Chapter 2.8

Welcome back to another chapter of Random Branches! In the last chapter Bailey got Alexandra to give up her parental rights to Canderous so that she could adopt him. Sinbad became a Master Thief and worried about how keeping his career choice from Bailey could negatively affect her relationship with Atton. Wolfgang aged to toddler and learned his skills quickly and Canderous aged to child as did Sion. And now on with the story!

“We need to talk,” Sinbad told Atton on a day when Bailey was off at work.

“About what?”

“You know what career I’m in right?”

“You’re a criminal.”

“Your wife is a cop. What’s the usual thing that happens when cops and criminals meet?”

“The cop arrests the criminal. Oh. I see where you’re headed. You’re worried about us keeping your profession from Bailey and it’s affect on me and Bailey’s marriage.”

“Yes,” Sinbad said, “I kept my profession a secret from your mother for years. And I actually lied about it. I think you guys just avoid the issue. Mira found out about my career when she was pregnant with Kreia and it almost ended our relationship. We were civil towards each other for the most part for you kids and we never got back to anywhere near where we started until after Darius actively targeted us. And even now, I think your mother has some issues trusting what I say.”

“So what are you suggesting I do?”

“I’m not suggesting you do anything differently or to do it now. But there could be a time in the future where Bailey discovers who I am and she’s going to ask if you knew. And given our history, I would highly recommend against lying about knowing.”

The two continued to talk for some time before Atton had to leave for work.

Soon Sion and Canderous were teenagers. Having Bailey’s dog around really made Sion love dogs and Canderous was jumping at the bit to go on a vacation. The two were closer than ever and Atton was glad that his father got abducted all those years ago. With how young Wolfgang is, Sion gives Canderous a relative that’s close in age to him.

“Sion, I don’t resemble Mom at all. I know enough about genetics to know that something’s up.”

“Have you tried talking to Atton? You do look like his kid after all.”

“No, I haven’t. I was going to ask him tonight after he gets home from work.”

That night came and Canderous broached the subject with his father.

“Do you want Sion to know?” Atton asked.

“Yea, it’s nothing horrible is it?” Canderous said.

“No, nothing horrible,” Atton said, “You don’t look like Bailey because Bailey isn’t your biological mother. She has adopted you, Canderous, so she is legally your mother.”

“Then who is my mother and why haven’t I even met her?” Canderous asked angry.

“Your mother is Alexandra Alto and you just don’t remember her. I’ll start at the beginning if you don’t mind?” Atton said, unsure of how to respond to the anger.

“Why haven’t..” Canderous began.

“Canderous, let your father have his say. He’ll probably get to it.” Sion said.

“Thanks, Sion,” Atton said, “Your mother, Alexandra, and I used to be in love. However, your mother wasn’t ready for a committed relationship at the time and she wanted me to be high society material. You should know me well enough to know that that wasn’t going to happen. We probably would have broken up after a month or so of dating, but then Alexandra found out she was pregnant.”

Atton sighed, “Your mother was pissed that she was pregnant and took it out on me. Around this time Sion was born and she thought of him as a thing. Between pushing me away from my friends, taking her anger at being pregnant out on me, and ignoring Sion, you can imagine what my father and siblings would do. Pip, Bailey, Carth, and Kreia did manage to get me to go off on a short vacation shortly before you were due. You came a bit early and Alexandra ran off with you. She didn’t even have the guts to tell me to my face or even to your grandparents. She had her mother come collect her things.”

Atton waited for that to sink in before continuing, “The break up combined with not even getting to meet you or know where you were sent me over the edge into depression. Alistair pulled me back up enough for me to realize where she would have moved with you. To Bridgeport.”

“Bridgeport?! But isn’t that where Darius is?” Canderous said.

“It is,” Atton said, “I told Alistair and he told Lucian who personally went to Bridgeport to find you and Alexandra. He found her but his arrival tipped Darius off and he came and attacked Lucian. Lucian got him to go away. It was Darius’s attack that made Alexandra realize that being with me was safer than being with her. And from what Lucian said she said that she didn’t think you would be safe here. You were just a toddler then and a few months after your arrival two letters arrived in the mail. One addressed to me and one addressed to you. Alexandra wrote to both of us. In my letter Alexandra told me that she did initially love me but she knew it wasn’t going to last and had finally realized that pushing me to fit her idea of a perfect husband was wrong.”

“She then went on to say that her mother and grandmother had gotten her an arranged marriage,” Atton started, “But the only condition was that she had to be a virgin. You’ve had the birds and the bees talk. You know how babies happen.”

“So my mother can’t acknowledge me without risking her high society life?” Canderous said.

“Right,” Atton said, “Would you like to read the letter she wrote to you? I figured you’d get curious eventually given you never looked much like Bailey.”

“Yea, I want to hear from her mouth why she basically abandoned me,” Canderous said.

Dear Canderous,

     By the time you read this letter, you will probably be a teenager wondering why he does not look like his mother. And knowing your father, he has probably already told you what happened between us. As a selfish mother, I wish I could tell you that his version is untrue. That I was a loving mother and he is some horrible person who stole you away from me. But Atton does not lie. He is practically incapable of it. So yes, I did try to change your father into something I know now that he could never become. I am sorry that I did that, though I do not know if you will be able to believe or even forgive me for it. I have a feeling your father has by the time you read this letter. Because that is the kind of man your father is, very forgiving.

     I have a feeling that if you are anything like me, then you are angry. Angry at me for leaving your life like I did. But knowing about Darius and my desire to live outside of Moonlight Falls meant that cutting all ties, at least for several years was going to be best. So that Darius would not use me in order to get to your grandfather Sinbad. While Sinbad and I do not like each other, going after me would have made Atton feel guilty and Atton’s guilt would have prompted Sinbad to do something he otherwise might not have done. For Atton’s sake.

    I wish I could tell you that that was the only reason I had to cut ties. But I am sure that your father has told you the reason I told him. That my husband wishes me to be a virgin. Which means that if I told him about you, then my marriage would have been over before it began. And I truly want to be part of high society like my fiancee is. So while I know you probably desperately want to see me in order to get me to tell you why to your face, I need you to just follow one command from your biological mother. Please do not try to find me.

    I love you and I always will love you. But we can not be part of each others’ lives. I hope you can find it your heart to forgive me, but I understand if you can not.

Sincerely,

Alexandra Alto

Canderous finished reading the letter and handed it to Atton to read before getting up and running outside. He didn’t stop running until he got to the park by the beach.

The Rands didn’t start worrying about Canderous until morning came and Canderous wasn’t home. They tried calling him but discovered that he left his phone at home.

Atton took out his phone and dialed Alistair.

“Morning, Atton. You know I’m in no shape for company, tonight being a full moon and all,” Alistair said.

“I know, but I wasn’t calling to hang out. Canderous has gone missing.”

“He’s a teenager.”

“He had just asked about his mother. His biological mother.”

“Oh. I’ll contact the other council members and we’ll see what we can do. Try to keep him in Moonlight Falls at least. Do remember that he favors his mother. He has that going for him if he leaves Moonlight Falls.”

Nicholai grumbled about having to hunt down a teenager who was angry at the world. Didn’t all teenagers get angry with the world at some point? But it came down from Alistair. And well, Nicholai wasn’t going to do anything that could jeopardize Alistair’s bond with Atton. Alistair finally opened up, let someone in. Even Atton had gotten under Nicholai’s skin the same way. Just something about him made him extra personable.

The other council members had decided to camp out at the roads out of town. But Nicholai didn’t think that Canderous would run off like that. The kid, from what he could gather, had a decent head on his shoulders. So he’s just somewhere in town. Probably not busy at night and probably on this side of the river. Which left two options really. The beach or the graveyard. Given none of the Rands had died, Nicholai put his money on the beach.

When he got there he smiled as his hunch was right. He reached into his pocket for his cell to call Alistair before stopping. Nicholai figured he’d talk with the kid and figure out what’s eating him.

“You’ve given your parents quite a fright, Canderous,” Nicholai said.

“I would have called, but I forgot my cell phone.”

“And when you realized that, heading home didn’t cross your mind?”

“It did. But I wasn’t ready to go home then. Not sure I am now. My father just told me that who I thought for my entire life was my mother is just my adoptive mom. And that my biological mother doesn’t want anything to do with me and has forbidden me from finding her. Home watching my parents dote on Wolfgang when both are his biological parents is just too hard right now. Plus, I think my mom’s pregnant again. She’s been a bit nauseous lately.”

“Ah yes, I understand,” Nicholai said.

“How can you understand?! You probably were raised by your biological parents and they loved you! So don’t tell me you understand! You don’t!”

Nicholai motioned for Canderous to follow him. He led Canderous to the fire pit and lit the fire and sat down. He motioned for Canderous to sit before saying, “And you’re assuming. I was adopted. My biological parents died when I was infant. Magical accident outside of Moonlight Falls. My parents had no living relatives and we were in a city that did not have any occults. Being an infant, I was adopted pretty quickly. Unlike you, I looked enough like my adoptive parents to pass as their son. Even as I aged into my teen years. But a wizard comes into their own when they hit teenager. My adoptive parents thought I was a freak and sent me back to the orphanage. My adoptive parents who were supposed to love me unconditionally like biological parents are supposed to abandoned me. Didn’t want anything to do with me.”

“I was angry. Angry for a long time. Wolfgang Adams was passing through the town and stopped by the orphanage like he tended to do. Helped out a bit. Being angry and untrained, it wasn’t hard for the werewolf to realize that there was a wizard at the orphanage. He adopted me. Well, adopted wasn’t the right word. Legally yes, but he dumped in with the wizard and witch teens of Moonlight Falls to live and train. How Darius didn’t know of the adoption, I don’t know. Guess Wolfgang never let anyone know and he didn’t think to see if Wolfgang had had any kids in recent times. Anyway, the moral of the story is, I understand.”

“And from the first impression I got of your biological mother, she does love you. She just wants her dream life more than she wants you in her life. However, she did put your safety over her dream. Only when she realized you were safer with Atton did she even consider the idea of giving you up. Now should I call your parents and tell them you’re on your way home or that you need some more time alone?”

“Let them know I’m on my way home. Thanks, Nicholai.”

Nicholai watched as Canderous got up and began to walk away, “Canderous hold up.”

“Yes?”

Nicholai took out some paper and wrote down his cell number. “Take this. It’s my cell number. If need to talk or just need to get out of the house, just give me a call. Let’s try not to worry your father again.”

Canderous thanked Nicholai before heading off for home.

Canderous’s hunch was right. Soon Bailey was telling Atton that she was indeed pregnant. The pair was happy as they had been trying for another child for some time. The pair was hoping that they had a girl. They figured they’d try one more time after this if they didn’t get a girl. Even though the pair of them were getting fairly old for having kids.

Mira and Sinbad did what they could to keep their love going strong. Sometimes it was just simply holding hands, other times it was woohoo, and other times it was dates. Sinbad truly hoped that one day, their love of each other would let Mira fully trust him again.

Soon Bailey went into labor. Bailey couldn’t help but laugh a bit at Atton panicking again. It was understandable during Wolfgang’s birth, but Atton should know the drill by now.

“Calm down, Atton. I’m just in labor. All you need to do is get me to the hospital and be there for me. I’ve got the hard part in this.”

Several hours later they returned home with another boy and they decided to call him Obi Wan* or Obi for short. Sion took the kid wonderfully and helped out more than most kids his age would. Granted, Sion didn’t have to sleep at night anymore so it was easiest for him to care for Obi during the night than have to wait for the kid to wake someone up with his crying.

Soon Bailey’s oldest was a kid and going to school. His teachers remarked at how fast he was learning the material and even suggested getting Wolfgang enrolled in a private school if they had the funds. Bailey and Atton considered it for a bit, but decided that public school was probably best for now. Let Wolfgang enjoy his childhood and the two found ways to supplement Wolfgang’s education and keep him from just coasting through his education.

A few days after Wolfgang’s birthday, Bailey found herself inexplicably ill. While she and Atton were still woohooing, she was pretty sure they had taken steps to prevent her from getting pregnant. She didn’t want to have two kids right on top of each other. So she was pretty sure she wasn’t pregnant

It got so bad that she had to call out of work due to the constant nausea making it impossible for her to concentrate.

However, despite their steps to prevent getting pregnant, no method is completely without chance of failure and Bailey soon realized she was pregnant. She told Atton and he was happy. A little unsure about the timing, but happy nonetheless.

That night while Bailey was putting Obi down for the night her phone rang. She wondered who would be calling so late at night, but answered the phone.

“Hello,” Bailey said.

“Is… is this Bailey?” a voice said.

“It is, may I ask who’s calling?”

“It’s Dominque. Your half brother. I’ve got some bad news. Father passed away an hour or so ago. It was so sudden or we would have called you earlier so you could say your good bye. Mom’s not taking it well and neither am I or Lilianna. Can… can you come over?”

“I can come over.”

And that’s it for this chapter. Will Atton and Bailey finally have their girl? Will Bailey be able to help her step-mother and half-siblings deal with the grief of losing their loved one when she is also grieving? Find out in chapters to come!

Progress towards Atton’s goals:

• Master an instrument – Piano at level 9
• Get married – Achieved Chapter 2.6 when Atton married Bailey
• Join Music Career – Achieved Chapter 1.8 when Alistair got Atton a job
• Learn all songs – He knows all his skill level gives him
• Become Hit Movie Composer – He’s level 8 – Quartet Lead
• Know all co-workers – Achieved Chapter 1.8 when Alistair got Atton a job (a mod from Twallan)
• Befriend 1 co-worker – Achieved Chapter 2.0. Pip Goodfellow and Atton are already Best Friends
• Level 5 Logic – He’s got 3.

Progress toward’s Mira’s goals:

• Grow a garden with every plant from the store – She’s gotten everything from the store except what requires 7 or higher gardening skill, it’s winter so progress is slow
• Master gardening skill – She mastered gardening behind the scenes of Chapter 2.8
• Get married – Accomplished Chapter 1.0 when Mira married Sinbad
• No woohoo until married – Accomplished Chapter 1.0 as Mira never woohooed before marrying Sinbad
• Have a boy and a girl – Accomplished Chapter 1.1 as they have 2 boys and 1 girl as of that chapter

Progress toward’s LTW’s

• Mira – Illustrious Author: Level 2 Painting, Level 6 Writing
• Sinbad – Master Thief: Master Thief – Level 10 – MET Chapter 2.7
• Atton – Hit Movie Composer: Quartet Lead – Level 8
• Bailey – Alchemy Artisan – 2 potions thrown, Level 5 Alchemy

~~~

Author’s Note: Obi Wan’s name is from Obi Wan Kenobi so he’s from the same universe as Atton is from.

The next little plot point relating to Bailey is purely Story Progression caused. Bailey’s father in game married a Latanya Huber and had 2 kids. She was pregnant with Lilianna during Atton and Bailey’s wedding and she’s currently a kid to give you an idea of how many Sim days we’ve gone. And game wise at the time of the wedding, Bailey’s father Chester, was 90 Sim days old. At the time of this update, Latanya is an elder, Dominique is a teenager, and Lilianna is a child.