The Triangle: Chapter 1-9 *Chapter 9 Update!*

[simgirl75001]

This is my first story post on this site so go easy on me lol. Please feel free to tel me what I can fix in case i miss something. OK here goes:


Chapter 1: Settling in

The Westons are a newlywed couple. Cassie and Jareth have been together since elementary school, and now that they are fresh out of college, they decided to settle down in the the small town on of Tamlyn. Cassie inherited a large modern home after the sudden death of her Uncle Charles, and so this house is where they decided to settle. Although they get along just fine, Jareth's ideas about having a family was totally different from Cassie.


This is Cassie Weston. Born to well-to-do parents in Pleasantview, she was accepted to all of the elite private schools, and was taught ballet at Vogue, SimCity's most prestigious dance schools. She's 25 years old, and has a a go-getter attitude about life. She is working her way up to the top of the medical ladder, and after being accepted as a resident at Tamlyn General Hospital, she is determined to run the whole place before the age of 40. She enjoy's working out obsessively (as you can see), and also enjoys collecting expensive artwork.

This charming young man is Jareth Weston. he wasn't as fortunate as Cassie growing up. He grew up in the rural area of Tamlyn, his parents being elder by the time he was in elementary school. He was admitted into private school as a favor from the headmaster to his father, Jerry, and Jareth made his parents proud by working hard at his schoolwork. He worked weekends on his parent's farm, and when he met Cassie in the schoolyard one day, they hit it off as good friends and he would invite her over for pie and fresh baked chicken on the weekends after he was done working the fields with his father. His mother was a retired piano teacher, and so she taught him everything that she knew, which proved to be essential for Jareth. He went to college on a music scholarship, and is currently working at Rickland and Riptorn law firm.

After remodeling her uncle's house and settling in, she wiped her sweatless brow as if she did all the work herself and gave her husband a big hug.
" I can't believe we are actually together and MARRIED!" She said while tucking her face into his big shoulder.
"Yea I know huh," Jareth replied, grinning. " I have been waiting for this to happen forever. Too bad Ma and Pa couldn't be here to see the wedding."
"I know, me too. Maybe they were there in spirit."
"Maybe." Jareth sighed and hugged her tighter. Ever since his parents passed away of natural causes, he felt all alone. He had no siblings, and the only person close to his age was is cousin Earl, who was a career alchoholic and womanizer. Jareth stayed away from his cousin for his own good, knowing if Earl knew of his success, he would come leeching on him like ants on sugar. After hugging for a couple moments longer, the phone rang.
"I will get it," Cassie said. She winked at him as she walked away. Jareth smiled and looked around. He was hoping he could fill the extra 3 bedrooms of the house with laughing rambunctious children. He always dreamed of having a big family, but to his disappointment Cassie was too concerned about her waistline to have the large family he desired. She was willing to have one child to make him happy, and he agreed even though in his heart he was sad. He hopes after their first child she will come around and want more.

Cassie floated to the phone, still feeling fuzzy inside from being close to her man. She always felt like a shy teenager around him, even though they were married. She liked feeling that way though. She believed her marriage is totally different from her parents, who only married for money and status. Cassie's father never liked her mom, and always had his eye roaming around. Her mother was a bit dense and never paid attention to her husband's roaming eye, and was too occupied spending their money on usless things and clothes. Cassie is a daddy's girl, and she loves him to death. Her mother never bonded with her, insisting that Cassie be raised by nannies and butlers so that she can have more time to have dinner parties and go shopping. So her father stepped up to the plate and took care of his daugter when he wasn't working. To this day she always run to him when she needs him most.
Cassie picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Good afternoon, is Mrs. Weston available?" a female voice said.
"Yes, that's me. How can I help you?"
"Mrs. Weston, My name is Carla and I am a nurse at Dr. Cord's office. I am calling about your exam and test results. Do you have a moment?"
"Of course." Cassie leaned up against the wall, bracing herself for the news.
As the nurse spoke, Cassie's smile slowly turned into a frown and then a grimace. She could only say uh huh for the entire time she was on the phone. After 10 minutes, she hung up the phone and sighed heavily. She couldn't believe what she just heard. How will Jareth take this? she wondered. As her heart sank to the bottom of her stomach, she thought of how she could break the news.
 Stay tuned for the continuation of this chapter! I will post the rest of the chapter later on tday if everyone likes what I have written so far.

[Zorom]

Brilliant start! PLEASE keep it up!

[Stelio Kontos]

The suspense, ARRGH, it hurts!
I will be waiting for more.

[ladymiriam]

When I first started to read this, I'll be honest, I wasn't that impressed but by the end I was totally gagging for more-that's why I'm back today.  Is three of us enough to prise the next installment out of you?

[milie529]

Make that 4 people!
I wanna know what's happening!!!

[Bookfreak]

Make it five, cant wait to read more

[simgirl75001]

Chapter 1 Continued
Sorry my internet blitzed out all night and couldn't post the chapter but here it is!


After trying so hard to be strong and brave, Cassie broke down in a flood of tears and convulsions. I can't believe this!She thought angrily. Jareth came rushing into the foyer.
"What's the matter babe? Who was that?" He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, wondering what could make her go from happy to upset in just a few minutes.
"I..I.." She broke out in tears again. "That was the clinic. Remember the preconception appointment we went to three weeks ago?"
He nodded slowly. Jareth and Cassie went to get check ups after he learned that a rare genetic disorder ran on both sides of the family. They wanted to make sure they were good to go before trying to have any kids.
Cassie sighed heavily against his chest. She then looked at him with bleary eyes.
"Well...the nurse told me the results and...well...umm.." She found it hard to tell him while he was looking at her with those sad eyes of his. Jareth had a way of making people feel really bad when bad news had to be told. He did it unknowingly though.
"What's the news then?"
"She said that I won't be able to bear children because I was born without ovaries," Cassie blurted out all at once, shutting her eyes the whole time. All at once, Jareth's dream of having children of his own got thrown out of the window. He held back his tears, feeling his heart grow heavy with sorrow and disappointment. Cassie was the love of his life, and he always dreamed about having children with her eyes and hair. That was all over now in an instant. Before he could even reply, she broke free from his embrace and ran upstairs to their bedroom. Jareth looked after her, wanting to run to her and tell her everything was going to be ok, but he decided to let her cool down, because Cassie was known for having a bad temper when she was in a foul mood.
Jareth slowly walked to the living room and plopped down onto the couch. He was still in shock. I know this isn't her fault, but what can we do? What about my dreams? Wait...this isn't about me this is about her. He rubbed his forehead and sighed heavily. This news was definitely a nightmare. After sitting on the couch for a few hours, mulling over what to say next, he went upstairs to talk to Cassie.

Jareth slowly walked up the stairs and entered into the massive bedroom. He found Cassie relaxing on the bed, surrounded by a shrine of balled up tissues on the floor. He walked over and slid next to her on the bed, drawing her close to him. He hugged her tightly.
"You are going to divorce me, aren't you?" She said quietly. " I just know, it. I am broken and no good for you or anyone else. I will understand if you.."
"Sssh..Cass don't talk like that. You are my wife and I love you. Remember the words, in sickness and in health? Well I take that seriously. As much as this is hurting both of us, I am willing to stick by you no matter what. We can still have a life together."
Jareth kissed her forehead. She sank deeper into his chest and the pillows, feeling some kind of relief. Cassie honestly thought that, with the way he was being so serious about having children, he would have packed his things and went back to his parents' farm. She was happy that he chose to stick around though. Her father would have been gone out of the door if her mom would have told him that back then.
Cassie looked into her husband's eyes and fell in love with him all over again. She knew that this was real, and her confidence in their marriage grew stronger. She kissed him, and they both hugged each other tighter. Things got intense, and soon he was unbuttoning her sweater.
Diiiing Dooonng!
Oh crap, Jareth thought. Totally bad timing.
"I will get it," He murmured. "Don't go anywhere." He winked at her as he walked downstairs.

Jareth's smile came back as he thought of their life together. He knew that they could adopt, there's plenty of kids out there looking for parents. He would rather have some of his own, but sometimes life didn't work that way.
As he approached the door, his smile faded as he spotted a young girl on his porch crying. He wondered where she came from and why she is out this time of the night. Maybe she lost her parents at the mall nearby, he thought. But then he stopped at the door and looked at the girl, then looked at the clock. it was 11:30! The mall closed at 9 on the weekdays, so if she did lose her parents at the mall, he was sure they would have called the police by now, and she wouldn't be standing on his porch.
The girl started to walk away, thinking no one was home.
"Wait! don't go!" Jareth said in a loud voice, causing the girl to jump and turn around, frightened.
She rubbed her tears away and looked at him, ready to run in case he was some crazy guy or something.
Jareth carefully walked towards her until there was a small gap between him and her. He noticed her face was dirty, and her shoes were full of holes. Something told him that she didn't lose her parents at the mall after all.
He kneeled down to her level. "Hi, my name is Jareth. What is your name and how did you get here?"
She rubbed her face again, still looking at him with full distrust. "I'm Rhiannon. Umm...I came here because your lights were on and umm..I'm lost." She started to cry again, making Jareth's heart ache.
"Sssh Rhiannon don't cry. Please tell me how you got here."
"Well..I am not sure. I was sleeping and all of a sudden I woke up in the park. I don't know how I got there. I thought I was dreaming until after I walked by these houses. Then I knew it was for real."
He stood up and rubbed his forehead. Her story was odd, very odd. Who on earth would drop a sleeping kid in the park and leave her there?? He couldn't understand it one bit, but he knew he had to get more information out of her.
"Where do you live?"
"Umm...Downtown. In a big building."
"Ok..." That's not alot of help,He thought with a frown. "Who are your parents Rhiannon?"
She was getting ready to cry again, but fought against it, her little hands balled up. " My mama is Peach. That's all I know. I don't see her much 'cept when she wants me to do something for her."

"She..umm..is not a good person. She didn't let me go to school most days, and I hated that. I don't think she liked me much."
Jareth listened carefully, coming to the conclusion that her no-good mother dropped her poor child at the park without a second thought.
"I am sorry to hear about your mother treating you like that Rhiannon. How old are you?"
"10. 'spose to be 11 next year."
He dug into his shirt pocket and pulled out a chocolate. One thing about him is, he is a candy addict.He always carried it around. He handed it to Rhiannon, making sure to gain her trust. He could tell she was unsure about him, but he wanted her comfortable so he could talk to her more.
"Do you remember anything else about where you lived?"
Rhiannon quickly opened the candy and shoved it in her mouth. She ate it like she hasn't had a decent meal in ages. Jareth felt even more sorry for her, and he resolved that if he found her mother he would really let her have it and call the Social Worker on her.
"I do remember there was this building across the street that had pink and orange lights flashing all the time. I'm no good at readin' but I think it said go go or something like that."
Jareth thought about what she said, trying to picture the area. He knew where the seedy nude bars where, but he made it a rule to never go in that area. The bad part of downtown, nicked named Skid Row, was the area that was always full of druggies, beggars an prostitutes. Not a good area for children. He assumed thats where her mother kept her. He shook his head, trying to think of what to do next.

Rhiannon stood there looking at the ground not knowing what else to say. She knew that this man was nice, and she was hoping he would help her. All the other houses she went to were not this nice. The first house she went to was owned by a prune faced couple who sicced their rottweiler on her, not even giving her a chance to talk. The second house she went to smelled like rotten garbage, which reminded her of home, so she didn't even bother to knock on the door. So she was hoping Jareth would help her, even he he put her in Social Services, because being there was so much better than being where she was.
Jareth carefully rubbed her shoulder and said, "How about this. You can stay here with me and my wife until we can find out what to do about your problem. We have a big bedroom that you can have. If you want you can sleep on the fold out couch until we can buy you a bed in the morning. What do you think?
Rhiannon's eyes lit up like moons and stars. She couldn't believe he was actually going to help her! She hugged him, which was out of character for her. "Yes please! I would like that alot!"
"Alright, it's a deal. Come in and meet Cassie. And then I can make you a nice meal and get you a bath. What's your favourite food?"
" Umm I'm not sure. All I know is cereal. That's all my mama ever made."
Jareth shook his head again. The government should make it a law for people to get certified to be parents.
"Well, how about I make you some chicken tenders and fries? I am sure you will like that."
"Ok," Rhiannon said happily as she followed him into the house.
Little did he know that this gesture of kindness was going to kick him in the butt later.

[Shali]

Oh, wow. As I was reading this, that's all I could think. Well, that, and that Rhiannon's first name is my middle name.

[ladymiriam]

Thanks for updating, you're on a roll.  I'm loving this story so far, very concise, not too wordy, yet it's stirring many emotions in me.  Well done, it must be quite a daunting experience posting your first story-I'm glad you did.

[simgirl75001]

Thanks for the comments everybody  I was hoping you all would like it. I have read alot of the stories on here and i thought they were really good. So i am happy that mines is interesting too. I will be working on getting chapter 2 out either today or tomorrow * i have to take more pics* im kind of doing the go with the flow approach.

[Bookfreak]

Really good, wasnt suspecting her ovary problem came as a total surprise.

Keep up the good work , Cant wait to read me.

[simgirl75001]

Chapter 2: The Adjustment


Rhiannon looked around the large foyer and couldn't help but stare. She has never been in such a house before. It was almost like she was still dreaming, but when Jareth gently led her into the dining room, she knew it was real. Rhiannon slid into one of the large chairs, trying to hide her excitement. She still couldn't believe this nice man took her in, and she was hoping he wouldn't change his mind. Jareth smiled at her.
"I'm going into the kitchen now to whip us up some food. You just sit here and relax ok?"
Rhiannon just nodded, smiling back.
Jareth prepared the simple dinner, planning to get Cassie from the bedroom and introduce her to Rhiannon. He was hoping Cassie would be as accepting and excited about the situation as he was, seeing the bad news they recieved earlier. Maybe this was their sign, their new hope in life to actually have a family. Jareth believed Rhiannon's unexpected arrival was a sign, and he was hoping that they would be able to keep her.
As he sat the plate down, he turned around and was startled when he saw Cassie standing by the stairs.
"Oh hey you!" Jareth managed to squeak out as she smiled at him.
" I see you made us a midnight snack," she replied. "That's so sweet of you." Cassie kissed his cheek and sniffed the food.
"Well..yea.." Jareth rubbed the back of his neck. "I actually made this for us and a...little visitor."
Cassie looked confused. "I was just about to ask you...who was at the door?"
"Come see for yourself," Jareth replied as he picked up the food and walked into the dining room.

Cassie looked around the dining room, then focused on a red headed girl sitting in the last chair at the table. She was even more confused.Why on earth is there a child here this time of the night? She thought as she tried to put on a calm face. Rhiannon looked at Cassie and became nervous. She was sure this woman would hate her right away and ask her to leave. Rhiannon never seemed to have good luck with women, especially her mother. She was expecting Cassie to be just the same. Instead, Cassie stiffly held out her hand and smiled.
"I'm Cassie, but you can call me Cass. And you are..?
"Rhiannon," she replied hesitantly. "Nice to m..meet you."
"Same here. You must tell me how you got here."
Jareth interrupted. "Well lets eat some food and talk. I think that would be better since Rhiannon here is a bit hungry."
They all sat down and ate while talking. Cassie glanced at Rhiannon every now and then, observing her bad table manners and the way she inhaled her food. She tried to ignore it the best she could. Jareth seemed oblivious to it all, being happy that Rhiannon was actually in their house. He ate silently while Cassie asked Rhiannon questions about her parents and how she got there. As Rhiannon aswered, Cassie nodded and took mental notes, not pleased with the fact that someone else's child was sitting in their house. She was making it a priority to call the Social Worker first thing in the morning. This child needed help, sure. But not at their expense. To her, private homes were not meant to be orphanages.
"So, Rhiannon, what school do you attend?"
Rhiannon chewed on a fry. "I did go to SimCity Elementary, but mama took me outta there. So I don't go to school now."
Cassie shook her head. What a shame,she thought. "Do you want to go back?"
"Oh yes! I really liked going to school. I'm not so good with readin though. But my math is good."
"Sounds like me when i was a kid," Jareth said, laughing. Rhiannon smiled at him, her face almost glowing. She was getting attached to Jareth already, and Cassie noticed that right away. She didn't like that one bit, because she was sure the Social Worker was going to take her out of here in the morning, and having that attachment there was a bad thing.
After dinner was finished, Cassie stood up and said,"Jareth, can I see you in the study please?"
"Sure." He stood up and wiped his hands on the napkins. "Rhiannon you just stay here. We will be right back."

As soon as the door was closed behind them, Cassie ripped right into Jareth.
"How can you just bring a child into this house like its something people do everyday? God knows where she came from and what..what illnesses are lurking there! Why didn't you just call the police? We are not equipped to take care of a person like her!"
Jareth became upset. He never got upset, especially with his own wife, but her words ripped though him like a sharp dagger. He could not believe what she was saying.
"We are talking about a living human being Cass! Not a piece of garbage! And besides I live here just as much as you do, and there is nothing wrong with taking Rhiannon in. For Pete's sake, she's a hungry child! What would you rather me do, just leave her out there while I call the authorities?" Jareth was near tears. His passion for others ran through him deeply. He could never understand how other people could just not care so much.
Cassie calmed down a little bit, feeling a little bad. "Jareth, don't take me wrong. I don't think its bad that you are helping her out, but there are other people out there that are authorized to take care of people like her. We just aren't the right people for her. That's all I am trying to say."
Jareth walked towards the door, then turned to look at Cassie. "As far as I am concerned, we are responsible for her. I am willing to call the Social worker in the morning to see if they can find her mother, but I refuse to let Rhiannon go into Social Services, and I DEFINATELY refuse to let her go back with her mother."
Before Cassie could reply, Jareth walked back into the living room,trying to gain his composure back. He didn't want Rhiannon to see him so upset.

"Well, it's not much, but you are more than welcome to sleep on this fold out couch for the night. In the morning we will buy you a proper bed to sleep in."
Rhiannon was happy just to have a nice clean place to sleep in. Her mother always kept the apartment dingy and nasty, never throwing out the trash. Rhiannon slept on a thin mattress on the floor, covering her head with a thin blanket to keep the flies from buzzing on her face. She inhaled deeply, glad to smell lavender and roses instead of rotten trash.
"Thanks Jareth," she said gratefully.
"No problem." He gave her a hug. "You just get some rest. Tomorrow we are going to get you some fresh clothes and then go from there."
Jareth pulled out the mattress from the couch and pulled back the blankets. Rhiannon quickly hopped itno the bed, sinking into the thick fragrant mattress. She was so tired, she could barely keep her eyes open. She could barely reply to Jareth's good night before she was knocked out. Jareth watched her sleep for a little while, then went upstairs to go to sleep himself.
He was really hoping Cassie would become more accepting. He believed that as time went by she would warm up to Rhiannon and all will go well. Hopefully.

[Zorom]

Oh noooooo Cassie's annoyed! Not good. I hope they work it out!

[simgirl75001]

The next morning, Jareth and Cassie had to go to work, so they called a babysitter to come watch Rhiannon, since she wasn't enrolled in any schools yet. Before he left, he made Rhiannon a big pancake breakfast, and invited his wife to come eat with them, but she refused, still upset about last night. Cassie covered it up by saying she wasn't feeling too well. Jareth knew better but kept quiet.

Evening came, and as soon as Rhiannon heard the two cars pull up in the driveway, she became nervous. She just knew that Cassie was going to talk Jareth into putting her into Social Services. She overheard their argument last night, and she cried while they were yelling in hushed tones. Oh God, pleeease let me stay here, please!She thought as Cassie and Jareth entered the house. Cassie went straight for the phone while Jareth went into the living room to find Rhiannon and the sitter watching movies. She smiled at him and hesitated when he opened his arms for a hug. She came to him and hugged him, but began shaking.
"What's the matter?" Jareth said, looking concerned.
She sighed. "I'm afraid that I won't stay here, 'cause Cassie doesn't...want...me.." Rhiannon tried to hold back the tears but gave in. She buried her face into Jareth's chest and cried for a while. Jareth rubbed her back.
"Rhiannon, we do want you here. This is all just a surprise for Cass that's all. We will all adjust soon enough. We do have to call the Social Worker though. Just to make sure they know you are here."
Rhiannon nodded and sat back down on the couch, waiting to see what will happen.
Jareth walked over to Cassie in the foyer. She felt a little bad for how she treated Jareth last night, but she still meant what she said. She was hoping this situation would end tonight.
"The Social Worker should be here soon," Cassie said as she slipped off her lab coat.
Jareth just nodded. He was preparing what to say to the Worker when she came. He was going to make sure she knew his intentions, even though Cassie may not like it. He was hoping Cassie wouldn't openly protest about it.

Two hours later, the Social Worker knocked on the door and Cassie let her in. After all the introductions, they settled down in the hallway to discuss the issue.
"Where is the child?" The Worker asked.
"Right here," Rhiannon said as she walked out of the living room.
"What is your name?"
"Rhiannon Howard."
The Social Worker smiled. "My name is Mrs. Carpenter. I am here to help you ok?"
Rhiannon just nodded. She was scared out of her mind.
The Social Worker looked at Jareth and Cassie. "So how did you two come to have Rhiannon in your home?"
Jareth explained the whole story to her, from finding Rhiannon on the porch to finding out about her mother and how she woke up in the park. The Social Worker nodded and jotted down things in her notepad, but not saying nothing else unless she had a question. Cassie just stood there listening, since she didn't have much to do with it. Rhiannon was wringing her hands behind her back, getting even more scared and nervous. She was just hoping the Worker would be kind enough to stay with Jareth instead of going into Social Services. She was there before, and it was horrible. Some of the children there were nasty bullies and petty criminals.
When Jareth was done talking, the Social worker wrote a few more things down. After what seemed like forever, the Worker looked up from her pad.
"Mr. and Mrs. Weston, after hearing this shocking story, I would like to advise you on a few things. First of all, I would suggest that Rhiannon stays in this home with you, seeing that Social Services is just too full at the moment. So what you two need to do is go down to the courts and request temporary guardianship of Rhiannon until we can sort this out and find her mother. Next, you need to enroll her into school as quickly as possible. I will be in touch, and we will contact you when her mother is located, and we can go from there."
Jareth and Rhiannon were both relieved, but Cassie was disappointed. How can Social Services be full?! That's so insane!
Jareth thanked the Social Worker and showed her to the door. When she was gone, Rhiannon ran to Jareth and hugged him.
"Thank you thank you thank you!"
She then turned to Cassie, who was trying not to let her disappointment show. "Thank you for allowing me to stay in your home, Cassie."
"Your welcome. If you will excuse me, I have some work to do." She walked off into the stdy without another word.
Jareth sighed, then remembered what he was supposed to do.
"Hey I have a surprise for you. Would you like to see it?"
"Of course! Where is it?"
"Follow me."

He led her up the stairs, and then down the long hallway. Rhiannon didn't realize how big this house really was. She looked around in awe as they approached a door at the end of the hall.
'Open the door Rhiannon."
She smiled as she slowly turned the knob. There was a flash of pink and flowers, and she quickly opened the door. it was so beautiful! She was in shock. "Is this...?"
"This is your room Rhiannon. I had it set up while you were watching movies with the sitter. I hope you like it."
Rhiannon jumped up and down, excited. "I love it! Thank you!"
She thought the room was something you only saw on TV, but it belonged to her. She carefully touched the bed and the walls, hoping that she wouldn't break anything.
"Don't be shy, this is all yours. You also have your own bathroom over there. I hope you don't mind purple."
She shook her head, smiling. She was totally speechless.

She hugged him and he smiled. She wished and hoped she could live here forever. Even though it was mean, she was also wishing her mother never came back. She was sure she would die if she was taken away from this beautiful place. It was just a dream come true.
"Can I stay here forever Jareth?"
"You can stay for as long as you like. Let's just hope the Social Worker will agree."

Just then, Cassie came into the room. Rhiannon got nervous, but then Cassie started to talk to her.
"Do you like your room? I picked out the colors."
"Umm, yes I do thank you."
"You are very welcome. If you need anything else, more toys, clothes, whatever, let us know."
Rhiannon nodded, wondering why all of a sudden Cassie was being mice to her. She thought it was so strange. She tried to shrug it off though.
Cassie started talking to her about private school and dance lessons, things that Rhiannon never thought she could be a part of. They decided to put her in school first thing in the morning, and then go to the courts to get guardianship of Rhiannon.

[Shali]

I love this story!