:hibiscus: Keeping up with the Pleasants :hibiscus:

~The Pleasant family ~

Daniel Pleasant, 40 y/o, professional athlete

Mary-Sue Pleasant, 37 y/o, politician in the making

Angela Pleasant, 14 y/o, high school student

Lilith Pleasant, 14 y/o, high school student

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Despite what their family name implies, Mary-Sue and Daniel's marriage has been less than pleasant for a long time. At least for Daniel.

If you asked him about it, he would say that there was a time when they were a happy family and it was when Mary-Sue wasn't all about working. But she has been completely unavailable since she started her campaigns.

He has tried talking about it with her, but she keeps telling him that she's doing this for herself and he has to be patient.

And then there's the twins, who've been getting into fights ever since they were little.

Neither of them knows how it started, nor re when, but they both agree on the culprit: Lilith, who has been difficult since birth and has only grown to become worse.

The one light in Daniel's life is their maid, Kaylynn Langerak, who has been humoring his flirty ways since she first started taking care of their house.

Daniel feels like they really have a spark, and if Kaylynn disagrees she still hasn't shown it.

While her parents' marriage crumbles more and more, Lilith's relationship feels as solid as can be. That's the perk of dating a good guy: Dirk may not be as exciting as Dustin, but he's stable and level headed and Lilith thinks she can build a future with him.

That future, though, is not as distant as she thinks.

Lilith winds up pregnant with Dirk's baby at the tender age of 16.

Mary-Sue and Daniel are, of course, not happy at all. The argument they have lasts several days, closer to a week really, until they agree to sit down and talk it out with the help of a therapist.

Lilith is, of course, allowed to keep the baby - that's what she wanted out of the discussion. However she must keep going to school and will have to get a weekend part time job to help out with the baby's expenses. She agrees to the readily and starts preparing for this baby to come, happy to finally have a family with Dirk.

Lilith is not even four months along when Angela, too, finds out that she's pregnant.

Unlike her sister, though, she absolutely does not want the baby.

It's the child's father, her boyfriend Dustin, who eventually convinces her to keep the baby with the promise that he'll take over once he or she is born, and that she will have to see the baby only if she wants to.

With the promise to be rid of it, Angela agrees to have the baby.

Lilith eventually gives birth to her and Dirk's son, Dorian Dreamer, at the hospital. The baby boy is beautiful and takes all the best traits from his father. He eats plenty and sleeps plenty, and he is beloved by everyone in the house

Even Mary-Sue, who was shocked at the news of her daughter's pregnancy, loves to care for her little grandson. She takes some of her accumulated vacation days to bond with him, and it seems that caring for him without the stress of her joj has also allowed her to relax. Daniel definitely finds her much more agreeable.

Having his wife back to what she was, Daniel feels more comfortable around her and they finally find that spark again. They stay out all night talking and even sneak out to woohoo like they used to do as teens

When her time comes Angela chooses to give birth in the privacy of home. She has a little girl for whom she chooses the name Paisley, only she gives it a little spin to make her unique. The final result is Payghsleigh, a name that has both Dustin and Daniel scratch their heads.

Being both mothers help the twins bond somewhat, at least on the most basic stuff. Angela constantly complains that the custody papers for her daughter are taking too long, and Lilith tries to be ive - now that she is a mother, she has a strange desire to get closer to her family, including this new, oddly genuine Angela.

Two weeks after the birth of Payghsleigh, Mary-Sue buys a pregnancy test following a missing period. She is skeptical about being pregnant at 41, but the test comes out positive. Though she didn't specifically want a new child, she feels pretty happy about it, and so does Daniel (at least, she thinks he does).

Following his mother's pregnancy and the birth of her niece, Lilith decides to move out of home and into her grandparents' house. She knows they could use the help with chores, and she and her son could use the tranquillity. Still, she and her parents promise to visit each other as much as possible before she leaves.

After two daughters and nine painful months, Mary-Sue gives birth to the Pleasants' first son: Lucas, a beautiful and healthy baby.

She dotes on her baby like he's the most precious thing to her, and they repaint Lilith's old room to become his nursery. Payghsleigh is also moved in, although they're not sure how long still they will have her for.

Daniel is not so happy with having a newborn. Though their relationship has gotten at least a bit better, it's still pretty on the rocks and he's not sure about mixing a new baby in. But he hopes that, with time, he will bond with this new son of his.

For the time being, he honestly prefers taking care of Payghsleigh. She is a little fussy devil, but he truly bonded with her and he doesn't want to give her up.

Eventually, though, the time comes. Dustin gets full custody of Payghsleigh and they agree to meet on small dates from time to time to see if they can be a family after all.

Now in her 20s, Angela meets with Dustin often, but every date goes worse than the last and it seems like they just aren't the same as they used to be.

Dustin says he has "outgrown" Angela, but she thinks he simply lost his edge. But no matter, she is young. She will find the one eventually, and who cares if it's not Dustin?