Amarante is approached by a stranger named Geoff Rutherford while grocery shopping. Amarante feels a sense of dread, as she did when first encountering the mysterious woman after her performance. Geoff introduces himself and his family, and mentions Amarante's potential value to an unnamed effort, making Amarante uncomfortable. She cuts the interaction short to find her husband Jeremy and son Nicholas.
2. Thanks for reading Chapter 1.2 of the Gestalt Legacy! In the first chapter, Amarante Gestalt moved to Pleasantview after graduating college. While trying to get her music career off the ground, Amarante met up with a few of the Megahoodâs more supernatural denizens, and fell in love with a friend from her college days. He moved in, and the result was, wellâŠthe picture above pretty much explains it. Without further ado, here we go!
3. âStupid countersâŠhow the hell do they get so dirty so quickly?â Jeremy grumbled. âAll I did was make a sandwich. Itâs like they expect you to clean this thing everyd--â âWAAHHH!â
4. âAmarante?â Jeremy called, immediately abandoning the half finished counter. âBabe, whatâs wrong? Where are you? Are you ok?â âOk? Look at me!â Amarante wailed. âOh myâŠâ
5. âIâm pregnant! And we werenât even trying!* How could this happen, Iâm not ready for this! What am I going to do?â Swept up the shock of her discovery, Amarante barely felt Jeremyâs arms close around her. Jeremy tried to choose his words carefully, in spite of his girlfriendâs obvious painâand his newfound status as a soon-to-be father. âAmaranteâŠI donât know how this happened either, but you know you wonât be alone in this, right? Iâm not going anywhere.â *Itâs true, they werenât. I have risky whoohoo enabled, plus I have a silent pregnancy hack installed so this was a complete surprise.
6. Despite his best efforts, Jeremy was unable to calm Amarante down. âJeremy! I justâŠI canât do this right now ok? Itâs too much! I just, I canât deal with thisâŠ! Could youâŠcould you leave me alone for a while?â Though she had no way of knowing, her words cut Jeremy like a knife. âI guess Iâll give you some âalone-timeâ then,â Jeremy muttered.
7. As he walked through their front door, a part of Amarante wanted to yell at him, scream at himâŠdo anything to keep him from leaving. But the distrust and confusion that caused her to react so strongly to her sudden pregnancy also caused her to watch him silently walk away.
8. After cleaning up and trying, unsuccessfully, to get her feelings in order, Amarante called the only other friend she had in the city.
9. âYou know, when you said you had a major problem, sudden weight gain wasnât exactly what I was expecting,â Cassandra beamed. ââŠCassandra, Iâm pregnant, not fat.â Cassandra shook her head and laughed. âI know, Amarante. Letâs go inside.â
10. At first, Amarante waited for Cassandra to begin speaking. But after it was apparent that the other woman was making a point of not starting the conversation, Amarante took a deep breath and, before she could help it, spilled out the whole story.
11. ââŠso now I have no idea what to do, Jeremyâs probably going to break up with me, and Iâll have to raise this baby by myselfâand I have no idea how since I work such crazy hours. What am I going to do?â âAmarante, have I ever explained my family situation to you?â Amarante thought for a second, and surprisingly, realized she hadnât. âNo, I guess not.â
12. âAfter my mother disappeared, I went through aâŠI guess a phase is what youâd call it, when I felt like I wasnât in control of my own life. I completely withdrew from my family, would stay in bed for hoursâŠthat sort of thing.â Cassandra paused for a moment, scowling. âI met a guy and started a relationship with him immediately, before I realized what a lying scumbag he was. We got engaged, but on the day of our wedding he left. I havenât seen him since,â Cassandra ended with a bitter smile. Amarante was shocked. âThatâs horrible!â
13. Cassandraâs smile widened. âYeah, but it doesnât end there. After my engagement collapsed, my best friend Darren found the courage to tell me he loved me.â By now, Cassandra was positively grinning. âWe agreed to take it slow, but since then I couldnât be happier. We got engaged five years ago, and since then Iâve given birth to two adorable little boys.â âYou arenât married?â âNope, not yet. We will eventually, when the time is right, but we donât feel the need to rush into anything. Whatâs important is that we love and support each otherâŠlike you and Jeremy do.â
14. Calmed and encouraged by Cassandraâs story, Amarante stood up to hug her friend. âThanks Cassie. Reallyâ
16. Unlike Amarante, Jeremy didnât have the luxury of a friendâs advice at the moment. As he walked to the main doors of the Pleasantview PD, he took several deep breaths in an effort to calm himself down. Itâs not her fault, itâs not her fault. This is a big deal for both of us, sheâll calm down eventually, Jeremy thought to himself. So how come I canât calm down?
17. To be fair, things at work werenât going particularly smoothly. In the past few months, crime had sharply increased in several Sim City neighborhoods. Assaults, thefts, even kidnappings were occurring at a particularly alarming rate, and though Pleasantview wasnât suffering too badly, the same couldnât be said for her police officers.
18. Forcing a smile on his face, Jeremy approached Detective Adam Jung as he entered the building. âAdam, tell me we arenât being sent halfway across the county again. I donât think I could deal with another three hours of listening to your relationship problems,â Jeremy joked.
19. âLook man, I canât help the fact that the ladies love me, alright?â Detective Jung yawned. âBut bad news for youâthe chief wants to see you in his office, pronto.â Jeremy groaned. âLooks like I spoke too soon. Thanks for the headâs up man.â
20. âLook, weâre all stressed out, but claiming some fairy tale monsters are the cause of this BS thatâs happening around town is crazy! Câmon Victor, think about what youâre saying.â On his way upstairs, Jeremy hesitated near two patrol officers arguing. Though he didnât eavesdrop as a general rule, this was the first time heâd hear one officer accusing another of believing in âfairy tale monsters.â
21. âKeep your head in the sand if you want Louie, but the evidence is everywhere,â the officer ranted. âDisappearances, violent crime, government corruption. Connect the dots and it paints the same picture: some thing is controlling the city, Mac!â âDude, whatever you say.â As Mac Louie got back to work, Jeremy approached his paranoid companion. âI think youâre mixing metaphors, Officer Aspir.â
22. âSay whatever you want, I know the truth! I donât need some know-it-all detective telling me Iâm crazy,â Officer Aspir fumed.
23. âWoah, wait a minute!â Jeremy backed up. â I was just kidding man, calm down!â With a dismissive gesture, Officer Victor Aspir turned to walk away. âI wouldnât expect anyone here to get it, youâre all so caught up in your own messes that you canât see whatâs right in front of you!â What, Jeremy wondered, the Hell was that all about?
24. âAh, Detective Barnes. Derek has been waiting for you.â If there was one person in the office Jeremy could count on to have a little sense, it was Chief Boyleâs wife and receptionist, Cara.
25. âThanks Cara. Any idea what this is all about?â âNone, but youâll have to wait another minute or so. Apparently someone filed another complaint about Detective Verr.â âAgain?â
26. âAgain.â For Police Chief Derek Boyle, this conversation was not a new one. Though Max Verrâs apprehension rate was among the best in the county, the young detectiveâs methods often resulted in broken bones and the occasional lawsuit. âMax, all Iâm saying is, tone it down a bit. Your last bust ended up on the news, and Iâm getting phone calls from lawyers all across town.â
27. âSo youâre saying I should have let the owners of that dog-fighting operation go free, is that it?â Verr growled. âNo, Iâm saying breaking oneâs jaw and giving another a concussion wasnât necessary. Your job is to enforce the law, not to dole out punishment.â âIâll take that into consideration, Chief.â
28. âWhat the hell is supposed to stop these bastards from doing the same thing once they get out in a few months if I donât give them a reason?â Max seethed through tightly clenched teeth. Waiting until Detective Verr was safely out of earshot, Jeremy turned back to Mrs. Boyle. âWhat is it with everyone today?â Jeremy wondered. âBeats me, hon,â Cara drawled. âBut it looks like the Chief is free.â
29. âYou wanted to see me, Chief?â Jeremy asked as he closed the door Detective Verr hadnât bothered to close.
30. âAh, yes. Howâs it going, Jeremy? I hear your girlfriendâs making quite a name for herself downtown. Everythingâs going well, Iâm sure?â âUh, sure. Everythingâs great,â Jeremy lied. âIs that why you wanted to see me, Sir?â
31. âNo, no. I wanted to let you know that I need you to head over to Veronaville for the day and cover for one of their officers. It seems that theyâve suffered from a rash of no-shows lately, and theyâve got no one to patrol this afternoon.â âPatrol?â Jeremy protested. âCanât you send over one of our actual patrol officers? Even if I leave now, I wonât be back until nightfall.â
32. âIf I send one of our patrol officers, then weâll be understaffed,â Boyle responded with a stern glare. âUnderstood?â Jeremy sighed. âOf course, Sir. Iâll leave now.â
33. As it turns out, Jeremy made good time getting back, and was able to make it home by sundown. The long drive to and from Veronaville did nothing but to allow Jeremy even more time to ruminate on his situation with Amarante. Needless to say, he was not in the best of moods as he arrived.
34. As they sat down for dinner, at first neither spoke. This time, however, it wasnât long before Amarante broke the ice. âJeremy, I want to apologize for this morning,â she tentatively offered. Jeremy responded with a wordless glance. âThis baby isnât about me,â Amarante continued. âItâs about us. I admit, Iâm scared, but I donât doubt that youâll make a wonderful father. Iâm sorry for even remotely implying otherwise.â
35. Though he had planned to deliver a proper rant about Amaranteâs lack of faith in both him and herself, and how her unwillingness to get over her past was keeping their relationship from moving forward, when Jeremy saw the sad, hopeful look in her eyes, he forgot whatever it was he was going to say. âAmarante, Iâve been thinking about it all day, and I know this isnât the most romantic proposal, but now that youâreâŠwell, that weâre having a baby, if you want to get married you know I will.â Jeremy cringed at that last part. This really isnât going right, is it?
36. âJeremy, I love you, but I donât want you to think that we have to get married just because Iâm pregnant.â âNo! Thatâs not it, I just wanted youââ âI know what you mean. And I think, eventually, getting married would be wonderful. But, to be honest weâve only been together for a few months now, and I think it would be best if we got married when the time is right. Is that ok?â
37. Feeling a huge burden lifting off of his shoulders, Jeremy laughed. âYeah, thatâs ok. So can we stop being mad at each other now?â he asked.
39. While waiting for their baby to be born, Jeremy and Amarante passed the time in different ways. Jeremy focused on getting promoted, so most of the time he could be found working out, improving his analytical skills, and brushing up on proper crime scene etiquette.
40. Of course, he always found some time to work on a painting or two.
42. Nevertheless, she found that music remained a valuable outlet for her stress. In fact, Amarante was able to channel her uncertainty into writing and composing several new songs. All things considered, as it grew closer to Amaranteâs due date, the couple seemed more and more prepared to take on the coming responsibility.
43. Preparations that, of course, seemed to go out the window once it was actually time to have the baby. âOwwwww! Jeremy! It hurts!â Amarante wailed.
44. âDonât worry Babe! Youâre doing fine, just remember: short, shallow breaths!â Jeremy cheered the soon to be mother of his child.* *What would be the correct term? Baby Mama?
45. Before either of them could say another word, it was over. âWelcome to the world, my little Nicholas.â
46. Though at this age, itâs always hard to tell, it seemed as though Nicholas Gestalt at least looked like a mixture of his two parents. His skin tone was a solid blend of his motherâs light and his fatherâs dark, and while he had his fatherâs blue eyes, Nicholas shared his motherâs black hair. In his parentâs eyes,* he was simply perfect. *And in the authorâs eyes too!
47. Nicholasâ babyhood proved to go as smoothly as any babyâs goes. His parents divided up caring for him basically evenly, with Jeremy taking control of feeding himâŠ
49. In no time it seemed, it was time for Nicholasâs first major birthdayâŠwhich Amarante chose to spend in her underwear. âYay Nicholas! Happy birthday my big, grown up boy!â
50. âAll right kiddo, here goes nothing!â Jeremy yelled, tossing his son into the air.
51. âMama! Dada!â To no oneâs surprise, Nicholas grew up into a healthy, adorable toddler. However, to both of his parentsâ surprise, Nicholas managed to learn all of his basic skills in less than a day.
52. Each of which Nicholas made to put to the best possible use. âI go outta bed Mama!â Needless to say, he put his parents through quite the workout.
53. But for the most part, Nicholas was a sweet, well-behaved boy. Even from an early age, he adored playing quietly by himself, preferring his blocks to drawing or his toy xylophone.
54. For sure, one thing Nicholas never lacked is attention and devotion from his parents.
55. Relieved that family life was going much more smoothly than they could have imagined, Amarante and Jeremy began to consider expanding their household. For this moment at least, life was good.
56. âSo thatâs milk, apples, peanut butter, and, hmm let me see.â Amarante paused. âAnd bread, right? Am I missing anything?â âNope, that sound about right. If you want to run in and grab what we need, Iâll bring Nick over to the playground,â Jeremy replied. Though it was easier to have their groceries delivered, Amarante and Jeremy relished any opportunity they had to take their son out to play.
57. As Amarante made her way into the store, Jeremy turned to his son. âHey Nicky! Do you want to go play on the llama?â
59. âHere you go champ, be careful ok?â âK Daddy, I will!â
60. âWhee!â Jeremy looked down at Nicholas and smiled. There really is nothing I wouldnât do for this kid, he thought to himself. Amarante too, for that matter. I wonder whatâs taking her so long?
61. âSo youâre sure sheâs supposed to be here, right?â Geoff Rutherford asked his roommate nervously. Eyes intently focused on the video game rack in front of him, Conner Weir replied, âYes, Iâm sure. They come here every other Thursday afternoon. Now pay attention and do your job, âcause the last thing I need is your sister breathing down my neck anymore than she already does, got it?â
62. âAre you even listening to me?â Conner demanded. âNot really, no. But quit worrying. Iâm totally on my game today, thereâs no way Iâll screw this one up.â âOh yeah? Well why donât you work your game over on the target, dumbass. Sheâs standing right over there.â
63. âOh, right. Thanks man.â Geoff sauntered over to the dark-haired woman to his right, running over his sisterâs instructions in his head. Iâm supposed to get a feel for her politics, her abilities, and whether or not sheâs valuable to the effort. Canât be too hard, right?
64. âExcuse me miss, but I couldnât help but notice. Youâre Amarante Gestalt, right?
65. As she turned to the stranger before her, Amarante felt a familiar sense of dread wash over her body. Though not as intense as the fear she felt the night of her first performance, it was unmistakable. Whatever it was that prompted her to loath the woman who approached her that night reared itâs ugly head the moment she locked eyes with this man. âY-yes. Thatâs me,â she stammered. âAh, great. Iâm Geoff Rutherford, of the Belladonna Cove Rutherfords. I just wanted to make a formal introduction, and to let you know that once you start practicing again, weâd love it if you would join us.â
66. âPracticing?â Amarante stared at Geoff quizzically. âWhat are you talking about?â âOh, come on,â Geoff grinned sheepishly. âYou know we can recognize our own, so you donât have to keep on hiding what you are. UnlessâŠyou arenât a part of a Pentacle order, are you?â he asked with a suspicious eye.
67. ââOur ownâ? âPentacle Order?â I have no idea what youâre talking about, but stay the hell away from me and my family!â Amarante fumed, calling the attention of her fellow shoppers. âHey, I donât know what youâre playing at here, but we donât allow apostates in around hereâŠâ Geoffâs carefully constructed charming veneer beginning to crack.
68. Why Marissa chose Geoff to approach Gestalt is beyond me, Conner reflected, as he tried to come up with a way to salvage this debacle.
69. Pushing his roommate to the side, Conner approached Amarante with a calm smile. âIâm really sorry about that, Geoff tends to lose his mind around celebritiesâI remember this one time we were hanging out at the Strangetown Carnival, and I swear, none other than Bella Goth walks past us. The guy went mental, he ran up and grabbed her hand, going on about how they were âmeant to be togetherâ or something. But really, heâs harmless.â
70. âBut Iâm not a celebrity,â Amarante replied, confused beyond all measure. âSure you are!â Conner grinned. âEveryone in townâs been to at least one of your concerts, and I bet most can sing along with at least one of your songs.â
71. âThanks for the compliment, but that doesnât explain anything about what he was talking about,â Amarante observed, refusing to forget Geoffâs very specific ranting. âI understand if he wasâŠstarstruck, I guess, but your friend was talking about stuff that has nothing to do with musicâand nothing to do with reality, from what it seemed like.â Connor froze, trying desperately to come up with an excuse for Geoffâs colossal screw up. âWell, you see, heââ Amarante interrupted him with a glare. âJust forget it. Iâm leaving.â
72. As she made her way back to her family, Amarante debated whether or not she should tell Jeremy about her odd confrontation. Maybe he was right, and his friend Geoff is just crazy. But even as she tried to convince herself of that fact, Amarante couldnât help but remember the irrational fear Geoff had inspired in her, and the fact that, to a part of her she couldnât quite reach, some of what he said almost made sense. âAs much as Nicholas enjoys visiting the playground, I believe wecame here for groceries,â Jeremy joked. âI didnât like how some of their produce looked, I think we should switch stores. Letâs go.â
73. After finding what they needed at a new store in Desiderata Valley, the happy family headed home. There, they faced a different sort of challenge: getting Nicholas to take his nap. âNicky, even big boys take naps! Arenât you all sleepy in your jammies?â Amarante pleaded. âNoooooooâ Nicholas cheerfully replied.
74. âYou know, his birthday is coming up soon. Maybe Nicholas is ready to graduate from naptime. What do you think, Jeremy?â Lost in thought, Jeremyâs only response was a smile as he watched their son babble to himself. âAnd speaking of birthdays, I was thinking we could invite Cassandra and her boys to the party; once Nicholas grows up they should be around the same age,â Amarante continued, not noticing her partner adjusting his position.
75. However, once Jeremy cleared his throat Amarante quickly noticed he was kneeling in front of her, without thinking she leapt to her feet. âJeremy?â she asked with a smile.
76. âAmarante,â he began softly. âWhen I met you in college, I had no idea Iâd ever know you as more than a quiet, beautiful girl who hated the class I was teaching. But in the time that weâve been together, weâve created the kind of family that I never thought Iâd have. I love you and Nicholas more than I could ever love anything else, and I canât picture a life without the two of you.â
82. Oblivious to the significant development occurring in front of him, one member of the Gestalt family was concerned with more practical matters. âMAMA! I go nap! Up up!â
83. Unable to stop laughing, Amarante comforted her son. âIt looks like weâve two big parties coming up, huh Nicky?â âYay! Party!â
84. Deciding to hold their wedding the day of Nicholasâ birthday, for the next week Jeremy and Amarante rushed to plan not one, but two parties. On the day before the occasion, they received an unexpected phone call.
85. âHey Babe?â Jeremy called to his wife. âSome charity called the Oikoumene Foundation wants to know if you could sing at their benefit downtown tonight. Apparently the entertainment they had booked bailed at the last minute or something. I told them youâd think about it.â
86. âThat sounds great! Iâllâooh.â Before she could finish her thought, Amarante swayed for a moment before rushing to the bathroom.
87. After she spent a few seconds throwing up last nightâs leftover chicken, Amarante rose shakily to her feet. âUgh, did I catch a bug or something?â she wondered aloud.
88. âIf youâre sick, I donât think you should go tonight. Weâve already got a lot planned for tomorrow and I donât want you wear yourself out,â Jeremy insisted. Fully recovered from her momentary upset stomach, Amarante replied âDonât be silly Jeremy. Iâm fine now, the leftovers must have gone bad. Go on and head to work, Iâll call a babysitter for tonight.â âHmph. Alright, but if you start feeling sick again, make sure to take a break, ok?â âI will. Have a good day Sweetie.â
89. After spending the day putting together meeting with a member of the Oikoumene Foundation and assuring Nicholas the babysitter was in fact not the boogeyman, Amarante made her way to the Similar Sights Sculpture Park. As she made her way to the stage, an unwelcome sight caused her to pause.
90. Oh noâŠwhat is he doing here? Is he here to cause a scene? What should I do?
91. Bolstered by the fact that they were in the middle of a crowded space, and so there wasnât much Geoff could do without attracting attention, Amarante decided to move on with the show. âAlright everyone! Thank you so much for making to the show! All proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the Oikoumene Foundation, a group dedicated to promoting education and literacy throughout the country.
92. If the sky should fall into the sea, And the stars fade all around me, All the times that we have known here, I will sing a hymn to loveâŠ
93. Don't you ever worry, dear. And the stars shall fade from the sky, All the times that we have known here, I will sing a hymn to our love. Oh darling, Just for you I sing, A hymn to love. âLâhymne a lâamourâ â Edith Piaf
94. Just out of sight, two women pretended to play chess as Amarante began to sing. âI hope youâre committed to the cause, Isabel. Iâd hate to see you back out now when youâve already put so much at stake,â the older woman sneered.
96. âSo tell me again why you dragged us down to the park, Max,â LeodMcGreggor asked his friend and packmate. âSince when are you the charitable type?â âYou may have grew up on a farm on the ass-end of nowhere,â Max teased. âBut that doesnât mean us city folk canât enjoy a good time now and then.â
97. âDonât you think weâre cutting it a little close though?â Leod wondered. Maxâs younger brother Henry cut in. âAw, câmon. Itâs not like we canât handle ourselves after dark. After all, itâs nowhere near the full moon, so if we focus, weâll stay in like FlynnâŠright bro?â
98. âHold on,â Max brusquely replied, sniffing the air. âSomethingâs not right.â
99. The three werewolves paused, each focused on surveying the landscape. Though none of them could pinpoint the disturbance, something or someone in the park set their Beast on high alert. âUh oh,â Henry quaked as the sun finally set. âMaybe youâre right, Leod. We should get out of here.
100. âGo ahead, Isabel.â As her acquaintance muttered something incomprehensible to human ears, Marissa and Geoff made their way out of the park. Once she finished her incantation, Isabel ran to catch up with them.
102. Oh no! Samantha Cordial trembled as she watched the transformation unfold. I was just supposed to observe, I canât let her know Iâm anything special. But the Seers must be behind this! Oh man! Are they trying to kill her?
103. Amarante gasped as she spotted the werewolves. âWhatâŠ? Whatâs going on, what is that?!â she exclaimed, forgetting she still held a microphone.
107. Amarante turned at the sound of footsteps climbing onto the stage. âI know you donât know me,â Samantha explained with a pained expression. âBut believe me, youâve gotta get out of here before they start attacking!â âWhat ARE they?â Amarante demanded. âAnd who are you?â
108. âOh no! Itâs too late!â Someone cried âCall the Police!â as the rest of the concertgoers fled in fear. As the newest werewolf to discover his heritage, Leod was also least in control of his inner Beast. After he finished transforming, he rushed to the first human he saw and attacked.
109. Though physically younger than Leod, Henry and Max had much more practice controlling their transformations, enabling them to resist the urge to kill. Despite that, Max couldnât help but get excited over the overwhelming scent of fear their true forms inspired in the humans around them.
114. Taking advantage of the confusion, Max and his pack quickly ran into the distance, thankful they hadnât been identified close enough for anyone to describe them in detail. But why did we change?! Max furiously thought to himself as they left. Could the vamps have released pheromones into the air nearby? I canât think of anything else that could have caused it, but I donât sense any of them nearby. Screw it, weâve got bigger problems at the moment. Iâll figure it out later.
115. âThank God youâre ok!â Jeremy exclaimed as he clutched Amarante tightly to his chest.
117. Jeremy glanced towards the husband and wife involved in the brawl. âIt looks like Officer Park is questioning them now. As far as I can tell, heâs banged up, but heâll be fine.â
118. âBefore we go, I wanted to talk to the woman who tried to help me earlier. Where isâhey!â
119. âHeh, caught me,â Samantha quipped. âBut thereâs no need to thank me, Iâm just a friendly fan who wanted to help, thatâs all. See you around, Amarante.â
120. Why do these things keep happening to me? âYou believe her?â Jeremy laughed. âWhy not? Itâs late and Iâm tired. Letâs go home.â âOoooh, snippy. I like that,â Jeremy retorted, his grin widening.
121. âItâs a good thing I like you too then, Detective Barnes,â Amarante grinned, silencing Jeremyâs inevitable retort with a kiss.
122. The next afternoon, a small crowd gathered in the backyard of 95 Woodland Drive. Wanting to keep the wedding small, Jeremy and Amarante decided to limit the invitations to their wedding to Cassandra Goth and members of her immediate family. But despite the relatively few number of people in attendance, the bride and groom couldnât be happier.
126. Immediately after Jeremy and Amarante became man and wife, the ceremony was briefly interrupted by a welcome surprise.
127. âWow, that was quick!â Alexander Goth laughed, and the rest of the wedding party followed suit.
128. After the nuptials, the party moved inside in preparation for another milestone. As she looked down at the boy in her arms, Amarante tried her hardest to hold back her tears. My baby is growing up, she smiled to herself. How could I have ever thought you were anything less than a blessing? Once she was sure she could speak without bursting into proud tears, she asked, âAre you ready to grow up, sweet boy?â âYeah!â Nicholas answered with a large grin.
129. In a shower of sparkling lights, Nicholas grew from a toddlerâŠ
131. Proving he hadnât lost the good nature and cheer he possessed as a baby, Nicholas immediately began to make friends with Cassandraâs twin boys: Christopher and Anthony.
132. While the boys created imaginary castles and cities with their blocks, the party continued in the Gestaltâs living room. Jeremy in particular grilled Cassandraâs step-son Dirk on his love life, unfortunately eliciting nothing but a confused stare.
133. Less embarrassingly, but far more heartfelt, Amarante reached out to her closest friend. âCassandra, if it wasnât for you this day probably wouldnât have happened. Thereâs no way I could thank you enough, but I hope you know that your friendship has meant the world to me.â
134. Cassandra shook her head. âAmarante, you and Jeremy would have works things out on your own; I only said what you both knew was true. For what itâs worth though, Iâm truly glad weâve become so close.â
135. âAnd I canât wait for this little one to be born! Youâre a little sweetie, arenât you? Yes you are!â Cassandra crooned, followed by an indecipherable combination of cooing sounds and baby talk.
136. Though she didnât understand a word of what her friend was saying, Amarante appreciated the gesture.
137. After the party had wound down, and they finally managed to get their son to go to sleep for the night, Amarante and Jeremy nearly collapsed on their way to the sofa. âSo, another kid,â Jeremy mused. âI should have known; itâs never a case of bad food.â Pulling his wife close to him, Jeremy thought out loud. âI wonder if itâs a boy or a girl.â Amarante closed her eyes and leaned into Jeremyâs neck. âMaybe itâs both.â âBoth would be nice,â Jeremy smiled, as the newlyweds fell asleep in each other's arms.
138. All the way in Belladonna Cove, things werenât as cozy. âSo,â Marissa Cleveland snapped as she surveyed the group in front of her. âWill someone please tell me who or what exactly Amarante Gestalt is?â To be continued!
139. Yay! I was able to finish Chapter 1.2 quicker than I thought! Thanks so much for reading, and if you have any questions about the story, my custom content, or just want to leave some words of encouragement/criticism, my thread at boolprop or my livejournal are always open! ï ï ï ï ï ï ï ï ï ï ï ï ï ï
140. Before I go, let me introduce the first member of Generation Two ï Nicholas Gestalt 10/7/3/3/7 Favorite Hobby: Science Likes: Entertainment, Sports, Paranormal, Travel Dislikes: Politics, Money, Environment, Crime, Culture, Food