English Legacy: The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite (Chapter 35)

This here is the place I will be staying.
There isn't a number. You can call the pay phone.
Let it ring a long, long, long, long time.
If I don't pick up, hang up, call back, let it ring some more.
If I don't pick up, pick up... The sidewinder sleeps, sleeps, sleeps in a coil

Call me when you try to wake her up. Call me when you try to wake her.

Hello? Anyone awake? Deanna? Elizabeth? Hmm... everyone's asleep.

Hang on, there's a light on in the kitchen...
Score! There's some of Liz's leftover French Toast in here!

Zebulon? What are you doing up this late? Or rather, this early?
Grabbing something to eat. I just got up - I'd been on Toddler Watch after getting home from work at the hospital. What bring You by at five in the morning? Wait! Don't tell me; you're here "to see what the English family has been up to!" Like anyone believes that.

I see my reputation precedes me. Well, since you're awake, might as well spill it.
Not too much out of the ordinary - Elizabeth immediately hit the treadmill to get her figure back after Andrew was born, and Brendan was more than happy to train her for a change. He's made it to a Starter for the Llamas, and they actually won his first game, 17-0.

Pretty soon, it was the kids' birthday... boy, the two of them grew up so fast, it seems. We invited Aunt Latricia and Uncle Christopher over, but oddly, only Aunt Latricia showed up. Little Andrew seemed shocked when he transitioned.

Hmmm... not bad. What about Jessica, your daughter?

I know who she is, Creator-dude. Oh, she blew out her cake right after that.
Aww. She turned out pretty cute. Wait a minute..... did you send her to the mirror?

Nope. That's my little Jessica, box-stock, as it were. Notice how she's got the exact same hair color as her mother?

Yes... that's REALLY odd because...

...Because that isn't Deanna's natural hair color. Or mine, for that matter. What was in that potion Great-Grandma Laurel used to dye Dee's hair?

Beats me.... it didn't seem to have the quite the same effect on Elizabeth - both Cassandra and Andrew inherited Brendan's hair color.
Well, sounds like it was quite an interesting birthday party.

Deadly, you mean. I swear, people are going to start screaming in fear if they get a birthday invitation from us! Remember how Aunt Latricia showed up, but Uncle Chris didn't?

Yeah?
Well, he probably didn't come because he didn't want to watch his wife die!
Oi vay. So, looks like Grimmy made another visit to the homestead? Sometimes I think we should make a room for him in the house. Not a terrible fancy urn she's leaving behind - guess she never got to the top of the Medical track. Looks like you'll be getting a new boss at work.
Looks like it. speaking of Mr. Reaper, apparently he and Kevin are quite acquainted now... he hung around after collecting Aunt Latricia, and was telling Kevin how his job gives him the blues sometimes.

* facepalm * Oh Me, another comedian. Anyway, so what happened next?
Oh, since Latricia's portrait is hanging in the house, Deanna went ahead and buried her in the backyard cemetery. I asked her what was up with the sunflowers, and Dee replied she just planted them because Aunt Latricia's headstone was so plain. She was always loved. Even if Justin turned out Evil, somehow.

Whoops, hold up for a second, the table is floating.
Ghosts again, huh?

Yeah. Turns out whomever, or rather, Whomever, redid the cemetery put the gate back on, so now the ghosts can come back at night.
Straight onto the computer again, still.

Yeah. At least they don't eat anything... occasionally they get something from the coffee maker, but that's about it. Whoops, hear that? Jessica's awake. Time for me to go finish teaching my little girl how to talk. Later, Creator.

English Legacy: Just a Touch (Chapter 34)

You set the pace of what was to come
I have to carry on now that you're gone
A day in the life, well nobody laughed
Look to the days how long can this last

"Note to self," Deanna thought to herself as she rubbed her tummy. "If Liz Kicks the Key Lime Pie Up a Notch, only have one piece." She was smiling though, and smiles had been bit rare ever since the recent passing of her parents within a day of each other. The new baby her husband assured her they were having, helped to remind her that Life goes on.
Of course, Deanna wasn't the only one who'd received a reminder. "Darn, that WAS good pie," her twin sister Elizabeth said, rubbing her own belly. The sudden, relative emptiness of the house had affected her too, and she was glad as well that new life would fill the emptiness.

Plus, Elizabeth had finally gotten promoted to Executive Chef at the Bistro after much Hard Work, and the maternity leave would actually give her a chance to rest up and maybe work on her Cooking in a less stressful environment. Maybe she could even learn how to bake birthday cakes herself, instead of having to buy them premade from the shadowy cartel at the grocery store.
The family had all been gathered for Cassandra's birthday party, with the appropriate blowing of horns for the birthday girl. Cassandra squealed, and blew out the candles as hard as she could!
Setting the table on fire, in the process. Thankfully, her cousin Kevin Bravely pulled out a fire extinguisher and got to work on the inferno. Surprisingly, so did their maid, who had happened to "Crash" the birthday party. Needless to say, the maid left with more than the usual $125 fee.
Once the mess from the fire was cleaned up, it was time to give Cassandra's transition another try. This time, there was no fire, and little Cassandra successfully grew up into a child.
As transition outfits go, the English family had seen a lot worse. Still, while the two pregnant women dived into the cake with all the restraint of a starving wolf, Cassandra hurried to the mirror and the bureau for her make over.

Creator's Note: Oh dear lord, Shante/Elizabeth's jaw is even more evident in Cassandra's face than it was in Elizabeth's at that age - and her cheeks are far puffier than her mom's were, also. I'm cringing to think how she'll look as a teenager.
Now that Cassandra was a child, Elizabeth was able to Announce to her daughter that she was going to be a big sister, which thrilled her. She was soon looking forward to showing her new brother of sister how to have fun Outdoors, and on the Computer. She was a Whiz at it, of course.
"I don't know about you, Liz," Deanna remarked to her sister several months later, "but I am ready to have this kid pop out. Seems like Zebulon has to give me a massage twice a day."

"Oh, I'm almost ready," Elizabeth replied with a sympathetic grin, "but it looks like you're just a little bit readier than I am," she said mischievously, looking at her sister's slightly larger belly. "I don't have to start getting nervous until you go into labor first." She looked up at her sister's face. "That *was* good pie, wasn't it?"

Deanna laughed, then asked her sister, "So, did you have my husband find out if you're having a boy of a girl this time?" Elizabeth smiled and firmly shook her head.

"Nope, Brendan and I want it to be a surprise this time," she replied. "What about you?"

Deanna smiled. "I couldn't bear not knowing, so I had Zebulon check."
"A little girl?" Elizabeth squealed. "Oh Dee, that's great! So, have you and Zeb picked out a name?

"We have," Deanna replied, then told it to her sister. "Is that a good name or what?"

"It's perfect," Elizabeth replied. "I think Mom and Dad would have loved it."

Creator's Note: I don't know what the deal was, for this time, for at no point in Elizabeth's pregnancy could I have Zebulon determine the Gender of Elizabeth's baby, which is odd, because he did with Cassandra. The "Give Great Medical Advice" option disappeared too, before I could use it. Too many possible "Friendly" interactions available, I think.
Zebulon forced himself to calm down, even as he looked and saw the speedometer on the Kompensator edging towards 60 miles per hour. He took his foot off the gas, and shook his head slightly as the car slowed. Even though she was nine months pregnant, Deanna had insisted on delivering the load of paintings that the Diner had commissioned from her, personally. Zeb had long ago learned that there was no arguing with the Heiress of the family.
At least the Heiress of the family learned that there was no arguing with Nature, when Nature said it was time for the baby to come. Deanna didn't even get to finish delivering the paintings; and instead jumped back into her mom's police cruiser, and drove to the nearby hospital. There, she met Zebulon, who cracked the whip at the hospital staff, who hustled her to Maternity.
Apparently, there was one little girl who was quite ready to meet her parents as well, and a few hours later, Deanna and Zebulon climbed into a taxicab home with Jessica Shante English.

Of course, true to the timeframe, the following scene took place shortly after baby Jessica reached her new home.
"Just relax, honey. We'll be at the hospital very soon. Everything's going to be fine, I promise."
"I know Liz, but geez, what are you doing? Eighty?" Brendan said through gritted teeth, holding on to the car's grab handles tightly. Elizabeth, smiling and unconcerned, shifted into fourth expertly as she then patted her husband's knee.

"Eighty two," she said. "Boy, I love this car," she murmured, as they rounded a curve like they were on rails.
Needless to say, Elizabeth was more than happy, a few hours later, to enjoy a much-slower cab ride home, as she held little Andrew Alexander English in her arms.
So, after a period of Death and mourning, with sad reflections and lots of crying on shoulders, Life returned to the English household, which was full once more.

English Legacy: West Of The Fields (Chapter 33)

Long gone, intuition to assume are gone when we try.
Dream of a living jungle in my way back home when we die.

"Where we going, Mommy?

"We're going to go visit your great aunt Latricia, and my cousins, so they can meet you," Elizabeth replied as she walked to the curb, with Cassandra in her arms. Cassandra looked puzzled as Elizabeth hailed a cab, even though the household had three cars available to them.
"Why not take red zoom zoom car, Mommy?" Cassandra asked as they got into the back seat of the cab.

"Because, toddler seats don't exist in this world, for some unfathomable reason," Elizabeth replied. Cassandra blinked, and hugged her mother around the neck with a giggle.

"Mommy say funny things!"
A few minutes later, Elizabeth and Cassandra arrived at Chris and Latricia's house on Cypress Lane. Christopher wasn't home, but her aunt Latricia was more than happy to invite them in.
While Elizabeth got reacquainted with her cousin Danny, her Aunt Latricia played with Cassandra. Elizabeth thought she was anxious for grandchildren of her own, but Danny was still single, it seemed.
Near the end of their visit, Justin English arrived home from school. Elizabeth hadn't seen him since he was a toddler, but he seemed to have grown up well... until he tried to Mooch five simoleons off her. Unluckily for him, Cassandra's bladder bar was getting dangerously low, so Elizabeth excused herself and called home to Grandpa English's teleporter; which beamed the two of them home in a flash of light.
Unfortunately for the family that was still in mourning over Alexander's passing, another flash of light engulfed Grandma Shante shortly after Elizabeth and Cassandra arrived home. Kevin will never forget his grandmother's last words; "Don't forget to make sure the oven's turned off..." as her body faded to translucence.
Once again, the Grim Reaper arrived on the English grounds to collect another member of the family. Shante's spirit had begged briefly for more time, but apparently, Grimmy was tired of seeing these people, and poofed her with a swipe of his scythe.

Creator's Note: I was expecting her to shake his hand like everyone else had so far - she'd achieved her LTW as well. Sorry that she doesn't get a long, drawn out death scene... I'm kinda dry after Alex's.
Her grandson Kevin, who was present for her passing, took it upon his Party Animal self to strike up a conversation with the Grim Reaper, who oddly hung around after dispatching Shante. They struck up a bit of a conversation, with Grimmy making the odd comment that he had excellent teeth.

Two deaths, so close together, had thrown the English clan into emotional chaos... the poor folks seemed to be constantly mourning one or the other for the next few days. To their credit, Zebulon and Brendan were right there to console and comfort their wives.
Of course, if there's one thing Death causes in the English household, it's unprotected WooHoo.

And now for something completely different. A gathering of ghosts.
This might get pretty crowded in a few generations.

English Legacy: Sweetness Follows, Reprise (Chapter 32)

Readying to bury your father and your mother,
what did you think when you lost another?

So, we meet again. This time, it's going to be different.

I've seen and forgotten many things over my long life, but one thing that has never left my consciousness, never stopped being the source of my drive, has been the memory of you.
I was only a few days old when I met you for the first time. I was there when you came for my grandfather, and I knew, somehow, and yet should not have, who you were.
Of course, that was not the last time we would meet. It couldn't have been. I was there when you came for my father, who taught me to keep striving to build, to strive, and to provide for the ones I love. In his memory, I strove to make the English family strong and prosperous.
Which I did. My father didn't get to see me marry my darling Shante, the woman who never made me regret anything in my life for a single minute, with the possible exception of not being able to introduce our children to their grandfather. I used the land he'd bought to build a house worthy of his dreams for his descendants.
I knew you were always there, always in the back of my mind, so I pushed myself... I pushed myself all the way to outer space, literally.
Then, you came for my mother. If Dad was the rock of the family, Mom was the soul. She put her dreams on hold to raise my brother and myself, and taught us the virtues of love, humor, and self-sacrifice. And when we didn't need her to raise us anymore, she spread her wings and pursued her own dreams, becoming a famous Mad Scientist.

Then, when you finally came for her, she thanked you for the time, just like my father did.
I never got to ask her what she thought of the job I had done as Heir. Looking upon my family, I realize I didn't need to. My darling Deanna is a highly successful author, yet a loving mother and wife. She picked well when it came to her husband, and looking at my grandson Kevin, I see a sparkle of the drive that was in my father's eye, and my mother's heart.

Kevin, my boy. Don't lose that lust for life that you have. You're so brave, just like I was. You look so much like your great-grandfather, that I swear I see him each time I look at you. You're going to be the Heir someday, I just know it.
My baby girl Elizabeth. You didn't have such an easy time growing up, but the issues you had were all in your mind. I helped you get past them, but the true strength came from within you. Your daughter Cassandra, my sweet grandchild, is your reward.
My darling Cassandra. Near the end of my life, you came into our lives, you little bundle of life. I'd never seen your mother smile more when she walked into the house with you. Each time you banged on that toy xylophone, the same one I played with as a toddler, I liked to imagine the beautiful music you will write as you get older.
So, here we are, Death. Now, after all these years, you've come for me.
Looking into your dark hood, I experience a slight moment of doubt.... have I fulfilled my promise to myself I made over 95 years ago, when I first met you? Do I have anything to regret? My life, my long and successful life flashes before my eyes, and I have my answer.
The answer is simple, and clear. I have no regrets. I have done the best I could. Like my father and mother before me, I thank you. My family is strong, and I am comforted.

My darling, genius Shante... my feelings at this moment cannot be properly put into words. Logic tells me you will be following me soon, and yet, I illogically wish for you to live forever, so that Death will not come for you, yet at the same time, I cannot wait for us to be together again. The answers to all the Unsolvable questions we would research, they are all here, and I cannot wait to share them with you. The only question left to ask is...

...is it always going to be this dark in here?