The Valentine Legacy: 3.2
Hello, all, and welcome back to the Valentine Legacy! When we last left off, Lancelot was informed that he would now have to abandon his love and carry on the legacy. Let's see how he carries on the next generation... br />
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Lancelot sat in his newly-constructed living-room/skilling room, perusing the newspaper for a job. He had been advised by Kara to move to a completely different neighborhood. However, in so doing, he could not carry any reminders of his previous neighborhood, save for his own memories and the money his family's deaths had garnered him, a total of about 100,000 Simoleons. That handsome amount had purchased him the legacy-required largest lot, and allowed him to build a nice little home for himself.
The days he had spent at the simself house after the massacre had given him time to re-evaluate his priorities. He knew now that, as he was, he would never be able to be a Media Magnate, as he had wanted before. In fact, he would be lucky if he could work a job at all, given his condition, and the predisposition people had towards hiring something... other. However, he still longed to be the best of some profession, and decided the Slacker career track would be the best for him, as no one would be studying him too closely. And so, he took the job as a Golf Caddy offered in the newspaper as he waited for his neighbors to come around.
Lancelot heard the doorbell ring, and went outside to greet one of his neighbors, a fiery redhead, though he was uncertain whether she was one of the Calientes or just a random townie. Yes, he had decided to move to Pleasantview, a nice, quiet town where normalcy was standard. Or, at least, so the brochure claimed. He and Brandi Broke hit it off fairly well, but Lancelot knew she was a playable, and completely off-limits. His grandfather may have had some divine intervention in that regard once before, but no such trouble would be taken here. And Lancelot accepted that. He knew, without the simselves' help, he would be dead.
However, one thing that Lancelot did not accept was that his neighbors seemed to be helping themselves to his stuff, so he decided to send them off for the moment.
Lancelot needed new reading materials, so he went down to the local bookshop/coffee store/grocery store, where, instead of a riveting new novel, he found a beautiful woman named Alicia Kearney. He struck up a conversation with her, and later invited her to his home.
However, Alicia arrived an hour late at Lancelot's home, and when she got there, he could see she was far younger than he thought her to be. So, he told her to go on home, and that he apologized for dragging her over to his house like this.
Less than an hour later, Lancelot found himself in the bathroom, the most isolated room of the house, as he began to transform, as he did every night now, into a werewolf. He had changed into his pajamas to avoid any rips occuring in his athletic outfit or normal clothing, though he knew it was a bit ridiculous to think like that, as his body wasn't hulking up or completely altering in shape. The pain was something he had learned to deal with after the first few times, but that didn't stop it from hurting.
Several agonizing minutes later, the transformation was complete, and Lancelot howled for the moon. However, with his heightened senses, he could definitely tell his Hygeine score had taken a serious hit during the day, so he walked for the shower.
Lancelot shuddered as the warm waters from the shower-head pounded his fur-covered body. As the water got absorbed in said fur, Lancelot felt easily twenty pounds heavier. This was a sensation he would never get used to- dealing with everyday sim life in the body of a monster. He could feel his neck chafing and burning with irritation as the silver chain around it slipped closer to his skin. It had been Kara's theory tha the silver necklace his grandfather had worn would help him control the transformations. She was right, in a sense. It did stop him from losing control while transformed, but it did not stop the trasformations all together. She promised him she would return one day with the cure, but for the moment, Lancelot was left with this... This... awkward situation of having to accept the body of a beast as one's own.
The silver necklace kept him constantly weak, but in were form, it gave him neverending pain. However, he supposed having to deal with the pain was better than running amok and causing another situation like what had occurred in Nibelheim.
The following morning, when Lancelot returned to normal, he decided to call the maid service. He still had plenty of money left over, so he could easily pay for it. He could have cleaned himself, and usually did keep his house pretty clean, but if nothing else, the company during the day would be nice. He had been promoted the previous day to a night job, and was a bit worried about that, but then, he reasoned, there would likely be a lot of stoners working that same job, or people who just wouldn't care.
However, when Lancelot hired a maid, he hadn't expected the French-dressed bombshell walking into his kitchen that was Kaylynn Langerak. Behind her back, he found himself swooning over her, and he knew that she would be perfect spouse material. Excellent at cooking, cleaned as well, knew lots of different skills, and was incredibly sexy to boot.
So he talked with her for a while. She was quite the environmentalist, which was something Lancelot liked. It was familiar. It reminded him of Celeste... at least, before... He stopped himself from finishing that thought. Those recollections had their place in his nightmares. Not here. Not now.
Kaylynn seemed quite as taken with Lancelot as he was with her. Apparently she found affluent blonde men very sexy. Infatuated as she was, she became even more so when Lancelot walked over to her, offering her a sandwich.
"I know you're probably hungry. Sorry it's so meager, but it's practically all I know how to make..." Lancelot offered apologetically.
"Oh, don't be sorry." Kaylynn replied, smiling, taking the plate. "The offer is appreciated, believe me."
Once she was finished eating, and had disposed of the plate, Kaylynn was surprised to find Lancelot confronting her with a generous 100 Simoleon tip.
"You've been working really hard, and I appreciate all your help." Lancelot explained calmly, answering Kaylynn's unspoken question.
After Kaylynn had finished her duties, Lancelot caught her in the living room on her way out the door, and said, "You know, I don't think you're told this often enough, but you really are beautiful."
Kaylynn laughed. "Au contraire, monsiuer. I get told this far too often. It is the outfit, I believe. But from you, I feel you mean beautiful in a sense more than a sex object or some erotic fantasy."
Lancelot smirked. French maid with attitude. Definitely spouse material. "Well, if you want to see how true that statement is, why don't you come over tomorrow afternoon? I'm sure you could find some time..."
Kaylynn smiled coquettishly, and replied, "Oh, I think I have a place you might fit."
And with that, she walked out the door.
The following afternoon, Kaylynn reported to the house after he duties were concluded, and met Lancelot with an embrace. "Lancelot, my friend! How are you?"
Lancelot felt an inner pain at the use of friend, but was glad to see the saucy maid once again. "I'm doing well. For the moment, anyway. But this day could get better..."
He let the seductive suggestion trail off, leaving Kaylynn hanging onto his every word.
As the afternoon wore on, Lancelot could hardly believe his own actions. As a teen, he never would've had the confidence to even approach a bombshell like Kaylynn and ask her to hang out, much less ask her to move in with him. This romance was setting on very suddenly, and it seemed that he was making all the moves, though his shyness and hesitancy did show through on some of the more adult suggestions. And much to his unending surprise, he had yet to run into a rejection from Kaylynn. Though, as she was a Family sim who had Romance as a second love, she likely was just as eager to WooHoo, and just as eager to start a family as Lancelot was.
The pair moved inside, overcome by waves of desire. Lancelot's gentleman-like behavior had long been forgotten once it was made clear that Kaylynn longed for this as much as he did, and the two were melding mouths in the entrance hall of the house.
Melding mouths soon turned into bodies entwining, defenseless and silent, save for the heavy breaths coming from both of the pair, and the sweet nothings whispered from one to the other. There was a sense of urgency in this, for Lancelot knew that soon, the sun would set, and he would be forced to show Kaylynn exactly what he was. Whether or not she remained with him afterwards would depend upon her.
As their passion reached its climax, the flames of pleasure at last consuming them, a slight lullaby was faintly heard as they relaxed into one another, having gone past the point of no return.
Neither of them fell asleep afterwards. They couldn't. Their bodies were still too wired, too excited to allow for rest. So, they emerged from under the covers after a few moments of rest.
"That was..." Kaylynn began, at a loss for words.
"Wonderful, but a bit surprising..." Lancelot finished, making up his side of the bed.
"Yes..." Kaylynn agreed. "Je regrette. I don't know what was coming over me just then. I'm not usually so... well, eager. Normally, I am very shy and I reserved. I must seem a total harlot to you now."
Lancelot shook his head. "No, no! Forgive me. I was the one who was forcing things here. I'm not usually so assertive either..."
"You weren't forcing anything." Kaylynn replied gently. "Believe me... I know forcing the situation, and that was not forcing. It was a bit sudden, but you were being a perfect gentleman about it."
"Well, then," Lancelot began as Kaylynn made her way to his side of the room, "As a gentleman, I can't very well let a deflowered maiden be mocked by the neighborhood, so I suppose I ought to do the gentlemanly thing, and offer you this ring..."
Kaylynn gasped as she realized the position Lancelot was taking, and her eyes widened as she set eyes on the diamond ring in the box he held out to her.
"Kaylynn, I have loved you from the moment I saw you, and I always knew we were going to be together. So, will you do this romantic knight the honor of becoming his bride?" Lancelot asked, holding out the ring.
Kaylynn's smile grew at Lancelot's reference to his namesake. "Why, Sir Lancelot, I would gladly do thee this honor. Yes, I will marry thee."
Lancelot sighed in relief, as he laughed at Kaylynn's joking archaic language. Kaylynn was not his first choice for a wife, but she would do well. Though, as beautiful as she was, as good of a person as she was, she could never, ever replace her...
Kaylynn threw her arms around her fiancee, and Lancelot saw through the window that the sun had set. He didn't have much time to prepare her before it happened...
The pair got dressed once more, and Lancelot tenderly embraced his bride-to-be. "I'm so glad you'll have me, Kaylynn... But... There's something you must know about me... Kaylynn... I'm sorry..."
"Sorry for what?" Kaylynn asked, confused, as Lancelot stepped away from her.
"You'll see..." Lancelot murmured resignatedly.
Those words were all he had time to utter before he began transforming.
As his body changed form, Lancelot could hear Kaylynn screaming behind him. He knew that now he looked a fright, but nonetheless, he found himself praying she could calm down for long enough to let him explain what was going on.
"Calm down!" Lancelot cut in to his fiancee's screaming, his voice a bit more ragged thanks to his current form. It was difficult for him to speak at all, much less speak without the growl in his voice. However, his words seemed to work, for Kaylynn's screams segued into trembling.
"Lancelot? Mon dieu... Est-ce vraiment tu?" Kaylynn asked hesitantly.
"Yes." Lancelot confirmed, a hand to his heart. "Yes, it's me..."
"Mon dieu..." Kaylynn whispered once more. "What... what happened to you? You are... loup garoux? When did this happen?"
"A long time ago." Lancelot answered. "I'll explain more fully in the morning."
The green-eyed woman looked fearfully at this beast claiming to be her dear fiancee.
"Please..." the creature implored, absolutely in Lancelot's voice, though it was distorted by a growling tone, "I know I look- well, beastly like this, but it's me! Look into my eyes. I'm still the same man behind the monster..."
Kaylynn looked closer, and behind those tawny irises, she could see the earthen eyes of her beloved. She hesitated before placing a hand to his face and gently stroking it. She fought back a shudder at the sensation of this strange, fur-covered visage, but swallowed her vanity after a moment, and smiled at him. She knew this was still her Lancelot, monstrous though he was at the moment, and she loved him regardless. "It is you!"
The pair decided to waste no time, and exchanged the rings and vows that would bind them as man and wife. Lancelot felt this was best, to move before there was chance to regret, so neither of them would wish they had acted differently this night. Kaylynn, repulsed as she was by him, kept a smiling face, and, without hesitation, pressed her lips against his to seal the marriage.
The folowing morning, when Lancelot had returned to normal, and the both of them had gotten some rest, Kaylynn prepared for them some pancakes, and they sat at the table in the kitchen and prepared themselves for the long talk that awaited them.
"- and this silver chain around my neck is what restrains the beast within. Were I to lose it, well, the results wouldn't be pleasant." Lancelot completed. "So, there you have it. I am a legacy sim, descended from a werewolf, now turned one myself, and I have come here from Desiderata Valley after having lost my entire family..."
"How sad your life has been... Leaving your childhood crush behind, seeing your family die, and now this... But tell me, this- condition you have- is it- inheritable?" Kaylynn asked, worried for the family's future.
"I... don't know..." Lancelot answered. He had never considered the possibility before...
After the tense morning, Kaylynn and Lancelot spent their day like an ordinary couple, with Lancelot dabbling in his old hobby of painting, and Kaylynn practicing her ballet skills at the barre. Kaylynn bought herself a new outfit, and, exhausted from the walk, collapsed onto the couch in the entrance hall. When she finally awoke, darkness had fallen, and Lancelot had left for work at the gas station. She prayed he wouldn't be fired because of what he was... Or worse... It would be all too easy to shoot first and ask questions later...
Kaylynn needed to de-stress after the long day of revelations, so she took a bubble bath, luxuriating in its warm, soapy waters for hours until she heard her husband arrive home from work and all the bubbles had gone.
As she emerged from the soapy waters, Kaylynn felt an intense kick in her abdominal area, and her stomach stretched outward as if she had gained several pounds. In that moment, Kaylynn knew that she was carrying Lancelot's child.
The days of Kaylynn's pregnancy moved quickly as she focused on maintaining her skills. Also, Lancelot had commissioned the addition of a lovely garden memorial, in honor of his lost twin sister, Celeste, and all the other Valentines whose gravestones remained, unmourned, in the Desiderata Valley. Thus, Kaylynn spent a great deal of her time making sure the plants would survive the upcoming, harsh winter.
She made sure to keep in shape as she carried the baby, constantly working out at the ballet barre.
All too soon, the time came for Kaylynn to give birth, and after hours of labor, she brought into the world a beautiful baby boy. Lancelot had been there the whole time, cheering her on, making sure she was okay as she brought the child into the world.
The babe had inherited his father's eyes and hair perfectly, so Kaylynn left it up to Lancelot to name the child. Lancelot was a literature fan, and was quite fond of the works of Shakespeare, so he gave this child the name of Hamlet's confidante, Horatio, in hopes it would instill loyalty within him.
Thus, Horatio Valentine, firstborn of the fourth generation of Valentines, was brought into the world, met by the loving smiles, and enthusiastic applause of his mother and father.
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And that's where I leave you for now. Join me next time as the Valentines welcome more new arrivals into the world, and get Horatio through the toddler skilling period!