Chapter 469) Shades of Hell

“Life is a matter of choices, and every choice you make makes you.”

~ John C. Maxwell

Del Sol Valley
The Cameron Mansion

Blaine snapped his fingers in Noah’s face, who looked at him like a mirage, so Blaine told him

“Hey YOO-HOOO – you, princess, with the dreamy eyes. What does the vegetable rapper say? That’s right: Lettuce Wrap. Get it? Lettuce Wrap … let us rap. So, Noah my absent-brained buddy, I let you stare blankly at the screensaver of the computer long enough, I love my company logo as much as you apparently do, but there is only so long that it can hold my undivided attention before WTF flags are being thrown in my brain. So, let’s make like vegetables, except for rapping, let’s edit your recordings.” he told his 23-year-old grandson.

“Agh, grampa, yeah, I got it. If that joke were any more dad, it would be checking my tire pressure in the driveway right about now. The worst dad jokes are the ones you feel you need to mansplain.” Noah countered.

“Aww, listen to you lil joker now. Tough crowd. So, now that I have your attention, tell me what has you staring holes into the air when we are supposed to be working on another chart-topping song, aka your source of income. Cos I’ll tell ya what, I am tickled pink that one of Caitlin’s boys is my neighbor now, after she and Twiddledum decided to go off the public radar completely after you and your brother were born, hiding in suburbia with you kids, but I ain’t gonna be footing that bill for ya if you don’t get yo shit together here, kiddo. I am grandpa, not Santa.”

“Sorry. I was just … distracted. The whole Emilee thing.” Noah said limply.

“NO SHIT! Well, if you would now PLEASE redirect your mind from tits and ass to keyboards and bass please, so we can be productive here. You know, like we said we would. I thought you came over to work, otherwise we should be sitting up on the deck, drink in each hand, and you could stare holes into the great outdoors while your mind jumps fences. I can’t be vampire enough to prefer the soundproof studio over being in the balmy breezes poolside, my little lovelorn grandkiddie, so let’s get crackin’.” Blaine swung his chair around to face the equipment screen.

“I wasn’t thinking about … tits or asses.”

Blaine turned back to him, giving him a knowing look, clearly in disbelief.

“I wasn’t, grampa! Okay, if you must know, I was thinking about Emilee and me and the entire sad downhill slope we took.”

“And she doesn’t have tits and ass?” Blaine grimaced.

“Sure, but that’s not what I was thinking about. Look, you know the whole story with her is seriously iffy. But the part you don’t know yet is that I was recently walking past somewhere where she was standing and talking to someone, and I overheard that she’s pregnant.”

“Okay, so in plain English you stalked the ex, and heard something you didn’t like and now your mood’s busted, let’s just call it what it really is. You eavesdropped on a conversation that was none of your business, which could have been taken out of context. And even if not, what about it? She’s your ex. You tried and tried to get her back, struck out every time, and she chose another. You can’t make people love you, that is actually the key point of a lot of poetry and many songs. Cherry on top: she’s married now, so completely off your menu, we all told you to get over it and move on. You’ll love again, in due time. Speaking of due, even if she is knocked up, she’s a newlywed. Getting knocked up on honeymoons or even before a wedding is not that noteworthy, especially not considering ye old ah-spicy-meat-ah-ball’s fruit of the loin is her new husband. Say what you want about us Camerons being reproduction-happy, but those Auditores got us beat! I’d be more shocked if there wasn’t a bambino growing in her by now.” Blaine ranted.

“Right, but … I am wondering if there could be a chance that the baby is mine.”

“Oh, come on now. Noah, sweet grandchild of mine. You come from absolutely EXCELLENT stock of pristine male genes, yes, shameless plug here, and we certainly don’t have to hide nekkid in a sauna, not even when it’s cold out, so I hate to burst that bubble, kid, but without needing to measure your pant-dwelling bestie, I can tell you it ain’t long enough to reach from here to Tartosa.”

“It doesn’t have to. It happened when she was here. Well, not here, I mean at Nolan’s home in Newcrest. Really long story, but Emilee and I both ended up at a party there and well, we did the naughty. And it falls inside the timeline of conception.”

“Okay, so now I am rolling the movie with my grandson sitting there at his desk drawing out a conception schedule. What’s next? A daytime talk show with public paternity testing? Scrapbooking? Send help!”

“No, she mentioned that she was well into her first trimester. A few more weeks and she and Ezio would make it official, she said. I looked it up online, most people wait till about month 3 with that, around the 12-week mark because the pregnancy loss risk is lower then, so, I did the Math and … well …” Noah shrugged.

“Quit overanalyzing guesses, Noah! That’s like trying to nail Jello to a wall. You’ll drive yourself and the rest of us nuts. If you must know, just ask her! This ‘is it or isn’t it’ mental jitterbug definitely isn’t where it’s at, kiddo.”

“How? She lives in Tartosa now, I can’t just port there since I have never been there, I am not experienced enough to just port somewhere on hope and a prayer like you can, and she doesn’t talk to me anymore. She hasn’t answered a single text I sent her since that party. I even asked Nolan to send her one and he told me to … well, you know … to pleasure myself with myself.”

“Got it, he told you to go fuck yourself, I would have told you the same. So, you and your ex, who’s now married, don’t talk, but you screw?! That’s savage, even by my low standards. Well, then ask her while you’re drilling her, if you must, can’t get any more pregnant and harder for her to walk away from the question if you’re on top of her, right?” Blaine told Noah with a little huff at the end.

“Funny grampa! But this is not a joking matter and it wasn’t like that! Look, it’s complicated. I can’t just go up to her and be like, hey, I stalked you at your grandpa’s home, where I had absolutely no business being in the first place, but I heard you were back in town and wanted to see you, anyway so I overheard you’re pregnant, is it mine, you know from that time a couple weeks before your wedding to another dude, when I had you up against the wall in my brother’s room for a rough quickie, after which I flung you on the bed, tossed your clothing at your head as if you were a cheap hooker, before I just ran out, which was also the last time we saw and talked to each other.” Noah finished his rant with a groan.

“Holy shit kid! Yeah, whatever you do, don’t go near that. Want my advice? Let it go. Seriously. You know I love my kids, and if there is one thing I could never be accused of is not owning up to fatherhood, but in this case, just no. For everyone’s sake, yours, your ex’s, the baby’s, her new ball and chain’s and mine too. Wait for her to contact you, she’d be the first to know who her baby daddy really is. At the very latest when you get a bill in the mail plus a love letter from family court, you’ll know.”

“How can you say that? If that is my child, I can’t just throw money at it and run the other way! If it is mine, it would be your great-grandbaby! YOU of all people should be totally invested, everyone knows what a family man you are.”

“Cute notion, except, for one, I ain’t got no shortage on descendants, including some great-grandkids, got me a few already, more probably incoming at some point within the next decade or so, since some of the grandkids aren’t even old enough to pop out more Cameron-family-tree branches yet. Noah, if Emilee wanted you in the picture, I promise you, you would already have heard from her. So, either you are not the lucky winner, or she has sound reasons to keep you out. Either way, you don’t wanna go stirring up that pot of steaming shit you created unless you know there is good reason for it, kid. I can sleep well at night knowing that regardless of who ultimately donated

their sperm to make her baby, it would have loving parents raising it. I have met enough Auditores in my days to know they love their kids. Most of them may be too dumb to dump out a bucket of water if you put the handle into their hand, but they are nurturing AF. With any luck, even if you laced the ears on that baby, nobody will ever be the wiser, so let the Tartosian raise that cuckoo kid if it really isn’t his. I have done the awkward parenthood triangle thing with your Aunt Vivien and Uncle Blake where I always had one baby momma too many in the picture and I really do not recommend. You think I am nuts now, shoulda seen me then.”

“Grandpa, if the kid is a vampire, it will be awful if I am not in the picture!”

“Noah, cross that bridge when you get to it. Vampire babies don’t have any teeth, and you know the spark doesn’t become anything to worry about until puberty. So, you have plenty of time to come up with a plan. I assure you, should that happen, baby momma WILL find you. Until then, don’t make me find one of Scarlett’s dresses and give you my interpretation of Elsa, as I sing ‘Let It Go’ until your ears bleed. Remember, I am a rock musician, not some Disney-dude. It ain’t gonna be pretty, ask any of your younger cousins. They’ve been there, worn the earplugs.”

“Maybe I should text her and see if she will meet with me. Just to talk. Like in a public place. So, she feels safe. Safer anyway. Neutral ground and all.” Noah hypothesized.

“Noah, kid, isn’t the reason you two broke up in the first place that she can’t get over the fact that you have fangs and could potentially kill a small village without breaking a sweat, all in a night’s work. If there is any truth to that, and it wasn’t just some ‘don’t call us, we’ll call you’ BS she fed you to let you down easy, then I doubt she’d feel safe with you anywhere. Especially after the screw & go conception tale you told me. You definitely don’t take after your father, that old sleeping pill. Heath would never! If you ever tell him the truth, I swear he’ll be the first vamp on record who suffered a stroke and a heart attack.”

“Sorry grandpa, I hear ya, loud and clear, makes perfect sense, but I need to know. I HAVE TO know the truth. I gotta go. I promise I’ll be back to do the editing with you later. I can’t focus now anyway.”

With that, only a black cloud was left dissipating, causing Blaine to growl.

“Dammit Noah! That brat! That’s what I get for having children. First you got kids who don’t listen, then you got grandkids who don’t listen, not lookin’ good for the few great-grands either. Damn brood! Kinda makes me want to send them all to the glue factory and start over with a fresh batch, just keep making kids until I finally get it right and get one that’s obedient, but then again, my name isn’t Auditore! Not to mention that Scarlett would pull my buttcheeks over my head if I as much as joked about that.”

Brindleton Bay
Emilee's parents Rhys and Samantha Cameron's home

Noah had managed to catch Emilee taking out the trash at her parents’ home when he grabbed her and pulled her out of sight, his hand over her mouth, as she now stood staring at him from big eyes, while he skipped all the platitudes and came straight to the point.

“I know you are pregnant. Is it mine?” he asked, while removing his hand.

Her eyes got wider yet.

“How … how did you know?”

“Doesn’t matter. So it is true. You are pregnant?”

“Yes.”

“Shit! Is it mine? Or his?”

Emilee stared at him, obviously uncomfortable, so he grabbed her by the arms and shook her briefly, but let go right away.

“Emilee!”

“I … I don’t know! I don’t know. I tried to figure it out by having the paternity tested in womb, but Ezio saw the letter from the clinic with the results. So, I confessed everything to him. He was very upset, very hurt, but he forgave me. Said everyone makes mistakes, sometimes it’s hard to let go, he said he loved me too much and for better or worse, he would love the child as his own. Which only made me love him more. He’s incredible. And I know you don’t want kids. So, I decided not to even mention it to anyone. Only Ezio and I know. Well, and now you, obviously.”

“Emilee, you KNOW if the baby is mine, there is a chance it could be like me.” Noah pointed at his fangs.

“Yeah. The thing I was always so afraid of, the bane of my existence. Look Noah, the paternity test came back inconclusive, which could simply be because the clinic I went to is small and their equipment isn’t state of the art, or … well … you would know.”

“Yeah. Vampire DNA doesn’t test right, always comes back inconclusive. So, in other words, we still know nothing, unless we run a better test at a better clinic. Like, say, the one where Connor works? He would know how to test it right too, considering he is one of my kind. He’d know how to keep it off the records too. I am sure if I call him now, he can work you in tomorrow. Can you get away? What’s a good time for you?”

“Noah – no. I don’t want confirmation anymore. I want to enjoy every moment of this pregnancy. I want Ezio. For everyone involved, you, me, Ezio, the baby … it would be best if the child is Ezio’s. So, for all intends and purposes, it’s his. Let it go, Noah.”

“You are the second person today to tell me that. Which man could let that go? You know my parents, and you know they raised me better than that. That may be their grandchild inside of you. Nolan might be an uncle before long. We’re identical twins, that means, IF the baby is mine, it’s as much related to Nolan as it is to me. That’s big, Emilee. My family would want to be involved.”

“Noah, as much as I love seeing this glimpse of the old Noah, the one I used to know, the one I once loved, there is no chance we could make that work without destroying both our lives and break Ezio’s heart. I won’t do that to him. Noah, I know this is not what you want to hear, but it’s the truth: I love him. Now even more than before. He showed me his true colors in a time of great adversity, and those colors are beautiful. He married me, knowing about this. The day after our wedding his grandmother died. He’s had enough.”

“Emilee, if I turn out to be the father, I will be involved, and if I have to go the legal route. Not a threat, but a promise. I won’t let you cast me into the role of a deadbeat father. I get your reasons, but no. You’re asking too much of me.”

“Since you brought up the law, know this: any child born into a marriage is automatically considered the husband’s child, until proven otherwise. Ezio and I both know that there is a chance, the baby inside of me might not be his DNA, but it is going to be his child regardless. You cannot prove otherwise, since vampire DNA doesn’t register, as you said yourself. I don’t want to sound like that, but I have to think of the child and his future.”

“His?”

“Yeah, when they did the paternity test, they tested for that too. A little boy. I am sorry, Noah, please hear what I am saying. I am not doing this to hurt you. I am protecting those I love. My child; Ezio. Maybe even myself. And maybe even a little bit you. A child with you was something that frightened me immensely. Now I have no choice, and somehow, I am no longer afraid. Only happy. If you care about me at all, don’t take that from me. You can have another relationship, You can fall in love again, I did, you can have another child when you are ready for it. I can’t have another Ezio. A man like him is once in a lifetime. Don’t take that from me.”

“Can I at least see the child after it’s been born? Honestly, once born, I know people, other vamps, who can take a look at the baby and they will know if it is like me or not, so we don’t have to wait till puberty.”

“Noah, I won’t deny you peace of mind by having someone check the baby, as long as it can be done covertly, and if he’s yours, I will not keep you from seeing him now and then, but know that I’d prefer you didn’t. Ezio did ask that I break off all ties with you. I said I would, because his request is reasonable, all things considered. I shouldn’t be talking to you right now. I am sorry Noah, but we are both to blame here. We both made a big mistake, now we both have to sacrifice to remedy the fallout. Until we know differently, just do what I do, and pretend it can only be Ezio’s child. He and I had been trying for a while before you and I did … the thing.”

“You want me to just pretend I didn’t know that there is a chance? A 50:50 chance, Emilee.”

“I wouldn’t call it 50:50. You and I did it once, Ezio and I had been actively trying. There is a much greater chance it’s his. If you still care about me at all, which all things considered would seem that you do, and if I know you at all, I know you feel guilty about how it ended the last time we saw each other, cos, that wasn’t you at the end, if you want to do the right thing, Noah, you honor my wishes. I get that it is a lot I am asking of you, but we both messed up a lot, so this is what it takes to curb the damage. Let this go, let me go, that way you can move on and find happiness again. I want that for you. It can happen. It WILL happen. If you are true to yourself, you are an amazing man, handsome too, and no woman is blind to all that. You are just not the right man for me, through no fault of either of us. We just weren’t meant to be.”

Staring at her, partially hurt, partially in disbelief, Noah eventually swallowed hard, turned from her, closed his eyes and nodded.

Then he just disappeared, leaving behind a sad looking Emilee.

“I am sorry, sweet Noah. We just weren’t meant to be.”

Author's Notes:
I highly recommend a Mod I have been using for a long while now, called RPO by Lumpinou, it comes with various parts, you pick and choose what you want and don't want. It basically handles anything related to relationships and pregnancies, adding tons of interesting nuances, making everything a lot more involved and realistic. It helps me a lot, so I don't have to make all the sometimes complex decisions for all my many Simmies. 
And while you are at it, look into Pandasama's Child Birth Mod (see image of one of its MANY functions below). Another favorite of mine, as it makes that experience just so much more immersive and - you guessed it - realistic.
The decisions made in this chapter (and the entire Stryker/Sophie arc) are wholly based on their actions/reactions (mostly autonomous) from the mods mentioned.