Overlord Legacy - Chapter Eighteen - Generation Three's Unwelcome Arrival

Midnight sits in silence after finishing her waffles. There's been a lot of silence around the house after that big argument the other day. The silence doesn't solve anything, but neither does yelling. Midnight is disgusted with Jakkson and with Oliver...and even with herself. How could she have let this happen to her? She knows she used protection every time. In fact, she was very firm on that. Having a baby at this moment would be a distraction. She's not prepared to care for a child.

Fortunately the morning sickness is gone, but Midnight doesn't feel a lot better. With her ever-expanding belly, she finds herself waddling to get to places, and no one trembles in fear from someone who waddles. She's even tripped a few times with the uneven weight around her belly. Every minute that goes by, she loathes that creature that's growing inside of her. She just hopes and prays with all her might that it ends up being a human. She has absolutely no interest in giving birth to a werewolf or a vampire.

The worst thing is not knowing which one fathered the baby. There'll be no way to know until the baby becomes a toddler. If the child's a werewolf or a vampire, then identifying the father will be easy. If the child's a human, she'll have to go by other factors.

Needing to clear her mind and try not to wallow in her misery, Midnight goes for a jog, now that she definitely has time to. That's another lousy thing about her pregnancy - seven days off from work. That's seven days she can't afford.

--
While Midnight goes for a jog, Phantom lugs his honey and beeswax over to the alchemy shop. The clerk (happy for Phantom's business, reluctant to have that blasted fairy in his shop at all) takes his produce and turns away, hoping Phantom will get the hint and quickly exit the shop. Phantom, however, notices a strange vial on the rack underneath the counter.

Phantom: "Ooh! What's this?"
Clerk: "That? Oh, yeah, that. That's a Zombification potion."
Phantom: "Oh...! What does it do?"
Clerk: "What do you think it does? It turns someone into a zombie, of course."
Phantom: "Permanently? Like Zombie Apocalypse in a bottle?"
Clerk: "No, only for two days. We don't sell permanent Zombification potions here. We don't need a Zombie Apocalypse."
Phantom: "Do you have anything for fairies here?"
Clerk: "Oh, please. I'd rather have a Zombie Apocalypse than more of you floating around."
Phantom: "How much is this Zombification potion?"
Clerk: "69 Simoleons and it's yours."
Phantom: "Only 69? Ooh! I'll take it!"

Excitedly, Phantom brings home his new potion. Normally he doesn't look too closely at the potions at the alchemy shop. They're usually too expensive. He's happy with this one though. For 69 Simoleons, he can play the greatest prank ever! Now he just has to wait for the right opportunity...
--
Back at the castle, Jakkson and Oliver eat their breakfast in silence. Neither knows what exactly to say to the other. Finally Jakkson grabs Oliver before he goes upstairs.

Jakkson: "Oliver...look, I'm sorry, man. It wasn't right for me to react that way toward you during that fight, and it doesn't make sense for us to continue to ignore each other. I mean, it wasn't your fault and it wasn't my fault. All this was happening behind each of our backs. There's no sense blaming each other for this. We didn't know."
Oliver: "...Sigh. I know, Jakk. I haven't been angry at you. I've just been keeping to myself to try and sort things out. There's no one to be angry at except Midnight."
Jakkson: "Well...there's not much we can do at this point."

Oliver: "You can dismiss this if you want. It's not that easy for me. I was thinking things were getting better, that Midnight actually had capacity for human emotions like compassion and kindness, rather than the monster I first thought her to be. It's humiliating to be used in this way, and she just destroyed everything I--..."

Oliver: "Oh, f**k...gahh, now I'm going to be a fruitcake and cry about this."
Jakkson: "No, come on, man. I'm not over it either. I'm just....I don't know. There's no use in me repeatedly getting angry about it, because I can't change what happened. I can try to make things better, but even then, I doubt I have much power in that area."
Oliver: "...You've really become a lot stronger since you've been in captivity here. I wish I could say the same for myself."
Jakkson: "Stronger? I don't know if I'd say that..."
Oliver: "You may not recognize it, but you have. You can control your emotions far better than I can."
Jakkson: "Really, Oliver. I'm probably the weakest man I know."
Oliver: "If you were truly that weak, you would've turned into a werewolf when Midnight erupted and announced her pregnancy. You have much more control over yourself than you think."

Jakkson pauses, realizing Oliver's right. Not too long ago, he would've just transformed at the first sign of anger. Deep in thought, Jakkson almost doesn't even notice when Midnight walks through the door and waddles over to the shower.

Oliver notices, however, Every time he sees her, everything in him just ignites all over again. Everything he'd felt towards her romantically, just shredded and used and torn to pieces. She's completely inconsiderate toward anything or anybody other than herself. Doesn't she realize she practically made Oliver's cold dead heart start beating again? Doesn't she know Oliver's been around for a long, long time, never finding anyone that would make him feel that way, wondering what on earth to live for? She's taken away his freedom and his dignity, and now she tears away his pride and his trust by pretending to feel something for him when really all she cares about is abusing his body for her pleasure.

Oliver waits for the sound of the shower water to turn off. He waits, and waits...then walks toward the bathroom door. He can't hold it inside of him anymore. If he doesn't tell her what she did, if he doesn't release everything he feels about her, if he doesn't tell her the truth about how she affected him, he'll never be able to get over it.

Midnight: "Oliver! What are you doing in here?"
Oliver: "I've avoided talking to you and saying this for so long. But you deserve to hear it."
Midnight: "Listen, Oliver. We have to.....we have to wait a few days before we can talk about this."
Oliver: "I'm saying it now."
Midnight: "I'm still getting over the shock of pregnancy. In fact, I'm pretty sure I'll still be in shock about my pregnancy well after the baby's born. I'm interested in getting back together with you, but...we just can't talk about it now. I have to get over--"
Oliver: "That's what you think I'm trying to talk to you about?!"
Midnight: "....That's not what you're here for?"
Oliver: "No, Midnight, it's not. You can brandish me a fool once, but never twice. You deceived me into thinking we genuinely had a great relationship going, and it was a grand deception. I never thought twice. Shame on me."
Midnight: "Oliver, it....sigh. It wasn't entirely a deception."
Oliver: "Oh, I'm sure you enjoyed my body very much."
Midnight: "Well, yeah. Have you seen yourself lately? Heh..."
Oliver: "I'm not amused."
Midnight: "Oliver, come on...not now..."
Oliver: "Yes, now. This will never happen again. You can approach me, you can try to touch me, you can try to corner me alone, but our relationship is over. You may be Midnight Overlord, ready to dominate and corrupt the world, but you will never have me again. Use that pain device on me all you want. You can have my body when I'm not conscious to give it. But while I'm still awake and alive, I will fight you every step of the way."
Midnight: "Oh, you'll fight me, hmm?"
Oliver: "Mark my words, the time will come when your only two options will be to free me or kill me. Yes, Midnight. I will fight."

Midnight gapes at him, stunned. Oliver gives her one last look, then briskly turns and leaves for the salon. Midnight has to grab the sink behind her to balance herself and keep herself from falling over. Oh, please, not now, she pleads in her mind. Don't fight me now...

One by one, she is chipped away. First her father's death. Then her pregnancy. Now one of her servants resolutely bent on wrangling himself away from her control. Her Overlord pedestal is wobbling and crumbling underneath her feet. I have to take a stand now. If I don't reassert my dominance now, if I don't surge forward and fight for my father's dream now, I will cave and all will be lost.

Taking a deep breath and putting her tough face back on, Midnight marches out to the dining area, where she finds Jakkson sitting at the table, doing a whole lot of nothing.
Midnight: "Jakk, why aren't you hunting?"
Jakkson: "I was just...thinking about stuff."
Midnight: "Go hunt."
Jakkson: "...Midnight, can I talk to you about something?"

Fear and rage spike inside of Midnight at the same time and to the same degree. She does not need Jakkson repeating what Oliver said to her. She doesn't need to hear they're in cahoots against her. Deciding not to hold back on her anger, Midnight grabs Jakkson's arm with both hands and jerks him onto the floor, startling him tremendously. Jakkson looks up to find Midnight's fists ready to come down on him.

 Jakkson: "Okay, okay! I understand! I'll....I'll just talk to you later."
 
Midnight stops herself, breathing heavily. Deep inside, there's a tiny part of her that feels terrible about what she just did, a part she tries not to pay attention to most of the time. If there's anyone in the world she could take advantage of, it's Jakkson. While she recognizes that he's gotten much stronger mentally and emotionally, she knows he's still entirely and willingly submissive to her. Had she not stopped her fists, she knows she would've left bruises on his face and he never would've attempted to fight back.

Tears suddenly spring to Midnight's eyes. She turns away, breathing in deeply to hide them. She feels the rush of wind as Jakkson transforms next to her. Glancing over, she notices Phantom as well.

Phantom: "....Oh dear."
Midnight: "Come on, Phantom. You've seen him in werewolf form many times now. You can't still be scared of him."
Phantom: "I'm not scared of werewolves, Midnight..."

Midnight tries not to look at him, but she does anyway. She can't look for long. Phantom's purple eyes are frightened and disturbed, but they're also pointed directly at her. It's not Jakkson's werewolf form that makes Phantom uneasy, nor is it the potentially-violent encounter they nearly had. Midnight realizes more and more that Phantom picks up on emotions naturally. In fact, she's come to realize even Phantom doesn't have much control over that - if someone is going through a whirlwind of serious emotions, they naturally seep into Phantom's system and he must deal with the same emotions as well. Midnight swallows, then quickly walks into the bedroom to get away from Phantom. Her emotions and turmoil is hardly enough for her to handle - and if she's having a hard time dealing with it, Phantom's fragile system will certainly shut down if she hangs around him too much.

Jakkson shakes himself, trying to focus his mind on hunting. Midnight's certainly been rough with him before. In the bedroom, their roles practically get reversed - she's the werewolf, he's the submissive human that lets her have her way with him. But she's never physically struck him in anger before. He'd only wanted to talk to her about feelings he still had for her...

Trying to distract himself, Jakkson begins sniffing. So consumed in his own mind, he doesn't pay attention to where he's sniffing. He doesn't even realize he hasn't left the house. He follows the trail of something that smells really good, something flowery with a hint of vanilla...

Jakkson: "SniffasniffaSNIFFASNIFFSNIFF--"
Phantom: "Jakk? Why are you sniffing my hair?"
Jakkson: "...Oh! Oh. I'm....ugh. Sorry. I.....sigh. Canine instincts."
Phantom: "That's okay. Do you like to play fetch?"
Jakkson: "....Please don't play fetch with me. I need to go hunting--"
Phantom: "I think I have a newspaper somewhere--"
Jakkson: "I NEED to go hunting. No fetch."
Phantom: "Do you like having your belly rubbed?"
Jakkson: "I'm not a real dog, Phantom. I'm a werewolf."
Phantom: "But do you like it?"
Jakkson: "Would you quit--"

Jakkson: "......Urgh."
Phantom: "I love scratching doggies' ears! Don't you like it?"
Jakkson: "....Yeah, I guess it...feels good...." THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP.
Phantom: "Is that your foot thumping on the floor?"
Jakkson: "You hit the right spot."
Phantom: "Ah. How about this one?"

THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP.
Phantom: "Oh yeah, there's another spot."
Jakkson: "Phantom, why do you insist on damaging my dignity and putting my humanity to shame?"
Phantom: "I always wanted a dog."
Jakkson: "I'm not a dog."
Phantom: "Some dogs like having their butts scratched."
Jakkson: "Please don't."
Phantom: "I like you as a werewolf, Jakk. We should do this more often."
Jakkson: "I reserve every right to lift my leg and pee on you."
Phantom: "But then my hair wouldn't smell that good."
Jakkson: "I didn't mean to sniff your hair."
Phantom: "Now where's the spot again....? I think this one?"
THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP.
Jakkson: "Phantom, if Midnight comes out and sees me like this, I'm going to mangle you."
Phantom: "Oh, nonsense. She'd probably laugh."
--

It's early the next morning. Midnight stares at the window, utterly disgusted at how large her belly has grown.

She feels ready to explode. On one hand, she's eager just to have that stupid little creature born already so she can have her body back. On the other hand, she's not looking forward to a baby in the house. The nonstop crying, the many needs, the pesky gossips around town who'll want to know everything about it. She plans on putting the baby in the crib and then forgetting about it. It's an untimely distraction that she doesn't need right now.

Midnight walks outside to skip a couple of stones across the moat. Finding it doesn't relieve her frustration, she walks over to the trashcan.

She pauses...then kicks it over in a rage.

Then tears spring to her eyes. Again. She hates this pregnancy thing. She never cries, and now it seems she's in tears multiple times a day.

Frustrated, Midnight decides to go upstairs. She doesn't spend much time up there - that's largely where her slaves spend their time. Their bathroom is upstairs, as is Oliver's drawing table and Jakk's gem-cutting machine. She's heard Jakkson's actually set up a gem room. She decides to go take a look.

For as much as she yelled at him yesterday, Jakkson's been doing well with his hunting. In fact, he probably brings in the most money of anyone, not including the gems he keeps here.
Jakkson: "...Midnight?"

Midnight turns around to find Jakkson standing in the doorway, a couple of new gems in his hands. Quietly he places them on one of the tables, then turns to leave.
Midnight: "...You're doing a good job hunting, Jakk. I heard you found another Pink Will-o-the-Wisp today. They're rare finds."

Jakkson stops and shyly smiles. "I think I'm starting to figure out my werewolf abilities."
Midnight: "...You were going to tell me something the other day. You can say it now, if you want."
Jakkson: "Oh....well....I was just....look, I know this whole thing's a mess. But...I'm not angry anymore. I'm not going to hold anything against you."

Jakkson: "I don't know who the father is. But, with me and Oliver and Phantom...I think we can all figure out how to take care of a baby."
Midnight: "Well...thank you, Jakk."

Midnight heads downstairs, realizing Jakk's just nicely put that he's still available for her. Good. It means he's not against her like Oliver is. That's one less distraction for her. She gets to the kitchen and tries not to shudder as Oliver shows up to grab some plasma juice out of the fridge.
Midnight: "Well, you're here and Jakk's here. Where's the fairy?"
Oliver: "Probably out concocting something with fairy dust. He might've mixed something in your drink a few days ago. Fairies can impregnate people by fairy dust, you know."
Midnight: "They CAN?!?"
The sudden striking fear sends Midnight into uncomfortable sudden pains.

Oliver: "Midnight. Excuse me. I'm trying to sit here."
Midnight: "So you're telling me I could be giving birth to a fairy?!?"
Oliver: "No. I was kidding."
Midnight: "YOU JUST SENT ME INTO LABOR FOR NOTHING?!"
Oliver: "I didn't think you would take me seriously."

Midnight's groans of anguish attract the attention of the other castle residents.

Jakkson: "Whoa, what's going on?"
Phantom: "Well, Midnight here is going into labor."
Jakkson: "Oh...OH..."
Midnight: "And it's all Oliver's stupid fault!"
Oliver: "I am taking no responsibility for this."
Midnight: "It could be your freaking baby!"
Oliver: "True."

After a few more strains and pushes, Midnight has the baby at home. It's a baby girl, which Midnight awkwardly tries to hold. Heck, she's never held a baby, nor has she had the desire to.

Midnight: "Well, okay. This is....nice, I guess."

The baby immediately begins to cry, a sound Midnight is fully not prepared to hear.
Midnight: "Oh, come on! Ugh. Alright, I'll just name you and into the crib you go. Something dark, something Daddy would've liked...ugh. Oliver. You're the one who interprets horoscopes and all that."
Oliver: "You're going to name her Maple Leaf?"
Midnight: "No. What's that old mythical flower that never faded? Means something like, 'love lies bleeding.' I read about it somewhere."
Oliver: "....That would be the amaranth."
Midnight: "There. Amaranth. That's your name, little girl. Amaranth, never fading. May power and domination never fade from this family. Now into your crib you go."

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Author's notes: Wow. This chapter involved a lot more drama than I originally intended. Just kind of came about while I was writing, I guess. Baby Amaranth was born with the Perceptive and Hates the Outdoors traits, although I had to randomly select those for her. I tried to make Midnight's pregnancy awful so I wouldn't be able to pick the traits, but every time I had her argue with someone, she just got fiendishly delighted, so it defeated the point.

One thing I noticed about Midnight's pregnancy is that she got SO BIG. I've played a lot of pregnant Sims before and I've never seen one get as big as her. In fact, it got to the point where if I zoomed out (I have to play on fairly low settings to prevent lag on my computer, so the graphics change slightly when I zoom out), parts of her belly poked through her shirt as she moved. I was terrified that she might be carrying multiples (forget Midnight, I would've panicked - I didn't have a plan for multiples), but fortunately only Amaranth popped out.

Only other thing of note, because I'm currently playing without mods (I might install them later, after I know they won't slow down my game significantly like last time), I have to experiment with different interactions to get the expressions I want on my Sims. For Jakkson's and Oliver's chatting scene, I tried to get some worried expressions, so I noticed Jakkson (who has the Brooding trait) had a "Talk About Feelings" interaction. I thought, "This should have some concerned expressions." Nope. Just a casual conversation, then suddenly, "Oliver thinks Jakkson is flirty" and they start that whole process. I had a reaction that went something like this video.

Anyway. Baby is born, and in the next chapter we get to see a snippet of Phantom's past. Fun, fun, fun! Leave a comment if you like!