The Smallwood Family Legacy Generation Two: A Sims 4 Story

Chapter Eighteen: Mysterious Girl

A week after I returned from Selvadorado, my mother informed me that she would be doing a spot of fostering. I thought she meant she was fostering a child, which I was a little put out by, I mean this was my generation, she'd had all her babies! But when SHE appeared in my hallway, my train of thought went right off the tracks...

I was disturbed from my archaeology work by girly giggling and chatting. One giggler was my mother, the other...was HER! She had the most beautiful smile, big green eyes and luscious lips! Cute little button nose and...well I was smitten from the get-go!

"She gets fed three times a day, dry food only, and she is very fussy about the brand so I will leave you with enough supply until I get back." Her voice was adorably sweet too! Man I had it bad!

"Right you are my dear, I will not let you down I promise. I know how much she means to you, she's your family!" Were we fostering her kid? What the heck was going on here? Was I not the man of the house? The Lord of the Manor? Excuse me mother but I was not consulted...

...nevertheless as they chatted and laughed, I stood back and said nothing, like the big tough manly man that I am! "And so that's why she is not allowed on the furniture, I hope you will be strict with her, or she'll wrap you around her little paw!" Huh? It was time I introduced myself, mum had kept this little vixen to herself for way too long!

I boldly moseyed on over and wedged myself between them, "Hi there, who are you?" She said nothing, just stared blankly at mum. Then she smiled and said,

"I love your house Mrs V! I mean, really it's beautiful and...historical!" Was she ignoring me? Hey girl I am the LORD OF THE MANOR?!?!?

"Ah, Landy allow me to introduce you to Miss Leah Vogel. Leah, this is my son, Lord Landon Smallwood. He is my heir!" Leah was not impressed.

She finally turned her head in my direction and looked me up and down. "Hi!" She sneered, then looked back at my mother.

"Leah is a novelist like myself, she and I have the same publisher!" Mother explained excitedly as Leah looked head on, stone faced. What was her problem???

"Oh come now Mrs Vatore, I am nowhere near your caliber of writing! I'm simply a novice, YOU are a novelist!" She gushed, wow! So she was in awe of mum but had no time for me? The Lord???

I thought this was an appropriate time to interject, boy was I wrong! "Yeah mum is a genius! I've been reading her books and poems all my life growing up!" She ignored me, I could see my mother was finding this amusing, well thanks who's side are you on???

"Maybe Landon could read some of your work sometime Leah?" Ah, so you're on mine then? Blood really is thicker than water!

"Well I'll drop Nacho off in an hour with her things, and thanks again for doing this Mrs Vatore, I really do appreciate it!" She turned heel and opened the door, "Goodbye Mrs Vatore!"

As she walked out of the door, and descended the stairs I wasted no time in interrogating Mrs Vatore! "Right mother, spill!"

"Landon, I know I should probably have consulted you first, but..." Oh ya think?

"I agreed to take in Leah's cat while she goes on an intense writing course in San Myshuno." I stared at my mother with a goofy grin for a little while, just taking in what she'd just said. "Landy? Honey?"

"So...a cat???" I finally managed to reply.

"Yes, a cat! I've always had dogs but never cats so this is a challenge for me. She seemed to be in quite a pickle the poor dear, she has no family around here so...well I couldn't say no could I?" Well no mum, you are way too pure of heart it's exhausting!

"For how long?" The silence said it all, the fostering talk was becoming clear...and when she answered my heart sank into my boots.

"Well about a month! Six weeks tops!" The sound of my Edwardian mother saying the word tops was hilarious! She was always so proper when she spoke, never really did get the lingo of present day! God how I loved her and could forgive her anything, even agreeing to take in a mangy old cat!

"Okay, here's the deal!" I was Lord of the Manor, and I was going to be treated as such! "I will look after this cat for you and you can give dad the attention he deserves, is that reasonable enough for you?" My mother beamed at me, she was enjoying the alone time with dad, a lot! No kids except me to cramp their style, and I was always in the laundry room working on my artifacts. Yeah the least I could do was take charge of lovely Leah's fleabag...

...but Nacho was no fleabag, she was a beautiful elderly cat with grace and dignity! I fell in love with her as well as her mistress!

Dad found it amusing when I attempted a bonding session when she arrived. "It will scratch you!" He muttered, standing in his usual spot drink in hand.

"Hush you doubting Thomas! We are gunna be best pals, ain't that right Nacho?"

Nacho merely stared at me as if I was crazy. She was bewildered by her alien surroundings, but I was determined to do an amazing job with her so that Leah would look at me and see me!

I tried pretending to be a cat as dad stepped out from behind the bar and observed with his typical nonchalant demeanor. "It will bite you!" He grunted and nodded at the nonplussed Nacho.

"Nah, you like me don't you old girl?"

"I warned you, don't say I didn't!" Okay dad, all cats are evil, I get it!

"Here girl, come to Landy!" And she did, she sniffed my hand and meowed, then she trotted of with her tail in the air.

"What can I say? I have the touch!" I was rather pleased with myself.

"You are touched for sure son!" Dad nodded in amusement, "And that beast will rip your throat out in your sleep, mark my words..."

"...like rrrrrrroooooowwwwwrrrrr! Dead!"

"Gee thanks dad, but I think me and Nacho will be just fine!" Dad shrugged and sipped his drink.

"Suit yourself, but don't come running to me with your head decapitated!" Yeah I'm just gonna let that one go around again before I jump on it. My dad was unique to say the least, and to think he was the most sensible of my parents! Bah!

I went all out! I bought loads of stuff to make Nacho's stay as comfortable as possible! Yeah I spent a load of cash but hey, I was trying to win Leah's heart!

I called Nacho up to my room to see all the cool things I'd bought for her! She sat looking up at me blankly, I couldn't tell if she was pleased, nonplussed or just plain ticked off with me! "C'mon Nacho! Come try out your new bed!"

Eventually she took to her new surroundings well, we even made friends! I loved snuggling her, she was so soft and cuddly!

Yeah we fell in love! And I almost forgot about Leah while I was tending to my new furry friend. I never had pets, all our dogs had passed away before I was born! So Nacho was the first animal I had ever cared for!

I brushed her, I fed her, I snuggled and played with her! Man I was having a blast! We were a couple of weeks in and I was already dreading parting with her!

Mother decided it was time for another of her lectures, she told me I was taking care of Nacho for all the wrong reasons, er yeah, maybe at the beginning but now it was different! I loved that furry little minx!

"Look Landy, I know Leah and she is not easily charmed by the opposite sex! There has been no sign of a male companion, she simply does not court dear!" Court, bahahaha mum you're adorable!

"Okay well maybe I will be the exception..."

"Landon my darling you are being flippant!"

"What? No I am not I mean it! I wanna be her man!"

"You will not succeed, she is a tough nut to crack!"

"Oh yeah? Well just call me the nutcracker cuz she is gonna be putty in my hands!" My mother snorted and sat down at the table.

"Do not mess with things that you do not understand! Heed your mother's warning please!" But I didn't, I was convinced I would be able to win her over.

"So are you saying I'm not good enough for her?" I pouted at her.

"Not at all my dear, quite the contrary!" What did she mean by that?

"Then why are you warning me off?"

"Come sit, come sit!" She ordered, wafting the air with her hand.

I complied and sat beside her as she shook her head in amusement, "Landy my dearest boy! You are now a man, and acting very much like one! I hope that you can remain a gentleman like your father and your Uncle Vivaan!"

"Yes of course mother!"

"Leah is not suitable for a gentleman!" This statement caught me off guard, and I was pretty angry at my mum for making it!

"Mum that's rude, she seems a little...distant but that just adds to her charm. I am sure I can tame her!" Mother got up and sighed impatiently.

"I warned you darling, I am trying to avoid more heartbreak for you, but you are as stubborn as your father!" She nodded towards a puff of black smoke that transformed into dad on the chair opposite me. He smiled sympathetically.

"Mum, she's a friend of yours..."

"Which is why I know the two of you are NOT compatible! As I said, I warned you!"

Dad swirled his drink and smirked, "Mothers are rarely ever wrong!" He nodded in my direction and headed over to his beloved bar.

"And one of these days you will discover this at your peril, Landon think with the organ inside your head not the one inside your trousers!"

I was pissed off with both of my parents for trying to interfere with my love life, but then I realised I didn't actually have one! I danced in Raven's old room for a bit, I was feeling a little down, I thought it might be due to the pressures of being heir...

...I thought it might also be down to my monumental failures with women! Mizuki, Tabatha, now Leah...

...but the truth was, I was missing my big sis! I missed Raven every day and just having her around growing up helped me immensely! We had hardly spoken since I got back from Selvadorado, I just wondered how she and Damian were getting on, because without her, I was lost...

RAVEN:

The day Tabs got back from her trip with my baby bro, I could tell instantly that something was off! She was no longer her cheery little self! I had asked her how things went, but she gave me one word answers back!

Being me I pushed, and I got put in my place! "Please Tabs, what did he do?"

"Oh my gosh Raven, can you just let it go please??? Geez!" She had screeched at me and stormed off.

Landon was a good boy, he would never intentionally hurt anyone! Maybe he'd found a girl out there and Tabs crashed their party? I wanted to get to the bottom of this, but I had to bide my time.

It had been a couple of weeks since Tabs and Landy got back. I tried to subtly tease any info out of her about their trip, but she wasn't biting! The other little fishy was busy being Lord of the Manor and babysitting some cat that mum had promised to look after. And when mum told me that the cat's owner was a cute little brunette that baby bro had his eye on, it all made sense! As Damian and I watched a horror movie one night, I decided to ask him for his male perspective on the situation.

Yeah big mistake! "So, what do you think happened out in Selvadorado?" I shoehorned it into our current convo.

"Um, earthquake? I dunno, I don't watch the news!" Ugh, Damian was such a turd sometimes, he knew exactly what I was getting at!

"Our siblings came back and never mentioned a thing, don't you find that...odd?"

"What I find odd is the fact that you are like a damn dog with a bone and you just won't let up!!!" Damian snapped.

"Excuse me for caring!" I huffed, his tone was shrill and more than a little irritated.

"Well there is caring and then there's..." He stopped in mid sentence, "...hush now she's back!" Tabatha had returned from her nightly walk, and she looked as miserable as ever!

"TABS!" Damian grunted and left us alone to have girly talk, as he called it, but she was less than talkative these days.

"Hey!" She sighed, and we hugged for a few minutes. I always found that hugs softened people, you got more out of them after a hug.

"Look, you know that besides being your brother's girlfriend I am also YOUR friend! Yeah?"

"Yes!"

"And even though I am Landon's sister, I am also YOUR sister! Right?"

"Um..."

"Tabs please tell me what's up?"

I expected her to explode, I expected her to storm off, tell me it was none of my business like she'd done for the past two weeks...but she didn't, she just nodded and said,

"Okay, I'm ready to tell you!"

Tears filled her green eyes as she recounted what happened out in Selvadorado. My heart broke for her, she was adorable about Landy, never once insulted him or blamed him! I listened, I fought the urge to cry along with her. She had messed everything up she said, Landon was right to be annoyed with her she said...

"I shouldn't be telling you...I...I made a mistake Rave! I pushed him, but I was afraid he'd meet someone out there and forget all about calling me when he got back so I...I jumped in with both feet and screwed it all up! Now he hates me!" As the tears stained her cheeks, knowing my brother I understood why he reacted that way, but knowing Tabs I understood why she also reacted the way she did. And now she was miserable and Landy was cat sitting to get in the owner's knickers!

I tried to comfort Tabs as much as I could, but I had to call my idiot brother and talk at length about this situation. So I entrusted another idiot brother to help me out, Damian sat with his little sister and attempted to give her a man's perspective.

She told him everything she told me, she described every part of it! Damian got mad that Landon wasn't more grateful to her for saving his life. But Tabatha wouldn't hear anything against him, she still loved him!

She described how frightened she was when Landy was sick, how she ran around the village like a wild thing trying to find a cure! My brother never took into account how traumatising it must have been for her, okay yeah he was the one who got poisoned but for Tabs to find him there like that?

Damian was never that good with words, and he told her to get back on that horse and find a guy worthy of her! Man that did not go down well, surprisingly!

Damian's foot-in-mouth syndrome continued that night when I arrived back from work. I had missed him, so as you do I blew him a kiss to say hello!

A perfectly reasonable gesture for a girlfriend to make. Or so I thought...

So where in that gesture did it imply "Oh please Damian, please get down on your very cute knee and propose to me in the street, on our doorstep...for all to witness"???

And yet he did, and I had to decline! My gosh I was just NOT ready to commit to him that heavily, we'd only just moved in together!!!

He was heartbroken, "Don't you...love me?"

"Oh my God Damian, of course I love you! That's not the point! We're just not..." How could I say this without hurting him even more? How could I make him understand?

"...we're not there yet, we're sill young...I...please don't think I will never marry you just...not now?"

"Okay!" He shrugged, I nearly fell over, why was he being so reasonable?

"Just like that?"

"Yeah, not now I get it!"

And so I thought that things would go back to normal...how wrong could I be???

Sometimes fate has other plans for you, and right at that moment fate had decided to impregnate me with Damian Meade's spawn! Yes I, Raven Smallwood the carefree young girl that I was, was pregnant!!!

I watched Damian sleep, trying to figure out the best way to break the news. He was the most beautiful, adorable human being I had ever laid eyes on! And now we were having a baby together!

I dropped the bomb the moment he woke up, he was still groggy and rubbing the sleep from his eyes when I just blurted out "I'm pregnant!" and he almost fell back on the bed.

"Raven you had better not be playing one of your sick jokes!!!"

"No, I...we're having a baby Damian!"

Once I had finally convinced him that I wasn't messing around, he got really into it, "I always wanted to be a dad!" And he babbled on about how much he loved looking after Tabs when she was a baby and that his mother said he'd make a great father one day blah blah blah!

Then we got round to the small detail of baby names, and THAT is where we began to have problems...

ESME:

After a long and painful labour with Celeste, my second one was no different! It lasted for what felt like a lifetime!

But when little Daniel Straud arrived, the pain and the long hours had been very much worth it! I couldn't wait to see Vlad's face when he met his son for the very first time!

Sadly though at that moment we had another problem on our hands...Darick had come out from his grave to mourn, well, himself! Typical of him, he was just as conceited in death as he was in life and unlife!

Even worse, Vlad caught Celeste having a friendly chat with him outside! Our cheeky little bee was too forward for our liking, and when Darick bared his fangs, that was enough for Vlad to intervene!

Scooping her up protectively Vlad slowly backed away from him and headed up to meet his newborn.

And while the boys bonded upstairs, it was time for Celeste to age up! My baby was becoming a big girl! She blew out her candles and frowned, "Mummy I no wanna grows up!" I knew exactly how she felt!

But when she did become a child, she was all smiles!

At least one of us was happy about her coming of age, me? I just wanted my babies to be just that forever...babies! Now I knew exactly how my parents felt when we kept growing up!

And speaking of growing up, Daniel's birthday crept up on us out of nowhere! He had blond hair and eyes like his sister!

And despite being exceedingly cute, my little Dan Dan can be exceedingly defiant also!

VIVAANA:

My younger sisters were all having babies while I lay in bed all day feeling sorry for myself. My younger brother was heir to the family legacy and I had never felt so alone!

I was taking time off of work, lounging around in my sleepwear while Alex was at work and the twins were at school.

Alex and I had never really managed to work through our marital problems, not since he flirted with my lesbian sister while I was pregnant! Sorry but I was just raised to believe you were faithful to your spouse no matter what! My parents taught me that!

Alex was miserable, and dying for me to forgive him! Ezra and Zuri were doing well in school and coming up for their teens. And lo and behold...

I discovered I was pregnant, finally! Alex was thrilled, and you would have thought that I would be too...

...but I was still just as unhappy in my marriage as ever!

We were blessed once again with twins, once again a girl and a boy! Silas and Amie were very different, but loved exactly the same! And perhaps one day Alex and I would finally be able to get past his previous indiscretion!

RAVEN:

My pregnancy was progressing well, and Tabatha was putting on a brave face despite Landon constantly flooding her thoughts.

So I tried really hard to include her, to involve her in the birth of her niece or nephew. Maybe she would find it distracting...

...and it didn't take long for us to find out as I went into labour. Good God was that agony! I swore I would never go through this ever again!

But when I finally looked into the eyes of my newborn son, all that pain and discomfort just melted away and I had forgotten what a struggle it had been to bring him into the world! He was here, and he was beautiful!

When Damian held him in his arms, I could've sworn I saw a tear run down his face. He was normally a tough guy who hid his feelings from everyone but me...now his son was privileged to witness his softer side! I asked him what he would like to call our little munchkin, dreading the answer after our awful argument before, but he smiled down at the gurgling baby in his arms and simply declared...

"Noah! Noah Meade!" And surprisingly I loved it! 

Noah grew into a beautiful little toddler with raven hair like his mother! He was a cheeky little chappie like his father and I could deny him nothing! He had me wrapped around his little chubby fingers, his dad too!

He had a way of making the naughtiest acts look innocent, and his smile lit up a room! Auntie Tabs was smitten with her little man as she called him. And me? Well, remember when I said I never wanted to go through that pain again?

Yeah, I was pregnant again! I was too happy to worry about the birth, all I wanted was to have another little Meade to love!

This time I broke the news to Noah first, he was excited to be a big brother and babbled on about sharing toys with another boy...I didn't have the heart to tell him that it wasn't guaranteed that I would be having a boy, he could get a sister...so I declined from spoiling the moment!

The next to tell was of course my Damian, the father! He was just as thrilled as Noah and I were! So much so...

...he got down on one knee and said "I don't care if you turn me down again, but I gotta try! Marry me Rave!!!" So I said yes, it was time...we were ready...

...well I was ready, Damian had always been ready to marry me! I wanted to give Noah a proper family, I wanted to be Mrs Damian Meade!

As Damian swung me around in his arms, I suddenly heard myself saying "Let's elope right now!" His little face lit up and he put me down...

...placing the ring on my finger, we did, we eloped right there in our living room!

And as we celebrated alone, I wondered why I had ever been so scared of marriage in the first place. After all my mum and dad were a fine example of true love and happy matrimony!

I was now Mrs Damian Meade, we were married with a little boy and another baby on the way...what more could I ever ask for?

Ummmm perhaps THREE more babies??? Yep, Damian and I eventually welcomed triplets into the Meade household! Joseph, Jonah and Justine! So Noah got his brother, and another, and a little sis thrown in for good measure! Yeah my life was awesome, and tiring, but so worth it!!!

I just wished I could say the same for Tabs who, despite helping me with Noah and the triplets, was not having an easy time of it! Still pining for my idiot brother and wishing she could be a mummy like me! What could I do to help her? Or was it something she had to do herself? Only time would tell!

LANDON:

My sister Abi invited me over to celebrate her wife's birthday. Charley had become an adult and the twins were having their birthday too!

Nicole and Natalie were now adorable little kids, identical and mischievous with it! They always had time for their Uncle Landy! And the more I spent with all of my nieces and nephews, the more I wanted to settle down and have loads of my own little Smallwoods running around Wolfsbane Manor!

I'd been taking care of Nacho for nearly four weeks now, and Leah would call mum to get updates on how she was doing. When mum announced that I was the one pampering her kitty cat, she said she heard a slight sigh over the phone, an irritated one at that. But she would be singing a different tune soon...

...I had to win her over! She was coming back soon and I really needed to up my game! I wanted sweet little babies with that goddess and I was gonna get them goddammit!!!

So I started to bulk up!

Women didn't like beanpoles, they wanted muscly hunks who could bench press a caravan with their pinky! So I decided I would be that guy, and Leah would fall in love with me!

Nacho always sat with me as I worked out, she was my little mascot...but I could always tell when it was time for a wash, she would scamper off when I got a bit ripe...

...and sometimes I didn't need her to tell me! Sometimes I could tell for myself! It wasn't pretty being stinky, but the means justified the end!

And one night, as I sat in the bath, soaking all my thoughts away...

...she came back! If only somebody had told me then that if you needed to change anything about yourself to make someone love you, they weren't the one for you...but I'm a guy, and despite my wise father telling me not to think in my trousers...that is exactly what I did!

To Be Continued...