Henson Legacy, Generation 5.4!
Last time, the kids ran amok because Rebecca was pregnant again, and Bradley angrily declared he was on strike from cooking for the family in retaliation. Mokey had her first birthday right before the birth of her twin siblings: brother Gobo and sister Marjory. Bert and Ernie became teenagers, both very studious, one in pursuit of wealth, the other pure knowledge. Their little sister, Red, would rather be playing than studying, however. Gobo and Marjory enjoyed their first birthdays, but, for the rest of the family, it wasn't without some sadness. Rebecca learned that Scooter had disappeared on one of his expeditions as a space pirate.
She put on a brave face for the kids, but she secretly thought Bert's joking speculation about alien abduction was spot on. Scooter's return was sudden, and it indeed was an alien tag-and-release: he then quit his job because of the horrible risks involved. However, he began to realize that the aliens had left something incubating within him as he fought with Bradley about his sons' desire to get into prep school. He put aside his own issues to help gain their acceptance, and Mokey had another birthday and began to attend school with Red. Bert was perplexed at his twin's lack of interest in girls, not knowing that Ernie was utilizing his brother's time at work to carry on a secret relationship with their childhood friend--Levi Conrad's younger brother, Eli. Gobo and Marjory grew into children just as Scooter found himself whisked back to a secret lab at his old employer to give birth for the first time to his seventh child--a girl with green skin, blue eyes, and black hair named Wingnut. Red grew into a teenager, and it seemed like her adolescence might take an entirely different turn than her older brothers'...
One of the best things about having older brothers and sisters was knowing that your suspicions that the new baby was actually an alien were right--no matter how much white-washing question-dodging your parents had attempted to do.
And the second best thing about having know-it-all older brothers was going to be watching them get in trouble for it for once--for answering their little siblings' questions about the alien baby!
Rebecca was enjoying life immensely. She was pretty certain that their family was finally complete, and her career was going along swimmingly.
The only downside was her lack of assurance that Scooter was really all right about his whole abduction, impregnation, and childbirth deal. Many days were spent at home alone with the baby. He said it was okay...he had time for lots of creative pursuits, now.
Fine, it also slightly concerned her that Red was completely unfazed by the idea of going to a completely different school than her older brothers. Not that she or Scooter were one to talk about teenage ambition, but wasn't Red lonely at the public high school all alone?
She had shared interests with her older brothers! Wouldn't it be better if they could enjoy them together?
Mom, look, I have my friends at my school. Bert and Ernie have friends at theirs. It's cool.
The youngest of the Conrad swarm, at the insistance of Morgan, escaped home-schooling and attended the local high. Miriam wasn't a bad friend for Red, really.
Rebecca was worried that her latest promotion would keep her away from the kids even more, now that she was working evenings.
Though, none of them were hurting for companionship. Mokey seemed to alternate days with her best friend Eustance Phillipine, going home with him, or having him come home with her.
Bradley was always around to help with homework if Scooter wasn't...
...and, whether it be in spite of or because of Camilla's terror toddler twins at home, Zoe seemed to bring home her daughter from work often.
She could walk in to a chorus of "Hi Mom!" at nearly any hour of the day (before Bert and Ernie's prompt bedtime of 11pm, anyway), even if Camilla's addition to the noise was merely her being a smart-ass.
Soon it was Wingnut's first birthday. It was hard to believe that it hadn't even been two years since their entire concept of the universe and basic biology had changed.
Bert sometimes wondered why Aunt Cam was extra-cranky when dealing with her youngest niece. Soon, she'd have to see that the baby was still half-Dad and not much different from the rest of them, right?
Because there was no doubt when Wingnut's facial features began to become distinctive: she was definitely from Scooter's stock. As Grandpa Bradley had succintly put it, "Even alien genes can't bring down 'the Nose'! If only my Mom was still around to see this."
Luckily, Camilla had one surrogate sibling around to pester...
...because she might have otherwise noticed her nephew disappearing into a bedroom with another. And into her brother's bedroom, at that!
Luckily for them, for some ungodly reason, Rebecca thought a good way to wrestle Scooter away from his painting was to "christen" Red's bedroom...
...not knowing that Red herself had still been in the en suite bathroom!
The party took another hit as it soon became evident that noogies were not going to lead to yet another link between the Henson and Conrad clans.
Gobo was finding himself a bit left out...
...his twin, Marjory, and older sister Mokey were becoming inseparable.
Wingnut was growing, and Scooter found that his initial apprehension was ill-founded. Sure, his youngest daughter may not have looked much like the others...
...but her development and temperament seemed positively human.
In fact, his constant grinning was beginning to unnerve Rebecca.
Are you sure you're all right, Scooter?
Of course! The kids are doing great, we've managed to go years without any accidental pregnancy, and Bradley's cooking breakfast again!
However, despite Scooter's best intentions towards his children...
...the sheer amount of them made it near-impossible to keep an eye on them constantly.
Marjory was doing well at school, and brought home her cousin, Alise.
It had been Alise and her brother's first day at school, so the easiest way to help them out in making friends was to bring them into the fold of Henson siblings.
Red, on the other hand, was demonstrating that Hensons were good at making something other than friends, too.
Rebecca continued to dominate in her chosen career, hoping to gain an entrance into the music world by working her way up from within.
While Bradley was a bit proud of her persistance, ol' Uncle Joshua was a bit shocked that they would encourage her towards such a volatile and insecure line of work.
Not that what Bradley thought really mattered. If Zoe was happy, Bradley was happy. And Zoe was happy.
Red was becoming a tad bit concerned about her friend Eddie. Did he really think that one kiss was all that to get excited about? One of the reasons why she picked an older man was so he wouldn't think everything was going to be so serious!
Bert and Ernie's first day at Brighton was punctuated by one thing--rain. They laughed as they ran from the docks to the admissions office.
It was a bit of a fresh start, though they both intended to study just as hard as they had as teenagers. Bert took the opportunity to attempt a more slick look, and Ernie took the opportunity to deviate from his naturally auburn hair.
Well, it's a bit of a hike home, now, ain't it?
Yeah, it's too bad that Mom and Dad are a loooong ferry ride away.
Especially bad that all the kids are a ferry ride away, too.
The twins looked at each other and smirked.
Sooooo, you must be freshies. Well, let me tell you, I'm sure Brighton is a lot busier than you ever imagined in your little hamlet and--
Was this blabbermouth for real? Surely she realized that Manhattenton was the most bustling place on Destiny Island, even if there were other small villages that were smaller than the university?
I guess I can show you guys to your dorm, I don't want y'all getting lost on your first day.
Ernie swallowed. Was that pained smile she shot in his direction some horrible attempt at flirtation.
Bert just quietly typed his information into the terminal. Eh, I'm sure we'll figure it out once we know what dorm we're actually in.
Hemingford.
Where Aunt Cam stayed?
It's a bit of a hike, but--
Bert cut the blabbermouth off.
It's halfway up the hill, Ern. Let's go catch a shuttle.
You know, just because she's from the country doesn't mean that she wouldn't be worth taking out on a date, Ern.
So you go back in and ask her out if that's what you want!
She was looking at you!
Not. interested.
You're never interested.
Ernie was beginning to think that all of that "twintuition" stuff was bunk. After all, if he and Bert had some sort of special connection, surely Bert would've figured out he was gay by now?
That the major reason why Ernie never entertained any thought of going to a college besides Brighton because Eli Conrad had gone there first?
(A few updated Brighton Academy pics!
Seriously, there was a dark cloud hanging around when the boys left for college.
Added a sports field--unfortunately, this was the only one small enough to fit in with the rest of the island's geography. A few of the new buildings are just hood deco extracted from TS3, which is fine--I'm not writing extensive stories about what actually happens in classrooms or anything, so I don't need that many functional community lots.)
Doing some late-night reading, honey? Great! I'll join you. I've got some studying to do. Don't want to wait any longer for a promotion!
How did she know? Did her mother have a sixth sense about her plans to sneak out? It was bad enough that Grandpa never seemed to sleep. ARGH.
Why are you up so early, Red?
Shove it, sis.
The most relieving thing for Red was that, with her older brothers gone, it didn't seem so weird to be going to public school. Just like the rest of her siblings.
Rebecca loved having days off--no matter what her work schedule was, she could spend them with Scooter!
Though Wingnut was getting awfully good at breaking out of the nursery, soon she'd be off to school like the rest of her siblings. And the house would be diaper-free, finally!
Scooter, however, was finding that his days were finally beginning to feel empty and he, bored. Despite his nondisclosure agreement, he began writing memoirs of his experience in space.
If nothing else, he figured getting out coherent thoughts now would beat fumbling around for explanations once Wingnut was old enough to begin asking questions about her origin.
Even though they were older, Zoe still enjoyed spending time with Joshua. When she thought about it, it was a little crazy--he was her oldest friend and she was happy they were still so involved in each other's life.
...though Bradley was still the most important person in hers.
So, Dad, don't freak or anything, but a friend of mine is coming over to help me with a science project.
Why would I freak out?
Because it's a dude.
Scooter did not enjoy the way Bradley started snickering into his dinner plate.
I'm sorry I stood you up the other night, but you gotta understand. This house is like a prison. Nobody ever sleeps!
Red totally didn't understand why her dad freaked out so much when he saw that Eddie was a bit older than her.
He didn't seem to care that Marjory would sometimes call up Eli Conrad for help with her science fair project on growing vegetables. Sure, "practically family" this and "probably flaming" that, he was still ancient compared to a fifth-grader!
And what about Mokey never spending ten minutes apart from Eustace Phillipine? Who cares that his grandpa was also in the living room, that was way too serious of a partnership for a twelve-year-old!
Was Gobo really being a good big brother spending time with Wingnut, or was it something more sinister? They should spend their time making sure that he accepted her half-alien status!
Time they could totally steal away from the time they used to monitor their angelic older daughter's time with male friends or prevent her attempts at escaping the iron-clad bars of their house!
Okay, fine, they only really needed to monitor Gobo extensively as Mokey and Marjory spent the rest of their time practically inseparable from each other, but still! Xenophobia was never okay!
I'll tell you something, Scooter. I would've never pegged you for one to settle down. I thought you were all about the art of the chase.
It's hard to keep chasing once you've got your paws on the biggest catch, Uncle Gonzo.
Gonzo figured that Scooter's ability to settle down might have had a little bit to do with the influence of Bradley. Sure, to this day he couldn't quite figure out what about his little sister had kept his "bro" so smitten--but, more power to him! And more women for him, even at his age!
Okay, it was getting out of hand. Do parents really need to seriously come around "just for a chat" about "making smart choices about sex and romance"?
This was sooooo embarrassing!
Slowly, but surely, the kids were growing up. Marjory was spending more time with Alise.
Mokey was hanging on Red's every word for advice about high school and boys.
Aaaand Camilla was coming home from work with her mother for yet another birthday party.
At least there are enough birthdays around the same time for us to condense parties!
Hey, I agree, Mom. That's totally why we had twins.
Didn't hurt that you married one.
Well, that, too.
Rebecca hadn't had many opportunities to get to know her sister-in-law. Granted, she was beginning to learn why Scooter never seemed very eager to invite over Caryn.
It was still nice having the boys home from Brighton on break, and the rest of the family over. It was like a big reunion--some of them hadn't even met Wingnut yet and she was about to start school!
And Mokey...Mokey was getting so big!
It was certainly the biggest party in the house that Rebecca could remember.
So far, Wingnut seemed to be breezing through life without even noticing her differences from her siblings, or otherwise. Zoe had sat down and tried to tactfully suggest another shirt pattern, but gave up when the response was: "Why, what's wrong with this one?"
If it didn't bother Wingnut, it didn't bother her.
Mokey, however, seemed to be more conscious of style choices. While she wouldn't shy away from wearing something she really liked, even if that something was golden lipstick that was bordering on cheese colored, her look still was toned-down compared to her older sister Red's.
She was still fun and easygoing; Rebecca found that, out of all her children, Mokey was the one most like her.
Oddly enough, the adults all took over the living room, fighting over the videogames and yelling raucously.
Mokey found herself hiding away in her bedroom just to escape the noise.
Zoe and Bradley had, of course, vacated earlier on for their favorite party activity.
Wow. You seriously suck at this, don't you?
Don't make me demonstrate how to use this thing as an actual nunchuck, Aunt Caryn!
So, Bradley, it's too bad that Camilla doesn't look more like her mother, isn't it? She could've been so beautiful...
Once the afterglow wore off, Bradley was going to inform Zoe that they were never inviting Caryn over again. Ever. Fozzie would just have to deal with it.
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- Wingnut is probably going to be heir. She is just so ferociously ugly.
- However, on the other hand, Red's current boytoy is a bit of a monster. Alien genes will probably prevail.
- Mokey's got the dubious honor of being the prettiest kid in an uglacy. If you're wondering her aspiration, I left y'all a minute hint.
- So, this generation may end up dragging a tad since there are seven kids and I'm probably heiring the last one. Don't expect chronicles of Bert and Ernie's time in college, or any of the less ambitious kids even attending (Red, looking at you).
- Sorry about not much Gobo. Kid is seriously boring.
- Still not looking forward to the end of Bradley and Zoe. T____________T