Chapter 0.11: Wintery Cold Heart

Pregnant. The word lingers in the air like a damp mist on a cloudy fall morning, leaving a numbing chill in it's wake. Jane envisions raising her child with Ryder and shivers. The thought makes her heart go cold.

Jane knows that Ryder is the father. The timing of her pregnancy tells her that. She knows that this news should comfort her, but it doesn't. In the deepest crevices of her soul, she secretly wishes that the baby was Terrence's, but wishing never helped anyone. Jane knows that she should break it off with Terrence, cut her losses before she loses everything, but she can't. She loves him, more than she ever loved Ryder.

Jane pays a visit to Terrence to tell him the news. Terry begs her to leave Ryder, to take the baby and runaway with him. He wants to marry her.

Jane refuses. Terrence is but a lowly author, with not much talent and even less ambition. Her future with him is uncertain at best, and she enjoys the comfortable life far too much to just leave it all behind.

She arrives home late that evening. Ryder is waiting up for her again. She sees him sitting alone in the kitchen, quietly eating his cold dinner.

"I'm going to bed," she says as she walks by him.

Ryder grunts in acknowledgement. He will sleep on the couch again tonight, for no other reason than to avoid the frigid silence.

Ryder visits his boss Sharla the following day. She's producing a new movie and would like him to star in it as the lead actor. He readily agrees, eager for anything to take his mind off of his home life.

A few weeks later, Jane gives birth to a son, who they name Elijah. She never knew it was possible to love another person as much as she loves her baby. Gazing into his sweet eyes, Jane feels consumed by worry. She wants only the best for her little boy, but she doesn't know what that is.

Beatrix wins an award for her years spent as a firefighter. While she attends the ceremony...

Brian discovers his daughter-in-law's half-naked ex-boyfriend wandering around their house.

He may be old, but he's not an idiot. Brian knows what he saw, and it kills him to have to tell Ryder.

He waits up for him, his wise old eyes filled with concern.

"We need to talk," Brian says quietly.

Ryder knows that tone all too well. Whenever there is bad news, his father's voice changes, his posture becomes more pronounced.

"She's cheating on you," Brian tells him gently. "I caught her with another man this afternoon."

Ryder wants to deny it. He wants to yell and scream at his father, hurt him the way he's hurting now. He wants to break dishes, slam doors, smash walls. But he doesn't. He just cries instead.

"It's all my fault," he whispers dejectedly. "I drove her away."

Brian sighs sadly, his heart breaking to see his son in so much pain.

"I need some fresh air," Ryder says after a minute. "I need to get away from this house."

He heads to the Ritz lounge, a fancy hotel located in downtown Anne Arbor. He immediately finds the bar and orders a drink. Needless to say, he's drunk within the hour.

"Hey gorgeous," a woman says as she approaches him.

Ryder stumbles a little as he gets out of his bar stool, catching himself just before he falls. He takes another sip of his cherry red cocktail before responding.

"Suuppp, beautiful?"

The woman giggles and flips her hair. "You alone tonight, honey?" she asks with a coy grin.

Ryder hesitates. Even through his drunken stupor, he knows better. He's still married after all. But then a mental image of Jane kissing another man flashes through his mind, and he throws all caution to the wind.

"I will be unless you decide to join me," he flirts.

Ryder only manages to sneak in a single kiss before he has to excuse himself to go throw up in the bathroom. Alcohol doesn't sit well with him.

But that one kiss reminds Ryder of what he's been missing. It reignites a spark within him, the desire to feel a woman's body pressed up next to his.

The following night Ryder returns to the Ritz to look for the mystery woman, but she is nowhere to be found.

Instead, he meets Nicole. Nicole thinks Ryder is pretty cute, and they hit it off immediately.

Ryder doesn't think Nicole is all that cute, but he really doesn't care. Unlike Jane, she's more than happy to share her bed with him.

"You were great Nina. Thanks, I really needed that."

She stares at him blankly. "Um, my name's Nicole. Can I at least get your number or something?" she asks with a smile.

Ryder laughs vacantly. "Nicole, look, this was fun. But I'm not up for anything serious or whatever..."

"Unbelievable!" she shouts. "You're such an asshole Ryder!" She storms out of the room, leaving him alone with the room bill. He shrugs. It was totally worth it.

After the same thing happens with Rita and Natalie though, Ryder learns to prepay for his hotel rooms. That way, they can split the cost.

Meanwhile, Elijah becomes a toddler. He receives a mysterious doll in the mail, and Jane doesn't think twice about giving it to him. He seems to like the toy and spends most of his time playing with it.

(Also: He inherits Ryder's hair and eye color.)

After Brian uncovered their affair, Jane and Terrence stopped seeing each other regularly. However, today they decide to meet at a deserted park.

"I miss you Terry," Jane whispers as she cuddles up against him.

"I miss you too babe." Terrence sighs. "When are you going to leave him?" he asks. "I want you all to myself."

"It's not that simple Terry. You know that. If I leave him, he will for sure get custody of Elijah. That's just the way it works in Sim Nation."

"Jane, we could start our own family. Have kids of our very own. Please? I'm begging you."

Jane shakes her head sadly. "I can't," she whispers.

After her meeting with Terrence, Jane takes Eli to the park to think. She can't stand the thought of leaving behind her son, but she knows that the situation between her and Ryder just isn't sustainable. She's heard about Ryder's many affairs. Now that he's a film star, it's been all over the news. But she won't leave her son. She can't.

That night, Ryder and his current fling Juliette hang out at the exclusive Blue Moon Oasis poolside club and bar. After the swimsuits come off, Ryder dumps her, and Juliette leaves in a huff.

He spends the next few hours enjoying the solitude (and the bubbles) when he hears a woman's voice calling his name.

"Ryder?" she asks. "Ryder McKinley?"

Ryder doesn't even bother to open his eyes. "Yes?" he replies, wondering if he will actually need to get out of the hot tub to sign an autograph. 

"May I join you?" she asks, not waiting for an answer. Ryder's eyes pop open, and he almost gasps from surprise. Standing in front of him in her full, unclothed glory is Carmen Winters, the famous and notoriously unattainable pop star.


Challenge Notes:

I seriously never thought I'd do the whole imaginary friend bit, but I think it might actually play into my plot for generation 3. I'm hoping the child size version doesn't creep me out too much. Elijah will be my heir, and I already have some ideas for him (hints the IF).

I feel like I wrote and wrote and wrote for this chapter, but yet nothing was resolved. I'm excited for the next chapter though, cause hopefully it will tie up a few loose ends. Also, it is such a downer to work on such depressing subject matter. Ryder makes me sad, and I've actually really started bonding with Jane and her plight. I almost feel bad for her now.


Outtakes:

I should probably wait and introduce this news into my story the proper way, but whatever. I am excited. Sharla and Ethan had twins! *Happy Dance*

The oldest is Cyrus Starr. (He's a boy, I swear.)

Ethan (now an elder) and his daughter Scarlett. I don't know why I put him in a turtle neck, as it totally doesn't suit him, but oh well.

And just because I like this picture I'll throw it in too. Ryder was skinny dipping with Carmen Winters when Juliette stole his clothes. For whatever reason, he changed back to his old hairstyle in the towel outfit, but I still think he's rather handsome.

Chapter 0.10: Today Is Tomorrow's Regret

After Ryder proposes, Jane moves in with him and his parents. The couple maintain separate bedrooms, despite Ryder's best attempt to persuade her otherwise. She claims that she wants to save herself for their wedding night.

Although Ryder easily secured a job in the film industry, his career seems to have stalled out before it even began. The only acting gigs he ever gets are minor, non-speaking parts, and while it doesn't really bother him that much Jane finds his lack of progress infuriating.

In his spare time, Ryder learns to play the guitar. He's always loved music, and he dreams of mastering the skill one day. Jane watches him unhappily, wanting him to focus on his career instead.

To prove her point, she takes him back to the salon where they had their first date.

"You're never going to get anywhere in the film world if you look like that," she tells him.

Ryder frowns. "But I like my long hair," he explains.

Jane rolls her eyes. "That's the first thing that needs to go..."

As the last lock of his beautiful blonde hair falls to the floor, Ryder begins to sob. His manhood be damned, he really loved his hair.

"How could you do that to me?!" he exclaims angrily. He knows it's completely irrational to be so upset about something as trivial as hair, but he feels like she's betrayed him.

Jane shows no remorse. "I want my future husband to be successful," she explains, her voiced edged in irritation. "I was only trying to help!"

That night, Ryder goes to bed still fuming about the makeover. For the first time ever, he consciously questions whether they are meant to be together, but he quickly dismisses the thought as pre-wedding jitters.

The day of their wedding arrives at last. Despite her parents not contributing a single simoleon to the party budget, Jane insists that she and Ryder get married at the elite Lighthouse Country Club. She also insists that Ryder wear a tuxedo and scarf to match her wedding gown (hints the pink).

Ryder grins like a doofus during the entire ceremony, unable to hide his glee. Jane tries her best to act happy and excited, but inside she feels like screaming. She tells herself that it's just cold feet, that all brides feel this way, but deep down she knows better. As she places the ring on Ryder's finger, she thinks about her first boyfriend, Terrence, and a frown crosses her lips. Luckily, Ryder is too absorbed in the moment to notice.

Several hours later as the party begins to wind down, Ryder pulls Jane aside.

"I think we've waited long enough," he whispers into her ear. "Are you ready yet?"

Jane blushes and nods her head.

Back at the house, the newlyweds make their way upstairs. As they lay on the bed gazing at each other awkwardly, Ryder wonders why he feels so nervous, why it feels so forced.

Jane wonders the same thing.

With her own mother removed from the picture, Jane decides to confide her worries in Beatrix.

But Bea is more interested in watching TV than listening to her daughter-in-law drone on and on about her problems. Jane seems to get that a lot.

Though most of her high school cronies stopped talking to her ages ago, Jane knows of one friend who will always listen to her. Terrence Little, her ex-boyfriend, lives on the other side of town in a high rise condo, but she decides to pay him a visit anyway.

"I just don't know what's wrong with me lately," she tells Terrence as they stand around chatting in his living room. "Ryder is great. Better than great. He's perfect. But... I don't know. It's just, I just..." she pauses, her eyes bright with tears. "It doesn't feel right."

Unable to bury her emotions any longer, she begins to cry, warm tears streaming down her face.

He pulls her into a hug. "Shh," he soothes softly. "It's alright sweetheart. Everything is going to be just fine..."

Their innocent hug turns into a not-so-innocent kiss.

...Which turns into an all-out affair.

"Where have you been?!" Ryder demands when Jane gets home late that night. "I was worried sick about you!"

"What does it matter to you, anyway? Am I not allowed to hang out with my friends anymore?" Jane shouts back.

Ryder glares at her. "What is going on with you?! You've been so temperamental lately!"

"Whatever Ryder. I don't need this shit," she yells as she storms upstairs to bed. "Oh, and you can just sleep on the couch for all I care!"

Jane has to make a detour to the bathroom before she can go crawl under the covers and cry. Her affair with Terrence, the fight with Ryder, her whole confusing life; it's all just too much. She throws up in the toilet but leaves still feeling oddly nauseated.


A Few Weeks Earlier:

Sharla Starr stands alone in her basement apartment, savoring the moment. Already an adult for far too long, she finally left her intolerable family and their wretched little house and moved out on her own. Free at last, she feels giddy with excitement.

Sharla grew up a lonesome child, the result of a quickie marriage and mismatched parents. Her father, in all his infinite wisdom, despised her. Claimed she was "evil", whatever that means. Her mother ignored her, preferring to dote on her three younger sisters instead.

But Sharla refuses to pity herself. Ever since she was a child, she's known she's special. She could feel the vampiric power coursing through her body, sense the potency of the undead beneath her skin. Stronger, faster, smarter. She is all these things and more. Even compared to her own sisters, she knows she is by far superior.

A few weeks ago, she met Ethan. Bitter, lonely Ethan. He is so dark and moody, always sulking about some human woman who ripped out his heart and broke it into a million pieces. Needless to say, Sharla fell madly in love with him from the moment he said hello.

She can sense that he is different too, that under his human exterior he is far more powerful than he lets on. And she feeds off that power, her hunger aroused by just the thought.

At first he refused her advances, explaining that he could never love another woman again. But if there's one thing Sharla knows above all else: Sharla gets what Sharla wants.

In no time, she brought him around. She's always been able to seduce men with her charms, and Ethan is no different. Who cares if he doesn't actually love her? She does't need his love, as long as she can sleep in his arms.

Sharla is walking home late one night after a particularly grueling day at the studio when an unfamiliar man stops her just outside her building.

"Excuse me, ma'am, you dropped your keys."

"Hmph," she says as she bends over to pick them up. She stands up slowly, her back aching from her long shift at work, when she locks eyes with the stranger. Immediately, she freezes. A fully matured vampire stands before her, larger and more terrifying than anyone she'd ever met. His eyes glow faintly in the moonlight, his pale skin shimmering with an unearthly iridescence.

"Sharla Starr, it's a pleasure to meet you," he says as he extends his hand. His voice is low and deep, and oddly soothing. "We have much to discuss, you and I."

"Who are you?" Sharla asks nervously. "Wh-What do you want?" She tries to sound cool and collected, but this man rattles her.

"You are carrying my son's child," he replies calmly. "And the last hope I have to fulfill a prophecy."


Challenge Notes:

I really struggled writing this chapter for multiple reasons. First,  I didn't have any idea how to handle my generation 3 roll. Here it is, in case you were curious.

Generation 3 Information:

Marital Status- Couple
Number of Children- 3
Primary Income- Criminal (Thief)
Secondary Income- Job Hopper
Generation Goal- Property Mogul
Miscellaneous Fun- Fashion Diva

Not a bad roll, but it's hard to come up with a plausible reason why my heir would choose to become a criminal when the family is already ludicrously wealthy. I even deleted Ryder and Jane's wedding presents, using master controller to remove the money out of my family's account. (Even one that was worth half a million simoleons!)

Also, I couldn't quite figure out how to illustrate story progression's autonomous events. I wanted to write about Sharla and Ethan's relationship, but I couldn't for the life of me think of a plot line. Finally, I decided to draw on a super old story line from my last legacy (the West legacy) and try to incorporate it into this legacy somehow. Not that I expect any of you all to remember it or anything, I just think it has interesting potential. And I happen to love this particular character.

Finally, I didn't realize that writing about Jane's affair would be so difficult! I don't really understand why people cheat, but I didn't want to make her out to be some cold, heartless sex addict either. So I did my best to try to get behind the psychology of her actions and actually give her a soul. Lol, whether I succeeded or not is questionable, but at least I tried.

Chapter 0.9: Diamond Rings

Jedidiah becomes a young adult.

...Not much changes, really.

Except for one thing. After being rejected by almost every girl in Anne Arbor, he finally gets a girlfriend, Selina Starr.

They move in together almost immediately, but still Selina wants more of a long-term commitment out of him.

"I saw this beautiful engagement ring in the window at the mall yesterday," Selina tells Ryder, loudly enough for Jed to hear.

Jed buries his nose in a book as Ryder squirms uncomfortably. He's known Jed for long enough to understand that his friend suffers from commitment issues. He really likes Selina, and he worries that she'll push him too far too fast and drive him away.

Jedidiah decides to drop his own, not-so-subtle hint later that day.

...Selina's face speaks for itself.

The following afternoon, Ryder meets up with Jane outside the library for their usual Saturday night date when he hears a familiar voice calling his name.

"Ryder!" Shanna exclaims as she walks over to him. Ryder pretends not to hear, so Shanna yells louder. "Ryder! Ryder! RYDER!" She waves at him excitedly.

Ryder clears his throat uncomfortably as Jane turns around to see who it is. "Oh, uh, hi Shanna. Nice to see you again. Me and Jane were just leaving, right Jane?"

Jane narrows her eyes in an devious smirk. "No, let's stay Ryder. Shanna wants to say hello."

Shanna smiles halfheartedly at Jane before turning her attention back to Ryder. "So, Ry, there's this awesome new video game that just came out and I was wondering if you wanted to come over some time and try it out. My parents just bought a huge flat-screen, and since Jed is always so busy with Selina I thought you and I could give it a go..."

Ryder opens his mouth to respond, but Jane cuts him off.

"Aww! How adorable Shanna!" she says, her voice sweet as syrup. "Look, honey, everyone knows you have a thing for Ryder. I mean, I get it. What girl wouldn't? But," she pauses, lowering her voice to a chilly whisper. "He's my man and my man alone. And if you don't keep your nasty little paws off of him, I swear I will make sure you never show your face at school again. Understand?"

Shanna stares blankly at Jane, her eyes wide with shock. For a second, she looks like she's about to cry, but then the anger hits. "You're nothing but a two-faced bitch," she spits, her voice quavering with rage. "A lying, unfaithful bitch. The whole school knows about you and your "friend" Terrence, but everyone's too scared to tell Ryder. Well, you know what? He deserves to know!"

Jane's face turns red with embarrassment. "You little liar!" she shrieks. "Ryder, don't listen to her. She's just jealous." Turning to him, she yells, "Are you just going to stand there and let her speak to me that way?!"

Ryder doesn't falter for a second. "How dare you say that to Jane! That's it Shanna! Go find some losers like yourself to hang out with. Cause you and I are through!"

Jane watches gleefully as Shanna's face turns from complete shock to confusion and anger.

"I hope you two will be very happy together," Shanna whispers through her tears. "You deserve each other." And with that, she turns and runs away.

Through his blind fury, Ryder doesn't give Shanna's words a second thought. He doesn't think about the encounter again, too angry to actually process what she was telling him.

That night, Ryder can't sleep. His birthday is tomorrow, and he's not so certain he's ready to be an adult yet.

"So, you want to be an actor, huh?" his dad asks as they sit on the couch watching sports together.

"Yep..."

"Are you sure? It's hard to catch a break in that industry kid. I can easily secure you a position in law enforcement. You can become a cop, like me..."

Ryder smiles. "No. I don't care how tough it is, I want to act."

Brian sighs.

The next afternoon, Brian gives his son one final hug before he becomes an adult.

"You will do wonderful as an actor. I don't doubt it for a second," he tells him gently.

"Oooh. I am pretty."

Beatrix also has a birthday that night. Brian is very excited.

Ryder decides to pay Jedidiah a visit. He knows his friend has some news, but he wants to hear it first hand.

"...And she said we were just going down to city hall to file some tax returns. I didn't even think about why all her sisters were there, and why she was wearing a white dress, and-"

Ryder smiles. "Congratulations Jed! I'm so happy for you!"

"Dude! You don't understand! It's a conspiracy! These aliens planted a homing device inside her uterus, called a "biological clock". It's all she talks about, and now I'm pretty sure she wants us to spawn and use our children to take over the world..."

Ryder finds Selina and gives her a congratulatory hug.

"Is he still going on about the biological clock?" she whispers in his ear.

"Yeah. He's just kidding, right?"

No answer.

The three friends decide to celebrate the occasion by heading down to the tattoo parlor and getting inked.

Selina looks rather mischievous tonight...

She gets a cute little heart with Jedidiah's name tattooed on her shoulder blade.

...Jedidiah gets a post-it note with sparkles on his back.

"She said that it would look sexy!!" Jed replies defensively.

"Dude, you actually believed her?" Ryder laughs so hard he starts crying.

Angry face.

 Ryder gets one too. He thinks it looks neat.

Jane ages up a few days later.

"Why did you want to meet outside the old school house?" Jane asks innocently. "And why are you wearing your hair like that? Eww."

Ryder ignores her last question. "There's something I want to ask you," he says, his eyes bright and hopeful.

"Oh. I have no idea what you are talking about. What could it possibly be?" Jane tries to sound confused, but she's a horrible actor.

"Jane MuMacker, I've loved you since we were in elementary school. Will you marry me?"

She giggles excitedly. "Um, okay!"

"That's the ring you wanted, right?" Ryder sounds nervous. "My mom told me you specifically had to have that one..."

"Well, it's a bit small," she complains. "But it'll do."

Ryder pulls her into a hug. "I love you so much Jane. I can't wait to marry you and spend the rest of my life with you."

"I want a really big wedding Ryder." That's all she says.


Challenge Notes:

I squealed when I got the story progression notice that Jed and Selina were going steady. And then I squealed even louder when they moved in together a few Sim hours later. Then, they got married a couple Sim days after that and I almost fell out of my chair in shock. Jedidiah really does have the commitment issues trait, and I have found that those Sims rarely get married autonomously. But maybe that's just my experience. So yay. I'm really happy how that turned out.

And, this might be a total spoiler, but Ethan (Beatrix's ex-boyfriend) hooked up with Selina's evil sister Sharla Starr. Totally autonomously. I desperately want them to have a baby or two. They've been dating for what feels like forever, but still no kids. I might intervene. I don't know, we'll have to see. Oh, and Selina is Ryder's film co-worker and Sharla is his boss. <3 I haven't thought of any fabulous story lines yet, but surely I can do something with that complicated web of relationships.

Oh, and for whoever cares, there was a picture of Selina a few chapter ago, but I changed her clothing and hair once she started dating Jed because I thought it suited her personality better.


Outtakes:

One of the weirder glitches I've seen. Ryder got stuck in the elevator doors... after he was already out of the elevator.

Whee! I can fly!

Shanna, you are adorable.

Selina really is a good match for Jed. <3

I think Jed knows it, too.