Friday, October 31, 2014

Chapter 3.8- Safely Planted

            “Are you alright?”
            “I guess.”
            Roger beamed at Mariah and it was like he’d never left. Her cares melted away into meaningless nothings as she began to look over the man who stood in front of her.
            “Your hair is different.”
            “Yeah, either I had entirely too much of it or not nearly enough. I went with too much.”
            “Are you growing a beard?”
            “Just don’t shave as often as I used to. It looks more ‘natural’ this way. I fit in better.”
            “Are those tattoos? Wait. Roger? Is that a plug in your ear?”
            Roger sighed, his smile fading.



            “’Riah,” he said, taking her hands. “’Riah, I know I look really different to you, but all of this? Is just skin. Skin and hair. And I like my ink. You will too.”
            “You’ve lost weight,” she pouted in response.
            “So have you. So there. And you shouldn’t be losing weight, should you?”
            Scowling, she lowered her gaze. His remark brought her recent reality back, bursting the small bubble of happiness she thought she’d found.
            “C’mon, ‘Riah,” Roger said, noting the disappearance of her smile. “Let’s go inside and you can tell me all about how I’m going to be a dad, ‘cause I kinda don’t believe you yet. If you talk long enough, maybe I can stay the night.”

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --



            Mariah did indeed manage to talk to him long enough that he stayed. Any euphoria he might have felt from her announcement replaced with worry over how she handled the news herself. In the end he thought he might have talked her around to the idea of being a mom once more, though. At least, he hoped he had. Time would only tell if he’d done a good enough job or not.
            And while they had stayed up late talking, he’d still managed to be up in time to catch Dove’s early stirrings on the baby monitor. Dressing silently he slipped into the nursery hoping to get to her before her wails woke her very tired Mama.



            Greeting the little girl he’d known so well with a smile he lifted her onto his hip hoping she’d snuggle in just as she always had.
            Instead, Dove frowned up at him, pushing herself away, twisting herself to get a better view of the person who held her.
            “Aw, c’mon, babe,” Roger attempted to soothe her. “It’s just me. It’s Roger! Daddy? Remember me? It hasn’t been that long has it?”
            But Dove refused to respond. “If you’re not going to cheer up, I know what can get you to smile,” he continued, a mischievous twinkle dancing in his eyes.



            “Do you know what will make you smile for me?” Roger asked the still somber little girl.
            She only frowned deeper, making tiny creases appear between her eyes.
            “Well you’d better smile, and fast, or the tickle monster will come to get you.”
            Dove still refused to respond.
            “Well then here it comes, *Gasp!* It’s. The. TICKLE MONSTER!!!”



            Before he could even try to approach her with his hand Dove let out a shriek. Not just any child’s wail either. Roger had no idea how something so small could manage to cry that loudly without shattering eardrums and glass.
            NOOOOOOOOoooooo!!! NOOOoooooo You!!! Mommieeeeeeee!!! Hep! HEP MEEEE MOMMMMIIIEEE!!! NOOOOOO!!! BAAAAADD!”
            So much for letting Mariah sleep in.
            But there was one last thing to try. Maybe he could head her off before things got really bad.



            “Hey, you,” Roger forced a smile. “Look, Dove. Looks who’s up!”
            Roger had managed to plug the bottle into Dove’s still trembling mouth just before Mariah had walked in.
            “Hey, yourself,” she answered, her voice still heavy with sleep. “What on SimPlanet is going on in here?”
            “Oh nothing,” he replied as cheerily as he could through clenched teeth. “Just getting reacquainted. I didn’t think it had been so long since I’d seen her.”



            Mariah scoffed.
            “She’s still a baby, Rog’. Your hair and skin is as much a part of you as your clothes are to her. And it’s been almost 3 months since she saw you last. Give her some time.”
            Reaching out, Roger pulled Mariah nearer.
            “But that’s just it, babe,” he said. “I don’t have a lot of time.”
            Nodding, Mariah traced the whorls of ink on his forearm with a finger. “You’re coming back to help me redo the nursery though, right?”
            “I wouldn’t miss it. You’re going to call an interior designer to help you lighten the rest of this place up too, right?”
            Mariah nodded again. She wouldn’t miss doing that either. A little change would probably do her a world of good.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --




            “We did a good job, right?”
            “It looks fantastic. So much better than that flowery monstrosity. I swear if you looked at that stuff too long your eyes would bleed.”
            Mariah’s doctor had assured her a little boy was all the source of her pregnancy misery. Something about how her body responded to the miniscule amounts of testosterone made her have extra severe pregnancy symptoms or something like that. At least she’d struggled out of that first half of pregnancy and things were settling down. Though she could still use a good nap.



            “The pink carpeting?”
            “Gone by midweek. That wanna be Mohawk you’ve got going on?”
            “Ain’t goin’ anywhere, babe.”
            “When did you start using ‘babe’ so much?”
            “Just getting all that awesome vernacular and awful grammar I use on the job thoroughly ingrained. Wanna go for a roll in that haystack babe?”
            Mariah punched his ribs playfully and went to lay down her roller. Downstairs, Dove squealed with glee at something Roger’s dad, Ottawa did. Both of his parents were there. They were supposed to be watching Dove, but Sally had taken the opportunity to be in Mariah’s house to do other things as well. In between stocking the freezer with casseroles and playtimes with Dove she’d come up to ‘survey the new nursery.’ During those trips she’d dropped many heavy hints that it was time for Roger to give up his assignment. Time for Mariah to trust them more. Time to be thinking ahead to the next pregnancy. Time for rings on fingers and name changes, too. In short, she wanted both of them to give up the world for their love.
            Mariah was thoroughly annoyed by it.



            Walking to the other window she surveyed the river flowing behind the house. She missed her little cabin by the river and her trips there. A good swim in the rushing waters might be a bit much though.
            “So, no roll in the hay then?” Roger slipped up beside her.
            “My dear, I’m not too sure I could manage hay right now,” she chuckled. She was uncomfortable enough as it was.



            “Back to names then?”
            The two had figured out Roger could text Mariah fairly regularly without anyone being the wiser. Most of their text time had been spent going over and over, around and around every name in a baby name book Mariah had bought. Mariah burned the book in the fireplace the night before, frustrated that it didn’t have the ability to magically hand her the prefect name on a platter. Ten minutes after the flames had died down she'd cried in horror over the ashes, ashamed of what she'd done.
            “I-I had a bit of an-an epiphany last night with a-a name-a name,” Roger offered.
            Mariah turned to him. If it brought back his nervous stuttering, he must think the name was pretty important.


            “You don’t have to be afraid to tell me,” Mariah said.
            “Well, it’s-it’s kind of important, and I feel-I feel a little ashamed I didn’t think of it sooner,” Roger still looked super nervous.
            Mariah waited.
            “There was this-this kid. He was into the organization pretty deep when-when I got there and he was-he was the only one who had any kind of faith in me. The first month or so I-I really thought I was going to be pulled out because-because I wasn’t getting anywhere, no one trusted me or liked me. But this kid managed to convince some of the others that I was-I was okay. He was a great-great kid. He was only there because life hadn’t offered him anything else. I miss him a lot.”
            The kid hadn't survived some rivalry dispute. But Mariah liked the name, it was a little different. And so on the same day she got her nursery, Mariah also found the perfect name for her baby.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --




            Figures. Mariah gave up on sleep at last. The pains had begun that morning, but she remembered how much time she’d had last time. So with pains in the morning that were never less than 15 minutes apart she had all day ahead of her.
            With 5 minutes to midnight showing on the clock, her day was over.


            She’d meant to tell Roger earlier that day, but wanted the pains to be closer before she texted. Not that there was any guarantee he would have been able to come. He’d managed to do something or other that had impressed someone who had decided he needed to be a bit more in the thick of things.
            Pregnancy brain meant she was still unable to figure out the finer points of it all. At the moment, she really couldn’t care.


            So he’d been officially moved to Lucky Palms to keep up his undercover work. That had pissed off both the department here and the one there. The one here didn’t want to scramble to find someone else here less than a year after getting someone safely planted.


            The department in Lucky Palms didn’t like that some nobody from the middle of nowhere could waltz in and oust their own man.
            Mariah was pissed because it meant he now lived almost 4 hours away.
            AND SHE WAS PISSED HE DID THIS TO HER, THAT IDIOT.


            Most of all, she was pissed at herself. Why hadn’t she told someone, anyone, that she was having contractions? Now she had no one to watch Dove and in the middle of the night the minor off and on pains of the day had become full blown labor.
            When a particularly sharp pain threatened to rip her belly in two she realized she wasn’t just in labor, she was about to deliver.

            And so little Ceeven Sixkiller made a smashing entrance into the world.


            Once she’d managed to clean the little guy up, dressing him in his first outfit, he was already asleep.
            Mariah chuckled at the sweet look on his little face, still somewhat in awe of what had just happened. If she didn’t have other very pressing matters to attend to, she would have stayed to have watch his slumber. Instead she quietly tiptoed out, hurrying back to her bedroom.



            “Thank goodness you’re still too little to roll over, huh?” Mariah sighed with relief, picking up Ceeven’s completely unexpected twin sister.
            Mariah was nervous about toting both babies upstairs at the same time and so had left this little one on her bed, pillows surrounding her to make sure she didn’t fall.


            “Now then, where are we going to put you?”
            Mariah scanned her room, her mind struggling to find the energy to process what had just happened.
            “Wait, where are we going to put you? What are we going to call you? What am I going to do with three kids?”
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

I hate my game. Now to backpedal a little and put first things first.

When I redid Tibi’s room to be a second nursery I redid the house entirely. You can see pics of it here if you’re curious. It took me forever for a lot of reasons, none of which are remotely interesting. Lol
After that? Baby girl will get a name next time. Why? Because I didn’t have one prepared for her birth in the first place. She was a total shocker to me. Want proof?
See that awesome little number up there? That 2% chance of twins? I just knew I wouldn’t hit that chance. When I went back to a prior save to get that screencap I also replayed through the birth just to see what would happen a second time. It happened exactly the same way. A little boy, a little girl. Birth animation plays for the boy and then the girl pops out of the ether onto the floor in ‘please reset the baby’ pose. (For those who would like further proof, ask Misty about my reaction. I might have blown a hole in her monitor with the rage.) So while I’m supremely disappointed in how this messes with my plans, I’m going with ‘it’s meant to be.’ Also, there are no spoiler pics like there were for Dove because I don’t have them yet. I have spoiler pics of grown up Ceeven, but baby girl is yet to be photographed.
I will, however, reward your patience with a roll reveal. Congrats.

Number of children: 3/2. Dammit

24 comments:

  1. Ah, I think I may have possibly jinxed your game by mentioning in my last comment that she might have twins... Heh, it goes to show that my hunches are pretty accurate though :3

    Surprise twins is a pain to write up, but you never know. My sim's accident twins are kinda fun (but I was planning on Alyssa having twins anyway albeit not that soon)

    I do want to see how Roger will react to have both a son and a daughter, and I think he looks good as a bad boy. I like the tattoos.

    And if you need help on names for names for baby girl, I hear that Carrie is a good name ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nah. I've had the multiples curse since getting triplets with Helen and her siblings. I actually set the chance of multiples to 0 when Layla was preggers with Mariah and forgot to do it with Mariah. It's my own fault if anything. lol

      I've had about 2 weeks to wrap my head around how this is going to change the rest of this generation as well as the next and I think it'll be alright. It was silly of me to think that I had everything mapped out all nicely. My game told me long long ago that the second I think I've tamed the beast that is Sims 3 it likes to show me that it's still very much in charge. lol

      We'll get to see his reaction next time. I've had lots of fun trying to get inside of his head regarding it all. He rewarded me with some super cute-ness.

      Lol. She has a name now, she's had it for a few days. It just really threw me since I put a lot of thought into what the names are and what they mean and what it might possibly mean for their stories/characters. Dove and Ceeven were picked out ages and ages ago. And if you're thorough and sharp eyed her name is out there already. ;)

      Delete
  2. Let me first of all say this: Unexpected twins :D.

    Dove not recognizing Roger was so fun, and very accurate. But to her defence he looks really different.

    I still think you have something "special" in plan for Roger, since he moved away and is all nervous about the kids name an all. Does he have another girlfriend or some kids in Lucky Palms? Hm? No, it's probably something more sinister.....

    Mariah had two babies in three hours. It says so on the clock. The house looks really nice to. Will we see grown- up pictures of the new, and extra baby next time, or will you just wait til they grow up naturally? Will extra baby ever get a name? I like the name Ceeven, and how interesting that Roger had the epiphany at nighttime ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Noooo! lol. Yeah. :D

      He really looks different based on what you put him in. It's a lot of fun to play with him in CAS. I felt awful when he was a teen and I geeked him out like that since I knew he had a lot of potential. It was also kind of hard to make his transformation gradual since he looks so different between the two.

      LOL! Speculation! :D I cannot confirm nor deny any plans regarding Roger's roll as anything other than Mariah's boyfriend/baby daddy just yet. Considering it's 3.8 and I've managed to spit out the required number of kids though, I'm hoping we'll get to the main body of the story here very very soon. Like, I'm hoping to get there before 3.12 if I can. But you're going to have to keep a sharp eye out when it starts because it'll be the start of two parallel stories running, one for each generation. It's coming! I promise. Until then, I think Roger is pretty safe. He's good at thinking on his feet and has managed to get a lot better at controlling his temper as well as odd situations he finds himself in.

      Lol! I didn't even notice the close was in the last few pics also. Nicely spotted! Yeah, she had a big night. Yes! We will see grown up pics of Ceeven and his sister as well as traits and favs next time. I like the name Ceeven too! I also like baby girls name, so... lol. :D

      Delete
  3. Twins! Yay! Maybe because I am used to it (those damn Avendales) but I like having twins. I like having lots of babies to choose from for the next generation. I don't know what I'll do if I ever roll one child. Keep the child station on full blast. :P

    Poor Roger. He's got so much on the line with this job already and now he has not only a son, but a daughter and, for all intents and purposes, a step-daughter. Should his cover be blown, who knows what could happen to his loved one? And since they're not married, would the SBI put them all in witness protection? *worried*

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No! lol. It so messes with my plans. But new baby is talking a lot already, so it'll be okay. Haha. I'll tell you what, you can take all the twins my game likes to dish out! And the child station is why I went back in to check since I put a tv in the house I was worried she'd snuck in some time watching that channel. Ah well.

      No worries yet! Not yet at least. I'm still getting all the pieces into place and who knows? Maybe by the time I've got everything ready to start rolling he'll be back in town. ;) It's coming soon, unfortunately having twins does set back the time line by a chapter or two, but that's all it ought to be. We'll get there and you'll get to see what's going on. ;)

      Delete
  4. Let me first get this out of the way, but Oo La La, how I love Roger's new look! Yummo. He's come a looooong way from the awkward duck he was back in high school, that's for sure. I'd love to know how much of the attitude he can pull off in this undercover role.

    ...thinking ahead to the next pregnancy? Whoa there, mama. Back it up, Sally, lol. One thing at a time. Or two.

    Oh bless him, the stutter <3 It's adorable how he goes from 'babe' and 'let's roll in the hay' to stuttering, lol.
    That's kind of scary though that rivalry disputes resulting in death is going on around Roger :-/ Maybe I agree with Sally after all.

    YES! It's meant to be! Deal with it! :P Now I just can't wait to see Roger's reaction to all this. Him living 4 hours away now? Isn't cool. How is he going to be there for his kids? How much longer is this assignment going to last? And how much patience is Mariah going to end up having about it?





    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I like to think the cool confidence he's got a little bit toward Mariah now is a big result of his work. I mean, old Roger wouldn't have propositioned Mariah that way. Ha!

      ONE! Darn it. I only wanted ooooone. =D Oh, well. Sally's just wanting to relive her glory days vicariously through Roger and Mariah. She's just a little too much like her mom in how she goes about it though.

      I love his stutter. It's so easy to gauge where his head is at when he does it. It's also fun to see that the old Roger is still buried in there and comes out so easily.

      No! I shall not deal with it! Ok I already have, but still. It messed me up! Not cool game! ROFL. Roger is a little more career minded that it comes across. Now that he's gotten into it he knows that his focus has to be 100% on the game he's playing or it's his head on the line. He'll make the choice between being closer to his kids and being the guy that everyone relies on at work when the time comes. Mariah can be fairly patient when she wants to be. She can also be the hell raiser her parents both were when she needs to be (and the rest of the time too, Ha!) To that end handling three kids should be something she can handle if she puts her mind to it. Luckily, it's not her first go around with babies so she's got more confidence than she had last time which helps too.

      Delete
  5. ROFL!!! I'm dying. That's hilarious. Although, tbh, I'm laughing at the irony too because twins NEVER happen for me unless I cheat and/or really work for it. XD I desperately wanted twins for Georgia's last pregnancy, and I even got the chance up really high (I was limited to the fertility treatment and reading pregnancy books since radio and TV don't fit my medieval setting), but alas I failed. Jezebel was singleton.

    Still, I think your baby girl will be a lot of fun! I like kids in this game, but I know not everyone feels that way.

    Finally, Roger looks SO different! I saw those pictures of him on tumblr, but I still wasn't prepared. Aww, Lucky Palms though? :( I can deal with a long distance relationship, but please don't kill him. ;-;

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, now. There are radios that look like rocks out there. ;) Who says that's not the sounds of nature she might be dancing to??? So what if natures tune happens to sound a whole lot like Mary Had A Little Lamb? =D You can have all the twins the game throws at me! I had plans man! And no! The game decides those are not going to work. lol Ah well. C'est la vie.

      It's been interesting accounting for baby girl in all the plans and the next generation, etc. Don't know that I'd call it fun though. lol. My OCD overrides my ADD a little in situations like that since I use specific self coping mechanisms to follow through/finish my tasks. Generational goals and stories included. It really derailed me for a week there, but it's starting to come together again which is cool and I think she'll be pretty fun too in the end. =D

      ROFL! It's only 8 chapters into the generation and everyone is afraid I'm going to kill him off already! Ha! I know it doesn't look too good, but I promise that everyone is safe from my murderous Master Controller clicking finger for the time being. As for once I get the story rolling? That might be a different story. *MmmmwuuAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

      Delete
  6. Awww, come on Sunny, the only thing better than one Mariah/Roger baby is two Mariah/Roger babies! Haha! Twice the fun! I hear you though on how it messes with the story---Jack did the same for me, lol Oh well, I like Jack, and I'm sure I'm going to like baby girl. =)

    Poor little Dove, she just wasn't sure who that strange guy was. My sister used to cry whenever her Dad shaved off his beard, because he looked so different without it. He started shaving in front of her to see if that would help, it did a little. She wouldn't cry, but she wasn't exactly cuddly with him either, lol

    Loved the fixing up the nursery pics, that was so sweet. They are a really sweet couple---so that Roger better keep himself safe in Lucky Palms---Mariah has had enough loss in her life.

    Ceeven is an interesting name.

    I can't wait to see how the twins age up! =)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, Jack has a purpose in your story now. Other than looking smexy walking around in his open robe for ONE picture whilst fixing Bob at least. ;) I think she's going to be more vibrant than Dove in the end, now I've had some time to wrap my head around her existence. Ha!

      Yup! We kept kids in the house while I grew up and one of the kids freaked out when I jumped into the 90's feet first and got a poodle perm. She wouldn't let me near her for weeks after that. Kids really do think your clothes and all of that are a part of you. Might as well use it right? =D

      They are so friggin' adorable together! Shooting the next scene (Next chapter) and I was just a puddle of goo they're so cute. He brings out the best in Mariah and she brings him a joy that... gah! See what I mean? Goo! Mushy Mushy Goo! I will agree that she has had enough loss in her life. It's shaped who she is and how she is in a very defined way. But it makes her a stronger person than her mother, and that means a lot to her.

      lol. It'll grow on you. It grew on me too. Ha!

      You'll get to see them next time! I'm really excited about this one too. Ceeven and baby girl both are a fantastic mix of genetics IMO. Though I still think Dove is the prettier sister. lol.

      Delete
  7. so cute! I just spent the last three days reading the entire sixkillers legacy thus far, and tempted to start from the beginning with the first legacy, I absolutely adore it thus far, and think it's absolutely amazing :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    2. that is if I can find it i swore it said helen (said wrong name the first time woops) was from a previous legacy grrr why can't I find it now is it The Blue Empire Story? or is it just hair testing? i'm rather lost

      Delete
    3. Awww! Thank you so much! I think they're pretty amazing too. Ha!

      Oh, you don't want to read that one. LOL. I did those for my husband and they're pretty poorly done. lol. That and I have indeed appropriated those blogs for various other things in the end. xD Like where I play around with the blog theme until I get it all just right, or put up blender tips or hair testing. I'm so sorry! I'm fairly sure the original posts are on those blogs, they're just buried beneath everything else I've put on them. Thank you so much for reading and commenting!

      Delete
    4. I probably will helens past seemed so interesting, but not for a few days rl is starting to rev up again

      Delete
  8. Twins curse!!!! (Really hoping my multiples curse doesn't rear it's head again! I've got to gen 3 with only single births.... *gulp*) I kinda like twins, it's better than triplets, and surprise twins is new and exciting. lol.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That damn multiples curse!!! Seems once I hit it with Helen it's determined to forever happen again. >:(
      Here. I'll cross my fingers you'll keep the singleton pregnancies going. ;D

      Delete
  9. This is what I get for reading others' responses: I have no idea what to say. I'm still afraid for Roger, though. Yes, the way Dove reacted to him was very accurate. It made me a little sad too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aw. Roger would be touched. Really. He doesn't see the danger that surrounds him. He's too good at what he does for it to affect him. ;)

      Yup. It is sad that Dove no longer has a full time 'daddy' around. But even a part time pseudo daddy is better than nothing, right? *sad smiles

      Delete
  10. Ah! I also just had those 2% surprise twins happen in my legacy. Stoopid sims messing with oir plans!

    That said, twins are always awesome :D Riah and Roger remodeling the nursery was adorable. Too bad he's back undercover already. So is Riah a single parent then? Aw, I was kind of hoping for a happy, happy family for her!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Also, Dove's watermelon outfit is the cutest thing!!

      Delete
    2. Yes! It's fun once it surprise happens, but gosh it's tough for that moment when you realize that your plans just shot out a window. Ha!

      Ah! I haven't done that roll reveal yet. lol. She has a happy, happy family! It's just small and screaming a lot right now. lol

      Isn't it?!?!? *slathers gooey hugs on toddler Dove.

      Delete