#sims3challenge #sims3legacy #sims3story #thesims3

Edmund was no stranger to solitude. Indeed, he sought it out. Solitude kept his thoughts from being drowned out other voices. Idleness created a place apart for him to ponder the eternal darkness of being.

Still, have after a few days of being confined to the house, even Edmund had enough. Edmund needed a plan to get his father to back off. As much as he hated to admit it, the traditional method would probably be most effective.

“Please let me off the hook, Dad!” he pleaded the next morning. “I learned my lesson!”

Dylan thought about it.

“I’ve probably been too hard on you son,” he admitted. “You are a good kid, and you’re growing into an upstanding young man. I know you just lost track of time at the library. But do keep in mind that even honest mistakes have consequence. Your mother and I were beside ourselves with worry when you didn’t come home.”

Edmund gave his father a chance to wind down, then jumped to the important part. “Does that mean I’m not grounded anymore?”

Dylan chuckled indulgently. “You’re fine, Edmund. Now go get ready for school.”

Edmund headed to the house before Dylan could find more wisdom to impart and ran into Andria watching from the other side of the garden.

Andria smirked. “A little humility goes a lot way with your dad,” she said.

“Dad’s never going to understand, is he?” Edmund asked. “I’m a create of the night. It’s in the magic that runs in my veins. I come home at night because he wants me to.”

Andria’s voice took a stern tone. “You’ll be responsible for yourself in time,” she said. “Until then, you must live by my and your father’s rules. That means you come home by bedtime.”

Edmund scowled, but he didn’t try to argue. While he was distracted, Andria threw something at his feet.

“Yow!” Edmund shouted. “Mom, what is this??”

“Elixir of bacon and eggs,” Andria said brightly. “Have a nice breakfast!”

One evening, while Sawyer was tutoring Gamora in advanced calculus, he got an unexpected phone call.

It was Dr. Emily Doctor, a resident at Ygraine Memorial Hospital with Sawyer. She wanted to meet to talk about something important, but Sawyer couldn’t figure out what. It didn’t seem to be related to an emergency at work.

“Can we take Connery out to play?” Gamora asked while he was trying to concentrate on the phone call.

That’s how Sawyer ended up taking his daughter and the family dog out to the dog park after dark in order to have a conversation with his coworker.

He found her standing by the ornamental fountain. “Thank you for meeting me so promptly, Dr. Doctor,” Sawyer said. “I couldn’t get a strong idea of your concerns over the phone. I hope you can give me more detail in person.”

(Note: Emily is descended from Chris Doctor, the Ninth Doctor Who simalike. Remind me NEVER to give a sim the surname “Doctor,” again.)

“I’m so glad you were willing to meet with me,” Emily said. “This isn’t the kind of think I’m comfortable talking about on company time. I’m having trouble with the new intern we hired this week, Rosalie Weaver. I caught her saying nasty things about me at the water cooler.”

Sawyer was taken by surprise. “I don’t think I’m the best expert to handle this problem,” he said. “I’m not terribly good with personnel issues.”

“Are you kidding?” Emily said. “I hear our colleagues talking trash about you at the water cooler all the time, and you always make them regret it. You’re the smartest person at this hospital, and everyone knows it. You’re even smarter than I am, and that’s really impressive!”

Sawyer stared at her. “Do you really see the value of my intelligence?” he asked

“Of course!” she replied. “It’s obvious. Just as obvious as mine.”

There, under the starlight, Sawyer saw his old colleague in a way that had never occurred to him before.

The stupid newsreel that ran on a loop in the waiting room.

And, of course, they had an endless stream of complaints about their awful colleagues, none of whom appreciated their brilliance.

“I have to go,” Emily said. “I have a 7am spleenectomy.”

Sawyer felt his throat constrict. “I’d like to see you again,” he said hoarsely. “I mean, I see you every day, but I’d like to see you again like this.”

He watched her walk away, his throat and chest still tight, wondering what the heck had just happened.

Then he realized that he’d completely forgotten he had not come to the park alone.

“Dad! How could you!” Gamora cried. “What about my mom?”

This evening was just filled with conversational segues that made no sense to Sawyer.

“Your mother?” Sawyer said. “She doesn’t want to see us. How can she possibly matter?”

“I want speak to my mom,” Gamora said. “I bet we can work everything out together.”

Sawyer sighed. “I don’t share your optimism,” he said. “Let’s go home and talk about it.”

Dylan pulled the van up in front of the Sample Estate. He stepped down from the driver’s seat, took Andria’s hand in his, and bent over it to kiss her fingertips. “Please accompany me, my lady. Our carriage awaits.”

Andria, caught by surprise, caught herself blushing. She hid it with a laugh. “Of course, my prince!” she said. “I go wherever you go.” She looked Dylan up and down — he was dressed in the tuxedo they had been married in, and it fit him surprisingly well.  “Just let me go change into something more appropriate.”

He took her to Serenity, the upscale dance hall where Dylan’s mother had often performed at the top of her career.

“You look beautiful,” Dylan said. “You’re beautiful in your overalls with dirt under your fingernails, but it’s still special to see you dressed up.”

“Wow,” Andria replied. She blushed again under his intense, admiring gaze. “I remember when you last worse that tuxedo. You look just as dashing in it now as you did then.”

“I brought some of my best nectar for the occasion,” Dylan said. “Lemon mead. It should be aged just right by now.”

Andria took the glass from Dylan and twirled it between her fingers.

“You put so much thought into this date!” Andria said.

“To many more years ahead that are as happy as the ones behind us,” Dylan said and clinked his glass to hers.

Suddenly, everything came into focus. Andria’s jaw dropped. “It’s our wedding anniversary,” she said.

“I haven’t wanted to put you under pressure,” he said, “but I noticed you’ve been distance recently. You’ve seemed restless.

“I’ve been thinking about what I said about being afraid that you and our children would leave me behind. What I said is true, but I think it’s incomplete. I think that fear is good for me. You have taken me in directions I would never have gone on my own. You have forced me to grow. I am a much better person because you are in my life. I want you to know that if you need to make more changes to be happy, I am ready to make them with you. You are, without a doubt, the most important thing in my life.”

“Now,” Dylan continued, “I have more in mind for this evening than drinking and talking. Come to the dance floor, my lady, and dance the night away.”

“You want to dance?” Andria asked. “We have a very bad track record with dancing.”

“I found the solution to that problem,” Dylan said. “I’ve been taking lessons. Come with me, and I promise not to step on your foot.”

“Lessons!” Andria cried. “Really? When?”

Dylan chucked. “You spend hours gardening,” he said. “It’s not difficult to take an hour away without you noticing. Come, let me show you.”

And he did.

“I love you,” Andria said.

“My heart is yours forever,” Dylan said.

And it was true.

———-

This post took forever to write. I’m not sure why I found it so difficult….

Andria’s midlife crisis ended on her wedding anniversary! That sounded like as good a sign as any that she and Dylan were going to be all right.

Dylan has Nectar Making at 7 or 8 at this point, and he’s using a minimum of “great” combinations. The wine he served was either Excellent or Perfect quality, and it STILL gave Andria a nauseated moodlet for the whole evening. I have no idea when you start making good wine with this skill. It’s possible that it wasn’t aged enough.

I fulfilled all of Andria’s Midlife Crisis wishes except the one to divorce Dylan. It’s hard to get anything other than “Barely Fulfilled.” Grr. Dylan was the only sim in Gen 6 to NOT have a midlife crisis. I assumed he would because he holds himself to such impossibly high standards. But I guess he really is content. That removes an expected source of drama from this generation, but it’s hard to wish discontent on the poor boy.

But more excitingly — Sawyer has found his soulmate! Holy crap!

I noticed at some point that Sawyer’s highest relationship on his relationship panel wasn’t anyone in his family. In fact, it wasn’t someone I hadn’t ever seen him interact with. It was this coworker of his, Emily Doctor, with whom he had a completely maxxed relationship bar. I wondered if I ought to do something with that.

Then, the good old dating system kicks in, and she calls and asks him on a date — to the dog park. So I decide he should actually go with the dog. Gamora came to play with the dog. She and Connery actually get along very well, though I’m not sure why I don’t have pictures of them playing.

I left Sawyer and Emily interacting autonomously, and they were *adorable*. They even flirted autonomously. Not a single failed interaction.

Here’s the big secret: I thought Sawyer’s biggest problem was being Socially Awkward, and I couldn’t figure out what to do about it. Two Socially Awkward sims together are actually worse than just one. But two DIVAS — they spend all their time whining and complaining, and it raises their relationship! Finally someone understands Sawyer!