2.19 Pregnancy Tales

To say Noah was excited about Leia's pregnancy was an understatement. The couple was absolutely glowing. The first few days, Leia was the happiest girl in the world. Until the cramps, cravings and aches came.

She found herself by the stove constantly. She cooked ratatouille with grapes and watermelon pancakes. Leia was constantly eating. She wanted spicy food, salty food, and sugary desserts. When Leia was in the kitchen, Noah knew to leave her alone, otherwise he'd be her taste tester and waffles with pickles were as nasty as they sounded.

Noah often found himself walking around Sunlit Tides. It wasn't that he was avoiding his wife. It was the exact opposite. He had wanted to know where everything was so he could take his family out all the time. On this particular day, he found himself in front of the book store. He had some time to kill before he told Leia he'd be home, so he decided to peruse the shelf for something interesting to read. Noah feasted his eyes on "Totally Preggers: An Expecting Mother's Tale."

Page after page, Noah found himself more and more enthralled with the book. Was this really what his wife was feeling? He closed the book and decided to head home and treat his wife to something good. She deserved it, especially after he read how painful it was to actually give birth. It took how many hours!?

The girls were discussing baby names when Noah entered the house.

"Christian? No, Christina. Marcus, Delilah, Max?" Leia thought aloud.

"I like Marcus Nathaniel Gray," Lorie commented.

"Nathaniel? Where did that come from?"

"He or she needs a middle name."

"I don't want my daughter being named Marcus," Noah commented.

"Noah, you're back!" Leia smiled excitedly.

 "Yupp, and I come bearing gifts for my princess." Noah reached into his bag and pulled out two items. The first was a pregnancy book. After reading the book, he felt like the information would calm Leia down a bit. The second item was a teddy bear. The Gingerbread bear to be exact. it was a limited edition bear that came out in a different style every year. This time it was a gingerbread man.

"Whats this?" Leia smiled down at the bear."Is it one of those Stuffington bears? I had one of these when I was a child! It was the classic bear with jean overalls on. I loved it, I spent most of my time playing with him and talking to him."

"Aww, I remember Mr. Stuffy! You two were attached at the hip." Lorie grinned.

"Mr. Stuffy?" Noah smirked. "This is Ginger, a special edition Stuffington bear for our daughter, Artemis."

"Artemis? Like, the sun god Apollo's twin sister?" Now it was Leia's turn to smirk. "And you were making fun of  Marcus?"

"Artemis, the goddess of the hunt. She'll be one tough cookie if she's anything like you."

"It's going to be a boy, I have this feeling." Lorie butted in. "Marcus Nathaniel Gray."

"Well, now that Noah mentioned it, I kind of like the mythology names." Leia smiled. "You said your mother's name was Athena, goddess of wisdom? She hasn't steered you in a wrong direction yet, right? I think these names affect the person's personality."

"Thats ridiculous." Lorie shook her head.

"It doesn't matter. Apollo Gray it is."

"You mean Artemis."

"No, I meant Apollo. The god of the sun. protector of the night and day."

"We'll see about that."

Despite Leia's fatigue, the excitement of having her first baby never left her. Yes, she was stressed beyond measure and she was in so much pain half the time, but it didn't matter to her. It would all be worth it once she held her little child in her arms.

As the days ticked on, Lei's tummy grew bigger and bigger and the kicks more frequent. There was no doubt that there was a little person in her stomach and she was enamored. A little over a year ago she was sitting in her home in Lucky Palms, typing away on her phone trying to get her blog more followers. Now she was in Sunlit Tides, as big as a balloon, but glowing nonetheless. Noah's case had still been unresolved. They were accusing him and Cyrus of arson. Leia had argued constant times that the police officer had claimed that two were only causing a scene. Her pleas were dismissed. The men were "too drunk to remember" according to them and there were no other witnesses willing to step forward. Noah made sure to keep the information out of Leia's reach. He didn't want her stressing out while she was pregnant. They would discuss things later.

 "I can't believe we're having a baby," Noah said softly.

"Neither can I. One day I'm home playing Alien Invasion 5, the next day I'm married and becoming a mother. I honestly had no idea that any of this would happen."

"I think we should find Emit once the baby is born."

"I don't want to do that, Honey. I thought we discussed this already."

"Emit Relevart, the time traveler, is your father. There's no doubt about that Leia. He has been so helpful in helping me get my memory back. He's technically the reason you and I met. He honestly wants to see you, to finally get a chance to meet you and Lorie. You can't shut him out like this. He would love to be a grandfather..."

"Then where is he?" Leia answered bitterly. "If he wanted to meet me like you say he did, then why isn't he here right now? Why didn't he come to our wedding?"

"Leia..." Noah held her tighter. "As hard as this is for you to believe, Emit is a time traveler. How else would he be able to visit you and Lorie in your dreams? He's constantly on the move protecting the timeline. Its not that easy for him."

"Save it Noah. I don't want to talk about this right now."

Understanding her hormones, Noah dropped the subject. He had only hoped that she would think differently once their child was born and that Emit, literally had the time to see them. He also wanted his parents and siblings to meet the new baby.

It was exactly 10 pm when Leia's water broke. She was doing some last minute laundry when it happened. Cyrus was the first to notice, as he was passing by to get to his bedroom. He called Noah over right away and Lorie, being the nosy big sister that she was, came over to see what  the commotion was all about.

"Just calm down. Everything will be ok." Lorie coaxed.

"What do you mean calm down!?" Leia shouted. "I'm having a baby! I can't calm down!"

"What do we do? What do we do?" Cyrus panicked, obviously inexperienced with this stuff.

"Lets go to the hospital now. Lorie, come with us and calm her down. Cyrus, stay here and tell Daisy whats going on." Noah took charge.

"Right." Cyrus nodded and headed towards the stairs. "Err...uhmm.. good luck?" He said awkwardly.

Ten plus hours later, beautiful baby Apollo was born. Leia's first playful words upon seeing the baby was, "I told you Noah. My beautiful sunshine Apollo." All his hopes of a little girl were dashed but quickly forgotten once he held the bundle of joy in his arms. They had been preparing a nursery for the baby which Daisy and Cyrus finished for them while Leia was at the hospital.

"It was the least we could do," Cyrus commented.

"Apollo is crying again." Leia mumbled. It was 3 in the morning only a few days after his birth. Leia was exhausted. Apollo was the cutest thing but he cried A LOT. Leia made to get up when Noah stopped her.

"I'll get it honey. You've been through enough."

"Thank you. I love you so much." She mumbled before lying back down. Having a baby was exhausting.

Noah made his way into the nursery and picked up Apollo. He held him in his arms and stayed there. The baby shifted in his arms, continuing to cry until Noah began to rock him back and forth gently in his arms. He held him carefully, as if Apollo was a porcelain doll that he didn't want to break. "I love you so much little guy. I can't wait until you're all grown up. Me, your mom, your uncle Cyrus and Aunt Daisy and Lorie are all going to spoil you. Wait until you meet your grandparents and your uncles Caleb and Kayden. You're going to be the center of attention."

Leia rolled over in her bed, the baby monitor was still on. She smiled at the words of her husband. He was going to be an amazing father. She remembered why she fell in love with him in the first place.

2.18 Tropical Wedding Part 2

"Oh man, I feel so stupid right now," Noah groaned.

"Man, stop yelling. I have a raging headache."

"I'm not yelling dude." 

"Our girls are going to kill us."

"Leia is probably worried sick because didn't call or anything. I mean, we didn't really drink that much last night did we?"
"Well, do you remember what happened at all last night?"

"Nope. Do you?"

"Not a clue." 

"Shit." 

"Guys, you're free to go early. I'm feeling a little generous. Call your fiances and smooth things over if you want them to marry you today." 

Noah came home and found Leia curled up in a ball, makeup dried around her eyes. He leaned down and kissed her cheek. "I'm so sorry..." He whispered.

"Its ok you idiot. Just don't do it again..." She whispered back. "Now shut up, I'm not getting married on only four hours of sleep."

Noah smiled and kissed her forehead one last time before leaving to get ready. He lay in the sauna thinking, "How did I get so lucky?" But he was sure he'd hear about that night after the wedding was over though.

"You look incredible." Noah breathed.

Leia giggled. "I can't take you seriously anymore."

"What? Why?" 

"You were arguing with a stop sign last night!"

"Aww come on!" Noah groaned.

"You know if you ever need anything, I'm here for you. I don't know what happened last night and I'll give you a pass..."

"I know I can come to you with anything, but I didn't want to stress you out like Daisy was stressed this entire time. I didn't want you to worry about me. I only drank as a temporary relief."

"Are you having cold feet about marrying me?" Leia frowned.

"Hell no. Marrying you is the only thing I'm certain about. I'm just a little upset that my parents and siblings won't be able to make it to our wedding."

"They're not coming!?" Leia cried.

"See, this is why I didn't tell you."

"Noah, I'm so sorry."

"I have everyone I need right here. If you're the only person I ever see for the rest of my life, I'd be lucky."

"Do you Noah Gray, take Leia Relevart as your lawfully wedded wife?"

"Is that even a question?" Leia laughed and hit his arm. "I mean, I do."

"Do you Leia Relevart take Noah Gray to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do." She beamed.

"You may now kiss the bride." Cheers erupted from the party of three and some curious onlookers.

"Its our turn babe."

"Thats so unromantic!" Daisy hit his arm. To say she was angry about the other night was an understatement.

"Listen to me babe. I didn't do anything last night to hurt you. I was just so nervous that you would change your mind and not want to marry me..."

"Don't be an idiot, of course I want to marry you!"

"Do you Cyrus Flint take Daisy Gray to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do."

"Do you Daisy Gray..."

Daisy cleared her throat. "Daisy Flint..."

"Not until we kiss, babe." Cyrus grinned. She pulled him close and planted her lips on his.

"I'll take that as an I do." 

That night they sealed the deal as husband and wife. Leia couldn't have been happier and Noah thought he was the luckiest guy in the world.

They were all enjoying their remaining days in Sunlit Tides until Leia received a phone call.

"Whats up?" Lorie asked.

"We can't leave Sunlit Tides."

"Why not?" Daisy called out, overhearing their conversation.

"Noah and Cyrus are under investigation by the Sunlit Tides police department from the other night. Apparently, there was some big fire that happened that night and they think they might be involved."

"But we're not involved in that." Cyrus protested.

"I know that and you know that, but the police don't know that. They just have to investigate before we can leave."

"Who cares? More vacation time!" Lorie cheered.

"No." Noah sighed. "We're suspects in a crime, there is no more vacation time."

"Well not for you..." Lorie grinned. "Ok, I'm just kidding. Just talk to the police and everything will be cleared up and then we can go home."

 A few days turned into a few weeks and a few weeks turned into a few months. They had stayed at the beach house for so long that the option to rent it had come up. They all insisted that the investigation would be over soon but Leia had more important things to worry about. She began to feel very sick. She was vomiting up everything she ate and she began to feel an immense pain in her back. She didn't need a doctor to tell her she was pregnant. Now, she only had to break the news to Noah. He had a lot on his plate right now with all the police interviews and searches. 

"Ice cream this late?" Noah asked, causing Leia to jump. She had begun to wear loose fitting clothes to hide the bump from Noah. She didn't know how long she could hide it from him though.

"Oh, um I was hungry. Why are you up?" 

"Same reason. I was craving some cereal. Weird right?"

"Its weird because I should be the one craving things."

"Hmm?" Noah looked up.

"Come with me into the dining room and I'll show you."

"I'm pregnant!" She blurted out, her eyes shut tightly. 

"Thats incredible! I'm so excited!"

"What? Really? I thought you'd be upset, I know you wanted to wait until we went back to Lucky Palms but.."

"You know, I don't think I really want to go back to Lucky Palms. Sunlit Tides is so peaceful and we've been here so long it's like we practically already live here. The owner of the beach house is willing to rent us out this place and I think it's perfect to raise a family."

"Really?" Tears brimmed her eyes. 

He nodded. "What do you think?"

"Its a great idea!" She grinned throwing her arms around him.

That morning they all sat in the dining room, as per Noah's request.

"I wanted to sleep in a little longer, whats this all about?" Cyrus asked rubbing his eyes.

"Hey, shut it!" Daisy hit his arm. "You're the reason we're still here."

"Hey, what's wrong with the sun?"

"I'm all sunned out!" Daisy complained.

Leia gulped. Then they wouldn't really like their news.

"Guys, we're having a baby."

"What!?" Lorie practically screamed. "I'm going to be an aunt!?"

"Yupp." Leia nodded.

"This is so great!" Daisy grinned, forgetting her aforementioned argument with her new husband.  "Do you know the gender?"

Noah shook his head. "No, but I hope its a girl."

"Really? I want a boy." Leia spoke. 

"And what about this whole investigation? How does that play into this whole thing?" Cyrus said.

"Don't bring that up during their happy moment!" 

"Its alright actually, because we're going to stay here."

"Sounds like you'll be living the dream." 

Daisy shot him a look that said, "We'll talk later."

Daisy wanted what Noah and Leia had but as she spent more and more time with Cyrus she couldn't help but think that what they wanted was completely different. Daisy had wanted to move back to Lunar Lakes with her family. She had been missing her twin and parents immensely. She had wanted Kayden in her future child's life. Cyrus didn't want to leave Sunlit Tides and he loathed the idea of having children. He constantly reminded her to take her birth control pills before they got intimate. He wanted to enjoy their time together without little rugrats running around the house. Daisy wished she didn't rush into the wedding. They should have had this conversation before they chose to get married. Now, she was beginning to  hate his presence. He was becoming everything she hated. His stupid antics had kept her in Sunlit Tides and away from her family and he didn't even realize how much pain he was causing her. 

2.17 Tropical Wedding

So, I've been having trouble with this save file for a while. Today, when I tried to start it up, it'd get to live mode and then freeze like six minutes in. I deleted cache and thumbnails and retried but it still did it. So, I had to start a new file with Noah, Leia, Daisy and Lorie. From this point on, until I can get the save file fixed, Athena, Levi, Kayden and Caleb will be MIA. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this next chapter :D

One cold December, Cyrus Flint proposed to the love of his life, Daisy Gray. It wasn't until then, that Noah was able to meet the infamous guy. After a dinner date at his place, Cyrus dropped down on one knee and told Daisy that she was the only girl for him. Of course she said yes, and had been planning the wedding ever since. Levi had promised to pay for the extravagant wedding she had in mind. Daisy was daddy's little girl after all.

And what she had in mind was a tropical wedding on the shores of Sunlit Tides. Levi had booked them a four bedroom house near Saint James beach, where the actual wedding would take place. Levi, Athena and Kayden would be travelling all the way from Lunar Lakes, like they had promised nearly two years ago. Caleb was on tour. He was stationed out in Starlight Shores at the moment, and though Daisy insisted that he enjoy his time on the road, he'd promised that he would never miss his little sister's wedding, especially because he had to scope out the guy, Daisy and Cyrus took full advantage of the proximity of the beach. They spent most of their first day goofing off in the ocean. 

Noah didn't mind the distance either. While his companions floated around in the ocean, he lay on the sand looking at the book of memories Emit had gave to him. Had it really been two years? Had his older brother really been on a world tour, when only a few months earlier, he was an unsigned artist? Had his sister really been proposed to? All of this happened so fast, all in front of Noah's eyes yet he felt so distanced. He had lived away from his parents for two years and though he spoke to them constantly, it was discomforting to know his parents weren't in arms reach anymore, let alone a car ride away. He felt as if all of these memories were passing over his parent's eyes, and for what? The preservation of their memories? As he sat there and watched his memories play back, he had decided that he wanted a child, his own family to fill the hole that his had left when they decided to stay in Lunar Lakes. The only sibling he had left was moving away after her marriage. He had nobody but Leia, and though he loved her more than anything, she wasn't a substitution for the love he was yearning for.

Oblivious to Noah's feelings, Leia was out in the ocean having a blast with her older sister. Things between Noah and Leia had been going great. They were inseparable. After long days of work, the two would sit and play Alien Invasion all night. Every saturday was date night and during the week, they'd drag Lorie along for a movie. Leia couldn't have been happier. Which is the exact reason Noah hadn't brought up his fear of losing his family. She had known what it had felt like, and though she'd be able to help him through this, he didn't want to bring her down on this joyous occasion. 

"What do you think if I wore this to the wedding?" Leia asked, walking into the room.

"The dress from our first date? I love it, it's cute but I think you need something more...stunning."

"What are you talking about? This is a pretty dress!"

"Maybe a white dress?"

"White...why would I wear white? Thats bad luck.." When she looked down, Noah was on one knee. 

"I want you to be my bride. We'll get married the same day as Daisy and Cyrus."

"Noah...I don't know. I mean, I want nothing more than to marry you and become  Leia Gray, but I don't think it's fear to take away Daisy's moment..."

"No need to worry!" Daisy shouted in from the other room. "I think a double wedding is a great idea! That way Mom and Dad will be able to see both their kids get married." 

"Mhmh...see baby? What do you say? Mary me in two days. You'll make me the happiest and luckiest guy in the world."

"Ok!" Leia shook her head furiously. "I will marry you!"

Despite Daisy's quick encouragement, she was not happy. She was turning into a bit of a bridezilla. Yes, she was thrilled to have a double wedding, for the sake of their parents and siblings. There would be no way for Athena, Levi, Kayden and Caleb to all make it over twice within the same year. Lunar Lakes was becoming increasingly expensive to leave from and if Caleb took any more days off, his career and fans would basically become non-existent. But, part of her wanted all of the attention on her. It was every girl's dream to get married and have a huge wedding. She loved Leia like a sister and she hated that she felt so jealous. Daisy was so stressed, working out, tanning, calling the caterer and doing other last minute things that she began to lash out on whoever was there. Everyone tried their best to remain patient with her, at Noah's request.

What Noah was afraid of, was slowly coming true. He had received a call only two days prior to the wedding. 

"You can't be serious." Noah gritted his teeth.

"Listen man, can't you hear Mom and Dad arguing with the officer?" Kayden's voice trailed on the other end of the phone.

"What happened exactly?" Noah sighed impatiently.

"They're not letting us through to Sunlit Tides without an updated passport. We have to reapply but its going to take months for them to get back to us. No matter what mom and dad tell these guys, they won't let us through. I don't think we're going to be able to make it to Daisy's wedding."

"What? Thats impossible! Name drop or something. Tell them that Caleb Gray is your brother. ISn't there anything you can try?"

"Noah, I'm just as pissed as you are but they're not letting us through."

"Give me the phone..." Athena's muffled voice could be heard.

"Noah?"

"Yeah mom?"

"You have to understand that Lunar Lakes has only just started to destroy their isolationist policies. Everything seems like a possible threat, and so you can't blame them for trying to keep the people safe..."

"But its just a wedding!" Noah cried out.

"They don't know that, honey."

Noah sighed in frustration. "Leiah and I were going to get married too. It was supposed to be a surprise for you guys, but it looks like I won't be seeing you."

"Honey! Thats great! Whatever you do, don't stop the wedding because of this. You won't get a chance like this on beautiful Sunlit Tides again. We have to go now, but I'll call you if anything changes and they let us through."

"Bye, I love you guys."

"Love you too honey. Send my regards to Daisy and Cyrus."

That night the guys went out to a bar. Cyrus had the great idea of "living up" the last night that they were unmarried men. Noah figured he could use the night out to forget about everything that had been going wrong that weekend. Caleb had called and told them that no matter how hard he tried, his manager wouldn't let him miss the awards show the same night of the wedding. Apparently it would make or break his career. His parents weren't able to make it passed security and they were told if they tried going against security's final decision, they would be arrested, which neither Noah or Daisy wanted.

One drink led to another and the two guys were having the time of their lives. Nobody was in the small bar, yet they were having a blast. The music was blasting and they were so drunk they weren't even feeling their feet move to the beat.

"Its almost two in the morning and Noah isn't answering his phone. Have you heard from Cyrus?"

Daisy shook her head. "No, not yet. I hope everything is alright."

"Of course it is!" Lorie chimed in. "Its their last day as bachelors and they're on a tropical island. Why wouldn't they be having the time of their life? I don't know about Cyrus, but Noah wouldn't do anything stupid."

Leia sighed, "I guess you're right. Maybe his phone died?"

"Exactly! Don't worry about it. We should be worrying about having a good time ourselves. Its the last night you two will be bachelorettes so lets do something fun."

"No bars." Leia warned.

"Who said we have to leave this beautiful hotel?" Lorie smirked.

Lorie and Daisy forgot all about the boys. They were acting like twelve year old girls. They had a pillow fight, did each other's nails and talked about past relationships like they were having a sleepover.

 They even spent time in the beach house's sauna. Eventually at around six in the morning the two girls crashed and had no other choice but to sleep. Leia on the other hand couldn't let herself have fun. She refused to hang out with the girls and told them that she was tired and just wanted to sleep before the big day. She lay in her bed wide awake until finally around four am she got a phone call from Noah.

"Noah!?"

"Hey baby...you're bea...uttifulll." His voice slurred.

"What? Noah...are you drunk?"

"Pssst...Psst...give me the phone, I want to talk to her." Cyrus giggled.

"Give me the phone." A deep voice growled.

"Come on man....let meeee tawk to my wifie."

Cyrus began to laugh again. "Nah man...thats my wifie....Daisy."

"Its totally my babe Leia."

"Excuse me ma'am? My name is officer Jameson. I have two guys in my custody. Noah Gray and Cyrus Flint. Do you know them?"

"Yes, Noah is my fiance and Cyrus is engaged to his sister. What happened officer?" Her voice was full of worry.

"They were stumbling home and making a ruckus. One of the neighbors called in a complaint about two drunk guys causing a scene. They were arguing with a stop sign ma'am."

"Oh man...you can't be serious!" She sighed. "I'm so embarassed. I apologize for them officer. It's just that they're getting married in a few hours, so they wanted to enjoy their time as bachelors..."

"It doesn't give them the right to cause trouble for the people of Sunlit Tides."

"I understand sir. I am so sorry and when they're sober I'll have a word with them. Can I stop by and pick them up?"

"Not until the morning ma'am. I have to file some paper work."

"Isn't there anything you can do officer? Please!" Leia begged.

"I'm sorry ma'am. Just be happy it's only one night."

"Thank you for calling me officer. Have a good night." Leia curled up into a ball and cried. Noah had never drank before. Daisy had absolutely no care in the world for where her husband was this late at night. She was knocked out along with Lorie. Leia had no one to turn to and so she just cried and cried until she fell asleep.

2.16 The Date

So, I actually thought about scrapping this story yesterday. I must have been crazy to think about giving up on the Gray family! It only lasted a day lol (Good thing I didn't do anything impulsive and delete the story altogether!) With any story you'll reach a point that bores you to write, but it'll get more interesting when you push past that part. I want to thank you for all of your support! This is my first legacy story, so I've been using it as a sort of experimental thing with the way I write my generations, so of course there will be a few rough patches. I cannot express how much your support in reading my story means to me, even if you're a silent reader! Thanks a bunch! Also, look forward to my new side story: How to be a Star which will focus on Caleb Gray and run for only one generation (subject to change). Teaser will be up shortly for that and probably be posted on this blog rather than a new one.

                                                                       ~

"Are you sure this is necessary?" Leia pulled at the hem of her dress nervously.

"Yes...he wants to go on a date. With you. Leia Relevart. I don't know how many times I have to spell it out for you. Noah Gray wants to go on a date with you!"

"But, what if you heard him wrong?" Leia frowned.

"I didn't. He said it loud and clear. You're the one he wants to go on a date with."

"Lorie..." From the tone of her sister's voice she could sense the disappointment. Leia had noticed Lorie's attachment to Noah in the recent weeks following the recovery of his memory. They had spent most of their time together joking and laughing. Leia felt like she was taking a back seat to her sister, but for once it was the other way around, yet her sister was still here smiling and helping her get ready. "Thank you so much. I know how much he means to you."

"He means so much more to you, Leia. Its just a little crush to me. I just like the attention he gives me, like I'm the center of the universe. Thats all it is, Leia. Unlike you, who can't seem to go a day without thinking about him."

"Is it that obvious?" Leia cracked a small smile.

"Yeah, a little bit. But don't worry, Noah is oblivious." She smiled at the thought of Noah being just as nervous as her sister was about this. It was only a date but to the two of them, it meant so much more.

 Leia looked into the mirror and almost didn't recognize herself. The pale pink makeup, paired with the bright yellow dress and high heel shoes. She would have never been able to put this look together on her own. Lorie insisted that she borrow one of her outfits, never once expecting her to pick out a dress! Leia wanted to look her best for Noah. She wanted to impress him and she was nervous as hell about it.

"Hold on Lei," Lorie cut in. "You can't go out without doing your hair. Not in a dress like that. You might as well go all out."

"You mean wear my hair down? But...it's so frizzy. I don't really know..."

"Give me a half hour, your hair will look amazing."

"Oh yeah, I forgot we've got a future stylist in our house."

"Shush!" Lorie protested.

"Why are you so embarassed about it? You're good at it. You look amazing all the time. Everyone asks you for style advice. You could seriously make money with this!"

"But, what if somebody doesn't like my ideas?" Lorie frowned.

"Where is this coming from? You're the most confident person I know. I'm the shy one here. Every once and a while you'll fail. We all do. But you have to get up and try again. Prove those haters wrong."

 Twenty minutes later and Leia's hair was done. Her hair fell in loose waves passed her shoulders.

"Is this really me?" Leia asked, shocked.

"Yes! You look gorgeous! Noah is going to be drooling the entire time!" Lorie cheered. "Now, go out and meet Noah at the Botanical Gardens, alright?"

"Botanical Gardens? What for?" Leia pondered.

"Top secret information. Just go!"

An hour train ride later and Leia had arrived at the garden. She saw Noah in front of the wishing well. She hing back for a minute and watched him.

 He pulled a quarter out of his pocket and tossed it in the well. "This isn't the Trevi fountain, but it'll have to do..."

Leia smiled at him. She felt her heart pound. She couldn't go through with this. He was so perfect. She felt her feet move on their own. "No!" she thought. "I'm not ready!" Before she knew it she was in front of her dream guy and he was talking to her.

"Leia...is that really you?" Noah was shocked. Standing in front of him was not the T-shirt and jeans loving girl that he knew. Her hair was down and styled and she wore more makeup than usual. He felt his voice get caught in his throat. Seeing her like this made him even more nervous than he was before. He hoped that the wishing well brought him good luck like in the movies. "You look incredible." 

She blushed furiously and played with her hair nervously. "Thank you."

There was an awkward silence as Noah admired the transformation. "You weren't feeling the ironic t shirts today?" He cracked a smile.

She laughed in return. "Its not that. I just wanted to be a girl for the day. You know, wear a dress and go out with a boy." 

"You look beautiful, but don't make this an everyday thing, ok? I'm a huge fan of the ironic tees."

"Really?" He expected her to laugh but she looked deep in thought. "You don't think I look like a boy with my baggy clothes? I leave everything up to the imagination..."

Noah was perplexed. He had asked Leia out on a date not because of some ulterior motive, but because he thought she was perfect. She never felt pressured to show off her body, she was hilarious to talk to and he loved playing games with her. Never once had he thought she was ugly or anything of the sort. "Leia...I never thought you looked like a boy. I've always admired your style. You're so different from all of the other girls. I don't feel like I'm talking to some kind of Barbie doll. You put the real you out on the table from the start. You're so beautiful inside and out. You don't have to dress differently for me because I love you just the way you are."

"You love me?" 

"I did say that, didn't I?"

Leia nodded, biting her lip. Did he really mean it?

"I am in love with you Leia Relevart. All of you."

"Jeans and all?"

"Mhmm." He grinned and kissed her cheek. "And a lot less makeup. I like to see your face."

She sighed happily. "Thank goodness. These heels are killing me!" 

Noah laughed and swooped her into his arms. "What are you doing...!" She squeaked.

"I can't let you walk around with your feet hurting." 

He gently put her down and made his move. It was now or never. He closed his eyes and leaned in to kiss her. Leia was a bit shocked. She wasn't expecting a kiss. Not on her first date. 

She melted into him. His lips fell perfectly on hers. She was in heaven for that brief moment. Maybe everything was going to be alright. Maybe it didn't matter that she didn't grow up with a family. It didn't matter that Lorie got all of the attention. The only thing that mattered was Noah. He had seen her for her and the feeling was magical.

___________________________________________________________

These two are so adorable. I can't wait until they have kids!! I'm already looking forward to generation three!

2.15 Time to Move On

"You said it wasn't a big deal," Kayden sighed, irritated.

"Shut up. You know it is a big deal. I won't be seeing you everyday anymore!"

"It didn't seem to matter when you were off in Lucky Palms."

"I love him, alright? He means everything to me. He doesn't see the freak from Lunar Lakes. You know, thats what they call us everywhere now? The freaks of Lunar Lakes because of our government's previous strict isolationist policies. Anyway, he doesn't think I'm a freak. He loves me," Daisy sighed contently.

"If he ever calls you that. So help me, I will kick his fucking ass," Kayden growled.

Daisy laughed and wiped a tear from her eye. "K, I'm going to miss you. Take care of mom and dad. Don't worry about me, I have my two pink hair body guards."

"Mom...you know we're going to talk everyday," Caleb grinned.

"I know. You better keep me updated on everything thats happening. Keep an eye on your siblings alright? You're the older brother, so you have to take care of them alright?"

"I know. I know. I've got them."

"Oh, and don't let the fame get to your head." She pinched his cheek. "You're still my little boy."

"Ouch mom!" He whined. "Besides...what fame?"

"You know that EP you released? You've got a bunch of people listening to you."

"I'm no international pop star though."

"Your real fans are the ones who like you now. The one's who care about your music. Not those bandwagoners who love you once everybody else does."

"Good lesson, mom. I'll be sure to hate my future fans," He grinned.

"Be good. I'm going to be at Daisy's wedding. It'll be soon. Trust me," She smirked.

"Dad..."Noah frowned. It was bittersweet. He had just reconnected with his family and now they were leaving again.

"Don't worry. This isn't goodbye. Goodbye means forever."

He had said goodbye to Puzzle. She was gone forever. His father was right. If it was up to Noah, it wouldn't be the last time he saw his father and therefore this wasn't a goodbye. It would never be.
"There's this girl that I'm absolutely crazy about. I can't stop thinking about her. You're the first one I'm telling."

"Your mother already knows. Her and Emit have been planning weddings for days."

"We haven't known each other that long!" Noah blushed.

"Time doesn't matter. You know when you're in love. I fell in love with your mother the minute I laid eyes on her. I'm not kidding. I tried to make a move on her the same day, but she wasn't having it. So, I just pretended like I was joking around. I stood back and let her live her life because I wanted nothing more than for her to be happy. But sometimes, you have to intervene before things get out of hand. Don't let any other man intervene."

"Thats what I tried to do with Corrine. But honestly...I haven't thought about her as much as I think about this girl. I mean I got flushed when I met up with Corrine the other day, but it was because I was remembering the feeling I once had for her. I'm head over heels in love with this other girl though."

"So you finally moved on from Corrine? Took you long enough." He stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out a slip of paper.

"What is this?" Noah asked.

"It's lucky," Levi smirked and began to head to the portal. "If I don't leave now, your mother won't and then all of these heartfelt goodbyes would be for nothing."

Athena and Levi had said their goodbyes and left through the time portal. They had said that this was the last time that they'd be in Oasis Landing. Noah had a feeling that he'd be back soon though.  Emit had stopped Noah with one last bit of advice.

"Noah...my daughters?"

"What about them sir?"

"They're safe, yes?"

"Yupp. I promise you that as long as I'm in Lucky Palms, your daughters will be safe. I vow to protect them."

"This is why you're going to make the best son-in-law," Emit smirked.

"Hey!!" Noah blushed. He hadn't even told her how he felt yet. It would be one of the first things he would do back in Lucky Palms though.  "You better be there!"

"You know I can't leave Oasis Landing," Emit frowned.

"Not even for a few hours? Forget about all of the wedding stuff. I know your daughters would like to see you, just once."

"I can't," He sighed in frustration.

"I'm not covering for you. I don't believe you can't make an exception."

"I can't make an exception, not even for my two princesses. I have a timeline to protect, an evil time traveler to find and theres no way fun and games comes into this. You don't have to make any excuses for me."

"Mason is gone?"

"Of course he is. I created a monster."

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't worry about it. Just go." Emit pushed him through the portal that Caleb and Daisy had already walked through.

Lorie was ecstatic with the news of Noah's return. She was excited to meet his siblings and even more excited to gossip with Daisy. It seems that they had met before at somebody's party. Lorie was quite the party animal and so was Daisy's boyfriend, which neither of the girls would spill on.

"You just have to meet him, ok?" Daisy smiled sweetly. 

"Fine," Noah grumbled which Caleb laughed in response to. 

"Do you think we can stay here just for the night?"

A night turned into a few nights and a few nights into a couple of weeks. Lorie had moved her drafting table and laid a few sheets on the floor. Noah and Caleb camped out there. Daisy had slept on the couch in the living room, while the girls stayed in their shared bedroom. Things were cramped enough as it was, but at this point it was starting to feel like a cage. It was impossible to do anything in the house without tripping over another person's stuff. Most of the time, Noah had spent his day outside of the house because he was starting to get a little claustrophobic. It was time that he used his father's "lucky" paper and cashed it in. The winning lottery numbers had already happened in the future and Levi did some snooping. He swore it would be safe to the future's timeline to use, which Noah had no other choice to comply with. 

With the new found fortune, Noah perused the real estate market. He had found a cheap house that was practically bordering on mansion. There had been three bedrooms and a few, if not more bathrooms. There was a kitchen AND a dining room! The reason Noah was able to get it for such a steal was because it resembled some sort of superhero headquarters which the guy's wife made him get rid of. Noah had spent the last few days rearranging furniture to get the last of the geek stuff out (though Leia would have loved it!) Now it was time to move them in.

"Where are we going?" Leia asked, rubbing her eyes. She had just woken up.

"Get dressed and follow me. All of you!" All he had to do was shout the last part. The rest had been in earshot. 

"What is this?" Caleb asked once they had arrived in front of the massive building.

"Our new house." 

"What!? But how?" Lorie gasped.

"I came into some money recently. Thanks to dad."

"It must be great having a rich father," Lorie sighed dreamily. 

"Who needs money when you have love though, right?" Daisy grinned.

Leia shot her a glance and walked inside the building. "We can't all be that lucky."

"I didn't mean anything by that..."

"Its alright. She's just been cranky lately. We don't really know our father so..."

"Thats my fault for bringing it up!" Noah chimed in.

"No, its not." Lorie smiled. "Now lets check out this cool new pad."

It had been a few days and they had all settled in nicely. Everyone was enjoying the extra space they all had. Lorie and Leia shared a room like they always had, Caleb and Noah bunked and Daisy of course had her own room. (She had won rock paper scissors against the girls. Caleb and Noah had no choice but to accept their living arrangements.)  Noah decided that now was a better time than ever to make his move.

"Lorie...can I talk to you?" Noah had knocked on her door. It was only 10 am on a saturday morning, why would he think that she was awake?

"Yeah...whats up?" Noah looked around the room. Leia had been off to work already. She was a kindergarten teacher and as it was nearing graduation, she had to work weekends to set everything up.

"I need some girl advice. You see, theres this girl I'm kind of crazy about. I need to tell her how I feel but, considering my last two relationships didn't work out so well, I wanted a fresh take on it. Can you help me?"

It took everything in Lorie to fight back the tears. She knew this day was coming. Someone like Noah had of course been snatched up by some other girl. Just when she was starting to accept her feelings. "Who is she?" She could feel her words tremble.

"Lorie...are you alright?" He reached out to place a hand on her shoulder and she flinched backwards, pushing him away.

"I'm fine. I just thought that I'd have a chance with you. You're already in love with another girl..."

Noah sighed. He hadn't seen it coming. Lorie was in love with him?  He felt like such a jackass for not seeing what was right in front of him. "Lorie..."

"I know. Forget about me, alright? I understand the way you feel about another girl is the way I feel about you so I can't really be mad at you. I'm human and it hurts, but I'll get over it. I'm not going to hold it against you."

"Thank you, Lorie. I know you'll find someone who will treat you like the princess that you are."

Lorie sniffled. "Is it Leia?"

"How did you know?"

"First two relationships? Corrine and the purple hair girl. Besides, the way you look at her and hang on every word she says. You look like a love sick puppy honestly. I was just hoping that I saw it all wrong. She's my sister and I know she cares about you, so just go out there and be yourself. Don't put on any act in front of her. If I can't have you then I'm glad it's Leia that gets to be with you." She let out a small laugh. "Just ask her out and I'll handle the rest."

"Do you think she'll say yes?"

"Oh yeah because if she doesn't, she'll have me to deal with."

______________________________________________________________________________

This chapter is a bit shorter than the others but it's only because I want to put the date into its own chapter. There you have it, Leia was the winner by a long shot! Also, some shameless advertising here but if you'd like you can check out my Sims 4 CAS Demo review on my other blog here: Sims 4 CAS.