Chapter Twenty-One:

Chapter Twenty-One begins just a few weeks after Lexi and Wilbur got divorced.

(Just a couple of notes: One, everything that happens to the family is not staged. This chapter in particular was completely by accident. Two, this chapter contains a death scene. And three, I am not playing to the strict legacy rules; as in a ghost child can become the heir if Nora does not give birth to another child) Ok now that's out of the way, let's begin the chapter!

Petra knew she was different, she may be young but she wasn't stupid. She didn't look like her mother and father, or even like her cousins. But Petra was lucky; she had Ziggy. Her faithful companion since birth.

Mia and Niki were about to set off for boarding school. They were excited about the prospect of boarding with their friends, but they knew they'd miss their mum terribly. Especially now that their dad was gone.

Nora didn't agree with her sister's decision to send the girls to boarding school, after all they were only young. But she kept her concerns to herself and continued to raise her own special daughter with all the love she could.

Lexi had breakfast with her girls the day that they left for boarding school. She had breakfast with them everyday, but this day she was careful to switch off her work phone so she could really focus on her girls. Some tears were shed, by Lexi and her daughters. And before long Lexi's beloved little girls were whisked off to a better education at Smugglesworth Prep school.

As she got into bed that night, Lexi pondered how her life had got to where it was. Her plan had been to marry her high school sweetheart, work hard until she was at the top of her career, then have kids if there was time. Instead she was divorced, still working the grudge jobs at city hall, and had two kids. Lexi came to the decision that she wouldn't change it for anything.

Now that her girls were off at school and Wilbur wasn't in her life anymore, Lexi focused harder on her job. She was soon back in the groove and close to yet another promotion.

The weeks were streaming past so fast. Petra missed her cousins, but she liked making those half words that toddlers make into the phone when they called on weekends. At least Petra had Ziggy for her companion.

Even without Wilbur the adults in the house continued to get along great. Alvin and Nora helped out Lexi as much as they could, and knew that with every passing day Lexi's heartbreak over her divorce eased just a little.

Alvin loved his daughter more than anything in the world. He told her every day just how special she was to him. His hours at work were getting smaller the higher he got in the journalistic career and he used all those extra hours with his wife and daughter.

Petra's parents would tell her the story of how she came to be theirs. Even at her young age she understood the story; Mum and Dad wanted a child very much, because of that, one day the universe granted them this little special bundle of joy and Nora was pregnant with Petra. They left out the part about the chemicals until she was a bit older, still a little unsure of what her life woud be like as a ghost child.

With Lexi's girls settling in nicely into their new school, she spent time with her little niece. Whatever Petra's appearance, she grew up in a happy and welcoming family.

Speaking of family, Niki and Mia came home one Friday afternoon for the weekend, a few weeks after they moved into their dorms. It was an exciting day for them, it was near to Petra's birthday and they hoped they would get to celebrate with their little cousin before they went back to school on Monday.

Nora wasn't much for big celebrations, so she opted against planning a big party for Petra. Instead she decided to have a small cake for Petra on Sunday afternoon.

Nora decided to make the most of having her nieces around over the weekend, and while Lexi and Alvin were cooking dinner in the afternoon, Nora took Petra and the girls out the front to enjoy the nice weather and each other's company.

The girls had a nice time playing on the front lawn under Nora's nuturing gaze.

The afternoon wore on and the sun set. Petra loved playing with her cousins and Nora loved how much her little daughter's face lit up with happiness.

While they were playing outside, Petra grew up. Nora didn't like making a big fuss out of birthdays, and was quite happy with the way Petra's birthday had come around. The twins and their little ghostly cousin were having such a great time racing around on the front lawn that Nora let them stay out a little longer than she normally would have.

No matter how ghostly she looked now, Petra was still her mother's daughter.

The girls all traipsed back inside to have some of Alvin's dinner. The family went about their business for a little while, as Alvin was nearly finishing up the cooking. But when Alvin walked away from the stove for a moment, for one reason or another, life changed for the family forever.

The flames erupted quickly. So quickly the house was soon filled with smoke. Petra, Niki and Nora were closest to the door and raced out first.

Mia, Alvin and Lexi weren't so fast.

Alvin and Lexi tried to put the fire out; Mia was still inside with them and they had to find a way to buy some time before the smoke made it impossible to leave the house.

But the smoke was filling the house faster than any of them had ever imagined. Soon it was impossible to make out the front door as the flames spread through the kitchen. Alvin did his best to keep Mia and Lexi away from the flames, but soon they were running out of space, and clean air.

The flames were reaching higher and higher. The smoke was making it impossible to think clearly. Terror gripped at the hearts of the three still left in the house.

Outside the house the terror was gripping just as hard. Tears streamed down Nora's cheeks as she screamed for her husband, sister and niece. Petra and Niki held eachother and waited as far away as they safely could, trying not to hear the sounds of the crackling fire or the cries from Nora. The smoke filled the house and spilled out. The flames engulfed the kitchen, the living room and the dining room; pretty much the whole first floor.

Finally the fire died down enough for fire fighters to get inside to check for survivors. It was a grim sight. Nora pushed past the fire fighters as they came back outside empty handed. Petra and Niki stood stock still by the mail box as she raced inside the house, an almighty wail escaping her lips as she saw the kitchen where she should have found her sister, niece and husband.

Standing in the middle of the kitchen Nora's world collapsed. She had no other thoughts than those for her loved ones. The Grim Reaper took away three of the most important people in Nora's life and she knew her world would never be the same. In one foul swoop she had lost Alvin; the love of her life, the only man she loved, Lexi; her best friend and twin sister, the only person that understood her perfectly and Mia; her young little niece, such a bright young girl, with so much potential that Nora would never get to see turn into reality.

The graveyard had three new additions just a few days later. In one moment of carelessness three lives came to an end and three hearts broke. Will this family ever recover from the heart ache that this tragedy has caused?

Chapter Twenty:

This chapter begins a few weeks after Lexi and Wilbur Cooper gave birth to their beautiful twin girls Niki and Mia. Nora and Alvin Diehl were about to give birth to their little baby too.

Alvin and Nora were on cloud 9. Their little baby was due to be born in just a few days. It had taken longer than they anticipated but finally they were about to start their little family and carry on the family bloodline.

Nora still had a number of concerns. For one she worried about how the baby would be born; her experiements with chemicals before the conception of this baby may end up having some far reaching consequences.  And while Alvin could calm these doubts he had no answer to Lexi and Wilbur's fights. These fights flared up more and more often. Nora and Alvin decided it was best to take a back seat during these fights and let them take their course, hoping that this was just a phase.

But the fights kept coming. Wilbur worked too much, Lexi was always nagging. Wilbur would rather spend time with the office computer than with his wife and daughters. Lexi was always talking about the girls, and she never had time for him anymore. The list goes on and on. They fought day and night. Worried that Nora and Alvin would hear, Lexi tried to keep them away from the main house.

Nora's worries about her sister occupied her mind most of the time now. She had always looked up to the strong seemingly unbreakable bond that Lexi and Wilbur had shared, and now Nora wasn't sure if this relationship could withstand the constant bickering.

Wilbur was working late, so Lexi celebrated Niki and Mia's birthday alone.

Mia had inherited her father's black hair. But her features gave her away as a decendant of Raven Moon.

Niki looked a little more like her father, but with her mother's blonde hair.

Lexi was beyond mad that Wilbur had missed the girl's birthday. He hadn't come home until quite late that night and had left pretty early also. Lexi saved up her anger until the next time he decided to grace her with his presence.

But before she could take out her anger on her breakfast cereal her sister Nora went into labour. The maid, Lexi and Alvin watched in horror as Nora screamed bloody murder.

Nora and Alvin rushed off to the hospital as quickly as they could. You could cut the excitement with a knife in that taxi. They were finally getting the baby they had wanted for so long.

Alvin rushed in, willing his wife faster. Nora giggled at her man's antics. She had never been more in love with him than this day. As nervous as she was for the birth of her baby and what effects her chemicals had had on it, Alvin always made her smile.

It was a long night. Nora explained what sort of chemicals she had been experimenting with before the baby was concieved and they appeared worried. A few tests were run. Alvin paced nervously as he waited for the verdict. He wasn't allowed in the room as Nora gave birth and the baby was whisked away before either parent could see their girl. She was returned shortly after; despite her odd appearance, she was perfectly healthy.

Early that next morning Nora walked out of the hospital holding her ghostly child in her arms. Petra Diehl had been adversly affected by one of Nora's potions, but other than that she was the epitome of perfection.

Back at home the twins were settling in to toddlerhood. They spent most of their time playing together with the doll house their mother had shared with her twin sister.

A new crib was added to the nursery to prepare for Nora, Alvin and Petra's imminent arrival.

Alvin went in before Nora to prepare the household for the news that their baby was a little different. Wilbur was at home, for once, and it was a rare moment of peace in the house. Lexi and Wilbur didn't have any judgements over Petra and welcomed her to the house by making all the right noises when they first saw her.

Nora was still in her joyous baby bubble and was deliriously happy when she walked through the house holding the baby she had been longing for for years.

The peace that had descended on the house while Nora was off giving birth was soon broken. While Nora and Alvin settled Petra in, Wilbur and Lexi picked up an old argument. Why couldn't Wilbur be as attentive and caring as he had been before Mia and Niki were born? Why couldn't Lexi just be happy that he was out earning a living, instead of taking such a long maternity leave?

The muted sounds of the argument raged into the night. Nora stayed with Petra in the nursery. She was also there to make sure that Mia and Niki were alright, listening to their parents argue into the wee hours of the morning.

The simple fact of the matter was that Wilbur was terrified that he had made the wrong decision in marrying his highschool sweetheart. He had loved Lexi for years and but recently he couldn't remember why. He just wanted to go back, and to be with the hot young thing he danced all night with at their prom. He couldn't see her in Lexi anymore, no matter how much he wanted to.

Lexi had no idea what Wilbur was thinking. She was still in love with him, and wanted to sort things out. But lately he had been pulling away more and more, and Lexi was on the brink of giving up trying. Her daughters were more important to her, and all this fighting was bad for them.

While Lexi and Wilbur's romance had died sometime ago, Nora and Alvin were just as happy as ever. They watched the stars, like they had when they were teenagers, and talked about the future. Petra was a special little girl and they wanted nothing more than to raise her in a happy stable family.

Lexi was soon returning to work. Nora opted to watch the girls while Lexi was at city hall, but Lexi made sure she spent all her downtime with her beloved daughters. And the more time she spent with her daughters, the less time she spent worrying about her rocky marriage.

Mia and Niki didn't worry about their ghostly cousin, they were too young to know it was out of the ordinary. They did however worry a bit about their parents. They were young, but not stupid. They hated it when mum and dad shouted.

While Wilbur was slowly coming to the realisation that he didn't love his wife anymore, he was still enjoying his daughters. He resented his wife's constant nagging and yet he couldn't make up his mind to leave, he didn't want to abandon his daughters. And so he stayed. For now.

Nora was finding that motherhood suited her perfectly. When the weather was nice she would take Petra for strolls through the town. Nora wasn't concerned with what the other residents thought about this ghostly little girl, and thought they'd better get used to her now.

Petra was a quiet baby. Most days she slept peacefully in her crib, with her doll Ziggy. Alvin had brought Ziggy home from a visit to his elderly mother.

Meanwhile, the fights were getting worse. Wilbur had stopped calling Lexi if he was going to be coming home late. And Lexi had stopped trying to get some sort of affection from him. But neithter of them were brave enough to admit that this marriage wasn't working anymore.

Finally Nora could take no more. She asked Lexi if everything was alright with her and Alvin. Lexi surprised Nora, and herself, by bursting out in tears telling Nora that she had to leave Wilbur.

It broke Nora's heart to see her sister so upset, but as soon as Lexi said she was leaving Wilbur, a calm came over her and Nora even saw a ghost of a smile.

Wilbur had no idea the decision his wife had made overnight, and was just happy that she had stopped nagging him for once.

Nora kindly offered to watch the children while Lexi had a talk with Wilbur the next day. So with Niki and Mia settled up with their doll house, Petra nearly ready for her nap, Alvin off to the grocery store and Wilbur home for a rare Saturday afternoon, Nora prepared herself for the noise of a the biggest fight Lexi and Wilbur had ever had.

Lexi was, for the first time since her daughters were born, calm and confident in herself. She knew she no longer needed his love to make her happy. It was time to say goodbye to what had been a good time in her life, but one that she had finally realsied she had grown out of.

Wilbur laughed cruelly at his wife when she said she was leaving him. But it was only to cover the fact that he was surprised that the woman he had thought of as weak and quiet, had finally grown a spine. He was a little ashamed that she had been the one to end things, now it looked like he wasn't man enough. A truth he wasn't ready to confront.

The truth was, both Wilbur and Lexi were sad to see their marriage end. They talked and talked; sometimes civally, other times at the top of their lungs. Wilbur begged her to let him stay, Lexi shouted that she no longer loved him so why bother. Wilbur called her every name he could think of to inflict some hurt on the woman that he had robbed his best young adult years, Lexi called him every name she could think of to inflict some hurt on the man that had stopped loving her because she had grown up. In the end it ended the way any marriage would. With tears and more than two broken hearts.

Nora played with her nieces and tried to block out the sounds of the argument. When Wilbur and Lexi called it a day, Nora explained to her nieces what that meant. The twins cried, not really knowing why, but knowing that it was a sad day.

Wilbur stayed in their old bedroom and Lexi opted to stay with her girls in the nursery until Wilbur had found a new place. She hid her tears from her daughters and spent the afternoon contemplating her decision.

The next week was frosty to say the least. Alvin and Nora carried on as normal, just trying to keep the peace for the sake of the children. Luckily Wilbur and Lexi called a truce and only crossed paths in public areas of the house, seemingly civally. Wilbur left about a week after they decided to end the marriage.

What had happened to that carefree couple that had spend the night of their prom wrapped in eachother's arms, with nothing on their minds other than their young love? How could things go so wrong?

Lexi's heart was broken, but she carried on despite it. Wilbur seemed to be doing alright, from the gossip Lexi heard around town. He didn't leave a forwarding address but word on the street was that he had hooked up with Penelope, one of the infamous blue-skinned beauties born to vampires William and Chloe Summer-Moon.

Alvin was a favourite with his little nieces and enjoyed spending time with them as the household slowly healed after the shock of Wilbur and Lexi's divorce.

Petra was such a special little baby and Alvin treasured every moment with this little girl.

Lexi seemed alright with Wilbur's leaving and for the first time since she had given birth to her daughters she seemed truly happy with every aspect of her life. The family settled back into a routine.

Mia and Niki were growing every day. Lexi loved her time spent with her little daughters. Without Wilbur's income Lexi needed to pull some extra hours at city hall, but she always made sure she put aside some time for her girls.

The weekends were a special time, where Lexi could devote two whole days to be with her girls. She really did have a better life for Wilbur leaving, and was thankful every day that she had made the decision to break up her marriage.

Before long Lexi was celebrating her girls birthday. Wilbur was a no show, despite being invited. The rest of the family, and the maid, celebrated out the back nonetheless.

Niki was definitely her father's daughter.

Mia, despite her black hair, was her mother's daughter through and through. Like the other women from her family she looked so much like her great-great grandmother Raven.

Lexi decided to still send her daughters off to Smugglesworth Prep school, where they would board during the week. Nora didn't agree with the decision to send these young girls away from home just for an education, but she respected Lexi's decision enough to keep her mouth shut.

The girls were quite exited to be heading off to boarding school, even if they would miss their close family. Alvin took the day off work so he could say goodbye to his little nieces.

Once the girls were off to their new school, Nora celebrated Petra's birthday in the quiet house.

Petra looked like her mother, despite her ghostly appearance. Her mother and father always told her just how special she was, and they did their best to prepare their little girl for life in a world that would not understand her. Luckily for Petra she had Ziggy.

Here we end Chapter Twenty. A bit of a long one this time, but there was a lot I wanted to say! Thanks for reading everyone! And here's a sneak peek of Chapter Twenty One, coming soon!

A simple afternoon turns suddenly terrifying for our family.

Our matriach's heart breaks when the Grim Reaper pays an unexpected visit. Who has Nora lost?

 Tragedy has struck. But what names are now engraved for eternity on these headstones?