tell me, who can you tell?"

"You have a point... It's kind of had a bad effect on both of us. She's not ready for that kind of responsibility, and I'm gonna be a dad while I'm not even married."

"Hey, that worked for our grandmother!"

I sighed. "They at least got married. I'm not so sure that'll happen between Vala and I."

Mitchell's bellowing voice coming from the living room was enough to make everyone in the neighbor jump from surprise, but it made us pay attention to what he was saying. "Hey, guys, Sunset Valley is gonna be on the TV!"

"Ooh, really?" Darcy ran from the kitchen, literally jumping over the couch to take a seat by Mitchell's feet. "This is quite an occasion then."

"What's it about?" I asked out of curiosity, not making an effort to hurry to the lounge.

"Uh, some rich guy is funding a festival here in town. It's just some kind of publicity stunt, if you're asking me."

"Obviously," Darcy agreed.

"Next up: Sunset Valley isn't that quaint, sunny town anymore! CEO of O.M. Industries discusses his plans to turn that lovely place into a Winter Wonderland festival." The news reader delivered the line with a smile, but it made my heart sink. So Oscar McMullen was coming to town? Perhaps our idea of revenge wasn't as far fetched as I had imagined.

"That bastard...," I muttered under my breath.

"'Scuse me? Didn't catch that?" Darcy looked up at me with curious eyes.

"Nothing, I'll explain later."

"You always say that," Mitchell mused. "And you know what? You never end up explaining anything!"

Ignoring his line, I took a seat next to him, eyes pinned on the television. the image of the man was exactly like the one stored in my memory, from the time I was introduced to Sarah's parents. The only difference was that he looked a lot more...sinister than he did a few years ago.

"Sunsey Valley was where my family went during my summer vacation. We share an important past, and I wish to pay my respects to all those good memories. Citizens of this beautiful town, I implore you to come join in the festival of Winter, starting tomorrow afternoon. Those that wish to help set up  tomorrow morning are welcome to do so."

Before he even finished his speech, Darcy switched channels. "It's boring, okay?"

"I was still watching that, you know," I pointed out.

"If you want watch it so much, go search a video of it online," she suggested, continuing to mash the button of the remote until she found a channel with cartoons on it.

Following her suggestion, albeit with a disgruntled mood, I head upstairs in search of my laptop and charger. Something told me I was gonna be up till late again researching.

What I had not foreseen, was that Vala was already in the room. The last thing I wanted now was an argument.

"Sorry, I didn't know you were up here," I quickly turned away from the door.

She jumped from the bed, biting down hard on her bottom lip. When she spoke, it wasn't the tone she had used just a while ago. It was soothing, almost like how I had tried to sound. "Oh no, please, don't go. Can we talk?"

"You know what happens when we talk, Vala..."

"I'm sorry...," she whispered, extending her hand towards my face in an attempt to break the ice. "I can't control myself lately... The emotional side of me, I mean. I'd blame it on hormones, but it's too early for that to happen."

"I want to say that I'm alright with that...but to be honest, it wasn't a pleasant experience, seeing you like that. I can go live with my parents for a while, if you're sick of me around here."

"I could never get sick of you," she pulled me closer for a hug. "Never. So don't go running off with some other bimbo while you got a pregnant girlfriend back home!"

I couldn't help but laugh. She was back to normal, even if it was temporarily. "I wouldn't dare betray you."

"Good. Now,what was the fuss about the television? About Sunset Valley and some festival?"

"Oh, it's.." I hesitated. Should I really involve her in my plans for revenge, while my duty to her was to protect her from her former employer? "You and I are going to the park tomorrow."

"Interesting. I suppose you'll explain the why to me tomorrow while we're driving?"

"You bet'cha."

As we stepped outside the next morning, the grass was covered with a thin layer of snow. It was the first sign we received that winter had officially arrived. With the temperature a lot lower than we were used to, Vala and I dressed up snugly in clothing that she had bought for us the previous week.

"Look over there," Vala pointed into the distance. "Is that the guy you saw on TV? Mister McMullen?"

"That's the one. How about we go introduce ourselves as 'friendly helpers'"?

"I'm always up for acting. Did I ever mention to you that if I hadn't become a criminal, I would have liked to become a part-time performer?"

"Uh, no... But you can talk more about that later. Remember, lets act polite and not kick his butt just yet. We gotta earn his trust...and all that crap."

"Daniel?"

"Yeah?"

"Why are you lecturing me while I'm the professional in this case?"

"I don't really know..."

Appearing to be a perfect couple, we approached Sarah's father with smiles on our faces. I suspected that he would recognize me, but I was unsure of Vala.

"He looks familiar..." She whispered, lost in thought.

"Welcome, young couple. Would you be interested in helping us with arranging some of the things that will be included in the festival?"

"Of course, as long as it doesn't require heavy lifting... Daniel's strong, but not that strong. Look at his puny arm muscles!" Vala chuckled.

Oscar smirked. "You should include yourself in that excuse. You never were one to do the hard work, Vala."

Crap. He knows her, thought flashed through my mind. If he knows her, chances are he knows me.

"Y-you know her?" I tried to salvage the situation, to keep the appearance up of being clueless.

"I thought you were a good man, Daniel, seeing as you dated my daughter and all, but if you're shacking up with Vala, you are a pathetic man."

Beside me. I could sense Vala growing uncomfortable. "You know me?"

"Who do you think recruited you when you were a teenager? Now, lets talk, shall we..."

At that moment, I couldn't suppress the bad, gut-wrenching feeling that was stirring inside me.

~♥~

Sorry that it took so long to publish this post, and that it is definitely not one a good one, either, but I'm just a bit tired of this generation, I guess, seeing as I have bigger plans for generation 5.

Thank you for reading, and have a great day!

Generation 4, Chapter 15: Keep your chin up, boy!

It was happening. It was finally happening. For Mitchell's part, I was nervous.

Just a few days after his conversation with me, he got my father on the phone, and confessed his love to my sister and the wish of marrying her. Of course, Richard Jackson was never one to communicate over the phone, and wanted to meet Mitchell in person. However, with the weather conditions being horrible, none of us could drive to Lucky Palms. 

The only solution was a video chat on Skype...and that was one entertaining afternoon.

My father's nose was extremely close to the web camera, as he had tried to get the best view of Mitchell. It was the most threatening look he had ever gave someone.

"You say you want to marry my daughter, puny boy?" For a man that had kept a business-like posture his entire life, it was both strange and hilarious to hear him speak like a true barbarian. At least, to me, it was hilarious. Mitchell was a bit too shaken up to find anything funny at that point.

"U-uh, y-y-yes sir...," Mitchel stuttered out an answer, looking everywhere except at the screen.

"Why are you rambling like a complete idiot, boy? Do you have a speech problem?" my father had fumed.

"Richard!" I heard my mother's all-too-familiar-disapproving tone in just one word. "Don't you understand this is hard for him? It's not like you ever asked my father..."

That had put my father in his place, and after that, he was a lot more negotiable.

Like a complete fool, I stood at the window and peeked at the proposal taking place. I felt like it was my duty, in my father's absence, to see that things go smoothly.

But the urge to jump in and hug my sister, to protect her from someone else, was getting too strong.

"Daniel Grayson Jackson, what on earth are you doing at that window?!" Vala called from the kitchen, hands on her hips, with a irritated look on her face. "Are there naked old ladies walking down the road? You should be ashamed for looking at them. They're not in control of their minds anymore...they say amnesia is a terrible thing..."

"Oh God...," clasping my hand in front of my eyes, trying to contain the laughter that was itching to erupt, I moved to the kitchen, hugging her around the waist from behind as she had turned away from me, subtly planting a kiss at her neck. "For your information, Mitchell is out there in the cold, proposing to my little sister."

"Ah...," she nodded knowingly. "The big brother attitude kicking in, huh?"

"Pretty much."

"Good luck with that."

I sighed, sparing one last look at the window before turning to the staircase. "I'm gonna head to bed. Enjoy your dinner."

That ended up being a lie. As soon as I got to the main bedroom and saw my laptop open at my researching page, I forgot all about sleep and clambered behind the screen.

Hours could have passed, but I was oblivious to most of it, until Vala peeked into the room with a raised eyebrow, all dressed up and ready to go to bed. "I thought you would be sleeping by now?"

"Yeah... I remembered I had some, uh, work to do for tomorrow. You know how hectic a journalist's career can be."

She frowned, and hesitantly went to sit down on the bed. "No, I don't, so please, enlighten me."

Despite the impression she gave people, Vala was really smart, and could usually figure out when someone was lying to her. When she suspected someone of being a liar, she went into full hunter mode, bombarding the individual with questions. I was rather afraid that was going to happen to me.

But I couldn't tell her what I was up to. Not yet.

After Sarah's mother had come all the way to Sunset Valley to incriminate her husband, I nearly became obsessed with finding out all about Oscar McMullen and his lawless activities.

It seemed like mister McMullen was quite good at hiding what he does. If it weren't for the top given by his wife, I would never have guessed what he was capable of.

From what I could find online, he was the head of O.M. Industries, an engineering group that have thousands of registered patents, all contributing to the latest age of communication. What the articles didn't say, was that he had to resort to sinister ways to stay ahead of other companies like his one. On the "about" page of his website, the graphs he had on display showed just how successful he was because of the criminal activities done in the background.

"Daniel?" from the sound of her voice, it was obvious she was getting impatient. "I'm waiting for an answer..."

"Tell you what," after quickly bookmarking the page I was viewing, I closed the laptop and went to sit by her. "Let's go down to the beach tomorrow and chat a bit about all of this, okay? It's really important..."

"Sounds...serious. Daniel, you didn't join any kind of weird cult, did you?"

"No, no, nothing like that. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow."

"Okay...," she relented. "Just know that after you've confessed, I have some important news to share as well."

Those words troubled me the entire night, even lingering in my dreams.

When the sun peeked over the horizon, it filled me with the strength to tell Vala the truth about my research. However, as soon as the dark clouds started to swoon in the sky, my courage turned to dust.

Even with the heavy rain, Vala was persistent, and wished to walk down to the beach with me. I dared not deny her request.

Sunset Valley was still new to me in so many ways, especially the neighborhood. To be able to walk around rather than ride in a car all over town, was an enjoyable experience.

"Are you finding this-"

"-magical?" her eyes darted in my direction, face alight with joy. "It's really beautiful here. I think I'll stick around here a bit longer..."

It dawned on me suddenly: That had to be the news she wanted to share. She was going on the run again...but why?

"I think it'll stop raining in a bit, don't cha think?" she turned to me, pointing with her umbrella up at the sky. Her hunch had some merit. The sky was clearing up, and the sun was finally peeking through.

"The weather? Really, Vala? That has got to be the worst opening line to a conversation ever. Whatever is on your mind has got to be a lot more serious than what I have to tell." I chuckled as I spoke, but inside, I was so nervous, I could have had a stroke.

"For the love of all that's holy, Daniel, just spit it out already! I can't come up with any way to ease into the topic, so please, help me out."

"Fine. You asked for it..."

"Yes, I did, so would you-"

"Your previous so-called boss was my fiancée's father. He had her killed."

She gasped quietly and her eyes widened momentarily before being replaced by a mixture of angst and anger. "What?" she choked.

"The head of this crime syndicate's name is Oscar McMullen. His wife sold him out, and she asked me to get revenge, for her sake, for Sarah's...but also for everyone who has had to suffer because of him."

"I... I don't know what to say..." She stepped back, her hand desperately covering her mouth. With Vala, it was always calmest before the storm. For a moment she would be sad, but in the end...

Her eyes flashed with new found confidence and vengeance. "I'm in. Whatever revenge will be taken, I am so gonna a part of it. You need me, really. I have knowledge of the stuff that goes on in there and-"

"Vala, you had me at 'I'm in'. Of course I'll let you help."

Seemingly satisfied with the answer I gave her, she turned to the ocean, picking up a stone from the sand and flicking it across the water. "This kind of ruins what I wanted to tell you..."

"How so?"

"Because you're gonna worry your ass off and keep me out of the fun."

No response. Instead, she ran across the beach and retrieved a float from under a lounge chair and ran back to me. Her strange behavior didn't bother me, until she started undressing into her underwear.

"Uh, Vala..."

"I know, I know, it's raining! But you know what? I don't care!" she yelled, and skipped through the shallow waters with the float in her hands.

"You're absolutely crazy!" I yelled back at her as soon as she started lounging in the deeper waters, looking rather proud of herself.

"And don't you forget that!" I heard the faint answer. "Hey, come and join me. That is, if you have the guts to face the cold..."

That was the card she always pulled in a conversation. Playing on the fact that a guy had to defend his honor...it always worked on me, sadly.

"If my clothing gets stolen, you're buying me some new ones!"

"Fine! Now get over here, for Pete's sake."

The rain did a fair job of flattening my hair against my head before the ocean's water could even try. Just as I was close to Vala, the last drizzle of rain disappeared.

"Just my luck...," I muttered.

"Huh?"

"Never mind... So what did you want to talk about?"

"Oh, nothing too big. I have a suspicion that I might be pregnant, which some might think is really serious."

It was hard for me to remain floating in the water. "What?" I echoed her reaction from earlier. "Vala... That's BIG news."

After the shock, other signals popped up in my head. What was I thinking? The baby wasn't mine, probably. We had only been together for a short while, and before that time, she had ample time to explore her other options. So determining the identity of the father could be like searching for a needle in a haystack of infinite size.

"Well, I don't know how to react, to be honest... I wasn't expecting this to happen."

"Oh... I see. So, what are you gonna do about it? How're you gonna contact the father?"

Having turned away from her, I could not see the reaction on her face, but the way she inhaled a deep breath, she did not seem happy with my question. "Daniel, there's no doubt in my mind that you're the father. I wasn't with anyone else in that time frame... Oh, you're so cute when you're worried!" she chuckled, and continued to relax.

If I had been sitting in a chair, I would have leaned against it for support, because all my muscles felt like jelly. I was going to be a father.

Generation 4, Chapter 14: A brief encounter

A/N: Before my computer went in for an upgrade, I wanted to back up my saved files from Sims, but instead, I deleted them... I got a few back, but not Daniel's save file. This is why you'll be seeing a LOT of changes in this new chapter.

But hey! A new chapter after who knows how many weeks... O_o I've been working on this before Seasons came out, and yet, I'm only posting it now...

Yup. I'm really really lazy. Anyhow, please continue!

"Dude, for Pete's sake, get up. It's not even afternoon yet! It's definitely not a time to be sleeping..."

He interrupted me just when I had started to slumber into a deep state of sleep and away from reality. Great. "Hmph. If you're looking for someone to be excited to see that you're back, Mitchell, you're not gonna be getting that kind of attention from me."

I felt his foot hit the couch. "You're a horrible friend," he muttered.

Perhaps I was, but I couldn't help myself at that moment. A lot had been going on recently, and the change of environment was taking its toll on me.

Vala had opened my eyes to the truth, that I had been clinging onto the past. An example of that was to take a job at the art gallery, to be closer to Sarah's favorite things. In truth, I didn't really like the job all too much, as it strayed away from my field of expertise.

So I did what was best for me: I quit my job, and took another as a journalist/researcher of historical artifacts and figures.

The only downside to that was that there were no more available spots for a journalist at Bridgeport's newspaper, but they offered me a transfer to Sunset Valley instead. After a long debate with my sister, who hated seeing me leave her alone, she agreed that it was probably the best course of action. Of course, she also tagged along, now bunking on my couch in the living room at night.

The most interesting aspect of it all was perhaps the fact that Vala and I were now together. As in living together. A couple, or whatever one would call it.

Never in a million years would I have thought that I would end up in a relationship with a person whose personality was the complete opposite of mine.

"You're still standing there, aren't you?" I mumbled into the soft cover of the couch.

"You guessed it."

"Don't you have someone else to bother? Where's Darcy?"

He seemed to pause before answering. "Out somewhere," he cleared his throat. "I sent her somewhere to have some fun, so I could have a conversation with you."

That caught my attention, and nearly had me sitting upright if it weren't for the sound of approaching footsteps.

"Is he not adorable when he's napping? Oh, I could just tickle him..." Vala nearly cooed like an overbearing mother, and I knew she was itching to poke at me. I had become used to her little habits of joking around with me, and to be honest, it was quite entertaining to me.

"Eh, if you say so... But why he would be napping in summer clothes while it's nearly freezing outside is beyond me."

That could easily be explained to him, but I was too lazy to do so. In truth, Vala had been persistent lately that I should not be so serious all the time. Her first attempt at getting me to relax was getting me some "comfortable" clothes. The worst thing about the arrangement was that she made it while it was nearly winter. That was why I was huddled up indoors.

Vala merely laughed at Mitchell's reaction, saved a moment to kiss me on the cheek, and made her way to the front door.

"Where are you going?" Mitchell called after her.

"Unlike some people, Mitchell, I do have a day job," she snickered. "Good luck trying to wake him up." In an effort to impress everyone, Vala got a starting job at the local spa as a receptionist. Her bubbly personality was definitely an asset to them, and apparently, the customers loved her when she wasn't insulting them.

After the sound of the door quietly closing was heard, I slowly eased into a sitting position. Mitchell took it as an invitation that I was ready to talk to him.

When I looked at Mitchell, I was rather stunned by the new look he had adopted. "Dude, what the hell happened to you?" I asked, referring to his gelled-back hairstyle.

"I'm a model in my free time... It required me to modify my look."

"What did Darcy have to say about that?" I raised an eyebrow. My sister was not one to like men who ended up with over-buffed egos, which she had stereotyped as men who followed a modeling career.

Mitchell stared at me with uncertain eyes. "She doesn't know... Other things have been on my mind, which I think is more important than telling her about my new career path."

"Really? What on earth could be more important than your modelling career?" the sarcasm I delivered was not at all concealed. If he was going to mess with my little sister, he was making a big mistake.
"The fact that I'm in love with your sister. So much so that I want to ask her to marry me."

It was hard for me not to be a little bit skeptical. "Seriously? You're ready to put up with all of my sister's crap?"

Mitchell groaned. "Come on, dude... She doesn't have that much baggage. Be nicer to your sister sometimes."

"I'm just kidding... But honestly... I'm shocked. I didn't know things were that serious between you two. I expected a fling that would eventually break off... But now I see I was wrong. I'm sorry to have judged you two so early. Question is, why are you telling me all of this? Shouldn't you be out there with my sister, getting down on one knee already?"

He paused, uncertain how to phrase the words he had in his mind. "That's the thing...," he hesitated. "I'm not really sure how the customs of your family work. Should I ask your father, or ask you, since your dad is too far away? Or should I go all the way to Lucky Palms...?"

He might have said more, but the sound of the front door opening and closing with a bang interrupted the previously relaxed state we had found ourselves in.

"That is the last time I'm ever accepting a request from Vala for a fun filled day at the spa. Do you know what happened? They put me down on a massage table and put hot stones on me! The nerve..."

"Sounds awful," Mitchell sympathized with her, putting our conversation in the past, yet the hint of it remained. He sounded detached and stressed. Perhaps he realized he might have to face my father soon, who was not easy to please when it came to his daughter. Like most fathers, he was overprotective.

"It was...," she nodded, seemingly oblivious to his lack of interest in what she had said. "I still want to make this a memorable day. So, if you don't mind, Mitchell, how about we go out for a drive?"

"I don't know..." Mitchell hesitates, possibly wondering if we still had much to discuss.

"Yes, please, go forth young couple, for I do not wish to be cooped up with a crazy chick that's really pissed off."

"Haha," Darcy eyed me, not in the least humored. "You're hilarious, Daniel. Ever since you and Vala hoo-"

"Okay, time to go," literally jumping off of the couch, Mitchell grabbed his car keys from the table near the door and steered Darcy out of the house without even saying goodbye. I didn't mind his lack of manners at all, since he had spared me from getting into an argument with Darcy. It was a well-known fact that she always won when it came to a verbal fight, mostly because she had a habit of bringing up past occurrences that were embarrassing to me.

I looked out the window, seeing them speed down the road like they didn't have a care in the world.

It reminded me of that one summer in Paris...

With Sarah.

It was pathetic, really, how the memories of her still lingered while I was with someone else. But you couldn't just forget about someone whom you were planning to marry.

That was the kind of person I was. One who found the right girl, and planned to settle down with her, have a family...crap like that.

But with Vala...things weren't going to be the same. No matter how I felt over her, I wasn't sure if she would ever accept a proposal from me. 

Yet again that day, someone was at the door, but this time it was a quiet rapping against the door, instead of it being thrown open and slammed shut again. All of that meant that we had a visitor.

Pushing my recent pondering to the back of my mind, I went to open the door, finding a total stranger on the front porch.

Clearing my throat to catch her attention, I politely inquired her reason for being at my house. "Excuse me, can I help you?"

As she turned to face me, a haunting feeling stirred inside me. Like I knew her. Yet, I couldn't put my finger on it. She did look familiar. Most of her features were, but I couldn't place them.

"You don't remember me?" she raised an eyebrow, unsure if she should be insulted or not. "I'm Cathleen... Cathleen McMullen. Sarah's mother."

It was unreal how, just a few moments ago, I had thought of Sarah, and now all of a sudden her mother stood at my doorstep.

Noisily, I cleared my throat, embarrassed by my own stupidity. "I'm sorry for not recognizing you, misses McMullen. I had only met you twice, and to be honest, I'm horrible with faces..."

She chuckled lightly, accepting my excuse with a wave of the hand, as if saying that it happens to all of us at some point. "It's quite all right, Daniel."

An awkward silence followed. What on earth was I supposed to say to my ex-fiancée's mother who I hadn't spoken to in years? "Sorry to have to admit this, but I've moved on.", or "I'm so sorry about Sarah...it was a great loss for me as well."? No. I wasn't going to bring back such painful memories for her when she might be here for a whole other reason.

But the silence was getting to be too much for me, and I broke it. "So, um...don't you and your husband live somewhere in London nowadays? What brings you to this part of town?"

She cast her gaze downwards, hesitating. "I've come to deliver a warning, and tell you the truth."

It sounded serious, and a little bit too spooky for a normal confession. Something bad was going on, something she had to have kept under wraps for a very long time.

"Okay... Shoot."

"I'm going to say this outright. My husband had Sarah killed."

Of all the things I could have guessed, I would never in a million years have thought those words would leave her mouth.

"E-excuse me?" I spluttered, wondering whether there was something wrong with my hearing.

"You heard right the first time, Daniel," she assured me with a sullen expression. "Oscar, my husband, is in charge of a company. In the day, he's a normal business man, but after hours, or any time he's free, he leads young people to perform crimes for him for a lot of money. That's how his legit company has stayed ahead of the competition."

"But...but...killing Sarah? He had nothing to gain from that!"

"She was moral, like me. But unlike me, she didn't want to keep her mouth shut. She wasn't afraid of him, because she thought he wouldn't lay a finger on him. In the end...he did."

"How could anyone do that to their own flesh and blood...," the shock was too much to handle, and it felt that at any moment, my knees would give out under me and I would lie passed out on the ground.

"When you're selfish, and you fear only for your own life, anything is possible. Daniel, it was clear to me when I saw you at the funeral, that you were going to find out who was responsible for it all. That's why I'm coming to you with this information. No longer am I living in the shadows. I have to make a difference, even if it costs me my life."

She suddenly grabbed my shoulders, looking me squarely in the eyes. "Please... Help me. Help all of us by doing this. That way...many other people can be freed from his influence."

After dabbing a tear away from her eye, she nodded curtly and hurried down the steps, walking down the road. I wondered whether or not she had a ride that would take her away to safety. She was in a dodgy position, and her life was literally hanging in the balance.

For her sake, I was going to get revenge.

A teensy-weensy update on current matters

Not sure if people have noticed, but there have been great delays between my posts lately (or it feels that way to me O.o). I'm here to apologize for that, explain the situation and warn you guys about the future.

I actually have a busy social life now...which kind of freaks me out at times. In any case, it takes up A LOT of time, and it's not something I can avoid.

Exams are starting next week and Friday, so I'll be studying my butt off, which means no PC time until around the end of November, or even after that.

Also... I haven't really been in the mood to play Sims at all. :/ It takes so long to load, that by the time it does load, I don't want to play.

So what does this all mean, in short?

There's gonna be a hiatus. I may be able to get a post out by this weekend or the next, but after that...nothing.

Chasing The Dark will also have to be suspended indefinitely. It's just too hard for me to balance two stories and other responsibilities that I have.

That's all I can say currently. Thanks for taking the time to read!

Generation 4, Chapter 13: Unleashing anger

After the small family reunion of a week ago, we still found ourselves in Starlight Shores, at the request of my mom. In a joking manner, she had become my psychologist, and believed that it would do me well to be away from Bridgeport and all of its craziness. Apparently, I was a silent soul, and the city was a place I did not fit in.

What was even crazier was that my mother ordered Vala to take me out to have some fun. I knew just what her supposed "fun" was like. In other words, I'd pass out drunk and puke my guts out for the next couple of days.

At 8 PM, we miraculously found ourselves in one of the highly recommended drinking establishments in Starlight Shores, which also turned out to be Karaoke club. No wonder it happened to be an extremely busy night for the club. With so many things to do, other than drinking, it was suitable for a variety of people with different interests.

"Please tell me you're not gonna abandon me like you did the other night...," the fact that was bothering me the entire night ended up being too much to bear, and I quickly voiced my concern to Vala.

She sat back in her seat, a look of utter shock all over her face. The stern stare that I gave her was enough to make her abandon her innocent facade that she always groped at in situations like this one. She knew exactly why I was acting this way towards her, and she knew that I definitely did not appreciate the experience. 

Vala was the one that took me out into the night and into the unsafe part of Bridgeport, where most of the clubs were located. There, she abandoned me at the bar, not knowing that I had never been exposed to alcohol all that much, and the invigorating feeling that it left me with was intoxicating, enough so that I became drunk. Worst of all, I was all alone, with no one to even drive me back home. What if I was robbed, or worse, killed? The past reckless behavior of Vala, who had disappeared to speak with one of her ex-partners in crime, was enough to make me feel uneasy being in another club with her.

But she had grown out of her old character. Sure, she was still as crazy and flirty and always, but perhaps a bit more responsible...I hoped.

"I'm offended that you would even think that, my dear Daniel. So maybe I kidnapped you two years ago, and maybe I left you all alone in a club....but that's old news - I'm innocent of all of this judgment you're giving off!"

I simply rolled my eyes at her antics. Even though she could be extremely irritating most of the time, especially when her English accent makes her sound smarter than me, I found myself surprisingly intrigued by her personality. We were like night and day squished together in one room. Sometimes you have chaos reigning, but sometimes...there were moments of tranquility, where we found ourselves in harmony. Those were truly magical moments.

"I find it unbelievable how you, of all people, how you can use 'kidnapped' and 'innocent' together in the same sentence," the sound of the chuckle that escaped my lips shocked me. How could I act this way with her, someone that had treated me like garbage not too long ago?

The image of Sarah flickered before my eyes for a moment, and the guilt that settled itself on my chest was suffocating me. This was wrong. I couldn't be acting like this, all jolly as if nothing had happened.

She playfully wiggled her eyebrows at me, her lips curling into a small smile. "It's easy. When you have the gift of confidence and flirtation on your side, you got to use it."

There was no way for me to respond, not after the revelation that swirled around in my head, but there was no need to. Vala had grown silent, her gaze fixed upon a man behind us, casually reading a newspaper. That was a rather odd sight: No one came to a bar just to catch up on the news. You had TV for that, or the library where they gave our newspapers for a small fee.

"It can't be....," she kept repeating to herself, shaking her head as she spoke.

"What?"

"Do you smell that?" she purposefully sniffed at the air, as if she couldn't believe what her mind was registering.

"What? Did you recognize the smell of a rich guy, and that you must have him and all of his riches?" The attitude that I displayed was too insensitive, but I couldn't help myself. She had that effect on people.

She drew a breath. "No... Not at all. It's just... I know that smell. My father always used it."

I couldn't stop myself from frowning. "I thought your father was dead?"

"My stepfather, yes, but...not my real one. He walked out on us. But still, my mother had a bottle of his aftershave in the house, and I loved spraying it all over the bathroom. It's a really old brand, and I'd be shocked that it still exists."

I peeked over my shoulder, wondering if he had heard anything that we had just said. Yet, he did not turn away from the reading material in front of him. "Seriously?"

"I think so...," her eyes were wide as she spoke with a muffled tone, her lips hidden behind her folded hands. "Could you do me a favor? Could you go sit next to him and order a drink, and observe the way he looks?" When I showed signs of protest, she bit her lip. "Please?"

Grudgingly, I scooted the chair backwards, glaring at her. "Fine. But just this once."

The whole espionage and being sneaky was not up my alley, and I would never enter a career that demanded such skills. How Vala survived for this long was beyond my understanding.

But still, I found myself casually taking a seat upon the barstool, respectfully nodding at the barmaid. "What will it be tonight, sugar?" she winked at me while polishing a wine glass with a rather stained and worn-out cloth.

"Just some water, please," I didn't need to act when I spoke, my voice having disappeared all together because of the nerves that had set in. "My voice-"

"Ah, I get it. Got some nerves, don't you? The girl doing that to you, huh?"

"Kind of," I coughed, hitting on my chest like some kind of primal ape to get rid of the huskiness that clung onto me.

All during the dramatized acting, the man beside me was still unperturbed by what had taken place, and it gave me the perfect opportunity to idly look at some of his features. he had sharp features, accentuated by a sharp-styled nose. His eyes could once have been considered as kind, but years of troubles had caused lines to appear all around them, and it hardened the pale blue eyes.

The barmaid took her merry time to give me a simple glass of water, most likely to give me time to collect my thoughts to face the girl that "took my breath away", or so she thought. With a curt "thank you", I took my leave from her, and approached Vala with unforgiving eyes. "Did I mention I hate you?"

"Enough of your nonsense," she hit a fist on the table. "What do you think? What does he look like?"

I paused to think long and hard about just how to deliver the news. "To be honest, I don't think there's any relation between you two. The only thing that looked remotely like something you have is-"

"-the nose?" she completed the sentence, sighing. "I got everything from my mother, my charm, my wit, my good looks, so people never thought I was my father's daughter."

"What did you get from your father then?"

"Some minor food allergies."

"Oh..."

She sighed. "Look, Daniel. You at least had a good family to take care of you, but..." She broke off, scooting out of her seat and hurrying towards the staircase, to the supposedly closed off section of the club. All we knew was that it had been hired for some kind of party, but no one had shown up yet, so we were safe.

Not in the mood to be abandoned for a second time, I followed close behind her.

There was a good reason she wanted to stay out of the public's eye. Vala was a strong character, but sometimes that strong part of her was a little bit too strong, and she nearly blew up in someone's face. She had sneaked away to spare everyone from seeing such a horrible display of anger and anguish.

"Hey...," I laid a comforting hand on her shoulder, feeling the way her whole body was shaking with the anger that convulsed through her. "You don't need your father anymore. You're a grown woman, now, and you grew up all right without him. Sure, your life is definitely not perfect, but you've learned from your mistakes. Don't make another by attacking him. Just...let him go."

"I wish I could, Daniel. But the fact that he could have been here in Starlight Shores, living a luxurious life while my mother and I suffered in England... It's unsettling."

"Tell you what. How about we just get away from here? We'll go back to the hotel and get you some tea. I hear it can be great for those who experience a lot of stress."

She chuckled a little. "They say exactly the same thing about wine, but tea...would be great, thank you. As long as you're the one that's making it."

Before the night was over, I had been successful in calming Vala down, returning her to her usual pleasant (or unpleasant, depending on the person) self, managing to crack a few jokes as we sat in her room, drinking tea and watching the clock tick on. It was nearing 11 o' clock, a time I was usually already in bed. However, tonight, I didn't mind staying up later than usual. For once, I wasn't tired at all.

It must have been the adrenaline rush I had while pretending to be a spy in the club.

"Your dad was horrible for doing what he did, but, in the end, I think he was trying to find excitement while he still could. It was incredibly selfish, but in a way, I can understand where he was coming from. All in all, forget about him and his faults. Life is just too short to worry about such matters for too long."

She nodded from where she sat on the bed. "I agree."

And then, something changed within her. Something that I should have expected, but didn't.

"What are you doing?" I questioned her as I saw her pulling her top over her shoulders.

"Something we should have done a long time ago," she smiled, moving closer to me, her hands hovering over the zip of my pants.

"Don't do that," catching her hands just before they could do anything, I held them up in front of my chest, looking her straight in the eyes, searching for some kind of sign that she had gone mad.

"Why not?" she questioned, blinking rapidly. The right answer didn't come to me. I couldn't explain to her what had gone through my head. So instead, I pushed her away.

"We've been here for a week, Daniel, and in that short time I got to know you better than anyone... You do like girls, don't you?"

"YES!"

"Well, I don't see many other options around here, do you?" she paused, taking a step backwards. "Unless...you really...don't find me attractive."

"You want an honest answer for that question?"

"No..." She grabbed at the top she had abandoned on the bed, pulling it back over her shoulders and straightening out the creases before taking a seat on the bed.

"No, seriously, do you want an honest answer to that question?"

"No, forget about it!"

Some sort of anger was bursting inside me, and poor Vala seemed to have to carry the burden of it. "Do you believe I can have any kind of serious feelings for you?"

Her head snapped in my direction. "I wasn't suggesting you had any kind of serious feelings, Daniel..."

"Oh, oh, what, we slept together once, then what? We work together, Vala. I'm the closest thing you have to a friend. And you know what, even saying that part out loud sounds unbelievable. Come on! I can't even imagine what a relationship with you would be like! Yes, you've proved yourself to be trustworthy on a professional level, and for that I'm very proud of you... But on a personal level? Vala, come on, give me a break! I mean, at best you're an emotional, unstable wreck. I'm not saying I'm much better, no. There was a time I thought I'd never get over Sarah. The idea of ever getting hurt that way again... But I've finally, for the first time in a really long time, gotten to a place where I could get close to someone again. But not in a million years, a million years would I ever consider that person being you. I mean we are so...opposite and wrong for each other it's not even funny, and the worst part of it is, you know that!"

All through my speech, I felt like I was stomping on the ground, and I wouldn't have been surprised if someone came knocking at our door to keep it down. At that moment, I didn't really care.

"And this whole flirty, sexual thing is just your way of having a laugh at my expense, like I've told you so many times before. So I'm so sorry I'm not more appreciative of that, I'm sorry that you're bored. But don't you pretend it's anything else!"

The brunt of my attack had had a huge effect on Vala, and she slowly kept turning her back on me the whole time I was shouting. When I looked at her again through calmer eyes, I could see her shoulders were slumped.

"Don't act like you're hurt," I told her, fed up with her acting. All I could hear from her was a humored intake of breath, but something sounded off. As she sniffed and rubbed her eyes, I knew what had happened. She was crying.

Never would I have figured that Vala could be as sincere as that, that she did have true feelings hidden behind that pretty face. As I took a seat next to her, she turned away, and I tugged gently at her sleeve. "Look at me."

"Just give me a minute...," she sniffed, burying her head in her hands.

"Look at me," I asked her again, brushing away the hair that had been covering her eyes. She did as I asked, and in the two seconds that she looked at me with her saddened blue eyes, she told an entire story.

It was as my mother had suspected. Both of us had been oblivious to it, but deep down, we were attracted to each other, and even though we were wrong for each other, in some way, we were also right for each other. I had made Vala see the better part of life, where you didn't have to steal to survive in life, where she had taught me how life wasn't as serious as I made it to be, and that I was entitled to have fun. The guilt of Sarah's passing had always kept me back, but now, I was ready to let that go.

With a caring maneuver, I continually brushed away the hair that was sneaking its way out of her bun, and my right hand came to rest on her neck, the other hand bringing her face closer to mine, my lips greeting hers.

As I pulled back, we both couldn't suppress a smile. "You better not be messing with me," I smirked, kissing her yet again.

It was both a memorable and important night in my mind. My viewpoint of Vala would never be the same again, and I wouldn't be as quick to judge people as I usually did.

In general, my life would never be the same again.

I had gained a crazy friend, yet also a genuine, caring lover.