Rose 2.79: This and That

     The Maker has decided to try her best to get my story going again, even with the crashing and error code 12's. I don't know what prompted her to do so, but I am glad.
     It is time for my little Stefan to age to child.

     The Maker took some pictures, but she freaked out her processor by keeping it in camera mode when little Stefan got the sparkles and was going to jump to child.
     The game crashed.
     We redid the aging up of Stefan, but she didn't take any pictures of that one. She forgot to take pictures of Stefan as a child.

     Mama does more painting:

     She is happy to see this painting again.

     While cleaning out Shauna's camera's inventory, The Maker found this picture taken a long while ago.

      Mama gets abducted by aliens.

     Neither the carpool nor the school bus were coming to the house for days. The Maker changed a few settings in MC, and something She did must've corrected it because the school bus FINALLY shows up.

     My nephew, Fiona's second boy Marquis, ages to child, and The Maker managed to get a picture! In fact, she took him into CAS because she hated the hairstyle he had.

Marquis Monty

Witch

     Just after taking Marquis into CAS, She spots Carmen walking by, pregnant! Skye is finally going to be a father. (again--but that save with Lorelei vanished with the hard drive meltdown)

     Mama worries me. She frequently cries about Papa.

     Shauna paints when she has a moment. Or... at least she pretends to as seen in this pic.

     Our parrot actually says Sul, Sul! 

     I am still so happy to be with my beautiful Shauna.

     "Would you two stop with the sappy love stuff?" Arlen stands next to us with a disapproving look. "You're grossing the poor kid out." He means Stefan.

     Stefan responds with his mouth full of food. "Don't care. Eating." He has gotten quite an appetite for a little boy. But then again, he is very energetic, burning off everything he eats.

     I decide to irritate Arlen for the fun of it. "Why shouldn't I show your mother how much I love her? Besides, she's such a sexy woman that I have a very difficult time keeping my hands to myself." I sigh in an overly-dramatic way. "There's no hope for me." I grab Shauna and kiss her like a madman right in front of the boys.

     "You both are disgusting," Arlen grumbles as he makes his way to the kitchen.

     I laugh against my beautiful wife's lips.

     My little flower is getting married!? She brings him by to meet us. Personally, I think the man isn't worth her, but she insists she loves him. At least I know the Costa family is a good one.

    And my brother Milo has a baby! Racheal is the 9th grandchild for Mama. When Carmen and Skye have their child, that will make 10, fulfilling a want she's had for a long time.

     Just as it fully learned Sul, Sul, our parrot dies.

     Time passes, and we live happily. Before we know it, it is time for Arlen to age up.

     How can this be that I am about to have three adult children? And my generation for the legacy is at its close.

     I worry what will happen now that the reigns of the legacy move to his hands. What will his evil trait mean for it?

     Shauna insists my son looks like me, and... I can see it now. Oh, I still see that awful Abbie in him as well, but he is without a doubt my son.

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And he'll break hearts.

Can we say hunk? How can he be like that and still have a babyface? Guess it's the Donovan in him.

Sorry this was a kind of info-dump. I just wanted to close out gen 2 so that I can really pick the story up with Arlen. He goes to university, and I can't wait for the drama to build. >:)

Updates:

-Stefan got the athletic trait

-Marcel Monty finally moved in with his wife Angela

-Athena Monty marries Cyrus Guthrie

-Rose is 116 days and counting

Skye and Carmen have a girl they name Krista!

I hate that I didn't make this more of a thing, but I was constantly worrying about my processor. My computer doesn't get hot, which is nice, but I still worry about crashing. That keeps me from doing a lot of things like going to another lot for a while to do a wedding, etc.

Remember Ron Frey? No? Well, he was the one in the very beginning who broke up with Rose, saying she was 'cheating' on him when they didn't have anything serious going. She's held a grudge against him ever since (as much as she can hold a grudge). Stefan is friends with his grandson Brad.

-Rachael age to toddler

Again, something else I didn't make a big deal out of: Lorenzo gets married! to a woman named Cosma DeLuca.

-Arlen gets the brooding trait.

Rose 2.58: Pretense

Backing up to just after Pedro died....
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Rose

     Pedro! He's gone! I can't remember what it's like to live without him! How did I manage it?
     I wander around for days. I still expect to come around the corner and see him in whatever room. Sometimes, I really do forget and think he's just somewhere else in the house. Then, Donovan reminds me, gently.
     Donovan takes over as the head of the household. I'm relieved to tell the truth.

      Giacomo sees me standing outside. I forgot why I came out here, but I greet him while he walks over. He tells me Florence died.

     "So did Pedro," I tell him.

     He starts spouting off cliches that are meant to make me feel better. They don't.
     "Rose? Did you hear me?" he asks.
     "Huh?" I ask back and turn to face him.
     "I realize this might appear crass and impertinent, but I only have so much time left..."

     He kisses me. Being kissed by another man feels so wrong! These aren't the lips I've grown used to, the lips I miss.

     I stare at him in shock.
     "Rose darling, I know it's sudden, but perhaps we could help each other. I may have loved Florence, after all, we had a child together, but I've always loved you more. May I finally have the chance I've dreamed about for decades?" he begs.
     That was a pretty speech, but I feel nothing. "Giacomo, I know you've loved me, and before I started dating Pedro, I was flattered. But I still love Pedro with everything I have even though he's gone."
     He takes a deep breath, and I know what I said stung.
     "I'm sorry," I say.
     He tries to smile kindly but fails. "I know. I know you are. If you change your mind, let me know. I'll never stop loving you, even if you can't return it." He nods like he agrees with himself, and then he says farewell.

     Taking a leaf out of Donovan's book, I set up a pretty memorial area for Pedro's ashes. This way, I really do sleep next to him every night.

     I start recovering from the loss of my husband, more in the 'here and now,' and my son disappears. He goes through another transformation, and this one is bad. He's often surly with everyone, even his children, and most nights, he comes home drunk if he comes home at all.

     I don't understand where he went, but I try to. His wife died. Camilla's b*tch of a mother left him. His father dies. Then, a wicked fairy leaves their son on our doorstep. Fairies: I've never trusted them, and now, I have one for a grandson.
     Lorenzo tries to get his Papa to act like he used to, but Donovan merely grunts responses to Lorenzo's never-ending questions and comments. Poor Camilla doesn't know what happened, and her little heart and mind can't figure it out. She avoids her father.
     Donovan never has anything to do with Arlen. It's like he doesn't exist. Wait. Surely not. It has to be that Donny feels tremendous shame every time he looks at him.
     My son has crawled into himself, and I don't know how to get him out!

     He ages up. We have a small party at home. I'm surprised. I thought for sure he'd have some big bash with all his celebrity 'friends.' Instead, he chooses to spend it with us. Accustomed to looking for emotion behind reflective sunglasses from my experience with his father, I see that Donovan, my child, is still in there. He loves his children, even Arlen, but he hates himself.
     I lie awake at night thinking and worrying. Then, fear runs through me when I hear a sound like someone is in the study! I'm being robbed!

     My fear turns to joy when I see who it is. Pedro!
     He turns to see me and smiles. "I didn't want to wake you."

     I attack him, crying. His freezing hands try to wipe my tears, but he mostly fails. It's strange kissing a ghost, but I don't care. It's Pedro!

     "How is everyone?" he asks.
     I tell him about the fairy grandson and my worries about Donovan. "I have to find a way to pull him back out."
     "You might not be the one that can do it," he suggests.
     "Is Tiffany...?" I can't finish my question.
     He shakes his head no. "I haven't seen her."
     I nod my understanding. "I'll figure it out." Then, I look at him and grin. Oh, it is so good that he can visit! "In the meantime..." I giggle.
     "I love it when you get that look in your eyes," he says and grins back at me.

     Ghosts can take showers? Who knew?
     If I thought kissing a ghost was strange, that's nothing compared to woohoo. I'm still satisfied, though.

     Lorenzo ages to teen. Donovan misses it completely. Later, Zo-zo (he will never outlive that nickname with me) straightens his hair in CAS.
     Before I know it, I will age to elder. I'm definitely not thrilled with the idea of looking old. I think I look old enough as it is, but everyone tells me I don't look a day over forty. They're sweet.
     What worries me is I have a teen, child, and infant in my care, pretty much solely in my care. When Arlen ages to toddler, soon, I will have real difficulty keeping up. If it were just Lorenzo and Camilla, I would probably be fine, but I doubt I can keep up with a toddler the way I used to.
     I need help. I don't tell Donovan about this, preferring to do this on my own, but I put in an advertisement in the paper for a nanny. Yesterday, a sweet voice called and asked if she could have the job. She has a little experience, but mostly it was the feeling I got while talking to her. I trust my gut instinct, and I invite her over for an interview.

     "Miss Stinson?" I ask when I answer the door to a blonde woman.
     She smiles a sweet smile at me. "Yes. This is the Robles house, correct?"
     "Of course! Won't you come in?"

     "Please, call me Shauna," she offers.
     I tell her she can call me Rose, and we talk about a job she had many years ago working in a daycare. My rational mind tells me that I could find someone with more au pair experience, but there again, my gut says I've just scored a jackpot.

     "So, tell me about your most recent job," I request.
     I hear about how she has an art degree, hm, and that her last job was an illustrator for a publishing company that mostly sold children's books.
     "Where did you get your degree?" I ask, my curiosity riling up like pressure in a shaken Coke bottle before it's opened.

     "Mrs Robles..." she says apologetically, deciding not to call me Rose. She pauses, and I silently wait for her to continue. "I don't want to go any further without telling you this, but... I went to university with Donovan. We dated."
     "You did?" I ask, and I hope the excitement doesn't show through my voice. Will this explain my gut feeling?!
     "Y-yes, and I...came to Monte Vista to see him. He's...not himself. He," she covers her eyes in her shame, "ordered me to leave Monte Vista, th-that he didn't want to s-see me." She lets out a huff. "You know what? I'll see myself out."

    I grab her arm and turn her around. "Whoa! Wait a sec. So...you saw Donovan last night, and he got so upset that he ordered you to leave?" I can't believe it! I think, and my inner self jumps up and down, clapping her hands like a little girl that's about to get a present. She nods, and I continue, "Donovan has..." How do I say it? "...definitely not been himself these past months. He's doing nothing but get worse. I don't know what else to do! Upset...He got upset. What kind of upset?"
     She blushes, and I hug her.
     "Mrs...Robles?" she questions because I'm still hugging her.
     "Please call me Rose," I say and stand back, holding her shoulders and grinning like a loon.
     "Mrs," she pauses, seeing my look. "Um, Rose, I'm afraid you still don't understand. I'm sure I would love to care for the children, but Donovan..."

     "Oh, don't worry about Donovan! I'll be the one that's hiring you. He can't say a thing."
     "They are his children."
     "And I'm their grandmother, who's been pretty much solely responsible for their care for quite a while now," I reason. "You let me handle Donovan." I can't stop smiling.
     She still wears the look of someone at confession. She whispers, "He kissed me."
     "I knew it!" I yell and can't prevent my happy dance this time. She looks at me like I've got a few screws loose. Maybe I do. "I had a gut feeling about you, Shauna, and boy, was it right!"

     "Mrs Robles!" she calls out in an authoritative tone then looks immediately abashed. "I'm sorry. I will not be hired for a job I'm under-qualified for. I found the advertisement and called you because I am chasing your son."
     I could kiss her, but...ew. "And I'm going to help you," I finish for her. My face splits in two with my wide grin when I see her jaw drop.
     I had a good feeling with Tiffany, and, other than the circumstances due to that bwitch, she turned out fine. I knew Willow was no good for him, and the run-in with that evil fairy woman was merely a further product of what Willow did to him. I have the best feeling ever standing in front of the blonde woman that my son kissed last night.

Click here to go to 2.59

Rose 2.32: Like mother like son

Rose

     My son walks up to me, looking like he wants to ask me something.

     "What is it, Donnie?"

     "Tiffany said something to me that has me wondering..."

     I'm so happy my little boy is going to be a father. I'm so proud of him! He has a college degree, a good wife, and is now going to be a dad! I hug him before he can finish his sentence. He grunts for a second before hugging me back. "I'm so happy for you!" He should know what I'm talking about: the baby.

     He's used to my sudden bursts of emotion. I can see him quietly laughing at me in his smile.
     "You were saying? You have a question about something Tiffany said?" I remind him.
     "Yes, only I don't know how to ask it. She said Papa told her I was just like you. Obviously, I look somewhat like you, but the way Tiffany said it implied more than just looking." I watch him shuffle uncomfortably until I finally get it. Oh...He means how we act the same too.

     I help him out. "You mean we act the same too." Of course, I heard from Tiffany about all the girls he was with during college. He probably doesn't know I know. And you actually look a LOT like your father. It's just hard to get past the red hair thing.
     "Yes," he says with relief, but I still get the feeling he wants to elaborate. "Not necessarily personality, but..."
     "Hm...," I say after he pauses for a while. "I guess you could say earlier lifestyle choices?"
     He looks at me as if seeing me for the first time. He's at the age when young adults realize that their parents are human too and can make crazy choices.
     I help him out some more. "I didn't want to settle down at all until I met your father."
     He blinks a few times. "I always pictured Papa..."
     I giggle. This conversation is awkward, but I don't mind. Donnie wants to figure himself out, I guess. "No. Not at least when I met him. Of course, remember, he's eleven years older than me, but from what he's told me, his focus was trying to support himself, not chase women."

     This has got to be hard for him talking about this with his mother of all people, but he sticks it out, probably getting to the real reason he has questions. "Is it bad that I was like that? Tiffany hated it, and she turned out to be what I wanted all along."
     "You took care of yourself, right?" He should know what I mean, no risky woohoo. "Were you falsely leading anyone on?"
     "They knew. We were all just dating for fun whenever we'd get together, except... except a few that I don't think liked it but went along with it anyway." He looks down and to the side, probably thinking of a particular person. It couldn't be Tiffany because she'd told me she did not want to 'go along with it' in so many words.
     "As long as you weren't out to deliberately hurt someone," I say.
     My mind goes back to Ron Frey and how he assumed that because we'd slept together that we were a committed couple. He was furious when he found out he was wrong and 'broke up' with me. It would seem my little boy has inherited that part of my personality.
     "Donnie, the important part is that you're committed to Tiffany now. I think it's wonderful. She's good for you, keeps you grounded like Pedro does for me."

     "I'm so glad you like her," he says and hugs me, acting relieved. Then, he tells me goodnight and walks out to the little cottage they built on the edge of the property.

     I walk over to our little study and see my Pedro typing away at the keys. In sim days, he's around a hundred and ten days old, but he doesn't act it except for occasionally complaining about his back. He blames that on his bad posture while he writes.
     I bite my lip to stop myself from tearing up with the thought that the Grim Reaper could come at any day to take him away from me. I know this is in the back of his mind as well, but we never speak of it. He only tells me he's left me a notebook with instructions on how to do the day-to-day things he currently takes care of. I've always let him baby me. I remember when he first found out our age difference how he would act overprotective. It got on my nerves at the time, but I figured out that that was merely one of the ways he shows he loves me.

     I hide my thoughts as I walk past him on my way to the easel. I finally finish Donnie's second portrait. I think I captured his essence on canvas. He looks thoughtful but like he could smile at any moment. Looking behind the easel, I don't know what I was thinking the days that I painted Tiffany's portrait. I should probably do another one, one that puts her in a better light.
     Pedro closes his book, turns off the computer, gets up, and walks over to me, wrapping one arm around me. "I like it," he says, looking at the new painting. I know he's not just saying that because he'd simply not say anything if he didn't. I turn and lightly kiss his lips. We decide to go to bed.
     On the way to our room, I say, "I just don't feel like a grandma."

     Pedro turns and wraps his arms around me as he says in a sexy voice, "You certainly don't look like a grandma."
     He's wearing those sunglasses again, so I can't tell exactly where his eyes go. But I have a few good guesses. He kisses me, but I pull back before he can take it very far.
     "Pedro, I'm afraid," I tell him, and I shake.
     His eyebrows come together. "What is it?" he asks in a lovingly concerned way.
     I bite my lip again to keep from crying. Unfortunately, this makes it harder for me to answer him. If I answer him, I will probably cry. How can I tell him I'm afraid to live my life without him?
     Understanding shows up on his face, and he pulls me close, cradling the back of my head. "I know," he replies. "I don't like it either, but that's the way it is." He lets out a sigh. "But that doesn't mean we can't enjoy being together right now."
     I remember the super-hot bartender from the days after I'd just moved here. He was always so serious, and I was desperate to really see that intense stare without the sunglasses. The way he'd look at me would make my insides melt. It still does.

     I let out a quick breath and arduously attack him. He responds immediately, clutching me tightly to him before he lifts me off my feet by wrapping his arms around my lower waist and standing up straightly. My feet dangle a few inches off the floor. I start to protest, worried about his back, but I can see even through the sunglasses that he's thinking, 'don't you dare tell me not to, Rose. I'm fine.' I'm thankful that at least I don't weigh much.

     I could say nothing's changed in the bedroom since Pedro became an elder, but that would be a lie. It's better.

Click here to go to  2.33