Chapter Six: Nightmare!

Lately, Erik and Leila did nothing but fight. Constantly she berated living with his sister and her family. She even decided Brianna was an unfit mother, letting the baby twins cry so often. However, Leila preferred not to help out. Another thing she chided Erik for.

“Why do you run to her aide like that? They’re her babies, her responsibility,” Leila all but spat the last word.

Erik just gazed at her dumbfounded. Living with another Sim, he was fast realizing, was a way to learn just who they really were.  Erik came from a close-knit family. They did volunteer work as a family, and were often ready to help others. He didn't at all understand Leila’s attitude in this. He shrugged his shoulders, trying to brush off what his heart was trying to tell him.

“I’m her brother, for one. For another, even an experienced mother needs help with multiples. Besides, I live here rent free. It’s the least I can do to step in and help out.”

“Well, I think you’re a fool. Menial work is something you should be above. You’re a Global Superstar, for the Deity's sake. She’s taking you for a royal ride, you know, letting you pay their bills. Your brother-in-law is loaded, you know.”

“I may be a star, of sorts, but I’m still just a Sim. Besides, helping out is something I've been taught to do since I was a child.”

“Fine, do what you want and never mind me. I’ll be fine.” Leila stood, arms crossed over her chest, keeping an eye on him.

“Of course you will. You were fine before, so why not now?” Erik started to walk away, then stopped short. Turning back to her he said, “The phrase ‘just friends’ keeps coming to mind.” And even that's stretching it, he thought.

“If you wish, that’s fine with me, too. As a matter of fact, I can’t wait to get out of this loony bin! And I don’t mean the castle, I mean YOUR life!”

Erik climbed the two flights of stairs to his bed chamber on the fourth floor of the castle, high in what could be construed as a tower. He was glad now that Brianna insisted Leila take one of the guests rooms on the second floor just down the hall from the Master Suite. Glad that he and Leila had never had woohoo together. Still disconcerted at her angry, sharp words Erik climbed into his bed and fell asleep.

Several hours later he awoke abruptly, his heart racing in his chest. He sat up and gazed about the stone room. The glow of the fireplace played on the edges of his furniture. The images left in his head were hideous. Tears streamed down his cheeks at the very thought the dream had somehow been real. In what he realized now was a nightmare, in his dream he threw a Charity Event at a local bar. Erik was quick to invite his family, among others he knew had deep pockets. Sitting at the bar, he chatted with Spock and the two shared a drink together. Then Erik told a joke or two. He asked his brother-in-law for a donation to the cause and the half-Vulcan was quite generous in his gift of 2000 Simoleons. The night was off to a terrific start. Several other Sims had made donations and next thing Erik knew he was halfway to his goal of 10,000. Suddenly, he heard an unusual sound emanating from across the bar. Spock was laughing. 

This stunned Erik.  Vulcans were known to keep a firm grip on their emotions. Must be the combination of whiskey and Erik's pathetic jokes, he thought. Worse, still was the sudden gurgling sound the Vulcan was making. Erik watched in horror as Spock clutched at his chest and fell onto the floor, lifeless. 

Sims all around the room burst into tears. Brianna seemed only too oblivious for a moment, until she saw her husband’s body on the floor. She went hysterical and then keeled over as well.    

Grimmie is not one you want to come face-to-face with. Yet, Erik knew he was the one who should plead for his sister and brother-in-law’s lives. Shaking, he tried to approach the Dark Robed One, to no avail. He was put off until the bodies were reaped. After that happened, Grimmie wouldn't take a plea of any sort. This left Erik baffled. Reverently, he gathered up the two Urns to take home with him. The Benefit broke up pretty quickly afterwards.      

Erik left the bar to pick up the twins from Daycare. To his surprise, only Seraj was there.

“I’m here to pick up my nephews,” Erik said to the Sim behind the desk. “Sajik and Seraj Talek Sen Dene,” he said as the Sim fished through her paperwork. He had his I.D. ready for the Sim to check, too.

“I’m afraid you can’t,” she said over the rim of her glasses.

“I’m Erik Cantrell, their uncle. If you look through the file, you’ll see I am authorized to take custody of the boys. Please,” he said, struggling with his emotions, “there’s been a horrific event. I just need to take the boys home.”

“Well, I just mean you can take one of them. The other one has been picked up already.”

Panicking, “What? Who, when, where and why? By whose authority did you release him?”

“Hm,” she said, “let me see, now … Oh, yes, here it is a Leila Klein signed for Sajik. I’ll just go get Seraj for you.”  

“She did what? And you released him to her? She’s not even family! Nor is she on the List!” 

Just as Erik pondered Leila’s actions, the Sim brought Seraj to him. “Hey, Buddy, let’s go home.” Erik bundled the tiny boy up in his jacket, tugging on the flaps of his knit cap. The night was cold.

Reaching the castle, Erik fumbled with the keys, dropping them once before he realized the door was unlocked. Something was amiss, he thought, pushing the heavy oak door open. Walking through the foyer he discovered Leila and Sajik were in the home theater watching a kid show on the jumbo screen TV. 

“Leila, what are you doing here? I thought you moved out last night.”

“I heard it on the news. About your sister and her alien husband. I got off of work and came to pick up the boys. The Sim said both of the boys were acting up, as if something was terribly wrong and they knew it. Or something. She was babbling and not making a lot of sense.”

“Well, I could use the help, so thank you,” Erik said.

“Eat,” Seraj said, cupping Erik’s face in his little gloved hands.

“Okay, I’ll fix you something. You don’t suppose they know, do you?” 

“They’re babies. I haven’t said anything to the one I 

picked up. How would they know?”  

Erik did his best to take care of his toddler twin nephews, but things went from bad to worse. He couldn't even begin to keep up with their needs.  He was fast sinking into a quagmire. They acted out, not surprisingly, missing their parents as they no doubt did. But he couldn't get Seraj to eat. The child was ravenous, exhausted, kept wetting his pants and anytime Erik put food before him, he managed to throw it on the floor. Once in awhile, Leila would help out. That is, when it suited her to do so. Or when she simply got tired of the child wailing.  

What was he going to do? Spock and Brianna had left the boys to him in their will. Custody was his whether he was suited to it or not. The more he tried, the less he accomplished. He was certain at any given moment Child Services would be at the castle door to take the children away. Then the ominous knock reverberated throughout the halls. This is when he woke up. He was in a full sweat. His heart throbbed in his chest, beat in his ears.  He slowly crawled out of bed, showered, dressed and went down three flights to find his sister in the kitchen making breakfast.

“Brianna,” he cried out, arms opened wide to hug her to him.

“Erik, good morning. What is it? You look as pale as a ghost. Don’t tell me this ancient place is haunted, too.”

Erik stood back and ran a hand through his long blond hair. “Just a dream. I should say nightmare. All seems okay.”

The squalling of an infant met his ears, as Spock came down the stairs, one of the infant twin boys in his arms.

“Good morning, Erik. You’re up early,” Spock said.

“Anybody seen Leila this morning?” Erik asked.

“No, she moved out last night, after that big row you two had,” Spock said. “Did you expect to see her?”

“Erik had a strange dream last night,” Brianna said. “It’s okay, Erik, it was just a dream.”

“Guess I thought the break-up was a dream, too.”

“No, that was pretty real, I’m afraid,” said his sister. “You okay?”

Pointing at the machine on the counter, Erik said, “If that’s coffee over there, I am.”

Chapter Five: If At First You Don't Succeed …

   

 

 Shortly after Erik decided to pop the question to Leila, they went out to dinner one night with the express purpose of making their wedding plans. Erik very much wanted to know what she wanted in a ceremony, knowing full well the day could easily be marred by uninvited photographers/reporters and fans. They would have to carefully select a venue, one that preferably had a bouncer on duty so that unless a Sim was on the Guest List, they wouldn't get access.

 However, as it always did anytime he ventured out into public, they no sooner had requested a table when Erik found himself surrounded. Cameras were flashing, he was nearly blinded by it. Looking around he couldn't even see Leila, at first. When he did, what he saw was a rather unpleasant side of her personality. Once again, his beloved was throwing a Class A-1 Tantrum. Just how old was she, anyway?

Instead of what they'd plan to talk about Erik suddenly realized that everything his mother, his sister and that Romance Guru had suggested was true. This relationship was totally doomed. Erik loved his career and he loved his fans, too. So, sitting at the table with her, he gazed over at her calmly and said, "I'll tell you what. Let's just be friends, okay? That way, perhaps, you won't have to suffer so much when my fans greet me." Watching her closely, he was surprised at her hauntingly calm response. "Okay. I think that's best, too."

It didn't take very long before Erik began to feel the emptiness of his life.
He talked it over with his sister, and she told him about an Alyse Bennett.

They talked a few times, but it wasn't long before he actually missed Leila's jealous fits. In many ways it showed she cared for Erik. Whereas, Alyse, he quickly learned was self-absorbed and a snob. A bit of a cold fish in so many ways, it was disturbing. A female fan could absolutely throw herself at him — right in front of Alyse, and she'd calmly scroll through her cell phone as if nothing had happened.

He met lots of Sims, but none of them seemed quite right.

Oh, they were pretty enough, but in one case, she was still just a teen, too young. Erik did his best to let her down, easy.

The months crawled by, his sister gave birth to twins — twins that now were almost a Sim year old.

And still he felt empty. Lonely. His booking agency kept him busy. He had another gig at the Rock and Roll Concert Hall in Windenburg. Right in the middle of his first set, the amplifier went out again. He really needed to get out of this dump.

After he finished his last set, Erik glanced up to the bar on the mezzanine level and to his complete surprise, he saw Leila. For a time, at least into the first few months after their break-up, she still came to his concerts. But that became less and less. He hadn't seen her in ages. Trying to keep his head as all the old feelings he had for her came rushing back, Erik decided he needed a plan of attack. He couldn't just swagger on up to her and act as if nothing was ever between them. He also knew just how sensitive she was to others, females primarily, who caused her to become anxious. She was a writer, by craft, and feelings of inadequacy, he read somewhere, were all part of their creativity. He was just going to have to do his best to make her feel special to him.

What Erik wasn't prepared for was for her to make like a fan and swoon at his feet. Which she did twice.

"Hey, Leila, it's okay. Leila, please get up. Yes, it's me, I'm here. And so are you. Come here and give your friend a hug."

"Do you mind if we take a picture together?" he asked. "For old Times' sake. What do you say?"

"Erik, I've missed you so much."
"Yeah, about that. Where have you been? I haven't seen you around. Are you still … single?"
"Yes," she said, tentatively.
"Would you like to be my girlfriend? I mean, that is if you wouldn't mind."
"I can't tell you how many times I've dreamed of you coming back to me. Yes, I'm willing to give it another try."

Hugging her close to him, Erik said, "I'm very happy."

"Come on, I'm starving. I know just the right place to go get a bite to eat." They went to the Old Oak Alcove Bar & Grill, where they ended up breaking it off, several months back. Erik really enjoyed that place and wanted to change their memories of it. As soon as they were on the sidewalk, before they could even get inside out of the cold, there was the usual gaggle of fans and Paparazzi, cameras at the ready. This time, Erik changed his strategy. He turned to Leila, giving her his undivided attention.

The couple was barely inside the restaurant when the crowd pressed in swarming around them. Some called for Leila to look their way, the clacking of the camera shutters and the flashing of light bulbs going off. Fans came forward and some actually tugged at Erik's vest to get his attention.
Acting quickly, Erik began to serenade Leila in the midst of the crowd. More flashes went off. This meant they would end up in the rag magazines.

Before too long, he saw that Leila was having a horrible moment of deja vu.

Erik watched as she wiped her eyes and his heart sank. He didn't want to lose her again. Keeping with his plan, he once again focused on her, exclusively.

The next thing he knew, Leila was turning the tables on him. Again, acting like one of his fans, she came over to him and acted all flirty, as she had seen too many of his female Groupie Sims do.

Then almost as impulsively as before, Erik went down on his knee.

Squealing with delight, Leila jumped into Erik's arms while she said, "Yes, I do, I do, I do!"

This time Erik wasted no time in inviting her to move into his sister's place with him. He figured this way they could have more private time together, without the hassle of trying to go out into public. He felt at peace and very happy.

Chapter Four: A Rash Decision

Erik got up early the next morning, still feeling guilty about how Leila's feelings were trampled on. He knew he had to somehow make it up to her. He believed he was in love with her and that she was the One he'd been waiting for. So, after he laid down a new track, he called her up to invite her on a date. He had the notion all he need do was don a disguise and he could avoid all of the fans that constantly besieged them. Just as the lyrics in Weekender suggested, which he always closed his shows with, "weekender, weekender, we just need time away." He believed this would be a true test. Were they meant for each other or not?They left the park, and the rain and ended up at a new restaurant in town. Erik went straight upstairs to the restrooms where he donned the disguise he thought would help
.

To his surprise, Leila wasn't happy with it. "Erik, is that you? What are you doing in that silly getup?"

"I did this for you, Leila. I'm told others use disguises when out in public."

"Well, I think you look ridiculous." And then she began to lay down the 'law' as she saw it.

Before Erik had a chance to respond, his flimsy disguise turned into an Epic Fail, as fan after fan after fan, saw through it.

 Some came bearing gifts. A rose was okay, but the next gift, the fan placed right on top of his egg scramble. Erik merely shrugged and thought, “Eh, eating was overrated.”

Not all of his fans that day were female. After Erik removed the first package from his meal, a guy placed his gaily wrapped package atop the eggs, too.

What was Erik to do? Turn his back on the very people who gave him his fame by their unrelenting support?

 It became very clear he had to do something, as once again, Leila was near meltdown. He never saw her get out of a chair so fast before. Standing behind his chair, she was breathing heavy, as one about to go into battle, pumping her balled fists. Like Mount Vesuvius she was ready to blow!

"Leila, please," he said, "Don't be this way. I promise I'll make it up to you."
"You're full of promises, Erik,” She seethed. “And, yet, nothing… ever… changes!"







"Oh, no? Come over here for a moment." Erik said, leading her by the hand to just a couple of tables over.

Taking a knee, he fished inside of his pocket. "Leila, be my bride?"

Looking stunned, she blurted out her answer, "Yes. Oh, Erik, yes!"
"See, I told you I'd make it up to you, somehow."

Suddenly, she leaped into his arms, almost knocking Erik off of his feet.

For the moment Erik was happy.