The Fate of Alchemy    Chapters    FAQ    Guestbook

Start reading now! Description: Cassandra Smith has led a very unusual life for the past four years. After waking up in a strange town with no memory of her past she has gathered all the hints she could, in an attempt to get her old life back, raising two daughters along the way. With the help of her friend, Jenny, her investigation has led her to a clothes store in Bluewater Village, near Pleasantview. This is her last hope to find her family. Created: 08.05.2006 Last Updated: 12.04.2007 Number of Entries: 141 Rating on TheSims2.com: 4.83   Welcome to the fourth part of "The Fate Of Pleasantview", called "Unfinished Business". I'm sorry it took so long to write this one, but I've been busy... PREVIOUSLY: Dina Caliente carries out a genious plan to get hold of the Goth fortune, involving the murder of Bella Goth. The later dissapears without a trace and suspect. Four years pass and the neighborhood had turned the page. The Pleasants face family crisis as the Brokes deal with crime. But joy is in the air in the perspective of the wedding uniting Cassandra Goth to Don Lothario. The eve of the event, Darren Dreamer admits to Cassandra having loved her for years upsetting the bride to be,... And now, the Fate of Pleasantview!   The taxi came to a halt and the door opened. The woman in the passenger seat stepped out, having payed for the ride. She had arrived, soon she would know the truth, or at least she hoped...   She slowly walked towards the clothes store she had been looking for. It was mid-morning and quite a few shoppers were going through the doors of the red brick building. A guitarist was playing by the fountain outside; it was a warm day, he would surely make some money from all the passing customers. But the woman wasn't here to shop. She was here as a last hope in her quest.   She entered the shop, not knowing how she would find a clue, what she would do now. She mechanically browsed through the different clothes, with no goal, just looking.   A store clerk came up to her. She was a young girl, probably working there for the summer. "May I help you with something?" she asked politely. "Er... Well, I suppose. Could I speak with your manager please?" "That would be me." The young girl replied.   "Oh! You own this store?" "No, but I am in charge of it's managment. Is there something wrong?" "No... not really. Would it be possible to speak with the owner of the store?" "Do you have a problem with one of our products?" "No, it's more, a kind of research..."   "I believe I can answer your questions if it's not a problem." "Oh, I'm not a reporter or anything. This is personal, as a customer, and it's very important." "Er... All right, if you want I can take your name down and I'll see what I can do.   The store clerk went to grab a clipboard and a pen behind the counter and returned. "So, your name, please." "Cassandra Smith.", The woman answered. "And I'll be needing your home address and phone number..." The young girl went on.   Once all the correct information was taken down, Cassandra left the store. As she walked out she tipped the guitarist, who was still playing. She then called a taxi cab to go home.   Home was actually what Cassandra was looking for. Her whole life had been a search these last years and the latest hints had brought her to the quiet Bluewater village. So, she had rented a small place with a friend, Jenny, not knowing what the futur held for her.   "Hey girls, I'm home." Cassandra called walking through the front door. She found her daughter, Hermione, sitting with Jenny on the floor, playing. Jenny was older than Cassandra, and not only was she her friend but also her guide and mentor. She had long white hair that surrounded her happy looking wrinkled face. Cassandra had two daughters: Hermione and Iris. They were twins and born three years ago.   Cassandra took her sunglasses off and Jenny got up. "How did it go?" she asked. "Okay, I guess. I just met a store clerk, she's gonna call me to say if I can meet the owner of the store." "Well, you already took a big step today" "I don't know, I don't want to get my hopes up, because everytime I do I end up dissapointed. Where's Iris?" "In the kids room, playing." "Okay, well I'll make lunch."   Jenny got back to playing with Hermione and Cassandra went to the kitchen to make the meal. As she did this she thought of these last years. Jenny and she had met over such odd circumstances. And the twins had been sent by Fate. It had all started four years ago...   Her first memory went back to there. She had awoken in the middle of the desert with amnesia. She was badly wounded and in the middle of nowhere. She walked the best she could all night to find a clinic just on the border of a small town. It was dawn, she was exaughsted.   As she opened the door, she collapsed, not able to stay standing anymore. There had been people running around her, everything was confused, she could hardly remember.   Long hours were needed for surgery. Cassandra had arrived in a small scientific settlement, in the middle of the desert, called Strangetown. The clinic was drasticly understaffed but they were used to the procedures.   And that's how she had met Jenny. She was a nurse at the clinic and had been there for Cassandra as she awoke. She explained to Cassandra that based on the wounds they had found on her body, the doctors concluded that she had been abducted by aliens. This story seemed quite far fetched to Cassandra but Jenny was serious. Strangetown is so remote because it is placed underneath the galactic highway: an energy field that crosses the galaxy for space ships to travel at a quicker speed. Many space ships drop their rubbish on the planet, incuding their useless hostages. So Cassandra's situation was completely normal in Strangetown and happened quite often.   The reason Cassandra had amnesia was because of the aliens: they had probably used her for their experiments and, wanting to keep them top secret, had erased her memory. The doctors didn't know if Cassandra would ever remember her past again. But more news awaited her: Jenny annouced her that she was pregnant. This wasn't the result of aliens but came from her past life. She must have got pregnant just before her abduction.   Cassandra had nothing at all left for her and was forced to start her life over. Since Jenny had extra rooms at home, Cassandra was to live there until she could afford a place of her own. Jenny had a family: Her husband was actually an alien who had retired to the Earth for his elder years. His name was Pollination Tech#9 - Poli for short -, he had pale green skin and siver hair. He certainly helped Cassandra believe the whole abduction story. They had two children: Johnny, who moved to college two weeks before Cassandra arrived, and Jill who was 12. Her name became Cassandra Smith. Smith was Jenny's last name and it was a "tradition" in Strangetown for abducted people to carry their host family's last name. As for Cassandra, it was the most beautiful name she had been able to think of.   Cassandra had arrived in the middle of the summer. In between the heat and the pregnancy, she was constantly exaughsted. But the Smith family was a happy one and they all made Cassandra feel at home.   Even so, Cassandra wanted to go back to her old life. There was surely a family waiting for her somewhere and she needed to find it. She started doing research, reading old books in the family bookcase to find prehaps soem clue or trail.   However, she was quickly forced to see that Strangetown was as remote as it could get. The town was lost in the desert with no communication of any sort with the outer world. If there was a war in the country, the inhabitants of Strangetown would never know about it until troups walked trough their town. All the media were local, books only related to the town events; Cassandra realised she wouldn't find much here.   So, she needed to settle on staying in Strangetown for now. During the day, Jenny and Jill were working, but Poli was retired and stayed home with Cassandra. The both of them became friends quickly. Everyone was so nice here that Cassandra did her best to stay happy and to accomodate to this new life.   But the truth was that she cried when she was alone. She couldn't stand the idea of giving birth to her child not knowing where it came from. This baby would be the last sign from her past. She didn't want to let it go.   Pretty soon, her body showed visible signs of pregnancy, reminding Cassandra that she couldn't stop this event. She had to move on with her life. She became a full member of the house and helped with chores, taking Jill to school,... Over the months following her arrival, Cassandra met the whole family: Johnny, the elder son who lived in collge with his girlfriend, Ophelia, Jenny's brothers: Pascal, Vichund and Lazlo Curious.   Life in Strangetown transformed Cassandra. She had obviously lived differently in the past because at first she wasn't used to life there. But she ended up being a member of the scientific community. It seemed she would have to raise her child there, move on and rebuild a new life. Time passed, Jill came to her 13th birthday and Cassandra's due date approached.   It all happened one day, during lunch. The whole family was just having an everyday conversation, but Casandra wasn't listening. She had what she at first thought was a stomach ache but pretty soon it came clear to her that these were contractions.   She got up, clutching her belly, announcing that she needed to be taken to the clinic. In an instant they all understood what was the matter. Poli called a taxi, while Jenny started coaching Cassandra for her breathing. Johnny and Ophelia were also called and when they heard the new,s they decided to come back into town to bring their support.   They all arrived at the clinic and waited silently in the entrance. Jenny would be delivering Cassandra's child, all other doctors being away.   Finally, Jenny announced it was time. Poli was Cassandra's coach while Jenny delivered . At 3:16 PM, her baby was born. But to everyone's suprise, Cassandra was expecting twins. Indeed, she hadn't had any medical following during the whole pregnancy and never imagined she was to have more than one. Twenty three minutes later, Cassandra was mother of two.   The first born was named Iris and her sister, Hermione. They were a whole new challenge for Cassandra but she loved being a mother, and Poli and Jenny were more than glad to help. Strangely, she felt as if she had already done all of the things a mother does but she couldn't recall it, the whole process seemed familiar.   Motherhood took most of Cassandra's time up. The years passed and the girls grew. They looked so alike but Cassandra could tell them apart by looking at the little details. Nonetheless, she always dresses Iris in shades of pink and Hermione in shades of blue. She had put her search for the past on hold, she didn't know if she'd ever find home again but at the time she needed to focus on her children.   However, her hopes were brought back to life two years after the twins' birth. Jenny and she were simply chatting one afternoon and Cassandra's search came up in the conversation. "You know," Jenny said, "now that I think of it, it's stupid we didn't keep your clothes, they would have been a good trail..."   "How exactly?" "Well, if the label was still there, we could have seen where the store you bought it at was located and from that see where you're from... We just shouldn't have thrown it away."   "Wait! I did keep the dress I was wearing! Why didn't you come up with this before?" "I just thought of it now!" Jenny said laughing, "You really kept it? Go and get it!"   Cassandra ran to her dresser upstairs to get the box she had kept the dress she had worn the night of her abduction. It was a red torn dress, she didn't know why she had even kept it but now it was comming in handy.   She ran back downstairs and both women looked inside to read the label. "Here it is!" Cassandra cried, "Tessa's Style. Bluewater Village. Bluewater Village... where is that?" "I don't know... But I'll get a map of the city, prehaps it'll be there..."   Jenny went to fetch a map of SimCity in the den and returned. They looked for about five minutes before finding the small village in the suburbs of the big city. But reality came back to hit them in the eyes: Strangetown was very remote: there was no road leading out of the desert... They seemed doomed...   However, a few weeks later, doom turned into fate. Indeed, SimCity planned to build a highway through the desert. The workers were suprised to find Strangetown in their way: the town wasn't even on their maps. The highway had to be turned to avoid crossing the small settlement but nontheless, the mayor asked for the main road of Strangetown, "The Road to Nowhere", to be connected to the highway so that the Strangers could travel. Cassandra would be able to go home. The works still lasted another year before the highway was open to the public.   Jenny decided to drive Cassandra there. The day they left was a sad one. Strangetown was still very remote and Cassandra didn't know if she would ever see the Smith family again.   Finally they all got in the car, they were driving home. The trip lasted three hours. At first they stayed in a hotel but quickly they were able to rent their small home. Now Cassandra was putting all her hopes in this store owner.   One day, Cassandra was simply doing her house cleaning when the phone rang. It was the store clerk announcing that she could meet Ms. Ramirez, the store owner. It had been two weeks that Cassandra had been expecting the call. This was just another step taken towards home.   Two days later she was at Ms. Ramirez's home, a beautiful seaside doll-looking house. Cassandra wondered what she could find as information here. Maybe this wasn't the way to go, what could the store owner possibly know about her past? She tried not to lose hope this seemed to be her only way home.   She rang the doorbell which chimed a soft tune; someone came to the door. "Hello, I'm Tessa Ramirez", she said "You must Ms. Smith. Please come in"   Cassandra followed her into a cozy living room with pink flowered walls and a beautifully decorated chimney. There was a large mirror hung against the wall by the door and an antique looking piano along with a flat screen plasma television; this home was made of money, but it was pretty anyway. "So, my mananger tells me you have a question about one of our products."   "Yes, well sort of... You see I'm doing some personal research. It's kind of a long story..." "Well why don't you tell it to me now that you're here." Cassandra told her about the last four years of her life. She left out all the emotional part but did tell Tessa Ramirez every hint that had led her back to Bluewater Village and to the clothes store.   "Wow! What a tale!", Tessa replied, "I'm just not sure I'll be able to help you. I mean I do sell many clothes per year so... Have you gone to the police with this?" "No, not yet... I just wanted to see if there was anything left on this trail." "Well... Do you at least have the dress with you?" "Yes! I brought it here in my purse."   Cassandra went to get the ragged dress in her purse that she'd left in the entrance. When she returned Tessa gasped. "Oh my! It's the dress!" "What dress?" Cassandra asked "I designed this dress more than twenty years ago. It was specialy made for a woman named er... Bella Goth. She dissapeared four years ago, wearing it and I've been trying to remake it ever since because it's back in style! I can't believe it's here!" "Wait! This woman she dissapeared? But I've had this dress for four years!..."   "Oh my God! You must be her then! You're Bella Goth!" "Bella Goth..." "Yes, you were all over the news back then! You were from this really rich family in Pleasantview and no one found a trace of where you'd gone. What happened to you?" "I really don't remember... I just woke up in the desert..." she answered, no wanting to be laughed at by talking about an alien abduction.   Tessa took her in her office to show her all the articles that were on the internet. She was so confused: she didn't know if her name was Cassandra or Bella... There she was in pictures on web pages, surrounded by a family she couldn't remember. Her head started aching... She didn't feel well...   "There you have it! I'm just happy I was able to help you. You know, you're lucky that dress was specially made! Are you okay?" Tessa added seeing the look on her face. "Er... yeah. It's just a lot to take... I think I need to go home... Thank you so much... I'll call you." She said it all in a very plain and mechanic voice.   She left, not knowing who she was, what the truth was. It was strange: she imagined that if ever she found her past it would all come back to her at once. But this was different. The name Bella Goth had been like a trigger. First she just took the name in, but then she started remembering little things. Just feelings and images, that she didn't understand. It was like different pieces of a puzzle mixed together that were slowly coming together.   She walked home, the head ache just getting stronger and stonger. She opened the front door with an urge to lie down. She found Jenny in the entrance with Iris in her arms. Jenny put the young child down and turned to her.   "So how was it?" Jenny asked with a big smile. "Er... great... can we talk about this later? I'm exaughsted" "Sure but hold on! Just tell me if she was able to give you any extra clues." "Yes... Er she knows who I am... but I just... I'm..."   "See! I told you not to lose hope!" Jenny cried out, interrupting her, "Tell me everything!" "Later, I told you, I need to lie down..." "But Cassandra...."   "No... not anymore..." she said walking towards her room. She closed the door behind her and went to bed. Jenny didn't understand, but decided not to go disrupt her. She obviously wanted to be alone for now.   The next day, Bella woke up, this time she was sure that she was Bella. She could remember it all, like if it had never dissapeared. She opened her eyes to find the world exactly how she had left it, yet everything seemed different. Soon she would go home.   She ran in Jenny's room to tell her, not caring about waking her. Jenny grunted as she slowly pulled the sheets from herself. "What?" she asked in a sleepy voice. "I remember Jenny! I remember everything!"   All the sudden it seemed that Jenny wasn't tired anymore. She leaped up from her bed. "Oh my Cassie are you serious?!" "Oh, my name is really Bella..." "Bella, huh? I'm used to calling you Cassandra..." "No, Cassandra is actually my daughter." "Your daughter??" Bella told Jenny everything of her past life, who she exactly was.   "Oh dear I'm so happy for you!" Jenny said hugging Bella, once she was done. "I know, I'm so happy too..." This was it. Bella was back.   She now needed to tell her daughters. She sat them both down in the living room to announce them the news. "Girls, you know how mommy was sick and couldn't remember anything? Well, last night mommy remembered everything and knows how to go home." The two girls stayed speachless for a moment.   "Does that mean we're going to have a real daddy?" Hermione finnaly asked. "Yes. And a brother and a sisiter" Bella told the twins everything about their family and origines. The both couldn't believe their ears. They had never really known any family, besides Bella. The Smith family was almost theirs, they wondered how they would be in their new one.   Bella then needed to call Tessa. Indeed, the previous evening she had left hardly saying a word. "Bella, I'm very happy for you," Tessa replied "but you can't go see your family today. I need to speak with you first. Please don't go there today. Can we see each other tonight?" At first Bella was reluctant but she ended up by agreeing to Tessa's bidding. She had waited four years to see her family, another day wouldn't be the worst to wait...   That evening, Cassandra greeted Tessa with a warm hug. It was thanks to this woman that she now had a life. Tessa went to her car to get a pretty pink box. "I brought you a present" she said. The both went inside.   "You really didn't need to..." Bella said, truely meaning it. "No, you'll see, you won't regret me bringing this."   Inside, Bella found two beautiful dresses. The first was a reproduction of her old red one. The second was in shades of pink and red, very long and elegant. "What's all this for?" Bella asked finding no other words.   "The first is to replace the one you lost in the attack. I had it made today, mobilizing all my tailors. I was able to find the original designs thanks to your dress you brought yesterday. I'm going to have more made so that I can sell it and this is a thank you for bringing the designs back! The second is for you to wear tommorow: Your daughter is getting married and you need a formal oufit to attend the ceremony." "Cassandra is getting married?!" "Yes. I know this because I designed her wedding dress, it came back to me after you left; when I looked a those sites I recognised her face. Plus 'The Superstar Report' had an article about it last week so... Anyway go try the dress on, I want to see if it fits."   Bella went in her room to try her old favorite dress on. She walked back out to find a big smile on Tessa's face. "You look gorgeous! I think this dress will never fit anyone better than you!'   "Thank you for everything Tessa. Thank you for giving me my life back" Bella said going to hug Tessa. "Aw! Anytime!" Tessa joked "Now you go to that wedding tommorow and you find your old life back. I'll be there, she invited me, since I made her dress and all... You can be my 'and guest'!" "Thank you" Bella whispered unabled to say anything else.   The next day, Cassandra Goth was busy in her room at the Goth manor getting ready for the big day, the day she'd always dreamed of, the day she would marry the man she loved. At first she was scared; being in an elegant white dress with a fancy hairstyle wasn't her usual self. She was worried that the guests would mock her. Mary-Sue, her best friend and maid of honour was doing her best to reassure her.   "Listen sweetie, this is your wedding day. The bride is the most important person in such occasions. Now you are not going to worry about what other people might think because we are going to make you so beautiful that they won't have anything negative to say. Now come on! We still need to do your hair and make up and the ceremony is almost in an hour!" The speech gave Cassandra confidence and she was ready to get back to preparing, but a knock on the door prevented her from doing so.   It was Darren, who wanted to see her for a moment. "Wow, Cassandra you look beautiful..." "Make this quick Darren I still have a lot to do." Cassandra said coolly as a response. "No, I mean it..." "Yeah, well just tell yourself it's not for you if it's any help."   "Look, I wanted to talk about last night" he continued, closing the door, "obviously I've left you upset from what I said. I know it wasn't the best moment to say it but I just needed to tell you. " “And…?" Cassandra asked expecting an apology. "Well, I wouldn't have forgiven myself if I hadn't and I just wanted to know how you feel now..."   "You want to know how I feel?" Cassandra asked angrily, "I'm pissed at you for having loved me for four years and never have had the guts to tell me one day before my marriage on some kind of 'you never know' theory! I have been planning this wedding for a year. It takes a lot of work: you pick the flowers, you pick the music, the food, the dress! All so that it can be the most memorable day of your life! But all the sudden your best friend drops this bomb on you and it's all you can think about. And now your little pathetic attempt to patch things up! How do you think I feel? You're lucky I asked Don to take you as his best man or otherwise I'd be asking you to leave! Now please stay out of my sight, just today!" Cassandra stormed back into her room leaving Darren in the hallway feeling miserable.   He walked back into Mortimer's room where the men were getting ready, just in time to hear Mortimer give Don a father-in-law speech. "Now Don, I know I've always been a little hard on you. I think it's mainly because I'm so protective of Cassie and also, because you were there with Bella that night she disappeared." "Sir... err..." "No Don, let me finish. A father is always scared to see his daughter taken away by another man, his children are the most precious thing in his life. Someday, you'll be a father, and you'll understand. You may not have my full trust now, but if you are wise, you will learn to gain it in time." Don didn't know what to answer to such a speech. Thankfully Mortimer made the next move.   He took Don in his arms, embracing him warmly, welcoming him into the family. "You're going to make a great husband." "Thank you, sir." "From now on, you may call me Mortimer." Darren watched the two of them from the corner of his eye. Even Mortimer, who had always been friendly with him, wouldn't be able to stop this wedding.   Meanwhile, Bella, Tessa and Jenny were arriving in front of the manor. Tessa had agreed to drive both women from Bluewater Village which was only fifteen minutes away from Pleasantview. "So this is where you live?" Jenny said. "Recognise it?" "Most of it, yes. But there have been a few changes, and plus all the party equipment...   They entered the house, which was unlocked to allow guests to come in. Thankfully they met no one on their way in. "Wow Bella! You're rich!" Jenny cried, seeing the fancy interior decoration of the house. "How are you planning on doing this?" Tessa asked to change the subject from Jenny's inappropriate comment. "I don't know... This isn't all that simple. Well since you are supposed to go help Cassie with her make up I think I'll follow you. Jenny, why don't you go in the back and find some chairs?" "You've got it."   Tessa and Bella climbed to the upper landing. The both of them heard the girls chattering from Cassandra's room. "Okay, this is the plan,” Bella began, “you go in there and tell her you want her to meet someone and then I'll come in. Sound good?"   Tessa did as she was told. She walked in to be greeted by Cassandra with a friendly hug. She was obviously nervous and was talking in a fast, high-pitched voice. She hurriedly got to talking about make up. Her hair had already been styled into a complex coiffure and the hour of the ceremony was approaching at a rapid pace. Tessa calmed her and, according to plan, told her there was someone she should meet.   Hearing the signal, Bella walked into the room. "Congratulations honey." she said simply, feeling very strange. The whole situation seemed surreal. Cassandra screamed and leaped into the air. She was already quite flustered and quickly realised that she may have cried too loud. Bella closed the door behind her just in time to hear the one across the hall opening. From the other side, Mortimer's voice asked if something was wrong. Neither Bella, nor Cassandra, nor Mary-Sue, nor her mother, Coral Oldie, seemed able to answer still taken by the emotion of the moment. So, Tessa quickly reassured him saying she had dropped a mascara bottle near the dress.   Cassandra leapt into her mother’s arms and held her as hard as she could, as if afraid to let her go. She stayed there, crying for long minutes. "Where have you been?" she sobbed. Bella softly hushed her and told her the long adventure she had lived over the last four years, leaving out the aliens and the twins; each surprise had to come in it's own time.   Once Cassandra pulled herself together, Bella continued to calmly reassure her. "You have to be strong now. You need to go and get married and you can't let people see you cry." "I know, it's just a good thing I cried before the make up came on." Cassandra joked weakly. "Now this is the day you've always dreamed of ever since you were a little girl. Now I know you can do this and start your own family." "Thank you, mom" she said with a smile.   After all this agitation, Cassandra was ready to get into the final steps of her preparation. Meanwhile, Bella greeted her old friend, Coral Oldie. They used to be best friends, both members of 'The Pleasant Women Book Club', and would see each other every week.   In the back yard, unaware of everything that was going on in the house, the guests were slowly getting in place: the wedding was twenty minutes away. It seemed everyone in Pleasantview had obtained an invitation. It was true the Goth family was famous in the neighbourhood and not only was this wedding a celebration, it was a social event. The high society members were the most distinguished possible to make their small circle look all the harder to penetrate for the outsiders, desperately crawling around it to get a place in the social game.   Bella still needed to announce her return to the rest of her family. Mary-Sue went into the master bedroom to announce her, the same way Tessa had done before. Bella followed her, used to surprising people as she entered a room. Her son Alexander jumped in the air like his sister. Her old friend, Don Lothario, practically stumbled backwards and her husband, Mortimer but his hand to his heart. Darren had never known Bella, but quickly deducted who she was based on the other's reactions.   After a few seconds of awkwardness, Alexander finally, threw himself in her arms. He had changed so much since she had last seen him. She had left a child to find a young man in his place. Before she disappeared, the both of them had such a strong connection. Bella could feel that Alex had suffered her loss.   Again, Bella was forced to tell them why she had been missing so long. She told them the same version Cassandra heard. Yet, Bella would have liked to tell Mortimer he had new children.   Once she finished her tale, she asked the others to allow Mortimer and she a moment, so that she could tell him. They all filed out, disappointed that they weren't allowed to ask anymore questions. But Bella had, like any high society woman, the quality to imply her will in any phrase. When she asked for the room, the others could understand that story time was over.   Once the door was closed, Bella rushed to hold Mortimer close. She had known him her whole life since she was six years old. Before, the longest they had been separated was when she had moved away for three years. Mortimer had aged during her absence, his hair had turned grey and even his face, his posture, and his body looked like these last years had lasted for ages. Bella had missed such gentle touch, she moved in closer to kiss him but Mortimer, moved his head to her shoulder to avoid it. "We need to talk." he announced, slowly pushing her away.   Bella walked towards the other side of the room, giving Mortimer the space he seemed to be asking. He followed her, but, to her despair, stayed at a respectable distance. She started speaking: "Well, yes we do need to talk. I know what I want to tell you, but you seem to have something to say too, so why don't you go ahead."   "All right. Well, I could have never imagined the story you just told us. When you left, the police didn't find one trace behind you. I didn't know if you were alive, if you'd come back someday. I met someone." The phrase spilled of Mortimer's lips and hit Bella like a slap in the face. Those three words had a meaning behind them. Mortimer was in a relationship. "I demand to know who it is." Bella said with as much dignity as she could.   "It's... Dina" "Who's she?" Bella asked, but she left no time for Mortimer to answer. "Wait! Dina? Dina Caliente? The gold digger who married my brother, Dina?" "She's not a gold digger!" "Says a man who struck fortune! Gosh, I'm gone for just a few years and everyone goes out of hand around here!" "The world wasn't going to stop turning when you left Bella. Everyone was telling us to move on, I couldn't expect you to come back. Dina and I have more in common than you think." "Oh please! Open your eyes Morti: she has set a trap out for you and you are walking blindfolded into it!"   "Look Bella you're wrong. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to hurt you. I know you're probably angry right now, but you won't make things easier by being nasty about it." "Oh! I'm the one making things complicated!" "We don't have much time left before the ceremony. We'll talk about it again later. What were your news?" "Never mind, I'll tell you later."   Once again, Bella left no time for Mortimer to reply; she walked out of the room, very troubled. She told the men to head downstairs while she gathered the girls. Once they all left, Bella stayed on the landing more than a minute just to take a deep breath and refocus. She knew Mortimer must be doing the same on the other side of the door. She decided not to think about his relationship for now and to put all her energy in the wedding.   She walked back in Cassandra's room to find Tessa arranging the finishing touches of Cassandra's appearance. The sight of her beautiful daughter ready to be sent off in the married life gave Bella some focus back. The women gathered around Cassandra who was still very unsure of herself. They all gave her a big applause and cheer to bring her smile back. It was time.   The wedding music began. A soft melody of piano rang as Mary-Sue was the first to walk down the aisle. The guests slowly hushed down as they watched the ceremony unfold before their eyes. Then came Darren, still in a bad mood but still courteous enough to smile and keep in pace. Behind him, the groom, Don, ready to face marriage, walked under the white arch to face the small crowd.   The music changed to the wedding march, played by a soft piano and guitar tune. People watched the Goth girl with pig tails, transformed into a gracious and elegant bride. Tessa smiled winked to her as the guests gave a positive "aw", seeing her. Mortimer walked alongside her up to the altar.   He then gave her a small traditional giving-away-father-kiss on the cheek. He softly whispered in her ear. "Congratulations princess. Today is you day and you deserve it. No better day for Fate to send us your mother back." She smiled and so did he. This was it.   Mortimer stood before the crowd, for a little speech: "Friends, Family, we are gathered here today for the joyous union of Cassandra and Don in the bonds of holy matrimony. Their love stands today as a triumph over all that has come our way over the year. I take a moment to think of Cassandra's mother, Bella, who disappeared mysteriously four years ago. Fate. It's strange the way it acts around us, never the way we expect, always more surprising at the next turn, but in the end, things always turn out all right. And it is Fate, which today allows Bella to be back among us."   Bella walked up the aisle towards Mortimer. Gasps, whispers, hisses erupted as she came into sight. No one could understand whether this appearance was a lame joke, or true. Some smiled; others looked scared others just wondered... what was happening?   "I know I probably have a lot of explaining to do. However, I will be short, because my return today is coincidental with the event at hand that I will not hide. So, in short..." Bella, once again explained why she hadn't been seen all these years. Getting used to telling her story, she was able to shorten it just to the important facts that everyone would accept. Then without allowing a question, she walked towards Nina and asked her quietly to exchange seats, so that she could sit in the front row with her son.   The ceremony could finally begin. Don vowed to love Cassandra forever, recalling their best memories, some touching, others funny, all of it surrounded with a warm and affectionate style. Then came Cassandra's turn. Her vows were based on her childhood and her long wait for this moment; she described the journey she awaited with him and the love they shared. It was deep, it was philosophical, and with each word her eyes filled with tears of joy, hardly believing life had blessed her so.   The engagement rings were off and Cassandra slid a golden wedding ring on her new husband's finger. "This ring stands forever for my undying love for you. I will love you in sickness and in health till death do us part."   As Don reproduced the same gesture for her, Cassandra felt that special "butterflies in stomach" feeling that comes at each new romantic event in life. There it was: she was married. A day she would never forget.   The guests applauded as the couple shared their first kiss as husband and wife. Darren stayed still, his love for Cassandra forbid him from applauding the union. Thankfully for him, Mary-Sue couldn't join in the applause either. The vows, the rings, all the sermons that were pronounced reminded her of her own wedding: the failure. She too had exchanged such words with Daniel, years ago, and now there was nothing left but a facade, ready to collapse under the slightest pebble to hit it. But no one took notice of either's attitude, the moment was to joy.   The dance floor filled quickly as love songs played. The newlyweds danced closely together while the rest went to their own pace, caught up in the romantic upbeat melodies. Some brought the moves from their younger years back to life, others tried to not be noticed, some danced with a partner and some danced alone. But they all danced forgetting the troubles that surrounded each and every one of their lives. Those troubles kept hidden where others couldn't see them, behind the smile and the beauty that all Pleasants wear.   Those who weren't in the dancing mood preferred to have some food from the buffet. Mortimer and Bella needed to finish their earlier conversation. "Listen," Bella started, "I'm sorry about before; I know my coming back here today can't be easy to imagine yet. I may have been sudden." "Yes." Mortimer said simply.   "Well, I'll give you time to end this little 'relationship' with Dina, if you must have it..." "Stop Bella; you don't get it do you? This isn't just some little fling with Dina we actually do love each other." "Oh, please..." "No, it's true, now I love you too but I thought you were dead, you can't come back and expect everyone to be waiting for you." "Do you know what I've been through these last years? Do you think I was on a vacation of some sort? For four years I've been fighting to find my way home, I didn't give up and meanwhile you were dating, moving on, living your little rich man life so don't act like a victim here!"   "Oh right! Like you didn't date or anything while you were gone." "No, I didn't" "Oh don't lie! You wake up with amnesia, you don't remember that you have a husband, you yourself said that you only found significant clues about a year ago; I don't think you did nothing during three years, you obviously had your own relationships. Give me one good reason why you wouldn't have?" "Because! I was too busy taking care of our daughters who were born!"   Mortimer froze. "What's that now?" "Yes, Mortimer, I didn't want to say it today because of Cassie's wedding and all, but I was pregnant when I awoke and I gave birth to twin girls. Their names are Iris and Hermione. They are in that house I rented with a nanny right now, waiting to meet their father. Now you can be there for them, or you can keep dating that tramp, but it won't be both." At that moment, someone announced the cake was about to be cut. Bella took advantage of the opportunity to leave the table, once again, forbidding Mortimer from answering.   Bella went to sit with her daughter and her new son-in-law. She began to speak. "Don, when I met you four years ago, I was far from imagining you'd ever be Cassie's husband. For the short time I knew you, you were a good friend and a well-behaved ge