Chapter 4: Fair Well Izzy, Daddy Loves You (Baby 11)

Having Bunny around the house put a smile on everyone's faces. She was always in the best mood and giggling constantly. She had a way of making even me smile uncontrollably. All my kids just love her, so of course everyone was sad when the time came that she had to move out.

My four newest babies were going to miss their mother terribly. Little Echidna was most upset about her mother leaving. Bunny made sure to spend as much time as she could with our youngest until it was time for her to leave.

~*~

Just a few days after Bunny left my oldest, Izzy aged into a beautiful young adult. I couldn't believe how much she reminded me of her mother. When she blew out her birthday candles I had to hold back the tears. Knowing that Izzy would be leaving me soon kicked in, and I wasn't ready for the only thing I had left of Isabella to leave me.

A few hours after the birthday celebration Izzy approached me with some news that caused my heart to sink even further down into my stomach.

"Daddy, I want to tell you something but I don't want you to get upset, okay? I, well, um, I'm going to move to Sunlit Tides so I can be closer to Hardy."

"Sunlit Tides?! But that's like a thousand miles away. I don't want you to be that far from your father."

"But daddy, Hardy will look after me. Plus mom's family lives there, Uncle Sam will be there. I would always have family near. I'll be fine."

"Well, alright sweetheart, but you have to visit your dad often."

"Of course, daddy."

Tears started to swell up in Izzy's eyes and she ran into my arms, tears staining my shirt. I held my little girl close, savoring it before she had to start packing her things. I had to hold back from crying myself.

"I love you, daddy."

"I love you too, Izzy."

~*~
Izzy was pretty much freaking out while packing her belongings. She couldn't find her precious Werewolf teddy bear anywhere. It was a gift from Isabella, and she loved it dearly. But Izzy had to get going before she missed her plane, so I told her that I would look for it later and send it to her when I found it. This calmed her down and she kissed me goodbye before leaving for what's going to seem like forever.

My first three children from the challenge, Miya, Chase and Darrian had their birthdays shortly after Izzy left and they became "quite the modeling material," says Miya.

It was then, looking at my kids, that I realized how much Darrian looked like his mother. It was like a male version of Becca. Chase and Miya were a mix of both of us, though Chase and Miya had my features.

~*~

I had been playing daddy too long and I was in desperate need of some guy time. So I called up my good friend, and challenge dad, Aiden Swan. I was hoping he would come out here so we could just hang; no kids, no challenge, just some bromance. With my luck, Aiden agreed, but he wouldn't be free until tomorrow. So we agreed to hang then.

~*~

That night I ended up falling asleep on the couch near the fire place. I had spent a majority of the evening looking for Izzy's teddy, but I couldn't find the blasted thing anywhere. I began to worry that it might have been thrown out, but I ruled that out since Izzy usually never lets it out of her sight.

I checked the laundry room, the toddler's room; I checked every room in the house. By midnight I was exhausted. I finally passed out on the couch. I decided to just finish looking tomorrow.

Around 3 am I was woken by a warm sensation, like someone had lit the fire place while I was asleep. I leaned up against the couch and wiped the crud from my eyes as I tried to regain my vision.

As my vision cleared a silhouette appeared in front of the fire place. Colors began to form and I saw it was a person, a person that wasn't there before.

"Who are you?" I asked, not even concerned that a stranger was in my house.

"You know, Jackson, you should probably start looking under beds for lost things. That's always been a habit of yours, and Izzy seems to have gotten that habit too."

The voice was recognizable instantly. Even after all these years, I would know that voice from anywhere.

Isabella.

Without a word I got up from the couch and walk towards the fireplace. Isabella turned around and stood just as I stepped in front of her. I pulled our foreheads together and we closeed our eyes, listening to each other's silent words.

"You've come back," I whispered, my eyes still closed.

"I can't stay long. I only have so much energy to enter your dreams."

I sighed and opened my eyes, still looking down, "Why the visit this time? Am I in need of direction? Did I make a mistake and you came to tell me how to fix it?"

"Nothing like that. I'm here for comfort," Isabella said, looking me in the eyes.

"Comfort? I'm always in need of your comfort. What comfort do I possibly need now?" I responded back, looking back at her.

"Izzy's departure is upsetting you. You feel like you're losing me again," Isabella whispered, never breaking eye contact.

I narrowed my eyes and tears began to form. She was right. I couldn't stand losing my only connection to Isabella. Even here in my dreams where Isabella was in my arms, I never felt so far from her.

A tear fell from my eye and Isabella wiped it away as she cupped my face in her hands. "She'll be fine, Jackson. Hardy is her protector. You can trust him, I do. He's a fine young man, and was raised by a strong woman."

Isabella said nothing more for a while and I just stood there, savoring Isabella's touch. I just wished this dream could last forever so I could have Isabella with me always, but I knew that wasn't possible and I would never leave my kids behind.

"I must go," Isabella said, breaking the sweet silence.

"When will I see you again? Will you visit me again soon?"

"I will always be there beside you, Jackson. I can only access your dreams when you need me the most."

I closed my eyes and Isabella placed her soft lips on my forehead, kissing it before she vanished and I was left alone.

My eyes sprung open and I was back on the couch. The fireplace was still lit and the room's lights were all on. I lifted myself up to the seated position and stretched out my arms and did one big yawn before my eyes landed back on the fire place.

Izzy's teddy sat there, leaning again the fireplace, right where Isabella had left it in my dreams. Isabella. I sighed and got up from the couch and walked over to pick up the little teddy bear up from the ground.

I took out my phone and began to text Izzy that I had found her bear and would be sending it off soon. Then I placed the bear on top of the fireplace, put the fire out, and walked upstairs to get ready for the day and start cooking breakfast.

~*~

An hour later the kids had just finished their breakfast and were about to get ready for school. I was preparing to feed the toddlers when I heard the doorbell go off. Since my hands were full I just called out for whoever it was to come in, and seconds after the front door opened and closed, Aiden came walking into the kitchen.

"Hey, Jackson you ready?" Aiden asked, with a smile.

As soon as Aiden stepped foot into the kitchen he was surrounded by the quads, well besides Echidna since I was holding her, but pretty much any toddler with wings was at Aiden's feet. They were excited about seeing a new person and all wanted a turn to meet the new person.

"D-Do your kids have w-wings?!" Aiden stuttered, eyes wide as the ocean and looking absolutely terrified.

I laughed and said, "They're fairies. I was surprised too by the wings when I first met their mother."

Aiden never looked at me as I spoke and instead kept a close eye on the toddlers at his feet, making sure none came too close. "Will they hurt me?" He asked just as Koala crawled over to him and tugged on his jeans. She then sneezed and fairy dust got all over Aiden's shoes.

Aiden freaked and jumped back in the corner, putting as much distance as he could in between him and fairies.

But the freak out over Koala sneezing on him didn't last long when he saw just how adorable they were. "Awe, have fairies always been this cute?" he said, admiring their cuteness.

I laughed at my friend and said, "Alright kids, leave Mr. Swan alone."

~*~

I called up a babysitter and left the house with Aiden. We decided to just hang out at the beach since it was nice outside. We drove down to the beach and immediately got into the water. It was nice and cool and felt nice with the hot sun beaming down on us.

"This is nice. I really needed this. Caring for kids can be stressful sometimes," I said, relaxing on my float.

"Definitely, man. So how many kids are you at now?" Aiden asked.

"10. But it seems like a lot more though. I can't believe I have 90 more to go."

"Yeah. I have 12 so far. I just had triplets and it's a lot more tiring. I really needed this day."

"Ha. I had 2 sets of triplets and Quads. I need it a lot more then you my friend," I bragged, trying to beat Aiden in who needed a relaxing day more. We both laughed and continued talking about anything and everything.

When we got tired of the water we headed toward land for some drinks and to relax on the lawn chairs for a while.

"So I heard Izzy left the nest. Was it hard?"

"Yeah. I didn't want her to leave. I'm going to miss her so much. Sunlit Tides is so far."

"Yeah. I felt the same when my son, Mozart, left to live in Starlight Shores. The first time a kid leaves the nest is the hardest. It should get easier."

"I don't think it'll ever get easier."

When my phone started to ring I excused myself while I went to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Jackson Daniels?"

"Yeah?"

"This is the receptionist at the A.I. Center. I'm calling to inform you that a woman is here offering to be your next surrogate. Would you like to come done here and see if you'd like her as your next surrogate?"

"Yeah. I'll be there in ten."

"Alright, see you soon, Mr. Daniels."

"Thank you."

After hanging up with the receptionist I walked back over to Aiden.

"Hey, Aiden. I've got to go. It was nice hanging out with you, man."

 "Same here. We can hang out again sometime? You know when we're feeling stressed again?"

"Definitely. Later, man."

"Later."

~*~

I quickly changed out of my swimming gear and put some regular clothes on before I jumped into my car and drove downtown to the A.I. Center. I parked and walked inside, but as soon as I stepped foot inside I was greeting by a woman with blond and blue hair and bright purple eyes. I never seen her before and I was going to ask who she was when she introduced herself and I immediately knew she was the woman who offered to be my surrogate.

"Hello, Jackson Daniels? I'm Natalie Windfield. I was wondering if you're looking for a surrogate because I would love to take part in your challenge."

 "Hey, Natalie. Yeah, I'm looking for a surrogate and I think you would be perfect for the job. Would you like to get this done now since we're already here at the A.I. Center?"

"I would love to."

~*~

The challenge was amazing; you can bring so many incredible children into the world and each one with their own unique personality. I had just began to realize how different each of my kids were.

Darrian and Robert are very much alike; they both love to read books. Darrian loves reading history books and learning about all different things from dinosaurs to politics. While Robert loved reading Mystery books. A Nice mystery book could put the boy in a good mood for an entire week.

 My fairy babies love playing with their toys. They almost never need adult attention because a good toy could keep them busy for hours at a time.

 Dustin is the adrenaline junky of my youngest set of triplets. He loves playing cops and robbers and loves to act like a Texas outlaw running from the sheriff. He seemed to always have extra energy that needed to be let out right before bed. I was afraid for his teen years, he could be a handful.

 Chase had always been into computers, ever since he was a child, but he took a special interest in them when he got into high school. He knows everything there is to know about computers, and he's our go to guy whenever we have a computer problem. Chase mentioned to me once that he wished to design video games in the future.

 Miya is my little mechanic, she absolutely loved everything with wheels and an engine. She started taking an auto class in high school and now gets excited every time one of the cars has a problem so she can put her skills to work.

Miya had always wanted a motorcycle of her very own, but I was against it since motor bikes can be dangerous. But Miya came across a badly damaged bike from the junk yard and asked if she could have it if she fixed it up herself. I stupidly agreed thinking she wouldn't get the bike to run, but of course she eventually did. But a deal was a deal and I let her have it.

Aloura was different then her siblings. She didn't have a fascination over simple things like books and machines; she loved living, breathing things like bugs, fish and babies.

Ever since Natalie moved into the house, Aloura hasn't been hanging out with anyone but her. I think it was her curiosity about pregnant women. She wanted always be near her and hoped to watch the baby grow.

~*~

 Natalie was 9 months along and was due any day. I decided to make her a nice hot cup of cocoa as a sort of thank you for joining my challenge. Not much of a thank you, but it was something. We both took a cup and sat alone at the kitchen table together, sipping our drinks.

I took a few sips of my drink before looking up at Natalie. "Sorry if my kids are a little too much to handle. I mean not every woman can handle this many kids in a household."

She laughed as she pulled her cup of coco away from her lips and looked back at me. "It's alright. I have kids of my own. I'm also doing the challenge."

I nearly burned my tongue when Natalie mentioned she was doing the challenge. I had no idea she was a challenge mom. I never even thought to have asked. I had never met a challenge mom before. I guess having my face on the cover of a magazine had even gotten other challenges parents aware of my challenge as well. Maybe I should pick up one of those magazines and see who else is doing the challenge as well.

"I didn't know that," I managed to say.

"It's my fault, really. You would have never known if I haven't mentioned it. But I do know about your wife and how she died and I'm sorry to hear that. Cancer is never easy for anyone. I know because I used to have Breast Cancer as well."

 I narrowed my eyes as memories came flooding back into my mind. Hearing the terrible news that Isabella had breast cancer, when she passed, and my depression. It was getting hard for me to sit and I just wanted to get up and leave and just be alone. But I stayed and I forced myself to not think about the bad parts of the past and just think of only the good things like now; I had 11 healthy children and another on the way.

I looked up from my mug, at Natalie, and just smiled. I really didn't know what to say. I never knew what to say in situations like this. I was never good with words, but it seems that Natalie understood that. She smiled back and we continued sipping our drinks in silence.

Until she went into labor. She nearly dropped her cup on the floor and luckily stopped herself from doing just that. She just placed it on the table and said her water broke. I already had my car keys in my pocket and just helped her up from kitchen chair and to the car.

~*~

A five hour labor resulted to the birth of a healthy baby girl named Claire Daniels. She looked just like Natalie with her bright purple eyes and blond and blue hair.

~*~

A week after the birth of Claire I got a phone call from my daughter, Izzy.

"Izzy! Hey sweetie! How's Sunlit Tides treating you?!" I excitedly asked. I was so happy to hear her voice again.

"Hey, daddy. Sunlit Tides is great. Look, daddy I called to tell you some great news!"

"And what's that sweetie!?"

"Daddy, I'm ENGAGED!!!"


~*~
~Edited with love by Logan Fey~
YAY!! I got another chapter out this month!! ^_^
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.
I would love your feedback on it, so please comment!
I wanna thank Natalie Windfield for offering her sim to be Jackson's surrogate for this chapter. Their daughter is such a cutie!! :3
Read Natalie's Challenge here.
I also wanna thank Aiden Swan for letting me use his sim in this chapter for some Bromance time with Jackson, he really needs to hang out with friends more often.
Read Aiden's Challenge here.
Love you all my readers!!! ^_^