The Broke Legacy: Gen 4.7 (Part 1 of 3)

[simgaroop]

Previous update: Gen 4.6.
Warning: Mentions of sex.





The most important lesson that the founder of the Broke legacy left to his descendants, was that there was no point in being obsessed with the past (and the things they had lost with it).
Especially with a present so full plans, changes and new family members to take care of and love.




So, a few months after Cosmo's death, the family left the sadness they felt behind and moved on to new (and hopefully happier) times.




In that period of time, new relationships were formed.




While older ones remained as strong as ever.




And before they knew it, it was time to celebrate Cody's first birthday.








Since his early years, Cody bore an amazing resemblance to his father, both in looks and personality.
According to the late Titania Summerdream's stories, Puck was a shy and sweet toddler, just like his youngest son.
Of course, the Brokes made sure to transmit the Graslaxian folklore to Cody.
Wanda read the Curious brothers' alien story books to her son since he was just a few months old.
That's what her father, Cosmo, would had wanted her to do.




Cosmo's influence could still be felt around the house.
Inspired by the many tells he had told her about his College years (and her desire to become a professional musician), Rose Mary applied for Academie Le Tour.
She was also busy studying for the final exams of her senior year.
If she was accepted at Académie Le Tour, she'd move there with Buck in just a couple of months.




Without her father around to fix the broken appliances, Wanda took that chore as her responsibility.
Her experience as a videogame designer and working with machines and computers allowed her to do this easily.




Helena often spent some time in front of Cosmo's grave.
She missed the long afternoons they had together, talking about the Graslaxian culture.
She was extremely proud of her alien genes, and accepted her destiny as a provider of future descendants of her race.
She wasn't exactly looking forward to procreate, but she knew it was something she'd have to do it sooner or later.
She just hoped she'd find the right human to share her genes with.




Cody spent his toddler years surrounded by the love and constant care of his brothers and parents.
That was the advantage of being so young compared to the rest of the family.




He brought new strength to the family.
Just a glance at his constantly smiley face was enough to boost anyone's mood for the day.




Perhaps it was some kind of training for her future spawn, but Helena spent the longest time with her brother.
She quickly showed that she'd be an excellent mother one day, despite not being really interested in that at the moment.




Besides her, everyone around the house helped with Cody.
Some were in charge of preparing the Graslaxian formula.




Others made sure Cody learned the basic skills he'd need once he began his school years.




And the rest spent at least a few minutes to play with him.
Even Rose Mary accepted the presence of a new brother and loved him as much as the others.








Cody really didn't have anything else to ask for.




When they were faced with the decision of dismantling Cosmo's old laboratory, Tim refused to see his Grandfather's project get lost forever.
Sure, Eighty-Eight was now in charge of most of Cosmo's research at the Pharmaceutical company he worked for during his last years, but there were still several plans and graphics depicting creations that never saw the light.




Perhaps he wasn't as bright as Helena, but Tim decided that somehow, he'd bring them to life one day.
He studied a few mechanic books and spent some afternoons trying to create simple toys at Cosmo's Lab.
Only time would tell if he'd be successful in his mission...

____________________




So the years went by, and it was finally Rose Mary's turn to enter adulthood.
She just couldn't wait to experience the new things waiting for her!




At 18, Rose Mary had become a beautiful young woman.
She was in top of the world: She was accepted at Academie Le Tour, she had a fairly successful music band that would still play together during their college years and she was still in love with devoted boyfriend.




Said boyfriend prepared a special night for them a couple days after Rose Mary's birthday.




"Are you ready to go, Rosie?"
"Of course!"




Buck's salary was a waiter was still quite small, so he couldn't take her to a fancy restaurant for her birthday.
He thought about preparing a special dinner at his house, but the General and a couple of friends from the Dog Lovers Club would be playing poker that night.
So, he took her to a small, cozy restaurant near Downtown.



Rose Mary didn't mind the place, for the company was what she really cared about.
They had a lovely time together.




They joked and laughed about the silly things from their High School years.
And also toasted for the wonderful times that were waiting for them at Academie Le Tour.
Buck was also accepted to the University's Culinary Program, so they were going to move to a small apartment at Veronaville.
Rose Mary had already made all the arrangements with her aunt Tamara.
The thought about living together with Buck was exciting.
They'd finally spend a lot of time as a real couple... with all the fun and games that involved.
She only hoped Buck would show the "wild" side she knew was hidden inside him once they were there.




Buck also had a few plans for his college years, but was deadly afraid of telling them to Rose Mary.
But that night, he had decided he'd tell her once and for all.
He thought the timing was perfect.
"Hey, Rosie... I've been thinking about something..."
"Yeah?"
"Well... we are moving together, right?"
"Yup..."
"That means we'll share a room, bills and everything. Sort of like a married couple, right?"




"Yeah... except we don't have to deal with the pressure of a married couple."
"I... I don't really see the difference..."
"Oh, please! Marriage is a burden! It's a silly, stupid paper that chains you to a person! It's the tag that forces one to settle down and become a "grown up" Man! That's the last thing I want to deal with right now! The best years of my life are coming up! Total and complete freedom!"
"Well... but..."
"Oh, come on, Buck... Don't tell me you have a ring hidden inside your pocket, right? That'd be ridiculous!"- she said between laughs.




Buck flashed a shy smile and nodded, while pulling out his hand from his right pocket.
The pocket who had the beautiful ring that had belonged to his mother (and that she had thrown at the General many years ago)...
He sighed: Perhaps Rosie was right and that was a stupid idea... so his plan was buried deep inside his mind one more time.




Rose Mary noted Buck's anxiousness and smiled.
"You are so old-fashioned, Buck!"- she giggled- "But that's what makes you so cute! I... I just hope you'll let yourself lose once we are at Academie Le Tour..."




"... I'll make sure you do..."- she finished, as she caressed Buck's arm softly.
She knew that was one of his weak spots and giggled as she noticed his blushing cheeks.




When they left the restaurant, she pulled him aside and kissed him deeply.
He kissed back with as much enthusiasm as her.




"Hmmm... Perhaps we could start practicing right now... It's still too early..."
"Uh... it's almost 2:00 AM..."
"Come on, Buck! I've never seen the sunrise with you... and I'm not ready to go to bed... at least not to sleep..."




Fearing being scolded by that old hag Crumplebottom again (who had been a pain since their teenage years), Rose Mary and Buck went to their favorite place.
The Love Maze, a park usually visited by couples seeking a little bit of privacy.
Rose Mary first knew about this place from her mother, for this was the exact place where his father had first confessed his love to her.
A Romance girl at heart, she'd been curious about this place for years until she finally dragged Buck there when they started dating.

The couple spent the rest of the night just chatting about their future, and just as the sun was going up, Rose Mary had an idea.
"Remember what I said about letting your wild side out?"
"Uh... yeah?"
"Well... I've been thinking... Helena once told me how exciting it is to do it on public and..."
"What? Are you insane?"
"Come on, Buck! It'll be fun..."
"But... if we are caught...?"
"We won't... I know the perfect place and..."
"But first we need protec..."




"You worry way too much..."- she said, pulling him for a kiss and pressing her body against his.
Any traces of doubt vanished from Buck's mind as he let his hormones take control of the situation.




"Come on..."- she whispered as she took his hand.




... And took him to a lone photo booth on the other side of the park.




It was so much better than she imagined it!
The thrill of doing it in such a small space!
The fear of being caught!
So many emotions turned her on like nothing else had ever done it!
And, despite his worries, Buck was just as enthusiasts by the end of it.

Perhaps he really did have a wild side after all!

Sure, they made so much noise they were actually caught by some curious passersby, but Rose Mary didn't care!
This was the perfect end to a perfect night!




Oh well... her father was so angry when she arrived home.
"You might think you can do anything just because you're going to College, but as long as you live here, you'll obey the rules of this house! What were you thinking, coming back at 10 AM? Your mother was worried sick! You need to be more responsible now, Rose Mary!"




Sure, Rose Mary was sorry.
But she didn't regret what she had done.
And as she fell asleep, thinking about her boyfriend's touch... she decided she'd do it again. And again.

If only she knew that her small adventure had just changed her life...




With just a couple of weeks before the big move to campus, Rose Mary was busier than usual.
She spent a long time packing her stuff and calling her aunt Tamara, for the final touches of her future home.
During the mornings, though, she was the one in charge of Cody, for her parents and siblings (who were busy with their summer jobs) spent most of the time outside.

One morning, she went to Cody's room to wake him up.
"Wake up, sleepy head!"- she said- "It's time for breakfast...!"
But as soon as she picked the toddler up, she felt a sudden rush of nausea.




She put Cody on the floor, and left the room as fast as possible.




She made it to the bathroom just in time.
She sighed once she was done.
She felt slightly dizzy and nauseous, but much better now that her breakfast was gone.
Perhaps something she ate was not as fresh as she thought.




Once Cody was fed and left playing with his toys, Rose Mary worked awhile on the computer.
She contacted Academie Le Tour's info center and inquired about the final details and paperwork for her classes and schedule.




She then took Cody outside and played a bit with him.
She wouldn't see him a lot for four years, and she wanted to spend as much time as possible with her little brother.
She knew he'd already become a boy by the time she came back from College.




But then, she felt another wave of nausea.
"Ugh... if Buck and I weren't using protection, I'd be worried about being pregnant!"




She thought she was suffering from food poisoning. Perhaps the glass of milk from breakfast was bad?
She felt very tired, and decided to take a nap.
So, as soon as Tim came back from his job and made sure he'd look after Cody in the garden, she went to bed.




But Rosie didn't get the rest she needed so much, for she was plagued with nightmares and fears.
Nightmares about a life locked up inside a cage.
Prisoner of an old, boring routine.
Nightmares that seemed to make her dreams disappear forever.




When she woke up, she was more tired than before.

______________________________




What she originally considered as food poisoning soon proved to be something else.
As the weeks came by, the nausea and exhaustion didn't disappear.
She usually felt worse in the mornings, and was barely able to finish her breakfast without running to the bathroom to throw up.




And there were many times she actually did that.
Once she realized her period wasn't coming for that month, a deep fear froze her heart.
She remembered one night, a month and a week before, in which she had left her wild side out.
The only night in which Buck hadn't brought a preservative with him.
It was only one night! It didn't make sense!
It couldn't be so easy!

But once the home test she bought on secret showed positive results, Rose Mary had her worse fear confirmed.
She was pregnant.
She was completely sure that the baby was Buck's.
And she didn't know what to do...




Buck hugged her tightly as soon as he saw her.
She had called him earlier, and she sounded so anxious.
She had sounded like if she had been crying.
She had asked him to meet her at a small restaurant at the neighbor town, Bluewater Village.
"What is it, Rosie? What's wrong?"
"Please sit down, Buck. We are in deep trouble..."




"I... I don't even know what to say..."




"Just tell me, Rosie... we'll look for a solution together."




"We are screwed up, Buck. We are so screwed up..."
"What are you talking about?"
"Remember our date? The one where we went to the Love Maze?"
"Yeah, of course... Wait! Are you telling me...?"
"Yes, Buck. I'm pregnant..."




As soon as Rose Mary said those words, an uncomfortable silence appeared between them.
Buck's smile was gone, and he didn't say anything else.
He just nodded, letting Rose Mary continue her story.




She explained him about the morning sickness, the constant nausea and the lack of energy she felt lately.
She told him about her fears, and how she had broke down in tears when she had confirmed her pregnancy through the test.
"What are we going to do, Buck? We... I can't have baby right now! I have no idea how to raise one! I feel just so... overwhelmed by all this!"




Buck's voice was soft as he said- "Well, I guess there's nothing else to do but to deal with this as responsible adults. We knew what we were doing when we had sex that night, so we must face the consequences of our actions."
"But how? How are we going to raise a kid? We can't do it!"
"Sure we can. Just as we've done it many times in the past, we'll deal with this together. There's nothing to worry about, Rosie. I won't ever leave you alone..."




Buck smiled as he reached inside his pocket, where he still stored a small, black box.
Perhaps this wasn't the ideal way to do it. Perhaps they weren't wearing their best clothes, nor were they eating at a fancy restaurant.
He didn't even have ready the perfect speech to do this.
But he knew that somehow, this was the right time. There, in the small restaurant, wearing jeans and worried sick about a future that now seemed uncertain.
Except for one thing...




"I love you, Rosie."- he said as he placed the box in front of her.- "And that's something that will never change..."
Rose Mary could barely hide her shock as she saw the ring.




"But Buck... we are too young..."
"I'm not saying that we have to get married right now. I just want to show you that I'll be by your side forever, no matter how hard things become. That's what I want to promise you..."




"So, Rosie... Do you feel the same? Do you want to spend your life with me?"
"I..."
This was definitely not what Rose Mary had planned for her life.
But somehow, she knew this was the right thing.
She wasn't an idiot, and Buck was telling the truth: They had to face this problem the best way possible.
Their baby deserved to have its both parents together.
After listening to his stories for years, she knew she wouldn't want it to suffer a childhood as Buck's.




So, she put the ring on with shaky hands.
"Yes... I'll be at your side forever..."




Buck smiled and held her hand.
"Don't worry, Rosie. I'll make you happy! Trust me!"
His face was radiant with joy, as if this situation was more a triumph than a tragedy.
Well... at least one of them was happy.




"I just hope we are not making the biggest mistake of our lives..."




"Of course it isn't, Rosie. This was something that was meant to happen sooner or later..."




"Think of it as a change in the order of our plans. Don't worry... Our dreams will come true. Trust me."

___________________________________




Buck and Rose Mary told their parents about the baby that night.
Of course, none of them were happy with this news.




"I... I can't believe you two! I thought you were smarter than this!"




"So many plans... so much potential... I'm disappointed, Buck. I thought you were more sensate..."




"OK, stop it, you two!"- said Wanda- "What's done is done and we now have to think about what's best for both our kids and their unborn baby."




"Well, I guess you two will have to get married..."
"What? No, Dad! But..."
"No buts, Rose Mary. Your baby deserves a family."
"But we are too young...!"
"Well, you felt grown up enough to have sex, right? Face your responsibility..."
"Besides that..."- said General Buzz- "The baby will need food, clothes, medicine..."
"Of course you can use Cody's clothes and toys, but that won't be enough..."
"I guess you'll have to make use of the money we had saved for your College education..."
"What? Does that mean we are not going to Academie..."
"Well, you'll both be busy with the baby..."




This was a nightmare.
The worst nightmare of all. Rosie's bright future, filled with fun, freedom and the best musical education available was gone in an instant.
She was now forced to trade it for a wedding ring... and diapers.
"I'll get a job"- said Buck, holding her hand- "We'll save enough money, Rosie. And once our kid is older, we can both go to community college. Or who knows? Maybe we could move to Veronaville and continue our education there. Don't worry... our future is just on hold..."

But Rosie wasn't so sure of that anymore.

_________________________




Buck moved to the Broke household the following week.




Rose Mary's room was given to Helena.




And the young couple took over the house's third floor.
They would now share Cosmo's old bedroom, and Helena's room would become the nursery.
"Well... here we are now..."




Rose Mary and Buck soon got used to their new sleeping status.




Wanda told the couple that they were free to change anything in Cosmo's room.
The furniture was quite old and it needed a restoration.
But Rose Mary never got rid of her grandfather's belongings.
She often felt as if he were still among them, and therefore didn't want to change a thing.




So, she only painted the walls and restored the furniture.
Everything else was left intact.
It was as if Rosie wanted to feel that at least something wasn't changing in her life.




Especially now that even her own body was going through a radical change... and faster than she thought.

___________________________




She didn't want a big ceremony. This was just a step they had to go through for their baby's sake.
She wasn't in the mood for celebrating,




Especially as she glanced at her reflection on the mirror.
She was so fat! And she felt so ugly!
She wasn't even able to get a decent wedding dress in time!




Despite Helena's futile attempts at cheering her up, Rosie felt as if she were making a huge mistake.




Before she knew it, she was standing at the altar, in front of the man who loved her more than anything.
But the only think she wanted was to run away and never return.




She had to admit that Buck looked quite handsome, and his smile was almost contagious.
For him, this was one of the better days of his life.




She only wished she could feel the same.




The ceremony was simple.
They exchanged their vows and rings as their family watched in complete silence.
She mumbled something about loving Buck forever as she placed the ring on his finger.








He also promised to love her forever, and to do anything to make her happy.
"This is not a mistake"- he whispered- "This is the beginning of the best years of our lives, I promise."








The party was small.
Only their closest relatives were there, except for Buck's brother, Ripp.
The General was disappointed, for his middle son had already missed his brothers' weddings.
He only hoped he was safe, wherever he were...




They didn't go on a Honey Moon.
They had to save money for the baby, and Rose Mary wasn't in the mood for traveling.
The pregnancy was more difficult that she expected.
Nonetheless, they spent their first night as a married couple together.
And for the few hours she spent in his arms, she forgot about the life she was now forced to live.

___________________________________




As a wedding present, Helena painted a beautiful portrait of the couple.
Rose Mary thanked her sister for the gift, but felt ill every time she saw it, hanging in front of their bed.




The weeks went by...




Buck grew fond of little Cody, and often spent time with the toddler, reading him stories and playing.
He loved children, and he seemed anxious to meet his son or daughter.
You could tell he was already practicing for that moment.




He also found a job as a Host in a family restaurant.
The pay was barely higher than his old teenage job, but at least he was able to pay the bills.
Rose Mary's visits to the doctor and medicines due to her complicated pregnancy were expensive.




And as her stomach grew, she also felt uglier every day.




No matter how much Buck told her she looked gorgeous pregnant, she always assumed he was just being his old nice self.




She was often exhausted, so she spent most of the day asleep.




And the only thing she looked forward to was to play the bass when she had enough energy to do so.
But then she remembered the future that she had lost...




... and cried until she ran out of tears inside the attic.

___________________________________




Opal Turner was the perfect girl.
She was pretty, sweet and smart.




When asked, Tim often said that he was a very lucky guy, having such a perfect girlfriend.




So why, every time they went out together..




... he was unable to keep his eyes away from her?




Opal Turner was the perfect girl, but Marsha was unique.
Her personality and sense of humor made her stand out, no matter where she went.




That's why Tim made a difficult decision, which he announced during one of their double dates.




"I want to toast for my good friends, who'll be going to La Fiesta Tech very soon.
To Hobbes and his bright future as a computing engineer.
To Marsha, the sweetest nurse there'll ever be...
To Opal, and the successful journalism career she'll have...
I'll sure miss you so much once I'm gone to Academie Le Tour..."




Shocked by Tim's news, Opal stood up.
"What? I thought you were going to La Fiesta Tech with us..."
"I know, but I've been thinking about it, and I decided that Academie Le Tour's Drama major will be better for my acting career..."




"And when were you planning to tell me, Timothy Broke?! I can't believe..."
"Do you think this was an easy decision?!"




Opal sighed- "I’m sorry Tim... You are right. If you think that Le Tour's study plans will benefit your career. It's just that... I'm afraid I'll lose you..."




"Of course you won't! With the amazing developments these days, it’s now easier to travel between Strangetown and Veronaville, so I'll visit often! There's nothing to worry about..."

(And it's because I love you that I have to leave...)
_________________________________
Part 2




________________________________________
Notes:

Comments

[simgaroop.livejournal.com]

It's a pleasure to meet you and thanks for taking the time to read this.

Yup, it was pretty obvious that Rose Mary would end pregnant sooner or later, and you are right about this being in many ways more difficult for Buck than Rosie. They are complete opposites, so it seems they'll have to work harder to make their marriage work... especially when other factors come into play in a few updates.