This chapter was originally uploaded to the Sims2 Exchange on February 24, 2007.

Welcome to the fourth and final installment of chapter two in the Pseudo Legacy.

At the end of part three, our founders, Taylor Legacina and his beloved Professor Kelly, had passed on,leaving behind their children and grandchildren to carry on the legacy. Zoey and Christian had patched uptheir troubled marriage and added a girl to the third generation. It was unclear which of the third generationchildren - Brody, Micah or Persephone - would become the heir for the next generation.

Grief lingered in the Legacina home. Taylor and Professor Kelly, both popularity sims, were loved by prettymuch everyone in the house, even little Persephone. Zoey was especially troubled. She had always countedon the guidance her parents provided her. Now the weight of the legacy was on her shoulders.

Of course, Zoey and her family were not the only ones affected by Taylor�s death...

The Grim Reaper made an additional stop after he helped Professor Kelly on to the afterlife. �NICE PLACEYOU HAVE HERE, KIRSTIAL. THIS IS BETTER THAN THE HOLE YOU WERE LIVING IN THE LAST TIME WESPOKE.�

Kirstial was startled and irritated at the unexpected visit, but knew better than to be rude to the incarnationof Death, �How nice of you to stop by, Grim.� She paused and then added an impatient, �What do youwant?�

Well, at least she tried to be polite.

�I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE AMUSING TO LET YOU KNOW THAT YOU FAILED.� The Grim Reaper gave asmug and disturbingly raspy chuckle.

�What on earth do you mean by that?� Kirstial was getting irritated. She had been in the middle of watching�Lost�. They were going to reveal the answer to some big secret. But then again, maybe not. This was �Lost�after all.

�THE LAST SOUL YOU OWED YOUR BENEFACTOR WAS RECENTLY PICKED UP AFTER HAVING LIVED ALONG AND FULFILLING LIFE.� Going in for maximum taunt, he added, �HE DIED OF OLD AGE, KIRSTIAL.YOU FORFEIT THE POWER OF HIS BLOOD.�

�NO!!!!� Kirstial howled then buried her head in her hands, �GAH! How could I have missed him? Are they sopathetically short lived?! This is unfair! I can�t lose like this! I�ll kill his children!�

Looking at his list, the Grim Reaper corrected, �CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN, YOU MEAN. BY MYCOUNT, THE FAMILY LINE IS GOING STRONG AND THERE ARE NOW THREE PRIMARY GRANDCHILDRENAND TWO SECONDARY.� If he had eyebrows, he would waggle them mockingly, �LIKE WEEDS ANDRABBITS, Y�KNOW.�

�What!?� Kirstial was shocked, �How are there that many grandchildren!? I took measures to see that theyproduced no more offspring.�

�PLEASE DON�T MAKE ME EXPLAIN THE BIRDS AND THE BEES TO YOU, KIRSTIAL.�

Later that evening, after a quick and angry phone call, Tamara Almassizadeh, Kirstial�s interning minion,arrived to plead her case.

�Please don�t hurt me! I swear I don�t know what happened. He was mine, it was in the bag and thensomething happened. He went back to her even though it was something he should have never considered.�Tamara had deftly kept the news of Christian and Zoey�s reunion from Kirstial�s ears, �It.. it must have beenm.magic of some kind.�

Kirstial was none too pleased with her minion and did not hesitate to let the girl know, �HISS! FAH! Therewas no magic, just your ugly face! Your incompetence is going to cost me valuable time in my mission. Ifyou had just done your job correctly, then I would be on schedule! I should have you for dinner and buryyou in the backyard!�

�NO! Please... I.. I promise, I can do better. I know I can. Just give me a chance.� Tamara pleadeddesperately.

Kirstial snarled and crossed her arms, �I will think about it. Maybe I�ll think of a use for you and give you acall. For now, get out of my sight.�

�What about my credit hours?�

�I SAID I would think about it! Now go before I change my mind and kill you anyway!�

�Yipe! Going now.� Tamara scurried from the house with her figurative tail between her legs.

�Why is it so hard to get good help?� Kirstial pouted after Tamara left, her house now quiet. �Nothing elsecould possibly go wrong at this point.�

Oh, never speak too soon, Kirstial. Things can always get worse.

Back at the Legacina homestead, it was time for an unusual occurrence: a quiet birthday. While everyonewas away at school or work, little puppy Benny turned into handsome, grown-up collie Benny.

�Wow, I got big!�

�Now that I�m big, no more little sticky people mauling me! When I was a puppy, they could just pick me upand there was nothing I could do about it! Now I�m a big, bad dog and no one�s going to embarrass me orget my fur all sticky with mysterious baby substances any longer!�

Yep. Benny, the big bad guard dog of the house was never going to be mauled or manipulated by a smallchild again. That vow probably lasted all of two hours. Just enough time for Persephone�s nap to be over.

�Benny got big! Yay!�

�Not the ear, not the ear! She�s sticky and smells like old peanut butter!

Poor Benny.

�Brody, how did Benny get big? When we left for school, he was just a puppy, but when we got home, hewas all big and stuff?� Taking after his father, Micah was a bit light in the I.Q. department.

�Aliens came down from the sky and zapped him with a ray gun that made him grow up instantly.� Brody,the smart one in the family, enjoyed teasing his brother.

�Brody! Don�t confuse your brother.� Like any mom, Zoey did what she could, but that was only so much.Under her breath she added, �Or at least don�t confuse him more than he already is.�

�Come on aliens. I want to be big too. Come zap me with your grow-up ray!� Micah spent the next severalnights on the telescope, hoping and praying for the aliens to come zap him like they did Benny.

It�s amazing how much he takes after his father.

It wasn�t long before it was time for the littlest Legacina to have a birthday. Without hesitation, the wholeparty crew was called out to come to the house.

�See, my daughter is radioactive too. My children have super powers and will someday save the world.�Christian was proud of his kids, even if he still didn�t understand the smart-milk glow.

Jan raised an eyebrow and nodded, �Sure Christian.�

Despite her father�s misunderstandings, Persephone still grew up into a lovely little girl.

Being the only girl in the generation, she initially dressed up like a pretty princess. That didn�t last too long,though. Especially with two older brothers in the house. After the party, she changed into something a littlemore practical.

�Look at me, I�m a monster! Rahr Rahr Rahr!�

It goes without saying that the party was a success, even if the party dress wasn�t.

The next morning after her birthday, Persephone continued with a ritual she had started very young. �Aw,Benny! Come here, time for loving.�

�Eeek! It got big. Don�t touch... wait.. oooh. That feels good. Yeah, yeah, right there. Ahhhhhh.� Benny,despite his protests, actually did love the kids, and sticky or not, loved getting attention from them.

With Persephone a child, it was time for one more visit from the headmaster. With both of the older boys inprivate school, it was only natural that they would also try and get Persephone in.

�Thank you for inviting me over, Mrs. Legacina. Or should I say �General�.� Korey Jitmakusol was a bit moresocially inept than his compatriots, but the family still did their best to make nice.

�Mrs. Legacina is fine, sir. I save the �General Legacina� for formal occasions and people I intend to maim.Would you like a tour of our home?�

�WOOOH! Awesome room! Yeah! Rock on!� Korey cheered each room with extreme enthusiasm.

Brody was the unfortunate one who was drafted to give the tour, much to his irritation. Grumbling under hisbreath, Brody mumbled, �If he screams in my ear about the bathroom, I�m going to get mom�s explosivesand blow his car up.�

�Did you say something, Brody?�

�No sir. Bathroom�s right this way.�

�Ooooh, I LOVE bathrooms!�

�I�m glad you could join us, this evening, Mr. Jitmakusol. Our family is a good, strong one. No infidelity, noexplosives, no alien abductions, or even ghosts wandering the halls. No radioactive children either. Nope,nothing strange here at all.� Christian shook Korey�s hand enthusiastically as he came to dinner.

Zoey interrupted, �Christian, honey, stop babbling and let the man eat.�

Despite the craziness and death threats, Persephone got into private school without a problem.

All in all, life was going well in the Legacina house. Brody and Micah might tease each other constantly, butPersephone got along well with both of her brothers, bridging the rivalry that existed between the two boys.

�What are you guys doing?� Brody raised an eyebrow at his siblings as they danced wildly about the room.

�We�re dancing!� Persephone replied happily.

�I can see that. But why?�

�Because it�s Micah�s birthday!�

Indeed, it was time for Micah�s birthday.

�Well, the aliens never came, but I�m going to get big like Brody anyway, and then he can�t tease meanymore. And I�ll be able to drive the car. Ooh, and maybe the aliens will come and hit me with the grow-upray anyway and then I�ll be bigger than Brody! That would be AWESOME!�

�Blow out the candles already, dweeb!� Brody shouted from the crowd.

Following in his father�s, grandfather�s AND grandmother�s footsteps, Micah became a popularity sim uponbecoming a teenager. Like Professor Kelly, he had a lifetime want of having twenty best friends all at thesame time. It seemed like the Legacina household was predisposed towards popularity sims.

�This is an awesome party! I want to be friends with everyone here.� Micah paused as he grabbed his sliceof cake, �I Look kinda dorky, though.�

Dorky is something a trip to a dresser and a mirror can help. While it can be interesting to see what childrengrow up into, it may not necessarily fit their personality.

�Aw yeah, I look good!� Micah was particularly happy with his new look, �Hey baby. How you doin�?�

The party was still going on, though, so he couldn�t linger for too longer admiring himself.

�Oh wow, Micah, you turned out really cute.� Genesis gushed at Micah after he came out of the bathroom.Realizing what she said, the college placeholder blushed furiously, �I.. I mean, your whole family ishandsome, and of course you would turn out well. And it�s not like I�m.. er.. Oh hey. There�s Charlie. I needto go say hi.�

Micah blinked after her, �Uhm. Okay.�

Genesis went and found a corner to sit down in, hiding her embarrassment at gushing over a teenager. Hewas cute, but he was also way too young.

Being a perceptive and compassionate one, Persephone wandered over and introduced herself to Genesis.�Hi. I�m Persephone. You�re Genesis, right? Mommy said you�re keeping our college house safe for us.�

Smiling at the little girl, Genesis nodded, �Yep, that�s me. It�s nice to meet you, Persephone.�

�You know, it�s okay if you think Micah�s cute. I mean, he�s young now, but won�t you be the same age ashim almost when he gets to school since you don�t age until we get to college?� Persephone forged onahead, offering wisdom that seemed beyond her age.

Genesis blinked at her and then nodded, �I guess so. But it�s still weird.� She was still blushing.

Persephone smiled, �Besides, I hope you�re still there when I get to go to college, �cause then we could befriends. Do you want to see my dollhouse?�

The party ended up being a success with everyone having a great time.

Now that the brothers were both teenagers, Micah took advantage of the opportunity of the level playingfield. Pulling Brody into a headlock he noogied him, �Hah big brother! How does it feel now that we�re bothteenagers!�

�Aahg, let go of me, dork!�

Despite his penchant for teasing his younger brother, Brody was a true knowledge sim. He was happiestwith his nose buried in a book or otherwise learning some new skill. Where other teenagers were obsessedwith girls, cars and video games, all Brody ever wanted was to learn something new.

Brody was often the one to make sure that his siblings also excelled in school. Very often, after he finishedhis own homework, he would start helping them with theirs. �The variable is multiplied by the constant andthen divided by the square of the hypotenuse, giving you the value that you�re looking for. See, it�s simple.�

�Brody,� Micah said with a touch of exasperation, �She�s only in first grade!�

�It�s never too early to learn.�

Eventually the ghosts of the first generation founders began to make haunting visits to the main house.Taylor was seen first, looking sharp in his general�s uniform.

Why do you look so sad, Taylor?

�Oh, hey Voice. I just... I miss them all. Even the big dumb lug my daughter married. It�s hard being able tocheck up on them, but not really do anything other than scare them.�

They miss you too, Taylor. You and Professor Kelly both.

Professor Kelly also took the time to make her presence felt. She actually came to visit more often thanTaylor did, as if she wanted to make sure they were keeping the house up to her standards.

�Mac and cheese? Who is doing the cooking around here? There�s no nutritional value there, hrmph.�

�EEEK! Grandma!?� Brody jumped back and clutched his chest as Professor Kelly scared him during one ofhis skilling sessions. �Wow! I think my stomach jumped through the roof of my mouth.�

Well, you are wandering around the mausoleum, Brody. You�re bound to see a ghost in there.

Grinning wildly, he nodded enthusiastically, �Yep! Just what I was hoping for. That was AWESOME! I hopeshe does it again.�

*sigh* Knowledge sims.

It was getting close to the time when Brody would be heading off to college, but a heir had not yet beenchosen for their generation. He called a meeting with his siblings to discuss the issue.

�So, the way this works is that one of us gets chosen to be the heir. We all go off to college, but only one ofus comes back here to carry on the family line. The others get to go off and do other things. Kinda like AuntVictoria. Mom got chosen to be heir and Aunt Victoria was the spare.�

Glancing between Micah and Persephone, he said, �I haven�t really decided if I want to be heir or not. I amfirst born, but that doesn�t really mean anything. What do you two want?�

Micah considered a moment, then shook his head, �I don�t really want it. I mean, it sounds like a lot ofresponsibility. I just want to have fun and I�m kinda.. well, I�m kinda dumb. I�d probably screw things up.You guys would both do better�n me.�

�I don�t think it works that way, Micah. And you don�t give yourself enough credit. You would probably bejust as good at it as any of us.� Persephone was young, but wise for her years. She was soon going to turninto a teenager and had been thinking on this as well, �I don�t know either, Brody. It�s a lot of responsibility,and there�s something else going on. Mom knows something, but hasn�t told any of us.�

Considering for another moment, she said, �I don�t see why this can�t wait until another day. I mean, it onlyhas to be decided by the time you graduate, Brody. We can wait and then figure it out during college. Justbecause Mom knew early on she was heir doesn�t mean we have to decide early too.�

�You�re right, Persey. Okay, it�s decided. We wait until college.�

With Persephone�s birthday also came the time for Brody to go off to college. It was going to be the lasttime that all three of the third generation children lived together in the Legacina home. In the afternoonbefore the party, the trio took the time to take a photograph for their parents.

As with most Legacina birthdays, this one was also a big party. Persephone was eager to grow up, but herparents were a bit wistful about the whole thing.

Christian looked at the cake, �Are you sure you don�t need me to help, sweetie?�

Smiling up at her father, Persephone said, �I�m sure, Daddy. I�m too big for you to toss in the air anyway.�

Sighing, he relented, �I guess so.�

Blowing out the candles, she twirled into teenagerhood. �Whoa!�

�Alright Persey! You turned out cute!� Brody and everyone cheered her on.

Persephone ended up as a Family sim, explaining her wise empathy for her family from an early age. Herlifetime want was to have six grandchildren. Even her major goal took a look at the long view of life.

Still, she was a teenager and like Micah, she decided she needed a wardrobe change. While what she grewup in wasn�t horrible, it wasn�t really her.

�Oh yeah, this is much much better. This is definitely more me.� Pausing a moment, she suddenly grinned,�And damn I am cute. Watch out boys, here I come.�

Having watched both Micah and Persephone primp in the mirror, Benny decided to give it a try as well. Afterall, it seemed to make them happy, why wouldn�t it make a dog happy too?

Oh yeah, who�s the handsome dog. Ooh. Hey, I can play with myself. Can�t catch me! Woof!�

Silly Benny.

When the last guest left Persephone�s birthday party, Brody made his way over to the computer. It was timeto finalize his scholarships and call the taxi. With all the skilling and studying he had done through his teenyears, he was well prepared for college. He was also eager to go, but there was a part of him that knew hewas going to miss home.

�Good luck, Brody. You�re going to love college. There are cute girls everywhere and all kinds of parties allthe time. Be careful of any cows you meet and don�t be scared if someone starts doing the chicken dance infront of you.� Christian offered his own, odd version of sage advice.

�Uh.. okay Dad.�

For her part, Zoey was trying hard to not get sentimental, �*sniff* My baby... All grown up.�

He might be on his way to growing up, but Brody did pause to do one last childish thing. �Take that, Micah!One last noogie for the road! Heheh.�

�Aaahg! Not the hair! Don�t touch the hair!�

�Alright! Let�s get this show on the road, driver. You, me, a suitcase and a pocketful of scholarship money.Let�s do this thing!�

Even if he was going to miss his family, this was the moment Brody had been waiting for.

Meanwhile, across town at a new club called the Merkabah, Kirstial was at a business meeting of sorts.

�I was wondering when you would contact me. It is only natural for the local organizations to recognize truestrength and power. Your acknowledgement of such things within me will go a long way to continuing thepeace in the city.�

�Uh... right.� Mary Smith raised an eyebrow at Kirstial who sat across from her, �Actually, we arranged thismeeting to explain how *you* had failed to follow the proper etiquette of the city and introduce yourself tothe Grand Master.� Hesitating, she continued, �This is also your opportunity to rectify your oversight andmake the proper apologies to the Grand Master.�

�What?!� Kirstial�s tone was both surprised and dismissive, �You have got to be kidding me. You expect*ME* to bow down and kiss the toes of some stinky vamp who probably didn�t even have to work for hispowers? I know your type. You�re pretty enough that someone decides they want to keep you around for awhile. Wham Bam, Thanks for the immortality! Well, I�ll have you know that *I* made sacrifices to gain mypower. You�ll find no sniveling and simpering toady in me!�

Appearing out of nowhere, Grand Master Robi regarded Kirstial, �Is that so? Just a pretty boy and his haremof hanger ons is what you expected, isn�t it?�

Kirstial was nonplussed by his sudden appearance. Rising with a sneer on her lips, she said, �And apparentlythat�s all I�m going to see anyway. You�re nothing.�

�Nothing?� Robi�s voice took on a dangerous tone, �One does not get to be Grand Master by being�Nothing�.� And with that, a surge of power leapt from his hand towards her, wrapping Kirstial in a rush ofpainful electricity.

Not the wisest of women, Kirstial only got angry by that show of power, �You think that makes yousomething? Well, I�ll tell you what, mister. You�re still NOTHING. N. O. T. H. I. N. G. Do I need to spell itagain?�

�Kirstial Legacina, you are officially trespassing on my clan�s territory. You have insulted me and mine andare unwelcome here. Take this as a warning and flee with your life while you still can.� Robi didn�t enjoygetting all high and mighty, but when he had to, he could be impressive.

�Whateve.... AIEEGH!� Kirstial still did not take him seriously, but this time Robi let loose with a real displayof power. The energy ripped through her painfully until she collapsed and passed out. When she woke, shewas in the alley behind the club and the other vampires were nowhere to be found.

Back at the Legacina homestead, Brody had come home for a visit. While he was settling in to college lifewell, there was something to be said for home cooking.

�Hey Mom, Dad, Dork, Persey, and Benny! I�m home!�

�Brody, you�re cheating!� Persephone was outraged when she caught her older brother trying to trick herduring a game of chess.

�It�s a family tradition, Persey. Just �cause you�re nicer than most of us doesn�t mean we won�t still try andcheat with you. Besides, it�s good experience. You�ll get more scholarship money this way.�

�Brody, do you ever think of anything besides school?�

That did bring up something Brody wanted to discuss with his mom. �Mom, I wanted to ask you aboutsomething. I�ve been staying in the dorms for a bit, y�know, getting a feel for dorm life before moving inwith Genesis at the Greek house. But it�s weird. There are these girls there that just won�t leave me alone.I�m studying, they want to study with me. I�m eating, they want to eat with me. Heck, I�ve caught a coupleof them trying to follow me into the guy�s bathroom. What�s up with that?�

�Brody, hon, for someone as smart as you are, you are definitely as clueless as your father sometimes.� Zoeyjust smiled as she ate her sandwich.

�Huh?�

�You�ll understand someday, sweetie.�

While Brody might not �get it�, Micah definitely wanted it. Where one brother was smart, the other appearedto be clueless, so Micah was definitely aware of the opposite gender. He�d also give anything to have theeffect on them that Brody seemed to have.

�So, Meadow. Uhm. Would you like to go out sometime?�

�Hrm. Are you paying?�

�Uhm. I guess?�

�Alright. I�ll go out with you.�

Yeah. Things weren�t really going that well for Micah, but he was trying.

That night, he and Meadow went out to the Crypt O�Night club. This was something Meadow actually gotexcited about. �I�ve heard this place is totally cool. This is really the happening spot. Maybe there�ll even besome cute boys here.�

Micah blinked at Meadow, �Uhm.. maybe.�

As soon as they were through the door, Meadow disappeared off somewhere, leaving Micah alone. He spiedhis Uncle Charlie getting down on the dance floor, so went over that way.

�Hey Uncle Charlie, nice moves.�

�Hey Micah! You here on a big date?�

�Kinda. Hey, do you have any ... girl advice?�

Considering for a moment, Charlie answered, �Just be yourself. If they don�t like you for who you are,they�re not worth the time. No matter how cute they are.�

Micah finally found Meadow over by the dance sphere. Working up his courage, he went up to her and said,�Meadow, I�m really glad you came out with me tonight. I�ve... I�ve thought you were really cute for a longtime. I was hoping you might...�

�Hold it, Legacy boy. I�m not interested, okay? I may be the easiest girl at school, but you�re not my type.�

As Micah was given the brush off by Meadow, the two were unaware that they had an audience. One ofGrand Master Robi�s vampires watched nearby. Melissa Lillard considered the two teenagers and thenrealized that one of them was a Legacina.

�Hmm,� She thought to herself, �So this is one of the ones the gypsy is trying to protect. Apparently he isnot having the best luck at the moment.�

Melissa pondered Micah�s dilemma as she made her way over to the bar. As chance would have it, sheended up sitting down next to another Legacina. �Hmm, interesting. Very interesting.�

Victoria raised an eyebrow and looked at the pale woman, �Do I know you? Can I help you withsomething?�

Melissa smiled mysteriously and shook her head, �No, but I�m going to help your family.�

With that, she got up and disappeared from Victoria�s view.

Victoria blinked after her and muttered after her breath, �Freak.�

That night, Micah left the club dejected and disappointed. When he got home, though, Meadow was waitingand she was instantly all over him. �Oh Micah, I missed you so much, sweetie-kins. It was soooo lonely afteryou left the club. I couldn�t bear to be without you.�

�Uh.. I thought you said I wasn�t your type.� Micah was more than a little confused.

�Pish posh, silly. You�re the one I want.� And with that, Micah got the kiss he had been hoping for. Meadowobviously didn�t remember the �conversation� she had with Melissa earlier that night at the club.

Micah was not the only one getting something he had been wanting for a long time. The day finally camewhen Christian earned the promotion he had been working towards his entire life.

�I did it! I did it! They asked me to be Captain Hero!� He got out of the squad car and stood there for amoment with a dazed expression on his face, �Wow. It�s finally happened. I�m a hero.�

Christian might not have been the smartest of spouses for Zoey, and he had certainly made mistakes alongthe way, but his heart was always in the right place. The day he finally made Captain Hero was one of hisproudest. Finally he was the man he�d always wanted to be for Zoey and the kids.

�Watch out Evil-Doers of Terra Lostundo, Christian Legacina, AKA Captain Hero is on the job! UP UP ANDAWAY!� Radiation induced powers and all.

Persephone, for all her sweetness, was getting a little jealous of her two older brothers. Brody was off atcollege and Micah was getting to go on dates with Meadow fairly frequently. When her friend Zack calledand invited her to go bowling, she jumped at the chance.

�Sure! I�d love to. I�ll meet you there.�

While a date would have been better, Persephone and Zack really didn�t feel that way about each other.They were best friends, though. When they got to the bowling alley, they headed towards their lane whenPersephone saw it was occupied, �Someone�s already there, Zack.�

�Huh? Oh, no. He�s with us. That�s Matthew Hourvitz. He�s a college friend of mine.�

Heading over, Zack introduced Persephone to Matthew. �Matt, this is Persephone. She�s a friend of minefrom school.�

�Nice to meet you, Persephone.� Matthew smiled brightly at the girl.

Persphone was instantly dumbstruck, �Wow, you�re hot.� Blinking, she realized what she said and thenblushed furiously, �Uhm. I meant to say it�s really hot in here. I wish I was wearing a tank top like you.�

Matthew looked over at Zack with a raised eyebrow, then gave Persephone a friendly smile, �Yeah it is a bitwarm in here.�

Once Persephone got over her embarrassing stumble, bowling night went really well. The trio had funplaying and proving how bad they were at bowling. Zack actually ended up in the lane a couple of times.

One person who was actually a really good bowler was Mrs. Crumplebottom. She put everyone there toshame.

When bowling was over, Zack headed on home, leaving Persephone and Matthew to say their goodbyes.

�This was fun, Persephone. I should head back to school. I�ve got a term paper to write by the end of theweek.� Matthew said with a grin.

Persephone hesitated a moment, then blurted out, �Do you think we could do something like this again? Imean, something fun as friends?�

Blinking, Matthew gave a charming smile, �Sure. Just give me a call. Seeya cutie.�

At that moment, Persephone was sure she was head over heels in love.

�Oh mom, he�s so handsome and so mature and he bowls really well.� Persephone gushed to her motherabout her �love�.

Zoey smiled fondly, remembering her own first crush, �Hmm. Is that so? Does he go to your school?�

�No, he�s in college. I think he�s a history major. I�m sure he�s at the top of his class and on the dean�s listand everything.�

�College?� Zoey blinked and then grew serious, �Persephone, a college boy is a little too old for you rightnow. Honey, you should stick to teenagers until you get older. What about that Orlando boy? He was sweeton you and asked you out.�

Micah was on the phone in the background, �Meadow, you just called me a half an hour ago.� Sighing hesaid tiredly, �Yeah, of course I missed you too. Yeah, I guess it has been forever.�

Persephone stared at her mother, �Mom, I don�t want any other boys! I love Matthew!�

Zoey, never the most patient person in the world, started to get exasperated, �Persephone, if he�s really thatimportant to you, then you can wait until you go to college. Until then, you are not allowed to see him.Period!�

Despite being a level-headed girl when it came to other people�s problems, Persephone didn�t take this edictvery well. �You all hate me and want me to be miserable!�

With the type of angst only possible in a teenager, she fled from the dining room and ran to her room,where she listened to emo music the rest of the day.

Later that day, Zoey and Christian were having a moment alone. Among other things, they were discussingZoey�s conversation with Persephone, �Do you think I was too hard on her, honey?�

�Huh? Oh. Persephone. We�ll both talk to her in the morning and get her straightened out.� Grinning slyly,he pulled her closer, �Let�s focus on you and me for now.�

Despite the bumps and bruises their relationship had experienced along the way, the two had a very healthyand active sex life. Of course, this was something that weirded all the kids out.

The next morning, they attempted to discuss the issue with Persephone together, this time letting Christiantry and be the voice of reason. Gently, he said, �Persephone, I know you really like this boy, but he is a lotolder than you right now. It�d be best to wait until you�re in college to date him.�

Persephone tried to focus on her omelet and not listen to what her parents were saying. She respondedwith a sullen, �Whatever.� In an attempted to get them onto another topic of conversation, she tried adiversion, �Hey dad, I think there�s a baby bird in my omelet.�

�What? Where!? Let me see!� Christian may have had his heart in the right place, but he was easilydistracted by shiny things and baby birds.

Around that time, Micah decided it was time for him to head off to college. Things with Meadow were weird.Any time he was around, she got this glazed look in her eye and would hang all over every word he said. Atfirst he really liked it, but lately it had started to feel creepy.

Besides, Brody kept complaining about all the girls hanging off him at college, so it might be time to moveup and get a little variety in his life.

Micah was a little sad to say goodbye to the legacy home, especially since he probably wasn�t going to becoming back. He was pretty sure smart Brody or sweet Persephone would end up as heir, leaving him to thelife of a spare. Not that he really minded.

�Seeya house. I�m sure I�ll come visit. Take care of Mom, Dad, Persey and Benny.�

�HELLO Sim State!� The melancholy sadness of the goodbye only lasted a few seconds, though. Once hewas at college, Micah took to his new life with gusto. �The party animal is on the scene!�

Maybe the life of a spare wouldn�t be so bad after all.

Speaking of the lives of spares, life continued for the Thompsons. Life moved forward for them, even if theyweren�t always �on camera�.

Charlie had taken a little trip with some aliens a while back, and it seemed they had given him a parting gift.�Uhm... Honey, I... I think I�m pregnant.�

�Don�t be silly, Charlie. That�s just gas. I told you not to eat that chili last night. I mean, who ever heard of azombie cooking chili? Imagine the sanitation codes they must be breaking.�

After a couple of days of this even Victoria had to admit that Charlie was inexplicably pregnant. How andwhy were something she didn�t really want to consider, so she kept her grumbling to herself.

For Charlie�s part, pregnancy was not the easiest of times. He found himself in a constant state of cyclinghunger, exhaustion and emotional turmoil.

�Honey, get your face out of the lobster. You�re likely to pierce your nose that way.�

�Huh, what?!? Oh... uhg...�

Alegra was still seeing to her �watchwolf� duties with the same perseverance she had shown before. It was awonder the Thompsons were able to keep any of their flowers alive the way she loved to roll in them.

�Oh yeah baby. Right there. Ooooooh. Yeah... right on my back. Mmmmm. Posies!�

As for the two boys, they were still deep in the midst of their sibling rivalry. Adrian had transitioned into ateenager recently but was still a bit mean to his little brother. Kyle, on the other hand, had learned how toget back at Adrian.

�The wonderful thing about tiggers is tiggers are wonderful things! Their tops are made out of rubber, theirbottoms are made out of springs!� Kyle jumped on the bed with abandon, singing at the top of his lungs.

Adrian grunted his annoyance and buried his head further under the covers.

Eventually the time came that Charlie had been dreading.

�AAAHG! VOICE! This hurts! How could you let this happen to meeeee!�

Charlie, you were the one out there on the telescope. I didn�t make you do anything. Don�t worry, the painwon�t last forever.

�*whimper*�

Charlie gave birth to a healthy, green baby girl that he named Comet. He took one look at her and decidedto name her after one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen through his telescope.

Victoria had been having some issues about the baby, uncertain how she would feel to have her husbandgive birth to someone else�s child. That all changed the moment she actually held Comet.

�Well, hello little one. You�re really quite tiny and helpless, aren�t you? And you�re not so different from anormal baby, once you get past the skin and the eyes, that is.� Victoria finally cracked an uncharacteristicallygentle smile, �I always did want a daughter.�

It wasn�t that long before Comet celebrated her first birthday and became a little green toddler. Despite heralien heritage, she seemed to inherit quite a few of Charlie�s traits, both physically and personality wise.

Either way, the entire family adored her.

�So, you were abducted by aliens and ended up giving birth to an alien kid?� Zoey asked incredulously atComet�s birthday party.

Charlie nodded with an embarrassed little smile, �Yup. Isn�t she beautiful?�

�Riiiiight.� Zoey responded sarcastically, �I�m surprised my sister didn�t kill you for cheating on her.�

Before Charlie could answer, Adrian piped up in his father�s defense, �It�s not like that, Aunt Zoey. Dad�stelling the truth and Mom loves Comet too. Besides, I saw the UFO drop him back off.�

Zoey didn�t quite get it, but she did let it drop after that. If Victoria was okay with it, there wasn�t reallymuch she could say about it.

Despite her parents� edict that she not go out with Matthew, Persephone went ahead with her own plansand snuck out of the house with him. Of course, she didn�t tell him that she wasn�t supposed to see him.

�It�s really great to see you, Matthew.� Persephone practically gushed at him.

�Hey Persephone. It�s good to see you too. Is Zack meeting us here?�

Persephone quickly hid her blush and shook her head, �He had something else to do.�

Matthew replied, �Aw, that sucks. I�ve heard this is a pretty neat club.�

The �neat� place was Gothika�, a goth styled club new to downtown. It wasn�t exactly Persephone�s usualscene, but she wanted to impress Matthew with how cool she was, and it was the club that all the kids atschool seemed to be talking about.

�Let�s get our picture taken together.� Persephone enthusiastically rushed over to the photobooth, pullingMatthew with her. He was a bit surprised by this, but went along with it.

By the time the picture was being spit out, though, Matthew had begun to realize that there was a littlemore going on here than he had expected. Even a blind man could see the way Persephone was acting wasmeant for more than just friendship.

Over dinner, Matthew tried to broach the subject tactfully, �Persephone, when you asked me out tonight,were you asking me out on a *date*? You know, a romantic date?�

Persephone bit her lip and blushed, �Well, yeah. I... I really like you a lot, Matthew. I was hoping you wouldfeel the same way.�

Matthew took a deep breath and said, �Look, you�re a really sweet kid, but.. you�re a kid. Maybe somedaywhen you�re a little older...� From the expression on her face, this wasn�t going as well as he�d hoped,�Persephone, you�re a beautiful girl, and I�m sure you�ve got a ton of guys your own age hanging all overyou. We can still be friends.� He realized how lame that sounded.

Persephone gave him a heartbroken expression and responded with a meek little, �Okay.�

Meanwhile, over in a corner of the bar, a hot poker game was taken place between Sandy Bruty, Mrs.Crumplebottom and yours truly. While I may be an observer and scribe of what occurs with the Legacinafamily, I still enjoy a little time out on the town myself.

That said, beware of Crumplebottom. She�s got a mean poker face. She cleaned me out.

I still say she was cheating, but she threatened me with her knitting needles when I demanded to see if shehad any cards up her sleeves.

After parting ways with Matthew, a dejected Persephone made her way down to the bar, �I�ll take thehardest you�ve got.�

The bartender raised an eyebrow and took a long look at Persephone, �That�s the whiskey, which you�re notgetting. The hardest you�re getting is a Shirley Temple.�

Persephone gave a heavy and forlorn sigh, �I can�t even get the drink I want, let alone the man.�

�Man troubles, eh?� The bartender considered Persephone for another moment then began mixing up aShirley Temple, �Lots of movies you�ll see have people seeking advice from bartenders like we�re some sortof free psychologist. I�m personally pursuing a computer science degree, so I�m not the best when it comesto relations, but I can tell you this: there are other fish in the sea.�

Persephone looked up to the bartender as she continued.

�Whoever he is, why ever it is not happening, it�s either meant to be or it isn�t. If it�s not, hey... he�s not thelast hottie on the block, no matter how it feels right now.�

Persephone took a sip of her drink and then took a deep breath. With all the conviction she could muster,she said, �You�re right! There are plenty of boys out there.� Taking a page from Micah�s book, she turnedand looked down the bar, �How *you* doin�?�

�That�s the spirit!� The bartender cheered Persephone on.

The rest of the night went well enough, but when Persephone got home, the melancholy came upon heragain. Sighing, she hung the picture of Matthew and herself up on the wall. Even if he didn�t want her, partof her still desperately wanted him.

Things did not go the way she had hoped.

Speaking of plans gone awry, across the city, Kirstial got an unexpected visitor that night.

�What are *YOU* doing here?�

�No violence, please. I come in peace.� Melissa Lillard held her hands out before her in a non-threateningposture. �I have something to say that you might want to hear.�

Kirstial gave an unladylike grunt and continued to glare at Melissa, �I doubt that, but I�ll hear you out. Whatdo you want?�

�Not all of the vampires in this city like bowing to Grand Master Robi�s whims.� Melissa approached Kirstialand began to speak in earnest. �He�s a power hungry misogynist who cares only about feeding his ownpleasures. He cares not for the rest of us other than that we�re his dogs to whip when he feels like it.�

Her interest piqued, Kirstial raised an eyebrow, �Alright. How does this involve me?�

Melissa leaned forward in a conspiratorial manner, �You have the power to challenge him. All you wouldneed is to have his secret. He drinks an elixir every night that grants him greater power than the rest of us.I have brought some of that elixir to you.�

�Now you�re talking!�

Eager for a way to get back at Grand Master Robi, Kirstial took the glowing vial and looked at it closely, �Willyou be able to get me more of this if I need it?�

�Oh yes. I will have to be careful, but I can get you as much as you need.� Melissa eagerly watched Kirstialexamine the bottle. �Try it and you�ll see what I mean.�

Kirstial popped the top off the vial and raised it high, �Bottoms up!� With that, she tilted her head back anddowned the entire vial in one gulp.

A satisfied gleam settled in Melissa�s eyes.

Kirstial straightened and considered for a moment, �I don�t feel anything. If you�ve fooled me..� She let thethreat hang in the air.

�Just give it a moment. It takes time for the magic to work.�

Suddenly, Kirstial�s body was wracked with a great pain, coursing from the very center of her being out tothe edges of her fingertips, �AAHG! WHAT�S HAPPENING TO ME!?� The very strength of her being seemedto be bleeding out of her pores.

Unable to contain herself any longer, Melissa began to laugh, �You fool. Why the old gypsy woman and Robithink you could possibly be a threat, I�ll never know.�

�AAHG! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME!?�

�Just six years of Shakespeare in the Park under my belt and I had you fooled. I should have gone toHollywood.� And with that, she left, still chuckling to herself.

When the pain finally left and Kirstial was able to revive herself from where she had collapsed on the floor,she realized what had been done, �NO!!! All the power, all the sacrifices!!�

Her flesh was as warm and as healthy as it had been in her youth, long before she had become a vampire.�I can�t be mortal again! I can�t!�

Screaming into the night, she rampaged around her house, screaming in futility at the trick the vampireshad played upon her.

One more disaster occurred that night. While Persephone�s love life seemed to die before it could start andKirstial�s grand schemes seemed to be crumbling around her, Benny was trying to make a new friend.

�Hi there cat.� Benny paused and sniffed, �Or are you a dog?� *sniff*sniff*

�I guess it doesn�t matter. Do you wanna play, Cat? All my people are busy either sleeping or being upsetwith boys or gone away to school.�

The �cat� gave a warning chitter as Benny continued trying to play. �Come on, what do you say? Huh huhhuh?�

The skunk suddenly spun around and lifted his tail, spraying a foul stench all over Benny.

�ROOOOOOOOWRRRF!� Benny got it right in his eyes. And in his mouth, and fur and tail and... well, prettymuch everywhere. �AAAHGG! THE SMELL! I didn�t think anything could smell worse than a toddler with astinky diaper!�

Poor Benny.

In the morning, before her alarm was set to go off for school, Persephone had a nightmare. Something badwas going to happen to Brody, but before her dream would tell her what, it was gone and she was awake.Shaken by what she had seen, she made a decision.

Even though it was early, she was going to head to college.

While they were reluctant to see their baby go, both Zoey and Christian agreed to let her take an earlyadmission. She was smart enough and determined enough that they knew she would be miserable if theykept her home. They did, though, make her wait until the evening. They wanted one more day with her.

�Don�t worry, Mom and Dad. I�ll write and I�ll keep an eye on Brody and Micah.� Smiling for her parents,Persephone added, �You know them. They probably need it at this point.�

With one more hug for Benny and a wave to her parents, Persephone got into the taxi and headed off toSim State. Finally, all three kids were in college.

Over on the other side of the town, Kirstial was still ranting and raving about problem At some point, shemay have actually slept, but when she awoke, she began again, beseeching the dark powers to give herback her power.

�Why have you forsaken me!? I�ve been as evil as you wanted me to be and I�ve tried as hard as I can.Please, please, please, help me! I can�t let it end like this, not with those Vampires winning and my brother�scursed offspring flourishing!� Kirstial whined, pleaded, cried, cajoled and finally, begged.

�I�ll do ANYTHING!�

The sound of boots could be heard on the steps behind her, descending into her lair.

�Anything, Kirstial?� The voice was silky smooth and sly.

Spinning around, she gaped at the new arrival, �Wh.what are *YOU* doing here?!?�

The mysterious man gave a wicked little smile, �Well, you did say you�d do *anything*, didn�t you?�

Cue the dramatic music!

And that is where we leave Chapter Two!

I hope you�ve enjoyed reading and will come back for Chapter Three, where we pick up with the GenerationThree kids and their exploits in college, not to mention find out who the mysterious man is, and how that�sgoing to effect Kirstial�s plans!

One last thing, please head on over to Boolprop (http://forums.boolprop.com/index.php) and vote for whichof the Legacina kids should be heir! Do we go with Brody, first born Knowledge sim who�s clueless about hissex appeal? Or perahaps Micah, third generation Popularity sim who�s not the brightest bulb in the pack? Orfinally, Persephone, the sweet, serious Family sim who�s doing her best to keep her older brothers out oftrouble? YOU get to choose!

Until next time, my faithful readers!