Chapter 18: The Changing of the Guard

The week leading to the twins' graduation from high school was an eventful one, to say the least.

Carmen is out running errands when Catherine's pain starts. Elizabeth is at work, so Catherine calls her father for help.

Little Chantal Raleigh-Tudor arrives before her grandfather does. Catherine marvels at the little bundle in her arms until she hears Robert's voice calling.

"Catherine! Catherine, are you okay?! I've got a taxi and called Carmen, we can go to the hospital now..."

"I'm just fine, Dad," Catherine says, giving him a hug. "There's no need to go to the hospital, it's all over. Come see your granddaughter!"

"I'm not old enough to have a granddaughter. I still haven't decided if I want to be called Grandpa, Gramps, or Pop."

"Well, she won't be talking for awhile, so you still have time to decide," Catherine says grinning, leading him to the bedroom.

"Well, here she is. Chantal Raleigh-Tudor." Catherine glances nervously at her father. "The doctor told me last week that newborns aren't always very cute, but I think she's pretty adorable."

"She's beautiful, Catherine," Robert says softly. "Absolutely beautiful. She looks a lot like you did when you were born."

Robert cuddles his first grandchild while Catherine calls Carmen.

Elizabeth hurries over to visit Catherine later that evening.

"Darling, you should be resting, not on your feet! You just had a baby! Are you feeling all right? Do you need anything?"

"Mom, I'm fine! Dad put me to bed when he came over this morning. When Carmen and Bess arrived, they made sure I stayed in bed all day. Bess was almost as bad as you with her fussing, making sure I had enough pillows, prepping hot water bottles, and making soup."

Elizabeth smiles, glad that Bess apparently has warmed up to her daughter-in-law. "You're a mother now, Catherine, you should understand why Bess and I fuss." She pinches her daughter's cheek. "You're still my baby!"

"Mom..."

"I'm sorry, dear. Can I meet my granddaughter now?"

Catherine beams. "Absolutely! Come, she's in her crib."

Elizabeth prides herself on being pretty stoic, but she gets a little teary as she meets her first grandchild.

"Hey there, little one. Aren't you just the prettiest little thing?" she coos. "I'm your Grandma Elizabeth, and I love you very much. Don't ever forget that."

James spends the day before his birthday fishing in the park.  Jane spends her day with Manu, playing chess  and going out to dinner at the bistro.

She comes home to find her twin sitting on the sofa. James looks up and smiles at her. "You look pretty. Did you have a nice time?"

"Thanks. We did have a nice time. I would have been just as happy eating at Luigi's, but Manu insisted we go someplace nice. Did you catch anything good?"

"Several really nice goldfish, actually. Did you know you can make money selling fish at the market? I went there to pick up the birthday cakes today and the manager told me he'd pay me a pretty penny for a catch like mine. You could live on that."

Jane laughs. "You want to be a fishersim? Live in a cottage on the beach and fish all day?"

"Why not? I'm not like you, Jane; I don't have the grades for a high level job. I wouldn't want one, anyway. I don't have a girlfriend, or anybody to support, and I love fishing. Why not do it? It'll be great!"

"What about Janel Hart-Bunch? I thought you two were dating?"

"She only went out with me to make Arnold Steel jealous after they broke up. It worked. They're back together now."

"How awful of her!" Jane says angrily. "Why didn't you tell me? I would gladly have told her off for using you like that."

James waves his hand dismissively. "It's no big deal. She's an airhead. I'm used to talking to girls with a thought in their brain, you know? Like you, Catherine, and Philippa. We wouldn't have lasted long." He smiles. "But I'm glad you've still got my back."

Jane smiles back. "Don't mention it. "

"So what about you? I know you've got your career path all set out, but have you and Manu made any decisions?"

"No," Jane says quietly. "I tried to talk with him about it today but he didn't want to discuss it. He just wanted to 'focus on today.'"

"And that bothers you."

"Well of course it does! Things don't just happen, James. You have to have plan these things. I want to know where we stand, and he won't tell me."

"Maybe he's giving you space," James suggests. "You're a bit older than him, you know. Maybe he's giving you the chance to strike out on your own first. See the world, meet new people, all those good things."

"If I wanted space, I would've broken up with him," Jane mutters.

James smiles at his sister. "Don't be too hard on him, he thinks he's doing the right thing."

"I just want things to stay the same!" Jane bursts out. Glaring at her twin, she turns to stare at the wall. "It's bad enough that he won't tell me where we stand, but you're moving out to live in some shack on the sea to grow a beard and spend your life fishing!" Jane bites her lip. She always knew in her mind that she and James would grow up and separate, but it always seemed comfortably far off. Manu...she could get over him in time, if she had to. But what was she supposed to do without James?

"Hey now," James says reassuringly, "I'll be moving across town, not across the sea. We'll still see each other. We'll talk on the phone and meet for coffee. I'll swing by the house for dinner with the folks every now and then. Everything will be fine."

"It won't be the same," Jane chokes. Tears are forming in the corner of her eyes. "Who is going to make sure you don't leave the house with paint in your hair? Who is going to get the paint stains out of your clothes? Who is going to make sure your tackle box is loaded before you go fishing? For goodness sake, who is going to help you unstick your fingers in the middle of the night when you're painting and forget to wash the paint off your hands before it dries?" The words tumble out of her mouth with increasing hysteria.

"Who is going to tell me when I'm overreacting or thinking too hard, and call me out when I'm being annoying? Who is going to put my book away and throw a blanket on me when I fall asleep reading? Who is going to make sure I don't forget to eat?" She sniffles. "Who is going to cover my research papers with gold stars and other cheesy stickers? Who is going to stick garishly-colored doodles of suns, lollipops, and rainbows in my planner whenever I feel sad?"

James stands up and pulls his sister into an tight embrace, rubbing small circles on her back and making soothing noises.

"I'll mail you doodles for your planner every week," he promises softly, "and I'll cover every case file you write with stickers, even if I have to break into the police department to do it." Jane laughs weakly, a small smile forming on her lips.

"I'll call you whenever my fingers get stuck with paint," he continues in the same reassuring voice, "I'll call you on your lunch break every day to make sure you eat, and I will drag my clothes over here every time I get paint on them." He smiles at her. "It'll be different, but we'll still be us."

Jane sniffles. "Really?"

James swipes her tears away with his thumbs before planting a kiss on the top of her head. "Really really."

The twins spend their birthday morning playing catch in the front yard while their parents prepare for the party. Despite Jane's protests, the Tudors had organized a fairly large celebration for the twins, complete with a three course meal and bottles of nectar.

Catherine, Carmen, and Manu arrive early to help set up.

Well, they thought they were going to help set up...

"Can we give you a hand, Dad?" Catherine asks, eyeing the stove. She can faintly see wisps of smoke curling from the oven and a swarm of bees hovering over the birthday cakes outside. Ingredients for Robert's famous autumn salad are sitting on a counter next to the bottles of nectar and she thinks she saw a fly buzzing around the garbage can. Clearly, he needs all the hands he can get.

Robert, oblivious to his daughter's panic and the impending kitchen fire, happily smothers peanut butter on bread. "Nope, it's all under control! You just go enjoy yourselves."

"Dad, I think the key lime pie is burning."

"It's not burning, dear. I'm just making sure the crust is nice and crunchy."

"There are swarms of bees attacking the cakes."

"Your mother is handling that."

"Please, Dad, just let me toss the salad or do something. The guests will be here in an hour. There is smoke coming from the oven, the salad isn't ready, the nectar isn't chilled, and the garbage needs taken out. " Catherine stares at her father exasperatedly. "You're only making eight sandwiches? Dad, eight sandwiches isn't enough for a party!"

"Well then, let them eat cake!"

"Hey dollface!" Manu says cheerily, kissing Jane on the cheek when she walks inside, giving her hair a playful tug as he hugs her. "Happy Birthday! I bought you a really nifty present..."

He stops talking when Jane pulls him into a hug. "Thanks for being here, Manu," she says quietly.

"Aw, you know I wouldn't miss your birthday," he replies. "I'll always be here for you, dollface."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Catherine didn't need to worry about the food situation. Several party guests seemed to think the celebration was a potluck, and brought dishes to share.

Ethan Hart-Bunch (accompanied by his daughter, Janel), brings a platter of fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches.

A greying Cecil brings a plate of hot dogs.

"Well, don't you look distinguished," Elizabeth greets her old friend.

"Don't mock me, Elizabeth. You'll be just as grey as I before you know it."

"I was being serious. You look well, Spirit. Retirement seems to suit you."

"The quiet life is a good life," Cecil agrees. "It's rather nice being able to spend my time fishing and reading. Mildred and I have just joined a book club at the library. We read one of Robert's books this past week. Of Moose and Sims I think it was called. I rather enjoyed it, to be honest, although I think I was the only one."

"Well, Robert will be happy to hear that!"

"I know. Could you tell him for me? I think if I told him that to his face, he'd accuse me of going soft in my old age."

Elizabeth sighs. "You two are absolutely hopeless, you know that?"

"Mr. Tudor, can I ask you a favor?"

"No need to call me 'Mr. Tudor,' Carmen. Robert is fine. What's up?"

"Well Mr...I mean Robert, our sink is broken. Would you be able to come take a look at later this week? I'd fix it myself but I'm terrible with tools and since Chantal came along, we just don't have the money around to call a plumber. Catherine says you're an expert tinkerer."

"I tinker with the best of them," Robert says proudly. "Of course I'll take a look-see. Can't have you kids flooded out of your first house!"

James blows out his candles first.

He grows into a fine looking and stylish young man.

Jane approaches the cake with a little bit of trepidation. She takes a deep breath, makes her wish, and blows  out her candles.

She becomes a beautiful woman.

"Dad...if I told you I wanted to be a fishersim, what would you say?"

"I'd say it's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. Certainly better than being a professional criminal."

James stares at his father, attempting to discern just how much better a career of fishing was than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. "So you're telling me that if I decide to fish for a living, you won't disown me, tell me I'm not living up to my potential or tell me that I'm wasting my life?"

"Tell me this, James," Robert replies. "Do you want to be a fishersim?"

"I do."

"Well, in that case, go get yourself registered at City Hall and go for it."

"Really?" James is rather shocked at his father's blase attitude. "You don't think I'm wasting my life?"

"First of all, James, it's your life. It's really not my place to tell you whether or not you're wasting it because it's YOUR life, not mine. You're an adult now, and can do as you please, whether I like it or not.

"Seeing as it's your life, you have to do what makes you happy. You might as well go for a career that you find satisfying, because at the end of the day, you're going to spend a lot of your adult life working, so you might as well be doing what you enjoy. If fishing is your thing, then more power to you."

"So you won't  be disappointed in me?" James asks.

"The only way I could be disappointed in you, James," Robert replies seriously, "is if you didn't live your life the way you wanted to because you felt obligated to please your mother and I. Live your life in a way that makes you happy, and I'll never be disappointed."

"Thanks for coming, Catherine. It's so good to see you!"

Catherine smiles at her little sister. "I wouldn't dream of missing your birthday."

"How's my niece? Mom showed me pictures, she's absolutely gorgeous. I can't wait to meet her!"

"She's an angel," Catherine gushes. "She is such a happy baby, always giggling. She's already got Carmen wrapped around her little finger."

"That's great." Jane pauses for a moment. "Can I ask you something, Catherine?"

"Of course, Jane. What is it?"

Jane takes a deep breath. "Did Carmen want to break up with you at all after high school?"

Catherine narrows her eyes. "No, he didn't. Why?"

"I've been trying to talk to Manu," Jane says. "You know, about the future. But he keeps brushing me off, telling me just to focus on "right now." James thinks he's trying to give me space to meet new people, since I'm older than he is. But I'm not really interested in that. If I had wanted space away from him, I would have broken up with him. I wanted to tell him that, but he absolutely refuses to talk about any future plans. Do you think it's him who doesn't want to be shackled to someone older? Is he breaking up with me? I don't understand."

"If what James told me is correct, Manu is absolutely smitten with you," Catherine says. "It doesn't sound like he's breaking up with you. I think James is right. He's just trying to give you space so you can see if being with him is what you really want. Who knows? You could meet some cute guy at the station and fall madly in love. I know I thought about ending it with Carmen after graduation for similar reasons, but I ended up changing my mind."

"I really don't think he's giving me space," Jane says slowly. "I think he's trying to avoid the potential problem by just not acknowledging it."

"That's possible," Catherine replies. "It could be a combination of both. No matter what his reason is, however, you're still stuck in relationship-limbo."

"I know," Jane sighs. "So what do I do?"

"You have three options. The first, and best, is to talk to him."

"Catherine, I just told you, he won't talk to me."

"Fine. Option two is wait for him to talk to you."

"I'll be as grey as Cecil by the time that happens," Jane groans.

"Not to mention the fact that you shouldn't spend your adult life waiting for him to make up his mind. Option three is to give him an ultimatum and be prepared for the consequences."

"These are all terrible options, Catherine."

Catherine smiles sadly. "Yeah, they are, but it's what you're stuck with. You have any better ideas?"

Jane shakes her head. "Not really."

"If I were you," Catherine says, "I'd give him a day or two before trying to talk things out with him. Give him time to process everything. Maybe then he'll be more likely to talk."

"That's not a half-bad idea," Jane agrees. "I think I'll do just that." She hugs her sister one more time. "Thanks for the advice."

"No problem. That's what older sisters are for."

James and Jane fit in one last game of catch before going to be bed.

"Come on, Jane! Hit me with your best shot!"

"Catch it if you can, then!"

"OW! Jane! I didn't mean for you to hit me literally!"

"Sorry!!"

"You are so not sorry, it isn't even funny."

Elizabeth sniffles all the way through the twins' graduation ceremony. Robert, ever the stoic one, drapes one arm around her and holds her hand, letting her go only to snap photographs of Jane making her valedictorian speech and of the twins receiving their diplomas. Philippa, bored throughout, photographs everything, just to keep herself occupied. Elizabeth manages to pull herself together in order to congratulate them afterwards.

Jane graduates with high honors. Besides being named valedictorian, she was also voted most likely to become a sports star, presumably because she can use a treadmill without falling off.

James doesn't graduate with the same grades as his sister, but his classmates voted him Most Artistic.

Robert and Elizabeth are unbelievably proud of what a fine pair James and Jane have turned out to be.

"We did it, Jane!" James whoops, grabbing his sister in a hug. "We've graduated! No more school, no more books, no more teacher's dirty looks!"

"You sound surprised," Jane says with a grin. "Were you afraid they weren't going to let you graduate at the last minute?" James sticks his tongue out at her and continues singing.

"Everybody back to the house!" Robert hollers over the din. "Your mom wants to take pictures of you two in your robes and then we'll heat up leftovers for a picnic in the backyard."

James and Jane pose in their robes as Elizabeth snaps photos.

"James, what are you doing?"

"Winking, of course!"

"Well, could you knock it off? You look slightly deranged."

"Yes, Mom..."

"Mr. and Mrs. Cecil invited me to move in with them," James tells his mother in between photos.

Elizabeth raises her eyebrows. "Really? Any particular reason why they want you to move in with them?"

James shifts his feet. "Well, I told him I was looking to be a fishersim. He said that he's taken up fishing as a hobby in his retirement, and he'd be happy to share his knowledge with me, and possibly get me contracts with the aquatic systems department at the science center. I could seek out specimens of certain fish they were looking for and be paid for it."

"That sounds wonderful," Elizabeth replies, "but you could do that and still live here for awhile, couldn't you? Surely the Cecils don't need to put you up in their home."

"I told him that," James says, "but he said it would be no trouble for them. Instead of paying rent, he said I can just help them around the house." He gives his mother a small smile. "They're getting older, Mom, and I think having someone like me around would give them a sense of security. Their son Robert is busy with his own family at the moment, and I'm single and unattached. I can still be independent, I'll just have an elderly couple for roommates."

"What about your social life?"

"What social life?" James asks, with a grin. "No, they said as long as I didn't break the door down at 3 am in the morning, I was free to socialize all I want to. I can even bring girls over if I want to...not that that would happen," he adds hastily.

Elizabeth stares at her son thoughtfully for a few minutes. "Is this what you want?" she asks finally.

He nods. "I think so. Are you okay with that?"

"Oh James," she sighs, "I couldn't ask for a better family for you to stay with than the Cecils. If it is what you want, then I'm happy."

James smiles broadly at his mother. "I'll give him a call then," he says. "My stuff is already packed, so I'll head out after lunch."

Elizabeth nods, brushing a few tears away.

"Aw, don't cry Mom," James says, folding her into a hug. "I'll visit every week and call you all the time."

"You better," Elizabeth replies. "Call us if you need anything at all, day or night."

"I will."

"Your father and I are proud of you and love you so very much."

"Love you too, Mom. Thanks for everything."

"You be careful running around all these hidden lakes with Cecil," Robert says sternly as he hugs James. "No drowning, no slipping and cracking your head on stones, don't use rusty hooks, and for goodness sake, don't get stung by any jellyfish."

"I'll be careful, Dad. No worries."

"Oh, and don't be like those loonies on TV who fish with their bare hands. Use your tools. Fish bites are nasty, and just because you fish for a living doesn't mean you have to forgo the use of tools."

"Sure thing."

"Make sure you paint only when the windows are open. Cecil is one inhalation of paint fumes away from going completely insane."

"He's not insane. His official job title actually was 'Mad Scientist,' but he isn't insane."

"Don't operate treadmills without supervision. Did I mention the jellyfish stings?"

"Dad..."

"Sorry, sorry." Robert smiles fondly at his only son. "You call us if you need anything, okay? If the Cecils need you to move out, you've always got a place here."

"Of course."

"Good." Robert sighs. "You'll be fine," he says after a moment of silence. "You've got a good head on your shoulders. You and your sister make your mother and I  look like parenting geniuses." He smiles again. "Just don't forget to check in with us from time to time with us."

James returns the smile. "I'll call and visit you so often you won't even realize I don't live here anymore," he says. "Thanks for everything, Dad."

After their backyard picnic, Elizabeth takes one more photo of the twins in their casual clothes.

"James! Why are you sticking your tongue out?"

"Because I'm young, carefree, and in the prime of life!"

"Well, you look  more like a deranged dog, now. Kindly refrain."

"Mom, you are no fun."

Last of all, James says goodbye to Jane.

"Don't you forget about me," she says with a slightly teary smile. "I have ways of tracking you down."

"I couldn't forget about you, even if I tried," James replies. "We'll always be the Dynamic Duo. You just take care of yourself when you join the force, okay?"

"I'll be fine. You watch out for jellyfish."

"You'll be better than fine. You're gonna be great." James says, grinning. "You're gonna take the world by storm."

Jane smiles. "I'm going to miss you."

"I'll miss you, too," James says, "but I'm only a phone call away, day or night." He ruffles her hair. "Love you, Miss Know-it-All."

"Love you too, Mr. Sensitive."

Later that night, Jane gently smooths out the wrinkles on James' blanket before she goes to bed, taking comfort in the fact that while he's gone, he's never far away.

I listen when I can
I listen when I can
To the picture of you I carry in my hand
Let me hear you say
You're never far away...
You'll see me in a dream
You'll see me in a dream
You'll see me in a dream across a mountain stream
And you will hear me say
You're never far away
Never far away
Never far away

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Ladies and gentlemen, let us bid farewell to Generation 1 and give a warm welcome to Generation 2! Also, please accept my heartfelt apologies for not updating for six months. Between spring semester, summer courses, my new job, and moving, my life has been kind of ridiculous. Updates will probably be slow, seeing as fall semester is approaching and my job takes up time, but I have a plot worked out for this generation, so it's going to happen, by golly.

It was, as Professor McGonagall would say, sheer dumb luck that I was able to be there for pictures of Chantal's birth. I knew that Catherine was due soon and being a helicopter plumbob, I went to check on her at her house while her siblings were at school and her mother at work. Well, she was doubled over and wailing, with Carmen nowhere to be seen, so I sent Robert over there to escort her to the hospital. By the time the old man made it over, little Chantal had made her appearance. I finally had to step in with SP's choice of names. Chantal was originally "Shawntel" and as I don't care for that spelling, I changed it to the French spelling.

I had to put the "let them eat cake" quip in there. It's the most famous phrase Marie Antoinette never said.

So, as a result of this being an early generation, Elizabeth's low pay, and Robert's erratic pay, I didn't have enough money to buy a small house for James to move into and unlike Catherine, he didn't have a girlfriend to move in with. So I made him join the fishersim career, moved him in with the Cecils, and made up a reason why. Saying goodbye to my golden boy broke my little plumbob heart. I miss James already. I'm really sad that my dynamic duo is no longer under the same roof. I hope Jane didn't come across as too weepy or out of character in this chapter. She and James were Best Friends Forever in the game - if I recall correctly, they got the wish to be each other's BFF simultaneously just one or two days into the teen stage. I'm not a twin, but I figured that James moving out would be very upsetting for her, so she's just having an emotional moment. She'll be back to her no-nonsense, super-serious, slightly elitist self soon. (No, I have not been listening to the Les Mis soundtrack on repeat all summer and been consumed by doom, gloom, and tears. That CD over there? Uh, coincidence? Yeah, coincidence).

Speaking of music, the lyrics at the end of the chapter are from Jack White's "Never Far Away" as heard on the Cold Mountain soundtrack. If you like folk music, I can't recommend that soundtrack highly enough.

I've had it up to here with my nearly-headless Sims walking around town with gaps between their heads and necks. I need a new computer with a better graphics card. I'm thinking of getting a desktop, seeing as they're cheaper, but I haven't decided yet.

Anyway, here are the specs for Generation 2:

Marital: Couple      

Family: 1 kid (used Joker on this)

Heir: 1^st child

Primary Career: Standard: Law Enforcement (forensics)

Secondary Career: Nontraditional: Freelance Scientist

Generation Goal: Hobby or Obsession (heir and spouse have an activity that they spend 5 hours on per Sim week. Cannot earn money from it. I haven't chosen the hobbies just yet, but they'll probably somehow relate to the career path. 

Misc Fun: Fashion Diva (one new outfit at least once per Sim week)

I haven't logged into my game in a few months, so I don't remember all of the traits that Jane wound up having, so I'll post those next update.

I'm really looking forward to this generation and I've got a plot simmering, so while updates may be slow, they will be coming. Thanks for your patience everybody!