Chapter 41: The Girl He Gave Everything To

"Farrell, why don't you leave it down?" Aouregan asks.

"Leave what down?"

"Your hair," she says, giggling just a little at her husband's confusion, "I like the way it looks."

Farrell has worn his hair in a braid for as long as he can remember. "I suppose I could do that," he agrees, somewhat reluctant but unable to deny his wife this small request.

When Farrell comes downstairs, Jack has already arrived. School is out for leisure day and Jack wants to take his son to the festival. Jace, however, is insisting that Farrell come along.

"I'm with you all day," Farrell says gently, "You should spend today with your father."

"But I want you to come, too," Jace protests.

"Hey, it's cool," Jack says, "Don't stay home on my account. It's a family thing." 

"I was going to bring Aouregan," Farrell admits.

"Then we'll go together," Jack decides.

Jack and Jace team up against Farrell and Aouregan in a waterballoon fight.

Any ideas Jace had about spending the day basking in Farrell's attention are quickly dispelled. As fond as he is for his nephew, Farrell's attention belongs to his wife today.

Playing horseshoes with his dad is so much fun that he doesn't notice when Farrell and Aouregan slip off to pay a visit to Elliot and Claire at their house.

By the end of the afternoon, Jace has made a new best friend.

Shadow and Iola spent their Leisure Day picnicking at the Stone Troll Fishing hole.

"I think I might be pregnant," she tells him, "I made an appointment with my father tomorrow to confirm it." As soon as they married, the couple decided to stop using birth control and start a family right away, so the news is hardly unexpected. And though still unconfirmed, they spend the afternoon suggesting names for their baby, and making plans together.

While Delaney is out of town, Jack spends the night in her room, so he can be with their son as much as possible. And what's a sleep over without a good pillow fight?

The first deja vu happens while she's clearing her breakfast dish. Outside, the schoolbus' horn blares, and she hears Jace running down the stairs to catch it. Next to her, Jack is telling Shadow that he'll be heading out now to the warehouse, and that he has work tonight, but he'll be back here after school is out to have dinner with the family. None of this is important, just a typical moment of a normal morning, yet it bears the stamp of significance. Time is a chain forged of moments, and each link that is added determines the next. This moment, this link, is important only because of its place in this chain, a precursor to the links already beginning to take  form, ready to become real. Something is going to happen today, something Iola has seen in one of her visions. But which vision will it be?

The next deja vu happens while she's in the shop. There haven't been any customers today, so she's working on her writing, but also distracted by thoughts of her upcoming appointment at her father's office. 

The third comes along with a wave of nausea, and when this one hits, she knows. She's sees it clearly now, she'll be in her father's office, Aurora will be there, too, to tell her the good news. They will be happy, celebrating. And then the scream of sirens as an ambulance pulls into the hospital, a sound rare for their sleepy town. Her father's practice deals mostly with sniffles and minor injuries. But today, someone is going to die. Jack is going to die.

Iola joins Shadow out in the shop's garden, where he's sitting and reading. In telling fortunes here, Iola has made a point of keeping to the lighter side of prophecy, knowing full well that telling people that something bad will happen will cause them to try to avoid it. And more often than not, their actions will be what causes the very fate they are trying to avoid. But so far, Iola has had the luxury of not seeing anything more tragic than small accidents and mishaps. This is the first time she's burdened with a presage of death about to come true.

"You don't have to be worried," Shadow says, seeing his wife's distress and mistaking its cause, "You're not sick. You are very definitely pregnant. I can feel him now, our son's spirit inside you."

For just that moment, Iola is too joyful to sustain her fears. "I knew I was pregnant," she whispers, snuggling close to him. "You're sure it's a boy?"

"Mmm," Shadow murmurs, his lips too close to her neck to form real words as he nuzzles her.

Her husband has a great gift, Iola thinks, one he's nurturing and growing. And she has her own gift, which she has to find the strength to use.

"Shadow, my love, you have to find Jack, and help him. You mustn't let him drive this afternoon."

"What have you seen?" Shadow asks, alert to the concern in her voice.

"I think the less I tell you, the better," she sighs, "Just, be with him today. And don't let him ride his motorcycle."

"Where is he now?"

Iola presses her lips together as she thinks. In her vision, she hears the EMT tell her father Jack was leaving a bar when the accident happened. "A bar," she says, "I don't know which one."

"I'll find him," Shadow promises, leaning in to kiss her before he leaves.

"Are you still going to see your father?"

Iola hesitates. Logically, her presence at her father's office when Jack is brought in is a mere coincidence, and staying away won't help him. "I should. Even though we know what he'll tell me, I think he'd still like to be the one who gives me the news. He was very excited when I told him why I needed to see him."

"It will be good for you to be with him," Shadow agrees, "Try not to worry about whatever you've seen...I will take care of Jack, I promise."

"So, you're really okay with Delaney being alone with the boss?' Ian asks.

"Sure, why not?" Jack replies.

"Dude, he's alone with her in his house. Doesn't that make you the least bit concerned about what he's doing with her?"

"I'm not concerned, because Laney would never cheat on me," Jack says confidently.

Ian snorts. "If the boss came onto her, she'd be all over that," he says, "Hell, she slept with me and I'm just an underling."

"Tell me right now that you're full  of shit. Tell me what you just said did not happen, or I swear, I'm going to hurt you," Jack shouts, rising in anger, his fist balled and ready to strike.

"Uh," Ian hesitates, his self-preservation instinct vying with his ready candor for dominance.

"Say it!" Jack insists.

"I screwed her," Ian blurts, "While you were in jail."

"You piece of shit," Jack growls, and lets his fists fly.

Ian tries to defend himself, but Jack overpowers him easily. "Hey, Pie Man, I told you the truth. It's for your own good. If she'll sleep with me, she'll sleep with anyone. You can kill me, but it won't change the fact that she came after me, and she's probably screwing Cole right now, and she'll fuck any other guy she fancies. Or who she thinks she can get something from. I was nothing to her but a way to get into this organization."

"This isn't over," Jack says, turning away from Ian, walking away from this fight before he really does kill his partner.

Shadow tried the Toadstool first, and not finding Jack there, he went to the only other bar in town that was open, the sports club.

"Leave me alone," Jack grumbles when Shadow takes a seat beside him.

"I can't leave you alone," Shadow says, "You're my friend, and you're in pain. What happened?"

"While I was in jail, Delaney was screwing my partner," Jack tells him, getting it out there. It doesn't make him feel any better.

"You're sure?"

Jack shakes his head, then nods. Ian's a lying sack of shit when he wants to be, but he'd never take a beating to defend a lie if he could use the truth to get out of it. "I'm sure," Jack sighs, "I should have seen it."

"Laney is impulsive," Shadow says, his heart breaking for his friend, "She does things without thinking. But she does love you, Jack."

"I thought so," Jack sighs, "But now, I just don't know. Is she even capable of love? For all I know, she's with another man right now."

"Come back to the house, have dinner with your son," Shadow offers, "Sitting here drinking isn't going to help."

"No, but it dulls the pain."

"Actually, it doesn't. Alcohol dredges up pain and amplifies it," Shadow says, "I'd like to do some dream work with you. I think it will help you."

"Shadow, you're not my therapist."

"You have a therapist?"

"No," Jack says with a harsh laugh.

"Then, let me help you."

Jack reluctantly gave up his plans to drown his sorrows in beer and goes back to the house with Shadow. He keeps himself in check during family dinner, not showing his pain to his son, and joining their celebration when Iola announces her pregnancy. After night falls and Jace has been put to bed, Jack and Shadow retreat up to Delaney's room.

"So, what is 'dream work', anyway?" Jack asks, wondering what Shadow is getting him into.

"You're going to go to sleep, thinking about Delaney and focusing on your relationship with her. I'm going to help guide your spirit towards hers as you dream, so you can meet her and begin to workout your issues."

"That sounds a little....sketchy," Jack says, one eyebrow raised quizzically.

"I've never done this before, with another person," Shadow admits, "But, I've guided my own dreams. This will work, Jack. Delaney's spirit is heavily invested in this room, her presence is strong here even though she's physically out of town. And you're part of that. Look around, she's made this room into a shrine for her feelings for you. Making a connection with her should be easy here."

Jack looks at the walls, covered in pictures he and Delaney took together as teens. She loved getting pictures with him. And, even with the turmoil in their lives, his getting expelled and kicked out of his father's house, her pregnancy and her father getting him thrown in jail, they had been happy, in love. Or so Jack had thought. Now he wonders if any of it was real, or if it was just what he wanted to believe.

"All right, let's do this," he says, not really believing in any of Shadow's touchy feely new age crap, but, mentally and physically exhausted from the day's events, he is ready to close his eyes and sleep. If shadow wants to chant or whatever while he does that, that's fine with Jack.

"Just think about Delaney and your relationship," Shadow advises as Jack closes his eyes. As if he could possibly have anything else on his mind right now than the girl he loves, the girl he gave everything to, the girl who betrayed him and broke his heart.

Shadow said he'd guide him to Delaney, but this isn't exactly what he was expecting.

"Hey, Jack!" she calls out to him, "Do you want to play with me?"

"Sure," he says, sitting on the swing beside her. So much for working out their issues, he thinks. How do you have a relationship talk with a child?

"I can go really high, watch me!" she cries, oblivious to his dilemma.

"You know, Jack, you aren't as much fun now that you're grown up," she observes, slowing down just a little, "But you're still my best friend."

"I'm going to tell you a secret, Jack," she says, pushing herself as high and as fast as the swing can go, "I'm friends with a dragon. For real."

You cheated on me with Ian, Jack thinks. Are you screwing Cole, now, too? But he can't ask these questions of a child. It's just like her, he thinks, even in dreams she finds ways to avoid serious discussion.

"Ice Cream!" she shrieks, and runs out to the truck parked by the playground.

"You'll buy me an ice cream, won't you, Jack?" she asks.

"Sure, Laney, whatever you want."

"I had fun today, Jack," she says, licking her freezer bunny popsicle, "Maybe you can come back tomorrow and we'll play again."

"Sure thing, Laney," Jack promises.

He walks off, leaving her to her childish pleasures. She hasn't changed, but he has, and Jack isn't sure anymore that he can wait on her.

Shadow doesn't leave Jack's side until he's moved out of the R.E.M. stage into dreamless sleep. When he goes back to his own room, Iola is half asleep, waiting for him.

"How's Jack?" she asks, "He'll be okay?"

It's the first moment they've had alone since she sent him off to find Jack. "He found out Laney was cheating on him," Shadow tells her. He has no secrets from his wife. "He was going to drink himself to death, wasn't he?"

Iola nods, "He was going to crash his motorcycle into tree," she sighs with contented relief. "I'm so glad I sent you to stop him."

Iola rises to meet him as leans forward to kiss her. Shadow felt the pain Jack was in as soon as he walked into that bar, his work has opened him up, exposed him to the feelings of everyone around him.

"I need you, Iola," he whispers, "I need your love."

"Yes," she answers, caressing him, understanding what he can't say, that his heart bleeds for Jack, that he's tasted Delaney's betrayal as his own, and he needs the comfort only his wife can give him, the reminder that their bond remains true and unbroken, that she's given herself to him completely and forever.

_______________________________________

I mentioned on the thread at MTS that patching to 1.47 caused me to lose Farrell's CC hair. This has happened to one other person I know who was using this hair. So, I have no idea what happened, but nothing I tried got the hair to reappear in game, so, Farrell's got a new hairstyle.

Next chapter will focus on what Delaney is up to in the city with Cole.

Chapter 40: Full of Cake and Free Food

When his own children were Jace's age, Farrell did everything he could for them, taught them to walk and talk, and played with them and generally enjoyed their company. He also slept in a sleeping bag in their nursery, afraid that MorcuCorp would come creeping in to steal them away, and even when he was with them physically, his mind was often preoccupied, worried about their mother, about finding her and rescuing her.

That seems like so long ago now, their time here in Drake's Hollow has passed in safety and security, and though he's never held any job at all, Farrell feels well and truly retired, free to spend his time in the simple pursuit of pleasure. His own children are grown now, so it is Jace who becomes the beneficiary of Farrell's second childhood, the two of them forming a close bond during their log afternoons together, playing and chatting.

In pursuit of Jace's best interests, Farell pays a visit to Elliot in his new house.

Claire had returned from their honeymoon pregnant, and Elliot is now the father of twin girls, for the second time in his life, Corrine and Danica.

"You aren't worried about having babies this late?" Farrell asks, "About not being around for them?" Farrell was always one for blunt speech, and these very questions are what stopped him from indulging his own mid life wish to have another child with Aouregan when his own children became adults.

"Of course I worry," Elliot answers, too used to his brother's directness to be taken aback by it, "But Claire is younger than I am. She wanted a family, and I didn't think it was right to deny her that. besides, we're not elders yet, I still have some time left on the clock to raise my girls," he finishes with a  light laugh.

They put the girls in their cribs and go down to the kitchen, where Farrell broaches are more delicate subject. "Jace's birthday party is this evening," he says, "You know Jack will be there."

"He wouldn't be if I lived there," Elliot says, his lips pressed in a firm line.

"He's Jace's father," Farrell says, "And you're his grandfather. I want you and Claire to be there, and I want you to not make any trouble."

"I behaved at Shadow's wedding, didn't I?" Elliot says.

"Yes, you did. But that was a public event. This will be in the house. I just wanted to make sure we're clear on this. I can't make you like or accept Jack, but I wish you would try. For Jace's sake."

"And I wish you get that no good criminal out of my grandson's life, instead of letting him free rein of the house," Elliot counters, "But neither of us is getting what we want from that situation, all we can do is make the best of it. I'll be at the birthday party, and I'll smile and won't make a scene."

Farrell did really expect much more than that, but he had to try.

"Hey, baby," Ian greets Delaney, trying to get his arms around her.

"Back the fuck off, you moron," Delaney growls, pushing him away, "I'm here to see Jack."

"Jack ain't here, he's at the gym. It's just you an' me, now baby," Ian says, doing the opposite of backing off.

Delaney shuts him down with a hard slap on the cheek. "There's no 'you and me'. You got that?"

"I seem to remember different," Ian says, undeterred, "And it seems to me that maybe you should be nice to me, if you don't want me to share my sweet memories of you with him."

"Seriously, Ian, extortion for sex?" Delaney rolls her eyes, "You know, you go ahead and share with Jack. Maybe he'll dump me, or maybe he'll forgive me when I beg for it. What he'll definitely do, though, is beat the crap out of you first. Is that want you want? Am I really worth getting your face smashed and your jaw broken?"

Ian has to admit she's got a point. "There are no chicks in this town," he grumbles, "And nothing to fucking do."

"Complain to the boss," Delaney says over her shoulder as she heads out the door, "I'm going to the gym."

Delaney finds Jack at the gym, and joins him in a race up the rock climbing walls.

Jack loses his grip and falls. It's quite the rush.

But it sure does hurt when he stands back up.

"Are you okay?" Delaney asks, stroking him on the cheek, "A back injury like that took my Dad out for good."

"I'm fine," Jack assures her.

"Jace's birthday party is tonight," she says, "I got the boss to let me off for it..."

"But I have to work," Jack sighs heavily.

"It will be near Jace's bedtime by then, anyway," Delaney says, "You can still be there."

"Don't worry, nothing would keep me away," Jack promises. It would be so much easier if they lived together, but she won't sit still long enough to discuss their future with him.

"Great!" Delaney smiles brightly, "Now I gotta get going. Boss only let me have the night off if I put in some work this afternoon."

Most days, their shop is quiet. It would be worrisome if it was their family's main source of income, but the Brannons have the kind of easy wealth that makes it so they only have to work as much as they want, or not at all if they prefer. For Shadow, the quiet days give him the time to research, studying Kvornan's encrypted fables for clues. Kvornan himself still refuses to put it in plain Simlish. Learning to understand is part of the process, he had said, nothing is ever simply given.

Iola spends most of her time in the shop working on her writing. She hasn't the confidence yet to call it her novel, though that is what she hopes it will someday be. For now, she spends hours fretting over the structure of one sentence, or selecting just the right adjective. 

Her efforts are only occasionally interrupted by customer actually seeking her psychic advice.

Guests, some invited, others not, start showing up at the Brannon house to celebrate Jace's birthday. Or for the free food.

It's mostly the immediate family who gathers around for the cake.

Jace blows out his candles.

Luckily he gets them blown out before his mother puts him down so she can answer her phone.

"The boss," she mouths silently to Jack.

"Can't leave us alone, can he?" Jack answers, but Delaney has already moved off to take the call in private.

Elliot promised to not make a scene, but that doesn't mean he has to acknowledge Jack in any way, and he avoids even making simple eye contact with his grandson's father.

Jack doesn't let Elliot's obvious disapproval get in the way of enjoying birthday cake with his son. No one had to remind him not to make trouble.

After cake, Jack and Jace play a few rounds of rock, paper, scissors. Jace beats his father easily once he figures out his dad will go for scissors every time.

The time Jace spent with Farrell has made a lasting impression, and the boy has turned into a junior brainiac, already using words to big for his father to get his head around.

Jack has no idea what his kid is talking about. So, hugs!

Delaney interrupts to tell Jack what the boss wanted. Farrell takes the opportunity to wish Jace a happy birthday.

And to give him his gift, a book on basic chemistry, along with an offer to help him learn to use the chemistry set up in the attic.

"You're the best, uncle Farrell!" Jace enthuses.

Technically, he's the boy's great-uncle, but Farrell sees no need to correct him.

In the few minutes they have left before Jack has to meet up with Ian for work, he and Delaney sit out on the porch for some private time.

"Why just you?" Jack asks. The boss' call was an invitation, or an order, depending on how you look at it, for Delaney to go to the city for a few days, and work directly with Cole himself.

"He didn't say," Delaney shrugs, "And you know it's best not to question him. It will just be for a few days."

Farrell spends a few minutes getting to know his new son-in-law, Aurora's husband Jaybird Crane. Aurora couldn't make it to the party herself, being so busy at the hospital. Jay, however, is a self-employed writer, and has plenty of free time for parties.

Jace is not unaware of the tension between between his father and grandfather, but, because the adults are so careful about not mentioning it, Jace keeps quiet about it as well, pretending to be in on whatever secret they have, like it's a game they're all playing.

As the party winds down and guests, full of cake and free food, start to leave, Delaney gives her present to Jace, a new Scary Bears bear. They were her favorite toy when she was his age. "Uncle Farrell gave me one just like it on my birthday," she says.

"Uncle Farrell gave you one of these?" Jace enthuses, more excited by Farrell's approval of the gift than the actual toy, which is a bit to inert and non-interactive for Jace's taste.

Now that he's a child, Jace has outgrown the nursery and gets his own room, decorated in his favorite color.

"You're sure about this?" Jack asks, "Once you're inked, it's permanent. Well, there's some laser removal deal you can do, but I've heard it's painful. More painful than the actual inking."

"Pain is part of the process of becoming a shaman. I have to put my blood into it."

"Okay then," Jack says, having gone as deeply into this subject as he cares to.

Shadow watches without cringing as Jack inks the design he chose on his arm.

"You know, while Delaney is out of town, you can still feel free to come by, and sleep over so you can be with Jace," Shadow comments.

"Thanks, man, I appreciate that. And I will take you up on that."

"I don't understand why you don't just move in with us," Shadow continues.

"I don't get it, myself," Jack sighs, "She keeps holding me at arm's length, you know? I sleep over almost every night, but any talk of making it official, and she's walking away, changing the subject."

Shadow wonders if casting a love charm on Delaney might help, but decides the potential for harm is too great. She already loves Jack, anyway, her problem with the relationship lies elsewhere. Fear of commitment, perhaps? Shadow grows quiet as he mulls over it.

On his first day of school, it becomes very obvious that young Jace is a genius.  "This is too easy," he grumbles as he does his homework with Farrell beside him, overseeing.

"We'll have to find more challenging things for you to work on," Farrell suggests.

Shadow holds his first book club meeting at the Happy Sunset cafe.

This group hardly needs a special time to talk about books, any time any of them meet the topic of what they're reading will come up. The 'club' is more an excuse for a family party, for Shadow to spend time with Aurora, Cassidy and Jesse now that they don't all live under the same roof and attend school together, and for Iola to stay close with her parents.

"Notice anything different?" Shadow asks Iola when they're geting ready for bed later.

Different?" she asks, "No...should I?"

"The tattoo?" he points it out.

"Oh," she says, "I guess that is new, now, isn't it."

Shadow chuckles a little, "Nothing is ever new, is it? Not for you. So, how many tattoos do I end up wit, when all is said and done?"

"I'm not telling," she answers with her own laugh.

When the Brannons first moved to this house, they brought five children with them, and these halls were always noisy with their voices and the sounds of their toys and games. Jace has it all to himself now, and plays quietly with his blocks, alone.

"Hey, buddy, it's time for bed," Delaney says, coming up from her workout.

"Okay," Jace says, standing up to go to his room.

"Wait up," Delaney stops home, "You know I'm going on a little trip tomorrow, right? I'll be gone for a few days. But your Dad will be around to take care of you. He'll take you to the Summer Festival."

"Uncle Farrell will be here, too, right?" Jace asks.

"Of course he will."

"Cool!"

"You'll be okay, I won't be gone long," Delaney assures him, giving him a hug.

Jace takes the hug, but doesn't need the assurance. He's already planning the fun adventures he'll have with his uncle Farrell.

_______________________________

Shadow has already maxed the alchemy skill and reached level 10 of the career. He's currently working on learning all the recipes, and getting the ingredients to make them. Also, he's got the Renaissance Sim LTW, so he's working on charisma and fishing as the 2nd and 3rd skills.

I don't have him and Iola in the shop everyday. I wish it were more exciting, but most days no one comes in but the cashier. I did set up a desk and laptop for Iola there when she doesn't have anyone to give readings to. She came into the house with LTW to max writing and painting. I usually change that for spouses who don't have the writing career, because having them just practice writing while being unable to actually finish a novel makes me sad. But, eh, this time I'm keeping it. Maybe she'll get an opportunity that will allow her to write a book. Like Rex Enmity from my Enmity legacy, she'll be a frustrated novelist most of her life.

I don't currently have a salon in the town, but I did put a a tattoo chair in the warehouse where Jack and Ian live. Although I could just use MC to get tattoos for Shadow or Delaney, I made them actually get them from Jack. I didn't show Delaney's tattooing in the story, but she got one.

I've been rolling random traits for Jace, he got Lucky and Light Sleeper as a baby, and then picked up genius as a child. And since he really did spend a lot of his toddler time with Farrell, well, it's obvious where he gets it. Farrell has not much else to do, actually. His 'career' as an inventor stalled out ages ago, I only send him to make stuff when he rolls a wish, and that doesn't happen often. He did get a wish to make 5 toys when Jace turned toddler, and he did make those toys, but didn't sell them. They all went to Jace. Farrell had the same LTW as his son, and he maxed Logic, Inventing and Handiness ages ago. So he's really really retired now.