Epilogue – The Road Goes Ever On and OnTwo years later...
A woman in her mid-sixties sat down and slowly opened the laptop on her desk. She clicked on a familiar link in her web browser and, thinking for a few moments, began to type:
“Greetings, my friends.
Old habits die hard, it seems. Although we agreed that we would not continue my mother's weblog after her passing, Iris had the idea that perhaps we should at least give some closure to it. Indeed, it would be a shame to leave things on such a somber note.
Aunt Darlene and uncle Malcolm are still doing well. They are both in their early eighties now and show no sign whatsoever of giving in to old age. Neither of them know just how much longer they have together, but they plan to make the most of it. Their most recent travels have taken them to Egypt and they are planning yet another excursion to France
...that is, once my aunt has completely recovered from her run-in with the trampoline. Three broken bones and a concussion. Her luck hasn't really changed much, I'm afraid.
Uncle Malcolm has taken up writing in his spare time and has found that he has quite the knack for fantasy. One of the main characters in his current novel is a fair-haired knight who rescues a runaway princess from the evil king and queen. Hmm, I wonder who could have influenced that character...
Iris ultimately decided to retire from the police force. Not one to rest on her laurels, though, she opened up her own martial arts academy. As of this writing she has twenty students, some from as far away as Appaloosa Plains, training under her expertise.
Her new hobby is breaking space rocks with her bare hands. I don't know how she does it, but so far she has managed to recover quite the cache of gemstones in the process.
Timothy's success as the CEO of Landgraab Industries brought the company to heights never seen even under Nancy's reign. Fresh from his success, he decided to try his hand at politics and was recently elected mayor of Sunset Valley.
When asked if he would run for higher office, Timothy just shook his head. “I have better things to do with my time,” he told the press.
Timothy and Iris are the happiest they have been in a long time. It took Iris leaving the force for them to realize just how focused on work the both of them had become, and they vowed from there on out that family, not the business, would take precedent.
Madeleine is growing like a weed and is looking more and more like her mother every day.
She is still very much attached to that doll despite Iris's efforts to get her to give it up. “No, Mom! He's going to be real someday!” Maddie insists. Ah, the imagination of children.
Marcus and Eugenia are still living here and seem to have no plans of moving. Eugenia is working on her residency at Sacred Spleen and hopes to eventually focus on pediatric care. Though...there has been a slight delay in her plans.
Meet Ethan Alexander Landgraab, Marc and Eugenia's four-month-old son. He is simply adorable, and Marcus is absolutely enamored with him.
The last few years have really established Marcus's standing as a private investigator. He has managed to solve every case that has been thrown his way and has assisted the police department more than once with their own investigations.
There is one case, though, that still eludes him to this day: he still does not know the identity of the “S.A.” mentioned in the Warehouse e-mails. Every lead has turned up exactly nothing. He has investigated every single sim in town with the letter “A” as a last initial, to no avail. (“Just how many Alvis live in Sunset Valley, anyway?”) He finally conclusively determined that this person does not reside in Sunset Valley at this time, and is doubtful that he or she ever has.
Whomever this “S.A.” is, he or she would be wise not to try anything foolish. Marcus is nothing if not persistent...and he is just as stubborn as his mother.
Amaya has opened a salon of her own in Bridgeport, where she is starting to gain quite the reputation. A few of her fashion designs were published in the latest edition of Sims Fashionista Quarterly. That publicity gave her quite the boost in her clientele and has brought a number of celebrities to her salon.
Including her own husband. Ever since playing co-star to Matthew Hamming in last summer's blockbuster “Sims of Fire”, Roman has become the talk of the town. So far no children yet, though the two of them have adopted a little kitten. Aunt Darlene just shakes her head whenever she thinks about it. “I have three granddaughters, two grandsons, and a grandcat.
Lovely, isn't it?”
Devon and Nadia continue to inhabit the old estate and have filled it with all manner of crazy innovations. Both of them still swear that an alien invasion is coming and continue Devon's campaign to rid Sunset Valley of all telescopes and meteorites. So far their efforts have proven fruitless. “There is no proof that either of the items in question serves to attract alien attention,” so it was said.
Strange as they are, Devon and Nadia are just as loving and as sweet a couple as I have seen. To quote Iris, “They're almost as bad as Mom and Dad.”
Despite her decidedly crazy parents Electra has turned out to be a relatively normal young lady. She seems to have a mind for numbers, something that has gotten the attention of her uncle Timothy. He has taken her under his wing in hopes that she will run the family business one day.
Lex (as she prefers to be called) has also started dating a sweet boy by the name of Shea Koffi. Eight months in and they are already discussing the idea of moving in together, though part of me wonders if she just wants out of the house. Still though, they are a lovely couple, and I wish them the best.
Angelia is taking after her dad in more ways than one.
She has an innate sense of curiosity, but a not-so-innate sense of danger. Just in the last six months Angelia has managed to set herself, the workbench, the patio, and her brother on fire. We can only hope that she doesn't manage to blow up the estate in her quest for knowledge.
Poor Zach just tries to stay out of his sister's way. Most of the time you can find him lounging about in the den watching movies, though on rare occasions he does come over to visit. Despite his apparent lazy streak he is managing decently well in school, though it is clear that academics are not his first love.
Amaya has suggested acting classes to expand on his love of film, but Devon isn't so sure, and Zach doesn't seem too inclined to move...
Despite my reservations Zoey remains in the fire brigade. I would have thought after her close call she would have quit, but Zoey just shrugged it off, saying that “It's all part of the job.” Thanks to a recent promotion, though, I don't have to worry quite as much. As the new fire chief she is now more on the coordinating end of things. Her bravery has not gone unnoticed by the city, and upon her promotion a celebration was held in her honor at City Hall.
Not long after Mom's passing Andrew got word that he was being promoted to Captain, and that he would be taking a permanent post here in Sunset Valley. To say that Zoey was excited would be an understatement. Those long months apart from one another were finally coming to an end.
But their joy was rather short-lived, because not even a week later they were thrown a serious curveball when Andrew's father fell seriously ill. Mortimer was hospitalized for three weeks with complications from pneumonia, and for a while no one was sure if he was even going to survive. He managed to pull through, but was weakened significantly by the experience.
After much debate the decision was made for Andrew and Zoey to move back to Goth Manor. It was a bittersweet moment, having my baby girl move from the only home she has ever known...but we all agreed that it was the right thing for them to do.
Celestine and Hadrian continue to grow and thrive. At nine years old Hadrian has already sold his first few paintings. Being the great-grandson of Sunset Valley's premier artist certainly helps his publicity, but in truth his works stand on their own. He really is quite good.
On the other hand, Celestine dreams of making it big in professional sports. All of her life she has heard of the great accomplishments of her great-grandpa Leighton and wants nothing more than to follow in his footsteps. Zoey loves her determination, though she does wish that she didn't have to coerce her into doing her homework.
I am very excited to report that Celestine and Hadrian are about to get a new little brother or sister. Zoey is nine months pregnant and due at any time now.
Bella couldn't possibly be more excited. This will make her and Mortimer's eighth grandchild, and she makes time for every one of them.
It should go without saying that Andrew is absolutely thrilled.
Kenji took over from uncle Ian upon his retirement and so far things are going well. The combination bistro/sushi bar/pastry shop idea, while a bit off-the-wall, has really taken off. “It's never boring when you are making a spicy tuna roll one minute and chocolate ganache the next.”
His key lime pie, though, is what really put the restaurant on the map. It might even beat out Mom's, and that is saying a lot.
Kenji has plenty of help from his wife, who keeps the restaurant supplied with only the freshest of fish. Theirs is a profitable partnership, both personally and professionally. Karina enjoys the freedom allowed her by her chosen profession, particularly when it comes to taking care of Felicia...and the newest addition to their family.
Friends, please give a warm welcome to my newest grandson, Arthur.
Felicia is doing quite well in school and, so it seems, has taken after her mother. The last time I was over to visit she told me that she wants “a giant aquarium with tons of fish and lobsters and clams and kelp and sand and pretty rocks, too!”
The word excitable hardly even begins to describe her. Felicia is truly a love.
As for Judd and I, we're still doing quite well. Judd recently debuted a symphony in honor of my late parents. “Two Worlds, One Heart” opened to rave reviews and has already sold thousands of copies on CD and easily twice that number in digital downloads. Mom and Dad would have enjoyed the tribute, I think. It really is quite beautiful, though I would expect no less from such a talented musician as my husband.
At sixty-six Judd is still composing and has no plans of stopping anytime soon. Every morning I am awakened by the pleasant sound of him playing the piano in the foyer. It is a far cry better than a noisy alarm clock.
After over forty years of work in the science lab I have finally retired. Don't think that I plan on sitting idle, however. I am giving guest presentations at the school once per week to promote their science program, which I must say is one of the most enjoyable things that I have ever done. It is my new goal in life to prove that science really is fun, no matter how many beakers I have to destroy to do it.
Of course, having four grandchildren with a fifth on the way definitely takes up plenty of my time. One thing is for certain: retirement is certainly not boring.
I still visit Mom and Dad every so often. It still feels so strange that they are gone. Sometimes I swear I still hear them talking in their room at night, or the sound of their laughter somewhere off in the distance. It reminds me that, even though they are no longer here, they are still very much a part of us, who we are. Indeed, those we love never truly leave us, and in some way, I know that they are still watching.
We are their legacy, a legacy of love...and I believe that they would be proud.
Signing off, and wishing you all the best,
Elysia May Bunch Sekemoto”
--
She glanced over the text on the screen and clicked the “Submit” button. The sixty-third and final entry into the family chronicle was finished, and the tale that began with her mother and father so many decades before had finally come to its conclusion.
At that moment the door practically flew open, revealing her smiling and very excited husband.
“Ells, Andrew just called. Zoey is going into labor!”
Elysia quickly closed the laptop and got to her feet. “Let me grab my coat. Call Kenji and see if he can meet us there.” As she reached for the jacket on her bed, she couldn't help but smile.
A brand new life, a brand new story, was about to begin.
---
Author's Final Notes:
Wow. I can't believe this is actually over. This has been far and away the largest writing project that I have ever undertaken, and to be perfectly honest, one of only a few that I have ever completed. Before this I hadn't written anything in well over four years.
A big thank you and hugs to everyone who has read and commented over the past several months. Truly, you guys are an inspiration and encouraged me to continue even through the rough spots. Another giant thank you to the mods and admins on this forum, because their hard work is part of what makes this such a pleasant place to be. We have such an amazing community of writers here, and I am so happy to be a part of it.
Where to from here? Well, I do have several ideas floating around in my head and have started writing on two of them. I do hope to bring Marcus back for his own side story, but in order to do what I really want to do I would need to purchase one of the worlds that I don't have just yet.
Rest assured...I won't be silent for too long. 
Wishing you all the best,
Raia
