Chapter Fifteen: Seriously, Have Some Fun!

Tyson enjoys mixing chemicals together, but it's still not enough to cheer him up. "I enjoy this, but...something's missing. Maybe if Papa had bought this for me out of love instead of regret, maybe it would make this more fun." Ty muses quietly, unsure of whether he should be happy or not right now.

Oddly enough, Tyson is exhilarated when his formula explodes. "I made that explode! Cool!" Tyson exclaims through heavy coughs. Something sad within him lifts, at least for a few minutes.

After a long steamy shower to clean up his soot covered skin, Tyson decides that this house needed some cheering up, in the form of pranks! He has a mischievous yet serious look on his face as he sets up some pink shower dye for the next person to take a shower.

"I've been working on the rail-road, working all day-ay-ay-ay!" Nathalie is completely clueless as she puts the pink goo all over her long flowing hair.

Yummy, mysterious red substance! Tyson may not have the daredevil trait, but he definitely isn't afraid to gulp down a strange vial of science.

Why Nathalie is thinking about CDs during Thorne's birthday, nobody will ever know...
"I wish I could store this moment on a CD-ROM!"

Thorne has to be one of the most beautiful sims ever, only comparable to his brother Tyson. Nathalie makes the best children ever!
"Who there?" Thorne mutters to himself, looking unseeingly into the distance. Beauty isn't everything, especially when insanity ensues. "No, no, shut up..." He whispers to himself, and Nathalie quickly leaves the room in worry.

Rosaline grows up with Thorne. She's amazed with her new body. "I is alive!" She squeals happily, though only Thorne can hear her.

Thorne struggles to focus on conversation with Rosaline, many different voices blurred together in his mind.
"This my home now. I a real being!" Rosaline whispers in awe. Thorne stares blankly at her, she was always real to him.

"When I is doll, I want to tell to you were great singer. I love the times you sung to me, you were special boy." Through Rosaline's awkward speech, Thorne still gets the gist of what she's trying to say.

"Thanks Rosaline, I love singing to you as well. I hope it doesn't have to stop now that you're big." Thorne struggles to speak loudly, it's almost like he's drowning in his mind.
"Love you very so much. I no want singing end either." Rosaline smiles, and Thorne wonders if their connection is effecting Rosaline's speech, or whether she is just a manifestation of one of the voices. But the voices die down when he talks to Rosaline, so perhaps Rosaline is a manifestation of his healthier self. Either way, he wants to spend more time with his former doll, and that means ignoring the voices, no matter what.

"You're the best friend I'll ever have Rosaline." Thorne smiles, the first one he's had since growing into a child.
Nathalie isn't sure what to think about her youngest son. At the first moments of his childhood, she heard the same confusing mutterings that Hunter once did at his age. But as the day went on, he starts to chats to one particular voice and seemed genuinely happy instead of miserable like his father.
"I just don't want to make the same mistake I did with Hunter. And he seems to be happy in his insanity, who am I to take it away from him?" Nathalie thinks to herself, vowing to watch her littlest boy for signs of serious discontentment.

Silly faces are fun! Rosaline definitely brings the best, if goofiest, side of Thorne out. He's glad his friend grew up with him, even if Mama keeps on looking at him oddly.

Chapter Fourteen: Agonizing Knowledge

Warning: There's some strong(ish) language in this chapter, read with caution.
Also, some of the higher quality pictures are sprinkled into this chapter :) I'm very excited about this!


As Tyson starts to get ready for the day, a wave of apathy washed over him. He doesn't want to get dressed, he doesn't want to bike to school, he doesn't want to do anything. He just wants to forget what he overheard and pretend he's part of a normal, loving, non-secretive family. Tyson stands unhappily, gritting his teeth at the thought of going into school today. He would much rather snuggle with Ro-Ro and sleep the day away then deal with the day ahead.

Though he's already an hour late to school, Ty slowly chews his pancake. "Screw them!" Tyson thinks to himself rebelliously, a small smirk on his face as he gets back into his pajamas.

Suddenly, a furious Ned storms into the room and starts yelling at the top of his lungs. "Tyson Marlin, why are you not at school already?"
"Don't feel like it," Tyson sneers. "I have good grades, one day won't screw it up." He watches in fancinated horror as Ned's face twists in rage.
"Don't fucking feel like it, do you? I don't feel like fishing every god damn day to put food on the table, yet I do it anyway!" Ned screamed, letting out his rage towards everything that's being going wrong lately. His wife has been distant, he loathes his youngest son, and now Tyson is acting out. "Why can't I have the perfect family like everybody else? I'm a failure!" He thinks angrily to himself.

"Well, apparently you haven't been doing enough! Mom's been woohooing with some guy named Hunter while you've been fishing your life away! Thorne's their love child, and you don't have a fucking clue about it!" Tyson screams, and he watches Ned's face go from rage to agony.
"What? But-but she loves me. I love her. What-what did I do wrong?" Ned asks quietly as tears run down his face.

Tyson could curse his hot-headness, as he rushes off to go to school, pjs and all. Being an angry, school-skipping rebel isn't so cool without a family to rebel against. Ned, with his pale, tear-streaked face, forces himself to go fishing. He may not enjoy the task as much as he did firefighting, but it's oddly numbing.

Thorne deals with the growing tension in the house by playing with Rosaline. She's never angry or mad, and she'll play with him for hours and hours without complaint.

Clueless to her secret being outed, Nathalie nearly dozes off during a relaxing bubble bath.

"Hey, who's my big boy?" Nathalie smiles as she picks up Thorne, but it dampens with Thorne's forlorn face. "Let's turn that frown upside down! Come on buddy, Mama wants to play with you!" Nathalie sighs as Thorne looks at her with haunted green eyes. "I'm a horrible Mama, aren't I?" She whispers as Thorne starts wailing on the top of his lungs.

Trying to cheer himself up after his horrible morning, Tyson decides to invite his friend Marilyn Lobos over.

But Marilyn is going to Roxanne Broke's birthday bash, so she can't make it. Tyson wonders why he wasn't invited, he's Roxanne's friend too. Rosaline looks at the deflated boy and wonders what sadness like that feels like.

Nathalie rages against the ghosts she meets at her job. "Why doesn't my baby love me anymore?" She thinks as the Banshee Banisher sucks up another emotionally drained spirit.

With Thorne pouring his emotions into the doll, Rosaline has become much more animated. "Da-dada-ance!" Thorne claps as Rosaline twirls around the room, cheered up for the moment.

Tyson stares blankly at the Chemistry set Ned bought him, wondering why he feels so dirty inside. "Will science cure my family?" He wonders as he jumps into his new lab coat.

Chapter Thirteen: Confession Time

Looking at her baby boy, so much like Hunter as a child, Nathalie knows that she can't keep she can't keep this secret to herself anymore. She loves Ned, and although Hunter's magic was completely against her will, she just feels horrible about not telling Ned right away about it. So she tells the one person who can't speak about the situation, but deserves to know the truth.

"Thorne, I love you very, very much, but I have a secret to tell you. A secret is something you can't tell anybody, especially Papa Ned. I don't know how much of this you will understand, but I really need to talk to somebody about this big secret. Can you promise to listen and not tell anybody?" Confused, the little toddler looks up at Nathalie with sad green eyes.
"Po-miss." He repeats solemnly.

"Papa Ned is not your real dad Thorne." Nathalie says with a small, sad smile. "He loves you very much, and he will always be there for you, but your real Daddy, Daddy Hunter, isn't here anymore, and he wanted Papa Ned to be your dad. Does that make sense Thorne?"
"Papa love me, but Dad not here?" Thorne says, his little mind trying to comprehend what Mama is telling him.
"That's right sweetie. Your Daddy Hunter was a very sick man, and he had to go up into the skies with all the other very sick people." Nathalie tries to explain, unsure how to tell a toddler about death.
"Dad 'Un-er gone?" Thorne asks with tearful green eyes. Nathalie is amazed that he understood the situation so quickly, he really is a smart little toddler.
"Yes baby, but Papa is here, and he'll always love you. And your Daddy loved you very much too, but he was just too sick to be able to be there for you."

"Now Thorne, you can always talk to Mama about Daddy, but you must not talk to Papa about this. Papa Ned does not know about Daddy Hunter, and it must stay like that." Thorne just stares at Nathalie, with eyes much older then they should be, and Nathalie feels a pang of guilt. He really is a little boy, he shouldn't have to hold onto such a burden. But he's a smart boy, he would figure out soon that he is nothing like Papa Ned.
"I know that this is hard to understand sweetheart, but this would make Papa Ned very sad, and I don't like to make Papa Ned sad." Thorne nods, he understands that being sad is not nice, and he doesn't want to make Papa sad.
"I po-miss Mama, no tell." Nathalie breathes a sigh of relief, and smiles at her little boy.

Tyson isn't sure what to think about what he's just overheard, so he just concentrates on his book while he thinks about the fact that Thorne is really his half brother. He's upset, but even through his hot-headed nature he knows that he shouldn't say anything. The most important thing he knows about Ned was that loyalty to his "clan" is vital, and a betrayal like this would make him leave. And he loves being with Papa Ned, even if he is hardly around anymore because of all his fishing.

Thorne comes over to Tyson with his doll. He doesn't seem to want to play with Tyson though, just lean on Rosaline and be with the only reliable member of the family.
"What if I have this Hunter guy as my father too?" Tyson suddenly thinks to himself, fighting tears over the thought. He only manages not because his little brother was right next to him.

The next morning, as Nathalie looks for coupons and Tyson eats some of Ned's delicious apple pancakes, he decides it is the perfect time to ask the question that's been bugging him since he found out about Thorne's father.
"Mom, I'm just wondering, is Ned my father?" Tyson asks in the most nonchalant voice he can.
"Of course Ty-Ty. You look just like him you know, with his hair and eyes. You look like me too, with those chubby cheeks of yours." Nathalie suddenly eyes Tyson with a worried expression. "Why do you ask?" Tyson shrugs, trying to delay answering. He didn't really think of a reason why he would ask this.
"Um, it's just that, uh, a few of my friends at school are adopted, and they don't know who their parents are. I just wanted to know for sure that Ned is my father." Nathalie smiles, accepting the answer, and returns to her newspaper.

Tyson can't quite stop his worrying though, even his imaginative play in the bathtub becomes frightening.

As Tyson goes to sleep for the night, he worries that his whole world will completely go off it's axis if this secret would come out. In the recesses of his mind however, he wonders to himself if it's really fair for Ned not to know that Thorne isn't his son. Is he being selfish for wanting his family to stay together or being selfless by sparing Ned the news? He falls asleep, still undecided on what he should do.

Chapter Twelve: All About the Children

"How can you eat pancakes when there's cake!" Nathalie pulls a funny face at Ned, trying to get him to laugh a bit. He's been so quiet lately, and Nathalie can't help but wonder whether he found out about...you know.

"Remember all the pancakes you made me cook when you were pregnant with Tyson? Does that ring a bell?" Ned says, irritated. Nathalie shuts up, not wanting to risk exposure on her secret.

"Giant Space Monkeys are coming to get you!" Thorn squirms away, not wanting to play this game. He's frightened, hungry, and tired.

"No!" Thorne wails. Nathalie doesn't comprehend the scariness of the space monkeys, so she just stares blankly as her son cries.

Ned isn't the only one partial to apple pancakes.

Tyson gives a hug to his little brother, he can't believe he was this small just a day ago!

"Peek-a-Boo!" Tyson tries to play some games with Thorne, but he's too scared of the space monkeys and fears Tyson's hands too. "Thor, I'm not crazy like Mama."
"Hey, I heard that!" Nathalie cries out from the other side of the room

Tyson is bored, waiting for school to start, so he does some jumping jacks. He doesn't really think he's the athletic type though, as he pants heavily after a ten minute workout.

"Puzzles are the future." Tyson says as he reads a book full of logic behind the most common puzzles. Who knew crosswords could be so complicated?

Thorne wants to play, less scared of the space monkeys now that he's been safe from them and Nathalie for a couple hours.

Thorne glares at Tyson's shoe as he plays with Rosaline. At least she always plays with him!

Nathalie would rather do anything besides potty training. Ghost hunting, sniffing her hand...at least she only has to potty train one baby now!

Ned is tired after a long day of fishing, and he wants to scream as he repairs the dirt-incrusted sink. He was calm when he was out in the water, but now the furious swarm of emotions are starting to set in again. "We should have just had the one child!" Ned thinks, angry at Thorne for no tangible reason.

Chapter Eleven: Life Moves Quickly

Tyson doesn't quite understand how the baby in Mama's belly got into the crib. And why does the baby have his old blankie?

Ty-ty, let's pretend we're robots!" Nathalie exclaims, loving the imagination of toddlers. Tyson just doesn't know how to respond to his mother, he's just such a serious little tot.

Ned stares unhappily as Nathalie plays with Tyson. "Why can't I feel the same for Thorne as I do for Tyson?" He thinks to himself. "Maybe it'll come to me later? He's my son after all." Ned ponders his situation, looking at the haunted blue-green eyes of his baby boy.

Nathalie doesn't even bother to go to her bed or change into pajamas, so desperate for sleep. Having two babies and working night shifts is harder then she thought it would be.

Nathalie sighs as she cleans up the fish tank, full of Ned's most perfect catches. She didn't know fish could poop so much, they're almost as bad as her children!

Nathalie's gotta learn some Martial Arts before work, she's got to get rid of that flabby belly! Nathalie isn't known for being the most coordinated sims however, so she epically fails. But Nathalie isn't going to give up, she'll practice until she's the most fit - if the most clumsy - sim in Riverview!

Poltergeist are Nathalie specialty, so the people in Riverview hire her to get all the Poltergeist out of their homes. It makes more income, and it's much more fun to deal with possessed objects then those lame little spirits. Still, it takes all her concentration to capture the Poltergeists, so stealing has to wait until after they're all gone.

"NO! NOT THE GNOME!" Nathalie cries, she's always been a fan of the funny little statues.

The babysitter won't do anything but lie baby Thorne on the floor, even though it's his birthday and he's starving.

Thorn glares at the witch of a babysitter, his slanted eyes making the glowering look much more scary. He definitely got Hunter Cottoneye's eyes and nose, but he still looks a lot like Nathalie.

Thorne and Tyson play together, somewhat happily. Thorne is glaring at Tyson though because he has to play with the logic box. "B-ba'-bad both'r" Thorne slurs, trying out his vocal chords.

Nathalie loves Thorne's eyes, they look like little crescent moons. "We might have to do something about that flattened nose though," Nathalie mutters, surgery being risk-free in the sim world.

"Ma-a?" Thorne asks, slightly paranoid and scared. Nathalie wonders if little Thorne will inherit his father's insanity.

"Wee! Boat!" Tyson cries out, imagining he's out at sea. Toys are awesome!

"I love you Thorne, but must you eat your bottle right next to the stinky potty?" Nathalie asks herself with a grimace.

One of Thorne's great aunts, from Hunter's side of the family, pass on a family doll to the little boy. The doll's name is Rosaline, but Thorne can't quite pronounce that yet. "Roos-ah-in?"

Tyson is jealous of Thorne's new doll, so he chews on Ro-Ro's ear. "Ro-Ro best bear ever!" Tyson mumbles through a mouthful of ear.

"Ma-ma, I talk." Tyson tries to convince his mom that he can talk already and doesn't need to learn it with no success. "Car." Nathalie says with a huge smile, she's teaching her baby how to talk! "Car." Tyson grumbles, Mama can be so annoying.

"It's my baby's birthday! Blow the candles Ty-Ty!" Nathalie squeals, both excited and nervous to have a child to look after. Tyson isn't sure what to think of the flames, but the cake has his attention. "Yum, cake!"

Ned is so freaking excited, he just can't shut his mouth! "Hey, it's not every day your child grows into a child!" He responds when Nathalie give him a weird look.

"Wow, I can cross my eyes!" Tyson is one silly but super cute sim.

Tyson goes to sleep almost right after growing up, the transformation is tiring. He's excited to try out his new hover bed, though not nearly as excited as Nathalie was when she picked the bed out.