Round Ten - Davies 2

There was rarely a time in the Davies household when the phone wasn't ringing, but these days it was for Heaven as much as for anyone else; she would often stop in the middle of helping out with the kids to rush to the phone and talk to Noah.


"You're going to have to watch your kids tonight, I have a date down town," said Heaven a little smugly.

"But - " James didn't want to admit he had no idea how to look after two boisterous girls, but Heaven wasn't backing down.


Noah took her to a fairly swanky restaurant. Sure, his sister was there and Yuki Nakamura couldn't seem to resist stalking her, but when they sat down for a meal it was just them.


The date ended just like all of their days and evenings together - with a lot of kissing. Noah was even beginning to drop hints about getting engaged and Heaven moving in to his place, and Heaven wasn't exactly averse to the idea. She couldn't wait for him to propose!


Heaven may have been over the moon, but Jill was much less so. She was going to lose her free child care! And it wasn't fair at all! How had dumpy Heaven managed to bag a rich guy like Noah Knox? Of course, what Jill failed to take into account was that not only was Heaven prettier than she gave her credit for, she was also hardworking, intelligent and kind - qualities Jill lacked and therefore did not understand the value of.


Leah had developed a bond with Jin Nakamura. He was possibly the most boyish boy ever and she was a primadonna in the making, but somehow they didn't respond to each other with "EW, COOTIES" and were actually friends - mostly because Leah had a little tiny crush on him and would let him go on about whatever he wanted for hours while she listened attentively.


Nicole was another matter. She was much more rough-and-tumble than her sister so theoretically she should have gotten on better with Jin, but they seemed to get off on the wrong foot and never really recovered.


Now that Heaven was busy with her job and her boyfriend the twins were left to their own devices more than ever. Often their parents would forget to even leave them leftovers, which meant frantic snack-food-cramming sessions for the girls. They didn't mind. Cookies and chips were the best!


But the innocence of childhood couldn't last forever. The twins became teenagers and the differences between them became even more pronounced. Nicole was extremely active and had big dreams, mostly about money - being partially raised by Heaven had clearly had an effect on her. She put more effort into exercise, school and career than she did into her appearance.


Leah was the exact opposite in many ways. Sure, her favourite hobby was keeping fit too, but most of her energy went into making sure her hair was PERFECT and socialising - like her mother, she didn't have much in the way of career aspirations.

Round Nine - Davies 2

Heaven had gotten an expensive makeover, courtesy of Jill. She wasn't entirely sure if it suited her but it would do for now - she had more important things to worry about, like finding the job of her dreams so she could get rich on her own terms!


She went on an extensive job-hunt, checking the listings on the internet frequently. Soon she found an entry-level position in the Oceanography career. Perfect!


Nicole had struck up an acquaintance with Caitlyn Straight at school. They had a lot in common - they were both fairly relaxed, messy kids with a love of logic and games.


Leah, on the other hand, was quite the budding little socialite. She was a neat-freak but put it into her appearance rather than chores, and spent most of her time on the phone talking to her many friends.


James reached elderhood but he wasn't worried about it. Jill didn't just want him for his looks, did she? She seemed to approve of him no matter what.


Behind closed doors, however, it was another matter. Jill was still seeing her young man, and James growing older made her a little more bold - and desperate. She wouldn't be young forever either.

Round Nine - Davies

It was hard for their parents to not think of Adam and Zillah as twins. Even though Adam was older and Zillah was adopted, they were inseparable. They had very different interests - Zillah was loud and into arts and crafts, while Adam was a little quieter and more into reading - but they supported each other's efforts tirelessly.


It wasn't long until both Adam and Zillah were getting top marks at school, and Sabrina couldn't have been happier.


But Grade A report cards weren't the only thing they brought home from school. They'd struck up an acquaintance with Leah Davies.


Sabrina kept her distance - after all, Leah was the daughter of her ex-husband and ex-best friend, notorious husband-stealer Jill. But the kids agreed it was nonsensical - why shouldn't they be friends? Just because their mum and Leah's dad used to be married didn't mean they couldn't talk to each other.


Jasper had reached elderhood and made it to the top of the business world, collected from his still-modest home every day by helicopter. He had plenty of cash to improve the place or even move somewhere bigger but that wasn't on his mind - he was putting it aside so his children, not just the biological ones but his step-daughters and adopted daughter, could have enough money to start out as well as possible in the world.


But Amanda wasn't content with the easy life Sabrina and Jasper provided for her. She was constantly sneaking out after curfew with various friends and it was inevitable she'd get caught out eventually.


She thought she'd gotten away with it, but the next morning Jasper cornered her before school.

"Where were you last night?" he demanded. Amanda rolled her eyes.


"I was out on a date. Jeez, way to overreact..."

"I'm not overreacting - you were brought home in a police car!"


"Whatever! I'm not a little kid anymore, I'm nearly legally an adult. Anyway, you're not my real dad, you can't boss me around."

"That's it, young lady. You think you can just swan in and out of here as if it's a hotel, knowing that your mother and I will give you enough money to get a place in the city and keep living like this, never having to be responsible. But that stops here. You are not seeing a penny from me, and you can stay here under this roof and under my supervision until you get your act together!"


Amanda graduated but her attitude didn't change any. Just because Jasper and Sabrina were on her case constantly didn't mean she was going to change who she was... she was going to be the hottest, most desired woman in town and no-one could stand in her way.


Note: Jasper's not the only person Amanda has spontaneously started arguments and fights with - she's poked Hiro and refuses all positive interactions with Zillah and Adam... it's kinda sad. But at least this one plays into the story - Amanda has to stay because this is the Davies house and she's the only one here who still has that surname!

Round Eight - Davies 2

Looking after two toddlers was proving more difficult than Jill had anticipated. Didn't they realise she needed at LEAST four hours a day on the phone if she was going to stay popular?!


It wasn't all Jill's lack of maternal instincts, either. The twins were not the easiest children to look after - constantly grumpy, fractious and unpleasant. Sometimes it took hours to get them to go to sleep, and once you'd managed one would wake up and start crying and the whole cycle would begin again.


Jill proposed a solution, and James was all ears.

"We've gotta get out of this place and find a bigger apartment. And get some kind of a live-in nanny..."

"What, like an au-pair?" Visions of blonde European teenagers danced around in James's head.

"...something like that." Jill realised she was going to have to find someone that wouldn't tempt her husband, and someone who'd be cheap enough for them to be able to afford the rent on a larger place. She had just the candidate...


Heaven Louie hadn't heard from her youngest aunt for a while and was surprised to get invited over. Being a fortune-minded young lady who hadn't managed to get a job yet, she was thrilled at the notion of moving in with them, even if it did mean looking after two difficult little girls.


The arrangement worked out perfectly. They moved into the larger apartment and Heaven took to looking after the kids like a fish to water, leaving Jill and James with enough time and energy to work and, more importantly, play.


The twins were soon more fond of Heaven than they were of their own parents, although they had a tendency to grab at her hair.


Jill, meanwhile, was reaping the benefits of not having to act like a mother. She'd had to call off her little "arrangement" with Will Knox due to his wife finding out and needed an outlet. James was nice enough, her husband, the father of her children, all that jazz, but he wasn't exciting anymore. Luckily for Jill, while on her weekly outing to the beauty spa she met someone new. One thing lead to another, in front of onlookers.


They spent the whole afternoon together, lazing around in the hot-tubs.


They would have taken it further than kissing if it weren't for some nosy old busy-body getting all up in their business. It was at that point Jill realised she'd stayed out a lot later than she said she would. She needed a good excuse...


When she got back, Heaven was waiting for her. "You're back late." Luckily, Jill had prepared for just such a situation.

"You're my niece, not my mother! If you MUST know, I stayed out later because I was picking out some new clothes for YOU. That's right, feel bad." She shoved the bags into Heaven's hands and stormed off.


The twins were soon children and ready to start school. Every morning they demanded hugs from Heaven, although Nicole was still attached enough to her parents to know something was missing.

Leah, on the other hand, had no such feelings. She was quick to take out her frustrations at James and Jill by demolishing the doll house they'd bought for her. James just stood by and watched in confusion.


Leah and Nicole may have been twins and they were very close, but it didn't mean they got on all the time. Their distinct differences in personalities meant they sometimes clashed. Nicole was meaner and messier and delighted in tormenting neat-freak Leah.


But even after all their fights and disagreements, they were still each other's best friends.


Notes: Okay, I admit it, a lot of this was me playing around and seeing what I could do with various hacks! Plus it seemed rather in character for Jill and James to call on someone else to do the actual grunt-work of parenting. Leah and Nicole repeatedly spin up wants to torment someone, and always get positive relationship points when they torment each other!

Round Eight - Davies

Sabrina and Jasper still wanted more children - every time they looked at little Adam they were more and more sure. But they were getting on in years and the likelihood of Sabrina conceiving was pretty much nil.

So, they made their decision. They were going to adopt.


Once all the paperwork and checks on their home-life had gone through, they welcomed little Zillah to the family. She looked a lot like Amanda, with her pale skin and dark hair.


She was very shy at first and Sabrina found it difficult to get her to learn her alphabet, but she soon warmed to her new parents and turned out to be a very happy, bubbly toddler.


She was always smiling and adored getting hugs from Sabrina and Jasper. She didn't look quite like the rest of the family - her eyes were very different - but she fit in perfectly anyway.


Amanda was less pleased with the new addition.

"It's not fair!" she shouted at her friend while playing video games. "It's bad enough I had to deal with a new little brother, but this is too much!"

Her friend rolled her eyes and just kept playing.

"STOP IGNORING ME!"


Amanda soon came out of her sulk when her step-aunt and BFF Ruth came to visit. Amanda was completely befuddled by Ruth coming out as a lesbian (not that she'd made a big deal of it - it was just a fact of life with her!). But boys were cute! Ruth just rolled her eyes.


Boys were indeed Amanda's weakness. She played all cute and sweet and coy with them; she wasn't manipulative on purpose, it just seemed to happen. Every time she met a new boy it was the same old story. She never dated them steadily enough for them to see the real her.


Adam's first day of school soon swung around. He wasn't very outgoing but at the same time having conversations with new people didn't send him into panic, and he could already hold up his end of a discussion.


He loved science and nature, much preferring his ant farm to playing rough and tumble with the other kids.


Zillah started school not long after. She was becoming a very beautiful young lady and didn't have a mean bone in her body. She and Adam were inseparable; it was almost as if they were twins.

Notes: Sabrina's want for another baby just wouldn't go away! But then I remembered... I made several batches of kids with randomly assigned personalities and put them in my little orphanarium so any future gay couples can adopt them. And thus Zillah joined the family.