Chapter Nine

The Wedding. Yup

that's all I'm going to

say.

Welcome back to Finding

Consort Redux by Kelyns!

It’s the same old silly story,

now in PowerPoint! This chapter was originally

Chapter 10 parts 1 and 2,

in case anyone was

wondering, and let’s get to

it. I believe we have a

wedding to get to.

Ch 9:

Are You Happy

Now?

When I last left you, I had just moved into the Capp Mansion. It's been a week since then. Well, for me, anyway. Consort and I have been really busy planning for the wedding and renovating the house. That's all finished now, though. I thought it

would be a lot of work, but it didn't really take much effort.

That's because you stood on the sidewalk while I labored away for about six hours.

LALALALA, I CAN'T HEAR YOU! Anyway, why don't I give you readers a tour? I have to get ready; today's my wedding day! And I will allow absolutely no one to ruin my mood because this day is going to be PERFECT.

Okay so here's the old Capp House.

And this is the new one. Tada! Ignore the wedding stuff on the side, that's just for today. We- Consort and I that is- are thinking about putting a pool there once the wedding is over. Anyway, Consort and I put our money together and, not only were

we able to do all these renovations, but we still had loads of money left over!

That's because you stood on the sidewalk while I fiddled with the cheat box. I was just too impatient to wait for you to actually earn the money it took to renovate.

LALALALA, I can't hear you! Moving on. Anyway, I know the outside doesn't look too different, but the inside is; I swear!

This narrow, weirdly cramped room used to be the living room.

In the middle of the room was the fire place, with the dining room on the right and the kitchen and a bathroom on the left.

See? Dining room.

Kitchen. As you all know, Maxis-made house are irregularly shaped, so you often get oddly shaped, cramped rooms like this.

Well, Consort and I are fans of the regular square/rectangular-shaped rooms. Boring, but as you can see, it creates lots more space. Space where we put nice stuff.

Space which allows you to eat in a nice comfortable dining room without feeling like you're on top of one another.

Space which allows you to have a nice, roomy, state-of-the-art-with-every-appliance-there-is kitchen.

There was even space for a hallway and an elevator, that red door on the end there. Yeah, how many of YOU can say you got an elevator in your home?

And at the other end of the hallway is the bathroom, now in a more SPACEious layout.

Veronica, that's not even spelled correctly—

Moving right along...

On the other side of the old living room was the master bedroom and another bathroom, which was behind me. Towards you. Yes, YOU, in that direction.

But we've changed that now and put the living room here instead. (Think of the other room as a parlor. ...What room, you say? The burgundy one with KB's patented carpet design! Come on guys keep up.) BTW, did you notice we have ceilings? It

was so weird, one day there was nothing but air up there, and then I woke up the next day and BAM! There they were. Strange.

Anyway, the bathroom is now on the opposite side of the house. (To the right in the last picture.)

Now this, as some of you might remember, was the upstairs hallway.

The kids' bedrooms were all up here. And more bathrooms, of course.

Not really sure who's room was whose, but it doesn't really matter now.

They were all hideous and they've got better rooms now. And better looking bathrooms, too, now that I think about it.

See? This is the left side of the hallway. If we go past the door and around the corner...

We'd see where the elevator comes up.

But let's go back. Now this first door on the left is what will be Consort's and my bedroom (No we haven't slept together, yet, perv. I am squeaky clean, thank you very much.), followed by two bathrooms, Juliette's room, then Hermia's room. The

door on the right is Tybalt's room. ...The door way down the hall in the middle? Oh, that's the sauna. Yeah, how many of YOU can say you've got a sauna in your home?

This is the master bedroom. That's a tv in the bottom right corner, in case you can't tell, and the mirror is actually the door of the closet. Yeah, that's right! How many of YOU can say that you have your very own closet in your—wait... that didn't come

out right...

Anyway, here's bathroom number one.

This is Tybalt's room. Yeah, I didn't think he should have a big screen tv, but Consort likes to spoil his grandchildren.

Bathroom number two...

Here's Juliette's room, which should probably be switched with Tybalt's or Hermia's. Her natural talent is for Games, where as Tybalt's is for Music and Dance. This I never would have guessed, but he's already determined to become a Rock God. After he

goes to college of course. And he already has about $3,000 in scholarships. This from the kid who didn't think he'd go to college a week ago. *Sniff* I'm so proud.

Next, Hermia's room. I thought she'd be the Rock God, but alas, her natural talent is for Films and Literature and she has a LTW to become an Education Minister. Bah.

Here's the sauna.

And the other side of the hallway, (on the other side of Tybalt's room, which is in the middle, remember?). This area is just my work space. ...What's that? You didn't know I could sew or make pottery? Well, actually I made all of the crafted items you

might have seen in the pictures; there's quite a lot actually. In addition to flower arranging, robotry, and toy making, I have gold badges in pottery and sewing. Let's just say that I had a lot of time on my hands.

Anyway, outside, to the left of the house is this area, with the grave island in the back. Consort couldn't stand the thought of moving his ancestors, and I couldn't stand the thought of nightly hauntings, so we compromised.

And directly in front of that is the car port/helipad. You know you're living the life when you own your own helicopter.

Inside the garage is a family car for the kids and a piece a junk Tybalt is restoring.

And across that is a nice fountain, where you can sit and daydream... or drop in soap bubbles...

And finally the wedding area.

Consort and I both have a lot of guests, so we had to set up a lot of tables.

And the wedding chapel.

I think it looks great, don't you?

Hermia: "Whoa, like, what happened to the house? I came back from school and now it's all different!"

Yes, indeed, but change is good. And speaking of change, I'm finally done changing into my wedding dress!

But right now I have wedding jitters. How do I look? I'm having doubts about this dress.

Aw, man, I wish I had a mother to talk about this with, but no, somebody had to make me in CAS. Now who I am supposed to talk to about all my nerves?!

Calm down, V. You look beautiful; the dress is absolutely perfect like you knew it would be. And you can't pick another dress because I will kill you if you do; the one you're wearing matches all the wedding stuff and there's no way I'm redecorating.

Also, you can talk to me. You can always talk to me. So tell me. What's on your mind?

Well, okay. It's just... Well, what if things don't go okay? What if Consort changes his mind? *Gasp* What if he leaves me at the altar like Don left Cassandra?!

Not going to happen, V, Consort is crazy about you. Trust me. I can see his

relationship panel.

Okay, okay. ...But what if the party ends up turning into a huge brawl?

*Silence*

Well?

Weeellll, that could actually happen. Consort's family all hates you.

*Groan*

And those that don't hate you probably will hate you due to Maxis jealousy coding.

*Moan*

Just calm down. Relax.

I can't!

Then take a break and introduce the guests.

*Takes Deep Breath* Good idea.

Okay, first up is Consort's eldest daughter Goneril, her husband Albany, and youngest daughter Ariel.

G: "I still don't know if this is a good idea."

Albany: "Honey, you said you'd be supportive."

Ariel: "Yeah, relax, Mom. Jules said that Grandpa and Veronica are totally in love and have been all mushy and lovey-dovey all week."

G: "Meh."

Next, Consort's other daughter Regan, her husband Cornwall, and Consort's son Kent (baldy). They have issues. Not only do Regan and Cornwall have marital problems like most pre-made families, but you see, Kent is living with them, and

Cornwall? He doesn't like that so much. In fact, he picks a fight with Kent every time they're together. Yeah, this wedding will be fun. *Sigh*

K: "Why do I have to stand next to him? Why can't I stand next to that hot chick at the DJ booth?"

C: "You're not supposed to be talking about her, doofus; she's not even in the picture. Besides she'd never go for you, you're pathetic."

K: "I am not!"

C: "Really? Oh, I'm sorry; I forgot your best qualities: you're broke, jobless, and you live in your sister's attic. Yeah, she'll totally go for you."

K: "That's it! Take that back right now, or I'll-"

R: "If you two don't shut up right now, I swear I'll smack the both of you senseless. Geez, is it too much to ask for ONE night of peace and quiet?"

Next up are the Summerdreams, Oberon and Titania, who seem to be friends with most, if not all of, Veronaville.

O: "Well, when you're popular..."

T: "Oo, who's that hottie in the DJ booth?"

Okay, the one everyone is talking about is Marylena, former bartender who recently moved into my old house. I asked her to DJ at the party for me and she agreed, but she's a romance sim, ergo all the heart farting.

M: *Sigh* "Such is the price you pay when you're hot."

She really loves her new makeover.

And, um, it seems that as pre-mades, the Summerdreams have marriage problems, too.

T: "Of course we have problems. You would, too, if you were married to this doofus.

All he does is ignore me. Look at him, staring into space!"

O: "Here we go again..."

T: "Yes, here we go again. Because you never listen to me! All I ask is that you put in a little effort! It's like you don't even care! You-"

I think we better leave them now.

Next, are Consort's other grandchildren, Desdemona (in the hot pink/fuchsia), Miranda, (in the back, wearing light pink), and Hal, who are all Goneril's and Albany's children and in college. Kendra, behind Hal, is technically Hal's date, but

not for long! I've finally decided to marry her off to one of my legacy spares; she's just too good for Hal.

K: "Awesome!"

H: "Hey! That's not fair!"

D: "Dude, get a mirror. You were hit with a busted stick like 50 million times."

H: "So! I'm not the only who has a weird face in this family, but everyone else gets to hook up with someone. This is discrimination!"

M: *Shrugs* "Maybe, but this isn't a democracy, it's an autocracy. Besides, you'll find

someone else eventually."

K: "Just not a townie KB actually cares about."

H: "Oh, yeah, then I'll be stuck married to some weirdo and ignored forever."

D: "Cry me a river, build yourself a bridge, and GET OVER IT already, will you, Hal? Let's just go sit."

H, muttering: "Easy for you to say, you're already engaged."

And of course, Consort's youngest grandchildren (from left to right): Hermia, Tybalt, and Juliette.

J: "Oh, my gosh, I, like, look, sooo hot. If only Romeo could be here..."

T: "Yeah, then I could pound his face in."

H: "Guys, we're at a wedding remember?"

That's it for the groom's side, now my guests. Here's Ravi and KB. Doesn't Ravi clean up nice? Almost didn't recognize him without the mohawk. *GASP* KB, how could you?! You stole my hair!

Um, oops? Sorry, V, I didn't realize. It's not easy making sure 20 guests all have different formal outfits and hairstyles.

You ruined my wedding!

*Rolls Eyes* Don't be so dramatic.

And then there was Gilbert and Dagmar.

And Tracy and Carla (glasses). Don't their makeovers look—

Wait a second! Did I just see what I think I saw?

Gilbert and Dagmar? What is she doing here?!

This can't be happening! THIS CANNOT BE HAPPENING! This day was supposed to be perfect! Why here? Why now? Why ME? WHY???? Okay, Veronica, just calm down. Breathe. I'm sure there's a rational explanation for why one of your best friends

brought your mortal enemy to your wedding. You just need to calm down and ask him. Right. That's it. *Storms Downstairs*

"Gilbert!"

"Oh, hey, Veronica you look pre—”

"WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON?"

"Um, hello, it's a wedding. Duh. You should know, after all you're the one getting married. But even if you didn't, all the wedding decorations should have tipped—”

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! Of course I know there is a wedding going

on! I invited you. What I want to know is what SHE is doing here!"

"Oh, that. Dagmar begged to come; I didn't think it'd be a problem."

"You didn't think that maybe, just maybe, that bringing my mortal enemy, who was once madly in love with me and vowed to marry me at all costs, to my wedding

would be a problem? Gilbert, you have to be the stupidest sim on the planet!"

"Hey!"

"Look, I don't even care how your insane logic works; get her out of here RIGHT NOW!"

"But I can't."

"WHY THE HECK IN PLUMBBOB'S NAME NOT?"

"Well, I could tell you if you'd stop yelling at me every two seconds!"

"Go. Ahead."

"Well, first of all I must say that Dagmar is a completely changed sim. Not only is she

a good person, but I can definitely assure you that she's not in love with you anymore."

"Uh, huh."

"And also, Dagmar didn't want to come, but so nicely offered to accompany me when I said I wasn't really feeling up to the party.”

“I've been feeling really vulnerable and down ever since my mom died and Dagmar has been there for me this whole time comforting me in my time of need. I wanted her to come along because I needed her support; I didn't think I'd be able

to face everyone on my own."

"YOU THOUGHT—um, wait. Did, you, uh, say that your mom died?"

"Yeah."

"Oh my Plumbbob! When?"

"Last week, the night of your engagement party."

"Oh, Gilbert, I'm so sorry! I didn't even know... What kind of a friend am I?"

"It's okay, V. I didn't tell you because I knew you were busy with the wedding and the house and stuff. Plus Dagmar was looking after me. I knew that if this wasn't such

a busy time of your life, you would have been there for me.“

"But I should have been there for you anyway. Gilbert, I'm sorry. I know how close you and your mother were... You must feel terrible."

"I do." *Sniff* "But it gets a little easier day by day..." *Sniffle* "B-But anyway, I thought it'd be a good idea to bring Dagmar so she wouldn't be in the house all alone. Remember? You wanted someone to guard her and stuff? I thought this way,

there'd be a house full of guests to watch her."

"Hmm, well, that is a good point... But look, do you really think she's changed?"

"Yup. Like a totally different person. She's sweet and kind and nice and- *Ahem* She rarely thinks of anything but cheese, Veronica, I swear."

"I don't know..."

"Talk to her yourself if you don't believe me."

"Um, 'kay. So, uh, hey, Dagmar... Long time no see..."

"Hi, Veronica! What a lovely house you have here! I'm so glad Gilbert brought me along; I love weddings! Please let me stay! I think it's just so sweet that you and Consort are going to get married despite his whole family hating you; you guys must

really love each other! Oo, is that a buffet over, there? Is there any cheese in it? I'm on an all cheese diet. Most people don't know this, but some companies actually make entire dishes out of cheese, you know, kind of like with tofu, but with cheese—”

“It's really popular, you see, because cheese has the most amazing power to make anything taste good! So, I can whip up alternative dishes for your more cheese inclined guests, if you like. I know recipes to make cheese salad, cheese turkey,

and even cheese favored gelatin! And of course for your wedding cake, we could have cheese cake. Why, in just an hour or two, I could make this wedding cheese-errific!"

"Uh, I see what you mean."

"Told ya."

"Okay, okay, she can stay. But I don't want to take any chances. Promise me you'll

watch her."

"Sure thing, V. Don't worry, though, we'll probably leave early; I really don't feel up to partying too much."

"I'm really sorry about your mom, Gilbert."

"It's okay. I mean I knew she was going to go sometime."

"How did she die, anyway?"

"Old age. I didn't see it, but Dagmar said she got the Hula zombies and everything.

That's one comfort at least, knowing she died platinum."

"Well, try to stay for dinner, okay? Who knows? Maybe getting out and talking with people with cheer you up."

"Maybe. I guess we'll go take our seats."

"Thanks for letting me stay, Veronica. I think-"

"Can it. I don't care what Gilbert says, I don't like you. So just stay out of my sight so I can pretend you don't exist and have my happy wedding day." *Storms Off*

D, thinking: Don't worry, snookums, we'll have that happy wedding day. Just not today; I have to get rid of a few obstacles first. No one stands in the way of our love.

Anyway, here are the last guests, Marylena and Robert.

R: "I can't believe I get to pose with someone so hot."

M: "Enjoy it while it lasts, buddy, because I assure you, it ain't happening again."

Blah, blah, blah. Sorry I can't entertain you with witty speech and cool jokes right now, readers, but I'm just so ANNOYED! How could she be at my wedding?! I can't believe my perfect day is going to shreds so fast... And why aren't you saying

anything? I at least expected you to share in my outrage.

*Silence*

HELLO? KB? ...Nice time for the voice in my head to go silent... *Grumble* I thought you were on my side.

I am on your side. And, um, I am fuming. But I didn't want to say anything because it's kind of confusing for the readers, with me both being on the lot and talking to you in your mind. I thought we'd just keep it simple, 'kay? And cheer up. Your

wedding's not completely ruined. Yet.

GRR, fine. But you're right. *Takes Deep Breath* This wedding can still be a roof raiser; I just have to continue as planned. I'm not going to let her get to me!

That's the spirit, V!

So, on with the wedding! I would show you slides about what everyone's chatting about here, but A) I'm too pissed to care, and B) there's not enough room, so I'll just sum up. The Capps are discussing whether or not it's a crime to marry someone so

much younger, or if love really is all you need to be happy, and some of them, namely Kent, think my marriage to Consort is doomed to crash and burn. My guests are all pissed that Gilbert brought Dagmar here and that both of them are sitting in the back, acting as if nothing is wrong, and some of them, namely Ravi, think we should fry Dagmar like the grilled cheese sandwiches she loves so much for having the audacity to show up to my wedding.

But KB talks them out of it and tells them to calm down so they won't upset me when I'm already nervous and rattled. And the Summerdreams are still bickering, or rather, Titania is still nagging Oberon about how he works so much that they're not

even best friends anymore. There, done.

"You ready, Consort?"

"Let's do this."

Here I go, walking down the aisle. This is the part where everyone falls silent and gushes about how pretty I am.

*Noisy Chatter*

"HELLO! Walking down the aisle here!"

*Chatter Continues*

"EVERYBODY SHUT UP!"

*Silence*

Oberon: "Oo, she's so pretty in that dress."

V: "Thank you."

Titania: "You never say I'm pretty. That's probably why we're not best friends."

V: *GROAN* *Marches Down Aisle* Think happy thoughts, V. Happy thoughts.

Oo, Consort's so sexy when he's about to marry me.

Um, ew.

Bah. Screw you. It's my wedding day; I get to heart-fart over my intended if I want.

"Oh, Consort, I never thought this day would come."

"Me neither, Honeybun, but we're finally here."

"There were days, months even, when I thought I'd never find you."

"But we've finally found each other."

"And now we'll never part, my love."

"My darling."

"My angel."

"My soul mate."

"My everything."

"Do you, Veronica, take me, Consort, and promise to love and cherish me, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, and forsake all others?"

"Do you, Consort, take me, Veronica, and promise to love and respect me, to be faithful and kind through the good, the bad, the happy, and the sad?"

Together: "I do."

And that was it. We were married. I was now Mrs. Veronica Capp.

Amazingly, no one objected. No negative signs, crying, or anything. Kind of suspicious, really, especially from the Capps. But there was nothing. Just a few glitched people who got stuck to their chairs or got up and choose to watch the

marriage ceremony way in the back. *Rolls Eyes* But whatever. I was married. And nothing was going to ruin this moment.

After the ceremony, we brought out the champagne for some toasts. There was a fight to the champagne bottle, but in the end, Albany was the first to successfully toast us. Everyone gathered around and—

"HEY! I don't know you! What are you doing here?!"

Random old lady: "Oh, I was just passing by when I saw this lovely wedding going on and I thought I'd pass on my congratulations to the bride and groom."

"Uh, huh. After you mooched off of us, drank our champagne, stole some cake, and hogged the buffet, right? I don't think so. Out."

ROL: "But I was just-"

"NOW!" Stupid Apartment Life... Generating a million stupid useless elders...

Any who, it was after that toast when everyone started to freak out, and I don't think it was because that old lady tried to crash the party. See, after someone toasts to the newlyweds, the newlyweds, Consort and I in this case, kiss. And apparently

some people weren't ok with that.

Desdemona: "Oh, my Plumbbob, she's really going to kiss him!"

Hal: "The nerve of them! How dare they?"

Yes, the nerve of me. How dare I kiss my husband. *Rolls eyes*

But apparently no one shared my opinion. Negative signs went flying.

Can you blame them? Old people PDA is just nasty.

Shut. It. Time for an emergency evasive maneuver!

"Uh oh, Consort, we better distract everyone before they start picking fights."

"What should we do, dear?"

"Time to bust out the cake!"

"I don't think that'll work, dear..."

"Of course it'll work! And in the mean time, Hermia will throw away the champagne

bottle. Who needs champagne anyway? All it does is make you pee. Cake is much better."

No cake shoving for us, though. What'd you expect? Consort and I are refined, cultured, and civilized people.

Unfortunately, the plan worked all too well. I ended up sitting across from my worst enemy. No matter, I will just talk around her whilst I make rude faces.

KB & V: "HISSSS!"

Kendra: "Do you get the feeling that we're missing something?"

Regan: "Honey, you don't want to know. Don't ever get caught up in other sims' drama. Nine times out of ten it's stupid and complicated."

After the cake came dinner. What? Everyone knows you always serve the cake first at weddings. Duh. Anyway, Consort and I weren't seated together this time, but neither were Dagmar and I. So I had to content myself with listening to the

stimulating dinner conversation of my other guests.

Titania: "I hope you know, Veronica, that marriage is a lot of work. If you and Consort don't constantly work on your relationship, one day you'll wake up stuck in a loveless marriage with two kids, a stupid name, and a bunch of paint on your face wondering why the heck you married that cad in the first place."

Oberon: "Uh, honey, you do know I can hear you, right?"

Carla: "Doesn't seem like she cares..."

V: "Don't worry, Titania, Consort and I have a very open and honest relationship. We talk about everything, and if there's ever a problem, I'm sure we'll be able to work it out."

C: "Seriously, what kind of person would make comments like that at someone's wedding?

V: "Shh. I don't know, a jealous person who hated her own marriage?"

Ariel: "Well, I think that as long as there's love in a relationship, a couple can withstand anything. Love brings two people together, compels them to work on their problems instead of giving up, and allows you to forgive and forget all the little

things that don't really matter."

*Silence*

Hal: "What are you, like, fourteen, pipsqueak? What do you know?"

A: "A lot more than you do, doofus."

Robert: "Well, she kinda has a point..."

T: "Please, love in marriage? What is she insane? Everyone in this town marries for money and prestige. Or connections. You want romance? Go to Pleasantview. Love in a marriage... Humph, loonies..."

Goneril: "Ignore her. She gets her crazy ideas from her father."

V: "I married Consort for love."

T & G: "Mmhmm."

V: "No, really, I did!"

T: "Of course, dear."

Carla: "Well, maybe that's how things were done in the past, but you have to admit, the town is changing."

Robert: "Yeah, I mean, think about your own children. Don't you want them to have

happy marriages?"

Goneril: "They will have happy marriages. Marriages that bring power, money, and prestige to the family name."

Ariel: "But I'm gonna marry Keith Cormier and he doesn't have any money or prestige. He's just a townie."

G: "WHAT? Since when?"

A: "Since fifth period chemistry."

G: "Now you listen to me, young lady, that ain't happening, no way, no how."

A: "That's not what Daddy said..."

Oh boy, this could go on for a while. I wonder what the other guests are talking about.

At the long table:

Miranda: "So what do you guys think of Apartment life?"

Marylena: "I love it! There are so many new people to meet and flirt with! It's every

romance sim's dream!"

Gilbert: "I don't know... There are an awful lot of new elders now. ...And they all wear adult clothing... That plus the custom hair makes them hard to tell apart, you know? I keep mistaking them for adults—”

Gilbert: “I walk up to a fine looking sim, doing my sexy walk, getting ready to flirt, then she turns around and BAM! Another wrinkly old lady." *Shakes Head*

Tracy: "I think that's just you Gilbert. Maybe you need glasses. Anyway, the clothes

are nice and the closets add a nice touch. But I have to say I like the new gestures best."

Ravi: "Personally, I love the big screen TV. It's great for frat parties."

And at the other end:

Albany: "So when do I get to meet this fiancé of yours, Desdemona."

D: "Daaad."

A: "What? For all I know, he could be a complete scoundrel. You should have brought him, that way the whole family would have gotten to meet him and see if he's up to scratch."

D: "Are you kidding, me? I'm trying not to scare him away, Dad. I don't want him to see this loony bin until... Well, never, but preferably not until after the wedding."

A: "But that's ridiculous! I should know who you're marrying."

KB: "Don't worry, Albany, he's a good guy, and a family sim like you and Des. In fact, I think Goneril is friends with his father."

D: "KB! Quiet!"

KB: "Anyway, there's no way I'd let Des marry a scoundrel, either."

A: "Well, okay. Maybe Goneril and I could have a barbeque to meet his parents."

D: *Groan*

And over here:

K: "So, Juliette, you break up with that piece of trash Romeo yet?"

J: "As if, Uncle Kent! Besides, you're one to talk. Aunt Regan told me you've been

seeing Bianca Monty."

K: *Cough* "That's, uh, none of your business, young lady. Besides, Bianca and I are both adults and it's our decision whether we want to ignore the family feud or not. And anyway, Bianca is a Family sim, and Romeo's Romance, so he's completely unsuitable for you."

J: "Like, why does everyone say that? It's not fair. Everyone else gets to date a Monty, like, why not me? No one complains about Hermia going out with Mercutio."

H: "Don't drag me into this, J. Besides, I'm dumping him the minute I get to college."

K: "Just like any responsible Capp should. You could learn a thing or two from your sister, Juliette. Dating while you're teens is one thing, but it'd never work as adults."

J: "But you—”

K "I don't count."

C: "Regan, please tell me we can go; I'm getting a migraine sitting next to this idiot."

R: "Can it, Cornwall. You really think we could just skip out on my father's wedding? What's wrong with you? Suck it up and if I hear another peep of complaint from you, I'm pulling out the sim vac when we get home."

Cornwall: *Sigh* "Yes, dear."

Consort: "So you and Hal used to date as teens?"

Kendra: "Yes, but I think we're going to break up soon. Different life plans and all that."

Consort: "But you're both Knowledge."

Kendra: "Yes, that's right."

R: "Sorry, dad, what were you talking about?"

C: "Oh, nothing much, I was just asking Kendra here how she got invited to the wedding. Basically, she exploited Hal's love for her so that she could be grown up

and sent to college, and then she developed her own personality that completely dominated and outclassed Hal's, which then enabled her to toss Hal aside for a smarter, better looking sim with even better family connections than ours."

*Awkward Silence*

C: "I like that. Shows real talent and ingenuity, kid. I could use someone like you at my company."

R: *Rolls Eyes*

K: *Phew* "Thank you, sir. I'll, uh, consider it."

After dinner, it was time for the most important event of the party (besides the wedding ceremony, of course): SMUSTLE TIME.

Not only is smustling fun, but it keeps everyone from picking fights! So, everybody gathered on the dance floor to get their groove on. Some were more coordinated than others.

Anyway, with Marylena churning out the hits, we danced the night away. Or, um, we danced the day away. Because, you know, it was daytime, and now it's night, and, um, okay, I'll just stop now. The point is everyone was having a great time

despite the fact that they hated me for marrying Consort.

~Tybalt's POV~

This sucks. I can't even sit and eat a nice piece of gelatin outside because all the

stupid guests can't clean up after themselves and left dirty dishes everywhere. This whole party I had to act as butler, cleaning everyone's messes. Stupid dirty sims... And now that we can actually have a butler, Grandpa refuses to hire one because he's convinced they're incompetent ninnies who steal the money right off your trees, and 'besides, cleaning up after yourself builds character.'

“Humph, yeah, right. When I get my own house, I'm going to have TEN butlers...”

*Stabs Gelatin*

*Sounds of voices rising*

I wonder what that noise is... Kinda sounds like a fight. Oo, I love fights! Gives you something new to gossip about. *Gets Up and Walks to Kitchen*

In the hallway next to the kitchen:

*Consort Opens Bathroom Door and Bumps into Dagmar*

"Sorry, excuse m—oh, it's you. What's the matter? Can't a guy use the bathroom in

his own house in peace? There are three other toilets in this house, you know, you didn't have to wait for this one."

"I don't have to use the bathroom. I wanted to have a word with you."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah. My Plumbbob, look at you. You're an old, wrinkly, sorry excuse for a sim. Your face is so twisted, it looks like it's been hit by a train and you've been in the same career for twenty years, but you still haven't managed to get to the top! It's

obvious you're a pathetic low life specimen, so what she sees in you, I'll never know. Ugh, men."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, and now you're getting senile, too. Wow, you're just so endearing, aren't you?"

"Listen, missy, I don't know who you think you are, but nobody insults me in my house."

"Oh, really? Well, you better get your ears checked, mister, because I believe I

already did."

"That's it; you're out of here."

"Not so fast, grandpa. Wait, I forgot, that's not an insult to you; you really are a grandpa. Four kids and seven grandchildren. Ugh, what does she see in you?"

"Look, you—”

"No, you look! I've waited two and a half months to bust out of that hellhole and finally give you a piece of my mind! So you're gonna stand here, and you're gonna listen!"

Whoa, this chick's trying to take on Grandpa! Is she insane? Grandpa will totally rip her a new one.

Hmm. I wonder if I have time to make popcorn...

"I was swept aside and had to watch the love of my life fool herself into thinking she loves you. For too long I have waited for her to see reason, to see you for the inferior scum you really are, but no. You two just had to get married. Even though you two

don't even stand a chance in hell. Well, I'm though waiting. If there's one thing being trapped inside that house taught me, it's that you can't wait for life to hand you what you want. You have to seize it. Mold it. Make things go your own way... Life is what you make it, as the saying goes. And tonight, I'm finally going to make things right and win Veronica back."

"But, I thought you fell out of love. Veronica said that the cheese—”

“Pfft, It’s called acting. And I was pretty damn good if I do say so myself. You all are so naive; cheese could never replace Veronica in my heart. Focusing on Veronica

kept my head clear so I could develop a plan. Now, everything has fallen into place. Everything except you; you're the last thing standing in my way."

"I hate to break it to you, but Veronica would never fall in love with you. She loves me, and we are married so you'll just have to—”

"I'll just have to get rid of you. And as for Veronica—” *Wicked Grin* "With a little

persuasion, she'll realize that I was right all along. And we'll live happy ever after."

"Oh, please. And just how, exactly, do you plan to pull all that off?"

"With force." *Shoves*

Uh, oh. This doesn't look good. ...But this is Grandpa we're talking about here. In a fair fight, he'd win. I'll bet he'll kick her butt and then throw her out of here...

"Hey, get your hands off me! Just what do you think you're doing?"

"Getting rid of all my problems." *Shoves & Pushes Consort into the Bathroom and Locks Door*

...I guess this fight isn't going to be fair. ...But, wait. How's she going to fight him if he's locked inside the bathroom... Something's not right...

"YOU'LL NEVER GET AWAY WITH THIS! JUST WAIT UNTIL I GET OUT OF HERE; YOU'LL BE TOAST!"

"Ha! Try me old man. Besides, you're not going to leave that bathroom alive!"

What? I have to help Grandpa!

*Dagmar Pulls Out a Wand and Begins an Incantation*

She's a witch?! On second thought, maybe I better wait and see what she does first. Maybe Gramps isn't in any real danger. Maybe she's just going to sick some bees on him or something...

"I can't believe that insane girl locked me in a bathroom. What does she think she's going to do, kill me? In a house full of people? ...Though technically they're all outside at the moment. But still! ...Hey, what's that smell?"

*Looks Down*

"Oh, Crap."

*Sounds of Consort's muffled Screaming*

That's it; I've got to get help! Slowly, Tybalt backs away from the hallway so Dagmar

won't hear, and as soon as it's clear, runs to the yard for help.

~Dagmar's POV~

Obviously, my superpotion worked. I was able to choose the powers I liked best and use them as I saw fit. I could transform into a bat and hypnotize others like

vampires, transform into a werewolf at will, zombify any sim stupid enough to cross my path, and, thanks to Apartment Life and the recently discovered power of magic, I could cast spells like a witch. Spells which included conjuring flames where ever I wished. As you can see simmers, I was pretty much unstoppable. Consort never stood a chance.

A part of me regretted having to kill him, but I squashed that thought. He was in my way, and if he had stayed away from Veronica like a smart sim, there wouldn't have been a need for this. As it was, he had to go. Once he was out of the picture,

Veronica would be mine, and with a few drops of my special love potion, she'd forget everyone else, including Consort. I knew that potion worked, too; Gilbert had proved to be a perfect test subject for the love potion.

And speaking of Gilbert, perhaps I'd let him tag along with Veronica and I. Make him my personal live in maid... But I'll sort him out later; now that the deed was done, I had to get to another part of the house before anyone could connect me to

the crime. Everyone would speculate about the cause of Consort's death. They could think he died of old age, spontaneously combusted, whatever. It didn't matter, just as long as I wasn't connected. Then tonight, when Veronica was all alone, I'd sneak back in, give her the potion, and whisk her off to a romantic honeymoon on Twikkii Island.

Perfect, now I'm clear across the house. No one will be able to prove I was at the scene of the crime. *Evil Grin* Being evil is fun.

*****

But it wasn't fun for Consort.

"HELP! HELP! CAN ANYONE HERE ME? HELP!"

Consort coughed and tried to catch his breath but it wasn’t working. His cries grew softer as the smoke and flames overcame him. He had thought that nothing could possibly go wrong with a house full of people, but now he started to wonder. Things

were looking pretty bleak.

~Veronica's POV~

The wedding party was going great. Initially, I had some doubts, with Consort's family being as dysfunctional as it is, but... There were no fights, everyone was

happy, and, except for that little tiff after the champagne toast, things were absolutely fantastic. Even with She Who Shall Remain Nameless crashing my party. Everyone was enjoying themselves; even Gilbert had perked up a little. *Sigh* Consort and I were really married and my wedding party was going perfectly... It seems like I'm going to get my happy ending after all.

...Speaking of Consort, where did he go? Everyone was out on the dance floor, getting their smustles on, but he was nowhere in sight. He was dancing next to me a little while before when he told me he was going to the bathroom, but... That was

ages ago! He can't STILL be in the bathroom... Or can he? *Rolls Eyes* Of course he can, old people bladder, duh! How could I forget?

"Veronica, Veronica! You gotta come quick!"

Who was that? *Looks Around* The only sims I could see were too busy dancing.

"Veronica!"

"Oh, Tybalt, it's you! What's up? You enjoying yourself? Now, I know I asked you kids to help clean up the dishes, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't—”

"Shut up, shut up, I've got to—”

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Look, young man, you may not have to call me Grandma, but you still have to show me some respect! You can't talk to me like that—”

"STOP TALKING! Grandpa is in trouble!"

"What?"

"Grandpa! He's in trouble! There was a fight and that chick locked him in the bathroom and then she said some words and—”

"Whoa, whoa. Tybalt, slow down, you're not making any sense. What 'chick' are you

talking about? And why is Consort locked in the—”

"THERE'S NO TIME!“

"I can't explain right now, you just have to come quick before—” *Looks Around* *GASPS*

"Before what, Tybalt? ...Tybalt?"

"Where did... Where did everybody go?"

*Shrugs* "I don't know. Everybody just stopped dancing and walked away all of a sudden."

"WHAT?"

"Don't look so scared, Tybalt. Look, they probably just had to go to the bathroom." But probably not all at once, Veronica thought to herself. "Or I bet someone put soap in the fountain. You know how sims love to look at—”

"N-No... No, that's not it."

"Grandpa. Grandpa's dead."

"WHAT?"

*****

~KB's POV~

Indeed. Tybalt was right. Consort put up a good fight, but his needs were low, and...

Sadly, this was all that was left. One big pile of ashes.

V, muttering to herself as she dashes to the house: "No, no, no, no! This can't be happening... He can't be... he can't..."

KB, in a gentle voice: "Veronica, look up. There's—”

V: "NO! THERE'S NOTHING OVER MY HEAD! And I'm sure if I just go into the house I'll see him—”

KB: "Veronica—”

V: "No! He'll be there! He's fine! I just need to see—Oh, for the love of Plumbbob—GET OUT OF MY WAY!"

V: "Consort? CONSORT?! Where are you, honey? Desdemona, do you know where Consort is?"

D: "Well, he's in the bathroom..." Technically, she thought to herself. "But, I don't think

you should—”

"MOVE!"

Veronica pushed past Desdemona into the bathroom—

And was met with this sight. A very grave sight. Oh, look I made a pun! *Coughs* But, uh, perhaps, now isn't the best time to, uh...

"WHY? WHY IS THIS HAPPENING? AND ON MY WEDDING DAY!" Veronica shouted.

"This isn't... this can't be... I'm dreaming right? I must be dreaming and this is all a sick, twisted dream I'm having because I went to bed with wedding jitters, right?" *Looks Around Frantically* "Desdemona, I'm dreaming, right?" *Grabs Des by the Shoulders* "I have to be. Tell me I'm dreaming! Tell me! TELL ME!" *Shakes Desdemona Roughly*

"N-No," Des said softly. "I'm sorry, but you're not... You really loved my Grandpa,

didn't you?"

"Yes," Veronica said with tears in her eyes. "Yes I did."

"And now my husband is d-d-dead." *Sinks to Floor*

I better get help, Des thought to herself.

Yes, I think we'll come back to V a bit later.

She wasn't the only one grieving though. Tybalt, when he saw his Grandfather's urn, broke down, too.

T: "G-Grandpa! Why? We had so many plans! We were going to go camping and fishing and golfing and... and..." *Sniffs* "And now he's g-gone..."

Hermia was equally upset. In fact, she refused to say a word; she just found a quiet, secluded corner and sobbed. It makes sense that these two are so torn up, though. After all, they lived with Consort; they're orphans, and, with the rest of their family

always at odds, their grandfather was all they had left, really.

Others... Others, however, were not so torn up.

"Hmm... Why, these curtains are just fabulous! I wonder how much they cost?"

*Sigh* What can you expect, though? Consort hated Cornwall and made his life miserable.

But them?

KB: "Oh, come on, you guys! What are you doing?"

Tracy: "KB! 'Sup!"

Carla: "How ya doin'?"

Ravi: "Hey, KB, we're playing poker. I'd ask you to play, but the table's full."

KB: "That is not what I meant! I meant, what are you all doing playing games when such a tragic thing just happened?!"

Robert, walking by: "Hey, KB, you gonna join the pool game in the living room?"

KB: "Wha? NO! We are at a wedding, remember? A wedding, and the groom just died!"

*Silence*

Robert: "So is that a no?"

KB: "YES!"

Robert: "Geez, no need to be snippy about it."

KB: "What is wrong with you people? Don't you feel any remorse? Don't you have any sympathy or compassion? Or a single shred of decency?"

*Crickets*

KB: "HELLO?"

Ravi: "Oh, come on, it's not like he was our friend or anything."

Tracy: "Yeah, we barely knew the guy! Less than five relationship points, ten tops!"

KB: *Rolls Eyes* "Oberon, what's your excuse? Consort was a family friend."

O: "I mourned."

KB: "Mmhmm."

O: "I did! I even tried to go see his urn, but there were too many people in the doorway!"

KB: "And now? There's nothing blocking the door now."

O: "Well, now I'm playing poker. Besides I'm totally over it. That death was so ten minutes ago."

*Murmurs of Agreement*

KB: *Sigh* "But did it ever occur to any of you that Veronica, who is your friend, best friend, in fact, might need you?”

KB: “That it would be nice if she had some friends to comfort her in her time of need, to tell her that everything will be alright despite the fact her husband of, oh, four hours, is dead? Did anyone think about that, huh?"

*Silence*

Carla: "We thought you were doing that."

KB: “But you can still help, or at least go tell her that you're sorry for her loss!"

Robert: "But you're so much better at it. ...So I'm going to go play pool." *Walks away*

KB: "Are you kidding me?"

Ravi: "I'll help."

KB: "Thank you. Finally, someon—”

Ravi: "Right after I finish this game."

KB: "Oh, for the love of—”

Desdemona, calling from the hallway: "KB? Can you come here? I think Veronica's having a break down."

KB: Uh oh. "I'm coming!" *Walks Away*

*****

Meanwhile, in the living room, it seems I wasn't the only person outraged by the lack of sorrow over Consort's death.

Juliette: "Oh. My. Plumbbob."

J: "Grandpa just died and everyone is in here PLAYING GAMES?!"

Silence fell over the room as everyone turned to look at Juliette.

"I mean, like, those people, them," Juliette said, pointing to the group in the foyer playing poker, "I can understand. They, like, didn't know Grandpa and he wasn't family. But all of you? You're, like, related to him for Plumbbob's sake! And, like, look at you! You're all, like, joking around and, like, playing games without a care in the world! Like, didn't he mean anything to you?"

"Of course he did," Ariel said quietly as she stared at the floor. "We all loved him. But we all grieve in different ways."

"Oh, like, come on," Juliette exclaimed as she stomped her foot. "You can't, like,

seriously expect me to believe that you're, like, mourning Grandpa's death by playing pool!"

Regan: "Juliette, Juliette. Calm down. Listen, you're young; you don't understand. Everyone grieves in his or her own way, and sometimes that includes doing mindless things like playing games to keep your mind off the tragedy. Besides, Dad

would want us to be happy; he wouldn't want us to sit around feeling sorry for him."

J: "But he, like, died ten minutes ago! I'm sure he'd, like, want you to cry, like, a little bit before you went off playing games and stuff."

R: "Look, kid, death happens. That's life."

Hal: "Speak for yourself, Aunt Regan. I'm mourning Grandpa by playing him a song. A song of sorrow."

J: "Like, yeah right! You were rocking out a minute ago and, like, had everybody

who wasn't playing pool dancing!"

Hal: "Well, no one ever said a song of sorrow couldn't be upbeat."

J: *Rolls Eyes*

J: "And you Uncle Kent, like, what's your excuse?"

Kent: "Juliette, the man disowned me. I say good riddance."

Cornwall: "Hear, Hear."

J: "Ugh! Like, I can't believe you. You all are terrible."

While Juliette was dealing with her relatives in the living room, I was dealing with the mess that was Veronica in the bathroom.

KB: "Oh, boy, she's gone crazy. How is this even possible? She's supposed to be

perma-plat."

T: "I guess true grief knows no obstacles? Look, what are we going to do? We have to catch that murderer!"

KB: "Right now we must do the only thing we can do: wait for Veronica to finish her breakdown."

V: "Buck, Buck, Buck-a!"

KB: "Which might be a while."

KB: "Look, while we wait, why don't you tell me what you saw so we can get to the bottom of this murder."

T: "You believe me?"

KB: "Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

T: "I don't know, but Aunt Regan and Aunt Goneril said that it was ridiculous to think Grandpa was murdered. That he probably died of old age."

KB: "Pfft, oh, please. As if that could happen."

KB: "There was a pile of ashes next to his grave. Old age doesn't explain that, plus he was platinum from marrying Veronica a few hours ago. If he died from old age, he would have a platinum urn. So he must have died from fire, ergo the ashes. But if

the fire was just a normal accident, than why did Consort die in the bathroom? I mean, it could have been spontaneous combustion, but I have never seen a sim die from that yet, and it just seems to be too much of a coincidence for it to happen now."

T: "Thank you! Finally someone agrees with me!"

KB: "Right, so tell me what happened so we can figure out who the murderer is."

T: "Wait. I thought you were omniscient and omnipotent. Don't you know who the murderer is?"

KB: "I am. Well, not 'me' me, but me, the one typing this story as we speak, yeah, she knows who the murderer is, but I don't know."

T: "Huh?"

KB: "Just spill it."

T: "Okay, well, I was eating in the dining room, because of all the dirty dishes on the

tables outside, you know, and there I was minding my own business when I heard people yelling. So of course I went to investigate, because, you know, what sim doesn't love to watch a good fight? And there she was, that Dagmar chick, picking a fight with Grandpa in the hallway."

K: "Dagmar?! Are you sure it was her? I mean you never met her before today and-"

T: "I'm positive. She was the only one wearing a black gown. Well, except for Ariel,

but I think I know my own cousin, ok?"

KB: "Ok. Continue."

T: "So I didn't hear everything, but she was insulting Gramps, calling him stuff like 'old and wrinkly,' and 'pathetic low life specimen' and basically she was yelling about how she thought Grandpa was incompetent and how she didn't know what Veronica saw in him."

KB: "Yeah, that sounds like Dagmar.“

T: "Grandpa tried to get her to leave, but then she started saying that she waited too

long for the love of her life to see reason and that she wasn't going to wait anymore.”

T: “She said she was through pretending to be brainwashed by cheese and that she

was finally going to get rid of the last obstacle in her way: Grandpa.”

KB: "Oh, boy, that doesn't sound good."

T: "You're telling me! But I wasn't too worried at first because, you know, I thought Grandpa could handle himself. If it came down to a fight, I was sure Gramps would win. But she didn't attack him like I thought she would, instead she pushed him into the bathroom and locked the door. And then she took out this wand—”

K: "Whoa, whoa, wand? Like, as in a—”

T: "Witch, yes exactly. And then she started muttering some words; I guess it must have been a spell, because the next thing I know Grandpa was screaming and

banging on the bathroom door. And that's when I hightailed it out of there so I could get help, b-but... but..."

K: "It was too late."

T: "Yeah."

K: "Okay, so from what I gather from your story, Dagmar must have cast a spell to start a fire in the bathroom and, with the limited amount of space in here, Consort must have caught fire, too."

T: "So what are we going to do? We can't let her get away with this! She could leave at any time, if she hasn't already left yet!"

K: "Don't worry. You said yourself that Dagmar admitted she still loved Veronica."

T: "So?"

K: "So, she's probably not going to leave anytime soon, but wait for a chance to get Veronica alone so she can finish the rest of her plan. So, it's a pretty safe bet that she's still somewhere in the house or on the grounds. We just have to find her before

she can get away or get to Veronica."

T: "And then what? She's a witch! How are we going to stop her?"

K: "She may be a witch, but I have boolProp, ok? We'll just need her to confess, then I can take her powers away or something. Besides, there are like 20 sims in this house. She can't kill us all."

T: "Hmm... Well, okay, but how are we going to lure her away? Maybe we could use Veronica as bait?"

K: "I don't know. Veronica's in a delicate state right now and—”

V: "No.”

K: "What was that, V?"

V: "I said no. I'm fine."

K: *Snort*

T: "Yeah, right."

V: "Ok, I'm not, but I will be. Look, I'm fine enough to try and help. I can't just stand by and do nothing! She killed my husband!"

K: "Are you sure, V, because you don't have to—”

V: "I'm sure. And we won't need to lure Dagmar anywhere. If I know her, and I do,

since she was my first best friend after all, she'll still be here surrounded by a crowd of people, acting like nothing is wrong. She'll want to secure her alibi, so she'll stay and mingle at the party. That way no one would be able to say she had something to do with the death. She knows that we'd suspect her, that she'd be our prime suspect. To hide now would just look suspicious. So to find her we just need to look where the biggest crowd of people is."

T: "Well, most people are in the living room, if not outside.”

"Then we'll start our search there. Now let's bring this hussy down once and for all."

Her mind made up, Veronica didn't waste any time looking for Dagmar. She stormed through the bathroom doors and hunted through the hallway, kitchen, and dining room, with Tybalt and me at her heels. Finally spotting Dagmar, Veronica ran

into the living and demanded an explanation.

V: "YOU! How dare you come into my home and abuse my hospitality! Did you really think I wouldn't put two and two together? HEY! Are you listening to me? Put that pool stick down, you lowlife backstabbing murderer! I'm talking to you!"

A wave of silence fell over the room gradually as everyone realized what had just been said.

D: "Me?" Dagmar asked, looking up confused.

V: "Yes, you. Who the hell else would I be talking to?"

D: "I don't know," Dagmar shrugged. "But I do know you're probably very distraught, with your husband dying and all. I heard, before I saw the ethereal light of cheesy goodness, of course, that people who are grieving often look for targets to place

their blame on—”

V: "OF COURSE I'M BLAMING YOU! YOU KILLED MY HUSBAND!"

D: "Why would I want to kill your husband?" Dagmar asked, looking bewildered. "I barely knew the guy."

V: "Um, how about because you're in love with me?“

D: "Don't be silly, Veronica. The only thing I love is cheese. Mmm, cheese, you know, I don't believe I've had enough of it today. Perhaps I should go make some—”

V: "You're not going anywhere! Give up the act Dagmar; I know it was you."

D: "But I'm not acting. Look, I went inside to use the bathroom, ok? Consort died while I was in there, and when I came out, I got distracted by the pool table."

V: "I'm not buying it. You were there and you killed him!"

D: "But I didn't! I can't believe you'd think so low of me, V. Look, everyone in this room saw me come out of the bathroom and join the pool game. I couldn't possibly have killed Consort; I was clear on the other side of the house! How could I have gotten over here if I killed him, huh?"

T: "That's a lie! It's all lies! I saw you!"

D: "Y-You saw me kill your Grandfather?" Dagmar asked in disbelief. There were witnesses? Dagmar thought to herself. How could I have been so sloppy? Crap, my

plan is ruined! I've got to figure out a way out of this...

T: "Well, technically... no. But I saw you fighting with Grandpa! You admitted you still loved Veronica, and that he was the only thing standing in your way to happiness."

D: "Your Grandfather is a cranky old man; I bet he picks fights with half the neighborhood! So you saw us fight; so what? I needed to go to the bathroom, he was using that one, we said some words, then I left to use a different bathroom.

What you saw doesn't prove anything!"

V: "It proves you're still in love with me. That you had a motive for killing Consort."

D: "A motive? Are you kidding me?" Dagmar asked with a nervous laugh. "Look, I'll admit it; Consort and I had a little spat. But I didn't kill him I swear!"

D: "Okay, I may have poked him a little, but then I went to use a different bathroom! One argument doesn't prove I killed him!"

T: "But you didn't just poke him! You locked him in the bathroom, then took out your

wand and said a spell! Don't deny it, I saw you!"

D, *Gulps*: "So? Even if you did see what you saw, and I'm not saying you did, I mean, I don't even know magic. But me casting a spell doesn't prove anything!”

D: “Everyone saw me come out the bathroom connected to this room! If I killed him, how could I have gotten over here unseen? I would've had to walk through the hallway, the kitchen, and the foyer to come over here. And with everyone coming

inside to look at the urn, I would have bumped into someone along the way! So I couldn't have killed him; I would have gotten caught!" Dagmar finished with a smug smile.

KB: "Except," I said slowly, "Except that if you were a witch, not only could you have started the fire in the bathroom, for which there is no other reasonable explanation-"

KB: "But you also could have magically teleported yourself away to an otherwise inaccessible spot, like say a bathroom on the other side of the house located past several rooms, and possibly several people, too."

D: "Oh, for the love of- Okay! OKAY! I GIVE UP! I killed your stupid, precious Grandfather, alright? Like the world isn't a better place without him."

With Dagmar's confession, the room was cast into turmoil. No one minded Consort dying from old age, but apparently, him being murdered was very upsetting. Negative signs went flying everywhere; Dagmar had really picked the wrong place

to confess. The room was filled with almost all of Consort's relatives, who were now very angry.

H: "You! You killed my Grandfather? The one who took me in and fed and clothed me? The only living relative I had left that actually cared about me, my brother, and sister?"

D: "Grandpa was the only one keeping this family together! And you killed him?! Oh, no. Oh, hell no, you are so going to pay for this, tramp!"

Even, Gilbert, who had wandered in to watch TV, was shocked.

"Darling, how could you! How could you be so cold hearted?"

V: "I can't believe it either," Veronica said in a dead, cold voice. "I mean, I never really thought that you were capable of such a thing. All this time, I never thought you'd actually want to do me, or anyone else, harm. You were my friend. My very

first best friend. I mean, sure we fought. I figured you were just lashing out because you were hurt that I didn't feel the same way about you. But I always thought that—that one day you'd get over it. That we'd be friends again. Because, I knew, I always knew that, deep down, you were a good, kind hearted person. I never, ever would have believed that you were capable of killing my husband."

D: "W-Well, it was your own fault."

V: "My fault?“

D: "Yeah, I mean, if you had just come to your senses, I wouldn't have had to resort

to such drastic measures. I mean you cowplanted me, then stuck me in that house with that idiot with his tyrannical mother!"

Gilbert: "Hey! I-"

D: "Shut up! No, I don't love you! I'm sick of you. I'm sick of being a maid, I'm sick of playing the dumb grilled cheese sim, and I'm sick of being tossed aside for stupid, cranky, senile, wrinkly OLD MEN! HOW could you possibly believe that he would be

a better choice than me? I mean, HELLO? Can you spell pathetic?"

V: "Whom I choose to love is no concern of yours, and you had no right to kill him!"

D: "HE WAS IN MY WAY. If there's one thing I learned being couped up in that house, it's that life's too short to sit around and wait for things to go your way. You have to take action and seize what you want!"

D: "I died once before because I was outsmarted by a bunch of idiots, and I let everything I always dreamed of slip away. Well, never again! I will have my perfect dream life, and that includes you, Veronica. So you might as well just give up now

and succumb to fate. I'm a sim on a mission, and I will stop at nothing to get what I want!"

Gilbert: "But I thought you wanted me..."

D: "Of course I don't want you, you imbecile—”

V: "But why do you want me?”

V: “I mean after everything I've put you through, wouldn't you want to be with someone else? Someone who loves you back? Why are you still in love with me?"

D: "Oh, Veronica," Dagmar said with a chuckle. "You sweet, sweet, naive little sim.

You think this is still just about love? Ha! Please. I mean you dumped me for a pathetic old man with half a brain!"

V: "I didn't dump—”

D: "This is about SO much more than just love; oh no, this, this is about REVENGE. You will be mine. You will pay for humiliating me, and become my love slave for all eternity! No one turns me down, and I will get my way! And nothing and no one, not

Denise, not Consort, nor anyone else, will get in my way!"

Gilbert: "WHOA, WHOA, WHOA. Stop, back it up and park it. 'Not even Denise,' are you trying to say—do you mean to tell me that— d-d-did you—”

D: "YES, you blubbering buffoon, I killed your mother!"

Gilbert: *GASP* "Snookums, h-h-how could—”

D: "The old hag was in my way. And nothing will ever get in my way again. I will have what's mine, and no one will ever treat me the way she did ever again.“

D: "So let's go, Veronica. You can do this the easy way, and surrender willingly or the hard way, and I take you by force."

V: I not going anywhere with you. I can't believe I ever thought you a friend. You make me sick. And you're going to pay for killing innocent people."

D: "Now, now, Veronica, don't be difficult. I suggest you do this the easy way; I don't

want to get hostile," Dagmar said with an evil smile. "But I will, of course, if you test me. Trust me, though; you are no longer a match for me."

KB: "I think she's forgetting she's in a crowded room full of people," I said to Hermia.

H: "People who are pissed off she killed a dear friend or relative.“

*****

But were they? Goneril and Kent didn't seem to be too upset about finding out their father was murdered. Not upset enough to stop gossiping about something anyway.

Goneril: "Kent, where've you been? This is our big chance!"

K: "What are you talking about? What chance? And I was listening to that fight our there; I think that blonde chick murdered Dad!"

Goneril: "Look, Kent, Dad's death was unfortunate, but he was old, so it's not like it was unexpected. We can't let grief get in the way; right now, we have to stay focused if we want things to go our way."

K: "Stay focused on what?"

G: *Sigh* "Getting Veronica out the picture! If we can get her to leave, even just for a little while, we can get things to go our way and back to normal."

K: "Huh? Get what to go our way?"

Goneril: *Sigh* "And you're supposed to be knowledge?"

Goneril: "The will, stupid, we can get the will to go our way. Why do I even bother talking to you? Look, Regan and I will figure out the details and get Veronica to leave, you just keep your mouth shut and do what we tell you. Got it?"

K: "Uh huh."

Goneril: "Good. Now go with the flow and act like nothing's wrong."

*****

Meanwhile, Dagmar and Veronica were still going at it.

V: "You'll never escape! Face it, Dagmar, you're outmatched and outnumbered.

Again.

D: "Please, you weaklings think you can stop me? I have powers you can only dream about! You're right about one thing though: I can't possibly kidnap you in a house full of people. Not only are there too many witnesses, but I have no way to take you with me, as, unfortunately, I can't just stuff you in my inventory."

"So, I'll just say goodbye for now, but don't worry, my love, I'll come back for you!"

And with that, Dagmar vanished into thin air.

V: "Oh my Plumbbob! Did you see that?"

M: "Tybalt was right, she really does have magic!"

Everyone was upset and shocked by this turn of events.

Gilbert: "She has magic. How did that happen? When did that happen?"

Kendra: "Well, I didn't see that coming."

Kent: "We can't possibly defeat a witch! What do we do now?"

Cornwall: "Nothing."

Goneril: "We can't give up! No one kills my father and gets away with it."

Desdemona: "Gilbert's hot."

Well, almost everyone. Hey, wait a minute. Des, aren't you engaged?

D: *Shrugs* Not my fault; romance sim coding. It's a reflex.

"People! Don't just stand there! I can see her from the window! After her!"

Tybalt was right; Dagmar had only materialized outside. She couldn't use magic to teleport herself off the lot.

D: Yes, unfortunately, magic doesn't work that way, Dagmar thought to herself. No

matter, with everyone still inside, I still have plenty of time to dash away. And even if they did manage to run outside, I could just materialize somewhere else in the house, over and over again. They'd never catch me. Dagmar smiled, a new plan forming in her mind. But eventually, they'd have to stop searching; all the guests would have to go home when the party was over, leaving Veronica all alone... And free to be kidnapped. Yes, I think that's just what I'll do.

V: "Oh my gosh, what are we going to do?! We can't let her escape! Is there a way to take her powers away? We have to stop her! Somebody DO something!"

KB: "Relax, V, allow me."

Dagmar never got the chance to put her new plan into effect...

Because I zapped her. Right as she finished materializing.

The infamous Dagmar was toast.

V: "HAHAHA! Did you see that? That was awesome!"

J: "Serves that tramp right for hurting Grandpa."

Carla: "Now that's what I call justice. Ravi was right. We should of just killed her in

the first place."

V: "Definitely." I guess I won't be needing KB's back up plan from chapter 6 after all, Veronica thought to herself. The menace in my life is finally gone.

T: "Boy, was that a show, did you see the smile on her face—”

J: "Like she thought she was going to get away with everything—”

T: "Then—BAM! Burnt to a crisp!"

H: "Come on you guys, it's not polite to speak ill of the dead."

T: "Oh, don't be a party pooper, Herms."

J: "And you were, like, cheering, too, I saw you!"

H: "Well, she did kill Gramps."

Sims. The only ones who cheer if someone they hate dies. Well, you gotta respect their honesty.

Not everyone was as happy, though.

Gilbert: "D-Dagmar, the l-love of my life... Gone... Just like that... Now I have no

mommy and no girlfriend... I-I'm all alone... Nooo! Dagmar, come back! Don't go!"

Oh, who am I kidding; only Gilbert was upset. Everyone else was ecstatic.

Lots of people came over to cheer over her dead body.

R: "Ha! Serves her right, thinking she could kill my daddy and get away with it! Good

riddance, murderer! I am so going to kick your grave!"

V: "WOOHOO!" Oh, I wait, Veronica thought to herself. I should say 'Yippee' instead. I don't want people to think of woohoo as woohoo. I swear, every time I hear people say 'woohoo,' I just can't help thinking of... well, woohoo. And tonight I'm

finally going to know what it's like because it's my wedding night, and Consort and I don't have to wait anymore, so...

B-But Consort's dead. So we won't get to woohoo. I won't ever get to woohoo, because my husband is dead. Oh, how could I have actually been laughing? My husband is dead. My husband is dead! We were supposed to spend the rest of our

lives together! I was supposed to grow old with him! We were supposed to have a happy ending!

And just like that, Veronica burst into tears again, seemingly on the verge of another break down.

Goneril: "Okay, I think the bride—er, Veronica has had enough for one day. Someone needs to get her out of here, before she has another breakdown."

Ravi, who had since walked over: "I'll take her up to her room, get her away from all

the guests and stuff."

G: "No, no, I mean, someone should get her out of the house."

KB: "Why," I asked, suspicious.

G: "Well, if she stays here, she'll just walk around, look at all the wedding decorations and renovations, and picture what would have been. It'll only make her depressed."

As if on cue, Veronica cried even harder. "We were supposed to have a happy ending!" she wailed.

Goneril: "See? Being here will only remind her of her loss. She should get away,

perhaps spend some time with a friend—Or her honeymoon! She should go on her honeymoon!"

"My honeymoon! We were supposed to go on a honeymoon!" Veronica wailed.

Goneril: "Er, not honeymoon, I mean vacation. She should go on a vacation."

KB: "I don't know..."

R: "No, no, it'll be perfect! Great idea, Goneril. Think about it, she can take some time off work, get away from everyone and everything, and just relax, take things easy. She won't have to worry about a thing!"

G: "Exactly. Regan and I will take care of getting rid of the guests, and while she's gone, we'll get rid of all the decorations and all of Dad's old stuff. And either one of us or Kent will stay here with the kids to make sure they stay out of trouble. She can't properly grieve if she stays here—”

R: "She'll have too many responsibilities—watching the kids, cleaning up, going back to work. And if tonight is any indication, she'll be stopping every five seconds to cry! It'd be much better to let her take a break."

KB: "Well..."

I didn't know what to do. In truth, I'd rather do everything myself, but there was no way I could really look after Veronica, clean up the party stuff, take care of the guests, and keep an eye on Tybalt, Hermia, and Juliette all at the same time.

Not to mention, Gilbert. The guy just wasn't acting right. He didn't seem to give a care that his mother was murdered; in fact, he seemed way more upset at the fact that Dagmar had died than the fact that Dagmar killed his mother. I had no clue

what was wrong with him, and it was becoming a problem. He was going around talking about resurrecting Dagmar so he wouldn't be alone anymore! If Veronica heard that, she'd have another fit. And, now that I think about it, the Bone Phone was still at his house, so he really could resurrect her. Someone had to go get that stuff away from him.

And Goneril and Regan were right; I knew Veronica, and I knew that staying here would only make her mopey and miserable. In case none of you noticed in the past couple of chapters, Veronica liked to worry. A lot. A lot, a lot. She'd wander around

the house think sad thoughts, complain about how miserable her life was, and just generally be sulky and moody. Veronica was like that. She mulled over her problems endlessly. She needed things to keep her busy, projects. But she didn't have any at the moment, none that wouldn't make her burst into a fresh wave of tears anyway. She needed time.

And I was certain a vacation would do her some good. It would be relaxing, and running around collecting vacation memories and trinkets would help get her mind off of Consort. And I was sure Goneril and Regan could do a good job and get

things cleaned up, ok, but... But something was just not right. I saw Goneril and Regan whispering conspiratorially, and I just got a bad feeling; I didn't trust them.

But just then Veronica let out another wail.

V: "We were supposed to be happy! We were going to start a hobby together! Go

jogging every morning! Go for walks in the park! A-And now he's G-G-GONE!"

And that sealed the deal. I had to get Veronica out of here before she had another break down and started crying about how she and Consort were supposed to start a garden together or something. She could go on vacation and I'd stay, fix things, and think of something to keep her mind off Consort when she got back.

KB: "Okay, okay. You're right; I should get Veronica out of here. You two just get rid of the guests and the wedding decorations, I can do everything else.“

R: "And how about if Kent stays here to look after the kids? Don't want them throwing

wild parties with no adult in the house!"

V: "Is that Consort's new car? It is, isn't? He promised he'd take me for a spin, but he never even got to drive it! And now he never will!" Veronica cried.

KB: *Sigh* One more thing to get rid of. "Yeah, sure whatever, Regan. Busy here."

R: "Okay, kids, you heard her. Kent will stay to watch you while Veronica's gone. For now, get in the house, and go straight to bed. No monkey business. We've all had a long stressful day."

H: "Does anyone else get the feeling that we're missing something?"

J: "Like there's some master scheme going on, like, right under our noses and we, like, have no clue?"

T: "Of course there is. This is Aunt Goneril and Aunt Regan we're talking about here."

"Not another word you three," Goneril hissed quietly. "I'll have your hides if you ruin this, now off to bed!"

J, T, & H: "Yes, Aunt Goneril."

"We were supposed to grow old together!" Veronica sobbed.

Ravi: "But Consort was already old. So he'd just watch you get old while you watched him die."

But this revelation only made Veronica cry harder. "But at least we would have spent more time together!" She wailed.

KB: "Ravi, you are not helping. Why don't you go inside and call the travel agency and see if Veronica's hon—uh, trip, is still booked? I'll console, V, here, okay?"

Ravi: *Shrugs* "Okay."

V: "Console me? Consort was supposed to console me when times got tough. He promised to love me and protect me and cherish me in sickness and health, in good times and bad, and times are definitely bad now. 'Cept our vows don't matter

now, 'cuz he's dead!"

KB: *Sighs* "Veronica, calm down. Look—”

M: "Hey, KB!"

KB: "What is it Marylena? Can't you see I'm busy here?"

M: "I know, I know, but I think I figured out what's wrong with Gilbert."

KB: "Really?" Please, oh, please let something go right today.

M: "I was chatting with him and he was going on and on about some nonsensical plot to get Dagmar back, and I couldn't figure out what the heck was wrong with him. I mean why would you want to bring your mother's murderer back to life, you

know?"

KB: "Uh huh."

M: "So then I looked at him, I mean really looked at him. I took in his sad, tortured expression, those love sick eyes, and not to mention that creepy grin he has plastered on his face all the time—”

M: "And then it hit me: love potion!"

KB: "No way."

M: "Way! I mean, think about it. I know there's no trail of flowers flying around him,

and, at least with normal potion, love potion should only be temporary, but it's the only explanation for his obsession with Dagmar and that love sick grin."

*Both turn to look at Gilbert*

KB: "You know you have a point."

M: "Of course I do. If there's one thing a romance sim knows about, it's love potion."

M: "I just don't know how to cure him. I mean it should've worn off by now, but... Well, who knows how long he'll stay this way?"

KB: "Don't worry about that, just go home. I'll figure something out and get him back

to normal... Right after I deal with Veronica."

*Both turn to look at Veronica*

M: "Yeah, good luck with that."

KB: "Thanks." I said Dryly. *Sighs* "Gilbert, you stay put. Veronica—”

KB: "Veronica, Stop crying."

V: "I c-can't. I just f-feel so terrible. I miss him, KB."

KB: "I know, but you can't keep crying every ten minutes. You have to try and be

strong."

Ravi: "Hey, KB!"

Ravi: "Everything is going well. Goneril got all the other guest to leave and sent Tybalt, Hermia, and Juliette to bed. Regan is cleaning up the wed—er, party dishes and stuff. She said not to worry about getting the chapel and dining stuff torn down,

that it could wait until tomorrow. Also, I did as you asked and called the travel agency and they said everything is all set, since the hon—er, vacation is already paid for, and that they'd just refund the money for the extra flight seat. And Veronica already had a suitcase packed, too, so, she's good to go."

V: "Whoa, whoa. Go? I'm not going anywhere. I wanna stay right here. And I'm certainly not going to go on a honeymoon all by myself."

Ravi: "It'll be good for you, V. You can get some rest. Relax. Take your mind off

things."

V: "Why does everyone keep saying I need to rest? I don't wanna rest. I'm not tired, I'm fine.”

KB: *Rolls Eyes* "You need to rest because you keep crying every ten minutes. And don't think of it as a honeymoon, think of it as a vacation. A vacation from your life."

V: "But I don't like vacations. They bore me. I get bored very easily when I have nothing to do. You know this. Boredom only makes me go crazy. I should stay here and do something."

Ravi: "But, you'll have plenty to do on vacation. You can go on tours, collect vacation mementos and trinkets, and meet new people."

KB: "Exactly. Besides, you know staying here will only make you depressed, V. Go on vacation and, uh, rest. In the meantime, I'll look after everything here, so when you get back you can jump right into the swing of things and make lots of money."

V: "Hmm. I like money."

KB: "I know you do. And if you go on this trip, you get to spend lots of it. So go okay?"

V: "Well... You two really think it will help?"

Both Ravi and I nodded enthusiastically.

V: "Well, okay. I guess it couldn't hurt, right?"

And with a quick change of clothes, Veronica was off. One down, fifty million things left to do. *Sigh*

*****

I didn't really know if Ravi and KB were right about the whole take a break thing, Veronica thought to herself. But to be honest I really wasn't all that keen on staying at the mansion, either. Although the renovations had warmed the place up a bit, the

place still felt huge, imposing, and downright empty without Consort. Consort had said I'd warm up to the place in time, but, now I wasn't so sure. The only reason I could ever call this place home before was because Consort was there, and now... Now he wasn't.

Consort was everything to me. He'd been the love of my life these past few weeks, and even before that, he'd been the object of my hopes and dreams. Being here at this house was all that I'd aspired to. But now that I was here and without him, I felt

hollow. I didn't know what I wanted anymore or who I was. Consort was my life, my reason for being. I didn't know how to be me without him because without him I lacked drive, I lacked direction, I lacked purpose. I needed to figure who I was now that Consort was no longer in my life, no longer in my future. I needed to figure out what my life now meant, and how to carry on, and- *Sigh* I have a lot to think about. Maybe this vacation was a good idea after all.

And so Veronica was gone, and it was just me, Ravi and Gilbert left.

KB: "Okay, guys, time to go home, too."

G: "Hey, KB, you think if I bring Dagmar back, she'll love me again?"

KB: "What am I going to do with you?" I sighed.

R: "Need any more help, KB?"

KB: "Yeah. How 'bout you take the Bone Phone and the cow plant back to the secret society? I need to get those things away from this moron."

R: "Sure thing, I'll get them first thing tomorrow morning."

KB: "Great. As for you Gilbert, I'm taking you home. Don't trust you not to start the apocalypse staying alone all by yourself."

And so the party ended, and us last guests finally went home.

*****

Or so I thought.

R: "Phew. Now that everyone is gone we can finally discuss our plan."

K: "What plan? I don't get it. What's going on? And why do I have to watch Cordelia's brats?"

G: "You are never going to learn, are you? And don't call them brats; they're smarter than you."

Yeah, that's what makes them brats, Kent thought to himself.

K: "Look, will you guys please just explain what's going on? I don't want to stay here. It's been a long day and I'm tired. I want to go home."

R: "That's just it Kent! Your home is actually my home. Don't you want a place of your

own?"

K: "Yeah. Someday. But what's that got to do with staying here?"

G: "Oh, for the love of Plumbbob! You're thirty days old and you're still a complete idiot!"

R: "Calm down, Goneril. You yelling at him isn't going to make things any more clear to him."

G: *Sigh* "Well, I guess we better fill him in then. Okay, look, Kent. Dad's dead. Pretty

soon Sim City Insurance will start to carry out the terms of the will. Right now, the will is set so that most of Dad's assets go to Veronica. He planned it so that she will get the house, and your share of the money, since he disinherited you. All the rest of the money would be given to his relatives; Regan and I would get the biggest shares, since we're his children, and then whatever's left over would be equally divided among his grandchildren.”

G: “But we, Regan and I that is, are looking to change it. We don't want to let Veronica inherit the house—it's worth over a hundred thousand simoleons for Plumbbob's sake! So, we're going to cut Veronica out of the will entirely."

K: "Really? How? I thought wills were set in stone."

G: *Sigh* "Knowledge, my butt.“

R: "Don't worry sis, I'll take it from here. Normally wills are set in stone, Kent. But Dad's death has some unusual circumstances.“

K: "You mean that he was murdered?"

R: "No- well, yes, but that wouldn't change the outcome of the will. I'm talking about the fact that Dad died only a few hours after being married. As Dad's wife, Veronica gets a big cut of the money—but since they were only married a few hours, we can

contest the marriage and get it annulled. We can argue that Veronica shouldn't really be included in the will because they were married a grand total of four hours and twenty three minutes—not long enough for her to be entitled to anything. Or, if we can prove that Dad was a vulnerable old man not capable of making any critical decisions by himself—”

K: "We'll be showing that Veronica tricked him into marriage, and therefore the

marriage was a sham to get Dad's money. From there we can throw out the marriage all together, along with any claims Veronica may have had on the estate," Kent said, finally piecing everything together.

G: "Exactly. And we've already decided how we want to split the will. Albany and I already have our own house, which we've invested a lot in. We've no desire to move. Regan and Cornwall finally have their own place now, too. The only one without a

place of his own is you, which is why you're staying here."

K: "Oh. But I like living with Regan."

G: "But she doesn't like you living with her."

R: "Goneril!"

G: "Oh, get a backbone, will you? This is ridiculous! You're a grown man for

goodness' sake, Kent; Regan only took you in because you had nowhere to go after Dad tossed you out. It's time you grew up and gave Regan her space. And Regan, you need to stop babying him. Let him learn to take care of himself."

K: "You really feel that way, Regan?"

R: "Well, I wouldn't have put it that way, but... Yes. Cornwall and I would like to start a family of our own."

G: "So, you need to get the heck out of her house so she can use the extra room as

a nursery.“

R: "Goneril!"

G: "What? I'm just stating the facts. Now back to business. Someone has to stay here and watch Tybalt, Hermia, and Juliette, plus watch over the house after they've gone to college. That would be you."

K: "Why me?"

G: "Because I've already raised four children thank you very much. I'm supposed to be considering retirement, not taking in more kids."

K: "But Regan—”

G: "Regan is trying to start her own family, as we've already established. Which leaves you, the broke, jobless, homeless one. You're a freeloader, Kent, and if you're going to freeload, you might as well do it while being useful. You're staying here. Regan will send your things along tomorrow."

K: *Sigh*

R: "Now, Kent, things aren't official yet; we still have to contest the will in court. We sent Veronica away so she can't defend herself. It'll be much easier to get what we

want if she can't challenge us, so we expect things to go our way, but..."

G: "But don't screw up. The house isn't officially yours yet until the will is final. So don't break anything, and no crazy expenses, either. Any money you spend will be coming out of your cut. Got it?"

K: "Got it."

G: "Good, now let's get the heck out of here."

R: *Rolls Eyes* "Goodnight, Kent; I'll come check up on you tomorrow."

And finally, finally all the guests were gone. Kent and the kids had gone to bed, exhausted after a long day. The house was silent. Not a creature was stirring, not even a—

Wait. There was a creature stirring. It was on the island next to the house. The island wasn't always an island; it used to be a simple graveyard for past generations of Capps, but a moat was dug there recently. It was said that that ghosts were unable

to cross bodies of water, and it was hoped that the new moat would keep the lively ghosts at bay. No ghosts stirred on the island tonight, however. But on closer inspection, one could see movement from one of the two new freshly dug graves that had been placed there earlier that night. The grave rose into the air, shaking and rattling, until finally, there was a flash, and it disappeared. It its place was a faint blackened figure, slowly rising from the ground.

The figure appeared limp and unmoving, and as the faded creature came into view...

It revealed itself to be a woman covered in soot and ashes.

One could even say she was a witch.

"They thought they could get rid of me," the woman said to herself. "They thought a little lightening would be the end of me. HA! I proved them wrong. I outsmarted them once and for all; death is now for mere mortals! Thanks to my finest invention,

my superpotion, I have powers beyond compare. All the world's most powerful creatures—vampires, werewolves, plantsims, and witches—harnessed into one being: ME! I can become anything I wish in the drop of a hat, in a flash of the slightest whim. I can be any creature at any moment, and with all this power at my beck and call, nothing can stop me anymore—not even death."

"And finally, FINALLY I will have my revenge! MUWHAHAHA!" The woman continued her maniacal laughter as she spun around, changing her clothes.

"They think they've seen the last of me- well, they better think again. I will never give up. I will be back. And next time, I won't make any mistakes. I will get you in the end, Veronica, just you wait. You will be mine."

With a kick to a grave marked Consort Capp, the woman conjured a broom, and took off into the night sky.

She soared higher and higher, until she was up over the trees, over Capp Manor...

And all the other houses in Veronaville. She sped away into the night to places unknown where she could wait and bide her time, ever watching for the right time to strike.

*****

The End. Happy reading; later simmers.