Author’s Note: Please forgive the greenish lighting of the first three pictures. I usually have my lunar settings so that a full moon does not occur, but forgot in this case with this save and so, we were having a zombie apocalypse before I realized. 😛
Dear Diary, I’m so amazed every time I gaze at Rosetta and Holden. That something so perfect came from me still has my mind boggled. Every time I watch Xalen with them, I’m more certain than ever that he is as bewildered as I am.
I never want to forget this moment I have with my little family. The babies’ newborn cries, coos, and gurgles. Xalen’s soft words of comfort whispered into their little ears. It’s so precious, I could cry because I never knew such love and happiness before now.
Which is quite the opposite of how I felt when I learned I was pregnant in the first place. Back then, I was scared and uncertain. I didn’t want to ruin Xalen’s life and so I followed my first reaction and broke up with him.
I never particularly wanted children, or to even get married. And for the most part, never considered myself the motherly type. Yet having these little ones in my charge makes me realize how much I want to protect them and give them the family they deserve. It also has brought with it the understanding of how much Xalen cares about us. At this moment, I can’t believe I could ever have wondered where his priorities would lie.
“I wish you would change your mind,” he said to me now in that vague hint of an accent he possessed.
“It’s just that I shouldn’t leave them.”
Smiling softly at me, he said, “It would be good for you to get out for a little while. Besides, it is high time I introduced you to the Neptune Foundation and what it is I do.”
Since the twins arrived, he’d been by our sides and ignoring his work. While I was anxious to learn all about the Neptune Foundation, I had serious reservations about leaving the babies home while I was out.
Changing gears, Xalen said, “I want to share everything with you, Marty. This is an important part of me you need to see.”
Susan had already agreed to watch Rosetta and Holden so I couldn’t use the excuse of not trusting a babysitter. She was more than capable.
“Well, all right. I admit I am curious.”
It was a long drive and once we arrived, I was sure Xalen was playing a joke on me. As he pulled the car into the driveway, I studied the immense mansion in front of us that sat high on a cliff, overlooking the city.
“What is this?”
“A very big house,” he said with a smile.
“Smart-aleck. No kidding, but what is it?”
“This house is where I live. It also contains the offices for the Neptune Foundation… and other things.”
“Other things?”
Taking my arm, he directed me up the driveway and inside the hulking structure.
The foyer was no less impressive than the outside of the house. I began to feel very small as I gazed from one thing to another.
The staircase before me was about four times wider than any I’d ever seen and the foyer itself was surrounded by two enormous halls. Each hall was at least the size of my kitchen and dining room put together.
“You live here.”
“Yes, with three others who are also a part of the foundation. I spent a great deal of my childhood here during the times my parents weren’t traveling as well as the times they deemed their mission too dangerous to bring me along.”
“Mission? You mean the dig sites they went to?”
Xalen hesitated briefly before finally saying, “They went to some dig sites, yes.”
Sighing loudly, I said, “I’m afraid I don’t understand what you’re getting at.”
“I know. I have gone through this moment in my head so many times yet I still haven’t figured out the best way to explain it. Perhaps I should take you to the control room.”
This was all becoming too much. I was beginning to feel like I was in a spaceship instead of a house.
Anxiously, I looked down one of the great halls. There was nothing at the end but a large bookcase. It reminded me of the secret bookcases in the caves at the St. Cyr house in Winchester where I’d grown up. We weren’t supposed to play down there, but of course, Theo and I did all the time. Figuring out how the bookcases worked to let us pass into the next room had been a childhood endeavor I could not resist.
“Not that way,” Xalen said as he motioned for me to follow him down the other great hall to a door.
I looked back at the bookcase as my curiosity heightened. “Is that a secret bookcase back there?” I dared to ask.
Laughing, he said, “Of course not. Do not be silly.”
Standing directly in front of the door, a red beam scanned his eyes and the door appeared to dissolve in midair! Taking my hand, he pulled me through the space in the wall that was now visible.
I wanted to point out that laughing at a secret bookcase idea seemed the silly thing since I’d just seen a door dissolve but it didn’t seem the right time since I was left completely breathless by my new surroundings. Glancing behind me, it appeared the door had returned. But then, it had never left, had it?
“The door is a hologram and the only way in is through an iris scan. Our work is very important and must be protected at all cost,” Xalen explained. “If you join us, I will see you are cleared to enter.”
This wasn’t the first time Xalen had asked me to join whatever the Neptune Foundation was. At the moment, I was too awed to respond with appropriate questions.
Walking further into the room, I noticed a huge conference table with computers…
… and just beyond that, a staircase to the left and one to the right.
Turning around and looking up, I saw that we were in a three-story library with books from floor to ceiling.
“Marty! It’s so wonderful to see you again!” Shelly Bingham exclaimed as she pulled me into a warm hug.
I’d been so dazzled with everything around me, I hadn’t even realized she was there.
After she let go of me, she chided Xalen. “You’re doing this all wrong. She’s so astonished and puzzled, she can’t even speak.”
“I did seem to flub this,” Xalen agreed.
Looking into my eyes, Shelly said, “I’m so glad you’re here. Welcome to the base.”
“The base?”
“Xalen is so bad with words sometimes, he hasn’t really told you anything,” she laughed. “The Neptune Foundation is a philanthropic entity. We study antiques and relics that the foundation donates to the Holden and Eliza Sprague Collection. I can’t wait for you to see that!”
“Me, too,” I mumbled. This was beginning to make sense in a way. I knew that Xalen’s parents had both been doctors and their names were Holden and Eliza. “And this is where you study the pieces that are donated?”
“Yes, but there’s more. The Neptune Foundation is really a guise… um, a front for what we really do. You are standing in the control room of one of the bases of what we call The Inheritance.”
Seeing my confusion, a man stepped forward and began speaking. “Hi, I’m Daniel. The best way to describe The Inheritance is by saying it’s a centuries-old society known only to its members.”
“These members are hand-picked by each base leader who we call the ‘steward’ and there are bases or divisions of our society all over the world,” Shelly said.
“What – what exactly do you do?”
“We solve paranormal problems, usually that are associated with the various relics, but not always,” Shelly said.
Trying to wrap my brain around all of this, I looked at Xalen. “What is it you do in this society?”
“I’m this base’s steward, Marty, as was my father before me.”
“He’s also the chairman of the Neptune Foundation,” another man said.
“This is Owen,” Daniel said.
As I gazed from Daniel to Shelly, to Owen, then Xalen, I could hardly believe what I was hearing.
“Are you all right?” Xalen asked, his eyes full of concern.
“I keep wanting to pinch myself,” I said.
“You’re not dreaming,” he said.
Owen and Daniel excused themselves to work on something…
… and Shelly turned to Xalen now.
“I’ve figured out the Jennis case.”
“What did you find?”
“As far as I can tell, there was nothing paranormal happening there. The vibrations from the infrasound of some local wind turbines most likely caused the sensations that a ghost was present.”
“Interesting,” Xalen said. “And it was the infrasound that caused feelings of disorientation and chills down the spines in the residents of the Jennis house?”
“I’m certain of it.”
“Good work, Shelly.”
After the tour around the control room, Xalen decided to show me around some of the rest of the house. I say “some” because it was too large to see everything at once.
Down one of the wings on the second floor, we came to a brightly lit nursery which was quite a contrast from the rest of the house.
“This room has been like this since I can remember and is actually the first room I recall as a child,” Xalen said.
Then he showed me a huge adjoining room that he called the “rest of the nursery” but I would have simply called it the playroom.
I was completely lost by the time we got to the third floor. I’m pretty sure we used a back staircase to get to the suite of rooms that were Xalen’s. He told me his parents had once used these rooms but they were now his.
Wandering through a closed door at the end of the suite’s sitting room, I found myself staring three stories down at the control room below. It was quite dizzying!
Xalen protectively took my arm and led me through a door at the end of the balcony that revealed his opulent office.
What he really looked forward to showing me, though, was the gym. I couldn’t help but notice his wide smile when I saw the practice dummy.
“Oh my!” I said.
“I know how you are striving for physical perfection. Wouldn’t this room be perfect? Daniel is a black belt and I could arrange for him to continue your training.”
“I – I need air,” I stammered. This was all becoming too much to absorb.
Xalen quickly took action, bringing me down narrow stairways and to the back garden. The cold Fall breeze hit me in the face, turning my cheeks red but it was what I needed. I stood near the fence, gulping the fresh air in.
“You must see now why I had such difficulty telling you about this,” Xalen said.
“It’s hard to understand and pretty overwhelming.”
“From the moment I met you, I could sense you would be a good fit here. Then, years later when you saw Julia’s ghost and could hear her, too… Well, I knew then I was not wrong.”
Staring at the city below, I whispered, “Why could I see and hear her?”
“I do not know for certain. I suspect it has something to do with what happened with your great-uncle Mango and then your grandfather Leo and what they went through.”
My eyes widened and I felt my heart speed up. “You know about that?”
“Intimately, although we only monitored that situation. There was no need for us to step in unless Mango could not figure out he had the power to heal Leo.”
“Are you part of that lab that did that to Mango?”
“No, not at all. That lab is gone now and will not hurt anyone else.”
I had a feeling Xalen and the rest of The Inheritance team had a hand in ending that lab.
Suddenly, a thought entered my head that I didn’t like. “Xalen, how long have you been following me? Was our meeting in Longview really by chance?”
As if sensing my irritation, he looked away briefly. “I met you in Longview by chance, I swear to it. Although, when we shared pizza that day and you told me where you were from and who your grandfather was, I realized who you were. My parents had a great interest in your family but after Leo was healed and Mango died, they withdrew from watching you all. Our interest in this society is strictly focused on situations that can bring harm to the world.”
Accepting this explanation for now, I asked him, “What is it you want from me exactly?”
Embracing my shivering body, he said into my ear, “I want you to be a part of this. I want us to be a team together. Can you see yourself living here with our children, being a family and working on something important together?”
As the warmth from his body seeped into my chilled flesh, I realized he called the babies “ours” and it did more to melt my heart than the heat from his body ever could.
Still, I couldn’t give him a definite answer.
“I need to think about this and what it means.”
As if satisfied with this, he smiled tenderly at me. “I’m glad to see that you are not jumping in feet first. It is a lot to consider.”
“You’re right about that.”
“Whatever you decide, my darling, we will work this out with our family. I will make sure of that.”
They were the sweetest words I’d ever heard except for the time he told me he loved me. This was a lot to absorb and a huge decision that would affect my children, so I had to be certain it was the right thing to do.
Author’s Note: (Again! lol) If you didn’t already hear, I wanted to say that due to my internet outage from last Sunday to Thursday, and then because it was out again for some time on Friday (yesterday), I am really, really behind in reading your posts. However, I will be in the process of catching up as soon as I can. I look forward to this and cannot wait to get started. Please know that if I do not leave a comment, it is not because I don’t want to, it is because I have tons of blogs to catch up on and many of those have updated several times since I was last able to read.
Thanks so much for understanding. You are all wonderful! 🙂
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Oh yessssss!!!!!! My Supernatural heart is crying in ecstasy. <3 <3 <3 Ghosthuters! REAL LIVE GHOSTHUNTERS!!!!! *sigh*
Xaen is super sweet in this chapter. He wants it all to o perfectly, but he just can't quite get it all to come out right. Thank goodness Shelly was there to help. 🙂 Heck, if I were Marty, I'd move in to explore that whole house. Imagine all the stuff you can uncover.
That is a cool house, I gotta say.
YES!!! Ghosthunters for realz! lol 😀 I’m glad you like the turn this generation has taken. I’d never written anything supernatural like this before and I wondered how it would be received.
Xalen is Mr. SuperNerd. LOL He just wants Marty to be a part of it all so badly. If I was Marty, I’d do the same thing!
I love that house, too.
Oh, I was going to say, it’s the Lyonia house under Lots on my CC page if you are interested.
Very beautiful house you did 😀
Thank you so much. <3 I wish I could say I built that beauty of a house, but I can't build worth pickles. LOL I've tried, oh, how I've tried. lol That house is called Lyonia Mansion and was made by Yngven93 on TSR.
Waiting
Thank you for reading and commenting. 🙂
And Marty thought the house that Leo got for her was too big! Lol
Now this is absolutely overwhelming, and along with finding out that the Neptune Foundation knew about the situation with Mango, too, Marty definitely needs time to think! I’m glad Xalen reassured her that no matter what he will be there for her as a family. <3
Isn’t that funny about how big the house is and Marty was already uncomfortable in the house she lives in. haha
I agree about Marty needing time to think about all of this. I don’t think she really absorbed much. lol
I think Xalen is going to be someone who makes their family work and he won’t be pushy about having her join them.
The building is amazing! The entire thing — it really made everything feel so genuine. Did you build/make it over yourself or was it already in game/from somewhere else? I tend to build my sets for my game and wish I had the talent to make it look as good as that.
Those bookcases, though X_X
I’m interested in how the neptune foundation will impact on this family and their lives!
Thank you so much! 🙂 I love that building, too. And, no, sadly I couldn’t build a sim house even if my life was on the line. It would look pretty bad. hahaha I really envy that you’re able to build your sets. It’s from TSR – I’ve had a lot of inquiries and so ended up linking it on my WCIF page. I’ll be adding it to the CC page soon. 😀
I know what you mean about the bookcases! Another thing I like is that the oversized rooms make pic taking a lot easier.
As far as the Neptune Foundation goes, it’s going to impact them in a big way whether Marty joins or not. :O ;D
The house is immense,the interior is high standard. Did you created it? If the answer is yes you’re a wonderful builder.
Anyways despite the oddity of the Neptune Foundation because it’s so far different than being just archeologists that’s a safe place for children to live, they got space to hide and seek and to drive parents nuts ahaha. They got everything to study such the large libraries.
That’s cool Xalen is awared of her family without being too much intrusive.
—
Not in subject : if you don’t let me comments it’s okay my story doesn’t need comments.
Thank you so much 🙂 I wish I could build, but sadly, no, I did not make this house. You don’t even want to know what it looks like when I try to build something. :O LOL It’s not good! 😛
Oh, that is such a good point about the kids and what fun they could have there! I think that is something he should point out to Marty if she has hesitation to join. LOL
I am been excited to learn more about the Neptune Foundation since we first heard about it. But I never expected this!! WOW!!
On the other hand, I should know by now how you like to throw curve balls at us!
Thank you so much! 🙂 I’m glad I surprised you -and in a good way, too! LOL 😀
Wow, that sure is a magnificent house! I was just as amazed as Marty to learn that Xalen lives in it!
Ooh, the Neptune Foundation sounds very interesting indeed. Daniel and Owen seem quite nice. I do hope Marty joins so we can get more in depth with their work.
I can’t wait to learn more 🙂
Thank you, Lila! 🙂 I really am enjoying playing this house. My favorite is still Marty’s house, but this one is so much fun to be in and there is plenty of room to get pics.
This is going to be fun if Marty joins up, though. 😀
Oh wow, Xalen is a ghostbuster! I’m so excited to see how this all plays out. Marty and Xalen: the ghost catchers!
Thank you so much, Rosie 🙂 Yes! Xalen and his team are ghostbusters! hhaha I’m excited to see how this all plays out, too. And I’m also really looking forward to catching up on Gravity. <3
Romancing secrets! ….ahhhh!
Thank you so very much <3 I'm so glad you like the story.
Wow, I love the Neptune Foundation already! I really hope Marty joins so we can see more of it. Xalen is so good to her and the babies 🙂 I love this story so much!!
Thank you, Raymond. 🙂 It would be great if Marty joined because I think they’re adventures would be amazingly fun to explore. I’m so glad you love this story. Your comment has really encouraged me. <3
OMG, Xalen basically has my dream job. The Neptune Foundation sounds amazing.
I’d join in a heartbeat.
I hope Marty’s in.
Thank you so much, Violincat! 🙂 Xalen has my dream job, too. I hope I can represent the organization as awesomely as I imagine it. 😀 I’d join, too.
Oh goody! I was hoping we’d explore Mango’s strange phenomenon more and even if we don’t, the story is progressing to another realm \. Now, how will Susan fit in all this as I’m certain they are careful with whom they share things with? If she’s like the rest of the family, a secret door is something to break through. What to do with Susan… Hmmmmm?
Thank you so much, Jolie 😀 I’m so glad you liked the Mango angle to this. When I was first tossing around ideas back in Gen 3 about how this could have affected future generations, my husband said, “Maybe somehow it could have made Blue psychic?” That comment is really what spurred this whole thing to go in this direction.
You are so right about them keeping this organization under wraps. I imagine Marty is going to want to tell Susan and that might be a problem.
Never fear, though, I do have plans for Susan. 😀
I’m certain I’ll not be disappointed.
wow .. dang that is a HUGE house. The answer is yes dearie .. say yes to your sweet man!
Thank you, Lisa 🙂 You tell her! 😀
I tried but they don’t always listen to me
She really should this time, though! LOL
Lol I agree
I want that office for myself, man! Would they object if I move in? 😀
I’m so glad to see that they are working everything out and I hope that Xalen and Marty can truly be happy together.
LOL Thank you so much! I’ll have them fix up a room for you right away. 😀 And you can steal the office, too. haha
I hope Xalen and Marty can be truly happy together, too.
I love learning about all this ! Xalen and his team are awesome ! I’m curious: is the mansion laggy to play ?
Thank you so much, Cathy! 🙂 The mansion has not been laggy at all to play; it’s been just fine. Strangely, the ranch house that Mary lives in and I adore is often laggy.
😍 Daniel is sooooooooo cute. lol
Wow! That was a lot! And I’m sure we still don’t completely know it all! I wonder what exactly Marty would do there, and if her linguistic skills will be used. Or, maybe she’ll work in the front part? So many questions!
Thank you, Jes2! 😀 I can safely say that Marty’s linguistic skills will come in very handy with The Inheritance if she joins. I can’t wait to explore the possibilities if she decides to go with it!
Weeee!
I read what you said about answering us, and then there you are already!! =D I loved this chapter, and I am already ‘shipping’ Susan and Daniel!! I can’t wait to see what direction this goes, and the personalities of the twins. We all appreciate you and your work on this great story, and you just take all the time you need! We will all be here, holding our breaths!
Thank you so much, Marj 🙂 I meant I couldn’t get online this past week because our internet was out and that I have a load of blog posts from all of you I need to catch up on. Which I’ve been slowly doing since yesterday. 😀 Thank you so much for your encouraging words. I’m so glad you enjoyed this chapter and you just might be on the right track with plans for Daniel! 😀
This chapter was amazing from start to finish. From the actual building, to the pics you took and of course the continuing of the story. I couldn’t wait for you to reconcile the true story of Xalen, as you could just tell all this time, there was more to the story to be revealed. (and you kept it secret from your editor so well done) This is certainly up Marty’s alley so to speak, and won’t this be fun writing and of course playing. I’m hoping to see more ghosts!
Please tell me, you will reveal the actual daddy! Everyone so badly wants to know! Can not wait to see these children grown up as I believe they will be gorgeous with all their wonderful family genetics! Yum to the new character Daniel……..can we see more of him please!
Oh and secretly I want those leggings for myself. You can get great ones like that for kids, but not adults!
Thank you, Bee! 😀 I’m so glad you liked the chapter and, btw, it was terribly hard keeping this secret from you. hahaha I always want to spill everything to you. 😛
The daddy reveal will be in the next chapter! Woot!
As for Daniel, I have very special plans for him, so yes! You will be seeing a lot more of him. 😀
Well, I have never done this on my blog, but my sister sells Lularoe which have the most awesome and soft leggings ever! I’ll hook you up on FB. 😀
and I followed
Woot! 😀
oh and that’s okay cause I’ve been keeping a big secret from you too
I have suspected this! LOL You are so much better at keeping your lips sealed about your story than I am. haha
That house was amazing! I’m so glad he shared it with her. I think Marty will join him. She is too curious not to!
Thank you, Audrey! 🙂 You just might be right about Marty. I mean, it does seem right up her alley. lol
I’ve always loved her sense of adventure…her curiosity is peaked….
Yes, I’m surprised she was able to show any restraint at all. The twins have changed her jumping in feet first, but nothing can take away that thirst for adventure. 😀
“Whatever you decide, my darling, we will work this out with our family. I will make sure of that.” Just when I say I couldn’t love Xalen any more than I already do, he goes and says stuff like that to Marty and he makes me love him even more! He’s going to be the best husband snd dad, I’m sure of it! (which is why I’m really worried that something will happen to him, but I’ll choose not to listen to that little voice inside my head, lol!!)
I really hope Marty will accept his proposal because one, that house <3 and two, it seems like she was born for this – it's interesting to her plus she has the abilities to pull through.
Now I can't wait to learn what she'll decide, and to know who the father is (no, I haven't forgotten about that, lol)!! <3 <3
LOL Thank you so much, Sempreviva. 😀 The way I picture Xalen, which will most likely come out more in future chapters, is that as a lifelong bachelor, he’s been married to his work and has found that to be a bit lonely. I really like exploring his character.
I think you’re right that this seems right up Marty’s alley. lol She’ll make her decision very soon.
As for baby daddy…. next week! Woot! <3
Hmmm, I really hadn’t thought about that aspect of his character… Xalen, I seriously hope you won’t disappoint me here!! I’m watching you, lol!
I can’t wait for next week! <3
I don’t think he’ll disappoint you. haha Well, I hope not. 😀
It does seem like the best people get snuffed out just as we’re starting to adore them lol
Yes!!! That’s so true, and I think especially in simlit, everything is so unpredictable. But I think that’s the beauty of it and that’s why so many people, including me of course, love it so much 🙂 I still remember how the tears were ready to fall (or maybe some even fell) when I was reading about Leo and Jilly..! 😢
Awwwww……. I still think about Jilly and what happened to her. I’ve been saying ever since then that I should play her in a save as if she lived.
lol 😀 Rest assured, I currently have no snuffing plans on Xalen. haha 😀 I have other plans for him. 😀
Wow, the Neptune Foundations sounds like a fascinating and important organization! I really love how thoroughly you have introduced us to what it does and how, and how Xalen found out about Marty’s family. Who would’ve guessed he actually knows that much about her?
Xalen acts like a lot of men do. He’s not really good with words and explaining.He’s rather practical and more about action than words. I agree with Louise that he could have presented it better, but he tried too hard and it didn’t go as planned. So cute that he decided to share it all with Marty. I wish him and Marty a great future together. I’m sure they will make good use of Marty’s talent to see ghosts.
And that mansion is impressive and beautiful!!
Thank you so much, Jowita! Would you believe I’d searched high and low for this house since the idea first struck me near the end of Generation 3? lol No matter who the heir was, I was going to try to throw this story in there somehow. haha
I think you understand Xalen very well. This (hopefully) will be exciting! LOL 😀
I am sure it will be! Haha, I get such ideas, too. At the moment I’m planning out generation 5 since I practically know all about what’s going to happen in the 4th one.
What’s funny, though, my game somehow managed to swap Sam’s LTW to physical perfection. I am 99.9% sure it was the one to become a great master, so I fixed that. No idea how it happened, reminded me of Marty, though.
Marty has quite a ways to go on her LTW. I was annoyed that pregnant sims cannot use exercise equipment. LOL
You go, girl! Generation 5 already being planned out? You’re good. 😀 I have some vague ideas about Gen 5 but nothing set yet.
Yes, me too, those are rather vague, yet I’m beginning to shape something since I do know 4 of my heir’s traits as I played too far ahead because of Sam’s journey, haha.
lol Playing ahead definitely helps. 😀
I think that’s one of the things I love about TS4. Pregnant Sims can do almost anything a nonpregnant Sim can. Except yoga 😢 and a couple other items deemed too dangerous when your knocked up.
I play 4 sometimes, but I didn’t know that. That’s pretty cool! Thanks, Mags! 😀
Oh wow, that house! <3 I don't know if it's the multi-level bookcases or the decor or… oh, who are we kidding here, it's the multi-level bookcases. If I were Marty, I'd move in just based on the awesome library!
… Which is why it's probably good that it's Marty making that decision and not me! Ha, ha! Seriously though, that is such a cool build. I loved this chapter, and I love Xalen in this. He's so determined to not mess up his explanation that he's just nerding it up really hard. What a cutie! 😀 I am very much hoping for the two of them and the twins to become a paranormal ghost hunting family together. Yes, please!
Thank you so much! 😀 I chose this house because of those bookcases and I’m like you, that would totally convince me. hahaha
I’m so glad you enjoyed getting to know Xalen better. He did nerd it up, didn’t he? haha I can’t wait to continue with this story line. 😀
He would have had me at the triple story library as well lol girl’s gotta have an awesome book selection to be satisfied yo 😁😂😁
I know that’s right! 😀