The Goth Legacy: Chapter Seven
Content warning: This story contains mature themes and is not suitable for minors. For this chapter, sexual references, sim-eating cow plants, swearing and overbearing fathers.
It was only as Alexander pulled into Sim State University that he told Izzy there had been a change to her living arrangements. It was for the best as her resulting squeal of excitement when he revealed she would be moving into the Mortimer Goth Society had almost caused him drive off the road.
After a quick tour Izzy could still barely contain her glee, “this is so awesome. I can’t believe I have my own Greek House!”
“I’m happy you’re happy Izzy, but this also comes with responsibilities and choices you will need to make carefully. And I’m not only referring to paying bills and choosing between socialising and study. There is also the matter of the magic lamp in the second bedroom which has one remaining wish,” Alexander told her.
“That’s a magic lamp? That is the second coolest thing I’ve heard today,” she exclaimed.
Although Alexander was delighted at how exuberant his daughter was compared to the last time he brought her to SSU, he couldn’t help question if she was ready for the responsibility. “Izzy, please,” he said firmly, “I need to know you’re taking this seriously.”
“Of course I am,” she replied, “and it would be kind of nice if you had a little faith in me.”
Alexander frowned, “well I’m sorry Izzy, but last time you were responsible for something this powerful you didn’t exactly exercise good judgement.”
“So that’s it huh?” she asked, her voice wavering, “I make one mistake, which, granted, was a really epic one, but now you’re never going to trust me again?”
“I do trust you,” Alexander implored, hating to see that he had upset his daughter, “but I worry. Any creature with supernatural abilities can be incredibly temperamental and needs to be treated with care and respect.”
“I love you too much to see you hurt,” he assured her. “And as your father it falls to me to ensure I do everything in my power to make sure that doesn’t happen. Can you forgive me?”
Izzy assured her father she held no bad feelings, hugging him tightly before he left for Pleasantview.
In that moment she promised herself she would prove to her father just how responsible she could be when it came to the supernatural.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Izzy spent the rest of the evening decorating her bedroom with her meagre collection of personal items.
She had put off exploring the rest of the house, especially the second bedroom; her father’s concern weighing heavily on her mind.
Finally, her curiosity got the better of her, and she opened the bedroom door to take a closer look at what she now knew to be a magic lamp.
But what caught her attention was the podium that had not been there that afternoon. And more importantly, the book that lay upon it that seemed to call her name.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Okay, when I invited you over to study, this wasn't what I had in mind," Izzy told John with a nervous laugh.
It was the first time they had seen, or spoken to each other, since their 'date' at the end of freshman year. The date that had ended with them skipping dinner and heading straight to his dorm room.
She followed him as he wordlessly put the book back on the shelf of the small, but well stocked library. "Okay, what's happened. Why are you being so quiet?" she finally asked.
"Are you sure it's me who is the quiet one?" he asked wryly. "I don't mean to sound needy, but I was under the impression that whatever was going on between us was more than a casual hook-up but then I didn't hear anything from you all holidays. If I was mistaken, that's another thing all together, but it's hard to know what to say when I don't know what's happening between us."
Izzy couldn't help but grin, "has anyone ever told you that you would make a really good teenage girl?"
John laughed, "it's the hair isn't it?"
"It doesn't help," she smiled. "But I am sorry I didn't call. I got home to discover I had a baby brother and it was just exciting and all consuming, but I still should have messaged or something. It wasn't that I didn't think of you, believe me, I did. And it wasn't just a hook-up for me, although commitment does kind of scare me, I do really want to do this," she promised.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Not long after starting her second year, Izzy made the trip home to Pleasantview to celebrate Hugo's birthday.
She wished she had have been able to spend more time with Hugo who quickly fell in love with his big sister. He did stumble over her name though and it didn't take long before the whole family was calling her Wizzy.
Much to her delight though, Alexander and Tosha sent regular emails and photos chronicling just how quickly Hugo was growing up.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Izzy's second year at University had continued without incident until one morning, towards the end of the second semester, Izzy woke to discover that the Mortimer Goth House had been robbed.
The campus police proved to be unhelpful, more experienced in breaking up parties and dealing with fraternity pranks than actual crime.
Once the police had left, Izzy rang her parents. It took several minutes to assure her mother that she was completely unharmed before Tosha would pass the phone on to Alexander. Her father was quick to assure her a stolen couch was the least of his concerns, and that he was going to organise someone to come and install a security system as soon as possible.
"I know your mother asked, but humour me, are you really okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, just shaken, and feeling kind of violated actually," Izzy admitted. "I know this is a supposed to be a family Greek House, but would you mind if I invited someone to move in? I think I'd feel safer if someone else was here."
There was a pause before her father answered, "Of course. Do you have someone in mind?"
"Yeah, I think I do," she said thoughtfully.
"Well, this person must mean a lot to you," he commented, but didn't press for further information, "perhaps we could meet him when you're home for the holidays."
Izzy didn't even pick up on her father's insinuation that she was planning to ask a man to move in with her.
If she had have, she wouldn't have been able to argue. John began his pledging period that day.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As Izzy had promised, John was invited for lunch over the University holidays. On the phone John had jokingly asked how she was going to introduce him to her parents, to which she had responded that she hadn't given it any thought. John suggested that considering they had pretty much been together the whole year, perhaps she should introduce him as her boyfriend. She laughed before telling him she thought that would be acceptable.
John was warmly welcomed by Tosha and Alexander, but Hugo, despite usually being very outgoing, took a lot of coaxing to say hello. Tosha promised their guest it wasn't that Hugo didn't like him, it was just that since Izzy's return, he pretty much refused to let her out of his sight. Izzy grinned as she tickled her little brother, joking that it was lucky he had been taking a nap or she wouldn't have even been able to answer the door.
Much to Tosha's disappointment, Izzy wouldn't allow her to lay on a feast for lunch. Tosha had argued that she just wanted to take the opportunity to make the most of the new kitchen, but Izzy didn't want a big fuss made.
So over a simple lunch, John was asked many questions, although nothing too personal after Izzy had made it clear she would never speak to her parents again if they made John feel embarrassed. John was studying drama although he wasn't sure what he wanted to do when he finished his degree. He had always found science interesting but didn't think he had the mathematical ability for it to ever be anything other than a hobby. He had grown up as an only child, but had met his siblings not long before beginning University and was really grateful for the opportunity to get to know them.
After being told their help wasn't needed to help clean up after lunch, Izzy took John for a walk around the garden. John finally got his answer as to why Izzy had brought a large leg of meat with her when she introduced him to her pet Phylis.
It was in that moment John decided he was really much more of a dog person.
The pair were going to go for a walk in neighbouring Woodland Park but found themselves otherwise occupied.
After John said goodbye to Izzy's family, she walked him outside.
"I'm really glad you came today," she told him.
"I'm really glad you invited me, I know you weren't really keen on the whole 'meeting the parents' thing," John smiled.
"You do know it's nothing personal right. My parents are just so family orientated, and it just seemed like such a big step. It's not that I don't love you, I do! It's just, I mean we're so young, and we're having fun, and I don't want that to change," she told him. When John didn't reply straight away she laughed nervously, "did that even make sense?"
"Perfect sense," he assured her with a smile, "it's just that's the first time you've said you loved me."
"Oh, well I do. And just in case, I love you," she said quietly.
"And I love you," he grinned.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Not that it isn't good to see you, but I would have thought you would be too busy for surprise visits today," Don said after he and MJ had seated themselves outside.
"The only reason I was allowed to leave the house was under the pretence of 'dealing' with the florist who committed the horrendous crime of putting white roses in the table centrepieces," MJ explained.
"Let me guess, they were supposed to be cream?" Don chuckled.
"Beige," MJ grumbled.
"I mean really, who cares?" MJ cried in frustration. "I don't. Iliana doesn't. The only person this stupid wedding is for is for my bloody mother. She's so concerned about appearances, although Wright knows who she thinks cares whether our baby is born out of wedlock or not."
Don knew exactly why Dina had threatened to write her son out of her will if he didn't marry the girl he had knocked up. Dina may refuse to acknowledge it, and MJ seemed happier not to dwell on it, but it was painfully obvious that MJ was not Mortimer Goth's progeny. And then, despite her efforts to secure fortune and prestige for her family, her daughter-in-law to be was none other than a result of Daniel Pleasant's well known dalliance with maid. Dina would be determined that at least there would be no possible way her grandchild could be labelled illegitimate.
What concerned Don though was the panic in MJ's voice; it was a panic he remembered all too well. "I don't have to remind you that the wedding's tomorrow do I?" he asked cautiously.
"Are you saying you think it's too late to back out?" MJ asked flatly.
"I backed out," Don told him. "I left my fiancé at the altar and I have regretted it ever since."
"Is that why you and Aunt Nina aren't married?"
"Nina and I aren't married because we're both horrified of commitment," he said dryly. "But the woman I was meant to marry, she never recovered from what I did to her. And I've had to live with that every day of my life."
"So what you're saying is don't back out?" MJ surmised.
Don sighed, "what I'm saying is that I did, and that I wouldn't wish that guilt on any one."
"And I'm sure you can imagine how impressed your mother would be," Don offered.
"Doesn't bear thinking about," MJ replied in mock horror.
After her nephew had left, Nina walked outside to find Don deep in thought. As she sat down beside him she asked if everything was alright.
"Yeah, I'm okay. It's just my wedding came up when I was talking to MJ today," he said quietly.
Nina just nodded, she knew Don still carried enormous guilt over the role he played in her sister's scheming.
"It wasn't even the wedding itself that made me think, but the fact that I could at least talk about it with him. That I could talk to him at all. At least I've had the chance to watch him grow up," he reflected.
"I've never even seen my daughter," he added.
She knew he wasn't referring to their daughter; Don had been part of Florence's life from her very first breath despite the fact her arrival was entirely unplanned. Even if the shock of siring another child did cause him to book himself in for a vasectomy.
Don was talking about Cassandra's daughter. The baby Dina later used to blackmail Alexander Goth into signing away his rights to his father's estate.
That had been the final straw for both of them. Despite the precarious nature of their relationship at the time, they moved Downtown, away from Dina, and never looked back.
"Have you given any further thought to trying to contact her?" Nina asked.
"I don't think I have the right to," Don replied. "She may not even know she isn't Alexander's biological daughter. And even if she does, coming into her life, bringing up what happened with her mother, it would only cause her heartache."
"I understand what you're saying Don, but what if she wants to know? Why do you get to decide what's best for her?"
"Because," Don replied wearily, "that what father's do."