Holisdale: Round One -- The Bailey Family
The last family for this round is the Baileys, comprised of a single mother, her elder father, a teen, a child and a toddler.
37 pictures; warnings include: sexual situations.
Zoe Bailey was not as shaken up about her parents' divorce as her mother expected her to be. Zoe knew her father was a cheat--he was a fun guy to be around most of the time, but he definitely wasn't making his marriage easy. Zoe couldn't blame her mom for wanting to leave and taking all her children with her. Zoe herself kind of wanted to stay behind with her dad; she wouldn't mind getting a secondhand glimpse at the bachelor lifestyle, one she hoped to lead herself one day. But Zoe knew how much more her mother needed her. This move had been difficult to say the least and taking care of little Paisley wasn't easy either. Zoe was here for support and she was going to give it her all, even if she didn't really want a family herself. Too much trouble, she thought to herself, scrunching up her face as she attempted once more to potty train her little sister.
Leslie herself was already on the hunt for a job. She knew taking care of her family (almost entirely by herself) would be hard, but money was a big necessity. Without it, there'd be more struggle than Leslie could handle. She was already stressed out as it was; she considered calling her boyfriend over for comfort, but she knew that Doug wouldn't help her calm down right now. In fact, having him over would only stress her out more. She was so confused about their relationship; she knew that she loved him, but she wasn't sure if he felt the same way. She felt guilty for falling for another man so soon and had kept it hush-hush around her family for fear that they wouldn't accept Doug and be disappointed in Leslie. She didn't want to break her family apart anymore than she already had.
Jason Bailey was truly his own soul. He knew that his daughter's excuse that she needed to "look after him" was really another way for her to validate the reason she and her daughters were living in her father's house, a house Leslie had never planned to return to after leaving it. Sure, people had been whispering that Jason was slowly losing his mind, but he was an old man and just wanted to squeeze a last few fun times in before he kicked the bucket; was that such a crime? Jason knew that Leslie dearly loved him but that his health wasn't the only reason she was back. He didn't know the full story behind the reason she left her husband (she refused to open up about it to him as he'd never liked the guy she married), but he did know that Leslie was too proud to admit that she did not enough to buy a house for her and her daughters and to be able to support them the way she used to and the way she knew they deserved.
Still, Jason had faith in his daughter. He knew that Leslie would get back up on her feet soon enough and that the moment she did, she and her daughters would be out of his house again. To be honest, Jason didn't mind the company. He hated living in this house by himself. It was certainly not built for one.
The person Leslie worried about adjusting the most was Brooke. She and her father had been very close and Brooke had been so upset (to say the least) when she found out about the divorce and the moving. Of course, that had been earlier when it was all talk and plans, but now it was the real thing. Leslie was just waiting for Brooke to break down, but the young girl seemed to have matured about the subject and was a lot stronger now. She was smiling again, something Leslie was very happy about. She knew that Brooke missed her father and Leslie wished she could change the way things worked out, but what had passed was past and there was nothing she could do about it. Brooke seemed to be doing a good job of moving on anyway.
It especially helped when Brooke had other things to focus on, like her new school and the homework she got. Apparently, the work was a little bit harder which meant that Brooke would have to focus more to stay at the top of her class, but as long as it kept her occupied...
She was also making new friends, something Brooke very much enjoyed doing. It seems that she'd found a new best friend in the youngest McPherson girl, Maybelle. They had similar haircuts and wore similar colored clothes and loved the same games--basically, they had a lot in common. It was nice for Maybelle to have a new best friend; she wasn't that popular in school yet and her siblings were getting too old for her to hang around them that often anymore. They thought they were too cool for her. Luckily, Brooke didn't and that's why they were best friends.
It seemed that the Baileys had barely moved in before they had their first birthday.
And it was baby Paisley's birthday! Well, not so much of a baby anymore, Paisley was aging into a child. Zoe for one, was very excited about this day. It meant no more changing dirty diapers or bottle feeding when her mother wasn't around. Jason was a little sad--he'd loved coddling Paisley as a toddler. He'd forgotten what it felt like to hold a baby in his arms.
Either way, Paisley aged into a very pretty child and certainly took after her mother more than her father. She couldn't wait to join her sister in elementary school and weirdly enough, she was even excited about homework. It was something Brooke certainly didn't understand. She'd never say this out loud, but she absolutely hated her homework. It was the one thing she'd never liked about going to school.
Even though Paisley was older now, it was clear that the family was not yet done with coddling her. She'd grown up with so much love already, despite her parents' divorce. She'd been a temporary bright spot in an otherwise suffering marriage, but even Paisley, as cute as she was, couldn't save her parents' crumbling relationship. Her parents did still love her though, just for being who she was.
Speaking of love, Leslie had been missing hers. It was only a matter of time before she struck up the courage to call Doug and invite him over. Of course, not a single person in her family was at the house. Her father was either out shopping or going to hang out with some of his friends and play cards--he never really told Leslie where he was going anymore and Zoe was out at the park with some of her friends, even though she was really supposed to be watching Brooke and Paisley play. Doug didn't seem to mind though; he knew more than anyone that they had to take this one step at a time and do so gingerly. He was just happy to be able to see the inside of Leslie's house, finally.
Naturally, the grand tour ended in the bedroom.
Brooke, now that she was definitely Maybelle's one true best friend, was broadening her horizons. Maybelle had mentioned that her sisters were awesome (even if they didn't hang out with her as much anymore) and Brooke had met Tina McPherson before. The two were almost friends in fact, but that had been when Tina was younger and not beginning to dabble in normal teenage life. Even now though, conversation came easy between the four girls, no matter their age difference. Brooke was just happy to make new friends, especially since Maybelle's family seemed so cool.
Only about twenty-four hours or so after the last time she'd seen him, Leslie got the strange urge to call up Doug. Sure, he'd been asking to see her more often, but what did that mean? She felt stupid every time she glanced at the phone and wanted to pick it up. Here she was, a grown previously married woman, acting like a lovesick teenage girl for a guy she'd only recently met. If she wasn't careful, she'd scare him away with all her affection.
But this time was different. The urge was stronger and she had something--or at least she thought she had something--she wanted to tell him. Her thoughts drifted to the little box in her dresser drawer...
Her fingers refused to stop dancing, so Leslie finally gave in to the urge and called Doug, telling him that she needed to see him right then. Doug sounded more than happy to oblige and met Leslie not too long after, a bright smile on his face as she greeted him.
"I've missed you," he told her and she gave him a goofy smile, laughing softly.
"We've only been apart for a few hours," she half-heartedly protested, knowing that she'd missed him just as much as he'd missed her.
"A few hours too many, in my opinion," he said.
"You said you needed to see me? What about?"
"I... I just needed to see you."
Doug nodded because he understood and held Leslie close to him. Their meeting went as their meetings usually go and Leslie wished it didn't have to be so short. She wished they didn't have to say goodbye and wait until the next opportunity to see one another.
"...You know I love you, right?"
Leslie's eyes widened as she looked into Doug's. She couldn't believe he'd just said that. To be fair, neither could he, but he was glad he'd managed to work up the courage to finally say it. Leslie was stunned speechless, but Doug totally misread her silence.
"I mean, you don't have to say it back or anything--"
"I love you too," Leslie said hurriedly, not wanting Doug to get the wrong idea. It shut him up immediately. "I just...I was caught off guard. I've been waiting since forever to tell you that."
Doug laughed in relief. "Same here. I just didn't say it because I was afraid and I didn't want to--"
"Push you away." Leslie finished his sentence with a smile and then squeezed Doug tight. "But my god, it feels so good to be able to say it, doesn't it? I love you, I love you, I love you!"
Doug laughed at Leslie's behavior, but he knew what she meant. It felt so freeing to just be out in the open with it. Those three words had been weighing him down for a while and now it was as if the weight had been lifted. Leslie was still going on though and Doug almost didn't hear what she was saying, but then she pulled away from him and got down on one knee.
Doug had no idea what to expect, but when Leslie pulled out a little black box with the most perfect engagement ring inside, he had to cover his mouth to prevent the most unmanly gasp from escaping his lips. He couldn't believe it. There was no way...
"Doug Knox, I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I've never felt so conflicted about anything like this before, but I know that what we've got is right and that I want to keep it. Being with you...makes me indescribably happy and--well, let me just ask you before I start babbling. Dougie, will you marry me?"
"Hell yes!" Doug exclaimed, his words muffled because he'd buried his face into the crook of Leslie's neck in a hug. This was really happening. They were really engaged. Leslie beamed even though she was tearing up (out of happiness, of course) and the two just stood there squeezing each other tightly and kissing and laughing and crying.
It was lovely.
And as they do every time there is something to celebrate, Leslie and Doug celebrated the beginning of their new lives.
In the backseat of Leslie's car.
Stay classy, Holisdale.
Unfortunately, for every sexy act, there is a not-so-sexy consequence.
Would Leslie be able to handle another child?
Considering they were now engaged, Doug made more of an effort to introduce himself to Leslie's family. One day when she was at work, he made his way over to the Baileys' house and introduced himself to her eldest daughter and her father. Needless to say, they were both very perplexed and confused as to why this random man had appeared on their doorstep, but Doug quickly remedied the situation and explained everything. While a little shocked that the relationship had progressed so quickly and gone so far without them knowing, Zoe and Jason were very accepting of Doug and his relationship with Leslie.
"I knew there was something going on," Zoe told Doug. "She smiles more than she used to, you know?" She told Doug a little about her father and her mom's previous relationship with him, but nothing too much. She didn't really know Doug and although he seemed like a nice enough man, she wasn't sure she could trust him fully just yet.
Jason was also hesitant in trusting Doug, especially since he'd known nothing about Doug's relation to Leslie. For all Jason knew, Doug could be a random man who lusted after Leslie and was really just lying. Jason didn't want to think so nor did he want to be so paranoid, but he was the last person who wanted to see Leslie get hurt again. However, if all Doug had told him was true, Jason was going to be behind the new couple a hundred percent.
It must have been a very special day for Leslie because only a few hours into her work day, this chance card popped up.
Naturally, Leslie made the right choice and ended up getting a promotion by the end of the day! Now she was working in a real restaurant! Goodbye greasy fast-food smell and hello class!
Leslie was very excited about this to say the least and rushed home to tell her family the good news. Once she stepped in through the door however, she was very surprised to find Doug not only in her house, but mingling freely with her family as if he naturally belonged there. Although perplexed, the sight warmed Leslie's heart. Once Doug caught sight of his bride-to-be, he left Jason on the couch and went over to greet her.
"What are you doing here?" Leslie asked him, half-amused.
"Just stopped by to get acquainted with my new family," Doug answered cheekily. "Hey, uh...I've got something to ask you."
Well, whatever the question was, I'm sure Doug got a very positive answer.
But then it seemed like Leslie had something to tell Doug as well. They were now officially going to have their own child. Leslie was set on keeping it and she was sure Doug would agree once she told him the news. However, there were other things... Like the fact that they weren't yet married. Leslie didn't want to have a child out of wedlock, but there was no way for them to speed up the wedding process before the child would be born. On top of that, Leslie worried how her family would respond. Would her children think she was trying to replace them? Leslie sure hoped not.
But the biggest worry was where this child would reside. Jason's house was barely big enough for him, Leslie and her three daughters. For her to bring in another child--it just wasn't possible. Doug's place was even smaller and Leslie knew they wouldn't be able to manage there. Although, with the question Doug had just asked Leslie, she was sure that Doug had some kind of plan up his sleeve...
When Leslie broke the (quite obvious) news to her family, no one seemed that bothered or surprised. Jason was disappointed in his daughter that she'd have the baby without being married first, but he admitted that it couldn't be helped and that he was still happy for her and Doug. Zoe thought it was cute that her mom was still having children and Paisley was excited to not be the youngest Bailey child anymore. Brooke was very inquisitive about the whole situation, asking her mother many questions about what it was like to have a baby and such.
Leslie was just happy to have her family's support.
By the time her second trimester had rolled around, Leslie had told Doug about the good news. He was more than ecstatic about it and kept talking about how her having a baby made his proposal make so much more sense. Leslie couldn't argue against that point and as the days passed, she found her want to say yes growing stronger.
But it would complicate things, wouldn't it? There was hardly anything about this marriage that wasn't going to be complicated. Leslie knew she and Doug could overlook that though, seeing as they definitely had each other through thick and thin.
If Leslie said yes to Doug's question, would that break her family up? As she watched Paisley and Jason dance together in the living room, she knew she couldn't break up such a precious relationship. But what other option did she have? Leslie knew that the right thing would be to say yes and so she would; she would tell Doug later and her family would be the last to know.
Leslie's dilemma aside, time continued to pass in the Bailey household and soon it was time for Brooke's birthday. No one was as excited about it as Brooke, who could now hang out with Tina and Ashley McPherson all by herself without her sister having to babysit her now. Being a teenager meant so much more freedom; Brooke was going to be unstoppable!
Brooke approached the cake with a smile on her face. This was it. What she did with her life from now on actually counted for something. And she was going to make her name known.
Zoe watched on, feeling older and older with each passing minute. Her little sister was going to be a teenager in a few moments which meant that Zoe didn't have that much time before adulthood. And her mother was having another child? Oh dear.
Brooke grew into a stunning teenager, looking much different than her older sister, but still very much her mother's daughter.
Brooke Bailey -- Pleasure; Aries (5/8/6/3/3); LTW: Become Celebrity Chef; turned on by blond hair and full face makeup; turned off by facial hair
Leslie had invited Doug over to celebrate Brooke's birthday and as soon as the flames on the candles were out, the two headed up to Leslie's bedroom for one last bed shindig. This time around though, Doug was much more interested in hearing Leslie's answer to his proposal than to get into her pants.
"So...what do you say?" he asked, not even having to repeat the question. It was clearly the only thing either of them had been thinking about lately.
"...Yes. Yes, I will move in with you, Doug."
Leslie told Doug about how she was planning on telling her family the next morning and Doug revealed that he and his children had already started packing their stuff and moving into their new house and that everything should be ready by the end of the week. The new house was modest but built well, perfect for the newly expanded family and most importantly, it was affordable. Leslie knew how tight money was for Doug as well (although he had not yet told her about his recent unemployment). But now that the big decision had been made, it was time to put their plans into action.
The next morning before her kids went off to school, Leslie had planned to tell them about the big move, but before the entire family could settle down at the dining table, Leslie went into labor! Although she didn't appreciate the timing, there wasn't much she could do about it.
And so Leslie gave birth to little Aiden Bailey-Knox, her first son and Doug's second. She cradled her precious newborn in her arms as Jason began to fret in the background.
"We don't even have a nursery for him!" Jason exclaimed, wondering where little Aiden was going to sleep. Leslie bit down on her lip and decided it was now or never.
"No, we do," she insisted, facing her father with a guilty look on her face.
"Oh really? Where?"
"...At my new house."
DUN DUN DUN.
Yup, that's it for the first round!
Stay tuned for the second and thanks for reading! :]