Terrific update Cheezey! What a romantic and fun honeymoon. I just loved their conversations. You provide so much insight into their characters.
Thank you! I wish I could go on some of the vacations my sims do.
Great update. What a great romantic honeymoon they are having. Waiting for next update and to see their new life in Sunset valley.
Thanks! They're off on that in a big way in this chapter.
I apologise for earlier, I think I was just having a really bad day and that's why I was snarkie! No excuse, so I'm sorry for it :-(
Great update! I love Blair and Cycl0n3 as a couple. They bring out the best in each other!
No worries, and thank you! I'm glad you like that pairing. I think they're good for each other, too. He needs someone good and patient to keep him getting too out there with the absent-minded inappropriate behavior, and he appreciates her childish side without getting aggravated by it.
Chapter 25
Blair and Cycl0n3 returned to Sunset Valley well-rested and happy from their honeymoon. Cycl0n3 carried Blair over the threshold of the lofts, as promised, but she got down after a few steps rather than insist he carry her all the way to their bedroom. She gave him a kiss and helped him with their bags instead. They still took the elevator, of course. Even though their luggage was much lighter than carrying someone else, Cycl0n3 still didn’t want to haul it up two flights of stairs if he didn’t have to.
The day they returned was also Stiles’ birthday. The household threw a party to celebrate. Although Blair had always known that Stiles was older than her, sometimes she forgot just how much younger she was than some of her roommates. Tamara bemoaned how close to her next birthday she was getting, but Blair never thought of her as anything but young and energetic even though she was closer to Stiles’ age than her own.
One could say that party turned out to be a hot time, but not in a good way. Before Stiles had a chance to blow out his candles, the cake caught fire! The smoldering match used to light the candles was set too close to a nearby potholder, and when it went up, so did everything around it. Luckily, Ayesha was handy with a fire extinguisher.
“I’d say there were too many candles on that cake of yours, old man, but I’m the same age as you,” Zelda teased her bandmate.
“I hope you all like burnt cake with foam icing.” Stiles looked at the mess in dismay now that the fire was out.
Emma was already reaching into the cabinet for some flour. “Hey, no worries. I can whip you up a homemade birthday cake in no time flat. Just keep this party going a little longer, and we’ll get you a cake. Not as fancy on such short notice, but I promise it’ll taste good.”
“It’s true. Nobody makes better buttercream frosting than Emma,” Tori said.
A little while later, the replacement cake was ready as promised. Emma even doodled a few cute designs with some decorative icing to make it look festive. That time, the candles were carefully lit, and Stiles blew them out again. Everyone helped themselves to a piece, but Stiles didn’t seem as happy as he should have. Blair wondered if he had mixed feelings about getting older, but it was hard to tell. Stiles was someone who kept things to himself.
After they had cake, most of the guests cleared the kitchen area while Emma put away dishes and the others went off to dance or chat. Blair and Cycl0n3 lingered at the table, and Stiles sat down with them. “Forgot to say welcome back to you two. Thanks for being here. I know you just got back from your honeymoon, and I know you’re like me when it comes to crowds,” he said to Blair.
“No problem,” she replied. “What are friends for?”
Stiles still seemed a little off, but smiled anyway. “More than you might think, actually. Some things happened while you were away. Helping out with your wedding and having my birthday on the horizon got me thinking, and inspired me. We’ve had our moments, but I’ve got a good thing with Ayesha, and I proposed the night before last. She said yes. So, it looks like we’ll be getting hitched ourselves before too long.”
Blair was thrilled for him. “That’s great! Congratulations! I’m so happy for you! I hope you have a wonderful life together.”
“Yeah, congrats,” said Cycl0n3.
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
It seemed to Blair that Stiles should have seemed happier about that good news, too, but he seemed tense instead. The crowd must be getting to him, she thought. She looked around. She could relate. “If you need any help planning the wedding, let me know. I’ve still got all the numbers in my phone for the photographer and florist and other stuff. You saw what a great job they did for us.”
“I’ll keep it in mind. Thanks again.” Stiles got up from the table, leaving Blair and Cycl0n3 to chat.
“Well, what do you know?” Cycl0n3 said as they got up, too. “We’re inspiring.”
“I think it’s sweet and romantic. Too bad it wasn’t her that caught the bouquet at our wedding. So much for the old sim’s tale that the one who does is the next to get married. I don’t think Emma’s up next. She told me she and Iqbal had a big fight the other day, and she hung up on him after telling him to lighten up and grow a sense of humor.”
“Maybe she didn’t really catch it. The bouquet did bounce off of Justin’s head first. Maybe it goes by first contact and not final destination.”
Blair snickered. “I still can’t believe I threw it so hard that I overshot them.”
“That’s what he gets for sitting right behind the single ladies during the throw. Though that was probably intentional. Nice view and all.”
“You’re terrible,” Blair said with a giggle.
Unfortunately, there was indeed more to Stiles’ mood than a little party anxiousness. Neither Blair nor Cycl0n3 were nearby when it started, but everyone heard the argument that erupted between him and Ayesha finish.
“You know what? I’ve had it. Just forget it! Forget the whole thing!”
“Really? That’s how you’re going to be about this? Your way or the highway?” It was rare that any of them heard laid-back Stiles raise his voice, but it was clear that he was very upset.
“Sure is,” Ayesha snapped. “And you know what? You can forget this, too.” She pulled off her ring and shoved it roughly into his hand. “I’ve had it up to here, and I’m done. Happy birthday, and have a nice life.” She stormed past the shocked party guests, stomped down the stairs, and slammed the doors on her way out.
There was an uncomfortable silence in the room, and Stiles just turned and went to his room without a word.
“Oh, poor Stiles.” Blair would have offered a sympathetic ear, but she knew that right now, especially after being dumped and humiliated at his own party, that he would need some time alone.
Cycl0n3, on the other hand, just said the first thing that popped into his head. “Wow. Maybe the bouquet wasn’t wrong after all.”
The mood in the house was still somber the following morning. Although Blair and Cycl0n3 relaxed together after the party, and she’d slept well, she felt run down and queasy. “Ugh. All that fried party food must not be agreeing with me.” Before the cake disaster, Emma had gotten out her deep fryer to make some tasty appetizers, and as usual, it had been delicious, even if not healthy.
Blair decided to get some toast to settle her stomach. When she went out into the hall, though, she felt worse. Her stomach lurched, and the sickly sweet taste of half-digested birthday cake mixed with mozzarella sticks filled the back of her throat. She made a face and steadied herself, but realized that she was not going to keep her food down. She ran for the nearest bathroom.
When she was done throwing up, she felt weak and woozy. “Great. Right before work, too.”
While Blair felt better once she ate and headed off to work, Boyd and Susan tackled another day at Landgraab Industries. Susan was thrilled to be back on the job. Although she had accomplished a lot during her maternity leave—nearly completing the second rank on the chess circuit and some discoveries on her home chemistry table—it made her happy to be back on top of her scientific projects again. She and Boyd both dreamed of being recognized for their genius someday. While he imagined it happening for himself through some incredible feat bending the laws of science, Susan simply wanted to go down in history as one of the greatest minds of her time.
Gobias was still assigned as the primary on her aquatics study until the end of the current phase, so rather than disrupt the process and scheduling, she agreed to let him finish that part out. In the meantime, she and Boyd requested an opportunity to run an independent experiment of their own, together. Boyd felt Madison was competent enough to handle most of the day-to-day tasks in his current research with minimal supervision, so he and Susan presented their experiment design to Judy, and with her, went to the approval committee.
They were thrilled when they were given the green light. It was the first time they would be primaries on a project together. The lab had a corporate policy discouraging employees who were personally involved with one another from working on the same projects, but it was not set in stone, and could be overridden by the board. The Wainwrights had worked at Landgraab Industries long enough that no one had any concerns, so they were wished luck and given a modest budget to work with.
Their theory was unconventional, and utilized things found outside of the laboratory. During his other research, Boyd noticed that life fruit seeds contained high concentrations of a protein that appeared to stimulate and regenerate DNA in plants, but it was less effective in animal systems. Life fruit flesh and juice contained only traces of it, but those contained significant amounts of another compound which seemed to do the same thing in animals, but not as well on plants. Further study indicated that if they applied the right amount of heat and catalyzed it with an enzyme found in certain species of fungi and fish, that compound could become highly efficient.
When Boyd mentioned it to Susan, she recalled a television special on the cooking channel about the rare ambrosia dish. It used life fruit and death fish in a complicated baking process that only a few chefs in the world, the masters of the masters, could prepare. It was rumored to add years to one’s life, and wealthy sims would pay Landgraab sized fortunes for just one dish of it. It was so hard to come by that even those with the means to afford it could not often obtain it. Susan and Boyd wondered if they could possibly create a chemical version of what gave the beneficial effects. The benefits for simkind would be incredible! Even if Landgraab Industries would, of course, patent and sell it. Everything invented on the job was their intellectual property, although they always recognized and compensated the innovative minds behind their discoveries.
During the previous weekend, Boyd had visited Gunther. He mentioned his life fruit research after Gunther lamented the ache in his back that had developed since his last birthday. Cornelia said that she had a birthday coming up herself, and was tempted to call her cousin Beatrice in Moonlight Falls to ask her for a bottle of the Fountain of Youth elixir, except that she didn’t want to hear a high horse moral lecture about bending the laws of nature for vanity.
Boyd asked her what she meant, and she and Gunther explained that Cornelia’s cousins were witches, and Beatrice in particular was skilled in elixir making. She prepared and sold elixirs to magic shops, and a flask of the legendary Fountain of Youth elixir, which only highly trained alchemists could make, sold for high prices when they appeared on the market. Beatrice knew how to make it, but she had mixed feelings about their use for ethical reasons, so she only made them for those she felt deserved or needed them. Gunther went on to explain that the elixirs found in shops were often questionable, and he personally would not waste money on some consigned youth potion from just anyone calling him or herself an alchemist. It was much like trusting supplements in a health food store, he told him. By law, they would be safe enough, but no legal claims could be made about their effectiveness.
“I wonder if I could get my hands on one to analyze it,” Boyd mused.
“You’ll be putting out a chunk of change, and I’m not sure I’d gamble that much money on one outside of a place like Moonlight Falls,” Cornelia said.
“I know I wouldn’t,” said Gunther.
“Do you think your cousin would make one for scientific research? We wouldn’t be drinking it. We’d be analyzing it, and of course, she’d get a fair price for it.”
Cornelia let out a dark laugh. “Oh, no. I wouldn’t waste your time or subject you to that, Boyd. Beatrice is… we’ll say difficult. She’s a natural witch and very proud of her heritage, to the point of superiority. She’s never liked that Agnes and I don’t follow that family tradition, or that we never studied the craft or took the elixirs to become witches when it didn’t naturally pass to our branch of the family.”
She paused, looking for a polite way to phrase what she said next. “Also, many witches, her included, don’t trust or like scientists. Many of them have been rude and skeptical to the witch community, and brand them fakes and charlatans even when it’s not true. I know you’re not like that, but she doesn’t. Beatrice would take your request as an insult, and assume you and Susan were out to discredit her, no matter how nicely you asked. Even if I vouched for you, my word wouldn’t carry any weight with her. It might with her sisters, but Belinda and Bianca aren’t skilled enough to make that.”
“That’s too bad,” Boyd said. “A business trip to Moonlight Falls isn’t in our budget, so we’ll have to take our chances with the local shop.”
Boyd and Susan visited the elixir shop later that day, and brought Patrick along for the ride in the nice fall weather. Susan sent Boyd in to check for the elixir, while she checked out the rare plants in the garden out back.
Luckily, they had one in stock. Boyd looked at the label on the bottom. It was signed and dated by the alchemist who crafted it, and also stated that it had been prepared in Moonlight Falls. “So, this is a Moonlight Falls import.”
“Sure is,” the clerk said. “We get 90% of our stock from alchemists there. You can trust our quality.”
“I heard this stuff is really rare and hard to make.”
“It is. You have to be one heck of an alchemist to brew it right.”
“I don’t see a price on it. How much?”
He gave Boyd a pointed look. “The usual rule with this one is, if money’s a concern, you probably can’t afford it.”
Boyd sighed. “Right. Humor me anyway.”
The clerk told him, and Boyd almost gagged. “Ouch. That’s more than I wanted to stretch the budget, but… science means sacrifices.” He handed over his corporate card. “I noticed there are no ingredients on there. Is there a way to find out what’s in it?”
The man behind the counter laughed. “Expert witches have trouble with this. I wouldn’t recommend trying to make it.”
“I’m not. But I’d like to know if it’s made from liquefied toad eyes or something.”
“Another wise saying for alchemy elixirs is ‘don’t ask.’ You’d probably rather not know.”
“That never works for me. Just ask my wife.” Boyd looked out the window, where Susan and Patrick were out in the garden. Susan was examining a ghost chili plant beside the stroller.
He held up a book. “This has the recipe, but for anyone other than an expert alchemist, it’d be over your head. Much as I’d love to sell it to you, I’d hate to see you waste your money.”
“Oh, I’m not planning to make it.” Boyd thumbed through it. He found an ingredient list and snapped a picture with his phone before handing the book back. “Just for reference. Better safe than sorry.”
The clerk gave him a weird look, but put the book back. “You know there are no refunds, right?”
“That’s fine. I’ll take it.”
“All right.” He rang the elixir up and handed it to Boyd. “Enjoy.”
When they were back in the lab, Susan told Boyd that he should analyze the elixir since he was the one who spent a small fortune on it. She had some new data from the aquatics project to review anyway.
He was relieved that the elixir seemed genuine. The analysis showed traces of both the catalyzed enzyme and the life fruit compound in the arcane solution, supporting their theory. Although the ingredients listed in his photo allowed for substitutions, Boyd noticed that the fungi recommended were all species containing high amounts of the enzyme. He wasn’t sure what role tanzanite and green swallowtail butterflies had in it, but all formulations had inert ingredients important to their makeup.
Later on, Susan stopped in to see how it was going. Boyd gave her an enthusiastic update. “Pretty cool, huh? We might be onto finding the chemical formula that does the same thing as ambrosia! And we’d prove the validity of at least one alchemy formula. Cornelia’s cousin will have to eat her pointy hat for judging all scientists by a few bad apples.”
“In all fairness, you can’t blame the scientific community for not buying into random claims of magic in untested formulas. I’m sure there are plenty of hucksters out there.” She shrugged. “If the witches are so concerned about their reputation, you’d think they’d make sure there was no room for criticism. Work with us, educate the public, or at least turn the frauds into toads or something. If that’s even scientifically possible. I’ve never heard of it happening outside of tabloids, but I’d keep an open mind if I actually saw it happen.”
“I’d love to see that. Actual magic cellular transformation? That’d be amazing. Imagine if we could get tissue samples of the before and after.”
Susan smirked. “You’re adorable when you get into mad scientist mode.”
He smiled back at her. “Careful, honey. We wouldn’t want to give management the idea we get
personal at work.” Although they always understood why and abided by the rule, they’d always found it a little insulting that policy prevented them from working together before now. Neither had ever let personal feelings interfere with the integrity of their work.
“Oh, plumbob, no.” Susan took a step closer. “Speaking of which, why didn’t you tell me Christopher and Madison got married while I was out on leave? When I left, they weren’t even dating, officially. Not that they were terribly good at keeping their thing for each other secret.” She rolled her eyes. “We’re married and less obvious.”
“I didn’t? Oh. Yeah, they eloped about a month and a half ago, I guess. Sorry.” Boyd gave her an apologetic look. “Half the time I tune out when Madison gets into chatterbox mode, so I probably just subconsciously avoided a rehash. Though it was better than her complaining about her ex all the time. Boy, did she go on about
that.” He chortled. “And of course there was that time she thought Blair was having a baby.”
Susan nodded. “I’m glad Christopher isn’t as stream-of-consciousness.” She looked over the printouts and notes Boyd had made. “Since you brought up babies, we need to start thinking about Patrick’s birthday. The little guy deserves something special. Want to throw a party?”
“Sure. The Captain deserves treatment befitting his rank.”
“Blair’s got you calling him that now, too?” Susan laughed.
“Come on, it’s cute.”
“It is, but I don’t like admitting that.” She set the clipboard down. “I’d better get back to my data review. Talk to you later.”
While Boyd and Susan were busy with their research and plans for Patrick, Blair and Cycl0n3 started looking for a home of their own. The housing market only seemed to be getting more competitive. These days, Sunset Valley was a seller’s dream, with homes going for high prices and moving quickly. Although their budget was limited, Blair and Cycl0n3 worried that if they did not jump on a good deal when one turned up, they might be stuck in the lofts for much longer than they wanted to be. They liked Tamara, Emma, and Stiles, but now that they were married, they were ready to move on.
The first house they were shown was what the realtor called a showcase home. It was well-maintained and in move-in condition, right by the beach. Blair realized it was next door to Hank when they pulled up, and she was excited at the notion of having him as a neighbor. The house had a great view of the ocean and a cute fenced side yard. It was small, but homey and bright. Unfortunately, it only had one bedroom, and it was priced on the high end of their budget. If they took it, renovations to add more rooms would be out of the question for a long time. As nice as it was, they decided to pass.
The next house was much more affordable, but there was a reason for that. It was an older prefab home in a less affluent section of town. It had a big yard, but Blair noticed that they could see the Outstanding Citizens warehouse through the trees from the back yard. The home itself was clean and had fresh paint inside, but it was very small, with a tiny bathroom and just one bedroom. The wiring and appliances were all old and would likely need repairing or replacing before long. Whatever money they’d save on the low price would certainly be eaten in the necessary renovations.
“I can’t even fit my computer desk in here,” Cycl0n3 complained. “And I’m not choosing between that and a TV.”
Blair nodded in agreement. “We’ll keep looking.”
The house they checked out next was even worse. It was only a block away from the small prefab home, and Blair remembered the neighborhood from her early childhood. Her grandparents once owned the two-story home next door, and she and her parents lived there with them before Boyd and Susan bought the home on Maywood Lane. Blair did not remember the house they were looking at being so run down, but she supposed things had changed over the years, especially since the house appeared to have been empty for a long time.
The listing said that the yard had a “natural pond” and “fishing access,” but neglected to mention that it was a swamp, or that the lawn, what there was of it, was marshy and soft. The place had a smell that could be called “earthy” at best, and the humid environment had done the home no favors. What paint was left was peeling and covered with mold, and a mildewed chair sat on the front lawn while an old refrigerator rusted on the porch. Completing the ambiance was the looming shadow of the Outstanding Citizens warehouse, even closer to this property than the previous one. Blair looked around in dismay.
Cycl0n3 had his own thoughts on it. “No freaking way. This place is like where stupid teenagers in horror movies go to die.”
Just when they’d all but given up on the notion of finding somewhere in Sunset Valley that they could both afford and be happy with, the realtor called them with another potential house. It was newer construction and had been used only as a rental. To Blair’s surprise, it was on the same road her parents lived, a little two-bedroom house that a developer built on the small lot next to the Bunch home.
It was cozy, but not cramped like the prefab home. The appliances were generic and budget, but they were functional and in good working order. There was an eat-in kitchen and a small living room area. The home had a garage to keep their car in during the upcoming wintry weather, and it could serve as extra storage since there was no basement or attic. The second bedroom was small, but it would make a nice hobby room until they had children.
“It’s the best so far,” Cycl0n3 mused. “Think we should take it?” He looked out the window. “Though your parents might find us convenient babysitters being just down the road.”
“That just means we get to spoil the Captain! Besides, we might be giving him a niece or nephew to play with before long.” She gestured to the other side of the house. “The Bunches are nice neighbors, too. They have a lot of kids. I think their youngest is just a little older than Patrick.”
“You’ve been thinking a lot about this,” teased Cycl0n3. “Got something you want to tell me?” Although he and Blair had not been trying in earnest for a baby, they hadn’t been trying
not to, either.
Blair couldn’t hide her smile. “Let’s just say I think we ought to seriously consider putting in an offer on this place today.”
Later that night, Blair took a home test and confirmed what she already suspected: she and Cycl0n3 did indeed have a baby on the way!
Blair found Cycl0n3 in the hall. He was on his way to tell her good news of his own. “I just got a call back from the realtor,” he said before Blair could say anything. “They accepted our offer on the house. We got it!”
“That’s great!”
“Yeah. We’ve still got to get through the closing and all of that, but still. We should tell the others so they can put an ad out for new roommates. I don’t want to stick them like Kyle did to us back before you moved in.”
“Definitely,” Blair agreed. “But first there’s something else I need to tell you.”
“Oh?”
Blair beamed. “I’m pregnant.”
Cycl0n3’s eyes went wide. “Whoa! Seriously?”
She nodded. “I took a test. It was positive.”
“Wow, that’s… amazing! Holy llama!” He pulled her into a hug, and then stepped back. “Wait, that wasn’t too rough, was it?”
“No, silly,” Blair replied. “I’m not made of glass.”
“Oh. Good. Glad we got that house, huh? You, me, and a baby. A baby. I’m going to have to raise a child and be a role model.”
Blair smiled at him. “You’ll do fine. I think you’ll be a good dad. Just keep better track of the baby than your car keys.”
Cycl0n3 smirked. “Don’t check to see if I left it in the underwear drawer, you mean? Not a problem.”
After Blair told Cycl0n3, she called her parents. She would have liked to tell them in person, but it was too late to visit, and she did not want to wait until after work the next day. “Hi, Mom,” she said when her mother picked up. “Get Dad and put it on speaker.”
“All right. Hold on.” Susan called Boyd over to join her. “Okay, we’re here.”
“Hi,” Boyd called out. “What’s up?”
“I’ve got some big news. First, you know that little house next to the Bunches? Cycl0n3 and I are buying it.”
“Oh, we’ll be neighbors!” Susan exclaimed.
“That’s great! It’ll be nice having you nearby again,” Boyd said.
“Any idea on a moving date yet?” asked Susan.
“Not yet, but soon. But that’s not the biggest news!” Blair gushed. “Guess what? You’re going to be grandparents.”
Boyd and Susan exchanged surprised but enthusiastic looks. “Wow! Congratulations,” said Boyd.
“A baby? That’s wonderful! Imagine, two little Wainwrights in the family, so close together.”
“Technically, a Sw0rd and a Wainwright, but still.”
“Yes, but still a new family member regardless.” A part of Susan still did not care for her daughter and grandchildren having a netspeak surname. She had accepted it, although she preferred not to think about it.
“So, we’re Grandpa and Grandma now, I guess,” Boyd mused.
“Grandma definitely,” Susan insisted. “No calling me ‘Nana’ or ‘Gram’ or ‘Mee-maw’ or anything like that, please.”
“No problem,” Blair replied. “What about you, Dad?”
“I’ll match your mom with the traditional ‘Grandpa.’” He glanced over at Patrick’s room. He was already in his crib for the night. “Patrick’s going to be an uncle before kindergarten.”
“Uncle Captain,” giggled Blair.
“Hey, but you know what that makes yours?”
“Oh, no.” Susan shook her head, amused, as she already realized what Boyd was going to say.
Blair did not. “What?”
Boyd grinned. “Number One.”
