Chapter 22 – Five Weddings and a Funeral Part 1

A Piratical Legacy Five Weddings and a Funeral Welcome back, dear readers! I hope you enjoy this, the latest installment of A Piratical Legacy. This is an update in two parts, so by the time you finish reading this the second should be ready as well.

Previously... The Buccaneer family was torn apart when heiress-apparent Gertie discovered that she was, in fact, illegitimate. She ran away, and the note she left sparked the final argument between Roche and Marie. Marie moved out immediately and Roche set out to find Gertie. While the other four children of the legacy house continued with their studies and found their life-mates at university, Roche spent two years looking for his missing daughter. He finally found her in the backwoods of Canada... but how has her time abroad changed her? Can they truly be a family again? Will any of the kids forgive Marie? And will Grace, the new heiress, fit into her role?

It was a long flight back to Pirate Island from Paris, and when the entourage consisting of Roche, Grace, Gertie, and the bigfoot named Andrew arrived at legacy manor, they found that the place had changed extensively. Pao, it seemed, had acted of his own initiative and rebuilt the entire house. "It's fantastic!" Gertie said enthusiastically. "Just like Takemizu Village!"

The Gertie who had returned from her time abroad was a confident, energetic woman. But she'd definitely picked up a few... eccentricities. For one thing, she had acquired several facial piercings. For another, she insisted on wearing the strangest clothing. And finally, she would eat nothing but Grilled Cheese. "Though I might make an exception for birthday or wedding cake," she was quick to point out.

The newest member of the household, Andrew Bigfoot, was very welcome. He surprised everyone by going out and getting a job as soon as he had settled. Then he volunteered to serve afternoon tea.

"Gertie taught me the proper way," he said to Pao as he carefully poured for the two of them. "Oh, how nice," Pao smiled. "Though I do wish she and Roche wouldn't insist on kneeling for tea. My knees!" "Oh, I am sorry," Andrew said quickly. "I didn't realize this would distress you. Would you prefer we retire to the kitchen?" "No, it's fine," Pao said, waving off Andrew's concern. "A little stiffness never killed anyone -- now that I'm retired, anyway."

Word got out that the Chief had returned along with his two daughters and the elusive Bigfoot, and that brought the curious over in droves. They were welcome to stay, as long as they were willing to eat the grilled cheese sandwiches that Gertie had prepared. Andrew was a gentle soul, but if there was food out he was eating it, and Gertie was always cooking. So all socializing happened in the kitchen. "When do we get to meet Mistress Grace's fiancé?" Sejanus Toyonaga asked politely as he nibbled his toasted bread and cheese. "Professor Lee should be arriving just in time for my birthday party tonight," Roche said. "He's a nice guy. Very capable. Financially minded, just like my daughter. I'd be willing to bet that Pirate Island is about to experience a new age of prosperity, friend." "I can definitely get behind that," Sejanus said. "We Romans certainly understand mercenary pleasures. I take it we can expect some capital improvement projects, then?" "It would not surprise me in the least."

The petitioners cleared out well before the party was due to begin, and Grace started hovering near the door. Lee was expected any minute, along with the party guests, and she wanted to be the one that greeted him. Finally, there was a chime, and Grace threw the door open. "Lee!" she exclaimed. "You made it!" "Sure did," he grinned. "And wow, this is a posh-looking place, Grace." "Come on," Grace said, pulling him down the hallway. "Our room is the big one at the end of the hall. We've got guests arriving at any moment for dad's party, and I'm sure you'd like to get settled before they all arrive." "That would be terrific," Lee said.

A short while later, Lee felt himself ready to face the party, though he desperately wanted to go shopping at the earliest available opportunity. At least he'd been able to fix his hair to a more casual look.

By the time he came out, everyone else had gathered in the spare room (what Grace indicated was the future nursery) to watch Roche blow out his birthday candles. As it was Roche's party, it was all his old friends from his Greek days there, along with all of his children. "Make a wish, pops!" Anna cried encouragingly. Whispers went around the room as people realized this was Roche's long-lost daughter, and a few comments were made about her wardrobe choices. However, it was a casual party and there were others who hadn't bothered to dress up as well, like April Thayer.

"Arrr! I feel great!" Roche crowed minutes later as he inspected his new clothes. "How do you all like my new look? Fresh off the beach!" "Excellent choice," Anna laughed. "So, what did you wish for?" "Now, if I told you that it wouldn't come true," Roche said, winking. "C'mon, daughter mine. Let's party!"

And party they did. Bart and De opted for more traditional styles of dancing, but among the younger crowd it was the Slap Dance that was the biggest, ah, hit.

Soon everyone was doing it, unless they were busy whacking each other over the head with pillows.

Lee, still feeling a bit shy with everyone, spent the time getting to know as many people as possible on a one-to-one basis. He and Pao, especially, hit it off. All in all, it was a terrific party.

The next day it was time for a party of a different sort. Pao had, at Grace's request, put a deposit on the newest and best wedding reception facilities on the island some time back, and Grace and Lee were the first to make use of it.

And it was one of the largest weddings Pirate Island had ever seen, to judge by the crowd. It wasn't just family who attended. There were several simselves in attendance as well. --- Simselves: smoothiequeen87 (Fitzhugh Legacy), professorbutters (Squeaky Clean Legacy), fireflower314 (Morgan & Pierce Legacies), Orikes (Pseudo Legacy)

"This is definitely the way to get married," Grace murmured to Lee just before they exchanged their vows. "Million dollar style, baby." "You got that right," Lee said, winking at her. "Do you really know this many people?" "It's because we're the royal family on the island, basically," Grace said. "A lot of people wanted to make an appearance. So we're sure to get a TON of gifts, love." "Excellent!" Lee grinned. "Will you two stop muttering sweet nothings and get on with it?" Morgan called cheerfully from the crowd of onlookers. "What do you want? An engraved invitation?" And so Grace and Lee pledged their love for each other against the gentle sounds of the sea.

The reception, which was held just up the hill at the same site, was just as exotic as the ceremony had been. There was so much cake, everybody got to have a slice. And there was a ton of food.

All in all, everyone declared themselves stuffed, even the folks who just turned up for the food and had skipped out on the ceremony (Ephemeral Toast, Ugothlacy).

Then the celebration moved outdoors again as everyone wanted to hang out at the beach and enjoy the ... rain. Of course, rain doesn't matter very much when you're running around smashing people with water balloons. "Good shot, love!" Orikes called as Will made the Toast soggy.

Grace, meanwhile, decided that it was the perfect time to build a sandcastle. All in all, a good time was had and everyone was reluctant when they had to leave. "Excellent party, sis," Nick said as he gave his older sister a big hug. "And hey, congrats!" "We wish you--" Will began. "--all the best," the twins finished in unison. Grace just chuckled. On this day, especially, she felt as though nothing could annoy her.

She felt that even more so when the Buccaneer bunch got home and Roche presented her and Lee with a pair of plane tickets and the deed to a vacation house. "From the family," Roche said gruffly. "I've already called a cab, and your mother snuck over earlier and packed your things. Now hurry up! You don't want to miss your honeymoon!"

The beach house was lovely, built at the far end of one of the main roads on Twikkii Island. It was just far enough away from the tourist areas to be peaceful, but close enough to walk to everything. In short, Lee and Grace were enchanted with the place. Of course, it was also pouring when they arrived.

"Guess there's only one thing to do," Grace giggled as she unlocked the front door. "C'mon, Lee. I think the bedroom's down here..."

However, it had cleared up within a couple of hours, and Grace and Lee were ready to see the sights. "But first," Grace declared, "we need to find some better clothes. Let's go shopping!" Luckily, one of the closest spots to their cottage was the Boardwalk, and it didn't take long for the honeymooners to find some more tropical clothing.

Once they were changed, they posed on the beach and got a local to take their picture. "Make sure you use the flash!" Grace called. "It's starting to get dark!" "Got it!"

The next morning, they decided to see the sights properly now that they were suitably attired. Their first stop was one of the large local temples, where they were thoroughly awed by the sheer size of the things and where they were patiently instructed in several of the local customs by -- who else -- the locals.

Lee also learned about the local customs, such as the practice of tossing a coin into the waterfall-altar and making a wish. He never did say what he wished for.

Lee was quick to sign up for hula lessons, though Grace never did participate in the local dances.

She was too busy learning the finer points of hot stone massage. "This is the life," she sighed blissfully as she relaxed into the padded massage table.

At the end of the day, they were content to soak in a large hotspring. "We should see if there are any springs hiding on our property," Grace said happily as she relaxed against the wet rocks. "Here and at home." "That's a good idea," Lee said. "I could get used to this kind of life. Don't you wish we were rich enough to do this every day?" "By the time we're ready to retire, we will be," Grace declared. "The family's always been well off, Lee, but I'm going to see us millionaires."

"Now that's a goal I'll be happy to help you reach," Lee said. "How are you planning to accomplish it?" "I'll work as an adventurer for a few years," Grace said. "That's a family tradition, you know. Every heir or heiress has to be a space pirate. But after our children are a bit bigger, I'd like to move into private business. The family owns a few and I'm going to revitalize them. What sort of career do you want, love?" "Definitely a business career," Lee said.

The discussion continued after they'd walked home for some chilli. "Yep, business is where it's at," Lee continued. "If you focus on the domestic market with the local and family businesses, I can concentrate on targeting overseas markets. It'll be a double whammy." "I like the way you think," Grace said approvingly. "There's a lot of money to be made on Pirate Island, and I think we're the ones to do it. The locals won't know what hit them."

"But all this is long term, right?" Lee asked. "I mean, we're going to have a family first, aren't we?" "We ought to," Grace said. "Get that out of the way and then we can focus on the important stuff - getting rich." "It's convenient, having your dad and sister at home. We won't have to hire a nanny." "I know," Grace said gleefully. "I hate the stupid nannies. And I don't think I even had one myself. My grandparents took care of me and my siblings when we were young and my parents were working. I just wish that mom still lived with us. Dad's a bit... well, he's a pleasure sim, y'know? Not the most responsible." "More responsible than a lot of pleasure sims I've known, though," Lee said thoughtfully. "I think he'll do okay as a sitter."

They continued to talk about business long into the night. The next morning, they decided to stay at home and see what their little cottage had to offer. As it was prime beachfront real estate, they soon found that it had a LOT to offer. "Not bad," Grace said as she and Lee patted the last grains of wet sand into place. "Almost as good as the one I made at our wedding. "Too bad we couldn't find a way to charge people to build sand castles," Lee mused.

Grace decided that it simply wouldn't do to return home from a tropical vacation without having a proper tan to show for her efforts but, try as she might, she never did gain any coloring - tan or burn.

Lee, meanwhile, was so preoccupied with thoughts of charging people to build sandcastles that he didn't even notice the large crab lurking in the sand while he dug around for interesting sea shells. "Ouch!" he shrieked as it clamped onto his finger with a sharp pincer. "Grace! Get this thing off me!" Poor Grace was laughing too hard at her husband's misfortune to be much help, though Lee did manage eventually to shake the crustacean off.

All too soon it was time to return to Pirate Island and get on with their family life and their careers. "We'll come back soon, though," Lee said emphatically. "Well, maybe not too soon," Grace said, putting a hand to her stomach with a smile.

Now some people may be wondering what happened to Marie when she and Roche broke up. Well, the first thing she did was scrape her money together and buy a small house back up in the hills. It wasn't much, but it was big enough for her, especially once she widened the bedroom a bit so she could fit a double bed.

The day after Grace and Lee returned from their honeymoon, Marie invited all of her children over for a small celebration. It was her birthday, and she'd been putting it off as long as she could. To her surprise and pleasure, all of her children showed up and seemed happy to be there. "What happened between you and dad is between the two of you," Nick shrugged when Marie pressed him. "You may not have been the best wife - and I'm not making any judgements or anything so don't get defensive - but you were a good mom." "Thanks, Nicholas," Marie said, her eyes misting over. "It means a lot to know that I wasn't a total failure." "How could you be a failure?" Will laughed. "You raised some awesome kids."

Even Susanna made it, and Marie spent a happy few hours catching up with her children, especially her oldest daughter, before succumbing to the inevitableness of cake. "The things you kids learn these days," she laughed fondly as she attempted to join in the slap dance.

"Well, I can't put this off any longer," she said at last. She turned off the radio, strolled over to the cake, and blew out the candles.

Nobody could say that her attire was ... unlike her in any way. "Do you really think it suits me?" she asked anxiously. "Mom... I'd have been more shocked if you'd ended up in something else, honestly," Grace said. She managed to stifle her laughter. "Happy birthday." "Happy birthday!" the others echoed.

While her siblings dug into the cake, Grace took the opportunity to speak privately with Marie for a few minutes. "Thank you for including all of us in your party," she said. "Just 'cause you and dad aren't together anymore doesn't mean that we aren't your family." "You aren't angry with me?" Marie asked hesitantly. "I was, for a while," Grace said honestly. "I was scared about Gertie, and I blamed you for her running away. And it was your affairs that caused the whole mess."

Marie nodded sadly. "But," Grace said, "you've had to deal with the consequences of your actions already. You live out here by yourself. You won't get to know your grandkids as well as dad will since he lives closer to town. It's you who has to make the effort to make things right... and I think you're trying." "I am," Marie whispered. "Besides," Grace shrugged, "as Will and Nick said earlier, while you might have been a lousy spouse to dad you were a pretty awesome mom."

"I guess I did always try to show how much I love you guys," Marie said, brightening a little. "Exactly," Grace said. "You've always loved us, you still do. I even think you've always loved dad, though you have a strange way of showing it. You can't help who you are and maybe you shouldn't have gotten married in the first place. But you're trying to make amends and be a good person now, and I respect that. So I'm not mad anymore." "Thank you," Marie said, and she embraced her daughter in a fierce hug.

"Of course," Grace added a few minutes later once some tears had been dried, "it didn't hurt that I read your blog. It got forwarded to me by dad and it helped me understand a little. Dad was to blame for some of what happened as well, but it was tragic all around." "It was," Marie said. "And now I have all my babies back, I feel like I can finally move on from losing your twin so long ago. If she hadn't been lost... I imagine things would have been different." "Me too."

"So what did you and mom spend so much time talking about last night?" Gertie asked the next morning over a breakfast of finely grilled cheddar sandwiches. "Mostly about her and dad's divorce," Grace said. "Some personal stuff, but I wanted to let her know that things are okay with us, you know?" "Yeah," Gertie said. "I'm going to swing by and have a talk with mom myself one of these days. But I'm not ready yet."

"Did you ever find out who sent you that link to mom's blog?" Grace asked. "No," Gertie said. "And I looked, too. I even asked Mr. Spade to look into it but he drew a blank. He suggested I ask Uncle Jack, but I haven't had a chance yet." "Maybe it's best if we don't know," Grace said. "Time to let things just lie?" "Maybe," Gertie said doubtfully. "I'll think about it."

A few minutes later, Grace bolted from her chair and dashed downstairs. She barely made it in time. "Hmm," she said to herself after she'd cleaned up and brushed her teeth. "Guess I was naive in thinking I wouldn't get any morning sickness at all." And she bolted to the toilet again.

A short time later, Grace was surprised to notice that she'd officially 'popped'. She was pretty sure it wasn't due to the grilled cheese sandwiches, either.

"So, how does it feel?" Anna asked when she stopped by later that day. "Being pregnant, I mean?" "I'm tired all the time, hungry all the time, and I pee twenty times a day," Grace said. "How do you think it feels? At least I'm over the morning sickness." "But it's worth it, right?" "I guess so," Grace said. "I know I'll love the little booger, and then there's the whole fact that it's part of an heiress' life and if I want the perks I have to suffer through having the babies. But I don't think

being pregnant is high on my to-do list." "So are you going to have more than one?" Susanna asked. "Not sure yet," Grace shrugged. "I think Lee and I will decide after this one arrives. What about you, Anna? Are you ever going to settle down?" "I have my other responsibilities," Anna said. "I don't have time to raise a kid. But I would like to have a son or daughter, yes. I just don't think it's possible."

"So... do you want more than one?" Grace asked Lee as they danced in front of the stereo later that day. "Well, you do get paid maternity leave," Lee pointed out. "So it's not like our earning potential is diminished while you're pregnant. I think we should have an extra one. Just in case, you know? This one might not want to be a legacy heir, after all." "True," Grace agreed. "So I guess it's settled? Once we have this baby we'll have another right after?" "Deal," Lee said.

"I'm just sad that I won't get to see my great-grandchildren," Pao said confidentially to Roche as they went through the incredibly catchy sea chanty yet again. "You've got lots of time left yet, dad," Roche said hastily. "I'm sure you'll see tons of your great-grandchildren!" Pao smiled sadly at him. "We'll see, Roche. In the meantime, could you call everyone? I want to have a party the day after Will and Nick's weddings." "Sure thing, dad."

So much happened on Pirate Island in such a short time that it's necessary to jump around a bit to tell the story to keep a cohesive and unified whole. Hence, we journey to the house where this delightful simself, Orikes Pseudo, is extremely delighted to discover that it is raining.

Though perhaps she should make note that jumping in puddles during a thunderstorm is not always the wisest course of action.

Still, it didn't seem to hurt her very much and it definitely didn't put a damper on her relationship with Will Buccaneer. Their relationship was a special one. A passionate one.

A sloppy one. But Will often said that one of the reasons he'd was marrying Orikes was because she didn't mind his bad habits.

And he thought that hers were funny. Truly, it was a match made in heaven.

However... "You know, I'm pretty sure I'm pregnant," Orikes said after one particularly nauseating episode in the bathroom. "Maybe we should get married and make this whole thing official?" "Might as well," Will shrugged. He turned to his twin brother Nick, and Nick's fiance Green. The four of them all lived in Orikes' house. "How do you guys feel about a double wedding tomorrow?"

And so the next morning found the happy couples hosting a surprise wedding for their families. "I promise to mop up your water balloon puddles and make you mac 'n' cheese every day if you want it, for the rest of our lives." "I promise not to get mad if you spend hours on the phone and insist on a party every night, for the rest of our lives." "I promise to re-upholster any couches you wreck with your couch bouncing." "I promise to not get mad if you forget to put the toilet seat down." The vows were very personal and touching.

The turnout was excellent. All of the parents were able to be there (though Roche and Marie sat at opposite ends of the aisle), and several simselves as well. Orikes was a full simself, but Green was a half-simself, his step-father being Ray. Some simselves, however, mistook the type of festive occasion and dressed somewhat inappropriately. A Mrs. Claus dress is not appropriate attire for a wedding.

Orikes surprised everyone by dashing off to the bathroom as soon as she'd finished exchanging rings with Will. "It's the baby," Will said by way of explanation. "Woohoo!" somebody called from the assembled crowd. "Usually," Will replied dryly. He walked down the aisle alone and gestured to his twin. "You're up next, bro."

Nick and Green shared their vows for all the assembled to hear. Fortunately, neither of them had to dash off to the bathroom afterwards, either. It was as touching and moving a ceremony as the one between Will and Orikes. Slightly less silly, as well.

Orikes even made it back in time for the close of the ceremony, though she drew attention to herself by sitting in the front row. "Nice dress," she hissed. "Hush," I hissed back. "Not my fault the game defaulted to this when I deleted my cc formal dress that I had before." "Riiiiight." "I can't hear what they're saying," simHubby complained. "Stop gossiping, you two!"

After that, Orikes shoved cake into Will's face, and a brief food fight broke out due to the sheer volume of Pleasure sims in attendance. But then things settled down as everyone made the decision not to waste perfectly good cake.

The buffet was excellent as well, and people piled their plates high.

"What?" Denise (avidreader2466) looked up, startled, as someone called for her to smile for the camera. "I was talking to the people dancing. Nevermind!" Ray, proud step-father of one of the grooms, called out, putting his camera away.

"You know, just because you're wearing an apron doesn't mean you need to clean up," Orikes said to me. "Okay, I won't," I shrugged, putting the stack of plates back down. "By the way, you just popped." Orikes looked down. "Ooh! Yay! Baby soon!"

The next morning dawned crisp and clear. Fall was definitely in full force. Roche got ready for the party by cleaning up the yard.

He then promptly undid all his hard work, but he had a blast doing it.

"Ah, what's the harm," he thought as he raked next to the wishing well. He tossed a coin in over his shoulder, and a blond vixen fell from the sky.

Before long, they were in the midst of a dream date...

... that led to the silliest-looking woohoo Roche had ever participated in. Still, the date ended pretty early because Roche had to finish getting ready for the party.

"I'm so glad you all could come!" Pao said excitedly as his oldest friends and his family arrived -- some of them right from work by the look of things. "We would not miss this gathering for the world," Jack Thayer said with a sad smile. "My dear brother, you have always been the most trustworthy of friends - a true confidante and compatriot." "Minioning just isn't the same without you," Ben added. "The new kids are so... serious."

Both men stepped aside to allow Pao a private moment with his stepson, Bart. "You've been a true father to me, dad," Bart said, embracing Pao roughly. "I'm sorry it took me so long to realize that blood isn't as important as being there. I'll ... I'll miss you." "You've been a good son," Pao said, smiling. "A good son. I've never doubted you for one moment, Bart, m'boy." "Remember that family tree I had to draw up for school when I was a kid?" Bart asked with a smile. He rummaged around in his pocket

and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. "I found it the other day and I had to edit it - I didn't do it properly the first time around, you see." Pao looked at the sheet of paper. Bart had crossed out his childish scrawl of "Harem" in the "father" column and had printed "Pao" in neat letters. "I love you, Bart." "I love you too, dad."

Blite was the next one Pao had words for. "Remember when we had to pretend to be the bad guys when Jack was cleaning house all those years ago?" "How could I forget such an impeccable example of true minioning?" Blite chuckled. "We are a great team, Mr. P." "You got that right, Mr. B. Though I still think you hit Mr. Spade a trifle too hard one of those times you knocked him out." "Your memory is faulty, Mr. P. It was you who knocked him out." "I think if you read over your minioning notes you'd find that it was, in fact, you, Mr. B." "Some mannerisms seem never to change," Jack said indulgently.

"Ah, Jack," Pao said warmly. "Come inside, my brother." "Certainly." "I wanted to thank you for welcoming me into the family so quickly," Pao said with a little laugh. "Why, I'd only been living here a few hours when you first made me an offer I couldn't refuse." "Family is the highest institution I know of," Jack said, embracing Pao. "You have always been the epitome of family to me, brother." "And you've been a great boss," Pao said happily. "Promise me something, Jack?" "Anything for you, old friend."

"Keep an eye on young Sim for me, will ya? That boy gets into way too much trouble." "I shall endeavor to surveil him surreptitiously," Jack said. "I dunno about those probie minions you've got there," Pao added. "Seem a bit young to know their job properly." "Rest assured, Pao, that I shall direct the utmost efforts of the Syndicate to watch Mr. Spade." "Well, that's a load off my mind, Jack. Thanks." "You only have but to ask, my brother."

Finally, Pao turned to Roche. "Why is everyone so sombre, dad?" Roche asked, scratching his head in confusion. "You know why, Roche," Pao said. "Yeah," Roche heaved a heavy sigh. "I'll miss you. You've always been a great example -- and I'm glad the kids had the example of your marriage since mine was such a mess." "I'll tell your mother you said that." "Thanks."

Roche stepped back just as a cold wind rushed into the room. "It's time, Grandfather," a surprisingly light and feminine voice said from the depths of the hooded cloak. "Anna?" "What, you were expecting Santa Claus?" the figure giggled. "This is my day job." "But your feet are gone," Pao protested. In the background, he could just barely hear a muffled sobbing.

"It goes with the costume and the white hair," Anna said. "Call it a perk." "I don't know if I'd consider missing feet a perk," Pao insisted. "I find them useful." "Well, you get to keep yours," Anna said. "That's reassuring," Pao said. He looked around at the assembled mourners. "Uhh... they can't hear this, can they? I don't really want my last words to be about feet." "Don't worry, you're in the clear," Anna chuckled. "Ready?"

"No! Why do you think I've been stalling?" Pao asked. "I want to be best friends with my great-grandchildren, darn it! And poking that scythe through my head doesn't hurt, you know. I'm incorporeal." "I'm supposed to use the scythe," Anna explained. "Anyway, I'm pretty sure you'll have a chance to scare the pants off of your grandchildren to your hearts' content. Just call it a hunch." "Ooh, that sounds like fun," Pao said, perking up. "And you're sure I get to keep my feet?" "Very sure." "Fine, I'll come," Pao grumbled. "But I'm going to complain about the customer service. I've achieved my lifetime want a couple times over. Where's my tropical drink with the umbrella in it?"

"Here you go," Anna said, reaching into the folds of her cloak. "Uhh... where'd you pull that from?" Pao asked, eying the goblet suspiciously. "I don't see any pockets in that cloak. Are you sure you're cut out for this job?" "I have a stash of them in my inventory," Anna said, giggling. "Have to keep them there or the cat gets into them. And yes, I've been training for this job since I was a toddler. Now, are you coming or what?"

With a happy grin, Pao grabbed the cup. He took a judicious swallow, grabbed the suitcase that had appeared at his feet, and strode off. "Hey, Ivy!" he cried as he faded from sight. "Did ya miss me?" Just on the edge of hearing, Anna could hear a throaty voice respond. "Pao, what took so long? We have been waiting for ages and we need a neck rub." "You did miss me!"

As was to be expected, the rest of the party was pretty subdued. Still, gradually the tears turned to laughter. "I must tell you of one occasion in which your grandfather performed an admirable service for my organization," Jack said enthusiastically to Grace. "A wonderful example of humanity, your grandfather. Delightfully well-equipped to earn large quantities of simoleans for the organization accounts." "Oh?" Jack had said Grace's magic word - simoleans.

"Indubitably," Jack said. "The sheer quantity of fissionable material he diverted from island holdings is a record that has not been broken to this time, my dear niece." "That's fascinating," Grace said. "You know, Uncle Jack, I'm a business-minded woman myself. I wonder if we could work towards a mutual benefit in any way..." "I am all ears, Madame."

"I can see why this would appeal to Pao," Jack said, sniffing the aroma of freshly steeped tea appreciatively. "The substance is invigorating." "Not as much fun as bubbles, though," Roche said regretfully. "My dear nephew, are you still induging in that abominable habit?" Jack's voice was filled with disapproval. "No room for a bubble blower here," Roche shrugged.

"That is indeed a relief," Jack said. "Nope, just tea, cheese, and 'juice'," Roche added. "Those are my vices these days. And dream dates. Ooh, and juggling, and tub pirating!" "Friend Roche, I do believe that you are still entirely a child at heart," Jack said. "Says one of the guys who's got immortality in his pocket," Roche snorted. "You can afford to grow up. Me, I just want to have fun!"

But nobody said anything when they came across Roche crying quietly in the corner, much later. They let him grieve in private.

Or rather, everyone except Andrew did. "The cure for a gloomy spirit is a Bigfoot Hug!" the massive man-ape said joyously. "At least, if you don't have Mr. Mickles." "I do have Mr. Mickles," Roche said. "Yes, but you cannot use him on yourself," Andrew pointed out. And he lifted Roche for another Bigfoot Hug. "Whee!"

The best way to get over sadness is to follow it up with happy memories, so that's what the Buccaneer clan did. By refusing to allow Pao's death to cast a shadow over their wedding, Morgan and Kelly were able to cheer everyone else up immensely.

Of course, the fact that Rose showed up in a white wedding dress might have added to everyone's mirth. It seems likely. Fortunately, she was hidden in most of the photos.

A short time after her wedding and subsequent honeymoon, Morgan found herself on the phone. "Ten o'clock tomorrow? Fantastic!"

She got changed for dinner and sat down to break the good news to her partner and her mother. Bart was still at work. "Tomorrow?" De squealed. "That's fantastic!" "I know," Morgan said gleefully. "Kels, you can go in late to work, can't you? I know it's too short of notice to get the whole day off." "Yeah, that shouldn't be a problem," Kelly replied. "It stinks that you have to work, though." "But both your father and I are off tomorrow so that's one thing taken care of," De pointed out. "Yeah. I just wish that Kelly and I could be there all day tomorrow," Morgan said. "Still - I'm so excited!"

The next morning, Kelly got ready for work and haunted the front entrance of the house. Finally, the doorbell rang.

"Kelly Buccaneer?" the social worker asked. "Yes, that's me," Kelly said. "Kelly, meet your baby daughter."

"Toshiko," Kelly said, cuddling the little infant to her. "That's a lovely name," the social worker said, making a note on her clipboard. "If you have any questions, Mrs. Buccaneer, you know where to call. Now, you'd best get that little one inside - it's awfully cold out!" "Of course!" Kelly stammered, and rushed inside with a hurried wave to the social worker.

"So this is my grandbaby, huh?" Bart asked some time later. "Her name is Toshiko," Kelly said. "Morgan and I picked it out together." "Toshiko. It fits," Bart said. "Oh, do you want me to take her?" "I really have to get to work," Kelly said. "I'm horribly late already." "This grandparent is happy to babysit," Bart said, taking the squirming baby from his daughter-in-law. "You run along, Kelly. I think I remember how to do this."

"Are you hungry, Toshiko?" Bart asked in a singsong voice as he carried the baby into the kitchen for a bottle. Once the baby was fed, Bart spent some time cuddling and cooing at the infant, who responded by burbling back at him. "Hey, Bart!" De called from upstairs. "The room is all ready - are you going to monopolize my granddaughter all day?" With a guilty smile, Bart headed upstairs.

"That's better," De said, taking the child from her husband. She stared down at the tiny figure. "You know, I'm much too young to be a grandmother."

Time passed, and it seemed like Toshiko had always been a member of the family. Morgan and Bart especially doted on her. "And what are you going to be when you grow up? Gonna be a rocket scientist? An artist? Aren't you glad they picked this house for you to live, Toshiko? Don't you think your name is way too big for little bitty you? Do you want a nickname? How about Tosh? Or Toshi? Do you like those? When do you think you'll start talking so you can tell us what name you like best?" Bart stared at his daughter and granddaughter with a bemused expression. "Some things never change," he said.

"Is that yummy in your tummy? Are you going to grow up big and strong? Are you excited about your birthday party tomorrow? Are you still too little to know what a birthday party is? Who do you want to teach you to walk and talk? Are you excited to know that you're going to have a whole bunch of cousins your age?"

Will and Orikes were finding that not a lot had changed now that they were married. For one thing, they still got to prank each other.

They pranked each other a lot. Generally making quite the mess while they were at it, since both preferred to retaliate with water balloons.

Then they'd catch each other’s' eye and giggle for a good twenty minutes. And then they'd do it again.

The main thing that changed was that Orikes was tired a lot during her pregnancy. While she never got close to starving, she napped and slept constantly. Fortunately, Will had the mysteriously transferring iPod to listen to. This particular mp3 player had started out in Grace's possession. At some point, hidden from the eyes of this particular deity, it was then given to Nick. He only had it a short time before it spontaneously appeared in Will's inventory. Undoubtedly, it will soon pass to either Orikes or Green.

And Orikes was definitely a Buccaneer at heart. She tub-pirated very frequently, though she was also known to suddenly switch to couch-jumping, at least until her third trimester. Then she cut down on the bouncing, but she never did give up the tub. Her cleaning skills, on the other hand... let's just say that nobody in that household was particularly tidy. It was a good thing they had a maid.

Finally, the big day came. Orikes conveniently went into labour at the top of the stairs, and everybody panicked in the bedrooms and the bathroom for some strange reason, so she had to go through the process all by herself.

But in the end, she had a healthy little baby boy. She and Will named him Hugo, in honour of a common denominator between some of her legacy character names.

Back at Buccaneer Manor, Roche celebrated the birth of his latest grandchild by having several more dream dates, courtesy of the wishing well.

He definitely had a thing for blond romance sims - is it any surprise that he'd married Marie so long ago? He hadn't seen her in a long time, but the steady stream of lovely young ladies reminded him of her. Occasionally, he even felt nostalgic.

Some of the ladies he dated wanted him to commit to something more, at least for the short term, but Roche wasn't biting. He intended to spend his elder years doting on his grandchildren and wasn't really interested in romance, except on a short term basis. Some of the ladies went to the extreme of doing yardwork or chores to try to get Roche to change his mind, but he held firm. Lee, who could be a bit cruel, tended to make the work a bit harder for them than necessary.

"Do you think dad will ever remarry?" Gertie asked her sister over a lunchtime meal of -- you guessed it -- grilled cheese sandwiches. "Doubt it," Grace said, eating her sandwich quickly. She was very hungry, this late in her pregnancy. "Geez, you're sure shoveling those things down," Gertie observed. "Are you certain there's only one in there?" "Don't even joke about that," Grace warned through a mouthful of cheese. "Seriously."

"I don't know why Gertie thinks you're having twins," Anna said, staring at Grace's stomach. "You're pretty small for second trimester." "Uh, thanks?" "I just mean it doesn't look like twins," Anna explained. "Mom said you can always tell. I've been asking her about babies a bit lately." "Oh? Why's that?" Grace asked. "Well, it turns out that I'm gonna be a mom!" Anna gushed. "You're pregnant?!?" "Not exactly..."

"You remember that group of guys that never hooked up with anyone from our college days?" Anna said. "The ones that are super distant relatives of ours. So far it's not gross or anything. Well, you know I was dating a few of them in college..." "Wait a second, which guys?" Grace asked. "You'd better refresh my memory." "Okay," Anna said, pulling out a picture. "Here they are. In the back are Gavin and Tycho Biggs. You remember I dated both of them. In front of Gavin, looking like a seventies ... uh ... banned4lyfe star ... is Holstein Toyonaga. The blond in front of Tycho is James Curtin. In front of Holstein is Don Thayer -- you know who he is, he's Blite's grandson. And beside him is Borealis Curtin." "Okay," Grace said. "I vaguely remember them. I think Borealis was in my class at school." "Well, I thought that having an entire house full of single guys was awfully handy," Anna said. "They're still living in Paris, but downtown. So I've been visiting them, cultivating those relationships."

"The place is pretty much a bachelor pad," Anna continued. "Mismatched decorating, a mixture of cheap furniture and expensive electronics. Pretty typical for a group of college grads who haven't really moved on yet. But they're all nice guys, and I'm attracted to most of them."

"Anyway, the one I've always been most serious with is Gavin. So it was him specifically I stopped by to see... ohhh... eight months ago?"

"He was pretty happy to see me, and one thing led to another as it usually does. But this time it was different. Afterwards, I thought I heard... a lullaby." "Well, you're hooped then," Grace observed. "That's a classic sign of pregnancy." "That's what I said," Anna nodded. "So I went home, fully expecting to toss my cookies for a few months, and then pop out a kid around now."

"Only things didn't exactly work out that way. Imagine my surprise when, a few weeks later, I had a ... business ... call to Gav's house."

"Fortunately, his brother was able to plead him and I could let him live. I suppose I could have brought him into my world to live with me, but I don't want that kind of commitment. Anyway, he survived. Seems he'd nearly starved to death."

"There was much rejoicing, and the guys don't know that I'm the Grim Reaper so I made myself scarce -- though I did suggest that Gav eat something before I had to come back."

"Well, imagine his surprise a few days later when he popped." "Popped?" "With a baby, silly!" Anna said gleefully. "Wait a minute," Grace said slowly. "You mean... Gav was the one who got pregnant? Not you?" "So it seems," Anna said. "Now, you'll have to keep in mind... I had

no idea. I knew that I wasn't pregnant, of course, but I certainly didn't think that he was." "Do go on," Grace urged, but just then Anna's pager beeped. "Darn it," Anna said. "BUSINESS C-- I mean, I have to work. Listen, I'll stop by later if I have time and tell you the rest of it, okay?" "Deal," Grace said.

As soon as Anna had hurried out the front door, Grace called up Nick and Will and filled them in. They were happy for her, of course, but terribly confused. "Call Morgan and see what she says," Will suggested. Morgan was of the opinion that she very much wanted to fly out to Paris and examine Gavin for herself, but that wasn't possible. "How long do you think male gestations are? D'you think he'll stay pregnant long enough for me to examine him? I am a doctor, you know. Do you know how this happened, Grace? Did Anna say?"

"She didn't get a chance," Grace laughed. "Work called her away." "Ooh... did she say who died? I wonder how much advance warning she gets that someone is gonna bite the dust? Do you know?" "I have to go," Grace chuckled. "I'll call you first once I hear all the details, okay Morgan?" "You'd better!"

But Grace didn't get a chance to follow up with Anna or Morgan at that point, because she went into labour.

And gave birth to a beautiful, black haired, blue eyed baby boy! She named him Coxinga, after a Chinese pirate who was notorious for going insane later in life. However, he was extremely patriotic and devoted to his emperor. Unfortunately for him, his emperor was defeated and Coxinga turned to piracy. However, he had enormous numbers of men under his command due to the fact that his father was extremely rich. Grace liked the idea of her son being descended from very rich smugglers, and thought the name fit. And that's the end of part 1 of this chapter - but have no fear, part 2 should be ready for you right away!