The Ink Family Legacy: Generation 3 Chapter 6
Welcome back all! I need to crank out some more chapters, since I want to get the Inks in Bridgeport already! But I need a proper transition, so we've got until chapter 8 for the Late Night stuff...providing it installs properly. XD
Last chapter Miles and Ophelia finally reconciled! The twins became children and were bound for France - too bad Filly and Miles can't go. But perhaps they'll have just as much fun with their grandparents?
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Missed a chapter this gen?
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Ah, France.
After a lot of hassle, getting lost in international airports, and small children trying to ride the baggage conveyor belt, Finn and Star managed to get Paige and Ethan there in one piece.
Of course, with their parents back home, the twins were a bit distracted. Paige, the neurotic that she was, kept worrying about home. Ethan, meanwhile, wondered how many pictures he should take to bring back home.
"Alright kids!" Finn said enthusiastically. "Let's get you inside and snap a pic to send home. C'mon, we've got these tourist shirts..."
"Do we have to, Grandpa?"
"Yes. Now c'mon Ethan, cheer up! And Paige, please pay attention to the camera..."
The best they ended up managing was a neutral pic, as all the other ones had them looking the wrong way or giggling nervously.
Star rolled her eyes. "Alright you two, go play for a couple hours. Be home by dark though."
The twins nodded and shuffled out.
But, as it turns out, there was no fun to be had. The twins mostly wandered around the market, poking at things here and there, but neither of them were really into it.
"You wanna head back, Ethan?" Paige said somberly, swinging her feet.
"Yeah." he replied, getting up. "Let's go."
Their mood was lightened a little bit when Star and Finn surprised them with a campfire roast! Trying to perfectly grill their food kept their minds busy.
"So kids, how's the market?" asked Star, breaking the silence.
"S'alright." Ethan replied. "Very french. We didn't really understand any of it - probably 'cause we kept falling asleep when Mom tried to teach us French."
"Meet anyone interesting?" Finn asked.
"We didn't see any kids." Paige pouted. "But I don't think they'd be at the market - they'd probably be in the countryside."
"Well..." Finn mused. "If you promised to stay together, I suppose you two could wander around, as long as you stay within sight of town."
Ethan and Paige's expressions brightened - that would make this a lot more fun!
Of course...
"WAAH!"
Ethan's marshmallows went up in flames...
...shortly followed by Finn's.
"Urgh." he whined, watching the sweets smolder. "Maybe I should've picked the cabbage after all."
"Ethan, put out the fire!"
"It's not working!"
"Ew, don't dump it in the sand!" Paige shrieked.
"Why not? Fire's out, right?"
Star frowned. "Ethan, you have to eat whatever's on there."
"What?! Grandma, that's not fair!"
"You wanted the marshmallows when we only had vegetables. You're gonna eat those."
"Noooooo..."
"Maybe we could make an exception..." Finn murmured.
"Don't try to worm you way out of this." Star replied with a wicked grin. "You're gonna have to eat yours too."
"Uh, Grandma? This is as big as my head. Do I have to finish it?"
"Well, since you choose the cabbage, you get a pass. Eat only what you want, dear."
"Ah, what a lovely campfire."
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"Ethan?"
"Yeah?"
"Um, can I sleep in here?"
"What, too scared to sleep when not at home?" Ethan teased. However, upon seeing his sister's nervous face, he chuckled, "Alright, come on up."
"The sky's really cool from here." Ethan said. "Wish my camera was any good at night pictures."
Paige clambered onto the bed in silence, then blurted, "Aren't you worried about Mom? I can't sleep when I think about it too much."
Ethan frowned. "Paige, don't worry. Uncle Sol, at least, promised to call us right away if anything big happened. He hasn't called, so it must be okay."
Paige pursed her lips, thinking. "What if he doesn't think it's a big deal but it really is?"
Ethan rolled his eyes. "You're silly. If you worry too much you're hair's gonna go gray you know. That's what Uncle Oreo always says."
"Uncle Oreo also said that it's okay to start dating in middle school, which Dad said was a definite no."
"Ha ha, true."
Paige smiled. "I guess you're right, E. We should just have fun. You know, Mom and Dad started liking each other when they came to France as teenagers. Think we'll meet our true loves here?"
Ethan smirked and batted his twin with a pillow. "You're such a dork, sis. Let's go to bed."
"Alright, but if you hog all the covers I'm gonna kick you."
"And if you start singing pop songs in your sleep again I'm gonna put a pillow over your face."
Yes, tomorrow would be an adventure for sure!
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Ah, but the kids weren't the only ones having an adventure.
Sol had been called to a branch of the Sunset Valley Exorcism Services to assist with a case. He had a foreboding feeling that things were not going well if he had to be involved.
Although, this might be an excellent opportunity to get a look at their archives...
A man met him at the end of a torch lit hallway, standing in front of heavy iron gates.
"Investigator Ink, I presume." he said.
Sol nodded his head slightly. "That would make you Chief Lane, then. I understand there's a situation?"
"We have a ghost here that we believe has information of value. Our other communicator has refused to speak to it, so we need you to do it." the man said.
"Just to make myself clear, I won't force a ghost to do anything."
"So I've heard." the man laughed, clearly demeaning him. "But that's why I'm here."
Solstice decided to let that comment slide. "...Where's the ghost?"
"Beyond these gates. We've been keeping her in a spirit circle for a while now, so she's probably weak enough to handle..."
"I...whoa." Sol said, mouth gaping in surprise.
He knew that the main branch dealt with some freaky stuff, but this was weird, even for him.
"Alright you." Lane snarled. "You have about five seconds to tell us what we want to know. What is your purpose in breaking into our headquarters? Who sent you?"
The ghost smiled tauntingly. "Ah, take your threats and shove it."
Chief Lane frowned, unable to catch anything the ghost was saying. She kept sticking out her tongue and taunting him while Sol watched with a smirk.
Finally he chuckled, "Ah, sorry ma'am. You can curse at him all you want, but I can understand you."
"Oh. OH. Er, that's awkward." the ghost said, relenting.
"Don't worry, it's surprisingly common." he replied.
"Sorry, after the first lady left I thought they didn't have anyone else." she laughed, grinning carelessly. Sol smiled - this ghost seemed pretty easy to get along with.
"So, what brings you to this place? Not really a fun place for a ghost to be." Sol said.
"It was an accident! That's what I've been trying to say all this time. I used to live around here as a kid and wanted to see my house, but they turned it into this weird place." she whined.
"Did you tell that to the other communicator?" Sol replied, shocked.
"Yeah! But they didn't believe her and decided to call you."
She looked down. "But they probably won't believe you either. And then they'll do something horrible to be, I can just feel it."
"What?! No! No, they wouldn't do that to you..." Sol said, his voice unconvincingly weak. What did they do to non-compliant ghosts?
"Well, Ink?" Lane pried. "What's it doing here?"
"There seems to be a misunderstanding." Solstice replied. "This ghost ended up here on accident; this building used to be her home..."
But Chief Lane ignored him and whirled on the ghost. "Who do you think you're trying to fool?! We didn't believe it when you told that old bat and we won't believe it now!!"
The ghost cringed away, clearly frightened.
"Chief Lane, please listen-" Sol started.
"No! We have no use for ghosts that don't obey! And if they don't obey, they're a threat, and we have ways of dealing with threats..."
The ghost shrieked. "NO, DON'T-!!"
And then she burst into a flash of horrifyingly familiar light. Nothing left but ash and embers.
Solstice could barely stand to look, memories rushing back and tearing into old wounds.
Just like Claire.
"Why?!" Sol screamed, turning on his superior. "She was telling the truth! She..."
"She didn't deserve that."
"Deserve?" Lane replied with a derisive laugh. "What does a ghost deserve? They've had this time on earth and should move on by now. This realm is for the living - there's no place for them here."
"And if you fail to remember that, Inspector Ink, don't expect the ghosts to be the only ones suffering."
Numbly, Sol shuffled to his guest room.
What was he doing in an organization like this? He was abusing his powers to help a bunch of self-centered egotists who only cared about the present.
Worse yet, despite the memories of Claire's second death coming up fresh in his mind, he has never felt further away from her than he did now.
Well, maybe a good night's rest would help him out a little...
"Solstice?"
"Mm?"
"Don't forget."
Solstice turned to her, eyebrows raised. "Interesting thing for the amnesiac ghost to say."
Normally Claire would have smiled and laughed, but she remained solemn. "Solstice, I feel like you're getting further away, like you're growing more faint. But I think that if you remember, you'll be okay."
"Well, what should I remember then?"
"Remember..."
Sol bolted awake, pale and sweating. It had been a very long time indeed since he had any dreams of her, and this was one that he had, ironically, forgotten.
Remember...remember what?
He sat for a few seconds, then shook his head. Maybe some cold water would clear his mind.
"Remember." he muttered under his breath as he stared into the mirror in his room. "But what should I...?"
"Remember that I am..."
Solstice spun around so suddenly that he slammed his back against the wall, nearly sending the mirror crashing to the ground. The vase on his bedside stand wasn't so lucky - it tumbled off and shattered into a million pieces, each reflecting the dim light from the hallway.
There was nothing there.
"Okay, now I know I'm crazy." he sighed. "Only took me my whole life..."
Sol got dressed and stepped into the hallway, still shaken. He needed to leave this place - it was screwing with his emotions. Must have been some bad spirit energy or something.
He thought he was alone at first, but he heard a quiet shuffle from across the hall.
"You alright there?"
It was an older woman with silver hair and frighteningly pale eyes, leaning casually against the wall before straightening up and beckoning him over.
"I, um, sorry ma'am. I saw something pretty unsettling today and can't really sleep on it." Sol explained.
"I hope it wasn't the spirit execution, those are terrible to watch." she mused.
Sol's eyes widened marginally. "You knew about that? Then you're..."
She smiled. "Yes, I'm Edith - the only other communicator in this whole organization. I was surprised they found you - you must understand that your talent, combined with the type of medium you are, is extremely rare."
"I'm a what now?"
Just then a blue ghost emerged from the wall, frowning at Sol. "This guy isn't bothering you, is he Mom?"
"No, of course not. Come here Sammy."
The little ghost floated over and clung tight to Edith, glaring up at Sol still. The red head, for his part, stared at the ghost curiously.
"You keep a ghost around with you?" he asked.
"So you can see him!" Edith said. "Well, your powers are stronger than I imagined. Samuel is a very faint spirit, you see."
She smiled and held the transparent child closer. "Samuel is my son. I narrowly survived the Great Twinbrook Flood, he did not. But right after that I started hearing and seeing ghosts, and Sammy was among the first."
"Is he stuck here?"
"In a sense. He's a bit too attached to me to return the grave, try as I might these past fifty years that he's been gone."
"I'm here by choice!" Sammy chimed in, his voice as smooth as a running tap. "Unlike your ghost, which is pretty tightly bound to you."
"Wait, wait - I have a ghost attached to me?" Sol stammered. "I-is it a woman? Dark brown hair, freckles, probably barefoot?"
Edith said, "With that description I can tell you've met this girl before she became invisible to you."
Solstice looked like he had a million questions to ask, but Edith warned him, "Now mind you, she's still very fuzzy to me. She's very tightly bound to your being, and your aura is mostly blocking her from me."
"Why can't I see her? Why can't I talk to her?" Sol pleaded, begging for an answer.
Edith squinted at the space behind Solstice's left shoulder, then looked at Sam, who nodded up at her.
"Well, it's hard to say. This ghost girl of yours is a complicated case, with you being a donor medium, among other things."
"A donor what?"
Edith waved her hand idly. "No, perhaps that's not the problem. Maybe it's the solution...hmm..."
Sol frowned. "I would really appreciate it if you started talking so I could understand."
The old woman glanced up. "Most mediums, Solstice, draw upon the ghost's energy to manifest them. You, as it turns out, give your energy to the ghosts so that they may appear - a rare and life-threatening ability in the best of situations. But this defect of yours may be able to get that girl back."
"Edith, I...it's because of my powers that I met Claire, and the reason that she was banished. I would give anything to save her. I love her."
"You love a girl that is no more than a remnant of the past?"
"You still love your son, don't you?"
Edith laughed lightly. "You are a strange man, Solstice Ink. A strange man with a strange talent. But I think that's a good thing. Very well then, I will help you - I want to see what becomes of you two."
"But it won't be easy. Oh, certainly not." Edith said.
"That's not a problem."
"It will require you to be away from your family for a year or more."
At this, Solstice hesitated. "A year? That's...I have to be home for the next seven months, at least. After that, I'll go wherever I need to."
She smiled. "Very well then. Take care of what you need to. You'll know where to find me."
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"Ethan! You're pulling it the wrong way!"
"How? It's just making the bed it shouldn't be that hard..."
"Grandpa said this bed needs to be perfect before we can eat breakfast!"
Finn and Star noticed the twins' improved mood at breakfast, where they scarfed down their breakfast, eager to get out the door.
"You two seem to be raring to go, huh?" Finn chuckled.
"If we wanna get back by sunset, we gotta leave now to get the most time in!" Paige replied, mouth full of cornflakes.
"Paige and I are going over the big hill by the rich neighborhood." Ethan added. "There's a really big pond out there that probably has slimy frogs and other cool stuff in it!"
Star reached over and ruffled her grandson's hair. "That's the spirit! You kids have fun."
And Ethan and Paige did indeed have fun romping around the countryside, collecting bugs and rolling down hills. They were just investigating the big pond when they heard rustling behind them. Turning around, they saw two girls emerge from the brush.
A blond haired girl was at the front, dragging along a somber girl behind her and chattering excitedly in French.
"Regardez! Il ya des touristes ici! Viens ici, Nesrine!" the blond said, before turning and addressing the twins in accented English.
"'ello! Pleased to meet you! I am Soleil, and zis is my cousin, Nesrine." she said pleasantly, holding her hand out.
Before Ethan or Paige could respond, Nesrine wrenched herself free of Soleil's grasp and left, muttering under her breath. Soleil smiled apologetically.
"Ah, sorry about 'er. She is, 'ow you say, very grumpy."
"No, don't worry about it!" Paige said. "My name is Paige, and this is my brother Ethan. Pleased to meet you too!"
Soleil smiled brightly. "Would you two like a tour guide? I know of some fun places!"
Ethan and Paige exchanged an excited grin - no way could they pass this up!
The three children became quick friends. Soleil was an only child and had spent many a free day exploring every nook and cranny of Champs Les Sims, and she was equally glad to share them with Paige and Ethan.
Ethan made sure to take plenty of photos, even lending his camera to Paige so he could have his face in there too.
"Thank you for coming along with me." Soleil said. "Zere aren't many kids my age in zis town."
"No, we're in debt to you!" Ethan enthused. "Right Paige?"
"Right! We should totally be pen pals or email buddies after all this." Paige said with a grin. "Now, shall we return to the picture taking?"
It was definitely a fun couple of weeks.
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"So you are leaving tomorrow, 'uh?" Soleil said somberly.
"'Fraid so, Leigh." Paige replied, using the nickname the French girl had picked up.
"We'll write! And video chat when our parents let us. We'll still stay friends, Leigh." Ethan said.
Soleil smiled sadly. "I guess I will just 'ave to wait for zat, oui?"
The sun set spectacularly on that last day, and Ethan and Paige decided to spend the evening by themselves.
The two biked around, trying to find a cliff that their parents often described to them when they went through photo albums. By the time they found it it was quite dark out, but they were excited nonetheless.
"So this is the prettiest place in France, huh?" Paige said, looking out over the ocean.
"According to Mom and Dad." Ethan replied.
Ethan noticed that Paige was starting to wring her hands again - her nervous tic for when her anxiety was rising.
"I wonder what we'll see when we get home." she mumbled.
Ethan tried to reassure her, saying, "Just Mom and Dad and Uncle Sol, like usual! Don't be too worried, Paigey."
"Look at how cool the sky is! And the ocean! How can you be depressed when looking at all this awesome stuff?"
Finally, he held his hand out to her with a grin. "And if that fails, you could always hold your little brother's hand."
Paige laughed and batted his hand away. "Don't say it like that! You make me look unreliable!" But then, after smacking his hand, she grabbed hold of it tight.
Things would be okay as long as they were together, right?
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So, what was happening back at the main house while half its members were adventuring in France?
Well, it turns out that Filly's horrible nausea was in fact the early signs of another pregnancy! Not entirely planned, but it was definitely in their plans to give the twins a little sibling at one point.
Miles was thrilled - he would be here for this pregnancy! He was already committed to make up for his absence during Filly's first pregnancy.
Of course, things could not run smoothly.
Filly's nausea got worse and worse - much more severe than it had ever been with the twins. She couldn't keep anything down and was too weak to even stand in front of her easel and paint.
The doctors were not very optimistic. Turns out Filly's body was trying very hard to reject this baby, the response amplified by the trauma she suffered the first time around.
They made it very plain - if she wanted any chance of carrying this baby to term, she would have to stay in the hospital with very few home visits.
Miles and Filly didn't have to be told twice.
It was hard to keep their spirits up, but Miles tried to keep it light with jokes and constant gifts. He practically lived in the hospital when not at work.
Hospital or not, Miles had every intention of being involved.
Of course, this left the rest of the family completely blindsided by this turn of events.
"Mom, when are you coming home?" Ethan asked. He had asked it every day since they arrived home, but it couldn't hurt to ask again.
Ophelia chuckled. "Well, if I'm lucky I can visit home this weekend."
"But not to stay?"
"Not to stay. This baby has to come out first!" Filly smiled.
As light as their mother's tone was, the twins weren't entirely fooled.
All these monitors and IVs running lines and needles into her made everything that much more real, that much scarier.
"Paige." Ethan whispered while Filly took a light nap. "Let's do something for Mom. We need something that'll help her pull through, like a cheer-up charm..."
Paige grinned. "I can do you one better - how about a lucky charm? If we can find a four leaf clover then Mom and the baby are sure to recover!"
"You think so?"
"It's gotta work!"
So, while they had some time, they snuck out of the hospital and into the surrounding meadows. They only had until the end of Filly's nap, so they had to be quick.
So they searched.
And searched.
And searched.
"Paige?" Ethan said after a few hours of searching in the dark. "I don't think there are any out here."
"None?"
"None that we're going to find in time, no."
Paige sighed and smiled. "I guess that was a little far-fetched, huh."
"Well, maybe the story will cheer her up...?" Ethan tried.
"You guys know it's dangerous to go out at night, right? And without your coats - you don't want to catch a cold, do you?" Filly scolded when they returned.
"Sorry Mom." the twins replied in unison.
"But, uh, at least you'll have an interesting story to tell our new baby sibling someday?" Ethan said with a guilty grin.
"Yeah, we really didn't mean to worry you Mom. Just wanted to cheer you up is all." Paige added.
Ophelia could never stay mad at her children long - wasn't in her nature - and was soon smiling too. "Clover searching, huh?"
The twins made sure to get their fill of hugging their mother and feeling her swollen belly. Maybe they couldn't bring luck with clovers, but they could still do it by wishing hard enough, right?
...Right...?
It will be alright, right?
At two and a half months early, the youngest Ink made her way into the world. And things were not alright at all.
Filly hadn't understood most of what the doctor had said. Something about antibodies and rejection. But the end result was that her body had very nearly succeeded in destroying her daughter's heart.
Every day she thought she had finally cried as much as was possible, but the tears kept coming until she finally dehydrated herself into needing an IV. From then on, she tried to hold it in.
"She'll make it." Miles said quietly. "They said it was miracle she made it this far, right?"
"And another miracle to go if she wants to survive her first month of life." Ophelia whispered, her voice and heart breaking.
It wasn't fair. She did everything she could to protect this little girl, and in the end all she could give her was a sliver of life.
"I don't know how I'll survive going home without her." Filly said, looking up at Miles. "What if...what if something happens to her when we're gone?"
"Lia, Ethan and Paige need you too." he reminded her gently. "Let the doctors take care of her for now. When the time comes for us to take over, you can bet we'll do the best damn job anyone could expect of us. Besides..."
"...she has a lucky name."
And that's how little Clover Ink joined the family.
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What? Ending it without seeing Clover as a toddler when the story is already so melodramatic? Why yes! I'll try not to keep her adorableness from you all for too long~ ;D
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to grab Juliet and make her a celebrity. I'll post a handful of pics if my game doesn't crash. >:D
...which it probably will. XD