5-26-08 Written & Copyrighted by... Short ending~

[WickedStar7]

YAY!! I found Axel's story!!
Read from the start.. I love them..
Even the pics that you took had improved sooooo much *thumbs-up*
I love the little todd, Nicholas. So adorable, make me feel like giving him a squishy-hug. LOL!!
Anyways.. Love the story. Can't wait for what's gonna happen next.

[AxelVal]

Thank you, Wicked!  It always makes my day when someone enjoys my writing since I love doing it so much.

Here's what's coming next!
~~~~~~~~~~~


“Me.  I am, okay?”  He dropped again.

“Then who’s the father?”  My last nerve was being grated by this point.  I’d never had a short fuse, but this was too much.

“I don’t know,” he whispered.

“You mean there were that many?”  I crossed my arms and stared defiantly down at my eldest child.

His head snapped up.  “No!  I just don’t know!”

“How can you not know?!  I’d imagine there was face-time!”
He turned away again and I shouted.  “Who is it?!”

“I was drugged!”  His eyes were shining and I was shocked to silence.
He finally explained.  “I got a job.  Not a good one but they paid me enough that I could afford one of those one-room apartments with a community bathroom.  I had been saving up to get a good, decent meal for once.  I went out, a nice restaurant, and I don’t even remember paying the check.”
Tears were visible now.  Not falling, but gathering.
“I don’t know anything that happened until I woke up in a back alley the next morning.  Does that answer your question?”

He shook his head.  “I went to mom when the morning sickness started.  I knew it could happen to me but I didn’t want to be true.  I stayed with her until I was almost due.  Then we were able to convince the hospital to let me stay until the birth.
“Hospital said we were both lucky to make it through in fact.  Even mom said she wasn’t sure if I would wake up or not.”  Now a trail glistened on his cheek.

He sat down again, having stood up to tell me off.  Burying his face in his hands I heard him choke out, “If you want to go see her you can.  Her name’s Delphine Regula.”
Nic’s shoulders heaved a few times but no sound escaped.  I did leave then, I had to see her.

A granddaughter.  I was a single grandfather at thirty-nine.  It’s not as much fun as saying single parent, but it’s true.

She was lying on Nicolas’ bed, sound asleep.  It was a wonder our argument didn’t wake her up.  I stared at her little round face for a while, stroking her cheek a few times.  Eventually I tore myself away and went downstairs.  I looked over and saw Nic still on the couch.
He’d pulled out a blanket and covered himself, buried his face in the back-cushions.  “You can go up to your room,” I said.
He rolled over and looked at me, red-faced.

“You’re not supposed to sleep in the same bed as the baby,” he responded.
“Everything I read says it’s bad.”

I smiled a bit.  “You deserve a good night’s sleep, in your bed.”
I stopped in the archway to the kitchen, staring into the darkness with my hand just resting on the light switch.  “I’m sorry.”

I peeked over my shoulder and saw him sitting up again.  “I am too.  For running away.  I couldn’t take it anymore here.  It just, it wasn’t working right, I needed a break.”

“Just, don’t do it again?”  I felt as though I would be next to cry.
He smiled and nodded, heading for the stairs.

I flicked on the light and went into the kitchen, staring into the fridge but not really seeing anything in it.  My mind’s eye was still staring at Delphine.  I slammed the door shut as a thought occurred to me.

Kora knew.  She knew and she didn’t bother to tell me in the slightest.  I went to the computer and pulled up my e-mail.  No, I hadn’t missed it.  Yahoo messenger was next.  Kora wasn’t on so I closed it again.
Pulling up the composition box I typed all those feelings then closed without saving.  I opened a new one and tapped it out again, this time without the anger – or at least with less of it.

This one was sent.  Explaining what happened that evening and what I had learned.  Then demanding to know why I wasn’t informed earlier.  I sat in the chair for a while, twisting back and forth in it, remembering the last conversation I’d had with Kora as I sat there.

“Why is this happening now?”
“We’re just too different,” Kora responded.

“But we weren’t ten years ago.  Then we were perfect!”
I hung my head between my hands, rubbing my eyes roughly.
She stood, leaning in the doorway and staring down at me.

Silence passed between us.  “I think we should separate,” she said at last.
My head sunk and hit the desk between my elbows.
“You know?  That’s the first thing we’ve agreed on in a year.”

She smiled sadly.  “No.  It’s been longer than that.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~
I feel horrible for the amount of pictures here.  I hope the drama makes up for it though.
*bows low and apologizes*

[WickedStar7]

The amount of pictures and the story are good enough for me.
I love the story/ drama. It nearly brought tears to my eyes.
I do a lot of imagining as I read sentence by sentence. You pics just helped me to give a flow to the movie I'm imagining in my head. I can tell you that's a very good one *thumbs-up*.
Hope to hear more from you, Axel!!

[LadyAzmodan]

I cant believe your stories slipped past me  O_o - You're really a great story teller! had me laughing out loud a couple of times, and that is a accomplishment in it self.. (I laughed where it was supposed to be funny)

[AxelVal]

LadyAzmodan: *laughs*  I'm glad!  Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Wicked: Wow, good tears I hope?  I love the ability to do that, you made my day, Wicked!

And more comes now!  Longest part so far.

~~~~~~~~

My head was once again lying on the desk.  Tears streamed from my eyes and I didn’t have the energy to get up.  Until I heard the automated sound of an opening door.
Popping back up, I saw Kora had signed on and replied before logging back out.  “I’ll be over tomorrow,” she wrote.

Benoite had just got on the bus and Nicolas was still asleep with Delphine quietly beside him when the doorbell rang.
Rushing over I saw Kora on the front step, still exactly as I remember her.  My heart wrenched as she smiled.  “You want to talk?”

I led her over to the couch and we sat opposite each other – she had pulled her legs up against her chest like she always did.  “Why didn’t you tell me?” I blurted.

She stared at the couch, the same one we’d always shared.  “How did you react when you saw him?”
I stuttered.  “How did you react?” she insisted.

“Not in the best way,” I replied at last.
This earned a nod.  “That’s exactly why.  You always had a temper when it came to the kids, I could only imagine what kind of horror that must have been.”

“I cooled after I saw her,” I murmured.

Kora shook her head sadly.
“You know what?  He took off.”
I looked up at her.
“As soon as the hospital said he was fit to leave he took off.  I had no way of tracking him, absolutely no way of finding out where he went.  I think he moved back into his stupid apartment for a month then came back here.”

She stood up and wandered the room, running her hand along the familiar pieces.
I watched, my chest tightening until my mouth worked on its own accord.  “I miss you.”

She stopped in her tracks.  Without looking at me she responded, “I miss you too.  But I’m not going to go through that again.
“I’ll come over to see Delphine once in a while, and to see Nic and Benoite too.  I’ve been out of their lives too long.  If you don’t mind?”  Now she looked at me, when I was one word away from sobs.
I nodded.  It was all I could do.  She said nothing else, grabbed her coat and left, closing the door behind her.

Nic came down then, carrying a wide-awake baby with him.  “Mom?”  He was tired still, not quite awake.

I nodded, scratching at my eyebrow as I walked over to him.  I stretched out my hands and he reluctantly handed over the tiny girl into my hold.  Nic walked into the kitchen and pulled out a bowl and spoon for himself.  I sat on the chair beside him and cradled my granddaughter closely as he ate.
“We need to buy some stuff,” he said around a mouthful.

“Crib, playpen, bottles, formula.  Am I missing anything?”

He smiled.  “We’ll find whatever it is when we go out.  Today?”
I nodded, somewhat amazed that a broken family could be reunited with a fight.


We did shop that day.  We waited for Benoite to come home and for Delphine to fall asleep (I had forgotten how much babies sleep after all these years) and left a list of numbers on the door.  The top three were Kora, hospital, and my cell phone – in that order.
We drove in silence, both on the way to the store and back, and our little car was stuffed to bursting.  I’m pretty sure we left sparks actually, from the back end dragging behind us.
Benoite’s head poked down the stairs as we called our return, a finger pressed over her mouth.  “She hasn’t woken up at all since you left, don’t do it now,” she warned us.

Nicolas smiled faintly and took the steps two at a time.  “She needs up by now.  Too much sleep and we won’t get any tonight for ourselves.”  Coming back downstairs with a half-asleep baby in his arms, Nicolas took his daughter into the kitchen to wash a bottle and feed her.  Benoite and I stayed in the living room, assembling random pieces of baby-furniture.  The playpen, a bouncy-chair, highchair, swing, stuff that could be kept downstairs.
Nic came back after the formula had been drained and placed Delphine in the swing, plugging it in and turning it on.  A slow momentum built up and she began to swing back and forth, already looking drowsy again.  We stood around and chuckled for a while before he and I went up to his room to make up the crib.

Nearly all the things we bought were from grandpa Zwei’s production company, still going strong with cheap prices and good quality.  We had to clear a corner of junk in his room, but we got it to fit.
After this was done we headed downstairs to relax and do whatever families do.  Meaning videotape the baby.

A month later a car door sounded from the driveway as Benoite was getting home from school.  I heard her call a greeting but I didn’t hear the response.  I expected it to be Kora again – she hadn’t visited yet despite saying she would – but instead it was one of Nic’s friends.
A boy his age named Aron Daylapont.  I’m pretty sure this was the first time I’d seen two boys not in the same family hug.  I was watching from the kitchen table, just barely listening.  Aron asked where Nic had been, why he wasn’t coming to school anymore, and Nic just smiled.

“Too much to do.”

“What does that mean?”  Aron looked around the entryway.

“I’ll show you.”  Nicolas motioned with his hand and Aron followed into the living room where Delphine was in the playpen.

I heard a faint gasp and laughed, getting up to go watch.  The other boy was leaned over the side of the container, stroking the girl’s hair as she looked at him, a toy in her chubby hand.
“So she’s yours?” he asked as he straightened up.

Nic nodded and flopped onto the couch.
Standing just out of eyesight I saw something I didn’t expect.

~~~~~~~~

Grrr, still not many pictures.  Oh well, I think the cliffhanger makes up for it as long as I don't lose my meager fanbase.

[WickedStar7]

Ahhh! Axel! I cliffhanger!!
I wanna know what happens next!!
You're killing your fan.. How cruel

Love the update, btw... You should start writing a novel for this story.

[AxelVal]

No, don't die, Wicked!  *Grabs defibrillater paddles just in case*

New chapter thing.  One that I love and hate at the same time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aron sat beside Nicolas and leaned on his shoulder as an arm was wrapped around his shoulder and Nic’s head landed on his friend’s.
I wasn’t sure why I should be surprised, but I was.  If not for his reaction to my questioning the night he came home I would have begun to question whether Nic had told the truth about Delphine’s parentage being unknown.
“So was it you or someone else?” Aron asked.

“Me,” Nicolas told him quietly.  “And no, I don’t know who her father is.”  He recounted the story again and as he ended Aron hugged him gently again.
I left then, not wanting to get caught.  Benoite was upstairs in her room doing homework, so there was no chance of her breaking the pair up.

I sat at the table again, a cup of tea in my hands, and Nicolas finally came in as the door slammed shut nearly an hour later.
“Nice reunion?” I asked coolly, trying my best not to give it away.  I never had been inconspicuous however, and Nic gave me an odd look.

He didn’t bring attention to it though, and brought out his own mug before filling it with water.  Instead, Nic smiled and nodded.  “It’s always nice, isn’t it?  Seeing people you haven’t in a year and a few months?”
I nodded back, smiling.

Well, he didn’t bring up my slip-of-the-tongue that night anyway, but the next morning as Delphine slept in her swing and Benoite went off to school he cornered me.
“You could have just said you saw us,” he told me as we sat on the couch together.

I looked at him as he eyed me.  “You mean you and Aron?”

“Who else?  You probably started thinking he was Del’s father, didn’t you?”

“Nicolas, don’t take it personally,” I started.

“So you’ll admit to it then?”

“No, I won’t.”  I was keeping my voice down as well as I could.  “Because that’s not true.  I saw you, yes.  I did not think you had lied to me.”

He continued to stare at me.
“Listen.  I don’t know why you would want to think I was conspiring against you, Nic.  Far from it.”
I took a breath.  “Whether you believe me or not, I’ll tell you, I just want you to be happy.  Especially if it means you’ll stay here.”

Now Nicolas looked away.  “I’m paranoid,” he said quietly.  “I don’t know why either, but I am.  I’ve been afraid since I got back home, but I’m not sure of what.”
I slid down the couch and wrapped an arm around him.  “You had a traumatizing experience that led to a second one.  Put that together with suddenly running out – which may I add is your fault,” I laughed and he smiled, “I can’t blame you for being paranoid.  Nothing has gone your way in over a year!”

He laughed too then.  “You’re right, dad.  I was thinking of asking you if I could get some help, but by now I’m sure it will go away if I just start being myself.”

I pulled away for a second.  “If you want, you can invite Aron over tonight.  Or any others of your friends.  Get reconnected?”

Nic smiled broadly.  “I will.  Maybe a few of them?”

I nodded, grinning.  “Maybe we can tell Benoite to go find a friend to crash with for the night too.”

He laughed, leaning on me.  “Thanks.”

It worked perfectly, unlike everything in our lives.  Benoite had a project so she went to her partner’s house for the night, and Nicolas invited about five people to come over to celebrate his homecoming, Aron among them.
We had a few free movie rentals from a nearby place so I left the boys alone – took a gamble there – but they were too preoccupied with Delphine to care much if I was there or not.  I never knew teenage boys could be so captivated by a baby.

I got back with a few DVDs in my hand and saw they had put her to bed and we popped one in immediately.
I was in the kitchen making air-popcorn and separating it into big bowls for each boy to do with it as they would please while they bunched around the TV.  Taking the food out I was struck by how quiet they were.  We’d never had anything remotely close to a sleepover in this family so I didn’t know what to expect.

Once again, Aron and Nicolas were bundled on the couch together and none of their friends seemed to care or even notice.
With bowls passed out and butter spray and salt making their rounds; I left the group to their fun and went upstairs, both to listen for Delphine and to get my own work done.
It was midnight before I heard the TV go silent.  Then the talking started.  Would you guess eleventh-grade boys would play truth or dare?  I didn’t.  But I heard it.

Mostly truths were passed out – nothing like girls playing.  The few dares were mainly food related.  Mix such and such with such and such then eat it, find the least recent expiration date, you know.

I had gone to bed, was just laying there half-listening, when I heard two pairs of feet make their way up the stairs.  I heard familiar voices, close to Nic’s bedroom by the sound of it.
“Aron, I just want to tell you something without all of them listening, okay?”
Nicolas paused, waiting for an answer I’m willing to bet.

“I love you,” he said.

Another pause, then Aron’s voice.  “Are you sure?”

I can imagine the look that could have crossed Nic’s face.  “Yes, I’m sure!  Why would I say it if I wasn’t?”

“You have no idea,” Aron replied quietly enough for me to almost not hear it.

“Did someone do that before?”

My interest was piqued, but not quite in time.  Having laid there for nearly half an hour, my eyelids were lead.  They slid shut and my lights were out.  I never did learn the answer to that question, but I could guess.

[WickedStar7]

WOW!
Another great story Axel!!
Love the story line and Tobe is stunning
I'll be waiting for more

[AxelVal]

Tobe?  As in Tobias?  Did you just read his one?

[AxelVal]

Didn't notice it was this short.
Finale everyone!

--------

I awoke before anyone else and crept quietly downstairs.  Blankets were piled across the bodies splayed over the floor, and I stepped over them like a minefield.
But counting, there were only four of them.  I thought I miscounted and tried again.  No, it was right.  Four had slept downstairs.  But then what happened to the other two?  No one had left, I knew that.  Upstairs?  They had to be, but who was it?
I would have to wait.

The boys all woke up at different times.  I never knew how amusing it was to watch people wake up and see how they react to the morning.  A few walked bright-eyed and bushy-tailed into the kitchen to ask if I minded them stealing some food to eat, while others stumbled around like a blinded bat and simply wanted high-caffeine tea or coffee.
When they were all awake I knew who had been upstairs – Nicolas and Aron.
I already knew why and I could guess what had happened as much as I didn’t want to.

Nicolas came down soon after the others had finished eating and we said goodbye to the boys, sending them on their way whether they were completely awake or not.
We sat at the table waiting then.  I wanted to ask but I couldn’t make myself.
As I heard footsteps coming towards the stairs I panicked.  Until they stopped and I heard a door open.  Then my heart relaxed and I was able to make my mouth work rapidly.

“Nic, what happened last night?”
He looked at me strangely.
“I was just barely awake when you and Aron were talking to each other.  I heard you, but not all of it.”

He blushed.  “Oh.  I hadn’t thought of that,” he murmured, burying his face in his hands.  He nodded suddenly.
“Yeah.  Aron told me something and it just kind of happened.”

I was surprised.  “What did he tell you?”

“That he was used.  Kind of like I was, only worse.”

I didn’t ask him to elaborate.  “Well.  I don’t have anything to say then.”  I looked up and smiled at him.  “Exactly like I said before, if it makes you happy and want to stay here, I have no problem with what you do.”  I quickly added, “As long as it’s not, you know, drugs or crimes.  Right?”

He laughed and nodded.
The door opened again and Aron came down the stairs carrying Delphine.
“I thought she might want some breakfast.  She was awake when I got her.”

Nicolas smiled softly and took the girl off him, making his way over the fridge to feed her breakfast.
Aron sat down beside me and asked if I minded him staying later.
I told him I had no objections and then excused myself to go do more work.  Really I just had to get away for a while lest I embarrass myself.
I heard Nic though, on my way upstairs.  “He knows,” he said matter-of-factly.

Aron was, to say the least, mortified.  I didn’t see him around the house for a month or so.

Kora did eventually show up again.  I’m not sure exactly how long it took for her to get her priorities straightened out.  But by that point Delphine had started talking.  One word – papa – but it was a start.  She learned to say Nic before she learned to say mama though, which was a great source of amusement.
Aron began to show his face again too, though he blushed nearly every time we made eye contact.

So, despite what I thought before, I guess it isn’t so horrible after all.  Maybe there’s hope for me yet.
Until I mention the fact that, at nineteen, Nicolas is pregnant again – this time we know the father however.

But, he did well enough with Delphine, nothing can go too wrong this time, right?
Well, we’ll see as time goes on.

Until then, Shayn Emmerich Lusaka would like to wish you all just as many ‘failures’ in your life!
Written and Copyrighted, of course.


-------

I hate that I don't have any good photo-editing software anymore.  Otherwise I would still be writing on the final picture.

Corbiun next!  I love his story so much.
And I know the twins' drama too.

[WickedStar7]

Axel the story is just too beautiful..
I love how it ended.
I went reading from the middle all the way right to the end to get the feel of the story again.
Great work, Axel.
I would really love to read more of your stories..

[ImpishParody]

I love your stories Axel! You've definately improved as the thread goes on, I adored the original story, and Shayn's and Tobias' were fantastic
I can't wait to read the rest of this family's stories

[dovora123]

I have a question what is the best way to download your sims extracting or clean installing??? Oh and also I noticed when I download the people with the dark skin they dont turn up on my sims 2

[AxelVal]

I would Clean Install the sims, Dovora, but I always do.

Impish: Yay, thank you!  I can't wait to get in the groove of writing again.  I just got my fire back for Sims after about three months so hopefully that will follow soon when I have time.
Wicked: I'm happy you enjyed this story as much as you appear to have.  And, like I just said, I'm hoping to get back into writing soon, so I may have Corbin's story within the year (hoping before then though)


Yes, I'm actually going to keep going.  I love writing and getting compliments like I have been throughout this thread will help keep me alive until next summer.  (not seriously "keep me alive", but you get my point, right?)

[WickedStar7]

Wicked: I'm happy you enjyed this story as much as you appear to have.  And, like I just said, I'm hoping to get back into writing soon, so I may have Corbin's story within the year (hoping before then though)


Yes, I'm actually going to keep going.  I love writing and getting compliments like I have been throughout this thread will help keep me alive until next summer.  (not seriously "keep me alive", but you get my point, right?)

I'll be waiting to read Corbin's story.
I'm sure you can
Your stories are very realistic and I love that kinda story.
You should keep on writing