The Strange New Place We Live

For the time being, it seemed as if Twinbrook was offering them a renewed chance to be a close, loving family once again. It was certainly not the ideal, romantic getaway that Meredith probably deserved, nor was the house as large and grandeur as Jebidiah wanted to provide for his children, but... It could be worse. At this point, they were willing to take anything they could get -- even if that meant that Jebidiah was working for a small wage to solve the small town's mysteries for them.

But one thing he did not particularly enjoy was the hours.



"Is there any way to convince these people to not call first thing in the morning?!" Meredith grumbled as they climbed out of bed, after the fifth phone call that morning. "Don't they realize that not everyone wakes up at 5-freakin-AM?"

He missed the night-owl hours of scheming in the old river warehouse, and being able to sleep in until the late afternoon without any complaints from his wife. The early mornings, he felt, were plenty enough punishment for him. But, if he wanted to prove anything to Meredith, he had to keep it up... and the need for Twinbrook's new PI was suddenly evident. It made Jebidiah wonder what had happened to the last one... Probably annoyance at hearing his own ringtone so often.


Jebidiah lamented about what he missed the most, but he tried to take a somewhat positive view; perhaps, with his knowledge of the criminal mind, he'd be able to help Twinbrook out more than they knew. He was, after all, a Master of Thievery -- there was nothing better to catch a criminal than a criminal himself... Right?


But Meredith was not all too pleased with that sort of talk at the breakfast table. She quickly changed the subject, asking Travis about if he was excited to be starting his new school. "Everyone will be so amazed at how strong you are, sweetie," she commented with a pointed finger at her son's biceps. "I bet they'll be begging you to join their sports teams once they see you play."

"I'll be fine, ma. It's just weird is all."



As Meredith finished getting Travis ready for his first day, Jebidiah changed into his gear and hopped into their only vehicle: the mommy-mobile Meredith insisted they get. It was certainly practical, but not... perfect. Well. It was humiliating for a man who was used to giving his family everything, and driving whatever type of car he wanted. "Can't wait until we can afford another car," he grumbled as he cruised across the bridge leading into the less desirable parts of town.

He was venturing there to talk to the source of their morning phone calls: it was some man named Juan Darer, absolutely frantic about what he described as some vagrant acts of vandalism.



When Jebidiah first arrived, he was taken aback -- the man's whole house was burnt down! Finally something untrivial. But, after some careful questioning, Jebidiah discovered that the house remains had been like that for some time. Juan was worried about something else entirely -- someone had been kicking over his trash can! Oh dear Plumbbob!

Jebidiah sighed. Hooray, another petty crime. But, giving assurances to Juan he'd find the culprit, he took some samples of footprints, and was on his way. He wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible... Juan was a rather funny looking fellow, smelled like burnt toast, and was living out of his shed. It was not exactly the place Jeb wanted to be caught hanging around.



Juan had given him both the name of his trash can attacker -- or rather, who he thought he saw -- and the address where he lived. It seemed rather odd that Juan would know this, but as Jebidiah became more acquainted with the town, it became obvious why: everyone knew everything about everyone else, and what they didn't know, they were very determined to find out.

"No wonder this place is practically off the map," Jeb found himself thinking. "Everyone here's on the brink of insanity."

Well, he found what he needed to find -- the evidence. Looks like Buddy Bailey was ashamed of what he'd done, and had thrown out the sneakers that had left footprints all over the Darer's yard. Juan may be a dirty, crazy old man, but he was a right crazy old man.


At least Buddy was willing to admit his wrong-doing. After shown the evidence, he quickly caved. "Yeah, I did it. The old man deserved it, but it still wasn't right. I'll pay for a new trash can if he won't press charges."

Jebidiah wanted to laugh, but if he wanted to be taken seriously as an investigator, he had to at least attempt to keep a straight face.



He ended up running into Juan on the way back to his house to share the good news. When Juan heard, he smiled. "Fantastic! Glad to hear that justice as been served."

He paid Jebidiah up, and at that point, Jeb could hardly contain himself -- his payment was more than it would've cost to replace the kicked-in-can. This guy was obviously a luntatic. So far, the people in this town seemed pretty daft, but at least it meant more profit for him!



But, now it meant it was back to work trying to catch the dirty between other town residents. And whatever these two Twinbrookians are doing, Jebidiah was sure it wasn't good.

It's a grind, but... It's a job. And, being an anonymous tip to the police department and a self-employer, it meant his name wasn't going down anywhere to track. At least there was that small positive reality to this relatively tedious job.

... But those fingers of his were still itching to pick some pockets.

---

As Jebidiah found himself making a few spare Simoleans here and there, Meredith got herself to work trying to help out with their new lack of wealth. She'd done plenty of painting and photography as a hobby, but now it was time to put those talents to the test, and try to see how the people of Twinbrook liked her artwork.



It certainly was nice to get back to something she enjoyed, as well. Over the last few weeks, she'd been so absorbed in Jebidiah's mishaps, the children, the move -- and what prompted it -- that there had been no time for herself. It was a refreshing change, and the first hints that things were getting back to normal.



On her way home from the consignment store, where she was attempting to sell some of her latest works, she decided to drop off to the park to try and meet some of her new neighbors. Wei Keane and Justin Kayes seemed pretty pleasant -- if rather dorky -- and even shy Meredith found herself struck up in a conversation...



... one that seemed to go in interesting directions once she found out that Wei was just as neurotic as she was.



Wei was doing his best to keep things friendly, though, once he noticed that ring on Meredith's finger. But, since they both liked conspiracy theories, he felt it was appropriate to point out some gossip about poor old man Juan Darer.

"Did you know that Juan Darer burnt down his house on purpose? Trying to get insurance money or something. I hear he's still living on the property, in his shed... I'd almost feel sorry for the guy, if I didn't know he was attempting fraud."



Well, Meredith wasn't sure what to believe, but at least not everyone in town was as insane as the people Jebidiah was telling her about. In fact... As she settled down on a swing and looked out over the vast water of Twinbrook's lake, she realized that it may not be as bad here as she had first thought. It wasn't the prettiest place... But it had potential to become home, if she let it.



"Hey, you one of the new people just movin' in on Savannah Lane?"

Meredith stopped swinging to turn her eyes to the source of the question. "Oh, yeah... Just a few days ago. I'm Meredith. Meredith Kane."

"Oh yeah?" For a moment, the long intense look that he gave her sent chills up her spine. But, after an eerily long silence, the corner of his mouth turned up into a strange smirk of a smile. "Well, m'name's Marc Brandt."

He continued to look at her. Meredith, being thoroughly creeped out, suddenly turned her eyes to his arms, and asked the first thing that came to her mind. "So, uh, uh... where'd you get those tattoos?"

After a brief conversation with Marc, Meredith decided to cut it short and head home. But, after reaching the sidewalk, she decided something else.

It was time for a change.



We all make decisions in our lives that we regret, but sometimes it's best to just push forward and try to make the best with what's left...



... and often, a drastic change from what we're used to is a step in the right direction, even if it doesn't seem like it at first ...



... and even just a little push out the door to try and make new friends can help us along the path of renewal ...



... and we can't forget that even old friends can be just as good, and should never be forgotten ...



... but sometimes, no matter how hard we run from the mistakes that we've made, the attempts to keep it a secret will always find a way to come back to haunt us.

---

Notes: As the lovely Chrysame noticed, I updated the banner. I meant to do that and this post simultaneously, but I forgot I was going to the movies tonight. Oops. Anyways, I hope it turned out okay!

Also, on this post and all posts onwards I am adding another completely useless yet entertaining addition to each picture: scroll-over texts. Short and sweet, to take the edge off the angst.

Edit: For some reason, the scroll-overs aren't working. Working on fixing that right now. :)

Edit Again: Discovered what I did wrong, rollover text should now work as intended. Phew! 

Enjoy!

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A New Life

It was cloudy over the skies of Twinbrook the day the Kanes drove into town. Housewives pulled back their kitchen curtains just in time to see an unfamiliar car pass by, and many stopped to watch as the ivy-trimmed house on Savannah Lane was suddenly stirring with life.

There, a couple was struggling to carry several boxes through the front door, and two children were playing in the yard, completely oblivious to any outside surveillance. The people of Twinbrook were naturally suspicious... So, for now, the Kanes remained an object of curiousty, while neighbors waited for the right time to come investigate why that house, unoccupied for so, was suddenly home to the newest residents of the town of Twinbrook.

Meredith Kane had found out why only several hours earlier. There were many heated words, between herself and her husband Jebidiah, when she found out that not only did they have a ridiculously large amount of savings in the bank, but they owned a second home in a God-forsaken podunk town in the middle of nowhere. Granted, it was certainly nice compared to what she was expecting, but it raised a whole lot of questions that lead to nothing good between the two Kane parents.



But, as the entire family stopped to look upon their new lodgings, everything fell into silence. After almost a week on the road, eating cruddy fast food, sleeping on uncomfortable motel beds, not to mention travelling with a toddler, the family had had enough... Especially when Jebidiah explained they had to ditch their old car and pick up a new one. No one was more confused than their son Travis, but his naivety to the situation was more a blessing than a curse, in this case.

"He could've done worse," Meredith found herself muttering under her breath as she gave the outside of the house one last lookover... But, she still was not entirely convinced. Maybe her house was in decent enough shape, but the town certainly wasn't.

Once Travis ran upstairs to play in his room, Meredith and Jebidiah were priviledged to their first moments alone together for over a week. You'd think, relieved and tired, it would be a time to collapse in each others' arms... If only.



"I can't believe you got us into all this, Jeb," Meredith jabbed, clearly angry with her husband. "First you lie to me about your job, then your loyalty to this marriage, and now this? Keeping a failsafe plan hidden away from me, hiding away money and buying a whole house in some town I've never heard o-- correction, I never wanted to hear of? This is outrageous, Jebidiah."

"I only did all this to protect the family, Mere. I needed a plan in case things went wrong, in case we had to--"

"But we never should of had to in the first place, Jeb! If you'd actually gone out and gotten a real job like everyone else, we wouldn't be here! We'd be back in Riverview! Safe! Happy!"

"Please, Mere, I--" Jebidiah croaked.



"No, Jeb. I'm through with this. I'm through with the lies, the coverups, the blame-games... And I've about had it with this marriage. You have no idea what I've been through, because of you."

"Mere, I'll do anything to make it up to you..." Jeb turned the most pleading gaze he could on his wife. "Please, just give me a chance to prove myself... I never did, I never got the chance to explain what happened. I will, and I'll--"

"And you'll what, change your feathers?" Meredith almost laughed.



"You know what you'll do? You'll go out and find a real job. You'll give up crime, give up everything that got us into this mess. Throw what's left of the old money away. We're going to live honest lives now, you hear me? You'll set an example for your children, whether you like it or not!"

Jebidiah sighed, but he'd never seen Meredith like this... Ever. There was only one way to resolve this: he had to give in. "Alright, alright... I'll do whatever you ask. Just give me another chance."

Upon further inspection of the house, Meredith decided that it was even better than the outside had let on. Definitely not perfect... There were leaky pipes, everything was covered in dust, she swore she heard something scurrying around in the basement.. But he'd apparently had the place fully furnished. It was definitely a well-thought-out getaway plan.


And Jebidiah seemed to have spared no expense. Her heart even skipped a beat when she walked out onto the lower deck, and found that there was an easel set up, just for her. While she still didn't want to say any more to the rotten scum awful... .... @%(&!%$... husband of hers -- he was looking through the paper for jobs, anyways -- she breathed a soft sigh, and found the supplies and began to paint.

As he watched her out of the corner of his eye, Jebidiah smiled.

Well, there were plenty of options, but the local paper revealed that the town of Twinbrook was in terrible need of some investigative work. Ads were all over the place asking for help on all sorts of topics -- and while Jebidiah groaned at the thought of helping with all these petty crimes, and the pay was horrible, he knew it would probably be enough to win over Meredith's approval.

"Who knows," he thought to himself. "Maybe digging up a little dirt, I'll get to have a little... fun... Hahaha..." He wouldn't want those sneaky pilfering fingers of his to get rusty, now would he?



Well... Day one of the job. It was time to get to work, and try to earn some money, since Meredith wouldn't allow any illgotten funds, anymore. He picked himself up some cool duds -- he may not have to look the part, but it helped him fit in better -- and decided to follow up on some lead about a guy who swore that someone was sneaking in and hitting his toes in the middle of the night.

Seriously? Were people in this town that thick? "I suppose it could work to my advantage," he thought to himself between questioning some of the client's -- Mr. Clay, I believe -- neighbors to see if they'd seen him sleepwalking. It was, of course, the most obvious explanation.



In the meantime, he decided to do some expert sneaking to discover some dirt about people in this new town of his...



... while Meredith was doing some sneaking of her own.



Unfortunately, for his first day, he didn't expect much. Daytime on the weekend seems to be the day for family outings, and nothing suspicious was going to come up while everyone was around, watching.



Not unless you count what he decided to "investigate" on the library computer. It's not like Meredith has to know! He was just doing... You know. Research. At least, that's what he'd tell her if she asked -- and for certain, there was no way she was going to find out, anyways. Maybe this Private Investigator thing wasn't so bad after all.



Especially getting to tell Harwood what an idiot he was for thinking someone actually wanted to stub his toes in the middle of the night. Jebidiah did his best to leave out choice words such as "idiot", "self-absorbed conspiracy theorist", and "next time put a video camera in your bedroom, stupidface", especially since the man actually paid him handsomely for his investigation.

"Wow. What a crazy old man." Jebidiah thought to himself as he climbed into his car. "I could definitely get used to this."

It seemed as if Meredith had cooled off quite a bit by the time he got home, as well. The family headed down into the basement to watch replay of Travis' favorite sports teams (to try and help him feel better about the move and all), and Jebidiah was surprised to feel an unexpected hand on his knee.


Maybe, the damage could be undone, and life could get better. All it had to take was a little effort... Maybe, they could forget about everything that happened.

... Maybe.

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Seasons 1: A Synopsis

Below, the synopsis to the Prologue and Season One; written so that those who wish to be caught up, but do not want to suffer through 40-odd previous posts, may do so. Warning: I may have forgotten certain things, so... Trust my summary at your own risk!

Prologue

As the tale of Desperate Sims begins, one simple idea is pondered: not everything is as it seems. Beneath the mask of every man, woman, and child, something else lies underneath... A villian, a cheat, a liar, a murderer. Perhaps it's time to question your friends and family, and really decide whether you actually know them or not.



The prologue quickly describes the life of Jebidiah Kane; he born as the son to a rich, albiet single, surgeon living in the heart of Riverview. His childhood was a rather jumbled mess of trying to figure out what made him happy, and in the end, there was only two things: stealing, and Meredith Jones.



Through some rather clever schemes he won over Meredith's affection (much to the chagrin of his best friend Chandra, who secretly harbored a crush for him), and once they became young adults, they were married. Happily ever after, right?



Wrong. He only had one piece of the puzzle -- he needed more. It didn't take long to get it, though; soon after he'd made a name for himself online as a notorious hacker, he was 'discovered' by the local crime syndicate, and put to work as one of "the Company's" top thieves.

And that is where it begins.

Season One

Soon after Meredith and Jebidiah Kane are married, Jeb discovers that Meredith's sister, Tana Larson, is a local cop with a secret: she hates being a cop. She joined for the thrill of catching bad guys, but it was proving unexciting. Discovering her contempt for the job and her own inclinations for evil, he quickly recruits her as a mole for the Company.



With the Company having Tana on the inside, they quickly use her to squash all the competition and cover the Company's tracks, leading Tana into a rather cozy position in the department, and Jebidiah's crime syndicate in a little patch of undisturbed heaven. Soon after, Jebidiah earns the rank of the Company's Master Thief, and his wife Meredith is expecting their first son.



Right after Jeb and Mere's first son, Travis, is born, an old friend of Jeb's seeks Jeb out to share with him a 'tip' on a possible big job in town. Jeb's old friend is Skip Broke, the father of Chandra, Jeb's best friend from high school. Skip talks of a massive gem worth a fortune being kept under high security in a house in town, and is willing to give over the plans as a last gift before he retires completely from crime.



With the impending job ahead, Jeb gets very excited, and a bit cocky -- in his braggery to his toddler son, who doesn't understand a word, he let's slip a little bit too much about his current occupation... Something that his niave wife overhears on accident. Although worried about what this may mean about her husband and their future, Jeb's mother does her best to soothe Meredith's fears... a necessity, seeing as Meredith is now pregnant with their second son.



Rumors begin running amuk in Riverview, and Tana overhears things at work at the police station that begin to trouble her. As far as they can tell, there's a mole in the *Company* as well, ratting out their operation. Worried how it got started, Jeb begins to wonder if Meredith found out about his real job and said something to someone.

The idea is quickly dashed: how could she know? However, they decide it's time to bring all the criminals working on the job to steal the gem, to see who may be the weak link -- he meets with his closest criminial counterpart, Mimi, to arrange a meeting.



The meeting doesn't go as planned; Tana gets in a fight with Mimi, the prime suspect of the leaks. Cody, their con artist, left promptly after seeing that; and Tameka, the thug in charge of distraction, doesn't even show. To make matters worse, not long afterwards, Jebidiah's laptop containing some of the plans for the heist is stolen.



With no other choice, Jeb has to turn to the head of the operations, Dallas Shallow: the Emperor of Evil. Dallas demands insurance that the laptop was impossible to hack and that the mole in the Company be discovered, by *any* means necessary... or else.

The next day, after his son's birthday part, something stirs him into immediate action: a burglar attempted to steal photographs of his children. Assuming that this was a threat from Dallas against his children, Jeb resolves to get to the bottom of things.



Well, what better way to loosen tongues than kissing -- and Jeb does just that. He seduces two of his fellow theives, Cody and Tameka, to attempt to learn something valuable... Instead, Dallas, being a bit of a romantic, is angered by Jeb's cheating and tells Meredith. Nearing the end of her rope, she again turns to Jeb's mother, Farah Kane, for comfort, to try to understand why he would do such a thing. Again, Farah explains there are things Mere can't understand, and she must trust her husband.



While Jeb does his best to try to smooth things over with Meredith, he's got more on his mind -- the day of the job is drawing near. As no sign of the mole has been found, they must go ahead with the job as planned... And it turns out to be a disaster. As Jeb takes the gem, the homeowner, Carl Strummer, walks in. They fight, and somehow, the man mysteriously dies, although Jeb knows he could not have done it. The cops don't care; Jeb is arrested for Carl's murder.



It becomes clear that Mimi was the mole all along, and was actually an undercover agent from the police department. In discovering this from Tana, who confesses to having been working for the Company all along, Meredith seeks to clear her husband's name. She seeks out Mimi, and from her learns that another party entirely knew of the gem heist, and had tipped off the police department. It was her guess that that third party framed Jeb for Carl's murder, but she couldn't convince anyone else, so it was a dead end.

With this, Mimi also gave Meredith the email address of the tipper, as it was the only lead. In a bold move, Meredith decided to challenge the murderer to meet her face to face... in pretending she was a police officer that wanted a followup about the tip. The mysterious third party obliged; they set up a meeting on an obscure park on the other side of town.



After Meredith waits for Carl's killer to arrive, she is surprised to discover that Jeb's best friend, Chandra, is the only one to show up. She quickly discovers that Chandra framed Jeb for Carl's murder in order to get revenge for never loving her back, that she had  been secretly obsessing about Jeb for years -- and, now that she has Meredith here, she plans to kill her too. There's a struggle, and Meredith is knocked unconcious.



When Meredith awakens, she discovers that Chandra is laying next to her -- dead as a doornail. Unsure of what to do, she immediately calls her sister, and tells her that Chandra is dead, and she can't remember what happened. Without a moment's hesitation, Tana tells Meredith to pack up her family and get ready to leave.


When Tana returns to the house, she arrives with Jeb, who she was able to get out on bail. With assurances that she, the rest of her family, and likely Farah would be right behind them, the Kanes take off from Riverview, forever...

With no other choice, the Kanes must flee from Riverview in order to get away from the unavoidable assumptions the law will come to because of their choices.

But they may not be able to run forever.

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Season One Wrap-Up

Because my story is a bit inspired by the style of Desperate Housewives, I suppose I'll be referring to each storyline segment as Seasons. I was always hoping each post would turn out a bit like an episode of a TV Drama. ;)

As the first one has ended, I'd like to tie up some loose ends before continuing on with the story -- I figured now was as good a time as any.


#1. Unexplained Events

I never figured out how to work these in logically, so here's some plot element explanations to help clear up some mysteries. If you can think of any more, feel free to ask -- I will answer if they're things that won't be resolved in the future. :)

Firstly, the burglaries: There were 3, in total. The second, as Chandra explained, was done to steal Travis and Bradley's baby pictures. Creepy, but... I had no other way to explain why a burglar would take those. ^^ The first and third, however, were never explained. To elaborate: The first was contrived by Mimi. She had the laptop stolen in order to try to find extra information about the Company, and possibly Tana, but all she really got out of it was Jeb's hacking software. As for the third: Dallas sent in one of the few remaining henchmen (most everyone else bolted and left town once they heard what happened) to try and recover anything Jeb might have had that would lead back to him. At that time, he didn't yet know that Mimi was actually a mole, and that the cops already had enough on him to lock him behind bars for good.

Secondly, what the heck was up with Cody and Tameka, Jeb's two love flings? Well, first, Cody: she's a con-artist, fair and square. Her husband was the Town Casanova, yes, but her relationship with him is convenient and understanding. Her only motive, outside having possible blackmail material in the future, was... for the heck of it. She did it for fun. She's just the type of girl that always gets what she wants... Like getting out of jail time by helping Mimi in the end. Tameka? She's just... nutty. Thus, why Chandra was able to forgive her for smooching on Jeb -- well, in return for not showing up to the heist. Tameka has likely already forgotten about everything already. Jebidiah who?


#2. Page Updates / New Pages

As Season One is finished, I've gone ahead and updated some of the pages that needed some. I'll continue to update them as things change throughout the next Season. And stuff.

Family Tree Page: I went back and fixed some errors, updated some pictures, and added in everyone's Traits on the 'Bio' Tab and any birth-dates I actually have on record. Also remember, if someone has a tiny little line above their head -- like on Meredith's -- if you click their portrait, more extended family shows up. Family Echo? Best. Family Tree Site. Ever.

Click here to see the Family Tree!

Cast List Page: Completely redone for Season 2 (even rewritten bios), but there may be a couple of spoilers from the first couple posts in there. Read at your own discression!

Click here to view the New Cast List!

I also made it so the Family Tree link on the top-bar does not take you to a Blogger Page, first. Just saves the hassle of having to scroll down to the clicky-touchy link... However, I suggest right-clicking the link and opening in a new window, because good luck hitting 'back' to get back if you touch any of the pictures. ;)

As well, I've whipped up something incredibly nerdy. In case you ever read my 'About' page, you'd have seen me mention that I have a rather weird way of picking traits for each new family member. Well, after drinking far too much coffee one night, the end result was a fully typed up trait chart. You can find the link at the top bar on the page. Also, below.

Kaleeko's Picky-Traity Charty Thing : Here!
(You click the image to view the actual chart.)

#3. Wallpaper

Wanna see what my desktop has looked like for the last couple months?

Some of my favorite screenshots from the story. Do I love my Sims? Oh yes I do.

I also have a new banner made up, but I need to wait until the first few posts of Season Two are up before I change it, since it contains spoilers from those episodes. Goshdarnnabbit.

#4. The Kane Family

In case you're masochistic enough to want this crazy family in your neighborhood, I've decided that it was time to put the Kanes up on the exchange for download. It changes a bit over the course of Season 2, but there will be newer download posted then when it's all done. (Yes, I already finished Season 2 in game. I am *so* behind!)

There are two versions: One has CC (only a few items: Meredith's hair, one dress, some patterns) and Store items, while the second is free of both CC and Store items (minus a few patterns, I couldn't be bothered to change them).

You can download them Here! (CC-version) and Here! (Non-CC-version). 


#5. Meredith Drawing!

I.. haven't finished it yet. Comes from being busy until 2am, and getting sidetracked by other projects, which is why all my posts have been so late. :) However, once I am finished, this is where it will be posted -- I'll make a note and a link back once I am done.

---

I think, for now, that's all. I wanted to squish this all in at once, so I didn't have a bunch of random posts here and there -- hopefully this didn't turn out too long.

Cheers!

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Fight or Flight?

"Whatever, ma. I love Dad, but... nobody's perfect."
~ Travis Kane

---

"Hoowwaard... Answer the phone..."

"Nnngghh."

"Howard, it's gonna wake up the baby, ju--"

"It's probably your work again, Tana. You have to get up in ten minutes, anyways."

"Uuuugh, fine."

As Tana Larson looked over at her already snoring husband, she wondered what justice she could serve on him later for being lazy, but that was all forgotten the moment she answered the ringing phone.

"Hello?" Tana droned tiredly.


"T-T-T-Tana... C-c-c-can... I.... Can you please...."

"Whoa, Meredith, slow down. Just gimme a minute to throw on some clothes, I'll be right over, okay?"

The telephone hung up before she heard a response. "That's odd," Tana thought to herself, before grumpily getting up to go see what was troubling her sister this time.

As Tana crossed the street, she could already see Meredith standing in her front entryway through the windows. It made her chuckle; "Meredith's always so impatient," she mused, even rolling her eyes at how predictable her sister could be.


The moment she walked through the door, Meredith pounced onto her sister, and immediately began sobbing on her shoulder. Tana gave her a few moments, but eventually, after a good, solid shoulder pat, she had to get her sister to stop. "Alright, calm down, Mere. What's the matter?"

As Meredith pulled away, she struggled to speak. The words were there, but the woman couldn't stop hyperventilating. Tana had seen it all before, so she wasn't really concerned. Yet.

"T-T-Tana... She's.... She's..."

"She is what? And who is she?"

"She's dead. Chandra is dead."

"Wait. Who? What the hell happened, Mere?"



Meredith took a few moments to compose herself, before she started to explain. It was a lengthy tale, but considering her state, she condensed it down into as short a story as possible. She explained what Mimi had told her, how she'd contacted the unknown email to set up a meeting, explained the motives that Chandra had had, her connections with Jeb, and exactly how she had set him up for the crime. All in all, with her mental state considered, Meredith felt she covered all the bases... But her sister certainly wasn't going to be proud of her for that.

No... Not at all.


"I cannot believe you, Meredith! Don't you have any idea how dangerous that was? Why in bloody Plumbob's name didn't you call me? Did you forget that I'm a cop?! We could've caught that woman, Mere!"

"I know, I know, I just... I didn't know what to do! I was so scared for Jeb and I just didn't think--"

"No, Meredith. You never think. And... What's this about you saying she's dead? What happened?"

"Well..." Meredith hung her head, beginning to rub her face to try and wipe back some of the tears that were free-flowing from both her anxiety and her sister's rage. "I don't actually know. One minute, she was about to attack me... The next, I was waking up, leaves in my hair, a terrible headache... and she was lying there, beside me, on the ground... D-dead."

"Let me get this straight. You invited a killer to a secluded park... You got the entire story out of her unrecorded... And now she's dead, with absolutely no proof of what she did, absolutely nothing that could help your husband?" Meredith's head could not hang any lower; she nodded briefly, but now, all her eyes could do was avert from her sister's gaze.


"I can't believe this, Mere. You've made a complete disaster of everything."

"Ta--"

"No, I don't want to hear a word. You've completely lost your right to offer any input in this situation. I need you to listen carefully, and do everything exactly as I say. I'm going to leave here, now, and go clean up your mess. When I get back, I want to find your car packed up with all your important belongings. Don't take anything you don't need, alright? Just the things you can't live without... And all the money that you know Jeb has stashed away. I want you to get Bradley ready to go, and be ready to grab Travis as soon as he gets home from school. Do you understand me?"

"Y-yes," Meredith sniffled, barely even able to look up as her sister turned on her heel, and quickly walked out the door.


Meredith collapsed down onto her bed, clutching her still pounding heart, and wiping a tear from her face. "Why can't I remember what happened? Why is my head... And Chandra... Oh Plumbbob, did I..." She shook her head. No. She couldn'tve.

Looking around the room,and staring into her wedding photos, she realized all the fond memories she'd had here. The way Jebidiah looked into her eyes while they were alone... When Travis and Bradley were first born... The birthdays, the arguments, the parties, the long nights sitting upstairs by the fire, looking out the window across the fields. Was Tana just expecting her to leave it all behind? Why?


She had no choice but to listen to her sister now. After all the mistakes she'd made in the last few days, it was time to hand the reigns over to someone that knew what they were doing. "It's just temporary," she said outloud to herself as she pulled open her dresser drawer, looking over at some boxes she'd drug up from the basement to shove stuff into. "We just need to get this sorted out. Tana will be able to fix it."


As Meredith began to throw her family's life into a few spare boxes, Tana kicked the dirt off her shoes as she climbed into her squad car. "Damn gasoline," she muttered with one burnt finger in her mouth, as she closed the car door and turned her eyes to the smoldering ash pile she could barely even see anymore. "The things I do," was her last grumble before hitting the gas pedal, and speeding down the old dirt road from Lost Willow Park.

It didn't take her long to get where she was going. As soon as she'd parked, Tana ran inside the police station... She had one last thing to do.


"I don't know where I'm going, or for how long... I just need to get away for a while. This whole thing with Jebidiah is bad for the kids, and Plumbbob knows I'm having a tough time dealing with it right now."

"Meredith, darling," Farah said with a light roll of her tongue and a small upturn of her lip. "That is a load of complete and utter horse manure. Come inside... Let's talk."

Meredith wasn't sure why she'd come to see Farah to say goodbye, but for whatever reason, her snobby old mother-in-law was the only person she trusted... And she needed to say something to someone. She couldn't just leave... But how Farah had known she was lying -- "Well, I guess I'm just an awful liar."

"Yes dear, you certainly are," remarked Farah with her typical schmoozy aire once the two were downstairs, and no longer able to be seen by outside eyes.


"Now, what's the truth."

As Meredith explained, Farah simply nodded her head: smiling occasionally, sighing occasionally. It wasn't until Meredith finished that Farah finally spoke. "Look, I've gotten bored of Riverview, anyways. Besides, if my only family goes turn tail running away, my reputation will most certainly be on the line, especially if anyone finds out about this little.. Park incidient.. But it's no bother. Don't you worry. I'll be packing up my own things and getting ready to resign from the hospital once you leave."

"But Farah--"

"No buts about it. I may not be the grandmother you always wanted for your children, nor do you particularly enjoy my presence, but the one thing that I am good for is supporting my family. Whereever you go, I'll be right there beside you. It is the least I can do."


"Also..." Farah continued, her voice dropping to a whisper. "You're going to need me, if you want to access the money your husband has stored away in a second bank account..."

Across town, a whole different discussion was being had.


"I know you're confused, Jebidiah. We'll get it squared away once the family is out of town. Look. I've posted bail for you, which the department is fine with so long as you're under my supervision. But something's come up. I don't have time to explain what happened right now, but as far as you're concerned... It's time for Plan B."

Jebidiah cocked his eyebrow at his sister-in-law and chuckled, before waving his hand towards the car. "I knew I could rely on you, Tana. Let's get out of here. I want to see my wife."


The moment Jebidiah walked through the door, Meredith swept him up into her arms. Everything was silent, except for Travis' excited talk with Tana, and Bradley's gurgling from the floor as he watched his parents smooch. Neither Jeb nor Meredith could think of a time they had felt more relieved... Finally, everything was going to be okay.

Maybe.

As everyone began to head out to the car, loaded to the gills with everything that Meredith held dear, Tana handed her sister a large tin can, screwed shut -- something inside clanged against the bottom as Meredith grasped it between her hands. "Everything's taken care of. Your husband knows what to do."


As the Kane's drove out of Riverview, Meredith watched the rolling scenery pass by with a sinking feeling in her heart. The car was silent. As happy as she was... looking at her children, her chuckling husband, the life they were leaving behind, she could not shake the pounding noise still filling her ears.

Nothing was ever going to be the same.

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