The Fate of Alchemy    Chapters    FAQ    Guestbook

Start reading now! Description: After the campus tragedy of Halloween night, the police open an investigation to find the culprit. Mortimer Goth wakes up and explains the reasons he underwent such brutal experimentation. Bella and he finally remarry. The Pleasants plan a funeral for their daughter, but Lilith isn’t ready to accept her sister’s fate. Created: 30.10.2006 Last Updated: 12.04.2007 Number of Entries: 93 Rating on TheSims2.com: 4.73   Welcome back to 'The Fate of Pleasantview'. This is Chapter 8: 'A Goth Wedding and a Pleasant Funeral'. As usual, I recommend that you read the previous chapters first so that you can understand what follows. PREVIOUSLY: Mortimer Goth carries out a secret experiment in his lab and goes into a coma. Cassandra and Don Lothario become expecting parents. Alexander Goth creates Servo, the robot. Angela Pleasant is murdered on Halloween night.   Officer Demi Love had been part of the Sim City Police Department for half a decade and knew her job well. Even though she was modest, it was common knowledge among her co-workers that she would go far in the field. Such success was possible because of Demi's great sense of rigor; she knew exactly what she had to do, how, when and where. The latest case to come across her desk was the murder of Angela Pleasant, young college student killed on Halloween night. It was two thirty in the morning and she sat in an interrogation room, face to face with the girl's boyfriend, Dustin Broke. The young man was absolutely devastated, his face flooded with tears as he painfully answered each of her questions. Demi couldn't help but feel heartbroken for the young man, but she knew she had a job to do. She had been asking him routine questions, just to get his statement on the record and to try and find a trail.   "When was the last time you saw Angela?" she asked him. He choked at the question, as he had done for most of them actually, trying to find enough breath to pronounce the words. "Yesterday." he finally sobbed. "We were together at Campus Squad." "Did you know of any enemies she may have had?" "No, everyone liked her. She never hurt anyone." "And how was your relationship with Angela? Did you communicate well? Would she hide anything from you?" she continued. "No! We were doing so great! Everyone will tell you! I was even going to ask her to marry me, tonight." The young man ended with a loud cry, as he reached over in his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box, which he thumped onto the table, before covering his face with his hands. It was such a cruel situation, Demi thought, looking at Dustin's devastated face.   He pulled himself together, as another police officer entered the room. Demi gave him a sense of comfort and he had no shame falling into pieces in front of her. But as Dorian Kauker passed through the glass doors, Dustin couldn't help but feel self-conscious of his vulnerability, as if he needed to keep his dignity in front of another male. "The boy's mother is here." he announced to his colleague. Demi thanked him with a bow of her head and silently asked for her to be brought in. Kauker exited the room and Demi sat in silence with the college student, while waiting for his mother's arrival.   Brandi Broke rushed into the room a few moments later her arms open for her son to fall into. Dustin couldn't help but break down, as his mother gently rocked him, trying to be strong. Demi rose from her chair and told the family to take a few minutes together, before exiting the room, not sure how to participate in this drama scene.   She walked down the hall towards the staff room, making her way in front of another interrogation room where the girl's parents were being questioned by her partner Ramin Centowski. The fact that Angela Pleasant's father was a famous sports player only made the case more difficult, as the media had already started lining up outside the station, desperately trying to get their hands on the case details first.   She pushed the staff room door open and headed towards the coffee machine, pouring herself a mug, still thinking about the case at hand. The murderer had certainly known how to chose it's time: Halloween is the one night a year, when people are allowed to roam the streets wearing costumes, without being questioned; hiding one's face with a mask becomes an easy task, and avoids being recognized by others. October 31st was always a busy night for the police, as many people were frightened, mostly by false alarms.   The fact that the attack had taken place in the middle of the night made it all the more difficult for the police to find immediate hints, through the darkness. Out there, a criminal was fleeing the armed forces, with a head start. Demi crossed the room and went to sit down on one of the couches, taking advantage of this time by herself, to gather her energy for the hours of intense work to come. Her thoughts were however interrupted as the station chief entered the room.   Marcia Lopez was another example of successful women in Sim City. Her victory was double, being the first woman to lead the SCPD and also, the first Hispanic person to accede to such function. She was a middle aged dark haired woman, with a face that inspired power and a look that could scare away the devil if she wanted to.   "Officer Love, how are the interrogations going?" she asked Demi. "It's difficult." she admitted. "The girl's family is in complete shock, her friends are all shaken, this is going quite slowly and I just hate to think that a murderer is getting away so easily..." "Already admitting defeat?" her superior asked with a raised eyebrow. "No, of course not." the young officer chuckled. "I'm just frustrated by this case; we're not going fast enough." A slight smile appeared on Lopez's face, lighting up her face. "This is what I love about you Demi, you underestimate yourself and you're always reaching higher." There was a quality about Marcia Lopez, which allowed her to be a strong chief for her team, but also to comfort them like a caring mother, when they needed it. Demi put her mug down on the coffee table in front of her, stating she needed to get back to her interrogation.   She returned to the white room where she continued to question the Broke family for several more hours, trying to latch on to some trail, as her colleagues took notes, behind the one way glass. The young man was able to calm his emotions and to give Demi some more significant details, under the eye of his supportive mother.   All of Angela's friends from the college passed in front of the different officers, each making their statement for the case. As the next ones were being interrogated, the previous one’s depositions were already being dissected by a team of experts, two floors higher. The case was slowly coming together, but it would still require many more hours of shifting officers, working on it day and night, to start making some sense out of it.   It was almost eight in the morning, when an exhausted Demi finally signed off from the night team, to get some well deserved rest at home. She changed out of her uniform and attached her hair into a simple ponytail, to clear her face. She passed through the exit gate, and bid the security guard a good day, as she made her way into the light of day.   She walked outside into the chilly November weather, thinking that as she walked, the inhabitants of Sim City were finding out about Angela Pleasant's murder, from the papers that had been printed overnight, and the television anchormen, who had been informed upon arrival that morning. She walked to her home, in the city outskirts, and collapsed on her bed, exhausted by the lack of sleep, and the stress under which she had been.   As she drifted off to sleep, Bella Goth awoke in the suburbs, in the town of Pleasantview. It was a calm Sunday morning and the house was silent, as everyone was hoping to be able to sleep late. Outside, the street was still empty for the most part and only very few people walked by from time to time. Bella rose from her bed, yawning, and made her way towards the kitchen downstairs, to prepare her family some breakfast.   To her surprise, someone was already there. Bella stood confused for a moment by the sight in front of her. Her son had just presented his great project to the whole family, the previous day: over the last couple of months, the boy had been working on creating a humanoid robot, which could completely interact with the environment around it. Bella was still having a hard time adjusting to this element in her home. She was especially troubled by how smart the robot seemed.   However, it did was smart enough to locate her presence in the room, and it turned around to face her. "Good morning Ma'am. Did you sleep well?" it spoke with it's electronic voice. "Err... Just fine, thank you." Bella replied unsure of herself. "I'm preparing breakfast." it continued. "It will be ready momentarily." The metallic figure turned around and resumed mixing pancake better in a bowl. Bella listened to it's mechanic arm turning with a slight whirring sound. "Alex!" she cried through the house, hoping to wake her son.   Overhead, she heard a door open, followed by hurried steps coming down the staircase. Sleepy Alexander Goth entered the kitchen, his eyes half closed by the sudden exposure to light. "What?" the young man yawned, seeing that there was no urgent situation, which he had expected. "What is your robot doing in my kitchen?" "Servo's just making breakfast." Alexander stated as if it was supposed to be obvious that a mechanic object serve a meal. "And what if I want to make my own breakfast?" "Why bother? You now have someone to do it for you, that's the whole point."   "Well, I'm not sure I trust this machine, made by a teenage boy, to not burn my house down." "Oh, that won't be a problem." Alexander stated in a salesman sort of tone. "Servo's memory is loaded with many different recipes that he'll follow perfectly, while you can relax. It'll be as good as if made by a person!" Not quite, Bella thought. It has always been said that man makes mistakes, and that no one can be perfect. There was something about this robot that was just unnatural.   Ten minutes later, the pancakes were served and the both of them sat down at the table to eat the first meal made by Servo. The whole table was set, as though it had been made for an interior decoration magazine. The pancakes could have been featured on a breakfast cookbook cover, seeing how they had been prepared, and their taste could probably not have been any better. "You see? It's perfection!" the teenage boy told his mother with a mouthful of the warm, juicy, butter-full pancakes. "Don't talk with your mouth full." Bella said with a frown, trying to find some way to take the proud look off her son's face. He was right: the whole scene was irreproachable. Bella felt as if she was starring in a movie happening in the 50's.   Servo entered the dinning room with a mechanic walk and laid the daily newspaper on the table, before exiting the room, probably heading off to some other perfect chore. "Well, let's see what's up with the world." Bella said, still eying her son from the corner of her eye.   She picked up the Sim City Chronicle as Alexander continued to munch away on his breakfast. "Wait, this is strange..." Bella mumbled, reading the headlines. "What?" Alexander asked indifferently. "Oh my God!" Bella gasped suddenly, making her son jump. "What?" he repeated, this time fully intrigued by what his mother was reading. "Angela Pleasant was murdered last night!" "The neighbor's daughter?" Alexander spat, sending pieces of pancake flying onto the glass table.   "That's what it says here." Bella confirmed, before reading the headlines aloud "Campus Shaken by Halloween Drama: The Player's Daughter, Angela, found murdered at Tri-Var sorority." "The Player?" Alexander asked with a raised eyebrow. "That was Daniel Pleasant's nickname back when he played for the Llamas. It was a sort of joke because he was a sports player, but also a player with women, and his fans caught on to the name and I guess it just stayed." Bella explained, while still reading the article.   An hour later, the Lothario couple came over from next door to discuss the news with the Goths, like all the other families in Pleasantview. This murder was hitting a little too close to home, as Daniel Pleasant lived just next door to the Goth family. Cassandra had known Mary-Sue, the girl's mother and Daniel Pleasant's ex-wife, for a long time now, and was worried for her friend. Mary-Sue had been so supportive for her a few years back when Bella had disappeared; she wanted to be able to reciprocate.   The conversation was interrupted by Servo approaching the table. "Ms. Goth, your husband's doctor is on the phone for you." it stated in a neutral voice, before returning to it's chores. "Thank you." Bella called hesitantly after it. "I'll be right back." she told the others.   She rose from her chair leaving her children and Don at the table, and walked back up to the house. The conversation turned to Servo, who began trimming one of the nearby bushes in the garden. Don and Cassandra were both intrigued by young Alexander's invention, which was just so surreal. The young man provided the couple with a few details on his creation, most of which were too technical for them to understand.   Several minutes later, the back door swung open and Bella came running out of the house. She raced across the lawn towards the table where the others were sitting. "What's going on?" Don called to her. "This is either going to be good news or bad news." Alexander told them apprehensively as they rose from their chairs to go find out the source of Bella's excitement.   "Mortimer is awake!" Bella gasped, out of breath. "Oh my goodness, that's wonderful! We have to go see him right away!" Cassandra cried with similar emotion to her mother's. "Yes, yes, we're all going to go right away. I'm going to start the car. Alex, please go get the girls upstairs." Bella commanded, trying to stay calm. Within minutes, everyone was out the door and off to Sim City.   In no time, they reached the Sim City General Hospital Annex Clinic, where Mortimer had been admitted almost two months ago. They parked their cars outside the building and rushed to the first floor, where his room was. The cheery family arrived at the reception desk. "Good day Mrs. Goth." The nurse greeted Bella with a smile. The both of them now knew each other by name, since the Goth family had been coming to the hospital very often lately.   "Hello Lindsey." Bella replied with a smile. "Doctor Grenet called, saying my husband is awake now and we're here to see him." she continued, sounding like she was on a social visit. "Of course, everyone is happy to see you husband is safe and sound. You can go right ahead to his room; I trust you know the way by now." The family headed down the hall and entered the room, where they had only seen Mortimer asleep for now. Yet, there he was standing in the middle of the room, wide awake.   They all rushed into one big hug, though Don preferred to keep his distance, and let the Goth family reunite together. They all kissed, laughed, cried of joy, just from being together again. They stayed huddled in one compact group, for several minutes, each making sure they weren't dreaming, after which they parted and formed a small circle in the room.   They gazed at each other for a moment, all smiling, reunited. Bella then spoke: "So, how are you feeling?" "I'm great!" Mortimer exclaimed. "Aren't you feeling a bit weak after two months of being in a coma?" Don asked him. "No, no. I was regenerating all that time; there's no reason for me to be weak. I'm just surprised the process took so long. I should have woken up two weeks later at latest." "So you knew all this was going to happen?" Bella interrogated, trying to stay calm, but still furious at her husband, for knowing all along, and not telling her. "Well, I was surprised by how fast it all happened. I thought I would have time to go home at least, to tell you, but I just fainted immediately after drinking the potion." "And couldn't you have told us before drinking?" Bella continued, on the same tone. "No, because I knew you would freak out, like you're doing now, and that you would forbid me from taking it; I wanted this to happen."   "How did you even start to...? Why didn't you tell....? What was going on there?" Cassandra finally blurted out. "Can we talk about this at home, please? I just don't want to have to tell you everything in a hospital room." The family reluctantly agreed to wait until they got home to hear Mortimer's reasons. Bella gave him some clothes from home to allow him to change, and they went home. Even though they were disappointed from not knowing about Mortimer's experiment, they couldn't help but feel complete, once again.   On the way home, the family informed Mortimer, all about their happenings and life in the neighborhood, these last couple of months without him, the biggest news of all being the unexpected murder of Angela Pleasant. They finally arrived at the Goth manor, after a half hour of catching up in the car. "Ah, it's good to be home." Mortimer sighed.   A mechanical walking sound came from the kitchen, and out came Servo, which walked up to the family. "Greetings Mr. Goth. It's a pleasure to see you are home." it said. Mortimer jumped back by the unexpected sight of the machine. "What's this?" he asked his family. "Oh, your son decided to create a robot without telling anyone. We forgot to tell you, but he just told us yesterday so we're having a hard time adjusting to it." Bella replied with a sigh, putting her hands on her hips. "You mean you're having a hard time adjusting to it." Alexander chimed in imitating his mother's position "I'll have you know that Servo is a great invention!"   "That's my boy!" Mortimer laughed, hugging his son. "What can I say? Like father, like son" Bella chuckled, making the others laugh. "Well, if you'll all excuse us, your mother and I need to have a little chat." Mortimer told his children, who chorused an "Aw". Bella and Mortimer laughed at their childishness and retreated to their bedroom upstairs.   Once the door was closed, they immediately locked into a tight hug. Mortimer stroked his beloved one's hair with his hand, and grasped on to her shoulder, afraid to let go. Bella and he had always had such a close knit relationship. Lately, it seemed they had been more apart than together, partly because of his laboratory and his experimentation there. But that had only been a step to bring them closer. Finally he felt Bella pull away, and loosened his grasp from around her, getting ready for her questions.   "Look, I don't know if you realize this but I'm waiting for an explanation here." Bella said with good spirit. "I know." he replied simply. "I've just been waiting for us to be alone, but I'm an open book, so ask whatever you want." So many questions had been roaming in Bella's mind these past few months; she didn't know which one to ask first. She had imagined this moment countless times and had always figured the whole dialogue in her head, but now she wasn't sure what to say. "Why?" she finally asked, not knowing how else to summarize her thoughts. "It was for you Bella." he replied with a smile. "I couldn't stand to see what the stress of your disappearance had done to me. A few months ago, I went to the doctor's office for a checkup and I was told that my body had aged four times faster than it should have in the last five years. I was a forty year old man, in a sixty year old body."   "And so you decided to become twenty again?" Bella asked, confused. "I honestly didn't think this elixir would be so strong. I also don't understand why it took so much time. How was I, medically speaking, while I was in the hospital?" "Well, when you first got in the doctors said your heartbeat was through the roof. They had to medicate you to get it to slow down and..." "They medicated me?" Mortimer interrupted. "Well, of course they medicated you. You didn't think they would let you die, did you?" "By slowing down my metabolism, they slowed the rejuvenation process. All of this could have happened in two weeks." Mortimer explained. "How were we supposed to know? It's not like you told us about your secret project, or about that secret underground lab. I mean, who do you think you are, Frankenstein?" she said rolling her eyes. "No one was able to understand your notes, that we struggled to find. How did you even begin to create this potion?"   "Last year, I met your friend, Poli. As I was taking DNA samples from him, we chatted a little, and I asked him a bit about his travels. At some point, in the conversation, he started talking about one of his ancestors. This alien he was talking about, had lived the equivalent of 234 Earth years. I was led to believe that Poli came from a species, which lives longer than man. After months of careful analysis, I was able to detect the cause of this longer life expectancy. I'm not going to bore you with all the details now, but all I can tell you, that this led to series of experiments, to be able to produce an elixir able to make man younger. This new version makes us truly younger. It doesn't just shave off a few years and give a boost of energy: it regenerates the entire body. I didn't think it would be so strong though, I'll probably have to lessen the concentration for it. Anyway, this was necessary for us. I didn't want to die in fifteen years when the twins reach adulthood."   As Mortimer continued to speak, Bella looked into her husband's eyes. They gleamed with a spark so alive, which had burned out when she had been deported to Strangetown. She hadn't seen that spark in many years, and it had been missed. She could see her husband's intention to bring the family together. Even though she wished he had talked to her about this project, and that he hadn't stupidly kept it secret, she knew that forgiving him was more important. They had suffered so much these last times that she needed to let go of meaningless grudges, and enjoy the present moment, while everyone was well.   She raised a finger to his lips and quieted the man, who hadn't stopped talking. She pulled him in close, tears forming in her eyes, and held him again, feeling his heartbeat inside his chest, against her own. "You did good." she whispered in his ears, as a tear ran down her cheek and left a small moist stain in his clothes. Mortimer was healthy, awake and present, and that was all that mattered. Or was it? There was still one matter left unfinished. "Morti?" she softly asked, before pulling away.   "What is it?" he asked, concerned. "Well, when I came back, you proposed to me, again, and we said we'd wait for the trial to be over, and for the Lab to be settled, to start planning a wedding. Well, I don't want to have to plan anything. We had the big wedding, when were young; we don't need a second one. While you were unconscious, I started worrying that I would never get the chance to remarry you. I don't want to wait anymore; I want to be your wife, I want to marry you again." "Yes, I want to marry you too." Mortimer said, taking Bella's hands. They shared a peaceful moment together, hand in hand, in silence. "So, I guess we need to go tell the kids about everything, huh?" "I suppose so." Bella replied, laughing weakly. The two of them headed for the room, to go down and inform their impatient family of all that had just been said. However, Mortimer stopped in his tracks, as he opened the door. "Err... Honey? I think they already know." he told his wife.   On the first floor landing, grouped behind the door, were Bella and Mortimer's four children and Don, smiling sheepishly. "Hello there." Don chuckled at the couple. "So, what's up?" Cassandra asked nonchalantly, trying to keep a straight face.   "Oh yeah, we're going to buy that!" Mortimer said in a loud sarcastic voice making them all roar with laughter. "Please, if you're going to lie to our faces, at least do it right! So, I guess there's no use telling you what we just talked about, huh?" "Nope, I think we're pretty much filled in." Alexander said innocently. "They can drive, some of them can drink, but in the end they're all still just a bunch of kids." Bella sighed. "Well unless anyone has anymore news, why don't we go enjoy a late lunch?" Mortimer offered.   "Actually we do have some news." Cassandra said looking in Don's direction. "Oh right!" he said. "Why don't you all come out here?" They made room for Mortimer and Bella to step out of their room and join them on the landing. "So, what are the big news?" Bella asked. "Well, we've known this for quite a while now, but we didn't want to say anything until dad was awake." Cassandra started. "Ironically, we actually found out the night Mortimer was found unconscious." Don continued. "Okay, spit it out already!" Alexander interrupted the hesitant couple. "We're pregnant!" they both said together.   "Hey! That's great!" Bella said, having already anticipated the answer, not knowing what other news the young couple could announce. "See, I told you I would live to see my grandchildren!" Mortimer laughed. "Oh relax! It's not like you were on death's door." Bella told her husband. The others laughed and Mortimer's face turned to red.   "So you've known all this time!" Bella asked. "Yeah, I'm already in my second month going on the third. I wasn't going to be able to hide it much longer!" Cassandra replied eyeing Mortimer and earning a few more laughs. "We haven't told anyone else yet, because we wanted you to be the firsts to find out." Don told them. "Well, I did tell Darren." Cassandra confessed. "Really?" Don asked, confused by this information. "Yeah, it was the night his gallery opened and we were catching up and he asked me if we planned to have kids, so I told him it was already en route! He didn't tell anyone though; he knows how to keep a secret."   "Well congratulations!" Bella cried, taking her son-in-law in her arms, while Mortimer hugged his daughter. They all rejoiced over the coming of this new member in their family for a few more moments. "Now anyone else have anything to add?" Mortimer asked, looking at every member of the family one after the other. "No? Then it's lunch time!" And with that, he led the way downstairs to the dinning room.   They served a light lunch salad. Before they began to eat, Mortimer brought out a bottle of champagne and served glasses for everyone but Cassandra, who couldn't drink. "Here is to family. May we live many more years of happiness together. Here is to successful experimentation, and getting our younger years back." he said smiling, as the table chuckled. "Finally, here is to the new family member we expect to see in six to seven months: our first grandchild, and your first child. You will never know greater love than that you have for your own baby, and that theory was confirmed by Bella and I, 22 years ago." He added with wink to his wife. "So here is to the Goths and the Lotharios!" Mortimer finished, raising his glass. "And to good speeches, might I add." Cassandra whispered, making the others laugh, and Mortimer frown. "Well now you killed it." he pouted, trying not to laugh. "Here, here!" The others chorused.   Don reached across the table and took his wife's hand in his. They both smiled at each other, glad to finally be able to share their joy with the family. They had discussed starting a family a few months ago and had succeeded in getting pregnant after just a few tries.   "So, as you all heard before, Morti and I want to get married again very soon." Bella said, hoping to get this wedding done quickly. "Sure, when do you want to do it?" Cassandra asked. "Well, I've been thinking about it, and I really don't want to have to go through the whole big ceremony thing. I don't think we'll be inviting anyone other than you guys, unless your father has anyone else in mind." she said, looking at her husband across the table, who shook his head. "There, so we'll just be inviting you." she continued. "And since we don't need any planning, I thought, why not have it today. After all it is Sunday, and it's such a beautiful day. We could just do it this afternoon!" "Err... Mom? I don't mean to be a kill joy, but we have to go to Angela Pleasant's wake tonight. It would just kill the wedding mood, quite literally." Cassandra informed her. "What? They're already having her wake? But she just died yesterday." Bella said, confused.   "Yes." Cassandra continued. "Mary-Sue called while we were driving home from the hospital. Apparently, they to end all of this pain as quickly as possible; to be able to mourn, they want to bury her first. I was a little surprised by this quickness myself, but I guess we all have our own ways to mourn." "So then we'll just have the wedding tomorrow." Mortimer stated simply. "On a Monday?" Don asked. "Sure, Monday is an upcoming day for weddings, the new Sunday, if you will." Mortimer joked. "All I'm saying is that we want to get married, and the day we do it doesn't matter, as long as we're together."   "Thank you." Bella said, kissing her hand, and blowing it across the table towards Mortimer, whose face lit up like a school boy. They all laughed at the overgrown adolescent, who simply smiled sheepishly.   The rest of the meal was alive with many topics of discussion, and they all had a good time. The Goth clan was once again reunited, hoping that no more troubles would pave their road too soon.   That night, the Goth family joined the other inhabitants of Pleasantview at the Pleasant household, for Angela Pleasant's wake. Most people were confused by how quick this was all taking place; Angela hadn't even been dead for twenty-four hours, and already the funerary services were beginning. All the Pleasants were in shock from the announcement of this murder, which had been so unexpected, like any murder.   Daniel Pleasant and Dustin Broke, stood by the casket from the very beginning of the evening, and couldn't bring themselves to leave it's side, making sure that it stayed untouched. Both men had never gotten along well; Daniel had always been frightened to see his innocent Angela be stolen by Dustin, and the later had always wished Daniel hadn't controlled his relationship with Angela so. But the both of them stood by one another all evening long, in silence, platonically supporting one another.   Mary-Sue stood by the entrance to greet Angela's family and friends, as they made their way through the doors. She took a moment with all of them to chat, and share her grief. Around 9:00 PM, Angela's sorority sisters entered the house, having come from Sim State University. Mary-Sue had met them once, when she'd visited Angela on campus. She greeted them with a sad face, and Tiffany Sampson spoke for all her sisters, comforting their friend's mother. She told her, that Angela was one of her closest friends, and one of the hardest working girls she had known.   Mary-Sue broke in to tears at the young girl's words and took her in her arms, quite unexpectedly. Tiffany comforted the distressed woman, speaking gently to her, supporting her in this heartbreaking moment.   The students from the Pine dorm came to pay their respects to the family. Most of them hadn't known Angela well, but were friends with Dustin Broke and with Lilith pleasant, Angela's twin sister. Dirk Dreamer, Jimmy Phoenix, and Sam Thomas, presented themselves in front of the coffin together, to mourn with Dustin.   They greeted him in hushed voices, and Dustin took his best friend, Dirk, in his arms, as friends do, but probably looking for support as well. "Thank you so much for coming." he told him. "Of course." Dirk smiled back, before taking his friend aside, to talk.   "So, how are you holding up?" Dirk asked with concern. "Well, you know, it's not easy. I still can't believe this is happening." Dustin sighed, trying to hold back the tears, which were starting to build up in his eyes again. He wanted to be strong tonight, and not to fall into pieces in front of everyone. "Where's Lilith?" he asked, not seeing the young woman in the room. "I think I saw her go upstairs twenty minutes ago." Dirk replied. "Is she okay?" "I have no idea; she still won't talk to me after what happened on Friday. If anything, she's closed up more." he sighed, remembering the events that had taken place a few days ago.   "Do you want me to go check on her?" Dustin asked. "Oh really, you're okay with that? I mean, I don't want to put our little issues on your back; you probably have other things to deal with." "Well, Lilith is my friend, and she's upset too; I don't want her to be alone. I may have grief, but she has some too. I'll go see if she's okay." "Thanks man."   Dustin made his way up the stairs and got the first floor hallway. Lilith was probably in her old room, which was down the hall. Dustin went to the door, and knocked against it gently, to let her know he was entering and, without waiting for an answer, he let himself in.   He looked around and saw Lilith, sitting on an antique Asian bench by the window, and went over to her. "Hey." he said. She didn't look up, and continued to stare into space. Her face was turned away from him, facing the window, hidden by her beautiful hair, which rest peacefully upon her shoulders. She was dressed with an elegant two piece black dress, decorated with baby-blue motifs, which brought out her graceful figure and delicate features.   "This place has changed a lot since the last time I was around." Dustin stated, trying to ease in a conversation, looking around room, which was now decorated with different cultural antiques. "My aunt and uncle moved in and redecorated it their way. They traveled a lot around the world, and they have a lot of beautiful stuff." she replied in a whisper. "Are you okay? We were a little worried about you down there." "I'm fine." This was the obvious answer to the question. The truth was that Lilith wasn't fine, and how could she be? He sister had been murdered, and like everyone else, she was in a state of shock. Dustin walked to the matching wooden chair across from her, and sat down.   They sat facing one another, gazing into each other's eyes, in silence for a moment. It was the same implicit support that Daniel and Dustin had had for one another previously. They needed no words to express their sorrow and compassion; their presence was enough to show their care.   "So, what's up with you and Dirk?" Dustin asked; yet another attempt at starting up a conversation. "I don't know. I'm just so embarrassed by what happened. I made a fool of myself, I got my hopes up, I got shot down; it's just so silly. Anyway, I don't have time to think about that right now." One again, Lilith returned to her silent contemplation. She was still as stone, not letting a single emotion show on her face. Her thoughts were impenetrable, like under a thick layer of ice.   "All I know is that my sister is dead." she began. "Some psycho decided to terminate her life. Angela and I have always had our differences, but we were the same family, the same blood. Whoever did this to her, did it to me too, and should get the same fate she got" The emotion in Dustin's mind, started to appear on his face, as he listened to his friend speak. "You shouldn't think like that..." he said quietly. "Dustin, someone killed your girlfriend! Surely you understand that whoever did this must be punished!" she exclaimed.   "Of course I'm... destroyed by all of this." he replied, trying not to let his emotions take him over. "But I'm just... so lost, in grief... that I can't even start to imagine what I might do to the person who did this to her. It makes me so sick to think, that that person is still out there, that I don't even want to consider it. I seek no vengeance for now... I just can't live right now." Lilith closed her eyes, taking the young man's pain in, trying to remain as calm as she had been up to now.   "Well, I do seek vengeance." she finally said. "There was a time when Angela and I were just one being. It's a part of me that has been killed; my family has been hurt. Whoever did this is going to be dealing with me." "Lilith, you can't say that." Dustin moaned. "The police will do their job; they will find the murderer and will send it to court. They will be put in jail for life and we'll all be able to move on."   Lilith rose from the bench and stood over Dustin, looking onto his face, scarred by the pain. "I swear before you, Dustin, that I will find the person who murdered your girlfriend, the one who murdered my sister, the one who destroyed our lives, and I will kill that person myself, with my own hands, and make sure they know the same pain Angela lived last night. I will succeed, or die trying." Her will was so strong, so true, that Dustin understood it came from a place deeper than the pain of loss. The determination to protect her family came from a primal feeling inside of her, which couldn't be broken, or even shaken. "Okay." he said simply, accepting her words.   He too got up and stood in front of her. Again, they gazed into each other's eyes, in silence, the intensity between them so strong, yet it could only be sensed by them. "You do what you need to do." he said, in a voice so low, she could hardly hear it. "I promise you, I'll find them." she replied on the same tone. He opened his arms and reached around her waist, pulling her close to him, as her arms locked around his back and moved towards his neck. They held each other close, silently, closing their eyes, mourning Angela's soul. Neither of them shed a tear, they just let the hurt go through them, knowing they had a friend close by.   The following day, Bella and Mortimer Goth reunited under a blossomed arch, in the bonds of holy matrimony. Their children and Cassandra's husband gathered around them, to celebrate the couple, once again together. It was a beautiful autumn's day, and the drama happening in town lately, seemed to stay out of their house, just that day.   Mortimer gently kissed his wife, and even after all these years of marriage, his body still tingled when his lips would touch those of Bella. Cassandra, Alexander and Don joined in loud applauds for the celebrated couple. They both smiled at each other, at such a magical moment. The times in Pleasantview hadn't been at their best these times, but they'd never been better for the Goth family.   The following Wednesday was Angela Pleasant's funeral. A commemoration ceremony was being held at the Pleasantview church, an old imposing building, which stood by the bay. Angela's grave had already been dug in the church's graveyard, ready for the burial. It was such a peaceful morning, that it was hardly believable anything could be going wrong.   Daniel Pleasant and his ex-wife Mary-Sue arrived at the church early to make sure everything was in place. They stood in the entrance room, by the great pine doors, waiting for their family and friends. They hadn't had a real conversation since the divorce, several months ago; in fact, they had hardly been able to stay in the same place together. But in such a hard time which concerned both of them, they couldn’t help but look out for each other. "If you had told me we'd be here, one year ago, I wouldn't have believed you." Mary-Sue said. "Yeah, me neither." he bitterly sighed.   There was a short awkward silence between them, like there often was when they were together lately. "Gosh, we were just so happy." she sighed. "Well, I wouldn't exactly say that..." Daniel replied truthfully. "What are you talking about?" Mary-Sue asked, taken aback by this remark.   "Never mind..." Daniel said rolling his eyes. "Daniel, we're divorced now, you can tell me." "Well, starting from when the girls were born you started closing up. There was no more passion in our marriage, and it got worse when you went back to work; I was far from happy." "Well, all marriages can't stay passionate forever Daniel. But we did love each other." "Oh right... that." he said blankly.   "We did love each other." Mary-Sue repeated with determination, as if she wanted to convince Daniel of this. "We cared for each other, sure. But come on, we both know you agreed to marry me, only because I was a rich, famous sports player." "And we both know you married me, only because the press was talking about you being in your late thirties and never having a meaningful relationship!" she cried. "Mary-Sue, take it easy, we're in a church." Daniel ordered sternly.   They stood in the tall room silently facing one another, rage in their eyes. The wound from their divorce was not yet healed, and the loss of Angela had revived all the residual feelings of hurt they felt for each other. They both felt the outrageous guilt that all parents feel at the death of their child. It was a guilt, which made them feel as though they hadn't been careful enough, they hadn't looked with enough attention, they hadn't enjoyed her presence fully up to the end.   A few hours later, the Pleasants made their way through the church doors, to assist to the funeral mass held in Angela's honor. It was a small, private ceremony, held away from the public eye. The priest read the usual funeral prayers, and told several stories about Angela, that the family had chosen out.   Lilith wasn't listening very attentively to the sermon, too absorbed in her own thoughts. She still had not let one tear out; she couldn't allow herself to accept Angela's death. She didn't even know why she felt so hurt by it; Angela and she had never gotten along well. She couldn't bring herself to let go of her sister, the shock was too great.   Dustin was getting ready to watch himself go into post-traumatic depression. The pain was so intense, that he couldn't even imagine his life without Angela. The previous week, he had a future planned out for them together, but Angela's death had killed that future; Dustin didn't know where life was going to take him, but he couldn't face it for now. Without her, nothing had anymore meaning; he no longer felt the will to pursuit higher education. He had made the decision to drop out of college. There was no point getting a degree, if she wasn't there with him to see it.   The mass ended with one last prayer, and the world seemed to stay still for a moment, as if stunned by these last moments. The church had been silent all ceremony long, but only now was the silence so intense and heavy on the Pleasants, who knew this was the end. The priest finished his sermon and closed the Bible he had been holding in front of him. The pallbearers rose from their seats and harmoniously lifted the coffin. Everyone stood up, as they marched out of the church hall and to the outdoors.   They all followed this movement, out the large front doors and onto the cold stone steps, in the fresh air. It was almost noon as the congregation walked out into the Pleasantview graveyard, where Angela was off to rest among several generations of Pleasants. The undertakers gently descended her coffin in the dirt pit, as some of the family members began to sob.   Finally, Angela was put to rest in her grave. The priest spoke one last prayer for her departed soul, and the others gathered around the pit, for one last look at the coffin, which was like a final sign of Angela, before being buried forever.   Dirk Dreamer was confused by his presence at the church that day. Was he here as Lilith's boyfriend, or just to support his friends in their time of need? His relationship with Lilith had been put on hold over such a silly misunderstanding. He looked to his left, where Lilith was standing, listening to the minister's words; he wanted her back, but would she accept him?   As if she had heard him, Lilith suddenly grasped his hand tight, without turning her head. Dirk continued to stare at her, unsure of what this gesture meant. Her body began to shiver, and tears were forming in her eyes. "Dirk?" she croaked in hardly audible whisper. "Yes?" "Dirk...hold me." she said, finally allowing herself to cry.   They turned to face each other, and Dirk pulled her in, as she started to cry abundantly on his shoulders. He calmly reassured her, telling her she was going to make it through this event. They stayed clutched on to each other for a long time, over Angela's grave, even after the service had ended, and while the undertakers filled the pit with dirt. Lilith was finally able to let go of her sister and to let the emotion out.   About a half an hour later, Angela's coffin was completely buried under a pile of dirt. Lilith and Dirk were left alone in front of the grave, on which several flowers had been placed. They observed the scene for a few moments, just to take it all in, and make sure it was real.   They then walked over to the side of the graveyard, and looked beyond the brick barrier, onto the Pleasantview bay, from which a storm was coming onto the town. The strong wind already started blowing against their faces, moist from the tears. "So what happens now?" Lilith asked. "I don't know."   TO BE CONTINUED... Thank you for taking the time to read this chapter. Special thanks to Rret460 for building the Church and Graveyard, and allowing me to use it for my story. The lot is available for download on his page if you are interested under the name 'The Church of Crowsville'. My guestbook has been cleared so you are free to sign it again. As usual, I give you out my Email address, if you wish to contact me alexi035@hotmail.fr. If you would like to receive a message to know when my next story is out, please leave me your Email address on my guestbook, or in an Email. Also, my blog is regularly updated, so you can always check it to know about my progress for the next chapter. Until next time, Alexis ««« Previous Chapter «««