Goodbye

Water Melon (approximately 34), Demi Love (unknown age- previously a Service NPC policewoman)

One of the last times we heard or saw anything about Water Mellon, it was revealed that he's actually Gabe's biological father. With Gabe being approximately 17 in human years, that means Water was approximately 17 when Gabe was born. Water most likely has no clue that Gabe exists.



Time: Right before the Summer Festival




"Demi." Water stood in the door way before her with his arms crossed stubbornly as if he would not let her pass. She hadn't expected him to be home during the middle of the day. For the past few weeks, he had been skipping lunch at home. His excuse had been that he was working late at the studio, and then heading into the restaurant right after.

Demi dropped the suitcase on floor with a thud. She was thankful that the children were already gone at a safe place even though she had never known Water to be violent. If anything, his crimes were simply loving too much.


"What're you doing?" Water's voice was tense and high in his throat.

Demi could hear the words in her head as clear as if she had spoke them. "I'm leaving you," she wanted to say with a lift of her head and a false bravado that she knew would break in the taxi on her way out of town.

Instead, Demi brought her hand to her face and pressed her fingers to her lips. Her eyes remained dry as if she hadn't really begun to believe she was doing it. As if she were simply taking a vacation with the girls and would be right back.

Water smoothly glided to her and wrapped his arms around her. "Demi Demi," he whispered in her ear. "You can't do this. Don't you remember all the trouble I had finding you the first time?"

If Demi could laugh, she could cry. She stiffly allowed him to hug her.

"I had to call the police station until you showed up at my door. Do you know how much money I spent on fines? Even today, you know they won't come if I call..."

Demi stepped back while slipping her ring off her finger. It wasn't a real wedding band. They had never had a real wedding. Water hadn't even loved her enough to marry her. She put it into his hands and closed his fist around it.

With suitcase in hand, Demi walked around him as best she could. She almost didn't make it; she was ready to give in, but she reached a second wind that helped her push past Water and step out onto the lawn in front of the house.



Water followed her out to the front lawn, but he did not try to grab her again. "Demi, what about the girls? Where are they? Demi?"

Demi's voice hardly sounded like her own. It rang clear and true in the clear afternoon. "I'll call you." She stepped into the waiting taxi refusing to look back.

********

I'm a little late posting this. I was sort of waffling about this or writing something on the spot, but since this is basically a prelude to Fall, I figured I should stick this in here. This is just part one. Two more parts to go.

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A Simmer's Survey

Just because I find this stuff fascinating! I'll be starting next week with the actual storyline for Fall (I think I've been in summer now for something like two months), but in the meantime, I'd like to get to hear more from other players about how they play either Sims 2 or 3.


How closely do you pay attention to the personality points in TS2?

What is your favorite way to play? (Curled up with a laptop on a weekend day? Sitting at a desk in the evening while watching TV?)

Do you like to keep records? (And my follow up would be what you keep track of.)

Do you still play "the game" or do you use it in other ways (like story telling or playing through stories rather than playing to ensure your sims get their LTW)?

How often do you play and for how long?

Do you read a lot of simming blogs?

Do you have anything you're curious about?

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Fine

Alberta didn't bother to invite Gabe into her house and Gabe didn't bother to ask. She simply held his hand as she ascended the stairs and opened her door with her free hand. They sat down on the couch together in front of the TV they also didn't bother to turn on.

Gabe wrapped an arm around her. "Thank you. Sometimes Kate goes too far."



His lanky hand gently squeezed her arm, drawing her close to his side. She couldn't help smiling widely though the blood under his hand rushed into her ears. They were alone, and he was so close. The urge to run her hand up his shirt and feel his chest was as impossible to ignore as it was to actually do. Frozen with indecision, she didn't stop him when he pulled her into his lap.

"How are you doing here, Alberta? Really. I worry that you wouldn't tell me if there was something wrong."


"I'm fine. Really." She tried her best to smile sweetly even as a part of her brain shouted, "I told you so!" The last thing she had wanted was for either of her friends to worry. It had been a secret worth keeping. She was in no trouble financial or otherwise.

But Gabe's words from the festival came back to her. "I can't keep secrets from you two," he had said with a glance in Alberta's direction. She could still remember his brown eyes glinting with concern as he said it as if he were trying to pass along a hint.

Gabe sighed even as he smiled at her. "But you promise you'll tell me if anything is wrong?" He pulled her close to hug her, one hand running down her side to press gently on her lower back.


Alberta burried her face in his shoulder and closed her eyes. His soft musky scent mixed with the salty smell of the sea that lingered on both their clothes. Under her fingers, she felt the smooth muscles of his back tightening as he gave her a small squeeze.

Her days were generally about silence, especially now when school was out of session. Alberta found that she often had to leave the house just to find some company. Gabe and Kate were generally both busy-- Gabe watching his little sister and Kate helping her father at the spa on the hill. Now that he was here, Alberta wanted to ask him to stay. She didn't care about the "game" that Ily had explained to her-- she would give him anything he wanted to have him stay the night with her so she wouldn't have to be alone.

Words seemed to sit on her tongue filling her mouth until she felt she couldn't breathe. She didn't know the words to say. The silence between them was already too long. Her hand gently ran over his chest. "I'm fine," she said softly watching her hand work its way towards the bottom of his shirt.

Gabe's hand on her waist gave her a soft squeeze as if to hold her at a distance. As her fingers lightly dipped under his shirt, his stomach muscles became tense. She wasn't sure what came over her then. Alberta leaned foreward despite his hand on her waist holding her back to delicately explore his lips with her own. He melted then, drawing her close and responding to her gentle exploration with ferrcious experience.

It seemed a while before either of them pulled away, and even then it was Gabe who pulled back first. He sat still for a moment as Alberta wondered what she had done wrong. Did she not compare to the other girls?

When he did speak, it seemed he was as much at a loss for words as her. "Alberta, I don't want you-- I mean we don't have to--" His hand tensed on her waist again; this time he was definitely holding her back. "Just promise you'll tell me if something is wrong."

She nodded, holding it together long enough to softly promise. "I will."

There wasn't much more to say. Gabe pressed his lips to hers, gently hugging her bottom lip with his soft lips. His kiss broke into little ones that ended with a last kiss on her forehead and made them both laugh. "But I do have to go," he said slightly apologetically.

"I know." Alberta stood up.


Gabe stood before her with one last glance before he reached out to run the back of his hand down her cheek. "Remember you've promised."

At his gentle touch, she almost didn't succeed holding back as well as she had moments before. She could only nod this time, and hope it would be enough.

It seemed to work, he smiled at her, then went to the door with a playfully protective, "Make sure you lock the door."

******************

I had one of those moments that I most recently remember Carla mentioning where my sims totally surprised me. I had Gabe selectable in the house, and I pretty much just let them do what they wanted for a while. They stripped down to their undies and cuddled on the couch for a second. Then with no help on my part, both changed back, stood up, and he reached over to caress her cheek.

These last two entries were actually from one play session that was supposed to be all about Alberta. I do think she's lonely; she shows up all the time on community lots and I usually see her getting talked to by Tristin Stratton. (Stay away from the cult, Alberta!) But it seems to be all in her head. She has two great friends who would do anything for her if she would only open up and be honest with them.

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Fireworks

Gabe and Kate had been playing a harsh game of Red Hands when Alberta got them a table. The set up for the Summer festival was much simpler this year. Just some good simple meals cooked by an actual chef, and fireworks along the beach. Alberta sighed quietly as Kate and Gabe continued to poke each other with verbal barbs casually tossed out like normal conversation topics.


Alberta didn't dare tell Gabe or Kate that she felt out of place. Although she had to admit that sitting at the table with the two of them bickering felt right. If she closed her eyes, she could almost believe she was one of them and deserving to come to their celebration.


Gabe casually glanced around. "Wow, they sure kept it low key this year." He glanced back at the make shift stove behind them and froze.

Even Kate looked concerned when he turned back around and tried to bury his face into his menu. "Uh, what's wrong?"

Gabe looked at Alberta while biting on his lip. "All right," he said much too quickly. "But only because I can't keep secrets from you two. Don't look, but the guy who's cooking-- he's my actual dad."

Alberta glanced over Gabe's shoulder at the man quickly cooking the food at his station. She couldn't see much of him at all besides his black hair and his pinstripe suit.


Kate turned around in her seat to look. "Water Mellon? Isn't he the guy on TV? Seriously?"

Both Gabe and Alberta hissed her name. She turned back to the two of them with a shrug, "What's the big deal? Does he know? You should say hi. Or send me and Alberta in, and we'll say hi."


"I don't really feel like meeting him right now."

"You'll never feel like meeting him." Kate waved a hand in the air as she turned to Alberta. "He's actually very shy despite being a natural jerk."

"Kate..."


It was time for Alberta to step in again. From time to time the bickering between Kate and Gabe became serious enough that Alberta would step between them. It required a loud voice, a heavy hand, and some quick thinking to have a suggestion ready to distract the two of them when they became serious like this. "HEY, the sun's about to set. We should head down to the beach. The fireworks are going to start soon."


It seemed to be enough to call a silent truce between the two. The three stood and walked down to the beach without glancing back at Water Mellon.

**********

Our Independence day just passed, and I didn't get to go see any fireworks. Usually, one of the local cities puts on a firework display, and since I live in a bay, you just go to the beach and you can see the show they're putting on across the way. But the one city that does the fireworks show couldn't afford it this year (a sign of the times).

So I had to do a summer festival. I really had Water buy the lot and place the fireworks before I realized that I was going to take Alberta and Gabe down to the beach. Woo for attention to details, but some good simple cooking sounded like fun.

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Be a little bad

Ily and Kate's older brother came to visit. He dropped by early in the morning after a call saying he was bringing a friend.

Everyone had hoped he was bringing his girlfriend, Ashley Stratton.


No such luck. In a cruel prank on his little sisters, he brought home the creepy mascot guy.

"Awww..." He said, his voice muffled by the huge llama mask. "You have some zits; you must really be stressed about goin' to college. Here, a hug will help. We're just one big family there."

"No, really, that's okay." Ily stepped back, but he continued after her until she shoved him away. Was he really the mascott of her college? Really? So now in addition to all the other challenges college students face, she will have to worry about this bozo too?


Ethan and his friend stick around for a while, louging around the house until after dinner when they head off to their hotel. And once Ily and Kate's parents go to sleep, Ily turns to Kate with a mischevious glint in her eye.


"Let's sneak out! These are my last days to be a kid."


"Are you serious? What if we get caught?"

"Hey, every teen deserves to be a little bad. Once you hit college, it's all about responsibilities. You're practically an adult!"

For a moment, Ily worries that Kate won't agree which would leave Ily all alone. Sneaking out on her own seems a boring proposition. She has no where she could go alone. And what if some creepy dude, like the Llama mascot, steals her or something?


Then Kate smiles, and the plan is made.


They start out their night at the little cafe in the slummy area of town. There's aren't too many sims visiting the cafe; most likely they're all at the bar down the street.

Still, there is a stage. "You should go up and sing." Ily shoves Kate towards the mic.

"No way. Right now? With no music?"

Ily sighs in faux exasperation. "Fine. If I get up and do something, will you go and sing?"

Kate laughs. "You're going to do what? Make up poetry on the spot?"

Ily does not back down from a challenge. And it's all for the good of her little sister who needs to take more chances in life. Ily doesn't like the way Kate silently sighs over her lost love. She's only 15, going on 16. She should go out and have some fun.

The poem is horrible. Running through Ily's head when she starts are the words, "There was a little butterfly..." and so she runs with it. Kate sits in a seat cringing and trying not to laugh.

But Kate does stand up before the mic and sings a song of her own creation. Her voice carries throughout the room drawing the attention of the few people who are sitting down with their expressos. A few even clap as Kate takes a bow.


Ily's will always be her sister's biggest fan. Even when there's a cute guy over at the cafe stand serving the coffees.

Eventually, Ily suggests they head over to the park. Ily never played on a play ground before. When she was little, they didn't have things like this. Not until they came to this new land.


But even then, Ily doesn't play so much as sit and think while Kate swings on the swingset.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ily watches the silent green house across the street. She feels slightly stalkerish sitting this close to his house, watching for movement from the windows.

It's already past 2:00am and the restaurant would be closed by now. He'd have already come home, kissed his daughters good night, and laid down in bed next to his girlfriend.

Ily knows she is still young, but there are other things she does know.

Like the way Water Mellon talks mostly of his daughters and never of his girlfriend. The way she watches him flirting with the ladies who visit the restaurant. And the way other ladies look at him when he's pretending not to notice.

It's just a crush, she reminds herself. She's worked for him for the past year as a hostess at the restaurant. But then who could really blame her?

Ily glances over at Kate. "Ready to go?" Kate relaxes on one of the swings, probably day dreaming to herself.

"Yeah, let's go."

There are things that Ily knows but without knowing. Like she can't be sure that Gabe Mellon really is Water Mellon's son. It could be a strange coincidence that he looks just like him. And does it really matter? It's not any of Ily's business if Water Mellon started his relations early and had a kid before he even made it to college. It's none of her business whether Gabe or Water know.

This is one situation that Ily would best stay away from.

******************

This was written on the fly and wraps up a few story ideas I had with Ily that I never could turn into an actual story.

After dinner at Gabe and Rich's house, Ily was following Gabe around. She even followed him into the bathroom at some point, and I was wondering what she was doing. She wasn't flirting with him, just following him to talk while Rich and Alberta were blissfully unaware in the game room.

I sort of forgot until just now while writing this that Ily works for Water, so I mentally made a note (a bad idea all around) that she's noticed that Gabe looks suspiciously a lot like Water. And Ily has a big ol' imaginary crush on Water. (Who wouldn't? He probably talks about "his girls" all the time while flirting the night away.)

There are other sims, one specifically that I can think of, who would also probably notice that Gabe looks familiar, even if they can't place why.

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Now that's a party!

The whole Mellon clan came over to the house for Hobart's birthday. And by "whole" I mean just those who are on the outskirts living off the land. Aden Mellon of course couldn't make it. (His excuse was something lame about Elizabeth needing rest after the wedding.)


Hobart is actually pretty handsome for having the natural in game genetics. Big noses don't bother me. (And I've actually seen larger on the Stratton males.)


I thought this was cute. Somehow I've never had a boy sit down to play with the doll house and not thrash it. He sat down and was doing the voices for the characters while next to him, Nectarine, his niece (or possibly nephew, I can't remember), chews on a dolly.

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Tax Season 2

Elizabeth Kauker was last featured in the Uncertainty storyline. She had been a townie who haphazardly fell for Aden Mellon (son of Lucy Hanby, someone Elizabeth figured would understand her predicament). Townies don't age unless one of my playables make them real, and Aden seemed to want to help.

Along came Green Mellon, the legacy heir, smelling of coffee from all nighters spent working on writing his romance novels and swept her off her feet. He and Aden left on break to visit their families, and when Green returned, he was a different man altogether. Their relationship was over (on his end only apparently) and Elizabeth has no idea what happened. (But we do.)

This family's last post

Elizabeth felt as if Aden's eyes were fully noticing her for the first time since they had left college.

"You look beautiful," he said simply.

"Thank you." The words fell out awkwardly. They meant nothing, hers and his. Maybe it was just her nervousness; maybe she was just thinking too much.

"They're waiting. Shall we go?"





Elizabeth and Aden stood under the rented arch in their backyard. Aden's family had not come. No, they were not invited. Aden made excuses, explaining that the wedding was being put together too fast to make the arangements to get all his family out and together. As a compromise, he told his mother they would come out to visit as soon as they could.

But Elizabeth had a feeling that Aden was deliberately leaving his family out of the ceremony. She had no proof, just a gut feeling that he was getting more into his politics career than he was into supporting his family and his formly a service NPC mother.

Glancing through the loose strands of her hair, Elizabeth glanced over at Green and Amanda Mellon. Green had married her right away after he left the college. Elizabeth tried not to think on it. Aden had invited Green with the excuse that they were old college buddies; it couldn't have anything to do with Green's status.

The other couple invited were Aden's boss, Richard Mellon, and his wife, Genesis.

Elizabeth tried not to notice that he almost fell asleep during the ceremony. Thankfully, Genesis poked him in the ribs with her elbow when she noticed.


They leaned in for their kiss as the sun slipped behind the mountain. Elizabeth closed her eyes just as the applause started first from the far corner where Genesis sat and then over to the side nearest Elizabeth where Green and Amanda sat.


The party then moved indoors. Though Elizabeth hardly made it past the kitchen.

*******************

Lately I've been doing a lot of thinking. And reading this site.

Aden and Elizabeth don't have to pay taxes. Those working for the city don't pay, so Aden was always exempt. And since Elizabeth is now married to Aden, she doesn't have to pay either.

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