Chapter 5: Your Ass is on Fire

"I can hire a babysitter," Heath says to Marvin over breakfast, "You don't have to spend your Saturday watching Farrell." Much like Ashlynn did when she first moved in, Marvin has been working hard around the house to prove his worthiness to stay or earn his keep.  And it's entirely unnecessary. "You're family, Marvin. Not a servant."

Family. Like all the other kids he knew in the group home, shipped off from house to house, always hoping for a home, the word means more to him than he can say. "I like taking care of Farrell," he answers quietly, not looking up from his waffles, "And, I've asked Brad to come over later, if that's okay?"

"That's fine Marvin," Heath says with a smile, "I look forward to meeting him."

Brad arrives just as Heath is preparing to go out for his day of playing for tips in the park before his gig tonight.

"I wish my dad was that accepting," Brad sighs as he and Marvin are left alone with napping toddler, "You're so lucky."

"Believe me, I  know it," Marvin agrees.

Shasta has accepted that she can't have Marvin, so she tries to find romance elsewhere. Beau Broke has recently broken with Wren Dublin, and Shasta decides he's worth a shot.

Until she discovers the asshole trait that made Wren dump him. Are there any boys in this town who aren't complete jerks? Shasta wonders.

Elliot spends his Saturday in the park with Rochelle Sheffield. Though she's only just started school, Rochelle considers herself the adult in her family while parents continue to goof around and behave like children. Her desire to be grown up and serious all the time can make her a difficult playmate, as she prefers conversation to games, and absolutely refuses to play tag. Still, Elliot is drawn to her company, and forgoes the childish pleasures of the park to talk about school and books and other boring things with her.

Heath has his first gig at a private venue. The money is getting much better as he climbs he way toward stardom.

When Farrell outgrows his crib, it's time to start thinking about another addition to the house, or better yet, a move to a new house.

Despite his status as a headliner and his many wins at the frequent SimFests, Heath still performs his sing-o-gram duties. Because he needs the money to buy the house he has his eyes on.

"Dude, your ass is totally on fire," his client, Coby Sheffield, comments with childish giggle.

Luckily the gym has a shower room where Heath can extinguish the ass fire. The stupid sing-o-gram machine thing, Heath isn't sure what it's called, has been acting up a lot lately, and he decides it's a good time to stock up on shower in a can. Because while most of his sing-o-grams are delivered in the gym where showers are easily accessible, sometimes he's stuck performing out on the sidewalk, which would be a bad place for your ass to catch fire.

Brandi Broke was romancing her husband Skip and thought that a romantic sing-o-gram would help the mood. Not something Heath would choose to do at an intimate moment, but who is he to question the client?

Stupid machine! Why can't they get him one that doesn't try to set his ass on fire for two out of three sing-o-gram gigs?

All the hard work pays off, and Heath is finally able to afford the house next door.

The ground floor has three bedrooms and a bath for the kids, plus a large space to play in. The second floor is an open kitchen/living space with a half bath, and the top floor is Heath's master suite. There's even a small plot for Heath to do a little gardening, a hobby he hasn't been able to indulge in much since he moved to Storybrook.

New furniture, yay!

Undaunted by the assholery she's been encountering in her male schoolmates, Shasta perseveres. With prom coming up, she has no choice. Even though she wouldn't be the only girl to go alone, she is determined not to show up dateless. Brian Lecocq is a freshman, having just started high school, but he's shown absolutely no signs of the asshole trait. Sure, he's clumsy and absent-minded, but at least he's nice.

Shasta's date for the prom is secured.

Heath's heartfelt romantic ballads has garnered him a loyal following of female fans.

Marvin brings Brad out to watch Heath's gig at Doug's Hangout. Wednesday night is a slow night, and there's only one person in the audience besides his son and his date.

"You were at the SimFest the other day," Heath says, recognizing the girl from his earlier shows.

"I go to all your shows," she enthuses.

Heath sees this as an opportunity to sell his CD.

Heath learns that his fan's name is Bianca Carter, and she works as a roadie at the theater, hoping to be a rockstar someday.

She leans in suggestively as she tells him about herself, and, a little frightened to find himself actually attracted to another woman, Heath decides it's time for him to bolt, before something happens that he might regret.

Marvin graduates with honors.

Heath runs into Bianca again at Marvin's graduation. "You aren't graduating today, too?" he asks her, his heart caught somewhere in his throat.

"No, silly," she laughs, "My little sister just graduated. Don't worry, I'm all grown up and perfectly legal."

Heath blushes a deep red. "I need to go," he mumbles.

"Okay," she smiles, "I'll see you tonight."

"Tonight?" he asks, wondering if he had somehow made a date with her.

"At your gig," she giggles, "You're playing at the Little Lennon Cafe tonight right?"

Heath's blush deepens. "Right," he says, "I'll be there."

Bianca giggles again, "Well, I hope so. It won't be much of a show without you."

Before his gig, Heath stops at home to see Marvin off. Marvin got a job at the bistro, hoping to be a chef, and Heath helped him to buy a small house a few blocks away.

"Don't be a stranger," Heath says, giving him a tight hug, "If you ever need anything, never hesitate to ask. This is always your home."

Bianca shows up to his gig that night as promised.

Usually when he sings, he keeps Ashlynn's image in mind, but tonight, he's singing to the girl directly in front of him.

After the show, he has a drink with Bianca. He used to be really good at this, he remembers, vaguely, like it happened in some other lifetime, he had been confident with women, flirting came so easily. No he's just a mess, stumbling over his words, blushing every time she glances him. And he feels guilty, though he has no one to cheat on but a ghost, he feels like every smile, every flirtatious joke he shares with Bianca is a betrayal.

"Look," he says quietly, "I'm not sure I should be doing this." He glances down at his toes, "Maybe you should find someone else."

Bianca lifts his face so he's looking into her eyes, "I'm not trying to rush you into anything, Heath," she says gently, "We're just hanging out. Maybe something will come of it, maybe it won't."

The next day is Shasta's prom. "You look beautiful," Heath tells her, "I wish..." He stops himself before finishing his sentence.

"I know, I wish Mom were here, too," Shasta responds to the words he left unsaid, "It's been hard, growing up without her. If it weren't for you...well, you've been a great Dad. Marvin told me what it was like to be a foster kid, and I know you could have put me there, that you didn't have to keep me..."

"I couldn't let you go like that, you know that."

"I know," Shasta whispers.

"I loved your mother," Heath says, kicking at the floor, "I still love her. But...Shasta, how would you feel if I, you know, if I started seeing someone..."

"Seriously?" Shasta's face lights up, "Nothing would make me happier than to see with someone, Dad. You deserve it."

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Heath is at level 9 of the Singer career. He's got like 6 SimFest awards now. 

Bianca Carter is part of the Carter family that comes with the populated version of Storybrook. As I mentioned before, I'm using the unpopulated version but I did grab a few of the families to move in to the town, as well as using a few of my own families. I did change her hair color between the scene where Heath first mets her to when he runs into her at Marvin's graduation. Because, it was naturally a greenish tinged blonde, and I couldn't deal with it. Maybe she spends too much time in the pool, and chlorine has damaged her hair, lol. So, I gave it good washing to make it a lovely platinum blonde.