The Pie Legacy

It wasn’t long after Lavender and I returned from our honeymoon that Sapphire and her team finished our new home.  She hadn’t let me see it since before the wedding, insisting that it be a surprise when it was finished.

Today was finally the day!  I must admit, I was a little nervous to see the finished product – this was, after all, going to be the home where I raised my family and (hopefully) where generations of Pie’s continued to thrive!

Sapph stood silently behind me as I gaped at the gorgeous mansion I would soon call home.  It. was. amazing.  Breathtaking… and for a moment, I was speechless.

“So… is it… okay?  I mean, do you like it,”  Sapphire finally asked, breaking the silence and reminding me to stop gaping and staring. 

I turned toward her with a huge smile.

“I’m in awe – it’s wonderful!”  I assured her, “And you said you already told Mom?”

She nodded, “I swear, I would have kept it a secret, but she knew I was up to something!”

“Nah, don’t worry about it… it’s probably better that she knew in advance, anyway.  Besides, it’s still going to be a surprise for Lavender!  So… when can we all move in?”

“Oh… um… you guys can move in soon… well, whenever you’re ready, I guess… but uh… well,  Marina and I won’t be joining you.  Ya see… things have been going really well with me and Cecil… and you know how much Marina wants to live closer to town… and well, long story short – we’re getting an apartment… with Cecil.”

I paused for a second to take in what Sapphire was saying… an apartment with Cecil?  So soon?  I knew they’d really hit it off after the wedding, but I didn’t know things were getting so serious. 

“Moving in with Cecil…. don’t you think that’s a bit soon?  I mean – I don’t want to sound like the over protective big brother, here… but don’t you think it might be better to wait a little longer?”

Even as I was speaking, I could tell Sapph had already made up her mind.  She sighed.

“I thought you might be a little upset… but I promise, I’ve made up my mind and this is what I really want to do.  Besides, it’s not like we’re moving to Briocheport or anything.  We’ll still be close.”

I pulled Sapphire into a tight hug.

“If that’s what you want to do, then who am I to stop you?”

“Thanks Indi… I was hoping you’d understand.”

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When Sapphire and I returned home, Mom was waiting in the foyer looking as giddy as a school girl.

“Did you see it?  Did you see that amazing house?!?”  She clasped her hands together with glee.

“I loved it, Mom – and I’m SO glad you’re excited… I was worried you’d be upset or something.”

“Ah,  so he finally saw it, then?”  Dad piped up as he strolled into the living room carrying Robyn.  Judging by Robyn’s tearful expression, Dad had been trying to get her to go potty like a big girl.  Who knew potty training could be so difficult?

“Yep – Sapph just took me over to see it… my only question is When can we move in!?!”

“Well, believe it or not, your mother and I just had that discussion last night, actually.” 

“We were thinking we could move just before Robyn’s birthday so we could have the party at the new house!”  Mom announced.

“Robyn’s birthday?”  I repeated, trying to do the math in my head, “Isn’t that a bit soon… I mean, we havn’t even started packing… so that would only give us a month to get everything in order!”

“It’s totally possible,” Dad replied, “We’re just going to have to start packing tomorrow!”

“Sounds good, you can count me in!”  I laughed, “But just keep it quiet until tomorrow, k?  It’s still a surprise to Lavender and I want to tell her myself.”

“Sure thing, kiddo – yor secret’s safe with us!”

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“How was you’re day, hon?”  I asked Lavender asked as she flopped onto the bed and heaved a sigh.  She had taken a job as a Teacher’s Assistant at the local elementary school and I knew the kids were really wearing her out. 

“It was okay – nothing too exciting.  How was yours?”

“Pretty good… actually, that’s sort of what I need to talk to you about.”  I fluffed my pillow and propped myself up next to her on the bed.

“So you know how Sapphire has been working on that big project for an important client?” I paused, not sure exactly how to tell Lavender what had been going on behind her back for almost a year now.

“Mmhmmm….” she chimed in, encouraging me to go on.

“Well… that “big client” was me… and she’s built us this amazing house!  You know, for Mom and Dad to have room to stay on and help with our kids… you know… when we have them… and for us to raise our family!”  I blurted it all out, hoping she’d be as excited as I was.

“

I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw her smile.

“Is that what’s been going on?”  she laughed, “That’s amazing news!  I can’t believe you kept it a secert for this long!”

“Well,”  I replied, pulling her close to me, “I wanted it to be a wedding present, but there was just no way it would have been finished on time.”

“This is even better,” she replied, “… so… does this mean we can start, you know… trying?”  she eyed me with that irresistable expression that I knew only meant one thing.

“That’s exactly what I had in mind…”  I replied.

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I gazed out my bedroom window for the finaly time, watching the sun come up steadily behind the hill that had been my view for nearly twenty years, now.  The house was totally empty and all that was left were a few essential boxes the movers hadn’t packed up yet.  I couldn’t believe I was actually saying goodbye to this house!

Things had been so busy the past month, I had barely had time to register how emotional this was for me.  I had watched two of my daughters, Sapphire and Marina, move out on their own and now I was getting ready to leave the house where I had seen all my children grow up! 

I heard quiet footsteps behind me… I knew it was Rush before he even spoke.

“Hey sweet heart… it’s time.  The movers are ready to grab these last few boxes and then we’re on our way…. you doing okay?”

I turned and gave him by best attempt at a smile.

“Of course… I’m just… saying good bye to this old house!”

But I couldn’t fool Rush – not after this many years together.  He put a hand on my shoulder and looked at my sympathetically.

“We don’t have to leave, you know…”  he said quietly, “This has been home for so long, it’s hard to think that we can ever be happy anywhere else.”

I sniffed back a tear and pulled away, trying to collect myself.

“No… no… it wouldn’t be the same if we stayed.  I want to be where our family is… I want to see my future grandchildren grow up.  Moving is the right thing to do… and I’m ready to get settled into our new place!”

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The Pie Legacy House:

Maison de Pie – courtesy of Peaches327 and available for download here

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True to her word, Mom planned Robyn’s birthday part for the week after the big move.  The entire house was going crazy trying to get everything ready so Lavender was on “Robyn Duty”.  I watched her play xylophone with my little sister and couldn’t help imagining what it was going to be like when we finally had children of our own. 

We had been actively trying to have our first baby, but so far there was no good news.  It had only been a month, though…so I wasn’t that worried.

We had Robyn’s celebration outside in the new backyard and even though we had plenty of room, we decided to keep the party small – just family and a few close friends.

Despite her utter hatred of bright sunlight, Mom insisted on bringing Robyn to the birthday cake.  I think she was feeling sentimental about her little girl growing up!

During the party I really did try to keep the focus on my adorable little sister, but I couldn’t help but notice Sapphire and Cecil have a private discussion near the pool house.

It looked like they were discussing something serious and I decided to jump on the first opportunity I had to talk to Cecil and see if I could weasle something out of him.  As soon as Sapphire went to grab a slice of cake, I plunged in.  Yes, I know… I was being super nosy, but I couldn’t help it!

“Hey Cec!  What’s up?  Anything new going on with you and Sapph?”

Okay, so it wasn’t the most subtle conversation starter, but I didn’t have a whole lot of time to investigate before Sapphire returned and I lost my chance.

“Dude… I swear, I can hardle contain myself but you sister is being super secretive… gah!  I don’t understand her sometimes!”  This, of course, piqued my curiosity… especailly since Cecil looked like he might burst.

“What do you mean… what’s going on?”

“Don’t tell Sapph I said a word… but we eloped last night!  We’re married!”

I gasped with a mixture of excitement and horror – I didn’t think my little sister had that kind of adventurous streak in her! 

“OMB – Cecil… seriously?”  I starte to say more but heard an “ahem” behind me that could only mean one thing… Sapphire was back.

“Did you tell him, Cecil?!” she exclaimed, looking clearly exasperated…. “I SAID I wanted to wait and tell the whole family at once… sheesh!”

“Erm… right… well… I’m gonna let you two work this out… maybe I should go find Lavender.  I haven’t seen her in a while…”

I wandered away, my head reeling, but I tried to keep a straight face to avoid any questions.  If I could just find Lavender I could spill the news to her…

“Looking for Lavender?” Dad asked as I wandered through the living room.  I had thought she was in the kitchen having cake, but I must have been wrong, “I saw her making a dash for the bathroom a few minutes ago… she wasn’t looking too well.”

“Hmm, really?  I’m headed to check on her right now… thanks, Dad.”

“Lavender?  Sweetie… you okay?”  I approached the bathroom door. all thoughts of Sapphire and Cecil pushed from my head at the thought of my wife being sick.”

“Wha – oh, is that you, Indigo?  Yeah… I’m okay… give me just a sec.”

I heard the toilet flush and the sink run for a few seconds before Lavender opened the door slowly.

“Hey babe… I wasn’t feeling well – it just sort of hit me all of a sudden.  So I came in here and took a quick test… and well….

“I’m pregnant!”

She threw her hands up in excitement as she did a little dance.   For a moment I was totally frozen in shock…

After she calmed down, I brushed my fingers through her hair.

“Oh baby… that’s amazing!  We’re pregnant!  I can’t believe it!”  I stood gazing at my amazing wife, still trying to wrap my head around the news that will change my life forever.  We were going to be parents!

I wanted to do a quick, shorter post with the pics from Lavender and Indigo’s BIG DAY!  There should be another, longer post this weekend once the newlyweds get back from their honeymoon! :o)

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The morning of the wedding arrived and I woke up to the sun streaming in my window.  The butterflies in my stomach were already fluttering up a storm!  This was it – THE BIG DAY!

Despite my nerves, I tried to sip my coffee calmly – everything would be just fine.  But if I was this nervous, I couldn’t help but wonder how my lovely bride-to-be, Lavender was feeling this morning.

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“How do I look…. OMB, I’m so nervous right now.”  I leaned in toward the mirror to inspect my newly applied make up. 

“Lavender, seriously – you look amazing.  Absolutely gorgeous!” 

I turned to face three of my bridesmaids – the fourth (Marina, Indigo’s other sister) had made a last minute trip to the store to pick up bobby pins.  There can’t be a wedding without plenty of extra bobby pins!…. ya know… just in case!

“OMB, Lavender….” Aqua gasped…. *sniff* “I’m gonna cry!”

“Beautiful, sis… really.  I wish Mom were here to see you today – she would have been really proud.”  Peony isn’t usually sentimental or emotional at all… but I thought I could see her fighting back tears as she watched me put on the finishing touches. 

“Right then…. this is it – time to go get married!”

I can honestly say at the moment the butterflies vanished and just for a second I was just really excited to be getting married to Indigo – the one man in the world who I knew would be my knight in shining armor.

The good feeling didn’t last long, however….

We arrived outside the wedding venue and I could see it was packed.  People were practically standing in the aisles!

“Ready for your close up?” Peony joked before notcing the panicked expression on my face.

“Look at all those people, Peony… I can’t.  I can’t do this.  They’ll all be looking at me…”  My heart started racing and I felt the familiar lump of panic rise in my throat.  Why, why why did I get so nervous around people! 

Peony dropped her humorous banter and smiled warmly at me.

“Look, sis… I hate to be pushy, but you are NOT backing down now… just ignore all these people and take a look at your handsome man up there on the altar waiting for you.  See?” 

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I stood at the altar watching all the guests file into their seats… this was it.  The ceremony was about to begin.  I saw Lavender at the end on the aisle and literally almost choked… she looked amazing.  But nervous.  Really nervous. 

I saw her turn away from the building and I felt a rise of panic in my chest.  This was it… she was going to change her mind.  She didn’t want to marry a poor musician after all.

Peony glanced toward me with and gave me a reassuring wink.  I sighed…. this was going to be fine.  Lavender turned and smiled at me – we were ready to begin!

“I – you look… amazing.”  I whispered as Lavender reached the altar and grasped my hand.  “You had me a bit nervous there for a second…”

“Indigo – I love you.”   I barely heard Lavender’s words as the ceremony began, but her look said it all.  I didn’t have a thing to be nervous about with the woman of my dreams standing beside me. 

After the initial fear or rejection, the rest of the wedding went off without a hitch.  We exchanged rings….

I kissed the lovely bride…..

We took a few pics – first of the wedding party.  Look at me and all those beautiful ladies!  I couldn’t have made it through this day without my sisters!

Even Robyn participated!  She was our flower girl, but she spent most of the day sucking on her hands and picking her nose – despite that, she was cute as a berry button!

Mom and Dad stayed surprising calm though the whol event – I thought I might have caught Dad wiping away a tear, but Mom looked totally excited the entire time. 

After some quick family photos, we were ready to celebrate!

Mom and Aqua were among the first to the dance floor, but others soon followed!

Against his will, Dad was dragged to the dance floor and ended up rocking out until almost midnight!  Who knew the old man still had it in him!

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“Uh, hey Peony… who’s that guy over there… by the window?”

“Oh him?  I think that’s Cecil… one of the guys from Indigo’s band… I’m not sure though… maybe you should go introduce yourself!”

*giggle*

“Okay girls… don’t look now, but I think Sapphire may have a little crush!”

*gasp*

“No way!  hehe – isn’t that Cecil… the drummer from Indi’s band?”

“Ya!  He’s totally hot!”

There couldn’t be a family gathering without some sort of argument – I guess poor Pummelo Chiffon (visiting all the way from Sugar Valley) found himself in the midst of Aunt Essie’s rage!  I always thought she was a little mean spirited… even if she is Mom’s favorite sister.

**Pummelo Chiffon downloaded from Berrypie27 on The Sims 3 Exchange!**

At the end of the reception, all the Pie ladies gathered for a quick photo, including the newest member – my gorgeous wife, Lavender Pie! 

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MORE WEDDING PICS!

The lovely flower girl…

Newlyweds!

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We chose the San Pedro Resort for our honeymoon destination!  I wasn’t planning on keeping an update on Lavender and I during out honeymoon, but mom wanted me to at least record a few quick details.  I reluctantly agreed… after all… it’s for the legacy!

**San Pedro Villa by ninotchka at MTS!**

The resort had plenty of poolside chairs for us to lounge in while we enjoyed the Mediterranean sun!

There was time for romance…..

And of course, a few tunes by the pool cabana… I can’t go anywhere without my guitar!

I managed to get us lost on our way to the San Pedro Nectary…. I swear, the map was printed wrong… there should have been a street right here!!!

But getting lost led us to stop and ask for help… and we met Therese!  She proved to be much more than a kind local and offered to show us the way to the Nectary!  (Her brother Gerard worked there!)

We spent the day with Therese and Gerard, goofing off and taking some pictures…

Gerard was nervous because he was missing work to hang out with us.

But all good things must come to an end…and it was already time for us to catch the plane back to Riverview.  I had a feeling, however, that we hadn’t seen the end of Therese and Gerard… we exchanged numbers and email addresses, promising to get in touch.

“Indi – you’re up early!”

Mom said as I stumbled into the kitchen.  It was only 6:30am but I had spent the night tossing and turning so I figured I might as well try to talk to my parents before they left for work.

“Yea…. actually, Mom – can we talk for a second?  I’m kind of…. I don’t know…. upset, I guess.”

“What’s the matter, son?”  Dad chimed in. 

They both turned to me with concerned expressions.

I sighed.

“It’s Lavender.  I love her… more than – well – anything.  But I just don’t know if I can provide for her or a family if I ask her to marry me, ya know?  I don’t know… it just doesn’t seem right.  I mean, she deserves someone who’s going to give her everything she needs…”

“And you don’t think you’re that ‘someone’?”  Mom interrupted. 

I shook my head.  She sighed.

“Indigo.  You just need to have some confidence in yourself!”  She exclaimed.  Dad nodded.

“You’re mother and I will support you in whatever you choose to do… there’s never going to be time when you need to worry.”

“Exactly.”  Mom seconded, “If you want to pursue your music career AND marry Lavender then you can stay in the apartment above the garage until you get more financially settled.  Just take a few deep breaths and quit being so hard on yourself… you’re young – you’ve got plenty of time to accomplish all your goals.”

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Saturday night – the night of my first gig with the band – arrived and I found myself taking deep breaths outside the sports bar to try to calm my nerves before the show started.

Once we got up on stage, however, I started to realize there was absolutely nothing to be worried about…. considering we had no audience.  The bar was literally empty, except for Lavender who was grooving out on the dance floor all by herself.

As disappointed as I was about the lack of listeners, I couldn’t help but smile as I watched Lavender.  Besides, it was fun just playing on a real stage with a real band.

We only played one short set, however, before Java decided to call it quits.  We gathered in the deserted bar area after putting away our instruments.

“This sucks soooo bad!”  Cecil moaned dramatically.  “What’s the point of being in a band when there’s no one to play for?”

I have to admit, I kind of agreed with him, but I took one look at Java’s face and decided it was best to keep my opinion to myself.  He sighed heavily and wandered toward the bar.

“Hey…” I said as I approached him.

“Hey – sorry to drag you out here on a Saturday night… looks like it was a pretty worthless gig.”  He stared sullenly into his drink.

“It’s no big deal, Java… I’m sure every band has ‘off nights’… the next gig will be better.”

“Hmmmph.  It’s embarassing, ya know?  I’m supposed to be some sort of leader and we can’t even get gigs in front of people!  It’s ridiculous, really…”

“Well, maybe it’s not as bad as you think.  Every band could use some good publicity – maybe that’s what we need to work on… just, ya know… getting our name out there so people know we’re worth listening to!”

Java threw his hands up in frustration.

“Oh sure… you come in here thinking you know what’s best for us!  You haven’t even been with us a week and you think you can solve all our problems!  For all I know you’re a PART of the problem…”

“Woah, woah…. I was just trying to help.  If you don’t want my advice, don’t take it… I’ll keep my mouth shut.”

I guess I wasn’t as accustomed to Java’s explosive temper as the rest of the band… I still had a few things to learn about keeping the peace.  No need to start a fight on my first official night as a band member.

“Hmmph.”  Java turned and walked away, leaving me glaring at him in frustration. 

“What was that all about?”  Lavender whispered as I met her on the dance floor.

“Ugh… he’s just being difficult… it’s no big deal.  I’m not gonig to let him ruin my night.”  I tried to keep my expression upbeat, but even I could hear the disappointment in my voice.  Lavender didn’t miss it, either.

“Hey.  I’m really sorry tonight didn’t go how you’d hoped….”

I shrugged.

“I think you need to forget about it and have a little fun….”  she grinned at me.

“C’mon… let’s dance.”  Grabbing my hands, she dragged me onto the dance floor.

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I woke up the next morning and found Lavender in the kitchen eating toast.  She wrapped her arms around my neck.

“Good morning – did you sleep well?”

“Mmmhmmm,”  I responded as I looped my arms around her lower back and pulled her to me suggestively.  She giggled.

“Not now…” she said smiling… “I have to be at work in, like, thirty-five minutes!”

“Don’t go… just call and say you’ll be late.”

“Trust me… I’d stay here with you forever if I could… but I have to get ready to go.”

“Ah – see… you shouldn’t have said that!”

“What?”

“That you’d stay here forever!  But now it’s too late… you’ve forced me to do something I was going to do later this week.”  I replied teasingly.

Although I said it lightly, my heart was pounding as I knelt to my knee and reached into my pocket to pull out that little black box.  I heard Lavender gasp as she began to understand what was about to happen.

I pulled out the ring and looked up at the love of my life.

“Lavender Pearberry… I love you.  And I can’t imagine waking up without you next to me for the rest of my life.  I know I might now be perfect right now, but I promise you I will do everything in my power to make you the happiest woman in Twinbrook.  Will you marry me?”

For a moment, Lavender stared at me, her eyes wide with disbelief.  I had a split second of panic before she started jumping up and down and giggling.

“Yes!  Yes, of course I’ll marry you… oh!  Indigo!” 

Her reply was a mixture of sobs and giggles, but I heard just enough to breath a sigh of relief and slip the ring on her finger.  She lept into my arms and sqeezed me tightly and I felt like I could have flown to the moon – She said yes!

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After Lavender got ready for work, we headed down to the living room to make our big announcement to the family.  Lavender squeezed my hand nervously – she was worried my family wouldn’t accept her – but I knew they’d be thrilled.

Marina was so excited she let out a scream that probably woke the wole neighborhood!

“Lavender!”  Mom came towards us after we shared the news, “Welcome to the family, sweet heart!  We’re just so thrilled for you both!”

I rubbed Lavender’s back reassuringly.

“Thank you… I hope I can make you and your family proud.”

“You’ll be fabulous!”  I replied “Besides, we’re a team now – we’ll be great together!”

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After the we announced the engagement, wedding planning work started right away.  Lavender was always working on something for the big day – but I had a big project of my own!

Mom and Dad said they’d let Lavender and I stay on in the apartment as long as we needed, but the truth was, we were quickly outgrowing our family home and I had a solution!  We needed a Legacy house… a place big enough to house anyone in the family who needed a place to stay. 

I was heading into town to meet with the architect who agreed to work on the project…

“Indi!  Hey!”  Sapphire rushed to the door of her office as I came in.  Yup!  Sapphire had started her own design business and agreed to take me on as her first major client!

“Hey, sis!  You wanted to show me the plans?”

“Yep, right this way…”  she ushered me toward her drafting table, “okay… so this is the final version… take a look, tell me what you think….”

She stood back as I examined the detailed plans for the new house.

“Well…” she leaned in after I had finished, “What do you think?  Do you like it?  Will Mom and Dad like it?”

I chuckled at her nervousness.

“Sapph, it looks perfect!  You really outdid yourself!”

“Okay, good,” she sighed with relief, “Then that’s it!  We break ground early next week!”

I left Sapphire’s office as she set to work making the last few tiny adjustments to the plans.  I knew the house wouldn’t be finished in time for the wedding, but I hoped I would at least have something to show Lavender on our big day!

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“Peony!”  I called as my sister arrived, “I’m so glad you could come… I just can’t imagine wedding dress shopping without you!”

“And I wouldn’t miss it for the world… all those people staring at you while you try on all kinds of ugly dresses before you find the one perfect one – should be great!”  She must have seen the look of panic on my face.

“Oh c’mon – don’t be nervous… it’ll be fun.  You’re going to be beautiful and no one but me and Sapphire are going to be staring…Let’s go!”

I sighed as I tried to calm my nerves… but it just wasn’t that easy!  I hated hated hated being the center of attention… and the deeper I got into the wedding planning the more nervous I got about all the focus being on me.

Peony linked her arm through mine and dragged me to the car.

We arrived at the dress shop and Sapphire was waiting with Robyn – At least having Robyn there would take some attention off me – she needed to try on a Flower Girl dress.

“Ready for this?” Sapph asked.

“Yup… ready as I’ll ever be!”  I replied.

“Alright… first dress…”  I peeked out from the dressing room and Peony studied me quizzically.

“Nope… it’s not ‘the one’…” she replied.

“Yeah – I don’t like it.”

“It wasn’t that bad…”  Sapph said once I was back in the dressing room.

“No, it wasn’t bad… but we’ll know when she finds the right one.  I just don’t know how much torture she’ll be able to handle before she gives up…”

“Uh… I can hear you, ya know?”  I replied, rolling my eyes as I zipped up the next dress candidate.

“Okay… this one?  It’s not too bad…”

“No… I like it.”

“Me too,”  Sapph chimed in, ” I say you keep it on the ‘maybe’ list and try on a few more.”

The next few dresses were nixed before I even stepped out of the dressing room.  I could hear Robyn getting fussy out in the waiting room and poor Sapphire and Peony were doing everything they could to keep her happy.

“I spy with my little eye… something… pink!”  Peony said cheerfully to Robyn.

“Uh… nice try, Peony… but everything’s pink in here.”

“Okay… here’s the next one…”  I called out to the waiting room.

As soon as I stepped out or the dressing room, the looks on Sapphire and Peony’s faces confirmed my own feelings… this dress was “the one”.

“Beautiful!”  Peony gasped, “Oh… Lavender… it’s perfect!”

“Absolutely perfect!”  Sapphire echoed.

I breathed a sigh of relief… one thing was for sure… I was going to look great on my wedding day!  I just hoped Indigo thought so, too!

I have to admit that my little sister was pretty adorable. Dad seemed totally smitten and I loved to watch his face as he cuddled and played with little Robyn. She is the only one of us to inherit Dad’s blue tinted complexion, so I think Robyn pretty much had Dad wrapped around her finger as soon as he set eyes on her.

Like Dad promised, they did find a solution to the bedroom situation… and I was the one who benefited the most – check this out! Mom and Dad had the attic above the garage finished and fitted out to be like a small studio-style apartment – just for me!! It wasn’t huge – just enough space for my bed, a small kitchen and my drum set – but it was just like having my own place.

“I hope you like it, Indigo!” Dad said, looking around as he ushered me into my new space.

“Dad, Mom…. I – I don’t even know what to say. It’s perfect! Thank you so much!”

Having my own apartment still attached to my parents’ house saved me tons of money, but I still needed to get my name out there as a talented musician in Twinbrook. Every day after work, I’d set up my guitar at the park and play for tips until it got too dark. It wasn’t exactly the glamorous life of a musician I had envisioned when I started taking guitar lessons, but it was a start!

Anytime I started to get frustrated with how slowly my music career was progressing, I wandered downstairs to the main house and let Robyn cheer me up. She wasn’t a little bundle of blankets anymore! I loved making her giggle and trying to get her to say my name.

“Robyn! Say In-di-go…”

“Di-go-go!”

Since Sapphire and Marina were grounded indefinitely for their late night sneak-out, Robyn wasn’t wanting for any attention. Sapphire, who swore she’d never have kids of her own, was even sucked in by Robyn’s charms.

“Are you ready for a party, Robyn?”

“Paw-tee!”

“Yep, that’s right – me and Marina are going to be all grown up! And you’ll get to eat some cake!”

Ugh – The twins’ birthday… I had almost forgotten.  The only person I was hoping to see there was Lavender.  Our relationship had been pretty intense when I was still in high school… but after I graduated, we’ve sort of… drifted apart.  I had been focusing on my career and she was still in school… it just seemed – weird. 

Anyway… I hoped she’d be there.

Later that day, family and friends started piling into the backyard for the big celebration. I couldn’t believe my little sisters were already going to be adults… they seemed so… young! The first person to arrive looked vaguely familiar. He made a beeline straight for me and stretched out his arm for a firm handshake.

“Indigo! My, you’ve grown up! I’m sure you don’t remember me – I guess I’m your great uncle, though… Sam!”

I returned his handshake as I quickly racked my brain to figure out who he was…
Ah! No wonder he looked familiar… he was Grandpa Pomegranate’s twin brother!

“Hey, Uncle Salmon- of course I remember you!”

“Listen, Indi – I heard from your Mom that you’ve really got some musical talent. She said you’ve been looking for a break, maybe trying to get into a band. Well, I don’t know if it’ll come to anything, but I know a kid about your age, Cecil, who’s been looking for a band member for his group. You interested?”

“Interested? Yeah! Yeah! I’d love to be in a band – I’ve been looking forever and haven’t had any luck!”

“Great! I’ll get you his number so you two can meet up…”

Uncle Sammy was still talking, giving me more details about this kid Cecil and his band, but I was suddenly distracted…

From across the patio, which was now a bit more crowded with guests, I saw the most beautiful vision of purple and lilac… I was so taken aback, I literally stared at her for a full thirty seconds. Could that be Lavender?

She spotted me and lifted her hand, giving me a flirty wave. It was Lavender and she was all grown up… and GORGEOUS!

She approached me and threw her arms around me – I breathed in the scent of her hair as I hugged her tightly.  I hadn’t realized just how much I missed her until that moment and I kicked myself for letting our relationship drift.

“Indigo!  You look great!”  She whispered into my ear as we parted.  I felt familiar butterflies in my stomach.  Hoping to make up for lost time, I grabbed her hand and led her inside, away from the crowd.

“I’ve really missed you…”  I started as we snuggled into the sofa.

“And I’ve missed you…”  she replied, fixing those gorgeous eyes on me suggestively… oh, Berry… we weren’t in high school anymore and I wasn’t sure how long I could resist those kinds of seductive glances from Lavender… 

After an awkward pause, we settled into boring conversation (it seemed safer… I didn’t want to be tempted to invite her up to my apartment…) until the party ended and we said our goodbyes… promising to meet up again soon.

**********************************************************************************

“Are you Indigo?”

I nodded as I walked up the driveway toward the guy who I assumed was Cecil.  It took me a few months, but I had taken my Uncle Sammy’s advice and set up and audition to join the band.

“Great!  Glad you could make it… look… we’ve auditioned a lot of people so I’m not making any promises, k?”  He ushered me into the garage where I could hear music playing already.

“Right.”  said Cecil, “Guys, this is Indigo.  Indigo, here’s the rest of the band… that’s Java on the left – he’s kind of in charge here… and Mellow’s on the right.”

Mellow greeted me with a smile and a friendly wave, but Java was looking less than thrilled…

“Skip the intro Cecil and let’s get this over with…”  Java rolled his eyes and pretty much ignored me.

I picked up the guitar that was plugged into the amp and the guys started to jam, looking at me to join in…  I think I started out a bit slow, but soon I just forgot about my nerves and felt the music start to flow more naturally…

We moved through several basic riffs before Java took the lead on the bass and started pumping out some more difficult stuff.  His eyes widened with what I assumed to be pleasant surprise as I quickly picked up what he was playing.

After a good thirty minutes of solid jamming, Java signaled for us to stop and came toward me.

“I’m impressed, Indigo… there’s always room for improvement, though.”  He paused as if he was trying to decide what to say next.  

“Alright…” he said, rubbing his neck,  “meet us at the the sports bar across from the stadium next Saturday at 7… don’t be late.”

“I’ll be there… and thanks so much for this opportunity. I really appreciate it.” 

 *sigh* 

 I’ll admit it…. I was totally sucking up to the band leader.  But, like Mom used to say to Marina when the kids at school teased her… “kill ’em with kindness.” 

As Java walked out of the garage, Mellow came up and clapped me on the shoulder.

“Congrats, Indigo!  Those were some serious scales you were killin’!”

“Dude… your uncle said you were good… but that was AWESOME!  I’ve never seen Java react like that.  You’re in for sure, man.  That gig at the sports bar on Satuday is our weekly paycheck so he’s gotta be pretty confident you’re the guy!” 

As I took in Cecil’s words I felt a smile creep over my face.  I did it!

“You’re kidding?  Like, an actual gig?  I knew I was feelin’ those riffs, but this – this is just GREAT!”  I tried to control my excitment as Cecil and I discussed the particulars of the band and the practice schedule. 

When I finally left it was almost dark – I was smiling to myself as I walked toward the river front to meet Lavender.  I could check one more thing off my list… I had secured myself a place in a band… now if I could just secure the woman of my dreams…

******************************************************************************

“Hey handsome…” Lavender smiled as I stepped toward her.

“Hey…. so guess what?”  I was practically bursting to tell someone my good news.  “I think made the band… you know, the one Uncle Pom told me about.  I’m playing a gig with them next week!”

“That’s great, babe!  Congrats!”  Lavender smiled, but I sensed that something just wasn’t quite right.

“What’s wrong, sweetie?  Is everything okay?”

Lavender sighed.

“Everything’s fine, Indigo.  I guess… I just… I’ve been thinking a lot about our future…”  As she paused to collect her thoughts, my heart started beating faster.  This wasn’t the beginning of a break-up speech, was it?  Lavender must have seen the panic in my eyes…

“Oh! Indi, don’t freak out… I love you so so much and nothing in the world could change that.  But, you know… family is really important to me and I want to be sure the man I am going to spend the rest of my life with is ready to take on that kind of responsibility, ya know?  I guess I just don’t know if playing in a band is really going to be enough to provide for our future family…”

Lavender trailed off and I could see she had been giving this a lot of thought – I felt a mixture of anger and self-loathing.  She didn’t think I was good enough for her… but I couldn’t let her go that easily.  I’m embarassed to say I might have been tearing up a bit as I gripped her shoulder reassuringly.

“Lavender… I have never felt about anybody the way I feel about you.  When I’m with you, nothing else in the world matters.  And I will promise you – I’ll swear it on the Founder – that I will do whatever it takes to provide for you.”

********************************************************************************

Back at home, I snuggled close to Lavender as we watched TV in my bed… the TV didn’t hold our attention for long, though…

I gazed at Lavender as she drifted off to sleep after our love making.  I tried to close my eyes as well, but I kept going back to what Lavender said about providing for our future. 

 In a lot of ways, I was beginning to think she had a point.  I had don’e nothing to prove I could handle what life would throw my way…Was I just doing what was best for me and not what I needed to do for my family, my girlfriend, and the future or the Legacy?

It was a question I couldn’t answer – but that didn’t stop me from staying up all night thinking as Lavender slept soundly beside me.

My birthday arrived and we had a little family party to celebrate.  I was kind of hoping to have a bigger celebration, but Grandma Pearl and Grandpa Pommy were in the hospital and Mom just didn’t want the added stress.  In the end, I was happy just to have my sisters and my amazingly cute girlfriend there to celebrate.

To be honest, I didn’t feel much different as an official “grown up” and Legacy Heir… the biggest bonus was that I didn’t have to go to school so I had more time to devote to my (currently non-existent) music career. 

I browsed the internet looking for gigs in the Twinbrook area, but things weren’t looking so great.  I needed to make money somehow…

So I bit the bullet and applied for a job at the theatre.  It wasn’t exactly what I wanted to be doing, but at least I could earn some cash and meet other people who loved music as much as me.  Hopefully I wouldn’t have to work there for too long – I wanted a band of my own!

*********************************************************************************

Oh!  I guess I should mention Mom and Dad’s big news… they’re pregnant! 

Yup… I think it’s a little weird to be getting a new little brother or sister when we’ll be so far apart in age, but Mom and Dad seem excited.

“Well – what d’ya think, kids!  Another little Pie baby, huh?”

Dad stood behind Mom looking both proud and a little giddy.

“Yep – cool, Dad… I hope you’re planning on giving it it’s own room – cause I already share with Marina, k?”

“No worries, Sapph – we’ll figure it all out.”

**********************************************************************************

The morning after Mom and Dad’s big announcement, I wandered out to the patio with my french toast and saw my sister Aqua sipping hot tea at the table.

“Morning, Indi!” she said cheerfully.

“Uh… hey.”

To be honest, I wasn’t exactly sure how to respond.  I couldn’t really remember the last time I’d actually had an intelligent conversation with my big sister and here she was looking perfectly… well… normal.  (which was saying a lot in this family)

“Dad picked me up from Grandma and Grandpa’s last night… you know… they’re not really doing too well and Dr. Mellywaters thinks it might be best for me to try to readjust to life at home…

I know you must just think of me as your totally insane older sister but I’ve been working really hard, ya know… and I’m not crazy, okay?  Sometimes I just get… overwhelmed.”

“Aqua, really – you don’t have to explain anything to me.  I’m just really happy and – well – surprised – to see you doing so great.  It’s really awesome!”

I sat outside with Aqua for a few more minutes, finished breakfast and listening to her explain the work she’d been doing with Dr. Mellywaters before I had to head inside and get ready for my first day at work… ugh.

************************************************************************************

As the months passed, Mom seemed to grow bigger and bigger – I know pregnant women must get so sick of everyone rubbing their belly, but I just couldn’t help it!  I was actually getting kind of excited about meeting the little brother or sister inside there!  I wasn’t going to have to wait very long, either… Mom wasn’t due for another month, but the doctor was confident that little baby Pie was going to make an early appearance. 

************************************************************************************

“OMB – Marina… this homework is literally torture.  I am so BORED.”

“Mmmm”

“That’s all you can say…. “mmmmm”?  Well, I can’t take all this boring crud anymore.  I feel like all I do is homework, school, homework, school.  And then when Mom has the baby it’s going to be homework, school, baby, school – whatever.  It’s never going to end… we need to do something fun.”

“Like what?”

“Well…. since you asked… I DO have an idea.  But you’re going to hate it.”

“Uh huh.  Tell me anyway.”

“Alright… let’s go clubbing tonight.  You know… like downtown.  I’ve always wanted to check out a few of those places we drive by all the time.”

“Huh… I can’t believe I’m saying this… but I’m kinda curious to check it out.”

“OMB – OMB – are you serious?  I thought for sure you’d hate it.  We’d better go before you change your mind… like… tonight.”

“Whatever.  You’re the boss… tonight it is.”

“This is going to be so fun… we’re going to have to sneak out, ya know…”

“Yup… but I have an advantage… I can walk through walls.”

“Shut up.  That’s SO not fair.  While you’re with me, I think you should have to walk through doors just like a normal person.  It’s only fair, Marina.”

“Sure, sure… whatever.  I’ll stick with you if it’ll make you feel better.”

“It will.  Look! I’m already feeling better about this calc homework!”

***********************************************************************************

That night, Sapphire and Marina climbed into bed just like any other school night.  Once the house was quiet, Sapphire flipped back the covers.

“Psst… Marina.  Are you asleep?”

“Rrrgllllhumphhh.”

“Seriously.  We’ve been in bed for, like, an hour… get up – we’re doing this tonight.”

*yaaawn*

“I’m tired, Sapph… can’t we wait until Saturday or something?”

“I don’t think so – you’re not getting out of this that easily… c’mon.  Get dressed.”

The girls got dressed quickly and were about to make it out the front door when they heard a giggle from behind them in the living room that made them both stop dead in their tracks.

“You’re gonna get in trouuuuble.”

Aqua was standing in the living room giggling at her two little sisters who were frozen on their way out the door.

“Oh Berry.”  Sapphire muttered as they turned to face Aqua.  That’s when the begging began.

“Please, Aqua… please don’t tell Mom and Dad…”

“Yeah – I’ve never done anything wrong like… ever.  And Sapph and I just want to have one night of fun before it’s too late…”

“PLEASE!!!”

Aqua glanced slyly at her little sisters…

“I won’t tell… but you have to take me with you.”

“Humph!  Take you!  You’re like… old… and stuff.  This is supposed to be like sneaking out.”

“Well, then I guess you’d better head straight back to your room because Mom is sure to ground you when she finds out.  C’mon… just let me come with you!”

“Fine.  But you can’t tell us what to do all night, promise?”

“Promise.”

The first club they stopped at was far from exciting.

“Maybe clubbing on a Thursday night isn’t exactly the best time for a party, huh?”

“Whatever.  If we’re out, I’m ordering drinks… for all of us.”

“Humph… you two really shouldn’t be drinking….”

“Aqua.  You promised….”

After a few rounds of drinks for all the girls, they managed to find a few eligible dance partners… but it was a tough task. 

“Um… so I’ve had fun… but my sister’s and I need to go now…”

Sapphire had been trying to get rid of that guy for hours but it seemed like heading home was the only surefire way to get him off her case.  She rounded up Marina and Aqua and they headed back home. 

They tried to slip silently into the house….

“Good morning, ladies.  Nice of you to be present for the birth of your little sister, Robyn.  Imagine the shock your father and I recieved when we went to wake you up and you were NOT in your beds… humph.  Now, I suggest you head straight to your room and stay there until your father and I decide a fair punishment for you.”

“Aww… man….”

“Crap.”

*******************************************************************************

Okay, so seriously, I didn’t think I was going to be nervous during my first guitar lesson but knowing Lavender was standing right behind me made it really difficult to concentrate.  I was trying to focus on my guitar, but all I could think about was her.  Pathetic.  *sigh*

After my hour was up Peony picked up her things and headed toward the door.

“Good first session, Indigo – so I’ll see you this time next week?  Sorry to run out like this, but I’ve got to be at the sports bar for a gig tonight!  See ya!”

She gave a little wave and was gone before I could even pack up my guitar.  I was alone with Lavender and the studio was filled with a long, awkward silence.

I took a deep breath…

“Uh, look – Lavender… I’m really sorry…”

“Please, Indigo… you don’t have to say anything… I’m the one who should apologize.  I was kind of a jerk and well…I’m embarassed.”

We were standing so close that I could smell her flowery perfume and I couldn’t stop myself from grabbing her hand.  For a moment I thought she was going to twine her fingers through mine…

But then she snatched her hand away from mine and stepped back, putting a hand to my shoulder.

“I – I don’t think I feel totally comfortable with this, okay, Indigo?  I’m just not sure this is… right… I dunno.”

She dropped her arms to her waist and looked at the floor in silence.

“Please just give me a chance, Lavender.  I promise, I’m not a creep and I just want to get to know you better… that’s all.”

The fact that she didn’t turn around and leave gave me just the smallest hope that maybe she’d actually give me a chance.  She didn’t respond right away, so I continued.

“Will you at least go on one date with me… just one!”

She sighed…

“Fine… one date.  And we’ll go from there.”

*SCORE*!!!!

*************************************************************************************

The following day after school, Lavender and I ditched the bus and headed to Dad’s restaurant.  I had stayed up all night trying to plan the perfect first date and then this idea finally came to me. 

“My Dad usually only uses this kitchen when he’s working on new recipes… but  he said we could use it today… so I thought maybe we could just mess around and see what we could come up with!”

“That’s so cool!  I didn’t know your Dad was a chef!”

I breathed a sigh of relief… at least she didn’t say I was dumb right off the bat. 

We played around for hours with the ingredients Dad had left behind and we chatted and laugh the whole time.  I’m kind of embarrassed to say that nothing we made actual turned out looking or tasting very good… but hey!  we had fun anyway.

It felt like all too soon Lavender was telling me she needed to head home.

“My sister is going to have a fit if I’m out too late…”

“It’s cool… I hope you had a good time.  I know I did…”

I wanted to say more, but I felt like there was a lump in my throat that wouldn’t let me express just how much I wanted her to like me and want to be with me.

“I had a good time, too, Indigo… a really good time.”

She was looking up at me with those gorgeous eyes and her adorable smile.  I wanted to lean closer and plant a kiss right on her lips, but something kept me rooted in place.

“Will you come over to my house tomorrow?”  I asked before she turned away.  A nod of her head sent my heart soaring and she left me standing in the kitchen grinning like an idiot.  I’d get to see her tomorrow!!!

*******************************************************************************

“Opal – what’s going on?” 

Essence had dropped by for a visit and wasn’t in the door for more than five seconds before she asked the question.  Opal flinched – she knew it was coming… there was no way her sister wouldn’t sense something – it was in a vampire’s nature to pick up on those little subtleties that would elude humans. 

“I was going to explain – that’s why I’m glad you came by.  It’s no big deal, really… actually, it’s kind of exciting.  Rush and I are… expecting a baby!”

Essence gasped at the news, but her surprise quickly turned to anger.

“Opal!  How could you be so careless… a baby!?  You’re a vampire now… we don’t have any idea if having children is… is… right – or healthy – for that matter… did you even consider it?”

Essence ranted and yelled for several minutes while Opal stood listening, growing more and more angry.  When she was finished, Opal couldn’t stay silent any longer.

“I get it, Essence – and maybe you’re jealous… but I’m not sure if you realize just what it means for me to have my life back after the cancer.   Rush and I talked about this and we are excited about our child – whether or not he or she is a vampire.  So please – don’t act like you have any right to lecture me about the choices I make.”

With a huff, Essence turned and stormed out of the house, leaving Opal to rub her temples in frustration.  She was doing the right thing… wasn’t she?

************************************************************************************

It had been a week since my first date with Lavender and I guess things were going pretty well.  Okay, I shouldn’t lie… things were going very well.  And this was the first time I had been able to persuade her to take a dip in the hot tub with me. 

“You’re sure your parents won’t mind… I don’t want you to be in trouble, Indi…”

“Nah – it’s no big deal – they won’t care anyway… it’s just a hot tub.”

I set the bubbles for fifteen minutes and climbed in beside her.

We sat in silence for a few minutes before I took a deep breath and leaned in.  I had been literally dreaming of this kiss since I’d first seen Lavender in the library – and when our lips met I instantly felt an indescribable warmth and desire.  Thankfully, she didn’t pull away.

For the rest of the evening, I couldn’t keep my hands off Lavender.  We cuddled, giggled, and made out until it was totally dark outside.  I felt like time was standing still… or maybe I just wished it was so I could stay in the hot tub with Lavender forever.

“Ahem….” 

I hadn’t even heard Mom’s footsteps on the patio…

“It’s getting late, Indigo…. I think it’s time you said goodnight to Lavender.”

She didn’t look too angry… but I wasn’t about to test the limits.  Lavender and I quickly dried off and I gave her a quick peck as she left the back yard.  Maybe I could slip past Mom and just head straight to bed.

“Not so fast, young man…”

No such luck… I stopped and prepared myself for the lecture.

“You and Lavender seem… close…”

“Erm… uh… yeah, I guess.”

“Look, Indigo – I’m not sure you’re setting the best example for your little sisters…”

“Mom – I’m almost an adult, okay… I shouldn’t have to act like a kid just because Marina and Sapph haven’t grown up yet…”

I needed to deflect the conversation so I wouldn’t get the whole “responsibility” lecture again…

“Besides,”  I added, “You aren’t perfect all the time, either… I heard you and Aunt Essence yelling and screaming about something this afternoon.  What was that all about anyway?”

I saw Mom’s expression change and she glanced away from me.

“That is not open for discussion right now, Indigo.  Your Aunt and I were just having a difference of opinion.  Now, until your birthday, I expect you to follow the rules of the house and set a good example for the girls.  That’s all.”

I nodded and headed inside, Mom’s piercing gaze following me the whole way.  *shiver*

“Opal… hey.  Wake up…”  I pulled the chair up close to my sister’s hospital bed.  Her eyes fluttered open and focused on me.

“Hey Essie,”

“The kids are here… but I sent them to the waiting room… we need to talk.”  I was determined to get the truth out of her – we were sisters, after all. “I managed to find one of your doctors.  How long have you known you were sick?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Ess.  This is all new to me, just like everybody else.”

“That’s BULL, Opal – and you know it.  How long have you known!?”  I heard her sigh heavily.

“Promise you won’t tell Rush and the kids?”  I nodded, “Okay, I found out just before Indigo’s party… They said the same thing then – that we caught it too late to make surgery a viable option.  I didn’t want to worry the family before I needed to.”

“So that’s it? You’ve just given up on this?   You’re not going to fight?”

“It’s just too late, Ess.  Trust me, I tried for WEEKS to come up with a solution.”

“You should have told me sooner.  I have an idea… you might not like it, but…look at me, Opal.  You can be like this, too…”

“A…vampire?”  I could hear the fear and suspicion in her voice, but if she was really just waiting to die then I was capable of giving her life.  I watched the idea sink as Opal mentally weighed her options. “And I would be cured?  No cancer?”

“Totally cured,”

“Do it.  Do it, right now.”

“Woah, woah… I came here to give you the option…you need to think about this.  It’s a big change, Opal.  It’s… different.”  When I glanced back at my sister, she was looking at me pleadingly.

“Please, Essence.  I’m begging you.  If there is any way I can be there to see my children grow up… my future grandchildren… I have to do it.”  I looked at my sister and knew she wasn’t going to be dissuaded by anything.  Now it was my turn to sigh heavily.

“Hold up you wrist.”

As I let my teeth sink into her soft, human flesh I felt sick to my stomach.  I had tried for years to subdue my desire for human flesh.  As soon as I moved back to Twinbrook I switched entirely to Plasma Juice.  Tasting human flesh again felt like tasting… heaven.  Stop.  I HAD to stop.  Opal needed enough blood to survive.  I pulled away and the deed was done.  My sister was just days away from joining me in the world of the undead.

******************************************************************************************************************************************

I couldn’t believe my eyes – and judging from the gleeful giggles from Marina and Sapphire, they were just as shocked as I was!  We were standing in my parents’ bedroom – the room where they had moved Mom for her last few weeks of life.  We had all been preparing to lose her… and now, here she was… standing up, looking so alive!

“Now, if we just had Aqua back home, our family would be perfectly complete,”  Dad whispered as he stroked Mom’s hair.  But I could see something was different.  Something about Mom had changed, and I wasn’t going to have to wait long to find out.

“We should tell the kids,” Mom said, taking a seat back on the bed.  I could see she was still feeling weak, although she looked infinitely better than she had just a few days ago. 

“Tell us what?” I piped up before Dad could protest.  I could see he wasn’t too thrilled with the idea, but Mom looked determined.

“You deserve the truth…”  She took a deep breath, “I’m a vampire, now.”

There was a collective gasp from my sisters and me as Mom and Dad let the news sink in. 

“What’s it going to be like to have a vampire for a Mom?” Marina asked out loud before she could stop herself.  I snorted.

“Better than have NO Mom at all, Marina… jeez.”  *facepalm*

And that was about all it took to ease the tension…. we had never been a very “normal” family… our Dad was brought back from the dead, we already had an Aunt who returned from Bridgeport a vampire so now we just had to adjust to the idea of having a vampire mother as well.  I guess you could say Generation 5 of the Pie family is… well… adaptable!

*******************************************************************************************************************************************

After we all got over the shock of seeing Mom in Vampire form, life was pretty much back to normal.  She insisted I wash the dishes, make my bed, and get my algebra grade up to a B.  I would have complained more if it didn’t give me the perfect excuse to try to get to know the mystery girl a little better.  I was at the library almost every day.  Finally, I decided it was time to talk to her.

“Hey… uh… pretty nice weather we’re having, don’t you think?”  I blurted as soon as I got close to her. 

She closed her book and looked up as me curiously.

“Um, yea… I guess.”

I panicked… what else was there to say?  What should I do?

“Okay, I gotta go.”

Before she could say anything, I turned and practically bolted out of the library.

*********************************************************************************************************************************************

Over the next few weeks, I did my research on my mystery girl when I was in the safety of the classroom.  By talking to various people, I managed to learn a bit more about her.   Her name was Lavender Pearberry and she never dated ANYBODY and… well, that’s all I really knew.  Other than the fact that she seemed to love reading.

After our awkward meeting in the library, Lavender took to reading in the park under one of the Ash trees.  Against my better judgement… I kind of followed her there when I was done studying at the library.  She looked so relaxed and unintimidating that I actually struck up the nerve to introduce myself. 

She’s just a girl!  I told myself over and over… What’s the worst that could happen?

“Um, hello!!  Are you following me?”   Before I could even say a word, Lavender had turned to face me.  I could practically feel the daggers from her furious gaze. 

“Uh, no!  No, I umm…. I just – always see you when I’m at the library and…. uh… well… I’m Indigo.  Indigo Pie.”

“Right.  Well, congratualtions…you’ve officially creeped me out.  Now, stop. following. me.” 

 And before I could say another word, she turned and stormed away, muttering under her breath.

How could I have been so STUPID!

Stupid, stupid, STUPID!

 

*******************************************************************************************************************************************

After the whole Lavender incident, I tried to keep myself occupied but I was having very little success.  The only bright side to the whole situation was that my grades actually improved since I started doing my homework with Sapphire.  (I would have done homework with Marina, but she didn’t actually have to do any to keep her grades up… sometimes I wouldn’t mind being a genius…) *sigh*

“So, I uh – heard you’ve been stalking Lavender Pearberry.  Nice, Indi… real nice.”  I could see a twinkle in Sapphire’s eye as she teased me. 

“I swear I wasn’t stalking her… I just – wanted to introduce myself.”

“Well, whatever your excuse is, it sounds like you were kind of a creeper… so lay off, okay?  How am I supposed to get a date if my older brother has a reputation as a stalker?”

“Well, if she wasn’t so difficult to get to know… ugh.  How’d you hear about what happened anyway?”

“It just so happens that Lavender told me herself.”

“You KNOW her?!”

“Uh…duh.  We’re in P.E. together every Tuesday and Thursday… she’s just shy, ya know…”

Once again, I felt the urge to slap myself in the face.  Of course Sapph and Marina would know Lavender… they’re in the same grade… *sigh*  Why did I insist on making things so difficult for myself.  I could have just asked my sisters to introduce me… Berry, I felt dumb.

“Ugh!  I’m SO stupid!  Now I just look like an idiot…”

“What’s the square root of 124?  It’s 12, right?  Look, if you’re THAT into her… maybe I could mention something.”

“What would you say?”

“I dunno… I’d probably just tell her you were acting like an idiot, but you’d really just like to get to know her better.  Like I said, she’s super sweet… she’s just shy.”

As I finished up my homework I was feeling slightly better… I knew little sisters had to be good for something.  I was almost looking forward to school tomorrow…!

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I was standing at the counter that evening after dinner when Dad approached me with a stack of dishes.

“Yea, yea… I know… it’s my night for dishes.  I’ll get ’em, Dad.” 

“Well, if you’re offering, I certainly won’t say no… but I actually was coming over here to tell you that I went ahead and signed you up for guitar lessons on my way home from work this afternoon.” 

I almost choked on my burger.  “Sewwiouswly!”  I exclaimed… my mouth full of food.  Dad chuckled.

“Yep.  Mom and I have been impressed with the effort you’ve been putting into your school work.  Think of the lessons as a trial… if you’re grades start going down again…”

“They won’t!!”

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A week later, I found myself sitting in the waiting room of my new guitar studio.  I have to admit, I was starting to feel a little less than thrilled.  Everything was… well, purple.  And girly.  This was definitely NOT the kind of rock’n’roll guitar studio I had imagined.  I sighed… it took my long enough to convince Mom and Dad I was ready for lessons, so I might as well give it a try.

The door to the waiting room opened….

“Are you Indigo?” 

“Yep, that’s me.”

“Awesome.  I’m Peony and I’ll be your teacher… well, I guess I should let you know that I use that term rather loosely… You’re old enough that we could probably just spend a few hours a week jamming and you’ll notice some significant progress.  What’d’ya say?”

Honestly, I was kind of relieved.  She seemed cool… down to earth.  I was half expecting to see a hippie chic wanting to sing nursery rhymes or something.  I smiled at her.

“Sounds great.”

She opened the door to the studio a bit wider and motioned for me to follow her in.

I took one look around and promptly tripped over my own feet.

“Lavender?!”

Sure enough, Lavender was up on the make-shift stage standing behind a giant bass.  She grinned at me sheepishly.

“Uh, hey Indigo…”

“Oh, cool!  You two already know each other!” Peony piped in, “Lavender is my little sister… well, half-sister, really.  But she’s here almost as often as she’s at the library, right Lav?”

When I was finally able to get my heart back under control I tried to smile… unfortunately it was more difficult than it sounds.  My hands were clammy and I felt like I was going to throw up.  Why was I letting one silly girl make me feel like this.  Get yourself under control, idiot!

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