The Smallwood Family Legacy Generation Two: A Sims 4 Story

Chapter Thirty One: Reap What You Sow!

HAZEL:

Word got around that cousin Victoria Straud had eloped with a very unsavoury character from Sulani and was heavily pregnant with the scoundrel's child!

Theodore Cash, an alien with an awful reputation and almost an elder, had entrapped Vicky and brainwashed her. Well that was the story Uncle Vlad was going with. She had cut off all contact with him and Aunt Esme when they disapproved of her life choices. Now she was holed up in Sulani barefoot and pregnant, but apparently blissfully happy!

Vicky gave birth to a boy she named Conrad Cash-Straud, it seemed that she couldn't let go of her roots as easily as she thought. He had his daddy's markings but he was a vampire like his great grandparents, grandparents and mother. We all hoped that when Conrad grew up he would take after our side of the family, not Theodore Cash!

It wasn't long before he had gotten her pregnant again and she soon gave birth to twins, two girls called Bria and Emma Cash-Straud. I don't think Vicks was stupid, she was stamping the Straud name on her children as a precaution. Love makes you do stupid things, as I know only too well now!

After Nathan disappeared, Jude wouldn't speak to me or Jairo. When I finally got him to acknowledge me he told me everything that Nathan had told him about Scott and Bethany...and a lot more!

How the night she fell pregnant, he heard it all through his bedroom wall and felt powerless. He knew that I would be hurt, that Wanda would be hurt...and he couldn't say anything! But Nathan had his own problems that night...

Debi had snuck into his room, stripped down to her underwear and propped herself on his bed. He managed to fend her off and explain that he wasn't the one night stand type. I didn't believe this at all, I thought this was just an attempt to appear wholesome to my big brother.

But apparently Debi backed up the story, saying he told her he wanted to get to know her first before jumping into bed with her. Their conversation was interrupted by the moans and groans next door in the shower. They were both ashamed of their brother and cousin and vowed to keep it to themselves...until Beth fell pregnant and it was game over!

Jude was so angry when he talked to me, which wasn't very often. I thought he of all people would understand, having been a real little shit through his teens, he was no saint, where did he get off yelling at me like this?

He really liked Nathan, Jude was very good with reading people even though Chessy was the psychologist in the family. He saw a genuineness in Nathan, who he affectionately referred to as Nate. It was him that had started that nickname and the other guys just picked it up.

I knew he was right to be mad at me, a guy declares his love for me and my answer to that is to hook up with another guy right in his face. Yes it was a bad thing to do, yes I was a bitch, "But Judey you're my brother, you're supposed to be on my side!"

"Nut, you are my sister...but it doesn't mean I've to defend you when you're wrong! I love you but you fucked up, and now Nate is out there all alone and I'm worried about him. He paid for what he did, you didn't have to rub his nose in it!"

"I...I panicked!"

"Yeah? Well you went and panicked into the wrong lips cutie, Jairo is bad news! You reap what you sow little sis, you reap what you sow!"

He was right, I wasn't even sure if I liked Jairo enough to date him, but after our kiss he had spent every day with me and introduced me to his buddies as his girlfriend. I had managed to steer him away from my bed with the excuse that I shared with Debi and he with my brother and Ro. He was all over me like an octopus, it really was as if he had eight arms! I did fee guilty over Nathan's departure, how could I not? I found myself thinking about him a lot, was it just because we didn't know where he was and we were all worried? Or was there more to it?

Ronan and Debi hooked up and seemed genuinely happy. I was envious, I didn't feel that with Jairo, Jude was right about one thing...I had made a huge mistake!

A few days into our third semester, Debi announced she was expecting and Ro was over the moon. He proposed on the spot but she said no. Eventually she caved and they both dropped out of Britechester and moved away to raise their baby in wedded bliss. Debi gave birth to a baby boy they named Zander Wheately...

...and then there were three! I didn't want to be alone with Jairo ever, so I would guilt my already cold brother into studying with me by dangling the Wanda carrot, making him be all he can be!

Although he would now have small conversations with me, Jude was still not happy with me, mainly because I was still "with" Jairo. I didn't know what to say or do, it was so hard being under the same roof, it would be awkward if I told him I just wanted to be friends, wouldn't it?

I tried small talk with my brother, many times. He would give me one or two word answers with a grunt, sometimes three if I was lucky. He really didn't like Jairo, and he really did like Nathan. I was still hurt and angry over being isolated in high school, I tried to tell Jude that...

...but all he had to say about that lame excuse was, "Jairo had as much to do with that as Nathan, they all did. They were big boys, they could have told Nate where to go, but guess what? They didn't! I think you need to look a bit closer to home nut, stop laying it all on one person!"

Although he was giving me a telling off, I couldn't help but smile! He had given me a whole paragraph of words, not just a couple! I had missed his voice, his real voice! The brotherly voice that reassured me, I missed him!

The next few days were unbearable, Octo Jairo was always all over me! He called me babe and I hated it. He told me I was a sexy little mother, that was not a compliment in my eyes! He really wasn't the shy and sweet boy I remembered at Chester's party back when we were teens, he was a lecherous fudge nugget with no idea on how to treat a woman!

He had been my first kiss, which had been pleasant, but the tongue strangling he gave me from then on was less so! When he was chatting with his friends he would tell them we'd had crazy sex and he was exhausted, telling them they all wished they had a little dirty girl like me. When I tackled him about this he just shrugged and said "Babe, we have to keep up appearances, can you imagine what they'd think if they knew you weren't putting out? I'm doing it for you and your reputation!" No your reputation more like!

Was I stupid? Clearly I was! I let him treat me like a rag doll, talk about me like I was some kind of nymphomaniac, no wonder my brother was furious with me!

"Oh babe, remember we have that kegger over at Greg's tonight! Wear your sexiest little dress and get their eyes poppin' outta their sockets huh? Hehe!" Ugh, what was I doing???

I was out of my mind, my first ever boyfriend and he was nothing I'd ever imagined! I had fantasised about him and Scott when I was younger, thinking they were these sweet, dreamy boys. Nathan was right, I couldn't believe it, he'd been right all along! I was so stupid!

Jude was doing so well, he was excelling as captain of the soccer team, his grades were staying on the same level and he texted Wanda regularly. He was content to just hear from her as a friend, although they both desperately wanted to be so much more. I hoped that one day Wesley would change his mind about Jude, he and Wanda would be so adorable together!

My attempt to dump Jairo was a no deal! He clung onto me and whined, it was excruciating! I wanted to be firm and stand my ground, but I was scared of hurting another guy and have him run off into the mist never to be seen again. Although the way I was feeling I didn't really care whether I saw Jairo again!

He managed to talk me round and I remained trapped in this weird and uncomfortable "relationship". I could hear my brother's words of reaping what I sow as he gave me a smirk as if to say "I told you so nut!", I was well and truly screwed!

To prove his love for me, Jairo streaked across campus yelling "I love Hazel Smallwood!" at the top of his lungs. Who was it that said breaking up is hard to do? Did they mean impossible? I sure wasn't having much luck, damn my conscience! Damn Jairo for being so manipulative, a master at emotional blackmail and an all around pain in my backside!

Jude came home one night after a game with an injured arm, he was so grumpy because he had to sit out of the next couple of games until he healed! That's when it started, and I was too wrapped up in myself to notice or to help, I regret it so much!

It was New Year's Eve, I got drunk and refused to go out to this stupid party Jairo wanted to go to. I was very vocal and confident that night, I wasn't holding anything back!

I was the ultimate mean girl, Jairo took it all in his stride and that annoyed me! I wanted to provoke him into dumping me so that I didn't have to try and dump him again. That was a complete disaster, as was this New Year's Eve, staying in and getting trashed was so sad but I was feeling so sad, I thought of Nathan and wondered where he was and who he was with. I hoped he was happy, one of us at least should be!

Jairo was watching the countdown on the television trying to drown out my monologues when the doorbell rang...

Jude sounded happy when he answered the door and two familiar voices warmed my heart! My sister and mother were here, I'd never been so relieved!

MONICA:

Mum and I paid a visit to Jude and Hazel's for New Year's Eve. When we arrived Hazel was sozzled, I'd never seen my big sister drunk before, at first it was funny but the longer I stayed I realised she was miserable!

I knew the reason why right away, Jairo Dobson! I was surprised and a little disappointed when Judey told me he was her boyfriend, I had always hoped that Nathan Holden would eventually tell her how he felt and they'd make a go of it. It seemed the only one who didn't know Nathan was in love with Hazel...was Hazel!

We had a good catch-up despite Hazel being drunk and slurring away while her idiot boyfriend was trying to open a keg for us and getting nowhere! Mum was babbling away about Chester the spy and how handsome he was in his suit, how she worried for him when he was on the job, how pretty Violet was and how she couldn't wait to have red haired grandbabies!

Jude seemed to grin the whole time we were there, yeah he missed us the old softie!

Jairo sprayed us with some weird berry juice as it projectiled all over the ceiling, he really was a total buffoon, what my sister saw in him was beyond me! Hazel was a genius and she needed deep and meaningful conversation, she needed mindgasms and this tool just wasn't in her orbit!

When she started singing I knew something wasn't right, she avoided Jairo all night and acted like they were strangers. He winked at me and said, "So, Hazel's little sis all grown up huh? You're pretty hot!", my reaction spoke for me. Absolute loser, Hazel needed to get rid!

Mum told Hazel to go to bed and sleep it off, things would seem better in the morning, a new year with new opportunities. We agreed that after we wished each other a prosperous new year and had a small drink we'd head back to Forgotten Hollow in time for midnight.

I couldn't help it though, I had to say something, "Here's to you dumping that dead weight over there and getting yourself a real man who treats you and your family with respect Haze, seriously dump his behind!"

"Monica!" My mother gasped, she was thinking it too, only she was too polite and scared she'd lose Hazel the way she lost me when I was a teenager so I was vocal for the both of us!

"Pfft, please mum we're all thinking it! Even Judey can't stand him!"

He just stood there, oblivious to the fact that he was a pimple on my sister's backside that needed to be popped! I could understand why she fell for him, the rock star hair and the piercing green eyes...however the lights were on but no one was home in that pretty noodle head of his!

Our small drink consisted of reminiscing about our childhood and little anecdotes that Jairo couldn't even begin to understand! Mum got up and made a speech as Jude and I blushed, Hazel was too pissed to care. "To my babies! I want you to know how proud I am of each and every one of you! I am such a blessed mother to have such talented and wonderful children!" Well I guess Hazel wasn't the only one going to have a headache in the morning, mum had gotten tipsy too! We said our goodbyes and made our way home just in time to ring in the new year with Chessy and dad, I hoped that Hazel would one day have the courage to realise she deserved better than Jairo bloody Dobson!

HAZEL: 

It was great to see mum and Mon, it would have been even better if dad and Ches had come, but still it was fun! We watched the countdown and my head was swimming. I was really drunk, but I was happy for the first time in a long time!

Jude was also happy, and that made me even more happy! I adored my big brother so much, even when he was a teenage delinquent! I admired him and how he turned everything around! At the time I saw him progressing and becoming better, while I was on a downward spiral of despair and feeling miserable!

The clock struck midnight, we celebrated and I kissed Jairo...drunkenly! It meant nothing, he was there and convenient, that was all! I thought about Nathan again, hoping he was happy and with people who cared about him. I hoped to see him again some day to tell him...well...that wasn't going to happen!

"I'm off to bed nut, I think maybe you should head there too!" Jude gave me a meaningful look, he was right, I needed to sleep this off but you can't reason with a drunk!

"Nooooo, I wanna parrrrrrty all nighhhhhht! I'm having fun buzzzzzzkillllll, you go sleep old maaaan!" Jairo chuckled and agreed with me.

"Yeah Jude, our party has only started, right babe?" I puked in my mouth a little when he called me babe again, I hated it!

Jude left us to it as I feared the octopus was about to pounce again, maybe he even wanted a little New Year's poke, well it wasn't happening! I may have been drunk but I wasn't totally stupid! "Hey babe let's have a little dance huh?" Ugh!

"No you drank, I'll dunce!"

"Aww come on babe, no more drinking! Maybe we could do something more enjoyable instead?"

"Ohhhhhh rrrrrrreally?"

"Yeah like..." He raised an eyebrow and I knew exactly what he meant, he was so predictable! I thought this kind of behaviour went away after teenage boys became men! Clearly not!

"Lemme stop you rrrrrright there, I will not be ffffffucking you Jairo! You will not be fffffffucking meeee, there will be no fffffucking!"

"N-no of course not babe, wouldn't dream of it! You and me? We will make love, passionate and meaningful, like soulmates!" WHAT? He was delusional!

"Jairo, I wuz not born yestordee! Yoooo are a fuck boy!"

"Babe, that hurts! Look you're drunk, you don't mean..."

"Yoooo make me sho maaaaaad!"

"Babe!" I swear if he called me that one more time I was going to knock those perfectly white teeth right out of his mouth! I was going to swing for him for sure! I looked at him, took a good and long hard look. What did I ever see in him? Yes he had the rock star hair and the piercing green eyes but...he was not even in my orbit!

"Babe!"

"Ugh, donut call me thaaaat!"

"Bae?"

"Yeuch!"

"Babelicious?"

"Jairo whyyyy are you suuuuuch a dick?"

"Hazel!"

"I dunno whut I'm doing wif yoooooo!"

"Ouch!"

"You're with me because I'm the best guy, Ro wasn't good enough and neither was Nathan! You know it and I know it! We're gonna be great together, we'll get married and have kids...I'll take your name! Just stop fighting me goddammit"

I looked at him in utter disbelief, get married? Kids? Take my name? "Over my dead body!" That was the sentence that sparked the mother of all arguments, it was so loud and so vitriolic that it disturbed my brother.

"What the FUCK is going on here!" Jude was not at all happy, he was tired from working so hard and captaining the soccer team, plus his arm wasn't healing as quickly as it should have been.

"You chose me Hazel, ME! That means something!"

"Stop yelling at me!" All of a sudden the room was spinning and I felt very sick!

"Don't you fucking speak to my sister like that or I'll break your fucking neck!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Guys, please, I feel sick!"

I ran for the stairs, stumbling all over the place and wanting to lie down and die in a corner somewhere, Jairo came chasing after me followed by my brother chasing him, "Nut? Are you okay?"

"No, Judey I feel awful I think I might die!"

"I'll put her to bed!" Jairo smirked at Jude and that was it!

He put a hand on Jairo to stop him, "Wait a minute, don't you dare!"

"Jude she's my girlfriend and I need to take care of her!"

"Judey I don't feel...good!" The room was spinning and they were arguing, Jairo was pushing against Jude's good arm to get to me as I struggled to even attempt the stairs by myself.

"DO NOT go anywhere NEAR my sister!"

"You can't tell me what to do!"

"Oh yeah?"

"YEAH!"

Suddenly they were fighting, hitting each other and at one point Jude had Jairo in a headlock. Jude was way bigger than him, also he was fitter...

...all I could do was watch in horror as I sobered up very quickly. Jude made mincemeat out of Jairo and he looked dazed and confused.

I had no other choice but to end things, this whole farce of a relationship had gone on too long and now he was throwing punches at my brother. "Jairo? It's over!"

"You happy now?" He spat at Jude.

"Ecstatic!" My brother wasn't one for subtlety.

"I think you know that I don't love you and that we're never going to go anywhere, let's just end this whole thing right now!" Jairo closed his eyes for a long time and stood in silence, I didn't know what to do!

Eventually he turned to me and simply replied, "Whatever!"

Marching up the stairs he muttered, "I'll be gone by the morning!" Jude couldn't hide his smile, the little jerk! We were both relieved, I had finally done it!

Jude gave me such a tight and strong hug that I almost choked, then it hit me that I was still drunk and needed a good night's sleep. "I'm so proud of you! Finally, I don't have to worry anymore!" What was he worried about?

"About what?"

"You, you stupid little nut! I thought you were gonna end up stuck with that creep! Thank God it's over!"

"Seriously though, you owe Nathan an apology and you need to do some serious grovelling, he was only looking out for you!" That sickness returned but this time it had nothing to do with alcohol and everything to do with Nathan Holden and his Houdini act.

"I know!" I sighed, "How do I even find him? He's totally disappeared!"

"You'll find a way, I believe in you, my little Hazel nut!"

"You sound just like dad!" Jude puffed out his chest at being compared to our father, he really did admire and respect him now and it was adorable!

And then there were two, Jairo indeed moved out first thing and I never saw him leave, thank plumbob! He avoided me on campus and I avoided him, while Jude continued to play with a bad arm, he hid his troubles well. If only an injury was the only one he had, but sadly his grades had dropped down from A+ to A and if he wasn't careful they might drop even more!

Monica was straight round when she heard Jairo was gone, she was quick to say she told me so. Mon had no idea what it was like to have boy trouble, but she liked to give her opinion about everything despite being the baby and not really clued up on anything!

MONICA: 

I was so relieved to see the back of that creep, Hazel seemed okay about the break-up but who could tell with her? She kept her feelings well hidden from me, but Jude was another story. I decided I'd put him on the spot and maybe Haze would open up in the process.

"Look Mon I know you mean well but I really do need to study so if you don't mind..."

"Hazel, I'm here for you! Also since when did you study video games?"

"I'm doing Computer Engineering, don't question me!"

"Okay fine, listen, Chester bumped into Scott Holden yesterday with his rugrat and guess what?" She just stared at me as if to say get to the point, "Nathan came by to visit his niece! He's okay!"

"That's...great!" I couldn't tell how she was feeling about that, she looked a little dazed. I knew she had been worried about Nathan's whereabouts so I thought she might be happy to know he was at least still alive and in one piece.

"Yo did you say Nate was back?" Jude seemed more enthused than Hazel.

"Yes, just a flying visit though. Apparently he has a job somewhere and only came to meet Scott's new baby, don't know anything else though."

"Well that's great he's doing okay!"

"Yes thank you Judey, if only others were as happy as you are, right Hazel?" She just grunted, I honestly didn't know what her deal was but it was getting old fast!

"Don't you think that maybe he'll come back to Forgotten Hollow? I mean, why visit like that? Surely he's testing the waters? Right Judey?"

"Whatever, I'm going for a shower!" Hazel didn't take the bait, she just sat there and pretended to study when I knew she was building a city in some stupid God like game of hers!

JUDE:

I was glad to hear that Nathan had came out of hiding, I was worried for the guy. I hoped maybe he and Hazel could reconcile and things might get on track. I wanted my little sister to have a good guy who would look out for her, now that Jairo was out of the picture I was extremely hopeful!

We had our final exams coming up, I'd slipped down to an A and it didn't look like I was going to climb back up to my former glory, but I also wasn't going to fall any lower either. So an A degree was good enough for me.

Hazel became a very busy little bee after her split from Jairo, she occupied her time with everything and anything when she wasn't studying! Even having a go on Chester's old robotics station. I hoped she didn't create another Johnny 5, eesh!

Even though she was still an A+ student, she got the rumblings in her belly before our exams, this was it, no more after today! poor little nut, she was such a worrier when it came to education!

She was squeamish, I put it down to that or the fact that she had just come out of a lousy relationship and she was a little off kilter.

I tried not to worry, I could only do my best! My arm wasn't healing very well and I was concerned that it might hinder my chances as a pro athlete, if I ever wanted to go down that road.

We had time to talk about our exams, Hazel was optimistic that the questions were easy enough for her. Geniuses, I envy them! She had also created an app called Crazy Pants which gained her some notoriety in the celebrity circuit, she like me was a notable newcomer, I gained my fame through the soccer team.

I had the same feeling when I returned from my final test, I thought I'd done okay! I was right, Hazel got an A+ degree and I got an A, we were both happy. I mean I passed didn't I? I wondered what Wesley would think of me now!

It was graduation and we were over the moon, not only did we have qualifications that would secure us great jobs but we got to go home! I missed my family, I missed Wanda!

Shit face arrived, so he graduated did he? Good for him, I bet he got a C+ at best, he never studied and always turned his presentations in half assed! He glared at me and walked on by. Fuck you fudge nugget!

After graduation, Hazel applied for a job in the Computer Engineer career. Due to her degree she got in at level 7 as a Constructor of Computers and got a hefty signing bonus! Me? Well my arm got better and I got into the Professional Athlete career at level 5 as a Minor Leaguer. My signing bonus was pretty meaty too I'm not ashamed to say! We headed home almost immediately, we had missed mum, dad and our siblings!

We later discovered that Jairo had been busy with a certain little mermaid I knew way back in the day! He didn't waste much time being heartbroken over Hazel!

Yep he and Asherah Seah had done the nasty and produced a baby boy named Bennett Dobson. He didn't even have the decency to marry her! They live in sin somewhere, I don't care where! All I care about is Hazel, and she dodged a huge bullett there!

MONICA:

Hazel was at work one day when I noticed Oreo was out of sorts, dad told me to hurry over to Brindleton Bay and have the vet look over him. There was only one other person in the waiting room when I arrived, his scent was pleasing and he was covered in tattoos! I felt a strange tingling I'd never felt before.

After I signed Oreo in, another person arrived and I was both relieved and disappointed, but mainly I was worried about Oreo!

The tattooed man waved at me and said, "Hey, your cat's cute!"

"Thanks, but he's not mine, he's my sister's! Mine is at home hopefully doing a lot better than her friend here!"

"I hear ya, they're a worry aren't they? I wish they could talk and tell you where it hurt or itched or whatever! At least with humans they can tell you what's wrong, not knowing is torture. Mouse here is in for a jag, ouch!" He sucked his teeth and chuckled, it was...hot!

I didn't know what to do with myself so I sat down and tried not to engage with him, he was making me feel things and it confused me! I looked down at his cat, Mouse, not sure if it was a boy or a girl but it was very well groomed and taken care of, that tells you a lot about a man!

Then he came over, "Aww, little mite! What's his name?"

"Um, Oreo!"

"Oreo!" He chuckled again, "That's awesome, what's yours called?"

I looked up at him, there was another woman in the waiting room, why was he talking to only me? "Her name is Baby, she's just a kitten!" I felt my cheeks warm with embarrassment, why did I call my kitten Baby of all things? What would he think?

"That's adorable! Mouse is just like my baby so I can relate! Mousey doesn't like the vets, bit of a handful, nightmare! but I wouldn't have it any other way! Anyway, hope everything goes okay in there for you and for Oreo the cookie cat!"

I didn't catch his name, but the vet came out and called Chris and he responded. He scooped up Mouse and gave me a heart melting wink. "Well that's us, if I don't get out alive, remember me fondly!" He was adorable.

"I will, good luck!" I couldn't conceal my smile, he was just...what the hell was this???

He disappeared with Mouse and the vet, they were in there a while. He wasn't exaggerating when he said his cat was difficult. What should have been a routine vaccination took an age! I did think of him, he was all I could think about...and it was exciting and scary all at the same time!

Finally they both emerged, Mouse bounding outside as fast as its little legs could carry it. "Chris" scanned the room as he left until his eyes locked with mine. He winked at me again and mouthed a good luck to me before leaving my life forever! It hurt, it made a hole where my heart should have been, I vowed to find him again...it felt like life or death...was this love???

JUDE:

I'd just stepped off the field when my mobile rang, it was Wesley. He had good news he said, he'd found love he said, I knew her very well he said, like family he said!

Felicia Vatore, yes I knew her alright and she wasn't just like family...she was family! I was so angry, after everything he put me through over Wanda and now he was dating my second cousin! Son of a bitch!

Come on over, he said. Let's have some drinks, he said! I was gonna punch him right in the face, I didn't care if he hexed me or banished me to hell, I was so mad...

...that was until she appeared, and my anger momentarily melted away! "Judey my gosh! You're...so ripped!" Oh baby don't say such things to the Judey, there's still a hint of teenage boy left inside of me to go crazy over that!

She looked amazing, she felt amazing, smelled amazing! I missed Wanda so much! She hugged me so tightly I struggled to breathe, she must have missed me too! "Judey, it's so good to see you! Pro athlete eh?"

"Yeah!" I chuckled nervously and blushed.

"I am so proud of you, you look so good!" Stop Wanda, please! She was killing me! That dress! I loved her gorgeous figure, she was always so voluptuous and womanly. I loved how her hips curved and how she filled clothes the way she did, she could always get my motor running like no other girl could!

"I'm just a minor leaguer Wanda, nothing special!"

"Hey, you're special to me! Why the frown?" I didn't even realise I was scowling again, stewing over Wesley's hypocrisy!

"I'm sorry Wanda I know he's your brother but what a crock of shit, he's dating my second cousin! After all the crap he gave me over you this just takes the cake!"

"Judey I know..."

"No you don't, when I think of all the time we wasted! What could have been if...look just ignore me I...I'm just tired from the game earlier, I came straight here so..."

"Yeah I know!" She giggled sweetly and I almost stopped being mad again, "You're adorably musky tonight! Come in before you pop a blood vessel, and chill please! For me?" I'd do anything for her, but chill was going to be hard!

"Hey guys, Judey's here!" I could barely look at either of them, but they didn't even notice I was there...

...they looked so in love! How could I be mad? Because I was so in love with Wanda and he took that chance from me! Eventually he acknowledged me and mumbled a hey without taking his eyes off of second cousin Felicia. She was Dylan Vatore and Tabitha Meade's daughter, Great Aunt Lilith's granddaughter and my Grandpa's Great Niece. We saw each other a few times at family gatherings, she was family! I was still so pissed off!

I refused to sit down and an awkward silence enveloped the room, Wanda looked over at Felicia who giggled and said "Moody Judey, that's what we called him when we were kids!" When a low growl escaped my lips Wanda stood up and grabbed me by the hand.

"Right, Judey come with me I have some photos of the magic realm to show you!" She dragged me out of the living room and along the hallway.

I'd sat in this room before, I had tried to pick up Georgia Lamont in here! I didn't realise it was Wanda's bedroom, awkward! "Why are we here?" I muttered.

"Because you needed a time out, and because I wanted to be alone with you!" There she went again, stirring something inside of me!

"Well, I don't think Wes would like to hear you say that! You're not supposed to be with me remember?"

"Oh I remember, but I didn't agree to that Judey you did. I was oblivious to that whole arrangement!"

"It wasn't an arrangement, it was a threat, it was a warning! It was something that a best friend had to respect and abide by. I may have been a little fucker but I had principles and I stood by a promise, even if I didn't agree with the terms!"

"And where was my say in all of this? Why didn't I get to decide? You wouldn't let me say it on the phone but you will hear me say it now! I love you Jude Smallwood! What was once a crush, it blossomed into love at that party, when you told me everything! I always knew there was good in you, and I was right!"

"It doesn't matter what we say to each other Wanda, or how we feel! Wes will never allow it! I can only have one of you, do you know what that does to me? How it rips me in two?" My anger was at boiling point, I wanted to march back into that room and give Wesley Wolfe a piece of my mind! But then she said something that hit me like a punch in the gut!

"If you'd asked me, I'd have been yours! I know it, if you'd been honest with me from the start I'd have given you everything I had and I'd have made you happy!" What the fuck? I felt bad enough that we didn't get to spend our teens blissfully in love, why did she have to say that? Oh I was gonna explode, I was so mad!

"I can't believe how beefy you are Judey, you're no longer that skinny little teenage boy who thought he was Don Lothario!" I wasn't sure if that was a compliment but I was too angry to focus on what it meant. I was on an emotional rollercoaster and I felt sick! Was she angry at me? Did she resent me for not pursuing her and defying her brother?

"Judey, if you want me, all you have to do is tell me! I wore this dress for you, I talked Wes into calling you over, I wanted to see you! When you got back from Britechester you didn't even come over and say hi, you stopped texting, have you...have your feelings changed?"

"Jesus Christ Wanda, why are you doing this?"

"Doing what..."

"Don't you get it? You are the love of my life, there has never been nor will there ever be another woman for me! My feelings have remained the same for a very long time and I don't see them ever changing!"

She looked up hopefully at me, but I didn't have the answer she wanted, "I also don't see Wes ever changing his! So I have a choice, I remain friends with you both and suffer for eternity, or I take you in my arms and make you mine losing my best friend in the process! So tell me Wanda, what would you have me do? Huh? Because I am so fucking lost right now I...I can't do this!"

I turned heel and stomped out of her room, I needed to spend a few hours with my old pal the punching bag I was wound so tight! She just sat there looking stunned, she obviously didn't have a solution either! Welcome to my world!

"Judey..." She called out to me, her little voice cracked and so did my heart. It was an impossible situation, her brother wasn't one to back down, once he made up his mind about something it was never gonna change! I knew him well enough for that! Wouldn't he have given me his blessing by now if he had? No, I was forever doomed to never have Wanda Wolfe, and it sucked!

HAZEL:

I returned home from work to a shocking sight, Nathan Holden was standing on my porch! My breath caught in my throat and all I could do was stand there like a statue with my mouth slightly agape. He smiled nervously and greeted me, "Hello Hazel, I...I was wondering if we could talk, would you...would you give me a moment of your time?"

We sat in my room in silence for a few minutes, and then he found the courage to speak. "You look great, congrats on the degree and the new job by the way. You were always so smart, I envied you at school!"

"What is this Nathan? Why are you here?"

"Look I don't want to argue, I don't want us to part on bad terms so I felt that I needed to clear the air. I'm going to Del Sol Valley, maybe get a job in the movie biz. I need a fresh start!"

"Where the hell have you been?"

"Selvadorada! Then I went to San Myshuno where I had a DJ gig for a while, it was only temporary though, seasonal. Now I'm at a loose end and staying across the street again which isn't ideal, my niece Beatrix is a screamer and she's teething right now so I don't get much sleep. Notice the bags under my eyes!" He chuckled shyly and pointed to his eyes, his lovely blue eyes. He was so nervous and it was the most I had ever heard him say that wasn't an argument, he was funny and sweet! How was I so blind?

"Your niece is called Beatrix?"

"Yes, a bit old fashioned but Scott picked it so...why?"

"That's my grandmother's name, but she goes by Trixie, Scott knows this! Creep!"

"Oh I...yeah that's our Scotty, always being a douche! Look Hazel I really am sorry for how I treated you, I truly was trying to protect you from those jerks however misguided my methods. I was a kid and I didn't know any better, please forgive me?"

"I do, and it's not entirely your fault, they were as much to blame!"

"You...you mean that?" His eyes lit up and he looked so cute!

"I do, but next time just tell a girl how you feel and don't talk to her like she's something you stepped in!"

"Duly noted!" He nodded and smiled sweetly, I didn't want him to leave again, I only then realised how much I had missed him! And as if he read my mind...

"Man I missed you!" My heart fluttered and all I could do was stare!

"You just disappeared, I was worried!" He looked surprised by this, well if you just leave without a trace in the middle of the night and are never seen or heard from again it is bound to worry a person!

"I'm sorry, I needed to get away and you didn't exactly want me around. You have Jairo..."

"Had! I made a huge mistake, I should have listened to you! I just hid behind Jairo and it was the worst thing I could have done, for what it's worth I'm sorry if I hurt you Nathan I...I truly am. There wasn't a day that went by when I didn't think about where you went!"

"I didn't know you cared!" He laughed softly and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Don't push your luck Holden!"

"Well I'm glad we cleared the air, and I hope we can be friends? I'll keep in touch and send you photos of Simmywood! Maybe you can come visit..."

"Maybe I will, maybe...you don't have to go or...if I'm not my dad's heiress I could come with you!" He stared at me for a long time, as if I was trying to trap him into saying the wrong thing, or as if this was a game. Nothing could be further from the truth.

"A computing job in the valley? Aren't you pretty happy here?"

"Nathan...I...you're right! It was a silly idea, never mind!"

We sat in silence again, it was nice. I looked at him, he was so handsome and even though he and Scott were supposedly identical, he was far more beautiful than his twin had ever been. I wondered if I could have a future with him, with someone who loved me and wanted the best for me. I wondered if I was capable of returning that love. I wasn't sure then!

He broke through my thoughts and said, "Well I'd better head back, I promised I'd babysit tonight. Scott and Beth are having date night, have you ever heard anything so hilarious?" He chuckled and shook his head in amusement, "I mean, would they even be married if he hadn't got her pregnant? I doubt that!" He was right, Scott was forced to settle down, if he'd had his way he'd have bedded every woman from here to Sulani and back!

"Don't be a stranger, Nate!"

"You called me Nate, it's nice coming from you. I won't, we can hang out before I leave, in fact I'd love that!"

"Me too!" We sat for a little while longer, he commented on my posters and mocked me for being a Flamer, it was all in jest and I wished that we could have had this long before now. I was going to miss him, it didn't sit right with me that he was leaving, it felt like we had only started something and now it was going to be lost forever, it hurt my heart. I vowed then to convince him to stay here, I was going to give him a reason to...that reason...was me!

Okay it's time to go and vote! Here is a link to the Heir/ess poll! There are little bios for all four kiddos to help you decide, so who's going to succeed Landon? It's all up to you!

Generation Three Heir/ess Poll