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.