The Beautiful Stars (Chapter 23)

[Audren]

Aw, what a sweet courtship.  Can you recolor the birthday cakes??  I had no idea!

Unfortunately they are CC. If anyone would like the link, feel free to PM me. (I so wish that they were in game! Let's hope that little detail is better in TS4!)

Apparently, the cakes are CC, but DeKilte can send you a link to where you can find them.

[DeKilte]

Chapter 8
The next few days were calm for our household. I painted on the patio in the chill fall air...

...Xander took up a practice called Chemistry...

...Agnes sculpted while listening to an item she called a "Multitab" (modern technology is so "cool"! That's a modern word I learned! It can mean extraordinary or cold. I'm not sure how the two got mixed together.)

...Emma and Connor got to know each other a little more. (Come on, Connor! Make your move!)...

...Bessie went to the theater to play guitar (when she wasn't painting)...

…and Mr. Clavell relaxed and watched something called a "television" (as usual).

Everything was going smoothly for our little group until one day…

Rest in Peace, Buster R. Clavell age 90

[DeKilte]

Chapter 9

After Mr. Clavell's death, Xander tried to help keep his mom's spirits up, but she seemed lost without Buster. She told me they had been married for almost 60 years. They had married on her young adult birthday, right after high school.  She stopped playing guitar, stopped painting. She would lay on the couch in their apartment and just stare at the wall.

Xander told me he was worried about her. She stopped talking to anyone the day after Buster's death. She just laid on the couch and stared. Agnes seemed to understand. She said she had sat next to Erik's grave for days following his death, even falling asleep there a few times. She told me in private that she didn't think Bessie would make it through this. She and Buster had been together for so long, and loved so much, that it might not be possible for her to deal with life without him.

She was right. Just two days after Mr. Clavell's death, Bessie passed on as well. As the death sparkles surrounded her and she began to float, she smiled down at her wedding ring. She knew she would be seeing her husband again soon.
Rest in Peace Bessie M. Clavell Age 458

Note: Ouch. Two Sim deaths in a very short period of time. Poor Xander was 10 hours away from losing the moodlet from Buster's death when Bessie passed on! I decided to get all the bad over with all at once for us.
Next up, someone finally makes his move

[RaiaDraconis]

Goodbye, elder Clavells...and poor Xander.

[Gwendy]

Rest in Peace Bessie M. Clavell Age 458

Woah, wait, WHAT?! 

[DeKilte]

Woah, wait, WHAT?! 

Ask me no questions, I tell you no lies. I will say that you'll understand later on in the story though!

[Nettlejuice]

I love this dynasty! Your writing drew me in, and it's great you didn't do the whole 'meet future spouse one second into the game and get hitched' lol.

I've noticed a few typos and spelling mistakes, that's all I can critique, and you left me wanting more!

Looking forward to Emma and Connor, I adore their new looks! And Bessie's age... Please update soon <3

[DeKilte]

Chapter 10

There is a spot in Sunset Valley that is completely silent. No voices, no bustling cars, no roaring waterfall or lapping waves. Just silence. It is Connor Frio's favorite spot.
He loved the stillness, the ability to hear himself think. Away from everything in the world… except there was one thing this place lacked.
Emma.
Ever since he was a kid, he'd had a crush on the beautiful Emma Hatch. He had never understood what attracted him to the older girl, but she was all he could think about most days. As he grew older, he had resigned himself to being alone, fearing that if he talked to her, she would reject him.
But then… Izarra Bellanova had invited him to live in her house… with Emma. His heart had skipped a beat and his cheeks burned red as he accepted. The day he'd moved in, Emma had sat next to him at dinner. Neither one of them had said a word to the other, but Connor kind of liked that.
As the days past and the weather grew colder, they found each other spending more and more time together.
Then, when Mr. and Mrs. Clavell had died… Connor had finally gotten up the courage he needed. He asked Emma to meet him at his special spot that night.

It was so quiet up here that he could hear both their breaths. He could hear the sound of the snow falling, the wind whistling through the trees. But most of all, he could hear the sound of his heart, about to beat out of his chest.
"Emma, I've been wanting to talk to you."
"Oh? About what Connor?"
"I wanted to tell you... you are the most beautiful woman I've ever met. I've thought that since I was a little kid… I was just always to scared to tell you."
"That's funny…"
"Funny?!" Connor could feel his breath catch. She thought it was funny that he thought she was beautiful. She was going to laugh at him. He'd been a compete fool to think...
"Yes, funny. Funny because even as a teenager, I always noticed Jared Frio's shy little brother. I always thought you were cute and sweet. Now that I've gotten to know you, I think you're funny and charming as well."
Connor stared in shock for a moment.
"Seriously?"
"Yes," said Emma with a small chuckle.
"So if I said I wanted to kiss you and ask you to be my girlfriend?"
"I would most definitely say yes to both!"
Connor made a mental note to pinch himself later… but for now, he didn't want this dream to end. He pulled Emma into his arms…

This spot… this would definitely always be his favorite spot.

Note: 10 chapters in my question to you guys is: What has been your favorite part of the story so far? What part was your least favorite? What could improve the story?
More Connor and Emma goodness in a few chapters. If anyone is wondering, Connor's spot is Simhenge.
Next chapter has an answer to the question burning everyone's mind... Why was Bessie so old? Comments may or may not encourage me to post the next chapter tonight.

[molly4000]

You used 2 of my favorite sims! Hopefully some super cute red-headed nooboos coming from Conner and Emma. I also can't wait to see how Bessie got so old!

[Nettlejuice]

That was beautiful <3 Now to wait for nooboos and Bessie ^.^

[DeKilte]

I love this dynasty! Your writing drew me in, and it's great you didn't do the whole 'meet future spouse one second into the game and get hitched' lol.

I've noticed a few typos and spelling mistakes, that's all I can critique, and you left me wanting more!

Looking forward to Emma and Connor, I adore their new looks! And Bessie's age... Please update soon <3

That was beautiful <3 Now to wait for nooboos and Bessie ^.^

I missed your first comment  Meeting the spouse right at the start the game and getting married right away is kind of a pet peeve of mine. I prefer for them to get to court, get engaged, then have a wedding. Now, that's not saying I won't have a generation with a whirlwind romance, elopement, or shot-gun wedding... As for nooboos... let's get these kids hitched first! lol

You used 2 of my favorite sims! Hopefully some super cute red-headed nooboos coming from Conner and Emma. I also can't wait to see how Bessie got so old!

All in time... and the time to reveal how Bessie got so old starts... Now:

[DeKilte]

Chapter 11
Sunday, Xander and I went to City Hall for the reading of Buster and Bessie's wills.

The Last Will and Testament of
Buster Ransom Clavell

I,  Buster R. Clavell, an adult residing at 15 Summerhill Court, Sunset Valley, Simnation being of sound mind, declare this to be my last will and testament.  I revoke all wills and codicils previously made by me.
I devise, bequeath, and give my collection helper to my son, Xander. I also give him the contents of security box #973 in City Hall.

Signed,
Buster Clavell

The Last Will and Testament of
Bessie Marie Clavell

I, Bessie M. Clavell, an adult residing at 15 Summerhill Court, Sunset Valley, Simnation being of sound mind, declare this to be my last will and testament.  I revoke all wills and codicils previously made by me.
I devise, bequeath, and give the proceeds from the sale of the Fountain of Youth, which I discovered as a young girl, to my son, Xander, and his wife, Izarra. May they spend it well. I also leave Izarra the contents of security box #105.

Signed
Bessie M. Clavell

The lawyer, a Mr. Atticus McCoy, handed Xander a device with a map of Sunset Valley with pinpoints of light on it, an envelope with his name on it, and a check for... $247,500?! He handed me an identical check, a familiar looking box, and an envelope with my name on it.

Xander was speechless. He stared at the check for a few moments.
"Did I read that right?" I asked. "Nearly half a million simoleons?" Mr. McCoy smiled slightly.

"Yes ma'am, you did. Mrs. Clavell was a teenager for some four hundred years before she met Mr. Clavell from what I understand. However, drinking from the fountain everyday made it impossible for her to have children, so she stopped drinking from it and sold it, putting the money aside. From what I understand, Mr. Clavell never knew."
"Thank you, Mr. McCoy," I said, dumbfounded.
"Mom was over 400 years old?!" Xander finally got out.
"Yes sir, about 450."
"Wow… I wonder what it would be like to live that long," Xander muttered. I thought for a moment… 450 years… Bessie had been around since I was a girl… Bessie… Bessie…

"Iz! Wait up!"
"Come on, Bess!"
Bess…

Bessie! How could I not have seen! We'd been girls together. She was Nanny's daughter. Why didn't she tell me?
I opened my envelope with trembling fingers. Next to me Xander was doing the same.

My dear Iz,
By now you have probably realized who I am. I was so shocked and happy when you appeared on my doorstep. After you disappeared (and caused quite the havoc. Your mother and father thought you had been kidnapped) I thought I'd probably never see you again. The fountain we found that day when we were playing? It was the Fountain of Youth! I didn't realize how much my aging slowed when I drank from it until my late teens… when I began to drink from it every day. I lived for centuries, changing my appearance and moving towns as necessary, but I still drank just a sip of the water everyday… until I came to Sunset Valley about 65 years ago. When I met Buster, I decided I'd become a young adult finally. I allowed myself to age and became a young adult the same day as Buster. I found out shortly afterward that I was pregnant… but I lost the baby the moment I drank from the fountain. I decided then to never drink from it again, and to just age naturally with Buster until we died.
I know you will be good to my Xander. I hope you have a wonderful child of your own soon. It was truly a joy to see you again, and to get to see Xander get married.
I'll see you at the end, my friend.
My love forever,
Bess

I love you, too, Bess. I'll see you at the end.

So? Did it live up to your expectations? Comment below and let me know! Sneak peek to whoever can tell me how the lawyer got his name. 

[RaiaDraconis]

Wow...Bessie's letter left me a bit misty-eyed. That was beautiful. It adds a whole new dimension to the tale now that we know Bessie and Izarra were old friends.

Now--here's hoping for nooboos soon.

[Gwendy]

Sneak peek to whoever can tell me how the lawyer got his name. 

Star Trek: The Original Series? McCoy was the pilot, right?

[Trip]

That's sheer genius. Really. And it didn't live up to my expectations; it greatly exceeded them. I guessed that maybe Bessie had some immortality of her own once you wrote her age, but seriously, I didn't see her being Iz's old friend or her reasons for giving up immortality. Well done!