Goldie found the trashcan tipped over again. She set it upright, thinking the local
squirrels must really love their trash. But what's with all the roaches?



They won't go away, even though she's stomping her heart out.
Die, vermin, die! Die!
Please?



Candy was still in her pjs while Goldie was coming back from school. Lucky!

She'd found out, by accident, that Virginia Beech was now Scot's girlfriend.

And Goldie made the mistake of mentioning the news to her sister.

Candy was indignant. "You're a Hart, for fuck's sake. You want him, take him. It's not hard."

That wasn't even remotely helpful to a Popularity sim like Goldie. Candy didn't understand, she didn't
like him like that, she didn't think, but he was the only one at school who noticed her and now he won't.



Rhett had taken a chance and gone to work anyway.
Sandy wasn't there. But there were instructions posted to the door.
He had to get his hands dirty, after all.

This was all Hamilton's fault!
He should've kept a better eye out on his woman instead of blamin' a man for
doin' what any man would. And then pickin' a fight, like a sore loser. Not cool!



Rhett pounded out his pain and frustration on the piano.
Meanwhile his devoted sister danced away to the tune of his shame.

Good times.



Eventually it was time to face the real music.

"Hey, uh, Pop. Can we talk for a minute?"



Rhett tried to explain that he had been mistaken, ok?
When Sandy first told him that baby was his he didn't believe it. Rhett knew for sure he'd done
everything to avoid gettin' set up or caught up—however you wanna look at it—like with Penny.
Every time, too...except for that first time.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You tellin' me that that baby is yours, too? Another one!"
Valentine knew Rhett had been lying about not messin' around with that woman but to
get her pregnant, her especially! Did he ever think with his upstairs brain? Ever?

"C'mon Pop, it just, uh, happened. You know how it is."

Unfortunately he did know. If Mary hadn't miscarried it'd be right about now that Rhett and the other kids
and the whole damn town would be seeing exactly how well he understood how those things just happened.

He was off the hook but he was a helluva lot better prepared for fatherhood than this kid of his and now the
boy had 2 on the way and he was sure to be losing his job. Just burnin' bridges as fast as they were laid.
Daytona didn't mess around about her son.

To top it off, Valentine couldn't even say but so much about his kids' screw-ups.



Knowing what he knew he didn't have the heart to scold 'em, much,
but damn it if these kids weren't stressing him the hell out!
And to be making the same mistakes, at his age! Indebted to a lucky break...
if you could call it that. Sounded crude, and cruel, but he was grateful all the same.

He went for a quick jog through the crisp night air to get the old heart pumping
and clear his head. Looked like he was going to be supporting babies
anyway, the grown up ones and the ones they kept making.



Goddamn trash knocked over again. And nobody thought to clean
it up when they were out and about this morning.


Hamilton sidled up to the house while Valentine muttered to himself.

He stood by waiting to clear the air but he wasn't sure what to expect so there
might've been a shade of trepidation when Valentine turned a scowling face his way.


Still, he didn't come to apologise about the fight, that was between him and Rhett.
Hamilton only wanted to make sure it stayed that way.

What he didn't know was that Rhett would never tell his Pop about a fight that he lost.

Valentine couldn't laugh in front of Hamilton but he knew his son. For all his bravado
and pride at being young and virile, he was a punk. Oh, he could manipulate women,
all right, and talk the talk. But he couldn't walk the walk. Went and got his ass
kicked by a middle-aged man well past his prime, did he? Served him right.



It wasn't worth escalating conflict between their families, not from his end. Hamilton had a right to
his grudge but he wanted to try and keep it contained. Valentine respected that but he knew Daytona
had her own agenda. She didn't fire Rhett out of loyalty to him. That was to the good, but he wasn't
about to be kept in her pocket for that piddling salary when the point was to teach his reckless son
lessons he refused to learn. Damn kids. Constantly making more messes for him to have to clean.



Another mess. Valentine liked Penny, she was a good girl, better than his son
deserved and she was about to have her poor heart broken when she found out her baby
that ain't been born yet already has a little brother or sister baking in another oven.
She'd been making a confidante of him but Valentine didn't have the heart for this business.



Daytona was up next.
He told her that he'd talked to Rhett, he'd talked to Hamilton, and that was all he had to say
about that. They surely did have a problem but it was for them to work out on their own.



Later when he headed over to open The Dugout his kids' messes found him out
there, too. Hamilton was pretty much squared away but there was Junior.

Standoffish and stiff. He wouldn't look him in the face but Valentine was
going to have his say. Not in front of his mother but one of these days.

Lana had been a friend of Angel's but Valentine didn't know her well.
She had very winning ways, though, Lana Mann.


~



"So you really been spreadin' it around, huh?"

"You're one to talk."


*I love how the dialogue could work either way. It's mostly the timing that'd indicate who said what.*



Candy thought she saw what she saw.
But she didn't let on. Wonder what she wants?



Daytona wanted to be clear that she and Valentine were on the same page so she came over again.
Sandy wasn't her problem any longer, good riddance to bad rubbish. The way was clear for Rhett to
keep his job so long as they were in agreement not to let the kids interfere with what they've got going.



Sounded like a good deal to Valentine.





"Yo kiddo. Gotta go out for a while if anybody asks.
That's a weird-ass lookin' dog you got there."

"It's not a dog, Rhett."

"Oh. Oh yeah, ok, I see it. Anyways, uh, don't wait up."



Candy dreamt all night, and day, about her mother.
She might actually be okay about this baby thing
if her mother were around.



Babies need milk. Right?



In other news, Daytona is a stalker.

She was back again the next afternoon but nobody let her in.
No one, in fact, was around. She didn't care, she wanted to be where her Hart resided.

Love came late for Daytona and hit her hard and she wasn't about to let that adulteress
interfere with her business, her family, her political prospects, and her love life, no ma'am.



Upstairs Candy had no idea one of Pop's old ladies was staking a claim on their couch.
Not that she'd care, unless she wanted to nap there. She stays out of his business. He should try doing the same.

And more autonomous cleaning. What gives?
She just couldn't help herself, apparently. Stupid nesting.



Enough of that mess.
Candy had to get out of that house before she scrubbed
it top to bottom, like she had nothing better to do.



See. Something better do do.
Plus it was raining. She couldn't stay exposed on that bench, could she?

She got up. And got noticed.

The rain started coming down pretty hard.
Shirtless guy had seen her and her condition and ran back
over her way to check on her. So that's one pregnancy perk.



He offered to see her home, or to at least
escort her to shelter, out of the rain.
It was getting pretty cold.



Shirtless guy's name was Craig.
He was a volunteer fireman (but otherwise unemployed), a real do-gooder type.
A promise is a promise and all that, so he made sure she got home okay.
He couldn't shield her from much, seeing as he had no shirt and all, but still
he did his best to get her out of the downpour, fast as she could waddle.
Candy invited him in, to dry off.



She told him to get comfortable while she found a change of clothes but Craig was uneasy,
he didn't want to put her in the wrong when her husband got home. No husband? Boyfriend then.
None of those, either, well but someone was responsible for her situation. Oh?
Not in the picture, that's a shame. Well, then maybe...

But there are no maybes with Candy.



"Thanks, babe. I knew something good had to happen to me today."

"You're telling me! I mean, can I see you again? I know you won't
have much time for something new with the baby but—"

"Aww. You're sweet, you know that? Real sweet."
Candy shut him up and sent him on his way.



Goldie was passing her afternoon after school in a much more wholesome, if lonelier, way.



The rain had stopped but there was nobody around.



What's this?
Company!



Goldie approached the cute little poochie.
He was so friendly!



Goldie ended up playing with her new friend all day but it was getting late and she wasn't
supposed to be out this way alone after dark with so many strange men tending to loiter nearby.
Sometimes they set up camp or some of them parked their trucks overnight in the area.
She'd never heard of no trouble but since nobody knew them she was supposed to be wary.
Pop and Rhett made that clear. The pup must belong to one of them then, who else?



Again, Daytona is a stalker.



A stalker who got caught. Sorta.
Valentine was very confused when he stumbled upon her in the game room.
"Daytona?"







'Oh shit, Ma. It's just you.'



'Boogity-boogity-BOO!!'

"Aack!" Candy jumped back in real terror.
Felt like she was having a Hart attack, but what did she ever do to her mother?



Candy's shriek woke Daytona but she didn't recognise it as such.
She stumbled blindly to the bathroom while Valentine kept snoring.


Talking him out of his confusion and up to his bedroom had been no more than a matter of course.
All roads led to bed in this house, didn't matter how you got through the door.



But while she wanted to stay the night something just wasn't right here.
She had another long day ahead of her, anyway, running damage control.




Goldie sat straight up minutes before her alarm went off that morning.
She thought she heard her name being called.



She beat her Pop downstairs for once.
And who should come sauntering up but her new pal.

"Hey poochie, boy. How'd you find me? Such a smart little doggie."



Valentine came out to find his youngest playing with the stray but he didn't object.
It was cats he couldn't stand. Candy had a cat when she was younger than Goldie. Damn thing
sprayed up the whole house and she was forever forgetting to feed it. That was it for cats.
But a pet might be good for Goldie, a dog pet. Better make sure he really didn't belong to anyone.



Rhett was up early only because he hadn't been to bed yet.

He had a proposition to present to Pop but he didn't want to.
He ran out but then let them go on their jog without bringing it up.
Losing a fight to ol' Hamilton was bad enough, he couldn't keep
letting the woohoo cloud his judgement. Better go grab some sleep.



Thoughts of Mary crept up on Valentine, so young and fresh and tender as she was. So different
from Daytona in every way. The way she looked up at him, the way she surrendered...

Goldie found Pop in his bathroom but she didn't want to
start trouble so she let it slide, what was on her mind.



Valentine knew he had no business wandering out that way.
He was sure to get a glimpse of Mary, and she of him.



Mary found time to sneak away.
Just like he knew she would.



He swooped her right into the bedroom. No time
to waste. She'd been on his mind all day.



Regret was immediate.
Valentine felt like some hormone-crazed old horndog. Like his son.
He'd been steering clear of Mary for good reason but the second he
got that yearning he put his needs in front of hers. That wasn't love,
not the way she thought it was, and not like what the girl deserved.



Mary didn't even know what the walk of shame was, she'd never heard o' such a notion.
That didn't stop her from giving a spot on impression, though.



Valentine caught up to her as she was leaving.

She probably didn't know it yet but if he had any control over himself this might well be their last
embrace. He had to make it good. Valentine didn't want to be her husband, didn't want to settle down
and make babies and get fat off her home-cooking. He didn't want any of that. But he did love her.
Maybe one day she'd understand that there were different kinds of love.

Mary had been an angel to him, no doubt about it...but she wasn't Angel.



He turned back inside and ran smack into Goldie.
What was she hanging about waiting for him for,
looking worried? She knew better than to be so nosy.


"Candy's gone, Pop!"

"What're you talking about?"

"She's not here. She's missing! I can't find her anywhere."

"Don't you worry about Candy. She's a big girl. She
knows how to find her way home when she's ready."

He didn't understand. They all think Goldie is a baby but she's not a baby!
She knew what was going on between him and Mary, as sure as she knew how real babies are made.
She'd even noticed how all the ones about to be born around here only got made because
her family's so good at...making babies. Goldie is not a baby. And she knows her sister.
Candy never stayed gone this long.



NB: Absolutely every time Daytona set foot on this lot during this rotation the door swung open, as if in welcome, and she walked in. I tried resetting her visitor status, resetting her altogether, having one of the family say goodbye properly, still every time she was meant to be walking by she got confused about her right to be there. So I wrote it in. I have BFFsarefor12s so that's not it either. Daytona is just a stalker. Often she just sat around, blending into the background while they went about their lives and she observed them. Crazy Beech :P Valentine, however, is hardly the pushover she takes him for, he's a pragmatist, but she's not pert and pretty to always get away with it. I think the glitch magically fixed itself on the last day but we'll see how this plays out come winter.