1.20 - Risk and Reward

The following day was Aoife's birthday. While everyone prepared, Dagon pulled Aoife aside. "Hey, I know this is supposed to be your big day. But I was hoping to call Percy out of work to come celebrate, and, well, to get married. I figured we could kill two birds with one stone while the whole gang is here."

"Are you kidding me?! Of course I don't mind! I just wish Kari could be here too. Once the celebrations are over with here, I plan on moving right to her house so we can finally start our life together," Aoife exclaimed animatedly.

Dagon pulled her in for a hug. He felt really emotional about moving out and starting his new life. He'd really miss everyone, but he knew his place was beside Percy.

Evandrus walked by his brother and cousin, trying to ignore their conversation. He couldn't help but roll his eyes. Their romantic feelings seemed so petty to Evandrus. He was worried about things of a grander nature - like the war in the Fae Realm. There had to be some way to help his father and the twins' father win the war. Even if he never set foot in the Realm, it was clearly run by tyrants. And that was never a positive thing.

Dagon picked up the cell phone and called Percy. "Hey, hon. Tell your boss there's been an emergency and you need to come home."

"Has there been an emergency?" Percy asked, slight panic tinging his voice.

Dagon chuckled. "Course not. But it's Aoife's birthday. And I have a surprise for you."

Percy groaned, relieved. "Okay, okay. I'll see what I can do."

Luckily, Percy made it in time for cake. Aoife stepped up, ready to embark on a new stage in her life. She closed her eyes, absorbed the lilting echoes of the Happy Birthday song, and made a wish.

She cut the first piece of cake while everyone cheered. As she walked over to the kitchen table, Aoife started to feel strange. Her skin tingled and prickled. Realization set it. It was a full moon,

Despite having witnessed the transportation before, Illdrid still cowered in fear. It might only take one, small instance for Aoife to snap and lose control. What if it happened today? Illdrid took a few deep breaths to get her emotions in check. This was Aoife. Of course she wasn't about to lose control.

After scarfing down her cake, Aoife retreated to her room. She knew she made her family uncomfortable in her wolf form. They'd never tell her so, but she could see the fear etched on their faces. Besides, it was the first day of her adult life. It was time to pack and move to Kari's.

Dagon, as usual, refrained from the cake. Instead, he approached Percy with a sly smile. The full moon cast an eerie glow in the room. But Dagon didn't care. Tonight, he was going to marry the man of his dreams.

"Percy," Dagon began. "I didn't just ask you here for Aoife's birthday. I was also hoping we could, maybe, exchange our vows? I know it's not anything fancy, but I just can't wait to be your husband."

Percy grinned and took Dagon's hand. "I, Percival Blessington, take you, Dagon Maesson to be my lawfully wedded husband. In sickness and health and all of those other things. Can we get to the kissing part now?"

Dagon did his best not to burst into laughter. "I, Dagon Maesson, take you, Percival Blessingon, to be my lawfully wedded husband and all those things you said. Now, let's kiss!"

As Dagon slowly pulled back from Percy's embrace, Percy grasped his hand. "I have some news. I hope you don't freak out. I kind of adopted a little girl. I know this is really sudden and obviously something we should have discussed first, but she really needed a home."

Dagon was taken aback. He didn't really know how to feel about this. He thought he'd have time to settle in as Percy's husband before he even thought about kids. But he grew up in a huge family and had always wanted a family of his own. Starting so early was unexpected, but he certainly wasn't about to turn away a little girl who needed a family. Dagon pulled Percy into a hug. "That's definitely a surprise, but I think it's great news! I can't wait to be your baby daddy!"

Percy laughed, relieved that Dagon had taken the news so well. After another hour spent with the Maesson family, Dagon packed his things up and started on his new life with Percy.

The next day during homework time, Elisedd turned to his aunt Illdrid with a serious concern on his mind. "Will we fall in love, too, when we become adults? Like Percy and Aoife?"

Illdrid smiled at him, "If that's what you want, sweetheart. But it's certainly not required.

Elisedd shuddered. "Good. I think it would just interfere with my goals to become a world famous chess player."

Diarmuid rolled his eyes. "Really, El? There's no such thing as a famous chess player."

Evandrus listened to his cousins' bickering. He agreed with little Elisedd. Love was not a priority. Maybe he had been training the wrong twin to join the Fae Uprising. Deep in thought, Evandrus didn't even notice when he broke the dishwasher. He vaguely felt the water seeping in to his shoes, but instead of addressing the issue, he just wandered outside. There was much thinking to be done.

Evandrus did his best thinking while searching the galaxy. The enormity of the universe really put things into perspective. With a clearer head, Evandrus convinced himself that Diarmuid would be perfectly suitable to help win the Fae war.

Unbeknownst to Evandrus, Diarmuid didn't even give his future much of a thought. He was more of a "here and now" type of kid. And, at the moment, Diarmuid was interested in playing with his toy bunny.

On the day of the twins' birthday, Illdrid met Percy in the park. He waited for his mother, icy ground hard beneath his feet. He blew out small tufts of frosty air as he examined his gloved hands. His wedding ring made a small bump on his ring finger and it brought a smile to his face. He still couldn't quite belief that he was married to his high school sweetheart.

Illdrid approached her son a bit timidly. Now that he was on his own, she didn't want to monopolize too much of his time. But she didn't know how much time she had left in life, and she had a granddaughter she wanted to meet. "How is married life treating you?" she asked, a bit unsure how to make conversation with her adult child. He was his own person now - no longer just a fragment of herself.

"Come on, mom. Why are you being so formal and weird? Married life is great. But I want to hear about what's going on at the house! No matter how happy I am with Percy, I'll always miss the chaos of home."

"Today is the twins' birthday. If you and Percy are free, maybe you could come?" Illdrid asked.

Dagon grinned. "Wouldn't miss it for the world! We'll bring Kylee."

Illdrid leaned in and hugged her son goodbye. Now that they were having company, she suddenly realized how much work she had to do to get the house ready.

After the matriarchs tidied up the house, Shae cooked dinner. Illdrid turned to Diarmuid, unable to contain her excitement at meeting her granddaughter. "We're going to have your cousin over for cake. Possibly your sister. But Dagon is bringing his new daughter, Kylee. So be nice to her."

Diarmuid looked at his aunt like she just lost her mind. When was he ever not nice?

Elisedd was the first to approach the new family member, when she walked in the door. He hadn't received the "nice" lecture from his aunt. "You're blue," he commented, his tone straightforward and unemotional.

Kylee quirked an eyebrow. "And you have wings."

Elisedd caught the sarcasm. "Touche."

Aoife also came to the party, happy to see her brothers becoming teens. Kari, unfortunately, had work again.

"So, when are you going to make like your cousin here and start giving me grandbabies?" Shae asked when she cornered the two older children in the living room.

"Mom!" Aoife groaned with a smile. "Kari and I are both very busy with our careers. That comes first."

Dagon leaned in close to his aunt. "Not to rub it in, and don't tell my mom yet, but Percy and I are in the process of adopting another child. If all goes well, we will have a son!"

Soon, it was cake time. The twins took turns blowing out the candles on the cake. Diarmuid was especially excited to become a teenager. He had invited his best friend, Beverly. But she had been unusually silent for the entire party. He hoped that she would pay more attention to him when he aged up.

But when the sparkled over took him, he noticed he wasn't even watching. She was just staring off into the corner, her eyes glazed over. Diarmuid frowned and exchanged a worried glance with Elisedd. What had happened to his childhood friend?

When the party ended, Diarmuid released his frustrations in the form of exercise. It soothed his frayed nerves. And it bulked his confidence for his first day of high school. He wasn't really worried about fitting in. But he wanted to make sure he was strong enough to fight off any bullies that might pick on his brother. Not that Elisedd needed much protection with his magical abilities, but to Diarmuid it was the principle. Bullying was unacceptable.

With all the kids out of the house the following day, the two older women decided to go to the gym. Shae was still strong from her military job, but Illdrid felt old and feeble. She wanted to extend her life, if possible. And she missed the adventures of her youth. A funny sort of rebelliousness encompassed her as she entered the gym. It was early. Shae had gone upstairs. And not another soul was around. 

Before she could think twice, Illdrid has disrobed completely and jumped into the water. It was freeing and exhilarating. Her heart pounded at the thought of someone catching her. She was apprehensive but also excited, fueled by the risks, the adrenaline. But it wasn't long before the door swung open.

Quickly, Illdrid tried to mold herself against the wall. But it was too late. She had been caught. And by somebody who looked awfully familiar. Vaguely, she recollected a night full of wine and sorrow and lovemaking. She turned to confront the man, but he just shot her a dirty look and walked up the stairs. Illdrid huffed. She would show him.

She tiptoed up behind him and got close enough to whisper in his ear. "It's been a long time," she said, her voice deep and breathy.

He spun around, a look of shock and horror on his face. "Do I know you?" he asked, feigning ignorance, but his eyes told the truth.

Illdrid smiled seductively, trying not to feel hurt. "We had some fun, back in our prime. You invited me to your winery. We drank and enjoyed ourselves. You don't remember?"

"I'm happily married," Grant hissed, his lips curled down in disgust.

Illdrid backed up  a step. "Oh! I'm so sorry. I just thought..."

"You thought wrong," Grant replied coldy and stalked off.

Meanwhile, Shae had a much better time coaching Percy's mom on the treadmill. She was so involved in her training, she didn't notice the crestfallen look on her sister's face when Illdrid said she'd see her back home.

Elisedd also had a rough day. The teens mocked his wings, calling him the demon dork. He tried not to let it bother him, but he didn't really want to end up an outcast like his cousin, Evandrus. Diarmuid sensed his brother's distress, and after homework, forced him to work out in front of the TV.

"Come on, El. You're doing the squat all wrong. You're going to hurt your knees," Diarmuid shouted, frustrated at his brother's lack of athleticism.

Elisedd just grunted in response. He wasn't sure how exercise was going to help, but he hoped that at least it would placate his brother.

When Shae returned home, she saw a grumpy Illdrid shuffling around chess pieces. Shae sat down and observed her sister for a moment, before joining the game. "Who was that you were talking to at the gym earlier?"

Illdrid frowned. "Just some guy I had a fling with. After Michael," she snorted. "So long ago...another lifetime."

Shae tilted her head, remembering back that far. "So, this guy...could he be the baby's father? Dagon's father?"

Illdrid shrugged. It could have been. It could have been Michael, too. She didn't know. She didn't really care.

"What about James?" Shae asked, trying to let the subject of the mystery man dissipate.

"What about him?" Illdrid retorted. "He's off fighting the war that we inadvertently started. He and Drest. And countless other. For all we know, they could all be dead."

Shae sighed, thinking fondly of the boys' father. She tried not the think about him much. Sometimes, it was nice to imagine that they had never been ejected from the Realm. Or that they had, and he came just to be with her. But reality...reality was some stupid war and a Realm she didn't even want to go back to.

Evandrus felt the heaviness in the house, and decided he didn't much feel like being there. His aunt and mom had each other, and so did the twins. His presence was not needed and barely noticed. He wandered through the snow, barely noticing the cold. He found himself at the school. It was as good a place as any to set up camp. And he wouldn't have far to travel. Evandrus nodded, pleased with his decision, and set to work building an igloo. Aoife, walking home from work, stumbled upon her cousin hard at work. "Hey, Ev. What are you doing?"

"Making an igloo," Evandrus responded. "I wouldn't oppose help. But I don't have time for idle chit chat."

Aoife smiled and began packing the snow into big, smooth blocks. "You certainly haven't changed much."

Evandrus didn't respond, and they finished the igloo in silence, each wrapped up in their own thoughts. When the last details were complete, Evandrus got on hands and knees and crawled inside.

For a moment, Aoife looked puzzled, before chuckling and turning away. "See ya later, then." There was no response.

Evandrus crawled out of his igloo the following morning right in the middle of the morning rush. The other kids looked at him strangely, but no one said a word. They were a bit afraid of his quirky aloofness.

Diarmuid looked over at his cousin and saw the girl behind him. Blue hair. Piercings.

He turned to his brother full of dread and concern. "That girl. Behind Ev. It's Beverly."

Elisedd looked at her, trying to remain expressionless. "What the hell happened to her?" he whispered.

Diarmuid frowned. "That's what I'd like to know..."

_ _ _ _ _ _

Ugh, finally. This chapter was really difficult to write. I had so many pictures, but nothing terribly exciting happened. Didn't help that I didn't have much time what with the holidays. Next chapter, Evandrus becomes a young adult. And then...Generation 2 can finally start taking over! In case no one noticed, I added a tab where you can view the Sims in each generation and download them once they become a YA. I also think I'm going to add a tab with each generation roll, in case anyone wants to peek!