Spring was coming, and the snow was finally receding. The plants were waking, and things were starting to look up.
Stefan was particularly happy to be able to once again spend time out in the fields, getting his hands dirty with some honest work. He looked forward to the produce finally starting to ripen again so this winter time money crunch would go away. It would certainly take a load off of his shoulders.
Juliet was starting to get the babies on a better schedule, so they were getting at least a little bit more sleep, too. Which allowed her to get back in the kitchen so they could have "real" meals again. Stefan was glad, because he was really getting tired of Spinach salads.
Nellie seemed to have sprouted useful legs overnight, and had immediately started getting into trouble. Scolding her really didn't appear to do much good, either, because she would just wait until your back was turned to find something else to make a mess of.
Now that Nellie was a toddler, and was happily sleeping in the nursery instead of her bassinet, the twins were easier to keep asleep and both he and Juliet relished the idea of more sleep. Maybe the constant exhaustion would start to abate.
... If you didn't count the nightmares. He didn't remember Florence having those, and she certainly didn't seem to wake when Nellie had them, so getting woken up in the night by a toddler was new territory. He usually stopped her before she woke up Juliet, though, and managed to tuck her back into bed with a little comfortings.
Speaking of Florence, she was really the jewel of the family. She was cheerful and cooperative - all the things Nellie was not. She enjoyed spending time quietly with either parent, and didn't play favorites.
The time for paying the bills and the loan came and went with barely a dent in the bank balance. He was amazing even himself with how well the farm was providing for his growing family - and was starting to consider simply paying the balance of the loan off with the farm's profits.
Since it was a cold afternoon and the fields were all taken care of for the day, Stefan decided to take a nap while he could. Nellie was playing quietly by herself for a change, and Florence was "helping" her Mother in the kitchen.
Florence seemed to very much enjoy having a sister she could actually play with, and the two of them were simply adorable together.
Valentine's Day came with very little fanfare, and, although they were too busy with the children to do something just the two of them, Stefan still tried to make the day special for Juliet. He presented her with flowers, and they cuddled before falling asleep. Risking having another baby at this point, though, was still out of the question.
Nellie continued to be a problem child. As soon as your attention wavered, she would find something to spill all over the floor. Juliet seemed to constantly be cleaning. But today, Stefan had other concerns. There had been another letter from Juliet's parents, and he didn't have a good feeling about it since the last time they had actually heard from them was after Mary had died. This time, the letter was addressed in different handwriting, too. Handwriting Stefan didn't recognize and could tell was shaky at best.
So, before bed, he asked Juliet to join him in the bedroom, and tried to make her as comfortable as possible before handing her the letter. They read it together, hearts nearly stopping at the news enclosed. Juliet's mother had died suddenly, and now her step-father was ailing. He could no longer care for her younger half-brother, and asked the unthinkable. To prevent young Abraham from being sent to the orphanage, he wanted Juliet to take the boy in. Stefan being part of the household, or the fact that he and Juliet had their own family to care for already were not even mentioned.
In stunned silence, he and Juliet sat together on the ottoman. Stefan took the letter back from her shaking hands, and re-read it to himself.
"Stefan... I can't let him be taken away. He IS my brother, after all. Mother and I used to donate things to that orphanage - you can't even imagine how horrible the conditions are there. I wouldn't wish that on any child. We have to take him in." Juliet blinked away what looked suspiciously like tears, and looked beseechingly at Stefan.
"I suppose you're right." Stefan replied. "Your step-father cannot travel in his condition, and you have the babies to feed and care for, so you can't travel either. It must be me."
Looking away in frustration and anger at the coming trip, he clenched his jaw, then bit out, "I must go back to Brindleton Bay to get your brother and bring him here." He didn't see Juliet look at him with worry and pity, and he stood up and left the room. He needed to be alone for a moment.
Stefan had never planned on going home. He had never met Juliet's step-father, even at the wedding. It had been like the man had never accepted the fact that Juliet had even gotten married. And as for her half-brother, he knew absolutely nothing about the boy. Other than the fact that he would now be their ward. Clenching his fists, he looked about the spare room he had found himself in. At least they had room for the boy to sleep. For now. The twins would be growing up soon, and this room had been planned for them. It was a good thing Stefan hadn't chosen to pay the loan off fully. The money he had saved was going to have to go towards an addition to the house. He wouldn't have time to arrange for that until he returned, however. Who knew how long Juliet's step-father had left: Stefan needed to pack and leave by train in the morning.
Sighing deeply, Stefan headed back upstairs and told Juliet of his plans. He would get Abraham, and be home as fast as he could. In his mind, he simply hoped he wouldn't run into his father or brothers while he was home. By now, his duplicity in cashing out his land inheritance would surely have been found out, and he was sure they would be even angrier at him than usual.
Stefan had barely been gone for a day, and already the house was falling apart at the seams. Juliet seemed to run from one task to the next, never having time to even catch her breath.
There were meals to cook, laundry to do, and two very active toddlers to watch. Not to mention, the babies were starting to crawl.
Keeping Samuel and Benjamin in their cribs was becoming a chore, and their near constant (or so it felt) crying frayed what little nerves Juliet had left.
She tried, however, to keep home life as normal as possible for Florence and Nellie. They ate together in the kitchen, and they still went to bed just after dark and woke first thing in the morning.
Provided Nellie didn't have a nightmare in the middle of the night, the only thing that interrupted her sleep were the babies. Still, sleep was fitful at best without the security of Stefan beside her. She had never expected to miss him this much, and a niggling insecurity played at the back of her mind. What was he doing on his trip? Where would he stay? Who else might he meet? And, above all, when would he be back?
Stefan felt tired, dirty, and annoyed. He could nearly taste the grit from the train in between his clenched teeth. Not wanting to find a rooming house to clean up at, he headed straight to the Bates' farm, hoping to get this over with as fast as possible, and head back to the train station with young Abraham.
The moment he saw Juliet's step-father, he knew his condition was more dire than even he had let on in the letter. The man could barely keep his feet. Stefan approached him, entirely prepared to catch the man should he tip over.
Coughing harshly, Willam Bates ground out, "Where's my daughter? Where's Juliet?"
Stopping and blinking in confusion, Stefan replied, "She can't travel right now. Not with the twins still needing feedings, and Florence and Nellie still need her, too. I had to come in her stead."
"Hmph. Good-for-nothing Tangles. Always sticking your nose into business that wasn't yours in the first place. I should have known you would keep Juliet under lock and key."
Stunned at the man's vitriol, Stefan just looked at him blankly, feeling his temper rise.
William again began coughing, and nearly bent double. Despite his anger, Stefan quickly came to his aid and helped him sit on the nearby porch bench. Sitting next to him, Stefan cursed.
"How dare you malign my family. What have we ever done to you?" Stefan bit out.
"What have you ever done FOR us? My wife and daughter are dead because you took Juliet away from us. They would still be here but for your meddlesome Tangle ways!" Willam again devolved into a coughing fit, barely able to breathe. After a tense moment, he continued, "You can stay in the guest room. Elizabeth's funeral is in two days. After that, you may take Abraham and go. I am afraid, that no matter what my feelings are for you, I must trust you with my most trusted possession - my son and heir. I have not long for this world, and cannot continue to care for him on my own."
Unbeknownst to either Stefan or William, little Abraham had tiptoed up to the front door of his house, and was now listening to every word spoken outside. He gasped at this statement from his father, and quickly slapped a hand over his mouth so he wouldn't be heard.
Stefan was livid. "How DARE you say that Mary and Elizabeth's deaths are Juliet's fault. Perhaps if you had treated Juliet better, she would not have been so eager to leave this home and your family. She has done nothing but good for you and yours, and even now, she is being gracious and stepping in when she is needed. You are nothing but a petty and sick old man, taking things out on a girl who deserves none of your anger and blame."
William tried to answer, but lost his voice to another fit of coughing. Waving Stefan off, he merely said, "No matter. What's done is done. Your room is upstairs."
There was still no sign of Stefan. Juliet had fully expected him home by now, and there was no sign of him, and no word either.
Trying to put aside her worry, Juliet continued the best she could with her daily tasks.
The house, however, was starting to look worse for the wear, and her already frayed nerves were gone. The twins were crawling everywhere when they were awake, and Florence was starting to pick up on Nellie's troublesome ways, getting into the cabinets to bang the pans when Juliet wasn't looking.
Even a trip to the outhouse wasn't fraught with problems, because the pump sink was now spraying water everywhere. Juliet tried to mop up the water and stem the flow, but she knew nothing of it's workings and failed miserably. On the way back to the house, she looked at the weeds growing in the fields, and hoped that the harvest wouldn't be forever ruined by Stefan's absence.
By the time she got back in the house, the twins were once again screaming in hunger, and she trudged upstairs to care for them. Hearing a commotion behind her, she turned to find, of all things, Florence spilling a cup of flour all over the upstairs hallway rug. Scolding her, she sent her to her room to play, and went to find where Nellie had gotten off to.
After searching the entire house, and not finding her, in a panic, Juliet ran outside.
She tripped on the stairs and nearly fell, suddenly realizing that her head was spinning in a most disconcerting way, and she felt terribly feverish. Holding on to the railing for a moment, she got her bearings, then began the search for Nellie again.
Finding her making a mess on the side of the house by Stefan's fields, Juliet took a breath, and yelled at Nellie for making her worry and for making a mess. Nellie immediately burst into tears, and Juliet stopped, taking a deep breath.
Suddenly laughing at herself, she shook her head to try to clear it, then laughed again, almost deliriously.
Apologizing to Nellie, she comforted her as best she could and took the toddler back inside, only hoping that the rest of the children had been okay in her absence.
By midnight, things had completely fallen apart inside the house and Juliet's head. She curled up under the covers and cried miserably while the twins slept on, oblivious, and Florence and Nellie ate their last meal of the day. The girls then quietly took themselves off to bed, confused and a bit afraid of their mother's flood of tears.
Stefan sat and waited while William lit a candle for his daughter. He had kept quiet for the last couple of days, sitting on his anger at the old man's hatred and unreasonable blame. He had seen for himself William's condition was indeed dire, and it seemed he was holding on only to bury his late wife.
Young Abraham had yet to say a single word to Stefan, either. He seemed almost afraid of him, and under the circumstances, Stefan couldn't really blame him. He didn't push the lad, and kept mostly to himself, wondering how Juliet and the children were faring.
The funeral was short and sweet, thankfully, and Stefan helped the gravediggers carry her coffin to her grave and cover it over with dirt. She was buried beside her beloved daughter, Mary, with a conspicuous plot of land next to her for William.
Seeing the boy crying at his mother's graveside pulled at Stefan's heartstrings, and he walked over to console the youngster, not knowing what else to do.
Abraham wiped his tears away, and took a deep breath.
"Thanks, sir." he said, quietly.
"Think nothing of it, son." Stefan replied, and began to say something else, but was interrupted.
William had collapsed on the ground near his wife and daughter's graves. Watching as the horror dawned in Abraham's eyes, Stefan turned to find the Grim Reaper coming in through the cemetery gates. Clearly William had breathed his last.
Abraham cried inconsolably, and understandably. Not knowing exactly what to do, Stefan watched the whole scene with a growing knot in his stomach. He would, clearly, not be going home to Juliet and his children today. They had another funeral to arrange.
Stefan still didn't really know what to say to his wife's half brother. The boy seemed to have ceased to talk altogether, and stayed alone in his room. He didn't force the youngster to go to school, he felt that was far too much to be asking of the grieving boy, but he did insist he eat. The housekeeper had agreed to stay on to make their meals and clean the house until such time as William could be buried and Stefan and Abraham left for home. For now, there were other arrangements to be made.
Stefan met with the bank manager, who seemed happy to see him, and congratulated him on keeping up payments faithfully on his loan. Stefan ignored the man's cheer, and inquired about the Bates' estate in relation to his young brother-in-law. There had been wills, of course, and, sobering quickly, the bank manager guided him into a back room to discuss it. As the boy's guardian now, he was given trust of the boy's accounts until such time as Abraham was old enough to actually inherit it. Despite the pleasant and prosperous appearance of the Bates' farm, apparently there was little left, and there had been no dispensation in the wills for Juliet at all. It was as if her parents had ceased to acknowledge she even existed. Most of the money seemed to have gone to medical care and the household help over these last few years. The farm had been mortgaged to the hilt, too, so by all rights, it belonged to the bank, and there would be nothing coming in from it.
Soberly, Stefan collected the papers and headed back to the Bates' farm. He was starting to feel sorry for the boy, it seemed he was destined to have nothing in this world - or at least, very little.
The date for the funeral of William finally arrived, and Stefan dutifully escorted the boy to the church. The service passed quickly enough, and again Stefan helped the gravediggers finish the process. He was about to fetch the boy so they could leave when he heard a voice he had hoped to never hear again. His stomach dropping into his shoes, he turned to find his father outside the cemetery gates, calling for him.
"Boy! How dare you show your face in this town after what you've done!"
Stefan hurried over to him, hoping to at least convince him to lower his voice at such a sober gathering.
Apparently that wasn't about to happen. His father was beyond furious, it seemed, and there was nothing Stefan could do but listen to the man berate him.
The tirade seemed to go on forever. Clearly his father had found out about the inheritance, and the loan.
Finally, cursing, his father seemed to be losing steam, and finished with: "You have stolen from my family and my town for the last time! I wash my hands of you. You no longer exist."
Gasping at such a harsh statement, Stefan tried to collect his thoughts to reply, aware that most of the town was watching the two of them with avid interest. There was nothing like a scandal, after all.
"BEGONE! Get out of my town, and never return or I'll have you arrested!"
Unable to think through the rush of anger and emotions, Stefan turned and walked away with a huge lump in his throat, going to collect his ward and his belongings so they could leave.
On his way back to the church, he passed a forlorn form by the fresh graves. Stumbling to a stop, Stefan walked over to his Mother.
"I'm Sorry, Mom. I never meant to cause you all this trouble. I just wanted my own life." he began, then stopped when he realized his mother hadn't even heard him.
"She was one of my dearest friends." his mother said absently, still staring at Elizabeth's grave.
"I'm sorry." Stefan said, trying to console her as best he could.
"And now I have lost my son, too. Your father will have nothing of you in the home, and wants you gone."
Taking a deep breath, Stefan replied dryly, "So I've been told."
"Even your brothers fear to speak of you and what you have done to this family's reputation. I must comply, and this must be goodbye."
Stefan knew that steely look in his mother's eye, and knew very well that he could say nothing to change her mind about what had actually happened. She believed what she had been told. In reality, he had only taken what was his to make a new start somewhere else. He was no thief.
"Fine. Goodbye, Mother."
He turned to go, then thought twice about it. "I still love you, though, and I'm sorry." he said softly, and threw his arms about his mother. He heard her voice catch, and she hugged him back tightly, then turned away from him to follow his father.
Unable to speak anymore, Stefan turned to Abraham, who was standing by their luggage, waiting. He nodded at the boy, and helped him load it onto a carriage bound for the train station. Finally. It was time to go home.
Juliet had never been so lonely in her life. Surely Stefan should have been back by now. She couldn't imagine what had gone wrong to keep him away for so long. Perhaps he wasn't coming back at all. Perhaps he had found someone else. Someone without so many children to be a burden to him. Someone without a half brother she was now to be in charge of. Provided she could get him here and save him from the orphanage. Her thoughts a despairing muddle, Juliet went to bed, again, alone.
Of course, she wasn't able to sleep long before the boys were up again, screaming for food and diaper changes. Miserably, she cared for them, and crawled back into bed.
Morning dawned with a clinging rain - and a welcome surprise at her doorstep.
Stefan and Abraham were home! The sadness on the young boy's face drew her attention immediately, and she folded him into her arms before turning to welcome Stefan home.
Being back in his arms made her feel incredibly foolish for worrying and doubting him. Of course he was home. Explanations could wait for later.
Abraham set his suitcases on the bed that was to be his, and immediately pitched in to start cleaning up the disaster that was the house. Once things seemed under control, still without a word, he sat at the mostly unused desk and began doing some schoolwork. Florence and Nellie watched him curiously, soberly, and Juliet wondered what they thought of the new household addition.
Stefan spent most the morning in the fields, trying to repair the damage done by neglect. Once he felt things were under control, he came back into the house to help get that back in hand, as well.
Abraham had retreated to the spare room, and was talking quietly to the big bear. Juliet wondered what he was saying, but didn't want to interrupt. She closed the door again, and when she checked back, he was sound asleep. Poor thing.
Stefan and she finally had the house clean, the toddlers cared for, and the boys asleep. Stefan went upstairs to wash the travel dirt from his body, but Florence interrupted him, begging for a story before bed. It appeared she had missed her Father.
Everyone was in bed, the house was clean, and Stefan was glad to see her. That was all that mattered anymore to Juliet. He tried to tell her about the trip, about her father, but she interrupted him. All that could wait. First, he deserved a proper welcome home.
(Author's Note: This was completely, totally, amazingly, all unplanned. I couldn't have come up with this stuff had it not actually happened in game and I had to be creative to make up the story as to exactly why and how. I had never, ever, planned to have anything to do with Brindleton Bay again, and it was just on a whim I had even added those lots and the extended family to the game at all (the prologue was shot in a different save). I did not make Juliet's family, nor did I make the lots that are shown in Brindleton Bay - all were found on the Gallery under the 1890s search term. I'm just glad that the lots were well enough put together to withstand the impromptu photo shoot session I had to put on mid-week to explain what happened. And Juliet really did "lose it" over those couple days without Stefan, I did not make that up. (To simulate him being gone, and facilitate the photo shoot, he was moved out of the household temporarily.) I think the chapter turned out well, if way too long for my tastes - but there was no place to split it, really. It all needed to be together to explain the entire week. Hopefully you enjoyed the read!)
Woo, that was a great read and a great way to have all of that work out! What a crazy week, and nice job with working out the moving out and the photoshoots for the story! Once again, it might have felt long to write, but it felt like a perfect length for what was happening and read fast to me. 🙂
Thanks! I'm actually glad after the fact that something like that happened so I could tie up "loose ends" back in Brindleton. I was lucky that all the venues worked for the photos with minimal changes.
I agree with your author’s note, it’s always fun when your Sims do awesome unplanned things! I also didn’t mind the length.
Thanks for the reply! I'm glad the length wasn't too bad for reading. I always worry about longer posts possibly being too wordy or long. 🙂