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 Ten - Knox

Kaylynn Knox was trying to find activities to fill up her days but her attempts at bug-collecting fell flat. Bees loved her for some reason.


The twins were no longer teenagers but fully grown adults. Their personalities remained the same - Ruth was still a little vain and hardly in a hurry to settle down.


Noah was still highly academic, interested in science and nature, and his intelligence was proving a boon. He was very young but he was already rising in the ranks of oceanographers - out of simple tank cleaning and into the wide world!


Kaylynn's relationship with Wren continued. All she needed to complete her happiness, in her mind, was daughters-in-law and grandchildren!


Thanks to Kaylynn's pestering, Noah was trying to find himself a woman to settle down with. Unfortunately his skills with women hadn't improved much since his teens and the Junko Nakamura debacle.


But all that changed when he met Heaven Louie at a work conference. She was quite a bit older than him, but lower down in the "ranks", as it were, so he felt like it balanced out. He started inviting her over and Kaylynn definitely approved. Heaven was a down-to-earth, sensible young lady with life goals.


They had a lot in common and had conversations that lasted for hours - it was a good basis for a relationship in both their minds. They wouldn't look like this forever, but they'd always have similar interests.


But their attraction wasn't entirely cerebral. Noah couldn't resist checking her out. Some guys might have found her fuller figure a turn-off, but it didn't matter to him. She was gorgeous!


One thing lead to another, and soon they were "involved". The age gap could be a problem, but Noah didn't care. Here was a girl that could make him (and his mother!) happy.

Note: Ruth is currently sulking somewhere... she wants 50 first dates but there aren't that many lesbians in town, apparently. Her dating pool is limited :(

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 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!