1. Two Weddings and a Courthouse
The Devereaux Legacy: Chapter Four – Part 4
2. Some day, when I'm awfully low,
When the world is cold,
I will feel a glow just thinking of you...
And the way you look tonight.
Yes you're lovely, with your smile so warm
And your cheeks so soft,
There is nothing for me but to love you,
And the way you look tonight.
With each word your tenderness grows,
Tearing my fear apart...
And that laugh that wrinkles your nose,
It touches my foolish heart.
Lovely ... Never, ever change.
Keep that breathless charm.
Won't you please arrange it ?
'Cause I love you ... Just the way you look
tonight.
Mm, Mm, Mm, Mm,
Just the way you look to-night.
---
Frank Sinatra – The Way You Look Tonight
3. Aviendha & Ashley
Aviendha tried not to wince as she signed the
lease agreement for the apartment. The first
month's rent was almost half of the money
both she and Ashley had saved up, and they
still needed to get furniture and food.
“Rent is due on the first of the month. If you
are more than five days late, you will also
have to pay a late fee as a penalization. If
you are late for more than three months in a
row, you will be evicted. Is there anything
else you needed to know?” The landlady
looked impatiently at her new tenant.
Aviendha shook her head. “No, I think that
about covers it.”
The other woman looked at her. “Also, we
don't tolerate loud music. If you receive
more than three complaints about noise
disturbance, you will be evicted.
Understood?”
“Yes ma'am.”
The woman took the lease papers and
walked away. Aviendha sighed and wished
that all the apartments in Pleasantview
weren't so expensive; especially considering
how run down they all were.
4. She jumped a bit when she felt a pair of arms
slide around her waist and a kiss on her neck.
Then she smiled and turned around in
Ashley's arms.
“We all squared away?” he asked her.
“Yeah. Want to see it?” Ashley nodded and
she led him by the hand into their new home.
5. The two of them looked at the place with
disappointment. Finally Ashley asked, “This is
what took half of our money? This is
supposed to be the nicest apartment
complex in Pleasantview?”
Aviendha sighed a little. “I know what you
mean. Hard to framming believe, isn't it?”
6. It was tiny. It was dim. It was depressing.
But it was the only place in town that didn't
reek of urine or have piles of garbage in the
hallways. That alone made it worth the price.
“Maybe it'll look a bit more cheerful when we
get some furniture in here,” Aviendha said
optimistically.
“Maybe...” Ashley responded, doubt evident
in his voice.
7. Poking around a bit, they were delighted to
discover that the apartment came with a
Murphy bed; that meant they didn't have to
drop any money on one of their own. Ashley
winced as he watched Aviendha struggle to
pull it down.
“Do you need any help?”
“No,” Aviendha grunted, “I got it.”
8. When Aviendha got the bed settled,
thankfully without thumping it too loudly, she
and Ashley laid on it and cuddled for a while.
“You know,” began Ashley, “this isn't so bad.
I'm sure once we pick up some furniture and
add some curtains the place will look, um,
cozy.”
Aviendha snuggled against him. “You know
what's also nice? This. Being here with you
in this huge double bed...”
Ashley grinned and began kissing her.
9. Afterwards, Aviendha smiled at him and held
his hand. “I love you, you know. I'm sorry
that we aren't at my parents' house
surrounded by nice things.”
“You're pretty nice.”
She laughed. “You know what I mean. Is it
bad for me to say that I wouldn't change it for
the world? I think I could survive living in any
dump, as long as you were there with me.”
10. Ashley smiled back at her. “About that. I was
wondering when you were going to make an
honest man out of me. It's positively
indecent the way you've been carrying on,
you know. What would people think?”
Aviendha stifled a loud guffaw. “The way I've
been carrying on?” She then turned serious.
“Well, I doubt my parents are going to pay
for any sort of wedding. How about we take
a little nap, then go down to the courthouse
and register for a marriage license? Then we
can go get some furniture and wait for the
license to go through.”
“Sounds like a plan, Stan.” Ashley leaned
over to give her a kiss, then wrapped his arm
around her waist and started dozing off.
11. As she snuggled against him, Aviendha tried
very hard to ignore her sadness over her
father's disapproval.
As she listened to Ashley's even breathing,
she knew that she was right and her father
was wrong.
It still hurt though.
12. A few days later, Ashley and Aviendha
dressed in their nice clothes and went to the
Pleasantview Courthouse.
Their marriage license had no problems being
processed (though they both laughed at the
question on the application asking if they
were related) and they made an appointment
with a judge.
13. The receptionist told them where room the
judge that was marrying them in was, and
the pair started making their way up the
stairs. On the landing, Ashley stopped and
turned to Aviendha.
14. “Are you sure you want to do this without at
least telling your parents?”
“What difference would it make? They
probably wouldn't answer the phone
anyway,” she responded.
15. Ashley sighed. “Babe, look, I can tell that this
entire situation bothers you. I told you in the
beginning that I don't want to be the cause of
any problems.”
“Are you saying that you don't want to get
married?”
“Not at all. I'm just saying that maybe if we
gave your dad some time, he might come
around, that's all.”
“Ash, look, I know my dad. He won't 'come
around' and that's what irritates me. I don't
want to be old and gray before I get married
and have kids, okay?”
“But forcing his hand?”
“There's no force about it. He's made his
decision. Whether he chooses to talk to me
again is his choice. I plan on living my life; I
don't intend on waiting for him to 'come
around.' I want to be happy. You make me
happy. I want you. Nothing else matters.”
Ashley smiled and shrugged. “Okay, let's go
get married then.”
16. It took a while to find the room. They had to
backtrack a few times before they found the
right hall to go down.
Aviendha and Ashley saw that the judge was
standing there, tapping his foot impatiently.
“I'm sorry we're a little late, Your Honor,”
Aviendha apologized. “We have an
appointment to get married with you. The
receptionist told us to meet you in here, but it
took forever to find”
17. Alexander Goth smiled coolly at her. “Ah, Ms.
Lewis and Mr. Pitts I presume? I do not
appreciate tardiness, but I am very well aware
that the halls in this courthouse have a
tendency to be rather maze like to someone
unfamiliar with them. Please, do come in. I
have other appointments I must keep, so I
regret to inform you that we must be a bit
hasty.”
Aviendha looked chagrined. “We didn't bring
any witnesses.”
Alexander smiled slightly again. “How very
fortunate for you then. We have two people
present who will be more than willing to be
your witnesses.”
18. “Why do you insist on torturing yourself, us,
by attending this type of thing Frances?”
Malcolm asked.
“I most certainly am not torturing myself, Mal.
I am just curious to see what a courthouse
ceremony looks like, that is all,” Frances said
with a trace of bitterness.
Before Malcolm could respond, Alexander
cleared his throat. “When you two finish
talking, we can proceed.”
“Sorry.” “My apologies.” the two men
responded.
19. The ceremony was rather straight forward, if
one could call it a ceremony. Rather,
Alexander said a few words about marriage
being a binding legal contract, took one last
look at the marriage license, and then had
them sign the marriage certificate, along with
Frances and Malcolm as the witnesses.
Aviendha was surprised that Ashley opted to
take her last name. “Really? I thought I
would take yours.”
“Hi. Have you met me? My last name is
Pitts. As in Mr. Depressing. Or even better,
Ashley Armpits. I think I'll take this
opportunity to get rid of those fond,
childhood nicknames.”
21. Afterwards, Ashley shook Alexander's hand.
“Thank you very much. We really appreciate
you marrying us.”
“Think nothing of it, I was merely doing my
job as a judge Mr. Lewis. I must say, I
expected the daughter of our Mayor to have
a more elaborate wedding.”
Ashley shrugged. “Um, Mayor Lewis is not,
ah, on speaking terms with his daughter at
the moment.”
This perked Alexander's interest. “Oh really?
He seems to be a rather reasonable person,
so please, do tell me why. My appointments
can wait.”
Ashley briefly gave Alexander a run down,
flattered that Alexander cared. Ashley was a
bit giddy from his wedding to notice the look
of speculation Alexander had the entire time.
22. While he was chatting with Alexander,
Aviendha was approached by Frances.
“Excuse me miss, but you look very familiar.
You wouldn't happen to be the new tenants
that just moved into the Tsang Complex,
would you?”
Aviendha smiled at Frances. “Yeah, we are.
Hey? You guys are the ones who live in the
penthouse on the top floor, right?”
Frances scoffed at Aviendha's use of the word
penthouse, but answered her amiably.
“Indeed, we are. I'm Frances and this is
Malcolm, my...” he cleared his throat.
“Your boyfriend?”
Frances colored. “Ah, yes. He and I are
together.”
“That's cool.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Cool? I suppose.
Most people would find it uncomfortable.”
“You're talking to a girl who just got married
to her forbidden lover in a courthouse
because her father doesn't approve. Who am
I to judge?”
Frances beamed at her glibness.
23. “Mal and I couldn't help but notice that you
had an easel moved into your apartment.
Are you a painter?”
Aviendha shrugged. “Yeah. I mean, I was
thinking, when I was in college, about
opening up an art gallery and maybe
teaching some art classes on the side. But
now, well...”
“Ah, I see. You don't have the financial
backing because your father held all of your
money in a trust fund and you and he are not
on speaking terms.”
“How did you know?”
Frances smiled wryly. “I am familiar with the
story. But, what a stroke of luck! I have been
desperately looking for someone to tutor me
in painting. I have the zeal, but not the talent
as of yet. I also had the desire to open an art
gallery. Perhaps you and I could be of
assistance to each other?”
24. As Aviendha and Frances were making
preliminary plans, Malcolm approached
Ashley and shook his hand. “Congratulations
on your marriage. Also, a belated welcome
to the complex. Frances and I would be poor
neighbors if we didn't send you some sort of
gift. I already placed the call, so it should be
there when you get home.”
“Thank you Mr. Landgraab.”
“Please, seeing as we're going to be
neighbors,” he looked fondly over at Frances
and Aviendha talking animatedly, “and most
likely friends, call me Malcolm.”
25. The two of them enjoyed a private and
inexpensive dinner at a restaurant in
Pleasantview. When they got home, Ashley
insisted on carrying Aviendha over the
threshold, giggling and laughing the entire
time.
26. When they stepped fully into the apartment,
they noticed the bottle of champagne sitting
on their makeshift coffee table.
A very expensive bottle of champagne.
Ashley and Aviendha looked at the bottle,
stunned. Finally, Ashley let out a low whistle.
“That bottle must be worth at least a
thousand bucks.” He reached over and read
the small card that was attached
“ ' To the newly weds: Congratulations on
your special day. May you age together well
and may you never experience bitterness.
Regards, Malcolm and Frances.' “
Ashley picked up the bottle, aware that he
could sell it for some desperately needed
cash. Then he shrugged and popped the cork
and poured the liquid into the two glasses
that were beside it.
27. Handing Aviendha a glass, Ashley raised his
own. “To my lovely wife, Mrs. Aviendha
Lewis.”
Aviendha raised her own glass. “To my
husband, Mr. Ashley Lewis.”
They clinked their glasses together. “To us,”
they said in unison, and they savored the
flavor as the champagne slid down their
throats.
28. Miles & Amelia
Amelia held Miles' hand as she looked at their
new house. “This is absolutely perfect! It has
enough room for us to grow, as well as room
for a nice stereo, television, and maybe we
can put a bubble blower on the side over
there?”
Before Miles could answer, Amelia heard my
voice from behind.
29. “I knew you wanted that kind of stuff, so
that's why I picked this house out for you.
The best part is, it's right across the street
from Miles' old house, so you guys can visit
there anytime you want.”
Amelia hugged me. “You thought of
everything. Thank you.”
30. “Speaking of which, you did manage to get
Saint Bella's for me, right?”
I laughed. “Yes, Amelia, everything is set for
your wedding tomorrow.”
Amelia clutched her hands together in
giddiness and she turned around to Miles.
“Isn't this great?”
Miles looked at his soon to be mother-in-law
and noticed my raised eyebrow. He gave me
a smarmy smile and answered his fiancee.
“It's going to be awesome.”
31. Amelia gazed at her reflection the following
morning, trying to calm her excitement. Her
hair was a bit more stiff than she would have
liked, and she could feel the fifty-two bobby
pins it took to hold her hair in place. But, it
still looked exactly the way she wanted.
She smiled a little as she thought about her
mother's reaction to Miles. Something
obviously passed between those two, but
neither of them would tell her what. She had
a feeling that whatever it was, it had
something to do with her rejecting
immortality to be with Miles.
Not that she would ever tell Miles that. She
realized that it was supposed to be a secret.
32. It wasn't that hard of a choice for her. It
wasn't as if she had lived for a long time
already and she was giving it up.
Her mother saw it differently, but it appeared
that her father intervened on her own behalf.
They've taken to not talking about it in front
of her though. She figured that it had
something to do with now being involved in
the time stream, and any knowledge she
might have would affect Miles' family.
Oh well.
Amelia shrugged it off and went downstairs
to the limo that was waiting to take her to
Saint Bella's.
33. Saint Bella's. It was a lovely church that the
Goth family had built in memory of
Mortimer's missing wife. It had a giant statue
of Bella Goth along side of it as well.
Many people whispered and snickered about
the ironic name the church was given,
considering Bella Goth was anything but a
saint. However, those snickers would
diminish within Alexander's hearing.
Of course, when Alexander would leave, the
whispers would start up again, but instead it
would be about Alexander's apparent
'mommy' issues.
Nevertheless, it was an upscale
establishment, and they had an open
congregation membership. Nearly all of the
residents of Pleasantview attended mass at
Saint Bella's.
34. Keith and I were sitting on one side of the
church, trying very hard to ignore Miles'
family. This was not done out of rudeness; it
was more to avoid any uncomfortable
questions that I knew Sebastian was
beginning to form in his mind.
I saw they way he looked over at us,
wondering why we seemed to be the same
age as Amelia, while he and Kitty were far
older. I could see him turning it over in his
mind, obsessing over it. I felt like standing up
and screaming at him, 'Don't pay attention to
me! Pay attention to the wedding. Quit
obsessing over it!' Of course, I didn't.
35. Sebastian looked over at Amelia's parents
and then turned to Kitty. “I never realized
that Amelia's mother was that drunk lady we
ran into at the bar way back when.”
Kitty smiled and nodded, inwardly wincing,
hoping Sebastian wouldn't make any sort of
connection. Sebastian looked over at
Amelia's parents again.
“It's weird.”
“What is?”
“That all this time, Miles has been dating her
daughter and I never got a chance to thank
her for telling me that you liked me.”
“She told you that?”
“Yeah, she did. I really ought to do that.” He
reached over and held Kitty's hand, smiling at
her fondly.
36. Miles stood in front of the wedding arch, his
heart beating nervously. Don't lock your
knees, don't lock your knees, don't lock your
knees, he kept repeating to himself.
The wedding march started and everyone
stood up and turned to see the bride enter.
37. Miles' face lit up when he saw Amelia.
Amelia smiled at him from down the aisle,
and they kept their eyes on each other as she
made her way to the wedding arch.
38. They stood under the arch, the daylight
shining through the stained glass windows
over them.
“You look beautiful,” Miles whispered.
39. The wedding was very ceremonial, the age
old wedding vows being repeated between
the bride and groom. Miles remembered to
not lock he knees, and Amelia was shaking at
the enormity of it all.
40. The crowd applauded as Miles and Amelia
shared their first kiss as husband and wife.
“Are you happy?” Miles whispered to her.
“Very,” she replied back.
“Good, I'm glad. I plan on making you happy
for the rest of our lives.”
41. Keith gave Amelia a congratulatory hug. “My
little girl is all grown up.”
“I know, Daddy,” Amelia whispered softly
into her father's shoulder.
“Your as beautiful as your mother was on our
wedding day.”
Amelia smiled. “Thank you.”
“Your mother and I are going to have
beautiful grandbabies.”
Amelia giggled at that.
42. Then it was my turn to congratulate her.
“Remember, there is no divorce, only murder.
His murder, of course.”
“Ah Mom, you've always had such a way
with words on special occasions like this.”
“I'm serious, Amelia. If he gives you any sort
of trouble, I can arrange things. My baby will
not be unhappy.”
Amelia smiled fondly. “Thank you anyway.”
43. Keith and Miles watched the exchange
between mother and daughter, but they
couldn't hear what was being said. Finally,
Keith turned to his new son-in-law.
“Hurt my baby, and I break your legs.”
“Oh my God! Do I look that frail and feeble
that I'm just an easy target for threats?” Miles
said in a exasperated voice.
Keith just looked back at him, blandly. Miles
felt his eyelid twitch as he reminded himself
that he married Amelia, not her parents.
44. Miles' family was far more generous with their
congratulations and wishes of happiness for
the newlywed couple.
45. It was an added bonus that Amelia was
welcome into the family with open arms. No
threat of broken bones and bodily harm was
issued towards her.
Of course, that's because my family has
better manners than her family, Miles thought
as he hugged his father. Who do they think
they are? The lord rulers of the universe?
Yeesh!
46. While everyone was congratulating the
newlyweds, Ashley looked at Aviendha. She
had been rather wistful during the entire
ceremony and he felt kind of bad about it.
“Hey,” he said to her, lightly touching her
hand, “maybe once everything has settled
down between you and your dad, we can
renew our vows and have a nice wedding like
this.”
Aviendha smiled at him. “Nah. I'll be okay. I
would like to have a pretty dress and stuff,
but it would be kinda pointless to blow all
that money on something that's already taken
place.”
“Still, I want to do this for you.”
“Maybe. We'll cross that bridge when we
come to it. Okay. I'm done being
depressing. Let's go congratulate my cousin
now.” She smiled brightly at him, took his
hand, and walked over to Miles and Amelia.
47. Mary, for her part, was very happy for her
brother and new sister-in-law. However, all
she could keep thinking about was her own
wedding and how beautiful and perfect it was
going to be.
48. As everyone was getting ready to leave for
the reception, which was being held at Miles
and Amelia's house, Miles grabbed Amelia by
the waist and spun her into an impromptu
dance. Holding her close, he smiled and said,
“I love you Mrs. Amelia Devereaux.”
Amelia laughed. “Ah, you just love the
babies I'm going to give you Mr. Family
Man.”
“Hey now, just because that may be true
doesn't mean I love you any less. After all,
you are going to be the mother of my
children. All ten of them.”
“TEN?!”
“Not enough? Okay, twist my arm. Twenty
kids.” He laughed at the look of horror on his
wife's face. “Oh alright. Three. But I want
them to go to college. And I want to start
tonight after everyone leaves.”
Amelia blushed. “You drive a hard bargain,
Mr. Devereaux, but I accept your proposal.”
“Music to my ears, my love,” Miles gave her a
rakish grin, spun her around, and dipped her
down for a kiss.
49. To specifically contrast the pomp and
circumstance of the church wedding, Miles
and Amelia decided to have their reception
be more of a lawn party. Miles grilled the
chicken and steak and everyone else brought
different side dishes for everyone to sample.
50. Unfortunately, the sunny skies that they had
for the ceremony didn't last, and a terrible
thunderstorm began, forcing everyone to go
inside to continue the celebration.
Miles looked at me and glared. “Oh come
on, I can't be held responsible for the
weather. Besides, does it look like Amelia is
upset?”
“I didn't say anything,” I responded as
innocently as I could. I had to admit, I was
rather enjoying myself; both with the
reception and making Miles uncomfortable.
But on this, the day of my daughter's
wedding, I decided to cut Miles some slack.
“Everything is very lovely, Miles.” I grinned
my biggest grin at him, inwardly giggling at
the thought of me being the Godfather, er,
Godmother of this 'verse.
51. Miles could feel my eyes on him as he began
to pour the champagne. I had to admit, the
boy worked well under pressure.
Everyone gathered around to toast the bride
and groom, including all of the people who
were sitting in the hot tub in various stages of
undress. Miles winced as he saw his father
grinning, wearing only his swim trunks.
52. Multiple toasts done, dinner eaten, and cake
cut, the entire party decided to pay homage
to Michael Jackson by dancing the Smustle in
unison. Well, except for me, but I have
always had problems being coordinated.
53. As everyone was leaving, satisfied with the
successful party, Aviendha spoke privately to
her cousin.
“Awesome wedding, Miles. I'm happy for
you.”
Miles grinned at her and noticed Aviendha's
wedding ring. “You got married? When?”
“Yesterday at the courthouse.”
“...Does your dad know?”
Aviendha shrugged. “I don't know. Don't
care, either.”
“I wish you would have said something.
Mary and I would have liked to have been
there.”
Aviendha smirked. “Miss Priss? I doubt she
would have been all that approving of a
marriage without permission.”
“Aw, come on...”
“Sorry. I didn't mean to be insulting. Ashley
and I wanted it to be private, that's all. But
maybe you guys can come over sometime
and we can all have dinner together.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Miles hugged her.
54. Finally, everyone left. Miles and Amelia sat
down and ate some of the leftover food, chit
chatting and gossiping. Miles pulled out the
rest of the champagne and gave a glass to
Amelia.
“To the twenty kids we're gonna have.”
“Three.”
“That's what I said. To the three kids we're
gonna have.”
Amelia joined in with a toast of her own. “To
the hundred thousand simoleons we're gonna
make.”
“Ooo, nice one. How about this: to my
lovely wife Amelia...who is gonna give me ten
kids.”
“To my loving husband Miles, who will be
castrated if we have more than three kids.”
“To us, and the totally fun life we're gonna
have together. May we always find humor in
any situation that arises.”
They clinked their glasses together and
smiled.
55. Mary & Goopy, er, Gil
Mary gave Goopy a perfunctory hug the day
he moved into the house. “Gil, I'm so glad
you made it here on time. We have so much
to do to prepare for our wedding tomorrow!”
Goopy hugged her back. “Uh, yeah, it's
gonna be great.”
Mary looked at him and relented. “I'm sorry.
How inconsiderate of me. You probably
want to get yourself situated. Why don't you
go do that and I'll take care of the wedding
stuff.”
Goopy gave her a grateful smile. “So, which
room is yours?”
“Oh dear. Well, tonight, you aren't going to
sleep in my room. You'll have to sleep in
Miles' old bedroom. It's the blue one, next to
mine. Tomorrow though, you can move into
mine, or rather, ours. So don't unpack too
much. Just your tux.”
Goopy shrugged and went inside.
56. Mary looked over the grounds and was
incredibly disappointed that the gardener,
who had just left, didn't trim the overgrown
hedges. Sighing, she retrieved garden shears
from the garage and began trimming them
herself.
“It looks so sloppy,” she muttered, blowing
her hair from her eyes, “and I don't want
sloppiness on my wedding day. It must be
the most perfect and beautiful wedding
Pleasantview has ever seen!”
It was a couple hours of hard work before she
was satisfied.
57. Goopy, on the other hand, enjoyed himself
immensely while Mary did all of the hard
work. He was a bit creeped out by her family
staring at him from the wall, but he managed
to get over it.
He might not be too fond of the thought of
getting married, but he certainly liked the
idea of living in the lap of luxury. Besides,
chicks like money, and what Mary doesn't
know won't hurt her, he thought to himself as
he the ten ball into the side pocket.
Yeah, I could get used to legacy living. He
smiled, pleased with his new lot in life.
58. Kitty knew Goopy, even if her daughter
didn't. She managed to give him the stink
eye behind his back, keeping an eye on him,
under the pretense of working on her pottery
skill.
“If her cheats on her, I'll break his legs.” She
pounded the clay. “If he makes her cry, I'll
break his legs.” She slapped the clay.
59. Goopy watched Kitty as she aggressively
molded the clay. “I'm sorry, did you say
something to me?”
Kitty slowly turned at looked at him. “No.
Nothing at all.”
Goopy looked at her a moment longer, then
shrugged and looked back at the chess
board. What she doesn't know won't hurt
her, either, he thought.
60. Finally, Mary completed all the wedding
preparations. She would have liked it if the
caterers and such were a bit more helpful, but
they had thrown their arms up in frustration
and walked out. They were upset because
Mary was hovering over them, correcting
every little thing, and there was not enough
money in the world that would allow them to
put up with her constant nit picking.
So, Mary did everything by herself.
It was late when she finished, but she noticed
that Goopy was still up. She walked over to
him and gave him a quick kiss, pulling out of
his arms before he got too grabby.
“You should get some sleep. We both want
to look fresh and perfect tomorrow for the
photographer.” Before Goopy could
respond, she blew him a kiss and went
upstairs to bed.
61. Goopy went upstairs himself, a bit resentful
that Mary still insisted on not WooHooing
until marriage. What difference does a day
make? Besides, it would calm my nerves, he
thought as he walked into Miles' old
bedroom.
He stopped suddenly, as he noticed the
childrens' play table. The realization of what
he was doing hit him like a blow to the
stomach. What the hell am I thinking, getting
married? She's gonna want to have kids! The
Goopster doesn't do kids!
62. He managed to get partial control of himself,
though, and he got ready for bed. You can
do this, Goopster. It's only a wedding. She's
smokin' hot and she's gonna want to
WooHoo all the time to have kids. Free
WooHoo! You can do this dude. Besides,
you know where to go if things get too
pressured here.
The last thought made him smile, and he
managed to fall asleep.
63. Mary, for her part, had absolutely no worries.
As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was
asleep. She was utterly and completely
confident that everything would go well the
following day.
She slept the sleep usually reserved for
children, the innocent, and the dead...only
occasionally letting out a delicate snore.
64. Sebastian walked into Mary's bedroom the
next morning and was surprised to see that
she was already dressed and ready to go.
“What time did you get up this morning?”
Mary smiled. “Four. I wanted to make sure
that I ate beforehand so I don't spill anything
on my dress. And then I had to do my hair
and make sure the tiara was connected just
right to mom's veil. And then...” she stopped
as Sebastian held up his hand to stop her
from going into all the little details.
“I'm glad I'm male,” he laughed. “We just
have to make sure that we show up on time
with our hair combed. Heck, we're lucky to
be invited to the wedding at all, considering
it's usually about the bride anyway.”
65. He placed his hands on her shoulders. “Big
day for you, huh? This is the day you fully
take the reins as head of the family.”
Mary nodded. “I have been preparing for this
day all of my life. Besides, getting married
and having babies is also very important to
someone like me.”
Sebastian smiled a bit as a brief thought of
another Family Sim he knew was echoed
through his daughter's mouth. “Mary, I want
you to know that this job won't always be
easy. Often times, it's so rough, you'll wonder
if you have the will and strength to carry on. I
know that I, myself, wondered that. I am
eternally grateful that I found your mother
and I had my parents' support through my
rough patch.
“Ultimately, I want you to know that
whatever happens, your mother and I will
always be here to support you. But I also
hope that you and your husband will be able
to lean on each other as well.”
Mary quickly wiped a tear from her eye,
taking care not to ruin her makeup. “Thank
you, Daddy.”
Sebastian kissed her forehead. “Well, the
guests are arriving. It's time to start the
show.”
66. Mary gracefully made her way down the
stairs and headed for the chapel. Excited
butterflies were fluttering in her stomach as
she overheard the guests milling about,
talking, as they were waiting for the
ceremony to begin.
67. “Mrs. Lewis, I'm really sorry that you and Mr.
Lewis don't approve of me and your daughter
being together, but for the sake of Avi's
happiness, can't you at least talk to her? This
silent treatment is killing her.” Ashley tried to
be stern with Marsha, but the note of
desperation was threaded throughout his
pleading.
Marsha looked at the young man in front of
her. Her eyes widened slightly at the
wedding ring that he didn't bother to hide.
Marsha sighed. “Ashley, I will admit that I
was irritated at first. I thought this was just
another stunt that Aviendha was pulling for
shock value. I can see now that you two are
very serious. But, it's not me you should be
talking to. It's my husband.”
Ashley looked over at Xander. “I don't think
that's going to be as easy as you think...”
68. Aviendha approached her father hesitantly.
Reaching up, she went to place her hand on
his arm. “Dad, I...”
Xander turned and walked away from her.
Aviendha, stunned, stupidly left her hand
hanging in the air, speechless at her father's
rebuff.
69. People slowly made their way to their seats
as Mary entered the room. With a smile on
her face, she went up to the wedding arch
and scanned the room. “This is so exciting!”
she whispered to Goopy.
She looked over at him when he didn't
respond. He stood there, like a statue, clearly
distracted.
Finally, the last guest sat down, and the
ceremony began.
70. Mary began reciting the written vows that she
wrote for the two of them. As she was doing
so, she couldn't help but notice that Goopy
was starting to breathe a little fast and heavy,
completely missing his cues.
She continued on, feeding him his lines,
which he recited back, mechanically.
71. When it came time to exchange the rings,
Mary hissed at him, “Hold out your hand so I
can put this on your finger.” Goopy
complied, and he managed to remember that
he was supposed to do the same for her.
Mary flushed as she heard some of the
people start whispering amongst themselves.
72. Finally, the ceremony was over and Mary and
Goopy kissed each other.
Goopy felt the ring on his finger. He could
feel it weighing him down while
simultaneously burning his hand. Unaware of
the applause from the audience, Goopy
stepped off to the side and had the panic
attack that had been threatening him since
the night before.
73. Mary rushed over to him. “Gil? GIL?! What's
wrong? Gil? Oh my God! What's
happening?”
74. Kitty and Sebastian looked at each other,
stunned. “We should have seen that
coming,” Sebastian said.
“Is he...is he having a nervous breakdown at
my feet?! Sebby, I'm going to kick him!”
75. “Mama? Daddy? What's wrong with him?
Why won't he answer me? Gil? Get up!
People are looking! What's wrong?” Mary
was frantic as she desperately tried to snap
Goopy out of it.
76. “I just wanted to WooHoo her. That's all.
What was I thinking? How could I tie myself
down like this? I just wanted the WooHoo.
And then there's gonna be kids. And then
grandkids. The Goopster doesn't do
marriage. What was I thinking? I just wanted
the WooHoo.”
He muttered this over and over, oblivious to
the fact that the room had fallen silent and
everyone, including his new wife, could hear
him.
77. Half an hour later, the house chapel was
empty except for Kitty and Mary. Miles and
Sebastian had managed to pick Goopy up
and carry him to the bathroom to splash
water on his face.
The rest of the guests were unsure about
what to do. Should they celebrate? Should
they eat the food? They milled about, talking
quietly as they tried not to notice new 'happy'
bride crying, being consoled by her mother.
78. Kitty rubbed Mary's shoulder. “Honey,
maybe he didn't mean it. I'm sure he loves
you. It's just that, well, not all Romance Sims
are like Xander and his father.”
“Ruined! My wedding is ruined! All of that
planning for the perfect wedding, and he
ruined it by having his breakdown in front of
everyone!”
Kitty was stunned. Did this mean that...no,
surely not. Kitty had to ask to make sure.
“You mean, you aren't upset about what he
said?”
Mary wiped her eyes with a handkerchief,
and she sniffled. “Of course I'm upset about
that, Mama.” She began wailing again. “I just
thought I could change his mind. This is not
perfect! Not perfect at all!”
Kitty was at a loss for words, so she
continued to soothe her daughter.
79. Sebastian entered the chapel and made a
great show of looking at the flower
arrangements. When Mary's sobs died down
a bit, he stroked his chin and said in a bland
and serious tone, “I can murder him for you,
if you would like.”
Abruptly, Mary stopped crying. “What?”
“If you want, I can murder him for you. Will
that make you happy?”
She wiped her tears. “Daddy, don't be
ridiculous.”
“Well, then I should point out that you're
being ridiculous in thinking that you can
change him. What's done is done. You can
either dissolve the marriage, or move on
together with him. This entire notion you
have of everything needing to be perfect will
just cause you heartbreak.”
He turned at looked at her. “What do you
want to do?”
“I want to be married and have babies.”
Sebastian nodded, a bit sadly. “Alright then.
You have guests who want to celebrate, and
your husband has recovered enough to be
functional. Remember that this was your
choice.”
80. Goopy walked through the living room and
gave Miles and Aviendha a finger gun. “Hey
hey guys, what's up?”
Aviendha sighed disgustedly and turned her
back on him. Miles clenched his jaw, but
didn't respond. Goopy shrugged and went to
go find Mary. He was pretty certain that she
was going to read him the riot act, so he just
wanted to get it over with so he could have a
few drinks.
A lot of alcohol sounded good right about
then.
81. Miles glared at Goopy's retreating form.
“Creep,” he muttered to himself, loud enough
for Aviendha to hear.
“Tell me about it,” Aviendha agreed.
82. Goopy crossed his his arms as he braced
himself for Mary's tirade about how 'not
perfect' things are. He was surprised when
he saw Mary giving him a huge grin.
“Oh there you are, Gil. Come, we have to
cut the cake and then have the toast and
dinner and stuff. This is our wedding after
all.”
Goopy blinked. “You mean, you aren't
upset?”
Mary forced a laugh and grinned even wider.
“Oh, of course not. This is what I wanted and
now I have it. Besides, later we can
WooHoo, which is exactly what you want!
We can make this work, I'm positive.”
83. Goopy, relieved that she apparently wasn't
angry, wrapped his arms tightly around her
and planted a kiss on her lips. Mary tightly
kissed him back.
84. Everyone had enough manners to act happy
for the couple. They even chuckled a bit as
Goopy hesitantly ate the cake, quite sure that
Mary was going to stuff it in his face.
85. They even tapped their silverware to their
glasses as Sebastian made his toast to the
new bride and groom.
Goopy looked over at Mary, unobserved,
and saw the tight look that was on both her
and Sebastian's face. He suddenly knew that
he wasn't forgiven for his little 'episode.' He
had a feeling that his father-in-law didn't
approve, but Mary was calling the shots now.
Goopy sighed inwardly and then mentally
shrugged. He knew Mary well enough to
know that she was willing to fake it until she
convinced herself that everything was
perfect. So he was in the clear.
86. After the guests all left, Sebastian sighed as he
sat down in the kitchen. He had been
blessed with a happy marriage, despite the
road he had to travel to get there.
Now, all he could see for his daughter was
sadness and heartbreak until she finally
cracked...and there really wasn't anything he
could realistically do about it. He mentally
prayed to whatever being would listen; he
prayed that he would be wrong.
87. Upstairs, Goopy got settled into his and
Mary's shared bedroom. Mary sat on the
bed, waiting patiently for him. With a grin, he
leaped onto the bed and pushed her back.
“Finally!” he said covering her face and neck
with kisses. Mary pulled back.
“Gil, be careful of the dress. Don't wreck it.”
“Are you planning on ever wearing it again?”
“No, but...”
88. He cut her answer off with a greedy kiss.
There was nothing Mary could do but lay
back and contemplate the joys of
motherhood.
She chose this, and she was determined that
it was going to be perfect, no matter what.
89. Epilogue
As Xander was leaving for work, he stopped
abruptly on his front porch when he noticed a
most unwelcome visitor standing in front of
his house.
He sighed. “Is there something you need
Alexander?”
90. Alexander examined his fingernails for a
moment, taking great pleasure in Xander's
apparent impatience while he did so. Finally
he responded.
“I don't know if you are aware, but I married
a rather eager young couple the other day.
Perhaps you know them? I believe their
names are Aviendha and Ashley Lewis. I
found it such a shame that bride's own father
wasn't there to help celebrate in his
daughter's happiness.”
91. Xander slammed the door shut behind him
and stomped down the stairs towards
Alexander. “I TOTALLY don't know where
you are going with this, but it's going to stop
right here and now.”
“Ah, so you are aware that she got married?”
“Of course I am. Something that major
happening in my family doesn't go unnoticed.
But I TOTALLY don't see how my relationship
with my daughter is any of your concern.”
“Oh, it's not. Not really. But I'm sure the
media would have a field day with the utter
scandal the situation could cause.”
92. He continued. “Just think of the headlines.
'Mayor's daughter in forbidden love nest!' Or
how about this? 'Father disapproves! The sad
tale of love and loss between Mayor Lewis
and his estranged daughter. Details on page
three.' Oh, I also rather like this one:
'Scandal! Nude pictures of Aviendha Lewis
with her forbidden husband. Mayor Lewis
heartbroken!' However, the one I like the
best is this: 'Mayor Lewis' daughter is
spiraling out of control! How can Mayor
Lewis run SimCity if he is unable to control
his own daughter?'
“They are a bit crude and wordy, but you get
my meaning. I have a copy of their marriage
certificate and it is easy enough to hire some
photographers to get the needed pictures.”
93. “You wouldn't DARE!”
“I would, and you know it. I don't mind
getting my hands a bit dirty to achieve what I
want. And what I want is for you to retire
and nominate me for your position. It is
nothing personal. I just think I am far more
qualified to run the city. It is my heritage,
after all.
“My family has always been the backbone of
Pleasantview until you and yours arrived. I
just want what is rightfully mine. You, sir, are
standing in my way of said heritage.”
94. “You just want the title and position so you
can abuse your power and make my
extended family's life miserable. You and I
both TOTALLY know it, Alexander!”
96. “Oh, excuse me. I have learned that having
the personal vendetta against the Devereaux
family is far beneath me, now. However, if
you want, I can make sure that I will never
mention any of your family's names in any
sort of campaign I run.
“But really, Xander, don't you think it's worth
it to retire? Your daughter's reputation, as
well as your own, is at stake, after all. I can
make this either very easy for you, or very
hard. It is your choice on how you want to
do this. But I will be the new Mayor of
SimCity.”
97. A feeling of defeat washed over Xander as he
glared at Alexander. Yes, he was angry at
Aviendha for going against his wishes; but he
didn't want her to suffer from the scandal that
could very well ruin her, as well as the rest of
the family.
He didn't like Alexander, nor did he trust him
to keep his word, but he came to a decision.
“Fine. I will retire and nominate you as my
successor. Let me wrap up a few loose ends
and I will make the arrangements. Just,
please, leave Aviendha out of this.”
98. “I knew you could be persuaded to see
reason. I am aware that it will take time, but
please make sure it doesn't take too long. I
expect you to retire within the year. After all,
we wouldn't want to cause a scandal about
you abruptly leaving office, now would we?”
“...No, we wouldn't.”
Alexander smiled and turned to walk away.
“Excellent. I'll see you at the office then,
Xander. Give my regards to your family.”
***
I want to take the time to mention that I did
not build the Courthouse, Saint Bella's, or
Miles and Amelia's house. I downloaded
them from MTS2 because I don't have the
patience to build real intricate buildings.
Anyway, thank you all for reading and thanks
to Tribebohemian for donating Kitty to me.
She writes “The Victorians: A Legacy.”
See you next time, and until then, Happy
Simming!
