ProsperoLegacy's Blog

Nikki congratulates Petruchio

Rhiannon and Petruchio take a moment to read

Patrick was eventually promoted and even busier with work. He often spent his free time reading up on do-it-yourself books in order to raise his handiness. Rhiannon loved sitting outside with him and they could often be seen reading together by the pond.

Rhiannon enjoys being fit

Of course, I too liked being around my wife. She had been on a fitness kick recently and I feared she would grow bored with me and my sedentary lifestyle. During our nights watching TV in bed, she reassured me that I had nothing to fear. She said she was only interested in her health for the sake of her grandchildren. I couldn’t argue with that.

Antonio's romantic interest grows up

Intruder Alert

Antonio was happy to see that the boy he had taken an interest in long ago was now of a legal age. My son may be insane, but he seemed to have some sort of knowledge about the age of consent and statutory rape laws. Meanwhile, Petruchio had generated some interest of his own. As we were celebrating Ben and Bert’s birthday, an uninvited guest crashed the party and happened to walk in on Patrick as he was taking a shower. She lingered long enough for me to have security escort her off the premises. Rhiannon laughed and reminded me that Patrick was a hottie. Patrick remains clueless about the whole situation.

Ben and Bert play with their teddies

And as I said, we had been celebrating the twins’ birthday. My grandbabies were now toddlers and enjoyed spending time playing near each other. They were similar in a way I couldn’t really understand. For example, whenever one of them cried, the other would seem to take a special interest in the other’s misfortune. I couldn’t explain it, but it was as if one was always delighted when the other one was miserable. Fiendishly so, I might add.

Benedick: Toddler

Bertram: Toddler

As for appearance, Benedick had inherited Rhiannon’s brown hair and natural light highlights, resulting in a kind of streaky look. I have no idea where he got his eye color from, but I found it very unusual and a little eerie, given what I had witnessed from the boys. Bertram had the blonde hair and brown eyes that had been passed down the line in the family. Nothing about his appearance indicated his propensity for the delight shown in the misfortune of others, which I also found disturbing.

I can’t quite put my finger on what I find disturbing about my grandsons, but I’ve a feeling it isn’t good, whatever it is. Their lives are in the hands of Fate and my only hope is that they grow up being strong and just, like their father.

To Be Continued!

Nikki and Petruchio bringing home the boys

Putting the boys to bed

Petruchio and Nikki welcomed twin boys to the Prospero family. They named their sons Benedick, after a witty and eloquent man in a play, and Bertram, named for a Countess’ son in another play. Family tradition, of course. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of deja vu as I watched them come inside.

Helena watches over the babies

Nikki tells Antonio to vote circle before he can see the boys

Antonio loves his nephews

The days passed quickly and it was hectic having babies in the household once again. Of course, we had plenty of help and the boys were never neglected. Helena, who had taken a great interest in her nephews, now spent time with the babies. In a surprise move, Antonio actually showed some feeling for them as well. Of course, Nikki was a bit apprehensive with him around, but she eventually saw how much he adored his nephews and couldn’t keep him away.

Helena celebrates her birthday alone

Helena: Elder

We were all so busy with the babies we didn’t even notice when it came time for Helena’s birthday. She didn’t seem to mind one bit, though, and cheered for herself as she transitioned to a full-fledged elder. I felt bad, but she insisted it was fine and that she didn’t mind.

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Nikki and Rhiannon talk pregnancy

Hugging cures everything

Rhiannon and I quickly got over the hurt feelings we had over their impromptu wedding and expressed our excitement in our future grandchild. Rhiannon, always the doctor, doled out lots of great medical advice to Nikki, who was very receptive to her advice. I felt that things had definitely been smoothed over.

So you're having a baby

She's watching you

To prepare for the baby, Nikki read all the pregnancy books she could get her hands on. When she had finished reading, she insisted Patrick read them as well. She even sat down with him to make sure he was reading, which I found funny.

Knock Knock

Still in there?

In the evenings when Petruchio was free, he tended to hover over Nikki. He always wanted to listen to the baby and feel her tummy. If I hadn’t known better, I’d have sworn he thought the baby bump was going to disappear.

It's Coming!

Stop staring and take me to the hospital

OMG she's gonna blow

Finally, as they lay sleeping, Nikki felt the baby stir. As she gingerly made her way out of bed, Petruchio jumped up and shouted, “It’s coming!” and began the panicky dance all expecting fathers do. Thankfully it didn’t last too long and he was able to calm down enough to rush Nikki to the hospital. Antonio was coming home just as they were hopping into the car and he spent moments wringing his hands with worry. He didn’t quite understand what was going on and feared the baby would come bursting out at any moment.

You think she's sore?

As they arrived at the hospital, Patrick was full of wonder and ideas. His main thought of the evening? That Nikki sure must be sore. Brilliant Patrick, just brilliant.

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Nikki enjoys playing with the fireplace

We all knew Nikki was the daredevil type. What we didn’t know was her fascination with fire. She loved poking and prodding the fireplaces. Thankfully, they had all been fireproofed by my father a long time ago so I didn’t have anything to fear with her strange behavior.

Antonio remains unpredictable

Rosalind doesn't understand her nephew

I was still getting surprised by Antonio even though I knew he would continue doing whatever he wanted. One evening I observed him cleaning up the bathroom floor. When I asked him about it later, he said that he had just been following the orders of the mysterious gnomes. Rosalind called me up one night to tell me that she had had a brief conversation with Antonio in the park. Apparently, he had expressed an interest in her personal life and asked her questions about life “on the outside”. She figured I should be concerned but I wrote it off as typical Antonio.

Midnight fishing with Helena in her nightie

Helena still spent her time fishing and even visited the cemetery. Sometimes she forgot to get dressed and fished in her nightie.

Great Minds think Alike

Around this time, Antonio and Helena managed to finish a pair of paintings. It was fascinating how alike they were and I was happy to see Antonio exhibiting some “normal” behavior.

Petruchio and Nikki celebrate together

In the days following their wedding, Patrick and Nikki spent a lot of quality time together. I didn’t expect them to try for a family straight away, but then again, they never seemed to do what I expected. I’m sure Patrick had no complaints because he often talked about what a great kisser Nikki was.

Nikki's typical midnight snack

Nikki's nausea

And I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised when Nikki showed all the typical signs of being pregnant. She had all the signs, from the weird cravings to the morning sickness.

Expectant Mother

Sure enough, it didn’t take long before she herself knew what was going on. I must admit that Rhiannon and I were rather happy at the idea of grandchildren.

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Rhiannon making plans with the caterer while Nikki enjoys cake for breakfast

Finally, the day of the wedding party had arrived. Rhiannon spent most of the morning on the phone working out details. We were all very excited.

Surprise! Elopement

However, Patrick and Nikki shocked us by running off to elope. I didn’t really understand the reasoning, but later Patrick mentioned that Nikki had some commitment issues and was nervous about staging a big ceremony. Patrick feared she wouldn’t go through with it so he took her out to Simhenge and they exchanged vows alone.

Petruchio and Nikki celebrate their love alone

The couple exchanging rings

Love and Cherish with no sight of parents

Forever

Rhiannon and I were very sad not to be included, but we couldn’t hold grudges. At least we had some pictures to remember their moment, even if we had to get them from the paparazzi. Since we had gone through the trouble of planning their wedding party, we went ahead with it anyway. Rather than witnessing the actual ceremony, we hosted a grand reception.

Nikki quietly sits with Rhiannon

Rhiannon didn’t speak to neither Patrick nor Nikki the entire evening but did manage to be civil.

Romeo cornered by a guest

I spent much of my time talking to guests and was even cornered in my bedroom at one point by a disappointed voter.

Antonio uses the party as practice

Antonio, immune to the awkward silence from his family, decided to bring people together with his music. He considered it good practice for honing his skills.

Helena cries alone in the bathroom

Helena was handling her disappointment in her own way and spent most of the evening crying alone in a bathroom upstairs. Strangely enough, the party was a success despite the strained relationships within our family.

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Petruchio stays fit for work

The days that followed were spent preparing for Patrick and Nikki’s wedding. Patrick was busy with his job which required him to spend a lot of time keeping in the best shape possible.

Nikki dives into her studies

Nikki decided to pursue a career in politics so I put in a good word for her with some people and got her a job polishing podiums. I even gave her my books dealing with charisma and told her that skill would come in handy. When she told me her lifetime wish was to max charisma and guitar, I knew she was off to a great start with my books. She planned to have golden fingers as well as a golden tongue.

Antonio runs into Earnest, his teen romantic interest

Playing for the masses

As for Antonio, he had no plans on a career and instead focused on improving his guitar skills. He earned money by visiting the park and usually spent all day there, playing for tips. On one such occasion he ran into his friend Earnest, who was still a teen. Rather than continue his awkward flirting, Antonio decided to play for him and everyone else.

Rhiannon pleads with Romeo to keep his robe closed

I was close to finishing my second term as Leader of the Free World and was looking forward to a comfortable retirement. I played chess with Rhiannon in my free time and liked hanging around the house in my robe. I often got the feeling I was embarrassing Rhiannon with my attire, and I found her attempts at begging me to put on pants amusing.

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