Hello, my name is Nicole. I have shoulder length brown hair, brown eyes...I seem like your average teenager. Well I don't consider myself average. I come from a very wealthy family. We were so rich we could eat our breakfast on pure gold plates if we wanted to. Yes, it was the good life, until my parents cut my funds from them. They wanted me to become independent. Get my own house, go to college and not just mooch off of them for the rest of my life. At first, I was pretty pissed, naturally. I was like an infant, I didn't have a clue to what to do. I always had everything done for me. Anyways my parents sent me off to go find a part time job. I miserably failed that. I remember I came back home to my parents claiming it was impossible. Furious, they sent me out again, no remorse. Each day with a failed attempt to get a part time job, they kept sending me off, like throwing garbage away.

But one night, I overheard my parents talking about me in the kitchen. Long story short, in their eyes, I'm a failure to them. I knew I was deep down, but I wanted to prove them wrong. So the next day, officially determined now, I finally found a job. This is it, I thought to myself, now my parents will be proud of me! When I told them my accomplishments, they just smiled at me and said now I have to save enough money to move out. Again, I was pissed off, I didn't want to move out. This was the greatest house I've ever had! But in a few months I did move out and I brought my pets with me. I brought my puppy, Cutie, an adorable dalmation puppy with a diamond crusted collar on and my kitty, Daisy.

"Let me show you around," My potential housemate, Dylan, offered.

Dylan was a bit pudgy. He had poofy brown hair, brown eyes and he had a five'0 clock shadow with a little beard. His outfit was a plain green shirt, jeans with some converse looking sneakers. He seems a bit older than me. Note that I'm only nineteen and he's probably in his late twenty's.

"Here's the kitchen," He spoke, extending his arm out to the kitchen.

The kitchen was pretty average. A cheap fridge, simple window above the sink, a cheap oven and pearl white counters. The floor was brown tiles. The kitchen was pretty small. The floors was all wooden. The living room had a cheap, old, tacky green couch with a very small television. I was not used to this at all. The bathroom was average too; it was kinda dirty. It had a cheap toilet and a cheap bathtub. The sink was a bit dirty and had grime around it. Yuck.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about the mess," Dylan apologized, "I was going to clean it today, but you came here so soon."

"It's okay," I smiled.

"Let me show you your room...if you decide to live here."

He led me to my potential room. It was plain to me. It was sort of a small room to me. It just had a bed and a night stand in it. That's it.

"Then there's a garage out near the living room. And upstairs is my room, another bathroom and an office room," he concluded.

"Hm...interesting place. I like the rent cost though. You're the cheapest I've seen." I looked around, imagining myself living here. Will I live here? I long to go back to the mansion though.

"Yeah, can't go wrong with that price, huh?" Dylan smirked at me. "Oh, if you do choose to live here, then you got to meet my other housemate."

I raised my brow. "Other housemate?"

Dylan beamed and disappeared upstairs for a few moments and then he came back with a brown and black fluff ball that was sleeping in his arms.

"My puppy I got a few weeks ago. His name is Duke."

"Aw, how cute!" I squealed, "I got a puppy too. I was just about to ask about pets, but it seems like you allow pets."

"Yeah I allow pets, but I hate cats." My face fell when he said that.

"You don't allow cats?" I muttered.

Dylan had a disgusted look on his face. "No way, I hate them."

"Oh," I was disappointed. I needed this place or else I would end up on the streets tonight. But I didn't want to give Daisy away.

"Aw crap," Dylan sighed, "you have a cat, don't you?"

I nodded my head. "Please, let me rent this place. The cat won't get in your way at all."

Dylan groaned, rubbed his head. "Fine. Just get it out of my sight and that room is yours."

My face lit up. I was beaming all day.

"Let's sign those papers now."

The first few weeks here was mostly quiet. I went to high school, while Dylan left for work. He worked for the Military. The puppies and the kitten was left home with a large amount of food, a place to go to the bathroom and a place to sleep. I'd always hoped I didn't come home to find any droppings around the house. Not much interaction between me and Dylan. I was always doing my homework and he was always locked in his room or watching television. I would feel awkward to just go talk to him. But one night, I was in the kitchen, making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich when he came out of his cave.

"It's pretty late to be up, don't you think?" He reached in the fridge and pulled out some juice.

"Um," I stammered, looking down at him, realizing he's only wearing boxers.

"Oh...sorry Nicole, I didn't really think you were going to be down here at this hour. So now...I'm trying to make this less awkward," he chuckled, nervously.

My face turned beet red. From then on, I didn't think me and Dylan were going to be much more than housemates.

The puppies were no longer puppies. Cutie and Duke had blossomed into beautiful adults. Cutie and Duke were always playing with each other, they've never separated since we moved in. Daisy also grew up. She was a hyper cat, always playing with the dogs and running around. I graduated from highschool. Even Dylan showed up for my graduation. Dylan and I established a good relationship. At first I thought he wouldn't be interested in me because I was still in high school, but to my surprise, we've been locked in long conversations together. We would always sit on the couch and talk about whatever it came to mind. It felt so natural to speak to him. He would always ask about school, he really cared about my grades. We talked about our future a lot.

"What do you want to be?" He asked one night, sitting next to me on the tacky couch.

"I'm not sure. When I was a little girl though...I wanted to be a cop."

"You should become a cop, if that's what you really want to be."

I beamed at him, storing his advice in my head in a little "folder".

"See you later Dylan!" I ran out of the house after saying goodbye to my pets and Duke.

"Have fun on your first day on the job!" Dylan smiled, pulling something nice and hot out of the oven.

"Thanks," I climbed into my car and drove off to work.

I'm surprised I'm a cop now. Many people would think I would be living with mommy and daddy forever, but I proved them all wrong.

"Dude, your dog...got my dog pregnant!" I was furious both at Duke and myself. I knew I should have got Cutie fixed.

"Well...it's not my fault! Get your dog fixed!" Dylan shouted back.

"Your dog should be fucking fixed too!" I screamed back.

After a couple of hours, we both managed to cool off and we both apologized for our actions.

"What should we do with the puppy?" I asked, totally calm now.

"Well," Dylan began, "we could keep it?"

I smiled, "I guess that won't be a problem, right? We could both take care of the puppy."

And just like that, our problem was fixed.

Nine months later, Cutie gave birth to a beautiful girl puppy. She was a Dalmation/German Shephard mix. And she was as cute as a button. She was an adorable addition to the family.

"Maybe this won't be bad after all." Dylan confessed.

"Oh," I cooed, "what should we name her?"

Cutie and Duke both introduced themselves to their daughter; they looked really happy.

"How about Diamond?" Dylan suggested.

"Perfect."

"Marry me, Nicole," With such beauty from the gorgeous ring, shimmering in the sunlight, Dylan pleaded down on one knee.

"M-marry?" I stammered, tears swelled up in my eyes.

"Nicole, I'll make you the happiest girl in the world. I know we've only been dating for such a short time, but I feel the need to marry you. I know there's a big gap in our ages, but I can't live without you. I love you. Please, marry me?"

I smiled as big as my face could allow it.

"Yes Dylan!' I cheered, hugging and kissing him, just chanting yes for a thousand more times. The dogs and the cat all seemed to cheer for us.

After being married for about several years, nothing of interest happens. We've been living a normal life, in a normal house. But I wanted our family to be whole.

"You...what?" Dylan squawked, putting down the newspaper.

"I want a...child," I smiled, petting my tummy.

"Don't you think we're moving a bit fast here?" He cried out nervously.

"Well we got married a bit quick, don't you think?" I raised my brow at him.

"But that's different," he whined.

I didn't budge; I wanted a kid.

"Duke," Dylan called out, waking the dog up, "you think we should have a baby? Lie down if you don't think so, stand up if you want us to have a kid."

Duke also didn't budge.

"Ha," he laughed in victory, "even he thinks we shouldn't have a kid."

"Dylan," I growled in a warning tone.

Dylan gave up and let out a big sigh.

"Fine. Get your ass in the bedroom then," he smirked.

"I'm sorry, but you cannot have children."

"What do you mean? I've been trying to have one for years now," I stammered in obvious shock.

"Your eggs are in no condition to have children. I'm so sorry." And like that, the doctor showed me the way out.

It felt like forever driving back home.

"Baby, is it me?" Dylan cooed, embracing me very close to his body.

I'm sobbing like an infant, leaving tears all over his shirt.

"No...it's me," that part made me cry harder.

"We can adopt a child?"

"But I wanted my own."

Having no children for ten years, it made me feel incomplete. I felt that having a child was one of my biggest goals. But I've learned to accept it and live without it. Instead I treated our dogs and Daisy like they were my children. I fed them, bathed them regularly (minus Daisy), and even spent quality time with each pet. Honestly...maybe we were better off without kids, but I'm not sure.

I felt like everything was in order and perfect.

"No!" I sobbed, crying loudly into Dylan's chest. I felt like my knees gave out and I tumbled on the ground. I can't believe this happened. Daisy's dead. Her lifeless, old body laying peacefully on the carpet floor. Everyone circled around her, paying their last respects for the dead cat.

"Daisy..." I felt like my heart was ripped out of my chest, then it was stomped on until it was a bloody pulp.

"I know I said I don't like cats, but I'm sad she's gone too Nicole. We have to let her go..."

I nodded my head. Duke, Diamond and Cutie all looked lost without Daisy. Believe it or not, it was like she was one of the dogs. She was happy, hyper, sure she had her feline moments, but they all got along really well. In our backyard, we burried our beloved family member, Daisy, who will forever live in our hearts.

Each passing day, it seemed like everyone got older and older. Dylan became completely bald, a little skinny and very lethargic. He's now retired from the Military and just chills out at home while I still go to work because I'm still in my forties. Even the dogs are looking old. I seem to be the youngest looking one here even though it's Diamond that's actually the youngest. I'm scared I would come home one day to find somebody dead and I don't want that to happen. The dogs still play around, except for Duke, he's becoming weaker and weaker each day.

A couple months later, Duke died. This practically destroyed Dylan. Duke was Dylan's original housemate at first, his buddy, his best friend. Even I was devastated by this death, of course I was sad for Daisy too. Like Daisy, we peacefully burried Duke in the backyard, next to Daisy, his other best friend. Cutie and Diamond were completely shocked by this death. Cutie kept whimpering, like a baby who lost his blanket. And Diamond always had her ears flat against her head and also whimpered; she just lost her father.

"I just can't believe he's gone," Dylan spoke aloud to me in bed. He sniffled and snuggled up against me.

"I know Dylan, I can't believe he's gone too. But he's in Doggy heaven now...probably having the time of his life," I tried to reassure him, but he still looked unhappy.

"I know it's tough right now, hell I'm still mourning over Daisy, but believe that he's in a better place right now, baby," I kissed his soft lips.

"I guess," Dylan mused, "goodnight, sweetheart."

"Goodnight."

"Happy birthday to you!" Everyone cheered.

"Make a wish, honey!" Dylan cooed in my ear. And with that, I blew out all the candles; everyone cheered again.

Today I turned forty nine years old, aging more and more each day. But then I slowly realized to myself, Dylan is almost ten years older than me. I faced the possibility that Dylan won't be with me much longer. I always pushed back that thought until now.

Dylan's been falling down a lot lately. He always claims he just lost his balance and nothing is wrong. Maybe he's right, but I still worry about him. But other than that, nothing is out of the ordinary in our broken family. Cutie and Diamond are still grieving over the loss of their friends. Dylan doesn't mourn over Duke anymore, but he still deeply misses him. I know he's too proud to admit it, but I think he misses Daisy too even though they both never really got along.

I leave for work every morning at seven. I notice Dylan gets bored just watching tv and eat all day, so I suggested he get a hobby. Play some chess, write a story, something! It seems he took my advice. Over the couple of weeks, he was working on a novel called 'Pets'. It was a story about a boy and his dog. I think he actually wrote about himself and Duke, but he claims he's not in the story.

Well it just so happens that the story he wrote...it got published and was sold in our book stores in town. Dylan was so excited. Everyone in town has read it and praised Dylan for it. He was like a little celebrity for a while.

Just when we thought everything was fine, Cutie died. We found her body next to Duke and Daisy's grave. It seems that our family is quickly numbering down and I'm afraid I'm going to end up all alone. These pets were like my children to me so of course I was heart broken, yet again. Distaught, we buried her body along with the others. Diamond is now spending her days whimpering, being alone, hanging out outside near the graves. I try cheering her up by playing with her, but she's so old now she can't do things like she did when she was a puppy. I think I seem to make it worse.

"She's suffering," I cried out to Dylan in bed, tears spill out, landing everywhere. "She's alone now. She's not used to this. She used to be surrounded by her mother, father and her best friend, but that's all gone now."

"Honey, I know it hurts, but she's just dealing with things in her own way. Death is a natural and important cycle for the world; she just needs to mourn."

"But she's so lonely now..." I whispered.

"Well...she has us still, right?" And with that, he kissed my forehead and he fell asleep.

I, however, had trouble sleeping that night.

I woke up to find Dylan eating waffles, alone in the dark at five in the morning.

"She's in a better place now. She's with everyone now," I quietly spoke out.

Diamond died two nights ago. Like the others, it was from old age.

"I wasn't prepared for her to go," A gloomy Dylan muttered.

"I wasn't either."

Losing our pets were like losing children we never had. But now...all we got is each other, no one else.

"Don't throw the pet toys and stuff away," he pleaded, tears almost spilled out.

"Don't worry, I won't," Tears in my eyes spilled out; I began wiping them away.

I guess we just needed a good cry because we felt a tad bit better after that. We spent the rest of the sad day watching movies together. I begin noticing changed in myself when I look in the mirror. Each day gray hairs and wrinkles settled in. I had to face the fact that I was getting older.

My hair is fully gray, I walk with difficulty and a lot of wrinkles are on my face. I have reached my elder stage. Dylan is still with me today. We spend a lot of time with each other now that I'm retired. We go out on little walks to the park and spend a lot of time talking. We still hold hands and sneak a quick kiss in public. Our love is still strong even when we're weak.

"Nicole...after all these years, I still love you," He shakily kissed my hand.

"Oh, I know," I smiled.

"And I think you're the most beautiful woman in the whole world," He left a trail of kisses on my arm.

"Okay, what do you want?" I asked suspiciously.

"Um," He paused, "Maybe a little woohoo?" He smirked.

"Woohoo?" I exclaimed, "but we're so old!"

"So what? As long as everything is fine, we can do it."

"Alright then," I gave in.

/

"Wow...that was great," I sighed and cuddled with him.

"Told you," We both went to bed.

This morning I felt really weak so I crawled into bed.

"What's the matter?" Dylan gently grabbed my hand by my bedside.

"I just feel out of it today I guess," I gasped, my eyes were itching to close.

"Alright, just call me if you need me." With that, he left the room.

A few hours later, I opened my eyes to find the grim reaper with me. My head filled with confusion, but it seemed all my questions were answered when I saw my body still in the bed. I realized I was dead.

"I'm dead?" I shouted, thinking this was just a nightmare.

The grim reaper just nodded his head. He pointed his bony fingers at a portal that lead to a place where the dead can peacefully be. In the portal, I saw all the people I once knew, they were waving at me and smiling. It felt very inviting. Also I saw my pets that once lived with me. My eyes were filled my tears. I wanted to enter, but I didn't feel right.

"No!" I shouted again, "I won't go with you...not without my husband!"

"Nicole? Wake up. Nicole!" Dylan shook my corpse, anything to wake me up. He cried over my dead body.

"I'm right here, Dylan!" I shouted right next to him. I really didn't want to see him cry, it broke my heart.

I watched as I saw him mourn for the next couple of days. I made myself promise I wouldn't leave this world as long as Dylan was with me, holding my hand. He looked extremely sad. I tried telling him I was right here and that he doesn't need to cry anymore, but it's no use, he can't hear me.

"I'd do anything to see her again," I would hear him say.

On a quiet evening, I watched as Dylan went to bed. In the morning, the grim reaper returned, taking Dylan's life. In a way, I was sad, but happy now that I get to see my lover.

"What happened?"

The grim reaper didn't say anything, just extended his arm and showed the portal to him.

"Duke?" He heard his barking, smiling.

"Dylan!" I ran up to him, kissing him.

"Nicole!" He cried out, kissing me back, "you didn't go in the portal?"

"Well," I smiled, "I wanted to go with you."

My hand snaked for his hand. And together we left the land of the living and returned to our loved ones.

The End.

This was the life whole process of my sims on Sims 3: Pets. I hope you enjoyed this.