Fortune’s FancyChapter 1 part 4

A Legacy by Nicbemused and

simself Nicki Bemused with possible commentary by Other

Characters

There was something about her dreads that made Brenda feel more in touch with the natural side of her, and her new outfit was ready for everything from a long hike in the woods to a funky party. She was totally satisfied.

And Bryan wasn’t too bad himself.

“Looking good, bro. Way better than that vesty thing you had earlier.”

“Yeah, well, the blue and the cargos are better than the red and the shorts too, I guess. Dunno about the dreads.”

“Hey, lay off the hair.”

Of course, I should have realized that Brenda was going to want to ask some questions and, while she wasn’t shy, they aren’t really questions you ask your parents.

“Ms. Bemused, I heard some townie kids saying something about at least one of us having babies. How d’you do that? Does it have to do with boys?”

And that was how I ended up explaining woohoo to Brenda. Humph.

Apparently Bastien overheard the question. I got to tell him too.

“Ms. Bemused, I think it would be really cool to have kids, but does it really happen like that?”

Later that evening, Brenda and Bryan got down to the serious business of practicing their dance moves. You had to have some game when you went to highschool. And, well, theirs needed some work.

“Brends? Are you going to ask anyone out?”

“I think I want to look around a little, see what feels right. Then I might go for it. I don’t know though, hanging out sounds good but I don’t really want a particular boyfriend. You?”

“A guy’s gotta be seen with somebody. You know?”

“I don’t think social status is a good reason to date. You should really want to be with them.”

“I’m a guy. Wanting isn’t a problem. I could want anyone. If I’m going to go out with somebody, I want something else out of it too. Besides, I want to know, and girls won’t let you unless you go out with them.”

“Girls exist for more than furthering your knowledge. And that kind of wanting isn’t what I meant.”

After they were done practicing, Bryan spent the rest of the night on the phone. Leif served burgers to everyone else for their birthday family dinner and Bastien had some questions for his newly teened sister.“So, Brends. Why were you asking Ms. Bemused about woohoo?”Brenda stared straight ahead, not looking at her clearly appalled parents. For some reason her mother was looking at her father with disbelief.“’Cause I wanted to know. We have family life class next week in school and I wanted to be smart for once.”“Are you sure that woohoo is the thing you want to know the most about?”“Better something than nothing.”“Brenda, you remember what I told you about thinking hard about what feels right and is right, don’t you? How it isn’t always the easy thing?”“Yes, Papa.”“Keep remembering.”

The next morning, Alex and Leif took a rare few minutes to talk before they got up to get ready for work.

“I cannot believe how quickly the children are growing up. It is as though we live upon a speeding train. Did you hear Brenda and Bryan last night? And then Bastien’squestions?” Leif was beginning to feel as though they’d missed a few important stops.

“I did. I don’t know what we can do though. Brenda has a good head on her shoulders and Bastien has a good heart. They’ll be OK. I worry about Bryan.”

“I am not much worried about Bryan. I worry about those around him, but not him. The other two, I worry about them getting hurt.”

They had to start getting ready for work, then, but they agreed to meet for lunch.

While their parents were talking, the kids were out practicing their dance move some more.

“Hey, Brends, look at the baby doofus.”

“Don’t make fun. He’ll figure it out. It isn’t like we’re all that great ourselves.”

“Sure we are. Hey. Brat. Watch us!”

“Ignore him, Bastien. You keep doing your own thing.”

“Stop encouraging the brat, Brenda. He’s never going to be as cool as us and you know it.”

“He’ll catch up and he’ll find what feels right to him. He doesn’t have to be just like you or just like me.”

“You and your stupid feelings. Nobody cares about feelings. They only care if you know the right stuff to look cool.”

Brenda shrugged and kept dancing. She wasn’t going to convince Bryan anyway.

Alex was only twenty minutes late for lunch.“I am pleased to see you were able to tear yourself away from the paper.”“Sorry, Leif, I’m sorry. My boss needed to talk to me for a minute.”“Sometimes I feel that I am not as important as your boss, as though our relationship is not as important.”“No, Leif, of course not. You and the kids are the most important things in my life!”“Have you heard our children? They do not seem to think relationships are important. And I think that we have taught them that.”Alex didn’t know what to say. In a way, Leif was right. They hadn’t been taking time for eachother recently and the children must have noticed. “Can we just eat lunch? I love you and I do value our relationship so I don’t want to spend this time with you fighting.” He looked doubtful and Alex wondered what she could do to prove she still valued them.

When she got back to the office, Alex thought about what Leif had said. It was true that she had been spending an awful lot of time at the office and she could see how he might feel like she didn’t value their relationship, but he hadn’t said anything either, so it wasn’t like it was all her fault. Still, she knew he’d been wanting to get married and she wondered if that might make him feel better.

She decided it would and, when she got home that day, she proposed. She could see that he was thrill and he accepted happily. Poor Brenda, though, was totally embarrassed by the display her parents were putting on. No one else’ parents ever had marriage proposals right outside on the sidewalk for everyone to see. Why did they need to do that anyway, they were committed already? Everyone knew that. Bastien thought it was cool that they were going to be a regular family.

Brenda didn’t mind as much once her mother asked her to help her shop for a dress.

“Why don’t we both look around while we’re here. I can’t get married in any of my old formals and you have great taste, Brenda. Besides, we don’t get to do much with just the two of us.”

“If you really want.” Brenda was thrilled, even if she was too cool to show it.

“Hey, mom? There are tons of dresses here. What kind do you want?”

“Nothing too fussy or structured. Something simple, but long and romantic.”

“Maybe this one?” Brenda pulled out a dress.

“Oh, wow, you look totally gorgeous! You have to buy that one!” Brenda was used to seeing her mother in practical, businesslike clothes, but in that dress her mother looked beautiful and delicate.

“You think?” Alex watched as Brenda nodded vigorously. “Yes, I think you are right. Now, lets find you something.”

It didn’t take them long to find a dress for Brenda and both women left the boutique happy with their purchases and eachother.

The wedding was held not long later in the bridal chapel in old town. There weren’t many guests, just the children and the chapel staff really, but Alex and Leif were happy with it. They supposed it was a bit unusual to get married when they had a child and two teenagers, but Leif hoped it signaled a positive change in their relationship.

After the wedding the party went upstairs to the reception room, where Leif cut the cake.

“Brends, now that our parents are married, this makes us practically squeaky clean, doesn’t it?” Bastien was excited about the whole day.

“Lady, I hope not.” Brenda muttered under her breath.

Alex couldn’t stop laughing when Leif turned and tried to shove the cake in her mouth. She’d been afraid that the wedding would make them some old married couple, but it seemed like Leif was still willing to be a kid with her. The staff didn’t seem to mind the silliness either.

When they got back home after the party, the boys stayed outside while Alex and Brenda went in to get Alex out of her dress. Leif was still very excited and led Bryan and Bastien in their first smustle.

“Papa, the suit arms are too tight for me to do that move!”

“It seems that you are growing again. Perhaps a brick placed atop your head would slow you down?”

“Papa!”

“Hey! Papa! Hey! Watch me!”

Unfortunately the late night had caused them to catch a chill and they were all forced to eat soup so that they could be well for Bastien’s birthday.

“Are you ready to be a teenager?”

“I really really am! It’s no fun being the smallest! I want to do everything Brendsdoes. And Bryan too I guess.”

“Well, try and wait for us to get home.”

Bastien nodded, but he was doubtful. Marriage hadn’t changed his mother much, she was still always at work.

When the time came, Brenda had made sure that everything was ready. She had told Bastien he should invite a friend, so he had, and she had made a cake for him. It was Brenda who made Bryan get off the computer to come cheer for his brother and Brenda who glared at Bastien when he said, “Hey, brat, this isn’t going to really make you as good as us, you know.”

“Shut up, Bry. It’s his birthday, be nice to him for once.”

“Fine, whatever.”

“I think I’m ready! I don’t think I can wait any longer!”

Everyone backed up, knowing what would happen next. Bastien got ready to blow out the candles and leap into teenhood. Then he heard a car pull up. His parents were home! They’d at least tried to make it!

Brenda went to get them to hurry up, but it was too late. Bastien couldn’t wait any longer and with one long breath he blew out the candles and entered a new life stage. Apparently the cosmos thought it would involve a great deal of athletics.

Bastien, however, wasn’t quite as keen on the athletics fashion as fate was, so he changed into something more suitable. Sure, the clothes were a bit conservative, but they fit his personality and plans for the future.

With both their parents home early, the teens had a rare family dinner.

“Papa? Since we’re all teens now, can we go down to the diner after school tomorrow?” Brenda took advantage of the family time to gain permission for an outing. When Bastien was younger, the twins had always had instructions to “come home directly from school and watch your brother.” which Bryan and resented mightly. The diner was where all the local action was and he felt like he should be allowed to become part of it. Brenda had felt it less keenly, she figured that if someone wanted her badly enough, they’d find her.

Having gained permission from their parents, the three teenagers went to the diner after school the next day. It was the first time any of them had been as it had only been build just before the twins had become teenagers and they hadn’t been allowed to go before now. They had heard good things about it from the other kids at school, though, and had hopes of a fun afternoon of hanging out, seeing friends, and maybe meeting new people.

Brenda was looking for some music related fun. She loved to dance and thought that the best way to get to know guys was on the dance floor. “Beside,” she said, “fast dancing is the best way to figure out if you want a guys hands on you without them getting offended if you decide you don’t. Nobody expects one dance to lead immediately to the photobooth. Though it could.” She added thoughtfully.

“What do you mean one dance could lead to the photobooth!” Bryan was indignant at his sister’s casual attitude. He could be casual, she couldn’t.

Brenda was embarrassed she’d said that loudly enough for Bryan to hear. “Um…” she tried to think of something to say that would distract him. Fortunately, he distracted himself.

“Hey! You mean if I dance with a girl, even once, we might go to the photobooth?”

“Sure Bry.” Brenda hurried away before he could get back to thinking about her.

Brenda spend most of the afternoon dancing with boy after boy. She didn’t make any trips to the photobooth though. She decided she didn’t feel ready for that yet. Bryan, on the other hand, played video games and pinball. For most of the afternoon there wasn’t anyone he was interested in meeting. Bastien drifted, talking to lots of people but never really settling down into a conversation.

Just before they had to leave, though, Bryan did meet a girl. Gossip said that Meadow was a pushover for a guy with a smooth line so he called her gorgeous and asked for her number. She blushed and asked where he went to school. When he told her he went to the private school she thought about it and said, “The private school only accepts good boys, right?” and then she gave him her number.

Honestly, Meadow. Don’t you learn?

The next day was Saturday, so Brenda made them breakfast while they waited for their parents to wake up. She wanted to be a chef when she grew up, so she practiced as much as possible.

The three of them decided they’d had enough togetherness and made separate plans.

There was a Starvoyage marathon on the Scisimfi channel today and a meteor shower tonight, so Bryan decided to stay home. That didn’t, of course, keep him off the phone or from using his rather well developed imagination. His daydreams weren’t ones he could share with his mother.

He did, however, promise to pummel his siblings if either mentioned why he’d stayed home.

The meteor shower was beautiful with strand after strand of glittering starlight streaking its way across the sky. He thought, for a moment, that he saw one glitter moving in an opposing direction to the others, but when he tried to focus the scope in, it was gone.

Brenda decided to go hiking. She always felt like she could think best when she was close to nature and being in the wilderness helped her instincts run true. She could listen to her heart and her thoughts together when there weren’t any other people around making noise.

On her way to her hike, Brenda dropped Bastien at the diner. He was hoping to meet some new people, but he ended up playing video games all day. At least they had pretty good burgers.

Brenda and Bastien met at the beach before heading back. They both liked the laid-back atmosphere and hanging out in front of the waves relaxed them.

They talked a bit about their days while they relaxed. Brenda explained the peacefulness of the woods to Bastien and he told her about not meeting any new people. One of the things that bothered him sometimes was that everyone they knew had known the twins first. Brenda told him not to worry, he came off great in comparison to Bryan. The both laughed, but Brenda was sad. She loved her twin and wished he was less of a jerk.

When they got back, Brenda sent Bastien in without her. There was a friend from the woods she wanted to greet. Alone.

Most of the time, though, the siblings didn’t go off alone. They were happy to have their house full of their friends and all the local teens knew that Mr. and Mrs. Destin kept a full fridge and weren’t home a lot and even when he was home, Mr. Destin was usually on the phone to the art gallery or the music conservatory where he sometimes played piano in the evening. It was a good place to hang.

Not only that, but Brenda made the best snacks and wasn’t shy about responding to a flirt or two. As long as a fellow didn’t try and get too serious, she was cool with whatever. Trying to control her was a quick trip to shut-downsville though.

Bryan buzzed from girl to girl, but the nectar he wanted to sip the most belonged to oh-so-blonde Chloe. Bastien just wished Chloe would notice him.

While the teens were trying their social wings, Alex was being contacted by an old acquaintance. One day she opened her email and there was a message from her mother’s lawyer asking her to meet him for lunch. He was in a nearby city and he had some news she needed to hear. Worried, she agreed to meet him at one of the city’s fancier dining establishments.

“Thank you for meeting me, Lexie. It’s important that you hear what I have to say.”

“It’s Alex, Mr. Matlock.” Alex looked at him, puzzled and apprehensive. “We haven’t corresponded in almost two decades. What is it that is so urgent?”

Robert Fortune Junior, heir of Robert Fortune senior, and his sister Belinda graduate from highschool and head for the Academie. Belinda has spent the last year studying in Francim in preparation. The family has also recently adopted a baby cousin when her parents passed away. We wish them good luck in future endeavors.“You know that your eldest set of siblings has reached their majority and full access to their father’s papers?”

“Yes. I try and keep track of them when I can.”

“Well, apparently whatever they found had made Belinda furious. She’s swearing to find you had make you sorry for what your mother did.”

Back at the office, Alex considered the rest of the conversation.

“I should probably contact them, now that they are old enough to understand what happened.”

“I wouldn’t advise it, my dear, Belinda is quite out of her reason when she speaks of you. I have heard her in my partner’s office, berating Andrew for failing to track you down.”

Alex had thanked him for his advice and the rest of the lunch had been full of casual catching up and then they had both gone on their separate ways.

She looked at the screen in front of her and wondered if she should take his advice. Then she pressed SEND.

She would have had even more doubts if she could have seen the way her email was received.

“That BITCH! I can’t believe she emails me and offers me her love after all these years! As though father didn’t tell us what she did! Like I’m going to trust her!”

Belinda didn’t return the email. Instead she forwarded it, with the IP address to her private investigator.

Brenda didn’t have her mother’s worries. Her worries were those of a normal teenage girl. All the boys flirted with her which she thought was nice. It was a fun game to pass the time. And kissing, she found, was even more fun than flirting. Chris was the first boy she kissed. It was the first kiss for both of them, and they both liked it a lot.

Chris wasn’t the only boy Brenda kissed, though. She wondered if they all kissed the same, so when another boy tried to kiss her, she let him. Some things were the same, but some were different. Both kisses felt good and the boys seemed to like them too. Hmmm.

But two wasn’t enough for a good comparison. Besides, kissing was still fun. So when another classmate wanted a kiss, she kissed him as well. He was not as good as the other two had been. She thought maybe he wasn’t really into her? Brenda didn’t know, only that she’d liked the other kisses better.

Chris, though, she knew he was really into her. She had told everyone that she wasn’t interested in a relationship or in going too far casually, but Chris still came around and talked with her. He seemed to be interested in what she said and always considered her words carefully before putting out his own ideas.

He was also the one who noticed when she had had a bad day or was tense and stressed out. Sometimes he would just be silly with her, but sometimes he would offer to give her a backrub too. Of all the boys she’d kissed and flirted with, it was Chris that Brenda trusted the most.

And so, when he asked her to go “as friends” with him to his cousin’s wedding, Brenda agreed. He didn’t want to go by himself and she didn’t mind doing him a favor, especially since he was probably the person she liked best outside her family and he always helped her out.

She was surprised, though, when dancing with him felt so right. That together they felt right.

A few days later, when he suggested they go to the little ice-cream place above old downtown, Brenda agreed and when he offered to pay, she didn’t argue.

When a slow song came on and he suggested they dance, Brenda agreed to that as well. His arms felt good and when they moved together, everything seemed to flow.

And when he took her home and kissed her at the door, the night the was perfect. Neither of them said “date”, but they both knew what this was.

Brenda wasn’t even surprised when he snuck over later that night and left her flowers. The card though, that surprised her. It read, “You are the best friend I have. The only friend I want to kiss. This might not be right forever, but it is perfect right now and the world glows brighter when I am with you. –Chris.”

He was the only boy Brenda ever snuck up to her room.

Bryan was learning all about girls at the same time Brenda was learning about boys. And just because he liked Chloe didn’t mean he didn’t like other girls too. Sometimes he talked with Sophie and she was OK. Cute enough, but sometimes she was boring.

Bryan also talked with Emily. He talked with her a lot. Especially when Chloe wasn’t around. She was great, but for some reason he felt it was better if the two girls weren’t over at the same time.

Chloe, though, was the challenge. The pretty girl he chased hardest and most. Every time he’d flirt with her, she told him she wanted to be friends. That she knew how he was. That she needed to know that he was serious. That neither of them were ready for a “real” relationship.

He, of course, told her they were, that he thought she was fun and charming and exciting.

When they came back from summer break to their last year in high-school, though, he thought she was the hottest thing he’d ever seen. He’d always thought she should do something with her hair and whatever she’d done made her totally hot. He took her out, told her she was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen and, when they got back to the house gave her her first kiss.

Eventually she agreed to sneak up to Bryan’s room.

“Just kissing? Right? I like kissing you.”

“Baby, you make me so hot, but I’ll stop whenever you tell me to. I mean, I’ll hurt, but I’ll stop if you tell me.”

“You love me, right?”

“You are the best girl friend! I can’t even tell you how much I care about you!”

Emily, though. Emily was around a lot too. She was cute and fun, even though she wasn’t beautiful. She was easy to talk to. She was easy to dance with.

She was easy to flirt with.

And easy to kiss. She didn’t try to make demands on him and didn’t try and make their relationship too much. She told him she like him, and they could hook up, but it wasn’t forever. He never mentioned Chloe to her and threatened his siblings with an immediate and perfect memory of all their embarrassing transgressions and a very large mouth if they mentioned the girls to each-other.

Brenda simply could not believe her brother. Really, he was kissing Emily right in front of Papa.

In fact, everyone was pretty much appalled by Bryan’s behavior. Every night Chloe wasn’t there, Bryan invited Emily over. Brenda was tempted to tell Emily. They were friends and she knew that Emily wasn’t really serious about Bryan and that she wouldn’t want to be the other woman in any relationship, but Bryan’s threats kept her mouth closed. Bastiendidn’t know what to do. He was disgusted that any guy who had Chloe would be playing around at all and he didn’t want her hurt, but he kind of wanted Chloe to find out and break up with Bryan. Emily was OK, but he knew she wouldn’t take it too hard.

In fact, I was appalled enough that I broke my non-interference policy.

“Emily! What do you think you are doing playing around with Bryan? Don’t you know that he’s is involved with Chloe? He’s cheating on her with you and it’s going to break her heart!”

“Geez, Mom, of course I’ve heard those rumors. I’m not deaf. I asked him about it and he says they’re just friends.”

“Em, I think you should ask around more. I don’t think they are just friends and I can’t believe you’d want to see anyone hurt because of you.”

Apparently Emily worried about that all night because at the earliest possible moment, she gave Bryan a call.

“Um, Bry? Hi. I just wanted to ask you. I mean I heard. Um, you and Chloe? Just friends, right?”

“Geez, Em, you aren’t getting’ heavy on me, are you? Yeah, Chloe and I are just friends, the way you and I are just friends. We’ve hooked up some, but it isn’t like we’re engaged or anything.”

“Oh, um, good. I just thought I should ask.”

“Well now you know. Oops, got to go, the bus is here.”

“You are such scum, Bryan. I swear to the Creator that I’m never going to let some guy do that to me.” Brenda was beyond disappointed in her brother.

Despite his sister’s judgment, Bryan thought he was pretty hot stuff.

“Yeah, dude, you are so totally the man. Two girls at once and both of them totally on your string.”

Bastien was spending some time working on his romantic skills as well. He wasn’t really serious about anyone, though, and everyone knew it. He wanted Chloe, but his brother had her and was screwing up the relationship unforgivably. Creator take him, Bryan so selfish.

While his children were out practicing their romantic skills and messing up their lives, Leif was at the music conservatory, playing the piano and pondering his messed up life. He’d thought that Alex’ proposal meant that she was going to spend more time on their relationship and she had, at first. Then she’d returned to her old habits. He, however, was not going to return to his. He was not going to stay home and pine for her. Two or three nights a week, now, he played for the dance lessons or a concert, then went to a local restaurant to eat before going home. He met a lot of people and he was less lonely.

One night when he was stopping for a bite, one of his daughter’s friends slid into the booth beside him put a hand on his thigh and asked if he ever thought about cheating on his wife.

Leif lifted her hand off him and scooted further over. “It is not necessary for you to worry for me. I should never do such a thing. I am happy in my marriage and love my wife very much.” He pretended he had not understood her implications. Even if he had been looking for an affair, she was much too young. And he wasn’t looking for an affair, was he?

Leif had a concert the next night, but he decided to invite Alex to join him for dinner afterwards. Sitting in the restaurant they had the first serious conversation they’d had about their relationship in years. Leif told Alex about the girl the night before and how her approach had made him realize that he was lonely enough that maybe he wouldn’t have turned down the right woman asking him. Alex was hurt and she didn’t admit to him that perhaps she’d had a few too many lunches with her boss. She admitted it to herself, though, and that although things hadn’t gone further yet, they could have. They both committed to actually making time for each-other and this time, each was serious. Every morning they made time to lay together and talk, they always had dinner together if Leif was playing, and Alex didn’t go out to lunch with her boss any more.

As the end of their senior year approached, Brenda knew she needed to talk to Chris. She invited him out to the ice-cream parlor and they held hands as they looked down over Old Downtown Enhearten.

The spring air was perfect for romance and they held hands as they looked out, but they both knew.

After they ate, they got up to go home, but Chris said, “Wait.” and pulled her into a dance. “It’s beautiful up here and we should have another memory of tonight.”

He was right. The view was gorgeous and the dance was perfect. It was the right way to end the meal. They danced until it started to get cold.

When Brenda and Chris got back to Brenda’s house, they walked together into the back yard and stood talking. Brenda took Chris’ hand.

“You know I care about you. Probably more than I care about anyone else except my family.”

“But.”

Brenda smiled at him. He knew her too well. “Yes, but. But we both know this isn’t forever. I love you, but I’m not forever and only in love with you and you aren’t forever and only in love with me. We’re both going to college and we’ll meet new people and I don’t want either of us to get hurt.”

“Yeah. It’s time, I guess.”

Brenda could tell that, like her, Chris was sad, but not heartbroken.

They hugged each-other for a long time, then Brenda broke away. She looked back and waved when she got to the house and then watched from a window until Chris got into his car.

When Brenda broke up with Chris, Bryan decided he should probably do something about Chloe. She was hot and everything, but he didn’t want a high-school girlfriend weighing him down when he went to college.

Figuring she wouldn’t made too much of a scene if he broke up with her in public, he called and asked if she wanted to go to lunch. She agreed to meet him at a café in the city.

He got to the café very early and decided to eat then so that he could leave once he was done. When she arrived, he took her to the back patio to, he said, “wait for a table.” As they were “waiting” Bryan turned to her. “So. Chloe. You know I’m almost ready to graduate, and all. And, like I know you have a year left at school. But, like, the thing is, I don’t really believe in long distance relationships. They never, like, work.” Uh oh, she was starting to look angry.

“But Bryan, I’m sure that we could make it work. After all, we’ve been everything to each-other. You said that we’d be each-other’s first and only and that you’d care about me forever.”

“Chloe, I will care about you forever, but I don’t think we can keep dating while I’m at college. It wouldn’t be good for either of us.”

“It’ll be OK, Bry. I can wait until we’re in school together again. There are vacations and phone calls and everything.”

OK, enough was enough. “Listen. I tried to let you down easy, but you aren’t listening to me. I don’t want to go out any more. We’re over. Find someone else and be happy. I’m going to college in a couple of months and you aren’t. You can’t afford college and besides, you’re going to be here for another whole year. It’s done. We’re done. You’ve been a nice ride, but it’s over.”

As he spoke she looked angrier and angrier.

“Bryan Destin! I cannot believe you are saying that to me! I’ve been a nice ride?! A nice ride?!” She seemed to run out of words.Maybe he should have put it differently, but he’d tried to let her down easy and she wouldn’t go. She should have figured it out. Really it was her own fault he had to be so blunt.Chloe had recovered her words while he’d been thinking. “I hope you fail college and come home in shame. I hope you get struck by lightening. I hope you need something from me some day just so that I can spit on you when you ask for help. I hope your bits fall off! I hope I never see you again!” She turned and ran out of the restaurant.Well. That had gone well.

Bryan was glad for the end of the year party the next day. A friend of theirs had a cabin out in the middle of nowhere and they were all meeting there for a huge bash. That cabin had everything. Ev-Ry-Thing. Beside home was kind of cold right now. He’d had a few things to do in the city and by the time he’d gotten back home, the word had clearly spread. Brenda was on the phone when he came in and she’d taken one look at him and said, “Jerkface. I’m not talking to you.”

Bastien must have heard as well because he shook his head at Bryan, rolled his eyes, and said, “How are we even related?” Neither had said anything else.

The party was in full swing when he got there. Brenda had driven down with Bastien earlier, deliberately leaving him to cage a ride. Fortunately Emily had been going his way. She was more fun anyway.

Nobody else seemed mad at him, so maybe Chloe had only told Brenda and Bastien about what had happened. Brenda seemed unhappy with Emily as well as him, but whatever. There were girls to do and things to see. Em had indicated that she might be accommodating, at least. It was the last party, he was going to have a good time.

In fact, Emily was quite accommodating. What did he care if Chloe had shown up.

Brenda wasn’t sure what to do when she saw Chloe come through the door just as Bryan was dragging Emily into the back room. She tried to head Chloe off, but the other girl had clearly seen what was going on and wasn’t having any of it.

All she could do in the end was to pretend she wasn’t watching as Chloe cast a long sad look at the door Bryan had disappeared through before she turned and went back out the door she’d just entered.

“I cannot even believe you did that! You knew Chloe was going to be here and you still went off with Emily.”

“Dude! Relax! We’re broken up!”

“You broke up yesterday.”

“So? Broken up is broken up.”

With graduation nearing, Leif and Alex had more serious topics for their faithfully kept early morning talks. Alex needed to start thinking about who was going to inherit. The contract she had with Bemused Construction stated that she needed to decide by the time the kids were through college.

“Well, what do you think? The twins have graduated so we need to decide soon.”

“I am thinking more that you need to decide, holder of the contract.”

“Stop it and help me. First, Brenda. She’s reliable and dependable, but I don’t think she’s the marrying type. Second, Bryan. He’s. Well, he’s smart. Third, Bastien. He’s bright, ambitious, driven and reliable, and wants a deep family bond.”

“I think not Bryan. I am most distressed to say this of one of our children but he is, as I overheard Brenda say on the phone yesterday, ‘kind of a dick.’ The other two, they are good friends. We might watch them at university and if we have not decided by the end, ask them to discuss it.”

Alex agreed that that was probably the wisest plan.

Brenda was thinking deep thoughts as well. She could feel crispness starting to creep into the air up in the hills and knew that it would be the same at home soon. She loved her walks, but she was starting to get restless. It was almost time to move to the next step, she thought. Yes. Moving on would feel right very soon.

One day after a walk Brenda went back to sit near the pond and she knew it was time. The late afternoon air was crisp with approaching fall and she was ready.

Bastien came to sit near her. “You look like you are thinking serious thoughts. Mind if I join you?”

“And what serious thoughts are you thinking, most beloved of younger brothers?”

He shook his head. “Nope. You first.”

“OK. Me first. I think it’s time to for Bryan and I to head for college. It feels right and you know how my feelings are.”

“I wish you guys didn’t have to go. Or, at least, that you didn’t have to.” Bastien sounded sad.

“It’ll only be a year, and then you’ll be with us again.” Brenda would miss Bastien too.

“But what will I do without your wisdom guiding me through the shark infested social waters. Or, you know, if I have a question about girls.”

“You’ll call me on the phone, like a normal person.”

“Yeah. I guess.”

“Sounds like maybe you have a particular question?”“Chloe.”“Oh, Lady, not still?” Brenda had watched Bastien moon over the girl for years but thought he’d given up.“I know you think it’s silly or some kind of competitive thing with Bryan, but it isn’t. I really do love her. But how do I. I mean, with the whole Bryan thing…”“You can’t make it easy, can you. OK. Well, first you’ll need to be patient. She’s hurt and angry right now, and you are just going to remind her of Bryan. Second…”Bastien listened while Brenda talked, trying to memorize her advice. He really would miss her a lot and not just for her advice on girls.

When she finished trying to talk Bastien through his strategy, Brenda went in and told her parents and Bryan that it was time for them to go. She called a cab and when it arrived, she and Bryan got in and took off.

Watching her two oldest, Alex wondered how they would fare, how her siblings had fared, out in the wide world by themselves.

Belinda and Robert had done some studying at the Academie, of course. It wouldn’t do for them to get kicked out after all. They had standards to uphold. However, most of their studying was not of the academic kind.

Robert had spent a great deal of time studying anatomy. Female anatomy. Mostly of the floozy kind. He had appalling taste in women. Mindy, for example, would never do. Their father would be doing triple lutzes in his grave if Mindy ended up the mother of his grandchildren.

So, to prevent parental spinning, Belinda introduced Robert to Morgan Tribet. She was a sweet girl of appropriate family and she was pretty enough if you liked red hair, and Robert did. Besides, her greatest ambition in life was to have and care for children and that was exactly appropriate for Robert’s wife. He would need an heir.

Fortunately it seemed like she’d chosen well. They got along splendidly and Robert gave up chasing floozies altogether. Success, just as she liked it. She ignored the sickening sweetness they spread all over the dorm and went about her own business. Not that her father would have approved of that either, but she was careful to prevent any further little problems from cropping up and she worked quite hard at her classes when she wasn’t distracted elsewhere.

Before long, Robert asked Morgan to marry him and she joyfully accepted. No one would be mentioning that this happened in a dorm room next to a bed with very freshly rumple sheets. Really, no need to talk about that.

Belinda had studied quite hard. In fact she finished a year before her brother did. It was, she figured, time to move on. The dormieswere not bad looking, but things were becoming tense. If only they would not become so emotional. She did so like blonds though.

None of the family came to her graduation, but Belinda was not particularly disappointed.

When Belinda arrived back, she discovered why her step-mother and siblings had not attended. At an appallingly late stage in life, Bunny had been delivered of a child. The father did not appear to be in residence or in evidence. Belinda wondered if child support would be forthcoming or if they were expected to be responsible for the child. She called her lawyer.

Andrew Barrister, her lawyer (formerly her father’s lawyer), hurried directly over to assure Belinda that her father’s estate bore no responsibility for little Dulcie. The baby would carry the Fortune name, unfortunately, as Bunny carried it, but everyone would know the child wasn’t a true Fortune. Bunny could care for the baby out of her widow’s portion if she wished but once her true Fortune children were grown, it would be Robert Junior’s choice whether she could continuing residing in the mansion. Andrew put an arm around Belinda and told her not to worry.

Belinda was not entirely certain who had begun things, but she discovered that Andrew was quite good on a couch and that a skirt was really most accommodating for such a situation.

When they had finished, Belinda began to work on her next priority, finding Alexandra. Her PI had been most helpful.

Belinda had just begun to search for her despised older sister’s whereabouts when she felt an unpleasant sensation in her middle. Hm. It seemed she had not been quite careful enough in preventing little unwanted occurrences. Given the timing, she was certain that she had acquired this one before she had visited with Andrew. However, the dormie who had probably contributed to her state was both poor and unsuitable. Therefore, he was not a possibility. And she could not stain the family name. It would be obvious if she went away again and brought back a baby.

Belinda waited a few days and then called Andrew and asked him to come visit. When he arrived, she explained her, their, difficulty. He was, of course, somewhat distress by this event as he was a lifelong bachelor. He said he needed some time to think. He was an old fashioned man, however, and she knew he would do the right thing.

And in the end he did. Later that day, Andrew called and invited Belinda out to a rather tacky, she thought, restaurant and asked her to do him the honor of accepting his proposal of marriage. She accepted, of course.

Andrew and Belinda (nee Fortune) Barrister are please to announce their marriage. They were married at the bride’s family home where they will reside with her stepmother, 5 siblings, one adopted sibling, and her stepsister.They were married rather swiftly for a society couple, but the bride was able to wear her very slim wedding gown.

Not quite long enough after the wedding “their” daughter arrived. Andrew had no inkling that the child wasn’t his and Belinda intended to see that it remained that way. She was, she supposed, glad that she hadn’t had a boy. It seemed poor form to pass one man’s child off as another man’s heir. Yes, it was much better that she had had a girl.

Caroline Barrister makes her first appearance in the society pages as her parents welcome her home.Andrew was very happy with “his” little girl. He was so happy that he began hinting about trying for a boy. Fortunately he was soon distracted with other events.

Robert Fortune Jr. Graduated from the Academie this week. He returns home with his fiancee Morgan Tribet (also newly graduated). Ms. Tribet’s family are the well known PalmbayTribets and no doubt both family welcome this excellent alliance. They plan to marry privately at the Fortune estate as Ms. Tribet’shome was destroyed in a recent hurricane.

Now that she was delivered of the baby, Andrew insisted that the two of them take a honey-moon. He said that it would be good practice for Morgan to take care of the baby. As she had not yet had much luck finding Alexandra, Belinda acquiesced. A trip to the islands couldn’t do that much harm.

Belinda found Andrew to be quite solicitous the entire trip. He paid close attention and took very good care of all her needs. She found him quite sweet. Perhaps she might think of giving him an heir once she’d finished with Alexandra.

While Belinda and Andrew were gone, Robert and Morgan had a marvelous time getting to know the children. They’d been barely more than babies when Robert and Belinda had left for university and so Robert was learning as much about them as Morgan was. The both enjoyed children a great deal.

By the time Belinda and Andrew returned from their very lengthy honey-moon, Robert and Morgan were very anxious to marry. Bunny had not allowed them to share a room the entire time as it was “a bad example for the children”. Robert had nearly asked her what she thought baring an illegitimate child was, but he held his tongue and, once Belinda and Andrew were back, they were swiftly married in the living room at home.

Robert Fortune Jr. and his wife, Morgan (nee Tribet) Fortune are pleased to announce their marriage. The couple was married privately at the Fortune family home where they intend to reside. Mrs. Fortune’s family reports that they are very please with the wedding but they were distressed at being unable to attend the ceremony due to some trouble in their yacht’s engine room when they were halfway between Monte Carlo and Gibraltar which left them temporarily stranded at sea.

Very shortly after her brother’s wedding, Belinda discovered that she was again with child. When she counted back, Belinda was irritated to discover that Andrew must have been attempting to conceive his heir during their trip. He had not consulted with her at all about this. She was nearly certain she had discovered her despised sister, but now she was unable to move her plan forward until she delivered.

Ah, well, at least now she could enjoy herself without the risk of an obviously non-Barrister baby. It would be best if Andrew did not find out, however.

Alex was sure that things would go well for Brenda and Bryan. Brenda had good instincts and Bryan always took care of himself. They would both be fine and, if they weren’t, she and Leif were only a phone call away.

Bastien felt very alone as he watched the taxi drive away. He wasn’t sure what he would do without them around and it would be an entire year before he could join them.

Next time in Fortune’s Fancy:

Are Alex and Leif finally solid?

Does Bastien make it through by himself?

Do the twins pass or play too hard?

What exactly is Belinda’s plan?