1.5--Olive is Growing Up Too Fast!

Now that they had a child, Mya and Robert found themselves much busier than before. The only sanctuary they experienced from the day's turmoils was either from the rare nap...

 ...or when they were finally able to turn in for the day.

However, despite their lack of sleep they were enjoying every minute of being parent.

Although, Mya did express some concerns about the creep-tastic doll that they received from a mysterious Losto family.

"Fuck. Did that thing just move?"

"If you move again, I will not hesitate to set you on fire."

----But today marked a special day.

"Can you believe today is Olive's birthday? She's growing up too fast!" Mya knew she was being a bit dramatic, but time was flying by too quickly.

"Mya, she's only going to be a toddler.  It's not like she's moving out... just growing.  Which she was bound to do anyway.  I would be worried if she didn't."

"We have to throw her a party.  She may be a baby, but no child of mine is having a birthday without a celebration of the event."

"You're right." Rob stated, "I'll make a call after I get dressed for work.  Can you handle getting the cake or should I pick it up on my way home?"

"I'll get it.  Knowing you, you would get her a bachelorette cake and think it was hilarious."

"Hey! You're the inappropriate one in this relationship."

"Exactly. I should be the one to do it." Mya teased.  "I'll take Olive with me.  It will be good to get her some sunlight.  And, you know, so I can show her off around town."

Robert was on the phone as soon as he was changed...

...while Mya and Olive made the long-trek to the store.

(That's right, they still don't have a car.)

By the time everything was bought and arranged, the party was in full-swing; at least to Mya anyhow.

"I'm going to show these 'brook's how us Bridgeporters party!"

------3 hours later.

 "So how do you think the party went?" Mya asked.

"Uh... interesting, I guess."

"You didn't like it?"

"Well let's recap, shall we?"

"...Juliet Gray showed up in a hospital gown... that afforded many unwanted butt-shots."

"Oh you liked it." Mya teased.

"Blaise Kindle ate dirt off of our floor... again." Robert continued.

"Ugh... glad I didn't see that."

"And Jeannette Finley danced on our counter while Olive blew out her candles."

"Yep," Mya interjected. "A rip-roaring success, I say!" 

"Well... at least Olive most likely won't remember."

 "...But we will." Mya stated as she snuggled up to Robert.

"Mmm... I'll remember tonight quite clearly."

"You certainly will once I ask you what I've been meaning to ask you all day, Mr. Dennis."

"Why am I scared? Should I be scared?"

"...What are your thoughts on adoption?"

"You want to put Olive up already? We haven't even hit the teenage hell that is to be this household in thirteen years."

Mya smirked. "I mean, adding another member to our family?"

And this is the moment Robert questioned his wife's sanity.

---------------------------------------------------

Well... it looks like the Dennis family will be fulfilling their "mixed couple" roll earlier than I anticipated.  

And yes, Mya still has questionable expletives... even in front of her child.  But hey, she's a baby... she won't remember, right?

And Blaise returns! Not in a very consequential manner, but hey, a return is a return nonetheless.  She totally did the dirt-eating autonomously again, so I didn't have to plan that element out.  Goodness I love Blaise!


I also caved and used my Joker to re-roll the number of children for GEN 2 (I didn't want a billion cousins running around only a couple of generations in) and rolled two children. MUCH BETTER.


Here is a picture of Olive (since I *totally* spaced and forgot to get a picture of her aging up):

She turned out well, I think.  So far she has her mother's eyes and her father's hair... not too sure about the rest.  I was really worried there for a bit considering Mya and Robert's features, so *hopefully* she ages gracefully... or else I will be disappoint.  


Anyway, chapter six a-ho!

1.4--Robert's Dream House/Olive

"See, this is it! This is our future house." Robert's excitement was at an all-time high and Mya knew what it meant... Robert was making impossible long-term goals again.

"Rob, this house looks... expensive."

"And beautiful!"

"Well..." Mya began, "if we sell everything we own, including your beloved computer, then we might be able to afford the shrubbery out front."

"This is not the time for jokes Mya. This house will be ours. I did the math and if we save up and never go out, ever, we will be able to afford this place in a decade or so."

"A decade is a long time.  We might find another suitable place before then."

 "You'll change your tune once you see the backyard!" 

"Rob, all I see is the corner of a pool and a small grill."

"Our pool and our small grill." Robert corrected her. "Mya, I just really want a house where we don't have to play human tetris in order to navigate through the hallway... plus, this will be a house our children would be proud of and hopefully inherit someday."

Mya smiled. Even when Robert was at his most impossible, he was adorable. "All right..." she sighed, "you've convinced me.  Let's do it.  Let's save up for our new 'humble' abode."

Robert was ecstatic. "You mean it? You like this house enough for us to make a few financial sacrifices?"

"As long as those sacrifices don't entail us not buying a new washer and toilet then yes, I'm in."

"Besides..." Mya added, "think of all the fun we could have in that pool."

"Yeah... we can totally do some canon balls in that shit!" Robert laughed, turning Mya's lecherous suggestion against her.  "Well... I have to get to work.  Are you sure you're going to be okay walking home?"

"It's just down the street, babe.  Plus, I need to get out of that house for a bit and get some fresh air... or whatever it is you do outside."

Robert laughed. "I love you Mya and I'll see you later when I get home."

"Not if I don't explode with our child first!" Mya teased.

"Please don't do that.  Exploding sounds... unpleasant."

"I love you too Robert. Now go to work! You're turning me into one of those nagging wives!"

With a sigh, Robert took one last look at his dream house.  He didn't care what he had to do or how many hours he had to work, he was absolutely determined to get his family a comfortable home.

--------------------------------------------

TIME SKIP!

A few hours after returning home (and about five minutes after inviting Blaise to the house) and Mya kept her word to Robert.  She felt like she was exploding with their first child.

"That's it! NO.MORE!"

(oh she wishes. *evil laugh*)

"You get your butt to the hospital," said Blaise. "I'll call Robert."

Mya didn't have time (nor care at the moment) to ask exactly how Blaise knew her husbands number.

"I owe you one, Blaise! Dear shit-marbles... If Robert ever touches me again He.Is.Dead."

Robert rushed to the hospital as soon as he got off the phone with Blaise.  There was no way he was missing the birth of his child.  Plus, he was certain if he missed it there was going to be a some serious groveling later.

-----------One excruciating birth later...------------

 ...And Mya emerged with the new addition to the Dennis clan, Olive.

...And Robert emerged with a new perspective on life.  One that involved never cracking a joke to his wife while she was pushing out their child.  The new bruise on his arm from Mya's haphazard punch will certainly cement this new lesson.

"Well, babe" Robert stated as soon as they entered the house, "looks like we are officially a family."

"Yes we are.  Our little Dennis spawn sure is cute."

"Cute? Cute?! She's friggin' adorable.  Although, I am biologically obligated to say so."

Mya laughed. "Just promise me that if she ever asks you if she is pretty when she grows up, you'll leave out that last part." 

"Deal."

"We finally have our little monster." Mya stated as she hugged her new daughter.

"We sure do."

--------------------------------------------
And we introduce baby Olive into the world! Her traits (so far) are Genius and Excitable.  Since I decided to postpone going to the hospital in order to get some good pictures (sorry Mya!), I didn't get to pick Olive's first trait.  But I can live with another Genius.


The house is by Parsimonious in case anyone is wondering, and you can get it from here: Modern Night Life

I fell in love with the house right away and decided to make it Robert and Mya's "Change of Scenery" as soon as they can afford it.  It literally screams Dennis (plus I *might* have entered it as a no-visitor lot to make sure it didn't "scream" any NPC names... hooray for anthropomorphism!).  But, if it isn't obvious from the get-go, they won't be getting that house for a while.

I'm in the beginning stages of adding some new lots to Twinbrook to make it more lively (some bars in particular), so you might see some changes as the story goes on.  Although, as stated before, Robert and Mya don't get out too much right now so maybe the changes will be more seamless than I anticipated.


Aaand... pic spam of Robert and a very-preggo Mya.

1.3--Becoming Parents

"Rob, I'm no doctor, but I'm pretty sure it's too early in the pregnancy to hear anything."

"Nonsense... Oh! I think I heard something!"

"Probably me digesting breakfast, you goon. Don't you have work today?"

Robert sighed. "Can't I just stay home with my beautiful pregnant wife..."

"I'm immune to your charm Mr. Dennis."

"If you were immune to my charm, you wouldn't be pregnant right now."

Mya slapped him playfully on the shoulder. "Go get ready!"

When Robert returned, he could tell his wife was anxious.  Ever since she started showing, Mya had been acting... vacant; almost as if she was lost in a fearful thought that she was too apprehensive to share with him.  He knew what this was about, her own experience with her mother, but he didn't want to bring it up himself.  When she was ready to talk, she would.

"You'll be all right, babe? While I'm at work?" 

"I'll be fine.  I'll just... do some things around the house.  You know, society's idea of 'wife duties'"  Mya smiled, knowing full-well that Robert was concerned. 

"Ha... right.  Well call if you need anything." Robert offered.  She may not want to talk about it now, but she will at least know that he will be there for her when she is ready.

"I love you Rob.  The award for best husband is undoubtedly meant for you." 

"I do what I can.  And I love you too."

----------------------------------------------- 

Once Mya was alone, she had time to let her thoughts take control.  She knew this would happen someday, that she and Rob would decide to have children of their own... and she would be plagued by the memory of her mother, or the hazy memories she still had.

Her clearest recollection was the day her mother disappeared.

For her sixth birthday, she was given a used bike.  She had decided to learn to ride it by herself one morning before her mother went to her job as a waitress.  Not fully paying attention, Mya had fallen in the front yard and skinned her knee.  Her mother had taken time out of her busy morning schedule to bandage her knee, telling her soothingly "all wounds heal Mya. Remember that."  She kissed Mya goodbye... and that was the last time her daughter ever saw her.

They were having severe financial trouble at the time, and because her mother could neither land a stable job with her lack of education nor rely on Mya's father, they were forced to live with some family friends just outside Bridgeport.  When word spread that her mother was most likely dead (and having no relatives that could take care of her), Mya became a ward of the state... living in an orphanage until she was 18.

That's the thought that scared her the most; that something horrible would happen to her and her children would only have hazy memories of what she looked like.  Only have faint remembrances of embraces, flowery perfume, soft hands bandaging their wounds...

And as she watched her belly grow, the fear became stronger.  She obviously never blamed her mother for her demise, but she was angry it had to happen to her family... to her mother.

"How come this wound won't heal, mother?" thought Mya aloud as she rubbed her belly.  But she knew the answer, it was because she couldn't let it go.  She couldn't move on.

Standing there, feeling her child inside her, snapped her out of it.  She had to move on, for the sake of her child.  The longer she let this wound fester, the more detrimental it would become.

Mya was finally ready to let the healing process begin.

----------------------------------------------- 

When Robert returned home from work, he found dinner ready and a somewhat jovial Mya eating at the dinner table.

"I take it your so-called 'wife duties' went well?"

"They went splendidly.  I managed to break our washer... again." Mya teased. "Listen, I want to apologize for acting so... off lately.  It's just, having a child has made me... face my past in ways I wasn't exactly expecting."

"Never apologize for that Mya.  You had a rough past... just next time, please talk to me about it."

"I promise."

Laying together later that night, Robert could feel the kicking of his child and knew that he or she was coming soon.

"I just hope we're ready for you." Rob smiled, "who am I kidding? We'll never be able to handle our little monster." 

And with that, one Dennis fell asleep knowing that her mother's memory could finally be put to rest to make room for the future... while the second Dennis fell asleep dreaming of a daughter.

-----------------------------------------

Angsty chapter is angsty. 

I wasn't expecting this chapter to be so Mya-centric (in fact I had a nice little background set up for Robert), but since *SPOILER ALERT* they end up having a daughter, I thought Mya's past was a bit more poignant.  Plus, Robert just has a boring run-of-the-mill childhood, happy family and all. :)

In case anyone is wondering, Robert is officially at level four of his career (Caper Crusader I think is the name of it) and Mya is at level eight with her logic (still at level two [Teacher's Aide] since she obviously can't go to work right now).  I wanted to focus more on the story than the gameplay aspects (leveling and such)... but we'll see how long that will last once my well of creativity begins to run dry. 

Also, I'm in love with the coward trait.

You get some epic faces, like this:

And this:

 Oh Mya... why you so scared of everything?!