Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Everyone knew the Pleasant family.

Scratch that; everyone knew the Pleasant Twins. If you didn't, you probably lived under a rock or you just didn't browse Simstagram that often.
There was the older twin by a few minutes, Angela. Her style was far more light and flowy than her twin's, and she was treated quite well by their parents growing up.
The younger twin, Lilith, preferred dressing in darker colors and she prefered baggier outfits. Unfortunately, she was more or less ignored by their parents.

Speaking of their parents they were somewhat famous too, being the mayor of Pleasantview and an athlete respectively. They weren't as famous as their daughters, however. You've probably heard the names Mary-Sue and Daniel. They were usually the ones who designed the outfits that the twins modelled, after all. They were also the ones who pushed them to join an agency, and so they did. In all honesty, the twins preferred modelling just for fun. They didn't plan on making a whole career out of it.
Then again, they were money makers first before they were daughters.

"Quit slouching, Lilith. You'll ruin your posture." Mary-Sue chided her younger daughter.
"Ohhh noooo, I slouched for a second! I can never, ever, model again." Lilith snarked back, rolling her eyes in annoyance, "We practiced all night and you still expect us to go to school?"
"Of course we do." Daniel spoke up, "Besides, we thought you liked pulling all-nighters?"
"Only on the weekends. Specifically Friday and Saturday nights." Angela said, fiddling with one of the many bangles around her wrist, "We just think it's a little unfair. What if we fall asleep in class?"
"You're not supposed to fall asleep in class." Mary-Sue said, narrowing her eyes just as the school bus pulled up to the curb, "See you two this afternoon."

The twins begrudgingly grabbed their backpacks and left the house, climbing onto the bus. They really couldn't win with their parents no matter how much they argued. Of course, Lilith sat in the front with her best friend, Dirk Dreamer.
Angela sat in the middle of the bus, pointedly ignoring her ex-boyfriend Dustin who kept sneaking glances at her. Angela refused to air her dirty laundry out on her social media, but she sometimes felt the urge to. He broke up with her through a damn text. She didn't even notice he didn't love her anymore! Furthermore, he mentioned the fact he liked Kestrel Teens. Kestrel was pretty and nice, but she always looked super pallid and tired. She was always staring at people's necks too, like some sort of weirdo. As nice as she was, Angela preferred not to speak to her if she could help it.

About 15 minutes later, Pleasantview and the other busses from the nearby areas such as Strangetown and Riverblossom Hills pulled up in front of SimCity High. It was sponsored by the Landgraab Company, and it looked like a mini skyscraper. At least, it looked similar to the skyscrapers surrounding it.
Almost immediately, Angela's friend Juliette Capp was briskly making her way towards her. Juliette was a very wealthy girl who lived in Veronaville with her siblings and grandpa, though she wasn't a spoiled brat like some people would think. That honor went to Juliette's little cousin Desdemona.

"Angela, I need to talk to you." Juliette said gravely.
"Of course, what is it?" Angela replied in concern.
"Not here. Come with me." Juliette began to pull Angela away and into the large building. The crowds of students moved out of their way as quick as possible. Juliette led Angela to an empty classroom, and as soon as the door closed Juliette turned on her friend.
"I've been thinking about going to La Fiesta Tech with you."
"Wait, what?"
"I've been looking into it a bit more, and La Fiesta is pretty interesting! By that, I mean my family doesn't have a dorm named after us there. No one in my family has ever attended it. Ancestors included."
"So you want to be the first then, I'm guessing. I can respect that! I personally think we should join the sorority there. We'll have a bunch of connections, y'know?"
"A sorority, huh? What about all the hazing and stuff you have to go through just to get in?"
"Juli, I'm a pretty famous model and you can be pretty ruthless too. They wouldn't dare mess with us."
"If you say so. I think I've had enough fighting with others for one lifetime anyway. Dealing with Tybalt on a daily basis is super bothersome."
"You and Tybalt remind me of myself and Lilith with all the fighting, honestly."
"I think our fighting's way worse than yours." Juliette raised an eyebrow, "After all, we fistfight practically everyday. You and Lilith simply argue, and rarely put your hands on each other."
"True. Anyway, we should probably start getting to class right about now."
"Yeah. See you in debate?"
"You know it. I think Sandra's going to crush Justin in our mock debate today." With that said, the girls left the empty classroom and made their way to their own classes. Just in time too, because the first bell rang.

When Angela entered the class, she could already see Lilith and her friends laughing it up in the back, while Tank Grunt sat in front of them looking quite annoyed. Angela sat in the very front next to a girl with long, straight brown hair.
"Hey, Angelface." The girl said, popping her pencil against the desk.
"What's up, Ara?" Ara Fusilli was a fellow model who Angela was friends with. Her father, Frankie, was rumored to be a mob boss closely affiliated with the Altos.
"Papa's thinkin' about moving us to Veronaville so we can be closer to Aunt Holly and the rest of our family."
"Veronaville's a pretty cool place, I don't blame him. Better not get caught up in the whole Capp-Monty feud though."
"Nah, Aunt Holly's neutral like those Summerdreams. Knowing Papa, he's gonna follow in her lead."
"Well, that's good at least."
"Honestly... I've got my eye on that Mercutio Monty. He's so cool and a total hottie!"
"I thought you had a thing for Tristan? And Hermia Capp liked him?"
"Tristan is... complicated. Plus, Hermia likes Romeo Monty now. It's totally weird, but at least it leaves me room to pursue him."
"Huh. I always thought Romeo and Juliette would be a thing. They are named after the famous starcrossed lovers, after all."
"That's exactly why they aren't an item! The feuding families, the names, they're only a step away from trying to elope because of an arranged marriage and accidentally killing themselves!"
"Mr. Capp's old-fashioned, but I don't think he'd force his grandchildren into unhappy relationships!"
"I dunno, Angel. The old coot's unpredictable. If he found out any of them were dating the so-called enemy, he'd probably set 'em up with someone!"
"There's like two other families in Veronaville. Who could he possibly set them up with?"
"The Altos, of course. They've got adopted and biological children. And then there's the Worthingtons, the Huffingtons, the Landgraabs, and the--"
"Okay, okay, I get it! There's surprisingly a lot of old money families in SimNation."
"No kidding. Even I'm old money."

"I'm also surprised at the fact that most of the rich kids, including you, aren't in private school."
"Private school's lame. You gotta wear these ugly and stiff uniforms, the teaches are annoying as hell, and you can't even give your friend a nice high five! Smuggsworth was terrible."
"Well, I for one think Smuggsworth is amazing." Their teacher, Cornwall Capp said as he entered the room and made his way to the front, "It's disciplined, something you all need."
"It's stuffy." Ara's lip curled in distaste as she rolled her eyes.
"Who cares about some traditional prep school for privileged spoiled kids?" Angela could hear Lilith saying in the back. As much as she wanted to argue, it wasn't like she liked Cornwall. He looked creepy, he was super rude, and he didn't like most of them either. That's why she kept her mouth shut even when the man looked for support from the class. Angela was surprised to see that not even Tank spoke up in Cornwall's defense, seeing as the teen seemed to be Cornwall's favorite student.

Defeated, the man finally started his lesson. Them being them, they talked through most of it, taking notes whenever they deemed it necessary. They'd end up sharing their notes with each other later anyway.
 

Angela stretched as she, Ara, and Juliette made their way out of the building.

School was finally over, and everyone was heading over to the park right across the street from the building as they did everyday. Behind them were Lilith and the Strangetown teens, minus Tank, who walked in front of Angela and her friends. 
"Are we still on for our big sleepover this weekend?" Ara asked, inspecting her perfectly manicured nails.
"I'll be there." Juliette said, "I don't know what you or your father said to Consort, but he quickly changed his mind."
"I'll be there too, I need time away from my parents." Angela spoke up.
"What happened this time? Mary-Sue's still trying to get you to take college courses?"
"That, and I recently found out something about my father."
"What is it?"
Angela fell silent until they reached their typical hangout spot underneath a large tree. As they settled into their spot, Angela gestured for the girls to come closer so she could whisper.
"He's having an affair with the maid."
"No way!" Ara exclaimed.
"We need more details." Juliette said expectantly.
"Lilith told me this ages ago, but I didn't believe her. Well, I had came home early because debate club was cancelled that day. As I was walking up to the house, I noticed that the blinds were shut even though my dad was home. When I walked in, I saw dad and Kaylynn going at it on the couch! I don't think they saw or heard me, but I think they know."
"What makes you say that?" Juliette asked.
"When Kaylynn finally left, I went back downstairs to greet my mother and my sister. Dad looked extremely surprised to see me."

"That dirty little dog..." Ara snarled.
"You can't ca--"
"Angela, you know I hate cheaters." Ara interrupted, "My mama ran away with our old butler ages ago, and both me and my papa still hate her to this day. We Fusillis can hold a mean grudge, after all."
"Apparently so can we Capps and the Montys. Specifically, our grandparents."
"I wish they were more like Titania, Oberon, Aunt Holly and Uncle Michael." Ara sighed, "The old coots don't like me."
"Maybe they hate the way you talk? You do call them old coots all the time." Angela suggested.
"What do you mean they hate the way I talk? I talk like a normal teenage girl. It's not my fault they give me those dirty looks either."
"True, but I don't think it's personal. They don't like most people outside of the family anyway."
"Yeah, but this totally ruins my chances of asking Mercutio out!"
"Mercutio." Juliette repeated, eyebrow raised, "You like... Mercutio?"
"I know you don't like him, but he's still 100 percent better than Tybalt."
"Well, I can't argue with that." Juliette shrugged.

"Ahem.. anyway." Angela cleared her throat, "Did you guys hear about Cassandra Goth's upcoming wedding?"
"Sure did. It's supposed to be the biggest social event of the year." Ara said.
"Can you believe it's going to be televised? It's supposed to be as big as Bella and Mortimer's wedding back in the day."
"I knew it was big, but for it to be televised..." Angela trailed off.
"We should be your plus ones. Err, plus twos?" Ara said.
"Oh, and why is that?"
"Cause we're your best friends whom you love dearly?"
"Maybe I wanna take someone else to the wedding?"
"Like who?"
Angela's eyes scanned the park for a second before her eyes landed on a certain guy doing his homework, "Him."
"Tank Grunt?" Juliette asked, surprised, "I didn't realize he was your type."
"I like strong people." Angela shrugged, "Plus, he also likes the color green."
"Huh. You should go talk to him." Ara said.
"What? No way. I'm only kidding, you know! He's kinda distant anyway. I want a guy who's warm and can make me laugh."
"Uh-huh, suuuure...." Ara glared at the redhead skeptically.

Angela wasn't quite looking for a new guy just yet. The sting from Dustin was still new, and she didn't want the guy to feel like a rebound. Though Tank would be a nice choice.. Mary-Sue and Daniel would like him, and she's sure the General would like her too...

Nah. Maybe they were better off just being aquaintances, at least until either of them were confident enough to actually strike up conversation.

Chapter Text

Cassandra Goth looked around the beautifully decorated hall for her and Don Lothario's upcoming wedding, nodding slowly in approval.

Pressing her pencil against her lips, she looked down at her clipboard again. She had everything she wanted set up, but something seemed to still be missing...

"Cassandra." Her father Mortimer said, hobbling over to his eldest child, "How are the preparations going? How come Don isn't here helping you?"

"It's going well, though I feel like it's not yet complete. As for where Don is, he was called in by the hospital. They needed help with reticulating some splines."

"I see. And has he been helping you with the preparations?"

"Sometimes, but I insisted on handling most of it myself. I have a very specific vision in mind, you see, and we decided it would be easier if I just did it. He told me he would be happy with whatever I chose."

It was no secret that Mortimer Goth disliked Don Lothario. He had disliked the man ever since he and Cassandra were teenagers, and Cassandra had the biggest crush on him then and still did. He was known as a casanova back then, and he was still known as one to this day.

There was also one other little detail that made Mortimer apprehensive about allowing Cassandra to marry that man.

His wife, Bella, disappeared a few years ago because of Don.

She was on his deck for whatever reason when she suddenly disappeared. Don claimed that she was taken away by aliens. When Don called the police, they didn't believe his alien comment because everyone knew they didn't go to Pleasantview. They just didn't. That being said, they had no proof that Don had something to do with it either causing them to eventually drop the case. Mortimer didn't drop it, however. He spent the next few years of his life looking for any sign of who or what took her away from him and their family, though he got nowhere. Still, he was nothing if not stubborn.

"I'm still not so sure about Don, sweetie. Why not Darren Dreamer? Or that Vidcund Curious fellow you work with?"

"Darren is still grieving over Darleen, while Vidcund still loves Circe Beaker. If anything, I would just be a rebound and I don't want that." Cassandra said, exasperated, "I'm not trying to be rude father, but we've been over this. Multiple times, might I add."

"I know, Cass, but I'm just looking out for you."

"And I appreciate it, father, I really do, but save it for Alex. I'm not fifteen anymore."

"You're right.. it's just that I can't help but see you as my little girl still." Mortimer sighed, causing Cassandra's stony expression to soften.

"I'm sorry."

"No, you're right. You're a grown woman who can decide who you want to marry yourself. Just know that if he ever hurt you.."

"You'll murder him with your bare hands, which I definitely don't believe." Cassandra said, smiling, "You're hardly a mean person. I think I could compare you to Mr. Smith from Strangetown, since he's essentially everyone's father. It's like he adopts everyone he meets."

"Now, now, Cassandra. Just because I don't get into many fights, doesn't mean I wouldn't harm someone for yours and Alexander's sakes." Mortimer's expression became stony once she mentioned Pollination Technician #9. It wasn't that Mortimer hated aliens.. he just didn't trust them that much. After all, they took away his wife. What if his children were next? Or even himself?!

"I see, Cassandra." Mortimer said stiffly. Cassandra could sense that the conversation would soon take a turn for the worst, so she focused on the decorations again.

"By the way, when is the wedding again? I don't remember you ever sharing." Mortimer asked.

"Second Saturday of next month, so a few weeks from now. Don and I have started on the invitations already, and we hope to send them out by this weekend."

"Do you need my help with making them?"

"Help would be welcome. It's going to be a huge event, after all. I'm inviting all of the nearby neighborhoods. From Strangetown, to Veronaville, to Bluewater.."

"SimCity, Belladonna, Desiderata, and Riverblossom too?"

"Of course. I want my wedding to be as big as yours and mother's. You know, as a sort of tribute."

"Our wedding wasn't that huge."

"Oh really? I see it on Simtube sometimes, and I've read articles about it in the past too. I remember them saying all of Sunset Valley, Riverview, Roaring Heights, and even Bridgeport came!"

"Well, Riverview was a part of Sunset Valley at that point in time. Vita Alto joined the two towns, and that's how we got Pleasantview."

"What happened to Vita and Nick anyway? We hear about Aunt Holly and Uncle Michael all the time, but never Aunt Holly's parents."

"It's a long story, and I'll share with you another time. I was only a child, but I can remember it like it was yesterday."

As her father reminisced about his life in Sunset Valley, Cassandra wandered around the large hall. She had originally wanted an all black and white wedding, then a black and red one, and also a white and purple one.. she eventually settled for black and white, with red roses. Roses had been her mother's favorite flower, and she decided that roses would be another nice tribute to her.

"I wish mother were here to witness this." Cassandra finally said, causing Mortimer to turn his attention back to his daughter.

"And so do I, Cassandra. That's why I'm still searching for her. I know I'm close to solving this mystery, but some things aren't adding up."

"And what are those things?"

"Aliens typically only abduct men. Even then, they're brought back within a few hours. Why would they abduct Bella and keep her with them?"

"Maybe they were aiming for Don? And mother tried to protect him?"

"Then they would more than likely drop her back down and get the person they came here for."

"Well.. I hear that Loki Beaker is developing a device that will allow us to contact aliens."

"I tried that years ago when you were still a child, Cassandra."

"Well, yes, but they have better technology these days. I'm sure it'd be easier now to create such a device compared to back then."

"I suppose I'll have to make a visit to Landgraab Science Facility someday then."

"You're retired. Are you sure they'll allow you in?"

 "I helped Malcolm found the place! They better let me in!"

"I knew you were a head scientist there.. but why isn't your name on it too?"

"Malcolm handled the business aspect of it all, and I was content with just my experiments. Speaking of, I wonder how he and Kaylynn are doing these days.."

"As in Langerak? The maid?"

"Langerak is her maiden name, but the Kaylynn you're speaking of is Parker and Bebe Langerak's daughter. They named her after Parker's sister."

"Huh, I wonder why."

"You would have to ask them yourself. I haven't kept in contact with them, but I hear that they still hang out with Holly and Michael."

"I see.. you've given me a lot to think about, father. Thank you."

"Of course, dear. Now, shall we get back to decorating?"

"Yes, let's hurry up before Alexander gets out of school."

With all of that said, they did exactly that. Mortimer focused on the lighting and tables, while Cassandra focused on the flowers and the banners.

Alexander joined his friends Jill Smith, Lucy Burb, and Buck Grunt on jungle gym at recess. It was their typical hangout spot, and the other kids seemed to respect that by avoiding it whenever the four kids hung out on it together.

They all dangled their legs off the edge as they filled each other in on recent events in their lives.

"Cass' getting married to Don Lothario downtown next month." Alexander began, wiping off his glasses, "She and father are focused on the decorations, but I can tell father's not happy with it."

"Oh, Titania and Oberon are getting married soon too! Dessie told me all about it this morning." Lucy said excitedly."

"Looks like everyone's got marriage on the brain. Not me, though." Buck sighed, "Dad's been spouting more anti-alien propaganda lately, and he's been arguing with Ripp too. Tank's been staying out of it."

"I wonder why your dad hates us so much? Just because some of us have green skin and weird eyes doesn't mean we aren't sims too." Jill said, leaning back, "My news is a bit happier though. I learned about this cool new ability I have."

"You mean besides the eyes on the back of your head?" Alexander asked curiously.

"Even better than the eyes. You may want to stand back though." The children got up from their spots moving away from the blonde girl, who closed her eyes and held her hands out. Suddenly, there was a small flicker of something and a small flame was in Jill's hands. Alexander and Lucy were taken aback by this, but Buck could only grin.

"I have pyrokinesis." Jill said proudly.

"That's remarkable! When did you develop it?" Alexander asked, looking up at his friend.

"I'd say maybe… a few weeks ago? I showed Buck first, of course, and he helped me figure out some of it. This flame is the biggest I can go before it spirals out of control." Jill explained, flames quickly dissipating. She then wiped her soot covered fingers on her shorts.

"This is so cool! Does anyone else know about this?" Lucy asked.

"Besides you guys and my family, no. I think it's better that way too. If General Buzz ever found out.. I could be a goner."

"Don't worry, Jillybean! Me, Alex, and Bucky will protect you from his dad!" Lucy declared with a grin.

"You don't need to do that. If him or anyone else tries to mess with me, I'll just light them on fire!"

Just then, Desdemona and her older brother Hal Capp climbed up on the jungle gym, carrying sticks.

"Hello, guys!" Desdemona said, dropping her sticks, " Hey, Alexander .." She finished in a sing-songy voice.

"You guys should probably hide." Hal said very seriously.

"Why, what's wrong?" Buck asked, concerned.

"What's wrong? What's wrong ?! The Montys and Daniel Bell declared war on us! They violated our peace treaty because we ran out of fruit gummies to share!" Desdemona exclaimed, "My poor, poor kingdom…"

"We're going to try and hold them off, but it's hard when it's only two of us and three of them." Hal said.

"Why don't we help you guys?" Buck suggested, "That'll be five against three."

"I'm up for it." Jill said, stretching.

"Anything to protect the Fairy Kingdom!" Lucy said.

"And I'll take part too. As a wizard." Alexander concluded.

Hal nodded, before handing everyone a stick of their own. With everyone armored up, they began to look out for Beatrice, Benedick, and Daniel. Alexander spotted them by the swings clearly planning something because they kept looking over at the jungle gym as they spoke. The kids on the jungle gym got down low as they discussed their own plan to victory.

Finally, the Montys and Daniel began to charge towards the jungle gym with war cries, but the others were anticipating it and fought back valiantly.

They nearly won, until Benedick shouted something that made their blood chill.

"Throw the glitter now, Bottom!" Suddenly, Bottom Summerdream came out from under the jungle gym, glitter in her hands!

"Everyone, retreat!" Desdemona shouted as Bottom began attacking them too. The kids all went down the slide, and ran off into different directions to avoid the Montys, Daniel, and Bottom.

Alexander ended up casting a protective charm over them to protect them so they could fight back.

Once again, they had the upper hand until the school bell rang for class.

"Good match guys." Beatrice said, wrapping an arm around Hal and Desdemona's shoulders, "I didn't expect you to enlist their help though."

"Allies can come from anywhere." Desdemona said, smiling, "Shall we meet up at the old farm today to continue running our kingdoms?"

"Do you even have to ask? Of course!" Benedick grinned.

"You guys can join us too, if you like. That was some expert wand waving swordsmanship back there. The Fairy Kingdom could use you." Hal said to the Pleasantview and Strangetown kids.

"No way! Join us in the Wolf Kingdom! We're way cooler." Daniel said.

"We'll decide after school." Alexander said, "They both sound like good picks, honestly."

Both Hal and Daniel seemed satisfied with this answer, and didn't bring it up again. They were far too busy plotting a way to get the new players on their respective sides, after all..

Chapter Text

As Juliette made her way into Capp Manor she felt a sense of foreboding, as if something bad was going to happen.

In a way, she was right. When she entered the manor, her older family members were running about trying to tidy up a bit. Everything stopped when she stepped in, and Consort hobbled up to her angrily.

"You're late."

"I was just--"

"No matter, get upstairs and go change. We're hosting dinner tonight."

With a quick nod, Juliette ran upstairs and pushed past both Hermia and Tybalt in her haste. Once she got into her room, she threw her closet doors open and rummaged around for the new silvery-blue dress she had purchased a few days ago when she was hanging out with Angela.

She quickly got dressed and sat at her vanity. As she put on make-up and did her hair up nicely, she tried to remember her etiquette lessons. No elbows on the tables, no eating before Consort, don't kick Tybalt in the shins for being a total gerbit…

Juliette finally sat down her curling iron in the table, and inspected herself in the mirror. It was only dinner, like the many dinners she had attended in the past so she didn't really need to go all out like she was doing, but something told her this would get her in Consort's good graces. Watcher knew she needed that. After the whole 'secretly-dating-Romeo-Monty' fiasco last year, she needed to do a little damage control to avoid being cut out of her share of her inheritance.

Once she deemed herself presentable enough, she headed downstairs just as a boy with black hair stepped into the house. His jaw dropped as Juliette slowly came down the stairs with her chin up. Remember your lessons, Juliette… ignore the guy who is blatantly ogling you…

"Come Francis, it's rude to stare." An older woman said, leading 'Frances' into the dining room.

"Y-Yes! Sorry, mother." The boy stammered out. Oh, Juliette definitely knew him. He was a senior or junior at her high school who sometimes liked to flaunt the fact that he came from old money. Juliette didn't care for him at all. As she walked behind Francis and his mother, her eyes widened at how full the room was. She could see her cousins, her aunts, her uncles, the Altos from the Monty side, the Huffingtons… just what was going on tonight?

"Ah, and here's my darling granddaughter now." Consort said as she walked in. Darling? Just because she was the baby out of her mother's children didn't mean she wanted to be doted on, especially by Consort. He never doted unless he wanted something.

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, she took her place next to a blonde girl on her phone. She recognized this girl too. Heather Huffington was an upperclassman at her school like Francis, and she was the captain of the cheerleading squad after Brittany Upsnott handed over the position after she graduated.

"Oh, Juliette." Heather said in her valley girl accent that sometimes got on her nerves, "This is like, the coolest place ever. I could throw so many ragers here."

"Thank you, but with a grandfather like Consort your only guests will be his business partners."

"Are they like, hot billionaires? I'd totes be down to party with hot billionaires."

"I wouldn't say they're hot… they're all ancient like him. Unless you're into that?"

"Eww. I hate old guys. They're always like, undressing me with their eyes and saying weird stuff!"

"Just try and ignore them. They're always trying to get under your skin like that."

"I guess I could try… but the next guy who catcalls me is getting a kitten heel stuck into his eyeball!"

Juliette visibly cringed at this image, but she didn't try to argue the point. She didn't have to because dinner was beginning to start.

"Put your phone away, Heather." Mr. Huffington said boredly. Heather made an ugly face at her father, who didn't even react. Still, she did as she was told without a word of protest.

Consort stood up at his end of the table, tapping his glass with a spoon, "Before we begin eating, I'd like to make a toast to Mrs. Holly Alto and her husband, Mr. Michael Alto."

Honestly, Juliette tuned out most of the toast. It wasn't like she had any ill feelings towards Holly and Michael, which she didn't because she actually felt understood by them. It was because Consort was trying to make himself look good again. She was tired of him being cold towards her, Hermia, and Miranda while treating Tybalt with respect only to flip a switch as soon as one of their allies came around. For once, she'd like to see him slip up. For once, she'd like to shove this lobster thermidor into his--

Oh, time to eat.

Like she was taught, Juliette took small bites. Looking next to her and even across the table, she could see Heather and Miranda eating the way they normally did, much to their respective parents' embarassment. As the dinner dragged on and on, it became clear to Juliette that most of the teens just stopped caring about the whole thing. Well, save for Tybalt who was eagerly holding a conversation. She caught the eye of her Aunt Regan, who subtly nodded at Juliette. Juliette smiled, getting up from the table and gesturing for a few of the teens to come with her. As expected, none of the adults beside Regan, Kent, and the Altos cared about this. After all, their plates were completely empty.

Juliette and the teens stepped outside, sitting on benches in Capp Manor's beautiful front gardens, stretching out. 

"Watcher, I thought I'd just about die if I had to listen to Tybalt talk anymore!" Heather complained dramatically.

"How do you think we feel? We're related to the guy." Miranda asked, head resting on one of her fists.

"Probably terrible." Heather said before taking a small box of something out of her purse.

"Are those real cigarettes?" Hermia asked, eyes the size of saucers, "They'd smell it on us, you know--"

"Chillax Hermia! They're not real, it's just candy. See?" Heather asked before biting the stick in her mouth, "Cheerleading and smoking do not go well together! I'm not speaking from personal experience, but I've seen it happen when I first joined the team. Anywho, you guys want one?" She asked, holding out the box of candy.

Miranda eagerly took one, and Francis did too so that he didn't look uncool in front of the girls. Juliette and Hermia debated with themselves on if they should take one or not, and they ended up doing so.

"You know," Heather began, switching her candy to the other side of her mouth, "This feels like prom."

"What makes you say that?" Francis asked.

"The fancy outfits, the limos, the food, all we're waiting for are dates! I've already got one person on my mind."

"Who would that be?" Miranda was invested in the conversation now.

"Castor Nova! He's one of those band kids but like, a cool band kid."

"I think I'd take Puck Summerdream to prom. He's a total cutie even with that weird face paint he always wears." Miranda grinned.

"Tara Debateau's nice, even if she is a little weird." Francis admitted.

"Oh my god, you like Terrible Tara?!" Heather laughed at this revelation, causing Francis to turn red and look away.

"She's not that bad…"

"Yeah, but she's Tara! She'd probably hiss at you before you even got the chance to ask." Heather said in between laughs, "Now, Hermia and Juliette. Your turn."

Hermia hesitated, looking everywhere but at her friends and family. Juliette noticed this, so she spoke up in Hermia's place, "Romeo. I choose Romeo."

"Romeo Monty, eh? A forbidden love!" Heather said happily, "Why not Guyliner Grunt?"

"First of all, only I can call Ripp that. Secondly, we're just friends. Ripp likes Ophelia Nigmos."

"Huh. Anyway, what about you Hermia?"

"Um.. I don't particularly have a specific person, honestly." Hermia said. Juliette knew that was a big fat lie though. She knew exactly who Hermia liked. It made Juliette angry when she first heard about it, but she quickly got over it when she saw how happy Hermia was. In hindsight though, maybe it was better that Romeo and Juliette weren't together.

" Boring!" Heather yawned before standing up, "Come, Francis. Let's see if our parents are ready to go yet. If we're early enough, perhaps I can meet up with Castor."

With a nod, Francis followed after the blonde like a lost puppy.

"I thought I'd just about die." Hermia said once the others were gone.

"I wasn't expecting Heather to ask that." Juliette said, "Knowing how much Heather gossips at school, this'll be everywhere."

"Are you sure you want yours and Romeo's relationship everywhere?"

"What relationship? Romeo chose you, Hermia. He and I are just acquaintances now."

"Well, thanks for covering for me. I really appreciate it."

"Of course. You're my sister no matter what happens. I will always have your back."

"And I'll always have yours. You know, as the older sister I should be defending you."

"I don't mind being your hero. I know you're not that good with people. Now come on, let's see if they've got dessert served now. Mrs. Alto brought Baked Alaska!" Juliette said, standing up. Hermia followed alongside her.

"I've always wondered if Baked Alaska really does come from Alaska."

"I don't think so." Juliette said just as Holly and Michael made their way out of the mansion.

"Enjoy the Baked Alaska, girls." Holly said smiling. The girls smiled back before stepping into the house and towards the dining room again.

Tonight wasn't as bad as Juliette thought it'd be. In fact, she actually enjoyed herself! Consort and Tybalt weren't yelling at her, Uncle Albany and Uncle Cornwall weren't up to their schemes, and Aunt Goneril didn't look tired for once.

Juliette only wished that it could stay peaceful like this forever.

Chapter Text

Nina listened as Dina and Don tried speaking in hushed tones in the kitchen.

Of course being in the living room meant that Nina could hear every single word they were saying to each other. 

"Don, you can't mess this up. If you leave Cassandra at the altar…"

"I'm not going to, Dina." Nina could tell he didn't want to go through with this whole wedding thing, however. She knew Don hated commitment and being tied down.

"I'm serious. If you do, there will be serious consequences."

"I get it, Dina. You just do your part of the plan."

"I will. As soon as you leave, I'll call Mortimer over and propose."

"I didn't think you were the eloping type."

"I prefer being wined and dined first, but Cassandra may get in the way if we don't elope."

"Will you live in the mansion or stay here then?"

"Here. Once Mortimer dies, I'll inherit, kick out Cassandra and Alexander, and we'll run Pleasantview."

"But Cassandra and Alexander will fight for the mansion. And Mary-Sue Pleasant is the current mayor."

"I know that. And I have many plans, just trust me. I know exactly how to deal with all of these roadblocks."

"If you say so. I'm going to get going now, I have work soon."

Nina quickly rushed upstairs just as Don left the kitchen. She heard the front door open and close, and Dina started to dial Mortimer's number on the house phone. Nina made her way into her blue bedroom, and threw open her closet door. She would be out of here by tonight. She didn't want to get swept up in Dina's plan this time. There was already the whole fiasco with Dina trying to murder Michael Bachelor back in Bridgeport, but Holly Alto managed to foil that plan so they had to flee. Nina hated it then, and thinking about it now still made her angry. She tossed her clothes haphazardly into a suitcase, pausing once she heard Dina walk into her own bedroom.

She knew Dina would try and get her to stay here in Pleasantview if she knew Nina was trying to leave, but the truth of it was Nina didn't even care for it. She loved Don, but he preferred Dina like everyone else. Don loved Cassandra too, and apparently he had a thing with his maid as well.

Brandi Broke was her friend, but at the same time they didn't really keep in contact that much anymore. Brandi had another kid on the way, and she was usually too tired to do anything. Nina didn't hold that against her, of course. She was trying her best.

She could hear Dina making her way back downstairs so Nina grabbed her suitcase and left her room. On the steps, she called the taxi company to pick her up. Once she came downstairs, she was greeted with the sight of Mortimer and Dina kissing.

As much as she didn't want to see this, she wanted to at least say goodbye to her sister.

"Where are you going, Nina?" Dina asked, out of breath.

"I'm moving out."

"Wait, what?" Dina asked in surprise.

"You have Mortimer now, y'know?"

"But-- but-- it's supposed to be you and me against the world!"

"I can still visit." The cab was honking outside, so Nina walked over to the front door.

"At least tell me where you're going?"

"Strangetown."

"The military town? What could you possibly gain from living there?"

"A new start. It's empty there, but that's fine by me. They're starting to build new things there, and maybe I can open that dancing studio I've been planning."

Dina grabbed Nina's arm, looking serious, "Do you know what they'd do to you there?" She whispered.

"Dina."

"Cut you open and experiment on you. They don't take kindly to people like us."

"Dina, they won't do that. How would they even know?"

"Maybe you'll get too angry at someone or something. Maybe you'll get extremely sad."

"I can keep my emotions in check, thank you very much." Nina snatched her arm away, noticing the frost starting to form on it. Mortimer looked concerned, so she immediately hid it out of view with a dry smile, "Mortimer, Dina. I hope you have a lovely wedding."

"Won't you be coming?" Mortimer asked, confused.

"Maybe yes, maybe no. We'll have to see." Nina said, opening the front door.

"Stay safe in Strangetown." Dina called out from behind her.

"I will." Finally, Nina left. As she approached the cab and got in the back, she could feel a weight being lifted off of her chest.

"What took you so long?" The cabbie asked, somewhat miffed.

"My sister and her new fiancé. They were saying goodbye and giving me a little advice."

"Well, where to?"

"Strangetown. And step on it." The cabbie nodded, peeling off towards SimCity.

"Why are you going to Strangetown anyway? It's practically empty."

"I'm looking for someone, and I want to get away from my sister."

"Had a big fight?"

"Something like that."

As the skyscrapers and concrete of SimCity were replaced by the sand and cactuses of Strangetown, Nina couldn't help but wonder if this was the right choice. She was the one who typically kept Dina grounded. She didn't even try warning Mortimer or Cassandra about what Dina planned to do.

She didn't warn Bella back then either, and look at what happened to her. The military was still searching for her after all these years, and tensions between aliens and the general populace were higher than ever. It happened to the witches, to the vampires, to the werewolves, fae, and even mermaids way back when and now you hardly ever saw them except for in specific areas. Nina remembered the stories her father and uncle would tell her and Dina about how things were back when you saw the occult everywhere, and it made them feel proud that they had those abilities too!

Now? They had to hide them and pray that the government wouldn't take a scalpel to them. Maybe living so close to the government was a terrible idea.

"Miss? We're here." The cabbie said once they stopped in front of an apartment complex.

"Oh, thank you." Nina said, taking some money out to pay for the ride before exiting the car. As she approached the complex, she could see a red haired alien bugging a blonde woman trying to shuffle what looked like tarot cards, a black haired alien playing a game of chess with a black haired man, and a brunette woman doing stretches.

They seemed like an interesting bunch, but Nina couldn't talk to them right now. She needed to get settled in, and immediately sign up with the military for a while. Maybe it wasn't too late to try and make things right.

"Dina, what was that all about?" Mortimer asked as Dina began to fix the two of them some drinks.

"What do you mean, dear?" She asked. Her back was facing Mortimer's as she uncorked a small, heart-shaped bottle with some sort of pink liquid in it.

"Nina moving out all of a sudden. I noticed Nina hiding her arm from me as well."

"It's nothing you need to worry about, really."

"But I am worried. What's going on, Dina?"

Dina rolled her eyes in annoyance as she stirred the man's drink a bit too aggressively. Why did he ask so many questions? Why couldn't he just take her word for it?

"Nothing is going on." She shoved the cup at him so hard, it nearly sloshed onto the counter and his sleeve, "Drink up, dear." She said before grabbing her own drink.

Mortimer inspected the drink for a second before taking a tentative sip of it, "Is this supposed to be so sweet?"

"It's a strawberry daiquiri. Strawberries are sweet, and regular daiquiris include citrus juice and sugar."

"...I see." Mortimer took another sip, "I feel like I'll start getting cavities if I drink any more, but it's surprisingly really good."

"I'm glad you like it. This is one of my favorite drinks."

Dina watched Mortimer finish up his drink with a small smirk on her face. It should kick in in a few seconds..

"Dina.." Mortimer said suddenly.

"Yes, dear?"

"Have your eyes always been so lovely?"

"My eyes? That's quite an interesting observation."

"It's just.. they shine like emeralds."

Dina decided to stop him before he kept giving her compliments straight out of a cheesy love novel or something a teenage girl would write.

"Thank you, dear. Now, why don't you come up to the roof with me? There's something I need to show you."

This really was too easy. Mortimer nodded, following behind the blonde woman. Once they reached the rooftop, Dina led the old man over to the lounge chairs. The sun was beginning to set, and the air wasn't too cold either. This was as perfect as this would get.

Dina reached underneath one of the chairs, grabbing a small, velvet box. She dropped down on one knee in front of Mortimer, who looked surprised.

"Dina, what is this?"

"Mortimer Goth, would you do me the honor of being my husband?" Dina asked, opening up the box to reveal a small ring with a single diamond on it.

"Yes, of course!" Mortimer exclaimed happily.

Dina smiled as she put the band on his ring finger. That was step one complete.

"Why don't you move in with me too, Mortimer? It would be easier to plan a wedding if we live in the same house."

"What about Cassandra and Alexander?" She knew he'd be concerned about his children, but they weren't important to her plans. At least Alexander wasn't.

"It'll be alright. They already know about this. About us."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. I told them myself, and I asked them to keep it a secret."

"Then I suppose moving in with you wouldn't hurt then. As long as my children will be fine without me."

"Cassandra is an adult, and Alexander will be a teenager in a few years. I'm sure they'll be fine. Now with that out of the way, I have one more gift for you." Dina reached under one of the chairs again, holding up wedding bands.

"Are we not having a traditional wedding?"

"We can have one later."

"Aren't we moving a bit too fast?"

"Mortimer, we only live once. If we wait too long, it may be too late."

"But you've only just proposed to me today!"

"And what is your point? It's not uncommon for people to get married quickly."

"But this quickly, Dina?"

"Still not unheard of. We can still have an official wedding later on, you know."

Mortimer was clearly debating with himself on whether or not this was a good idea. Apparently, he thought it was good because he ended up holding his hand out for Dina.

"Let's do it then. I'm not getting any younger."

Dina smiled again, placing the wedding band on his ring finger and he did the same for her afterwards. They shared a kiss, and that was that.

"Now that we're officially husband and wife, what do we do now?"

"Whatever we want... but I can think of one good idea for right now." Mortimer was about to ask what she meant by that, but Dina was already dragging him downstairs and into her bedroom. Almost an hour later, Dina was resting her head against Mortimer's chest. For an old man, he definitely had good stamina.. though let's not get into those details.

"Dina, I believe we should tell my children about our union."

"But they already know."

"No, they only know about us being engaged and me moving in."

"Why do they need to know?"

"They have a right to, you know. I don't want them to think I up and abandon them, and I don't want them to think I gave up searching for Bella."

"You.. you haven't stopped?"

"Of course not. She was the love of my life. I started creating this potion long ago, but I gave up on it. I began working on it again so that I might have some more time to look."

"A potion?"

"Yes, it's supposed to make you younger."

A youth potion? Dina was intrigued.

"Tell me more."

"Oh, I'm sure you don't want to hear about something as boring as that."

"No!" Dina shouted, causing Mortimer to jump, "I mean… I would love to know more about this youth potion. You're going to make what people thought was impossible happen."

"Well, if you must know… I call it the Elixir of Life."

"Fancy."

"Yes. So far, I've only tested it on plants.. and it works quite well."

"Why did you give up on it then?"

"It took up too much of my time. I hardly had any time to spend with my family."

"I see.. and so you've decided to work on it again."

"I just have to find my old notes again. I know they're somewhere in the attic of the mansion."

Dina was at first content with just being in Mortimer's will and then killing him off somehow. But now that he mentioned the Elixir of Life.. she knew she had to have that as well. She'd need to decipher his notes when he found them again of course, but that didn't bother her at all.

Slow and steady always won the race, after all.

Chapter Text

If Ripp Grunt had to live here any longer, he might actually lose it. 

He thought about running away plenty of times, but where could he go? Buzz would definitely find him at Ophelia and Johnny's houses, and he was sure Consort Capp would murder him for even thinking about staying with him or any of his grandchildren. Besides, he couldn't just leave Buck behind with the General or their stupid older brother Tank.

So he stayed. No matter how much the General yelled at him for being a lazy bum, no matter how many headlocks Tank put him in, and no matter how many times the both of them insulted his friends, he endured all of it, counting down the days until he could head off to college and not look back.

Today was different, however. The General and Tank left him alone for most of the day, so he was free to watch T.V. and practice his guitar to his heart's content. Surprisingly, that got pretty boring pretty fast. That's why he decided to text Johnny and Ophelia to see if they were free to hang out at the strip mall today.

Thankfully, they were. Saying a quick goodbye to Buck, Ripp left the house and rode his bike down to the strip mall.

It wasn't much, but it did have a pet store, clothing store, game store, and some places to buy food so the teens usually flocked to it on the weekends seeing as it was the only other place to hang out besides Simbuster. Today was no different, as teens from all over SimCity seemed to be hanging out there. He recognized Tara DeBateau (A.K.A. Terrible Tara) and her friend Justin Cleveland, Lilith Pleasant and Dustin Broke, Juliette and Hermia Capp… wait, why was Juliette here?

Strangetown wasn't really her style. She was more of an Uptown girl, seeing as she came from the snobbiest place on Earth.

With a grin, he headed over to her and leaned against the wall like a so-called 'cool guy'.

"Princess Capp." He said. He knew that she hated that nickname, but he also loved seeing her adorable pout she gave him whenever he called her that.

"Grunt. I seem to remember telling you not to call me that." Juliette snapped at him in that posh sounding accent he adored.

"Did the big bad dragon finally let you out of your tower?"

"If you must know, I snuck out."

"And here I thought you were a good girl."

"I can be bad. I'm not supposed to be here, you know."

"That's not that bad. I know your grandpa's at work right now. He's usually watching you like a hawk."

"And your father's usually watching you like a hawk."

Truth be told, he wasn't expecting that.

"Yeah? Well, maybe he decided to loosen the reins a bit."

"I wish Tybalt would do that. That twit keeps hovering over my shoulder like a storm cloud."

"I'm sorry, but did you just say twit ?" Ripp asked, snickering. Juliette didn't look impressed.

"What's wrong with it?"

"No one says twit , Princess."

"Clearly I do. And for the record, I think you're one too." Juliette declared before marching off. Ripp followed behind her.

"Come on, you know I was only joking."

" Were you ?"

"Yeah! You usually have better comebacks than that, and you're way more irritable today too. What's eating at you?"

"Nothing, Ripp. Go back to Ophelia and Johnny."

"They're not here yet."

"Well, stop pretending like you care." Ripp paused for a moment, staring after the redhead. Did she really think he didn't care about her? Sure, he could be a little mean to her sometimes.. but he thought she liked messing around with him.

"Juliette, wait up." Ripp finally said. When she didn't stop, he grabbed her arm, "Juliette." He said seriously.

" What ?"

"What's wrong?"

"I'm PMSing, now leave me alone."

"That's not really a valid reason. Something really is bugging you."

She looked angry at first, but then she sighed in defeat.

"Consort and Tybalt are being complete gerbits to me, Hermia, and Miranda. Are you happy now?."

"Yeah, but are you going to elaborate?"

"Later." She said, waving him off, "I just want to have a nice day in Strangetown for now. Far away from the expectations to be prim and proper."

"So why don't you hang out with me and my friends?"

"Are you sure I won't just be intruding? We don't exactly follow the same crowds."

"You're not all uptight like most rich people."

"You're not exactly poor yourself. Being a general does pay well."

"Yeah, but you're still way richer than us. Anyway, what do you say? Johnny and Ophelia like you."

Juliette considered his offer for a second, before nodding, "Even though they probably prefer Hermia or Miranda.. I suppose hanging out with you all wouldn't be horrible."

"We hardly even hang out with Hermia and Miranda." Ripp shook his head before looking down at his phone. Ophelia texted him to tell him that they were waiting for him in the game store, "C'mon. They're waiting for us."

Juliette followed alongside him quietly as they entered the small gaming store. They found Ophelia and Johnny in the very back, browsing through the selection of games for the Maxis Game Simulator.

"Hey Ripp, hey Juliette." Johnny said once they approached, "We can't decide on a game to buy."

"May I make a suggestion?"

"Go ahead." Ophelia nodded.

"If it's a competitive game you're searching for, SSX 3 or FIFA are both good choices. Personally, I prefer SSX over FIFA."

"Who knew you were such a gamer?" Ripp asked, whistling, "After my own heart, I see."

"You wish. I just like to beat my brother in SSX every weekend." She rolled her eyes, "It's the only bonding we actually do. Putting that aside, are we going to one of your houses?"

"Nah. We're going somewhere way cooler." Johnny said, grinning.

"We're headed to the alien crash site just up the road." Ophelia added.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that ship that crashed the one Mrs. Goth was on?"

"That's what my dad thinks." Ripp said, "But are you still in?"

"I don't see a reason why I can't come. Though how are we getting there?"

"Bikes. You can hitch a ride with me, Princess. I'll be your noble knight on a white steed!"

"One, there are multiple white breeds. Two, I prefer French Trotters. Three, you are not my knight and I am not a princess ." Despite Juliette's angry expression, Ripp only laughed in reply. Ophelia and Johnny were also amused by this interaction, but hid it way better.

After that little confrontation, they all hopped on their bikes. Juliette rode on the back of Ripp's bike despite her hesitation. Every time they hit a bump or swerved to avoid a car/military vehicle, Juliette would cling to Ripp even tighter. He didn't mind it, but her nails digging into his shoulders kinda hurt.

Soon enough, they made it to the crash site.

"Who lives there?" Juliette asked, referring to the huge castle-like structure in front of them.

"Just the Beakers." Ripp said.

"They're scientists. They say that they kidnapped someone to experiment on." Johnny added.

"I'm not sure this is a good idea then. What if they come out and kidnap one of us ?" Juliette asked, hugging herself.

"You don't need to worry about that." Ophelia said, wrapping an arm around one of Juliette's shoulders.

"Yeah! They hardly ever come out." Ripp said, leaning against her other shoulder.

"Even if they did, everyone would notice we're missing. Especially you and Ripp." Johnny said.

"I suppose you're right…" Juliette said.

With that, the teens made their way over to the large crater, peering down into it. They could see a few government officials milling about in the crater running tests, but they didn't seem to notice the teens at all which was good. They technically weren't supposed to be there, and they couldn't risk getting in trouble.

Tank Grunt didn't know why he went all the way to Pleasantview Park, but since he was here he decided to simply sit by the pond and think.

He had recently gotten himself a job in the military and while Buzz seemed proud of that fact, he couldn't help but wonder if his dad was the reason he got it in the first place. After all, Buzz was a high ranking general.. and he had heard from Buzz's subordinates that he wanted Tank to go into the same career path as him since Ripp seemed to have no intentions of doing that, and Buck was always saying he wanted to be a pet stylist.

While he wanted to make his dad proud, he wasn't sure if this was the path he truly wanted to go down.

"Tank Grunt? What are you doing in Pleasantview?" A feminine voice asked from behind him. He turned around only to see Angela Pleasant, who looked as if she were off to a fancy restaurant. In all honesty, he was surprised she even remembered his name.

"Pleasant. I could ask you the same thing."

"How many times have I asked you to just call me 'Angela'?" With a tsk, Angela moved to sit next to Tank, "To answer your question, I kinda live around the corner. Plus, I had a small photoshoot to do. I'm done for the day though."

"I'm just thinking about stuff."

"Do you mind sharing your thoughts with me? I've got a lot on my mind too, so maybe talking it through with someone else will make us both feel a bit better." Tank tried his best not to look surprised. Why would Angela of all people want to hear about his dumb problems? If Buzz could see him venting to some girl right now..

She patiently waited for Tank to speak up, which he did.

"First, I wanted to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"How…" A gulp. Why was he so nervous all of a sudden? It was only Angela. Kind, not at all normal Angela. "How do you do it all?"

"How do I do what?"

"Dad keeps asking me why I'm 'not more like Mary-Sue's girl'. I just.. wanted to know what I'm doing wrong."

"Oh, Tank.. I don't think you're doing anything wrong."

"I don't think you get it, Pleasant. You're constantly on the honor roll, you take honors classes, you're on the debate team, and you're even a famous model! Hell, I think my dad's more proud of you than he is of me." He snuck a glance at her, and she looked surprised at his confession. 

"I.. I had no idea your dad felt that way.."

"Well, now you do."

"Still, I don't think you're doing anything wrong. I see you on the honor roll behind me all the time. You have an actual job, and you do military style training almost every day!"

"Yeah, but--"

"Tank, even if you were more like me, do you honestly think that would be enough? If you were more like me, your father would just find something else to criticize. Like my own mom and dad. She's constantly pushing Lilith and I to strive for more, and while I see where she's coming from.. her and dad don't exactly think about how we feel on the matter. Sure, in the end we'll have accomplished more than most.. but it was never about what we wanted."

Tank fell silent. No, he really didn't think more about that. He was aware that Buzz wanted to mold him in his image, and he was perfectly fine with that. It meant he could do something better than cool, popular Ripp. 

"Pleasant, I really wanted to hate you." The teen suddenly admitted. Angela looked ready to say something, so he continued, "Your life looked so perfect to me. Your parents were actually together, you're great at everything, you're something I wanted to be. In the end, I couldn't bring myself to hate you for any of that. It's stupid."

"My life is far from perfect, Tank. My parents are together, but maybe they're better off being separated." Angela replied bitterly.

"Why do you say that?"

"Can you keep a secret?" Angela asked seriously before looking around the park.

"I mean-- sure?" As soon as he said that, Angela leaned in closer to him. Her breath tickled his ear as he spoke, causing him to shiver a little.

"My dad's cheating on my mom."

Tank almost saw that coming, but he was running under the assumption her dad didn't like the way their mom raises her and her sister. Like his parents.

"He's.. cheating?"

"With the maid." Angela confirmed.

"How do you know that?"

"I saw them once. I know that he knows about me catching him because he keeps trying to pay me off."

"You should tell your mom."

"And be the reason my family splits itself in two?"

"It wouldn't be your fault." Tank whispered, "It's never your fault if your parents decide to split up."

"Coming from you, that's surprisingly comforting."

"My parents split up before mom disappeared. She made sure to tell me and Ripp that it'll never be our fault that she divorced dad."

"Yeah, but.."

"Go for it, Pleasant. I've seen you at your debates, and I know that's almost as terrifying."

"You watch my debates?"

"Yes." Tank admitted, face starting to flush a little, "There's.. something about them that just draws me to them." He knew exactly what it was. He just didn't want to admit it to himself.

"Maybe I could tell her then. I'll have to let Lilith know so she can help me out, but I think I can do it."

"Good for you, Pleasant." He raised his hand as if he wanted to put it on the girl's shoulder, but quickly stopped himself. It wasn't like they were close or even friends.

"Tank, what did you want to be?"

"Huh?"

"Earlier. You said I'm doing something you wanted to do for yourself."

"Oh, that? That's.. nothing you need to concern yourself with."

"You listened to me ramble on and on. The least I could do is listen to you too."

She got him there. Did he really want to tell her though? He knew she probably wouldn't make fun of him for it, but..

"I won't laugh, I promise." Could she read minds or something? Well, he might as well tell her now.

"I wanted to be a ballet dancer."

"You.. what?"

"A ballet dancer. When I was a kid, mom signed me up for ballet lessons and I actually liked them. A lot."

"I'm kinda having a hard time picturing you as a ballet dancer.. but I'm not judging you or anything! I always assumed you were into the military. You've had that camo on your face for as long as I've known you."

"It was more my dad pushing me into the military than anything."

"Do you still want to go into ballet?"

"Honestly, yeah. I'd rather it be a hobby though. I'm already a recruit, so I can't just back out now."

"Well, why don't you come with me to the studio I practice at? They're always accepting new members."

"I couldn't. Dad would find out and I don't know how I'd feel about sneaking right under his nose."

"He wouldn't find out. We'd be really careful."

"I don't know.."

"Your dad likes me, doesn't he? We can just say I made you join me."

"I don't want to throw you under the bus."

"And I don't want to get you into trouble."

"...If you're sure you want me to come with you."

"I do."

"I guess I'll come then."

"Great! How does tonight sound? I'll pick you up."

"Tonight sounds good." He said, causing Angela to smile at him. He couldn't believe he was actually going to go through with this. He'd finally get to do ballet again. It was all thanks to Angela Pleasant, the girl who he thought was too perfect. As she stood up to leave, he grabbed her arm.

"Wait. Does this.. does this make us friends?" He didn't know why he was asking. The two of them only started talking today and-

"Sure! I don't mind being your friend, Tank. You're not such a bad person, and we have more in common than I thought."

"Thank you. It's just.. I've never really had a friend before."

"Then hang out with me, Ara, and Juliette tomorrow. I promise to make sure we include you in our conversations." He finally let go of her arm, "I have to go now. Text you later?"

"Yeah, okay. See you later." With that said, Angela ran off. He can't believe she actually considered Tank a friend! He was so painfully awkward and shy, and she was a social butterfly. He couldn't believe they were able to open up to each other like they were old friends. Angela wasn't so bad. He wasn't so sure about Juliette or Ara though. Juliette typically hung out with his brother, and Ripp mostly definitely ranted about him to her before.

Ara was Ara. She was constantly bored, and he didn't want to bore her even more! What could he possibly say to her?

He'd just have to figure it all out tonight with Angela. She'd know what to say, and she wouldn't make him feel dumb for asking.

Chapter Text

"Do you know the story of the Tricou family?" Tara DeBateau asked her best friend Miranda Capp.

It was almost sunset in Veronaville, and the girls were currently sitting in the backyard of Miranda's house sipping drinks and eating snacks Miranda's dad brought out for them earlier that evening.

"Yeah, who doesn't? We learn about them pretty much every year around this time. You know, to teach us about intolerance or something."

"Because of their alleged ties to witchcraft and other forms of the occult and how it got them killed."

"What happened to them still makes me pretty angry when I hear about it. They don't go around killing magicians these days do they?"

"No, but listen to this."

"What do you think I've been doing for the past few minutes?" Miranda snarked, causing her friend to roll her eyes. 

"The new students. What were their names again?"

"Frederick and Guinevere Tricoche or something like that. Why do you ask?"

"They look a lot like Fricorith and Gvaudoin Tricou, no?"

"Well, yeah, but--"

" And they enrolled on the eve of the Tricou family's deaths."

"I think it's just a coincidence."

"Miranda, their last name is literally Tricou with a different ending."

"And? Multiple people can have similar last names. Besides if they're really Tricous, why aren't they currently dead?"

"I don't know, someone revived them? Apparently, Jon Smith Tricou had many lovers outside of wedlock because he was something of a ladies man. Maybe their descendants revived them."

"Oh joy, now we're getting 19th or 20th century diseases."

"That's what vaccines are for, dummy. And it's not like we're time travelling either, so we don't have to worry about their daily death traps."

"Okay, but still. If they're the Tricous, what exactly are you going to do with that information? No one would believe you, and people still don't really trust the occult like they did in that brief period of time years ago."

"Ask them questions, you know? Ask them about witchcraft because my dad's girlfriend won't tell me anything, and maybe ask them about their old time period."

"Full offense; that's boring."

"Oh yeah? Well, I also want them to help me find Melissa Sims."

"That missing chick from Belladonna? Tara, that girl is probably dead."

"You don't know that. She could still be alive somewhere."

"She and her sister have been gone without a trace for at least a year. Maybe it's time to give up on her."

"I can't give up on the girl I lo--" Tara pressed a fist to her mouth to prevent her from saying anything else, but Miranda had an idea of what she was going to say.

"You and Melissa?"

"We weren't like, a thing or anything.. but I might've had a small crush on her."

"So you like girls."

"And guys too. I think she felt the same way too. We held hands, danced together at homecoming, and were each other's first kisses. At the same time, she told me about guys she was into and I did the same."

"Were you hesitant to tell her?"

"Well, yeah! I didn't know if she actually loved me, or she just saw it as a best friend thing. I didn't want to misread everything."

"You know, she might've liked you too. I mean, best friends don't typically lay one on each other. On the cheek maybe, but mouth to mouth? Do you still love her?"

"I don't know. But you now know why I'm desperately trying to find her."

"And you know what? I'm gonna help you. Just tell me how." Tara perked up at this.

"I'll text you in a few days, and we're going to meet up at the Strangetown Strip Mall. Thank you so much, Miranda."

"Anytime. You've saved my life more times than I can count." With that, Miranda and Tara stepped inside the house with their dishes. Miranda led Tara to the front door.

"Hey, look out for dinner tonight. I get the feeling that something's going to go wrong."

"Noted." Just then, Goneril stepped out of the dining room.

"Miranda, go wash your hands." She turned to Tara as Miranda ran upstairs, "Are you going to stay for dinner, Tara? Desdemona is staying with a friend tonight, so we have plenty of food."

"Not tonight, I'm afraid. Daddy and I are having Chinese! Plus, I already called a cab."

"Well, get home safe then."

"I will! Tell Miranda I said goodbye." With that, Tara left the house just as Miranda came back down the stairs.

"What were you two talking about out there anyway? You were out there for hours." Goneril asked as they walked into the dining room and began to set the table.

"We're going to Strangetown."

"You know your grandfather doesn't like it there. Too many aliens and other crazies, or so he says." Goneril said, though she didn't sound upset.

"And? I'd sneak out anyway. I don't care if he's speciest against the occult and aliens for whatever reason. Johnny Smith's cool ."

"He's not speciest, he's--"

"Not gonna find out! If Juliette and Hermia can go, why can't I? I'm going to graduate in a few years, and then what?"

Goneril went silent, so Miranda couldn't help but wonder if she went too far. She did just accidentally rat out her older cousins…

"Well. I suppose you can go.. but, if Consort finds out about it then that's on you three."

"And I'm willing to take the fall for it, mum."

"That's surprisingly mature of you."

"I'm fifteen now, so I can't get away with much anymore. I do miss being the lil' angel with Juli though." 

Albany (and Ariel, who he was carrying) and Hal came down the stairs now. Albany put Ariel in her high chair before taking his place at one end of the table.

"Did you cook all of this, darling?" Albany asked, "It looks delicious."

"I ordered it. I've been feeling a little sick and lightheaded lately, so I decided this would be way easier on me."

"I see. Shall I take you to the doctor tomorrow then?"

"Please."

While their mother and father spoke about Goneril's illness, Hal and Miranda started to whisper to each other.

"You might wanna eat carefully tonight." Miranda said.

"Why should I? You choked on food once too." The boy said defensively.

"That's not why. I just get the feeling that something's wrong with it."

"How do you figure?"

"I dunno, something feels off. It could be nothing though, so.."

"Well, you've never been wrong about the food before."

Finally, the family tucked in. Dinner went off without a hitch so far. Goneril and Albany asked about their children's days, and Miranda and Hal gave them their cryptic answers as usual.

Dessert was when it all went wrong.

As Miranda ate a huge chunk of her baked Alaska, she could feel something hard and metallic in the ice cream. Besides the crust and sometimes the ice cream itself, the dessert wasn't supposed to be hard.

She spit her dessert back onto her plate, causing her family to react in disgust.

"Eww, Miranda!" Hal cringed.

"What happened to being mature?" Goneril complained as Miranda moved the pie around with a fork.

"There was something in my slice.. aha!" Miranda finally held up a small needle, covered in cream and crust.

"What is that?" Albany asked.

"A needle, duh. Mom, did you order this too?"

"Why, yes I did." Goneril got up from the table, marching over to the landline. It was most likely to complain to the restaurant about the food.

As Hal and Miranda excused themselves from the table, Miranda noticed the nervous look on her father's face. He didn't seem concerned about the needle like Hal and Goneril were, and he didn't even ask if she was alright.

"Wait, Miranda." Goneril called out as Miranda put her foot on the stairs, "Did the needle cut you at all?"

"Nope." Goneril nodded and went back to her conversation, so Miranda finally ran up to her room and shut the door. 

She needed to text Tara. Now.

Desdemona, Beatrice, and Bottom sat downstairs in the living room in their sleeping bags.

They were supposed to be watching a movie, but instead they decided to stay up giggling.

"I still can't believe you threw a glitter bomb at them. They'll have glitter in their hair for weeks now!" Desdemona said, head resting in her hands.

"Beatrice told me to use my 'fairy magic'." Bottom said.

"You told me you were a fairy. I was expecting real magic." Beatrice shrugged.

"Yeah, but I can't unlock my powers until I'm like, thirteen. I'm pretty sure I've got Earth powers."

"Lame… I think that Jill Smith has powers though."

"What makes you say that, Des?" Bottom asked, "I know she's like… half alien, but I didn't think a halfling alien could have powers like the fae. In any case, it's interesting that she can use them at our age."

"She conjured a flame at recess, I saw it myself! She wouldn't bring a lighter or matches to school, so don't even bring up the possibility!" Desdemona said.

"No offense Des, but you do like to exaggerate a lot. Just saying." Beatrice pointed out. Desdemona only huffed in response.

"This time I'm sure it's true! Aliens could have super cool powers, y'know? There aren't a whole lot of them at school so I can't exactly test it."

"It's possible, I guess." Bottom said, "Grandpa Polli swings by pretty often but I've never seen him use any sort of powers."

"You call him grandpa?"

"He insisted. I don't mind though, he's pretty cool. Just not as cool as my dad."

"Anyone's cooler than my dad," Desdemona groaned, "He doesn't do anything but stay home, watch Ariel, and talk about adult stuff with Uncle Cornwall!"

"Me and Romeo call him Mr. Cornbread." Beatrice said, laughing, "Sucks to be you, huh? You're actually related to the guy."

"He's not always that bad. He gets me and Hal cool stuff for our birthdays and Christmas, but he kinda looks like that villain guy who mugs people."

"Ooh, Unsavory Charlatan? I know him. He tried to steal Puck's wallet once, but Puck caught him."

"I heard he had a thing for that crabby old lady who beats people with her purse!"

"I think she'd beat him up if she ever found out."  Desdemona said, causing the girls to all laugh. Puck came downstairs just then, leaning against the stair railing.

"Guys, Dad said it's time for bed."

"Alright, alright, we're going." To prove it, Bottom paused the movie and turned the TV off. The girls pretended to fall asleep, but as soon as Puck went back up the stairs, they began to whisper to each other again.

"We should invite Jill to our sleepovers sometime." Beatrice said.

"That'd be fun! I think we should invite that Burb girl too. Lucy or something." Desdemona added, "How about it, Bottom?"

"I don't mind. They seem nice enough, but we have to ask their parents. I'm sure grandpa's gonna agree, but I don't know about Mr. and Mrs. Burb."

"They have to say yes! This is the opportunity of a lifetime!"

"Calm down, Tris. Do you want my family to catch us?"

"No, but they just have to come!"

"Well, you'd better not try and convert them to Wolfism. You already have two more people than us!" The girls could hear someone coming back down, so they suddenly went still. The person walked over to where the girls were sleeping, before talking to someone.

"Miranda, are you still there?" Puck asked, "Okay, I'm coming out right now… yeah, everyone's asleep. No, we're not gonna have to make a run for it again… okay, see you soon."

"Where ya going, Pucky?" Bottom shot up, causing Puck to jump.

"N-Nowhere in particular!"

"Then where are you going with my sister?" Desdemona was the second one to get up, followed by Beatrice.

"Is she your giiiiiirlfriend?" Beatrice smirked, causing the girls to go 'ooooh' in a teasing manner.

"No, she's not my girlfriend! Just.. be quiet, okay?"

"Nope! You have to give us something in return."

"Like what?"

"Access to your gaming console, of course!"

"And your dessert for an entire week. Starting tomorrow."

Puck groaned, but he nodded in agreement, "Fine." With that, he made his way out of the house and out to Desdemona's family's car.

"I never normally indulge in blackmail, but that was surprisingly satisfying." Bottom grinned.

"I've blackmailed Hal once. How do you think I got him to be my royal advisor?"

"It thought it was because he's usually coming up with those weird plans."

"Well, it was that too actually. Otherwise, he's just an egghead."

"He's not an egghead! He's complex." 

"Tris, everyone's complex. It's not like we only have three traits or something!"

"Yeah, do you like him or something?"

"Definitely not. He's waaaay too sneaky for me."

"I like princes, like Lord Daniel."

"From MySims? I dunno, he's kinda cheesy. And technically not a prince."

"He's heartfelt! You just don't get it, Bottom!"

As Desdemona went off on one of her rambles about true love and whatever else, Bottom and Beatrice shared a look. They'd never get any sleep at this rate, and tomorrow was when Alexander, Lucy, Jill, and Buck were supposed to come over! How were they supposed to hold court with Desdemona keeping them up all night?

Chapter Text

Dustin didn't mean to throw Kestrel under the bus when he broke up with Angela.. but how was he supposed to tell his ex that he left her for one of the girls on her debate team?

His trouble started the day after summer break started last year. It was the day after he and Angela snuck out to one of the 24 hour malls located downtown and subsequently got caught by the police as they were sneaking back home. Angela was fine seeing as she was the mayor's daughter and something like this could cause a scandal, according to Mary-Sue. Even though she tried to defend Dustin, he was taken home in a cop car that night.

He wasn't grounded the next day to his surprise. That was because Beau didn't snitch on him, and his mom was fast asleep the whole time because of the fact she was somehow pregnant again. That's why he went to the park that day, intending on having a day all to himself to wind down a little.

That's when he saw her . Her long, blonde hair was perfectly braided into twin plaits resting on her shoulders. She wore a jumpsuit that immediately reminded him of a motorcyclist (So that red, shiny motorbike parked on the curb had to be hers.), and that's what mostly drew Dustin to her.

She had been talking to a friend of hers named Ginger Newson, when he approached them intending on talking to her. When he did try to speak to her, he immediately found himself tongue-tied.

That's when she said those four words.

"Hey, you're pretty cute."

That's what started their little secret relationship with each other. Her name was Sandra Roth, and she claimed she was the princess of Riverblossom Hills, which wasn't too far from Pleasantview. She was a former beauty pageant queen (Angela and Dustin couldn't stand pageants.) and currently working as an assistant to some hotshot lawyer to prove someone wrong. While she was typically stuck filing paperwork in a stuffy office all day, she was sometimes allowed to go and watch her boss win or lose cases. She even got to help with the cases, but that was once in a blue moon.

She already had a boyfriend of her own, but she was planning on breaking up with him even before she met Dustin anyway. She realized that they really didn't have that much in common like they originally thought, and Sandra hated how his best friend kept giving them dirty looks whenever she saw them together.

That's part of the reason why Dustin put the moves on her. She wasn't rejecting him, but that was probably because he neglected to mention the fact that he was already seeing someone else too. He couldn't even come up with a flimsy excuse to justify this to himself.

They still haven't had their first ever kiss yet? Angela said she was still waiting for the right moment, which he understood completely. Her dad hated his guts for being a criminal? Well, he probably hates him even more now for breaking his little angel's heart. It wasn't even because he caught Angela cheating on him, because he already knew she'd never do something like that. She was far too nice and far too loyal to him to do that. Besides, her cheating on him still wouldn't justify him cheating to get back at her.

There was one thing though. It still didn't justify what he did, but it did somewhat alleviate the guilt he had.

He just felt no spark with Angela anymore. Back when they first started dating in their freshman year of high school they only knew each other, Dirk, and Lilith. Lilith and Dirk had each other already, so naturally Angela and Dustin gravitated towards each other. Now that they could actually interact with people outside of their small, suburban neighborhood he couldn't help but wonder if they were too hasty in being together just because Dirk and Lilith were. Of course there was always sweet Meadow Thayer.. but she had a thing for that Romeo kid from Veronaville, who had a thing for Juliette or Hermia or maybe even Miranda Capp, but they had things for-- he's getting way off track here.

At the moment Sandra and Dustin were hanging out in Dustin and Beau's shared room, sitting on his bed. Well, Sandra had her head in his lap. Brandi went down to Strangetown for a few hours to hang out with Nina who moved away for some unspecified reason, while Beau went out to the park to hang out with some of his new friends from school.

"How did Jacob react to you breaking it off?" Dustin asked as he unbraided and rebraided Sandra's hair. This was something he used to do with Angela before they broke up, mostly because it somehow made him feel calmer. He did it as soon as they sat down out of habit, but Sandra didn't seem to mind it.

"He was surprisingly pretty okay with it. He didn't like, brush me off, and he felt the same way as me! We're still friends with each other too, so I consider it a win."

"Huh.." That surprised Dustin. Being friends with your ex seemed to be rare considering his own predicament.

"And what about Angela?"

"You, uh, knew about her?"

"Are you kidding? She talked about you all the time in debate! She doesn't do that anymore except to make jokes about you with Juliette.. plus, I knew about you long before you knew about me."

"She used to talk about me?"

"Yeah, before you broke up with her by text, right? That's literally the worst way! It's totes disrespectful, and shows that you didn't really care about the relationship at all!"

"I cared about her," Dustin said softly, "I'm just not that good at expressing my feelings. There isn't an easy way to tell your somewhat long time girlfriend you want to break up with her."

"Well, yeah, but you should've at least came up to her in person." Sandra sat up as soon as Dustin finished the braid he was doing, "You're surprisingly good at braiding hair. You know, for a tough guy."

"I used to do it with Angela, and sometimes I do it with my mom's hair. It really calms my nerves. Being tough has nothing to do with it. You'd be surprised."

"Still, it's kinda surprising how gentle you can be. I mean.. you rob people every night. When I first heard about you, I thought you were a way older thug who dropped out of school and somehow managed to get Angela to date him."

Dustin snickered at that, "You thought I was an actual gangster? Gordon doesn't even let me drop off things to people. Also, how did you find out about my job?"

Sandra shrugged, "Angela might've mentioned it to me once before, but I know for a fact that my boss also defends your coworker sometimes. Gordon King or something like that. He mentioned you once, but I connected the dots by going off what he said."

"Are you gonna turn me in then? That's your job, isn't it?"

"Of course not, silly! That's not what a lawyer does, that's a cop you're thinking of. The only way I could put you away is if someone had a case against you and my agency advocated for them. Lucky for you, my agency rubs arms with crime bosses like the Fusillis sometimes." Sandra turned Dustin's head towards her with a small smile, "It's a good thing too; I think you're way too cute for the slammer.'

Dustin's face went a little pink at that. He wasn't really used to getting compliments like that, even with Angela. She wasn't that big a fan of PDA like Lilith and Dirk were, but Dustin was surprisingly pretty okay with it. She'd compliment him when they were alone, but that was about it. Dustin would be lying if he said he didn't crave more affection.

He didn't know if Sandra was willing to provide that, but he did know he wouldn't be opposed to being with her. After all, they broke off their respective relationships for each other.

"Hey, Dustin." Sandra said, breaking the silence.

"Hey, Sandra."

"You got really quiet all of a sudden. What's on your mind?"

"Nothing important, really. You don't need to worry about it."

"I hope you know that whenever someone says not to worry, we do so anyway. I know I'm super loud, self-absorbed, and obnoxious sometimes, but I like to think I'm a good listener."

"I don't think you're obnoxious at all. You're loud, and you can be a little narcissistic sometimes, but it's not like you go around making orphans give you their toys. You're flawed, and that's okay."

"Tell that to my mom or Jules O'Mackey. I don't know what Ginger sees in her, but I'd rather she get with a chick that doesn't pick apart every little thing I do like she's my mom up to eleven or something."

"Forget about Jules and Ginger for now, okay? You don't need to work yourself up over this." Dustin quickly said. Whenever the red haired girl's name came up in conversation, Sandra ranted and raved about every little transgression Jules committed against her. From stealing her favorite crayon when they were kids to stealing her best friend Ginger away from her now, Sandra always found something bad to say about her.

"I guess you're right.. but this isn't about me hating Jules. What's eating at you?"

"I dunno. I just want to know if what me and you have is real, and not just one of those one night stands?"

"What do you mean? We've known each other for a year, and we've never slept with each other like that at all."

"Yeah, but we were seeing other people when we first met, and we knew about it too. We still flirted with each other, and we did that up until we broke up with our girlfriend and boyfriend. We could easily do that again."

"I think what we have is real." Sandra said, looking up at the ceiling, "You can't deny the chemistry we share with each other. You get me, and I get you too. We've got younger brothers we look out for, we have a parent or two that care so much about us.."

"I know, but Sandra, you know I do crime for a living, and you put away criminals like me. What if you have to prove my guilt in court someday?"

"Dustin, kiss me." Sandra suddenly said, green eyes flicking up at the blond boy. His eyebrow raised in amusement. He knew she always went straight to the point, but he didn't realize how blunt she could be.

"Why?"

"I want to prove it to you." She whispered, resting a hand on his cheek as she sat up next to him, "Dustin, I don't care that we're in two completely different worlds. I will always be on your side if you let me. I will defend you, I'll get you out of this life of crime, whatever you want; you just have to trust me."

With that said, Sandra leaned in as she closed her eyes. Was this confirmation that yes, Sandra was as into him as he was into her? It had to be. 

Dustin leaned in too.

They weren't coming. They definitely weren't coming. They were definitely laughing about how naive Beau was. They were supposed to be here ten minutes ago and--

"Beau! Over here!" He could hear one of the Veronaville kids-- Benedick, probably-- calling out for him. He jogged towards the entrance of the park to meet up with Beatrice, Benedick, and Bottom.

"Des and Hal are going to be running a little late today, apparently their older sister nearly swallowed a needle at dinner last night!" Bottom said once Beau stopped in front of them to catch his breath.

"I think they're exaggerating like Des does sometimes. Miranda looked fine when she brought Puck home early this morning, and Des even insisted on checking her mouth!"

"Like a dentist or something?" Beau asked, a little weirded out.

"No, like a tooth fairy. She wanted to be a tooth fairy when she grew up, but now she's happy with just being a fairy princess."

"I don't think the tooth fairy's a princess either way, but whatever. Still kinda crazy."

"Desdemona's crazy." Beatrice said with a dry smile.

A few minutes later Alexander Goth, Lucy Burb, Buck Grunt, and Jill Smith came walking up the sidewalk. At the other end, Daniel Bell and his aunt Sharon Wirth were approaching.

"I don't get it. How come you guys can come to the park alone while I have to come with my aunt?" Daniel grumbled as he approached his friends.

"Lucy, Beau, and I live here in Pleasantview. Jill and Buck were already visiting, so I asked my sister to allow us to come over."

"We didn't come alone either." Benedick added, "Bottom's dad brought us over. He's sitting over there with a picnic basket." He said, pointing over at a man wearing what looked to be an authentic pirate outfit.

"Speaking of, we never see you four apart." Beatrice pointed out with her hands on her hips, "It's like you're all conjoined or something."

"Alex lives close by, so I can just walk over to his house!"

"And me and Buck live down the street from each other. My dad brings us over here pretty often under Buck's dad's nose." Jill began to whisper, "Mr. Buzz really doesn't like aliens."

" Your princess has arrived! " A voice shouted. Desdemona was being carried by a blond man, more than likely her dad, while Hal played some sort of fanfare on a bright green kazoo. If someone looked at his back, they could see a bunch of plastic swords strapped there.

Once their father put Desdemona down, she adjusted her fake tiara and began to walk over to the other kids with Hal.

"And who is this?" Desdemona asked in what was supposed to be what she called a 'princess accent'. She was referring to Beau, of course.

"Beau Broke, your majesty ." Beau said sarcastically. Desdemona smiled anyway, holding out her hand for him to kiss, which he did after seeing Hal mouth 'just go with it'.

"I think I'm going to like you, Beau! You can be.. my knight!"

"Not so fast, Princess." Daniel said, stepping in between her and Beau, "I think Beau belongs in the Wolf Kingdom!"

"And I think you need to back off." Hal said, pulling Desdemona away, "Wolf Kingdom has way more people! Let our new friends decide for themselves."

Daniel agreed to this, but him and Hal kept glaring daggers at each other.

In the end, Alexander, Beau, and Lucy joined Hal and Desdemona in the Fae Kingdom. Jill and Buck ended up joining Daniel and Bottom in the Wolf Kingdom, causing Lucy to pretend to be deeply wounded by their choice.

"Are you seeing this, Alex? Our own best friends, traitors!"

"I'm afraid so, Luce." Alexander replied solemnly, "And to think we actually trusted them."

"Worry not, Duke Goth and Duchess Burb!" Desdemona exclaimed, "Like us, you have magic flowing through your veins."

"Yeah, and we've got plenty of tricks up our sleeves." Hal said.

"You know, I'm more surprised Bottom isn't a Fae." Beatrice said.

"Wolves are way cooler, that's why." Bottom replied, "Now then, to your battle stations!" The Wolf Kingdom roared before running off to the tree and park benches.

"This way, Fae!" Desdemona led the group to the large playset at the middle of the park. Hal began to hand out swords to everyone except their wizard, Alexander. Desdemona quickly launched into a plan Hal came up with.

"Bottom ambushed us with glitter last time! Do you know what we're gonna do?" Desdemona paused before raising her sword in the air, "Sword attack on all sides! I want Hal covering Alexander on the right, I want Lucy on the left, and I want Beau to charge the center with me!"

"And what about the back? They'll be able to retreat." Alexander pointed out.

"We'll be circling around them the whole time!" Desdemona said, "I also made sure Bottom didn't have any more glitter to throw at us, so you're welcome."

The kids could hear the Wolf Kingdom shouting now, so Desdemona raised her sword once more, "Onward!" The Fae yelled as they made their way off the playset and into their planned positions. It went well, especially when they tried to retreat. Desdemona quickly came up behind them, locking swords with Bottom.

"Just surrender, General Summerdream!"

"Not in a million years, Princess Capp." As Bottom and Desdemona threw themselves into battle, Alexander casted wind spells by throwing leaves in the air. Hal covered his blind spots whenever Beatrice or Daniel tried attacking them.

Beau and Lucy fought each other, but seemed quite hesitant to do so. That is, until Benedick jumped into the fray. Lucy ended up throwing acorns at them while healing her friends.

Finally, Jill and Beau fought each other. Well, it was more them trying to stab each other with sticks/swords while dodging the other's attacks.

The battle came to an end when Desdemona knocked Bottom's stick out of her hand.

"Do you surrender now ?"

"Hm.. no way! Benedick, now!" When his name was called, the boy threw a bunch of wood chips to the ground, allowing the Wolf Kingdom to escape.

"That was awesome !" A boy with sunglasses shouted, approaching the group with a girl wearing a green school uniform, a blonde girl with two buns, and a boy with short black hair.

"Yeah, it was pretty cool." The girl in the uniform said, "What was that all about?"

"Well, you just witnessed a most legendary clash between the Fae Kingdom and the Wolf Kingdom!"

"Can we join, maybe?" The black haired boy asked.

"But I wanna make my own kingdom!" The blonde girl exclaimed.

"We don't mind." Bottom said, "We're gonna be starting this up again at school tomorrow, so feel free to join us at recess!"

"Sounds good to me!" The boy with the sunglasses said with a thumbs up, "By the way, the name's Roth. Xander Roth." Alexander somewhat glared at Xander, clearly not pleased with their names being so similar.

"Sofia Baldwin." The girl in the uniform said.

"I'm Isaiah Gavigan!" The other boy said.

"And I'm Sharla Ottomas, the coolest kid you'll ever meet."

The other kids introduced themselves as well before deciding to sit and get to know each other in a huge circle by Oberon's picnic basket, reminiscent of when the teacher was reading a book to them in class.

Chapter Text

"Nerve! Nerve!" Ceres Beaker called out, running down the stairs and towards a large bookcase located in the living room. Her twin brother Atom followed close behind her.

Almost a month ago, Ceres and Atom were brought into this world. They were technically just clones made from the DNA of their parents, Loki and Circe Beaker. Loki in particular seemed disappointed that they were children and not teenagers or young adults, but Circe took him aside and convinced him to let them stay.

While their parents kept trying to run tests on them, Ceres and Atom became more and more attached to the man their parents kept in their lab. Circe and Loki called him Nervous Subject due to the fact he was always twitching, blinking too much, stuttering, and the man was painfully shy. Ceres and Atom decided to refer to him as their older sibling just to make him feel more included. They shared their sweets with him sometimes, they told him about their day to day activities, and despite him being a little snappy sometimes, he never got angry at them. In fact, he always seemed happy whenever they came to see him.

"Which one was it again, Atom? The mystery books all look the same." Ceres said, looking up at the tall bookshelf.

"Top left, Mysterious Book of Mysterious Mysteries is on the binding." 

"Gimme a boost then!" Atom groaned, but got on his hands and knees. Ceres used him as a stepping stool to grab the aforementioned book. Once she tried pulling out the book, a small click was heard as the bookcase turned to reveal a lab with a railing around a large hole in the center. Nervous was standing at one of the back windows, and he seemed to be watching some of the desert birds flying around a cactus.

"Nerve, hey!" Atom exclaimed, getting the man's attention. Nervous turned around, looking more sickly and gaunt than usual. 

This didn't bother the kids at all, however. They'd just have to take him outside, right? They made their way to Nervous who watched them in silence.

"A-Atom… Ceres…" He finally whispered once they were close enough to hear him.

"We're taking you outside, Nerve!" Ceres grinned, but Nervous looked skeptical.

"Why?"

"Well, it's not healthy to stay cooped up inside all day." Atom said in a matter of fact way.

"We did our research, and it all checks out. You'll go stir crazy, you see. You'll become more anxious, you'll have more insomnia than you usually do, and it's just plain lonely. It's freezing in here too." Ceres added very seriously.

"You know I'm not allowed to leave the lab for any reason…"

"And? Mom and Dad are at work for most of the day! They wouldn't know about it. You're supposed to be watching us anyway."

"I guess… b...b-but I haven't gone outside in ages.. what if something goes wrong?"

"Nothing's gonna go wrong, Nerve. Ceres even bought you a cool sun hat to protect your head!" Atom said before holding out a white cowboy hat, "Doesn't really go with your whole skeleton look, but.."

"We picked it up at the strip mall the other day! It was Atom's idea."

The man inspected the hat cautiously. While he knew the kids would never do anything weird to the hat, he couldn't be too sure anymore.

"T-This is really for me..?" Nervous asked before putting it on. It was a little too big for him, but he didn't want to complain about it. For all he knew, the kids could've used their entire allowance to purchase it for him.

"Of course! Ceres and I are pretty much immune to the sun 'cause we're in it all the time."

"You, on the other hand, are like a vampire. Since you don't ever go out, you're probably way more sensitive than us."

"I guess that makes sense.. I'll go out with you guys then. You bought me a hat to protect myself with, so this is the least I could do."

The twins cheered and shared a high-five before pulling Nervous out through the bookcase door. Their parents' cars weren't outside seeing as they were at work, so they simply walked for a while. They walked past shops, restaurants, and even a gas station while Nervous looked on in awe.

"I don't remember Strangetown looking this lively…" He mumbled.

"Dad told us that the Montys, Fusillis, and Landgraabs are invested in expanding this town!" Ceres said cheerfully.

"Yeah, it's pretty cool. They say that this place was just a highway to Lucky Palms. Now look at it!" Atom grinned.

"And the strange things that happen here didn't drive everyone away…?"

"Are you kidding? People are drawn to stuff like that! Especially the Bella Goth case."

"Bella Goth?"

"She's this famous scientist's wife, his name's Mortimer. A few years ago, she was abducted by aliens ! They think she was involved with the crash site next to the house, so they built a base there to study." Atom explained.

"Division 47 is what they call it, and it's supposed to be a huge secret. Dad's working on an alien communication device for them, we saw the blueprints when we were sneaking in there to see you once."

"That's all very fascinating.. but don't the aliens bring back their victims? My friend was also abducted once, so.."

"Who knows why they're keeping her?" Ceres shrugged as they stepped into an ice cream parlor, "Maybe she's special like you. The Goths are really into the occult and macabre after all. We go to school with the youngest one, actually."

"Alexander or something. He usually looks like he's about to cry or say 'my father will hear about this'!"

Nervous only listened as the twins rambled on and on about their various classmates, content with just letting the children speak so that he didn't have to. There was poor new boy Beau Broke who lived in a trailer, haughty Desdemona Capp who 'thought she was all that', rambunctious Beatrice Monty… they sounded like colorful characters. They moved to one of the tiny tables to eat, noticing a small group of teenagers making their way into the line. The one he was most focused on was a blonde girl with dark skin, who had her arm around a blond alien boy.

He knew that the alien was Pascal's nephew Johnny based on pictures he saw, but the girls and the other boy were complete strangers. If he had to guess, one of the girls' names would be Ophelia since that's who Pascal said Johnny was seeing. Nervous caught a glimpse of the girl's face as she turned to leave with her friends, and she ended up staring at him with a confused look on her face.

"Ophelia, are you coming?" One her friends asked, causing Ophelia to follow them out the door.

"Yeah, sorry!"

Nervous didn't know why, but something about her seemed familiar.

"Nerve, do you know that girl?" Ceres asked.

"You guys were staring at each other for a while."

"...No. I don't know her." He replied, turning his attention back to the kids. He couldn't shake the fact that he did somehow recognize her from somewhere.. maybe from a newspaper or an old magazine or something. It seemed the girl felt the same way too based on her reaction to him. Something told him that this was the start of something way bigger than him. Maybe this was the key to his freedom.

Erin Beaker walked up to the huge castle-like building, ringing the doorbell. She wasn't sure if her brother was home or not, but she needed to tell him something.

The person who answered the door was certainly not Loki.

"Ah, Erin. What a pleasant surprise." Circe said as she opened the front door, "What brings you here?"

"I just wanted to know if Loki was home. I have some big news to share with him."

"I'm afraid he isn't here at the moment, but he shouldn't be gone too long. If you'd like, you can stay here until he gets back."

"Oh, thank you! I think I'll take you up on that offer." 

Circe moved out of the way so that Erin could enter, "I'll be upstairs looking through the telescope if you need me."

"Alright." Erin replied. Circe turned and went up the stairs, leaving Erin to walk into the living room. The first thing she noticed were a ton of bookshelves. They probably didn't have anything she'd be interested in, but she looked through the books anyway.

She reached out for one of the books, and next thing she knew she could feel something pushing her.

She was in a sterile white room with dangerous looking machinery and a metal railing around a huge hole. How exactly did Loki manage to hide a whole laboratory behind a bookcase? Did Circe know about it? 

Her heart hammered in her chest as she stepped into the room even further. She really shouldn't be here.. this was completely invading her brother's privacy! Maybe she should just turn around and forget this whole thing.. or maybe this was what her cards this morning was telling her! Lovers, Strength… and Tower. This felt like an experience that would forever change Erin's life and it took courage to still be standing here, but where did Lovers fit into all of this-?

"Who are you?" A male voice suddenly asked from in front of her. Erin jumped as her mind finally came back from Sixam.

"Who...?"

"I… I asked first so... Have you.. have you come to take me away? For the experiments?" The man stammered trying to be brave, though it didn't really work as well as he thought it would. After all, he was shaking like a leaf. Erin didn't know anything about this man, but her heart still broke for him. His arms were covered in bandages, his face was bruised, and he looked perpetually sad and tired. That was probably because of the stress lines and bags under his eyes.

"No, I'm Erin Beaker. I don't know about any experiments either." She said, slowly approaching the man. As she took a step forward, the man took a step back.

"Are you…?"

"Loki's little sister, yes." She said softly, "Now, what's your name?"

"...N-Nervous. Nervous Subject."

"That can't really be your name, can it?"

"It's what they call me. It's the only name I've ever known."

"How did you get back here? I knew my brother was strange based on what his ex and some of his classmates said, but him keeping a person in a secret laboratory.. It's almost comic book villany."

"I've.. I've been here ever since I was a teenager. I ran away from a foster home and never looked back. The Beakers took me in, and only asked me to help them with experiments.."

"I'm guessing they didn't mean measuring things."

"No." The man smiled dryly, "Apparently, I'm special. They've been using me. Testing things out on me."

"Since you were a teen.. I'm surprised I never noticed you were here. We've got to be around the same age, right?"

"I don't know. I don't remember how old I am. It was never that important."

"What's so special about you then?"

"I can't die. Every time I feel like I'm going to stop breathing, I just wake back up wherever I was perfectly fine."

"It wouldn't be the strangest thing I heard about."

"And do you know what else? I see dead people."

"Like.. zombies?"

"Something like that. I can speak to them, and I guess it's the only thing that keeps me somewhat sane."

"And who do you see?"

"There was this teenage girl named.. I think Melissa? She's sweet, you'd love her. She looks a little scary because of what happened to her, but she's not bad at all."

Erin ended up tuning out the rest of his words. Melissa, Melissa, Melissa… it couldn't be Melissa Sims, right? The police were still looking for her, and yet this man was saying that he's spoken to her.

"Nervous, where is Melissa? What did she look like?"

"She had red hair, as red as blood maybe. There was definitely some actual blood in her hair. And-- And she was missing an eye, but the one she still had was green. Something was sticking out of parts of her flesh. Something white and sharp. Oh, and--"

"I think I get the picture.." Erin said, feeling a little queasy from his description. Melissa Sims had red hair and green eyes, but what was she doing all the way out in Strangetown? She and her sister lived in Belladonna Cove!

"As for where I saw her.. I saw her here months ago. She disappeared for a while.. but then she came back different... wrong."

"I.. see."

"Enough about that. You need to get out of here before Circe or Loki finds out."

"They wouldn't hurt me." She said confidently, though she made her way to the bookcase anyway. She grabbed a book, feeling herself being pushed back into the living room. There were two children-- a boy and a girl-- staring up at her owlishly. If Erin squinted and tilted her head a little, the children somewhat looked like Loki. This day was far too strange for her. She needed to leave.

She walked around the children who still said nothing, making a beeline to the door. Stepping out into the warm desert sun, she looked back at the castle-mansion.

Something weird was going on at her brother's house, and she needed to uncover it. Her assignment in Desiderata could wait-- she might've just found her biggest case yet.

Chapter Text

Nina Caliente regretted everything. Nina Caliente regretted everything. As far as ideas went, this had to be her worst one yet.

She somehow managed to get into the military. Maybe it was because she was somewhat able to keep up with the other recruits thanks to her constant working out. Maybe it was because she helped out one of the generals' sons by taking the fall when he messed up on a drill. She got chewed out, sure, but she had been through worse.

In the back of her mind, she couldn't help but think she made it because of her pretty face. Sure, the military wasn't specifically looking for pretty faces, but she noticed how some of the higher ranks ogled her like a piece of meat. She was a romance sim, but she had standards. She wanted actual love more than anything else.

She kept reminding herself that this was only a temporary thing. She only needed to learn about Bella Goth, and then she could resign. It was honestly quite surprising how easily you could resign from the military. 

She sat down next to an older woman with shoulder length bright red hair who was taking a sip of water.

"You did well out there, rookie." The woman said, grinning. Nina knew she was a Senior Officer, but she couldn't really remember her name..

"Thank you, ma'am."

"None of that ma'am nonsense, I'm not that old! Just call me Katrina when you're not on duty. Everyone does."

"Well.. thank you, Katrina. I'm Nina Caliente."

"Pleasure to meet ya, Nina. Why did you join the military anyway? I know the kid over there-" She pointed at the boy Nina had helped out earlier, "--Wanted to make his old man over there proud." Katrina then pointed at an older man barking out orders. His hair was cut in the usual military crew cut and on his face were two black lines under his eyes like some sort of sports coach. In all honesty, Nina thought he was handsome. If she saw him on the street, she might've spoken to him-- not now though. Not when he was her superior.

"That's General Buzz Grunt. He's Tank's dad, and one mean guy. He's a loyal one though, that's for sure." Katrina explained. Loyal usually translated to 'hated aliens with all of their being'. As the General looked over at her and Katrina, Nina could feel her face getting hot. Her face was flushed, but not out of embarrassment. What if he could see right through her? Everyone knew about Buzz Grunt, he appeared on the news almost every night. He hated aliens. He hated Nina, and Dina, and their father, and he hated the Pollination Technician that abducted their grandfather.

"Nina, what's wrong?" Katrina asked, clearly worried about the younger woman, "You're sweating like a sinner in church."

"I just need some water." Nina said, standing up before she caused a fire. She could see the smoke starting to rise from the top of her hands, so she quickly walked down the hall just as the General approached. Before she was fully out of earshot, she could hear him asking Katrina a question.

"Who was that?"

Instead of stopping at the water fountain like she said she would, she headed towards the ladies' room first. She stopped in front of the sink, staring at herself in the mirror.

Her normally long and beautiful orange hair was cut into a short bob that stopped at her jaw. Her face was completely devoid of makeup, which felt just plain wrong to her. She was so used to wearing it all the time, she felt naked without it. If her sister could see her now, she'd probably be surprised. Then again, she might not.

Nina shook her head before turning on the water and tossing some water on her face. She could hear it sizzling a little, like when someone put a wet pot on a stove top. The bathroom became a bit more steamy too, but that didn't bother the woman. She could simply say that someone was taking a shower and left after she entered, especially since one of the showerheads was leaky and constantly dripped.

She grabbed some paper towels to wipe her face off before leaving the bathroom, some steam leaving behind her. As she walked towards the water fountain, she could see General Grunt approaching from the other end of the hallway. She hoped that he wouldn't stop and talk to her, but her hopes were crushed once he stopped by the water fountain as she took a drink.

"Caliente." The man said once Nina finally rose up.

"Sir?"

He suddenly looked suspicious. He looked around the general area before speaking again, "Are you feeling alright?" He asked in concern which shocked the woman.

"I'm fine. Why?"

"You seemed quite scared earlier, that's all."

"I'm just a little shy and you're a pretty intimidating person."

"Well, I'm glad that I'm intimidating at least." He couldn't help but smile a little, "I'm not a hardass all the time though."

Yeah, but you sure know how to voice your opinion on aliens, Nina thought bitterly.

"In any case, hurry up with what you're doing. We're getting back into training in a few minutes."

"Duly noted sir, I'll be there." With a nod, the General walked back to the other recruits and Katrina. Nina let out a huge sigh, pressing a hand to her chest. She was hot all over her body again, and she might need to take another drink. It was nice to know the General would be nice if he so chose, but she still didn't trust him all the way. He could easily turn on her, after all.

Katrina was also pretty iffy too-- she didn't know a thing about that woman. How did she feel about occult sims? Was she one too? She wasn't sparkly or green like a witch, she wasn't pale like a vampire, and she certainly wasn't green like an alien or plantsim either. Sure, she could be a werewolf.. but you'd only be able to tell them apart from a regular sim if they transformed.

Nina shook her head and made her way back to the other recruits. She had time to figure out everything later. She could hear the drills starting up again, and she knew neither Katrina nor the General would be as friendly as they were before if she missed out on them.

Dina's first day of work went quite well! She managed to get promoted to an intern that day, and it was only a matter of time until she'd be at or just below Mary-Sue Pleasant's level.

When she entered her and Mortimer's condo, she was immediately greeted by her husband with a kiss.

"How was work, my love?" The older man asked with a small smile.

"It went well. I got a promotion, and I know I'll be getting another one soon if I work hard enough."

"That's the spirit, dear. Now, tonight I'll be meeting up with some old friends of mine at Londoste. Will you join us?"

"I'd love to, Morty." Dina grinned. Rubbing elbows with some of Mortimer's friends would definitely come in handy someday, "What time will we leave? I need time to make myself presentable."

"At five. I believe that you'll have enough time to get ready."

Dina nodded and made her way upstairs. If she had enough time, she might be able to style up her hair… by the time she was finally putting on her jewelry, it was time to go. Dina and Mortimer were whisked away to the restaurant Downtown by a cab sent for them, and when they arrived they immediately noticed how crowded the place was.

Mortimer approached the host station, "We have a reservation under the name Landgraab." The waitress nodded, leading the couple over to a small table in the corner where three people were already sitting. The first person Dina noticed was a rather plump man with platinum blond hair and glasses. The second was a woman who looked remarkably similar to Don's maid, except this woman had wrinkles and grey strands in her short jet-black hair. The final person in the group was a woman with long black hair and a honey-blonde ombre at her tips.

"Mortimer." The blond man grinned, getting up to give Mortimer a hug. The older woman stood up too, and the two of them planted kisses on each other's cheeks.

"Who is this?" The older woman finally brought attention to Dina's presence, and Dina could feel herself straightening up.

"I am Dina Goth, Mortimer's wife." The man and woman looked to Mortimer for confirmation, and he nodded.

"Well.. it's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Goth. I'm Malcolm Landgraab, this is my wife Kaylynn, and our daughter Deirdre." The woman with the black and blonde hair looked up and nodded in greeting.

When Mortimer and Dina sat down, Malcolm and Kaylynn began to tell them what was up.

"Deirdre is marrying one of Holly and Michael's boys in a few months. The youngest one, Prospero." Malcolm said, "We didn't know until she said so, but we're quite happy for them. Prospero is a very nice man and Holly is an old friend of mine."

"What a coincidence! My dear Cassandra's wedding is only a few weeks away, and we're still working on the invitations. I'll see if you all can come." While Mortimer, Kaylynn, and Malcolm caught up on lost time, Deirdre and Dina began to talk to each other.

"So you're Mortimer's new wife."

"Yes, is there a problem with that?"

"Not at all. How did you manage to do it?"

"Do what?"

"Get Mortimer to stop focusing on Bella." Deirdre smiled, before leaning closer to Dina, "He's been obsessing over her for years, which I'm sure you're aware of. It's quite interesting how abruptly he gave up on her for you.."

"Just what are you implying?" Dina snapped, causing Deirdre to lean back in her seat. She still had that smug smile on her face, and Dina felt like slapping it right off. She was so nosy, and Dina hated nosy people.

"So defensive! I'm not implying a thing." With that, the black haired woman yawned, "Say, how did you two meet anyway?"

"I was his brother-in-law's wife, that's all. We reconnected when I moved to Pleasantview after divorcing Michael."

"How interesting…" Deirdre didn't ask Dina anything else, so the blonde relaxed and focused on the conversation between Mortimer and his childhood friends.

"Oh, Dina! Mortimer mentioned that you recently went into politics." Kaylynn said, "I'm the mayor of Belladonna Cove, actually. If you ever decide to run for mayor if and when Mary-Sue Pleasant retires, I'd love to help you with your campaign! I'm sure you'd do great things for Pleasantview."

"Why, thank you Mrs. Landgraab. I appreciate it."

"Please, just call me Kaylynn."

A few hours later, Mortimer and Dina were on their way home.

"I didn't really care for Deirdre. She's terribly nosy." Dina said, wrinkling up her nose.

"She's a journalist, it's her job to be nosy. What was she asking you about?"

"Just about how we met." Dina decided to leave out the part about Bella. She didn't need him wondering why he forgot about her.

"Well, I'd be interested too if I were her! Someone as young and beautiful as you with a geezer like me?"

"Aww, don't talk about yourself like that. You're not senile yet, after all. Besides, your hair's not all the way grey yet!"

"Hm.. you're right. Thanks, Dina."

Once they got home, Mortimer went straight upstairs while Dina took off her heels and put on flats instead. She headed over to Don's house, and said man was in the living room watching TV. He quickly noticed Dina standing outside, and before she could knock he opened the door and let her in.

"Were you at a ball or something? You look more gorgeous than usual." Don asked, planting a kiss on the woman's cheek.

"Just dinner with Mortimer and some of his friends. Speaking of, we need to look out for someone."

"Who?" The man looked serious now.

"Her name is Deirdre Landgraab. She's Malcolm Landgraab's daughter, and she's also a journalist."

"I've heard of her. She's working on a case involving all of the graves in Olive Specter's graveyard."

"Which is why we should be careful. She was asking me questions about me and Mortimer, and I'm sure she suspects something."

"Just calm down, Dina. Don't give her a reason to be suspicious, alright? If you're jumpy and freak out about everything, she will have a reason to suspect we're doing something."

"You're right." Dina let out a shaky breath, "It's just that we've come so far. We can't let something like this bring us down, you know?"

"I get it, Dina. I'm just saying.." Don pulled the woman into his arms, planting a kiss on her forehead, "How about I make you a drink so you can calm down?" He asked, pulling away.

"A drink would be nice. You already know what I like." Don nodded, leading the woman upstairs. 

"Oh, and by the way.. I'm not in the mood to do anything tonight. I'm too tired." Dina suddenly said, causing Don to look up from the bar.

"I'm not either, don't worry. I have to get up super early for work tomorrow, and I filled out a whole bunch of paperwork not too long along. I'm tired too." He said, pushing the drink over to Dina. It surprised Dina to hear about him not wanting to woohoo, but she was pretty relieved at the same time. Sometimes she just felt like talking to Don rather than sleeping with him all the time.

Chapter Text

Angela, Juliette, and Ara sat on the football field bleachers, simply chatting and eating their lunch.

Correction; Juliette and Ara were chatting with each other while Angela ate her lunch and watched the football team practice instead. Tank Grunt and Juliette's older brother Tybalt were being aggressive as usual, targeting Johnny Smith, Rick Contrary, and Justin Cleveland most of the time.

"I seriously still don't get the appeal of football." Juliette said, sipping on a smoothie, "I mean, just look at it! They're just throwing around a ball and giving each other concussions."

"I dunno, Juli. It's pretty cool. Besides, I see you at the games all the time." Ara pointed out.

"That's only because Ripp asks me to come and support Johnny, or my family drags me out to watch Tybalt show off. Besides that, I'd never come to the games."

"Are you suuure?" Ara pressed.

"Yes, Ara. I don't come to ogle them like you do." Juliette rolled her eyes, setting her drink down.

"I'm a cheerleader! I don't always ogle them. In fact, I'd say our job is way harder than theirs. We don't get protective gear."

While Juliette and Ara argued, Angela made her way down to where the team was now taking a short break. She could feel many eyes watching her as she made her way over to Tank with a smile. The boy was somewhat surprised to see her, though he didn't show it on his face.

"Pleasant? What are you doing here?" He asked as the redhead moved to sit next to him on the bench.

"Me and my friends come here to eat lunch all the time. Sometimes we watch you guys practice, and sometimes we just chat in private. It's less crowded out here."

"Oh yeah, that's for sure." He replied, taking a long drink out of his water bottle, "I'm surprised I never saw you guys up there before today."

"Well, you're usually too busy tackling everyone else."

"Work hard, play hard. That's what my dad always says."

"If you work or play too hard, you're going to hurt yourself or someone else."

"There you go again, giving out your sagely advice." He had a joking tone, but Angela quickly retracted her previous statement.

"Oh, um, sorry.. just give me a smack if I get too bossy or pushy or something. Lilith always says I have a know-it-all personality, so.."

"I'm not gonna smack you, Pleasant. I don't mind your advice either, I was just kidding."

"Right! Sorry! Oh, why do I keep saying sorry?"

Tank cracked a small smile at seeing the normally calm girl freak out. He didn't get why she was so nervous around him all of a sudden. He was still Tank Grunt, as he's always been. Shy, serious, but also super aggressive Tank Grunt.

"What's up with you today, Pleasant? You're all jumpy."

"I'm thinking about later today. Lilith and I have a big photoshoot, and we're actually gonna be on a magazine cover for the first time! We can't afford to mess this up." Oh, that's right. The Pleasant Twins were models. It was easy for Tank to forget that seeing as he never followed the world of fashion and that he didn't browse social media as much as Ripp did.

"Good luck with that then. I'm sure you'll both do great." Tank wouldn't be caught dead with a fashion magazine. At the same time.. he was tempted to buy one just this once just to show his support for Angela. If his family found it, his life would be over. Figuratively and literally if the General found it.

They could see people starting to leave to go to class now, including the football team, so Angela and Tank grabbed their stuff and began to walk alongside each other.

"Pleasant.. do you uh, mind waiting for me? We have our next class together."

"Sure, I'll wait for you. I don't want to see Dustin yet anyway." Angela sat on a bench just outside the boys' locker room, browsing her Simstagram page while waiting for Tank to come back. She noticed that Juliette and Ara didn't text her or even wait for her to catch up to them, so she assumed they saw her talking to Tank and let them be. It was a little strange, really. They had no qualms stealing her away from Dustin when they were dating. What was so different about Tank?

As some of Tank's teammates left the locker room, she noticed Tybalt trying to sneak glances at her. In all honesty, Angela didn't care too much for him. Juliette said he was mean and cruel to her, and that was that.

"Come on, let's go." Tank had finally come out of the locker room, green and white varsity jacket hanging off his arm. Angela got up and they began to walk alongside each other.

"What do you think Mr. Capp's going to show us today?" Angela asked, trying to dodge some theatre kids bringing props towards the auditorium.

"Knowing him.. probably his degree in economics for the 5th time this year."

"I can totally see something like that happening!" Angela went silent for a moment, thinking of something else to say, "You're his favorite student, you know."

"I am?"

"Yeah. He's not as verbally abusive to you, and he always calls on you."

"I always took it as him trying not to make the son of a general angry."

"That could be it too."

When Angela and Tank entered the room, they immediately noticed a lack of Lilith and Ophelia Nigmos. Ara the front, Dustin Broke in the back of course, Meadow Thayer close to the front..

As Angela and Tank took their seats, Ara leaned over to speak to Angela.

"Moving on already?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Angela began to take her stuff out of her bag to set them on her desk.

"Juliette and I could practically feel the chemistry between you and Tank."

"No way, Ara. Besides, you and Juli ditched me! I didn't want to walk alone either, so he suggested we walked together."

"I totally believe you. Anyway, the class feels quieter today."

"That's because Lilith's probably ditching."

"Damn. I wish I could've gone with her. Anything's better than listening to Cornball preach to us."

Angela couldn't help but agree with that statement, even though she could never bring herself to skip a class. Speaking of Mr. Capp, the man walked in mumbling something under his breath and dripping wet.

"Mr. Capp, did you just come from a car wash?" Dustin asked, causing some of the class to laugh.

"If you must know Broke , some brats just dumped water on me!"

"I guess they thought you needed to cool off a bit. You can be a little hot headed sometimes." More laughter. Angela could see Cornwall's eye twitching a little bit, so she quickly looked down at her books.

"Do you want me to write you up again, Mr. Broke? Why can't you all be more like Ms. Pleasant here? See, she's actually ready to learn ." Angela winced as she started to hear her classmates begin to whisper about her as if she weren't there. She hated when adults compared others to her. She didn't want to backtalk him either as she'd probably say the wrong thing and make even more people hate her.

For now, she just sat there and took it.

"Did you see the look on his face when Juliette dropped the bucket?" Lilith Pleasant laughed, running a hand through her orange locks.

"I have to admit, it was quite satisfying." Juliette smiled, shaking a little out of excitement.

"Yeah, aren't you glad that you came with us now?" Ripp asked, trying to sling an arm around her shoulders. Juliette walked over to Ophelia before he could successfully do so.

"If you want to cut classes with us again, just let us know." Ophelia said, linking her arms with Johnny and Juliette.

"So now that we're free.. what do we do now?" Juliette asked.

"Anything we want. Bother other classes, pull some more pranks, leave…" Johnny suggested.

"I say we blow this popsicle stand. We've got our bags, and this is our last class for the day too." Lilith said, "The arcade's not going to be crowded."

"Yeah, but how are we going to sneak out? There's cameras on pretty much every door and in every classroom too." Juliette pointed out.

"I know a place." Ripp said, "East stairwell. I use it to escape Tank all the time. They'll never know we're there since the door's hidden under the stairs."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Lead the way, Ripp." Johnny said. And so Ripp did. They ducked into other hallways to escape teachers and dodge security cameras and their classmates. Eventually, they made it to the door with no problems.

"Ladies first." Ripp said, holding the stairwell door open. First was Lilith, then Ophelia, Juliette, Johnny, and finally Ripp.

"Was it really that easy?" Juliette questioned out loud.

"Yeah, surprisingly. Hardly anyone comes to this side of the school. Anyway, start running! We're not home free yet." The five teens ran across the street towards SimCity. They dodged cars, bikes, and even a few motorcycles. Once they were a good distance away from the school, they stopped.

"Where are we?"

"Sunset Boulevard." Ophelia answered, "Best restaurants in SimCity. I used to come here all the time with my parents before they died. Come on, I'll take you to my favorite place." Ophelia was the leader this time. While her friends took in the sights and smells of Sunset Boulevard, she led them to a small restaurant at the very end of the street.

It was an average sized place called Oresha Family Dining. There were plenty of other people there with and without their families, but the host was able to find them a spot at a booth. On one side was Juliette and Ripp, while Johnny sat in between Lilith and Ophelia on the other side.

"I've never seen a restaurant so packed before." Juliette said, amazed.

"That's because you're always at Londoste." Lilith pointed out.

"It's not like I choose to eat there. The portions are too small, everyone looks at you weirdly if you so much as dare to use the wrong silverware… it's nice to just sit back and not worry about looking fancy while you're eating."

"High society sounds like a nightmare ." Ripp sighed, "So many things you can and can't do. I'd probably go crazy."

"You'd get used to it. At least the debutante balls are kinda fun. Hermia's was on a yacht, and mine is coming up in a few months. Miranda's is in about two years." Juliette said.

"Debutante ball?" Ophelia asked.

"Basically, we're introduced to other high society members to secure alliances and marriages. It was how my aunts met their husbands, and I guess that's how I'll meet mine."

"Do you really want your spouse chosen for you?" Ripp quickly said, looking somewhat worried or annoyed.

"They take our choices into consideration but I'd still say no. My ball's going to be somewhat of a costume party and a masquerade. Generic, I know, but it could be fun. I'm going to be an angel."

"Could we come?" Lilith asked, "I'm not into that fancy stuff, but we'll keep creepy suitors away from you."

"As much as I'd love to invite you… you can't come. Well, maybe Lilith and Ripp can since she's the daughter of a respected politician and he's the son of a general.. but it's better that you guys stay away. It's no secret my grandfather dislikes you all, and high society can be cutthroat."

"We can be cutthroat." Johnny said.

"Somehow, I doubt that."

They ended up taking their food to go. They left the restaurant and headed down towards the SimCity beach's boardwalk and dangled their legs off the very edge. Above them, chirping seagulls were circling and waiting for people to drop their food. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and that's what made this day even more perfect.

"We should go swimming." Lilith finally said.

"We didn't bring any bathing suits." Ophelia pointed out, "And I'm not stripping to my underwear in public."

"Boo, you're no fun!"

"Well, we're on a boardwalk. Why don't we just try winning prizes?" Johnny suggested. Everyone seemed to like that idea, so they put it into action. Ripp tried winning Juliette a large teddy bear she was eyeing, but in the end she was the one who won it for herself.

Johnny did the ring toss for a large, ugly purple giraffe plush for Ophelia, while Lilith won a green elephant to give to Dirk when they saw each other again. An hour had passed, and now they were sitting at a picnic table.

"Everyone should be getting out of class by now." Juliette said. Her oversized teddy bear was safely tucked under her arm.

"Think we should go meet up with them?" Johnny asked.

"Might as well. They're gonna be so jealous of our day off." Lilith said, standing up from the table, "Besides, I didn't want to see Mr. Cornball anyway."

"Yeah, but now I'm afraid he's going to tell Grandfather."

"He didn't even see you, Juli! It's not like you have his class either. You're gonna be fine." Ripp said, "Now let's get going. I need to rub this in Tank's smug face." Juliette and Lilith both rolled their eyes, but they followed Ripp, Johnny, and Ophelia back to the school. Juliette joined her surprised friends underneath their usual tree, Johnny and Ophelia went somewhere private to talk, Lilith made her way over to Dirk Dreamer and Rick Contrary, while Ripp went to harass Tank.

They definitely had to do stuff like this more often. Maybe Juliette could convince Ara or even Angela to join them next time!

Chapter Text

That night, there were two parties in Veronaville. A wedding party to be exact, and a debut party.

The wedding was for Titania Summerdream and her long time lover, Oberon Gossamer. They had been with each other for centuries at this point, so this wedding was more of a formality if anything.

The debut party was for their recently adopted daughter, a teenage girl named Helena. She came from a place located on the outskirts of Old Town. It was called Magic Town, a strange place full of even stranger people. Helena in particular was a fairy just like her adoptive family, though she typically didn't indulge in using her powers too much anymore. It brought her trouble when she tried using them in Old Town's public school after all.

Speaking of Helena, Titania was currently helping her apply her flamboyant makeup consisting of rhinestone stickers, glitter, and excessive mascara and eyeshadow.

"What if the other teens don't like me? What if they think I'm strange like everyone else?" Helena asked softly, fiddling with the hem of her short, pink ball gown.

"They'll love you, Helena. I'm sure of it. They've accepted Puck and Bottom without any issue, why wouldn't you be the same?" Titania reassured her daughter.

"Yeah, but they've known Puck and Bottom ever since they were all kids. If this were a story, I'd be the outsider new girl who doesn't know how things work."

"If this is a story, why not try taking control of it? Don't let someone else just pull you along. Write your own ending."

"You know.. you might have a point there."

"Of course. Puck was the same way when he first came to Veronaville too." Titania put the finishing touches on Helena's makeup and held up a mirror, "Do you like it?"

"No, I love it! Thank you! I've had trouble trying to do the eyeliner wings in the past."

"In that case, shall we go downstairs?"

"We shall."

Meanwhile, Puck sat on the back porch watching Hermia speak to Romeo Monty at the buffet table.

People had been falling in love lately, and Puck was no exception to that. He had fallen for the middle child of the Capp sibling trio, Hermia. She was usually quiet compared to Juliette and Tybalt, and kept to herself most of the time. That's what Puck loved about her so much.

Though.. he was starting to reconsider his feelings for her. Anyone could see that she loved Romeo Monty more than any other boy. She was way more open with Romeo, way more expressive. 

That didn't mean Puck would be alone forever. He had started hanging out with her cousin Miranda lately in hopes of getting to know Hermia better.. but instead, he ended up enjoying the time he spent with Miranda more. She taught him how to skateboard, she convinced him to help her sneak into an abandoned house to find spirits, and they've done so much more together. Somehow, Bottom and her friends constantly teasing him about his friend helped him put his feelings into perspective.

He really did love Miranda Capp in all her punk rock glory.

He decided that tonight would be the night he would let her know. Walking past Tybalt and Mercutio, who were pointedly ignoring each other due to Titania threatening to hex them if they fought, he made his way to the wall Miranda was leaning against. She was currently speaking to Juliette who immediately excused herself upon seeing Puck.

"Hm? Oh hey, Pixie Boy. I think now's the perfect time to lay one on Hermia. Romeo finally went off to harass Juliette, but I bet everybody's still bound to see it."

"Actually, I came to talk to you about that." Puck turned up his head a little, "I don't think I want to kiss Hermia anymore."

"Wait, what?"

"I think I like someone else now."

"Well, that's three months worth of teaching you about Hermia I'll never get back.. so who's the lucky person? Is it Mercutio? You two are pretty close. Maybe Juliette? It'd be unexpected, but we could work with it."

"It's neither of them." Puck said, stepping closer to Miranda, "Actually, I think I fell for you , Miranda."

She didn't pull away from Puck when he placed a hand on her cheek, and she didn't pull away when Puck leaned in to kiss her. Their kiss was cut short, however, as Titania and Helena came down the stairs.

"Who's she?" Miranda asked, hastily fixing her shades. 

"Our new sister, Helena. She arrived from Magic Town when we were all at school." Puck replied.

"Is she a fairy too?"

"Yeah. She doesn't really use those powers too much though. Mom and dad hope to help her embrace them." Helena approached Puck and Miranda, hugging herself.

"They're going to be starting the ceremony soon. They want us to go down to the arch now."

"Alright, but first I'd like to introduce you to my friend Miranda Capp."

" Girlfriend ." Miranda corrected, shaking Helena's hand, "I love your makeup by the way."

"Thank you. For a moment, I was worried that it was too out there."

"Please! In a world of alien abductions and  witches and other occult, your makeup's pretty normal."

"Still. Most people aren't really used to it." Helena said as they walked down towards the wedding arch. Puck, Bottom, and Helena sat in the very front with baskets of flower petals sitting on their laps. Directly behind them were Juliette, Tybalt, and Hermia, and behind them were Romeo, Miranda, and Mercutio.

Oberon was waiting at the altar for Titania to walk down the aisle. He went over his vows in his head, and only stopped upon seeing Titania. She was wearing a deep crimson red ball gown with silver detailing on the hem and around the grecian neckline. Her hair was in a chignon bun, and she was wearing a veil along with her typical crown. Of course, she was holding a bouquet consisting of red roses, calla lilies, and gardenias.

She approached Oberon and stood across from him, "Oberon Gossamer. We've been together for quite some time. And to be finally tying the knot with you makes me the happiest woman alive."

"Titania Summerdream, I've known you ever since we were just fledglings. I've never had a dull moment with you growing up, and I'm more than happy to become Oberon Summerdream and have many more adventures with you for as long as we live."

With their vows shared and the crowd nearly in tears, they shared the kiss that would make everything official. Hundreds of fireflies flew about around the arch (whether by magic or just coincidence was unknown), and their children began to throw their petals everywhere. Once the excitement wore off, instead of throwing a bouquet (they're teens!) Titania handed everyone at least one of each flower from her bouquet.

"Now, who wants cake?" Most of the guests quickly rushed towards the buffet table, but Helena noticed Puck and Miranda hanging back. No worries, there would still be plenty of cake to go around even if they all got seconds.

Once Helena got her slice of cake, she made her way over to the benches in the very back of the yard. She was joined by one of the guys, a redhead with a weird mask that reminded her of some transforming robot show she used to watch.

"So, you're Helena." The boy stated. If she listened close enough, she could hear some sort of accent.

"Yes. Helena Lestrange-- though I guess I'm actually a Summerdream now. You're… Tiebald, right?"

"Not even close. It's Tybalt. Tybalt Capp. I'm the oldest teen in the family right now."

"Oh, that's pretty cool I guess. I was the special one back at my school-- I could move things with my mind."

"I didn't think fairies did telekinesis."

"We have a lot of abilities-- it's almost similar to being a witch. Except witches don't live forever and they can't really sprout wings."

"And you can?"

"I choose not to. You always get weird people trying to touch them or pull them off or checking to see if they're real. And yes, it hurts just as much and you'd expect it to."

"And here I thought I had it bad."

"Why don't you tell me about yourself now, Tybalt? I'm especially interested in that mask you wear."

And so he told her (almost) everything about himself. How he was the star player of the SimCity High football team, how his family was one of the richest families in SimCity, pointed out his sisters and cousin, and how he totally didn't get into trouble like the girls. Of course, she already knew about his fights with that Mercutio guy from Puck. She could tell Tybalt was trying to impress her, whether he knew it or not. It wasn't really working on her but she did admire how he decided to come up to her first rather than the other way around. She finally excused herself to speak with the other guests, and she could feel Tybalt's eyes on her as she left. Did he stare at people often?

Anyway, she made her way over to where Juliette was standing and texting someone.

"Hello, you're Juliette aren't you?"

"Guilty as charged." Juliette put her phone in her small purse, giving Helena her full attention now, "Is there something you needed?"

"Not particularly. You just seemed interesting, and I was wondering what you were doing here all alone."

"I was just texting some friends. I'm sure that they're jealous that I got to come to a cool party."

"I'm sure mom and dad would've let you invite them! They're pretty lenient most of the time. They could just magic up some more food anyway."

"Yeah, but I'm really not supposed to be hanging out with them anyway. They're from Strangetown and Grandfather doesn't like Strangetown because of the so-called loonies and murderous aliens. Tybalt would snitch anyway."

"What did a desert do to them anyway? Strangetown's pretty cool!"

"You've been?"

"Just for a field trip in elementary school. We toured the military base there. Since it's pretty far from Magic Town, I haven't gone there very often after that."

"So, wait. You're from Magic Town, right? You make it sound like you went to a regular school."

"I did! Old Town had the closest school, and so that's where we all went. Magic Town didn't really have formal education.. unless you count joining the circus or learning magic from the Mystery Man. Since I already know magic, that was unnecessary."

"Your life sounds pretty interesting. More interesting than mine, honestly. Why don't you hang with me and my friends at school tomorrow?"

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to intrude on anything."

"It's fine! I know you don't want to follow Puck around all day."

"In that case.. I'd love to join you guys."

"Great. Meet us in front of the school tomorrow morning. We also hang out at the football field during lunch, and the park after school."

"I'll be there then!"

As the party started to wind down and the guests began to leave, Helena sat in Puck's room and recounted everything as they removed their makeup.

"And Juliette invited me to hang out with her and her friends tomorrow! Can you believe it?"

"I can, actually. When we were kids, Juliette and Hermia always tried involving me in things even though I was pretty shy."

"You? Shy? But you're so popular! You're friends with pretty much everyone!"

"Not really, I've just known everyone for a pretty long time." Puck replied, helping Helena take her hair out of the double buns she put them in.

"I hope they like me just as much in the future too."

"I'm sure they will. I saw Tybalt talking to you earlier."

"Oh yeah! He's kinda.. strange. He stared at me a lot. I don't really mind because he can look wherever he wants, but I don't know why he chose me specifically."

"Maybe he's interested in you. Then again, I've never actually seen him interested in someone before. He's usually picking fights with people."

"You told me that earlier."

"I know. Just.. be careful around both the Capps and Montys. They have a huge blood feud going on, and it's already gotten some people killed. Our family is firmly neutral, but I know that they'll eventually want us to pick a side."

"I'll keep that in mind then." Helena replied, getting up from Puck's bed, "Anyway, good night. I need to get up early to put on my makeup tomorrow."

"Alright, night Helena."

Helena made her way to her own room, thoughts racing through her mind. What were her other classmates like? SimCity High had students from all over SimNation. Would she see some of her old classmates from Old Town? It was unlikely, seeing how far Old Town was… but it wasn't impossible.

She'd find out tomorrow in any case.

Chapter Text

Pascal Curious looked at the small bundle in the crib in his room, smiling lightly at it.

Inside was a baby boy dressed in a space themed onesie. He had wispy black hair, but the most interesting thing about him was the fact that he was green and had large, black, bug-like eyes. Despite the baby's skin feeling like someone had left him in the freezer for about an hour, he was perfectly healthy.

Lazlo had wanted to name the boy something silly like 'Optimus Prime' or 'Voltron', but both Vidcund and Pascal immediately said no. In the end, they had agreed on Tycho.

The circumstances around Tycho's birth was quite interesting-- like Bella Goth, Pascal had been abducted by aliens. Only this time, Pascal wanted to get abducted. He was unconscious for most of his time there, but he did manage to ask a few questions. Sadly, these Pollination Technicians had no clue about Bella Goth.

They did leave him with a small 'present' however. At first Pascal thought he was simply gaining weight, but after a visit to the local clinic he quickly found out he was carrying a child. He didn't really mind, seeing as he loved children and wanted to start a family of his own someday.

It reminded him of a case he read about years ago. He wasn't born yet, and it was the talk of Pleasantview at the time-- well, it was called Sunset Valley at the time. One of the first reports of alien abductions was recorded there, and the victim was called Nestor Caliente. It had happened when he was stargazing with his wife, and like Pascal he had given birth to a healthy baby boy. His name was Flamenco, and Pascal could vaguely remember him from his own childhood. He had two daughters that he and his brothers and older sister played with whenever he babysat for their parents, though Pascal couldn't quite remember the girls' names nor their faces. All he knew was that the older one had orange hair, and the younger one was a blonde.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the front door. As Pascal was the only one home, he answered it. He opened the door to see a familiar blonde wearing a pink t-shirt and some plain shorts.

"Erin Beaker. What brings you here? Lazlo is still at work." He asked, letting the woman in. He wasn't particularly close to the woman as she was Loki Beaker's younger sister, and Lazlo knew her better seeing as they were around the same age.

"Actually, I came to see you, Pascal." Erin replied somewhat nervously, twisting a small mood ring around her finger.

"Well, what do you need?" He led the blonde over to the couch, turning off the TV Lazlo had left on all night.

"Does the name Nervous Subject mean anything to you?"

"I know him. We're friends." Pascal nodded, and Erin relaxed a little.

"Do you know where Nervous lives?"

"Ah, no. It never came up in conversation. Why do you need to know?"

"Well, my brother and my sister-in-law are keeping him in a lab behind their bookshelf."

"Excuse me?" Pascal raised an eyebrow skeptically at this. He knew Erin had a tendency to say some crazy stuff sometimes, but this took the cake.

"It's hard to believe, I know, but it's true! I saw him, and it was totally strange!"

"Why would Loki have a lab behind his bookshelf? Why would he keep a person back there?"

"I dunno, he was always kinda strange growing up. Come to think of it, he tried that stuff on Stella too… but that's not important! I need your help."

"Why my help specifically?" 

"Because you're the only guys in town who won't think I'm crazy. Heck, the fact that you know Nervous too proves to me that he's not one of the many creatures I've conjured in my mind."

"...What do you need then, Erin? How can we help you help Nervous?"

"I wanna stage a rescue, but I can't take him home with me. Chloe's gonna be super annoying about it!"

"Well, he can't stay here either! There's not enough room."

"I can't bring him to Desiderata Valley with me."

"Can't you?"

"I'm on a highly confidential mission, so I really can't. Who's going to stay home and make sure no one spots him?"

"I suppose I can."

"Are you saying you want to come to Desiderata Valley with me?"

"You know what? Maybe I am. I wouldn't mind a change of pace, and I have someone of my own to look after too."

Pascal could tell that Erin wanted to be nosy about it but surprisingly, she refrained from doing so. It also surprised him to see her so serious now. He could remember a time when she saw the world in rosy colors, and she was slightly more airheaded. She was more like Lazlo at that time.

"I'll give you the address later, alright? Let me know when you're leaving and when you get there. That's when I'll get Nervous."

"And how do you plan on doing that? Setting him free, I mean."

"That's confidential information." Erin smiled, rubbing her nose. You know, just because she was working on something else that was confidential didn't mean that everything else had to be.

"Right… By the way, do you need my number?"

"Nah, I got it already. Laz gave it to me ages ago!"

One, that was kinda creepy. Two, he didn't appreciate Lazlo handing out his number to strangers. Okay, so maybe Erin wasn't a stranger-- but the sentiment still stood!

"Is that all you needed then, Erin?"

"Yep, that's all! I really appreciate your help, Pascal. By the way, you can't talk to anyone about this. Not even Laz or Vidcund."

"Oh, I wasn't planning on it. Lazlo has loose lips, and if Circe were to ask Vidcund he'd spill in ten seconds flat. He's still obsessed with her."

"Watcher, he's a strange one." Erin shook her head before getting up from her seat, "Anyway, I'll contact you again later. Look out for me!"

"Yes, yes, I will." He replied, waving the woman off.

Just what had Pascal gotten himself into this time? This was just as bad as the time Lazlo tried to make grilled cheese appreciation week a thing back in school! While he wasn't successful enforcing it at school, the better parts of Pascal's life was spent eating it at home. He hated grilled cheese.

Still, at least there was a bit of a silver lining in all of this. Tycho could grow up in a warm environment surrounded with kids his age, and he wouldn't have to worry about the Beakers or General Grunt trying to snatch him up for nefarious reasons. He wasn't sure if his new companion constantly sneaking around was much better though...

Curse you, Erin Beaker.

Chapter Text

Angela Pleasant liked to think of herself as a normal girl with a 'normal' life. Outside of the modelling gigs and debate club, she was.

She laid on her canopied bed flipping through a magazine with her and her twin on the cover. It had been a success, and their classmates often came up to them for autographs. As a popularity sim, Angela loved being the center of attention and she knew Lilith felt the same way despite the fact she hardly showed it. Angela saw nothing wrong with it, as it was normal to want to be liked by others.

She tossed her magazine towards the foot of the bed, slipped on her fluffy mint green robe, and put on her cute bunny slippers that Juliette had bought her for her birthday one year. She headed downstairs, noticing that the lights and TV were still on, and that Lilith had fallen asleep on the couch.

As much as she wanted to prank her twin, in the end she decided to pull the blanket over her so she could be a little comfortable. After doing that, Angela walked into the kitchen and grabbed a soda from the fridge. The lights flickered and finally shut off, causing Angela to groan.

"Jeez, did mom and dad forget to pay the electric bills or something?" She felt around for a slightly slanted drawer, pulling it open once she finally found it. She dug around for a moment to grab a flashlight, and turned it on. Lilith was still knocked out, so she made her way upstairs with her soda in her hand.

Once she reached the top of her stairs, she noticed that her bedroom door was slightly ajar. She could've sworn that she left it closed.. suddenly, her flashlight flickered and shut off. Frustrated, Angela hit it against her arm a few times.

"Stupid light…!" She eventually gave up on it, sitting it on a nearby table before entering her room. She paused at the door, noticing something strange on her bed. The blanket and mattress were sinking down as if someone or something were sitting on it. Angela sat her soda down on her nearby desk, hand fumbling for the door. She was prepared to scream for her parents or even Lilith, but paused.

She could see someone sitting there with their head down and hair covering their face. Based on their ripped clothes, they were a girl and would probably get along with Lilith. The girl even had those studs Lilith loved for some reason. Angela slowly eased out of the room, eyes still locked on the mysterious girl. That's when the door slammed shut and locked itself. With a yelp, Angela fell to the floor. She wanted escape through hers and Lilith's shared bathroom, but that would mean getting close to the girl on her bed and that was the last thing Angela wanted. So she sat there with her green eyes opened wide and her mouth slightly agape.

Finally, the girl on the bed lifted her head. her long, red hair covered half of her face, but Angela could tell that she sported an amused look. There were bruises on her face and around her neck, and cuts on the parts of her face that she could see. The girl finally stood up, and Angela had to look away from the grisly sight. The girl's clothes were certainly ripped, but it wasn't a fashion statement. She was covered in dried blood and dirt, and if Angela squinted she could see something pink covered by her shirt. There were bruises on her legs and exposed arms as well. With a shiver, she realized that those sharp things sticking out of her clothes weren't studs…

Angela could hear the floor creaking, so she looked up only to see the girl making her way over to her. She walked in a very stilted way, as if she were a marionette doll. Angela turned around and frantically tried to get the door open, stopping only to feel cold air on the nape of her neck. The smell of blood and death was strong now, and it was then that Angela knew that if she were to turn around she'd never see the light of day again. So she stood there, waiting for the ghastly girl to make a move.

"Y… you're so…. warm…." A raspy voice said in her ear, "You… you're a living… p-person." It sounded like the girl was sick or thirsty, but Angela knew better. She knew that the bruises around the girl's neck had something to do with it.

Angela didn't respond to the girl's statement, instead silently praying to wake up from this horrible dream.

"I hope… I didn't frighten… you."

No, Angela wasn't frightened. She was terrified . Why wouldn't she be when the girl resembled one of the enemies from one of Lilith's zombie games?

"Pl...ease say something…"

"W-Who are you?" Angela finally asked, wincing at how weak she sounded. Where was that debate club confidence she had?

"Mel… Melissa. I am… Melissa Sims…"

Angela paused. She knew this girl. She saw her missing posters everywhere around school. Her disappearance was almost as big as Bella Goth's, as she too was from an affluent family.

"You know… the afterlife.. it is very lone...ly. My body… burning.."

Angela listened to the girl speak in broken words, and she slowly started to feel bad for her. She certainly didn't ask to be mutilated like she is now. Besides, if Melissa wanted to attack her, she would've done it by now. So Angela turned around to face the girl head on. Melissa stepped back once she realized she was too close to Angela.

"What happened to you, Melissa? Everyone was searching for you, and now you've turned up dead."

"There were… experiments… tests… Beakers.."

"Scientists did this to you?"

"The… Beakers… they li..ed to us…"

Angela had heard of them. They lived in Strangetown, and her little cousin Lucy hung out with their children sometimes. According to Lucy, they were pretty mean and a little weird.

"They lied?"

"They… said they'd… he..lp us."

Angela could remember Melissa's parents telling the newspapers that her and her older sister ran away from home, though they never explained why. The Beakers may have been eccentric, but she couldn't really picture them as murders. The proof was right in front of her, so she had to believe Melissa.

"Listen, Melissa. I can't help you right now, it's the middle of the night.. but come find me tomorrow after school, alright?" The other redhead nodded before slowly fading away. Once she was fully gone, Angela placed a shaky hand on her chest and let out a breath.

"Watcher.. that was terrifying. How does that Tara do it?" Angela grabbed her soda from her desk and placed it on her end table instead. She needed to get some sleep now, though she was sure she'd have nightmares instead. What exactly did the Beakers do to Melissa to make her look that way? They were scientists, not serial killers. That honor went to Ophelia Nigmos' aunt, Olive Specter. In all honesty, Angela thought Olive was just unlucky.

She turned over to face her bedroom window and stared at the full moon and starry sky. She knew that she'd have eyebags in the morning like Lilith, and she'd need to cover them up so that no one noticed.. she let out a small yawn before slowly falling asleep. Tomorrow, she needed to meet up with Terrible Tara to get help with her ghost problem.