Chapter 78-Promises are made to be Broken

One thing every Landgraab heir could always count on was a very special gift from Grandpa Wolfie on their 16th Birthday. Usually Wolfie would buy the most expensive car he could find as nothing was too good for his family. However for Bae a car was not the best present at all but Wolfie knew exactly what to buy for his great-great grandson. When Bae was a child he wouldn’t play with the electric train sets or remote control cars that everyone bought for him. Instead he would fill up the kitchen sink with water to sail his toy boats or he would fill up the bath tub so he could pretend to go on submarine adventures. If a car was not the toy of choice for Bae as a child it certainly wouldn’t be the toy for him as a teenager so Wolfie bought him a speedboat.

Everyday Bae would take that speedboat out on the ocean and spend hours on it. He felt more alive breathing in the scent of the salt water and feeling the cool breeze of the ocean wind as his boat glided across the ocean. Every time he heard the sound of the waves he knew he was at his true home and he spent as much time out on the ocean as he possibly could.

All of this would be even better if he could share it with his best friend Cassidy. Cassidy and Bae shared a love of the ocean and always did everything together until Cassidy graduated high school. Cassidy was two years older than Bae and was already attending university. They spoke on the phone with each other often and the two had made plans to spend a weekend sailing as soon as Cassidy came home for a holiday break.

One day while Bae was sailing he came across a small island. This island was never on any of his maps and against his better judgment he explored it a bit. The island was beautiful, peaceful and an exotic paradise. He didn’t see any sign of anyone living there so he decided that this would be his place.

Bae set up a tent on the island along with a couple of old lounge chairs that he found in the basement. He loved to relax and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of the island. Sometimes he would pack a lunch; bring a radio to make a day of it. He wished Cassidy was here so they could hang out together on the island but he had to wait for his best friend to come home on break for that. Instead he would build a fire and invite his girlfriend to join him. His first love was the sea but he certainly did enjoy the company of a pretty girl. Shanta Fraser was his girlfriend and this island was the perfect romantic setting for some alone time with her.

Bae could have had any girl he wanted at the high school as many of them flirted with him often enough but it was Shanta who caught his eye. She may have not been the most popular girl in school but she wasn’t a clueless poptart like the rest of them. She was smart, pretty and he enjoyed hanging out with her. On their first date he took her to the movies. Normally he would have preferred to see a movie with a whole lot of action but he settled for a romantic comedy for her. Later on he took her out for ice cream and he walked her home. Before he kissed her goodnight he asked if she would like to go to the fall festival with him and she agreed. Soon after that they started dating regularly and Bae asked her to go steady. Bae told her about his career plans and Shanta had plans of her own. She wanted to become a nurse and was attending a university that had a special nursing program. He figured that he would date her now but after high school they would most likely go their separate ways. Both of them had career plans which were very important to them and both of them needed to concentrate on studying. The problem was that she always dropped hints of wanting more from him than he was willing to give.

At home Bae loved both his parents and was very close to them. Well sometimes they were too close as having parents who are teachers meant having them always around. Luckily he was he was an “A” student who was dedicated to his studies and never caused any trouble. He could tell that his mother was already dreading the day when he left for university. Whenever the conversation came up Chrissie put on a brave face but always had a tear in her eye. Bae told her he would come home on breaks but clearly Chrissie was not ready to lose her baby boy. Bae had to admit that he did love the special attention his mother gave to him but sometimes he felt as if she was smothering him. She needed to accept the fact that he was growing up and was ready to live life on his own.

Bae was also very close with his father. When Bae was a child Mickey taught him how to fish and they would often go on fishing weekends together. Eventually they started going on less and less fishing trips as time passed by. Bae wanted and needed to be out on the beach and in the ocean water more and he was able to catch more fish underwater than he could with a fishing pole. Both of his parents were vampires and they weren’t too fond of the sunshine. Sure they had plenty of that special sunscreen that Grandma Holly would send them but they still preferred to stay in the shade and would rarely visit the beach.

Cheech didn’t mind visiting the beach at all and sometimes Bae would take him with him. Cheech was originally his mother’s dog but now he belonged to the whole family. They would play fetch, tug a war or just run around on the beach which both of them loved. He was a good dog who would even join Bae for a morning swim in the backyard pool.

There was one member of the family who understood Bae the most and that was Big Mama. Starr adored her grandson but she did not adore the title of Grandmother so she insisted on being called Big Mama. When Big Mama was his age she wanted to travel the world and take photographs of all the sites she seen. Whenever Bae visited his Grandparents he would always ask her to tell him stories of her travels and he was fascinated by all the photographs in her collection. Starr would listen to Bae’s dreams of sailing and exploring the oceans so she encouraged him to follow his dreams.

Since there was still some time before university Bae spent most of his time deep sea diving. He felt as if he were in another world underneath the water. The more he explored the more wonders he found on the ocean floor. He started collecting all the different types of seashells he could find and he would find bottles with messages in them. One time he even found a bottle that contained what looked like a part of a treasure map in it. He thought it would be awesome if one day he could find the rest of the map but the chances of that ever happening were slim to none. Most likely it wasn’t a real map anyway but for some reason Bae decided to keep it.

Cassidy called to say he would be coming home for a weekend and Bae couldn't wait to be reunited with his best buddy. Cassidy told Bae that he had some very special news that he wanted to share with him and he was looking forward to sailing. Bae was very excited until he remembered he had plans with Shanta. It was her 16th birthday and he had promised to attend her party. The decision was difficult but he decided to tell Shanta that he couldn’t attend and make it up to her somehow. They were going out that very night so he planned to tell her and he hoped that she would understand.

He went to her house to pick her up and she looked beautiful as always. “Hey babe are you ready to go?” Bae asked.

Shanta brushed her hair back and flashed a smile at him, “I sure am. Where are we going tonight?”

“I was thinking we could go to Starbucks and then hang out at the park for a while as we need to talk” Bae answered.

Shanta became a little curious and a bit nervous when she heard that. “What about is anything wrong?”

“No nothing is wrong but it can wait until we get to the park” he said.

“Why don’t you tell me now?” she asked, “If nothing is wrong I don’t see why you should wait.”

Bae knew that she would be disappointed so he might as well break the bad news now and get it over with. “Cassidy called and he will be coming home next weekend. If you remember I made plans with him to go sailing on his next break home.”

“Oh but next weekend is my birthday and why don’t you ask him to come to my party too? The more the merrier” she said.

“No, that is not going to work out as next weekend is only going to be the guys. I’m sorry but I can’t make it to the party but I do promise to make it up to you the weekend after.” Bae saw the look on her face and was surprised to see she was angry instead of disappointed.

“I don’t understand why you still can’t come to the party and spend time with Cassidy also. The party is at night so you won’t be sailing anyway” she snapped back.

“Cassidy and I are going to hang out at night. I haven’t seen him in months so we want to spend that time together” answered Bae.

“I still don’t see why you can’t come to the party with Cassidy. You promised you would be there and it’s only a couple of hours. I do hope that you reconsider and that you will be there. If not I will see you when I’m not with my friends!” Shanta walked back into her house and slammed the door.

Things didn’t go as Bae had hoped. He knew Shanta wouldn’t be happy but he never expected her to be that angry. He still wasn’t going to the party and planned to try and make it up to her. He did make a promise to her but if she was still angry there was not much more that he could do.

The day arrived when Cassidy was coming home and Bae went to the beach that morning where they planned to meet. He was looking forward to spending the weekend catching up on lost time with his best friend. It would be just the two of them hanging out together just like old times. Bae spotted his friend and he ran up to greet him.

“Cas! It’s great to see you man! How are things going at university?” Bae asked.

“It’s great over there man.” Cassidy answered “The studies are intense but they are fascinating. I can’t wait for you to join us.”

“These last two years in high school are going so slow. So are you ready to go sailing?” Bae said.

“I will be in a couple of minutes. I’m just waiting for someone to show up” Cassidy said. “Oh there she is now.”

 A lovely young woman walked up to Cassidy and gave him a kiss.

“Bae I would like you to meet my girlfriend Javiera. She is going to be hanging out with us this weekend."

To be continued…..

A Note from the Author

Due to some family and real life issues I was not able to post any parts to the story for a very long time and I do apologize for my absence.  However those issues are now behind me and The Wood/Landgraab family will be back this week with Chapter 78 of "A Race Against Time"  The working title is "Sailing, Sailing"  This will be the first chapter for Generation #7 Bae who is pictured above.  His Lifetime Wish is The Grand Explorer and his Career will be Oceanography which is a custom career.  I'm happy to be playing the game and continuing the story of this family and I thank all the readers who have stuck with the story during my absence.

Chapter 77-Isla Paradiso

Moving from one house to another is always difficult but uprooting your life to move to half way across the world is a totally different story. There were so many details to that needed to be taken care of in a short period of time. They had to find a new house one that was preferable close to the beach, buy all new furniture, find new jobs, adjust to a new time zone and adapt to a new climate.

Chrissie found out that she did enjoy the warmer weather but being a vampire she was not used to all the sunshine. Mickey grew up in Isla Paradiso so he was used to the sunshine but that was before he became a vampire. Luckily for both of them Grandma Holly made sure to send plenty of that special sunscreen to them on a regular basis. 

The couple did find a house that was walking distance to the beach but far away enough to keep two vampires in the shade. Luckily they fell in love with it as soon as they seen it and immediately put a down payment on it. Chrissie didn’t care about the price as money was never a problem for her. All that she cared about is that this house was perfect for her little family so that was all that mattered. 

Chrissie did appreciate the opportunity to get to know her in-laws better as she had only met them briefly at the wedding. Mickey's parents visited often to spoil their new grandson and Chrissie soon became good friends with both of Mickey's sisters Rose and Donna.

Mickey’s family did welcome Chrissie with open arms which made the situation easier for her as she was missing her own family. She made sure to call her parents every day as well as her sister Taylor.

Taylor and Chrissie had always been very close and they hated to be separated. As luck would have it the separation didn’t last very long at all. Taylor’s boyfriend Heath was reassigned by the FBI and needed to relocate to Isla Paradiso. Taylor who was very much in love with Heath even though they weren’t married yet decided to make the move with him. The two never wanted to be separated but Heath was a werewolf and unable for Taylor to turn. Grandma Holly stepped in again to help her granddaughter and she brewed a potion which would allow Taylor to turn Heath into a vampire.

Grandma Holly may have not been born a witch but she seemed to be getting the hang of this quickly. Whenever her grandchildren needed something she always knew the right spell or potion that would help. It was no surprise to everyone when she was elected as the new president of the witch’s council a position she would remain in for a very long time.

The disadvantages of distance between Chrissie and her family became more apparent when tragedy struck her cousin Matt. She wanted so much to offer her condolences to him in person but she knew she wouldn’t be able to fly out there in time to attend his wife’s funeral. All she could do was send some flowers and write her cousin a letter telling him how sorry she was for his loss. She knew that this would be the first of many times that she wished she didn’t live so far away but she would never regret her decision to move.

Mickey applied to the Accolades Institute of Learning and was accepted immediately. He started his job at the beginning of the next school year so he had time to help with getting settled into the new home.

Chrissie was accepted to work there also but she decided to take a couple of years off as she wanted to spend as much time with Bae as she possibly could. He did have a clean bill of health but she still couldn’t relax after the few health scares he had. If the truth be told she wanted to be there to watch him take his first step and speak his first word. In a way she was still teaching but her class was limited to one very special student. She always knew she would go back to teaching but she decided to return to work when Bae was old enough to attend school himself.

In the meantime Chrissie decided she couldn’t let Uncle Ronny’s legacy die so her and Mickey opened an afterschool program in Isla Paradiso just like the one in Aurora Skies.

When Bae turned 5 years old Chrissie returned to work as a teacher and she knew it was time for her to play her part in the mission. She opened an afterschool ecology club for students who were interested and she taught energy conservation to all of her students.


Meanwhile back in Aurora Skies:

Pip sat at his desk trying to figure out how to handle his latest problem. He was losing territories left and right and only had half of what he started out with. He tried to send messages to the other families that he was not to be messed with but obviously he was still considered to be the joke of the Fae mafia. If Denny was here he would know exactly what to do but he wasn’t so Pip was on his own.

Pip needed to regain control of the Moonlight Falls territory so he called a meeting with his lieutenants. He told them that he intentions even if it meant that had to go to the mattresses. A mob war was something that should be avoided at all cost but Pip seen no other way out. The last war in Riverview was extremely bloody but Pip came out of it as a respected soldier who was able to take a cop down who got in the way. He still owned the gun that he used that day as it was his prized possession. It was locked in his top desk drawer and he showed it off often and meeting such as this.

No one ever gave Pip the respect that he felt he deserved. Even now that he was in charge of Denny’s empire he still had to prove himself to everyone including his own family. At every single meeting he had to remind everyone that absolutely no one crossed him and lived to tell the tale. Not even his wife was able to do that.  If he was going to regain control of Moonlight Falls he knew that he had to be very careful of the people he trusted however Pip did make a mistake.....

as the walls did have little ears.

10 years later in Isla Paradiso:

Being a merman Bae was drawn to the beach and spent as much time there as possible. He enjoyed the sunny days and hearing the sound of the waves as they washed in on the shore. He enjoyed swimming in the ocean as he felt at home in the water. Everything about the ocean fascinated him and he had already made plans to study oceanography at university.

He often ran into another boy who was on the beach as much as he was. His name was Cassidy and he was two years ahead of Bae in school. He had the same love of the ocean as Bae did but Cassidy wasn’t a merman he was a human. The two boys became best friends and did almost everything together especially spending hour and hours on the beach.

Cassidy’s dream was a little different than Bae’s as he wanted to study meteorology along with oceanography. The navy did offer jobs where both oceanographers and meteorologist worked hand in hand together. The two boys planned that some day they would both join the navy and they would live out their dreams. Being older Cassidy left for university first and in two years Bae would join him.

To be continued…..

Authors Note-I would like to thank Mischief the Kitten for the Anders and Hawk Seaworth.  Use this link to read her awesome stories.

The afterschool center pictured is The Bright Beginnings Daycare which can be downloaded off the exchange.

Use this link for a tour of Chrissie and Mickey's new house in Isla Paradiso.

Chapter 76-Bae Watch

As Chrissie's second trimester began the morning sickness started to wear off.  The nausea began to subside and no longer did smell of food make her stomach queasy.  Her sleeping patterns returned to normal and she had more energy than she had ever had before in her entire life.

She used all this new found energy to prepare for the baby's arrival.  She read and reread every book on pregnancy, child birth and baby care she could find. When she was finished with each book she handed all of them to Mickey and she strongly suggested that he read them also.  Mickey didn't mind as he did have a desire to read the same books.  Shopping was the next order of business as she planned to only have the best for their baby.  She spent hours in flipping through catalogs, browsing the internet and visiting the department stores.  She was ready to purchase everything until Starr suggested that Chrissie register instead.  Starr decided to throw a surprise baby shower for Chrissie and she would probably get everything she needed as gifts.

Sometime during the second trimester Chrissie thought she felt hunger pangs but when it happened again and again she realized that it was much more. At first it felt like little bubbles popping and the feeling grew stronger and stronger. Her little boy was moving around and making his presence known. She called her husband over and placed his hand on her belly. Their child certainly was an active one as it didn’t take long for Mickey to feel the baby’s movement under the palm of his hand. It was a very special moment for the both of them as this little miracle would be the start of their little family.

Everything changed as soon as the third trimester hit. Backaches, swollen feet, and constant heartburn replaced the sudden burst of energy from the second trimester. Chrissie was more tired now more than ever and she had to pee more times than she could count. Mickey tried to make her feel as comfortable as possible but that was almost impossible as Chrissie was uncharacteristically irritable and moody.  The best thing that Mickey could do was to be as supportive as possible. He accompanied her to everyone of her doctor’s appointments, assured her that she was beautiful when she thought she was fat, gave her back and feet massages when she ached and provided a sympathetic ear when she needed to complain.

Towards the end of her pregnancy they decided to prepare for the labor by signing up for childbirth classes. As first time parents neither knew what to expect and the information given did reduce some of their fears. Chrissie practiced her breathing exercises almost everyday with Mickey as her coach.

As Chrissie due date neared the whole house was on high alert. They went to the hospital one night but they were sent home the next morning. Chrissie had experienced false labor which were only Braxton Hicks contractions

Two days later, Chrissie was walking to the bathroom to pee for what seemed like the hundredth time that day.  She felt a sudden gush of water from in between her legs and then she noticed that she was standing in a massive puddle. Her water broke and she screamed for her husband. This time it was for real and she knew she was definitely in labor.

Mickey’s first reaction was to panic but he knew that wouldn’t do them any good. He walked over to his wife put his arm around her and spoke in a calm voice. He assured her that everything would be fine as he took her hand and drove her to the hospital. Once he was able to calm her down, he wished that someone could do the same for him but he tried not to show it.

Being the first baby the labor lasted quite a long time but after ten hours of labor a healthy baby boy was delivered. The baby had blue eyes like both of his parents and eventhough it was still early to know for sure they knew he had to be an imaginary friend like his father. He wouldn't have the ability to transform into toy form for a while but one thing they were sure of he wasn't a vampire.

They decided to honor the man who brought them together by naming their first son after him so the full name on the birth certificate was Ronald Baylor Seaworth.  They had already decided to call him Bae for short.

As Chrissie laid him down in the crib she started to worry. Bae was a little tiny person who was totally dependent on her and she wanted to make sure she did everything perfectly. In the hospital she had the nurses to help her but now she was on her own. Her mother was there but Starr wasn’t there 24/7 as she had a career. Starr was always off to one place or another to take photographs and she wasn’t handling the title of "Grandmother" too well.

Chrissie questioned everything that she did as she wasn’t sure if he was too cold or too warm and she was constantly watching him while he was sleeping just to make sure he was breathing.

Mickey helped with the baby as much as he could but he also had worries although his worries were different than Chrissie’s. The fact that Dimitri was still out there weighed heavily on Mickey's mind.  Dimitri is a powerful vampire which meant Mickey was always at a disadvantage, but he needed to protect his wife and his child from that monster. He talked to Chrissie about being turned but she wanted him to think about it just to be sure. In the past Dimitri manipulated Chrissie into turning vampires so this was always a sensitive subject for her.   She loved her husband for the person he was, but she also loved the idea of him living with her forever.  She asked him to think it through and whatever decision he made she would understand and support.

There were many times when Bae wouldn’t sleep and he would be extremely fussy. He lost all the color in his cheeks, his skin was dry and flaky, it had been a while since he wet his diaper and he started running a fever. The couple had to rush him to the hospital as he was suffering from dehydration. They put Bae on an IV to receive fluids and he was released in two days. When Bae returned home they increased the amount of water they were giving him but yet it happened again and they had to return back to the hospital to put the baby back on an IV.

Starr and Nick seen how worried the couple was and they suggested that a new doctor be brought in to look at the baby. Nick called his brother’s house and asked his sister-in-law Cora if she would come to see the baby. Cora was a pediatrician who specialized in supernatural children and she was top in her field. If anyone would be able to figure out what was wrong with Bae she would.

Chrissie: Thank you for coming down on such short noticed Aunt Cora.

Cora: Don’t worry about the notice as it doesn’t take long for us. This is where I need to be if your little boy is in trouble

Chrissie: I’m always giving him extra bottles of water after nursing him but he is always getting dehydrated and no one can figure out why.

Cora: I’ll do what I can to help. There you are little Bae, let Aunt Cora take a look at you.

Cora knew exactly what was wrong the minute she looked at Bae and she walked over to the bathing table and poured some crystals into the bath water and proceeded to bath Bae. After she was finished she placed Bae back into the crib so she could talk to his parents.

Cora: Mickey I have a question for you and your family medical history. I hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting your parents at the wedding. Are they both Imaginary Friends?

Mickey: My mother is an Imaginary Friend but my father is a mermaid

Cora: Well that explains that. Your son is more in need of water on the outside of his body as well as the inside. Salt water to be exact Bae is a mermaid.  His scales will develop within  a year.

Chrissie: A mermaid? I thought he could only be an Imaginary Friend or a Vampire.

Cora: Sometimes it can skip a generation as Bae is indeed a mermaid. My advice is to bathe him often and add special sodium bicarbonate crystals that I will prescribe to his bath water. That should be fine for now but eventually he is going to need to live in a warmer climate closer to the ocean.

Chrissie: We can move to your home Isla Paradiso. I’m sure your parents and your sisters will be happy to have you closer to them again.

Mickey: Chrissie do you know what you are saying? You are a vampire how are you going to handle all the sunlight?

Chrissie: I don’t care about myself it’s Bae I’m worried about. I’ll ask Grandma Holly to make me some of that special sunscreen.

Mickey: I’m worried about both of you and there is the Dimitri problem we have to consider. We are still living with your parents for a reason.

Chrissie: Dimitri will not be a problem if we move to Isla Paradiso.  Remember the sunlight Isla Paradiso is the last place he would look for me and it is also the last place he would go to.

Mickey: I just wish I could be that sure.

Chrissie: This is a decision that we need to make together. You heard my Aunt, Bae is going to need to live near the ocean and right now his health and well being comes before our own. I say the right decision is to move.

Mickey: I still have concerns but I do believe you have a point. I’ll call my parents and let them know we are moving back home.

Mickey did have worries that he still couldn’t shake even though he did agree that Chrissie’s reasoning did make sense. Moving was the right thing to do because if it wasn’t for Dimitri he would have agreed to it without hesitation. His sister was in law enforcement and Chrissie’s grandfather would continue to pay for round the clock security but he still wanted to be able to protect his family himself. He continued to contemplate the decision to be turned and spoke again to his wife who once again wanted him to make the decision on his own.

He did speak to both of his in laws about his decision and Nick promised to help him develop his new abilities if he chooses to be turned but it wasn’t until he talked with Starr that he made the final decision.

As both Chrissie and Nick were born vampires Starr was not so he asked her why she decided to be changed. Her answer was for love of her family. Chrissie had asked that they always be together but it was also for her husband. Starr knew that if anything happened to Nick she would be devastated and she never wanted to leave Nick to feeling that same way. Mickey knew that if he didn’t change at one point or another he would be taken away from Chrissie and he would never rest in peace knowing she would be mourning him.

As an Imaginary Friend he would never be able to be turned so Mickey knew he needed some help. Starr called her father over who cast a spell on Mickey. He was a human temporarily and if Chrissie turned him during this time he would stay a vampire.

Chrissie: Bae is a little fussy tonight and won’t sleep why don’t you change into a toy as that always seems to quiet him down.

Mickey: I can’t

Chrissie: Why not?

Mickey: Because I finally decided, I want you to change me.

Chrissie: Are you absolutely sure. I don’t want you making this decision because of Dimitri.

Mickey: I’m not making this decision because of Dimitri at all. I’m doing this because I promised to be by your side forever and that is exactly what I intend to do.

To be Continued.........

Author's Note: Chrissie's lifetime wish was completed by turning Mickey into a vampire but she still is only level 6 on her career.  This chapter is the last in Aurora Skies as the next time they will be in their own house in Isla Paradiso.  

A little confession Bae was not born a mermaid at all.  He was actually born a vampire but I used Master Controller to change him.  I'm already carrying too many immortals and the last thing I needed was to go on a string of vampires. There is nothing stated in the Going Solo rules saying I cannot manipulate lifestates so I did.  I was going to change him to IF but due to the nature of Bae's upcoming story a mermaid would make more sense. I did have the family connection to explain it so I ran with it.

I would like to thank Jazen for loan of Cora Gruber.  Here are the links to her blogs with her amazing stories on them.

As Life Goes

Kiss of a Vampire

Just Simming Along