Chapter 36: Winter Fun

  "Watch out!" both Gator and Kit yelled at each other, but it was too late.

 

  Kit laughed.  "Ice skating is harder than it looks!"

 

  Reilly loved the feeling of the winter chill on his face. 

  

  There was nothing better than flying around town to get rid of the cobwebs and worries on his mind.  He almost zoomed right on by her, but the pink sparkle caught his attention, enough that he doubled back, and stopped to take a closer look.

 
  Curious, he approached her.  "Hello!  I'm Reilly, I don't remember seeing you around here?"

  She turned towards him, a playful smile on her face.  "I'm Ellyndria, I just moved here, from, well, a place far away."

 

  Reilly was instantly enchanted.  He had never seen such beauty before, and her voice!  It sounded like an Angel's.  He stared dumbfounded at her for several moments, groping about for something to say, while she looked at him quizzically.  Reilly wished Rhys was here, he had a way with females.  Reilly just felt awkward, and awestruck.  "Uh, welcome Ell, Ellyn," he fumbled with her name, "Elly." He finally just shortened it, and blushed out of embarrassment.  "Welcome to Moonlight Falls.  I'm Reilly."

  Ellyndria laughed.  "So you told me."

  Reilly's cheeks heated even more.  "Uh, so I did.  Have you been here long?"  More importantly, he wanted to know if she was single.  But he couldn't come right out and ask that, right?  He needed some polite chit chat first.

  "Earlier this afternoon.  I rented a house on  Lakeside Dr.  I didn't have much to unpack, so I thought I'd take a look around, and those markings," she pointed to the Celtic Knot, "There are a lot of such things where I come from, so I stopped here to check this, whatever it is out."

  "You don't live very far from me!  We recently moved ourselves," Reilly continued, "from another house in town.  My Grandmother was most insistent that she could not live another day in our old house."  Reilly looked at the Celtic markings on the makeshift broom arena.  "This is where people come and participate in broom races.  There are bets that are made on who will win and everything."

  "Broom races?"  Ellyndria questioned.  "I am not familiar with this?"

  "Well, I could tell you all about it, but maybe inside somewhere?  It's getting cold out here.  There is a little cafe just up the road, how about I buy you some hot cocoa, and we can talk there?"  Reilly winced a bit, hot cocoa was probably not the most grown up thing to say.

  Ellyndria brightened up.  "Oooh, I have heard of this hot cocoa!  I have never tried it before!  I would love to go to this cafe with you Reilly, and have some of this hot cocoa you speak of!"

  "Really?  I mean, cool! Let's go then."  It was all Reilly could do to not jump up and down in excitement.  He had to play it cool though, or she might think he was nuts.  He made sure to reach the door ahead of her, so that he could open it for her.  The blast of warm air felt good on his cold body, but his heated cheeks could use some more ice.

 

   Kei approached Chaine, who was sitting on the couch, looking through a book.  "Chaine, can we talk?"

  Chaine looked up at her.  "I guess so." he said hesitantly.  He closed the book.  He looked up at the woman that everyone told him he had married, but he didn't remember her, or their life together. 

  "Chaine, I..." Kei awkwardly started to say.

  "Let me make this easier on you, Kei."  Chaine smiled at her in compassion.  "Ethan tells me that I am suffering the aftereffects from when Raven was messing with my mind."  Chaine chose his next words with care.  "The odds of me regaining my memory, are so slim, they may as well not exist.  Most Guardians who have gone through what happened to me, they lose their minds entirely, and revert to vegetables.  I am thankful that that did not happen!  I am alive, and determined to live the rest of my life well.  I have two beautiful kids, that I want to get to know again, and a grandson!  He is quite the handful!"  Chaine shook his head, but smiled while doing so. 

  "But what of us Chaine?"  Kei cried.  "I know we have not always seen eye to eye, and we have fought often, but..."

  Chaine interrupted her.  "Kei, I don't know of any way to say this, other than just to lay it all out.  I don't remember you, or our married life, I have no feelings for you.  You are as a stranger to me.  Meanwhile, you and Ethan give each other looks when you think the other is not looking. " Chaine shook his head again.  "How foolish!  You are Mates, and Life is precious.  Take hold of it Kei."

  Kei was shaking her head.  "How could I leave you, to be with him?  We are married Chaine, he was dead, and oh Chaine!  I feel like to do would be, would be like robbing you, of your place!  I am just so sad for you and..."

  "Sad for me?"  Chaine was genuinely perplexed.  "Why ever for? Every day I am given is a gift, and, I look forward to spending time with Rylan, and Nira, and even that imp, Rhys!  I have so much to live for, and to learn about!  I may even get used to that older guy that stares back at me in the mirror."  Chaine chuckled.  "In my mind I am still young, and it is quite disconcerting to see the grey whiskers that keep popping up in my beard!  A divorce is easily managed Kei, and you will not be breaking my heart in the least bit.  In fact, it will be of great relief to me, because quite frankly, you scare me!"

  Kei laughed through her tears, and looked at Chaine, the man who had helped her grow in so many ways.  He was still dear to her, though her feelings for him, had never been as intense as they were for Ethan.  "We are okay then?"

  Chaine smiled at her.  "We are okay.  You should let Ethan out of his misery, he did what he thought best, which is how we Camulodunums are raised to be!  Sacrifice, is the ultimate expression of Love."

  "I don't think I care too much about your culture's ideals."  Kei said.  "Kit tried explaining it to me, but it is beyond me.  However, as far as Ethan goes,"  she looked thoughtful for a moment, "I am just taking it one day at a time.  He has years of groveling to make up for."

  Chaine shook his head.  "Better he, than me." he said with great feeling.



  Ethan found Kei walking down the hallway.  "Hey Kei, wait!"  Kei paused, and waited for Ethan to catch up.  "Check out my parlor trick!"  He was holding one whole raw chicken in his hands.

 
  Ethan swallowed it whole in mere seconds.

 
 
  "Impressive, yes?"

  Kei was not impressed.  She rolled her eyes.  "Save that trick for the boys, they will be suitably impressed."  She started to walk away.

  "Kei!"  Ethan followed her.  "I'm sorry you didn't like my little magic trick, your Dad used to do that one, it used to make you smile."  She kept walking.  "Kei, could you hold still for just a moment, so that we can talk about the stuff that is bugging you?"

  Kei swung around to face him, her eyes flashed with fire.  "The stuff!  The stuff!  Oh, you mean the YEARS I wasted looking for you?  The grief and frustration I felt, when it seemed like I had failed?"

  Ethan hesitated slightly.  "Well, yes, that stuff.  We need to talk about it, so we can get past it."

  Kei pretended to think about it, then said, "No, I don't think so." and she walked away. 

  Ethan called after her.  "You're going to be difficult about this, aren't you?"

  "You owe me!" she yelled back over her shoulder as she slammed the bedroom door closed behind her.  She opened it up again, "And, for your information, I don't like this house either.  I want to move!" she slammed the door shut again.

  Ethan sighed and went down the stairs, and walked into the small study that was just off to the right of the staircase.  Kit was sitting in there reading, but when he saw his father, he stood up and put the book away.  "That went well."  Kit commented.  "Are we really going to move again?  We haven't unpacked everything from the last move we made!"

  Ethan shrugged.  "It went as well as I expected. "  He smiled at his son.  "I'm getting to her though, it's just a matter of time."

 
  Kit stared at his father.  "Really Dad?  It didn't sound like it."

  "Why else do you think we are moving again?  She's desperately grasping at things to keep me away, but it won't work."  Ethan grinned.

  "You guys are crazy."  Kit said.



  Reilly came home, but he couldn't keep the grin off his face.  Elly was so amazing, and funny, and they had sat and talked for a couple hours.  The way she had of looking at him while he talked, that what he was saying was the most important thing in the world, made him gush inside to think of it.  Not that he was the gushing type, because he wasn't.  That would be girly.  He even managed somehow to get her to agree to go to the Festival with him.  He was so stoked.  Then he was abruptly brought back down to Earth from cloud nine, by a snowball missile.  "Dude!"  Reilly yelled.  "That was my face!"

  Rhys chuckled.  "Dude, you had a sappy face, I just helped you out.  Where have you been anyway, and what's her name?"  Rhys threw another snowball at Reilly, and Reilly reciprocated.  Rhys quickly retaliated.

   
  "Why do you think it's a girl?"  Reilly said defensively.  "Maybe I was just flying around town, enjoying the scenery."

  Rhys snorted and laughed at the same time.  "I bet you were enjoying the scenery.  Now, come on, share.  Who she is?"

  "Why do you think a girl is involved anyway?"  Reilly said irritably, as he launched another snowball at Rhys.

  "It's written all over your face Dude!  Well," he considered for a moment, "it was, until I helped you out with that."   He laughed as Reilly pelted him with a flurry of snowballs, then he returned volley for fire.  Several minutes later they both collapsed into the snow, laughing, their clothes and hair were covered in snow.

  "Her name is Elly."  Reilly said quietly.  "She is the most beautiful girl you will ever see."  Reilly sighed and closed his eyes. 

  Rhys crawled through the snow until he was next to Reilly.  "Are you sure?  Because I have seen a lot of pretty girls, and I plan to see a lot more."  Reilly elbowed him.  "Okay, okay.  So where did you meet her?"

  "She's new in town, I'm actually the first person she has met in this town!  She was at the old broom arena, looking around.  I almost missed her too!  That would have been tragic!  I invited her to have some hot cocoa,"  Reilly ignored Rhys' groans of Dude, not hot cocoa!, "and she was excited about it!  She had never had hot cocoa before, and we just sat and talked, and drank hot cocoa. But everything just clicked, I felt like I had known her forever.  It was magical."  Reilly finished on a whisper.

  "Magical?"  Rhys said doubtfully.  "She hasn't had hot cocoa before?  What rock was she living under?  I want to meet her."  Rhys said abruptly.  "I need to make sure she's on the up and up, and not the type to break your heart.  You're too much of a romantic Reilly, I worry about you.  All your magical fou fou nonsense!"

  Reilly turned his head and smiled at Rhys.  "You're just a cynic, and how you got to be so, I'll never know.  I worry about you!"  Reilly turned Rhys' words back on him.  "I don't want to scare her off Rhys!  It's nothing romantic, yet.  I just wish it to be, I have no idea how she feels.  I wish I were older though.  I hope she doesn't find anyone else!"  Reilly fretted.

  "You're a dork."  Rhys told Reilly.  "If she does find someone else, it's her loss."



  Kei threw the book across the room.  Sitting in a room and pouting, did not sit well with her.  She was a person of action.  She pulled her winter coat on, and winter boots, and stepped outside into the frigid air.  There were a lot of things that she had always wanted to try, but never had the chance to.  One of those things she could do right now.

  She laid on her back, in the snow, and waved her arms and legs.  She loved Snow Angels.  In the still quiet of that moment, she stared up at the big expanse of sky above her, and felt a peace creep into her heart. 

 

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  Notes:  Reilly's generation, should be!, in charge by next chapter, or the following chapter at the most.  Because of Kit's generational goal, none of them have made it to the top of their careers yet.  So I guess that it is a success!  lol  I will be glad to be done with homemade, that was just a minor pain.  We miss our ice cream breakfasts! :P  Though on the plus side, it will give my up and coming Farmer a boost.  :D

  Chaine is perfectly happy with the way things are turning out.  He rolls lots of wants to spend time with his kids, but any wants associated with Kei?  They are non existent.  Even in this Post seasons---everyone finds everyone hot---world---Kei and Chaine do not find each other hot.  lol 

  Some big changes ahead---not bad ones---at least I don't think so! lol

  Blooper pic of a sort---this is Gator Wolff and the clothes the game gave him for his outerwear.  *shakes head*  What an outfit!  I get a lot of guns added to just about all my Residents' outerwear.  Someone noted that it may be because the game automatically makes the sims have gloves with their outerwear, and the gun is categorized as gloves. :)