The End

I never thought it would come to this, but I will have to discontinue this story. I’m really sad since I’ve had some great times with the Willows and I had planned a fantastic future and eventual end for them. However, the neighborhood is unplayable for some reason beyond my understanding, it hacks all the time and I can barely play a sim day in hours. The only solution that I can think of is moving the house to a new neighborhood, but that would be against the rules of the legacy and I would loose all the relations, friends and family that exist in the current one. I have several mods to “clean” the game, but it doesn’t seem to help. Oh well, after all the problems I’ve had, I’m ready to give up.

As many of you know I have been working on a new story for some time, and I’ve decided to continue with that now, and hope that this neighborhood wont become unplayable (fingers crossed). It is a Royal Kingdom Challenge and I hope you all will love it as much as I do.

Of Kings and Castles

Follow the residents of the medieval fiefdom of Castle Keep in their daily life. Times of peace have come to the town and with the beautiful, albeit a bit clumsy, Queen Eleanor, King Edmund will sure bring back the glory days of Castle Keep. The monks of the Peteran Monastery are working to bring the faith on The Watcher back to the people and the two very different noble houses start a race to maintain their power. While the peasants enjoy the simple things in life and the love of nature, the merchants work hard to gain great riches.

Thank you all for the support and for reading and leaving all the greats comments over the years.

6.1 Shattered Dreams

When Ada grew up into a young adult and took over the role as head of the household, she decided that the family budget left her enough money to buy another horse. Ada disliked sims quite a lot and preferred the company of animals instead. She went to the Equestrian Center and picked the best stallion she could find. He would make a perfect mate for Dessie and hopefully they would have a foal soon enough. She called him Mort after her great-great-grandfather Mortimer Goth, she felt the name was suitable since Mortimer Goth was such an epic sim that truly made an impression on the Willow family. Ada’s intention was that her horses would also become epic and renown around town.

Dessie welcomed the new addition to the family, she and Mort now shared their daily life, taking long runs along the lot and playing together. Certainly, it didn’t take long for Dessie and Mort to become friendly with each other and try for a foal. It seemed that they were successful and Dessie became pregnant quickly. Although everybody at the Willow mansion was happy to see Dessie pregnant, both Arthur and Agatha wondered when Ada was planning to find a mate  for herself and make a family. Agatha made sure to remind Ada that the legacy would fall if she didn’t manage to make a family, and most importantly, to have a female child. But Ada didn’t bother herself with that, she just didn’t seem to have the time to go on dates, besides, Arthur and Agatha had themselves been adults when they had her, she had plenty of time to find a mate.

One summer night when Arthur went to a nightclub to work on his dancing, in the hope that he would finally reach the top of the celebrity ladder, the Reaper came for him. Although he was still living his life to the fullest, he was happy enough with what he had achieved in life, that he went without much fuss. The only regret he had in life, was that he had never become a grandparent, but that was how life was, he had himself been very mature when he first had Ada and she didn’t plan to have children anytime soon.

The funeral was held at the family mausoleum on a hot summer day. The Willow ladies, who didn’t enjoy neither the heat nor the sun very much, were thankfully equipped with parasols to keep their fair complexion as pale and cold as it had been for generations. The celebrity community of Sunset Valley was certainly very sad over the passing of Arthur Willow, but Ada only saw it as a shallow way for them to bathe in the sunshine of her late father’s greatness. She wasn’t pleased, to say the least, and was seen moping around during the whole party.

One life comes to an end, and another one starts, that is the circle of the sim life. Dessie gave birth to a little foal that was given the name of Tornado. He was born clueless, aggressive and untrained, not the most advantageous traits, but Ada wasn’t the one to shun a challenge.

Mort and Dessie took good care of Tornado, teaching him everything they knew about a life as a horse, and by nursing and caring for him as parents should. Ada was also very involved in the upbringing of the new Willow stallion. She brushed his coat, fed him with a bottle and praised him when he did something good. They grew very attached to each other, so much that Ada felt that little Tornado had a special place in her heart, she felt almost like a mother to him.

Fall came to Sunset Valley, a season that suited the Willows much better, the mansion had not looked so beautiful ever before. The arrival of seasons made such a difference in the sims lives, that everybody in town was talking about it. Some missed the neverending summer days and complained that things were better in the old days. But the big majority welcomed the changing seasons and all the new festivities it brought.

With Arthur gone there was nobody to take care of the perfect garden he had created. Agatha spent most of her days indoors, mourning the death of her spouse and lover, so it was up to Ada to keep the Willow mansion from decay. Although she wasn’t very good at gardening, it certainly wasn’t one of her interests in life, she decided that her fathers legacy would live on, and she would do the best to keep the garden in the best condition possible. Truly, she wished that she could just hire a gardener, like in the old days, but unfortunately that wasn’t possible.

Ada had long been on the outlook for a mythical creature that was said to roam the lands of Sunset Valley. One rainy fall evening, she saw the rainbow appear at Plumpuddle Park. As the tale foretold, the mythical creature was sure to appear were the rainbow started, so she decided to take a chance and go out to find it. She wasn’t disappointed, the mysterious mythical creature was more beautiful than she could ever imagine. She was afraid to scare it off, so for the longest time she stood and observed it from a distance, but she had made up her mind, she would befriend this beautiful creature.

Thank you for reading!

5.11 Enter The Dark Mare

Agatha realized that her sim days were counted, and although Ada was still a teenager, she wanted to make sure that all her knowledge about being a Willow heiress would be passed on to her daughter. Of course, Ada was a very intelligent and accomplished sim, along with Desdemona Willow, probably one of the most clever Willow women in history. Still, Agatha was sure that intelligence wasn’t everything when it came to surviving in Sunset Valley’s celebrity jungle, there were some social skills needed, that she worried Ada didn’t care about. It was very true, Ada didn’t care about the shallowness and materialism of the celebrities in town, but since her mother insisted, she respectfully listened her out.

Being en excelling sim, can be boring at times. Ada found herself often with lots of free time, since school wasn’t challenging enough for her. She finished her assignments and homework very quickly and after school she spent most of her time reading or strolling about town. She didn’t care much for the after school activities the school provided, since none were challenging enough for her.

Things that challenged Ada’s superior mind were things she could find in her great grand-mother’s workshop. Apart from doing experiments in the laboratory, she was very curious about the future and used the time machine Desdemona had once constructed to take her to the future. Arthur, who generally was a calm sim, begun to be a bit worried about Ada’s reality escapades. So after giving it a good thought, one evening he suggested a new hobby for her.

Since Ada was an animal lover, Arthur suggested that they would buy her a horse, one that she would care for and train. It meant a great responsibility, but Arthur was sure his daughter would manage. He was secretly hoping that it would make her less lonely, to have an animal companion and also teach her a thing or two about compassion and fondness. Ada was a bit skeptical at first, but as soon as they arrived at the stables, she fell in love with this beautiful black horse. She decided to call her Dessie, after her great grandmother Desdemona, that she admired so much.

Taking care of a horse required a lot of time and commitment, but also space and the right equipment. In one corner of their big yard they built a stable and training equipment for Dessie. Ada took her out for a ride everyday and soon they were competing together in the races. Dessie was a fast horse and they won several medals.

Although Ada was a loner, she still took part of the conventional social events required of every teenager. In spite of it all, she was a celebrity and her parents encouraged her to go out and even go to the prom. To please them, Ada complied and did all those things, but only so they would leave her alone the rest of the time. Ada didn’t consider her class mates as friends, but apparently they seemed to think of her in such way. For her, her only true friend was Dessie, and no sim seemed to understand that.

Soon enough it was time for Ada to pass on to the next phase of her life. As had been accustomed since the Willows had become celebrities, a fantastic party was held for her with all the great celebrities in town attending. Ada was never comfortable at these events, she felt like everybody behaved very oddly. People she barely knew congratulated her exaggeratedly as though they were best friends. They were all dressed to impress and drank too much nectar and more or less made fools of themselves. Ada was not impressed by these sims that called themselves celebrities.

Shortly after her birthday Ada had her High School graduation. She was ecstatic to take her diploma, High School had been a painfully boring time and as a young adult she would be able to do whatever she pleased. Due to her mothers good real estate investments the family had a steady income which meant she herself didn’t need to get employment. Instead she planned to devote her time to Dessie and to fulfilling her life time wish of becoming a fairy tale finder.

Thank you for reading!

5.10 The Birth of the Dark Butterfly

For Ada’s 3rd birthday, Agatha and Arthur organised a private party, it was the three of them and their loyal butler, Kelli Andrade. Agatha had baked a fabulous cake with her natural cooking skills. Arthur opened a bottle of his best nectar and Kelli decorated the house. For Ada it was the best of birthdays so far, she felt perfectly comfortable with her closest family and didn’t have to worry about the big crowds. Of course, the paparazzis all gathered outside the big mansion to see if they could get a glimpse of the young celebrity.

Ada grew up into a lovely young lady, she still had her awkward ways but her ravishing beauty made any sim forget all about them. Arthur and Agatha were very pleased, although they didn’t dare to mention it out loud, they agreed that this meant that she would easily find a mate to take the family legacy forward. Sims were silly that way, give them fame, money and beauty and they will take whatever else that comes with it. They won’t even care about the rest.

Ada, on the contrary, was a sim of the mind. She dedicated herself to the pursuit of the mind, and would spend hours reading, playing chess or taking on experiments in her great grandmother’s workshop. She looked at the world and their shallow ways and felt very lonely, sims around her only cared about her celebrity status and her looks. They didn’t understand the beauty of a well-composed poetic phrase, the grandness of the universe, or the mathematical complexities that surrounded them. Not like her.

Seeing his daughter grow up made Arthur truly enjoy his retirement, the future looked bright and now he could relax and take the time to nurture his garden and his nectar cellar. Sure, there would be teenage fits and quarrels, but Ada was a dedicated, intelligent young woman that managed most on her own.

Agatha, on her side, was struggling to reach her life time wish, possession is nine-tenths of the law, that was proving to be very hard to accomplish. As each day passed, she asked herself if she would live another day to make it happen. Every night she would visit her celebrity friends and swipe things from their homes, hoping they would bring her closer to her dream. She knew it was wrong, but really, she didn’t care, they were all things, and her friends had all more money than they needed, just as herself.

There are some things, that all teenage sims, no matter what class, celebrities or not, have to endure. One of those things, is to learn how to drive. While Agatha loved cars and speed, as an elder sim she had her ways set, so the task to teach her teenage daughter to drive, was consuming all her patience. Fortunately, Ada was a fast learner and managed to get her drivers permit in no time.

Although Ada’s transformation from her awkward childish ways into a beautiful teenager had gotten her a lot of attention from her peers and others around town, she didn’t let herself get overwhelmed by it. She was not interested in fame and stardom, she wanted to explore the universe through her telescope or concoct new potions in her lab.

Not saying it was completely risk free in the lab, but it was a world she knew well and felt safe in.

Thank you for reading!

5.9 The Way of the Loner

Arthur and Agatha were truly devoted to bringing out the best in their little Ada, who was cursed with typically Willowy traits. They hoped that all the love and attention they gave her would compensate her evil and loner traits and make her a happy sim, just like they had become in-spite of Morticias malice.

Still, however much Agatha and Arthur worried about their daughter’s social awkwardness, they both agreed she was an extremely intelligent child. She would spend hours on end playing with her logic toys in her room, happy to be left alone and to have something challenging to entertain her. At least they weren’t worried about how she would do in school and work.

Being the child of two renowned celebrities, Ada was already a celebrity herself. When her birthday came up, Agatha threw a big party and invited all the local celebrities. But what her parents forgot to take into account, was that due to her loner trait, Ada wasn’t overly pleased at the party due to the big crowd of people that all wanted to congratulate her.

As a child, Ada was the only one in her block of fancy celebrity mansions, that went to the community school, but she didn’t mind, this would mean she could sit by herself in the school bus and read her book or look out through the window. At school, she got top grades in all her classes and made it into the honor roll very quickly, but was, as always, uncomfortable with all the people around her. Although all the kids new she was a celebrity, her down to earth nature made the rest of the class forget about all that and treat her as any other kid.

After finishing her homework Ada usually spent her afternoons in her great grandmother Desdemona’s workshop. Desdemona still haunted the mansion, and Ada hoped to have the chance to meet her and get to know her a little more, apparently Desdemona had been a very intelligent lady.

As an only child, Ada had the full attention of both her parents. Her intelligence and her precocious and old-fashioned ways, maybe due to her parents older age, made her a little of a child prodigy. Seeing how their daughter was developing, Agatha and Arthur encouraged her in all the ways they could.

Still, Ada was a lonely child, and would spend a lot of time dreaming of worlds far away, may it be in outer space or in another dimension, she always played elaborated games that took place in imaginary places. But to tell the truth, she was quite happy as a loner.

 

Thank you for reading!

5.8 The Road Less Traveled

Any sensible sim knows what morning sickness means, specially after a long, passionate night of unprotected woohoo. It was bound to happen. Still, Agatha wasn’t overly excited to run to the toilet every minute and having to stay at home to not run the risk to vomit in public, after all she was a celebrity with a reputation to maintain.

Although Arthur and Agatha hadn’t dared to hope it would happen so quickly, they were happy to know that they were well on their way to having a baby. They were not getting any younger and their adult days were counted. Fingers crossed the child would be a girl to keep the Willow bloodline alive.

 

Not everything was joy and laughter in the Willow mansion though. Agatha had inherited the family affairs in dire conditions, the mansion, together with all the estates owned by the family were worth quite a lot, theoretically, but there was little cash to bee seen. Bills needed to be payed and maintaining such a large estate was expensive. While Arthur was pursuing his dream of cultivating the perfect garden and having a bottomless nectar cellar, Agatha found herself digging deeper in the criminal career to make ends meet. When the Repo sim arrived, Agatha decided it was time to get her affairs in order, and they started cutting expenses.

Finally, little Ada was born and Agatha and Arthur found themselves forgetting all their troubles. The baby consumed all their attention and time. As a true Willow, she was born with perfectly Willowy traits, loner and evil. Agatha wasn’t overly amused, she had hoped for a cheerful and happy life for her daughter, but apparently the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

 

It was time for a great birthday party to take place at the mansion, Arthur and Agatha, who had their birthday on the same day, were becoming elders. It was a bittersweet time, they looked back at their youth and felt that they wished for more simdays to fulfill all their dreams, but at the same time, it had been a heck of a ride. Of course, all the celebrities in town attended and all the Willows too, the party went on for hours.

 

It was a time for calmness and seclusion, Agatha took the opportunity to retire from the criminal career, to make sure she had time to fulfill her life time wish “Possession is Nine Tenth of the Law”, which was looking like a hard one to accomplish. For Arthur, the everyday life didn’t change much, he tended his garden and made his nectar.

It soon became Adas birthday too, she grew into a lovely little toddler. She was a privileged child, not only did she have two devoted parents, but also the professional care of the butler Keli Andrade, that had long experience with children and had been with the Willows for quite some time now. There was something special about Ada, though, and Miss Andrade was sure taking a liking for her, she might even say that Ada was her favorite.

 

Seeing how quickly Ada was growing up, Agatha started to think about the future. One gentle morning, when they were having breakfast, Agatha felt it was time to discuss their child’s future. She expressed her concern with sending Ada to a boarding school, even though generations of Willows had done it, she felt she didn’t want to send off her only child far away from them. Arthur agreed he had similar thoughts, neither of the two had had great experiences at their boarding schools, needless to say, they were practically forced to go away even though they didn’t want it.

“Does this mean, then,” Agatha was a bit hesitant. “That we are willing to send her to a community school, with regular children?”

Arthur smiled.

“Yes, I think we are ready,” Arthur replied and stretched out his hand to hold Agatha’s.

“Good, then,” now Agatha smiled. “Our little Ada will be just a regular sim, not a Willow”

And then it was settled.

Thank you for reading!
And being patient with my slow story 🙂

5.7 Perfect Paradise

 

The Willow mansion felt very calm and quiet since the death of Morticia, and the move of Selena and Patches. Arthur and Agatha found themselves alone, well, not entirely alone, with the butler. The peace and quiet of a house without drama, without tensions and secrets was fantastic. The two love birds were enjoying themselves to the fullest. Still, tormented by guilt feelings, Agatha wasn’t feeling nearly as relaxed as Arthur.

One morning when they were enjoying a perfectly made key lime pie that Agatha had made, Arthur, that had noticed the stress in her soft face, had a suggestion to his lover.

“Let’s get out of Sunset Valley,” he said with a smile. “I have a small cottage in Champs Les Sims that I bought in one of my trips there, it is simple, beautiful and quiet.”

Agatha looked at him and smiled.

“What difference would it make?” she said, half admitting that everything wasn’t peachy in their new paradise.

“It makes all the difference,” he assured her. “Champs Les Sims is a fantastic place, it really helped me to go there and get some perspective in life when I was struggling after High School.”

So, it was settled, Arthur that was a jet-setter made the arrangements  for the trip and off they went.

 

When they arrived, Agatha took in the soft and warm atmosphere of the place and felt instantly relaxed. Arthur was right, Champs Les Sims was an enchanting place that could put a smile on the face of the most bitter sim in the world. The cottage was lovely and Agatha loved it’s simplicity and rustic warmth.

 

They had planned to stay for quite some time at the cottage and Agatha suddenly found herself with a lot of time on her hands. Without her work to worry about, or her celebrity status to tend to, she was suddenly free to do those things she never thought she would have time to do. Agatha and Arthur would get up quite early in the morning, just as the sun was rising over the green hills and eat breakfast together out in the garden. Then, Arthur would tend to his vines in the garden and Agatha would write on her latest story.

Arthur had already a bottomless nectar cellar back at the Willow mansion in Sunset Valley, but he decided to make a whole new collection of nectar’s to host right here in their vacation home. Now that Agatha had fell in love with the place, he hoped they would spend many vacations here, maybe even bring their children.

 

The time spent in Champs Les Sims was a life changing experience, the two love birds felt like teenagers again and would spend the evenings cuddling under the stars without a trouble in the their minds. By the end of their vacation Agatha was feeling like a whole new sim.

 

On their last day in Champs Les Sims, Arthur decided to pop the question to Agatha. The time was right and they were ready to make a family and Agatha accepted. On their way home to Sunset Valley they discussed wedding plans and talked about what a lovely and big party they were going to have.

 

When they arrived back at the Willow mansion they got started in all the preparations a wedding party meant. It was to be the greatest wedding ever held at the Willow mansion and all the biggest celebrities in town were invited. All in all, it wasn’t a huge party, but it was beautiful and delicate and had that dark and mysterious drop of Willowy style. People were in tears during the ceremony, this was really true love, they had to stand the tyranny of Morticia’s ruling, but now they were free to love each other, finally.

 

People could argue that Arthur and Agatha were very different from each other and that it was odd that a simple imaginary friend would end up with the greatest heiress of Sunset Valley, but nobody could argue with the fact that they made a great couple. The party was a success and everybody would long talk about it.

 

It was in this bubble pool, in a night very similar to this, that Agatha and Arthur finally confessed their long love for each other. To think that their story was to be such a wild and windy road, but now, finally, they were ready to make a family, together.

Thank you for reading! 

5.6 To Live Another Day

Morticia had lived to die another day, she had passed to the other side and come back from the dead. What had saved her was that somebody had loved her and begged for her life. How ironic, that the mother of three and the powerful ruler of the Willow legacy had been saved by her beloved cat, nobody else had come to her rescue. She had set to be the greatest heir of them all, and she had had great promise, but what had she made of all that? The only thing that she was to leave behind was a lonely daughter and a great empty mansion. Maybe it was best to just cave in and go with Grimmy next time.

After recovering herself from the traumatic experience of seeing her mother die and return from the realm of the dead, one morning, Agatha got up feeling unusually well. There was a light breeze in the air, the sun was shining on her pale skin and the dark corridors of the Willow mansion weren’t as chilly as usual.

It was that day, when the evening rose, that Grimmy came back once again for Morticia. Agatha, that was sitting in front of her mother typing away on one of her novels in the library, ran to her in despair. As soon as Grimmy arrived, she ran to the door and closed it, making sure that Patches would not make her way in. Morticia saw that Agatha also wanted her to go, with a sad smile she waved her daughter goodbye and went with Grimmy. This time, not to return again.

The next day, they held Morticia’s funeral in the mansion. Her sons, Osiris and Valdemar came together with their families, and of course a long row of celebrities attended too. Agatha felt quite sad to see all these familiar faces together, maybe Morticia wasn’t as disliked as she thought. A bit of guilt squeezed her heart. Still, she felt quite relieved, this was the start of a new beginning for her.

Everybody was exhausted after the epic party that was Morticia’s funeral. Sims had come from all corner’s of the world to pay their respect and the party had continued until the next morning. Patches, who paced around the mansion looking for her master finally fell asleep on the couch.

With Morticia gone, only Selena was left to take care of Patches, Agatha and Arthur hadn’t left their bedroom since the funeral. So Selena took care of the house and of Patches, who actually had grown very fond of her. Patches would follow her everywhere she went in the house and kept her company while she was doing the household chores.

 

One day, Selena approached Agatha with a request, she asked her if she could reprogram her back to her old self. Agatha was surprised to hear such a request.

“You are not running your original program?” she asked.

“No,” Selena said. “Desdemona, my creator and mother, didn’t make me a clean-bot originally, I had once other traits. When Morticia came into rule, she reprogrammed me into a clean-bot. I’ve never dared to request to be set free.”

Agatha was appalled by these news, all along she thought her aunt Selena was happy as she was, working as a clean-bot at their mansion. Her mother really had no scruples.

“Of course, Selena, let me do it straight away.”

“And while you are at it,” Selena said. “Can you make me a free bot?”

Agatha nodded with a big smile.

That is how finally, Selena  got back her old personality and was set free. After talking with Agatha she decided to move out of the mansion into a place of her own. She took Patches with her, leaving the two love birds at the big mansion, finally, on their own.

Thank you for reading! 

 

5.5 Secrets Of The Heart

 

Morticia wasn’t ready to give up on the legacy just yet, she was sure that she could find a good mate for her daughter and decided to hit the town and chat up some young sims. Of course, they had to be celebrities and have a lot of money themselves since she didn’t want them to marry Agatha for her money. They would fall in love and be happy, Morticia was sure of that. After convincing the young sims she met in town that she wasn’t looking for a date herself, but for her daughter, she managed to put together a couple of dates. But when she got home and announced the news to Agatha, she got quite upset and would not go on any dates. Finally, after a lot of convincing she agreed to go on just one date.

 

Agatha was having a bit of an emotional meltdown, she worked hard every night to keep her thoughts of Arthur and her aching heart pain away, but now her mother had gotten quite stubborn about finding her a mate. She finally agreed to go on one date, mostly to get her mother off her back. It had been a disaster, she was bored and the only one she could think of was Arthur.

 

It turns out, the emotional turmoil Agatha was feeling was nothing less than a mid-life crisis and apart from changing her wardrobe and buying a new car, she got herself a tattoo. When Morticia saw it, she got very concerned, it all felt so hopeless, it was like the two of them were living in parallel universes and were unable to communicate with each other. And the date Agatha had agreed to go on, the young sim had behaved perfectly and was a great match for Agatha, but she had rejected him. Sure his skin had a bit of a weird color, but he looked so young and handsome.

What was the point, Morticia should probably just let her be, maybe there was no hope for the Willow family, maybe it would all end with Agatha. Instead of worrying her head off, Morticia spent more time doing the things she loved the most. That is, playing with Patches, getting her groomed, training her and just being together.

One afternoon, when they were on their own, Agatha couldn’t stand it anymore and made a move. She gave Arthur a shy kiss and told him she could barely stand to hold her love for him secret from her mother.

“What should we do Arthur?” she asked. “I just want to be with you…”

“We should wait,” he sighed. “Your mother will have me back into my toy form in no time, if she found out.”

“But she has changed so much since she got Patches,” Agatha objected. “Maybe she just doesn’t care about that old fight anymore.”

They looked at each other with longing eyes. Arthur sighed and said:

“We have to wait…”

 

Agatha avoided Arthur as much as she could and tried to never be alone with him again, since she was sure she would not be able to control herself. They had people over several nights a week and had concerts and dancing until the wee hours of the morning. Agatha loved entertaining her friends, specially since it kept her mind off other things.

One night, while Agatha was getting ready to go to sleep, Arthur sneaked in to her bedroom.

“I can’t wait anymore,” he said and took her in his arms.

They embraced and it was as if all their feelings for each other, that they had suppressed for so long, poured over in an overwhelming wave of passion. Arthur stayed the night in Agatha’s bedroom and sneaked out early in the morning before anybody got up. From that night on, Arthur sneaked in to Agatha’s bedroom every night. He would wait until everybody in the Willow mansion was sleeping before he went into her bedroom, the next morning they would both get up before everybody else. Agatha prepared breakfast for the whole family and Arthur went out to the garden to take care of his plants. Morticia noticed the change in the routine without being able to really understand what was going on. She was surprised that both Arthur and Agatha were up before her, given that they both used to sleep quite late. It also appeared to her that Agatha was much more at easy and happy, specially towards her.

 

As many in the Willow household were expecting, the day came when Grimmy arrived to take Morticia. Everybody was in distress by the reaper’s appearance, although for some it meant good news. When the deed was done and the urn was placed on the floor and they all started mourning, from nowhere arrived the cat Patches and pleaded for her master’s life. Grimmy, that found Patches adorable, granted her the wish and brought Morticia back to life, giving her yet another day until the dice was rolled again. Agatha, that saw the whole ordeal could not believe her eyes, it could be weeks before Grimmy appeared again, she ran off to her bedroom and lay in bed crying.

5.4 A Time To Wait

 

It was at one of Agatha’s regular celebrity parties that Morgana Willow passed away. Not only was it a great loss for the Willow family, but also a complete disaster for Agatha’s reputation. The party was an absolute fiasco, everybody was in chock after seeing her leave with Grimmy and after the ordeal they all left the Willow Mansion as quickly as they could. For Morticia it was sad to see her sister go, sure, they hadn’t been very close, but they were still family.

 

That night after all the guests had left and Morgana’s ashes were taken down to the Willow mausoleum, Arthur and Agatha took a relaxing dip in the bubble pool. It was the first time since they were kids that they could just hang out without worries. The events of the evening had put things in a new perspective and when the rest of the family left for bed, they stayed up late talking. They would give each other shy looks and joke about how lonely they were and how empty the Willow mansion was.

“Maybe someday you will meet someone and have children,” Arthur said. “Your mother will be happy to see you bring the legacy further.”

Agatha made a long pause and then looked at him deeply in his eyes.

“I’ve already met someone,” she said softly. “But I’m not sure he is the right one.”

Arthur felt his heart-beat race and his cheeks get all warm, he was so in love with Agatha, but it could not be. They looked at each other in silence and then he decided, he had to tell her the truth, he could not go on like this.

“I made a promise to your mother…” he said and looked away. “A long time ago, before we left for boarding school.”

The news made Agatha quite uncomfortable, she knew that whatever happened between Arthur and Morticia, could not be good. Arthur told her everything that had happened that unfortunate afternoon when Morticia asked him to come in to her study. That he had promised her not to pursue his love for Agatha and that he would never tell Agatha about it. And now he had broken that promise.

Agatha sat quietly thinking for a long time.

“Well, like aunt Morgana, mother will not live forever…” she finally said. “I have longed to tell you, that I love you. Never dared to say anything because I was afraid you would reject me. But when you returned from Champs Les Sims, I thought it was for me.”

“It was for you!” he said. “I love you too.”

 

After that night, when aunt Morgana died, Arthur and Agatha didn’t speak much about what was said. They had reached an agreement, never to speak again of what was said unless they were completely alone. To not wake any suspicions they also decided to make sure not to be seen together alone. They would do the only thing they could, wait. Wait, and when the time was right they would be with each other. They had both a hard time coping though. Agatha submerged herself in her training, hoping that physical exhaustion would quench her heart’s desire.

 

Arthur devoted himself to his garden and to the art of nectar making. He would pursue his dream of a bottomless nectar cellar to perfection. He was sure that when he had reached his goal, Agatha and him would finally be free to love each other.

 

Morticia was worried that Agatha wouldn’t find a suitable mate and was starting to worry that she would never see the 6th generation heir being born. Seeing her sister die made her realize that soon it would be her turn, but she decided to stay put as long as she could, all in the hope to see Agatha marry. She was sure Agatha was being too picky, there was no reason not to have married yet, Agatha was a perfectly good young woman that anybody could like. Still she was the first to admit that celebrity life could really put a strain on anybody, she could see that Agatha wasn’t feeling completely well, but she felt incapable of doing anything. Morticia continued to attend the local celebrity hang outs and she was well known everywhere in town, and fairly well-liked.

 

What really had invigorated Morticia to stay healthy and alert, was little Patches. Together they spent day and night, playing and cuddling, and with her, Morticia never felt alone. Patches had grown into a lovely adult and she and Morticia had become best friends forever.

 

Agatha and Arthur shared their birthday and celebrated with a common party. All the celebrities in town were invited and although they remembered Agatha’s previous party and it’s tragedy, they all pretended like nothing and tried to have a good time. Morticia was getting close to 100 simdays, but she partied like she was a young adult. Becoming and adult made Agatha realize that her days to become a mother were counted. There was little time, but she could only wait, and hope that soon Morticia would be gone and she and Arthur would be together.

 

Away from all the peering eyes, Selena kept to herself whenever there was a party at the Willow Mansion. Sims didn’t react very positively to her and she enjoyed being on her own. The rest of the family would always forget about her when she wasn’t around, but she really didn’t care. All the drama in the house made her uncomfortable, and she rather preferred staying on her own, reading a book or two.

 Thank you for reading!