Chapter 65: Wishing You Well

Zephram finds Leona's urn in the basement and arranges a grave for her next to Jazz's. Jazz's grave is surrounded by flowers and some objects he excavated, while Zephram's research into Leona's tastes indicated she'd prefer a more stately final resting place.

Pablo and Nol dream of exotic vacations, and of adding more children to their family.

Being family-oriented means Pablo wants to take care of every member of his family. He doesn't merely want to create a dynasty of children to leave behind; he wants an atmosphere of happiness and trust and rainbows and stuff.

With some promotion money, he buys Zephram a Gnubb set.

Paz and Kimberly meet at a party. Kim can't believe her mother would allow her father (pictured behind them) to leave his house in a Star Trek shirt.

Meanwhile, Pablo ascends steadily through the ranks of criminals, working harder than ever to guide their chaos to places it will harm the least. Though his fellow thugs still play pranks on him every day, they secretly appreciate how they rarely get arrested anymore, yet still make as much money. Pablo is sure of it.

Pablo must still put up with Nol's worrying.

"I'm just afraid you'll get seriously injured."

"The cops would never do that."

"What about your boss? And all those times he's threatened you'll be toast?!"

Pablo rolls his eyes. "That means I have to wear a giant burnt toast suit. It's like a dunce cap for criminals."

Nol throws a party for Ashby's first birthday. Zephram invites his grandchild, Andre, who mostly resembles Rudy.

Zephram also invites a vampire, whom Nol later learns is a relative.

Holly gets the honor of blowing out the candle.

Hawk is a happy newlywed, by the way.

Holly and Alice wait patiently for their turn for cake.

Andre is a little nervous in crowds.

Nol takes some time to compare notes with Kim. Kimberly has a son Ashby's age, named Donovan.

Ashby has black hair like her grandfather, Chad, and brown eyes.

Pablo isn't going to eat her. I promise.

He's just going to teach her to walk before work.

When Pablo leaves for work, Zephram takes over the training.

And the socializing.

Ashby is joined by a baby brother, Rio.

Paz is disappointed that none of her grandchildren are multiple births, since her research indicated there would be a good chance of it.

Not long after Rio's birth, Nol is pregnant a third time.

For once, Zephram, something IS out to get you.

DEATH.

The reaper finds Paz's hysterical reaction embarrassing. She's Paprika's daughter and a scientist, she of all people should accept deaths gracefully.

"We've met before!" Zephram announces cheerfully.

The reaper shakes the old man's non-corporeal hand. "Yes. I remember."

After banishing Zephram's soul, Grim takes a moment to admire Jazz's collection of Pasha butterflies.

 Paz begins screaming at the reaper. She chases him out of the house.

She then curls up in her brother's room, surrounded by pictures of gnomes vanishing and ghosts and scratch art and a chest of pirate doubloons, muttering about how stupid everything is, especially Zephram's inventions. Child's play. While she was a real woman of science. Nothing is fair!

Nol does more constructive things with her pain, and writes a book about crazy people.

Paz! Not the baby! ... Oh right, the crib. Carry on.

With her own death presumably on the horizon, Paz makes time to visit her grandchildren. Kimberly and Taylor's son Donovan is still pre-verbal.

Next it's off to visit Hawk and Alice. They just bought a charming new farmhouse, which is a good sign for Hawk's science career.

Hawk and Alice's son, Lorenzo.

Hawk explains how Lorenzo is fed a strictly vegan diet.

 Go for the eyes, Pablo! The eyes!

Don't try to look cute, Pablo. I know you're a vampire.

Rio becomes a toddler. Having written lots and lots of books, Nol takes a break for some basic child care. If she looks exhausted, it's from the writing. The kids are comparatively a piece of cake.

Death sneaks up behind Paz.

While Pablo is meditating, and Nol is back to writing.

For a while no one mourns Paz.

But, after a few hours on the computer, Nol is hungry and meanders over to the kitchen, where she finds her mother's remains.

Paz is buried beside her mother, Paprika. Paz's grave is decorated with lawn flamingos.

Zephram's grave is off to the side, surrounded by flowers...

...and a gnome. Zephram was always ranting about how gnomes move, so Paz's placement of a gnome on her brother's grave was her final act of the passive aggressiveness that plagued her in old age.

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Etc.: Moving right along. Nol is at level 8 in her career, specializing in romances and non-fiction. Sometimes she pops out a sci-fi or fantasy since that's my favorite genre. I have a feeling she can make it to 10 before she kicks the bucket. I'm considering letting her and Pablo travel more, in an attempt to get the French gnome, but of course Nol is not allowed to write on her vacations.

Pablo was changed from slob to workaholic, and then to ambitious as per YangtheCat's suggestion. Good luck, Pablo!