The Smallwood Family Legacy Generation Two: A Sims 4 Story

The Smallwood Family Legacy: A Sims 4 Story

Chapter Sixteen: Lord Landon Smallwood, heir of Lady Beatrix!

I woke up to a very quiet house today, since before I can even remember every other day has been filled with my sisters bustling around and leaving an intoxicating mixture of multiple fragrances lingering all over! 

Today is different! Raven moved out yesterday and I see a sadness in dad's eyes over that! She was his favourite, he will deny it though, but we all knew she held a special place in his heart. She is beautiful, my big sister, I'm so proud of her! She was the last to leave, except for me...the heir!

I just hope Damian treats her right! I know he will, he respects me too much to mess her around, heck he adores her, he always has! And if it wasn't for him stealing my sister's heart, I'd never have  known about Tabs! But that's a story for another day! I gotta pack! I'm off to Selvadorado, gonna get me some jungle adventures! It's my dream...

...and my mother's worst nightmare! She doesn't want me to go, I wonder if she is aware that I am now a young adult and capable of taking care of myself. I guess I will always be her baby no matter how old I am, being the youngest is a blessing and a curse!

So that is why love is on the back burner for me at the moment, especially after my red haired temptress trampled all over my heart! I'm feeling the pressure to marry and produce an heir, I know it's my destiny! But right now I wanna be just Landon, not Lord Smallwood of Wolfsbane Manor! As soon as my brother-in-law and Mayor of this town, Vladislaus Straud, discovered mum's true title, he insisted that she and her heir be called as such. So Lord Landon Smallwood I am now, it sucks!

As I pack my bags, downstairs my parents are feeling a bit down. Technically I will not be flying the family nest, but I will be leaving them to rattle around here on their own for the first time ever! Dad has never been alone with mum since they moved in together, Aunt Lilith was here and then Vivvy was born before she moved out, then Abi & Esme arrived so...this will be a new experience for them. I hope they have fun hehe! 😜

Anyway, I'm sure you're all interested to know about my siblings, so here's what happened after the night I was handed the legacy...

ABIGAIL'S STORY:

I surprised Charley with this house I had built especially for us. It's only across the street from Landon and mum and dad. Charley was delighted with her new home! All that was left was for us to finally tie the knot!

It was a small ceremony, just family and friends. We both picked out wedding dresses that we loved for each other, Charley's choice for me was just right! I chose something that wasn't white for her, she wanted to wear a suit but she's so pretty that I had to show off her gorgeous curves in that dress.

We said our vows as our loved ones looked on, it was magical, and just as I had dreamed it would be! I'd wished for this night since I first laid eyes on her! I've always loved her, there is no one else for me and there never will be!

Charley took my last name! Mrs & Mrs Smallwood!

Mum and dad were happy for me, they always accepted who I was from the very beginning. What a difference having supportive parents makes!

And Landon, my baby brother! What a task he has lying ahead of him! The youngest of a legacy, now the heir, having to take on the family name and produce the future generations. I admire him, and I worry for him! He isn't taking his new role seriously yet, he needs to find a wife, a potential mother to the next generation! But I'm sure once he has this jungle trip off his chest he'll settle down.

Charley tells me not to underestimate him, he has Smallwood and Vatore blood after all! She's not a worrier like me, she is so laid back!

I know who to blame for the way I am, I get my worrying nature from my dad! I can tell he is watching Landon carefully and wondering if he is truly prepared to lead the family.

 We tried for a baby right away on our wedding night! I will be the one to carry our children, we had decided that when we first got engaged. Charley, although female, identifies more as masculine, even though she has always wanted children, she has no desire to be pregnant.

 I fell pregnant easily and we were expecting our first child that very night!

 Breaking the news to Charley was exciting! She was over the moon! Us, parents, we both could hardly believe it!

 Our baby names discussion went on for days! We couldn't agree on a boy's name, I liked Troy, Charley liked Shane. We were pretty much decided on our girl's name though, Nicole Smallwood! At least there was one thing we could agree on!

 I was huge during my second trimester, my ankles were swollen and my morning sickness never went away! My mother was convinced we were having twins as she remembered how big she was when she was expecting me and Esme! I just laughed and told her not to be ridiculous, even though I knew that twins ran in our family!

 By the third trimester I was bursting out of the seams! Charley was getting more and more excited as my due date was looming!

 Mum and dad came round to visit and give a little moral support. Dad even helped me decorate the nursery. Mum was still convinced it was twins and made dad buy me an extra crib!

 I went into labour that very night, it was excruciating and I vowed never to go through it ever again! I also vowed to never doubt my mother ever again as she turned out to be a very wise woman indeed...

 We got our Nicole...followed by her twin sister Natalie! Lady Beatrix knew all along that she would be the grandmother of twins! Charley was so happy at first...

 But then her nerves got the better of her, it made me giggle! Okay we had double the work to do but I was one of five children, I wasn't going to panic over it!

Charley did recover and she applied for a job as a Tech Guru, which was an excuse for her to hone her gaming skills apparently!

The twins aged up, and they are identical! Natalie is a charmer, but her sister is clingy! I look forward to nurturing my girls with my girl!

 We have been married a few days now and have our toddlers to keep us busy! The roles have now reversed and I am the one worrying once again! Charley has taken to parenthood like a duck to water, even though our terrible twosome are a handful!

Who knows what the future holds, but without the pressure of upholding the legacy I can concentrate on my little family with my wife! Charley tells me things will turn out just fine, and you know what? I believe her!

ESME'S STORY:

I bought a dress the day my brother took on the family legacy. It was a wedding dress that caught my eye! When I told my father he nearly had a breakdown. He's finding the whole "my daughter is dating my former maker" a bit overwhelming. I know he approves, but it's still weird for him!

Anyway, the reason I bought the dress was because I had decided to propose to Vlad! When I explained this to my father he almost fainted! Eventually he said "Oh Esme darling, you always have to be different! Let's just hope this engagement results in a wedding this time!", and at the time I didn't know if he meant it as a compliment or a reprimand! Wolfgang had been a whim, a denial of my true feelings for Vlad! No, this, this was the real thing!

I headed up to Vlad's that night, I'd picked the perfect outfit to wow him, even though that didn't take much! I thought back to the night he confessed to killing Darick, and how rather than scare me away...it made me love him even more!

My handsome blond Count was dressed smartly himself! He had just been elected Mayor of Forgotten Hollow! He was on a high, it was the perfect time to propose! He smiled at me and greeted me in his usual way, "Hello my darling Esme!" 

"Vlad, how dapper you look! Or should I call you Mayor Straud?" I giggled, I was so proud of him!

"You may call me whatever you wish my dear!" He nodded happily, so I took my chance.

"How about husband?" I replied, almost in a whisper.

He looked at me wide eyed as I got down on one knee and produced a ring, "Count Vladislaus Straud IV, Mayor of Forgotten Hollow, love of my life..." Vlad choked back a sob as a single tear ran down his cheek.

"...will you marry me?"

"Esme, my dear, it should be I asking you!"

"What do you say?"

I had to wait for a long time as he stared, mesmerised by the shiny ring, until finally he announced "YES!" 

I didn't realise I was holding my breath until he spoke that one word I hoped he would. As we kissed for the first time as an engaged couple, I couldn't believe how happy I was at that moment!

We were married in the basement of Straud Mansion. My family attended, Vlad had no living blood relatives but he liked to think of my father as family. I took Vlad's last name, Countess Esme Straud!

Everyone was happy for us and we celebrated into the wee small hours! However, I got the impression that Vivaana was still struggling with her own life. She was still trying for another baby with Alex and it just wasn't happening for them.

We spent our first night as husband and wife trying for a baby. Vlad had lost his wife Elizabette and daughter Faye to Darick Bludstone over a thousand years ago. And even though I knew no other child could replace her, I longed to give him a daughter as well as a son to continue the Straud name.

We were successful that night, and I was having a baby! I couldn't wait! Vlad was so very attentive, he was fascinated by my little bump but he did not dare touch it for fear that I would break, silly Vlad!

We spent many evenings together enjoying each other's company. I never dreamed that I would ever find someone who truly understood me the way Vlad does! My second trimester was going well, Vlad would tease me and tell me he wanted to name our first born son Vladislaus V! 

I knew from the moment I told him I was pregnant that he wanted a little girl! His eyes lit up and from that moment on he referred to my bump as she and her. I worried that if the baby turned out to be a boy he'd be disappointed, I told him that too and he smiled at me and shrugged "Esme darling, if she does turn out to be a boy, we will love him regardless! We are combining our DNA my sweet! It's a wonderful miracle!"

His words reassured me, this was our child and their gender meant nothing! As long as they were healthy and happy and loved, everything would be fine!

While I was in my third trimester, Vlad became curious about the kicking. I pushed out my bump and patted it, "Go on, have a little feel!" I said as he gave me a look that I interpreted as wariness. 

After that he was obsessed with my swollen belly and eventually began talking to it and touching it! I couldn't get any peace, but I wasn't complaining! I wanted my husband to bond with our child.

 We would often sit on the balcony and chat, I love our little chats! Vlad decided to employ a butler now that his family was growing.

 He seemed happy on the surface, but his eyes were always so sad! I hated to see him like that! I wanted so badly to be enough for him! He would go out at night for hours and creep back into bed trying not to wake me. I didn't know where he disappeared to...

 ...until I followed him one night and found him weeping outside by Darick's grave! He was still hurting over his involvement in Darick's death! My father was as guilty as Vlad, if not more, so why did my sweet hubby bear the full responsibility?

 I tried to tell him he had nothing to feel bad about, that he protected his future family by doing what he did. "Vlad honey if you hadn't got rid of him we wouldn't be here today, waiting for baby Straud to arrive!"

 "Esme, I feel so much...weight on my shoulders I cannot shake it off!"
"Then let me take some of it off your shoulders! Our baby is coming soon and he or she needs their daddy to be there for them! I can't have you moping over this waste of space any longer!"
"Esme darling..."

 "Vlad darling shut up and listen to your wife! Your guilt is my guilt because my father had a hand in killing Darick too! So if you want to cry over his grave every night then so should I!"
"NO!" I was getting through to him, finally!
"Then let's go back inside, enjoy our last nights of freedom before our baby takes over our lives, and forget about Darick bloody Bludstone!!!"

 And he did, just in time for our baby to arrive! Vlad freaked out a little to begin with, he didn't like seeing me in pain...

 ...to be honest I didn't like being in so much pain but I knew it would all be worth it when I looked into my baby's eyes!

 And it was, she was beautiful! Vlad had wanted a girl and he got her! We named her Celeste Straud and she smiled at me the moment we locked eyes, she knew I was her mummy and we bonded immediately!

 I finally understood how my own mother must have felt when she first held every one of us, that overwhelming rush of love and a yearning to protect Celeste at all costs! More than ever I was glad Darick was dead, I was relieved that she was Vlad's daughter and not his, I was so happy to have her with the love of my life!

And Vlad was utterly besotted with his little girl, he affectionately called her Celly and he was very much a hands-on dad! He fed and changed her and sang her to sleep. He would often play her lullabies on the organ.

Celly grew into an adorable toddler who could wrap daddy round her little finger, much like Abi and I used to with our father. She truly is a chip off the old block!

 She didn't really have a favourite parent, she wanted us both equally when she was distressed or needy.

 She made me want to have dozens of babies if they were all as amazing as her, and Celly was beginning to feel lonely. Vlad and I had discussed expanding the brood, but it never really went beyond the discussion point.

 One night Vlad took me in his arms and kissed me passionately, then he said "Let's make another one! Hey Celly what do you say to a baby brother or sister? Hmm?" Celly jumped for joy and clapped her hands,
"Yay dada, yay!!!"

 Our daughter was very much in support of us conceiving her sibling! Even though she is far too young to understand what that entails, at least I hope she is! Trying for a baby in bat form was just as fun as the conventional way I must say!

 And so I'm pregnant again, I just took the test! I'm off to tell Vlad the good news, then Celly! She can't wait to have company!

 "Vlad honey? You remember our bat baby making session earlier?"
"Mmm, yes I cannot forget!"

 "Well it worked! I'm pregnant!"
"Ohhhh yesssss!!!" I think he's pleased, do you think he's pleased? I know he is!

 I've never been this happy in such a long time! I remember when I was little being afraid of the name Count Vladislaus Straud IV, now I love to hear that name! I, Countess Esme Straud, can't imagine my life without him! 

We've got our work cut out for us I know, Celly is a little imp and she is bound to lead her new sibling astray when he or she arrives, but I know we'll make things work...love is a powerful thing!

RAVEN'S STORY:

From the moment I laid eyes on him I hated him! He was so full of himself and so darn pretty! He was my stupid baby brother's best friend and he was never out of the house! Landon wanted to have a party to celebrate his new position as Lord and heir to the family name.

I just wanted to curl up into a ball and die, I was doing well at work but I was lonely and none of my co-workers wanted to be my friend. My mum tried to comfort me that night by telling me I was an introvert, it just made things worse. Landon however could make friends with the birds in the town square just by grinning at them! Yes my baby brother had a way with people, he was so laid back...

...unless it was around HER! Mizuki Yoshida! They had absolutely nothing in common but he was besotted! He followed her around like a loyal puppy dog and she patronised him constantly. She was only interested in him for the title and the money! I hated her so much, because my baby brother deserved so much better!

Tabatha Meade, HIS sister, told me that Mizuki was hoping to get pregnant and trap Landon into marrying her. She wanted so badly to be Lady Smallwood and fleece him for every penny he had, which by then was building into a nice meaty sum, she didn't love him but he was pretty and she didn't mind bedding him for a while until she got what she wanted.

For Landy, it was love! He was young and he was horny, so I imagined if she did offer to sleep with him he wouldn't say no...which concerned me! I could see that Tabs cared, at the time I wasn't aware that she cared a great deal more than just in a platonic way. Then again I was clueless over everything then!

I couldn't keep my eyes off of the Antichrist and at that time it frustrated me, I felt as if I would stop breathing if I didn't look at him at least once every hour or so. And when I did I wanted to scratch his eyes out...

...but deep down what I really wanted was to scratch my nails down his back and scream his name in ecstasy! I was confused, I didn't know the difference between love and hate!

He came over to me and smiled, "Are you enjoying the party Rave?"
"RAVEN!" I pretended to hate being called Rave by anyone other than Landy, but secretly I wanted to hear Damian Meade whisper that name in my ear as he...I didn't even know it was possible for a vampire to blush until HE spoke to me!

"Come on gorgeous, loosen up will ya? Your brother is running the show now, you're free to live your life as you please, surely that's a reason to celebrate?" He winked at me and I wanted to headbutt him, I actually wanted to kiss his beautiful lips and jump him right there...I was conflicted.
"Bite me!" He laughed and shook his head in amusement.
"Rave baby you're the biter, not me!"

The son-of-a-bitch walked away from me, and it hurt in my chest. A pain that seared through my body, his warmth was gone, his face no longer beamed at me! I ached for him...and that was when it struck me!

I was in love with Damian Meade, the boy who lived in the house full of garlic! The boy who had challenged Landy to a boxing match at the gym, lost, and became his best friend from that moment on. We always had this back and forth going on, he'd say something flirty and I'd bite his head off...it was how we rolled!

He was beautiful though, he had blond hair and piercing blue eyes that sparkled like jewels against his pale skin. And it hit me there and then that the hatred I felt for him from day one was actually love! But no way was I ever going to tell him, no effing way!

The day Mizuki broke up with Landon was a bittersweet one. He was heartbroken, she had found out that the money our family legacy accumulated would stay forever in the family through the generations to come, there was no chance of her getting her sticky fingers on it at all...so she dumped him!

Tabatha came over that day, she tried to comfort him but he wasn't in the mood. I helped him re-decorate Vivvy's old room, now his, to cheer him up. 

"Why Rave? Am I so unlovable?" My heart broke for him, if only he knew that there was a sweet girl across the street pining for him as we spoke.

Damian brought him home drunk the following morning, and I exploded at him! Not realising what had actually happened, I blamed him for Landy's drunken state!

"How could you get him in such a state???" I roared at him, he put his hands up in defence and mumbled,
"I would never do that to him, I found him like this when he drunk dialed me!" It turned out that Landon went out all by himself, got completely sozzled and called Damian to cry down the phone about Mizuki! Damian demanded to know where he was and went out to get him, bringing him back home to sleep it off.

"Th-thank you for being a good friend to him Damian..." I blushed in embarrassment, why did he have to be so nice? Why couldn't he be the Antichrist like I thought he was?
"Raven he's my best friend, when he hurts...I hurt!"

I don't know what possessed me, I'm not sure I was aware I was doing it until I felt his soft lips against mine, my first kiss...and it was divine! Damian was quite surprised at first, neither of us were expecting it, but he didn't pull back, quite the opposite!

"What was that?" He chuckled, and my blushing returned.
"I...I'm so sorry I..." I ran! And like the kiss, I don't know why I did!

He came after me, he called my name. I closed my eyes and prayed for him to go away, but he got closer, he took me by the shoulders and spun me around, looking deeply into my eyes, his breathing was heavy and fast...

...he kissed me back! His tongue found mine and my fangs crept out in excitement, I didn't mean to...

...he jumped back in shock and winced, "Ouch!" He cursed and then laughed softly, "Never tongue wrestle with a vampire huh?" My face was as red as the blood on his lips.
"Damian I'm so sorry..."

"Stop saying you're sorry, Raven..." He sighed and ran a hand through his silky blond hair, "My God can't you see how much you mean to me? F*ck!" He grunted and took my hands in his.

"When Landon invited me round to meet his family, I remember you scowling at me! It made me pretty hot I don't mind tellin' ya!" Damian began to blush too, biting his lip, his eyes glinted mischievously.

"Raven I love you! Can't you see that?" My breath caught in my throat, he what?
"Don't tell lies!" I snapped and broke roughly from his grip. I left him there, I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"RAVEN PLEASE!" I heard the desperation in his voice, how could he possibly love me? It was hard enough to discover he actually saw me, never mind feel anything for me!

"Damian, if what you're saying is true...then I just need time, can you give me that?" His face fell.
"I'm not good enough for you, I know that! But let me prove to you that I am worthy of your heart and I promise I won't let you down!" HE wasn't good enough for ME??? Little plain and boring me?

"Your brother warned me not to mess you around, and I promised that I would never do that because my love for you is real! I've never felt this way about anyone and I know in my heart I never will again if you reject me. Just gimme a chance to prove to you that I can make you happy!"

"Well in that case..." I smiled shyly, "...how can I possibly refuse you?"

I moved into Damian and Tabatha's a couple of days later, Landon helped me as my dad sat and sulked with the usual glass in his hand. He didn't want me to go, he wanted me to stay there forever and be his little girl!

Tabs asked Landy out that day, he laughed nervously and said he had a trip planned but he'd definitely call her when he got back.

Damian is patient with me, he's giving me the space I need. And he's got rid of all the cursed garlic! He wants to marry me and start a family, but I'm not quite ready, not sure I ever will be...but I love him!

And who knows, there may be wedding bells and the pitter-patter of tiny feet some day! I'm not ruling it out!

LANDON:

It's time for me to split! Mum and dad are seeing me off and being as goofy as ever! I know mum is trying to keep cheery, what she doesn't know is that I'll miss her just as much as she'll miss me! I see Tabs watching from afar too. I can't wait to go on this adventure! I promised my parents I'd bring back lots of souvenirs!

Selvadorado here I come!

To Be Continued...