Dear reader, welcome back to the Bookacy Family Alphabet Adventures! This is, at long last, chapter 37. If you are new to the Bookacies, I suggest that you start at the beginning, which is, naturally, chapter one. We aren't going anywhere.

At this point, I'd also like to apologize for the even-longer-than-usual wait. I had some pretty severe computer troubles, and basically, the internals of my computer had to be replaced entirely before I could get back to playing and writing with my machine. However, now it's fixed, and hopefully now I have a simming machine that'll last for years to come.

But, what is going on in Alphabetia? It's wintertime, and after the dramatic events that occured at Cyrus and Chris' wedding, everyone seems happy with some quieter time for a change. Let's get down to business, shall we?

For Cho, Baudolino, Marylena and George life was taking a new, more peaceful turn and they all thoroughly enjoyed it. Now that all the dramatic turns of events were over, it was time to enjoy the home, each other's company, and especially little Dirk, who was growing up fast.

Speaking of Dirk, they weren't the only ones enjoying him. Eric was over frequently, and in fact, it was him who saw Dirk taking his first steps. Even though their relationship had not worked out, both Eric and Cho were determined to stay in civil terms for the sake of their son, and perhaps to the surprise of them both, it was succeeding quite well.

Beside looking after her son and patching terms between her and her ex-fiancé, Cho had also other things to keep her occupied. She had been looking for an opening in the Gamer career for a while, but so far with no luck. Her occupation as a World Class Ballet Dancer was nice, but she was interested in other things as well.

She also kept herself busy with studying, especially keeping in mind the possible change of careers in the future.

But naturally, that didn't mean she didn't have time for a bit of fun every now and then.

All the happiness, peace and quiet didn't mean that she'd forgotten certain things, or that they had stopped bothering her.

”Dad”, Cho said one day, sitting next to Baudolino in the living room, ”we should talk about bringing Charlie back.”

”Bringing Charlie back?” asked Baudolino, more to buy himself some time than genuinely surprised. He had hoped he would never have to have this discussion with his daughter, but deep down, he'd known that was just wishful thinking.

Baudolino sighed. ”Honey, I thought we've been over this. Charlie cannot be brought back. If the family ever brings anyone back from the dead, that is, anyone who does not have the protective aura, the gypsy spell Sunny placed on the family will break, and Salahuddin will be able to reunite with your great grandmother. Not only would that place all of Alphabetia in danger, as Sunny has explained, but it'd also be against her wish.”

Cho knew all this, of course. She hadn't mentioned the matter again since she graduated but Baudolino knew what she had in mind, and couldn't blame her for it. He'd found the same thought crossing his mind in the last few days.

”I know, Dad, and I understand”, Cho started patiently. ”But Salahuddin Chamcha was caught in Cyrus' wedding, we all saw him. He's in jail now, from what I understand. How could he possibly resurrect anyone from jail? And he's a murderer, so it's a life sentence, Dad!”

”Yes, he is in jail”, confirmed Baudolino and sighed again. ”He's waiting for his trial, and Ramin, who is the Law, told me he's been deemed a dangerous criminal so he'll have to wait imprisoned. But it's not that simple, honey.”

”You don't think they're going to let him walk?” gasped Cho, only now thinking of the possibility.

”Ramin says that with the testimonies from Aadam, Rebecca, Marsha, Beth and count Pao, as well as the tape which the count supplied, that's highly unlikely. But we can't really know the result before the trial.”

”Well then we'll just wait until it's certain that he stays locked up and...”

”Sweetie, I'm sorry, it won't work.”

”Why not?” aked Cho, frustrated.

”First of all”, started Baudolino, having gone through the same train of thought numerous times himself, ”technically, Salahuddin Chamcha is not a murderer.”

”He killed my brother! He killed great aunt Rebecca! He nearly killed his own daughter!”

”We do not know those things, Cho. We cannot even place him at the scene where Charlie died, for all we know he was likely in Alphabetia then. Technically, we're lucky that Cyrus doesn't get charged with his brother's death. And as per Sunny's thorough knowledge on these matters, it is very unlikely that a vampire of only Salahuddin's age would be in such strong control of his powers that he would be able to do such a thing on purpose. And the important thing is, even if he did do it on purpose, we can't prove it. The same is true for Rebecca's case. There were witnesses present, and all they could say was that she stood up herself, walked through the gate that was supposed to be locked and grabbed the bait cake herself, while Salahuddin stood well out of touching range, on the other side of the room. No verbal coercion was to be heard, either.”

”In Marsha's case, as well as that of yours”, Baudolino continued, ”the evidence is somewhat stronger. We have eye-witnesses who saw and heard Salahuddin verbally coerce Aadam into taking off the swimming pool ladder, which would have lead to Marsha's death had the police not come in time. We also have witnesses who saw him point his wand at you at the wedding, as well as a tape recording which reveals that his intention was to kill the Bookacy family heir. Of course, another thing that's in common between you and Marsha, is that neither of you died.”

Cho was about to say something, but Baudolino went on. ”That means that Salahuddin can be charged with Rebecca's kidnap, coercion of Aadam into doing his bidding in the cases of Rebecca and Marsha, involuntary vampirification of Cyrus, and two attempted murders, yours and Marsha's.”

”So my brother won't get justice?” asked Cho angrily? ”Or Rebecca?”

”Honey... It's not really justice if we don't have the proof. Rebecca is even alive now, and she herself cannot remember anything resembling Salahuddin telling her to take the cake.”

Cho didn't have an answer to that.

”So in summary, Chamcha's crimes are serious, and depending on the judge, he may even serve several lifetimes if we are lucky. But he won't be locked up forever.”

”Won't? But... several lifetimes...”

”You forget that he's a vampire, dear”, Baudolino said patiently.

”He's still a vampire? They haven't cured him?” asked Cho, horrified.

”They can't”, her father explained, ”Much as making someone a vampire against their will, also curing a vampire without their consent is a against the law. The same goes for all supernatural beings, that is, Salahuddin Chamcha is still a vampire, and he's still a warlock. As you might guess, curing him from either would be against his will, and thus it'd be illegal.”

”But he's a known criminal!”

”It's considered a basic right. None of the supernatural being kinds are evil or dangerous to others as such, and the state can benefit the sim who acquires it. Back then when sims were kind of prejudiced towards the supernaturals, force-curings were a problem, especially with vampires, and that's why it's not legal anymore.”

”But can't magical creatures easily escape from prison?” asked Cho, confused.

”I asked Ramin about that, since I didn't know the specifics of the law and prisons either. He said that when the law was changed to illegalize force-curings, they had to take these matters into account when designing the prisons. Modern prisons are equipped with anti-escape technology that works for any and all magic, including warlocks and vampires. I don't know the specifics, but from what I understood, it has to do with force fields. They do confiscate wands for the duration of the imprisonment, and the force field takes care of vampire magic, so it would require quite some trickery to get out by force. But that's not the real problem.”

Cho didn't say anything, just kept listening.

”The real problem is, Salahuddin Chamcha is a vampire, and the law does not permit to cure him”, continued Baudolino, now getting to his actual topic, ”In Alphabetia, a 'life sentence' is actually a sentence of certain length in years – fairly difficult to calculate – it does not necessarily mean being locked up for the rest of one's life, particularly in cases in which the prisoner is immortal. Which means, even if Chamcha gets the so called life sentence, or even several, sooner or later he will walk. And when he does, he is going to be very angry, and very dangerous. Not to mention he may still have supporters who could possibly do some dirty work for him while he is in prison.” He sighed. ”I know getting him behind bars was the best we could do, but I still wonder if it was wise.”

”And when it comes to our poor Charlie”, said Baudolino, sighing, ”it's not just that. Even if there was no danger of Salahuddin Chamcha, no magical protection to consider, resurrection is still a risky business at best. You are so young that you don't know her very well, but you do know what happened to your great aunt Rebecca. She never complains, but what happened to her isn't exactly optimal.”

Cho nodded in silence, thinking of her beloved brother as a zombie in horror.

”The only sims that I am aware of that have anything resembling sufficient knowledge on the resurrection process are Aadam, Adson and Abraham. To my understanding, it was Abraham who did the bulk of the work, and well, he's been dead for a long time now. And even with the combined knowledge of the three of them, well, Rebecca became a zombie. I understand that you feel horrible and guilty, and miss Charlie enormously, I do too, but sweetie... There are simply too many risks.”

Cho nodded, unable to speak. She knew her father was right. As the conversation died out, tears were glistening in both their eyes.

From then on, Cho tried her best to accept that there was no way to bring her brother back without taking risks that the family could not afford to take. She was still sad, and knew she would always be, but she had to accept the facts.

After discussing matters over with Baudolino and Marylena, Cho did her brother what she considered to be a final favor: Charlie's grave was moved from the Greek House ground to the family graveyard, where Charlie would rest together with his ancestors, and where also the current members of the family would one day join him. The thought of Charlie being closer to his family this way gave Cho some comfort.

But life wasn't all about sadness, and even in their darkest moments, the family was cheered up by little Dirk's charming presence. Tragical events may have occurred in the immediate past, and even things with Mommy and Daddy may not have been simple in Dirk's case, but thankfully he was a sunny, warm personality, showing the amazing ability of children to adjust.

”Hugs!” was one of Dirk's favorite words once he learned to speak, and everyone was definitely always up for some hugs.

Life had slowly started to settle into a pleasant routine, and everyone had their preferred pastimes.

George naturally kept having dates with Count Pao, and he was a common sight at the Bookacy household. Now that there were no immediate worries about Pao's safety, George found himself much more relaxed.

Whenever the count wasn't around, George was usually to be found in the garden. The family had a maid as well as a gardener, so although George liked to help them, he wasn't needed in that terribly much. Gardening was one of his favorite pastimes, it was relaxing and also useful at the same time. Being a fully artificial creature himself, George found it fascinating how nature worked.

The new grandparents, in turn, spent a lot of time with Dirk...

… whenever they could pry him away from Cho and Erik, of course.

As for Dirk himself, he seemed to be quite content. He had a Mommy, and then there was his Daddy, who came over to play with him a lot. And Gramma and Granpa, who were old, said Mommy, so that Dirk shouldn't tire them too much, but it didn't really seem Mommy knew much there, since Granpa and Gramma were always playing with him. And then there was George, who made funny beepy noises, and looked sort of funny too, but he'd play with Dirk too. And then there was uncle Cyrus. Uncle Cyrus was nice. He'd tickle Dirk a lot, and tell him funny stories.

Dirk didn't really know that in most cases Mommy and Daddy would live together, or that in his case Mommy had been pretty mad at Daddy at some point, or had he known, he probably wouldn't have fully understood it. On Marylena's advice, Cho was open to her son about the situation, but tried to act as if there was nothing odd about it. And really, she thought to herself, there wasn't. Plenty of parents were divorced, or lived in all kinds of arrangements. It really was one branch of perfectly normal.

She knew Dirk would have questions as he grew older, but for now, he seemed perfectly happy the way things were.

In addition to duties at home, Cho was taking care of the family bakery. Baudolino had gotten it to level ten, naturally, but she didn't want to just let it sit, either. It was a good opportunity to meet new sims, and of course, catch up with friends and relatives.

”Hi Joshua, nice to see you!”

”Hey, Cho. Good to see you too.”

”How are Calista and the kids?”

”Oh just wonderful. Calista just got a promotion, she's advancing quite nicely, and the kids are growing up fast.”

”Great, great. May I tempt you with some freshly baked cheesecake?”

”Well, Calista isn't currently pregnant, so I think she might appreciate it, actually...”

Other than socializing, though, running a business was hard work, and Cho still had a lot to learn. But gladly, learning was a second nature for Cho, and she enjoyed every second of it, even if it sometimes lead to slight embarassment.

”Now mr. Landgraab, please excuse me, I'll just have to find the correct button...”

”Take your time.”

Baudolino was nearly always there to help Cho with the bakery. It was a busy business, and his daughter would have had a hard time trying to run it all by herself. Besides, he quite enjoyed being involved in the business still; it kept the mind sharp, and of course, it was a prime opportunity to spend time with his daughter.

Not that Baudolino minded meeting someone new every now and then, either. He was friendly with a rather large portion of Alphabetia residents, and with his excellent connections, he was ever the salesman.

With Baudolino's skills and the booming businesses the family had accumulated quite a nice fortune. Baudolino was now urging Cho to spend some of that fortune, reasonably of course. With his assistance, she went on the market to search for a vacation home in Three Lakes, and in the end, found a nice one and bought it. They were also considering purchasing one in Takemizu Village, especially as Marylena dreamt of visiting the location, but had not found one they liked enough yet.

One winter day, the family was in for a nice surprise.

”Cyrus! So good to see you!”

”Hi dad. I was passing by, so I thought I'd come and see if you were home.”

”Great, son. Come on in to see your mother. She's been hoping someone would bowl a round or two with her, I bet she'd be excited.”

”Sure, why not. Sounds fun.”

And a few moments later, Cyrus did indeed join his mother at the backyard bowling alley.

”Excellent throw my dear!” said Marylena approvingly, as Cyrus threw an impressive strike. ”So, sweetie”, she then asked as she walked to grab a ball for herself, ”how are you doing? How's married life treating you?”

”Oh, just great”, Cyrus replied, smiling. ”The wedding took some recovering from, in more sense than one”, he said, referring to the action-filled turn the family celebration took, ”so we've been taking it easy and just enjoying each other's company.”

”Really, nothing actually changed when we got married. You know how it is.”

”I did catch a bit of a nasty cold recently”, Cyrus continued. When Marylena looked concerned, he quickly reassured her: ”Oh I'm fine. It took me a couple of days, but I rested enough and drank hot liquids, and here I am, as good as new. I would have quarantined myself so that Chris wouldn't get it too, but she'd have none of it.”

”Well it's good to hear you're doing better”, said Marylena. ”And how is Chris doing?”

”Oh, she's great. Didn't catch the flu, either. She's working hard to become a professional athlete, she's always wanted to be one. She trains every night on that punching bag we got recently. She's getting really good.”

”That's wonderful to hear”, said Marylena.

”Yeah”, said Cyrus, falling silent.

They continued playing the game in silence for a while, and Marylena had the feeling that her son had something on his mind.

”Mom?” he finally asked, glancing at her while waiting for his ball to be returned to him.

”Yes, sweetie?”

”There's something... something I suppose I should tell you... And Dad. I mean, Chris...”

”Yes?” asked Marylena, worried what she might be about to hear.

Cyrus hesitated for a moment and said: ”She's pregnant.”

Whatever Marylena had expected, certainly not this. Knowing her son, she was accustomed to the idea that she would not have grandchildren by him. Apparently, she'd been wrong.

As Marylena didn't say anything, Cyrus repeated: ”She's pregnant. We're having a baby!” And slowly, a wide smile spread on his features. ”She's all excited and telling all her friends already, but she was of the opinion that I should be the one telling you guys.”

Marylena was so stunned by the news that she nearly blurted out the question that floated to the foreground of her mind, but again, knowing her son and seeing how he had to gather courage even to tell her, she got hold of herself again and decided against it. Instead, she returned Cyrus' brilliant smile and replied: ”That's absolutely brilliant news, dear! Congratulations. Wait until your father hears!”

And both beaming, they returned to the house for dinner.

Soon after the happy news from Cyrus and Chris – which made both Baudolino and Marylena quite ecstatic, they were constantly planning how they would spoil the child rotten when it arrived – there was another important event in the family. Dirk said his first words.

”Can you say 'mommy', sweetie?” Cho asked, sitting on the floor with her son.

”Mommy!” repeated Dirk happily.

Cho gasped. After all the trying she'd already done on the speaking, she hadn't really thought he'd say anything. Cho beamed at her son, and turned to look at Eric, who'd just walked into the nursery.

”Hey”, he called. ”I'm a little early, the boss let me off work earlier today.”

Cho beamed at him too. ”Listen”, she said and turned to Dirk. ”Can you say it again? What you said to Mommy just now?”

”Mommy!” said Dirk again, and then he did a surprise encore, turned towards Eric, pointed at him and said: ”Daddy!”

Cho and Eric couldn't but beam at their son, and at each other.

As winter turned to early spring, Baudolino decided it was time to arrange a small, casual party to break the monotony of everyday life. Nothing too big for the moment, as Dirk was still quite little and might be upset by a huge crowd of unknown sims. No, just close friends, family, relaxing, playing pool, fun activities and time to catch up a little bit.

As she found herself in the upstairs lounge alone with Eric, Cho realized that part of her father's motivation must have been to get the two of them talking to each other.

After the initial awkwardness, as they realized that they needed to discuss something that wasn't of immediate, practical importance, such as when Eric would come to see Dirk again, they somehow found themselves immersed in a discussion about their favorite movies – even if getting married hadn't been such a great idea, they found that they did, after all have some things in common. As she went on to explain what she thought of the latest action movie, Cho smiled inwardly. Getting along didn't seem to be as difficult as she may have feared.

It was also a chance for some old friends to meet again. Bill was as happy as ever to see Chunni, the family parrot.

”Hi there”, he said gently, stroking the bird. ”Did you miss me?”

”Did you miss me?” repeated the bird, bouncing up and down happily.

Bill smiled. He took that as a definitive ”yes”.

”Beth!” exclaimed Marsha, as she found her best friend on the porch. ”It's so good to see you!”

”So good to see you too, Marsha”, Beth replied warmly, ”It's been way too long. I don't think we've seen each other properly since...” she thought for a moment, ”since Cyrus and Chris' wedding!”

”That's true”, said Marsha, shocked. ”We'll have to remedy that. But from what I've heard, you've been quite busy recently”, she said, grinning.

”Oh yes”, confirmed Beth and returned the grin. ”Three little kids are quite a handful, even with five grownups in the house. You wouldn't really think that, but with jobs and everything...”

”I can imagine.”

”Thanks for the first-step shoes, by the way. They've been heavily used.”

”Don't mention it”, Marsha said. ”So how is it, being a grandmother of three?”

”Oh, I love it”, said Beth, with a warm smile. ”The fuss around the house is quite some, but happily now that I'm retired, I can fully enjoy it all.”

”Oh you retired? I don't think you mentioned that at the wedding.”

”No, that was shortly after the wedding only.”

”Ah, I see. I'm glad you're enjoying it.”

”Oh I definitely am”, said Beth. ”I'd anticipated it for a long time, and when we found out both Veronica and Audrey were expecting, I was all the more thrilled.”

”I can imagine”, said Marsha. ”So, everything went well I guess?”

”With the pregnancies?” asked Beth. ”Oh yes, quite smoothly in fact. Veronica had some back problems towards the very end, I mean, after the wedding, but the doctor was of the opinion that it was not dangerous, just ordered her to rest enough. And I suppose it's quite tough for the back if you're expecting twins as she was.”

”Yes, it seems so. It was a bit difficult for Cissy, too, towards the end, but she too managed just fine. How was it for Audrey?” asked Marsha then.

”She mostly had it a bit easier than Veronica. She helped Veronica in any way she could, and in the very end, after Veronica had already given birth, she was mostly just a little bored and hoped to get rid of the belly soon.”

”So the twins are a bit older?”

”Yes”, said Beth. ”Devon and Daniela are a little bit older, but not by much. They were still infants when David was born.”

”Wow, that must have been some fuss in the nursery”, said Marsha. ”We've got plenty with just Dean and Dane, and Chip says he and Sunny had their hands full with just Damien.”

”Oh it was a challenge”, said Beth smiling, ”but luckily there five of us to take care of them, too. I was a little overwhelmed at first, but really, so far everything has gone swimmingly.”

”So... Do you have any recent pictures?” asked Marsha.

”Thought you'd never ask”, grinned Beth, and dived inside her purse. ”Let's see... Here's one of Devon”, she then said, giving Marsha a picture. ”It's fairly recent, though he's grown a bit from that.”

”There's quite a bit of Veronica in him”, said Marsha.

”Yes, he looks quite a bit like his mother”, Beth nodded. ”Sean is quite proud though that both he and Daniela have his blond hair.”

”And this must be Daniela then?” asked Marsha as Beth handed her another picture.

”Yes, that's her. She's got a little more Carl in her I think, but the blond hair comes from Sean and Veronica.”

”They're sweeties”, said Marsha adoringly. ”So not terribly much younger than Dirk then?”

”No. I'm sure they can play together as they all grow a little. Now let me just see... Ah, here's a picture of David, too.”

”Little David has his mother's eyes”, said Marsha right away, ”So very bright blue.”

”Oh yes, he takes a lot after his mother.”

Both women turned to look when they heard the door close. It was Marylena.

”Ladies, what's the occasion on the porch?” she asked smiling.

”Oh, we're looking at grandchild pictures”, explained Marsha, pointing towards the pictures Beth was now holding.

”Oh splendid!” said Marylena. ”You'll have to let me in on that! And I have a couple of new ones of Dirk I could share. But wouldn't it be more comfortable to do this inside, in the warm?”

And the chattering grandmothers went inside, where Marylena promptly went to look fo her photo album.

And so, grandchild pictures were shared, fun and relaxed discussions were had, between sims and birds...

… immediate family bonding took place...

… and of course, some Don't Wake the Llama was played. Don't Wake the Llama was always a sign of a great family gathering.

All in all, it was a very nice afternoon and evening. All was well.

Meanwhile, on campus at Sim State University, life was looking much sunnier to Nicholas Charvat than it had for a long, long time. This was true both metaphorically and indeed quite concretely: even though it was still early spring, there were some quite sunny days, when one could just go outside and enjoy the beauty of it all.

Life was also quite busy for Nicholas. When he wasn't studying, he was working on his flower arranging. The Bookacy Greek House Greek House had had a flower bench for ages, and now that he had some energy to spare, it caught Nicholas' attention right away.

But there were also other things to take care of. First of all, seeing that things had recently changed somewhat dramatically, it was likely that the Greek House would need a replacement placeholder. Luckily, one of Nicholas' friends, Robin Andrews, was currently pledging and seemed interested in the job.

Second of all, Nicholas had been somewhat neglectful about his friends lately, and especially after the deserved verbal spanking he'd gotten from Chris, he made sure to remedy the situation.

As a fortune sim, Nicholas was always also looking for ways to earn more money. After a chat with Ryker, who'd studied wishing wells, he realized the potential of the well that resided on the back yard.

And apparently, there was plenty of potential there.

But most important to Nicholas was Cho.

After what happened at Cyrus and Cris' wedding, it wasn't exactly a surprise to anyone that Cho became a frequent guest at her old Greek House as Nicholas' studies geared towards their end.

In this new, peaceful phase of their lives, neither Cho nor Nicholas were in a rush of any kind. Not much was said about the future, and the two of them were happy to simply spend time together.

At some such occasion, Cho also met Robin, the future placeholder, and they concluded that they came along very nicely.

”Soooo... I take it that you two are an item?” Robin asked over a game of cards one day.

Cho smiled a little. ”Well... I'm not really sure what we are, but... as long as it makes us both happy, right?”

”Oh, I see”, said Robin, and continued dealing the cards. She saw it, yes: clearly, they were not in the admitting-things phase of things yet.

Shortly afterwards, Robin's pledge period came to an end, and she happily joined the Greek House as a full member. Nicholas had a chat with her, and she liked the idea of placholding. After all, it was only until the next generation would join, and after that, she'd get to graduate and have a life of her own. And who knew, maybe a family, too.

As for Nicholas himself, the time of his graduation approached quickly, and indeed, one beautiful spring day, it was time for him to run for his last ever final exam.

Nicholas graduated with honors – summa cum laude – which was not at all unexpected, seeing how much work he had put into his studies. During his worst times, his schoolwork had suffered, but especially in the last year, he'd done a lot of work in order to catch up.

After graduation, Nicholas didn't have schoolwork to worry about any longer, but there were still things that needed doing before he could move back to Alphabetia. Having lived in the Greek House for a rather long time now, he was already a skilled gardener, and he kept taking care of the garden, and harvesting excellent quality crops when it was time.

He also worked on his flower arranging skills, which he had not – unlike gardening – yet perfected. On occasion, he was cheered on, too.

Sometimes Nicholas also enjoyed fishing, made possible by the small pond in the back of the Greek House lot. He wasn't terribly good at it yet, but occasionally he was able to catch a fish, even. More often though, it was an old boot. But in the end, a catch was a catch.

In addition to working on different skills, Nicholas worked on his relationships and the Greek House reputation. New sims were always welcome inside, and more often than not, someone was sitting upstairs, lured there by the poker table.

At that time, it was also time for Robin to move in, for Nicholas' time at college was getting short.

”Thanks for doing this, Robin!” said Nicholas. ”I really appreciate it.”

”It's absolutely no problem”, his friend replied. ”It's a very nice opportunity for me, getting to do my studies and then have a life in Alphabetia. Besides, it's great seeing you so happy.”

Happy was indeed what Nicholas was. There had been hard times in the past, and probably he could have handled things differently, but in the end, that was no longer that important. The past was the past and now was the present.

In fact, if an outsider were to look at the present, it might have seemed that Nicholas did little else than spend time with Cho these days.

Whenever she wasn't over at the Greek House, he'd more likely than not be seen Downtown with her. Bowling...

… dancing the night away...

… and all around having a good time.

Even when he wasn't around Cho, Nicholas was all around much happier now, and more productive too. That, he figured, must have been one of the reasons why he managed to achieve the gold flower arranging badge one of those days.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As a note to the reader: I'm attempting to have Nicholas get all the gold badges at one point or another. I assume technically he'd only need the OFB badges to gain the old rules Pharaoh bonus point (platinum death with all gold badges), but I'm feeling crazy and thinking I might try to get them all. So far he's got Gardening and Flower Arranging done.

One of those days it also happened that the Cow Mascot happened to be at the Greek House while Arcadia Ternynck decided to streak through the premises, and as the Cow Mascot happened to get a pillow fight in edgewise, Arcadia decided to stay and hang out.

”So you're Arcadia, right?” asked Nicholas, having heard from the cow that he had a new guest.

”Yeah, that's me”, she said. ”I don't think we've met before, I'm one of the streakers 'round here.”

Nicholas chuckled. ”I could sort of tell. I'm Nicholas, Nicholas Charvat. I'm the placeholder of this Greek House for a little while longer.”

”Oh, oh yeah. I met Robin downstairs and she mentioned you live here too. Nice to meet you, Nicholas!”

”You too”, he replied smiling. ”So... what is it that you do really? You... streak?”

”Yeah, pretty much. I don't usually have much time to stay in one place, so many places to streak! But it's a nice plus that occasionally you get to meet new sims that way.”

”Aren't they... shocked or anything?”

”Well, some are, though a lot of them just shrug and go on. Though on occasion I do run into a crowded shower room in a dorm, just to see the horrified 'she's naked!' looks. They are pretty hilarious. You know, in a shower room.”

”I guess, yeah. So, have you met my girlfriend, Cho?” Nicholas asked, noted that said girlfriend had just climbed upstairs. Robin was on her way to the hot tub, and smiling to herself, she noted the word ”girlfriend”.

Arcadia hadn't met Cho, and was delighted to. Thus some time was happily spent playing cards and getting to know each other. The experiences of a streaker were really quite interesting to both Nicholas and Cho, and they listened with fascination. Even the Cow Mascot hadn't quite heard all the stories.

”... and about half of them were cheering on the mascot fight, some were covering in a corner because of the sprinkler that made everyone and everything wet, and the rest were horrified by my nakedness!”

And before he knew it, it was time for Nicholas to throw a graduation party and move back to Alphabetia.

”Chris! So good to see you!” Nicholas exclaimed, finding his old friend in the kitchen.

”You too, Nicholas”, replied Chris, squeezing him hard. ”Oh, and congratulations!”

”Thanks. Oh, and I guess congratulations to you too”, Nicholas said, letting go of Chris and curiously eyeing her belly, which, truth to be told, didn't yet reveal anything.

”Thanks”, smiled Chris. ”So Cho must have told you?”

”Yeah, she's pretty excited to become an aunt.”

”You should see how excited the aunt's brother is.”

It was an enjoyable party with all of the old gang. Carl and Cyrus quickly found the poker table.

”Man, it feels like only yesterday we were living here ourselves and playing together.”

”I know, right?”

And the graduate himself engaged in a pillow fight downstairs – because what is a graduation party without a good old-fashioned pillowfight?

At this point, Cho and Nicholas no longer cared who saw them. It wasn't as if anyone would be surprised really, they figured.

And had they asked Cyrus, Claire or Carl, all of them would have told them they were correct. As Carl said to Claire while they were peeking through the window: ”About time, right?”

But all good things must come to an end, and that is the case for graduation parties as well. It was time to grow up and get on with life.

Not that Nicholas was sorry about that.

Robin came to see him off.

”Thanks, Robin”, said Nicholas, and drew a long breath. This was it then.

”No problem”, said Robin. ”I'm sure this'll be fun. Have a safe trip.”

”Thanks”, said Nicholas and with that, walked out.

Seeing the facts and rumors that were already circulating in Alphabetia, when Nicholas' cab pulled over in front of the Bookacy family house and he started unpacking his things, that surprised exactly no one. And really, all of the family were either overtly or covertly rather pleased about the situation. And so was Nicholas.

It hadn't really been spoken about that much beforehand, but it was suddenly somehow the obvious thing to do, to have Nicholas move in with the family. Baudolino and Marylena didn't say anything about Cho not really preparing them for it, but just quietly smiled at each other. Clearly their daughter was happy now, and this was not the time to push anything.

Life seemed to settle down to its usual paths quickly after Nicholas had moved in. Everyone took it as a sign that he was fitting right in.

Cho still worked in the Dance career, and from all the practice she did at home, she finally managed to maximize the body skill. Cho was rather pleased, as after all she was quite interested in learning new things. She'd perhaps thought that now that she had topped her career a while ago, it had not much more to give her anymore, but apparently life was full of surprises.

As for Nicholas, he soon found an opening in the Law career, which he figured was a good place to be if he wanted to make some money for the family.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Nicholas is a 6/5/8/3/3 (Scorpio) Fortune sim who wants to earn 100,000 simoleans.

Meanwhile, little Dirk was growing quickly, and the family knew he'd soon become a little less little. Dirk seemed to be excited over this, and although everyone was excited with him, especially the grandparents couldn't but feel a little sad that he'd no longer be their little sweetie.

”Wouldn't you like to be Grandpa's little boy for a bit longer?” teased Baudolino and tickled Dirk.

”No!” exclaimed the little boy and screamed with laughter. ”Gampa siwwy”, he said.

Well, I suppose I am, thought Baudolino to himself. But well, there is still a little bit of time, and then he'll be our slightly bigger sweetie.

One evening Cho sat down with her son and decided to see if he'd be interested in a nursery rhyme. It turned out that he was. Soon Dirk was excitedly singing along and smiling happily all the while. He seemed to be surprisingly into this new music thing, which Cho was pleased to see. She made a mental note to play the xylophone with his son another evening.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dirk's One True Hobby is Music and Dance.

”So this is the family business, then”, noted Nicholas, as he and Cho were standing outside the bakery on the morning of Dirk's birthday.

”Yeah”, replied Cho. ”I'm still not really used to the thought that it's actually mine. I mean, it was Dad's for so long.”

”It looks nice.”

”Dad did some work on it before he passed it to me, that if I want, I could give it more of a facelift. But so far I haven't had an idea what to do about it.”

”We could toss around some ideas some time if you'd like”, Nicholas offered. ”Anyway, should we go in? It's nice of your parents to offer to look after Dirk, but I still think we'd better be back well on time for his birthday.”

”Yeah, we should”, agreed Cho and gestured, ”Over here, let me unlock the door first.”

And Cho and Nicholas set to work, together for the first time. They found out that they in fact did work together quite well. Cho continued to work on her sales skills, Nicholas alternated between the cash register and restocking. He was quite eager to learn both skills.

”May I tempt you with some very nice cheesecake, Corinna?” Cho asked her second cousin.

”Umm... Well, we already had one set of twins, so maybe not... But would you happen to have any berry pie? I'm sure Weldon would love some.”

”You bet we do!”

Also the reporter paid a visit. Cho and Nicholas made an effort to make his shopping a positive experience, and in the end, he did write a positive review for the store. However, the elusive Best of the Best Award remained elusive.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

For those who remember, Baudolino completed five top ranked businesses as his Lifetime Want, one of them being the family business, this very bakery. For four out of his five businesses, Baudolino managed to get the Best of the Best Award. The only business in the family that still does not have the award, and the only one such where I'd actually get points for it, is the bakery.

Whether the elusiveness of the Best of the Best Award had anything to do with a slightly less experienced cashier, we'll never know.

All around, things went well. Jodie Larson, who had been an employee for the bakery for almost from the beginning, did a good job and earned herself a raise. Cho learned some saleswomanship and Nicholas learned some cash registering, and both were pleased.

Before it was time to head back home for Dirk's birthday, there was a little bit of time that Cho and Nicholas decided to spend on their own in the closed bakery.

And so Cho and Nicholas headed back home from the bakery and found that there was still a bit of time before the celebrations in the evening. As Dirk was currently taking a nap, Cho decided to help George out in the garden, where he was currently harvesting a big amount of delicious peppers.

”Thank you for your help, miss Bookacy. I do quite enjoy the gardening, but it is always more pleasurable with company.”

”Any time, George. Spending time in the garden really is relaxing.”

Meanwhile, Nicholas spent some time studying for work. After all, if he wanted to be promoted, he'd better be on top of his tasks.

After Dirk had woken up from his nap, Marylena gave him a quick bath, and after that Nicholas stated that it was ”his turn”.

”Hey buddy”, he said at the toddler who looked at him with those big eyes. ”Still remember me?” They'd played together a few times, but Nicholas felt a little unsure on how good buddies the little one considered them to be.

”Nicholas!” the boy said instantly, his eyes lighting up.

Cho smiled. ”Yes, honey, that's Nicholas. See? I told you he likes you.”

Nicholas smiled, perhaps slightly relieved. ”Yep, that's me”, he said. ”And you're Dirk, right?”

Dirk nodded enthusiastically. ”Nicholas play with Dirk?”

”Funny you should ask”, Nicholas replied. ”How about some peek-a-boo?”

Slightly later, when Dirk concentrated on his logic shape toy, Cho and Nicholas watched him from afar.

”He's a sweet kid. You should be proud”, Nicholas said, slipping his arm around Cho's waist.

”I am. I can't believe he's so well-adjusted, despite everything. And I can't believe he's so close to growing up”, Cho added.

”Yeah.” They stood there for a moment in silence.

”Oh, almost forgot”, said Nicholas suddenly. ”You guys have a vacation house of some kind?”

”Yeah, we have a beach house, and actually, we recently bought one on the mountains, too. Why?”

”Well, your father mentioned it today when we talked. He suggested maybe we could go for a little vacation together, just you and I. To get a bit of time on our own.”

Cho laughed. ”It's a cunning plan for him and Mom to get Dirk all to themselves for a while”, she said. ”But sure, I'd like that. Let's talk about it after the birthday is done with.”

As the evening fell, it was time for Dirk's birthday, and with that, a small party for friends and relatives.

”... why thank you, George. We do try with Cho, pretty hard actually, and I think we're getting to the phase where we can actually be in friendly terms, and not just for Dirk's sake. Only time will tell”, explained Erik while Claire and Trevor were in their own little world.

The birthday boy would soon start to get tired, so the adults decided it'd be for the best if the party was kicked off with cake. Cho got the honor to bringing Dirk to said cake.

And soon everyone was already gathering around, too.

”Ready, Dirk?”

”Cake!” exclaimed the little boy. Cho took that as a yes.

And without further ado, they blew out the candles.

Dirk stood on the kitchen floor, looked towards his mother who'd put him down, and wobbled a bit.

”You can do it, honey”, Cho whispered and smiled at him.

Dirk nodded solemnly. Time to grow up.

And what would be a better way to grow up than being cheered on by a whole group of sims?

And Dirk was cheered on by all his adults.

Each and every one of them, and with vigor.

So then he went and grew up.

”Look Mom, I'm big now!”

And so indeed he was.

While the birthday boy was selecting new clothes that would be fitting for his new, grown up look, the guests entertained themselves.

”Ah, so you must be Ramin, right? Baudolino mentioned earlier you might be coming as well.”

”Yes, that's me. And you're Eric, then?”

Eric nodded.

”And I'm Marsha”, said Marsha who had appeard beside Eric. ”Always a pleasure to meet someone new.”

”Likewise”, said Eric, extending a hand.

”Oh, hi Claire”, said Glen, ”I thought I might find you here. Long time no see.”

”Hi, Glen! Yeah, it's been a while. Good to see you”, said Claire, perhaps a tad awkward. Glen briefly wondered why that may be, but then realized it might have to do with the fact that in college, the two of them had a fleeting fling – before they were both fully seriously committed elsewhere – and Claire was perhaps remembering that.

”We're okay, right?” he asked, just wanting to be sure.

”Yeah, sure”, she said, unsure what else to say.

”Great”, he smiled encouragingly. ”So, what's up with you and Trevor? Last time I asked from Clarissa, she told me you were pregnant. That was a while ago so I take it that you're not pregnant any more”, Glen continued, eyeing Claire's stomach.

That broke the ice, and Claire laughed.

”Going straight to the point, are we?” Claire teased. ”Clarissa did say you went slightly gaga once you had Daniel.”

Glen just laughed. ”Now tell me already, the suspense is killing me!” he joked.

”Clarissa would be right, I did eventually get pregnant”, Claire confirmed. ”It took a while, and I was already thinking that maybe... maybe it wasn't possible or something”, she said, and Glen could tell she had been worried, ”but Trevor always told me it just sometimes takes time. Not that I minded the trying.” Claire's eyes twinkled.

”But yeah, it did eventually work.”

”And everything went well?”

”Oh yes, very well. Actually, I think I had it pretty easy overall. Just slight nausea in the beginning, after that if I just rested enough, then I could do just about everything all along. And I got to spend time with my Dads and so.”

”How are they, by the way?”

”Oh the usual. Well you can ask Dad, I mean, Bill yourself, he's somewhere around here. But yeah, he's doing great, working, studying the magic, all that.”

”He's still working? I mean, he hasn't retired yet?” asked Glen, a bit surprised.

”They both are”, replied Claire. ”They're planning on retiring, but I suppose neither is quite ready to do so yet. Especially Ira. I think he's still got a few cunning plans he has to try before he can call it quits on the Criminal Mastermind thing.”

”I see.”

”Of course, with grandkids, they're bound to consider it more closely, but really, there's no rush.”

”Speaking of grandkids...” steered Glen carefully towards what they were originally discussing.

”Speaking of grandkids, yes, they now have one. A little girl whom Trevor and I named Dory.”

”Congratulations!”

”Thanks.”

”So Dory is one of the few girls born to the family lately.”

”Yeah”, agreed Claire, ”The recent rush of boys is somewhat bizarre. As for girls, there's Dory, then there's Daniela, one of Carl's twins, and Ramin just told me that Kevin recently had an alien daughter... umm... Dana I think her name was.”

”And Clyde and Margaret just had a baby girl a few days ago, her name is Dorothy”, added Glen. ”But yeah, that's it so far. All boys otherwise.”

”They did? Congratulate them for me if you see them.”

”I will.”

”So Bill and Ira must be excited to have a grandchild?”

”Oh yeah, they totally are, both of them”, laughed Claire. ”Me and Trevor are lucky to get any time with Dory at all. Sometimes we have to take it by force.”

”Hah. And Trevor is excited to be a Daddy?”

”Oh yes he is. And he's also bit of a doofus now that we have Dory. Like this one time he almost froze when he went stargazing and 'forgot it was cold'. I had to make him a big pot of hot chocolate then. Dory saw him and seemed to be a bit distressed, she kept saying 'Daddy blue!'”

”Hah. So she talks now?” asked Glen.

”Yes she does, a little bit. She just recently became a toddler.”

”That's neat.”

There was a moment of amicable silence.

”So I guess I was right to say you aren't pregnant anymore”, pointed out Glen.

”I suppose”, replied Claire and winked, ”at least on the anymore part.”

”You mean...?”

”It might be, I'm not sure yet, but let's say I have a hunch. Just please don't say anything to Dad yet, he's still recovering from the latest bout of grandchild crazy.”

”Sure thing”, Glen promised and smiled knowingly.

Right then, the birthday boy was back from the wardrobe, and everyone got to admire his new jeans and sweatshirt in turn.

After that it was time for cake. Dirk ate his quickly, and then he was content to just sit and listen to the adults talk. Not that he felt shy as such, but he was a little bit tired and there were a lot those adults, many of whom he didn't really know properly yet. His Dad was apparently discussing something pretty exciting with a green-skinned old man and a black-haired younger woman.

”Hey kid”, said Eric and ruffled Dirk's hair. ”Have you met your great-uncle Bill? And Claire here? You must be cousins of some kind, right?”

The adults tried to engage Dirk in a conversation for a moment, but then realized he was in a bit of a quiet mood and just let him sit there and follow the conversation.

After a moment, Nicholas sat opposite to Dirk. ”Hi there, Dirk”, he said. ”Did you have some cake already?”

Dirk nodded.

”How about some more? I'm sure George would give us a second slice each if we asked nicely.”

Dirk smiled and the two of them went to get some more cake together.

After having another helping of cake, Nicholas found himself cornered by the newly grown up Dirk.

”Nicholas, can I ask you something?”

”Sure, go ahead”, he replied, wondering what was coming up.

”Are you going to marry Mom?” Whatever Nicholas had expected, it wasn't this.

”Umm... well... It might be? I don't know, it depends a lot on your Mom, doesn't it?”

Dirk nodded. ”Yeah. But you like her? And she likes you? That's when one gets married, isn't it?”

”Well, it often is, although... it's not always that simple”, Nicholas tried to explain. ”Like your Mom for instance. She and your Dad tried to get married, and it didn't go too well, so she might not be so eager to try it again, you know?”

”Okay”, Dirk said, nodding slowly. ”I think I do.”

Cho's son was clearly a very observant kid, thought Nicholas to himself.

After that, it was time for the guests to say their goodbyes, as it was clearly bedtime for the birthday boy. And well, Dirk himself thought as he slipped under the covers, this was really a nice birthday all in all.

The next morning, Baudolino and Marylena were up early.

”Oh, I forgot to ask you”, said Marylena, ”did you talk to Nicholas about the vacation idea?”

”I did, and I think he liked it”, said Baudolino. ”Who knows, maybe they'll go.”

”That would be just great, for both of them.”

”Absolutely. Unless I start hearing definite plans, I'll take it up again.”

He didn't need to. Cho remembered the idea, and as it happened that the next day was a warm spring day, warm enough for a dip in the pool, she remembered how she liked the warmth of Twikkii Island, and how nice it would be to go there again. She took the matter up with Nicholas, and soon their flights were booked.

The vacation was quickly approaching, and both Cho and Nicholas were eagerly awaiting it. Meanwhile, they kept busy in all their usual activities: work, studying, hobbies, and of course spending time with the family. And really, what would be a better way to spend time with the family than a nice game of Don't Wake the Llama?

”So you and Mom are going, just the two of you?” asked Dirk while carefully placing his stick.

”Yeah, just the two of us this time. I hope it doesn't bother you?” Nicholas asked in return.

”No, not really”, Dirk said, scratching the side of his nose with another llama stick. ”Gramma already promised me we can bake cookies together and do all kinds of fun stuff. She said you and Mom could use some 'alone time', and that next time I could come with you, so it's okay. Can I? Come with you next time?”

Nicholas smiled. ”Absolutely.”

Soon the anticipated first day of the vacation was at hand, and Cho and Nicholas grabbed their suitcases and left the still slightly snow-covered Alphabetia for the everlasting sun of Twikkii Island.

Nicholas was very much expecting this trip, he'd never been abroad and was eager to see the wonders of Twikkii. Also perhaps now that he got some proper alone time with Cho, some unsaid things between them might be settled. One could only hope.

And before they knew it, the plane had landed and Cho and Nicholas were suddenly on Twikkii. They were both eager to get on with the vacation, so they just quickly left their belongings at the beach house, changed into something lighter and headed out for one of the gorgeous public beaches.

”So here we are now”, said Nicholas as he found himself sitting in a sun chair beside Cho, waiting for the waitress to bring them their cold drinks. ”On Twikkii Island.”

”Yeah”, replied Cho happily taking in all the familiar sights and sounds. ”Are you liking it so far?”

Nicholas looked around, then nodded slowly. ”Yeah, it's pretty amazing. All the sand and the sun and... everything.”

”And the sea”, Cho said. ”The sea is something you just have to experience first hand. The waves on your skin, the sound of them breaking...”

”Wait, you mean it's okay to swim?” asked Nicholas. He'd assumed that the currents would be to dangerous and they'd only get to use pools.

”Of course it's okay to swim! Come on, last one in is a landlubber!”

Before Nicholas could say or do anything, Cho had gotten up, tossed her shirt and skirt on the ground and was heading towards the sea. He wasn't much behind when he realized what was happening, and with a little spurt, he caught her.

”Pretty amazing, isn't it?” asked Cho. ”Watch out, now the wave rolls back.”

And Nicholas felt the sand and small rocks escape under his feet. He couldn't but chuckle with delight.

The same evening the two of them decided to simply relax at the beach house. They had it all to themselves, after all, and there was a jacuzzi on the balcony.

”Pretty cool house you have here”, Nicholas said, looking at the scenery.

”Yeah. My grandparents bought it when I was a girl and then it passed onto Dad. Now that he's been passing on the family property, it's under my name. I always liked this place, but actually, it's been a rather long while since I've been here.”

After a moment of silence, Cho spoke again. ”Nicholas?”

”Yeah?”

”I... really love that I can share this trip with you.”

It may have sounded like Cho was originally intending to say something different, and Nicholas may have guessed what that might have been, but he didn't protest.

”Me too.”

The next days passed over quickly. It was nice to just relax and spend time together. Cho and Nicholas found that perhaps one didn't always need words to express how one felt. They were happy the way things were.

Time was spent reading a good book...

… digging the beach sand for some treasures and sometimes getting more than you asked for...

… and of course, swimming. Nicholas especially enjoyed the swimming in the ocean after he'd first tried it.

They also went on several tours. Cho had been on some of them as a teenager, but as it had been so long and she barely remembered them, she didn't mind the repeats.

Especially as she got to do them with Nicholas.

At nights they would dine at a nice restaurant, or perhaps go to the spa. The hot stone massage was quite enjoyable.

As were the evenings after they'd gotten back to the beach house.

And then one night, or it could have been early morning, Nicholas couldn't quite tell as it got so bright so early, it happened. He was half asleep, as Cho moved closer to him.

”Nicholas?”

”Hmm?”

”I love you.”

Nicholas smiled to himself. Of course, he already knew that.

He rolled over on his back, and wrapped his arms around her.

”I love you too.”

And like that, they fell asleep.

In the morning, Cho was up early. She left Nicholas to sleep and went to sit on the beach and watch the waves.

She was surprised she wasn't more freaked out. In a way, she'd given up the idea of love when she buried her relationship with Eric. She hadn't planned it like this, in fact she had expected to be a single mother from then on, and dedicating all her love to Dirk. Perhaps she'd been naive to think that she wouldn't fall in love again.

Or really, had she fallen in love again? Was it more that she hadn't really realized how she'd always felt? Was it that she...

”Morning”, there was a voice from her side.

”Hey. I didn't mean to wake you up”, she said to Nicholas, who was fully dressed and now sitting down beside her.

”You didn't. I woke up on my own. Sleep well?”

”Like a log, actually. Hey listen, about last night...” Cho started.

”Yeah?”

”I meant what I said, you know. That I... that I love you.”

Nicholas smiled, still looking at the ocean in front of him. ”I know. Or should I say, I knew it already. And you knew that I knew it.”

”I suppose”, said Cho slowly. ”That explains why I was able to say it.”

Nicholas nodded. ”And you know how I feel. How I've always felt.” He reached out for Cho's hand in the sand. ”I love you, Cho.”

After a moment of silence, Cho laughed nervously. ”So, umm... What now?”

Nicholas shrugged. ”Not necessarily anything. We've both known this for a while, haven't we? It doesn't have to change anything.”

”I know. And it hasn't, which is nice. It's just... I... I was just wondering...” Cho started to stutter.

Nicholas turned to look at her. ”Wondering what?”

”Iwasjustwonderingifyou'dfreakoutifIproposedtoyourightnow”, she said in one deep breath.

”What?”

She swallowed hard. ”I was wondering... if you'd totally freak out if I proposed to you, right now. I mean, considering everything.”

They both got up without even realizing it. Nicholas tinted his head and smiled at Cho.

”No, I don't think I would. Actually, I think I'd quite like that”, he laughed.

”You wouldn't think it's... hasty or anything?” Cho asked, forgetting her nervousness and letting her curiosity win over.

”No. Some pretty bad things have happened to you, but we've known each other for a long time. And you wouldn't do it again for the wrong reasons. You're still dealing with some of the stuff that's happened, and you might have to deal with it for a long time, but whatever way we go, I want to be there to support you in that. So if you want to, let's go ahead.”

Cho was speechless, just beaming at him. Then Nicholas looked at her closely and said:

”Though it might be better if you wait for just a little bit.”

”Why, what's wrong?”

”Oh, nothing very serious”, said Nicholas. ”It just seems it's hotter here than we realize. Looks like you're having the beginnings of a heatstroke. Come on, let's get you inside.”

Nicholas almost had to drag Cho inside, as she was ”feeling fine”. He made her drink lots of water, and after a while she finally did admit she was feeling a little bit overheated.

Nicholas quickly made them a sandwich lunch, and made sure they stayed inside while Cho was still looking somewhat alarmingly red. On his insistence, she even took a nap while he turned all the fans on.

When evening fell, Cho was feeling to her old self again.

”Hey, thanks for making me come inside and rest. I think you were right about the heat stroke.”

”You're welcome. So you're feeling better?”

”Muchly.”

”Great”, Nicholas smiled.

”So... There's this thing I've been wanting to ask you.”

”Sure, ask away”, said Nicholas, still smiling. He'd entirely forgotten the discussion in the morning, and was only vaguely wondering what this was about.

Before he knew it, she was kneeling on the floor.

”Actually, it's kind of a serious question.”

”Umm, Cho, sweetie? What are you...”

”Shush, you told me you wouldn't freak out”, she said a bit teasingly, but her light tone betrayed no one. Her hands were shaking slightly.

”Nicholas Charvat, I love you.”

”Will you marry me? Here, on the beach, tomorrow night, with no guests, no ceremonies, no fuss?”

”Oh my plumbbob, you're serious! You're actually serious.”

”Dead serious.”

Nicholas heard her unspoken plea for an answer.

He took the ring and put it on. ”Of course I will. How did you even get a ring?” he asked, dumbstruck. ”We're on an island.”

”Oh, they sell rings on those jewellery stands. I've had it a couple of days, I've been, you know, gathering the courage. We'll have to go back to the shops, though, I may not want any guests, but I still want a dress.”

”So that's why you said 'tomorrow night', and not 'tonight'?” Nicholas asked, slightly amused.

”Yeah.”

”Brilliant. Then I'll have time to get you a ring tomorrow.”

”I love you, Nicholas.”

”I love you too, Cho.”

So the next evening, after they both had found some suitable clothes and other accessories (and after Nicholas had found Cho a ring, he quite insisted on that) Cho and Nicholas stood alone on the family's private beach, looking each other in the eye.

”So, are you ready?” asked Cho.

Nicholas gave a small laugh. ”Cho darling, I hate to sound a cliché but...”

”... I was born ready.”

Time passed by fast, but there was still some time left to enjoy the vacation as a married couple. Cho and Nicholas went to see the ancient ruins, and Cho made an offering at the fountain of the temple. As she was about to leave, one of the workers of the temple pulled her aside and gave ger a small box as a ”small token of appreciation for your offering”. When Cho later opened the box, it turned out to be a souvenir treasure chest.

While they were at it, they also tried the hot springs by the ancient ruins. It was quite a relaxing experience.

As Nicholas had never been in a helicopter, they took a helicopter tour. It gave a rather surprising view on how large and wild the jungle surrounding them really was.

They also examined a shipwreck that Cho remembered from her teen years. She feared that Nicholas would fall off the plank, but he just laughed and said that the view was rather incredible from there. She took his word for it.

Cho, in turn, managed to wake up a rather scary pirate ghost while plundering the captain's cabin, and her shriek caused Nicholas to worry maybe she had now fallen off the plank.

But being the sociable sim she was, Cho soon found out that the pirate captain's ghost was actually a rather nice fellow, and they had a lengthy chat on the deck. He even taught her an old pirate song.

The summer was apparently the hottest in years and hot for even a place like Twikkii Island. Nicholas got to experience this, as one evening he, too, started to experience the symptoms of a heat stroke. This time it was Cho's turn to order him to have some cold water and rest.

While Nicholas was resting, Cho took the opportunity to stargze a bit, as she was feeling fine, the stars were bright and the house did, after all have a nice, big telescope. Undeniably, life was good.

The next morning Nicholas was again fine, and that was good, as it was their last morning on the island. He headed out early to say goodbye to the beach. As he did so, he stumbled upon some pretty nice clams, which he pocketed. Now he had a souvenir, not bad.

As for Cho, she didn't really have much time to say goodbyes to the house, as she was feeling a little hungrier than usual. But she knew she could come back any time.

In what seemed like no time at all, the airport shuttle was there, honking impatiently. The vacation was over, time to get back to regular life. Cho and Nicholas were maybe a little sad to leave the beach house behind, but they felt ready to get back.

And perhaps, thought Cho as she stroked her wedding ring, the surprised faces back at home would also be worth seeing.

”So how was the trip, dear?” asked Marylena as she managed to corner her daughter and sit her down on the couch.

”Oh it was very nice, we saw a lot, and I think Nicholas especially enjoyed it as he'd never been to Twikkii before. There was quite a lot for him to see and experience.”

”And the house still stands?”

”Yeah, the house was fine, it was as if we'd never left.”

Marylena nodded. Then a sly smile sneaked on her features. ”Now let me see that ring, dear.”

”Umm, what ring?” Cho tried, but in vain.

”Well the one that you're trying to hide in your pocket, obviously”, said her mother.

Well, that secret may have lasted a whole of five minutes after the shuttle pulled over in front of the house, thought Cho.

”Umm... Yeah. About that. Nicholas and I...”

”Well of course you got married, it's obvious isn't it!” said Marylena beaming.

”I suppose”, Cho said, looking down at her hands. ”I'm not really sure how that happened but...” Suddenly Cho felt unsure whether her mother would approve. ”It just... felt right.”

”Well does it still feel right?” Marylena asked simply.

”Yeah, it does”, Cho said, only realizing it as she said it.

”Well in that case, me and your father are very happy for you. Congratulations dear!” said Marylena with a smile.

”Thanks”, replied Cho. ”Somehow I get the feeling that you already knew”, she then said.

Marylena chuckled. ”Well, to be honest, I had a hunch. You and Nicholas were clearly gravitating towards each other from the moment you met again in Cyrus' wedding, and neither me nor your father were very surprised when you told us he would be moving in. You've been seeming contemplative since then, so I guessed you might be considering committement, and this time, it seemed to me, for much better reasons. I didn't want to pressure you into anything, so I didn't say anything either. But I thought you might need a bit of time to think. So let's say that the vacation wasn't originally your father's idea.”

”Mom!” exclaimed Cho, apparently horrified of her mother's little plot. ”I... I... Thank you”, she finally said.

”You're welcome, dear”, replied Marylena smiling.

”Now”, she continued, ”seeing that you only just got back, I assume that you haven't told Eric yet.”

”Umm... Yeah, I haven't”, admitted Cho, biting her lip. ”And I'm not sure how exactly I'm going to do that, either”, she said.

”Well, I don't want to pressure you into that either, but I would say that it's best that he hears it from you.”

Cho nodded slowly. ”I know. I'll have to take care of that.”

”I wouldn't worry too much about that, Cho”, comforted Marylena. ”I doubt he's going to take it too badly.”

And to Cho's surprise, her mother turned out to be right.

”So you finally took the plunge huh?” said Eric the moment he walked through the door to meet Dirk for the next time, before Cho could even get her mouth open. ”Congratulations!” he said, gesturing towards her ring.

”Thanks”, said Cho a bit uncertainly. ”And thanks, I suppose I now don't have to tell you about it, either.”

Eric laughed. ”Well yeah, not really. And I could sort of see it coming for a while.”

Cho gave him a lopsided smile. ”It seems everyone but myself could.”

”I had the feeling that I may not have been the only one”, Eric said and gestured towards the hall where he'd just seen Marylena and Baudolino disappear.

”Yeah, you're right about that”, Cho smiled sheepishly.

”Soo... I'm glad you don't seem to be upset”, she said, slightly worried but still keeping her smile on.

”Upset? But why would I be upset?” asked Eric genuinely.

”Well... I got married to someone else? And it's... it's sort of soon?” Cho said, suddenly looking insecure.

Eric sighed and patted her on the shoulder.

”Sometimes I forget you're a bit younger than I am. Look, Cho. First of all, you've got every right to get married to someone else. We're not married, and actually, we weren't married. We were engaged, and only for a fairly short period of time. You're free to marry whomever you like, and if I may say so, you've made a very good choice there, much better than I would ever have been. Also, do I really have to remind you that I was the one who walked out on you? It would be pretty hypocritical of me to be upset about you marrying someone else after that. And second of all, Cho, it's not 'sort of soon' anymore. Our kid is school-aged now.”

”Okay, I guess you're right”, said Cho slowly.

”Well actually, I know I'm right”, said Eric. ”Now, you know we're good, right?”

Cho just nodded and smiled.

”Great. So, is Dirk home yet?”

Cho glanced at her watch. ”The school bus should arrive any minute now.”

So all in all, life was smiling at the Bookacies. Marylena was often found practicing dance moves in the sunny upstairs lobby, humming to herself. And Baudolino, who was more often found in the cellar at the toy bench, was also heard humming.

Dirk had indeed gone to school, and he was quite enjoying it, although he hadn't quite yet found his greatest potential at it.

But he was making friends with other kids of his age, which everybody was happy about. Many of his classmates were actually distantly related, like Derek Lillard, whom he even brought home one day to play, and the parents were more than happy to see their kids playing together.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Derek Lillard is the oldest child of Chloe and Ryker Lillard.

Nicholas, for his part, was progressing nicely in the Law career, and always fond of his wife, he'd often bring her flowers he got on the way home.

One sunny afternoon those days Cho was heard having a phone conversation.

”Hi, Eric, it's me, Cho. I hope it's not a bad time?”

...

”Okay. I've got a favor that I'd like to ask from you. You're still coming to get Dirk watch that soccer match today, right?”

…

”Yeah, good. I was wondering, could you maybe come an hour or so earlier? We'd need your help on something.”

...

”Okay, that's great. Thank you, Eric, I really appreciate it. See you at four then!”

Slightly after four that afternoon.

”I think that ought to do it”, said Eric to George. ”We only need a bit of space behind the couch anyway.”

”Yes, I believe that is sufficient”, confirmed George, eyeing the sofa they had just moved together.

”So where are Cho and Nicholas?” asked Eric.

”I believe they are helping mrs. Bookacy with the equiment.”

”Very well, let's just wait for them then.”

Soon enough all preparations with the painting equipment were finished, and Baudolino helped Marylena carry the easel to the living room.

”Thanks, dear”, she said, pecking her husband on the cheek.

”Now could you please take your positions?” she said. And after a while: ”Thank you, now Cho, a little bit further to the left, please, closer to Nicholas.” She started sketching the view in front of her on the canvas.

”Now Eric, could you please lean forward a little bit, I'm having difficulties fitting you in properly. Excellent.”

”Thanks for doing this”, Cho said, quickly glanncing over her shoulder. ”The family portrait really wouldn't have been the same without you.”

”No problem”, replied Eric. ”It's my pleasure entirely.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

And this, dear reader, is where I leave you this time. I hope you have enjoyed your ride with the Bookacies and welcome you back again for our next chapter whenever its time may be. Until then, happy simming to all!