Not so Berry Behren

[wfgodot]

Not So Berry Legacy Challenge

Here's a few things about this challenge:

I've started it while I try to figure out what to do about my 1000+ photobucket images in my Behren ID story.

I've had Benson sitting and doing nothing for at least a year now, so this is a good place to put him to use.  He really is Luke's brother, saved from when I spent a great day playing in CAS and messing with genetics quite a long time ago.

The neighborhood is a copy of a file I play for fun.  It has all my favorite sims in it.  Many sims and old townies from my Behren dynasty, and many others I've played with but haven't shared... And with permission - also sims that belong to other people.  So there will be cameos!  And if anyone wants in on it, just let me know.  The neighborhood also has all my builds and remodels.  These are all available on the gallery with the tags #wfgodot and #carlsguide.  My origin ID is maice.

I'm probably not following the rules exactly, because I'm keeping aging off for unplayed sims.  That way people won't die and I won't have to repopulate.  Because darn it, I need my Behrens to stick around.  Also the game started off on a Thursday, I assume because it was a copy of an already existing world.

Credits"Windenburg Train Station" by katiecooper1993

The Spiffendale family... @FrancescaFiori

Gen 1

Mint:  Benson Behren

You’re a mischievous scientist that really loves the color mint. You’re career driven but still make time for silly pranks and outings with your closest friends. You love luxury and want the best for yourself and your family.

Traits: Vegetarian, Jealous, Materialistic
Aspiration: Chief of Mischief
Career: Scientist

Rules:

-Complete career and aspiration
-Master mischief and logic skills
-Complete elements collection

[wfgodot]

Chapters

01.  The Hour of Fruitcake 02.  Jokes on You 03.  All From the Same Tree

[wfgodot]

Luke had never talked about his brother.  He was already a young adult by the time Benson was even born, and he had bigger things to deal with.  He’d been wrestling with his plans for a dynasty, and had been thinking about his future career and family, and the house he’d build from scratch.  He’d only even seen Benson a handful of times - he'd barely interacted with his family and his roots since moving to Willow Creek.  There wasn't time.  And time was weird around here anyway.

Still, growing up, Benson had often thought about the brother he barely knew.  Every now and then his parents would get a letter, or some pictures - and Benson had always intently studied whatever it was.  Luke's ever-growing house, Luke's many friends, his wife, his kids, his grandkids.  His space adventures and cool astronaut outfit...  From a young age, Benson knew - he wanted that.  And the moment he blew out the candles on his birthday cake, he pulled out the phone and gave Luke a call.


“I want to start something,” he’d said immediately, not bothering with a proper greeting.
“Okay… and what’s that?” Luke asked him mildly. 
“I’m not sure yet.  But something.”

Of course, Luke was eager to help and see his brother experience the wonders of success and starting a family.  If nothing else, losing loved ones over the years had shown him how important family was - and Benson was family, even if they barely knew each other.  Travel arrangements were made, and that same evening Luke headed to the Windenburg Train Station to meet his brother.

It had been so long since they’d seen each other that Luke didn’t even recognize the kid at first.  And Benson didn’t recognize the old man, either.  The two of them did a simultaneous double-take.




Luke suddenly erupted, “Benson!”  and then, “Wh-… what have you done to your hair?”

(It used to be brown.)

And his second thought was, he could be me.  They looked a lot alike, and he wondered how he didn't recognize Benson instantly.




Benson just laughed it off.  “Oh, you know.  I kind of have an obsession with mint lately, I dunno why…”





How mysteriously convenient, thought Luke, taking in the green hair, green jacket, green shorts.  Even Benson's shoes were green.  Green, green and white.  Minty indeed.  Luke smiled at him.  "You're a good candidate to start a Berry family," he mused aloud.

"But I'm not a berry," Benson told him.  "And I don't think mint is a berry either, if that's what you're getting at."
"It's not," said Luke knowledgeably (he was an expert gardener, after all).  "Then how about a Not-So-Berry family."
"Well, that's all right, then," Benson decided.

Pleased that his very first suggestion was a success, Luke threw his arm across Benson's shoulder and led him away from the station.  “I’ll even buy you your first house,” he said, showing off just a little.
Benson replied, “That’s great!  Let's make it a big one, eh?”




And so Luke did, and it pleased Benson’s materialistic soul.



“Thanks, Luke.  I'm going to have to get some more green in here, but it's a start.”
Luke looked at Benson - unshakable in his love of mint, it seemed - and muttered, “Still not sure what’s so great about it, though.”
"Yeah?"
"Mint," Luke clarified.
“Well, it has no meat in it, for one,” said Benson smartly.

Luke raised an eyebrow.  “Oh man,” he moaned.  “Don’t tell me you’re a vegetarian.”
“Guilty!” Benson announced brightly.

Luke could only stare at him, try to imagine a life of eating only salads and vegetables and yogurts, but only managed to think of juicy steaks and juicy burgers, BLT's and... well, and yogurt, because he did eat an awful lot of it at one point.  "I don't know how we're even related," he said to Benson.  He wasn't trying to be mean - he was simply a foodie. 

Benson only gave a shrug.  "What do you think of changing to green counters?  There's new ones out now, thanks to Parenthood."
"I think it sounds like a lot of work," Luke said.  "Blue is nice."
"But blue is not minty."
"Sometimes it is," Luke pointed out.  "When it comes to toothpaste, or gum, or mouthwash."
"Yeah, but not THIS kind of blue," grumbled Benson.





It was only after Luke pointed out the many generations that would come - and the fact that they definitely would not all think mint was so great - that Benson agreed not to do any drastic redecorating just yet.  And with that, Luke wrote down everything he knew about starting a Not-so-berry family, and cheerfully prattled on about how doable the requirements were, and how he'd struggled with his own.  Benson tried to listen, but it was slightly overwhelming - and then Luke threw his arms around Benson, said, "It's good to have you here," and left.

And Benson suddenly felt very alone.  He looked at the list and decided to get busy - the first thing he did was join the Scientist career.  He would report to work the next day, and that was that.  Benson looked around, drummed his fingers on the counter, and then decided to go outside.  It was there that he discovered a group of dying garlic plants.  He hadn't been intending to take up gardening, but since he had nothing else to do anyway...

After all, perhaps one day he could find some sort of mint bush to plant.




He finished, and was dusting off his hands when he spotted a fellow strolling down the sidewalk across the street.  It was Cam - Cam, he'd recognized from photos Luke sometimes sent.  He thought it was lucky to already have the chance to come across another relative of his, and not even long after Luke had left.  He jogged across the street to introduce himself.

Cam, he had Luke's eyes, but the rest of him was all his own.  He must look like his mother, Benson decided, and he smiled tightly and offered his hand.

“What’s up!”
“Sup,” said Cam, shaking his hand all business-like.
“I’m Benson.  I just moved in...  I’m starting a challenge.”

Cam couldn't help but give a little smirk.  “Yeah, I know who you are.  A challenge?  Good luck, man.”

It was the lofty, dismissive way he'd said it that caused Benson to falter.  His smile disappeared, and he stared at Cam and wondered what he'd gotten himself into, what Luke hadn't told him, what would happen if he actually failed.  In all of his grand plans to do something big, that was one thing he hadn't thought about, it hadn't even dawned on him.  He'd seen only Luke's successes, and had been smitten, and now...

Cam seemed to read the look on his face, and he laughed.  “Just stay away from the doctor career,” he said helpfully, giving Benson's shoulder an encouraging nudge.

Benson brightened, pleased to have good news to share:  “Oh no, that’s supposedly fixed now." 
In contrast, Cam darkened.  “Figures.”
For whatever reason, Cam wasn't happy with the news and it was obvious.  Benson hastily added, "Well, I'm already starting tomorrow as a Scientist, anyway," and Cam seemed all right with that.





From there Benson spotted a group of people making their way to his front door.  "I'd better go," he said to Cam uncertainly. 
Cam gazed at the distant visitors.  "Ah," he agreed, and he laughed.  "Yeah!  Enjoy the fruitcake."   And he went on his way, breaking into a jog and still smiling.  Benson wasn't sure what that was supposed to mean... but he returned home, grabbed a snack, and checked out his visitors.  He watched as they knocked on the door.

All but one did, anyway - while his comrades were gathered on the porch waiting to be invited in, this fellow wandered Benson's way.

"Hey," Benson greeted, but Morris walked right past him.  "Oh.  Okay then.  Straight to the refrigerator, eh?"




Morris seemed uninterested in speaking to Benson at all, at least not until he'd checked out the little outdoor kitchen.  In fact, he only seemed to notice Benson after he'd turned around to make a drink.  He studied Benson and took in his green hair, looking a little stern.  Benson thought the man definitely had a sophisticated air about him, and he thought it would be smart to just stay silent and let Morris speak first.  Morris momentarily looked away when he dropped a few ice cubes into a glass, but soon looked at Benson again.

“You’re doing a challenge,” he finally stated. 
"Yeah...?" said Benson, a little intimidated.
“Well," Morris sounded satisfied.  "We can give you some advice with that.”

Benson smiled at him.  “Stay away from the doctor career?”  It was a good guess - he thought it was at least, and he thought he was pretty funny as well.




Morris just looked at him and slowly stirred a few ice cubes around.

“On second thought I’m not giving away any secrets,” Morris suddenly said airily.  “At least not until you’ve watched me do… THIS!”

Benson, who occasionally tripped over his own two feet (and he didn't even have the clumsy trait) thought Morris's trick was pretty impressive.  He said as much, and Morris seemed pleased.  He even inclined his head in a slight sort of bow.  He finished the drink, and placed it in front of Benson.

Then he held a hand out and announced, "Now for the hour of the fruitcake."




Looking in the direction indicated, Benson spied Otto (now THAT was more of a minty sort of blue).  And in his hands were what could only be the fruitcake Cam mentioned.
Morris seemed to be waiting for a reaction.  Benson muttered something vague about how it looked like a party in bread form, and tried to sound appreciative about it.

"...But I really do need to work on my logic skill," he added quickly, before Morris could hand him a plate.  Then he winced - what a lame excuse - and quickly gulped from the glass Morris had given him.  From behind it he eyed the fellow, hoping he hadn't been offensive.

"Of course," was Morris's simple reply.  He did know a little something about skilling after being part of a dynasty himself.  "Of course.  You know, Thaddeus is a bit of a logic whiz."  He helped himself to a hefty slice as he said it, and with the first bite it seemed any thought or awareness of Benson at all had disappeared.  His eyes fluttered closed, and Benson guessed he was thinking, more for me, then. 





That's how Benson ended up at a level 3 in logic so quickly.




Of course, it was only two o'clock in the afternoon.  One can't gulp drinks as Benson had done and expect to make it to a decent hour of the night.  And Thaddeus was relentless, and Benson ended up tired and silly and exceedingly confused.

"No," said Thaddeus.  "Only Knights can jump.  We've been doing this for three hours now."
"Right," Benson laughed.  "Which one was that again?"

Thaddeus's hand flew to his head, and Benson mumbled something about the bathroom and slipped away.  But what he'd really wanted was a nap.  It was a long day and a long trip, he'd been up all night just traveling.  He didn't want to be rude to his guests - but Morris was definitely enjoying his fruitcake and Thaddeus was still pondering chess moves.  The other two were chatting with Morris, and Benson thought perhaps they wouldn't notice - and he certainly didn't mind if they wanted to hang around despite his absence.

He climbed into bed - it was calling his name.

And somehow, Morris noticed. 

"Guess we're not wanted here," he said.  He took one last bite of his second serving of fruitcake and then indicated they should leave.  They did so, and Benson's relationship with each of them quietly deteriorated into the red zone.  They were not enemies, and remained acquaintances - apparently just not good ones now.  With the exception of Thaddeus, anyway, who had somehow managed to strike up quite the friendship in the few hours of mentoring.  If he was offended by Benson's action he didn't really show it, and he remained stationed by the chess table.





At eight o'clock, Benson woke up.  He'd almost forgotten his guests, and they weren't his first thought as he'd blearily wandered outside, digging the heels of his hands into his eyes.  He remembered when he came across an impressive sized collection of dirty dishes.  He looked around, but they had definitely left.

"Really!" he said irritably.  He flung his hand towards the mess and stomped, indicating to no one in particular, and staring around accusingly.




That was when he noticed Thaddeus, still mentoring even as the rest of his family had gone home.

"A little help, man?" asked Benson hopefully.
"Thanks for having me.  I really should be going now," replied Thaddeus, as if suddenly realizing he was supposed to leave hours before.  He hurried away, looking over his shoulder.

So, by himself, Benson savagely gathered the dishes.  Normal sims order pizza on moving day, he thought.  Normal sims don't even have their dishes unpacked on day one.  Normal sims save the fruitcake for Christmas and bring casseroles for easy meals.  He resolved to order pizza within the week, perhaps only to prove to himself that he was still normal - even though this idea to start whatever he'd started was beginning to seem crazy, and it hadn't even been twenty-four hours yet.




Evening had well set in by the time the place was tidy again.  The shadows were long and lonely and a little intimidating, and the sunlight was pink, and Benson almost just went back to bed again but instead wanted to try to do something productive before the day was done.  He decided to visit his brother, see the house and meet the family, perhaps get a little advice he hadn't bothered to ask for sooner (because all he'd really done at first was talk about mint).  And he might be able to nick a few dragonfruits - in his letters home Luke had written all about the garden that supplied most of his income.

So he found himself standing in front of a familiar old house - one he knew only from pictures - but it looked exactly as it always had, and he smiled.  And then he saw the garden.




“Well, Luke won’t mind,” he said, and he helped himself.  Sure, maybe he got the house for free - but the bills would be massive, and it would be a long while before his income caught up.




When he’d taken several of the fruit, he finally ventured inside to meet his brother’s family.

“Is that a dragonfruit in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me,” said a fellow called Rocco.
So Benson introduced himself, and told him about the challenge.  How he had to max logic, and complete his aspiration of Chief of Mischief.

“Oh, Cam’s done that one,” Rocco said helpfully.  “Maybe he can give you some pointers.”




Benson was amazed by Cam, and since they'd already met once on the street, the guy felt familiar and friendly.  This was somebody who could help him, Benson realized. This was somebody who'd already done exactly what he was trying to do, who could maybe give advice and help him out.  He tried to reach out and relate by starting a preposterous rumor - but Cam didn't fall for it and seemed to understand that Benson was pulling a prank on him.  Nobody likes that, especially not a master of mischief himself.

Even Rocco wasn't convinced - understandably, having spent all his time around Cam, it would require more than Benson's amateur attempts to fool him.  He stared dully at Cam, making his boredom obvious until Benson eventually trailed off uncertainly.

“The boy needs help,” Rocco muttered under his breath to Cam, like Cam was the only one in the room who mattered.  It was kind of annoying.  It made Benson feel a little left out - strange, because he barely knew the two anyway.

"What'd you say?" Benson demanded, with a bit of threat in his tone.  It surprised even him - he wasn't normally aggressive - but his mischievous interaction had apparently spiked a slight mean streak, made him suddenly edgy, dangerous, reckless.  It had been a long day, and it was overwhelming, and perhaps he was still a tiny bit juiced, but he was definitely tired and already aggravated by the mountain of dishes he'd had to deal with.

"Easy," said Cam instantly - he sensed aggravation, and he raised a hand to fend it off.  But Rocco threw Benson an incredulous look - he seemed annoyed that somebody had dared to question his words to Cam, dared to butt in, to stand up.  He brushed Cam's hand aside.




"I said 'Boy, you need some HELP.'"  Rocco's hands sailed through the air in exasperation.

When Benson clenched his fists is when Cam stepped between the two.  "All right," he snapped at Rocco, who fell silent - but it was Benson he ushered out of the room.

They stood by the front door, and Benson glared at Cam.
Cam looked apologetic.  "He's just a grumpy old guy," he offered.  He reached for the doorknob, and Benson understood.  They wanted him to leave.

Indeed, Cam was holding the door open for him, and as Benson stepped out of it he said, "Yeah, he is," and then he added, "What a waste of a day."




He experienced the very worst the next morning, when he thought about how silly he must have sounded.
It made him wish the ground would simply open up and swallow him whole.  At least then he wouldn't ever have to face Rocco again.

"That was embarrassing," he said to his fruitcake.
"You certainly are," the fruitcake responded, or at least, that's what Benson imagined it would say if it could talk.  (And it looked like it just might.)

[oshizu]

"Not So Berry Behrens"! I love the title of your story. The family name follows so smoothly, it must be destiny!

Luke, shame on you! Not explaining to Cam that Benson is his uncle! Benson is VERY cute! (I especially love his sad little face in the last shot.)

So wonderful to see so many familiar faces again! And, since you love to build, what a fantastic idea to place your creations around the simverse!

Benson's crib looks massive for a single sim, so I'm very curious how or if he plans to increase the household size.
Great start! I've missed your storytelling and look forward eagerly to the next update!
<3

[FrancescaFiori]

Yay for Berry Behrens! Poor Benson looks so forlorn eating his fruitcake alone. I hope things look up for him soon. I'm a little shocked Luke and Cam weren't more friendly, but I can't say I'm surprised that Morris stormed off after his fruitcake was rejected. Oh, Morris. So fun to see him and the other guys again. It makes me so happy they're living on!

Also not surprised Benson got shut down for trying to get in the middle of The Bromance to end all Bromances! It's all about Cam and Rocco, dude. That's just the way it is.

So he's Materialistic, Vegetarian, and . . . Mean? Interesting trait choices! Or are they random? Either way, he's going to be an interesting sim to watch. Looking forward to more!

[MarianT]

Sorry to hear about your 1000 pictures in photobucket, but glad you're still around. I love it that your founder is into mint. And it was nice seeing @FrancescaFiori's Morris again.

[wfgodot]

"Not So Berry Behrens"! I love the title of your story. The family name follows so smoothly, it must be destiny!

Luke, shame on you! Not explaining to Cam that Benson is his uncle! Benson is VERY cute! (I especially love his sad little face in the last shot.)

So wonderful to see so many familiar faces again! And, since you love to build, what a fantastic idea to place your creations around the simverse!

Benson's crib looks massive for a single sim, so I'm very curious how or if he plans to increase the household size.
Great start! I've missed your storytelling and look forward eagerly to the next update!
<3

I'm glad you like Benson!  I know, Luke didn't really explain much, just kind of took it all for granted.

It's really fun seeing all my builds in the backgrounds!  I've decided to move every new generation out so I can have a chance to play in some of these.  Not all, because some of them are already occupied, but maybe I'll just have to build more.  It will be fun.  But I'm not planning on increasing the household size in any way except by marriage and offspring.  Helpers aren't needed for this one, so he'll remain the lone occupant of the gigantic house for now.

Yay for Berry Behrens! Poor Benson looks so forlorn eating his fruitcake alone. I hope things look up for him soon. I'm a little shocked Luke and Cam weren't more friendly, but I can't say I'm surprised that Morris stormed off after his fruitcake was rejected. Oh, Morris. So fun to see him and the other guys again. It makes me so happy they're living on!

Also not surprised Benson got shut down for trying to get in the middle of The Bromance to end all Bromances! It's all about Cam and Rocco, dude. That's just the way it is.

So he's Materialistic, Vegetarian, and . . . Mean? Interesting trait choices! Or are they random? Either way, he's going to be an interesting sim to watch. Looking forward to more!

He's Materialistic, Vegetarian, and Jealous!  These are the traits assigned to him by the challenge (I assume because they're all green in color when you look at the little icons) - but I'd love to go for squeamish over vegetarian, that one's so fun.  The only thing vegetarian has done is make it more annoying to choose meals.

Oh well, the guys are old and crabby   They'll redeem themselves.  And besides, he was about to go after Rocco!  What could Cam do but kick him out!  Rocco would have deserved it, to be fair.

I'm glad you enjoy seeing the Spiffendales, they keep turning up everywhere.  They live right across the street so they're always walking past, and turn up to all the public lots I send Benson to.  Otto played chess with him for a while at the park, and Thaddeus is pretty much his closest friend and calls daily to ask to hang out.

Sorry to hear about your 1000 pictures in photobucket, but glad you're still around. I love it that your founder is into mint. And it was nice seeing @FrancescaFiori's Morris again.

Thanks!  After I saw your comment, I realized it's probably closer to 2000, and likely even more.  I had somewhere between 110-120 chapters, and nearly all of them hit the 25 picture limit.  It's going to take weeks just to download everything, and then months to upload it elsewhere and sort out which pic goes where and replace links.  I'm not sure if it's worth it at this point.  I might have to let that one go.

Glad you liked seeing Morris though, it's so fun seeing other sims hanging around




On day two, one of Benson's coworkers at his new job told him they'd been working on a new food serum.  Andre led him to a table and motioned expectantly to an empty vial.  "Any insight you can give us on that project would be great!"

Benson looked from Andre to the table nervously, even with a bit of disbelief.  It was his first day as a scientist, and they were nuts to turn him loose mixing chemicals like this.  And on something to be ingested by others, no less.  He had no idea what he was doing.  He wanted to say as much to Andre, to warn him of the impending screw up that was bound to happen, but he couldn’t.  He was grateful he’d been hired for the job, and it probably wasn’t smart to make his new employer regret hiring before he’d even really started.

So he swallowed, squared his shoulders, and nodded as Andre told him to get to mixing and see what he could come up with.

Andre must have known the look on his face well, because after a moment he chuckled and said, “Just see what happens.  It’s not like any of us have never caused anything to explode before.”

He walked away and left Benson to it.  Benson studied an empty vial skeptically.







That explains why they have a shower here, thought Benson.  On the plus side, it was where he had his first breakthrough.





It was a bit of an embarrassing mishap, but nobody laughed and nobody said anything and he hadn’t gotten in trouble.  It was true - they’d all done it.  And when Benson returned from the shower, no worse for the wear, he was directed instead to the microscope to study the ingredients he’d used and see where he might have gone wrong.

“We grow all the plants here, so go collect some slides,” Andre said.  So Benson did, and looking at the small microscopic designs was far less stressful than mixing plants and chemicals, he thought, and he lingered for as long as he could.




But he couldn’t avoid doing additional work forever, and Andre eventually dragged him over to the invention constructor - a rather friendly robot.  Just to get to know how it worked, Andre handed him plans for a Momentum Conserver - and it was easy, and Benson thought he and the robot made a great pair.  He had no idea whatsoever what a Momentum Conserver even was, but he enjoyed turning it on and off, anyway, and it was fun to look at.







For the most part, Benson’s first day was good and he managed all his objectives - but he didn’t get a promotion.

So while he wandered around and dug up minerals to work on his elements collection, he stewed on it and his mind went back and forth between his first day and exploding serums, and finding minerals, and the way Rocco had spoken to him, and the way Cam had kicked him out…

And is this another stupid capsule, again?




Benson gave up on digging after four in a row.  He sold them all - unopened.

Instead he headed to a park to play a little chess in the hopes of coming across somebody who might mentor him - though he wouldn’t complain at all if a nice young lady were to wander by either.

He played until the sun set and it got colder out - sometimes another sim joined him, though they didn’t usually stay long.  He played until he was starving, but luckily he’d had a piece of fruitcake in his pocket.  He played until Cam eventually wandered near with his hands shoved in pockets of his own.  In a stroke of silliness, he wondered what Cam kept in his pockets - it probably wasn't fruitcake.  It was probably only his hands.  He looked up when Cam stopped beside him.

“Ho, Benson,” said Cam quietly, as if the night before had never happened.
“Hey,” was Benson’s flat response, and he offered nothing more and looked back to his game.
Cam studied him, and then asked, “Are you mad about last night?”
“Of course I’m not mad.”   He was, though he’d never say so out loud, and especially not to Cam or Rocco.

Cam was quiet, but then he offered to mentor the chess playing, and Benson agreed to that and by the time they headed home near midnight, the two were good friends.





Cam looked at the big house, shook his head.  “All for one guy,” he mused.
“I know,” said Benson, guessing at where the conversation was heading.
“You need a lady,” Cam told him, predictably.
“I know.”

“There’s a flea market tomorrow,” announced Cam then.  “You’re invited.  You know how ladies like a bargain.” 

They’d scope out the scene together, Cam said - surely, they’d find somebody.  If nothing else, perhaps Cam could introduce him to some people.  Benson appreciated the invite, and agreed to meet Cam there, and then Cam was gone and he was alone in front of his big empty house.  He sighed and went inside - but he felt much better about everything.




Benson arrived early at the Flea Market, so he made use of his time by trying the food.
It was spicy, and his face said enough.





But then Cam showed up and announced, “I’ve brought Rocco along, too.”
“Great,” Benson replied, trying and failing to sound enthusiastic.  He'd actually been looking forward to hanging out with Cam.

“Oh come on,” said Cam.  “I know you two can be good friends.  You just started off on the wrong foot is all.  You can’t hate him forever.  Besides, he knows about girls.  He knows them.”

“I don’t hate him,” Benson insisted.  “I just don’t think he’s very nice.”

Cam only shrugged.  “Sometimes, he’s not.”





But sometimes he is, and Rocco proved it by pulling Benson aside a few moments later.

“So about the other night,” he said awkwardly.  There was a long pause, in which Rocco did much fidgeting, and Benson stared expectantly.
“Cam said you’re just a grumpy old man,” said Benson, finally, to fill the silence when Rocco trailed away.

Rocco laughed loudly, relieved at the break in tension.  “I guess there’s no point in denying it.  Sorry about that.”

“No problem,” said Benson.  He couldn't resist a little tease - Rocco didn't act his age, and it was amusing to remind him of it.  “It was after your bedtime, eh?”

“It definitely was.”  Rocco raised his eyebrow sarcastically, but his smile and his laugh were real, and Benson couldn’t help but grin back.  To change the subject (nobody wants to discuss their age, after all), Rocco said, “And now to find you that special lady,” He scanned the crowd as if she would magically appear.

If her were being honest with himself, Benson had to admit… nobody here really appealed to him.  He supposed the bargain hunting girls weren’t exactly the sort his materialistic self desired. 

“Maybe the nightclub would be better,” Rocco, who had a lot of experience in getting to know new women, suggested.  He'd been watching Benson's expression carefully.  “But you’re on your own for that one.  I’m too old for nightclubs.”




While at Discotheque Pan Europa, Benson struck up a very interesting conversation with a girl called Catalina.  She claimed to be Rocco’s mother, and Benson had already been drinking a little bit, but still, he was relatively certain that that was impossible, as Rocco was an old man and Catalina still looked like a young adult.

“I’m actually just a regular adult and not a young one,” laughed Catalina, “But thanks for the compliment.”

“But Rocco is old,” insisted Benson, slightly worried.  Luke had told him time was weird.  But time really was weird.  Weirder than what Luke had said.   Weirder than what he’d actually taken seriously.  Weirder than weird, and it made no sense.

Another fellow who introduced himself as Goopy overheard the odd conversation, and suggested that perhaps Catalina was a vampire.

“There are vampires here?” asked Benson in disbelief.




“Yes, there are,” said Goopy.  “Rumor has it if you talk about them enough, they just might pay you a little visit at night.”

“Well then let’s not talk about them,” said Benson quickly.
Catalina announced, "For the record, I'm not one."



He didn’t remember making it home, but at some point he did.  He had to sneak in past an odd looking fellow who was snooping about the yard.





Benson woke up in an awful mood the next day, and of course, only just before he had to disappear for work.  But the sun was shining brightly and it’s warmth felt good, and so instead of going directly inside to screw up another serum, he decided to dig out some of the rocks he’d found around the fence.

While he did so, he thought about the previous night.  Goopy mentioning vampires, and then the strange pale guy who was creeping around outside his house.

He felt much braver when he wasn’t juiced, and he thought maybe he might ask around about the guy and see what he could learn.  After all, one doesn’t normally just let a stranger peek in their windows in the middle of the night and get away with it.





“Looks like a rough night,” remarked Andre.

“I can’t remember much,” Benson told him.  “But can I have a crystal?”




Perhaps Andre felt sorry for him, or maybe he’d done a better job than he’d thought he had - or maybe even the fairly decent job he’d done his previous shift was taken into consideration (minus the explosion, of course), but somehow, somehow, Benson returned home with a promotion and a bonus check.

And then Cam and Rocco came over to hang out.

“Congratulations,” said Cam.  “But we’re here for more important things.  Change your clothes, the Humor and Hijinks Festival is in town!”

Benson really only wanted to go to bed after the wild night at the club.  He hesitated.

“If you want to level mischief, this is the way to do it,” Rocco said pointedly.

“All right,” agreed Benson, not wanting to be on Rocco’s bad side again.



But he’d made sure to bring a salad in his pocket - which, it turned out, was rather smart (although totally an accident).  None of the food stalls served vegetarian-safe dishes.  Benson couldn’t hide his disappointment as he ate a boring leftover salad from home.





The very first thing Benson did was let one rip.

“Are you serious, man?” he asked loudly, and plugged his nose. 

Dominic was sitting nearby, and he looked around at Benson’s voice.  He realized that there really wasn’t anyone else around besides him, and then he suddenly looked horrified.  “That wasn’t me, dude!” he said quickly.

It did smell.  Dominic withered, and Benson grinned.





“You’re on the jokesters’ side, aren’t you,” he said in a suspicious tone, and with narrowed eyes.

Dominic tilted his head back and smiled.  “You’ll never know,” he replied.  He had a calm, soothing sort of voice.  But Benson only found it annoying, seeing as he was specifically trying to get a rise out of the guy.  He tried again:

“You spiked the pranksters’ tea, eh?  I know you did.”

“You’ll never know,” teased Dominic, who obviously knew he was getting to Benson.
"I'll know when I start getting funny."
Dominic said, "that will never happen."

"Joke's on you!" announced Benson.  "I AM funny.  And I spiked the jokester's tea."
"Joke's on you," Dominic countered.  "I spiked the pranksters' tea - and that's the only reason you think you're funny!"




In the end the pranksters won the competition.  Not only that, but Benson arrived with a level 1 mischief skill, and left with a level 4.

A couple more nights like that, he told himself, and I’ll have this part of the challenge done and over with.

And as he sipped his tea and enjoyed the fireworks, he considered growing a beard.  It certainly seemed like all the cool people were doing it.





“Did you skill up any?” Cam asked him afterwards, when they sat in the middle of the square while everyone around them wandered off.  They were content to simply sit and watch.  Neither Cam nor Rocco had really even participated in the event - outside of drinking the pranksters' tea.  But it didn't matter - it was nice enough that they'd hung around while Benson pulled pranks, and waited for the event to finish.

“It was pretty good,” Benson told him.  “I'm at level four now.  But I’d better get home so I can catch that guy in the act again.  This time I'm still awake enough.”

“What guy, and what act?” asked Rocco.  His eyes were narrowed - he sounded suspicious, and there was something nice about that.

So Benson told them about the strange man who’d been sneaking around in his yard the night before.  Rocco and Cam looked at each other for a long moment.

“That sounds like Caleb,” Cam finally said.
“Well, tonight Caleb’s going to regret coming around,” Benson promised.

“He’ll get you,” Rocco warned him.  “He only comes when you’re sleeping, and you can’t really fight back.  If you really want to talk to this guy, you’re better off surprising him first.”

“Show me where,” said Benson, and Rocco and Cam looked at each other excitedly - in fact, for a moment, they almost looked young again.

[sdhoey]

Oh yeah!!! A new Behren Story for me read. I need to start from the beginning. 

[FrancescaFiori]

Ooh! Such intrigue! What will happen when the Benson-Caleb confrontation goes down? I can't wait to find out.

Loved the Goopy cameo, obviously, and I spotted Otto in the background at the flea market. So fun!

I'm very glad Cam and Benson (and even Rocco!) are getting along so well. Makes sense that Rocco would be providing some advice on finding the ladies. I giggled at him being too old for nightclubs, though.

I just have to say what a cutie Benson is. I particularly love his spicy food face.

[wfgodot]

Oh yeah!!! A new Behren Story for me read. I need to start from the beginning. 

Hope you like it!

Ooh! Such intrigue! What will happen when the Benson-Caleb confrontation goes down? I can't wait to find out.

Loved the Goopy cameo, obviously, and I spotted Otto in the background at the flea market. So fun!

I'm very glad Cam and Benson (and even Rocco!) are getting along so well. Makes sense that Rocco would be providing some advice on finding the ladies. I giggled at him being too old for nightclubs, though.

I just have to say what a cutie Benson is. I particularly love his spicy food face.

I know!  It's a blast having recognizable sims making little appearances in the back.  It's perfect, I love it 

I'm glad they're all getting along well too.  It's a huge relief, I was in a bit of a panic over the early disagreement between Rocco and Benson.  Sims are so unpredictable!

Glad you like Benson   I think he's cute too.


So it was that the trio arrived in Forgotten Hollow, strutting around and feeling brave (and mischievous, the remains of the festival still in effect).  Benson looked around and thought it was an appropriately spooky place for a creep like Caleb to reside in.

“Let’s cause some trouble!” Cam said darkly, and he seemed to be working hard to remain cool and hide his excitement.  He rubbed his hands together hungrily, and gazed at the houses - so many sinks to destroy... so many bathrooms to flood.  “Which one of these belongs to Caleb, eh?”

Benson looked at him and froze when he saw they weren't alone.  “Uh,” he said helpfully.





Cam turned and flinched in surprise at their new company.  He recovered quickly.  “Well, hey, Caleb.  Just the guy we were looking for!”

Caleb stopped walking and looked back and forth between the group.  “What do you want,” he said boredly.
“We want to know why you’re sneaking around my Uncle’s house at night.”  Cam shook a finger as if scolding a child.  “You’d better not be looking for a snack, Buck-o.”

Caleb looked at Benson, the young, fresh-faced, green haired uncle.  “Did you say Uncle?” he asked, amused as he sized the mint lover up.
“Great Uncle,” Rocco supplied.  He sounded like a know-it-all, and Caleb gave him a withering look.





Rocco added hastily, “But nevermind that.  We need to get a selfie in this place, eh?”  He pulled out his phone and motioned Cam closer.  Cam, naturally, obliged.

The moment their backs were turned, Caleb turned to Benson and grinned nastily.  As if by instinct, his hands came up, like claws looking for prey to sink into.  And that was when Benson noticed the teeth.  Any bravery he may have felt at that table after the festival dissolved once he saw the teeth.

“Guys,” Benson began, nervously.




They were no help, of course.

“One more,” said Rocco.  “I blinked.”
“Oh come on, Rocco!”  laughed Cam.  They’d only taken a thousand pictures in their lifetimes, and still, Rocco could mess it up.




“Hello?” snapped Benson in a panic, slapping Cam upside the back of his head.

“Geez, you scared me,” Cam laughed, but stopped abruptly when he saw the look on Benson's face.   "What?"

Benson thought that was very ironic, considering there were much bigger things to be frightened of going on at the moment.  He motioned at Caleb, who, quick as lightning, had put his teeth away and had struck up an innocent conversation with Rocco.





“He seems all right,” observed Cam.  “Are you sure this is the guy that was sneaking around, man?  I know we thought it may have been Caleb, but we could have been wrong.  It’s just the rumors, you know?   ...Does he look like the guy?  Dresses the same?”

Benson was starting to get annoyed.  Maybe they’d accidentally drank the Jokester’s tea instead of the Mischief one at the festival, for they sure seemed silly.  Of course, they were too busy screwing around to witness the moment of terror he’d just experienced, and now that he’d gotten their attention, they were doubting him.  Heck, maybe it WAS the Prankster's tea they'd drunk.  Maybe Cam was just trying to trick him.  At this point, who could know?

He opened his mouth to respond, and suddenly another fellow strolled up behind Cam.




He stopped at Caleb and Rocco and waited politely until the two turned to acknowledge him.

“Good evening,” he said in a somber tone.  “Caleb, I saw you from across the park,” he added.
Caleb seemed to have no idea what the guy was talking about.  He looked bewildered.

“You know what you did,” said the man.  “You know you shouldn’t be so bold.  We try to maintain a little secrecy, you know?  We’d never survive otherwise.”
Caleb rolled his eyes.  “It was only a little fun,” he said.  He sniffed.  “Besides, everyone knows.  Anyway, I’m leaving.  Lilith’s probably wondering where I’m at.  You know how sisters are.”





“Indeed,” the guy said as Caleb turned away.

Cam and Rocco looked at each other as Caleb shoved past them.  They appeared to be trying not to giggle.

The man rolled his eyes and looked at Benson.  “I’m Reed,” he said.  “Would you like to come inside for some coffee?  I live right over there.”  He pointed to a nice looking place.  It was certainly the least creepy of them all, in this neighborhood.  And the guy was so formal.  It seemed all right enough, and anyway, maybe Cam and Rocco would sober up.

“All right,” said Benson.  “Thanks.  I’m Benson.  This is Rocco, and Cam.”
"Really," said Reed, staring at Cam in amusement.  "Huh."

Benson looked at Cam, too.  Cam just shrugged.  He didn't know, either.  They followed him to the house.  Reed looked embarrassed as he stooped to pick up a pile of dirty dishes off the porch.  “My sister,” he muttered.  He carried them inside, and left the door open for the trio to join him.  Cam watched him go and then turned away.

“This feels weird,” he said.  He was unsettled by the way Reed had looked at him earlier.  “I think this is a mistake.”

“Relax,” Benson told him.  “Look.  He leaves his dishes lying around just like the rest of us.  And anyway, there's three of us.  Nothing will happen.”

“Yeah?” said Rocco, glancing up at the second story.  “Well I hope you don't think this big house is empty.  Besides.  He's creepy.”

“Really?” was Benson’s smart reply.  “Well, so are you guys.  Just look at how Cam smiles.”
"Well, that wasn't nice," Cam sputtered.
"Yeah!  It's only how he looks when he's nervous," Rocco added.  “I think you have a nice smile,” he said to Cam.
“Thanks, bro,” grinned Cam, and he shoved Rocco playfully.

But their banter distracted them enough that they followed Benson inside without further argument.




It was there in the foyer, as Cam and Rocco followed Reed to his office, that Benson encountered one of the prettiest girls he had ever seen.  She was fresh, and glowing, and wore none of the creepy makeup and didn’t give off any odd vibes, either.  They were alone in the hall.

“Are you Mrs Reed,” he asked hesitantly, not sure he wanted to hear the answer.  She lived here with this dark fellow, after all, but then, she didn't have a wedding ring.

“No,” she told him, and she laughed.  “I’m just Reed’s sister.  My name is Shayna.  I only live here to help out.”

Benson stared at her - she seemed nothing like her brother.  She sounded friendly, bubbly.  Completely the opposite of his dull way of speaking.  And she wasn't his partner - she seemed too good to be true.  After a moment of reflecting on this, he gave her a slow smile.  “Help out?” he prompted.

She brushed him off.  “Oh, you know.  Sometimes he… sometimes he can’t leave the house, is all.”
“Oh,” said Benson.  “Works from home, or something?”
“He… yes, he does work from home,” Shayna said, with a firm nod.  "That is correct."

“Well, he seems successful,” Benson looked around appreciatively.  “It’s a nice place.  Gloomy neighborhood, though.”

“Maybe,” Shayna told him.  “But have you seen the view of the stars around here?  It’s beautiful.”




Benson demanded that she show him, and so she did.

Of course, she was right.  There, surrounded by mountains, away from the busier neighborhoods, the stars were clearer than ever.  There were so many more than he'd ever known existed - so many out that he could never see at home.

“Oh man,” Benson said.  “This is incredible.  That one.  I’ve never even seen that one before.”  He pointed at it.

“It’s part of a constellation,” Shayna told him.  “That’s part of the wing of a bat.  Can you see the whole thing?”

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t make out the shape of the bat - just the scattering of stars.  He thought it was gorgeous, and wondered if he might see it better on the telescope at work.  Perhaps he could even take the spaceship there one day, if he and his coworkers ever finished building it.  Maybe… Maybe he could even sneak her along.  He let his mind get carried away for a bit.




And then they talked, a lot.  Benson told Shayna all about his newfound love of mint.  She thought he was funny, and thought that perhaps she should go shopping and try to find a mint colored blouse or something.  She did point his attention to the color of her skirt, though.

“It’s close!” he laughed.

They were talking about their flaws when Benson mentioned he was a little materialistic.  Shayna snorted.
“That’s not a flaw!” she said, sounding thrilled. “I’m materialistic, too,” she added boastfully.  She looked mighty proud of herself, and Benson had to smile.

“Then we’re meant to be,” he announced.  “You have to come over and see my-”

“Uh, no,” interrupted Cam, yanking the door open and walking outside.  He looked at the two of them in disgust - he’d obviously spotted them through a window.  “Oh, no,” he said, eyeing Shayna.  She rolled her eyes at him; her grin was long gone.

“You two know each other?” asked Benson, confused.
Cam gave a painful smile.  “You could say that,” he muttered.





“I don’t understand,” said Benson.

“Well basically,” Shayna started to explain, but then she hesitated, struggling to find the words.  “Well...His father doesn’t like aliens.”
“So… you’re an alien?” Benson guessed, now totally lost.

“Definitely not,” said Shayna.  “But if he doesn’t like aliens, then he must not like other things, either, and I’m not about that.”

Cam thought this was very unfair.  After all, it was his father, not him.  And he rather thought Matt was right about aliens.  They were creepy, and it was very rude to abduct somebody and interrupt everything they’d been doing.  Not to mention what they did up there.  He himself had been abducted, more than once, and it wasn’t especially pleasant.  Still, he never had problems with aliens, not as a whole.  Only one or two of them, and it wasn’t being an alien that was the source - it was what they did with their powers that he didn’t like.  It was manipulative and wrong.  And as far as vampires went, he’d never said anything bad about them at all - and neither had his father.  Secretly, though, he suspected Shayna was right.  His father wouldn't like vampires much.

In the end, he had his issues with Shayna - but he'd decided they were all her own fault.  He'd had no problem with her or her brother - she was the one who had a problem with Matt.  And if she didn't like himself, his father, or the rest of his family, then Cam was stubborn enough to not like her back.  And he definitely didn’t like Benson being so fond of her.


“But that’s his dad,” Benson was saying on Cam’s behalf.  “That doesn’t mean he’s the same.”
“The apple never falls far from the tree,” Shayna said, narrowing her eyes at Cam.  Cam smirked back.
"Benson grows on the same tree," he said, just to ruin her day.

“I think you guys need to leave,” Shayna said.  But she stopped Benson on his way past.  “Last name is Ferris,” she said.  “It’s in the phonebook,” and he nodded.





At home, Benson wasn’t sure what to do with the situation.  Cam and Rocco were his best friends.  He didn’t want to wrong them by dating Shayna - yet he longed to see her again.  There was definitely an attraction there, and now that he’d met her he couldn’t think of anything else.  Ladies walked past his property all day while he gardened, but he didn’t even care to look at them.  Instead he tended the garden in his time off work (Cam suggested he stock up on the garlic, anyway, and declared that they would be doing the same at his house) and talked to Shayna on the phone.

She agreed to go out on a date with him that evening after work.




The date went well.



At least at first.

But Benson is a jealous sim, and soon his insecurities began to show.  It started when the thought crossed his mind that - maybe - Shayna was only getting on so well with him in an attempt at making Cam angry.  A revenge sort of thing.  After all, they were moving very fast.  Already kissing.  He wasn't very experienced, but she seemed very enthusiastic.  He thought it might go slower than this on the first date.  She would have accepted a proposal from him if he’d asked - and the option was there, and he thought about it.

But then he excused himself to use the restroom, and when he came out it was to find her gathered around a comedian - Otto, as he remembered the name - with a few other people.  She stood very close to a handsome fellow, and he swore he saw her flirt.  He watched the man smile at her again and again.

So he shoved his way up front and glared until the guy finally caught his drift and moved aside.  Still, he glowered at the man’s back.




“What was that,” demanded Shayna, grabbing his shoulder and pulling him around to face her instead.

“I can’t help it!  That guy!” blurted Benson, but he stopped when he saw the look on her face.  Then he said, in a very small voice, “I’m just jealous.”

For a moment she stared in disbelief.  Then she crossed her arms.  “That’s not very attractive,” she said matter-of-factly.

“I’m sorry,” he said, unsure of what else to do.  He felt rather ashamed now, but at the time, he just couldn’t seem to help himself.  He grabbed her hands, and glanced over to see if the guy was watching.  He wasn’t.

“Whatever you thought you saw, we were only talking,” Shayna snapped, for she'd seen him look.  She pulled her hands away.

“Sorry.”




Shayna stepped around him.  “I need a drink,” she said over her shoulder.  Benson could see doubt on her face.  After all the troubles she had with Cam, she'd given him a chance.  He blew it.  He knew what she was thinking - that he was just like Cam and the rest of the family.  (He didn't think that was so bad, but she definitely did.)

He stomped off in the other direction.   “Argh!” he clenched his fists.  Maybe Cam was right about her after all.  Maybe it was her.  But then, maybe it was him.  Him and his stupid jealous trait, he thought savagely.



He decided to apologize.





And she seemed willing to forgive him.  "We all get jealous sometimes," she said.
"It might happen a little more often with me," he warned her, but he did it whilst kissing her neck, and this seemed to make the fact perfectly fine with her.

If it was possible, the small disagreement may have actually been in their favor.  Now she knew everything about him, and the date was going better than ever.  They sat on the couch for a long while, until Benson said they should probably leave, as he had to work in the morning.

"You can always spend the night," he offered. 




Though once at home, Benson hardly got to bed any earlier than if they'd just stayed out.  He asked her to spend the night.






“Guess what, Benson!” Shayna gushed at him as he was leaving for work the next morning.

Benson took one look and he knew.  He didn’t feel very much like rejoicing.  In fact, it made him kind of sad.  It may have been that he was simply tired after the long night, but perhaps she wasn't the right girl for him if she couldn't even get along with the family.  But it was too late now - there was going to be a nooboo.

“I think you need to call Cam,” he said, “and try to fix things between you two.”

Shayna’s face fell.  “Oh,” she said flatly.



A/N:  Reed and Shayna are the vampire sims I created when the Vampires pack came out.  They were both regular old citizens, until Reed got turned by Caleb.  My plan was to have Reed turn his sister, too, but never played them far enough into it for that to happen, so she remained his human sibling.  Since I started this challenge in a pre-existing world, I was really surprised to find that Cam and Shayna truly dislike each other - their relationship bars are probably around 65% full, in the red.  I have no idea what they've been up to.

[FrancescaFiori]

Ack! Forbidden love! Shayna's gorgeous, though. And the nooboo is bound to be a looker. I know they can make it work. I mean . . .who couldn't love Cam? Just look at that face!

Loved the Otto cameo of course! So glad he's still making the club circuit in his old age!

Great chapter! Particularly love Benson's date outfit. The man has style!

[Playalot]

@wfgodot  I hope you are still playing this, this story has all the charm, drama and appeal of every other gorgeous story of yours I've read.