Okay, so Christmas Break started as of yesterday, giving me more time to write. Maybe I'll get a few more of these written before the end of the break. I liked this chapter because while writing it, I figured out which direction to go next! This is loosely based on my Sims 2 game, but sometimes it's hard to take stuff that happens in my Sims game and make it into story format. For example, in the Sims, pregnancy only lasts three days, but that is totally unrealistic. (Like green-skinned people aren't? Hee hee).

Chapter Four

Don Lothario stood proudly in his black suit, waiting for his bride. He caught sight of the Caliente sisers from where he was standing, and although they were on his mind, he felt sure he was pursuing the right course of action…for everyone. He would get his money, Cassandra would get her wedding, and the Caliente sisters would get him whenever he had free time.

Don didn't tell Dina that it wasn't Cassandra who came to visit the night before his wedding, but Nina, Dina's fraternal twin sister. The Caliente sisters looked nothing alike, but Don considered them both his type. He wasn't sure how the sisters would take to him dating both of them, so he'd had to get Dina out of the house before her sister came over.

The music started, and Don was forced to focus. He put on a wide grin when Cassandra came in, as though he were thrilled to be marrying her. And he was, in a way. He'd never have to worry about bills again.

Cassandra walked slowly, holding Mortimer's arm. Her long white train trailed elegantly behind her, and her hair was fixed in a sophisticated bun ringed with blue flowers and topped by her veil. She did look lovely, Don supposed, but he couldn't help but imagine how Dina or Nina would look in the same outfit.

She came to a halt before the priest, who turned to Mortimer. "Who gives this bride in holy matrimony?"

Mortimer's answer was clear and proud. "Her mother and I."

Two aisles down, Dina squirmed and Bella smiled. Mortimer left to sit beside his wife, and Cassandra was left with the priest and Don.

Just then, Don realized what he was doing. He was about to make a really huge mistake. He didn't even like Cassandra! What if she turned out to be a jealous wife? What if she wanted kids? What if he never saw any of his lovers again?

"Mr. Lothario? We're waiting," the priest said snippily.

"I…" he looked at the crowd, or, more specifically, at Dina Caliente. Her eyes penetrated his very being, and he remembered the plan. "I do."

Satisfied, the priest turned to Cassandra. "Cassandra, do you take Don as your lawfully wedded husband?"

Cassandra had no doubts or fears. "I do," she said warmly.

"You may kiss the bride," the priest announced, and Don leaned forward to give Cassandra a chaste kiss on the lips.

Both Caliente sisters excused themselves from the wedding reception, stating that they felt sick, which was partially true. Both women had vomited all morning, which each privately supposed was from disgust at the idea of "her" Don marrying someone like Cassandra.

Neither sister had told the other about her affair with Don Lothario, as each was aware that the other one had a crush on him. So Nina, knowing about her sister's crush on Don, was not aware that Dina knew about her own feelings for Don, and vice versa. They seldom spoke of him for that very reason.

"Mortimer doesn't even seem to know me now that Bella is back," Dina confided to her sister on the way home. "Wonder why the PTs brought her back? I thought they wanted her for a reason."

"Well, you remember when we talked to PT 17?" Nina asked, referring to a green-skinned distant cousin of theirs. "He said there was a traitor within the ranks…PT 9, I believe. Maybe the traitor brought her back."

Dina paused for a second. "Brandi Broke was telling me that she saw one of the Pleasant twins talking to a boy with green skin yesterday. I told her it must have been a trick of the light. But I did think it was weird, because the PTs don't really seem to care for Pleasantview."

The sisters chuckled, thinking about their cousin's reaction to Pleasantview. Xeric, better known as Pollination Technician #17, had stared in horrified awe at their home the night they had met him. "This is where you live?" he'd gasped, but then he had said no more, so they didn't know what exactly he didn't like about their home.

Nina pulled in the driveway then, and the sisters went inside. In a few hours, both were asleep.

"Can't we do something, Dad?" Johnny begged. Pollination Technician #9 Smith (or PT, as his son's friends called him) looked around at the teenagers gathered in his living room. "She's all alone with no place to stay."

"Where did you stay last night?" he asked the dark-haired girl standing between Ripp Grunt and Ophelia Nigmos.

"I spent the night with Ophelia," the girl explained. "Please, Mr. Smith, can't you find some place for me in Strangetown? Ripp said you're very respected around here…by everyone except his father, I mean," she quickly amended.

PT smiled and patted Ripp on the shoulder. "Ripp is kind," he told the girl, "and very perceptive. Why don't you come and tell me why you came to Strangetown in the first place?"

"My name is Lilith Pleasant. I was born in Pleasantview. I have one twin sister and my parents hate each other, but they both agree on one thing… they both love Angela more than me." She paused and took a breath, working up her courage. "A few weeks ago I caught my father in bed with the maid."

PT watched her, interested. Humans didn't always just open up to him so quickly, especially humans who didn't know aliens existed until the day before. That meant Lilith either was very open about her feelings (which he doubted) or she needed to talk to someone about this. He figured it must be the latter.

"I shouldn't have cared, but it just kept eating at me! For the last few weeks it was all that I could think about, and I kept getting angry at everyone, even Dirk."

"Dirk?" PT asked.

"Dirk Dreamer. My b—my ex-boyfriend." Lilith was trembling. "I snapped at him a few times. It wasn't him I was angry at, really, but…yesterday at school, he told me he couldn't take it anymore. He broke up with me. No one was ever on my side but Dirk, and now, I don't even have him." She steeled herself. "I went home upset. Angela tried to help, but…she wound up making me angrier. So we fought, and my dad came home and sided with Angela immediately. I…ran away. There's nothing left for me in Pleasantview."

PT regarded Lilith sternly. "I will allow you to stay here with my family. But you must attend school every day, and you will be expected to do your share of chores in the house."

Lilith's green eyes widened. "Thank you, sir! I won't let you down, I promise!"

"Where has Lilith gotten off to? This makes two nights since that girl has come home!" Mary-Sue Pleasant demanded.

"She'll be home," Daniel growled, impatient with Mary-Sue's constant worrying. Angela cringed at his tone. Her father almost seemed to like Lilith being gone.

For Angela, life had been much more peaceful since Lilith had left…and much harder. She was constantly dreaming up awful scenarios where Lilith had been mugged, raped, left for dead in a dark alley… Just last night she had come downstairs to watch TV when her nightmares refused to let her sleep.

Lilith was Angela's twin. She was her worst enemy, and her best friend. When she was home, Angela wished she would just go away. Now that she was gone, Angela would give anything to get her back. Such is the nature of sisters.

The phone rang, and Angela ran to get it. Maybe it was Lilith! "Hello?"

"Hi, um… Angela?" the voice on the other end of the line guessed. "This is Johnny Smith. I'm one of the guys you saw with Lilith the other day. The green one, kinda hard to miss."

"Um, hi. Do you know where my sister is?" Angela asked.

"Lilith is safe. She has relocated to Strangetown, and is living with my family. She doesn't know I'm calling you, but I felt like you needed to know." Johnny hung up, and Angela stared at the phone for a moment before putting it down.

On second thought… Angela picked up the phone and pressed redial. "Lilith can be reached at this number too, right? If I want to call her?" she asked hurriedly.

"Yeah. She lives here now," Johnny told her. There was an awkward silence, and finally Johnny added, "So… How's your family?"

"Tense," Angela said honestly. "My parents are angry about Lilith leaving."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Look, Lilith is about to come up the stairs. I'll talk to you later, all right? Bye."

"Bye." The word came out as a strangled sob. Angela put down the phone and stood there a moment, contemplating.

Strangetown. Her sister was in Strangetown, nearly a hundred miles from home. Angela didn't know whether to be grateful Lilith was okay, or to cry because she was so far away. Finally, she climbed the stairs up to her room.

"RIPP!" General Buzz yelled as soon as Ripp walked in the door. Ripp paused, scared. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MORNING?"

"I was…at Ophelia's," Ripp lied, knowing that his father would freak out if he knew that Ripp had gone with Ophelia and Lilith to speak to PT.

"You're always at Ophelia's! What are you, married to her or something?" his father demanded.

Actually, Dad, half the time I'm at Johnny's, Ripp thought, but he didn't say it aloud. He knew better. "No, Dad. It's just that she's my only friend here in Strangetown."

"Well you be careful around that aunt of hers, you hear? That lady killed your mother!"

Ripp winced. That was the rumor, at least—that Lyla Grunt had been killed by Olive Specter. But Ripp knew better. Olive couldn't kill anyone. "Uh, sure thing, Dad." Ripp moved to walk around his father, and thankfully, General Buzz moved out of his way and said nothing else.

Ripp climbed the stairs to his room, where Tank was waiting for him. "Where have you been?" Tank teased. "With your little girlfriend?"

"No, I was with Ophelia," Ripp snapped back, moving to close the door, but Tank stopped him.

"So…who's the black-haired babe I saw you with earlier, walking to the Smiths' house?"

"Her name's Lilith. She's an exchange student from Pleasantview. She'll be staying with the Smiths."

"Lilith, huh?" Tank smiled. "She's pretty."

"She's flat out hot," Ripp corrected. "And you stay way from her."

"I don't see you having any claim on her, little brother," laughed Tank as he walked away.

That night, Cassandra and Don celebrated their first night as a married couple. Downstairs, Bella and Mortimer shook their heads silently. The newlyweds planned to continue living in the Goth Mansion.

"That boy worries me," Bella said finally. "I don't think he really loves her."

"I know he doesn't," her husband responded, "but Cassandra has to make her own mistakes. I love her dearly, but I can't protect her from her choices. I warned her, but she doesn't hear me."

"She's infatuated." Bella sighed. "Maybe I just don't like him because if it weren't for him, I wouldn't have been abducted." She leaned toward her husband. "I figured out today that I'm pregnant."

"How?" Mortimer was shocked.

"I'm not sure…but I know it's got to be something the aliens did. It's not normal, Mort. I can already feel the baby moving, and I'm not even showing." Bella drew her knees up to her chest and tried not to cry.

Mortimer didn't really know what to do, but he went to his wife and gathered her in his arms. "If raising another baby is the price of having you back… then I'll be thrilled to have another baby in the house."

Bella leaned against him as he held her, and they stayed that way a long time.

The next morning, Monday, found them asleep on the couch, Bella laying content in her husband's arms.

Cassandra pulled herself out of bed and smiled to herself. Last night had been so amazing. She wrapped a robe around herself and headed toward the bathroom. Even newlyweds had to work, after all. She and Don had had to postpone their honeymoon because the lab where she worked could ill afford to let her go right now.

She showered and dressed, then grabbed headed downstairs, stopping to kiss her husband's cheek as she walked by. Pouring some cereal, Cassandra sat down to eat.

"Mornin', Cassie," Alexander said, rubbing his eyes as he walked down the stairs in his pajamas. "Can I have some of that?"

"Get you a bowl and I'll pour you some." Alexander grabbed a bowl out of the cabinet, and Cassandra poured some cereal and milk in it.

They ate in silence for some time. Then Alexander asked, "Cassie? Are you happy being married to Don?"

Cassandra smiled. "Of course, Alex. Why do you ask?"

But Alex wouldn't say.

Don woke hours later, and headed downstairs to find breakfast. Finding himself alone in the house, he poured a bowl of cereal and sat down in the living room to watch TV.

There was nothing on but the news, but that suited Don just fine. He really just wanted the noise. He was right in the middle of breakfast when the doorbell rang. Rising from the couch, he peered through the glass and saw Dina Caliente.

"Dina! Come in," he greeted warmly, opening the door. He went to kiss her, but she stopped him.

"Don, I'm pregnant." The words were flat and hard. "So is my sister."

Don stopped and stared at the blonde woman. "Dina…"

"What are you going to do about this, Don? You got two women pregnant, and you're already married. What's going to happen when Cassandra finds out?"

"She won't find out," Don promised. "I have access to the money now, and I'll slip you everything you need to take care of our baby." His words were calm, but his heart was pounding. Kids? Bad enough to find out he had impregnated one woman. Worse to discover two women carrying his child…and even worse, they were sisters! How would he escape this? How to tell Dina that he had no interest in children?

Dina stared at him for a long moment. Then she ran into his arms. "I knew you'd take care of us," she said, kissing his lips. Don leaned forward, engrossed in what he knew could be his last time to make out with Dina.

They were still standing there, entwined, when Mortimer drove up, with Cassandra in the passenger seat.

Cassandra was in a good mood. Her father had come to her work to take her out to lunch, and her boss had decided to give her the rest of the day off. She was eager to get home; after all, she had a new husband waiting for her.

But her good mood shattered when she arrived, along with the rest of her. To see Don, her Don, making out with that…that slut! "Don!" she shrieked, jumping out of the car. Don let go of Dina then and paused, giving her a deer-in-the-headlights look.

"Cassandra… I can explain," Don stammered.

"EXPLAIN? My husband is making out with some easy whore and you think you can EXPLAIN? I'd love to hear this," Cassandra shot back. Feeling hurt and betrayed, Cassandra pointed to the street. "I want you to go. Just go, Don! I'll get your things to you later." Tears streamed from her eyes. "I can't believe you did this to me."

"Cassandra…" Don reached over to hug her, but she pushed him away.

"Go away, Don," she said through gritted teeth. "We're getting a divorce just as soon as I can find a lawyer."

And with that, the shortest marriage in all of Pleasantview, lasting only a night and half a day, was over.

Nine months later, Cassandra would give birth to twins, Mortimer and Melanie, conceived on her wedding night. She stared down at them and tried so hard to deny their resemblance to Dina's daughter, Mina, and Nina's son, Blake. Both of the Caliente sisters had given birth a month before her.

She laughed when she thought of it. Six babies had been born that year. Four of them were Don Lothario's, and not one bore his last name. The other two were her mother's green-skinned twin sons, Taylor and Tyler, now three months old.

No, the heartache wasn't over. But at least now she would be busy, with two sets of twins in the house, and being busy would take her mind off of her broken heart. So I suppose this is the end, Cassandra thought as she stared down at the sleeping faces of her children.

Little did she know, every end is only a new beginning.