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The Devereaux Legacy:  Chapter Five - Part 6
Welcome back to my story! It's been forever since I had a real update! New computer, NaNoWriMo, the holidays. A lot has happened in real life.

But enough about me! A lot has happened in the Devereaux Legacy and that's way more important and cool, and I'm not being sarcastic about
that. Let's see: Vaughn and Laurana got married. They're still in Veronaville at the moment. Johnny Smith and Karen got married due to the fact
that Karen became pregnant unexpectedly. Zane and Tina got married, which makes him happy, me happy, and some of my readers happy. Okay,
one reader, but still, Zane's happy, and that's what matters here. But, best of all, Eden, my fifth generation heiress, got married to one of my imports
who is growing to be my favorite, Rhys Fitzhugh. He's my favorite and Eden's favorite. However, Mary, Eden's mother, is so totally not a fan. The
interlude left off with an ominous prophecy (given to Rhys and Eden by the Wise Old Man in Takemizu) and the revelation that Eden is pregnant.

Generation Six is on its way! * throws confetti *

I'd like to apologize in advance for the varying qualities of the pictures. Different screen cap programs were used throughout because my new
computer refuses to cooperate with the program my old computer used. Anyway, on with the show!

***
It was late at night and everyone else in the house was asleep when Rhys brought Eden down to the kitchen to 'show her something.' He wouldn't
tell her what it was, only that it was a secret. After he made sure that she was settled comfortably on one of the stools, he began rummaging
through the cupboards.

Eden cocked her head to the side as she watched Rhys gather ingredients and a mixing bowl. "Are you doing what I think you're doing?" she asked.
 "Are you really going to make cheesecake despite the fact that it's against the law?"
Rhys tried not to smile as he started throwing ingredients together. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said casually. "By the way, did I
mention that Vaughn called me earlier? It turns out that Laurana is pregnant with twins. Natural twins."

"Oh really?"

"Yep. Of course, he was mortified when I mentioned that the 'Fitzhugh Virility' was in his genetic makeup and that I hoped that he'd throw me at
least one red headed grandchild. But he did have to agree with me when I said that having kids can be pretty awesome. Note the plural."

"And so, not to be outdone by your son, you're going to make sure that you also have a set of twins," she said, amused.

"I don't have to make sure of anything. 'Fitzhugh Virility' and all that."
He paused in his mixing at looked at her. "On a completely unrelated topic, you like strawberries, right? Say, like on top of a cake or something
along those lines." He was unsuccessful in hiding his smile.
Eden was torn between wanting to laugh along with him and worrying about him breaking the law, despite the fact that she agreed that the law
was rather stupid to begin with. Her conscience won out. "Rhys, no. I cannot, in good conscience, let you do this. It's against the law and you'll
get into trouble if anyone finds out. My mother would absolutely love to have her suspicions of you confirmed!"
He was silent for a moment as he continued mixing. "I'm not making cheesecake," he finally said. "I'm making 'Rhyscake.' Not to be confused with
'Beefcake,' of which I totally am, by the way. Anyway, cheesecake and Rhyscake are completely different. Oh, sure, Rhyscake and cheesecake
might have similar qualities and side effects, but the difference is that Rhyscake is not illegal. Oh, and Rhyscake needs to be topped with super
special sonic strawberries. Who deserves an 'A' for their awesome alliteration? Why, that would be me! So, yeah, super special sonic strawberries
are an absolute must because they add red to the hair. You know, if the recipient just so happens to be pregnant and all that."

"Rhys..."

"Ede, look," he said quietly. "I actually like kids and I think it sucks that each family is only allowed one pregnancy. I want to have more than one
kid and having twins is more bang for my buck, no pun intended for once because you are worth way more than a dollar. I look at it this way: the
real crime would be for us to only have one child." He nodded firmly as he tapped the spoon on the rim of the mixing bowl. He looked up at her
and smiled. "The best part about Rhyscake is that it's the no bake type, so it'll be ready shortly."
In a few moments, he had spread the filling onto the crust and topped the dessert with strawberries. Then he cut two liberal slices and placed
them on the breakfast bar. "Oh, and don't worry about spilling or anything like that," he said with a smile as he sat down next to her. "Pregnant
women get to be messy when they eat. It's like a law or something that I read somewhere."

Eden just gave him a look as she watched him fork some of the cake into his mouth. "You aren't pregnant too, are you?" she asked.

He nearly choked. "Oh God no! Perish the thought! Besides, how would I be able to get pregnant? Procreate with myself? Pfft. Yeah, because
that's not creepy. The only other way would be alien abduction and I don't know if you know this, but telescopes are illegal, my dear."

"So is cheesecake."

"Rhyscake. I don't see any cheesecake here."

"Mmhmm. So 'Rhyscake' won't give me twins? Instead I'll have twins due to the 'Fitzhugh Virility'?"
"Exactly. Rhyscake is merely an insurance policy, particularly the super special sonic strawberries. Because, you know, red heads. There is one
downside to it, though."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"Well, all of the Rhyscake needs to be consumed in one sitting. Can't let the secret recipe get out."

Eden began to panic slightly. She was very hungry, starving actually, but at the same time the thought of eating made her stomach turn. She
looked at the slice of cake in front of her and then back at Rhys. "Rhys, I..." she trailed off and swallowed.
He gently took her hand and held it. "I'm only teasing," he said. "Just one bite should do the trick."

She smiled at him wanly. He wanted it so bad that he was going a bit overboard with the sell. But at the same time, she couldn't resist giving him
what he wanted. She was usually faced with that problem when dealing with him. She looked at him silently for a moment.

He gave her a winning smile.

She then laughed slightly. "Just one bite?"

"Just one bite."

She looked at him for another moment before picking up the fork and taking a single bite of 'Rhyscake.' She was pleased that she had managed not
to drip any of it on her shirt.
When they were done, Rhys grabbed the rest of the dessert and threw it into the garbage. He then grabbed the garbage bag to take it out. "Good
thing it's garbage pick up tomorrow," he said over his shoulder. Eden managed a small smile as he walked out the door.
When she was sure he couldn't see her, she quietly gagged. She was having a hard time keeping even the one mouthful of cake down. She took a
few deep breaths between gritted teeth until her stomach manged to settle down temporarily.
In addition to constantly being on the verge of throwing up, Eden had been feeling more and more exhausted. The exhaustion led to a severe
decline in her sex life with Rhys. On top of the guilty feeling she had about that, she missed the intimacy and uninhibited feeling that came with it.
The fact that Rhys seemed to understand and and appeared to be perfectly content to cuddle just made her guilt even worse.

She tried hard not to show it, but the stress of everything weighed heavily on her mind.
I should tell him.
Why don't I just say it? He needs to know. I should tell him.
My life is on such a display. Our lives are open to criticism. Everything I say and do is open to ridicule.
I need to tell him. What if he leaves?
How could you think of exposing yourself?

But I'm already on display. What more can I possibly give? What more is there to show?

I'm not perfect.
I'm pregnant? I'm not fit to be a mother. I'm not perfect. I don't want to be perfect.
I can't be perfect. I have to find him. I have to tell him. I don't want to be alone.
Where are you?
I have to find him. I have to tell him. I can't find him. I have to find him. I have to tell him. I can't find him.
I should have told him. Why didn't I tell him?
Now I'm alone again. I should have told him.
Rhys sat up, still half asleep, and switched on the light by his bedside.

Since he started dating Eden and spending nights with her, he had managed to tune out the sound of her grinding teeth; something that had gotten
progressively worse since they had gotten married.

Crying, on the other hand, was something entirely different and new.
He glanced over to the other side of the bed and saw that Eden had tossed off her covers and was laying on her side, clutching her stomach, and
crying softly. His sleepy confusion changed to wide awake alarm. "Ede? Eden? Are you okay? Eden, wake up."
Her eyes were still closed when she reached for him and wrapped her arm around him. "Rhys, we were having sex and everyone was watching,
and then you were gone and my mother was there yelling at me and I'm not perfect, Rhys. I'm not perfect. You were gone and I was naked in front
of everyone and then there was an apocalypse and I was pregnant and I couldn't find you. I looked and looked and you were gone and I couldn't
find you," she sobbed, the words tumbling out in a nearly incoherent manner.

He released the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. "It was only a dream, Eden. And no sane person expects you to be perfect."

"I can't find you. You're gone and now it's too late. I should have told you, but now you're gone," she continued, still partially in her nightmare.

"I'm not gone. I'm right here. What did you want to tell me?"

"I should have told you that I loved you. But now it's too late. You're gone and I can't find you. I should have told you."
He stiffened slightly at her mention of 'love' and for a wild moment he thought she was faking the entire thing and trying to manipulate him into
saying it back. He opened his mouth to say something, he didn't know what, but he stopped himself.

Manipulative wasn't exactly a word he would have associated with her.

He thought about her babbled words and he could pinpoint what a lot of the sources for her dream came from. He relaxed. He decided that she
was being genuine and that it really was a bad dream. And part of that dream was about some worry that he didn't know that she loved him. He
sighed and stroked her hair, though it appeared that she had fallen back to sleep.

"I know you do, Ede. Don't worry about it. I know," he said quietly.

***
Eden's pregnancy went from bad to worse within the next week. She not only threw up in the mornings, but in the afternoons and evening as well,
especially after eating or drinking even the littlest amount. She tried to hide it as much as possible. She hid it from Rhys because she was
embarrassed, and hid it from her mother because Mary would make some little comment about how unattractive sick people were.
All of it was starting to take its toll on her.

You actually look better than you feel, Ede, she thought to herself, and that's not saying a whole lot. The second part of that thought was in a highly
critical tone which sounded suspiciously like her mother.

The worst part of being pregnant, she thought, were the raging hormones that messed with how she thought about everything. All of her minor
insecurities she tried to hide from herself, and from others, were being magnified and then multiplied with brand new insecurities: worries about
what kind of mother she would be, how good of a wife she was, the newspapers catching every single awkward photo of her pregnancy, and a
general tension brought on by her mother and husband fighting with each other.
She stared at her reflection glumly and unconsciously wrapped her arms around herself.

All her life she had managed to build a pretty wall around herself and she tried not to let anyone get through. She attempted to maintain the image
of perfection that her mother had instilled in her since she was a small child. She was always nice, always polite, always cordial, and always friendly.
 But even when she was dating, she had maintained a certain amount of distance to the point where everything seemed almost as fake as the nails
the manicurists forced upon her for high profile social functions.

And then Rhys came along and inexplicably blew through those walls, making himself at home as a permanent fixture in her life. She loved him
desperately, which she hadn't thought she was capable of, but the heightened emotional senses that her pregnancy gave her made her feel rather
vulnerable.

Get a grip, she thought to herself. You can't possibly be the first woman to love her husband and you're most certainly not the first woman to be
pregnant. You're just really sick and really tired. Just go back to bed and sleep it off.

Mary's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Eden. Come down here right now." Her tone made Eden sigh wearily.
"Why are you not dressed yet?" Mary asked angrily. Eden's brow creased slightly and then she shrugged.

"Because I'm going back to bed. I don't feel well."

Mary pursed her lips "Well I'm afraid that will not be happening. You see, because of your actions, we have to have an emergency press
conference to do damage control."

"Damage control? Press conference? What are you talking about?"
Mary grabbed the newspaper off the table and thrust it in Eden's face. "This. This is what I'm talking about. Did I not tell you that I don't care any
longer what you do so long as you did not get caught? Are you trying to ruin everything that we've done to make people like this family? Are you
trying to sabotage everything? Must you be so much like your father?" Her voice became more and more shrill as she spoke.

Eyes wide, and feeling a bit faint, Eden took the newspaper and read it.
The Devereaux Legacy:  Chapter Five - Part 6
When she was done, Mary yanked the paper from her hands and threw it back on the table. Eden crossed her arms in front of herself. "Mother,
you have to believe me. I have never been to Terra Lostundo. I have never even heard of the place. Besides, when would I have had the time to
do that?" she tried to plead.

"You're going to be fired, Eden! You are a disgrace! You did this on purpose and I don't like the person you've become since you married that man.
Did he put you up to this? Did he? Don't you realize that once you are no longer considered 'special' that he will leave? I don't care if he does, but
I do not want him taking your reputation with him!"

"Mother, please," Eden's voice cracked and she began to feel even more faint. "Rhys had nothing to do with it. I swear. He wouldn't do that. I
know he wouldn't. But, please, can we talk about this later? I am not feeling well and I have to go back to bed. Please?"

"You don't know anything other than what he tells you. I suppose you are going to claim that your child is his, aren't you?"

"It is," Eden whispered.
All too coincidentally, Rhys chose that moment to enter the room. "Good morning. Have either of you seen the newspaper?" he casually asked.
His face was smooth as he looked at Eden's defensive posture and he plainly ignored Mary's glare. "Ah. Never mind. I see it." He walked over to
the table and picked it up.
He whistled through his teeth as he looked at the pictures. "That is a very nice underwear set, babe. You wouldn't happen to own it here, would
you?"

When he was done, he folded the paper up and tossed it back on the table. "So when did the Pleasantview Bugle officially become a gossip rag?
Meh, whatever. I still prefer the Magic Box."

"Rhys," Eden said quietly, "I have never been to Terra Lostundo. I--"

"Oh, I know that. Though I am trying to place why it sounds so familiar..."
He snapped his fingers when it clicked. "Oh, that's right! Hey babe, what do you think the chances are of your echo busting my echo out of jail
there? Or maybe bailing him out at the very least? I'm sure all it would take is her smiling and batting those gorgeous blue eyes at the guards. My
echo would definitely make it worth her while if you know what I mean," he said with a smarmy grin.
Mary sniffed disdainfully and gave him a cool look. "Why does it not surprise me that you're in jail, Mr. Fitzhugh?" she asked.

"Mother," Eden said weakly behind her.

"Hush, Eden," Mary said.
Rhys crossed his arms, matching Mary's stance. "I'm not in jail, dear mother-in-law of mine. I'm standing here before you, oh so enjoying a pleasant
morning conversation. I happen to have an echo in jail, but that shouldn't matter here, much like it shouldn't matter what an echo of Eden did
somewhere else in the Multi-Verse. It's what happens here that matters, and Eden happens to be fantastic. Oh, and I'm pretty great as well, if I do
say so myself."
"Well, be that as it may, I do so hope that you will understand when I request a paternity test done upon the child Eden is carrying. If the child isn't
yours, then I will... reluctantly... have to ask you to leave. The child will have issues enough without the added confusion of a man present who isn't
the child's father, don't you agree?"

"Rhys..." Eden whispered desperately.
A look of cold anger settled on his face. "The kids are going to look like me. They're going to have my hair. They're going to have my nose. And
every time you look at them you are going to see my face looking back at you. It's going to eat you up inside everyday, especially when you see
how happy they are going to be. I will make it my personal goal that they will be the most awesome children this family has ever seen. And they
will be, because I said so. And I can't wait to see the look on your face when that happens."
Anything more that he might have said got cut off by the sound of Eden's body hitting the hardwood floor.
"Oh my God!" Rhys said, panicked, as he rushed over and knelt next to Eden. "Ede. Eden. Oh my God, Edie, wake up."

Mary, still irritated by the newspaper article and her confrontation with Rhys blurted out, "Tsk. It's just one problem after another!"

"Oh, for fuck's sake!"
He picked Eden up and cradled her. "Call her doctor you horrible, atrocious excuse for a mother!" he said as he rushed his wife upstairs to the
bedroom.

***
Fortunately Eden's doctor, Max Goodytwoshoes, who was the best money could buy, was well versed in the meaning of discretion and was able to
make house calls.
The prognosis was not good.
Eden woke up later that night feeling groggy and disoriented, though on the upside, she wasn't nearly as nauseous as she had been for the past few
days. "God, have I been asleep all day?" she muttered to herself.

She jumped slightly when Rhys' voice answered. "Yeah, you have been."
She looked over and saw him sitting stiffly on the other side of the bed, his back to her. "How long have you been there?" she asked.

His shoulder lifted in a slight shrug. "I don't know. A while, I guess. It's been a long day."
The tone of his voice bothered her, especially since he wouldn't look at her. "What happened?"

"You passed out, so your doctor was called. He hooked you up to an IV to rehydrate you. You're malnourished, dehydrated, and you're showing
signs of hypertension which is most likely caused by stress. The amount of throwing up you've been doing might also be a sign of Hypermesis
Gravidarum, but he wants to run some more tests to make sure. He assured us that he can come back here because he doesn't want your body to
suffer from any more 'undo stress' you see."
She sat up with a sigh. "I'm sure my mother is thrilled." Eden, you can't even do pregnancy right, that critical voice inside her head chided. She
shoved it down.

"No, she's not. And, naturally, she blames me."

She almost scoffed, but his tone made her stop. "Rhys, my mother blames you because we have crazy, awesome sex and we have the audacity to
enjoy it. But all that other stuff, the health issues, that's all me and my body. You have nothing to do with it."
It took him a long moment to respond. "Actually," he said after he cleared his throat, "there's more. You see, while it's too early in the pregnancy to
hear a baby's heartbeat with just a stethoscope, he took a blood sample from you and he called back with the results. The hCG count is
abnormally high for a single pregnancy, so he's inclined to believe that you're pregnant with twins. Of course, he wants to do an ultra sound to
make sure. Anyway, twins are automatically considered 'high risk pregnancies' and combined with the other health issues he..he, uh...he said that
you need to be on bed rest if..if we want the babies to be carried to term."
Eden exhaled slowly. "I see." They were both quiet for what seemed like an eternity. "So how does this work? Am I restricted to just the bed?
How am I going to go to the bathroom?" she had finally asked to break the silence.

"For now you're restricted to the bed with the exception of using the bathroom and shower. When he comes back next week he'll see if you and
the babies are well enough for you to be able to do more," came that weird, monotone response.

She nodded dully. "Well, I have to use the bathroom now. I..I guess if I need help, I'll call."

"Okay," he whispered.
Fortunately, she was able to use the washroom without incident. When she entered back into the bedroom, she saw that he hadn't moved. She
was also able to get a good look at his face. His eyes were wide and it appeared as if he were staring at nothing. His hands were clenching and
unclenching the blankets.

That's when she realized why he had sounded so strange: he was scared. Scared for the babies, scared for her, and scared that she would blame
him.

She was scared, too. Terrified actually. But blaming him for something that couldn't be changed wouldn't help anything.
"Rhys," she said as she straightened out the blankets, "I was feeling awful before I ate the cheesecake. I was barely eating or drinking anything
because I don't like throwing up. The high blood pressure thing has probably been in existence for a while." She looked at him and saw that he
had lifted his head slightly, but he didn't say anything. "What I'm trying to say is that I would probably be on bed rest if it was only one baby."

When he still didn't respond she sighed. "So does bed rest mean that I don't get to sleep with my husband?"

"It means full pelvic rest, too. No sex."

"That really sucks, but..I wasn't talking about 'hooing. I was talking about cuddling in bed with you and feeling your arms around me when I go to
sleep. Are we still able to do that?"

"Yeah, I think that would be fine. Do you want to?"

"Very much so."
He gave what sounded almost like a relieved sigh and she was glad to see that he had at least a small smile on his face when he pulled her close.
She desperately wanted to banish the pall that was hanging in the air so she teased him with, "So, no sex. How are you going to control those wild
animal urges of yours?"

She felt him relax slightly as he quirked an eyebrow. "Well, believe it or not, I do have some self control." And then he grinned. "At least during the
daytime. I can't be held accountable for any nocturnal sleep humpings that might occur. Other than that, I should be fine. If I'm going to sulk
about it, I'll make sure it's somewhere you won't see me do it."

She began to giggle, which made him chuckle. After a moment, the two of them were laughing and talking about the best way to construct pillow
barricades and blanket forts.

She almost told him that she loved him right then and there.

***
The Devereaux Legacy:  Chapter Five - Part 6
Nearly every single mother in the neighborhood understood what was said in between the lines and they sympathized with the fear and worry that
Eden surely had.
And so, nearly every single mother in the neighborhood visited Eden, providing her with gifts, company, and things for her to do while she was on
bed rest.
It wasn't only the women in the town who wanted to show their support for Eden, though they had enough good sense not to press the issue when
they weren't allowed to see her.
There was also one more person who decided to pay a special visit to Eden.
However he did have to explain, he thought rather unnecessarily, that he was there strictly on a personal level, not a professional one.
It wasn't the movies she starred in, the clothes she wore, nor the company she kept that made people actually like Eden. It was that she, for the first
time, appeared to be accessible, normal, and imperfect. Just like everyone else.

Even the tabloids jumped on the "Support Eden" bandwagon and made nice posts about her.
The Devereaux Legacy:  Chapter Five - Part 6
The Devereaux Legacy:  Chapter Five - Part 6
Though some of the posts were just plain silly.




***
"Who has red hair like her grandfather? Why, that would be you, Aravis!" Eden smiled at the small baby she was playing with.
She carefully sat up and Laurana took the baby from her arms. "Rhys is going to be insufferable about having red headed children now that he has
a red headed grandchild. Thanks for helping out there," she teased slightly.

"No problem," Laurana said with a grin. "I think they'll have the fabled 'Nose' as well because they certainly don't have mine. No pressure or
anything."
"That's my niece," Ceres Marius, De and Cassius' daughter, stated. "She's my niece because Vaughn is my brother...right?"

"Yep," Laurana said behind her as she cuddled Aravis. "That makes you my sister-in-law. But you want to know something else? Eden is Aravis and
Fleetwood's step-grandmother." She grinned widely at Eden.

"Thanks," Eden muttered.
"Is that why you're sick?" Ceres asked. "Because you're old?"

Eden gave the girl a level look. "No," she said, "it's because the babies I have inside of me are making me sick."

"Are the babies inside you going to be related to me, too?"

Eden had to think about it for a moment before she shook her head. "No. But they will be Vaughn's brothers or sisters."

"But not mine?"

"Nope. But they can be your friends, though, if you would like."
"It's all very confusing!" Ceres said.

"Tell me about it," Laurana and Eden said simultaneously.
Shortly after Vaughn and Laurana returned from Veronaville, Laurana had given birth to a son and daughter, Aravis and Fleetwood. Because Eden
was unable to go over to Laurana's house to meet the new babies, the new parents took it upon themselves to visit Eden and Rhys, bringing along
most of Rhys' extended family and friends as well.

Everyone made themselves at home as they had settled in for a long visit.
For a brief moment, Rhys felt old as he rocked one of his new grandchildren. Grandfather before I'm a father in this 'verse, he thought wryly to
himself. It dawned on him that because he married a legacy heir it meant he would eventually get old and die. That in itself wasn't a huge issue,
he's died of old age before, but it was still rather disconcerting. He pushed the thought out of his mind and said to Vaughn, "You can thank me later
for providing you with the awesome recessive red hair gene."
"Oh my God, Dad, really. Don't you have anything better to think about than red hair and noses?"

"Nope," Rhys responded cheerfully. "Well, that's not entirely true. I do think a lot about what the next Magic Box post will be and hope that they
get my good side when they catch me in flagrante delicto with Eden."

"Gah! You say things like that on purpose, don't you? You're trying to ruin me, aren't you? Why? What have I done to you?"
"Vaughn, sweetie," De chimed in, "why are you so sensitive about these things? I know you didn't get that modesty from me or your father. You
know what I think will help? Visiting the site everyday. You'll build an immunity to it. Nod nod."

"De?" Rhys asked, "Did you actually say 'nod nod'?"

She paused for a moment. "Oh my God, I did, didn't I?"
"No!" Vaughn said firmly. "I'm never going to that site again. Every time I go there, I think to myself, 'What are the chances that something will
traumatize me today?' It turns out that the chances are almost a hundred percent!"

Rhys and De traded identical grins over their son's head. "And yet, you still go to it," Rhys teased.

"Not anymore! I don't need to know these things!"

"Okay sweetie," De said with feigned sympathy. "You don't have to visit the big, bad, scary site. It won't hurt you anymore." She and Rhys were
unsuccessful in stifling their snickers.

Vaughn heaved a large sigh. "Why? Just...why?"

"You make it so easy," De said with a laugh.
"Oh, speaking of that," Rhys gestured with his head towards the picture hanging on the wall behind him, "Cassius, I really would like to thank you
for taking advantage of my wife's good nature by insisting...that...will make her feel better and that it should be hung up on the wall. Really. Words
cannot express how...grateful...I am for it." The sarcasm in his voice was hard to miss.
Cassius smirked. "Hey, no problem. Anything I can do to make Eden feel better. I do so like to be helpful."

Spencer chuckled. "I don't know, Rhys. Were it me, I'd be far more thankful that Cassius isn't wearing his toga right now."

"Yeah, your father has a point. Pants are so restricting, but my toga went missing when we moved here. If it wouldn't have, the boys would be
completely unfettered. Just blowing in the breeze. I was a big fan of that 'Pants Embargo' and it was a shame that it didn't catch on." He grinned
when he saw Rhys shudder.
Rhys' smile instantly evaporated when Mary entered the room.
Nobody else had seen Mary though, as they were still caught up in their conversation. Unfortunately it was at that moment that Spencer asked,
"So, are togas really that nice?"

"Absolutely. There is nothing better than having a nice breeze blowing around the freshen things up a bit. Not to mention the absolute freedom it
gives you. Easy access. Know what I mean?"

"Hm. I am interested in what you are saying and I would like to subscribe to your newsletter."

"Oh my God--" Vaughn said, but he was interrupted by the sound of a woman clearing her throat loudly.
The room fell to an uncomfortable silence as everyone turned to look at Mary. She stood there staring at them for a few moments before she
spoke.
"As much as I'm sure my daughter appreciates having such...pleasant...company, I'm afraid that this many visitors will be far too taxing on her health.
The endless line of visitors needs to stop now. She may have one person at a time, and that is it. It's for her own good and the safety of the child
she's pregnant with." She turned her head slightly towards Rhys. "It's quite obvious some people do not care, so you will all have to forgive my
concern."

"What the hell are you implying?" Rhys asked through gritted teeth.
"Mother," Eden said before a fight broke out, "I'm the one who invited everyone. They are my friends and I wanted to see the new babies."

"No, it's okay," Laurana said. "We should get going. The babies need to go down for a nap anyway."

"I'm sorry that we might make you more sick, Eden," Ceres said. Eden sighed and shook her head.
At that, everyone else made their reluctant goodbyes, giving vague excuses as to why they needed to leave. De wanted to say something to Mary,
but then thought better of it.
Everyone had left the room except for Spencer, who had remained sitting in his chair. He and Mary looked at each other for a long moment before
Mary said, "Mr. Fitzhugh, I do believe I asked for everyone to leave. I appreciate you visiting my daughter, but she needs her rest."
He looked over at Eden for a moment and silently noted the glum expression on her face.
"I'm not done visiting," he said calmly. "I do realize that she needs her rest, but I will only be a few more minutes."

"Mr. Fitzhugh--" Mary said, but he interrupted her.

"You said that she's allowed one guest at a time. I am in the room with her. I count as that one, single guest."

"Well, I'm sure that her husband will be back in here shortly, and that will be one visitor too many."
He stood up and walked over to her, his face still serene. "Rhys lives here; he's not a visitor. Mrs. Devereaux, Mary, I appreciate and understand
your parental concern, I really do. I am speaking as a parent myself, you see. I get that you're scared for your daughter and you're worried for your
future grandchildren. You're also an heir and you would like to see the family line continued. I was an heir myself, so I completely understand all of
that. What you don't seem to understand though is that the babies Eden is carrying are also my grandchildren. She's married to my son, after all."

He raised an eyebrow and looked at her for a moment, allowing those words to sink in before continuing. "Now, I'm not going to interfere, for
now, as it's not really my place to. Instead, all I'm asking for is another ten minutes to visit with my daughter-in-law. Ten minuets and then I'll be out
of everyone's hair."

His quiet defiance was completely different from Rhys' aggressive one, but it was defiance nonetheless and it was obvious that it angered Mary.
However, she didn't say anything. Instead she spun on her heel and walked out the door, closing it behind her.
He turned to look at Eden who had laid down and was idly stroking her stomach. "Well, I think that means I get to stay and chat for a few more
minutes."

Eden heaved a sigh. "She's right. I should probably take a nap."
He propped up a pillow on the bed. "I'd hate to say this to you, but you'd be a terrible hostess if you fell asleep on one of your guests," he joked.
Eden didn't respond, though. Instead she just sighed again and continued rubbing her stomach. Unperturbed, Spencer continued. "I wanted to
talk to you alone for a little bit so it's probably a good thing that your mother sent everyone out of the room."
He leaned back on the pillow and was quiet for a moment. "How are you doing?" he finally asked.

"Fine, I guess," Eden said unhappily.

"No, you're not, and it's pretty obvious. This has got to be rough for you: a Romance Sim who's married with babies on the way. Some of us like it,
some don't. It's nothing against you if that is the case."
"That's not even it, Spencer," she protested. "It's just that I'm cooped up in here all day and I'm fairly isolated from everyone and everything. I can
only read, knit, cross-stitch, and play Farmville on the laptop for so long, you know? And on top of being sick and tired most of the time, I feel
frustrated and useless. And then Rhys and my mother..." she trailed off with a sigh.

"Ah, yes. Rhys and your mother. So, how is that man you fancy? He's never really been one to confide in me, but I will admit that I have
some...concerns."

"They're at each others throats all of the time. Rather, my mother is constantly at his throat, making subtle digs. It seems like she won't leave him
alone. And then he eventually snaps and fights back. Then when they are done fighting, he comes in here and I can tell that he's not happy. He's
going a bit stir crazy and I've encouraged him to go out with Cassius or something just so he can get a break. There's no need for him to sit here
and be as miserably bored as I am. He does, occasionally, but I don't think it's enough."
She sat up with a sigh and idly picked at the threads of her cross-stitch project before continuing. "And I wonder sometimes if all of this is even
worth it. But, on the other hand, I can't imagine my life any differently now. When I first chose the aspiration I totally intended on having a string of
boyfriends, not getting emotionally attached, having a baby so my mother would be somewhat happy, and calling my job as heir done. That
changed when I met Rhys, I have no idea how, and that scares me."

"Why?" he quietly asked.

"Because I'm afraid that he's going to get tired of all of this. Almost everything in my life is fake. A facade. Smoke and mirrors that make me
appear to be more special than I really am. I'm faulty. For God's sake, I can't even be physically intimate with him for fear of essentially breaking. I
also have this terrible fear that my mother is going to say just the right thing to drive him away. I know that he'd come around to see his kids, but
whatever we had would be over because it just isn't worth the trouble." She swallowed past the lump in her throat. "It's stupid, irrational, and even
worse, insecure, I know. But I can't help but think about it constantly when I hear them fighting. Or in bed at night when all we can do is cuddle.
Or when I'm retching my brains out. Or when I spend the day looking like this," she gestured down at herself.
Spencer sat up and said, "Eden, I have a very simple question to ask you: do you love Rhys?"

She sighed and put the embroidery hoop down. "I do," she said softly. "Very much. More than I should, I think. I tried so hard not to, but I
couldn’t help it."

He nodded. "Good," he said quietly to himself. To her, he said, "Eden, don't worry about him, at least not in the way that you are. Just the fact
that you do love him makes you more than 'special' enough in his eyes, and I think that's fairly obvious. As for your mother..." he trailed off with a
sigh. "Never mind. Now is not the time to talk about that. That's something you need to do on your own."

"What?"

"Like I said, never mind. Are you able to stand up for a moment? I should get going and hugging my son's wife in their bed would be considered
highly inappropriate I would think."
He hugged her gently. "I hope you don't mind my sounding vaguely father like when I say that you shouldn't worry so much. It's not good for you
or the babies. Relax a little bit; nobody expects you to look and feel your best, especially not right now. Take care of you, honey."

Eden could tell that he wanted to say more, but he didn't. "Thank you, Spencer," she said. "I'll try my best."

After he left, she spent a good deal of time thinking about her mother.

***
"Well, their attitude is definitely mine," Rhys said as he and Eden walked towards the hospital parking lot. Eden's doctor wanted to get an ultra
sound to make sure that the babies were healthy and growing at a normal rate. "Stubborn little kids, particularly Twin B. I swear, she purposely
mooned us the entire time out of spite. It's like she knew that we wanted to see her gender and she just refused to show us."

"Assuming Twin B is a girl, of course," Eden said with a smile.

He shrugged. "She most likely is. The X chromosome is very strong in me, apparently. Besides, we can't call them 'She' and 'It' now can we?"

"We should still pick out a boy's name, just in case."

He thought about it for a moment. "I like the name Quinn for some reason. 'Quinn Devereaux.' Sounds like a guy who would be a total lady killer
with an inexplicable accent of an undetermined origin."

"So 'Erin and Elizabeth' or 'Erin and Quinn.' That's a lot of 'E' names for the girls."
He looked at her with a grin. "I happen to like girls' names that start with 'E.'" His face grew serious and he said, "I'm glad they're okay. I'm glad
you're doing better."

"Marginally," she said. "At least I don't have to be chained to the bed the entire day. I can walk around a bit and I can eat dinner at the table with
everyone else."

"Hrm. Yeah, that sounds pleasant. Maybe it would be better for you to stick to the bed."

She decided to ignore the comment. "But it's still essentially house arrest. God, I can't wait for this pregnancy to be over."

"House arrest isn't all too terrible. Well, at least, it can be made much more bearable if someone is prancing around in their underwear the entire
time. I'd be willing to bite the bullet and do that if it will make your house arrest more tolerable."
She laughed. "Only if you're going to clean the toilets as well."

"Pfft. Please. I was planning on doing that anyway," he said, which made her laugh more. Feeling warm and secure, a wave of love washed over
her.

"Rhys, I have something to tell you."

"Oh? And what would that be?"
"I wanted to tell you that I lo--" she cut herself off when she felt him tense up. He looked away uncomfortably, all good humor gone from his face.
She sighed and she felt her heart drop into her stomach with what felt like a kick.

Then there was another kick.

Her eyes widened and she looked at him. His eyes were also wide. "Did you feel that?" she asked.

"I did!"
He patted her belly as the smile returned to his face. "Oh! Oh, I see how it is. Yeah. Now you flip over. Now we'd be able to tell what gender you
are. You're definitely my kid. Way to make a dad proud there, Twin B."

She watched him with a smile as he talked to their unborn children. The moment had passed and she thought it was for the best. It was probably
just the hormones that possessed me to say it, she thought. It didn't stop her from sighing a little, though.
He looked at her and his brow creased slightly. He reached up and gently caressed her cheek with a small smile. She leaned into his hand.
He took her other hand and squeezed it gently. "Come on, let's go home," he said.

***
Later that evening, after a nap, Eden went downstairs to enjoy a bit of her new found, though still restricted, freedom.

"Hey, you're awake," Rhys said.

"Yeah, I've been up for a while," she said.

"And how are the girls?" he asked as he gently rubbed her belly.

She laughed. "I'll assume you're talking about the babies as the other 'girls' are rather sore."

"...Holy cow, how did I miss that double entendre? I actually was talking about our two red headed babies you have in there!"

"Rhys, sweetie, you do realize that black hair is dominant, right?"
"Eden, babe, you do realize that I have a very strong force of will, right? All of my mental concentration went into making sure that we conceived
red heads."

"Huh. I've always wondered what men think about when they're 'hooing. Now I know." She could feel a smile widening on her face, which
matched his grin.
"And how are you doing?" he asked as he pulled her into a hug.

"I..I'm actually feeling pretty good."

"Good." He ran his hand over her hair. "I like what you've done to your hair. It looks nice."

"Really? It's a little uneven because I cut it myself. But, I don't know. I don't like looking sick and I wanted something a little different."

"No, I get it. Pregnant women do it all the time. Their bodies are betraying them and so they feel that the only thing they can control is their hair."

Eden smiled with relief. "Good. You understand."

"I do. And let me tell you something: if you wouldn’t have already warned me that you're a bit sore, I'd totally be groping you right now."
"Eden! What did you do to your hair?" Mary interrupted as she walked into the room. Breaking away from their embrace, Eden turned to face her.

"I cut it a little bit," she said. "I wanted something different. I--"

"You've ruined it is what you did. Eden, how many times have I told you that your eyes are your best feature? Those bangs completely detract from
them. And it's all uneven! Your hairstylist is going to have a fit!"

"I think Eden has more than just one good feature," Rhys said as he watched Eden deflate.
The damage was done, however. "I'm sorry," Eden said quietly.

Rhys crossed his arms and attempted to keep his voice calm. "Ede, you have absolutely nothing to apologize for. I happen to like what you've
done--"

"Your opinion does not matter," Mary snapped.

"Actually, yes it does. I'm the one who looks at her the most and I like what I see very much."

"Well--"
Eden turned and walked away. "Just stop it. Both of you," she said, too quietly for either one of them to hear.

"Where are you going?" Mary asked.

"Back to bed. I'm feeling tired all of the sudden," Eden replied.
Instead of going to bed however, she sat at her dressing table and looked at herself in the mirror. I hate her, the thought came up unbidden and
she was overwhelmed with guilt. She had actually felt good for the first time in months. She had even put on some makeup to cover the perpetual
dark circles that were under her eyes because she was tired of looking sick. She thought she had looked nice. Why can't she just, for once, keep
her mouth shut? she thought to herself.

She heard the door open and in the mirror she could see Rhys' reflection. She didn't feel like talking to him at the moment, so she didn't turn to
face him.
He stood there silently as he leaned on the dressing screen. "It's only hair, Ede. Your mother will get over it," he eventually said.

"Yeah, I know that, Rhys. I know it'll grow out. I didn't need you to tell me that," she snapped. She instantly felt bad when she saw the irritated look
on his face as he tossed his hands in the air.

"Well what the hell do you want me to say then?" he asked angrily.

She shook her head and an unwanted tear rolled down her cheek. "Do you know why she nitpicks at my looks? Do you know why she's
constantly telling me in that voice of hers that I'm pretty?" She answered for him before he could say a word. "It's because she's trying to convince
herself that I'm pretty. I look too much like my father and she hates that. And she thinks that I don't like it either, so she's convincing herself that
she's a good mother by telling me otherwise, even though she's lying. But you see the thing is I'm not ashamed of how I look. I don't mind looking
like Daddy. And I resent her for trying to convince me that I should think otherwise." She shook her head and clenched her jaw.
He sighed heavily and placed his hands on her shoulders. "You know, if I would have just met you and you had told me that, I probably wouldn't
have believed you. But now..." he trailed off with a shake of his head. "Okay, and I'm a guy who is saying this, but Goopy's not a bad looking dude
and he does produce some really good looking girls--"

"Rhys, I don't need you to convince me that I'm pretty."

"And that's fine. And good! I like girls with a lot of confidence. But what I was going to say is that you're actually a pretty even blend of both of
your parents and your mother is too blind to see that. But I'm not. And I happen to think that you're smokin' hot. And my opinion should matter, at
least a little bit, seeing as I'm the man who is spending the rest of his life with you. I'm also the one who gladly gets to look at you naked on a
regular basis. And let me tell you, I always really like what I see." He grinned at her reflection and quirked an eyebrow at her.

She couldn't help but laugh.
She stood up and wrapped her arms around him. She wanted to utter those three little words to him, but she didn't want to ruin the moment.
Instead, she said, "So, if it's 'only hair' then how come you got so bent out of shape about that picture of you with the mullet?"

He snorted with laughter and rolled his eyes. "Because mullets are a crime against nature."

"So you never thought of changing your hairstyle?" she teased.

"That would be impossible," he deadpanned. "I'm pretty sure that at this point my hair just naturally grows this way. It's magical like that."

She giggled and raked her fingers through the red fauxhawk. For the most part, it stayed in place. "You're pretty magical," she impulsively said.

He nodded. "That's what I've been saying all along, my dear. I'll even throw in a 'trufax' and a 'nod nod.'" He grinned at her laughter.

***
"...And so it is incredibly frustrating as I'm sure you can imagine," Mary complained. "She just doesn't listen to me anymore. Instead she listens to
him and cares about what he has to say."
Miles and Amelia both looked at Mary, unsure of what to say. "Um, he's her husband," Miles said. "So his opinion of her is going to matter to her.
That's kind of how it goes."

"You've really gone off the deep end haven’t you?" Amelia said.
Mary gave her a cool look. "And what exactly is that supposed to mean?"
"I think she means that you might be overreacting just a little bit, that's all," Miles said.

"I am not--"
"That is not what I meant, Miles," Amelia interrupted. "I truly meant that you, Mary, have gone completely bat shit crazy. You're sitting here,
complaining about Rhys, who sounds like he's been more reacting to you and your general bitchiness than picking his own fights with you. And
then you complain that Eden, who is your daughter, is choosing his side over yours. Did you possibly think that you might be the one who is
causing her to 'turn against' you? And it doesn't even sound like she's doing that. It sounds like she's being her own person. Because, you know,
she's her own person and not you."
"Perhaps you are not understanding the issue at hand. I do not want her married to him. He does not mesh well with this family."
"He does not 'mesh well' with you. He seems to 'mesh well' with your daughter, though. And who are you to judge what is good or bad for Eden
anyway? It's not like you've made some real stellar choices when it came to picking out your own husband."

"Amelia," Miles tried to say.

"No, let me finish. You made some rotten choices and now you're taking it out on Eden. You cannot possibly be a good judge of who is 'good' and
'right' for her, especially once you consider your own choices. Quit being a jealous bitch and learn to live with it."
"Miles, perhaps you will listen to reason. I only want what's best for my daughter. His...maleness is oppressive and it's clouding my daughter's
judgment, which is rather suspect anyway seeing as it is quite obvious that she enjoys having gentlemen callers. I know that you can't understand
completely, what with Rose 'marrying' a woman and all, but I am trying to be a good mother and--"
Amelia's voice was menacing as she interrupted with, "What does Rose being with Jill have anything to do with it?"
"I only said that--"

"Mare, you might want to think about what your next words are going to be," Miles warned as he watched his wife's face.

"—I'm trying to be a good mother," Mary said anyway.
"You are unbelievable," Amelia said. "You know what? Fuck you, Mary. I never really liked you all that much anyway. So yeah. Fuck you in your
fucking ear. I think it's time for us to go, Miles. Far be it for us 'bad' parents to sit in Mary's blinding 'awesomeness.'"
"I was only saying--"

"We know what you were saying," Miles said. "I just can't believe that you actually said it."

"Well, I didn't mean it like that. I think you might have misunderstood. Let's not be ridiculous here."

Miles shook his head. "You had to say something about my daughter, didn't you? You really don't have any sense, do you?"
"More, Mommy, more!" the delighted toddler shrieked as Jill dangled him upside down.
Eden watched as her cousin's wife played with Ashton. "So... he's genetically yours then?" she asked.

"Yep," Rose answered simply.

"Like... you gave birth to him?"

"Yep."

"When?"

"Yesterday."

"I..see."

"Yeah. Good to have relations in high places. Makes my grandfather's embarrassing Pants Embargo almost worth it."
"Rose was a total champ through it," Jill said proudly as she looked at Ashton. "It was only a little bit of screaming and then he was born."

"Drop, Mommy, drop!" he demanded. Jill pretended to 'drop' him and 'caught' him in time, which made him laugh even more.
Eden blinked. "I will have to say," she started slowly, "that I'm very happy for you. But I will also admit to being more than just a little bit jealous."
"Hey!" Rose said with feigned indignation. "I'll have you know that it was the longest half hour of my life! I almost threw up!" Rhys snorted loudly in
the background. "Silence from the peanut gallery please," she called over her shoulder.

"I didn't say anything, Rose. I'm just over here minding my own business," he said.
Before Rose could retort, Amelia stalked in with Miles in tow. "Let's get going guys. We need to leave. Right now. And we're never coming back!"
she said over her shoulder to Miles, who sighed.

Rose and Jill didn't bother protesting when they saw the look on her face.
"But you guys just got here," Eden said.

"I'm sure Amelia is exaggerating when she says that they are never coming back, Eden," Mary said from behind. "But if our guests would like to
leave, then a good hostess knows when to graciously say goodbye and not prolong their departure."
Eden sighed heavily. What her mother said didn't even make sense. A good hostess knows when not to piss off their guests, too, she thought to
herself.

"I'm sorry, Eden," Miles said to his niece. "When you're up for it, you and Rhys can come on over to our house so we can meet the new babies.
Does that sound like a deal? It's just..well, you'll understand when you have your own kids."

"Miles, this is perfectly ridiculous," Mary said.

"No, Uncle Miles, I think I understand perfectly right now," Eden said with a small shake of her head.

***
At the end of her pregnancy, Eden found herself laying on the couch both uncomfortable and somewhat irritable. "They're late. I'm going to be
pregnant forever," she glumly declared.

"No you're not."

"My boobs are huge."

"Yeah, they are."

"I'm going to be sick and tired forever. I'm going be putting on makeup to hide the dark circles under my eyes until I'm eighty."

"No you won't."

"Why won't they come? Do they hate me? Is that why? Don't they want to come out and meet me?"
"Believe me, Eden, I totally felt the same way," Karen said.

"You did?"

"Oh yeah. I hated being pregnant, especially at the end. I thought Emily was going to tear through my stomach feet first, taking my lungs and
spleen with her. At the end it's just a waiting game. But, you know, there is a natural and rather enjoyable way to induce labor."

"There is?"

"Yep. I mean, it might not work, but believe me, you can't blame a girl for trying again and again. And again. Right Johnny?"
Johnny shifted uncomfortably and ran a hand thorough his hair. "Um, Rhys? Maybe we should go to another room and let the girls have their girl
talk." His face had a slight blush to it.

Rhys, however, looked as if Karen had made the most profound statement he had ever heard. "No, no, wait. I like where she's going with this. Ede,
babe, seriously, you know I'd be more than willing to help out in any way I possibly can. Just say the word and I'll escort these two out and--" and
then he remembered that the doctor still had Eden on full pelvic rest. He cleared his throat and turned to Johnny. "So, you want to go shoot some
pool?"

Johnny, who had grown increasingly more embarrassed, nodded gratefully and the two of them left the room.
Karen rolled her eyes and shook her head. "He's such a prude sometimes," she said.
Eden struggled to sit up. "How are things going with that, anyway?" she asked, completely willing to forget about her own issues for the moment.
Karen herself sat up and was quiet for a moment. "Okay, I guess," she said. "He's alright. We're friends and stuff and it's not like we sleep in
separate rooms, if you know what I mean." She looked at her sleeping daughter. "He's really good with Em. Heck, he's a good man all around.
He's just... boring. He's not Thaddeus, but that's probably a good thing." She lightly tickled the baby's toes.
"Then why did you marry him?" Eden asked. "Especially since you're not happy with him."

Karen shrugged. "It's not that I'm unhappy with him. Besides, it was kind of flattering to have someone want to marry me and do right by me."

Eden nodded and then asked quietly, "Do you like being a mom? Is it worth it? I.." she sighed. "I'm afraid," she blurted out. "I'm scared that I won't
like my kids and that they won't like me."

Karen gave her a speculative look. "Well..." she said slowly, "you like Rhys, right?"

"Very much so, yes."

"Kids are like little extensions of their parents. At least I think so. If you like the other parent then you can't help but like the kid. Don't get me
wrong, babies are a pain in the ass, but they're kind of neat at the same time."
She picked up Emily. "Is it worth it though?" she asked herself. Then a soft smile came over her face as the baby smiled at her. "Yeah, I think so. It's
like...you fall in love with them. I wouldn't worry about it, though. You're a much nicer person than I am and I'm getting all blubbery over this little
poop machine."
"Of course I don't know why you're asking me. I kind of have a fucked up sense of what's good and bad, in case you didn't already know that." The
rocked the baby and rubbed her back for a moment. "Maybe I'm being too hard on Johnny. I mean, he's a nice guy, a good dad, and even a good
husband, I suppose. It's not like he was some creep who knocked me up and bolted out of the picture as soon as he heard I was pregnant, you
know?"
The Devereaux Legacy:  Chapter Five - Part 6
"Tina?" Goopy said, confused and only partially cognizant of his surroundings. "What the hell are you doing here? I told you to stay away from this
house in case my wife found out. I don't want to lose the sweet deal I got going here."
"Eden, who is he talking to?" Karen asked her friend as Eden stood up and faced her father.

"Daddy, this is my friend Karen. She--"

"Oh hell no!" Goopy shouted.
His shout had alerted the other people in the house. Mary ran over to stop him, but not before he stomped over and began shouting at the blond
woman. "Are you trying to say that's my kid? I knew you were a lying little tramp. You're not getting any money from me. I have my own whining
daughter that I'm being forced to live with, I don't need to take care of some bastard child that very obviously isn't mine. The Goopster doesn't do
kids!"
Johnny's mouth dropped open as he heard Goopy's words. He looked at Eden and Karen's faces and for the first time noticed the similarities.
"Wait a minute--"

"Don't you dare," Rhys warned.

"But..but that means...wait, you know?"

"I just figured it out, but I'll be goddamned if I'm going to let you jeopardize the health of my wife and children because Goopy couldn't keep it in
his pants twenty years ago. This is not the time for those types of revelations. Don't. You. Dare!"

"But Karen--"

"Talk about it with her when you get home. Not. Here. I mean it."
Karen glared at Goopy. "Well no shit," she said sarcastically, "you could have fooled me about the baby not being yours. I know it's not yours, you
weirdo. And I don't appreciate the word 'tramp' being thrown around at me or anywhere near my general direction."
A complacent smile spread across Goopy's face when he saw Mary. "Hey grilled cheese lady. Can you make me a sandwich?"

Mary ignored him for the moment as she glared at Karen. "You should leave. Now. And it would be best if you never came back."
Karen deliberately took on a cheerful tone as she played with her baby. "Well that's okay, because we were going to leave anyway, weren't we,
Emily? Yes we were. We don't want to stick around and have to deal with crazy people, do we? No we don't!" She winced. "Sorry, Eden, I didn't
mean it--"

"No, it's okay," Eden said sadly.

"Well, then how about we go get Daddy and leave. Won't that be nice? Hey, Johnny," Karen called over to her husband, "are we ready to blow this
joint?"
Johnny gave Rhys one last look, which the other man returned blandly. He nodded and said, "Yeah, let's get going."
"Come, Goopy, I shall make you your sandwich," Mary said, walking out of the room.

"Yay!" Goopy clapped cheerfully.

Eden turned her back on the entire scene, slowly and sadly shaking her her head.
"Eden?" Rhys asked as he tried to look at her. She refused to make eye contact with him. She swallowed a couple of times and bit her lips. "Ede,"
he tried again. She just slowly shook her head and tried to walk away.
She made it half a step before she burst into tears. She knew that her father had an affair, but she hated it being thrust in her face in such an
obvious manner.

Rhys, for his part, wasn't sure if she herself had put two and two together, so he didn't know exactly what she was crying over. He awkwardly put
his around her and stroked her shoulder.

"Why can't they just be normal? Just once!" she sobbed.

He sighed and, for once, didn't have a response for her. Instead he just continued to rub her shoulder.

***
Later that night, Rhys and Eden were in their bedroom talking, though Eden didn't want to talk about what had happened with Goopy. She was,
however, amenable to talking about Karen's suggestion to induce labor.

"Please?" she said as he gently pulled her into his lap. He sighed even as he laughed slightly.

"I can't believe that I'm saying this, but no. We can't. It's just a little bit longer and then I promise that I will rock your world. But for the sake of the
babies--"

"I've been pregnant forever. I've been sick forever. We haven't 'hooed in forever. The babies are never going to come and I'm going to be stuck as
a crazy pregnant lady for the rest of my life!" Tears of frustration sprung up and she gave him a pleading look. "You're laughing at me!" she cried
when she saw him smile. "It's not funny!" She ungracefully wiggled out of his lap and attempted to stomp away in an uncharacteristic huff, but it
was marred by her undignified pregnant waddle.

"Ede, it's not that I'm not tempted. It's really, really not." He ran his hand through his hair, frustrated. "Maybe--" her sudden gasp cut him off.
"Rhys," she panted, "I think..I think this is it. I think I'm in labor. Oh my God, I think the babies are coming."

"They're coming? Right now? Oh my God, and I almost did it! I was just about to say that we should 'hoo to induce labor. Oh my God! We
would have been in the middle of--"

"You're thinking about sex? Right now? At a time like this?!" she screamed.

"You just were not two seconds before!" he yelled back.

"Well I'm not thinking about it now! I'm never thinking about it again! Oh my God, it HURTS!"
"What on earth is all the screaming about in here?" Mary asked. She walked in without even bothering to knock; there was no music playing, which
was the understood, though not liked, sign to stay out. When she saw Eden panting and clutching her stomach, she sighed. "Eden, dear, there is no
reason for you to carry on like that. It isn't that painful. As a matter of fact, when I gave birth to you, I did it alone and quietly because I was a bit
more considerate of the other people in this household trying to sleep." She pursed her lips slightly, but inside she felt strange.
"Shut up, Mother!" Eden screamed. "I don't care how you did it! I'm not you! I'm in pain! It hurts! Leave me alone!"
Mary just shook her head as she watched the birth of her first grandchild. When she saw it, she plastered on what she hoped was a non-committal,
yet pleasant, expression. Red hair. The baby had red hair. And while that bothered her, there was something that bothered her even more: she
wasn't happy about having a grandchild. There was nothing. Keeping her face composed she said, "And what is the name of the child?"
Making it look like he wasn't answering Mary directly, Rhys said, "Hello there, Erin. Your mother and I have been waiting for a very long time to
meet you."

"Um, hello? I'm not done yet," Eden said.

"And here comes your sister," Rhys said to Erin.
And then it was done, and Eden held the second baby in her arms. A grin spread across Rhys' face as he saw the red hair on the second child.
Mary, on the other hand, glared, before composing her features again.

"You did great, babe," Rhys said. Eden just nodded, dumbfounded, yet relieved that the entire ordeal was over.
Rhys walked over to Mary and held up the baby. "Here's one of your new grandchildren, my daughter, Erin," he said with a proud smile.

Mary forced her own smile as she looked at the baby who also had Rhys' brown eyes. "Well, seeing as she's the first born, she is the new heiress to
this family," she said with feigned cheerfulness. She couldn't help but be dismayed, though. The baby that her daughter's husband was handing her
was very clearly his. The chances were very slim that he would leave now. And while that bothered her, she was even more bothered that she still
wasn't happy to have not just one new grandchild, but two. "I would like to hold her," she said, and without any sort of fuss, Rhys handed her the
baby.
He promptly turned to the other baby. "Well hello there, Elizabeth," he said.

"Rhys," Eden began to say, but he kept talking to the baby.

"And who has such awesome..." he trailed off and hid a smile. "Who has her mother's pretty blue eyes?"

"Rhys," Eden said again, firmly. He looked at her and she grinned. "Your son, Quinn, might not appreciate you calling him Elizabeth."

He blinked, startled. "But..but I...I have. A boy? I have another son?" His grin nearly split his face in two. "That..that's awesome. I have another
son. Hello, Quinn. I'm very sorry for calling you Elizabeth. I hope you'll find it in your heart to forgive me."
Mary watched as the two of them smiled at each other, completely oblivious to her presence in the room. Jealousy filled her. Goopy had barely
been home during her pregnancy, but Rhys had rarely left Eden's side. Goopy wasn't home when Eden was born, but Rhys was there, smiling,
actually happy that he had not just one child but two. He was proud. Why couldn't she have had a husband like that? Where had she gone
wrong? It wasn't fair. Why did Eden have it so easy?

"As thrilled as I am sure you are about the new arrivals, they really need to be put in their cribs. It wouldn't do for them to catch a cold because
their parents are neglectful," she said. She winced inwardly. It wasn't exactly what she wanted to say, but the biting words just came out.
"Give me my daughter," Rhys said. "I'll make sure she's taken care of."

Mary pasted on another smile. "Oh, of course you'll take care of her. You have absolutely everything planned, don't you? Well, I should go and
make sure that Eden's father wasn't rudely woken up by the ruckus their births caused. Do make sure that they are placed on their backs. Oh,
wait, I'm sure you already know that. You just seem to know everything." Without even bothering to look at the smirk she was positive he had, she
turned on her heel and left the room.
She paced around in the hallway for a moment, unable to decide where to go or what she should do. She felt tears prick the corners of her eyes
and she ran into the bathroom.
She sobbed as quietly as she could. "It's not fair," she said out loud.

"Heya, Dollface, relax. It's only some fish," Goopy said as he flushed the fish down the toilet.
In the bedroom, Rhys and Eden were silently rocking their new children. After a while, a slow grin spread across his face. "Ahem. Force of will.
Red hair. That is all." It was hard to miss the smugness in his voice.

Eden laughed in spite of herself. "Thank you for not gloating about it in front of my mother. That had to have been a remarkable amount of
restraint used."

"Oh, I didn't have to say anything. She knew."

Quinn started crying and in a panic, Eden didn't know what to do. Rhys smiled. "Here, I'll take him. He probably needs to be changed." He deftly
handed Erin over and took Quinn into his arms.
He took Quinn into the bathroom and gave him a small bath before putting him into a clean diaper. As he gently rinsed off the baby's head he
smiled down at his newborn son. "Hey little guy," he said tenderly, "how are doing? It certainly took a lot of work to bring you and your sister here."
As much guilt as he had over feeding Eden the cheesecake and making her sicker than she already had been, he was fiercely glad that he had done
it, especially since it resulted in a son; only one of three that he was aware of in the Multi-Verse.

"Are you going to be like me when you grow up?" he asked the smiling baby. His face turned serious and he slightly shook his head. "Nah, you
don't want to be like me, okay? Is that a deal?"
"What took you so long?" Eden asked when Rhys handed the baby to her. "Was he really that messy?"

"Nope. Quinn and I were just having a little man to man, father to son talk. And he seemed to be in agreement with me."

"Oh? What about?"

"That being our kid is pretty awesome," he grinned back. "I'm sure Erin will be on board with that sentiment as well."
She smiled as she placed her second child into his crib. I really hope they think so, she thought to herself. I might not be perfect, but I'm going to
try and be a good mother.

"Hey, Ede," Rhys said from behind.
She turned around and smiled as he slowly strutted towards her.
Before she could say anything, he wrapped his arms around her tightly and gave her a long, hard kiss.
She sighed happily when he was done. She looked into his eyes for a moment and then asked, "What was that for?"

He arched an eyebrow at her. "Do I need a reason to kiss you now?" he teased.

She shook her head. "No, of course not." She paused and then said, "Rhys, you know that I–"

"Yeah, I do," he interrupted. "I've always known."

"Okay, good," she said as he leaned in and kissed her again.

***
The Devereaux Legacy:  Chapter Five - Part 6
The Devereaux Legacy:  Chapter Five - Part 6
The Devereaux Legacy:  Chapter Five - Part 6
The Devereaux Legacy:  Chapter Five - Part 6
"So, have you got a plan? I know it's sooner than you were told, but you shouldn't have been placed here anyway."

"If we are to be partners, then you ought to know that I always have a plan."
"Did you plan for this?"

"It was not unexpected."
"Well your enthusiasm was mind blowing to say the least. I didn't know that it was possible to do such things on a single bed."

"Your satisfaction has been... noted."
"I knew you would go along with the idea of a partnership. That's why I gave you that key."

"Indeed. It will be very useful."
Thaddeus chuckled as he looked at the naked woman standing in front of him. "God damn," he said, "they don't make you Devereauxs ugly, do
they?"
Lillian smirked. "Of course not. My grandfather called it genetic perfection. Now, you ask far too many questions. It is time for you to answer. Tell
me of my son."
Thaddeus sat up with a feral grin. "Did you know that he was married?"
"Oh is he now? Tell me: is he happy?"

"Yeah, he is. I didn't think his happiness would matter to you, though."
Lillian straddled his hips with a smile. "Ah, but you see, you are wrong. His happiness means a great deal to me."

"Why?"

"Because I like crushing him when he is at his happiest. It is my specialty."

Thaddeus laughed. "Ah, Lillian, if I had a heart, I think I would fall in love with you."
She smirked again. "Of course you would. Now, you will pleasure me again, and then you will tell me more of my son, his wife, and their life
together..."

***

* cough * And that, folks, is a good place to end Chapter Five.
And now for the huge list of credits. Thank you to the following people for letting me borrow their Sims and Simselves!

Smoothiequeen (Fitzhugh Legacy, Villainous Apocalypse): Rhys Fitzhugh, Spencer Fitzhugh, and your Simself. ALSO, thank you for drawing those pictures for me,
especially the one of you and Rhys :)

Fireflower314 (Morgan Legacy): Vaughn Fitzhugh and your Simself.

Professor Butters (Squeaky Clean Legacy): Max Goodytwoshoes, Achilles Goodytwoshoes.

Dicreasy (The Victorian Legacy): Anthony Smith, Alexandra Smith, and <3Stanley Legacy<3

DrSupremeNerd (The Vetinari Dualegacy): Archie Vetinari, Cassidy Vetinari.

Blight27 (The Ten Caesars Legacy): Cassius Marius

Candi020765 (The Uglacy Family, The Chili Catastrophe): Gage Uglacy

Orikes (The Pseudo Legacy): For providing me with the original pictures of Eden and Archie from your game :)

Everyone: For reading and commenting! Until next time, Happy Simming!

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The Devereaux Legacy: Chapter Five - Part 6

  • 2. Welcome back to my story! It's been forever since I had a real update! New computer, NaNoWriMo, the holidays. A lot has happened in real life. But enough about me! A lot has happened in the Devereaux Legacy and that's way more important and cool, and I'm not being sarcastic about that. Let's see: Vaughn and Laurana got married. They're still in Veronaville at the moment. Johnny Smith and Karen got married due to the fact that Karen became pregnant unexpectedly. Zane and Tina got married, which makes him happy, me happy, and some of my readers happy. Okay, one reader, but still, Zane's happy, and that's what matters here. But, best of all, Eden, my fifth generation heiress, got married to one of my imports who is growing to be my favorite, Rhys Fitzhugh. He's my favorite and Eden's favorite. However, Mary, Eden's mother, is so totally not a fan. The interlude left off with an ominous prophecy (given to Rhys and Eden by the Wise Old Man in Takemizu) and the revelation that Eden is pregnant. Generation Six is on its way! * throws confetti * I'd like to apologize in advance for the varying qualities of the pictures. Different screen cap programs were used throughout because my new computer refuses to cooperate with the program my old computer used. Anyway, on with the show! ***
  • 3. It was late at night and everyone else in the house was asleep when Rhys brought Eden down to the kitchen to 'show her something.' He wouldn't tell her what it was, only that it was a secret. After he made sure that she was settled comfortably on one of the stools, he began rummaging through the cupboards. Eden cocked her head to the side as she watched Rhys gather ingredients and a mixing bowl. "Are you doing what I think you're doing?" she asked. "Are you really going to make cheesecake despite the fact that it's against the law?"
  • 4. Rhys tried not to smile as he started throwing ingredients together. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said casually. "By the way, did I mention that Vaughn called me earlier? It turns out that Laurana is pregnant with twins. Natural twins." "Oh really?" "Yep. Of course, he was mortified when I mentioned that the 'Fitzhugh Virility' was in his genetic makeup and that I hoped that he'd throw me at least one red headed grandchild. But he did have to agree with me when I said that having kids can be pretty awesome. Note the plural." "And so, not to be outdone by your son, you're going to make sure that you also have a set of twins," she said, amused. "I don't have to make sure of anything. 'Fitzhugh Virility' and all that."
  • 5. He paused in his mixing at looked at her. "On a completely unrelated topic, you like strawberries, right? Say, like on top of a cake or something along those lines." He was unsuccessful in hiding his smile.
  • 6. Eden was torn between wanting to laugh along with him and worrying about him breaking the law, despite the fact that she agreed that the law was rather stupid to begin with. Her conscience won out. "Rhys, no. I cannot, in good conscience, let you do this. It's against the law and you'll get into trouble if anyone finds out. My mother would absolutely love to have her suspicions of you confirmed!"
  • 7. He was silent for a moment as he continued mixing. "I'm not making cheesecake," he finally said. "I'm making 'Rhyscake.' Not to be confused with 'Beefcake,' of which I totally am, by the way. Anyway, cheesecake and Rhyscake are completely different. Oh, sure, Rhyscake and cheesecake might have similar qualities and side effects, but the difference is that Rhyscake is not illegal. Oh, and Rhyscake needs to be topped with super special sonic strawberries. Who deserves an 'A' for their awesome alliteration? Why, that would be me! So, yeah, super special sonic strawberries are an absolute must because they add red to the hair. You know, if the recipient just so happens to be pregnant and all that." "Rhys..." "Ede, look," he said quietly. "I actually like kids and I think it sucks that each family is only allowed one pregnancy. I want to have more than one kid and having twins is more bang for my buck, no pun intended for once because you are worth way more than a dollar. I look at it this way: the real crime would be for us to only have one child." He nodded firmly as he tapped the spoon on the rim of the mixing bowl. He looked up at her and smiled. "The best part about Rhyscake is that it's the no bake type, so it'll be ready shortly."
  • 8. In a few moments, he had spread the filling onto the crust and topped the dessert with strawberries. Then he cut two liberal slices and placed them on the breakfast bar. "Oh, and don't worry about spilling or anything like that," he said with a smile as he sat down next to her. "Pregnant women get to be messy when they eat. It's like a law or something that I read somewhere." Eden just gave him a look as she watched him fork some of the cake into his mouth. "You aren't pregnant too, are you?" she asked. He nearly choked. "Oh God no! Perish the thought! Besides, how would I be able to get pregnant? Procreate with myself? Pfft. Yeah, because that's not creepy. The only other way would be alien abduction and I don't know if you know this, but telescopes are illegal, my dear." "So is cheesecake." "Rhyscake. I don't see any cheesecake here." "Mmhmm. So 'Rhyscake' won't give me twins? Instead I'll have twins due to the 'Fitzhugh Virility'?"
  • 9. "Exactly. Rhyscake is merely an insurance policy, particularly the super special sonic strawberries. Because, you know, red heads. There is one downside to it, though." "Oh? And what would that be?" "Well, all of the Rhyscake needs to be consumed in one sitting. Can't let the secret recipe get out." Eden began to panic slightly. She was very hungry, starving actually, but at the same time the thought of eating made her stomach turn. She looked at the slice of cake in front of her and then back at Rhys. "Rhys, I..." she trailed off and swallowed.
  • 10. He gently took her hand and held it. "I'm only teasing," he said. "Just one bite should do the trick." She smiled at him wanly. He wanted it so bad that he was going a bit overboard with the sell. But at the same time, she couldn't resist giving him what he wanted. She was usually faced with that problem when dealing with him. She looked at him silently for a moment. He gave her a winning smile. She then laughed slightly. "Just one bite?" "Just one bite." She looked at him for another moment before picking up the fork and taking a single bite of 'Rhyscake.' She was pleased that she had managed not to drip any of it on her shirt.
  • 11. When they were done, Rhys grabbed the rest of the dessert and threw it into the garbage. He then grabbed the garbage bag to take it out. "Good thing it's garbage pick up tomorrow," he said over his shoulder. Eden managed a small smile as he walked out the door.
  • 12. When she was sure he couldn't see her, she quietly gagged. She was having a hard time keeping even the one mouthful of cake down. She took a few deep breaths between gritted teeth until her stomach manged to settle down temporarily.
  • 13. In addition to constantly being on the verge of throwing up, Eden had been feeling more and more exhausted. The exhaustion led to a severe decline in her sex life with Rhys. On top of the guilty feeling she had about that, she missed the intimacy and uninhibited feeling that came with it. The fact that Rhys seemed to understand and and appeared to be perfectly content to cuddle just made her guilt even worse. She tried hard not to show it, but the stress of everything weighed heavily on her mind.
  • 15. Why don't I just say it? He needs to know. I should tell him.
  • 16. My life is on such a display. Our lives are open to criticism. Everything I say and do is open to ridicule.
  • 17. I need to tell him. What if he leaves?
  • 18. How could you think of exposing yourself? But I'm already on display. What more can I possibly give? What more is there to show? I'm not perfect.
  • 19. I'm pregnant? I'm not fit to be a mother. I'm not perfect. I don't want to be perfect.
  • 20. I can't be perfect. I have to find him. I have to tell him. I don't want to be alone.
  • 22. I have to find him. I have to tell him. I can't find him. I have to find him. I have to tell him. I can't find him.
  • 23. I should have told him. Why didn't I tell him?
  • 24. Now I'm alone again. I should have told him.
  • 25. Rhys sat up, still half asleep, and switched on the light by his bedside. Since he started dating Eden and spending nights with her, he had managed to tune out the sound of her grinding teeth; something that had gotten progressively worse since they had gotten married. Crying, on the other hand, was something entirely different and new.
  • 26. He glanced over to the other side of the bed and saw that Eden had tossed off her covers and was laying on her side, clutching her stomach, and crying softly. His sleepy confusion changed to wide awake alarm. "Ede? Eden? Are you okay? Eden, wake up."
  • 27. Her eyes were still closed when she reached for him and wrapped her arm around him. "Rhys, we were having sex and everyone was watching, and then you were gone and my mother was there yelling at me and I'm not perfect, Rhys. I'm not perfect. You were gone and I was naked in front of everyone and then there was an apocalypse and I was pregnant and I couldn't find you. I looked and looked and you were gone and I couldn't find you," she sobbed, the words tumbling out in a nearly incoherent manner. He released the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. "It was only a dream, Eden. And no sane person expects you to be perfect." "I can't find you. You're gone and now it's too late. I should have told you, but now you're gone," she continued, still partially in her nightmare. "I'm not gone. I'm right here. What did you want to tell me?" "I should have told you that I loved you. But now it's too late. You're gone and I can't find you. I should have told you."
  • 28. He stiffened slightly at her mention of 'love' and for a wild moment he thought she was faking the entire thing and trying to manipulate him into saying it back. He opened his mouth to say something, he didn't know what, but he stopped himself. Manipulative wasn't exactly a word he would have associated with her. He thought about her babbled words and he could pinpoint what a lot of the sources for her dream came from. He relaxed. He decided that she was being genuine and that it really was a bad dream. And part of that dream was about some worry that he didn't know that she loved him. He sighed and stroked her hair, though it appeared that she had fallen back to sleep. "I know you do, Ede. Don't worry about it. I know," he said quietly. ***
  • 29. Eden's pregnancy went from bad to worse within the next week. She not only threw up in the mornings, but in the afternoons and evening as well, especially after eating or drinking even the littlest amount. She tried to hide it as much as possible. She hid it from Rhys because she was embarrassed, and hid it from her mother because Mary would make some little comment about how unattractive sick people were.
  • 30. All of it was starting to take its toll on her. You actually look better than you feel, Ede, she thought to herself, and that's not saying a whole lot. The second part of that thought was in a highly critical tone which sounded suspiciously like her mother. The worst part of being pregnant, she thought, were the raging hormones that messed with how she thought about everything. All of her minor insecurities she tried to hide from herself, and from others, were being magnified and then multiplied with brand new insecurities: worries about what kind of mother she would be, how good of a wife she was, the newspapers catching every single awkward photo of her pregnancy, and a general tension brought on by her mother and husband fighting with each other.
  • 31. She stared at her reflection glumly and unconsciously wrapped her arms around herself. All her life she had managed to build a pretty wall around herself and she tried not to let anyone get through. She attempted to maintain the image of perfection that her mother had instilled in her since she was a small child. She was always nice, always polite, always cordial, and always friendly. But even when she was dating, she had maintained a certain amount of distance to the point where everything seemed almost as fake as the nails the manicurists forced upon her for high profile social functions. And then Rhys came along and inexplicably blew through those walls, making himself at home as a permanent fixture in her life. She loved him desperately, which she hadn't thought she was capable of, but the heightened emotional senses that her pregnancy gave her made her feel rather vulnerable. Get a grip, she thought to herself. You can't possibly be the first woman to love her husband and you're most certainly not the first woman to be pregnant. You're just really sick and really tired. Just go back to bed and sleep it off. Mary's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Eden. Come down here right now." Her tone made Eden sigh wearily.
  • 32. "Why are you not dressed yet?" Mary asked angrily. Eden's brow creased slightly and then she shrugged. "Because I'm going back to bed. I don't feel well." Mary pursed her lips "Well I'm afraid that will not be happening. You see, because of your actions, we have to have an emergency press conference to do damage control." "Damage control? Press conference? What are you talking about?"
  • 33. Mary grabbed the newspaper off the table and thrust it in Eden's face. "This. This is what I'm talking about. Did I not tell you that I don't care any longer what you do so long as you did not get caught? Are you trying to ruin everything that we've done to make people like this family? Are you trying to sabotage everything? Must you be so much like your father?" Her voice became more and more shrill as she spoke. Eyes wide, and feeling a bit faint, Eden took the newspaper and read it.
  • 35. When she was done, Mary yanked the paper from her hands and threw it back on the table. Eden crossed her arms in front of herself. "Mother, you have to believe me. I have never been to Terra Lostundo. I have never even heard of the place. Besides, when would I have had the time to do that?" she tried to plead. "You're going to be fired, Eden! You are a disgrace! You did this on purpose and I don't like the person you've become since you married that man. Did he put you up to this? Did he? Don't you realize that once you are no longer considered 'special' that he will leave? I don't care if he does, but I do not want him taking your reputation with him!" "Mother, please," Eden's voice cracked and she began to feel even more faint. "Rhys had nothing to do with it. I swear. He wouldn't do that. I know he wouldn't. But, please, can we talk about this later? I am not feeling well and I have to go back to bed. Please?" "You don't know anything other than what he tells you. I suppose you are going to claim that your child is his, aren't you?" "It is," Eden whispered.
  • 36. All too coincidentally, Rhys chose that moment to enter the room. "Good morning. Have either of you seen the newspaper?" he casually asked. His face was smooth as he looked at Eden's defensive posture and he plainly ignored Mary's glare. "Ah. Never mind. I see it." He walked over to the table and picked it up.
  • 37. He whistled through his teeth as he looked at the pictures. "That is a very nice underwear set, babe. You wouldn't happen to own it here, would you?" When he was done, he folded the paper up and tossed it back on the table. "So when did the Pleasantview Bugle officially become a gossip rag? Meh, whatever. I still prefer the Magic Box." "Rhys," Eden said quietly, "I have never been to Terra Lostundo. I--" "Oh, I know that. Though I am trying to place why it sounds so familiar..."
  • 38. He snapped his fingers when it clicked. "Oh, that's right! Hey babe, what do you think the chances are of your echo busting my echo out of jail there? Or maybe bailing him out at the very least? I'm sure all it would take is her smiling and batting those gorgeous blue eyes at the guards. My echo would definitely make it worth her while if you know what I mean," he said with a smarmy grin.
  • 39. Mary sniffed disdainfully and gave him a cool look. "Why does it not surprise me that you're in jail, Mr. Fitzhugh?" she asked. "Mother," Eden said weakly behind her. "Hush, Eden," Mary said.
  • 40. Rhys crossed his arms, matching Mary's stance. "I'm not in jail, dear mother-in-law of mine. I'm standing here before you, oh so enjoying a pleasant morning conversation. I happen to have an echo in jail, but that shouldn't matter here, much like it shouldn't matter what an echo of Eden did somewhere else in the Multi-Verse. It's what happens here that matters, and Eden happens to be fantastic. Oh, and I'm pretty great as well, if I do say so myself."
  • 41. "Well, be that as it may, I do so hope that you will understand when I request a paternity test done upon the child Eden is carrying. If the child isn't yours, then I will... reluctantly... have to ask you to leave. The child will have issues enough without the added confusion of a man present who isn't the child's father, don't you agree?" "Rhys..." Eden whispered desperately.
  • 42. A look of cold anger settled on his face. "The kids are going to look like me. They're going to have my hair. They're going to have my nose. And every time you look at them you are going to see my face looking back at you. It's going to eat you up inside everyday, especially when you see how happy they are going to be. I will make it my personal goal that they will be the most awesome children this family has ever seen. And they will be, because I said so. And I can't wait to see the look on your face when that happens."
  • 43. Anything more that he might have said got cut off by the sound of Eden's body hitting the hardwood floor.
  • 44. "Oh my God!" Rhys said, panicked, as he rushed over and knelt next to Eden. "Ede. Eden. Oh my God, Edie, wake up." Mary, still irritated by the newspaper article and her confrontation with Rhys blurted out, "Tsk. It's just one problem after another!" "Oh, for fuck's sake!"
  • 45. He picked Eden up and cradled her. "Call her doctor you horrible, atrocious excuse for a mother!" he said as he rushed his wife upstairs to the bedroom. ***
  • 46. Fortunately Eden's doctor, Max Goodytwoshoes, who was the best money could buy, was well versed in the meaning of discretion and was able to make house calls.
  • 47. The prognosis was not good.
  • 48. Eden woke up later that night feeling groggy and disoriented, though on the upside, she wasn't nearly as nauseous as she had been for the past few days. "God, have I been asleep all day?" she muttered to herself. She jumped slightly when Rhys' voice answered. "Yeah, you have been."
  • 49. She looked over and saw him sitting stiffly on the other side of the bed, his back to her. "How long have you been there?" she asked. His shoulder lifted in a slight shrug. "I don't know. A while, I guess. It's been a long day."
  • 50. The tone of his voice bothered her, especially since he wouldn't look at her. "What happened?" "You passed out, so your doctor was called. He hooked you up to an IV to rehydrate you. You're malnourished, dehydrated, and you're showing signs of hypertension which is most likely caused by stress. The amount of throwing up you've been doing might also be a sign of Hypermesis Gravidarum, but he wants to run some more tests to make sure. He assured us that he can come back here because he doesn't want your body to suffer from any more 'undo stress' you see."
  • 51. She sat up with a sigh. "I'm sure my mother is thrilled." Eden, you can't even do pregnancy right, that critical voice inside her head chided. She shoved it down. "No, she's not. And, naturally, she blames me." She almost scoffed, but his tone made her stop. "Rhys, my mother blames you because we have crazy, awesome sex and we have the audacity to enjoy it. But all that other stuff, the health issues, that's all me and my body. You have nothing to do with it."
  • 52. It took him a long moment to respond. "Actually," he said after he cleared his throat, "there's more. You see, while it's too early in the pregnancy to hear a baby's heartbeat with just a stethoscope, he took a blood sample from you and he called back with the results. The hCG count is abnormally high for a single pregnancy, so he's inclined to believe that you're pregnant with twins. Of course, he wants to do an ultra sound to make sure. Anyway, twins are automatically considered 'high risk pregnancies' and combined with the other health issues he..he, uh...he said that you need to be on bed rest if..if we want the babies to be carried to term."
  • 53. Eden exhaled slowly. "I see." They were both quiet for what seemed like an eternity. "So how does this work? Am I restricted to just the bed? How am I going to go to the bathroom?" she had finally asked to break the silence. "For now you're restricted to the bed with the exception of using the bathroom and shower. When he comes back next week he'll see if you and the babies are well enough for you to be able to do more," came that weird, monotone response. She nodded dully. "Well, I have to use the bathroom now. I..I guess if I need help, I'll call." "Okay," he whispered.
  • 54. Fortunately, she was able to use the washroom without incident. When she entered back into the bedroom, she saw that he hadn't moved. She was also able to get a good look at his face. His eyes were wide and it appeared as if he were staring at nothing. His hands were clenching and unclenching the blankets. That's when she realized why he had sounded so strange: he was scared. Scared for the babies, scared for her, and scared that she would blame him. She was scared, too. Terrified actually. But blaming him for something that couldn't be changed wouldn't help anything.
  • 55. "Rhys," she said as she straightened out the blankets, "I was feeling awful before I ate the cheesecake. I was barely eating or drinking anything because I don't like throwing up. The high blood pressure thing has probably been in existence for a while." She looked at him and saw that he had lifted his head slightly, but he didn't say anything. "What I'm trying to say is that I would probably be on bed rest if it was only one baby." When he still didn't respond she sighed. "So does bed rest mean that I don't get to sleep with my husband?" "It means full pelvic rest, too. No sex." "That really sucks, but..I wasn't talking about 'hooing. I was talking about cuddling in bed with you and feeling your arms around me when I go to sleep. Are we still able to do that?" "Yeah, I think that would be fine. Do you want to?" "Very much so."
  • 56. He gave what sounded almost like a relieved sigh and she was glad to see that he had at least a small smile on his face when he pulled her close. She desperately wanted to banish the pall that was hanging in the air so she teased him with, "So, no sex. How are you going to control those wild animal urges of yours?" She felt him relax slightly as he quirked an eyebrow. "Well, believe it or not, I do have some self control." And then he grinned. "At least during the daytime. I can't be held accountable for any nocturnal sleep humpings that might occur. Other than that, I should be fine. If I'm going to sulk about it, I'll make sure it's somewhere you won't see me do it." She began to giggle, which made him chuckle. After a moment, the two of them were laughing and talking about the best way to construct pillow barricades and blanket forts. She almost told him that she loved him right then and there. ***
  • 58. Nearly every single mother in the neighborhood understood what was said in between the lines and they sympathized with the fear and worry that Eden surely had.
  • 59. And so, nearly every single mother in the neighborhood visited Eden, providing her with gifts, company, and things for her to do while she was on bed rest.
  • 60. It wasn't only the women in the town who wanted to show their support for Eden, though they had enough good sense not to press the issue when they weren't allowed to see her.
  • 61. There was also one more person who decided to pay a special visit to Eden.
  • 62. However he did have to explain, he thought rather unnecessarily, that he was there strictly on a personal level, not a professional one.
  • 63. It wasn't the movies she starred in, the clothes she wore, nor the company she kept that made people actually like Eden. It was that she, for the first time, appeared to be accessible, normal, and imperfect. Just like everyone else. Even the tabloids jumped on the "Support Eden" bandwagon and made nice posts about her.
  • 66. Though some of the posts were just plain silly. ***
  • 67. "Who has red hair like her grandfather? Why, that would be you, Aravis!" Eden smiled at the small baby she was playing with.
  • 68. She carefully sat up and Laurana took the baby from her arms. "Rhys is going to be insufferable about having red headed children now that he has a red headed grandchild. Thanks for helping out there," she teased slightly. "No problem," Laurana said with a grin. "I think they'll have the fabled 'Nose' as well because they certainly don't have mine. No pressure or anything."
  • 69. "That's my niece," Ceres Marius, De and Cassius' daughter, stated. "She's my niece because Vaughn is my brother...right?" "Yep," Laurana said behind her as she cuddled Aravis. "That makes you my sister-in-law. But you want to know something else? Eden is Aravis and Fleetwood's step-grandmother." She grinned widely at Eden. "Thanks," Eden muttered.
  • 70. "Is that why you're sick?" Ceres asked. "Because you're old?" Eden gave the girl a level look. "No," she said, "it's because the babies I have inside of me are making me sick." "Are the babies inside you going to be related to me, too?" Eden had to think about it for a moment before she shook her head. "No. But they will be Vaughn's brothers or sisters." "But not mine?" "Nope. But they can be your friends, though, if you would like."
  • 71. "It's all very confusing!" Ceres said. "Tell me about it," Laurana and Eden said simultaneously.
  • 72. Shortly after Vaughn and Laurana returned from Veronaville, Laurana had given birth to a son and daughter, Aravis and Fleetwood. Because Eden was unable to go over to Laurana's house to meet the new babies, the new parents took it upon themselves to visit Eden and Rhys, bringing along most of Rhys' extended family and friends as well. Everyone made themselves at home as they had settled in for a long visit.
  • 73. For a brief moment, Rhys felt old as he rocked one of his new grandchildren. Grandfather before I'm a father in this 'verse, he thought wryly to himself. It dawned on him that because he married a legacy heir it meant he would eventually get old and die. That in itself wasn't a huge issue, he's died of old age before, but it was still rather disconcerting. He pushed the thought out of his mind and said to Vaughn, "You can thank me later for providing you with the awesome recessive red hair gene."
  • 74. "Oh my God, Dad, really. Don't you have anything better to think about than red hair and noses?" "Nope," Rhys responded cheerfully. "Well, that's not entirely true. I do think a lot about what the next Magic Box post will be and hope that they get my good side when they catch me in flagrante delicto with Eden." "Gah! You say things like that on purpose, don't you? You're trying to ruin me, aren't you? Why? What have I done to you?"
  • 75. "Vaughn, sweetie," De chimed in, "why are you so sensitive about these things? I know you didn't get that modesty from me or your father. You know what I think will help? Visiting the site everyday. You'll build an immunity to it. Nod nod." "De?" Rhys asked, "Did you actually say 'nod nod'?" She paused for a moment. "Oh my God, I did, didn't I?"
  • 76. "No!" Vaughn said firmly. "I'm never going to that site again. Every time I go there, I think to myself, 'What are the chances that something will traumatize me today?' It turns out that the chances are almost a hundred percent!" Rhys and De traded identical grins over their son's head. "And yet, you still go to it," Rhys teased. "Not anymore! I don't need to know these things!" "Okay sweetie," De said with feigned sympathy. "You don't have to visit the big, bad, scary site. It won't hurt you anymore." She and Rhys were unsuccessful in stifling their snickers. Vaughn heaved a large sigh. "Why? Just...why?" "You make it so easy," De said with a laugh.
  • 77. "Oh, speaking of that," Rhys gestured with his head towards the picture hanging on the wall behind him, "Cassius, I really would like to thank you for taking advantage of my wife's good nature by insisting...that...will make her feel better and that it should be hung up on the wall. Really. Words cannot express how...grateful...I am for it." The sarcasm in his voice was hard to miss.
  • 78. Cassius smirked. "Hey, no problem. Anything I can do to make Eden feel better. I do so like to be helpful." Spencer chuckled. "I don't know, Rhys. Were it me, I'd be far more thankful that Cassius isn't wearing his toga right now." "Yeah, your father has a point. Pants are so restricting, but my toga went missing when we moved here. If it wouldn't have, the boys would be completely unfettered. Just blowing in the breeze. I was a big fan of that 'Pants Embargo' and it was a shame that it didn't catch on." He grinned when he saw Rhys shudder.
  • 79. Rhys' smile instantly evaporated when Mary entered the room.
  • 80. Nobody else had seen Mary though, as they were still caught up in their conversation. Unfortunately it was at that moment that Spencer asked, "So, are togas really that nice?" "Absolutely. There is nothing better than having a nice breeze blowing around the freshen things up a bit. Not to mention the absolute freedom it gives you. Easy access. Know what I mean?" "Hm. I am interested in what you are saying and I would like to subscribe to your newsletter." "Oh my God--" Vaughn said, but he was interrupted by the sound of a woman clearing her throat loudly.
  • 81. The room fell to an uncomfortable silence as everyone turned to look at Mary. She stood there staring at them for a few moments before she spoke.
  • 82. "As much as I'm sure my daughter appreciates having such...pleasant...company, I'm afraid that this many visitors will be far too taxing on her health. The endless line of visitors needs to stop now. She may have one person at a time, and that is it. It's for her own good and the safety of the child she's pregnant with." She turned her head slightly towards Rhys. "It's quite obvious some people do not care, so you will all have to forgive my concern." "What the hell are you implying?" Rhys asked through gritted teeth.
  • 83. "Mother," Eden said before a fight broke out, "I'm the one who invited everyone. They are my friends and I wanted to see the new babies." "No, it's okay," Laurana said. "We should get going. The babies need to go down for a nap anyway." "I'm sorry that we might make you more sick, Eden," Ceres said. Eden sighed and shook her head.
  • 84. At that, everyone else made their reluctant goodbyes, giving vague excuses as to why they needed to leave. De wanted to say something to Mary, but then thought better of it.
  • 85. Everyone had left the room except for Spencer, who had remained sitting in his chair. He and Mary looked at each other for a long moment before Mary said, "Mr. Fitzhugh, I do believe I asked for everyone to leave. I appreciate you visiting my daughter, but she needs her rest."
  • 86. He looked over at Eden for a moment and silently noted the glum expression on her face.
  • 87. "I'm not done visiting," he said calmly. "I do realize that she needs her rest, but I will only be a few more minutes." "Mr. Fitzhugh--" Mary said, but he interrupted her. "You said that she's allowed one guest at a time. I am in the room with her. I count as that one, single guest." "Well, I'm sure that her husband will be back in here shortly, and that will be one visitor too many."
  • 88. He stood up and walked over to her, his face still serene. "Rhys lives here; he's not a visitor. Mrs. Devereaux, Mary, I appreciate and understand your parental concern, I really do. I am speaking as a parent myself, you see. I get that you're scared for your daughter and you're worried for your future grandchildren. You're also an heir and you would like to see the family line continued. I was an heir myself, so I completely understand all of that. What you don't seem to understand though is that the babies Eden is carrying are also my grandchildren. She's married to my son, after all." He raised an eyebrow and looked at her for a moment, allowing those words to sink in before continuing. "Now, I'm not going to interfere, for now, as it's not really my place to. Instead, all I'm asking for is another ten minutes to visit with my daughter-in-law. Ten minuets and then I'll be out of everyone's hair." His quiet defiance was completely different from Rhys' aggressive one, but it was defiance nonetheless and it was obvious that it angered Mary. However, she didn't say anything. Instead she spun on her heel and walked out the door, closing it behind her.
  • 89. He turned to look at Eden who had laid down and was idly stroking her stomach. "Well, I think that means I get to stay and chat for a few more minutes." Eden heaved a sigh. "She's right. I should probably take a nap."
  • 90. He propped up a pillow on the bed. "I'd hate to say this to you, but you'd be a terrible hostess if you fell asleep on one of your guests," he joked. Eden didn't respond, though. Instead she just sighed again and continued rubbing her stomach. Unperturbed, Spencer continued. "I wanted to talk to you alone for a little bit so it's probably a good thing that your mother sent everyone out of the room."
  • 91. He leaned back on the pillow and was quiet for a moment. "How are you doing?" he finally asked. "Fine, I guess," Eden said unhappily. "No, you're not, and it's pretty obvious. This has got to be rough for you: a Romance Sim who's married with babies on the way. Some of us like it, some don't. It's nothing against you if that is the case."
  • 92. "That's not even it, Spencer," she protested. "It's just that I'm cooped up in here all day and I'm fairly isolated from everyone and everything. I can only read, knit, cross-stitch, and play Farmville on the laptop for so long, you know? And on top of being sick and tired most of the time, I feel frustrated and useless. And then Rhys and my mother..." she trailed off with a sigh. "Ah, yes. Rhys and your mother. So, how is that man you fancy? He's never really been one to confide in me, but I will admit that I have some...concerns." "They're at each others throats all of the time. Rather, my mother is constantly at his throat, making subtle digs. It seems like she won't leave him alone. And then he eventually snaps and fights back. Then when they are done fighting, he comes in here and I can tell that he's not happy. He's going a bit stir crazy and I've encouraged him to go out with Cassius or something just so he can get a break. There's no need for him to sit here and be as miserably bored as I am. He does, occasionally, but I don't think it's enough."
  • 93. She sat up with a sigh and idly picked at the threads of her cross-stitch project before continuing. "And I wonder sometimes if all of this is even worth it. But, on the other hand, I can't imagine my life any differently now. When I first chose the aspiration I totally intended on having a string of boyfriends, not getting emotionally attached, having a baby so my mother would be somewhat happy, and calling my job as heir done. That changed when I met Rhys, I have no idea how, and that scares me." "Why?" he quietly asked. "Because I'm afraid that he's going to get tired of all of this. Almost everything in my life is fake. A facade. Smoke and mirrors that make me appear to be more special than I really am. I'm faulty. For God's sake, I can't even be physically intimate with him for fear of essentially breaking. I also have this terrible fear that my mother is going to say just the right thing to drive him away. I know that he'd come around to see his kids, but whatever we had would be over because it just isn't worth the trouble." She swallowed past the lump in her throat. "It's stupid, irrational, and even worse, insecure, I know. But I can't help but think about it constantly when I hear them fighting. Or in bed at night when all we can do is cuddle. Or when I'm retching my brains out. Or when I spend the day looking like this," she gestured down at herself.
  • 94. Spencer sat up and said, "Eden, I have a very simple question to ask you: do you love Rhys?" She sighed and put the embroidery hoop down. "I do," she said softly. "Very much. More than I should, I think. I tried so hard not to, but I couldn’t help it." He nodded. "Good," he said quietly to himself. To her, he said, "Eden, don't worry about him, at least not in the way that you are. Just the fact that you do love him makes you more than 'special' enough in his eyes, and I think that's fairly obvious. As for your mother..." he trailed off with a sigh. "Never mind. Now is not the time to talk about that. That's something you need to do on your own." "What?" "Like I said, never mind. Are you able to stand up for a moment? I should get going and hugging my son's wife in their bed would be considered highly inappropriate I would think."
  • 95. He hugged her gently. "I hope you don't mind my sounding vaguely father like when I say that you shouldn't worry so much. It's not good for you or the babies. Relax a little bit; nobody expects you to look and feel your best, especially not right now. Take care of you, honey." Eden could tell that he wanted to say more, but he didn't. "Thank you, Spencer," she said. "I'll try my best." After he left, she spent a good deal of time thinking about her mother. ***
  • 96. "Well, their attitude is definitely mine," Rhys said as he and Eden walked towards the hospital parking lot. Eden's doctor wanted to get an ultra sound to make sure that the babies were healthy and growing at a normal rate. "Stubborn little kids, particularly Twin B. I swear, she purposely mooned us the entire time out of spite. It's like she knew that we wanted to see her gender and she just refused to show us." "Assuming Twin B is a girl, of course," Eden said with a smile. He shrugged. "She most likely is. The X chromosome is very strong in me, apparently. Besides, we can't call them 'She' and 'It' now can we?" "We should still pick out a boy's name, just in case." He thought about it for a moment. "I like the name Quinn for some reason. 'Quinn Devereaux.' Sounds like a guy who would be a total lady killer with an inexplicable accent of an undetermined origin." "So 'Erin and Elizabeth' or 'Erin and Quinn.' That's a lot of 'E' names for the girls."
  • 97. He looked at her with a grin. "I happen to like girls' names that start with 'E.'" His face grew serious and he said, "I'm glad they're okay. I'm glad you're doing better." "Marginally," she said. "At least I don't have to be chained to the bed the entire day. I can walk around a bit and I can eat dinner at the table with everyone else." "Hrm. Yeah, that sounds pleasant. Maybe it would be better for you to stick to the bed." She decided to ignore the comment. "But it's still essentially house arrest. God, I can't wait for this pregnancy to be over." "House arrest isn't all too terrible. Well, at least, it can be made much more bearable if someone is prancing around in their underwear the entire time. I'd be willing to bite the bullet and do that if it will make your house arrest more tolerable."
  • 98. She laughed. "Only if you're going to clean the toilets as well." "Pfft. Please. I was planning on doing that anyway," he said, which made her laugh more. Feeling warm and secure, a wave of love washed over her. "Rhys, I have something to tell you." "Oh? And what would that be?"
  • 99. "I wanted to tell you that I lo--" she cut herself off when she felt him tense up. He looked away uncomfortably, all good humor gone from his face. She sighed and she felt her heart drop into her stomach with what felt like a kick. Then there was another kick. Her eyes widened and she looked at him. His eyes were also wide. "Did you feel that?" she asked. "I did!"
  • 100. He patted her belly as the smile returned to his face. "Oh! Oh, I see how it is. Yeah. Now you flip over. Now we'd be able to tell what gender you are. You're definitely my kid. Way to make a dad proud there, Twin B." She watched him with a smile as he talked to their unborn children. The moment had passed and she thought it was for the best. It was probably just the hormones that possessed me to say it, she thought. It didn't stop her from sighing a little, though.
  • 101. He looked at her and his brow creased slightly. He reached up and gently caressed her cheek with a small smile. She leaned into his hand.
  • 102. He took her other hand and squeezed it gently. "Come on, let's go home," he said. ***
  • 103. Later that evening, after a nap, Eden went downstairs to enjoy a bit of her new found, though still restricted, freedom. "Hey, you're awake," Rhys said. "Yeah, I've been up for a while," she said. "And how are the girls?" he asked as he gently rubbed her belly. She laughed. "I'll assume you're talking about the babies as the other 'girls' are rather sore." "...Holy cow, how did I miss that double entendre? I actually was talking about our two red headed babies you have in there!" "Rhys, sweetie, you do realize that black hair is dominant, right?"
  • 104. "Eden, babe, you do realize that I have a very strong force of will, right? All of my mental concentration went into making sure that we conceived red heads." "Huh. I've always wondered what men think about when they're 'hooing. Now I know." She could feel a smile widening on her face, which matched his grin.
  • 105. "And how are you doing?" he asked as he pulled her into a hug. "I..I'm actually feeling pretty good." "Good." He ran his hand over her hair. "I like what you've done to your hair. It looks nice." "Really? It's a little uneven because I cut it myself. But, I don't know. I don't like looking sick and I wanted something a little different." "No, I get it. Pregnant women do it all the time. Their bodies are betraying them and so they feel that the only thing they can control is their hair." Eden smiled with relief. "Good. You understand." "I do. And let me tell you something: if you wouldn’t have already warned me that you're a bit sore, I'd totally be groping you right now."
  • 106. "Eden! What did you do to your hair?" Mary interrupted as she walked into the room. Breaking away from their embrace, Eden turned to face her. "I cut it a little bit," she said. "I wanted something different. I--" "You've ruined it is what you did. Eden, how many times have I told you that your eyes are your best feature? Those bangs completely detract from them. And it's all uneven! Your hairstylist is going to have a fit!" "I think Eden has more than just one good feature," Rhys said as he watched Eden deflate.
  • 107. The damage was done, however. "I'm sorry," Eden said quietly. Rhys crossed his arms and attempted to keep his voice calm. "Ede, you have absolutely nothing to apologize for. I happen to like what you've done--" "Your opinion does not matter," Mary snapped. "Actually, yes it does. I'm the one who looks at her the most and I like what I see very much." "Well--"
  • 108. Eden turned and walked away. "Just stop it. Both of you," she said, too quietly for either one of them to hear. "Where are you going?" Mary asked. "Back to bed. I'm feeling tired all of the sudden," Eden replied.
  • 109. Instead of going to bed however, she sat at her dressing table and looked at herself in the mirror. I hate her, the thought came up unbidden and she was overwhelmed with guilt. She had actually felt good for the first time in months. She had even put on some makeup to cover the perpetual dark circles that were under her eyes because she was tired of looking sick. She thought she had looked nice. Why can't she just, for once, keep her mouth shut? she thought to herself. She heard the door open and in the mirror she could see Rhys' reflection. She didn't feel like talking to him at the moment, so she didn't turn to face him.
  • 110. He stood there silently as he leaned on the dressing screen. "It's only hair, Ede. Your mother will get over it," he eventually said. "Yeah, I know that, Rhys. I know it'll grow out. I didn't need you to tell me that," she snapped. She instantly felt bad when she saw the irritated look on his face as he tossed his hands in the air. "Well what the hell do you want me to say then?" he asked angrily. She shook her head and an unwanted tear rolled down her cheek. "Do you know why she nitpicks at my looks? Do you know why she's constantly telling me in that voice of hers that I'm pretty?" She answered for him before he could say a word. "It's because she's trying to convince herself that I'm pretty. I look too much like my father and she hates that. And she thinks that I don't like it either, so she's convincing herself that she's a good mother by telling me otherwise, even though she's lying. But you see the thing is I'm not ashamed of how I look. I don't mind looking like Daddy. And I resent her for trying to convince me that I should think otherwise." She shook her head and clenched her jaw.
  • 111. He sighed heavily and placed his hands on her shoulders. "You know, if I would have just met you and you had told me that, I probably wouldn't have believed you. But now..." he trailed off with a shake of his head. "Okay, and I'm a guy who is saying this, but Goopy's not a bad looking dude and he does produce some really good looking girls--" "Rhys, I don't need you to convince me that I'm pretty." "And that's fine. And good! I like girls with a lot of confidence. But what I was going to say is that you're actually a pretty even blend of both of your parents and your mother is too blind to see that. But I'm not. And I happen to think that you're smokin' hot. And my opinion should matter, at least a little bit, seeing as I'm the man who is spending the rest of his life with you. I'm also the one who gladly gets to look at you naked on a regular basis. And let me tell you, I always really like what I see." He grinned at her reflection and quirked an eyebrow at her. She couldn't help but laugh.
  • 112. She stood up and wrapped her arms around him. She wanted to utter those three little words to him, but she didn't want to ruin the moment. Instead, she said, "So, if it's 'only hair' then how come you got so bent out of shape about that picture of you with the mullet?" He snorted with laughter and rolled his eyes. "Because mullets are a crime against nature." "So you never thought of changing your hairstyle?" she teased. "That would be impossible," he deadpanned. "I'm pretty sure that at this point my hair just naturally grows this way. It's magical like that." She giggled and raked her fingers through the red fauxhawk. For the most part, it stayed in place. "You're pretty magical," she impulsively said. He nodded. "That's what I've been saying all along, my dear. I'll even throw in a 'trufax' and a 'nod nod.'" He grinned at her laughter. ***
  • 113. "...And so it is incredibly frustrating as I'm sure you can imagine," Mary complained. "She just doesn't listen to me anymore. Instead she listens to him and cares about what he has to say."
  • 114. Miles and Amelia both looked at Mary, unsure of what to say. "Um, he's her husband," Miles said. "So his opinion of her is going to matter to her. That's kind of how it goes." "You've really gone off the deep end haven’t you?" Amelia said.
  • 115. Mary gave her a cool look. "And what exactly is that supposed to mean?"
  • 116. "I think she means that you might be overreacting just a little bit, that's all," Miles said. "I am not--"
  • 117. "That is not what I meant, Miles," Amelia interrupted. "I truly meant that you, Mary, have gone completely bat shit crazy. You're sitting here, complaining about Rhys, who sounds like he's been more reacting to you and your general bitchiness than picking his own fights with you. And then you complain that Eden, who is your daughter, is choosing his side over yours. Did you possibly think that you might be the one who is causing her to 'turn against' you? And it doesn't even sound like she's doing that. It sounds like she's being her own person. Because, you know, she's her own person and not you."
  • 118. "Perhaps you are not understanding the issue at hand. I do not want her married to him. He does not mesh well with this family."
  • 119. "He does not 'mesh well' with you. He seems to 'mesh well' with your daughter, though. And who are you to judge what is good or bad for Eden anyway? It's not like you've made some real stellar choices when it came to picking out your own husband." "Amelia," Miles tried to say. "No, let me finish. You made some rotten choices and now you're taking it out on Eden. You cannot possibly be a good judge of who is 'good' and 'right' for her, especially once you consider your own choices. Quit being a jealous bitch and learn to live with it."
  • 120. "Miles, perhaps you will listen to reason. I only want what's best for my daughter. His...maleness is oppressive and it's clouding my daughter's judgment, which is rather suspect anyway seeing as it is quite obvious that she enjoys having gentlemen callers. I know that you can't understand completely, what with Rose 'marrying' a woman and all, but I am trying to be a good mother and--"
  • 121. Amelia's voice was menacing as she interrupted with, "What does Rose being with Jill have anything to do with it?"
  • 122. "I only said that--" "Mare, you might want to think about what your next words are going to be," Miles warned as he watched his wife's face. "—I'm trying to be a good mother," Mary said anyway.
  • 123. "You are unbelievable," Amelia said. "You know what? Fuck you, Mary. I never really liked you all that much anyway. So yeah. Fuck you in your fucking ear. I think it's time for us to go, Miles. Far be it for us 'bad' parents to sit in Mary's blinding 'awesomeness.'"
  • 124. "I was only saying--" "We know what you were saying," Miles said. "I just can't believe that you actually said it." "Well, I didn't mean it like that. I think you might have misunderstood. Let's not be ridiculous here." Miles shook his head. "You had to say something about my daughter, didn't you? You really don't have any sense, do you?"
  • 125. "More, Mommy, more!" the delighted toddler shrieked as Jill dangled him upside down.
  • 126. Eden watched as her cousin's wife played with Ashton. "So... he's genetically yours then?" she asked. "Yep," Rose answered simply. "Like... you gave birth to him?" "Yep." "When?" "Yesterday." "I..see." "Yeah. Good to have relations in high places. Makes my grandfather's embarrassing Pants Embargo almost worth it."
  • 127. "Rose was a total champ through it," Jill said proudly as she looked at Ashton. "It was only a little bit of screaming and then he was born." "Drop, Mommy, drop!" he demanded. Jill pretended to 'drop' him and 'caught' him in time, which made him laugh even more.
  • 128. Eden blinked. "I will have to say," she started slowly, "that I'm very happy for you. But I will also admit to being more than just a little bit jealous."
  • 129. "Hey!" Rose said with feigned indignation. "I'll have you know that it was the longest half hour of my life! I almost threw up!" Rhys snorted loudly in the background. "Silence from the peanut gallery please," she called over her shoulder. "I didn't say anything, Rose. I'm just over here minding my own business," he said.
  • 130. Before Rose could retort, Amelia stalked in with Miles in tow. "Let's get going guys. We need to leave. Right now. And we're never coming back!" she said over her shoulder to Miles, who sighed. Rose and Jill didn't bother protesting when they saw the look on her face.
  • 131. "But you guys just got here," Eden said. "I'm sure Amelia is exaggerating when she says that they are never coming back, Eden," Mary said from behind. "But if our guests would like to leave, then a good hostess knows when to graciously say goodbye and not prolong their departure."
  • 132. Eden sighed heavily. What her mother said didn't even make sense. A good hostess knows when not to piss off their guests, too, she thought to herself. "I'm sorry, Eden," Miles said to his niece. "When you're up for it, you and Rhys can come on over to our house so we can meet the new babies. Does that sound like a deal? It's just..well, you'll understand when you have your own kids." "Miles, this is perfectly ridiculous," Mary said. "No, Uncle Miles, I think I understand perfectly right now," Eden said with a small shake of her head. ***
  • 133. At the end of her pregnancy, Eden found herself laying on the couch both uncomfortable and somewhat irritable. "They're late. I'm going to be pregnant forever," she glumly declared. "No you're not." "My boobs are huge." "Yeah, they are." "I'm going to be sick and tired forever. I'm going be putting on makeup to hide the dark circles under my eyes until I'm eighty." "No you won't." "Why won't they come? Do they hate me? Is that why? Don't they want to come out and meet me?"
  • 134. "Believe me, Eden, I totally felt the same way," Karen said. "You did?" "Oh yeah. I hated being pregnant, especially at the end. I thought Emily was going to tear through my stomach feet first, taking my lungs and spleen with her. At the end it's just a waiting game. But, you know, there is a natural and rather enjoyable way to induce labor." "There is?" "Yep. I mean, it might not work, but believe me, you can't blame a girl for trying again and again. And again. Right Johnny?"
  • 135. Johnny shifted uncomfortably and ran a hand thorough his hair. "Um, Rhys? Maybe we should go to another room and let the girls have their girl talk." His face had a slight blush to it. Rhys, however, looked as if Karen had made the most profound statement he had ever heard. "No, no, wait. I like where she's going with this. Ede, babe, seriously, you know I'd be more than willing to help out in any way I possibly can. Just say the word and I'll escort these two out and--" and then he remembered that the doctor still had Eden on full pelvic rest. He cleared his throat and turned to Johnny. "So, you want to go shoot some pool?" Johnny, who had grown increasingly more embarrassed, nodded gratefully and the two of them left the room.
  • 136. Karen rolled her eyes and shook her head. "He's such a prude sometimes," she said.
  • 137. Eden struggled to sit up. "How are things going with that, anyway?" she asked, completely willing to forget about her own issues for the moment.
  • 138. Karen herself sat up and was quiet for a moment. "Okay, I guess," she said. "He's alright. We're friends and stuff and it's not like we sleep in separate rooms, if you know what I mean." She looked at her sleeping daughter. "He's really good with Em. Heck, he's a good man all around. He's just... boring. He's not Thaddeus, but that's probably a good thing." She lightly tickled the baby's toes.
  • 139. "Then why did you marry him?" Eden asked. "Especially since you're not happy with him." Karen shrugged. "It's not that I'm unhappy with him. Besides, it was kind of flattering to have someone want to marry me and do right by me." Eden nodded and then asked quietly, "Do you like being a mom? Is it worth it? I.." she sighed. "I'm afraid," she blurted out. "I'm scared that I won't like my kids and that they won't like me." Karen gave her a speculative look. "Well..." she said slowly, "you like Rhys, right?" "Very much so, yes." "Kids are like little extensions of their parents. At least I think so. If you like the other parent then you can't help but like the kid. Don't get me wrong, babies are a pain in the ass, but they're kind of neat at the same time."
  • 140. She picked up Emily. "Is it worth it though?" she asked herself. Then a soft smile came over her face as the baby smiled at her. "Yeah, I think so. It's like...you fall in love with them. I wouldn't worry about it, though. You're a much nicer person than I am and I'm getting all blubbery over this little poop machine."
  • 141. "Of course I don't know why you're asking me. I kind of have a fucked up sense of what's good and bad, in case you didn't already know that." The rocked the baby and rubbed her back for a moment. "Maybe I'm being too hard on Johnny. I mean, he's a nice guy, a good dad, and even a good husband, I suppose. It's not like he was some creep who knocked me up and bolted out of the picture as soon as he heard I was pregnant, you know?"
  • 143. "Tina?" Goopy said, confused and only partially cognizant of his surroundings. "What the hell are you doing here? I told you to stay away from this house in case my wife found out. I don't want to lose the sweet deal I got going here."
  • 144. "Eden, who is he talking to?" Karen asked her friend as Eden stood up and faced her father. "Daddy, this is my friend Karen. She--" "Oh hell no!" Goopy shouted.
  • 145. His shout had alerted the other people in the house. Mary ran over to stop him, but not before he stomped over and began shouting at the blond woman. "Are you trying to say that's my kid? I knew you were a lying little tramp. You're not getting any money from me. I have my own whining daughter that I'm being forced to live with, I don't need to take care of some bastard child that very obviously isn't mine. The Goopster doesn't do kids!"
  • 146. Johnny's mouth dropped open as he heard Goopy's words. He looked at Eden and Karen's faces and for the first time noticed the similarities. "Wait a minute--" "Don't you dare," Rhys warned. "But..but that means...wait, you know?" "I just figured it out, but I'll be goddamned if I'm going to let you jeopardize the health of my wife and children because Goopy couldn't keep it in his pants twenty years ago. This is not the time for those types of revelations. Don't. You. Dare!" "But Karen--" "Talk about it with her when you get home. Not. Here. I mean it."
  • 147. Karen glared at Goopy. "Well no shit," she said sarcastically, "you could have fooled me about the baby not being yours. I know it's not yours, you weirdo. And I don't appreciate the word 'tramp' being thrown around at me or anywhere near my general direction."
  • 148. A complacent smile spread across Goopy's face when he saw Mary. "Hey grilled cheese lady. Can you make me a sandwich?" Mary ignored him for the moment as she glared at Karen. "You should leave. Now. And it would be best if you never came back."
  • 149. Karen deliberately took on a cheerful tone as she played with her baby. "Well that's okay, because we were going to leave anyway, weren't we, Emily? Yes we were. We don't want to stick around and have to deal with crazy people, do we? No we don't!" She winced. "Sorry, Eden, I didn't mean it--" "No, it's okay," Eden said sadly. "Well, then how about we go get Daddy and leave. Won't that be nice? Hey, Johnny," Karen called over to her husband, "are we ready to blow this joint?"
  • 150. Johnny gave Rhys one last look, which the other man returned blandly. He nodded and said, "Yeah, let's get going."
  • 151. "Come, Goopy, I shall make you your sandwich," Mary said, walking out of the room. "Yay!" Goopy clapped cheerfully. Eden turned her back on the entire scene, slowly and sadly shaking her her head.
  • 152. "Eden?" Rhys asked as he tried to look at her. She refused to make eye contact with him. She swallowed a couple of times and bit her lips. "Ede," he tried again. She just slowly shook her head and tried to walk away.
  • 153. She made it half a step before she burst into tears. She knew that her father had an affair, but she hated it being thrust in her face in such an obvious manner. Rhys, for his part, wasn't sure if she herself had put two and two together, so he didn't know exactly what she was crying over. He awkwardly put his around her and stroked her shoulder. "Why can't they just be normal? Just once!" she sobbed. He sighed and, for once, didn't have a response for her. Instead he just continued to rub her shoulder. ***
  • 154. Later that night, Rhys and Eden were in their bedroom talking, though Eden didn't want to talk about what had happened with Goopy. She was, however, amenable to talking about Karen's suggestion to induce labor. "Please?" she said as he gently pulled her into his lap. He sighed even as he laughed slightly. "I can't believe that I'm saying this, but no. We can't. It's just a little bit longer and then I promise that I will rock your world. But for the sake of the babies--" "I've been pregnant forever. I've been sick forever. We haven't 'hooed in forever. The babies are never going to come and I'm going to be stuck as a crazy pregnant lady for the rest of my life!" Tears of frustration sprung up and she gave him a pleading look. "You're laughing at me!" she cried when she saw him smile. "It's not funny!" She ungracefully wiggled out of his lap and attempted to stomp away in an uncharacteristic huff, but it was marred by her undignified pregnant waddle. "Ede, it's not that I'm not tempted. It's really, really not." He ran his hand through his hair, frustrated. "Maybe--" her sudden gasp cut him off.
  • 155. "Rhys," she panted, "I think..I think this is it. I think I'm in labor. Oh my God, I think the babies are coming." "They're coming? Right now? Oh my God, and I almost did it! I was just about to say that we should 'hoo to induce labor. Oh my God! We would have been in the middle of--" "You're thinking about sex? Right now? At a time like this?!" she screamed. "You just were not two seconds before!" he yelled back. "Well I'm not thinking about it now! I'm never thinking about it again! Oh my God, it HURTS!"
  • 156. "What on earth is all the screaming about in here?" Mary asked. She walked in without even bothering to knock; there was no music playing, which was the understood, though not liked, sign to stay out. When she saw Eden panting and clutching her stomach, she sighed. "Eden, dear, there is no reason for you to carry on like that. It isn't that painful. As a matter of fact, when I gave birth to you, I did it alone and quietly because I was a bit more considerate of the other people in this household trying to sleep." She pursed her lips slightly, but inside she felt strange.
  • 157. "Shut up, Mother!" Eden screamed. "I don't care how you did it! I'm not you! I'm in pain! It hurts! Leave me alone!"
  • 158. Mary just shook her head as she watched the birth of her first grandchild. When she saw it, she plastered on what she hoped was a non-committal, yet pleasant, expression. Red hair. The baby had red hair. And while that bothered her, there was something that bothered her even more: she wasn't happy about having a grandchild. There was nothing. Keeping her face composed she said, "And what is the name of the child?"
  • 159. Making it look like he wasn't answering Mary directly, Rhys said, "Hello there, Erin. Your mother and I have been waiting for a very long time to meet you." "Um, hello? I'm not done yet," Eden said. "And here comes your sister," Rhys said to Erin.
  • 160. And then it was done, and Eden held the second baby in her arms. A grin spread across Rhys' face as he saw the red hair on the second child. Mary, on the other hand, glared, before composing her features again. "You did great, babe," Rhys said. Eden just nodded, dumbfounded, yet relieved that the entire ordeal was over.
  • 161. Rhys walked over to Mary and held up the baby. "Here's one of your new grandchildren, my daughter, Erin," he said with a proud smile. Mary forced her own smile as she looked at the baby who also had Rhys' brown eyes. "Well, seeing as she's the first born, she is the new heiress to this family," she said with feigned cheerfulness. She couldn't help but be dismayed, though. The baby that her daughter's husband was handing her was very clearly his. The chances were very slim that he would leave now. And while that bothered her, she was even more bothered that she still wasn't happy to have not just one new grandchild, but two. "I would like to hold her," she said, and without any sort of fuss, Rhys handed her the baby.
  • 162. He promptly turned to the other baby. "Well hello there, Elizabeth," he said. "Rhys," Eden began to say, but he kept talking to the baby. "And who has such awesome..." he trailed off and hid a smile. "Who has her mother's pretty blue eyes?" "Rhys," Eden said again, firmly. He looked at her and she grinned. "Your son, Quinn, might not appreciate you calling him Elizabeth." He blinked, startled. "But..but I...I have. A boy? I have another son?" His grin nearly split his face in two. "That..that's awesome. I have another son. Hello, Quinn. I'm very sorry for calling you Elizabeth. I hope you'll find it in your heart to forgive me."
  • 163. Mary watched as the two of them smiled at each other, completely oblivious to her presence in the room. Jealousy filled her. Goopy had barely been home during her pregnancy, but Rhys had rarely left Eden's side. Goopy wasn't home when Eden was born, but Rhys was there, smiling, actually happy that he had not just one child but two. He was proud. Why couldn't she have had a husband like that? Where had she gone wrong? It wasn't fair. Why did Eden have it so easy? "As thrilled as I am sure you are about the new arrivals, they really need to be put in their cribs. It wouldn't do for them to catch a cold because their parents are neglectful," she said. She winced inwardly. It wasn't exactly what she wanted to say, but the biting words just came out.
  • 164. "Give me my daughter," Rhys said. "I'll make sure she's taken care of." Mary pasted on another smile. "Oh, of course you'll take care of her. You have absolutely everything planned, don't you? Well, I should go and make sure that Eden's father wasn't rudely woken up by the ruckus their births caused. Do make sure that they are placed on their backs. Oh, wait, I'm sure you already know that. You just seem to know everything." Without even bothering to look at the smirk she was positive he had, she turned on her heel and left the room.
  • 165. She paced around in the hallway for a moment, unable to decide where to go or what she should do. She felt tears prick the corners of her eyes and she ran into the bathroom.
  • 166. She sobbed as quietly as she could. "It's not fair," she said out loud. "Heya, Dollface, relax. It's only some fish," Goopy said as he flushed the fish down the toilet.
  • 167. In the bedroom, Rhys and Eden were silently rocking their new children. After a while, a slow grin spread across his face. "Ahem. Force of will. Red hair. That is all." It was hard to miss the smugness in his voice. Eden laughed in spite of herself. "Thank you for not gloating about it in front of my mother. That had to have been a remarkable amount of restraint used." "Oh, I didn't have to say anything. She knew." Quinn started crying and in a panic, Eden didn't know what to do. Rhys smiled. "Here, I'll take him. He probably needs to be changed." He deftly handed Erin over and took Quinn into his arms.
  • 168. He took Quinn into the bathroom and gave him a small bath before putting him into a clean diaper. As he gently rinsed off the baby's head he smiled down at his newborn son. "Hey little guy," he said tenderly, "how are doing? It certainly took a lot of work to bring you and your sister here." As much guilt as he had over feeding Eden the cheesecake and making her sicker than she already had been, he was fiercely glad that he had done it, especially since it resulted in a son; only one of three that he was aware of in the Multi-Verse. "Are you going to be like me when you grow up?" he asked the smiling baby. His face turned serious and he slightly shook his head. "Nah, you don't want to be like me, okay? Is that a deal?"
  • 169. "What took you so long?" Eden asked when Rhys handed the baby to her. "Was he really that messy?" "Nope. Quinn and I were just having a little man to man, father to son talk. And he seemed to be in agreement with me." "Oh? What about?" "That being our kid is pretty awesome," he grinned back. "I'm sure Erin will be on board with that sentiment as well."
  • 170. She smiled as she placed her second child into his crib. I really hope they think so, she thought to herself. I might not be perfect, but I'm going to try and be a good mother. "Hey, Ede," Rhys said from behind.
  • 171. She turned around and smiled as he slowly strutted towards her.
  • 172. Before she could say anything, he wrapped his arms around her tightly and gave her a long, hard kiss.
  • 173. She sighed happily when he was done. She looked into his eyes for a moment and then asked, "What was that for?" He arched an eyebrow at her. "Do I need a reason to kiss you now?" he teased. She shook her head. "No, of course not." She paused and then said, "Rhys, you know that I–" "Yeah, I do," he interrupted. "I've always known." "Okay, good," she said as he leaned in and kissed her again. ***
  • 178. "So, have you got a plan? I know it's sooner than you were told, but you shouldn't have been placed here anyway." "If we are to be partners, then you ought to know that I always have a plan."
  • 179. "Did you plan for this?" "It was not unexpected."
  • 180. "Well your enthusiasm was mind blowing to say the least. I didn't know that it was possible to do such things on a single bed." "Your satisfaction has been... noted."
  • 181. "I knew you would go along with the idea of a partnership. That's why I gave you that key." "Indeed. It will be very useful."
  • 182. Thaddeus chuckled as he looked at the naked woman standing in front of him. "God damn," he said, "they don't make you Devereauxs ugly, do they?"
  • 183. Lillian smirked. "Of course not. My grandfather called it genetic perfection. Now, you ask far too many questions. It is time for you to answer. Tell me of my son."
  • 184. Thaddeus sat up with a feral grin. "Did you know that he was married?"
  • 185. "Oh is he now? Tell me: is he happy?" "Yeah, he is. I didn't think his happiness would matter to you, though."
  • 186. Lillian straddled his hips with a smile. "Ah, but you see, you are wrong. His happiness means a great deal to me." "Why?" "Because I like crushing him when he is at his happiest. It is my specialty." Thaddeus laughed. "Ah, Lillian, if I had a heart, I think I would fall in love with you."
  • 187. She smirked again. "Of course you would. Now, you will pleasure me again, and then you will tell me more of my son, his wife, and their life together..." *** * cough * And that, folks, is a good place to end Chapter Five.
  • 188. And now for the huge list of credits. Thank you to the following people for letting me borrow their Sims and Simselves! Smoothiequeen (Fitzhugh Legacy, Villainous Apocalypse): Rhys Fitzhugh, Spencer Fitzhugh, and your Simself. ALSO, thank you for drawing those pictures for me, especially the one of you and Rhys :) Fireflower314 (Morgan Legacy): Vaughn Fitzhugh and your Simself. Professor Butters (Squeaky Clean Legacy): Max Goodytwoshoes, Achilles Goodytwoshoes. Dicreasy (The Victorian Legacy): Anthony Smith, Alexandra Smith, and <3Stanley Legacy<3 DrSupremeNerd (The Vetinari Dualegacy): Archie Vetinari, Cassidy Vetinari. Blight27 (The Ten Caesars Legacy): Cassius Marius Candi020765 (The Uglacy Family, The Chili Catastrophe): Gage Uglacy Orikes (The Pseudo Legacy): For providing me with the original pictures of Eden and Archie from your game :) Everyone: For reading and commenting! Until next time, Happy Simming!