Generation 3, Chapter 14: One step closer

"Did you happen to go to school with royalty?" the question arose the very next morning as I climbed into Liam's expensive looking sports car. Though he seemed humble in many aspects, it was clear to me that he shared the love for automobiles like so many other men. I would never understand the hype behind it, but who was I to judge?

"Believe it or not, I actually did," he chuckled softly as he started the car and turned on to the highway. "It wasn't entirely a school for royalty, but there definitely were a few future Dukes and princes hidden among our midst."

"Haha," I replied dryly. "If you did actually go to such a school, you must have failed. What man that went to a school with royalty in it would laugh when a damsel is caught in distress?"

"Ah, that... I should apologize for that, I guess," he turned his attention back to the road as he took a turn onto a road made of pure sand. I took the time to observe the area outside. Everything seemed so rural, so underdeveloped. Would Richard really come and live here? It didn't make sense to me.

"You have to excuse my weird personality, Amelia," the sudden sound of his voice again startled me. "I'm a doctor, and a curious one at that. The situation you were in was like an experiment to me. In experiments, I tend to get...carried away, shall we say? It's my biggest character flaw. I usually try to help any young lady that gets herself caught in some sort of unwanted situation, but unfortunately, I didn't this time."

"That's understandable, sort of," I shrugged. "I forgive you, just...don't do it again, or I swear, I'll beat the crap out of you."

"That much I can believe." The car came to a stop. Peering out of the window, there was only one house tucked away in the distance. "This is as far as I go. Call me if you need any help in the future, but for now, I'm leaving you in the very capable hands of your family."

If only his words were as reassuring as they were intended.

Liam's car slowly started moving away from me, leaving me by myself, practically in the middle of nowhere. No chickening out for me right now. The only option I had was to approach their little house.

My curiosity peaked as I saw the front door was made out of glass. What kind of security did they have that they could feel safe with glass doors? Sure, Lucky Palms was a town with a low crime rate, but that didn't mean you could go sleep with unlocked doors.


The question was pushed to the back of my mind as I saw Darcy's head turn towards the door, and a small smile appearing on her face.

"I thought you were moving to a new town," the words took the form of an accusation, not a statement as I had intended. 


"We are," Darcy answered," this is just a stop along the way until the moving company has delivered all of our furniture to the new house. But anyways, don't be a stranger, come on in."


Daniel quickly stepped out of the way and headed to the kitchen as I slid the door open. Was it just me, or did it feel as if he was avoiding me? Perhaps there was a third option I hadn't considered: He was just a gentleman that made space on the couch for another lady.


Yeah, I always hung on to a shred of hope. Hope that not everyone hated me by now.

"So what made you stalk us and drop by here? I'm guessing it's not just for a friendly visit, am I right?" Darcy chirped as soon as I sat down on the couch.


"Not exactly...," I shook my head, subsequently shutting the pressing the "power" button on the remote. If I was to speak to my son and daughter, it had to be in complete silence. That was just how serious our topic of conversation would become. "More like... I need to talk to your dad."


"YES!" she almost jumped out of her seat. "Are you thinking of getting back together with him?" 


There is was. The horrible question that I knew would make an appearance sometime if I announced my intention to talk to Ric. I myself had high hopes, but it didn't mean that I wanted the hopes of others' to be high. I couldn't live with myself if I crushed their hope. It was the inhumane thing I could think of.

"Don't think like that," Daniel spoke before I could answer her question. "You know it's not gonna happen."


"How about you don't think like that, you big pessimist," though he couldn't see it, Darcy rolled her eyes at him.


"I'm just being realistic," he grumbled before stomping into what I assumed had to be a bedroom.

"That sounds very uncharacteristic of Daniel," I whispered, afraid that if I spoke too loud, Daniel would go on a cussing spree, yelling on us about how loud we were talking about unrealistic things. I might have forgotten how to be a good mother, but I did have the realization that I should be careful of a teenager's mood.


"It is," the tone she assumed was that of disappointment. Perhaps that outburst was one among many he has had. "He doesn't want to be too hopeful. He's afraid that he'll be let down, and he doesn't want to go through that. Some might call it a defense mechanism. I call it cowardice."


"No, it's not cowardice," I stood up. "It's self-preservation."

The door to the bedroom still stood open. I wasn't going to take it as an invitation to enter, but I wished that I could. Inside, I could see that Daniel was frustrated. I longed to comfort him, to tell him that everything would be alright.


Problem was, I couldn't guarantee that that would be the case.


"You can come in," he sighed, turning his attention to the window and what was happening outside.

The inside of the room looked different than I had expected. Though it was a rental house, presumably, the pictures on the wall was that of Richard and I.


"He isn't going to let you go, mom," Daniel gestured to the wall. "That is proof of it."


It was the second time in two days that someone showed me pictures are a wall, but this time, I found them much more intriguing. I was in them, yet I don't remember them being taken.


"What's this one at the bottom? With your father grinning like a loon?"


"The one at the park? That was taken the day you and he first met. He bumped into you while jogging. Something happened, and you two agreed to play tennis to sort your problem out. You won, mom. Apparently...that was the day you found out that love at first sight exists."


"Sounds like a fairy tale, and you know how I feel about those."


"I do," he smirked. "And I think so too, as well, but still. It was a special day to him."


"And of course, there's the wedding photo," I shifted my gaze upwards.

I shook my head incredulously. It all seemed too good to be true. The photos showed that I had a perfect life, with the perfect man and the perfect kids, plus the perfect house and perfect job. 


I couldn't fit into those shoes, could I? I was too imperfect now.

Turning to leave, Daniel murmured one last thing to me before I left the room. "Those pictures don't just represent memories. They represent a way of life. It showed how you two lived. There were good times, where you two could laugh and cuddle, and there were bad times, where you struggled to cope with is, but you stayed together. That has got to be proof of something."


For someone his age, he was wise beyond his years.

Back in the living room, Darcy had completely disappeared. Her place in the middle of the room had been taken over by someone else.


"Richard," I breathed.


"Amelia?" he sounded surprised, saying my name. "I, uh, didn't figure I would be seeing you again. Especially not coming out of this place's bedroom."


"Trust me, I was thinking the same thing."


"So, eh... You need anything?"


"Actually, yes, I do. We need to have a chat. A very long chat."

~♥~

*psst*

This was kind of a filler chapter... >.> 

I think I lost my mojo again, so pardon, well, everything, I guess.

Well, I just thought it important to point out that this is the second last chapter of this generation - the next one is gonna be the end! 

I feel as if I should talk more to you guys... On the topic of Sims, and with the announcement of Seasons, what do you guys think of it, honestly? Do you think that EA might ruin it in some way? Will you be skipping out on Supernatural and wait for Seasons? I'm certainly not doing that. ^_^

Yeah. I need to shut up now.

Thanks for reading, and have a super fabulous day!