Chapter 14: And Then Comes the Mourning

  As Kona is getting older, he is slowing down some.  He starts thinking about what would happen when he retires.  He starts thinking about how lonely he is.  He loves having Kei, Ethan and kids living with him, but it is not the same.  He decides he needs a penpal.

  "A penpal?  Seriously Dad?"  Kei stared at her father.

  "Yeah, just someone to write to, you know.  Who has similar interests to me."

  "You could try the internet."

  "Internet?"

  "Yeah, we have the old dinosaur downstairs, I am sure there are some social sites on the Web that would connect you to people who like the things you do.  Try googling something that interests you, like watching the paint peel or something."  Kei laughed.

  "Funny Kei.  I am not that boring!"  Kona has enjoyed watching Kei sparkle and laugh.  Both come easier to her now, and she spends hours rocking her babies, and cooing to them.  It does his heart good, to see her so happy.  He just wished she would let her guard down around him and include him in some of her happiness.  Still, he couldn't complain.  He saw Layla and Kit on a daily basis, Kei was home every night, and she talked to him.  Overall, life was good.  "What is this google?"

  Kei sighed.  "Follow me Dad, and I'll get you started.  But I draw the line at setting up dates for you."

  "I don't want any dates Kei.  I just want a friend more my age, that's all."

  Kei rolled her eyes.  "Sure Dad, whatever you say."  She showed him the basics and then left him to his own devices.  He stared at the screen.  Kona tentatively moved the mouse around, and clicked on a few sites.

 

    He was quite involved with his reading and research, when the sounds of wailing hit his ears.  Kona stood up, the computer forgotten, and ran outside to see what was going on.

  "Oh, not Bunny!" he said sadly.  He remembered the day he and Kanani had gone to pick out a cat.  "It's good for kids to have a pet." she had pleaded with him.  He had pointed out their kids were still inside her womb, they wouldn't notice if they had a cat or not.  But Kona had never been able to deny Kanani anything.  And before they left the pet store, they had two cats.  Bunny and Mugs.  "Because the baby isn't born yet, I don't want Bunny to get lonely." she had said.

  And now Bunny was gone.  Just like Kanani. 

 

  The twins had a birthday.

  Layla was a happy baby, and she was quite content to drink her bottle and play with her toys.

  

  Kit, on the other hand, was rough and tumble and adventurous.  He liked to investigate and explore, and tear up a chair or two.

 
 
  Ethan was a hands on Dad, and spent as much time as he could teaching his kids how to use the potty chair, and how to talk and walk.  The last one, he somewhat regretted teaching Kit, because Kit could get into trouble quicker.

 

    Lani meets a boy, Jake,  at school and invites him over to the house.  She asks the important questions first.

  Ethan worried over his family.  He did not reply to his Father's summons.  Indeed, he could not.  If he wasn't here when the Pack showed up, who would protect his family?  It weighed greatly on him, with each passing day.

  He tried to start a conversation with his wife about moving, but Kei wouldn't have it.  "Just hold me please." she whispered, as she nuzzled into him.  His arms would automatically go around  her, and he would be lost.

 
  Then one day, he saw his Father's missives skulking about town.  Their glowing amber eyes were the only clue to their hidden identity.  He knew his time was up.  He pulled Kei aside.

  "Kei, I need you to listen, this is very important."

  "Okay, I'm listening."

  "I need you to consider something, with an open mind, do not reject it out of hand, okay?"

  Kei eyed him suspiciously.  "Okay."

  "I've been thinking that we should move to another town."  Kei started to object.  "Nuh uh, listen."  She closed her mouth and stared at him.  "We should get a fresh start in new town, where our youthful reputations won't hurt our kids.  We could take your siblings along, and your Dad.  Maybe even Keilani and Poulani will follow us out.  I feel really strongly about this Kei, and I would like you to seriously think about it.  So we can discuss it later, okay?"

  

  "I don't want to move."

  He kissed her.  "I know you don't.  But I think it's best that we do.  I have to go find some scrap for my next project, so we'll talk about this later, alright?"

  She nodded her head. "Alright."

  Ethan jumped on his motorcycle and roared away.  He parked his Bike off the road in a hidden spot, then he started running up the mountain.  About a mile up, he stopped, and waited.  Ari showed himself, along with three others.

  "Brother."  Ari greeted him with a wicked smile.  "How lovely to see you out here."

  "Ari."  Ethan stood up to his full height.  "I see you have company."

  "Ah, yes.  Our dear Father is wondering why you haven't responded to the summons I have assured him that I had given to you."

  "War is coming brother, and I have a family to protect."

  Ari sneered.  "A family?  With that Outlander?  Our Father was very disappointed to learn who his heir took for a bond mate.  He expected more from his seed."  Ari and the three other werewolves began to circle Ethan.

  "I was within my right to take her.  I followed Pack Law, and fought to keep her."

  "Those rules do not apply to the Chosen heir.  The Chosen must bond to whom his Sire picks out for him."  hissed Loku, one of the other werewolves.

  Ethan stood his ground, and did not make a move or flinch in any way.  "I say that rule to the Chosen one does not apply here.  I am no one here, just another soldier under an Elder's orders."

  "How do you figure that?" snapped Ari.

  "Simple  brother, if I had been able to be the Chosen here, I would have spilled your blood long ago."

  Ari growled at Ethan, and went to lunge for him, but Loku held him back.  "An interesting argument.  One you may take up with your Sire."

  "I request a week, to take my family to safety.  I have two cubs, I will not abandon them to the War."

  "Agreed, Princeling.  Make sure you show yourself on the next full moon, or your own blood may be forfeit.  Let's go Ari, our business is done here."  The others took off for the deeper woods, but Ari hung around for a moment longer.

  "You will regret your choice brother.  I swear this to you!"

  Ethan went back to a house in chaos.  "What is going on?"  he asked Kei.

  "Mugs died." she said simply.  "Apparently he didn't want to live without Bunny."

 

  That night, when the moon appeared brightly in the sky, Ethan, Kei, and even little Kit, paid their respects to Mugs and Bunny.

  

  


  The next day, Ethan cornered his wife again.  "Kei." he said her name softly.

  "Yes Ethan?"

  "I have to go on a trip next week, it's important."

  "For your project?"

  "Yeah." he hesitated.  "I bought a house for us.  I know I said we'd discuss it, but, well, you just never know when you need a place to run to."

  Kei looked at Ethan, more puzzled than angry that he bought a house without her input.  "Ethan, I thought we established that I no longer run from my problems, but face them head on.  You know, healthy reactions."

  Ethan kissed her deeply.  "I adore you Kei, and I would protect you and our children with my very life.  There may come a day when you will need a place to run to.  Take your family with you Kei, leave no ties behind."

  "Ethan you are scaring me."

  "I am sorry, my love.  I do not mean to.  But our children must be protected no matter what, do you hear me Kei?"

  "I hear you." she said irritably.  "I have no idea what you are talking about, but I hear what you are saying.  And of course protecting our kids is first."

  Ethan kissed her again.  "One more thing, Kei.  If ever you need help, find Chaine Szlachta, he is a close friend of mine, and he is trustworthy.  He will help you."  Kei pressed a key into her hand.  "He lives next door to this house."  Ethan whispered the name of the town into her ear.  "Say nothing of this, to anyone, okay?"

  "Okay.  I wish you were less cloak and daggers, and more information Ethan.  We have already established in the past that I do better with more information."

  "Indeed we did."  Ethan smiled at her.  "But in this case, the less you know, the safer it is for you.  Please trust me on this Kei."

  "It goes against my very nature, Ethan, you remember that, right?"

  "I remember.  But that was the old Kei."

  Kei smacked him.  "The old Kei indeed.  Ethan..." but Ethan distracted her the best way he knew how, with a kiss and a tug to their bed.

  "I am so easy."  Kei moaned.

  Ethan grinned.  "You are anything but easy Kei."

  
  The next couple of days, Kei tried to get more information out of Ethan, but he proved to be both stubborn and distracting.  It was the night before the full moon, and Ethan would be leaving in the morning to go on his business trip.  Kei was tired and fell asleep in his arms pretty quickly.

  Ethan held her for a long time.  Just breathing in her scent, the sounds of her soft snores, he wanted the moment to never end.  But he had some last minute preparations to do before he left in the morning.  He forced himself to let go of Kei and get out of bed.  He wrote Kei a note, and tucked it under her pillow.  He kissed her softly, and she mumbled in her sleep, but she did not wake.

  He threw his clothes on, and stepped outside into the brisk air.  He headed over to his invention table.  If he could just get it to work, he could end things before anyone got hurt.  He stared at his plans for a moment, before tucking them back into the hidden drawer.

  He was too involved in his own thoughts, he did not hear the approaching danger, until it was too late.

  Kona woke with a start.  He could smell smoke, was the house on fire?  He ran downstairs, but everything looked alright.  He saw an orange glow outside, and he ran out there with his fire extinguisher.  He uttered a curse word and began spraying the body on the ground that was fully engulfed in flames.  "No!"  Kona cried.  "No!"

  But it was too late, Kona had arrived too late.  Ethan was no more than a pile of dust on the ground.

  He heard Kei's voice behind him.  "Daddy?  What's going on?  Have you seen Ethan?  He wasn't beside me when I woke up.  I think something awful is happening!  Our bond feels different---" she came to stop beside her father.

  Kona closed his eyes.  "Oh Kei." he said.

  Kei was shaking her head.  "Daddy!  Where's Ethan?"

  Kona had a flashback to a younger Kei.  "Daddy, where is Mommy?"

  "Ethan is gone." he heard himself say.  He heard the echo of the past as he said those words.  "I'm so sorry Kei."

  Kei screamed.  "Ethan!"

  Her screams woke the rest of the household up.

  Kei kept screaming and sobbing.  "Not Ethan too!  Oh please, not Ethan too!"

   

  Her family gathered around her, but Kei couldn't see them or hear them.  She was lost in her pain.  Lani and Kale took care of Layla and Kit since Kei at the moment was unable to.

  At last the dawn broke, and Kona put his hands on her shoulders.  "Kei," he said gently.  Kona knew what his daughter was going through.  He knew the pain she was feeling, and he grieved with her.

 

  Kei reached out her arms for the first time since her mother had died so many years ago.

  Kona pulled her in close and Kei wrapped her arms tightly around her father and sobbed.  "Daddy!' she cried.  "I never told him I loved him."

  
  "It's okay Kei."  Kona said softly.  "Ethan knew."  Kona knew that there would be police statements to make, and funeral arrangements, but for now he was glad that he was able to give his daughter a little comfort.  He could feel all of their old hostilities and anger and hurt melt away in that one healing hug.  Kona had always wanted to be closer to Kei, but never at such a high cost.  And yet, somehow he knew, that Ethan would be pleased that he was the one responsible for bringing Kei back home.  "He knew."  Kona repeated.

______________________________________

  I am heartbroken! *cries*  Really!  I nearly cried when I found out that Ethan died, as pathetic as that sounds.  I blame Reya for his death.  lol

  When my sims are doing boring stuff, like skilling or sleeping, I will leave the game running in windowed mode and read sims stories instead.  And I check on them every 5 minutes or so.  I was reading the Sari legacy chapter 1.9 Just a whore, I finished it, clicked on the next chapter, and checked on my sims before reading it.  What I came back to though, was that Ethan had burned to death!  Using the inventor table!

  I nearly went back to an earlier save.  But the Storyteller in me---stopped me from doing so.  It is quite clear that Kei would never cheat on Ethan.  I was still trying to figure out how to get Kei to have a child with someone other than Ethan.  But now I know her story.  Ethan dies.  Poor Kei.

  I was just kidding Reya---I don't really blame you.  lol :)



Next: Chapter 15: Moving Day