2. Welcome back to the Devereaux Legacy! First I want to say that I sincerely apologize for my semi-absence in the community as of late.
I know I owe tons of comments on both my story as well as other people's stories. 2012 has decided to make me its punching bag and I
can only hope that it will let up soon. With that in mind, please excuse the seasonal time frame of this update. I had originally intended
to have this out around Christmas time and the events in this chapter reflect that. So...just pretend that it's still December :D
Anyway, last update we saw that Quinn is still upset with Rhys...and Bella is certainly not making things any better, which is making Rhys
and Eden fight a lot more. But, as much as people didn't like the idea, Quinn and Bella still got married.
Puck was told by Atropos, one of the aspects of Fate, that Puck's decision to become Mortal had nothing to do with Oberon's
banishment to the Punished Realm, so he was free to be with Erin. He told Erin everything about his former powers (including the fact
that he knew he was destined to marry her) and in no time at all, she got over it. And so, Puck and Erin are officially a couple.
Obviously this makes a lot more sense if you've read the first part of this chapter. Hope you enjoy the second part!
~*~*~
3. Erin and Puck were practically inseparable after Quinn and Bella's wedding. They enjoyed each other's company immensely...
4. And Puck was good natured about Erin's teasing when she reminded him that he had avoided being with her for so long.
5. Quinn's life, on the other hand, wasn't nearly as pleasant. In the couple of months following his wedding he had found that married life
wasn't as blissful as he had hoped...
6. "...And that's another thing, why does your sister have a bigger bedroom than you? She's not married, she's not the one who is bringing
in the next generation. I really think that you should tell your parents that you want to switch rooms with her," Bella said as she stepped
out of the bathroom.
7. Quinn rolled his eyes and suppressed a groan. Not for the first time, he found himself missing Emily. "Erin's room is more narrow.
Square foot wise, both rooms are the same size."
"That's not true. You have the smallest bedroom in the house. Even the nursery is bigger!"
"Actually, I believe my mom and dad have the smallest bedroom and bathroom."
"You are missing the point. Fine. Erin's room is the same size. But she has a better view and more light comes in during the day! I
really think--"
8. "Erin's room is Erin's room. God, Bella, just give it a rest. You didn't mind this room before we got married." He had to bite back another
groan as he saw his wife pout in and exaggerated manner.
"Well I didn't realize that Erin's room was the one right next to the nursery," she said. "I just think that maybe I should be closer to our
baby when the time came."
9. He let out a derisive snort and rolled his eyes again. "Yeah, well seeing as you aren't pregnant we don't have to worry about that, now
do we?"
Bella placed her hands on her hips and glared at him. "And what is that supposed to mean?"
"Basic biology, Bella. You're never 'in the mood' and I've resorted to jerking off like a teenager in the bathroom. This might come as a
shock to you, but we, gasp, actually have to have sex for you to get pregnant. Surprising, I know," he responded sarcastically.
"And it's because you have that attitude that makes it where I don't want you to have sex with me. Besides, you can't really want a
whiny little brat of a baby right away anyway, so I don't know what the big deal is."
10. Quinn clenched his fists in frustration. "You think I don't hear what you've been saying to my mom, rubbing it in that you're younger
than her and that she can't have any babies even if she wanted them? You've been taunting her, going on and on about how you're the
one who is going to bring in the next generation. Did you honestly think I didn't hear you saying that stuff? You really need to cool it.
You knew that an heir needs to be produced, but that's totally besides the point because for your information, yes, I do want to have a
baby. I am my father's son after all."
"You say that like it's a good thing," she taunted.
11. He clenched his jaw. "You know what? Yeah, it is a good thing. I love my father, and I can't help but notice that you're the one who
keeps saying bad things about him. It's been you who keeps making sure that I stay pissed at him. To what end, I don't know, but it
stops now! If you want to make this marriage work, so you can keep spending all of my money of course, then you need to help keep
the peace in this house. Stop flirting with my dad. Stop being mean to my mother and sister. And I really hope that it's not too much to
ask that you at least act like you like me once in a while. I am really, really beginning to wonder why I married you in the first place." He
turned on his heel and began to walk out of the room.
12.
13.
14. He instantly felt bad for what he said especially since when he turned around, he saw her crying. He gathered her into his arms and
said, "I'm sorry, Bell. I shouldn't have said that. I love you and I know you love me. I don't know what came over me."
"You were so cruel, Quinn. It scares me to think that someday you might end up like your father," she sobbed.
He couldn't believe that a moment ago he would have thought that was a good thing. "Don't worry," he said softly as he rubbed her
arms, "I'm not like him at all. I don't want to be anything like him. I love you, Bella, and I want to do right by you, okay?"
16. Bella drummed her fingers on the counter idly as she waited for the coffee maker to finish brewing. She had managed to get into the
kitchen and prepare the morning pot of coffee before Rhys, which required her to wake up a little bit earlier than she normally did.
Hopefully, she thought to herself, this will work and it will be worth it when I'm sitting on the beach in Twikkii Island with a heap of
money.
17. She smiled brightly at Rhys as he walked into the kitchen and she pretended not to notice the automatic suspicious glare he normally
gave her. "The coffee’s almost done. You take yours with just a little bit of cream and sugar, right?"
"I'll make my own," he replied bluntly. "You'll probably drug it or something."
18. The smile almost slipped from her face in surprise, but she managed to keep it in place as she arched an eyebrow at him. "Why on earth
would I do such a thing? Really, Rhys, maybe it's time we call a truce? I am going to be living here for a very long time after all."
19. "Yeah, don't remind me. Oh, and I'll totally pass on the coffee. I'd far rather deal with the headache from caffeine withdrawal thank you
very much," he said before he turned turned on his heel and walked back into the dining room.
20. She managed not to stomp her foot in frustration, but only barely. She knew Rhys' outright hostility towards her would be an issue,
which was why she had wanted to use the love potion in the first place. But that coupled with Quinn's growing resistance against her,
forcing her to use the slight compulsion spells on him, irritated her. She really, really wished she knew the more powerful one Lillian
could cast and she was beginning to toy with the idea of just becoming a Dark Sister for that spell alone, not to mention the knowledge
of how to make elixir.
After a moment, she managed to compose herself and she poured two cups of coffee: one for her and one for Rhys.
21. And then, after adding the cream and sugar, she added a few drops of the love potion and stirred that in as well. He only needs to look
at me after he takes a sip and it won't matter anymore, she thought.
22. He didn't look up from the newspaper as she placed his mug on the table next to him, but she didn't worry as she sat down on one of
the nearby chairs. Rhys Fitzhugh, for all his past plots and nefarious plans across the Multi-Verse, had happily fallen into comfortable
habits and routines while being married to Eden. One of the habitual things he did was drink his coffee while he read the newspaper.
All she had to do was wait.
23. "Anything interesting in the news today?" she asked after a few moments.
She was only rewarded with a small, irritated sigh.
24. She made a great show of being cold. She shivered and rubbed her arms. "It's awfully chilly in here, don't you think? Just look at the
goosebumps on my arms. They're huge!"
"Then put some clothes on," Rhys said dismissively, not even bothering to look at her. And then, in a habitual manner...
26. With a grin, Bella stood up and started leaning over the table to pull down the newspaper when, at that moment, Eden entered the
room with Quinn right behind her.
27. She completely ignored Quinn when he stood next to her. Instead, she looked on in horror as she watched her love potion go to waste.
28. "Damn, Ede," Rhys said slowly as his eyes wandered over Eden's body as if he were seeing it for the first time, "is that a new nightgown
or something?"
Eden raised her eyebrows in return. "Uh, no. It's--"
29.
30. Bella nearly screamed in frustration as Rhys threw a giggling Eden over his shoulder and carried her upstairs. She heard Quinn sigh next
to her.
31. "Good morning, dear wife of mine. It's so good of you to acknowledge my presence," he said sarcastically.
32. "Oh shut up, Quinn," she threw over her shoulder as she stomped out of the room.
~*~*~
33.
34. Later that evening, Rhys was at the dining room table happily writing Eden a letter when the effects of Bella's potion abruptly wore off.
With a jolt and a shake of his head he looked around for a few moments with a confused blink. The day had flown by in a haze and he
was only sure of three things: He was thirsty, hungry, and a bit... sore.
35. With a grin and a proud sniff, he said to himself, "Still got it," out loud to the empty room.
36. However, as he looked down at what he had been writing, his grin instantly disappeared and his eyes widened when he saw exactly
what he had written to Eden. His hand instantly covered the letter and he looked around the room and over his shoulders as he
crumpled it.
37. Not wanting to take any chances, he threw the offending piece of paper into the fireplace and burned it.
38. When it had turned to ash, he rubbed his forehead with a shaking hand. Writing that letter had to have been, quite possibly, the
dumbest thing he had ever thought of doing. He had no idea what came over him. Things like that were always better left unsaid.
Understood, yes, but never, ever said out loud. Or, as in this case, ever written.
He shook his head ruefully with a sigh and he went upstairs to his and Eden's bedroom.
39. He leaned in the doorway and watched Eden as she napped. He tried not to laugh at her apparent exhaustion, but was unsuccessful.
"What's so funny?" she asked.
He shook his head with a smile and said, "Nothing," as he joined her in their bed.
40. "So how are you doing?" he asked, unable to hide his smirk.
"Good. A bit tired maybe. It's been a while since we, uh, were that vigorous so many times in one day."
"Well just because I'm forty-blah-blah-blah years old doesn't mean that I can't thoroughly rock your world, hard, on occasion."
"Rhys, you always rock my world, you know that." She cocked her head and grinned at him. "So, 'forty-blah-blah-blah?'"
"Yeeeah, I stopped really counting after twenty-nine, though I am vaguely aware that the anniversary of my twenty-ninth birthday is
almost old enough to legally drink." The two of them shared a companionable laugh. He closed his eyes again as she continued to idly
run her fingers through his fauxhawk. The thought crossed his mind that she was probably ruining it, but at that moment, he really
didn't care. He sighed contentedly.
41. He opened his eyes when she playfully tugged at his hair. "Well, whatever it is that you took, not saying that you did or that you need
to, and if you did I know it would only be for recreational purposes--"
"Darn right it would be!" he interrupted indignantly.
"I know that. Anyway, whatever it is that you took, if you did indeed take something, well, it certainly was effective. Very, very
effective."
"Honestly, Ede, that was all me and my awesomely natural sexual prowess. In fact, the last thing I had today was coffee..." he trailed off
as his brow furrowed. Before he could finish his train of thought however, his stomach rumbled loudly, which caused both of them to
laugh again. "We burned a lot of calories today. A lot of them. I'm starving," he declared.
She giggled. "Me too."
42. "Unfortunately, seeing as we were too busy acting like porn stars, neither one of us made anything for dinner," he said as he sat up.
"You know what? That's totally fine, because you know what I'm really in the mood for? A big, fat, huge, meaty burrito."
"Oh man, I'm so in the mood for Mexican food right now that I won't even bother pointing out how I know you really like big, huge,
meaty burritos." He quirked his eyebrow and smirked at her.
She laughed. "Then I won't point out that you still pointed it out."
43. "Thanks, Babe, you're the best," he tossed over his shoulder as he got out of bed.
Eden blew him a kiss. "Yeah, I know."
44. With identical grins, he and Eden walked out of the bedroom arm in arm. All thoughts of the coffee he had that morning were
completely forgotten.
~*~*~
45.
46. Puck stared at the ceiling above him as the faint blue morning light filtered through the blinds of his bedroom window. He was too
excited to sleep. Too nervous as well, but that was understandable. He glanced over at his alarm clock for what seemed like the
hundredth time that night.
6:00 AM
He burrowed under the covers again, drawing Erin's warm body close to his. She made a mumbling sound in the back of her throat but
didn't wake up. She fit perfectly against him. He sighed with contentment and willed himself to go back to sleep.
47. But excitement drove any sort of drowsiness away and his eyes popped open. It had been like that all night long. He sighed again, this
time with reluctance. He slowly removed himself from the warm cocoon and padded toward the window to look outside.
Snow was starting to slowly fall from the sky. It looked like it was going to be a white Christmas. The snowstorm that the weathermen
had been predicting hadn't hit yet, but Puck hoped it wouldn't come for another couple of days, preferably after Christmas. But that was
a completely separate worry from the other one Puck had at that moment.
48. He walked quietly into his living room, opened up his desk drawer, and pulled out the small, black velvet box that he had tucked into
the back. He walked back into his bedroom, sat down on the edge of his bed and opened it.
He had no idea how to propose to Erin. He had vague thoughts of doing it in front of everyone at the Christmas party her family threw
every year, but the idea of having everyone watch made him cringe. He thought about popping over at her house Christmas morning
when her family was opening their gifts, but, again, the thought of people watching, particularly Erin's father (who he knew would smirk
the entire time!), also made him pause.
So that left this morning: Christmas Eve morning. But his tiny apartment, which had no seasonal decorations, wasn't terribly romantic.
Heck, he didn't even have much in the way of food in his refrigerator, so a 'breakfast in bed' proposal wasn't even an option. Then an
idea occurred to him: it might be pretty romantic if she woke up to him presenting her with the ring. The more he turned it over in his
mind, the better the idea sounded.
49. With a grin, he leaned over and stroked her hair. "Erin," he whispered.
"Mmm, sleeping," she mumbled back.
He kissed her neck and whispered again, "Erin, wake up."
"Mmm, no, I told you, not before I've had coffee," she grumbled again as she buried her head under the blankets.
50. Realizing that he was about to lose his courage, he straddled her hips and placed his hands on either side of her head. "Erin, wake up. I
want to give you something."
"Fine, Puck, do what you want to me. Just don't wake me up. Sleeping!"
For a moment, a brief moment, he thought about doing just that. He blushed and cast the thought to the side, almost ashamed that he
had even contemplated it. Almost ashamed. "Erin, you are making it very hard to propose to you."
"Fine, Puck, yes I'll marry you," she said with a yawn as she drifted back to sleep.
51. He blinked. This was not going as well as he had hoped. He opened the velvet box, placed it front of her face, and kissed her cheek.
Her eyes opened and widened when she saw the engagement ring.
"Oh my God, you're serious aren't you?" she said, finally casting off her desire for sleep.
"Of course I am."
"But..but you already know that we're going to get married. I didn't think..."
"You didn't think I would propose? I mean, yeah, I knew we were going to get married. Eventually. The vision thing didn't specify how
many times I had to ask."
52. She grinned and arched an eyebrow at him. "It still feels sort of like cheating seeing as you obviously know what my response will be."
"So...you're saying yes?"
"If you're asking."
"I am asking."
53. "Did I ever tell you how my dad proposed to my mother?" she asked idly. "She was filming 'Dusk' in Three Lakes and he drove all the
way out there after Vaughn's wedding to propose to her. He got down on one knee and everything. The way my mother tells the story,
it all sounded very romantic." She grinned at his confused look and poked his bare thigh. "What would I tell our kids? 'Well your father,
who was still sporting a bit of morning wood by the way, straddled me, pinned me down, and gave me the engagement ring assuming I
would say yes based off of one of the visions he used to have.'"
He hoped he didn't sound too disappointed when he said, "Yeah, you're right. It does sound kind of stupid."
Erin gently trailed her fingers over his leg. "Puck, I'm not demanding an over the top gesture, but I am requesting that you actually ask."
54. He took the hint and rolled off the bed. He hesitated for a moment before he got on his knee next to the bed. "Erin, I love you very
much and I always have, pretty much since I was a little kid. I actually wanted to do a huge, grand gesture but I couldn't think of
anything that was good enough for such a momentous occasion, not to mention that I would have probably frozen up in front of a huge
crowd anyway. And despite the fact that you know this about me, you still like being with me and love me. You are the woman who I
want to happily spend the rest of my life with. Will you please marry me?"
55. A wide smile spread across her face and she bit her lip. "Yes I will marry you, Puck. Nothing would make me happier." She wiped her
eye and sniffled slightly.
He couldn't help but grin when he asked, "Ere, are you actually crying?"
"No!"
"Oh, okay. I just thought I saw you--"
"I'm not crying!"
56. He grinned even wider and ran his hand over her legs. "So, when you retell this story, you think you can gloss over some of the
unnecessary details? You know, like the part about how we aren't wearing anything more than our underwear?"
"Well our kids and parents don't need to know every detail. Plumbbob knows that my mother probably glossed over a lot when she
told me and my brother her story."
"Well I would be truly grateful if you did gloss over some of the more nitty, gritty parts."
"It's a deal."
"I also promise not to tell people you cried."
"I wasn't--"
57. The rest of her feigned protests were promptly muffled.
~*~*~
58. Rhys whistled happily as he prepared breakfast. He'd had the most awesome time with Eden the day before, there was the Christmas
party that night, and best of all, he was pretty sure that he had recovered from his youthful enthusiasm from the previous day, which
totally meant that there was going to be Christmas sex that night (which was the best sex next to New Year's Eve Sex, Valentine's Day
Sex, St. Patrick's Day Sex, Independence Day Sex, Birthday Sex, Makeup Sex, and, well, honestly there really was no such thing as bad
sex). For the most part, Rhys was content, even downright happy.
59. Unfortunately his good mood instantly disappeared when Bella entered the room. The cheerful whistle died on his lips as soon as he
saw her and a scowl took its place.
60. "Good morning," the woman said with a smirk. He made a big show of ignoring her as he turned his back and continued to stir the
pancake batter. She refused to take the hint as she leaned against the counter. "So what are you doing?" she asked.
Piss off and die, he thought vehemently, but he refused to say anything to her. Thankfully she moved away from him, but she didn't
leave the kitchen, much to his irritation.
61. A few moments later she was standing next to him, this time she was holding a coffee mug while she slid his towards him. "I wasn't sure
if you had your morning coffee yet," she said. He was tempted to knock it to the floor, but he refrained, namely because it was his
favorite mug. She slid it even closer to him when it became apparent that he was going to ignore it. He was about to say out loud, "Go
to hell," when it clicked in his mind:
The only thing he'd had the day before was coffee. Coffee that Bella had given him. That suddenly explained his previous vigorous
activities and the realization that it wasn't 'all him' was more than a little disappointing. That... bitch...must have slipped something into
his drink.
62. Just to be sure that he was right in that assumption, he picked up his mug and pretended to sip from it while looking at her. He noticed
her smirk as he set it down, but before he could comment on it...
64. He flailed his arms as he reeled away from her. "What the actual fuck?" he shouted. A look of panic crossed her face and he continued
shouting at her. "Oh my fucking god! What the hell? You're...you're married to my son! I..I..just.." and for one of the few times in Rhys'
life, he was at a loss for words. "Get out! Fucking leave! Just fucking get out!" he finally manged to spit out.
65. Strangely enough, instead of leaving the room, she glared at Rhys for a moment before reaching up and touching her eye, causing it to
tear. Then she made a hitching sound in her throat and ran out of the room as she loudly gulped in air to simulate sobs, nearly knocking
over Eden in the process.
66. Eden watched Bella run up the stairs and she turned to Rhys, giving him a bewildered look. "What was that all about? What's with the
yelling?" she asked.
67. It took him a moment to respond. "That woman tried to drug me! She groped me! Oh my god. I want her out. I want her gone! I can't
live in this house anymore with that whore. You said that I have a say in what goes on around here and I say I want that bitch out of
here, I really, really don't give a shit about what Quinn wants at the moment!"
"It's nice to finally hear your true feelings, Dad," Quinn said angrily as he walked into the kitchen. Bella was trailing behind him with
another smirk.
68. "Yeah, it's time that you grow up and face the truth that--"
"That my father is such a big asshole that he would make a pass at his own son's wife."
69. Quinn's words startled Rhys into silence again as he stared with his mouth open. The accusation was so ridiculous that he started
laughing. "What? Is that what she told you? Oh whatever."
70. "No! Not 'whatever.' Fact. I know all about everything that you did around the Multi-Verse. I know how you are."
71. "Quinn, maybe if you let your father explain," Eden said as she tried to step in between the two, but Rhys cut her off.
"No, Ede, stop." He looked at Quinn with a glare. "The time for 'explaining' anything has passed. You know, if you would have said
something a few months ago then maybe, yeah. But after three months of your little attitude towards me I've decided that I've had
enough. I'm your father, and you don't get to judge me."
72. A cold look settled over Quinn's face and he said, "Yeah? Well I really wish that you weren't my father. I can't believe that I ever wanted
to be like you. Now I wish I didn't even know you." He spun on his heel and stormed out of the room, Bella following behind him. The
front door slammed shut.
73. Rhys felt like Quinn just punched him in the stomach. Eden tried to lay a hand on his arm, but he shrugged her off.
"Rhys," She said gently, "he didn't mean it."
"Well it sure sounded like he did."
"But he didn't. You and I both know that. He's just angry right now. He'll come back in a few hours and you two can talk about it then."
Rhys closed his eyes and sighed.
74. Right then, Erin bounced into the house with Puck following behind her. "We have big, huge, gigantic news!" she said cheerfully. "Puck
and I are engaged!"
75. Then she sensed the tension in the air and she gave her parents a confused look. " Woah! What the heck did I miss?"
76. Rhys and Eden just looked at each other grimly.
~*~*~
77. Quinn felt absolutely awful about what he had said to his father shortly after the fight. Unfortunately he and Bella had already driven to
SimCity so she could go shopping to help 'get over her stressful morning.' He didn't feel like trailing behind Bella as she looked at every
single, expensive item she had her eyes on so he had just given her his wallet, which she took without a second thought. So he resigned
himself to walking down the quiet city street as he debated what to do.
78. He happened to glance inside the bar he was walking past and he noticed that Emily was working there. He felt a pang of guilt and
loneliness as he watched her wash the counter of the bar. He was debating as to whether or not he should go inside when a gust of
cold wind mixed with snow blew through the air. With a shiver, he opened the door and stepped inside.
79. He could feel his face stretch into the first genuine smile he had in months as she looked up at him. It didn't hurt that her smile matched
his own.
"Hey, Em," he said hesitantly.
"Hey, Quinn," she said in a much more eager voice, which made him feel even more guilty.
80. "So..you're working here?"
She began washing the counter again. "Yeah. I'm saving up for my own apartment, which I promised my parents I'd do. They're still
really pissed that I dropped out of school."
"Why did you drop out?" She shrugged but didn't answer his question. The two of them were silent for a bit until he asked, "How are
your parents anyway?"
"'Living apart together,'" she replied. "In other words they're separated but neither one of them want to file for a divorce. And now that
they don't have to worry about a custody battle they're just..I don't know. They're just weird." She sighed and shrugged again.
81. Quinn looked around the empty bar. "It's pretty dead in here," he said for lack of anything better to say.
Emily shook her head. "Tell me about it. Christmas Eve can be a hit or miss type of day. I was really hoping to make a ton of money in
tips but with the forecasted 'Storm of Doom' on the way, people have decided to stay home I guess."
82. Quinn automatically reached for his wallet to buy something to drink when he remembered that he gave it to Bella. He sighed and
shook his head. "I'd help, but my...wife...has my wallet. I am a completely useless customer. I'm sorry. I should get going."
"No, please don't," she pleaded. "You're the first person I've seen in hours. You could stay and keep me company for a little while. It's
been such a long time since we last had a real conversation. The only important thing I have to do is clean the counters, which I've
already done like five times. Please? I would really like you to stay."
83. He breathed a sigh of relief. "I would love nothing more than to stay here with you."
"Great!" she said with an eager smile. "I'll get you a drink, on the house. What would you like?"
"Just water. I have a pounding headache."
84. As she went to get get the water, he flopped into one of the booths and rested his head in his hands. When she came back, she placed
the glass of water and two aspirin in front of him before sliding into the booth.
85. The two of them were silent as the light of the setting sun feebly shone through the windows. "So how are things?" Emily finally asked.
He groaned and rested his head on the table with a heavy sigh. "That good, huh?"
"Everything is awful, Em," he said quietly. "If I could go back in time and change everything, everything, I would. I should never have
married Bella. I don't know what I was thinking."
She gave a bitter laugh. "She's a hot woman who played happy fun naked times with you. I believe it's referred to as 'First Lay Love.'"
"Emphasis on 'played.' She has no interest in doing what she knew she needed to do, at least not with me. It's not like I'm asking for ten
kids. We're not allowed to even have that many, you know? Instead she's only interested in shopping and making digs at my mother,
and let's not even get into the entire mess with my father."
"What?"
86. He sighed and told her about what had happened that morning. "And the worst thing about it is that, thinking back, I know he wouldn't
have made any sort of move on her. He's made it very clear that he has absolutely no interest in her, at least not in this Mini-Verse. I
have no idea what came over me, but when I was saying those terrible things to him, I actually meant them and I can't take those words
back."
Emily shrugged. "You know, I tell my parents all the time I hate them and I really, truly mean it when I say it. But then I feel bad about it
later and I apologize. Parents kind of expect to be told that they're hated. I'm pretty sure that your parents told your grandparents that
they hated them."
87. "Maybe. Probably not my mom to her parents, but maybe my dad did, yeah."
"And your Grandpa Spencer has forgiven and still loves your father."
"True, but you didn't see the look on my dad's face," he replied glumly.
She shook her head. "Quinn, obviously you feel really bad about all of it. It was a temporary moment of insanity. And all of this is really
easy to fix. Seriously. Just go home and apologize. And as for your problems with Bella..." she trailed off with a roll of her eyes.
"What?"
"Divorce her if she makes you this unhappy. People do it all of the time for dumber reasons. I highly doubt anyone will think badly of
you. In fact, based off of everything you told me, I’m sure your family will throw you a 'Divorce Party.'"
88. "Yeah, probably. Bella would rake me over the coals though. Alexander would make sure of it."
"Who cares? So Bella gets half. Big deal. It's not like your family would be in the poor house and I'm sure everyone would agree that it
was money well spent."
"And then I'm back to where I was. Nobody wants me," he finished with a mutter.
89. Emily reached over and touched his hand. "That's not true," she said softly.
90. He looked down at their hands for a moment then gave her a sad smile. "I've missed you, Em. I wish..." he shrugged and looked down.
"I've missed you, too. Quinn, nobody will care. We can be happy together. And if anyone has a problem with it, which maybe people
won't now, we could just move somewhere else. Let Erin be heir. But I really don't think it would come to that."
"Maybe you're right."
"I know I'm right," she said emphatically.
91.
92.
93.
94. "And what the hell is this?" Bella said interrupting their passionate embrace.
95. Quinn's face was guilty, but Emily merely smiled at Bella as she slid away from Quinn and out of the booth.
96. Bella ignored the green girl as she glared at Quinn. "You're cheating on me with your first cousin? Just what kind of inbred hillbilly are
you anyway?"
"Oh like you’re one to talk," Emily replied.
"I wasn't talking to you," Bella spat.
97. Quinn sighed and looked regretfully over at Emily. "I, uh, I should get going."
Bella sneered at him. "You think you’re better than everyone and yet here you are--"
"We're leaving," Quinn said as he gently nudged her towards the door.
98. "I'll call you later, Quinn," Emily said happily. "And have a good Christmas."
He looked over his shoulder and gave her a wide smile. "You, too. Bye, Em."
Bella glared at the two of them, tossed her head with a sniff, and stormed out the door.
99. Bella made a big show of giving Quinn the cold shoulder when they got into the car. It wasn't until he was slowly driving through the
heavy snow that she decided to bite out the words, "I can't believe you."
Quinn didn't know how to respond to that. Honestly, he couldn't believe himself either.
"You're just like your father!"
A small seed of realization blossomed in his mind, proof that once and for all his father didn't make any sort of pass at Bella. "Not true,"
he said. "For everything that my dad is, he's not a person who cheats on his wife."
100. "Then that just makes you worse than your father!" She was right of course, but he strangely found himself laughing which made her
even more incensed. "Oh? You think this is a joke? You think this is funny? You--"
He cut her off. "Bella? Shut. Up. Just..yeah. Shut up."
"How dare--"
101. He continued on quietly, ignoring her interruption. "This is what's going to happen: we're going home. And when we get there, I'm
going to apologize profusely to my dad because he was right: I had absolutely no right to judge him on his past, especially since it really
doesn't have any bearing on my life and how he treated me, my sister, and my mother here. And while I am doing that, you're going to
go upstairs and pack your things. Take whatever, I don't care. And then I'll call you a cab and that cab will take you to a hotel. A nice,
big, fancy, expensive one, just how you like them. I'll pay for it. And then, after the holidays, I'm going to hire a lawyer and file for a
divorce. I'm done. I'm tired of being angry with people for no real apparent reason. It gives me a headache."
"You most certainly are not divorcing me!"
"Yes. I am. Bella, why did you even want to get married to me? You don't even like me!"
102. "Because," Bella spat out, "I was told to get married to you. You! A nobody! And I won't have some 'nobody' dumping me!"
"Well this 'nobody' is," Quinn said calmly, trying hard not to sound hurt over her words. Then he raised an eyebrow. "Who told you to
get married to me? You didn't have to do anything."
"Remember our mutual friend? Yeah, she made me because she has something that I want. Oh, and I'll let you know that the entire
'You're a hero' line is a bunch of bullshit. You're no hero. You really, really aren't. You killed that poor girl."
"Wait, what?"
"You heard me. Some hero you are. But no, I had to marry you, but I was also given permission to have my own fun and I'll be dammed
if I'm going to let you ruin that."
103. "Your own fun? What..." he suddenly realized what she was talking about; what her intentions had been all along. "My dad. You
wanted him, not me."
"Congratulations, you finally got a clue. It's about frickin' time. But it doesn't matter because you will do what I want!"
104. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her pull something from inside her coat. He turned his attention away from the road and saw her
holding what looked like some sort of stick. "What is that?"
107. As Zane arrived on the scene, he noticed the skid marks in the snow before he noticed the car, which was crushed into a tree and
flipped over. He shook his head slowly as he took note of the destruction. Oh, sure, on the paperwork it had listed the causes of death
for both Quinn and Bella Devereaux, but seeing it was completely different and he idly took note of the fact that he was somewhat
surprised. He had thought he wouldn't be able to feel anything anymore.
108. He went over to Bella's body, which had been thrown from the car. It was strange that her hand was grasping what looked like a broken
tree branch, but he thought that it must have been sticking out of the snow and Bella just so happened to land by it, grasping at it in her
last moments. Her death had been quick. Zane collected her and left her urn sitting in the snow where her body had been only
moments before. He checked her name off on his list and made a few notations before moving over to where Quinn was supposed to
be.
109. Zane's brow creased when he arrived at the designated location. Quinn wasn't there. He looked around in the snow thinking that
perhaps the snowstorm had already covered the body up, but he cast that thought aside, realizing that Bella's body would have also
been covered with snow. He looked closer at the ground and saw that there were marks in the snow; marks indicating that Quinn,
against all odds, had dragged himself away.
110. He stepped around the overturned car and saw Quinn there: battered, bruised, and very clearly in pain. Zane could sense that Quinn
should have been dead due to his grievous internal injuries, but he was still alive.
"Mommy, it hurts," Quinn babbled out, his eyes glazed in pain.
111. Zane didn't say anything as he knelt down. Technically his job wasn't to comfort people, but he felt that easing Quinn from his pain was
the most merciful thing he could do. Zane reached forward to collect Quinn, but his hand stopped, almost as if a force was blocking
him.
"What the heck?" he muttered to himself.
"Dad, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry," Quinn said in between his hitching breaths. The red head looked at Zane. "Please. It hurts. Please.
Please tell my Dad I'm sorry. Please. It hurts."
Zane looked through his paperwork and then back at Quinn. Underneath his hood, his brow creased again. None of it made sense.
112. He looked closer at the dying man and noticed the key hanging around his neck. A Dead Realm key. "Where did you get this?" he
hissed as he pointed at it.
"Princess," Quinn mumbled. "I saved the princess from the evil man in dark robes. Hero. I'm a hero. I saved the princess."
113. He slumped back into the snow as he realized exactly what Quinn meant. "You! It was you who killed Tina! You stole my wife from
me."
Quinn's only response, however, was mumblings, sputterings of his pain, and apologies to his father, whatever that was all about.
114. Zane threw his clipboard to the side as he stood up and clutched his head as grief and anger washed over him. He was tempted to walk
away and let Quinn suffer in pain forever and in fact he turned on his heel and took a step away from the broken man.
115. Binky trotted up to him, blocking his path. You're better than this, Zane, the horse said gently. If you turn away from him, you will never
be the same.
"She was my wife and he stole her from me. He murdered Tina!"
Think about what he said and ask yourself where he got the key from. Is it yours?
"N..no..."
You cannot just leave him here. He is suffering and that key is preventing him from dying.
116. Zane pulled his hood back and screamed at the sky. He then raked both of his hands vigorously through his hair and turned back to
Quinn, kneeling before him.
117. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know," the red head whispered.
Zane gently slipped the necklace over Quinn's head. "I forgive you," he replied. He reached forward again and collected Quinn, easing
him out of his pain and suffering.
118. As he looked at Quinn's urn he lifted his foot to smash it, but then he stopped himself. Binky was right. He was better than that. "I
forgive you, Quinn Devereaux. I forgive you," he whispered.
120. A special thanks to the following people:
Marina: As always for Rhys and Spencer Fitzhugh (Fitzhugh Legacy/Villainous Apocalypse). And thank you for all of your help and advice in regards to this plot line!
Ben: For Cassius Marius (Ten Caesars Legacy)
Cait: For Charles and Jane Austen (The Regacy)
De: For her Simself (The Morgan Legacy)
Doc: For Cassidy Vetinari (The Vetinari Dualegacy)
Ori: For Louise Legacina and Star Walton (The Pseudo Legacy).
Prof: For Achilles Goodytwoshoes (The Squeaky Clean Legacy)
And another very special thanks to Lark (the author of way too many things to list here) for talking me down from the multiple ledges and, for this chapter in particular, thanks for
helping me figure out how to get from Point A to Point B with some of this plot line. Most importantly, thanks for the use of the cave where I'll be hiding. I have a strange allergy
to torches and pitchforks.
Biggest thanks to all of my readers. Thank you so much for reading and commenting. Until next time, Happy Simming!
