:(

A Pets reinstall wiped all my custom neighborhoods! Unfortunately, I had deleted my backup files so the Elunes got wiped from my hard drive *cry*. R.I.P. I'm going to start another Legacy soon.

Ch. 8: Kids!

Wow, it has been a -while-, hasn't it? I've been really busy offline, plus I also started the Prosperity challenge (yikes!).

Without further ado, let's jump right back into the story of the Elune Legacy! Derrick & Lauren's twins, Maribel & Luxe, grew up into school-aged children. They grew up very well, thanks to their mother's dedication.

Despite slight personality differences, Mari (as the family often calls her) & Luxe grew to be very best friends.


"Do you think we'll get bored with this game like we did playing red hands with Mom?" Luxe asks her sister.
"Maybe, but I don't think Dad is going to buy us another game until we're good at this."
"Oh yeah. He says playing this will get us school-ships. Buy why would our school need ships? It's not close the beach or anything."
"I don't think they are ships. I think they are bags of money. Didn't you hear Dad talking about them a couple of days ago? Let's just ask him to explain again when he has a day off."

They did understand the purpose of scholarships soon after that conversation, and they worked hard enough to have a good chance at getting said scholarships. Neither of the twins liked elementary school all that much, but their mom's enthusiasm about teaching them made studying a little less painful. Mari & Luxe soon excelled in all of their school subjects.


Lauren must have a natural talent for teaching, for the twins maintained their A+ averages quite easily.

Derrick kept busy climbing the career ladder. As much as he'd love to make time for his daughters, he was usually only home after the girls had already gone to bed.


"I think my next promotion is going to come sooner than later. I've managed to catch up with the classes I skipped last semester, Lauren! I might earn my M.D. during the next few months, after all! Finally, after all that school is over, I'll have more time for the girls."

Lauren was very happy and hopeful to hear this news. She thought, "That's wonderful, especially since I think I'm pregnant again..." but her mouth was too full of grilled cheese to speak.


Lauren was indeed pregnant with baby no. 3. The whole family was very excited about her pregnancy. Unfortunately, there aren't many pictures from this time period. Lauren gave birth to another beautiful baby girl who was named Keisha Elune.


Only a few minutes after Lauren had the new baby, the phone rang & Derrick answered it. There was a lot of static on the other end of the line. "Congratulations on the new child," Derrick heard an almost undecipherable voice say. He was not sure if he had heard correctly, for this was indeed a very puzzling call. "Huh? Who is this?! I think you've got the wrong number..." The caller hung up.

"Derrick, come introduce yourself to your daughter before I feed her! Look at her, she seems so hungry."

Derrick quickly hung up the phone and turned his undivided attention to his wife & child. The mysterious call just as quickly escaped his mind.

Ch. 7: Twins & the Perpetual Pizza Uniform

Derrick baby-talks to little Maribel, who doesn't really like to be held & seems to be screaming at her dad to be quiet. I'm sorry, but you'll have to look at Lauren's pizza uniform for a while longer. The family can't afford new clothes.

The married couple is amazingly staying composed, even chipper, in the midst of having twice the baby expenses that they had planned for. It helps that both parents are working, although they both can't help regretting not being able to spend more time with the little ones. The babies are taken care of by nannies when both Lauren & Derrick are at work.


The twins as babies turned out to be pretty low-maintenance. They were both quiet & didn't wake up too many times in the middle of the night. Maribel was a fidgety one and disliked attention except when she needed a bottle or a new diaper. She was almost always trying to squirm her way out of being carried. Luxe was more sociable and enjoyed being bathed & burped.


Time to enter terrible toddlerhood! Oh boy... The twins' personalities' didn't change much when they entered this stage, except now they are able to wreak more havoc! By the way, here are their personality stats:

Maribel (Sagittarius) - Sloppy (3), Shy (1), Active (10), Playful (10), Nice (10)
Luxe (Gemini) - Sloppy (4), Outgoing (7), Active (9), Playful (7), Nice (6)


Actually, it was only Maribel who tended to be a handful, and it was only because she confused everyone. Luxe was entranced with the Charisma-raising bunny & she was content playing with that all day. Maribel mainly sat & observed her surroundings with her piercing eyes. No one could tell what she was thinking, especially since she was dead quiet most of the time (even after she learned how to talk!). She seemed emotionally detached from everything and avoided interaction with everyone...


...Except when she was hungry. Hmm..is that dad or mom giving her the milk? I'll guess dad.

Maribel was so quiet most of the time that the old nannies with deteriorating vision often forgot she was even there at all.


"Why did they hire both of us for one baby? I have nothing to do!"

Lauren & Derrick didn't know this about the nannies until Lauren came home from work one night to find this:



Aside from her whimpering (and the state of the bathroom), Maribel was okay (to Lauren's relief). Luxe was in her crib, tucked in & asleep. Lauren was horrified with the negligence that had occurred and promptly fired the nannies. She talked to Derrick about hiring different nannies but how she'd really rather stay home if they can figure out a way to get by financially. Derrick was so upset with what had happened to Maribel. He knew that it was worth it to try living on a single income if it meant Lauren raising their children the way only an excellent mother can. He & Lauren have been really good at pinching pennies so far, and he could see that it might be possible for him to be the sole simoleon provider.

After thorough deliberation of worst-case scenarios, Lauren quit her job and was happy to become a stay-at-home mom.


Her bad luck with local services continued, however.


Derrick's starting to feel more pressure from the responsibilities of job + medical school + twins. He's increasingly depending on the energizer to help him stay awake so that he can work overtime for extra money and then go to class. He's already had to drop a couple of courses during the current semester, so his graduation is definitely going to be delayed somehow. Will he be able to hang in there, especially while trying to fulfill his wife's lifetime want of marrying off SIX children? Or will he give up and just hope he wins the SimLotto?

Ch. 6: Marriage, Etc.

Derrick & Lauren's marriage got off to what they both felt was a satisfying start. Their communication was good, and they remained optimistic about improving their financial & living situation. Quirks such as Derrick's cooking food-burning & Lauren's walking around in granny undies whenever possible further endeared the newlyweds to each other.


"You tempt me so with your half-dressed granny allure."
"Oh, shut up and have some of this properly-cooked spaghetti."

I suppose life tended to be uneventful for the couple. Derrick steadily continued to climb the medical career ladder, and Lauren got a part-time job as a political lobbyist. She was more interested in culinary careers, though, but there were currently no culinary job offerings for her.

The only 'exciting' thing that occurred was that someone tried to rob them of the only electronic entertainment they had. The trusty burglar alarm went off, but the thief was unfazed by it.


Lauren snapped this quick photo of the thief, to show the police in case he got away. As she aimed the camera, she heard the thief whisper to himself, "He he, this is for Manette."


The police came in time, though, and the policewoman was able enough to capture the criminal. Lauren & Derrick received a small (too small, if you ask Derrick) monetary reward for helping apprehend the thief.

Lauren forgot to mention what she heard the robber say, and she would forget about it for a long time. Derrick had told Lauren about his past, but he didn't mention Manette's name. In the back of her head, she had assumed that Manette was the name of the robber's boss or significant other. It didn't matter much to her, as long as the robber ended up in jail.

Derrick was more shaken about the attempted robbery than Lauren. He cried about it for a couple of days, worried that he incorrectly judged the safety of his neighborhood. Lauren assured him that they lived in a very safe town, where burglars were rare and always got caught. Derrick believed Lauren, but he still felt depressed. Fortunately, a quick pick-me-up wasn't too far away:


"Is it caffeine? Is it a B-12 injection? No, it's the Super Energizing Contraption! Ok, now I'm just being silly...Ha ha ha!"

Lauren thought this might cheer him up as well:


She was so amused.


Derrick was not "amused" per se. Let's just say he put his arms around Lauren, looked at her with come-hither eyes, and whispered, "Oh sweetie, my mood isn't the only thing that just went up..."


Of course Lauren got pregnant soon enough. The couple were so happy to be expecting! Just when Derrick thought he couldn't love his wife even more, he did. Aww.


The pregnancy was pretty smooth. Lauren mostly slept and ate. Derrick continued to work at the hospital as a nurse and he started studying to become a doctor. He found out that the only way he could get a high enough salary was to earn an MD, so that's what he aimed for. The hospital was impressed with his loyalty & hard work, so they agreed to subsidize a significant portion of his med school tuition. Derrick wasn't too excited about having to get student loans to pay for the rest, but he decided it was a necessary evil.

Unfortunately, Derrick spent most of his time away from home due to his unrelenting work shifts & medical classes. He was at work when Lauren went into baby delivery mode.


Twins! Lauren had no idea she would give birth to fraternal Elune twins. They were adorable baby girls with Derrick's piercing green eyes & Lauren's shiny jet-black hair. Lauren named the first one to come out Maribel, and the second Luxe. Luxe had slightly darker skin than Maribel.


This is Lauren holding Luxe. "I feel sorry I left your sister on the floor, but I can't try to hold both of you. Don't worry, Daddy's going to be here soon. I'll make sure of it." Lauren called the hospital to send Derrick home "right now, dammit!" Lauren fed, bathed, and put the babies to sleep before Derrick arrived home. She was so tired, so she decided to take a nap insted of waiting up for her husband.


Derrick rushed home as soon as he was informed that Lauren had delivered their babies. He was extremely psyched about having twins. He felt like the luckiest dad in town when he came home & tucked in his two sleeping angels. "I can't wait to play with both of you!" he whispered.

Ch. 5: Heck Yes "I Do"

Derrick was both afraid and eager to propose to the beautiful pizza-delivering love of his life, Lauren Reeves. On his way home from work that very evening when he was going to pop the question, he picked up the engagement ring that he was going to use to entice Lauren into matrimony. He had ordered it the day before from a jewelry store about 3 blocks from the hospital. He picked the best-quality diamond that he could afford, and the store was kind enough to accommodate his budget. He kept the ring in his pants pocket, so that he won't accidentally leave it behind when he met with Lauren. That would be disastrous!

He planned to take Lauren to her favorite restaurant, Bernard's Botanical Dining. Before his big date, Derrick first took a shower & then a short nap. His long hours as a paramedic and nursing classes he's been taking at the hospital have really cut into his free time, namely Lauren-time. He'd been spending most of his non-working hours sleeping, which annoyed him. He called Lauren up as soon as he woke up.


"Hey sweetie, what's up?"

"Oh, nothing to write home about. I'm on my way to deliver a vegetarian pizza to the Walshes on Corkpike, which I guess is very unusual."

"Why unusual? I don't think I've met those people."

"They're a VERY rich family here in Finnland. Everyone who's talked to them or passed by their house knows that they're completely motherloded. I don't remember them ever ordering pizza before because Mrs. Walsh is a homecooked food freak."

"Oh, I see...I'm just calling to see if we're still on for tonight! I have some surprise good news!"

"Really! Well, I sure would like know what's going on in that head of yours, since I haven't talked to you in about 20 hours! I miss you."

"I miss you, too."

"You can pick me up at work in about 25 minutes. See you!"

Derrick showed up on time for his date, of course. He didn't tell Lauren where they were going to have dinner. When the cab dropped them off at Bernard's, Derrick greeted Lauren with a passionate smooch.


"Ooh..you're extra frisky tonight," Lauren remarked. "Your surprise news isn't about you getting an energizer, is it?"

"No, no, it's a tad much better than that! C'mon, let's eat!"


"Oh, Derrick! You took me to Bernard's Botanical! I could never afford to dine at this place--and neither could you! I hope you got some sort of cash bonus at work, because I'd hate to think that you're spending all your savings on dinner."

"Don't worry about nonsense like that. I just wanted to take you to this place that you love, since you know...*mumble**cough*I love you*cough**mumble*. But Lauren heard him!


They were such a sweet couple at dinner, holding hands and all that junk. "So, what's the surprise, Derrick? I need to know!"

"Well, I don't know how interested you'd be in this, but it should have a great effect on the quality & quantity of our dates, he he. I didn't tell you, but I've been studying to be a nurse at the city hospital. They've been training me for free because I agreed to keep working there for another 6 months. I'm finally getting my nursing credentials tomorrow!"

"That's wonderful! I love that all those long hours you're working are actually getting you better jobs. You deserve it. So, when do you start being a nurse?"

"Tomorrow as well. Of course, I get a bonus with the promotion. So, you needn't worry about my spending habits. I'm very frugal. I haven't even bought any fancy-schmancy flooring for my house! I do hope you don't think less of me now that I'm going to be a murse."

"No way."

"Whew! That's a relief, especially since...(takes out the little jewelry box)"


*Gasp* "No way!" exclaimed Lauren.
"Yes way!"
"What the..."


"It's so shiny! Derrick, this is the most dazzling thing I've ever seen!"
"I'm glad you like it."
"I love it! I love YOU. Oh...and...I accept!"
"Yippee! We're getting married!"


Derrick asked Lauren what she wanted to do next. She wasn't shy about wanting a little somethin' somethin'. So they went back to Derrick's place to do a lot of somethin' somethin'.


*Ahem*


Lauren was ready to get married any time. She was even poorer than Derrick, so it's not like she needed any time to pack or shop for stuff. They couldn't even afford to throw a small party. They agreed to marry on Derrick's next day off, which was 2 days later. They got the postman to sign the marriage papers as a witness.


"I love you, Derrick."
"I love you, Lauren."

Lauren brought in a mere $1000 [I read that there's a bug of some sort and they don't really bring in anything, but I didn't check] & 3 maxed out skills: Charisma, Body, & Creativity. She is a Family sim who wants to marry off 6 children. (Derrick is also a Family sim, and he wants to graduate 3 children from college).

Lauren is a Cancer, sloppy [3], outgoing [7], lazy or active depending on her mood [5], very serious [1], and nice [6].

The newlyweds have decided to postpone their honeymoon until who-knows-when. Their first priority is to build a more suitable home for raising little Elunes.

Ch. 4: Love Smells Like Pizza

Lauren & Derrick had a dream first date! Woohoo! Derrick was *shocked*, in a good way. They had fun at dinner & dancing afterward. Derrick found Lauren to be a sweetheart and a great conversationalist. Look at that, he's finally smiling! LOL


He received a present from Lauren the next night. She sneaked this snazzy stereo in while he was taking a shower. Derrick loved the stereo, but he was still missing some essential household items. So he sold the stereo to buy a fridge and a TV.


"Hey, that's my neighbor Doremie on the news. I didn't know she was a Hall of Famer! I really should start watching the Yummy Channel sometime soon so I can cook Lauren that salmon dish that she loves. I hope she doesn't feel bad that I sold the stereo."


Nah, she didn't mind at all. She just gave him a vase full of beautiful red roses. They seem to keep having fun with each other. Derrick is falling in lurve, and I think he's hearing wedding bells in his head! "Nah, not until next week!" He wasn't done planning that special date yet.


The beginning of the following week, Derrick was ready to propose. Here he is the morning of the proposal. His recent promotion to paramedic has given him a bit of a confidence boost. Good Luck, Derrick!

Ch. 3: Derrick Gets a Job

Our story resumes at the bar, where Derrick is almost done indulging himself. He swears he's just had one drink, and only to further calm his recent aspiration-desperation nerves. He wants to make it a point that he's nothing more than a social drinker. Anyway, he checked out the barista, but after making small talk with the lovely girl, he felt that he was just not that into her. He gave her his phone number, just in case she felt like getting to know him. Frankly though, he didn't think she was the type to call up her customers. He was right. "Gawd, I hope I have better luck finding a job than what I'm currently experiencing trying to find a date!" he wrote in his diary later that night.

Derrick successfully found a job the following day. It seems the gods of luck read his diary and took his latest entry into consideration. Simsville City Hospital had a full-page ad in the Finnland Times looking for qualified individuals to train as EMTs. According to a news item in a different page, the city hospital had been undergoing a massive renovation of its facilities which was turning out to be much more expensive than previously projected. As a result, lower-level employee raises were going to be delayed for at least another year. The hospital lost a considerable number of employees who resigned and took jobs at better-paying private hospitals.


Derrick had no medical experience and understandably doubted that he'd get the EMT job. Fortunately, he had a stellar interview with the hospital chief administrator, who was desperate to hire as many people in as little time as possible. After attending a half-day orientation seminar and an overnight EMT crash course at Academie Le Tour, Derrick was issued his EMT certificate. He's good to go!


Being an EMT paid pennies, but being employed and socializing with the neighbors earned Derrick enough aspiration points to acquire a few more sources of income. He spent most of his early earnings on building himself a real (tiny) house, with a roof and windows and an alarm system. He wanted a TV and refrigerator so badly, but he was afraid they'd just get stolen if he had them while he was still living out in the open. He had to to content himself with freestyling and ordering delivery food while his house was still under construction. He sometimes went to the mall in the mornings to watch TV, but he's usually too lazy to bother going out.

The third time he ordered pizza, the delivery girl coyly flirted with him. "Um, Mr. Elune...Derrick, right? I don't usually talk to customers because this stupid job makes me anti-social, but I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me sometime..."


"Wow...are you serious? I mean, thank you for the offer, uh...(reads nametag)...Lauren! May I have your number?"

"Of course," Lauren pulled out a permanent marker from her pocket and wrote on Derrick's pizza box: "Lauren Reeves, 001-0263". "Ok. I have to make another delivery. I wish we could talk more, though. Bye!"

Derrick thought Lauren was kind of cute before, in a plain sort of way. But the way she came up to her when no one else was noticing really piqued Derrick's interest. He probably would've asked her out eventually, but now he can't wait to see her again.

Derrick called Lauren up as soon as his house was finished. [Sorry, I wasn't talking a lot of pictures at this time, and forgot to take early house pictures. You're not missing much!]. They had dinner at Red's Famous '50's Diner.


Derrick's hoping that this date with Lauren will be the exact opposite of his date with the social worker (whose name he does NOT want to remember, thank you). He's not exactly doing himself any favors by wearing his bright purple pajamas, however. Then again, Lauren didn't bother to change into something other than her grease-stained work uniform. Maybe they are MFEO (Made For Each Other)?