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 4: Birthday Surprises

"Why don't you come to the park with us Dakota?" Phillip asks, a concerned look on his face.

"Phil," she says irritably, " I need to paint. Your farm hasn't generated a single simoleon, and my art is the only way we are able to pay the bills." She glares at him and gets back to work.

"But Dakota..." he trails off, realizing she's already tuned him out.

Phillip sighs and heads on his way. She's right after all. His plants do not seem to want to grow on Dakota's land, and they are struggling financially right now. But does she have to spend all her time painting? Lily is growing up right under her nose, but Dakota barely seems to notice.

At the park, Lily loves to play on the pink horsey ride.

So much so that when Phillip says it is time to go, she doesn't want to leave...

Phillip laughs at Lily's stubborn streak. "Just like your mom," he says with a smile.

That night after Phillip put Lily to bed, he makes an announcement.

"Dakota, I'm going to throw you a birthday party," he declares decisively.

"Phil," Dakota frowns. "I don't need a party. I'm fine to just stay home and work on my art..."

"No, Dakota. You need to get out of this house and have some fun," he pauses for second. "We both do," he adds. Phillip makes it very clear that he will not tolerate any arguing, but that doesn't stop her from trying. Finally, she reluctantly agrees to attend the party this weekend.

It's Friday, and Dakota arrives at the bar first, before Phillip or the other guests arrive. She looks over and immediately spots Morty, now a senior, sitting at the bar.

He approaches her, and she looks away uncomfortably. She has no idea why he is here or what he could possibly want.

"Hi Dakota," he speaks her name delicately, tenderly.

"What are you doing here?" she stammers out. She doesn't want to mess around with small talk tonight. It is her birthday after all, and she wants to have a good time.

"I came here to tell you something Dakota," he says, looking directly into her eyes. "I left my wife."

"You what?" Dakota asks, the gravity of his words not quite sinking in.

"I left her. Well, actually she left me once she realized that my heart belongs to another woman," he replies, the words smoothly rolling off his tongue. "I love you Dakota. I want to be with you. And with our daughter."

For a second, Dakota's heart begins to flutter. She remembers how she used to feel about him, how madly in love she was with him. She would have done anything to hear him say that, to utter those three magical words "I love you".

But then the anger returns.

"You abandoned me, Morty! Left me alone to raise our unborn child! You never pay your child support, never bother to come and visit Lily," she screams. "How dare you march in here and act like you want to be part of my life, part of Lily's life?"

"You're despicable," she says, her voice becoming eerily quiet. "Leave. Now."

"Dakota, I..." Morty begins.

"I said leave!" she says motioning toward the door.

"Fine Dakota, but I am not coming back!" he yells furiously as he storms out the door.

"Good," she mutters to herself.

The rest of Dakota's party goes off without a hitch. They celebrate at the Reserve Tavern, and Phillip even surprises her with a birthday cake.

"Hmm... What should I wish for?" she wonders.

She blows out the candles without realizing that the answer to her wish is standing right behind her shoulder...

Phillip is super excited that Dakota is getting older...

...Even if Dakota herself is a little less certain.

"A few new wrinkles, but I've still got it!" she thinks.

After the celebration, Dakota pulls Phillip aside.

"Phil, have you noticed who has been ogling you all night?" she asks, her tone playful.

"No, who?" Phillip looks concerned and begins straightening his shirt.

"Gina Porcina," Dakota replies with a giggle. "She just broke up with Blyth Smyth and moved back in with her parents. Looks like somebody might have a crush on you!" she teases.

"Really, you think so?" he asks her sincerely.

Dakota is a bit taken aback by how serious he looks. "Well, yes. But everyone knows she's such a flirt..."

Phillip considers for a moment. "I think I'm going to go over and say hello," he tells Dakota. He glances over at Gina. "She looks pretty cute tonight, don't you think?"

Before even waiting for Dakota to answer, he heads over to Gina and starts up a conversation

As the party begins to break up, Dakota goes looking for Phillip. She wants to share a cab home with him, but she hasn't seen him all night.

She stops dead in her tracks, stunned by what she sees in front of her. Phillip has his arms around Gina in an intimate embrace. From the smeared lipstick on his face, she can tell they have been kissing.

"Ahem," she clears her throat.

He jumps back, surprised to see Dakota standing there. "Right," he stammers out, obviously a little embarrassed. "Dakota, you know Gina," he introduces them uneasily.

Dakota fakes a half-hearted smile in Gina's direction. "Phil, we better get home. Nice to see you Gina," she says coolly. And with that she turns around and struts out the door.

Phillip wishes Gina a good night, gives her one last peck on the cheek, and runs after Dakota. He doesn't quite understand what just happened back there, but he sure knows he doesn't want to piss Dakota off any further.

Challenge Notes:

Tried to do a bit of a cliff hanger there at the end, but I'm pretty sure I failed miserably. I always have a problem with being too predictable.

The birthday party was a fun scene to play, with Morty showing up and Phil's romance with Gina. Poor guy, he was so desperate for romance. (Yes, I am totally personifying the pixels on my computer screen. Deal with it! :D) Gina seems nice, and she already has a child with Blyth, so I don't mind using her for Phillip. Besides, who knows what will happen? ;)

I didn't mention it before, but Lily traits are party animal and clumsy. I didn't get to choose (Dakota's pregnancy was rough) but I'm happy with them. Clumsy Sims are adorable, in my opinion.

Chapter 3: Morty's Tactic

A quick trip to the doctor confirms her suspicions... She is pregnant, and she is terrified.

She hasn't heard a word from Morty since their last date, and she knows deep down that he isn't going to leave his wife for her.

Surprisingly, she is more upset that Phillip hasn't called. She misses him, and she desperately wants to talk to him about what is going on. He always seems so steady, and she could really use some stability right now.

Depressed and alone, Dakota decides to bite back her pride and give him a call. She says she needs to talk to him, but she doesn't give him any specifics. He agrees to come over that afternoon.

She has barely begun to show, but Phillip knows right away.

"Phil, I'm pregnant," she says before he can ask any questions. "It's Morty Roth's child. It has to be. I haven't seen anyone else since him."

Phillip stands quietly in front of her, looking sad and tired.

"How long have you known?" he asks quietly.

"Only a few weeks. Phil, I can't do this." She looks at him with pleading eyes. "Help me. Please. There is no way I am ready to be a single mother."

Phillip sighs and gazes back at her. "Alright Dakota," he says softly, with the same resolve in his eyes that she witnessed the first night they met. "I'll help you. You have my word."

Relieved, Dakota's words start flooding out. "Phillip, you have no idea how clueless I am. I don't know how to take care of a baby! One time I tried to care of an egg, for one of those parenting classes in high school," she rambles. "And I broke it. An egg, Phil." Her face pinches together, and tears begin to pour out of her eyes. "I don't want to break my baby!" she wails.

"You're not going to break your baby," he soothes. "It's alright, Dakota. I'll move in with you, temporarily. To help with the baby."

She freezes. "You will?" she asks, her lips trembling. "But... But, I've been so mean to you lately, and what about your farm?" she looks up at him with weepy eyes.

"You're more important to me than my farm," he says matter-of-factly.

"Oh, Phil!" She grabs him and pulls him close, hugging him tight. "Thank you," she says.

Phillip's heart begins racing. He loves the touch of her skin against his. She is so close he can smell the faint aroma of lilac coming from her hair. She leans into him, her chin resting on his shoulder, her face next to his.

"You know something Phil?" she whispers, her warm breath tickling his ear.

Phillip inhales sharply. This is it. He thinks to himself. This is the moment that she tells me she loves me too.

"Y-yes, Dakota?" he chokes out.

"You are the best friend I've ever had," she squeezes him tight, and then let's go.

Friend. The word hangs in the air like a metal balloon. It can't be popped, and it doesn't want to float. Phillip feels the air whoosh out of his chest. He can't speak for disappointment, so he forces himself to fake a smile.

He moves in the very next day, leaving behind his only source of income, his farm. With the extra money Phillip brings to the household, they are able to expand the upstairs to add two more bedrooms: One for Phil and one for the baby.

"How are you feeling Dakota?" Phillip asks cheerfully one morning.

"Huge," Dakota grumbles.

"And how's our little munchkin doing?" he asks, happily patting Dakota's quickly growing belly.

"You're far too sunny this morning," she tells him. But she can't stay mad at him long when he looks at her with that great big goofy smile on his face. She laughs in spite of herself.

"I am going to head down to the park to get some inspiration," she announces after breakfast. "I can't get any ideas for my next painting," she lies. She called Morty last night and asked him to meet her at the park at noon. She doesn't want Phillip to know who she's going to see.

"Alright. Catch you later?" He smiles at her warmly.

"Sure, Phil," she says as she walks out the door.

"Why am I here, Dakota?" he asks. He doesn't even bother to say hello.

"It's about the baby Morty," she replies defensively.

"Yeah?" he says with an edge in his voice. "What about it?"

"Look, Morty. We haven't talked once since the night this happened," she says motioning to her stomach. "I need to know what is going on with you, where you stand on all of this," she explains calmly.

"Where I stand on all of this?" Morty exclaims. "You want to know where I stand?" he asks, the anger slowly rising in his voice.

"Well. Yes," Dakota responds, confused.

"You seduced me," he shouts. "You made me cheat with you. Then you wind up pregnant with our child, and you spread it all over the tabloids."

"Morty!" Dakota cries out, shocked at his accusations.

"So, naturally my wife finds out about it," he continues furiously. "How do you think that makes me look, Dakota?" he yells.

"Morty, it wasn't like that..."

"You are an embarrassment. You are the biggest mistake I ever made," he snarls. "Get out of my life. I never want to see you, or it, again."

And with that, he leaves. Dakota stands there alone for a second, dumbfounded. Then finding her voice, she murmurs to her baby, "I want you. What do we need him for? We've got Phil to take care of us." She smiles at the thought.

To cheer herself up, Dakota decides to take Phil to the salon for a much needed makeover.

"Just don't put me in high heels," he begs as she ponders what look to give him.

"No. No, I've got something better in mind," she replies, teasing him with a wink.

"Very nice, Phil," she tells him. "You clean up well."

"Thanks for choosing the pink shirt. I really love it."

"Well, I know how you adore pink," she giggles.

"Hey! There is nothing wrong with the color pink. It's totally uni-sex," he replies.

"And it looks excellent on you," she says seriously.

As they are about to leave, Dakota goes into labor.

Like any first time parent, Phillip completely freaks out. When Dakota politely reminds him that he needs to take her to the hospital, he finally snaps out of it and calls a cab.

Surprisingly, Morty shows up to the hospital in time to see his daughter born. Unfortunately, he was thoroughly drunk and couldn't put together a coherent sentence. Hospital security ends up forcibly ejecting him due to his unruly behavior, and he leaves before even getting to hold his newborn daughter.

Dakota names her Lily.

Over the next few months, Dakota wraps herself up in her art. She sleeps, she eats, and she paints.

Phillip takes over the responsibility of caring for the newborn. He adores Lily. He has always loved children, but he finds himself growing especially attached to Dakota's daughter. Besides, he thinks she looks just like her mother.

In no time, it's Lily's first birthday. Phillip convinces Dakota to throw the baby a big birthday party. It's nothing fancy, but a lot of the neighbors show up to wish Lily well.

Lily becomes a toddler! She has her mother's hair and eye color.

" The monster is coming to eat your face!" exclaims the batty old lady (Betty Goldstein) to a terrified Lily.

"Waaaahhhhhhhh!"

"Lily, she was kidding," Dakota tries to explain.

After the party, Dakota returns to her art. This is her favorite piece so far. She calls it "Morty's Tactic". She decides to this one for herself.

Challenge Notes:

I named Dakota's daughter "Lily" for two reasons. 1) It happens to be the name of the main character in one of my favorite novels, The Secret Life of Bees. 2) The lily flower symbolizes innocence, purity, and beauty. I thought it would be virtues that Dakota would want in her daughter. I love naming, so I will probably blog a bit about why I chose this name or that name. :)

So funny thing happened when Lily was born. Dakota and Phillip were at the salon, just like in the story. She goes into labor, and I direct Phillip to take her to the hospital. I figured it would make a good photo op to have the two of them pull up together and have him drop her off. But no! Phillip goes into the hospital with Dakota, with the icon thing saying "Be with Mother". He comes out with her, and they both head back to the house, just as if he was the father. Furthermore, he gets the "Gurgling Baby Girl" moodlet, as if he was Lily's father too!

If that is completely normal, then I apologize for my excitement. But I don't remember ever having anyone besides the father go through that whole thing. It was funny, because Morty showed up as well. It was like some odd, twisted love triangle. Which, I guess it is... Lol.

Also, I actually invited Morty to come to the party. He and Dakota are technically still friends (actually, they are technically still romantic interests, but I don't know how much longer that is going to last), so he showed up. I invited like 6 other guests besides him, and they all come into the house, and start eating my food, sitting on my furniture, using my toilet... The usual. Except Morty refused to come inside. He is not enemies with Phil or anything, so I thought it was odd. Then he just up and leaves the lot.

Lol, I find autonomous Sim behavior fascinating, so I'm sorry if I am boring you. But isn't it funny though how they always do something you don't expect? Like actually behaving helpfully?

Anyway, here is my generation 2 roll.

Generation 2 Information:

Name- Lily West
Marital Status- Couple
Number of Children- 1
Heir- First Born
Primary Income- Stylist
Secondary Income- Day Care
Generation Goal- Fulfilled
Miscellaneous Fun- Partier