As the University Legacy and the Alphabet Challenge seem to be compatible, I'm doing both in one family; this of course means the first 10 generations will take longer, since they'll need more work to earn points... I've started from a blank neighborhood so I can be sure that the only other characters around are townies/NPCs.

Aleph Bette Soup looked around at the property she'd just purchased. Her real estate agent was right... the house on the lot -- more of a shack, really -- was definately ripe for a teardown. But the lot! It was HUGE! Only one teeny tiny problem... she'd overbought to get such a prime lot (location, location, location!), and couldn't currently afford to replace the hovel that was occupying it. Instead, she was going to have to occupy the hovel, at least until she could line up some better financing. It was decorated -- if you could call it that -- in what she generally thought of as "Curbside Moderne".

She was just throwing out the daily paper after responding to an advertisement to join the military, when a handsome young man stopped to introduce himself and welcome her to the neighborhood. "Abhijeet Deppiesse," he said, "at your service." His grey eyes twinkled and she immeadiately felt weak in the knees. They were still chatting away when the official welcome wagon group showed up. Aleph felt embarrased about inviting them into her crummy litte residence, but was soon set at ease by Marissa Bendett - "You should have seen the hole in the wall I was living in when I first moved here," she exclaimed. "This is a palace in comparison!"

After feeding them a lunch of Instant Meals (the only thing she had enough of in her tiny fridge!) she exchanged phone numbers and bid them all farewell.

The next day she reported for basic training. It seemed to go well. Arriving home, she was dissapointed to discover that she'd already received her first bill. When she went to throw out that day's newspaper after doing the crossword, she discovered that someone had tossed a half-dead looking plant in a fairly nice looking pot into her garbage can. She fished it out and took it inside... even a half-dead houseplant was better then nothing, and she could always salvage the pot if the plant died. To her surprise, the plant responded vigorously to being watered, and by later that evening it was obvious that she'd really lucked out; it was a money tree!

The next day she had a day off. To her delight, Abhijeet called her early that morning. They spent hours yakking on the phone, and by the time she finally had to tear herself away to feed her growling stomach. she felt like Abhijeet was a good friend. Marissa Bendett also called her to chat.

To her delight, she earned a promotion the next day. It came with a nice pay hike and a sizeable bonus. Abhijeet was thrilled to hear the news when she called him to tell him all about it, as was Marissa.

That weekend, urged on by her new-found friend Marissa, Aleph invited Abhijeet over after work. She proudly informed him she'd earned another promotion that morning. They spent the afternoon celebrating and talking. It wasn't until they were chatting after supper that Aleph realised she was maddly in love with this man she'd known for less then a week... and by his attentive behaviour, the feeling was reciprocated. The evening passed in a heated blur, and somehow... Aleph found herself proposing engagement to Abhijeet at the end of the evening. He look startled, but happily accepted her proposal.

The next day ended up being one of the most conflicting days of her life. She got up extra early and maddly cleaned house before work, and as a result was tired and made a foolish decision that led to her superior officers demoting her back to a recruit. Her friend Kennedy accompanied her home from work to try and raise her spirits. "What you need is a party, girl" he said. "It's the weekend!"

Somehow, at Kennedy's urging, Aleph ended up calling her friends over for a party... a surprise wedding party! She was still in her fatigues when she awkwardly proposed marriage to a very surprised Abhijeet. He looked even more starled... and perhaps a bit worried... then he had the night before, yet again he accepted her proposal. Everyone had a good time at the party, even though it had some problems, such as the lack of a wedding arch, and a miscommunication about the food that led to only turkey and wedding cake being served. When it was over, however, Aleph was deeply dissapointed when Abhijeet declined to go on the honeymoon limo ride with her. "It's too short notice, darling," he said. "I won't be able to find anyone to take my shift at the hospital tonight. You go and enjoy yourself without me. We can still have a special night, once I get back from work..."

As Aleph whizzed off in the stretch limo, Abhijeet settled down to a dinner of leftover turkey. He'd been too surprised last night to think of a way of gracefully turning down Aleph's proposal of engagement... and been completely blindsided when she whipped out the wedding ring at the party today. He liked her... he liked her a LOT... but... he liked ALL women a lot! He'd enjoyed being an eligible bachelor, and wasn't looking forward to ditching his little black book. But it was too late now to back out of the marriage. He'd have to try and make the best of it.

When he returned from work later that night, the house was brightly lit and smelled of new paint. Clearly Aleph had been a busy girl since she'd returned from the limo ride! Abhijeet was nearly falling on his face with exhaustion -- it had been a long day -- but he managed to make good on his promise of it being a "special night". Counting back later, they realised that was the night their son Barley was conceived.

Note: The original attachments for the Soups prior to 2006 were lost in a server crash; they can now be viewed here.

Great beginning! I wonder how the children's names are going to come along.

Barley was an adorable toddler, Aleph thought. He had learned to walk and talk and use the potty so quickly! Of course she was prejudiced, being his mother and all, but she thought he was the brightest baby ever.

Ahbijeet's career was going well, which was good, since her own career was on hold while she raised Barley. Oh, sure, he complained about the hours he had to work at the hospital, but the people were great, the money was good, and he was doing something that made a difference in people's lives. She could hardly wait to get back to work herself. Lugging a small child around wasn't as big a workout as a cross country march in full pack, but it did help to keep her in shape!

Barley was currently chortling to himself as he tugged on the ears of his favorite toy, a large plastic bunny head with googly eyes. Life is good when you're three... all you have to do all day is play with your toys, use your potty, and get fed any time you look even the littlest bit hungry. The Soup family had managed to scrape together the money to add onto their tiny house, so that Barley even had his own room now, instead of hit crib being stuck in a corner of his parents' room.

Eventually Barley grew up enough to start attending school, and Aleph was able to return to work. She and Abhijeet celebrated her first promotion a little too vigourouly...she'd barely returned to work when she was back on maternity leave again! They were only just barely scraping by with one child...however were they going to manage their finances with TWO!?

The stress soon became apparent...out of the blue, Ahbijeet quit his job in medicine and got a job as a golf caddy instead. "I just can't take the pressure of working at the hospital anymore," he told Aleph. "It's driving me crazy! Please trust me sweetie, I know this looks bad, especially with a second child on the way, but I know I can find a better job soon!" And he was as good as his word; by the time Aleph gave birth to their second son, Bean Soup, Abhijeet has changed jobs several times and was making almost as good money as he had at the hospital; best of all, his hours were in the late evening and early night, while Aleph's was morning and early afternoon. Aleph was able to return to work right away, and know that Ahbijeet was at home to look after the children while she was out of the house.

Ahbijeet, in the meantime, was working hard to cover the signs of an impending mid-life crisis from Aleph. He loved Aleph dearly, and adored their children, but married life made him feel like he was trapped in a cage. He wanted adventure, change, variety, romance... not dragging himself out of bed after working most of the night, to pack a school lunch for one son and change the diaper of the other! He found himself pouring out his troubles to the maid, Lucy. She was so understanding, so compassionate, so feminine... so different from his wife. Where Aleph was all decisiveness and independance, Lucy hung breathlessly on his every word. Something about the way she looked up at him through her eyelashes made him want to protect her... something Aleph would never need, she was clearly more then capable of protecting herself. Ahbijeet tried to ignore his growing feelings for Lucy, but it was hard... it seemed every time he turned around, she was there in her sexy little maid's uniform, batting her long lashes at him.

Distracted by throughts of the voluptuous Lucy, Ahbijeet made a dumb mistake at work and ended up fired from his job. He concealed the real reason from Aleph, but the next morning, after she and the boys were all out of the door, he confronted Lucy and confessed his hopeless passion for her. "Oh, Ahbi," she cooed, blushing prettily. "I've adored you from the moment I first started working here. I didn't think you'd ever notice me...I'm just the maid, after all, nothing special..." Things, as they say, went on from there. Ahbijeet barely got Lucy out of the house and the bed remade before Aleph returned from work.

Thus started the most exciting...and stressful!...part of Ahbijeet's life. He pretended to be looking for work when Aleph was on her way out of the house each morning, but in reality he was merely counting the seconds until Lucy would arrive and they could get down to business. He'd frantically run around the house with her making beds, cleaning toilets, and scrubbing tubs and counters, then they'd fall into bed together to enjoy the precious minutes they had before Lucy had to leave. He dreaded Aleph ever discovering his philandering... and, at the same time, the knowledge she could walk in the bedroom door at any time added to the spice of the affair... The affair dragged on in this way for several years, while the boys grew up and Aleph progressed slowly but steadily in her own career, supporting the family by herself since Ahbijeet seemed unable to find a new job.

All things must come to an end. There eventually came a day when Aleph, waking before Ahbijeet, went out back to work out for a few hours...it was her day off, and she wanted to get into better shape. When Ahbijeet woke, he naturally thought she was at work. One thing led to another, and then Ahbijeet's worst nightmare came true...the door of the bedroom swung open, revealing his livid wife. Dragging him out of bed, she slapped him, screamed "How could you!?", and burst into tears. Lucy ill-advisedly tried to comfort her. Aleph attacked Lucy, and the dust flew before she threw the sobbing maid out of the house.

Then she laid down the law to the mortified Ahbijeet. "HOW COULD YOU!?" she repeated, at considerable volume. "And in our own bed...! All this time I've felt so sorry for the problems and stress you've been going through looking for a new job...and you were having an affair with OUR MAID! I... I don't know if I can ever forgive you for this, Ahbijeet."

"Sweetie, honey, I'm so sorry, I don't know what..." he started to stumble his way through an abject apology.

"SHUT UP!" she responded in her best drill sergeant voice. "Now you listen to me, mister... the kids are going to be coming home any minute and the headmaster is due over for dinner tonight. We are going to forget this incident happened, at least until after the headmaster is gone and the boys are in bed. You're going to go bathe, change into your tux, and stay out of my sight until dinner time, at which time you will make nice with Mr. Headmaster and help get your sons into private school. Now GET!"

Chastised, Ahbijeet slunk off to do as ordered.

That night, Aleph tossed and turned. She culdn't sleep, even with Abhijeet banished to the living room couch. She had adored that man... and he'd betrayed her trust. What was she to do!?

It was almost 10:30am. Aleph sat motionless on a chair facing the door, waiting. Finally she heard a van pull up, high heels tip-tapping up the front walk. A key scraped in the lock, and the door swung open to reveal Lucy. Lucy had taken two steps into the house before she noticed the fuming Aleph sitting there. She gasped and started to back up, but Aleph was already on her feet and grabbing the house key out of Lucy's hand. "You're fired!" she spat at the startled maid. "Get out of my house. And don't you dare ever come around sniffing after my husband again!"

The mortified maid burst into tears and fled from the house.

It was a rocky few weeks for the Soup family. Abhijeet found work again...once more he was carrying golf bags for those much better off financially then he was...and Aleph eventually forgave him for his affair...though she never forgot it. The kids could tell there was something wrong. Only Barley ever alluded to the strain in the family, telling Aleph how he'd been relieved to have a reason to get out of the house when he'd first started his after-school job as a parking lot attendant.

By the time things returned more-or-less to normal in her relationship with Ahbijeet, it was too late in Aleph' life for them to try to have any more children. As she gracefully aged into an elder sim, her one regret in life was that she'd never had a daughter. Still, her two sons were everything a mother could ask for...helpful, neat, bright...they were both A+ students, particularly hard work for Barley who by now was working as a security guard. He wanted to go to college, and knew family finances were tight. "Don't worry, Mom," he smiled. "I'm working hard...I've applied for a ton of scholarships and grants, too...I'll manage it on my own."

Bean had entered his teens also, and while he wanted to party it up, he refrained, and plugged away at his school work.

Barley's hard work paid off...he was eventually awarded the SimCity Scholar's Grant, Quigley Visual Arts Stipend, Kim Metro Prize for Hygenics, Bain-Gordon Communications Fellowship, Will Wright Genius Grant, Hogan Award for Atheletics, Bui Engineering Award, and, as the cherry on top, the Young Entrepenuer's Award! Aleph and Ahbijeet were SO proud the day he left for college! He was off to attend the prestigious Blank Slate University, or as the students liked to refer to it as, B.S.U.

Barley enjoyed college. He still had to work odd jobs and live in a dorm to make ends meet, but the social scene was great and he was looking forward to the money he could make as a college graduate.

The day he graduated from his freshman year, having made the Dean's List for the second time running, he was so excited that he mis-dialed when calling home to break the happy news. He'd babbled excitedly for two minutes before the young woman on the other end managed to break in. "Oh, geez, I can't believe I did that," Barley said. "Sorry for making you listen to all that..."

"No, no, it was charming," the woman replied. "It's nice to know there are other student's as excited as I am about their education."

They ended up chatting for a few minutes. She seemed really nice over the phone. Barley asked her name before they hung up. She hesitated a moment...did she really want to tell a wrong phone number her name?...then responded. "I'm Barbara," she said. "Barbara Young."

Aleph was often sore and stiff when she work in the mornings. For an Elder, she was in great shape - as witness her recently passing with flying colours the physical for the Seniors In Space astronaut training program - but the difference between "great shape" for an elder and "great shape" for an adult was vast. She'd considered retiring from active duty, but the thought of sitting at home all day with nothing much to do was less then attractive.

Abhijeet was finally showing his age too... his hair had gone white seemingly overnight, and he was balding, though he tried to hide it.

Bean was doing well in school, but to date he hadn't shown any particular interest in progressing on to higher education. He did seem to have a knack for making friends though - he was always on te phone with different people of all ages.

Barley was trying to do his mathematics homework, but kept thinking about his wrong number the other night. She'd sounded like such a nice person...

A sudden pounding on his door heralded the entrance of Robi, one of his dorm mates. "Hey, Barley...phone for you. Some woman, guess it's your Mom again."

Barley headed out to the lobby and picked up the handset from where Robi had left it lying on the floor. "Hello?" he said.

"Hey, Mystery Man!" a chipper young female voice said. "You're a hard man to track down...especially since you never told me your name before hanging up the other night!"

"Barbara! Um, hello. Yeah, I guess I did forget...wait, how'd you track me down?"

"Last Call Return feature is a friend of mine, Mystery Man. Then I just had to ask the guy who answered the phone to get me the guy who'd made the Dean's List. It was cake. Now come on...name!"

"Oh, right...I'm Barley Soup."

"Nice to have a name for you, Mystery Man. Listen, I gotta run for class, but give me a call some time, right?"

"Uhhh...right."

Barley stood by the phone for a few minutes before wandering back to his room. Wow. She'd called him. Did this mean she'd liked him too?

By the end of his Sophomore year, he knew the answer was "yes". At least once a day they were on the phone to each other. The phone bill was now his biggest expense, as Barbara was attending a different college in a different city...oh, sure, they emailed each other too, but it wasn't as great as hearing each other's voice. He loved her irreverent sense of humor. And the way she still called him "Mystery Man" more often then not. He, in turn, called her "Wrong Number". He could hear the smile in her voice whenever he did.

As he was approaching midterms for his Junior year, Barbara called him sounding particularly excited. "Hey, Mystery Man! Guess what..."

"What?"

"I'm going to be heading through your area right after midterms, on my way to visit my Aunt for a few days before the next semester starts. And I can arrange my ticket so I have a four hour wait between buses right by B.S.U. - what say me and thee meet somewhere for coffee or something?"

"Hey, that'd be great, Wrong Number. I know a nice place right near the bus terminal, too - it's a student hangout, called Thhee Coffee Shoppee."

"Sweet! It's a date, then...drop me an email describing how to get to the place with the corny name."

Barley was so excited about Barbara's impending visit that he never even noticed his exams...they went by like a dream. Thanks to his hard work all semester, he aced them, too.

On the appointed date and time, he gussied up and then headed out to Thhee Coffee Shoppee. He knew Barbara as soon as he laid eyes on her. She wasn't conventionally pretty, but she was definately striking, tall and thing with a long narrow face and short tousled black hair.

"Mystery Man!" she cried as soon as she saw him, then gave him an enthusiastic hug. "Nice to finally meet the man behind the voice," she told him, grinning at him.

"Nice to meet you too, Wrong Number," he said, smiling at her in turn.

They had a great time for the next few hours, sitting by the fireplace in the coffee bar drinking lattes and yaking like mad. All too soon, Barbara had to leave to catch her next bus. As they were leaving the coffee bar, she suddenly stopped and turned, and kissed him on the lips. "I've been wanting to do that all evening," she said, her eyes twinkling with laughter. "I'll be back at school by the weekend. Don't forget to call me, Mystery Man."

"I won't forget," Barley answered, then watched as she jauntily headed off down the street towards the bus terminal.

For his senior year in college, Barley decided to move out of the dorm and rent a small house instead. Between working in the cafeteria and painting pictures to sell, he's managed to acquire a nice little nest-egg.

Having his own place gave him some extra privacy, and room to entertain...both nice to have now that Barbara was visiting him most weekends. The last two semesters of his schooling flew by.

On the last weekend before his final exams, Barley worked up the nerve to do something he'd been wanting to do for a long time...with soft music playing on the radio, he dropped to one knee and asked Barbara to become his fiance. Her jaw dropped when he offered her the ring, but she enthusiastically agreed.

Barley passed his exams with ease, and graduated Summa C Laude. He had his parents, brother, and favorite teacher over for a graduation party. Aleph was bursting with pride over Barley's accomplishments.

After cleaning up his rental house and getting rid of his few pieces of furniture, Barley drove home, with a stop en route to pick up Barbara. Time to intoduce her to his parents... Aleph and Barbara got along like mother and daughter the moment they met. "Oh, Barley, she's such a nice girl," his mother told him later. "I couldn't be happier with your choice."

Abhijeet seemed a little perturbed about Barbara, but when Barley tried to ask him what was bothering him, shook his head. "No, I won't say...she's a lovely young woman and I'm just a silly old man and probably imaging things."

The next day they threw a big wedding party. All of Barley's best friends came over for it. The ceremony was held in the side yard of the house. Everyone enjoyed the ceremony, the food, the drinks, the wedding cake, the endless toasts... finally Barley and Barbara managed to tear themselves away from the party and leave for their honeymoon. An exhausted Abhijeet and Aleph headed off to their own bed while Bean cleaned up the mess from the party.

With Barley and Barbara's earnings, and a windfall that Aleph got after inaugerating an exciting deep sea exploration program, the Soup homestead was considerably expanded with a second floor on the house and lots of new flooring, wall finishes, and furniture. The newlyweds had a master suite upstairs, while Aleph and Abhijeet retained the original master suite on the ground floor. The family even put in a second hot tub, since Barbara seemed to adore spending time in one. Barley found her seemingly insatiable lust for frolicing in the hot tub* a little tiring, but guessed things would cool down a little once he and Barbara were past the first excited glow of being newlyweds.

All in all, life was looking good for the young couple.

* - Barbara has turned out to be a romance sim, ack... And she has the "woo-hoo in love tub" aspiration 24/7, since every time she fulfills it she gets it right back. I think she might be a nymphomaniac!

Hi I like how you write. Barbara looks pretty with that hair stylr but for some odd reason, I think she would look better as a blond. I also find Barleys mother very pretty as an adult. Love yr work.

Barbara wandered around the house and yard, feeling depressed. Her back ached. Her feet were sore. She was hungry all the time, and worst of all, she needed to pee yet again. She hated being pregnant! Sometimes, especially when the baby, as now, was kicking and squiriming, she had a horrified feeling like some alien parasite was growing inside her.

"I'm not mother material," she muttered to herself. "Heck, I'm not even particulalry good wife material. So what am I doing being married and pregnant..." As she waddled around the backyard, her eye fell on the hot tub tucked in behind the house. A silly grin crossed her face. "Okay, so yeah, I love him maddly and the woohoo was great before I turned into Barbara the Great White Whale, but..."

Barbara sighed and continued to waddle laps around the yard. Being pregnant made her restless and irritable.

Inside the house, Abhijeet looked out the window at his pacing daughter-in-law. He had a feeling that she and he were kindred souls...he sometimes caught a trapped look crossing her face when she didn't think anyone was looking... a look he remembered all too well from his own face when he'd first married Aleph, before he'd resigned himself to married life and given up his bachelor ways. Oh, maybe not totally... Lucy was still in his life, though mainly as a distant voice on the other end of the phone. It was so hard being discreet, especially when your wife was one of the most famous people in your community. A general, an ex-astronaut... and here he was, in his elder years and still working as nothing more then a freelance photographer. Oh well, she'd always been the ambitious one. Barley definately took after her... and the more laid-back Bean took after him! A pity Bean had dropped out of college. The boy might have gone far with a decent education.

Suddenly Barbara stopped her pacing and clutched her belly, a grimace of pain crossing her face. She frantically waddled into the house. "It's time!" she cried out. "The baby is coming!"

Chaos ensued as everyone tried to help her at once. Somehow, things went well, and a few hours later, Barbara was beaming down at the tiny wiggling baby in her arms, surrounded by her elated in-laws. "It's a girl," said Barley. "We're naming her Cherry... Cherry Soup."

...she was going to have to occupy the hovel, at least until she could line up some better financing. It was decorated -- if you could call it that -- in what she generally thought of as "Curbside Moderne".

"Hey, Mystery Man!" a chipper young female voice said. "You're a hard man to track down...especially since you never told me your name before hanging up the other night!"

"Barbara! Um, hello. Yeah, I guess I did forget...wait, how'd you track me down?"

"Last Call Return feature is a friend of mine, Mystery Man. Then I just had to ask the guy who answered the phone to get me the guy who'd made the Dean's List. It was cake. Now come on...name!"

"Oh, right...I'm Barley Soup."

I love this legacy. It has drama, humor and it is well written! Great job!

Aleph Bette played with her granddaughter Cherry. "She's just adorable, Barbara," Aleph sad, smiling at her daughter-in-law. "I hope you and Barley are planning to have more...I love having grandchildren, I want lots of them...at least six!"

Barbara smiled, though inside of her a little voice was screaming in horror. "Yes, we're hoping to have another once Cherry is a little older. Though at the rate Bean and his wife have been popping out babies, you may hit six grandchildren before Barley and I even have our second!

Aleph laughed. "Yes, poor Brandi...sometimes I think she hasn't spent a day not pregnant since she and Bean got married. Such a surprise too...he heads off to college, and the next thing I hear he's dropped out, moved into a house of his own, and married...I just wish the two of them had had a proper wedding. You know, I've only met my grandchildren on that side once? I still haven't even met the youngest, my grandson Cabbage - just the girls, Celery and Cauliflower."

Barbara shivered. "Yes...I'm glad Barley prefers to space out our children. I don't see how Brandi manages. She's pretty much thrown away her career...she was almost the top scientist locally, and suddenly she'd spending all her time miserably pregnant and up to her elbows in dirty diapers and rancid bottles of milk. I think it'd drive me mad if I had to live like that."

Aleph patted Barbara on the shoulder. "Don't worry dear, you're doing a fine job with raising little Cherry. I'm sure you'll manage equally well once you and Barley have another child. Well, I should go call Brandi and see how she's doing...I hope that rapscallion of a son of mine doesn't already have her pregnant again!"

Hey you could name one of them Rapscallion Soup! Ahem...don't mind me.

Barbara handed Cherry her lunch bag and watched her dash out the door to catch the school bus. Upstairs, she could hear her mother-in-law babbling away with Cream, her toddler-aged daughter... and the first faint wails of her newborn son, Carrot, waking from his nap. She was glad that Barley had agreed that three children was enough. She'd hated being pregnant, hated giving birth, hated, to some degree, having to look after small children. Thankfully, Aleph Bette had recently decided to retire from the military and spend the remainder of her declining years spoiling her grnadchildren.

Secure in the knowledge that Aleph would look after the kids, Barbara headed out to her own job as a record store clerk. It was so good to be back to work.

Upstairs, Aleph popped the exhausted toddler into her crib and went to get Carrot out of his. She loved having babies around... she just wished she'd had more before time had caught up with her biological clock. Still... she had six grandchildren now, and that made her happy all the time. If only Bean and his wife had stayed in contact... she wished she'd gotten to know his children as well as she'd gotten to know Barley's threesome. It was kind of funny, how both of them had two girls and then on boy...well, for all she knew, Bean and Brandi had even more children now, but seeing as she hadn't heard a thing from them in years... she sighed, and concentrated on changing Carrot's dirty diaper.

--------------------

Ahbijeet checked the batteries in the smoke detector. Yup, they were dead...he'd have to pick up more on his way to work as a webmaster for Sim Communications Inc. Dropping the dead batteries in the garbage, he replaced the cover and strolled out to catch his car pool.

Upstairs, Aleph was absorbed in teaching Carrot how to talk. He was coming along well. It wasn't too much longer before he;d be joining his older sisters in school all day. The house was going to seem empty during the days!

Barbara woke from her nap and wandered into the kitchen. Her stomach was growling... she'd worked a late shift as a DJ last night, and had been too tired when she got home to grab anything to eat. Yawning, she tossed a TV dinner into the stove to heat, then turned back to the fridge. She needed something healthy too...maybe a nice fresh salad...absorbed in chopping vegetables, she never noticed the smoke starting to curl out of the oven until she started coughing from the choking fumes...too late, she realised that in her sleep-fogged state she'd thrown a microwave-only tray into the oven, and the plastic was now a flaming, reeking mess! She grabbed an oven mitt and pulled open the door, releasing a cloud of toxic smoke. Overwhelmed by the fumes, she fainted to the floor. As the contents of the tray bubbled and scorched, flaming gobbets of food and plastic spat out of the open oven onto the floor, quickly igniting the flooring.

Upstairs, it was several minutes later before Aleph realised she was smelling smoke. After placing a frantic 911 call, she grabbed Carrot and hurried out of the house. The firemen and police arrived, and prevented her from re-entering the burning building. Smoke and flames rolled out of the kitchen windows.

"BARBARA!" she screamed. "My daughter-in-law is still in the house...!"

The grim expressions on the faces of the firemen when they emerged a few minutes later told her all she needed to know. Barbara was dead.

Barbara certainly did have a bad day! Poor Barbara...

Barley wandered numbly around the house for days before going back to work. Somehow, being in the Hall of Fame, the top athlete in Sim City, didn't mean anything to him anymore...not with Barbara gone.

Aleph worried constantly about her son. He seemed to be loosing interest in the real world; he was becoming obsessed with the paranormal instead. Oh, sure, she knew that, in the right conditions, someone could be brought back from beyond. But...they were changed. And rarely for the better. She worried that Barley would learn enough to make an attempt at resurrection himself.

The children had been affected by their mother's untimely death as well. Cherry was throwing herself at life - wearing skimpy clothes in bright colours with ridiculously high heels, on the phone with friends constantly, being a real social butterfly...though every now and then her true personality would emerge and she'd dissapear into her room with a stack of books and study for hours, satisfying her passion for knowledge. Cream had stopped caring about her schoolwork at all, and sometimes let her homework slide for a day or two before catching up on it. Most of her spare time she spent mooning around the house with one romance novel or another, or laying out on the lawn watching the clouds and daydreaming. Only little Carrot seemed to be okay...oh, he'd fussed for a few days, missing his mother, but he'd been too young for it to really make an impression on him. Now that he was older, going to school as well, he seemed a normal child...bright and enthusiastic, and usually with a frog or snake or some other small creature stuffed into a pocket.

Aleph Bette harvested money from her little money tree. The little plant had lasted well over all these years. A pity that it never seemed to seed, and that cuttings from it wilted and died instead of growing roots... Her left arm was aching again. So annoying, how the body failed you in little ways as you aged. Hair going white, skin going wrinkly, knees and hips stiff and sore most of the time...

Turning on the radio, ignoring the growing pain in her arm, Aleph started dancing to the music. Exercise! Good for what ailed you...why, she'd been active for 80 years now... mind you, she wasn't in as good shape now... why, even just dancing was making it hard to catch her breath. Dimly, she noticed that the R&B she'd been swaying to had oddly morphed to hula music. She was... on a beach... with hula dancers... someone handed her a large drink... oh, of course, it was time for her to take a break... picking up her suitcase, she wandered off in search of a place to rest.

Barley shook his head as another young woman dissapeared into his father's bedroom. Ahbijeet had been romancing a lot of young women since Aleph's passing... starting with his old flame Lucy and moving swiftly onwards from there. The kids weren't sure how to react to Grandpa Ahbi's stream of love-interests. At first he'd kept them decently out of the kid's sight, but he'd soon forgotten all sense of discretion. And some of the women he was seeing... why, they were barely older then his eldest grandaughter!

Barley turned back to the pot of spagetti sauce he was stirring. While he stirred the pot he pondered his job. Getting involved in the paranormal had revitalised him... he was making real strides lately. Now if he could just pull off the tricky exocism scheduled for tonight...

A while later Cherry and Cream came pounding down the stairs, arguing about how cute some boy at school was. Cream flounced out the patio doors to go sprawl in the back yard, watching the clouds, while Cherry bee-lined for the chess table. When Carrot came downstairs a few minutes later, he immeadiately joined her. Barley was just setting plates of pasta on the table when there was a scream from Ahbijeet's bedroom. A white-faced Marisa flung open the bedroom door and stumbled into the room, a sheet clutched around her.

"He... he's DEAD," she screamed, "Ahbi's dead... I woke up and he wasn't in the bed... he's on the floor..." She broke into hysterical tears.

While Cherry comforted the shocked young woman, Barley rushed into the bedroom. Ahbijeet lay on the floor, motionless... not breathing.

------------------------

That night, Carrot woke in tears several times, claiming that some woman had woken him up. Barley was worried... Carrot's description of the woman sounded like a description of Barbara. Why would his dead wife be tormenting their young son? Drawing on his professional knowledge, he made some changes around the house that should discorage poltergist activities. He converted the ground floor master suite, once his parents' room, into a music room, and had his own bedroom completely done over as well. It seemed to work... Carrot began sleeping soundly again, anyway... but there were still nights when being on the ground floor after dark led to odd experiences.

Cherry found it so creepy that she opted to leave for college right away, instead of putting in some extra work for additional scholarships. She'd managed to get together enough in the way of finances to move directly into a small rental just off campus instead of having to live in a dorm.

------------------------

Barley frowned at his reflection in the mirror, and fingered his goatee. His silvered hair made him look... distinguished... he decided. He tugged the hem of his white tunic straight. The helicopter would be here soon, to fly him directly to the Compound. His devoted fellowers didn't know where he lived, of course... he didn't want the more fanatical among them showing up on his own doorstep, bothering his kids... the adulation was enjoyable, but only in small doses.

Amazing how gullible people were. The cachet of his former career as the top of his profession in sports had pushed sales of his self-help book about paranormal problems in the home onto the best seller charts, and then kept it there for an un-precedented length of time. He'd have been the first to admit that his book was just a dumbed-down re-hash of standard techniques for dealing with ghosts and the undead, but his publicist had wisely advised him to inflate his qualifications and affect a reserved quiet instead of being his normal affable self. Within months, he'd gone from a small town exorcist to the most widely respected authority on paranormal activity in the country. He'd achieved a cult-like following among the lunatic fringe, and betwene sales of his book and related nostrums - garlic-infused oil, blessed water, etc. - the money just kept rolling in.

This is good! I'm really enjoying this story. Keep going!

How lovely! Cant wait to read more.

Sorry for the hiatus in updates...was taking a break to play the horrible Hogg family in my "real" neighborhood...they're up to their fifth generation of nasty people... a pity their storyline is probably a hair or three too far out of a PG-13 rating to be retold here...let's just say they're more or less a viscious hillbilly sterotype family in my currently-Victorian-era progressive neighborhood...

Cherry loved college. The friendships, the fun, learning new and exciting things... she threw herself into her schoolwork, and into the whirl of college social life. The semesters seemed to pass in a whirl. Her father was bursting with pride over her marks... her sister Cream was jealous of her social life, but had no interest in attending college herself... "School makes my skin itch!" she claimed. "I think I'm allergic to it..."

By the middle of her college schooling, Cherry began to notice that there was one friend in particular she couldn't get enough of... they often spent long hours on the phone talking about nothing in particular. His name was Curtis, and he had wonderful red hair, sparkling green eyes, and an engaging smile. He made her feel so... so... special!

They started dating. Things progressed rapidly. He was an ardent and enthusiatic lover*, and was soon sleeping over almost every night. In her final semester, she finally worked up the nerve to propose. He was startled at first, then seemed delighted, and enthusiatically accepted. "Listen," Curtis said, "I've been thinking of dropping out...education just isn't working for me, ya'know? How about I stick it out to the end of the school year, and when you graduate, I head back home with you?"

"But what about your parents, won't they want to see you..?" she started to ask.

Curtis shock his head, looking glum. "Nah, I don't see eye-to-eye with the 'rents... I left home at 16. Never looked back, either."

"Ah, sweetie..." she consoled him. "I guess we can't all have wonderful parents..."

--------------------------------

Cherry was excited. She'd graduated Summa C. Laude, and now was heading home with baggage in tow... including her fiance. She really hoped he'd get along well with her family...

They got out of the taxi and stood, looking at the house. Cherry gave Curtis a big hug - "I know my Daddy will like you," she reassured him - and herself! "I just know it!'

Curtis nodded non-commitally and followed her in. Wow...he'd known her family was well off, after he realised her father was that Barley Soup, but... wow... their house was huge, at least compared to the crackerbox he'd grown up in. Yup, he'd done pretty well for himself when he'd gotten engaged to sweet little Cherry...

Barley looked up from where he was sitting reading the paper, and leapt to his feet. "Cherry, sweetie, you're back! And all grown up!" he wrapped her in a warm bear hug. While Cherry chattered happily with her father, Curtis scoped out the room. Some of the furniture was past it's prime, but the house definately had good bones. The huge living room was decorated mainly in blues and whites. A teenager was zonked out on a recliner nearby... by the familial resemblance, this must be the younger sister Cherry had mentioned. Definately a babe...

A teenaged boy strolled in from the patio, pool cue in hand. "Oh, hi," he said, smiling at Curtis. "You must be Cherry's fiance. Pleased to meet you, I'm her brothe, Carrot." They struck up a conversation and had soon migrated out to the patio, where Curtis showed young Carrot some of the tricks to hustling pool.

--------------------------------

Early the next morning the trucks started arriving... wedding arch rental, table and seating rental, balloons, wedding cake, champage, bar and bartender... Barley was going all-out on his darling daughter's wedding.

The ceremony was attended by a mix of family friends and Cherry's teachers. Paring down the guest list to manageably numbers had been tough...Cherry had over twenty friends at graduation, far more then even the Soup's spacious back yard could accommodate!

The ceremony, held late that afternoon, went beautifully. They exchanged vows in front of a crowd of friends, then danced the evening away until leaving on their honeymoon. The wedding and reception were a huge success.

Barley had the master suite redecorated for the newlyweds, and took over Cherry's old room for himself. "I don't need such a big room and two en suite baths just for me," he said when Cherry initially protested. "Your old room will do me just fine. I'll redecorate it in a few days, once I've decided what I'd like it to look like."

--------------------------------

Cherry soon found a job in science, her chosen field. Curtis, being far less skilled, ended up taking a McJob as a dishwasher in a greasy spoon. "I know it doesn't pay much, sweetie... and we probably don't really need my paycheque, either... but I need to feel that I'm contributing, too. Besides, I like to get out and about and meet people..."

Cherry and Curtis soon settled into a life of comfortable domesticity. Cream grew up, without having bothered to even apply for college, and started looking around for a job herself. Carrot was working hard on his studies, and trying to decide if he wanted to attend college too, or go directly off to work instead. Cherry was thrilled at how well Curtis was fitting into her family... he joked with her brother, had man-to-man talks with her father, and amused her sister with his dancing and innocent flirtation. Life couldn't be better.

--------------------------------

(yup, you guessed it... Curtis is yet another romance sim.../sigh)

Eeeep! I hope Cherry doesnt have her heart broken.

Cherry sat down in the recliner and put up her aching feet. She smiled at Curtis as he hnded her an ice-cold orange juice. "That you, sweetie... I'm just so tired all the time right now..." Sitting on the arm of the chair, Curtis reached down and gently rubbed her belly, smiling as the baby inside kicked. "Of course you're tired," he said, "You're busy 24 hours a day making a beautiful baby for us!"

Linking the fingers of her left hand with his, Cherry sat contentedly, sipping her juice.

Across the room, her sister Cream glanced up from the magazine she was idly flipping through and barely stopped a snear from crossing her face. God, her sister was such a little miss perfect wife... glowing with pregnancy, in love with her husband, neat the top of her dream career... Thinking of her own lowly job as a mailroom technician, she once again regretted not pursuing a college education...or at least, pursuing some college frat boy who could now be supporting her in the style she preferred. Daddy dear was such a tightwad with his cash...she figured it came from growing up poor. He still had that "money was to be saved, not spent" attitude, even though he was rolling in the filthy lucre. Glacing up over the top of her magazine, she met Curtis' eyes. She could tell he wanted to know her as more then just his sister-in-law... Oh, he hid it well from the rest of the family, but she was experienced enough with men to know when they were interested in her. And he'd been sending the right signals since the day he moved in.

-------------------------------

Daddy had just flown off for his twice-weekly appearance at the Compound, Carrot was in school, and Cherry was upstairs taking a nap. It was now or never... strolling out to the patio, where Curtis was practising trick shots at the pool-side pool table, Cream swirled her drink so that the ice cubes clinked softly together. Curtis glanced up, then put down his cue and stood up straight, raising an eyebrow at her. "Thought you had work today...?" he questioned. "I called in sick," she said, then smiled sweetly, looking up at him through her eyelashes. Taking a slow deep breath to draw his attention to her obvious assets, she put her drink down on the edge of the pool table and drifted closer to him. "Poor Cherry... she's been so ill with this pregancy. And she's so big right now! It can't be much fun for either of you..."

Stopping just inches from him, she slowly leaned forward, and whispered in his ear, "I could be fun..."

Curtis inhaled sharply, and started to step back, then stopped, and looked down into her eyes. He ganced at the house, then suddenly laughed, and swept her up into a kiss that was definately more then familial. "I think we're two of a kind," he told her, grinning mischieviously. "It's too bad I met Cherry first... I think you and I would have had a lot more fun together..."

"We can still have a lot of fun," she boldly told him, "Cherry just lay down for a nice long nap... and no one else is home."

"Oh, really?" he said, raising his eyebrow at her again. With a sly smile, she twitched her own eyebrow upwards. "Really."

"I shouldn't..." he started to say, but she lay her finger against his lips, then took his hand and began to draw him after her towards the house. "You shouldn't, and I shouldn't, but you know we're going to anyway..."

-------------------------------

Cherry woke as the baby apparently executed a triple somersault off of her bladder. With a grown, she got up and staggered heavily to the bathroom. It felt like she'd only just lain down... After emptying her bladder, she started waddling towards the stairs... might as well go downstairs and have a bite to eat, sicne she was awake anyway. This pregnancy was a rough one... when she wasn't falling over with exhaustion, she was stuffing her face like food was going out of style... or making yet another run for the bathroom.

As she reached the top of the stairs, she heard a throaty laugh from her sister's room. What was Cream doing at home at this time of the day...? A moment later, she heard her husband's voice raised in an all-too-familiar stiffled shout. With a gasp, she whirled and threw the bedroom door open. What met her eyes was a nightmare... Curtis rolling off the bed, snatching up a sheet to hide his obvious nakedness... her own sister lying spawled on the bed, not even attempting to cover up, just giving her a slow, hateful smile. "Nice choice, sister dearest," Cream drawled at her, "he's very... experienced."

With a shriek, Cherry ran into the room and slapped her husband across the face. "How could you... and with my own sister!" Curtis tried to stutter some form of apology, but she wasn't having any of it. Tears streaming down her face, she yanked her ring off her finger and threw it at his head, then screamed at him "GET OUT...NOW! Don't you even try to apoligise, you... you..." she couldn't think of a bad enough word, and settled for another primal scream. Shock and fear crossing his face, Curtis again tried to talk to her, and she resorted to throwing things at him until he gave up and retreated, ducking into their room... into what used to be thier room... only long enough to snatch some clothing before dashing down the stairs and out of the house.

Whirling, Cherry caught the pleased smirk on her sister's face. "There isn't a word bad enough for you..." she hissed. "If I could throw you out of this house too, I would. Now get out of my sight, you connivingly little..."

"This is my room," Cream started to tell her, but when Cherry exploded in a wrath at her, decided discretion was perhaps wise and this point and flounced out of the house. Oh, my, but how she had enjoyed that... Curtis had been even more fun then she'd thought he'd be, but having her sister burst in on them and throw him out... delicious!

Mind you, she wasn't looking forward to when Daddy dear got home... Cherry was his sweet perfect darling and he might be annoyed enough to cut off her allowance, or even kick her out of the house himself. Sprawling on the grass, she stared up at the clouds, mulling over how she should act to make him think Cherry was overreacting, that it was some kind of misunderstanding. No point in denying that she'd slept with Curtis... but it might be possible to shift the blame to him... especially with him not around to defend himself, or point a finger back in her direction...

So bemused was she in her plans, she never really noticed the object streaking down out of the sky until it was too late. Sometimes the gods have a cosmic sense of vengeance...*

-------------------------------

Cherry was devastated. Her husband proven to be false, her feelings of guilt over wishing her sister dead shortly before she really did pass away... she was inconsolable, and kept breaking into hysterical tears. The whole family was grief-striken. Her father alternated between fury at Curtis and Cream for their stupid, selfish actions one monent, and bemoaned the loss of his beloved middle child and the son-in-law he'd begun to like very much the next. It wasn't until she was almost collapsing with exhaustion that Barley and Carrot were abe to pursuede her to sleep.

She woke the next morning and staggered zomebie-like through her morning routine, washing, dressing, going downstairs to have breakfast... she was just finishing eating when the first cramps hit. Paniced, she called for Carrot and Barley to come and help her... by the time they'd run down the stairs, the birth was well underway. A few minutes later, her father stood there, a little baby craddled in his arms. "It's a boy," he said, smiling at her through his tears. "He's beautiful..."

Cherry had only just begun to smile weakly back at him when more cramps hit. What was this...!? A short while later, she found herself holding a second baby, the fraternal twin sister of her newbon son. "What are you going to call them?" Carrot asked, peering over her shoulder at his little niece. "The boy will be Duck...the girl will be Dandelion..." she answered.

As she gazed at her children, she wondered what life as a single mom was going to be like. At least she had the support of her family to get her through the times ahead.

-------------------------------

* = have to love the timing of this game sometimes... she'd been cloudwatching/star gazing since she was a child...and fixing any broken electrical appliances since she became a teen... and BLAMMO, satellite death at a highly appropriate moment...well, technically it was a day after the break up, but close enough for storytelling purposes

*SPOILERS AHEAD* - The Soup Family has gone Nightlife. Story and screenshots from this point will include Nightlife content.

Cherry was depressed for several days after the birth. Even with her father and brother on hand to help raise Duck and Dandelion, she was always tired and rushed. It wasn't until the twins grew up to become toddlers that her mood improved. She decided to get back to work; Barley was at home most days and had offered to look after the kids.

"You'll feel better once you get back into a daily routine," he told her. "And to help with that...I picked you up something special. Go take a look outsie, sweetie."

Cherry went outside and looked around, wondering what he was talking about...then suddenly screamed with excitement as she spotted a cherry-red mommy van parked on a freshly paved parking pad beside the house. A car, of her very own! No more having to carpool!

There was a small garage beside the house too...peering in one of the windoes, she suddenly broke into laughter, the first since shed throw Curtis out of the house. Barley had bought himself a racey looking little black sportscar.

-------------------------

Barley got home from cruising in his new car. Getting out of the car, he gave it a reassuring pat and clicked the remote to set the alarm. "Night, baby," he said under his breath as he excited the garage. He was just walking up to the front door when a van pulled up, and a couple of workers from the Compound climbed out. "Evening, Dr. Soup," they called to him. "We've brought over the test unit for you to examine."

"Oh, excellant," he told them. "Carry it out to the patio, please... I'll check it over tomorrow."

"Yessir," they answered, and wrestled a large tarp-shrouded object out of the van and through the house to the patio.

Later that night, Carrot was moping around the back yard. He felt so depressed all the time lately. He missed Curtis, who'd been like the big brother he'd never had. And he was uncertain about what his path through life should be... he wanted to earn lots of money and have a nice home filled with nice things, but at the same time he wanted to just kick back and relax and let life worry about itself. Even with Cherry slated to inherit the house and the majority of the family fortune some day, he could still live quite comfortably without ever having to earn a parcheque...

A large globular object in the shadows by the patio door caught his attention. Wandering over, he uncovered a weird device, a large hollow metal globe with some sort of monitor rising from it, supported by a couple of flexible legs. There was a large opening in the front, big enough to stick your head into... without considering any possible consequence, Carrot grabbed onto the handholds to either side of the opening and did just that.

Clamps grabbed into his head and the machine hummed to life, the interior lighting up with blindingly bright displays. Images were flashed rapidly before his eyes. He yelped and struggled, but couldn't extricate his head until the machine - whatever it was - finished it's cycle and released him. He staggered backwards, clutching his head and swearing. He had a huge migraine...

Even as he noticed the pain, it vanished. He was suddenly filled by a strange sense of well-being... and an overwhelming desire for a good long relaxing soak in the hot tub followed by a prefectly brewed cup of espresso... whistling contentedly to himself, Carrot headed off to enjoy what pleasures life had to offer.

-------------------------

Carrot sat and watched his niece and nephew play with their rabbit head toys. Life was so much nicer now that he'd stopped being focued on money 24 per 7... and he had more social time now that he wasn't obsessed with getting good marks. What did good marks matter, when he didn't feel like going to college anymore anyway!

He wondered if Barley or Cherry would let him borrow a car tonight so he could go downtown to enjoy the local nightlife...

The newly adult Carrot baddly wanted to head downtown and check out the nightlife. His sister and father were already both asleep, exhausted from the twins' birthday yesterday and his today. Slipping into the great snakeskin jacket and matching boots his father had given him earlier that evening, Carrot eyed himself in the mirror. He looked darn good, even if he did say so himself... but the outfit was missing something... After rooting around in his closet, he tied a red bandana around his neck and slipped a hat on his head, then checked himself out again. Perfect!

He slipped downstairs, and was heading over to the phone to call a taxi when he spotter Barley's jacket draped over the back of a chair, the keyring for his sports car peeking out of the pocket. Without breaking stride, Carrot swerved and grabbed the keys then headed through the music room to the attached garage. Surely Barley wouldn't mind if he borrowed the sports car just this once... Sliding into the leather-upholstered seat, he inhaled deeply, enjoying the "new car" smell, then hit the garage door remote and started the engine. The car purred to life. He backed smoothly out of the garage and headed off to the downtown area.

He cruised around for a while, deciding where to stop. He wanted someplace... edgy. Someplace where he could meet people with his own interests... Carrot felt momentarily guilty, thinking about how he'd never been able to bring himself to break it to his father that the chances of him making Barley a grandfather were essentially nil. Ah well, at least there were Cherry's children to carry on the family line. A large dark building caught his eye. The Crypt 'O Night Club... hrmmm, everyone he saw entering was male, and some of them were very sharply dressed... he was a sucker for nice clothes. Parking the car, he set the alarm then strolled into the Club.

Music was throbbing and lights flashing at the dance floor, where a crowd of men were dancing energetically. The place had a cool gothic look, though only a few of the patrons seemed to affect the pale skin and dark formal clothes of the dedicated goth. Carrot joined the crowd and milled around, chatting with a few people, dancing a little, scoping the room... He was heading over to get a seat and eat when he accidentally bumped into a tall formally dressed man.

"Oh, geez, I'm sorry, I should have been looking where I was going," Carrot apoligized profusely.

"It is nothing," the pale-skinned man replied, casually waving off Carrot's apology. "I appeared in your path too suddenly, I think."

Carrot was thankful that the gentleman seemed unphased by his clumsy encounter. Looking him over, he was struck by how elegantly turned out the man was. He was wearing a very formal black outfit with a flowing cape, that set off his pale skin beautifully.

"Hey, I love your outfit," Carrot said. "I don't suppose you could tell me where you bought it?"

"But of course," the man replied. "Come, let us dine together, and I will explain to you how to find the shop. But, first, let us introduce each other. I am Count Kent Roeenigke. And you are...?"

Carrot flushed, feeling embarrassed when he realised he'd been talking to a Count as if he was just anybody. But, not knowing what etiquette to use with minor royalty, he decided he might as well continue to act normally. "I'm Carrot Soup."

"Ah, you are embarrassed," the Count gave him a pleasant, close-mouthed smile. "How charming. Please, come join me at my table, I was about to dine alone, and I prefer company."

The rest of the night passed in a blur for Carrot. The Count was so gracious, so cultured, so nice... and so handsome! After dining, they sat and chatted for hours, then danced until nearly dawn.

"Ah, my dear Carrot, I am afraid I must call and end to the night," Count Kent told him. "I must hurry home, I have been out later then I'd planned on. I have enjoyed our time together. Perhaps we can meet again?"

"Oh, ah, sure! I've really had a great time too..."

"Then I will call you tonight," the Count said, "once I am free again. It has been a pleasure." With a swirl of his cape, Count Kent swept out of the Club.

Carrot was sitting down at the bar, bemused by how wonderful his first encounter had gone, when a young man sidled up to him.

"Hey, dude... a word to the wise. It's fun to come here and see the real night people, but you don't ever want to get deeply involved with them. Bad juju, y'know?"

Before he could muster a response, the young man had dissapeared back into the crowd. Carrot wondered what the guy had meant. Maybe he was just jealous of Carrot having snagged one of the best-looking guys in the place...

Recalling the time, Carrot rushed out of the bar to drive home. Too late to get the car back home before Barley noticed it's absence... suddenly stopping, Carrot smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand. He'd never given the Count his phone number... so much for seeing him again...

--------------------

Carrot rolled out of bed late that afternoon and stretched luxuriously. Man, he hadn't been out that late ever! Barley had been all dissaproving-father on him, especially over him having borrowed "baby" without permission. At least he was too old to be grounded!

After a long hot soak, Carrot wandered downstairs and had a salad for brunch... er, wait, it was already getting dark. Make that brupper.

He was just putting his plate in the dishwasher when the phone rung. "Hello?" he said, picking it up.

"Ah, my dear young Carrot! This is Count Kent. I am free for the night. How would you like to go clothing shopping?"

Carrot was startled. The Soup family number was unlisted, to prevent his father's followers from trying to call him at all hours. However had Count Kent found out where to call him!?

"Sure, Count, shopping sounds great..." he started to answer.

"Wonderful!" the Count exclaimed. "I will send a taxi to pick you up, it will be there in 15 minutes. It will bring you to meet me at the store."

As he hung up the phone, Carrot wondered further how the Count knew where to send the taxi. Then, dismissing any further thoughts on the subject, he dashed upstairs to change. Maybe that nice black shirt his sieter had given him...

--------------------

They started the evening with shopping, then went to a club - a different one then the night before - for dinner and dancing. It was a wonderful night... a real dream of a date...

They were slow dancing together in the wee hours of the night when the Count stopped and rested his hand lightly against Carrot's cheek. "My dear... will you trust me?"

"Uh, sure... what about?"

"I wish to give you a gift. I do not think you will appreciate it at first... but I think you will come to enjoy it immensely."

Carrot wondered what Count Kent was going on about. If this was a roundabout way of suggesting they go off somewhere and do more then just making out... well, he was all for it.

"Sure... ummm... my place or yours..?"

The Count glanced at the window, then shook his head. "I regret we do not have enough time for that first. If you trust me, tell me that you consent freely to what I do. I must have consent before I may proceed."

"Um...yes? Oh, ah...yes, I consent."

"Of your own free will."

"Er, yeah... I consent of my own free will to what you do."

An expression flashed momentarily across the Count's face, a cruel and hungry look. Carrot was starting to wonder just what he'd agreed to when the Count grabbed him in a grip like iron. "You are so charmingly naive, my dear young Carrot," he hissed. "But I give you the gift of time... time to live long enough to learn caution... and to outgrow naivety."

The Count lunged, his mouth gaping wide to reveal his startling long and sharp fangs. Carrot barely had time to have the shocked realisation that the Count's pale skin and formal wear weren't just some goth affectation before the fangs sunk into his throat and he lapsed into unconsciousness.

It was nearly dawn. A car pulled up at the Soup household, and an unconscious form was unceremoniously rolled out the door onto the front walk. The car's horn blared loudly, then the vehicle gunned it's engine and sped away. A moment later, Cherry stuck her head out the door, and gasped as she saw Carrot lying motionless on the ground. She rushed to his side and knelt, feeling for a pulse. He was so cold... so pale...

As the sun peeked over the horizon, he suddenly came awake with a shriek of pain. She glimpsed his blood-red eyes before he covered them to protect them from the faint sunlight, and remembered stories her colleagues at the lab had told... a vampire. Her brother was a vampire!!!

Dragging him into the house before the rising sun could cause him real damage, she stuffed him into a closet and frantically stuffed a towel under the door. Even the littlest real sunlight would be painful, damaging...

--------------------

Barley was stunned by his son's transformation, then moved into rapid action. A few phonecalls, and a work crew was at the house, converting some unused attic space into a light-proof domicile for Carrot.

"Is there no cure," he asked Cherry, "nothing we can do to make him better...?"

Cherry shook her head saddly. "None that I know of," she said. "There's rumors of a folk remedy that works, but no one I've been able to reach yet has any reliable proof that it exists."

By the next day Carrot was ensonced in his own comfortable apartment in the attic. It was pleasantly furnised, with hiw own kitchen and bath, even a hot tub so that he could indulge in the long soaks he so enjoyed.

A few days later the first gifts began to mysteriously appear outside the house... cards, flowers, a big-screen TV... all signed by a mysterious "C.K.R." that Carrot refused to identify. Clearly, someone out there was obsessed with Carrot.

Bravo!! Love it! can't wait for the next part!