Fickle Suspicion...

Jebidiah had only just arrived home from his trip to Shang Simla to learn that he was going to be a father -- again. There are some things that a Sim can hear that never gets old, and I'm sure that Jebidiah would admit that that is one of them. Even a selfish, evil Sim such as himself has a special place in his heart -- or... whatever that thing is inside him -- for his offspring. Perhaps, one day, another son to carry on his legacy... Or a daughter to spoil with unimaginable riches! Ah, the possibilities are endless, in Jeb's imagination.

No, no... He couldn't be happier.

In fact, after helping Meredith take care of the house -- she'd left it in quite the disaster in her nervousness! -- and giving Travis a proper greeting, they celebrated with some 'presents' he'd brought home from China.

I have to say, they were some pretty nice fireworks, but he probably should have picked up more. I guess, it was a fairly decent show, still.

Life carried on as normal -- Jebidiah made sure to call his mother to brag about his exploits in China, making sure to greedily emphasize to her how he couldn't have done it without his extensive training with the Company. It was all Farah could do to grit her teeth -- if only she had a little less self-respect, she'd have turned him in in a heartbeat a long time ago.

But, perhaps, maybe she was the slightest bit proud how successful he was. I mean, not every mother gets to see their son become the most notorious criminal pickpocket in all of Simington... Perhaps, perhaps, it was worth giving him credit for brilliance and aptitude, if not nobility. Yes, she could live with that.

However, Farah was not the only one becoming increasingly cocky in her son's skills. In fact, Jebidiah himself was becoming so sure of himself and his abilities avoiding the law that he was no longer worried of ever getting caught, let alone ending up in jail. He hadn't seen the inside of a cell since the beginning days of thuggery, and it had led him to only one possible conclusion: he was invincible. Unstoppable. Uncatchable.

And this is something he simply could not keep from his son.

But what Jebidiah did not forsee is that his idle braggery to a naive and uneducated Travis would fall upon the ears of someone who was far less naive then she was given credit for.

What was Meredith hearing?! Her husband, a thief? A common burglar? A criminal? She had only come downstairs to grab some food for her slowly expanding belly, and now she was hearing her husband confess his darkest deeds to their  son.

But what was she to do? Confront him? That could only end in tears, in arguments, and in a separation she couldn't handle right now. Neurotic as she was, the idea of leaving her husband scared her spitless, what with a young toddler and another one on the way. No... She grabbed her juice, and then went to talk to him as if nothing happened. He spoke to her belly, told her he loved her, and then continued to try to teach Travis his ABC's.

But lingering in her mind was what she heard: all the riches they'd ever made, their entire lifestyle, was based on a career taking from those who'd rightfully earned it. And now she had to hide what she knew... Or did she?

Jebidiah, noticing her obvious tension -- and not surprised, as nervous Meredith was always that way, especially when she was pregnant -- gave her a backrub... But it obviously didn't make the problem go away. In a stuttered exclamation, she said she wasn't feeling well, and was going to Farah's to see if his mother knew what might be bothering her... since she was a doctor, after all.

It wasn't until Meredith arrived at her mother-in-law's that she realized that she had no idea why she was going to see Farah. What could that self-absorbed, snobby woman possibly give for advice? Meredith enjoyed Farah's company, and her generous donation of money for toys for the kids, but beyond money and family-image... Well, Farah wasn't exactly a good counselor.

Still, it couldn't hurt... And Meredith had few alternatives.

The hardest part was bringing up the subject. How exactly turn to someone and say: "I just found out your son, my husband, is a criminal. Care to offer any constructive advice?" Meredith considered turning to Tana for help instead, but childish and naive Meredith knew enough about her sister to know that, even though she was a cop, she probably wouldn't care very much. Tana would avoid criminal conviction unless every scrap of evidence was found... A few words overheard to her son would not be taken seriously.

But before Meredith could even mutter out, "I overheard... Farah I think he's a..." Her mother-in-law took her by the shoulders, and told her: "I am glad you asked. I was sure you would figure it out eventually."

They went inside, and after nonchalantly asking Meredith if she wanted to play foosball, Farah began -- in the most noble tone of motherly-pride -- began to explain how she too discovered her son's life of crime. Facts were twisted to suit Farah's own ends, but in a rather expert use of her eloquent skill at Schmoozing, she explained that Jebidiah's trade was an art, and that as disreputable it may be, it was who he was. Meredith was never told because he loved her, and Farah knew that Jebidiah would rather rot in jail than lose the woman he loved.

"Turn him in if you want," she explained in a sickly sweet tone to her daughter-in-law. "But search your own soul before you decide what to do. Your feelings for him haven't changed, have they? You still love him as much as you did the day you married him, and you would be lying to say otherwise. Perhaps his decisions are against your own moral conscience, but you will lose him, one way or another, if you do not keep his secret for him."

Unfortunately, Farah knew Meredith better than Meredith thought she did. As much as it pained Meredith, what her husband was actually doing for a living, she would rather keep living this lie than lose the man she loved. "I love him too much." That's all she could say.

Oh, if only Jeb had known how much his wife loved him... How much she was willing to sacrifice for him.... And how big a part it would play in his future.

But for now, Farah simply offered her best medical advice: "Stop stressing about it so much. What happens will happen, and the best that you can do is watch out for your son, and the one you have on the way." Oh, and that's right -- Farah had deduced that Meredith was having another boy... Good; something she could share with her husband when she got home.

The rest... She'd keep to herself...

For his sake.