#sugarveil

They found out the results of Poppy’s tests about a week later. She was fine, essentially perfectly healthy. However, Poppy was not… just Poppy anymore. Turns out her brother’s suggestion turned out to be more than just a joke and when she learned this truth she fainted. The doctor even guessed that she was roughly ten weeks along, given the information collected at her appointment.

When she regained herself after the news, Poppy had no idea what to do. Orchid didn’t know what to say, Calico didn’t know yet and Autumn, who was there when the news came, took a firm ‘don’t keep the trauma baby’ stance.

Then Poppy turned to Cumulus for advice with the situation. Now, the quads never actually met Nimbus and Nebula as the two had passed a few yew years after they were born. It also wasn’t really common knowledge in the family that Cumulus had been adopted, they liked to focus on how happy they were as a family. However, during their heart to heart  Poppy learns the truth about her grandmother and it really helped her.

She decided that she didn’t want to punish a baby because of the circumstances surrounding it’s conception. She also decided that she wanted to know how the baby would grow up. Cumulus was really proud of her.

At the same time, Orchid was having a talk with Marmalade. She had felt a sort camaraderie toward him and, because of that, she suggested he just ‘tell her’ as she knew that she certainly would have been much happier if she told Calico sooner. Marmalade really appreciated the advice. 

The two, coincidentally, decided to share their news at the same time. Each others news startled the other and while Marmalade was accepting, Poppy needed time to process. She had a lot going on at the moment and she just… she needed a minute to take it all in.

While she did that she spent more time in the gym and picked up another yoga class. She also got back into swimming. All the activity usually helped her think. It would clear out the unnecessary thoughts. Well… what she considered unnecessary. So what happened to her, the baby, her best friend saying he’s suddenly in love with her. 

Weirdly, it didn’t actually work this time around. It was almost all that was on her mind, which was mildly frustrating. Her precious normality was going right out the window.

Later, when Poppy was painting with Autumn, Poppy was trying to distract herself from her slipping control when her sister just had to ask the hard questions. ‘How did she really feel?’ ‘Did she really think she could just go back to normal?’ ‘Was she aware that babies were a lot of work?’ ‘How long was she going to keep Marmalade waiting?’ ‘Did she like him or not?’ ‘Was she just going to lead him on?’

She thought on it and began crying. Sobbing really. Then she began to shake. Next thing she knew she was in excruciating pain. True agony coursed through her and… she blacked out, sending Autumn into a serious panic. Which caused everyone else to worry as well.

Poppy awoke the next afternoon in a hospital bed. She felt… odd. Different. Then she learned that she had lost the baby. She had apparently been overdoing it, stressing herself out and there was a theory that the egg hadn’t latched on completely. Poppy sort of spaced out when they were explaining the why. She didn’t know exactly how she felt but, she knew she wanted to crawl into her own bed.

Which she was allowed to do relatively quickly… so long as she took it easy. Though that request got a dry laugh from Poppy’s family. And that caused Poppy to give them a dirty look.

However, she did take it easy. She focused on painting during that time. Though she wanted to do it alone… Orchid and Autumn invited Marmalade to join her since he’d been incredibly patient with her and incredibly worried about her. So the two spent more time together since Marmalade’s announcement. 

At first Poppy was awkward about it. Marmalade assured her that he was there as her best friend. She still wasn’t sure about spending time with him when she knew how he felt and she had no idea how she felt about him. However, after a while she was able to get comfortable around him again and she decided to talk to him about what had been on her mind.

Her hopes that no longer mattered like her baby being healthy, loved, that she’d be the best mom she could be. Her fears that also didn’t matter much now like her baby being some kind of monster, her being a bad mom, everything going terribly. She had even tried to pick out baby names… but she had to stop because she didn’t know what to expect.

While she spoke Marmalade softened up and the next thing either of them knew he pulled her to him, kissed her forehead and just held her as she teared up. Which reminded her of all the other times he’s been there for her and how appreciative of him she was and she did like him. Maybe she was overthinking it.

When she calmed Marmalade went to let her go. That’s when Poppy, without really thinking, kissed him. He wasn’t sure how to respond to her actions. Though he did return her kiss and honestly… she really enjoyed it. It was like a switch had been flipped inside of her and she decided she wanted to see what a relationship with him would be like. 

The two got off to a rocky start as a couple  though. Marmalade was trying so hard to be the prefect boyfriend for her. At the same time, Poppy had difficulty getting out of the’he’s just my best friend’ mindset. It ended up feeling weird to both of them and they were only together a few weeks before ending things.

Then... their friendship seemed to fizzle out after how awkward everything had been. At first Marmalade just hung out less with Poppy and turned his attention to her brothers. Though they kept running into each other and each found it difficult to behave normally. So he then began to be around his few non- SugarVeil friends and after a couple months it became the new norm for Marmalade to just not be around. 

Poppy missed him being around but she ended up inviting Papaya along when she would go out. Which was nice sister-brother time for the two. Except the only places she really wanted to go was the gym and wellness center. Papaya was not a fan but he sucked it up and went anyway. 

Then, a couple years later, the quads graduated from school and Wisp and Fig decided it was time to actually get married. That forced Marmalade to be around Poppy as they prepared for it. It was really awkward between the two of them but neither wanted to ruin anything so they agree’d to try setting that aside and play nice. They even became friends again after at the time together, not quite best friends again.. but definitely friends. 

The wedding was absolutely lovely. Wisp had her daughters, Autumn and Poppy as bridesmaids with Rose as her maid of honor. Marmalade walked her down the aisle. Fig had his brother and Wisp’s other two sons as his groomsmen with Orchid as his best man. He thought that it was an oddly fitting position for Orchid. As far as they could tell, everyone had a blast. They’d invited friends, all the SugarVeil’s, Wisp’s exes and family. Fig actually made a fairly good first impression on her family, they almost like him. 

Marmalade and Poppy went to the wedding as each other’s date. they wanted to give being a couple a second chance and decided to use the wedding as their test run, so to speak. 

And it actually worked out much better than expected. They were comfortable one another, neither over thought anything or over did it. The two decided to take things at snail’s speed slow this time around and just get to know each other all over again.

As each remembered the last time they were together, they reflected on it as a unit attempting it all over again and each tried to rectify something they felt they did wrong. Poppy worked on her communication and actually voiced what she wanted and how she felt. For example; she wanted him to relax this time around and that she was uncomfortable with physical intimacy. While Marmalade decided to not try so hard and that he’d try to not make her feel pressured into anything.  

However, by the time they were twenty, it was clear to Poppy that Marmalade wanted a family. Which was complete news to her. What was even more surprising to her was that she actually wanted to give him one. It took weeks and a lot of courage for her to express that to him. He told her it didn’t have to be right now, as they were still young and she seemed quite nervous. 

She wasn’t just nervous. Poppy was terrified. The idea of sex made her skin crawl and she’d already lost one baby. But if they waited, she lose any nerve she’d built up. 

After many failed attempts, she became pregnant. Marmalade was overly cautious with her. He made sure she took it easy. Which was a lot harder than he thought it would be. He got her siblings to help keep an eye on her. But they didn’t really have the time to do that. Autumn was an artist, traveling and painting or photographing anything she saw. Thistle moved to a one room apartment in the city and became a freelance programmer. Papaya made music that he’d post on SimTube. 

Poppy wanted to get certified to teach self defense classes at her gym but after a doctor’s appointment told her that her baby was just barely attached to her uterus she agreed to take things easy. Her attention was once again directed towards painting with leisurely walks as exercise. 

It was not the easiest pregnancy and she felt like she was losing her mind for most of it. But, shortly after turning twenty, Poppy gave birth to a little girl that she and Marmalade named Maple. She loved Maple with her entire being which made, what she dubbed a hell of a pregnancy, worth it. But she was not going to go through that again. 

Maple could not see very well and she clung to her mothers leg when Poppy was home and wept when she’d leave to go to the gym as by the time Maple was walking... er wobbling Poppy was getting her certification and beginning to teach at her gym. 

Marmalade and Maple were quite close as a result of Poppy working. But when she was home she was Maple’s first choice, much to Marmalade’s jealousy. Maple would also bond with Orchid and Cumulus if they were around. It was under Cumulus’ cheerful gaze that she finger painted for the first time. 

Maple’s parent’s officially married when she was six years old. By then she’d spent a lot of time with Cumulus. Drawing, coloring, getting glitter everywhere. 

Poppy and Marmalade wanted her to have someone her own age to play with. However, there weren’t many children that she would interact with and she didn’t have any cousins yet that they could force her to be around. She really liked spending time with her great grandma; who, for the record, never once complained about Maple. 

They were honestly happy that she was happy so they let her anti social tendencies go. 

That is until Marmalade decided to ask Poppy how she felt about adopting a child Maple’s age. Expanding their family while respecting Poppy’s desire to not be pregnant again. She loved the idea and they brought it up to Maple, who was nine by now, to see how she felt about it. She was excited at the idea. 

They adopted a girl named Aurora Velvet. Aurora was from a raw family but she had a genetic mutation so she was put up for adoption as a baby. Maple adored her when they first met exclaiming that they had  similar faces. They became practically inseparable. 

Orchid grew up having strange dreams.Dreams of a woman named Calico. Calico was a pirate with multiple female lovers and a ship that had no crew but that didn’t have cause any issues. The ship could sail and navigate all on its own and, aside from a few barnacles, the ship was in pristine condition. She would use the dreams to write compilation books for publish while she was in high school.

Orchid was not close to her siblings. She preferred solitude to paint or write. In her early teens she convinced Lavender to wear a purple contact because she was not a fan of how similar they looked. Despite all that she does love her siblings.

After high school, Orchid signed up for, and got into, a writing program in a college abroad. Cumulus was opposed to her doing it because it took her baby out of the county. But Orchid had always been independent and there was no talking her out of something she wanted to do.

Her father, however, was all for her going. He hoped the distance would help her appreciate her siblings more. He’d known as soon as she announced that she got in that she would be going because, thanks to Cumulus, she typically got her way.

In the end, as predicted, Orchid, fresh out of high school, was leaving the county and taking part in a program she had signed up for without getting adult permission. Her siblings were pleased with that. Finally some attention for them.

Orchid left as soon as she could, eager to get settled in and begin to work on her writing. She had writing tunnel vision, so to speak. Writing was her world… with painting as a close, close second. She didn’t have any trouble traveling. Actually she’d slept the whole flight.

Post flight, Orchid got lost quite a bit on her way to the campus. It wasn’t until it was quite late that she decided to ask for directions. The first person she saw was a man that looked really, oddly, familiar to her. So familiar that she thought she was going crazy and, without thinking, she called out… to Calico, her pirate dream.

The man turned and looked at her, surprised. Him facing her didn’t really help her confusion.

She soon discovered his name was Calico Cider and he was in a program like the one she was starting, only for cooking. So he helped her get to the campus. On the way they got to know one another. He was twenty, She was eighteen, he was an only child, she was not, he wanted to become a chef, she was a self published author who wanted to further her career and she really wanted to do more that her Captain Calico stories.

Upon hearing Captain Calico, Calico froze and his jaw dropped. Apparently he’d read them. All of them, not that there were many of them, and he was a fan, much to her dismay. However, she didn’t want to be too rude, so she smiled and listened to his excitement, his questions and answered what she could.

Oh, um, I’ve always had these dreams about her so I wrote them. You and her actually look so much alike it’s so weird for me. She’s not ready to settle down yet. Just because she self identifies as a pirate doesn’t mean she actually is one. I honestly don’t know yet if she’ll hook up with Lady Jackfruit again. I’m glad you think of her as a lesbian icon… but she’s not a lesbian.

That last answer always throws people. She understood why. No one’s seen the Captain with anyone but women. But Orchid gets this feeling there’s more there then a fondness for the female form.

Calico seemed surprised for a moment after he took in her responses. Then he thought about it. Next thing Orchid knew he was agreeing with her.  That there was more to the character than readers knew, hmm? And what’s the deal with her ship? Oh, the Duchess is sentient and can control anything on the ship. What?! How did that happen? A woman rejected a Sea God for a merchant so he changed her out of spite.

By the time they made it to the campus, Orchid found herself more comfortable with him then she’d ever been with anyone. Not that she actually socialized much outside of business calls to her editor or beta readers.

Orchid was, usually, weird about talking to people. Probably because she sometimes wanted to blurt out that she had a weird, atypical, unusual family history, in that her mom had a pseudo-incestuous relationship with three out of her five adoptive siblings, because that sounds like a good conversation starter to her.

However, with Calico there was no desire to blurt that or any other odd SugarVeil family detail. Actually, she was a little afraid that once she got settled in she wouldn’t see him very much and they wouldn’t get to talk again.

Luckily, seriously luckily, it turned out that they were two of six people that would be sharing a floor of one of the campus dorm buildings. Which made Orchid so happy. Then she met the other people that would be on there floor. There were two other writers; Wisp Vellum and Honey Bee, another chef; Apricot Citrus, and a painter; Rose Blossom.

Wisp was a Raw nineteen year old that published a novel called Madame Moth’s Carnival under the pen name Pixie Rose. She even created a whole persona and disguise for Pixie. But her pride in her work made Wisp to came out as Pixie.

Honey Bee was just starting as a writer and has yet to actually write any stories. She’s been trying to find a perfect story to start her career with. Orchid’s not entirely sure if Honey really wants to write, but she would never call someone out like that.

Apricot Citrus… son of a chef whose the son of a chef whose the son of a chef and so on  and so on and so on. Cooking’s in his blood. But Apricot? He wants a family, a loving family that he can shower with love… and cookies… and cakes… and brownies  and so on and so on and so on. Point is, he’s there to bake.

Rose Blossom is something else… in a good way of course. Their twenty-two and such a sweetheart from what Orchid can tell and she couldn’t help but gravitate toward them. Rose could be described as sensitive but so could most artists. They put everything they have into what their doing and get genuinely upset if it turns out even the slightest bit wrong. They’re married and their spouse is currently nearing the end of the couple’s first pregnancy. While they would love to be home preparing for the baby, their spouse insisted they take part in the program and learn new techniques so they can make more from paintings sold.

Upon first meeting them, Orchid was intimidated but the other two writers. She adored Madame Moth’s Carnival and thought it was sooo much better than what she’d written. Then as a still unpublished author Honey still had sooo much potential. Meanwhile Apricot and Rose sort of reminded her of her family; Apricot’s flirtatious nature mirroring how her older siblings behaved together and Rose being a mixture of her parents, little sister and her uncles. That thought made her uncomfortable while around Apricot.

For the program, they had classes regarding the subject they were there for most of the day a couple days a week and the program lasted one year. Which was fine with Orchid, a person could learn a lot in that amount of time. Then when they weren’t in class they could network and build friendly relationships with other people in the programs. In case they may want to work together in the future. It was a great way to build a career and improve their trade.

During her time in the program, Orchid worked on what she called the last Captain Calico book, improving it and tying loose story threads as she learned new things. It sort of took up most of her time but she still managed to get closer to Calico and befriend Wisp and Rose. Honey learned that Orchid doubted her actually writing and, well, their friendship was over before it began. Then Apricot didn’t even notice her there.

With how close they were Orchid found herself accidentally falling for Calico.  Being awkward she never mentioned it or acted on it. But Wisp told her it was obvious how she felt so she hoped he’d do something.

Oh he did something alright… He dated other girls. Girls Orchid didn’t think was his type but maybe he only really like intelligent conversation when it was with her. Either way, Orchid was hurting. This was the first time she’d felt strongly for a real person and she didn’t have the nerve to tell him. So, like a good friend, she choked on her feelings and continued to be there for him. How Orchid handled that actually pissed Wisp and Rose off. They were routing for her but they did understand what happened. How was Calico supposed to know to do something when, as far as they knew, he had no idea how she felt.

Calico, as much as he liked to play dumb, could tell how she felt. Orchid had quite expressive eyes that lit up around two things, that he’d noticed, Him and raspberry pudding. He had wanted her to tell him herself as, while he felt the same, he didn’t know how to tell her. So until he figured it out or it burst out of Orchid he decided to spend some time with girls from one of the classes he was in. Which from the outside looked like he was dating other girls.  

When she wasn’t in class, writing or stressing over Calico, Orchid emailed and IM’d her family. She’d never admit it to them, but she did miss them. Well she didn’t miss Cordial and Azalea’s weird need to be with each other constantly. But she gave her family weekly updates on most of what was happening with her.

Next thing she knew her birthday arrived, almost halfway through the program, and Wisp decided to take her out. A fun evening out. Their floor and some people they’d gotten friendly with came a club off campus to celebrate. Well to drink and dance. That was the first time Orchid had ever drank. And the birthday girl went overboard.

She liked how warm it made her feel and she couldn’t stop giggling.

That night she made her feelings known to Calico. Well he already knew… So she acted on her feelings for Calico. To keep her from getting alcohol poisoning, he had pulled her out onto the dance floor. They began to dance together, eyes glued to one another and the air around them felt… electric. Orchid, filled to the brim with liquid courage, decided to make her move then.

She wrapped her arms around him, draping them over his shoulders really, grabbed the back of his neck and pulled his face to her level as Calico was a foot taller than her. Then she kissed him… hard. Her grip on him was firm and she seemed… determined. All Calico could do was react. Which he did by pulling her body to his and grabbing the backs of her thighs, lifting her and wrapping her legs around him.

Things sort of went downhill from there. Orchid released his neck and pulled back from the kiss. Her face was flushed and her eyes darted around the room. Then… she vomited all over them.

Calico handled it like a champ… unlike the people around them. Without putting her down, he rubbed her back and carried her back to the dorm. He made sure to tell Wisp before leaving but taking care of Orchid was his first priority. By the time the got back to their floor she’d sobered up a little and was embarrassed about throwing up. He assured her it was fine and he gave her some water and helped her get cleaned up before tucking her into bed.

It took a couple days for her to look him in the eyes again. In her embarrassment she decided to… avoid Calico and really focus on finishing her book. Occasionally she notice him pouting as she evaded conversations with him.

After a week passed Calico confronted her. He tried to remain calm as he spoke to her about what happened and asked her about avoiding him. But really he ended up angrily telling her that he loved her and their kiss was great, aside from the fact that she was drunk and puked all over them. When he finished they stared at each other in a stunned silence. Which he broke to apologize to her for how him spending so much time with other girls must have looked and that nothing happened with them, they were just friends talking about recipes. To shut him up, Orchid kissed him.

It was sudden and similar to how she had on her birthday. This time Calico was too surprised to respond. Apricot, who was passing by when she’d done it, told them to get a room. A sentiment that made the two separate and laugh.

Apparently, that whole time, Apricot paid her no mind because well he had eyes, he could see he made her uncomfortable. Also, he thought she and Calico were a thing.

Shortly after the two did begin a relationship. They would spend almost every spare moment together. He gave her space when she wrote so he wouldn’t spoil himself. But, Orchid, without a second thought, was quick to spoil him. Oh, and Captain Calico ends up with Prince Thistle. What?! No way! Not once have you ever- Indicated she has feelings for him? Yes I have. He’s the one person she’s sweet on that she’s never even tried to sleep with. She’s like that because she actually thinks sex ruins a relationship and she doesn’t want to ruin anything with him.

She knew she shouldn’t have told him about that. But she really wanted to after be made her hurt on an emotional level for months. Though… To be fair, at the time, he’d really only said he was going to hang out with someone. So really she had jumped to conclusions on that one.

When Orchid finished her latest book she asked one of her teachers to edit it for her. The teacher; Ms Tea Melon, read all of the other books in preparation for the edit as Orchid requested. She wanted to be positive that there were no gaping plot holes.

She was adopted by the SugarVeil family. The SugarVeil’s were a well off raw couple that seemed to have difficulty conceiving. Though that didn’t mean they were childless.

The couple, Nimbus and Nebula, had adopted three children before taking is Cumulus. And they genuinely loved all of them. 

Cumulus seemed to become their lucky charm though. Shortly after taking her in, Nimbus and Nebula finally conceived their first child. Well... their first two children. They had twins. Beautiful twin boys; Cirrus and Alto.

Constant close proximity to her seemed to keep the family healthy, as though she had a healing aura to her. And while Nimbus and Nebula did not play favorites with their six children, the ones from before Cumulus claim that she is their’s. The catalyst to them finally getting heir own babies.

That made no sense to Cumulus, who as far as she knew had nothing special to her.

The assumption of her being favored caused a one sided turbulence and those first three would pitch a fit whenever Cumulus didn’t get in trouble and they were delighted when she did.

Cumulus didn’t even do much to warrant getting in trouble. She was a mostly well behaved girl. 

The six children had gender based room arrangements, with two to a room. Of the six, only two of them were girls which was probably why the rooms were split the way they were. The boys were Pudding Puff, Fig Fritter, and the twins; Cirrus and Alto SugarVeil. 

Pudding Puff was an orange/peach mixed berry. He was four years old when he was adopted. Apparently his mom had had an affair, hoped he could pass as her husbands, then chose her husband over him when that wan’t the case. Custody then when to his father’s sister who cared for him up until she had a child of her own. 

Fig Fritter was a pure purple berry. He was eight years old when he was adopted. His parents were dating on and off for years. His mom had hoped they’d end up together. However, his dad married someone else and she grew to loathe the very sight of Fig. 

The girls were Apple Zest and Cumulus SugarVeil.

Apple was a pink/red/orange mixed berry.Like Pudding she was four when she was adopted. Only she parents had passed in an accident while she was in daycare and she had no other family to take her.

Cumulus was named by her adoptive parents after her parents said to let the people that actually wanted her to name her. 

Growing up, Cumulus was closest with Cirrus and Alto. They were closest in age and the older trio mislabeled her as the favorite.  Apple and Pudding were both seven by the time Fig was adopted and Cumulus was adopted six months later. 

Nimbus and Nebula made a point to sit everyone down regularly for family talks to see how everyone was handling things, how they felt. They wanted the children to be involved in the decisions made in the house. When the youngest trio was old enough, they explained that everyone, except the twins, was adopted. The adoptions, with the exception of Apple and Cumulus, were open so if they really wanted Pudding and Fig could contact their birth families. The couple was  very open with the children. 

These conversations helped the older kids work out their problems with Cumulus and they started to get to know her. 

Over time Cumulus and Cirrus fell in love. Which was weird for everyone at first. Cumulus never actually thought of the SugarVeils as a family. She considered them as more of a unit that took care of one another as they weren’t what media or literature displayed as a typical family.  Meanwhile Cirrus would describe the adopted kids as live in friends.

Cirrus and Cumulus married at ages 18-19 respectively and it was absolutely the happiest day of their lives and they absolutely adored one another. Their marriage was happy and short lived as just a few weeks after her 22′d birthday, Cumulus became a widow. 

During that time Apple, Pudding and Fig tried to be there for her, cheer her up and move on from the loss. She went out with them and even got a part time job to distract herself. However she found being around people and busy environments overwhelming and she quit after a week. 

It wasn’t until she had a tea outing with Nebula that she was really able to deal with her grief. Nebula,as a woman that had had trouble getting pregnant and lost a baby or two before adopting, had a handle on dealing with loss in a healthy way. Pushing herself to go out and socialize can  only do so much for her. Nebula suggested that Cumulus find something that she can do by and for herself. Nebula wrote children’s books that she doesn’t publish. Cumulus took up painting, it was something Cirrus had loved to do so it felt right.

Eventually it hurt less for her to be a person. She could face Alto again and she was adult enough to admit that she had missed him. Then common sense hit and she remembered that he was her younger brother-in-law and he was probably hurting too... Alto forgave her for overlooking his grief and the two spent more time together, viewing one another as just siblings.

While Cumulus then made an effort to spend time with everyone that mattered to her, Apple became her go-to gal pal and closest friend. 

Pudding was there to the best of his ability but ultimately he was unsure of how to be around her. Fig supported her though he fixated on giving her space and really threw himself into his work. He was a police officer that mostly handled domestic calls. 

Nimbus and Nebula were always there for her during her time grieving and rejoining society though Nimbus, in his grief at losing his son, really focused on him work as a restaurant chef.

On Cumulus’ twenty-fifth birthday, Apple took her out for drinks. Apple was hoping she would meet someone new and let herself be happy with a new partner. 

However, after a few too many drinks, the two ended up sleeping together. 

And when the two were sober and only slightly hungover they talked it out rather than let things get weird. They loved each other... just not in a romantic or sexual way. Cumulus laughed off the situation as clouded judgement. Which Apple agreed with. 

A few weeks after, while he was boss insisted taking time off, Fig reconnected with Cumulus. Since she seemed to be in better spirits than the last time he’d spent an extended period of time with her, Fig decided it was time. Time to share his feelings toward her. How he thought she was the sweetest baby and that he hated being mean to her but he didn’t want Apple and Pudding to turn on him, that he thought he’d like-liked her after getting to know her and that he was jealous when she and Cirrus began their relationship. 

Really he just unloaded the emotional turmoil he’d held in all those years. And when he finished she just smiled and, crazy as it sounds, she kissed him deciding to give him a chance. After all she did like him and he was there for her, supported her, gave her space. The very least she could do was see what happened.

Fig was thrilled! But he didn’t want to push her or make her uncomfortable. So he took things slow and he didn’t try to compete with how her relationship with Cirrus had been. Making her happy was his priority in their relationship. Which was something she really appreciated and being with him made her so happy. 

Things with Fig were great, her feelings toward him were growing and she could honestly say that she loved him... in the way he loved her. But something felt off to her. Off with her that is, not with them as a couple. 

So Cumulus went to get checked out, only to learn that she was expecting. Which at first confused her as she and Fig had not yet been intimate. Then she remembered... Apple. She had slept with Apple what was now at least a month, month and a half ago. 

Shocked, she sat Fig and Apple down and shared the news with the two of them. She was unsure of how the two would respond, but both seemed just as shocked as she was. Cumulus explained to Fig how she and Apple had hooked up. Supportive as ever Fig said that while he was flattered to be involved in the conversation, he didn’t feel he really had a say in this babies situation. 

Cumulus argued that he did because she wanted to be with him. Apple added that she wasn’t interested in Cumulus in a way that would threaten their relationship and that the three of them could probably just co-parent. Cumulus agreed that it could work and that she wasn’t going to give up her baby. 

Well babies. She ended up having twins. One boy and One girl. Cordial Fizz SugarVeil and Azalea Rose SugarVeil. And their three parents couldn’t help but love them. 

And it wasn’t until their first birthday that Fig purposed to Cumulus. A purposal she happily accepted. Though she was racked with nerves about getting married again. What it this one ended like her first? What if it was worse? There are children to take into account this time around... What if he comes to resent that they aren’t actually his? 

As if he could read her mind, Fig calmed her and promised that he’d never push her into something if she wasn’t ready but that she shouldn’t compare this to her first marriage. As that was special. and this would be too, just in a different way. His words really seemed to help her and she was really looking forward to it. 

Because of her initial worries, Cumulus and Fig agreed to not rush anything, take as long of an engagement as they needed. However, just because the engagement wasn’t rushed doesn’t mean the rest of their relationship was going at a snail’s pace. 

Cumulus and Fig were intimate in celebration of them taking the next step in their relationship. Cumulus was happy and Fig was sure of them. That this was right. And it felt right to Cumulus too. That is until they learned she was pregnant just a couple of weeks afterwards.

That’s not to say she wasn’t excited to have Fig’s baby, because she was. She really was. But she wasn’t sure if they could handle more babies while planning a wedding and starting a life together. 

This time it was Apple that put her at ease, reminding her that it wasn't just her and Fig. Apple was there and co-parenting didn't just go towards the twins. She then reminded Cumulus that the rest of their weird family unit would be there for them as well.

It wasn't quite as gooey as it would have been if Fig told her. But it did help her. With her renewed confidence in their love and family, Cumulus requested a simple family only town hall wedding with a sit down homemade dinner as a reception. She wanted to just be married now. Fig was all for it and they were married within the course of a month.

Cumulus and Fig kept their own last names when they married. They decided that it was enough to be tied together by the love they felt. Name changes weren't necessary.

This pregnancy was much more difficult than her first. She was constantly sore and nauseous. Fig wanted her to stay in bed resting for this pregnancy. Which she didn't do. She did take it easy, taking up digital art as her paint was making her sick.

Near the end of her pregnancy it got so bad she was put on bed rest and it really felt like she wasn't allowed to do anything. Which made Cumulus restless.

Fig and Cumulus' first child was a beautiful baby girl named Orchid Chiffon SugarVeil. Orchid stole Cumulus' heart the second they laid eyes on one another. Any negative feelings from the difficult pregnancy just melted away and even the love she had for Cordial and Azalea couldn't compare.

Orchid and Cumulus were practically inseparable. Which left Cordial and Azalea with Apple or Nimbus and Nebula fairly often. Not that any of them minded too much. Though the two almost two year old’s did miss their mommy.

Which was brought to Cumulus' attention by Apple, who thought it was unfair to the twins for her to give all of her attention to the new baby. Cumulus felt bad honestly and she made an effort to spend time with the twins too. Orchid was still her number one and they had their own special Orchid and mommy time. But it was no longer a constant thing. 

Fig cared for all three children equally and admittedly he did notice to special bond between his wife and daughter. It made him a little jealous and reminded him of how, when they were little, Cumulus and Cirrus just clicked. But he loved his daughter all the same. 

Life was good for them. Cumulus was happy, selling her paintings for a little extra money. Fig worked hard but always made time for their family. Apple still helped out with the kids, working when everyone else was in bed to help a little financially. Cordial and Azalea grew into social children while Orchid became an independent toddler who people really couldn’t help but fall in love with.

Then, a little after Orchid’s third birthday, Cumulus learned that she an Fig were expecting once again. Recalling how it was with Orchid, Cumulus was a little worried. Would this be another hard pregnancy? Well as it turned out, she had no reason to worry. Just like with Cordial and Azalea, it was a breeze. 

However as they already had three children, it was decided that this would be their last child, if they could help it. 

So, as one would be, they were fairly shocked to learned they were going to have twins. Cordial and Azalea, who would be six when the new babies came were excited for another set of twins in the house. Though they were planning a ‘battle of the twins’ for when the babies grew up. 

They had one girl, Lavender Lace SugarVeil, and one boy, Fig Cream SugarVeil. 

Have you heard of sugar lace? It is a great option to add a touch of elegance to cookies and cakes. You can make the basic mixture but most people prefer to buy the powder. One of the best brands is called Sugarveil. I bought a small bag to play with but could not make it work. In fact it was an epic disaster with messy consequences. Discussing my ordeal online led to a wonderful person – whose…

Then, several months after Maple turned sixteen, a sad Cumulus wanted a little... alone time. Fig Fritter had passed away. He was ninety-six years old, perfectly healthy, incredibly happy and he just passed in his sleep.

Maple, who’d up until then never really experienced loss or misfortune, was confused. As far as she knew people didn’t just die. Something had to be wrong, a bad thing had to happen. Aurora tried to explain it to her. Maple just didn’t get it. But, as he mother asked her to, she bit her tongue and was there for Cumulus. 

A couple years later Cumulus’ friend and one time partner Apple Zest passed away and once again Maple was confused. Sure Apple was ninety-nine but, like Fig, she’d been pretty healthy.

It was like she couldn’t really process what had happened. Like her confusion over what happened outweighed any sadness she was feeling. Once again though, Maple bit her tongue and was there for Cumulus because that’s what she felt was what she could do without further upsetting anyone. Orchid, seeing her struggling, gifted her a journal to help Maple process. 

A few weeks later, the self defense class Poppy taught was transferred to a Wellness Facility that was closer to home than the gym she started it in. Poppy liked that the new location strived to improve more than just physical health. Actually she loved that and she was excited to start working there. And to get to know her co-workers she invited them over for dinner. 

It was an awkward meal. Well the food was good, Calico had cooked a lovely meal that everyone enjoyed. The awkward part came from how not everyone in the house was really ready to have people over. Cumulus was still upset. Maple wasn’t sure how to behave either and while she thought she was a good actress... one of he guests, Nectar JellyBean; a therapist that was a little older than her, pulled her aside at the end of the evening and informed her that her idea of putting on a brave face, in his professional opinion, felt hollow

Though that just lead to Maple saying the ever quotable, Am I a horrible person because I’m not hurting? It was a childish question in her opinion but it’s the first thing that came to mind.Which she followed with, what she felt was more mature a response, I’d rather fake it than further upset my favorite person. Nectar was quite surprised by the statements. He then offered to take her on as a client... to help her. 

She laughed and declined claiming she was fine. That everything was fine. Maple would put on a smile and help cheer up Cumulus. Whatever it took. 

Nectar JellyBean left and Maple only saw him whenever she went to visit her mom at work.

After a few months things seemed to return to normal. Maple once again painted with Cumulus as often as she could. Sometimes her Aunt Autumn would paint with them. Autumn liked Maples work and suggested she do it professionally, like Autumn had. Cumulus thought it was a wonderful idea. Poppy liked the idea of it but, as Maple’s mother, she wanted her to go to collage, expand her abilities and really just gain experience before beginning a career. Oh and she wanted her to have a back up in case things didn’t work out. That lead Maple to write short stories in the journal that Orchid gave her... instead of her feelings. 

Three months before Maple’s twenty first birthday, Nectar JellyBean moved into the SugarVeil home. The building he lived in was getting some work done so Poppy invited him to stay with them. It was a big house and the only people living there currently was Cumulus, Orchid and Calico, Poppy and Marmalade, Maple and Aurora. So there was plenty of room for Nectar.

It didn’t take long to adjust to this change. Nectar was friendly, he didn’t psycho-analyze anyone, didn’t have any late night visitors, helped out with housework and grocery shopping. And so he was welcome to stay as long as he needed, or wanted. Whichever really.

Aurora seemed to love having him around. He was a new face. Another outsider among SugarVeils. Which she really enjoyed because even though they had adopted her, she didn’t feel like a SugarVeil. It was hard for her to accept that she was one. After all she had her biological families last name, though she was the one that had decided to keep it. Then there was all the years where no one had wanted her to be apart of their family.

Trying to be helpful.. and possibly cheer up Aurora, Nectar suggested she look into the details of her adoption. Which she did. She was afraid of the possibility that it was a closed adoption. It wasn’t and she told Poppy about it as she thought the woman that raised her deserved to know. Actually, Aurora and Poppy decided to meet the woman that gave birth to Aurora.

Aurora was expecting a total stranger. However, she’d seen the woman a few times before... before she was adopted. Her name was Pearl Velvet and she told them that her husband, Aurora’s father, was named Halo Feather and he was the one that didn’t want Aurora. Pearl said she did want to raise her daughter but she had been raised to be subservient to her spouse and she was heavily medicated the day she gave birth. She also told them about her son, Alpine Velvet who was less than a year younger than Aurora. 

Pearl also showed them a folder she had been given when she informed her family that she was going to meet Aurora. It was given to her by her father, Rune Velvet, who found it when helping his parents sort their files.

He’d given it to Pearl thinking it may contain relevant information. The folder contained information about an adoption that happened many years ago. Hospital documentation admitting a pregnant Calla Velvet. A few hand written letters with the SugarVeil home address from Calla to a Frost... though on each letter Frost was crossed out with Cumulus or Miss SugarVeil in it’s place. They seemed to be apology letters or an attempt to reach out.

Apologizing for not being ready to be her mother. Apologizing for any feelings of being unwanted. Frost... er Cumulus had been born practically perfect, with the exception of that one spot in her eye, but she and Wight, Cumulus’ father, were young and not ready to be parents. Well that and Wight didn’t want her.

There was also note from a Glacier Velvet, Cumulus’ younger brother. It was to inform her of there parents deaths. 

The folder was given to Poppy, who in turn showed Pearl photos of Aurora after she was adopted up until recently. Most of the photos had the happy faces of Aurora and Maple just hugging, playing, talking. A couple of them had Cumulus. Pearl was delighted with the pictures, joyful to see her daughter had a happy family, and she was elated to learn these pictures were copies for her to keep.

When they got home, Poppy gave the folder to Cumulus as it was in regards to her. Cumulus was grateful to have the new information. But she wasn’t sure what to do with it. Meanwhile, Aurora had never been happier. She was a SugarVeil and not just because a piece of paper said so. 

Soon it was Maple’s birthday and she didn’t really want to celebrate. She wasn’t in the mood for it. But, her mother made her sit to have her portrait painted... by her mother. Honestly Maple had never seen her mother touch a paintbrush, let alone paint. So she was surprised to see a beautiful portrait as the end result. That was when it became apparent that there was more to her mother than she knew. Calico made her birthday cake; a lemon layer cake with whipped cream and orange pudding. Orchid gave her, yet another, journal. Cumulus gave her, her necklace which had been a gift from her first husband. Aurora gave her a seed packet, which Maple gave right back. 

Then, even though he didn’t have to, Nectar gave Maple his gift. He had bought her a new set of paints. A large, rather expensive set that she wanted as it had all sorts of colors, various shades ranging for borderline white pastels to almost black with hint of other colors as well as metalics. Maple was so happy with this gift she flung herself at Nectar with tears just streaming down her face.