A Buffyverse Apocalypse: Chapter TwelveBy RoseFyre

Not much to say, though, as always, I suggest you read the earlier chapters first, particularly Chapter Eleven.

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And, as always, I don't own Joss Whedon or any characters/places from Buffy/Angel.

Lynne’s pregnancy went fairly well, especially once the girls were children and she didn’t have to concentrate quite somuch on them anymore.

Instead, she focused on teaching Miss Kitty Fantastico the last few commands that she needed for her job in Security.

Miss Kitty, meanwhile, claimed Lynne as hers.

“How’s your homework today?”

“Pretty good, though not very exciting. At least it’s not too hard.”

Wesley nodded. “Yeah. After we finish, do you want to do something else?”

“Like what?”

“Get our first kisses?”

“You want it too?”

“Oh yes.”

Meanwhile, Tara and Lilah had a water balloon fight with their cousin Danny, who had come home on the bus withthem.

“Hey Ivy.”

“Hey Wesley. What’s up?”

“Not much. Just finished tomorrow’s homework. What’s going on with you?”

“Oh, just stopping by, walking around the neighborhood.”

“Cool.” Wesley rubbed his suddenly wet palms against his thighs. “You look really pretty today.”

“I do?” Ivy blushed. “Thanks.” She looked down, then up again. “I really like your blazer.”

“Thanks.” Wesley took a breath, then leaned forward and put a hand on her arm. She didn’t pull away, so he kissed her.

Their first kiss was everything he had hoped for, and he could tell Ivy enjoyed it too. When it was over, she smiledand blushed and stammered a bit. Wesley invited her in to play some chess or watch TV, and Ivy accepted happily.

After Danny left, both girls asked Rupert to teach themhow to do their homework - Lilah first, then Tara.

Meanwhile, Lorne took care of the Headmaster visit (bothgirls and their cousin Danny all got in) with some helpfrom Wesley and Ivy.

And Lynne taught Miss Kitty her last skill. “Yes, you playdead like this.”

“I will never understand humans,” Miss Kitty meowed,though she did it anyway.

“Yes, like that!” Lynne looked over at her husband anddaughter. “Tara, I like your dress.”

“I picked it to match you!”

Lynne smiled. “It only matches my clothing when I’mpregnant and dressed, but that’s sweet of you.”

Tara grinned. “I know, but I like it anyway.” Then shelooked up at her father. “Is this right, Daddy?”

Rupert looked at her paper. “Yes, yes it is.”

When Miss Kitty had learned how to play dead, Lynne stood up and felt her stomach moving in a different direction.“Okay, people, I think this baby is coming out!” She groaned as a contraction ripped through her. “Five kids isenough. Definitely enough.”

“Yay, it’s a boy!” Rupert yelled when Lynne had successfully given birth.

Lynne raised an eyebrow. “I hope you’d be just as happy if it were a girl, because it’s not like I can change ourchild’s gender.”

Rupert smiled at her. “Of course I would. You know that.”

She glared for a second, then smiled. “Yeah, I do. So, names?”

“How about Riley Finn Whedon?”

“Sounds good to me.”

Lynne was Riley’s primary caretaker, as she had been for the girls, and found that it was considerably easier withonly one child and no pregnancy, even without Will and Fred around to help.

The next day, the twins and Danny started at Hemery.

I found the outfits adorable.

And when Lorne came home from school, he got his first kiss from his good friend Meredith.

---

Meredith was actually also Willow’s first kiss, but I have decided not to care as so few teens walk by. I could havesent Lorne downtown to search for someone else, but he was already friends with Meredith, and she accepted, sowhatever. She won’t be marrying in, anyway.

Life at 1630 Revello Drive was fairly boring. When homework was done, the four older kids skilled - Wesley andLorne concentrated on Body, so that they could get after-school jobs, while the girls spent some time on everything.

---

Generally, I have them get one skill to eight points (scholarship level) and then move on to something else; Body isthe exception to that, as ten points in it are necessary for teens to leave the house for stuff other than school. Asthat includes jobs and college, well, it’s really necessary to get them to that point.

“I got an A plus today,” Lilah bragged to her sister when she came home on Friday.

“Me too! I’m so excited!”

Lilah put her hands on her sister’s. “Excited is good, but I need some fun, or there is no way I’m doing homework.Red hands?”

“Sure!” Tara slapped at Lilah’s hand and missed. “I don’t mind school,” she said, “but it can get kind of boring atthe end.”

“I know.” Lilah pulled her hand away as Tara slapped at it again, but wasn’t quite fast enough. “Switch?”

Tara pulled her hands back instead. “Don’t tell anyone I think school sometimes gets boring?”

Lilah smiled. “I won’t. Now switch!”

“Okay, okay,” Tara rolled her eyes, but still smiled at her twin.

At the end of the game, Tara pulled Lilah into a hug before sitting down to do their homework.

That evening was also Riley’s birthday, and Rupert spun him into very cute toddlerhood.

Both parents spent time taking care of him, though Rupert only had free time when he wasn’t at work.

He also spent a lot of time with his rabbit head, as all of his siblings and other relatives had before him.

In fact, Riley seemed to enjoy the rabbit head more than anyone else had. He consistently rolled up the want to earna Charisma point, as well as a Logic point and a Creativity point.

While that in itself was fine, the fact that he rolled those wants instead of wants to learn to talk, use the potty, andwalk? Was incredibly frustrating.

“Let’s see…Gamer, doesn’t work tomorrow, Journalism,maybe, but what if I want to lift it later, Music…yeah,that could work. Lorne was right, Music is probably bestfor me.”

“Got your ten body points?”

“Yup. So did Lorne. He already found a job inJournalism.”

“But what if he wants to lift it?”

Wesley shrugged. “It’s not high priority.”

“But what about Gamer?”

“He wants to work tomorrow too.”

“Music? That’s lifted already.”

“Yeah, but he wants to be a Rock God. If he takes thejob now and quits to go to college, he can’t take it later.”

“Ah.”

Wednesday night was a birthday night; just not in the main house. Willow kept her same hairstyle, choosing to dye itblack rather than letting it gray.

Her clothing was decent, though not really perfect for her.

However, compared to her twin sister’s…

Well.

Hello, Mrs. Claus.

Mrs. Claus with dyed black hair.

And no way to lift Show Business until Wesley (if not one of the younger kids) is through college and an adult.

Sigh.

Apparently Mrs. Claus works as a Warhead Disarmer.

Uh, okay?

“Yeah, that’s what I got for the fractions questions,” Danny told his cousin Tara, who had called him for homework help.“What’d Lilah get?” He listened for a moment, then nodded. “Okay, then it’s probably right. Yeah, Tara, I…Lilah?Why’d you grab the phone?” He listened as Lilah babbled a question at him. “Yeah, you can borrow Charlie’s old notes,but why would you want them? Don’t you have Wesley’s and Lorne’s?” He shrugged. “I guess Charlie is moreorganized, yeah, but Wesley and Lorne got straight A pluses too. And they all went to Hemery, right? So it’s probablythe same. Well, mostly.” He heard the phone changing hands once more. “Yeah, see you tomorrow, Tara. And tellLilah I’ll bring the notes.”

“Are you off yet, Danny?” His mother’s voice came from the computer. “It’s almost time for bed!”

“Just a second, Mom!” He turned back to the phone. “See you guys tomorrow!”

“Uncle Will, Uncle Will, look, I got an A plus!”Danny had just gotten back from his first day atHemery.

“Congratulations, Danny.”

“Will you teach me how to do homework?”

“Not right now, I’m on a date.”

“Oh.”

“Why don’t you go ask your mother?”

“Okay.”

Danny did get his mother, who had once been a teacher,to work with him on his homework, while Will returned tohis date.

“So that’s your nephew?”

“One of them.”

“He looks cute.”

“A bit young for you,” Will said, raising an eyebrow.

Norman laughed as Will twirled him. “I didn’t mean itthat way.”

Will’s dates, however, didn’t always go quite so well.

“And here is your date, Mr. BJ Ryan!”

Will looked at the man behind him. “Um, he’s the headmaster at my nephew’s school. And my nieces’, for thatmatter. Could you give me someone else?”

The gypsy eyed him. “You are certain you want this? You did pay for him.”

“Yeah, the absolute minimum I could. I’ll give you more money for a different date.”

“Sold.”

Will dated a lot more people over the next couple of days, and eventually, a date with Sheldon Hanby brought him totrue happiness.

He rolled a new Lifetime Want to become a Game Designer. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to find that job, so he tookone in Education.

“Thanks for coming over, Lorne.”

Lorne smiled as he played red hands with his cousin. “No problem. How are things going with you?”

“School is good, Sophie is good, but work…”

“What about work?”

“Well, I was so excited to have a job, but I feel like I’m stuck, you know? No promotions yet, and it feels like I’m notgoing to get promoted. And I want that scholarship for the higher level.”

Lorne shrugged. “So change jobs. If they don’t respect what you’re doing - and I know you, Charlie, you’re puttingyour all into it - find someone who will.”

Charlie thought for a minute. “You know what? That’s a good idea.”

“OUT OUT OUT OUT OUT OUT!”

Harmony could shriek loud enough to wake the dead, and she took full advantage of that fact when she wantedsomething.

“OUUUUUUUT!”

“I’ve got you, Harmony,” Xander said after he got her and snuggled her. He’d been in bed when she’d startedcrying, but the walls really weren’t loud enough to block the noise.

“Unca Xan?”

“Yes, Harmony?”

She smiled at him. “Hug?”

“Of course, sweetling.” He guided her head down to his shoulder and let her clutch his neck and cuddled her tight.“I’ve missed this, you know. Dawn and Joyce are far too old for me to hold them like this. But you’re just the rightage.”

Harmony lifted her head, smiled at him, and then cuddled close to him again.

While Xander was Harmony’s main caretaker, as he had the most free time, both of her parents made sure to spendtime with her. Armando taught her to walk, and Fred put the lessons she’d learned with Wesley and Lorne intopractice.

Fred continued to work as a Media Magnate, and Armando worked his way up through the ranks of the SunnydalePolice Force until he became Captain Hero, achieving his Lifetime Want. That way he could protect his family while atwork as well as at home.

On Friday, Harmony became a child and grew up into very decent clothing. Her hair, however, was very repetitive.At the moment, Dawn, Joyce, Tara, and Harmony all have exactly the same haircut. Buffy had it, too.

Why yes, I am sick of that hair, in case you couldn’t tell.

Joyce found that she enjoyed college, though not always for the same reasons as Dawn. She didn’t mind theschoolwork - actually, she rather enjoyed it - while Dawn tended to view college as a place to meet people. If partieswere allowed, Dawn would be having one every night. Joyce preferred to actually write her term papers and go toclass. If Dawn had had the option, she’d be influencing random walkbys into doing it for her.

Joyce did like the college house, though, and found that she’d missed sharing a room with her sister, even if Dawnsometimes seemed to want privacy to be with her fiancé.

Luckily, Joyce’s scholarship money was enough to decorate the second bedroom - and this one got a double bed.

Dawn took full advantage of that fact.

Joyce also spent some time with Dawn’s fiancé, Boyd Griffith. They bonded over the fact that neither of them hadchosen a major yet, and a good chess game.

“Yeah, I’d like to schedule a vacation to Lihue. Me and my sister. For, um, a week from now?”

“We haven’t got the money for vacation, Dawn!” Joyce called from the computer, where she was working on a newnovel.

“We’ll figure it out!” Dawn yelled back, then turned back to the phone. “$600 for the flights? Sure. Um, yeah, we’llpick a hotel when we get there.”

They did find the money, mainly by digging for treasure and selling what they found - though both girls hit a numberof water mains in the process.

In addition, Joyce wrote novels, though she only sold one before maxing her creativity skill, which coincidentally gother her Lifetime Want (max all skills). Her new LTW was to be Chief of Staff; therefore, she decided to major inBiology.

On Saturday, Riley spent the day at his rabbit head, while Lilah and Tara played chess, both to raise their fun and tolearn Logic. Luckily, they were just nice enough to avoid cheating each other, and had a semi-cordial game or three.

“So, Dad, where are we going?”

“Well, you know that I’m not permaplat.”

“Right.”

“And that I’m going to be an Elder in three days.”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I’ve bought a shop with a robot bench and a toybench, and your mother, me, and you are going to gomake robots and toys until I earn another $52,000.”

“What about Wesley?”

“What about Wesley?”

“Is he coming?”

“No. Someone has to stay home with the twins andRiley, and he likes kids more than you do.”

“True.”

“Also, you’re skilled up for college, and he still has someCleaning to learn.”

The shop was very simple. There was a robot bench, a toy bench, an Energizer (okay, an often-replaced Energizer - I think we wentthrough five of them during the marathon), two bathrooms (one with just a toilet, the other with a tub as well), a tent, and a full kitchen,including an espresso machine.

Rupert, Lynne, and Lorne rotated through the machines, though Rupert always sold every single robot or toy that was made.

As Lynne was permaplat, she almost always used the Energizer so that she could make more toys and robots, except for occasional bubblebaths when just her hygiene and comfort were down.

Rupert mostly managed to use the Energizer, as he fulfilled wants for earning badges and money. He also took occasional baths, however.

Lorne, on the other hand, needed constant maintenance, as he had no badge-related wants, and very few of his other wants werefulfillable. Therefore, he was the most likely to cook, clean, eat, use the bathroom, and call people on his cell phone to chat, though healso helped on the toy bench occasionally.

Therefore, while Rupert and Lynne got gold badges in both toy-making and robotics, Lorne only got a gold badge in toy-making.

“Wahoo, that’s $100,000 that I’ve earned!”

“Charlie? Yeah, I’m gonna go. It looks like I can finally go home. Yeah, five days. Yes, really. No, I’m not kidding.”He hung up the phone and yelled up the stairs to where his mother was taking yet another bath. “Mom? Dad’s good.Can we go home?”

---

Yes, it did take about five days of constant robot and toy making to get Rupert permaplat. Boring, but worth it.

When Lorne got home, he went to work and got an instant promotion to the top of the teen Journalism career.

He also got a cold.

The cold that has been circulating through my hood.

If it wasn’t cheating, I would totally cure everyone. But since it is, I won’t.

If, however, the entire main house is cold-free at the same time, I will cure everyone else in the hood, whether it’scheating or not.

I’m not holding my breath, though.

Finally permaplat, Rupert started rolling constant wants to sell a great novel, so that’s what he spent most of his timedoing: sitting at the computer and writing.

Even when Lynne was asleep or otherwise busy, Rupert was often at the computer, which left Wesley to take care ofRiley.

Wesley really didn’t mind, however. Taking care of his brother was way more interesting than skilling.

Lorne, meanwhile, began practicing hidden skills. He was completely prepared for college - all of his skills were at atleast level 8, his Body skill was at level 10, he had an A plus, and was at the top of his teen career.

Therefore, he started dancing during the day and stargazing at night, in the hope of getting one of thosescholarships.

---

Plus, I want an alien baby. Lester failed to give me one last gen, so this gen I’m hoping for one from either Wesley orLorne.

Lynne continued taking care of Riley, teaching him to walk.

“Mama?”

“Yes Riley?”

“Sit!”

She sighed. “No, sweetie. Walk.”

“So why did Dad get upset when I asked him about ghosts?” Tara asked during a late dinner. Lynne was with Riley,Rupert was writing another novel, and Lorne was stargazing, so it was just Wesley and the girls.

“Did he tell you anything?”

Tara shook her head. “Nope. Just muttered something about maybe writing his next novel about ghosts.”

“And then he brushed a tear off his face and told us we should eat dinner,” Lilah added.

“Well,” Wesley said, “there used to be lots of ghosts in this house, before you two were born.”

“Did you ever see one?” Lilah asked breathlessly.

“Nope. They were all moved before I left the nursery.”

“Huh,” Tara said, “cool.”

Lilah nodded as she started cleaning up the dinner plates. “Very cool.”

Wesley nodded. “If you still want to see them when you’re older, you can ask Mom to take you to the familycemetery.”

“Tara?”

“Yeah, Lilah?”

“I’m bored.”

“Well, studying’s important. And it could be worse,right? Like when we had to exercise last night.”

“Yeah, that sucked.”

“Plus, we get breaks. I had fun with Miss Kitty thismorning. You played with her when I was showering,right?”

“Right.”

“So, see, it’s not entirely boring.”

“I guess. But studying Mechanics still sucks.”

“Yeah, yeah, it kinda does.”

On Monday, Rupert started a new job, and came home with an immediate promotion to Chief of Staff, his secondLifetime Want.

And Lynne taught a recalcitrant Riley how to talk.

“Can you say Mama, Riley?”

“No wanna!”

Lynne sighed. “Please?”

Riley pouted. “No.” When it looked like his mother was going to cry, he gave in. “No, Mama.”

Lynne clapped. “Very good!”

Tara and Lilah continued finding ways to have fun so that they could do their homework and skill.

I was reminded of their twin aunts, who had played Mary Mack in this exact spot when they were children. Backthen, Cordy’s urn had been right behind the girls. Now, it was in Restfield Cemetery.

Over at Willow and Anya’s, Charlie taught Danny how to play chess, then worked on his own non-standard skills. Hedidn’t really need the money and wouldn’t at college - Dawn and Joyce had almost fully furnished the house, after all- but he wanted to earn scholarships.

Therefore, after he hadn’t gotten a single promotion after four days in the Military, he switched to Music andimmediately got promoted to the top of the teen career.

He also smustled to earn the dance scholarship, though he didn’t actually succeed in getting that one.

He had fun, anyway.

“What are the 30,000 aspiration points for?” I asked Lester.

“M-maxing all my skills.”

“That wasn’t your Lifetime Want, was it?”

“No. But I, I wanted it anyway. I w-want to be a M-Media Magnate more, though.”

“Armando?”

“What is it, hon?”

“I’m going to be old soon.” Fred was unaccustomed to being nervous, but she felt that way now.

He pulled her into a hug. “I don’t care.”

“You don’t?”

“As long as you don’t care when I get old a week after you do!”

Fred smiled. “Definitely not.”

“Thinking about Fred?”

“She’s worried about getting old.” Armando shrugged as well as one could while flying to work as Captain Hero. “Itried to reassure her. I hope it worked.”

“I’m sure it did,” I said.

“Harmony is skilling, Armando is at work, and Fred is cheating some teenager at chess,” Xander said as he pulled hiswife into bed.

“What’s that got to do with me?”

“I want to woohoo.”

“With me?”

“Of course with you.” He caressed her cheek. “It’s always you.”

Marisa smiled, then leaned forward and kissed him.

Rupert stopped by later that night, and Harmonyimmediately monopolized his attention.

“Uncle Rupert, Uncle Rupert, look at me!”

“What is it, Harmony?”

“I can cartwheel! See?” She did one.

He clapped. “Very nice.”

“Why are you visiting anyway?”

“I wanted to visit your mother and uncle.”

Harmony pouted. “Not me?”

He smiled at her. “And you, of course.”

“Good. Or you couldn’t be my friend anymore.”

Rupert smiled. She was so like his daughters, but sodifferent at the same time. “And we wouldn’t want that.”

“No, we wouldn’t.”

When Harmony got home from her first day at Hemery(the Headmaster had allowed her in the night before),she asked her Aunt Marisa to teach her how to dohomework.

“Hi Harmony, hi Marisa,” Armando said as he got homefrom work.

“Hi, Daddy. Auntie Marisa’s teaching me how to dohomework.”

“That’s nice of her.”

“Armando?”

“Yes, Marisa?”

“Why is your arm in the pillar?”

Armando glanced at his arm and shrugged. “I guess Ijust walked into it.” He removed his arm and headedupstairs.

Harmony looked up at her aunt as her fatherdisappeared. “Daddy is silly, isn’t he?”

“Yes,” Marisa answered. “Yes, he is.”

That night, Fred became an Elder, growing up into significantly better clothing than either of her sisters.

Fred headed upstairs to the small bathroom on the third floor, where she examined herself in the mirror until herhusband found her.

“You look great, Fred.”

“You’re not just saying that, right?” Normally so self-confident, Fred wasn’t used to being old yet. She wasn’t sureshe liked her new body, though she was happy with her hair and her dress.

“I’m definitely not just saying that.”

Armando pulled Fred into a kiss. “Definitely not.”

Fred melted into his arms. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Fred. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Harmony spent most of the rest of the night on the phone, talking to the new friends she’d met at school, as well asthe various relatives she knew.

She constantly wanted more friends, and she was determined to get them.

“Ready for our trip to Lihue?” Dawn asked her sister as they headed to the taxi.

“I guess. I wonder what it’s like.”

“No idea, but it’s got to be better than here, right?”

“I suppose so.”

After checking into the hotel and dropping off their stuff, the girls headed out to wander the town.

“Um, Dawn, where are we?”

“Well, you know when we were digging?”

“Yeah.”

“I found this map to a Mysterious Hut.” Dawn shrugged. “I thought it would be cool to visit.”

Joyce looked around. “Uh, sure.”

The Mysterious Hut housed a mysterious man, who asked them to help fix his broken appliances.

“This is way, way, way too much like home,” Dawn grumbled as she fixed the bathtub, while the mysterious mantook a nap on his hammock.

“Oh, be nice,” Joyce said as she fixed the TV and the dishwasher. “The guy needs help.”

Dawn grumbled, but she did help, and the girls were rewarded with a mysterious present when they had finished.

“So,” Dawn said, as they got dinner at the Boardwalk afterthey left the mysterious man in his mysterious hut, “do yousee what’s behind us?”

“The clothes shop?”

Dawn nodded. “You should totally buy some.”

“What about you?”

“Hey, my dress is totally appropriate for the weather.But you’re wearing long sleeves. Aren’t you hot?”

“Is that even legal?” Joyce asked, trying to change the subject.

Dawn shrugged. “They’ve got the store, haven’t they?”

“I guess.”

“So what do you say? New shirt, at least? The jeans are fine.”

“I don’t know.”

“At least look?”

Joyce looked at her sister, then the store. “Okay.”

“What do you think of this one?” Joyce pulled a shirt out.

Dawn looked at it critically. “I don’t know.” She pulled a few more out. “Here. Try these on.”

Joyce went into the dressing room, changed clothes, and came out. “Dawn. Dawn, you have to look at me and helpme figure this out if you want me to get new clothing!”

Dawn turned away from her conversation with the cashier and looked at her sister. “Hrm. Yellow’s a good color foryou, but I think that’s too bright. Try the lighter one.”

Joyce nodded and headed back into the dressing room.

Eventually, they chose a shirt for her to buy.

“Hey, Joyce, I can change my hair!”

“What?” Joyce followed her sister into the bathroom and to the mirror.

“I can change my hair! And my makeup! This rocks!”

“Let me try,” Joyce said as she pushed her way to the mirror. “Oh my God, this is great!”

After they both changed their hair and Dawn put on some makeup, they got another visitor to the beach to take apicture of them, which came out fairly well despite it being dark outside.

The next day, they headed to the Hot Springs. Dawn got a massage and went in the sauna, and Joyce found herselfon a date with a man named Zeeshan.

As she walked away from him, she looked contemplative. “Is something wrong?” I asked.

She shrugged. “I don’t know. He kissed me, but I’m not sure I liked it. I think he was moving a little too fast, youknow?”

“Yeah, I get that.”

After her date, Joyce decided to sit down and hang out with the massage therapist, while Dawn caught up with somefriends from home.

“So you don’t mind not having a desk job?”

Toby Pitts shrugged. “I love Lihue. And this way I get to work outside. I love the outdoors.”

Joyce leaned back on her hands. “That sounds cool, I guess, but I really want to be a doctor.”

Toby smiled. “That’s a great goal.”

They talked for a while, while Dawn went to go sit in the hot springs, and when Joyce stood up, she found that shewas very attracted to Toby Pitts.

“Dawn,” she said as she quickly headed for her sister.

“What, Joyce? I’m leaning to hula.”

Joyce pulled Dawn over and whispered to her. “I think I have a crush on Toby Pitts!”

“Who?”

“The massage therapist!”

Dawn stopped hula dancing and grabbed Joyce’s hand. “Okay, talking time. Let’s head back to the hotel.”

“Okay.”

After a long talk and lots of chocolate, Joyce felt much more confident about her crush. Therefore, when they returned to the hot springsthe next day, she immediately headed over to Toby Pitts.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” he said.

She shyly took his hand. “I, I think I like you. And it kind of scared me, and…”

“It’s okay,” he said, taking her other hand. “I like you too.” Then he held out a hand. “Dance?”

They danced well into the night, then shared a tender kiss. “I’m leaving tomorrow,” Joyce said, “but maybe you’d like to visit?”

“Yeah,” Toby said, smiling. “Maybe.”

Dawn still wanted to do a bit more touring, so they headed over to the Ancient Ruins of Nunchuk, where Dawnlearned to hang loose and Joyce wished that Toby would be the one.

Before they left, Joyce changed back into her long-sleeved shirt. She knew she wouldn’t be able to change clothesback at UC Sunnydale, and while Dawn might be fine in a sleeveless dress even when it got slightly chilly, she wantedto be able to stay warm.

“Did you have a good trip, Miss?”

“Yeah,” she said as she smiled at the bellhop, “yeah, we did.”

After they returned from Lihue, things continued as normal.

Well, mostly.

Homework definitely continued, as did Dawn’s relationship with Boyd, but Toby also came to visit and Dawn gotarrested by the Secret Society.

Joyce and Toby kept their relationship slow, but by the end of the year, they were very much dating.

“Joyce?”

“Yeah, Dawn?”

“I’m almost graduated. So, you know, you’re in charge around here.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you. Charlie’s going to be moving in soon, but you’re older, and more experienced, so keep him out of trouble.”

“I’m not used to being the oldest, Dawn.”

“Don’t worry. You’ll do fine.”

On Tuesday morning, Wesley sat on his bed for a few minutes after he woke up, almost as though he werememorizing the feel of it.

“Ready for college?” I asked.

“Yeah.” He stood up. “Time to go.”

And so he did, after calling once more to check on his scholarships.

After Wesley left, the family had a quiet day; Lynne watched Riley, Rupert went to work, and the girls and Lorne wentto school and did their homework.

However, at six o’clock, the house got busy once more.

First, Riley became a child.

“Hands! And ducky pajamas!”

Second, Rupert became an Elder.

“Oh, my back.”

And last but certainly not least, Lynne also became an Elder.

“I love your suit, Lynne,”

She smiled. “Thanks. Perfect for a soon-to-be Celebrity Chef, don’t you think?”

“Celebrity Chef?”

“Well, not quite. I got a job in Culinary, though. Now that Riley’s old enough to start school, well, I’ll be incrediblybored if I stay home alone all the time.”

Rupert nodded. “Makes sense.” Then he kissed her.

Early that same morning, Charlie’s girlfriend, Sophie Miguel, stopped by. “You’re leaving for college today, aren’tyou?”

He nodded. “Yeah.”

Sophie smiled. “Good.”

“Good?”

“So am I.”

Charlie smiled back. “Want to move in with me and my cousins?”

“Sure.”

As Charlie caught the taxi to UC Sunnydale, his Aunt Willow waved. “Have a good time at college!”

Then she turned and headed upstairs to the hot tub. “It’s going to be quiet around here, with Danny as the only kidwith all us Elders.”

“He’ll be a teen soon,” I told her.

“Yes, in a house with four Elders.”

“Will and Lester aren’t Elders yet.”

“Will ages tonight and Lester ages tomorrow. We’re all going to be old and quiet.”

“True.”

Danny, however, was determined not to be lonely.

“Who’s that who came home from school with you?”

“Oh, that’s my cousin Riley.”

I looked closer. “Ah, so it is.” Then a thought came to me. “Um, Riley hasn’t even attended school once yet, norhas he gotten into Hemery. How’d he end up coming home with you?”

Danny shrugged. “Don’t ask me.” He put his homework down and turned to his cousin. “Hey, Riley, want to go havea water balloon fight?”

“Sure!”

Later that evening, at the same time as his twin, Will became an Elder, bringing the total of Elders in the house tothree. Lester, however, only had one more day before he would age as well.

Will being Will, he immediately wanted to go play on the couch.

Fred, who’d stopped by to visit, looked up at her brother. “Are you ever going to get bored of jumping on couches?”

“Nope!” Will said gleefully as he jumped as high as he could.

Fred turned to me as Will attempted - and succeeded at - a back flip.

“He’s never going to change, is he?”

“Would you want him to?”

She shrugged. “Not really.”

“You got old,” Harmony said to her Uncle Rupert when he stopped by the next day after school.

“Not too old to dance with you, though!”

Harmony grinned. “Good.” They danced for a while, then Harmony went to go greet the rest of the relatives andfriends who had come over.

When Wesley got to college, he found himself on his new lot.

“What has you so angry?” I asked.

“Have you seen the house where I have to live?”

“Um, no.”

“It has a door, an Energizer, and a flight of stairs. And that’s it.”

“Ah.”

“I couldn’t afford more.”

“Well, there are ways to earn quick money.”

He groaned. “Digging? Joyce told me how much she hated that.”

“Sorry. But at least you’ve got an Energizer to keep yourself happy.”

“Until I’m not happy anymore.”

I shrugged. “Let’s hope that doesn’t happen for a while. Or at least until you’ve bought the necessities.”

While Wesley’s YA outfit wasn’t bad, Charlie once more proved himself to be the “cool” cousin with his clothing.

Unfortunately, his girlfriend more than made up for his coolness with her outfit.

I immediately vowed to keep her in either pajamas or workout clothes or a bathing suit or anything that wasn’t hereveryday as much as possible until I could send them on vacation and change it.

One quick caress sent them into love. Then Sophie headed upstairs to declare a major in Drama, as she wanted tobe a Hall of Famer.

Charlie, meanwhile, declared a major in History, to fit with his goal of becoming The Law.

Then he called the travel agent and scheduled a trip to Lihue for the next year, for just him and Sophie. He’d talkedit over with Wesley, and while they could have gone on vacation together, Wesley thought Lorne would want to gotoo, and Charlie also wanted a special trip with Sophie.

Meanwhile, Toby was visiting once more, and Joyce had decided that she was finally ready for her first woohoo. Tobyhad let her set the pace, which she liked about him, but now she was ready.

“Thank you for letting me set the pace.”

Toby pulled Joyce’s face closer and kissed her softly. “If it makes you happy, it makes me happy.”

That night, Dawn had her last final, and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Art. Then she called a taxi totake her to the Bronze.

“What are you doing?” I asked. “You’ve got a cell phone.”

“Buying Sophie a gift. She doesn’t have a cell phone yet.”

“Any reason why?”

She shrugged. “I thought it would be nice.”

Back at Lowell House, Wesley decided to major in Psychology, and accordingly let the college know so that he couldswitch his class schedule.

Then he began his quest to dig his way to a decent house - or at least one that was livable until Lorne moved in nextyear with his scholarship money.

---

And that’s Chapter Twelve! Turn the page for more info.

So, in this update, the last child of generation 4 was born: Riley Finn Whedon.

He is a Virgo, with a personality of 10/3/8/3/3, and the now-familiar black hair and gray eyes.

Unfortunately, no careers were lifted during this update, as gen 3 have already lifted theirs, gen 4 aren’t old enoughyet to get started, and Miss Kitty Fantastico…well, she’s progressing.

Other progress was made, however: all of gen 3 has now reached their Lifetime Wants except for Lester, who is inthe Journalism career, but not quite a Media Magnate yet. He’s got two promotions left, I think. And Joyce startedthe process of gen 4 getting theirs, as she maxed all of her skills.

However, Armando here decided to freak me out a bit.

You see him getting his LTW here, right? To be Captain Hero.

Yeah.

Well, on my quick one-day rotation, I noticed, when entering the house, that Armando’s aspiration meter was green,not platinum, as it should have been.

This was a bit odd, but then I looked at all of his stats. He was 29 days to Elder (instead of the 6 he should havebeen), a Theorist (the job he’d had when he’d moved in) with skills matching that (no Body at all, even though he’dearned 10 points to become Captain Hero), and set back to normal fitness.

Oddly, his relationships, memories, and new LTW (20 simultaneous best friends) were all correct, as far as I couldtell, as were the contents of his Inventory.

No, I don’t know what happened, and I cheated to fix him, but I’m hoping that this and the fact that most of my kidshave LTWs isn’t a sign of game breaking glitches.

At least I back up regularly, right?

As you can see, Wesley’s college house is incredibly empty. There’s lots of dispute on the Apocalypse forums atBoolprop over moving kids to college, and if different generations can use the same lot - with or without a placeholderin between.

In order to be safe, I dumped Wesley on an empty lot, though his siblings will be joining him when they come.

And come to Boolprop (forums.boolprop.com) for great conversation, great fun, and hints on various game functions,such as why having two 1-Nice-Point Sims play chess together is a really, really, really bad idea.