Overlord Legacy - Chapter Forty-One - Fall In Line, Pup

The day after the wedding is quite cloudy, but Gator doesn't mind. He's been given the next couple of days off from work to spend time with his lovely new bride (thanks, mom!), so even if the darker skies seem a bit foreboding, he can always stay indoors with Amaranth. He's never seen quite so many clouds before - and so dark! He wonders if that means anything in particular.

Meanwhile, Gator wanders out to the mailbox, finding more packages sitting next to it. They've gotten quite a few wedding gifts from various people. Gator makes a mental note to write thank you notes this afternoon. Pulling out the rest of the mail, he spots the bills (good thing too - Severin took them last time and by the time  Gator found them in his room, it was almost too late)...and then one other thing.

It's a letter to Amaranth from Peanut Ivy. In a red envelope. With a heart stamp on the upper right-hand corner. Gator stares at the piece of mail for a moment or two. Amaranth has told her about Peanut's random inappropriate comments towards her on occasion. But what's in this letter?

Glancing at the castle windows, Gator wonders if Am will mind if he opens the letter and has a look for himself. Why is this bozo writing her a personal letter in a flowery envelope? In fact, if he recalls correctly, Peanut was one of the people that sent them a wedding gift, so he definitely knows she's married.

As much as the temptation seizes him, Gator decides to take the letter inside and let Amaranth read it herself. She'll probably tell him what's in it, and if he needs to go growl at Peanut. Once inside, Gator sees Severin and Tobie - his new adopted sons - eating breakfast with their mother. Gator had gotten up a little earlier, so he'd already eaten. Everyone enjoys Amaranth's waffles...except Severin, who has something entirely different on his plate.

Gator: "Severin. Why are you eating cake for breakfast?"
Severin: "If I were to get struck and killed by a car today, I would've wanted to have eaten dessert as my first meal of the day."
Gator: "I presume this is going to be your excuse everyday now."
Severin: "It's not far-fetched. I have been hit by a car before."
Gator: "They'd have to hit you pretty hard to kill you. The healing system inside a werewolf's body starts immediately upon injury, which often prevents a death that would have happened to a human."
Severin: "Life is short no matter how you look at it. I'm eating dessert first."
Amaranth: "You're a teenager now, Severin. You have more freedom to choose now. I don't like some of your decisions, but they're your decisions and you'll have to live with whatever you end up doing. Meanwhile, I need a shower something fierce."
Gator: "By the way, hon, there's this...letter here from Peanut Ivy. For you."
Amaranth: "Ugh...are you serious?"

Still curious about what's in it, Gator saunters over to Amaranth and reads over her shoulder as she takes the letter out.

"Amaranth,

I see you're married now. Congratulations! Waylon is a lucky guy to have you. You've always been the most beautiful girl in Moonlight Falls. I wish I had told you earlier when I had the chance. I hope you enjoy the wedding gift I sent, and I know this may sound awkward, but...if things ever don't work out or you need someone else, I'll be here waiting for you.

Love, Peanut."

Amaranth stares at the letter in disbelief. Peanut's barely ever talked to her, and when he has, it's always been crude comments about her physical appearance. And now he's sending her love letters, knowing she's married? What a dolt.
Gator: "Waylon is a lucky guy to have you??"
Amaranth: "I guess you're all just Wolffs to him."

The boys have to head off for school, which quickly leaves Gator and Amaranth alone. As soon as the school bus pulls away from the curb, Amaranth fiercely grabs her husband and plants a deep one on him. Gator smiles as they kiss, loving every minute of it.

Amaranth still feels just like a giddy teenager doing something naughty without her parents knowing, even though she knows today is her final birthday. She's going to turn old tonight. She tries not to think about it. She wants to be as young and beautiful as possible for Gator. Every part of her is so happy they're married, but she still wishes they could've been married sooner.

Gator: "So...what do you want to do for your birthday? Might as well make it special."
Amaranth: "Like Peanut tried to, eh?"
Gator: "Well, like he said, you can always go running to him if you need someone else. I'm sure his arms are nice and warm."
Amaranth: "I think I threw up a little."
Gator: "Hmm. I suppose you'll have to spend the day with me then."
Amaranth: "Well, darn."

Amaranth and Gator exchange smirks, then another quick kiss. Then Amaranth looks outside at the ominous-looking clouds.

Amaranth: "Well...I was almost thinking we could try roller skating again. I think I was starting to get the hang of it yesterday. But...I don't know what's going on with those clouds."

Gator: "Well, they've been here all morning and nothing's happened yet. Perhaps it's just another effect of the East Wind prophecy. Waylon's been researching the changes at the lab, but he admits that the Prophecy of the East Wind is the most likely explanation for all this, and we'll just have to wait and see what exactly it all brings."
Amaranth: "I hope it's not too destructive."
Gator: "We're okay so far. Do you want to try skating? We can always come back if things start to change even more."
Amaranth: "Let's do that. There's no sense living in fear of this thing called 'weather.' We don't know much about it, so we might as well live it up."

Amaranth and Gator arrive at the festival and immediately head for the skating rink. It's empty at the moment, so they enjoy gliding around the rink, holding hands and trying to keep themselves steady on their feet. Fortunately it comes easier this time around. Eventually they're able to go a little faster.

Amaranth: "Ooh...almost slipped there."
Gator: "I've got you."
Amaranth: "Haha! I feel like a little kid on these things. I don't even know why."

More steady on her feet, Amaranth slowly skates towards the center of the rink. Then, deciding to experiment, she lifts one foot off the rink. She's still balancing. Then, pushing off with one foot slightly, she does one little twirl on the rink. It's exhilarating. She can't believe she did it!

Amaranth: "Gator! Did you see me?"
Gator: "Hmm?"
Amaranth: "I just did a spin! Watch me!"
Gator: "I'm watching, babe."

Amaranth: "Wheeee!"
Gator: "Hah! Now be careful, Am. Don't tumble."
Amaranth: "It's so much fun! You should try it."
Gator: "I think you're a little more confident on these wheeled shoes than I am. Not to mention about eighty times more graceful. I'm still getting the hang of it."
Amaranth: "Well, when you do, you should come spin with me."

As Gator continues to get steadier on his feet while skating, another person enters the skating rink. Amaranth is too busy enjoying her spinning to notice at first, but she definitely notices when the person shakily skates right over to her and places a hand on her shoulder to balance himself.

Amaranth: "...Peanut?"
Peanut: "H-Hey, Am! Fancy seeing you here! What'cha doing?"
Amaranth: "Roller skating. With my husband."
Peanut: "Oh? Waylon's here?"
Amaranth: "Gator. My husband's name is Gator, and yes, he's here."
Peanut: "Gator? Heh heh. Is that Waylon's nickname?"
Amaranth: "No, it's not. His name is Gator. That's just his name."
Peanut: "Well, eh...you look like you're really good on those skates. I saw you spinning earlier. I-I'm pretty good too, and I heard you saying you wanted to spin with someone."
Amaranth: "With my husband, yes."
Peanut: "Well, I can spin with you! See, watch!"

Much to Amaranth's shock, Peanut (still uncertain on his skates, no matter what he tries to say) grabs her hands and stands pushing his feet to start spinning. Amaranth knows this isn't going to go well. Shooting a quick "Help me!" glance to her husband, Amaranth knows she can't just pull away from Peanut, because then she'll probably fall backward. Gator, immediately concerned, tries to turn his skates towards the center of the rink, but finds he isn't quite coordinated just yet. He skates right into the side, hanging onto the railing to hold himself up and trying to position himself to go to the center.

Peanut ends up stepping on Amaranth's skate, then panicking as his own skates begin to slip from under him. Amaranth shouts, "Let go! Let go! Let go!" but to no avail. Peanut grips even tighter to try and keep his balance, but he still comes crashing down to the ground, bringing Amaranth with him.

Amaranth: "...Ow..."
Peanut: "Oh man. That hurt. Are you okay, Am?"
Amaranth: "I'm quite fine. Now if you'll excuse me..."
Peanut: "Alright, let's try this again."
Amaranth: "Um..."

Fortunately by that time Gator manages to make his way to the center and ever-so-carefully help Amaranth to her feet. Peanut is already reaching out for her hand to try their spin again, only to look up and discover Gator is now between him and Amaranth. Peanut gives a small, intimidated laugh. He's heard rumors that the Wolffs are literally that - wolfs. But this guy doesn't look so much like a wolf...he looks just like a human. Perhaps it's not that bad--

Then Gator lets out a deep, long, angry growl in Peanut's face. Startled, Peanut slips again, smacking his face right on the rink. Glancing back up and noticing Gator still glaring at him, Peanut looks at Amaranth, apparently hoping for a bit of sympathy. He gets none.

Amaranth and Gator skate for a little while longer, then decide to head home. It's actually starting to feel much cooler outside, and Amaranth's short, fluttery dress isn't doing much to keep her warm. She and Gator spend the rest of the afternoon cuddling on the couch, occasionally reading out of a book, and indulging in sweet kisses.

Before long, the boys get back home. Tobie gets to work right away on his homework. Severin retreats into the master bedroom, presumably to go to the bathroom. Then Gator hears the toilet explode. Amaranth gives her husband a look that says, "I've had my fair share of these moments. It's your turn to go deal with him." Sighing, Gator walks into the bedroom to see a soaked Severin come out of the bathroom.

Gator: "I don't even want to know what you just did or what I'm going to have to fix in a little bit. Why don't you go do something productive, like your homework?"
Severin: "Don't want to."
Gator: "Severin. Go do your homework. That's not a suggestion."

Severin: "I don't believe you understand, dad. I'm getting ready to take over the reins to the Overlord legacy, and I need to be fully prepared for that. A significant method of intimidation and control is making people's toilets explode. People will practically beg me to make them my minions just to get the john to stop igniting their rears every time they have to take a dump. Thus, what I'm doing is very much more important than something silly and nonsensical like homework."
Gator: "You will take over your family's legacy, one day, when you're a young adult. You are not a young adult yet, and thus you have obligations right now. One of those obligations is homework. Do it."
Severin: "You need to get your priorities straight."
Gator: "Severin, don't make me put you back in line. You're not the alpha wolf of the family now."
Severin: "I should remind you who the heir is, and thus who possibly has more power and influence right now."
Gator: "Who possibly has more power and influence? Would you care for me to show you?"
Severin: "Dad. Come on. Really?"

Gator does love and appreciate his son, but he's not about to stand around and take his back talk. That's not how Gator's parents raised him. Any time Gator growled and snipped at his parents (and he did with quite a bit of frequency), he was put back in his place. It didn't matter whether it was his mother or father disciplining him - they were always ready to fight him and pin him to the ground to remind him who the alpha wolf was.

Gator knows, as prideful as Severin might be, Severin is not the one in charge of the house. Gator is now, and his position will be respected. Letting out a howl, Gator transforms to his werewolf form. Frustrated and a bit humiliated that his dad's really going to do this right now, Severin transforms as well, trying not to wince. The transformations are getting much easier, but they still bring a level of pain.

Gator: "I'm going to give you one last time to make this easy on yourself. Out of respect for my authority and consideration for your own future in knowledge, listen to me, and go do your homework. I won't ask you again."

Severin: "Good. I don't want to be asked again. I have more important things to do."

Letting out a loud, forceful, authoritative growl, Gator crouches into position. Severin blinks, not wanting to admit that the sudden growl scared him. Severin's never actually fought another wolf before. He's fought other kids at school, but they've all been normal human kids (and one vampire...oh, how he relishes the fight he had with that one vampire). He hasn't actually spent any time around other werewolves. Severin stares nonchalantly into his father's eyes, trying to throw his father off. Severin's embarrassed to know he actually feels intimidated.

Gator: "Fall in line, pup. The alpha demands the respect of the rest of the pack, and you will be wise to give me that respect."

Instead of replying, Severin decides to make the first move and leap on Gator. Perhaps the surprise attack will throw things in his favor. If he can win this fight, that will mean a lot. If he can win this fight, his dad will think twice about trying to push him around. If he can win this fight, he will be the alpha wolf! Imagine - taking over the Overlord legacy and claiming the title of alpha wolf, all before he reaches young adulthood!

 Gator admits in his mind that he hadn't expected the surprise attack from Severin. As much as Severin had tried to hide it, Gator could sense his intimidation and hesitation at Gator's growls. Gator's rather surprised Severin chose to launch the offensive after feeling such insecurity. He's got lofty ambitions, Gator will give him that. In honesty, Gator rather likes Severin's dominant nature. He'll definitely be able to hold his own when it's his time to face the world. His skills as a werewolf, however, aren't trained and perfected. They're wild and quite easy to be overthrown by an experienced werewolf. Gator will have to teach him how to truly behave like a werewolf - how to fight, how to hunt, how to embrace his nature and strengthen it.

Meanwhile, Gator's got a fight to win. With Severin's untrained, sporadic, unpolished attacks, Gator would literally have to sit back and not fight at all to lose this fight. Still, Gator decides to let Severin think he's clawing towards victory. The humiliation of defeat will sting all the worse, further reinforcing Gator's position as alpha and shaming Severin to the point of being willing to listen to better himself.

Severin viciously claws and swipes at his father. He's got him now. Just a little more energy, just a little more force, and Severin will be crowned alpha wolf. His father will be sorry he ever doubted his ability. Severin really is to be taken seriously, and when he says something is more important than homework, then it's more important than homework!

As the werewolves continue to fight, Amaranth steps in, hearing the commotion.

Amaranth: "What's going on in--...sigh. You two. Well, Am, you did fall in love with a werewolf and have a werewolf child with him. I suppose this is going to happen at times."

Gator notices Amaranth's entrance into the room and decides now is the absolute perfect time. It's humiliating enough to be beaten by your father whom you started the fight with. It's much, much more so to be beaten in the presence of your mother as well. Gator knows the exact location to nail Severin in order to tap into his pure wolf instincts. It happens sometimes in werewolf form - if completely overwhelmed and nailed in a fight, the human side disappears for a moment and only the wolf form remains until enough seconds have passed by for the werewolf to regain his logic and knowledge of who he is. This forcing into total wolf instincts can result in a more embarrassing situation.

As Severin takes one more swing, Gator suddenly grabs his forearm and, at a blinding rate of speed, twists his arm behind his back, pinning it there. Before Severin can even realize he's stuck with his back to his father, Gator delivers the fight-ending blow - or rather, bite. Nothing's more effective than a bite, as Gator had learned from his parents over and over again growing up. Gator finds the sensitive spot on one of Severin's shoulders and quickly yet forcefully chomps his teeth onto it.

It works. Severin releases a high-pitched yelp, the kind given by a wounded dog, indicating Gator has gotten Severin in his instinctual wolf form. Releasing the pup, Gator lets Severin hit the ground. Swiftly examining him from above, Gator inwardly feels pleased with the encounter. His bite didn't even tear through Severin's clothes, which shows that he bit hard enough to hurt, but not hard enough to cause Severin to bleed. Looks like he's perfected the bite.

Amaranth: "Are you two quite done--"

Amaranth quickly stops speaking after Gator shoots her a look, one that explicitly means, "I appreciate your concern, Amaranth, but this is not your matter. This is between werewolf father and werewolf son, and it'd be best if you stayed out of it." So instead, Amaranth simply hangs back, waiting to see what happens. She's never seen Severin put in his place before. As he's gotten bigger and stronger, she knows she hasn't been able to influence him very much anymore. She's rather glad for Gator at this moment - he can take on the disciplinary things from here on out.

Gator: "Well? You ready to go again? I can do this all night."

Severin stays kneeling for a moment, looking to the ground to try and hide the redness in his face. He'd thought things were going so well, and then in no time at all, his father simply and easily overtook him. The bite on his shoulder still throbs. Gator's touched it a couple of times, surprised that it isn't bleeding - it certainly hurts enough. Not only that, but for three or four terrifying seconds, he'd felt as if he'd lost his humanity, that all that was left of him was animal instinct. Instead of yelling like a man at the pain, he had yelped like an injured puppy. Then he'd fallen down and cowered into a ball, nearly losing control of his own bladder. He's gotten his human side back now, but he's still completely embarrassed. Why did he ever try to take Gator on, knowing he'd never fought a werewolf before? Why did he ever assume he could take on an experienced adult werewolf?

Gator: "I hope you learn from this fight. The pain and humiliation that's overwhelming you right now will hopefully help remind you not to disrespect your elders again. Now I'd like for you to get back up and go do your homework. Your mother and I would be happy to help you if you need it. Understood?"

Severin slowly starts to stand up, trying not to face his father. He doesn't want to face him just yet. But Gator thumps his son on the arm and repeats more firmly, "Understood?" Severin, unable to think of any way to save the tiny little shreds of dignity he has left, glances up at his father and quickly nods, trying not to tremble too badly. Fortunately, by the time Severin looks at him, Gator's already returned to his human form. As Severin's eyes dart away and then look back, Gator gently smiles at him, ruffling Severin's hair and softly squeezing his uninjured shoulder. Almost immediately Severin feels more relaxed. His father's fearsome, alright, but at least he's not still angry at him or prepared to lord Severin's defeat over him. Somehow Severin feels this will be the last time Gator will ever bring this up, which he already appreciates.

Deciding to obey this time, Severin gets out his homework and goes to sit down on the dining room floor. Feeling as if the situation's been diffused enough, Amaranth sits down with him.

Amaranth: "You know, you don't actually have that much to do."
Severin: "I know..."
Amaranth: "...Are those doodles on your homework?"
Severin: "No, that's a different sheet of paper. I wouldn't give my domination plans to my professor."
Amaranth: "Oh. Have you been working on those?"
Severin: "...Mom, I've been working on these since I first learned to talk. I've got it all planned out."
Amaranth: "You do?"
Severin: "Yeah. I'm just going to build off of what you've already created. That's an easy step. See, you've won the affections of the little people around town, to where they all listen to you and everything. They like you a lot, but they're not falling all over, ready to kiss your feet and cry in your presence."
Amaranth: "Well, no..."
Severin: "But think about it! My great-grandpa established the power and authority over the town while my grandmother gave the practical power behind it. Now you're earning the affections of the people...but I can make them go crazy about me, adore me, all that good stuff. Then think about how much influence we'll have!"

Amaranth: "So you're looking at become a celebrity of sorts."
Severin: "A celebrity above all celebrities, mom. If I say to do something, people will do it. If I endorse something, people will follow it. If the Overlords hold the affection of the people, we can do practically anything and it will be more than possible."
Amaranth: "...That sounds like a pretty good plan, actually. It logically follows after mine."
Severin: "I do have logic. Most people just don't follow my logic a lot of the time."
Amaranth: "But becoming a celebrity isn't easy, Sev."
Severin: "Not initially, but I don't have any doubts about my ability to get there. If I can get a job at the theater, and from there build up my reputation and my talent and eventually become a rock sensation...well, it flows naturally from there. Once you're a rock star, it's not hard to befriend other celebrities and build your own name."
Amaranth: "Hmm. Sounds like you've got a lot of this figured out. I hardly even have to talk to you about it! Sounds like you're ready."
Severin: "I'm very ready."
Amaranth: "And who knows? Maybe you'll even marry a celebrity. That would be something."

Severin: "...Marry?!"
Amaranth: "Yeah. You want to get married someday, right?"
Severin: "Of course not! All my brainpower must go into my plans in order to achieve complete domination in my lifetime. A wife would be...distracting."
Amaranth: "Well. I don't suppose you'll recognize it now, but someday in the future you'll be a lonely wolf."
Severin: "Mom. I'm going to be a celebrity. If anything, I'll be begging for alone time."
Amaranth: "Well, how do you suppose you're going to produce children? As ambitious as you are, there are so many little details that I doubt you'll even be able to scratch in your lifetime, that you'll need future descendants to carry on. I know from personal experience that it's extremely hard - and distracting, to use your word - to have children as a single parent."
Severin: "Once I'm nearly suffocating in money, I can just pay to have a clone of me created. That way its genetics are perfect and I only need one."
Amaranth: "And I don't suppose you'll be living a life of celibacy as a rock star."
Severin: "Oh no, there will be sex. Lots and lots and lots and--"
Amaranth: "Severin! Please! Just....ugh. Alright, well...I hope that all works out for you. Just keep in mind that life doesn't always go according to plan. You need to be careful."
Severin: "Yeah, yeah."

--

Later that evening, Amaranth gets an invite from Oliver. He's having a swim party at his house (something about the salon having him throw a certain amount of parties to cause fashion awareness and further promote the salon), and she decides she'll stop by. Gator asks if she wants him to go with her, but he'd just started his workout to prepare for the game a couple days away, so Amaranth tells him she'll be fine going by herself.

There are plenty of people at the pool, with Oliver floating in and out and giving advice to various people who ask him about their swimsuits. Eventually he heads back inside, and Amaranth decides to follow him in. She knows her uncle Oliver loves his job, but she also knows it can be extremely exhausting for him, having to hide his vampiric nature all day. She'd arrived early at his party this evening and noticed him hiding all his plasma juice in rather inconvenient places. She hopes he doesn't need them quickly later.

Amaranth: "Taking a break, Uncle Oliver?"
Oliver: "I'm taking a break socializing, not from work. Seems I have to take a lot of it home with me, answering emails and giving feedback about appointments, sending people what colors look best on them. I enjoy my profession, but being successful at it can be a bit of a pain at times. Some people won't even accept being styled by the other stylists at the salon if they can't have me do it."
Amaranth: "Hopefully you don't wear yourself out. You're still young, you know."

At that very moment, Amaranth feels completely awkward. Here she is, talking to her uncle Oliver, who hasn't changed one bit since she was a baby. She knew him way back then...he was her much older uncle Oliver. Now, there is only about one hour left before she reaches elderhood. Oliver, the same Oliver she knew as a baby, will now be her much younger uncle Oliver. Amaranth doesn't know whether to feel jealousy or sadness toward his state.

Oliver, busy typing away at his emails, doesn't seem to notice her awkwardness. Amaranth supposes it's for the best. She's not sure how to feel about it.

Back at home, the boys eat their dinner together.

Tobie: "So Sev, what was that noise I heard this afternoon when you went into the bedroom?"
Severin: "The one that sounded like an explosion and a humongous rush of water smashing against the ceiling? That was when I filled the toilet with Pepsi and then dumped a Tupperware container full of Mentos into it. It exploded with such force that the toilet seat cracked. It was pretty epic."
Gator: "It also completely stained the bathroom - walls, ceiling, floors, everything."
Severin: "Brown stains too. It looks like a Sumo wrestler took a whole bottle of extra-strength laxatives, bent over in the bathroom, and let 'er rip."
Tobie: "Sev. We're eating."
Severin: "My digestive system doesn't have any problems with me telling this story."
Gator: "Regardless, you're spending the rest of the evening cleaning up the bathroom, or at least a couple hour's worth."
Severin: "I can just rig the toilet to blow up clean water this time, can't I?"
Gator: "I doubt that will work. Besides, I don't want to buy another toilet because you utterly destroyed the septic system."
Tobie: "Anyway, Sev, I wasn't talking about the exploding toilet. I thought I heard you fighting with something earlier."
Severin: "That, erm...I..."
Gator: "Sev and I were having a little wrestling match."
Severin: "Yeah. That."
Tobie: "Oh! Who won?"
Gator: "Well, you can't determine that on one match. It takes many to learn a werewolf's real strength."

Severin silently chews on his salad, eternally grateful for his father right now. He still feels the sting of humiliation from earlier, but at least his dad's not bringing it back up to rub it in his face. Besides, what if what he's saying is true? Severin may have some real strength yet that he hasn't tapped into. Perhaps...perhaps his dad can teach him how to fight better. One day, he might actually be able to win.

--

Having fun chatting with people she recognizes at the pool party, Amaranth almost entirely forgets about her birthday. That is, until the sparkles start swirling.

Some of the guests, dressed and dried off, celebrate her birthday with her. Amaranth simply stares at the wall in shock. This is it. This is her final birthday. As the sparkles tickle her body, her mother's fearful words about old age flash in her head. Her mother loathed elderhood. So much strength gone from the body, so little left to look forward to. At the end of the day, you're another day older, and you're one day nearer to dying.

Closing her eyes and holding her breath, Amaranth waits until the transformation is over. Then carefully, she opens her eyes and peeks at herself.

Her body, as far as she can see it, has definitely turned more frail. But she can't quite accurately see how she looks. And she knows she can't look for herself just yet - Oliver obviously doesn't have any mirrors around the house, as he can't see his own reflection in them.

The party dwindles down as it gets later. The guests begin to leave. Soon, it's only Amaranth and Oliver left. Oliver finishes up with his work on the computer, then takes it over to his living room to plug it into the wall and charge it. Oliver comes back to the kitchen, turning to look at Amaranth fully. Amaranth doesn't know what to think. As hard as she tries to hold it back, a painful lump forms in her throat and tears begin to brim in her eyes. Oliver continues to look at her. She assumes he's probably trying to read her mind. Amaranth tries to close it, tries to block out her mind, make her think of nothing, but it's nearly impossible.

Oliver: "I didn't realize it was your birthday today. I would've done something a little more special, maybe gotten a cake or something."
Amaranth: "Oh, Uncle Oliver, you wouldn't have had to do that. What would you do with the leftovers? You can't eat them."
Oliver: "I could eat them, they just wouldn't satisfy my thirst. But I apologize for not being more observant."
Amaranth: "Please don't apologize, Uncle Oliver. Really, I didn't want anything special. I just...I feel so weird. It's clear to the world that I'm way older than you now, and...you were there at my birth. I've gone from infancy to elderhood, and you...you haven't aged a bit."
Oliver: "It's life for a vampire. The world ages around you, but you're not going anywhere. The world changes, but you are constant."
Amaranth: "...Uncle Oliver? I've never asked, but...I've always wanted to know. Were you born a vampire? Or was this a decision you chose to make later in life?"
Oliver: "Neither."
Amaranth: "...What? I thought...I mean, you seem..."
Oliver: "My best friend and I had just graduated high school. We went out for some drinks, stayed out late, had a good time. We took a shortcut through an alley to get back to our car. We didn't think two decently-strong men would be targeted for a mugging. And we weren't. We were targeted by a vampire instead."
Amaranth: "He bit you and your friend? He wanted to turn you?"
Oliver: "...No, honey. Blood was all he was after. He was clearly a newly-turned vampire, now that I look back on it. It was hard for him to attack his prey and not deliver the poison of vampirism as well."
Amaranth: "So all he wanted was your blood. And you ended up turned as a result of it...Were you hospitalized? What was the transformation process like?"
Oliver: "I didn't feel it. My friend did. He survived, and was transformed into a vampire while alive. I was killed. I woke up days later under six feet of dirt, knowing right away that I was different. I panicked, of course - couldn't breathe under all that dirt - but I got myself out. And I've been a vampire ever since."
Amaranth: "You died?...And then woke up later...? Do you...do you remember the night when..."
Oliver: "The memory of my own murder is as fresh in my mind today as it was the night it happened. I apologize if you wanted to know the details...I don't feel up to telling them right now."

Amaranth looks down. She never knew this about her uncle Oliver. He'd always appeared to be fine with his vampiric nature. He hid it for the purpose of his job, but he never seemed bitter about it. And yet this was a life he never chose for himself. Perhaps he would've wanted to grow old. Perhaps he would've wanted to be a normal human being. Now he's a vampire, and he had no choice.

Amaranth realizes she should be heading home. It's getting late. She just has one final question to ask her uncle.

Amaranth: "Uncle Oliver...am I...am I still beautiful? Please be honest, Uncle Oliver, please..."
Oliver: "You were beautiful in every other stage of your life. Why would you be any less beautiful now?"

Amaranth lets some of her tears fall. Her uncle never lies. If he says it, it must be so. If he still thinks she's beautiful, then surely her husband will think so when she gets back home too.
Amaranth: "Uncle Oliver...promise me...please promise me you'll be there for Severin. Please be there for him as he grows up and...and however many of my descendants you get to see."
Oliver: "I promise, Am. Believe me, I'm going to be around for...quite a long time."

Amaranth gets home a bit later than she'd wanted, and is a little bit nervous to see Gator, who's still up. Walking into the house, she can hardly look him in the eye. What will he think of her? She looked at her reflection in the car mirror. She's so...old. She doesn't look the same as she did this afternoon.

Amaranth: "...Hey, honey. I-it's me, Amaranth."
Gator: "I know who you are, Am. You don't look that different."
Amaranth: "What do you mean I don't look that different? I'm...I'm old."
Gator: "You've reached the honorable stage of elderhood, Am. And you're still every bit as beautiful as you've always been."

Gator's warm hand brushes against Amaranth's cheek. Her heart fills up, slowly but wonderfully, with the love that she feels once more. Why did she ever think things would change between her and Gator because of age?

And just like that, she's ready to face the sunset of her days with confidence, knowing she's well-loved, well-accomplished, and very, very lucky for the people in her life.

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Author's notes: Oh wow. I was not intending for this chapter to be this long. Just kind of grew that way, I guess. :)

When it's not Waylon Wolff constantly calling Amaranth and asking her on dates, Peanut Ivy WILL NOT LEAVE AM ALONE. I don't understand it. I also don't understand the thing with the skating rink where random people, without your approval and without warning you beforehand, grab onto your Sim's hands and start spinning with them. It was only fitting that Peanut made him and Amaranth fall down. Dork.

The sky clouded up all day. But no rain. That comes next chapter. Woohoo!

The fight scene with Gator and Severin was really fun to write. Severin's not the only werewolf in the house anymore, and now he has to learn respect for the alpha wolf. Gator teaches Severin the true ways of the werewolf soon enough. But yeah, a bit of how werewolves interact with each other in the home. It may sound awfully harsh and vicious among humans, but it's quite normal among the werewolves.

Finally, I wasn't actually intending to dive too deeply into Oliver's past, but I decided to give a glimpse into it. I'll probably flesh it out in more detail later on. He'll be around for a while, after all.

Hope to hear from you soon! :D