Chapter 13: Family Time

Lily hates leaving baby Ethan with Kristopher, but Sim law is very clear. Tessa died without a will, so custody immediately passes to the father. However, she resolves to keep an eye on the child, for the sake of her friend.

Despite being distraught about the future of Tessa's son, things are going well at home. Leo is thrilled about becoming a father, and Lily can't wait to start planning the wedding.

The delivery goes seamlessly, and Lily gives birth to not one but two healthy babies. A boy arrives first, and they name him Paxton. A little girl comes along next, and Lily calls her Beatrix.

With the arrival of the twins, Leo decides that they need to move to a bigger house with more land. He wants a home that his rapidly expanding family can grow into.

While Grandma Dakota watches the babies, Leo takes Lily to see a house that he thinks might work. Lily immediately falls in love with the house's soothing blue color scheme and beach-y feel. Without delay, the new parents purchase the property and move in.

Dakota takes a much more active role in the lives of her grandchildren than she ever did with Lily.

A doting dad, Leo can't get enough of his daughter Beatrix.

For the twin's birthdays, Lily decides to throw a big party. Phillip shows up, and Dakota can't resist bragging to him about her beautiful grand-babies.

His daughter Matilda, now a teenager, makes an appearance at the celebration as well. Her neuroses make it hard for her to enjoy the party, but unlike her mother she at least made the effort of showing up.

In the background, Tommy Ottomas, a good friend of Leo's and a long time married man, offers the soon-to-be-husband some marital advice. The three women on the couch, all unmarried, complain about the lack of eligible bachelors at the party.

Soon, it's time for the cake! Paxton, the oldest, goes first.

He has Leo's gray eyes. Who he got the blonde hair from is anyone's best guess.

Beatrix inherits her dad's black and blue hair and his gray eyes.

Leo's daycare business has become quite the family affair. When Dakota isn't upgrading appliances around the house or cooking meals for the family, she spends her time helping out with the toddlers. Likewise, Lily enjoys bringing Paxton and Beatrix down to the daycare center to play with the other kids.

Lily finds herself especially interested in one of Leo's new additions. Kristopher recently enrolled Ethan at the daycare, and Lily can't help but fuss over the poor, motherless toddler.

Ethan and Beatrix play together at the blocks table. They seem to get along fairly well, even at this young age.

Despite his reservations about Kristopher, Leo takes a keen interest in Ethan and even helps teach the boy to talk.

With the wedding just around the corner, Leo chats with the toddler about the upcoming event. Lily's been so preoccupied with the twins that Leo has had to do almost all of the planning himself.

The big days arrives at last. While the groom and his best man Paxton relax together in the groom's suite...

The bride and her little bridesmaid Beatrix fight a severe case of cold feet.

The ceremony goes off without a hitch however.

And Lily and Leo are married at last.

The event itself is quite small so the happy couple is actually able to sneak off and get a few minutes alone.

Which is abruptly interrupted by a scathing glare from Dakota. Apparently, she doesn't think that whatever Leo is saying to Lily is appropriate for Beatrix's ears.

After they put the toddlers to bed that evening, the newlyweds finally get some proper alone time. It's the first chance they've had to really be together since Paxton and Beatrix were born, and Leo makes the most of it.


Challenge Notes:

So yes, Lily had twins. I was so excited I literally started jumping up and down. And Beatrix is for sure going to be the heir. I like her hair color a million times more than Paxton's. When he aged up with blonde hair, I was seriously like What. The. Eff. I even went into a new copy of Riverblossom Hills to see if Leo's adopted mother, Vita Blanche, had blonde hair. But no, she had gray hair. So, yeah, no clue where that came from, lol. Here are my rolls for generation 3:

Generation 3 Information:

Name- Beatrix West
Marital Status- Single Parent
Number of Children- 2
Primary Income- Firefighter
Secondary Income- N/A
Generation Goal- Awesome!
Miscellaneous Fun- It's so YOU

I have always wanted to roll the "Awesome!" generation goal, but I have absolutely no idea what to do for it. The rules state that it is "preferable" to do something related to your heir's career or traits. Her career is firefighter, and her traits, thus far, are brave, good, and athletic. Nothing obviously awesome about that. I will have to think long and hard about this one.

Anyway, I ended up doing the wedding at this butterfly pavilion. It was a DISASTER! I shouldn't have brought the toddlers, as it was such a mess trying to look after them. And the venue was very pretty, but no one actually bothered to sit down to watch the wedding. I think there might have been some routing problems.

And Ethan! I cannot wait for him to become a young adult! I was planning on letting Tessa and Kristopher have more kids, but then her death fit so well into the story that I couldn't resist. I am curious what their spawn looks like. So far, he's adorable, but we shall have to wait and see.

Chapter 8: The Distance Between Us

After decades of being an artist, Dakota decides that she's had enough. She no longer enjoys painting the way she used to, but before she retires she wants to create one last masterpiece. She paints a portrait of Phillip, the way he was when they first met. She tries to capture his gentle spirit in her painting, but in her opinion she failed miserably. She immediately sells the piece to the consignment store, happy to be rid of it.

And life drags on at the West household. The two women quickly find themselves falling into an easy routine. So long as Lily maintains straight A's in school, Dakota gives her full reign to do as she pleases, no questions asked. Likewise, as long as there are leftovers in the fridge and a tidy house to come home to, Lily leaves Dakota alone. The relationship suits both of their needs, so neither woman makes any effort to change it.

Dakota has become quite restless since Phillip left, and she finds herself frequently going out on the town. Tonight, she heads to the Downie, a local sports bar, to enjoy a few adult beverages.

As she stands impatiently waiting for her drink, she feels a pair of eyes on the back of her head. She turns around to discover Morty Roth, Lily's father, watching her. He grins at her and slowly walks over to say hello. She is surprised to feel a tingle of excitement in her stomach as he approaches, a cautious sense of anticipation.

They sit down at the bar together, and he orders her a drink.

"How've you been, Dakota?" he prods her gently. "It's been a while."

"I'm doing fine Morty. How about yourself?" She is shocked to hear a tone of tired defeat in his voice. He sounds much older than she remembers.

"Oh, I've been good as ever, I guess. Do you remember Stella?" he asks softly, referring to his ex-wife, Stella Roth.

Dakota nods. How could she forget? Stella was the reason Morty abandoned her, leaving her alone to raise their unborn child.

"She passed away last week, from old age." He sounds sad and empty as he tells Dakota about her death.

"I'm sorry for your loss Morty," Dakota responds. She doesn't really know what else to say.

After a few drinks, the conversation lightens up a bit.

"I heard about Phillip's marriage," Morty says.

Dakota laughs. "Who hasn't? Talk about wedding of the century. Well, for Riverblossom Hills anyway."

"I didn't go, but I heard it was very, uh, pink."

"It looked like a strawberry cupcake threw up on her dress," Dakota snickers. She doesn't handle alcohol well. She never has, really.

Morty finds it funny though and giggles at her snide comment.

"Dakota," he begins. "I want to see you again. Soon." Dakota abruptly stops laughing and looks up at him, searching his face for clues.

"Alright," she agrees after a moment.

"Really?" he sounds excited.

"Sure, why not? I'll come over tomorrow night, and you can cook me dinner."

"Done," he replies immediately.

The next morning, Lily decides to pay a visit to Phillip.

"Hey Phil!" she grins as she walks up to him.

"Lily!" He is always excited to see her, no matter how busy he is. "Come in! Come in!" he says as he ushers her through the front door. "The whole family's home today. Gina's upstairs doing God-only-knows-what but, ahah! Here's Matilda!" Lily can't help but notice how happy he sounds.

She picks up Matilda and gives the adorable toddler a little tickle. The child looks more and more like Phillip everyday.

"The house looks great Phil," she tells him earnestly. And she means it too. She finds the cheerful atmosphere in Phillip's home refreshing. The cold distance between her and Dakota feels stifling sometimes.

Next, Lily heads upstairs to say hi to Gina. Her mom may have issues with the woman, but Lily doesn't mind her so much. The fact that she's good friends with Gina's daughter Dolores doesn't hurt either.

"Wow, you're pregnant Gina?!" Lily's never been one to tiptoe around a subject.

Gina attempts a smile, but it looks more like a grimace. "Yes, pregnant one more time. We weren't really planning on having more children, but oops! Here we are again!" Lily laughs awkwardly, not quite sure how to respond to Gina's comment.

Gina proceeds to launch into a tirade about Lily's mother. Lily stands their patiently listening to Gina's rant, trying to figure out a polite way to excuse herself, when Phillip appears.

"Alright Gina," he laughs. "I think Lily needs to be heading home. Dakota might be worried about where she is."

"Oh, right." Gina stops, realizing she might have been a tiny bit rude.

Lily mouths "thank you" to Phillip, before hugging them goodbye and heading on her way home. Despite Gina's antics, she quite enjoyed her visit. She misses Phillip more than she could ever have imagined.

Dakota shows up for her date with Morty right on time.

"You know, I've never actually been inside your house before," she tells him. "It's a nice change."

He chuckles. "It's quite nice to have you here, darling."

Wasting no time, he grabs her hands. "I've missed you baby," he says smoothly. "I've been such a fool all these years, with you right under my nose."

Dakota's no idiot. She realizes the timing of his renewed interest is quite convenient. Lily's almost grown up, and that means no more child support payments (not like he ever bothered to pay them anyway). Furthermore, she knows that he's feeling old and lonely, especially since the passing of Stella.

And to be honest, so is she. Her life has been so bleak ever since Phillip left, and at times, she's wondered what's left that's worth living for. She finds Morty's attention gratifying, and his flirtations make her feel young again. So what if he is just using her? Perhaps it is time she used him right back.

He wraps his arms around her and pulls her in for a kiss. She offers no resistance, loving the way his lips feel against hers. It's been a long time since she's been with a man, and tonight she is feeling passionate (*cough* horny *cough*).

Before long, she finds herself in a rather compromising position.

The sex is as fabulous as she remembers it being, better even. She ends up spending the night with Morty, only to wake up the next morning to an empty house.

As she gets dressed and leaves, she forcefully reminds herself that she was using him just as much as he was using her. Still, she can't help but wonder why it hurts so bad then.

She arrives home to find a very angry Lily waiting for her.

"Where were you last night?" she demands.

"I was out," Dakota replies vaguely. She is in no mood to discuss yesterday evening with her teenage daughter.

"You were out?" Lily repeats, her voice dripping with anger. "You were OUT?!" she says again, her temper rising.

"Lily! Calm down," Dakota scolds.

"You want me to calm down?! ME?!" Lily screams furiously. "You walk in here like nothing's the matter and then you tell ME to calm down?! I spent the entire night worried sick about you, wondering if you were lying dead on the side of the road somewhere," she shouts. "And this is the thanks I get?!" she asks incredulously.

Dakota has heard enough. "What the fuck is your problem Lily?!" she yells. "I have given you everything! The past 18 years of my life have always been about YOU! And this, this is the attitude I have to put up with?!"

Lily looks at her mom speechlessly, her face twisted with rage.

"You are the biggest mistake I ever made," Dakota spits. "And I'm through with it. From now on, you're on your own."

"Fine!" Lily shrieks, not wanting to let her mother see her cry. "I'm out of here!" And with that, she turns and runs out of the house, the door echoing as she slams it closed.

That day, the West household sits silent and empty, except for the murmur of Dakota's quiet sobs.

Broken and alone, Dakota ages into an elder at dusk that night. She reacted so condescendingly to Lily's concerns about her own safety, yet now that Lily has yet to come home the table has turned. Dakota's dark imagination torments her as she pictures all the horrible things that could be happening to her daughter right now.


Challenge Notes:

So, this is not at all what I had planned for this chapter! I really expected to focus on Dakota and Phillip's relationship and then end it with Lily aging into a young adult and generation 2 taking over. But then, story progression threw a wrench in my master plan (which was merely a rough idea of what I was going to do with my story), and Gina got knocked up HOURS after her wedding to Phillip. Which honestly baffles me as I have the marriage to pregnancy setting on 3 days. Plus, Gina had only 1 day left in the adult life stage before becoming an elder.

But it's all good, because I really like the way this chapter turned out. When story progression tossed up that notification that Gina and Phillip were expecting, I seriously cursed like a sailor. Then, I sat there for like 15 minutes trying to decide my next move.

But back to the story! This chapter is very personal to me, as it focuses on Dakota and Lily's tumultuous mother/daughter relationship. My relationship with my own mom has seen it's fair share of ups and downs, so it was interesting getting to write about the problems a mother and daughter deal with. Although, I will say that my mother is nowhere near as mean as Dakota was to Lily.

Oh, and sorry if the ending seems rather abrupt/unfinished. I am working on my cliffhanger skills (and failing miserably), and I just wanted to stop the chapter before it got unbearably long.

Chapter 7: Wedding Woes

Phillip takes Gina to her favorite night club to propose.

Sanjay Ramaswami looks on with disgust. Gossip spreads like wildfire in Riverblossom Hills, and by now the entire town knows about Phillip and Gina's illegitimate child. Most people also know about Phil's feelings for Dakota. How could they not? He's been ogling her for years. With hushed voices, they whisper about the scandal, wondering what Phillip will do next.

Apparently, Sanjay disapproves of Phillip's decision.

As expected, Gina is thrilled. She decides to postpone the wedding until after the baby is born as she doesn't want to look fat in her bridal gown.

Phillip hangs around the lounge after Gina goes home. Before long, he's completely drunk. He finds himself staring dejectedly into his glass, wondering how he could have gotten himself into such a mess.

Over the next few months, day to day life around the West household becomes practically unbearable, especially for Lily. She knows that Phillip will leave as soon as the baby is born, and she feels like he's abandoning her. A typical teenager, Lily blames her mother for everything, insisting she's ruined her life.

Lily always assumed that Phillip and Dakota would wind up together. She grew up amidst the tension, the constant back and forth of their relationship, and she knew that her mom loved Phillip long before Dakota even knew herself. This unexpected change of plans infuriates her. Between her father's absence and her mother's tumultuous personal life, Lily no longer believes in love and romance. To her, it's just a bunch of crap.

"Hi Lily." Leo Blanche, the most popular boy in high school, walks over and sits on the swing next to her.

"Hey Leo," Lily responds casually. He may be one of the "cool kids", but so is Lily. He doesn't faze her one bit.

"So," he says, trying to sound relaxed, "I heard your dating Ryan Yokel."

Lily makes a face. "I was," she replies. "But I'm so over it. I dumped him yesterday when I found out he was flirting with the entire cheer squad behind my back."

"Really?" he asks enthusiastically. He clears his throat, realizing he doesn't want to seem too excited. "I mean, uh, really?" he says in a more subdued tone.

"Yeah. Can you believe what a jerk he is?!" she exclaims. "I should have guessed. He's a man after all."

"You know Lily," he says carefully. "Not all guys are like that. Some of us treat women with the respect that they deserve."

She glares at him. "Oh yeah? Like who?"

"Like me. If you gave me a chance."

She snorts her disapproval. She should have known where this was going. "Leo," she begins, the why-don't-we-just-be-friends tone in her voice.

"Come on Lily!" he persists. "Just one date. Please?" He casts her a pleading look, his big eyes full of hope.

She giggles at the goofy expression on his face. "Oh, alright Leo. But just one date!"

That Friday night, Leo takes her to the Reserve Tavern. They immediately hit it off over a game of darts.

"I'm totally going to whip you," Lily tell him.

"You wish," he counters, a big grin on his face.

Leo ends up throwing the match and letting her win. It was worth it to make her happy.

"I really like you Lily," he confesses as the evening comes to a close.

Lily is surprised by how much she enjoyed herself tonight. She always figured that Leo was just like all the other teenage boys she knows, selfish and stupid.

She kisses him in reply.

Over the next few weeks, Lily and Leo spend all their free time together. To the dismay of the many other girls at their high school, they become an exclusive couple.

In what seems like no time, Phillip's daughter Matilda is born. He immediately falls in love the little girl, despite his mixed feeling about her mother.

They set a date for the wedding, and Gina gets to work planning the event. She decides to have the wedding outdoors at the local park.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Lily quietly asks Phillip. It's the day of the wedding, and the whole town is abuzz with gossip about the big event. Phillip looks pale and anxious as he silently stands around watching the guests arrive.

Phillip nods his head, resolute in his decision.

Lily persists, "Because, you know I could totally whisk you right out of here if you wanted." He smiles at her tenacity, but shakes his head no.

"Well, alright," she sighs. "But, just so you know, Leo has the car ready and is standing by just in case."

The ceremony goes off without a hitch. They exchange rings, say their "I do's", and become husband and wife.

Despite Gina's harsh objections, Phillip makes sure that Dakota is invited to the wedding.

Dakota surprises even herself by attending. "I must be a masochist," she muses. Or perhaps, just perhaps, she wants to be there for a friend who has always been there for herself.

After the ceremony, Leo finds Lily standing alone crying. He comes over to comfort her.

"I didn't realize I would be this upset about losing Phillip," she weeps.

"It's alright Lily," he consoles her as he strokes her back. "You've got me now, what more could you ask for?"

She attempts a weak giggle but ends up hiccuping instead.

As the party winds down, Dakota decides to talk to Phillip one last time. She catches him right as he is about to leave.

"Congratulations Phil," she tries to sound sincere but is afraid she came across bitter instead.

"Thank you Dakota," he smiles. "That means a lot coming from you."

"The wedding was beautiful," she tells him.

"It was a bit pink if you ask me," he laughs.

Dakota looks shocked. "But you love pink!" she insists.

"Yes, but you can always have too much of a good thing." He pauses, and choosing his words carefully he says, "Listen Dakota, take good care of Lily, okay? I know she can be such a handful sometimes, especially now that she's a teenager. But she needs you. Now more than ever."

Dakota pulls him into a hug, trying not to let him see the tears forming in her eyes. "You really are the best friend a girl could ask for," she whispers to him, her voice thick with emotion. "I only wish I'd seen it sooner." She squeezes him tightly one last time, and letting the tears roll down her cheeks she turns around and walks away.


Challenge Notes:

I didn't really know where to take my story after the last chapter, so I decided to let the game decide. If Phillip's baby ended up being a girl I would let him go through with the wedding and if his baby ended up being a boy I would let him break off the engagement. When little Matilda was born, I knew it was fate's way of saying that Phillip needed to be with his daughter. And to me, it makes sense. I can't picture sweet, kind Phillip abandoning his only child with a woman like Gina.

So, yes, I technically broke the rules. It was a single parent with help roll, and I moved Phillip out before the generation was over. But Lily only has 5 days before she becomes a young adult, so I don't think it's that bad.

Also, I cannot tell you what a pain in the ass that wedding was. I had to play it three times through because of issues. The first time, I put the ceremony off so long that it was too dark to get any good photographs. The second time, Gina showed up and then left within five minutes. And then, when I called her to re-invite her to the party, she refused to come back! It's like, I know your fickle woman but come on! It's your freakin' wedding! I finally got it the third time through though.

If you don't mind, let me know what you think of Leo. I know everyone talks about the terrible plague of vanillas, and I'm not 100% sure what that means. Do you think he looks a bit too vanilla? Feedback on this issue is appreciated!

And here is a reminder of what he looks like as a teen...