Diversions

Business was now back to normal, but that didn't mean that the Job was the only thing on Jebidiah's mind. While Skip's tip had gotten the gears moving, there was still a lot that needed to be taken care of before he could simply walk in and take the jewel -- a steal of this magnitude involved a lot of planning. But, with the help of his cronies, he was able to take some much needed time away from the Company in order to spend some quality time at home.

 Well, sort-of quality time. With a few days off, his mother decided it was a perfect time to drop by, and... As per what usually happens when Jebidiah's mother comes to visit, they were at a loss for kind words for each other. Farah was still rather displeased at Jeb's choice of career, and what type of home he may be raising his children in -- and she made a point to show that disapproval every opportunity.

But sparring with her son actually gave her some ideas...

 

She knew there was going to be a major martial arts competition being held in Shang Simla relatively soon. Farah suggested he take the opportunity for a trip, and see how well he fared in the competition. She was curious to see how well he handled a real competition -- and she was hoping a few losses would bring his ego down a few notches, and maybe bring his life back into perspective. She was right to think he'd take the bait well -- a competitive man like Jeb would never turn down the opportunity to show off, and kick @$$.

But there was at least one event worth waiting for before taking off to China: Travis's birthday. Their first son was just about to grow out of his baby stage, and even a fiend like Jeb has strong affection for his firstborn.

Seen here is Farah, Simon, Jeb with Travis, and Meredith. Everyone was too busy dancing to actually "celebrate". Psh!

While neither Jebidiah nor Meredith particularly enjoy parties -- they'd much rather have a quiet family gathering, being Loners -- they still held a respectably sized celebration for their son. Mostly family was invited... Farah of course, and Simon -- technically Jeb's second-cousin, but he always saw him as an uncle -- a few of Farah's close friends, Tana, and Jebidiah's old friend Chandra.

 She in particular was sympathetic to Jebidiah's complaints about holding the party... "I know it's something I'm going to have to get used to, though," he remarked to her. "There's going to be a lot more birthdays to come."

Travis was now a toddler, which particularly excited Meredith -- think of all the fun she'd get to have playing with him! Being Childish is a wonderful trait for a parent, especially a stay-at-home one, because they enjoy doing everything with their kids... Even if the kids don't particularly appreciate it themselves.

As Meredith escaped away from the party with the newly-aged Travis, Jebidiah kept the guests busy with  idle chatter until it was time to send them home. By the end, both parents were exhausted...

... but they still found the time to have some fun of their own. Especially with Jeb leaving in the morning, to be gone until the end of the martial arts competition, they did some "renewing of their affections"... Well. Not that they ever needed renewing.

Jebidiah and Meredith's flame was still growing strong, as far as both of them were concerned. Even Tana, continually skeptical of her sister's marriage, was surprised at how long their romance seemed to carry on past their wedding day -- maybe she was wrong, thinking it wouldn't last... Maybe Jebidiah could be a good husband. Her doubts had subsided... for now.

When Jebidiah arrived in Shang Simla, he was greeted rather... timidly... by the locals. They were suspicious of strangers, even ones that were there to compete in the tournament. Well... especially by ones that had come to compete. It amused many of them, to think that an outsider could actually prove to be better than them, but what they didn't know is that Jebidiah's own grandmother -- Kaylee Kane -- had also competed in their tournament years ago, and had performed admirably enough to earn a great deal of respect. Jeb was out to make his own name, though, and not ride on his grandmother's coattails.

And so the tournament began.

It was a grueling competition; he was matched with some of the newer trainees first, but as he got further and further down the line, win after win, it was easy to see that this man was not just idle braggery. They began throwing their most fierce competitors at him -- and a few times, he lost... But just challenged them again, multiple times, until he was able to beat them, and advance.

Well... He ended up taunting some, flirting with others, and even tried to taunt them BY hitting on them... But in the end, the result was the same. Jebidiah's black belt had wiped the board clean, and he'd won their little "competition". Pah. It really meant nothing to him -- he knew how good he was -- but he earned the locals' respect...

... Sort of.

After a long flight home, Jebidiah was beat -- as beat as those poor Chinese villagers, mwahaha! He was looking forward to flaunting his glory at his wife -- and his mother, the next change he got -- but Jebidiah wasn't the only one with a surprise...

Looks like Meredith had one of her own!

Read more...

The Big Tip

When all was said and done, no matter how complicated things had gotten, there was always a vast separation between loyalties in the backstreets of Riverview. You were either with Them, or with Us. Cops and robbers, the police and the criminals -- no matter what you called them, even in hard times, it was always the case to side with your competing thugs first before the law. It was taboo, to turn in your fellow bully or thief -- everyone was in it together.

But the Company had changed all that.

The rules were being rewritten. It was either their way, or the highway.

With a record number of detectives and patrol officers in their pockets, the Company was ready to start putting it's best and brightest back out to "heavy work" again... Jebidiah was itching for the adrenaline rush of the hunt. As things would have it, these days, luck was on his side.

Now that rival gangs were either packing their bags or being absorbed into the Company, Skip Broke had decided it was time to put a lid on his career. It had been long and thrilling, but as old as he had become, it was no longer his "time". Easing into a comfortable retirement, he had one last wish -- to see his dream be fulfilled.

Skip Broke, the father of Jeb's friend Chandra, had been the leader of one of the Company's top rivals -- the Crows (infamous for kicking over pink flamingos and garbage cans city-wide) -- and had one prize jewel of information (pun not intended) that he knew he'd never be able to take care of himself... So he offered the tip to the boy he'd steered onto the path of crime: Jebidiah.

Deep within the mansion of the Strummer family, a recent inheritance had taken it's place under high-security surveillance. It was a gem... Just one, but the value of the jewel was more than Jebidiah's Company could hope to make on a years-worth of other jobs combined. It's delivery -- and existence -- had been top secret for good reason, but Skip was lucky enough to have been a long time family "friend" of Carl Strummer, and was one of the select few privy to the secret.

Now the dream that had been been Skip's was passed on to Jeb: the jewel of all jewels, the steal of all steals. "It's trickier than any security system I've ever encountered," Skip was quick to admit to the younger thief. "But I've got confidence in you. I'll help you at as much as I can, but for both our sakes, we'll have to keep the connection a secret." When Jeb asked how much of the cut he wanted, Skip only said, "Just to see it done flawlessly will be enough for this old man."

After a few weeks, a packet arrived in the mail for Jeb: floor plans, security layouts, a list of contacts to be bribed, and an email address that Jeb should use to get ahold of Skip should anything happen. In the letter, he warmly named Jeb the heir to his legacy, and wished him the best of luck.

The Leader was just as please as Jebidiah... Within days, the plan for the biggest Job the Company had ever taken was beginning to take shape... For better or for worse.

Read more...

Exchange Item: The Kane House

It's about time I put the Kane's House up on the market! This is the house I've been playing my family in for quite some time, so yes -- if the Exchange uploads them properly, the house is full of photos and paintings done by Meredith. I also removed a lot of CC I had in the house prior to upload, so there should only be a few pieces you need to download if you want this house to work properly. For a full listing of the custom content that I highly recommend installing BEFORE downloading this house, please refer to the bottom of this post.

The Kane House

 My goal for this house was to aim somewhere between "modern" and "comfortable"; in my opinion, a completely modern home can sometimes seem a bit too cold and clean, and I wanted this to be a family home. It's pretty darn expensive, so unless your family is toting over $200k in their pockets, I recommend using the freerealestate cheat to get them into this house. if you don't already. ;)

This house is 2-stories (3 if you count the unfinished basement), with a detached garage that holds one car, and a driveway that can hold another. A small pond is fenced off in the back -- my original intention was to stock it full of fish, but none of my sims are fisherman yet. Oh well! Feel free to do so yourself. :)

The large entryway would be a great place to take shoes on and off, if Sims did that sort of thing. This room's got a few family photos, and a panorama shot of Riverview. The entry-way leads to the living room, which has a TV, game system, and stereo -- the "shelves" in the bottom left picture are a CC item listed below, and in them is a Heart-Shaped Soulpeace, the Golden Fox criminal trophy, and a Glowy Butterfly. Nursery has dollhouse, activity table and high-chair. Both Nursery and Living Room have sliding glass doors onto the patio.

The nectar shelves in the dining area hold several awesome nectar varities. Not sure if the kitchen-stock transfers too -- I assume not, but if it does, it's got a ton of perfect-quality produce. Guest bedroom can serve as a family bedroom or no, up to you. It's Sunflower-themed, if not obvious from the sunflowers framing the windows outside it. :)

The stairs from the kitchen lead up to the landing, which hold the doors to main bathroom, boy's bedroom, and master bedroom. The large windows in the Master Bedroom -- which are what the screenshot is looking through -- look over a heather-filled lattice that I didn't have room for a screenshot for. :(

The sitting room has another nectar shelf, fireplace, and telescope. Also another place where there are a great deal of family photos, especially one of each family member. The sitting room leads into the girl's bedroom.

I'd like to note that the garden's plants are recently-planted produce, and all but 1-2 plants are perfect quality (I think I forgot to upgrade my pomelos and plums). Sprinkler is upgraded to auto-water... If that sticks in the upload. :)

And here's the aggrivating part. While I removed a great deal of CC from the house, there are a few pieces I missed, and some that would change some of the cool things in the house. So, here is a list of the things you SHOULD download before installing this house:

• Shelves in Living Room: Here and here.
• Paintings in Master Bathroom: Here
• All free items from the EA Sims 3 Store
• The UK Version of the Eco-Friendly Pack: Here
• World Adventures Expansion Req.

Download it HERE. Do not be fooled by the other (first) version; it does not install correctly!

Read more...

The Gossip Girls

It's amazing, how one act of trust can seal the prosperity of an entire company. This time, though, it was The Company -- and if prosperous isn't the term you'd use to describe their new stature, then I don't know what you'd use.


The crime syndicate based along the banks of Riverview's namesake had found itself, finally, a niche in which to lurk. For years, it had been subject to leak after leak, and had fallen into mutiny enough times that rival enterprises had been cropping up all over Riverview and 'spreading the wealth' in a way that helped no one. Not only did it cause thug wars between the lower ranks and too much competition, it aroused too much suspicion from the police. Too much attention, and the harder their job became -- a job that just became infinitely easier because of Tana.

With rival crime lords being unceremoniously lopped out of the picture, the Company began to settle quietly, briefly shutting down operations in order to "fall off the map", so to speak. Tana found herself promoted, and finally making enough money to move out of that old, creepy mansion into a small condo. And Jeb, having earned a great deal of respect for becoming allies with a member of the detective force, was finally given the esteemed honor he knew he deserved: the rank of Master Thief, and the treasured symbol of the Golden Fox.

But careers were not the only things that were beginning to bud in the gray house on Dogwood Lane.

Meredith had been feeling ill lately, and thought it was time to time to seek out Jeb's mother in order for her medical opinion. Farah didn't have much of an opinion on the matter; when someone is pregnant, they either are or they aren't... and Meredith most definitely was. However, using her miraculous abilities, Farah was able to inform her that she was going to be the mother of a baby boy.

After a good deal of freaking out -- she had just gotten hired for a job and they'd have to finish the nursery and oh my goodness will Jebidiah be happy and how am I going to fit into my pants, I'm going to have to buy new clothes and OH MY *(@% I'M PREGNANT -- she finally managed to break loose from Farah so that she could meet Jebidiah at the bistro and let him know the news.

Although Jebidiah had a lot on his mind -- things were growing tense at the Company whilst waiting for a safe go-ahead from the Leader to resume their criminal activities -- it was almost a stress relief to hear that there was another addition to their family on the way. A son... a protege. It's exactly what he wanted, but for one slight moment, he experienced the joy an expecting father is supposed to feel: He was going to have a son.

...But, alas, it was just a momentary loss of composure for him. Everything has a diabolical end, and he knew he would find the means to use it.

A few days later, Meredith sought Tana out to share the good news. Her sister seemed happy, but uneasy... Enough so that Meredith easily noticed. She wasn't used to seeing her sister so emotionless, and -- being the neurotic and easily concerned -- went out the next day in order to see if she could figure out what was nagging on Tana's mind. As it turns out, the reason that Tana was so confused was that she, too, was going to be a mother; she just didn't want to spoil Meredith's happy news with her own misgivings about being a parent.

As discontent Tana was with her own pregnancy, things likely could not have ended up better. With each other to lean on over the next few months, the transition to parenthood was made a lot easier than it could have been. Tana wasn't the only one that Meredith relied on, though; a ways into her pregnancy, Meredith met Trista Dow.

Trista Dow was one of the more interesting acquaintances that Meredith had ever made. Though this isn't saying much, since Meredith's shy disposition rarely led her outside the house, she was still shocked at how quickly they became friends. Where Meredith was introverted, Trista was a rolling ball of excitement and party favors -- Meredith was sure that, if she had encounter Trista in college, that the woman would have been the girl dancing topless on the bar. No, no, Trista was certainly not her type.

And yet, chance would have it that, both being pregnant at the time, they had something in common. That, and Trista turned out to be artistically minded, too -- she was employed in the Music business, currently working as a Music Talent scout. Had Meredith the disposition, Trista always used to say, she wouldn'tve made a half bad client... But where Trista needed to keep her life busy and complicated to be happy, Meredith was perfectly content keeping things slow, now that she was expecting a child.

Behind closed doors, things were finally picking up pace for Jebidiah and his gang. With several months past of recruitment, working in more leads to the police department, and training new thugs at covering their tracks, life in the Company was ready to resume full operations. The Leader was working overtime on their organization, but Jebidiah was slowly becoming bored; training newbies was low-grade turf, and he was ready to start hitting the high-profile stuff again.

But while Jebidiah's boredom was about to be ceased, rumors of the going-ons of the criminal agency had begun to spread. Ready to believe any conspiracy theory, Meredith soaked up all the gossip that Trista was willing to dish out -- Tana, though, nervously tried to talk them down. She was a cop, so of course she knew what was and wasn't happening -- and there certainly hadn't been any strange discoveries! ... But the fact that Trista knew anything was enough to get her nervous. Where were these leaks coming from?

Meredith didn't concern herself for long, though. It had been nice that Jeb had been around more for the pregnancy months, but that was about to end. Once Trista's baby arrived, Meredith and Tana began to watch their calendars more intently -- and Meredith didn't have to wait long at all.

A few hours later, Travis Kane arrived in the world.

But Tana did not have to wait long, either -- only a few short days later, Tana gave birth to a girl, who was given the name June.

It was just in time, too... Meredith was going to need something to keep her distracted and busy, as Jebidiah's wishes were finally going to come true.

Read more...

Exchange Item: House on Oak Grove

I'm not exactly much of a builder, but I do enjoy making houses -- I don't do it all that often, though, since I'm too much of a perfectionist, and end up spending 4 days on one house when I could be doing something a bit more productive with my time. However, I built this house specifically for use in the future when I begin playing in the new town included with Ambitions (Twin Brooks, yay!), so I tried to pay attention to the little details.

I give you...

House on Oak Grove

This house has a bit more of a 'rustic' approach; I tried to use very few 'modern' items, and pointedly made some of the items like the dishwasher, living/dining furniture, and beds for example, be of a lower quality to try and throw off any 'rich' visual the house may have. It's still a rather pricey home, but I strived to get more of a middle-class appeal in the house, since not all Sims are rich.

 The main features of the outside of the home are a wrap-around porch, a 2-tier deck, climbing ivy, and doors leading into entryway, kitchen, and study area of living room. The yard is large, but left mainly un-filled for future additions such as pool, pond, or new items included in Ambitions such as trampoline or yard games (I particularly like having lots of room to play catch with too, so). Yard does not have trees in my personal version because I am waiting to see what kind of foliage is in Twin Brooks, but I added some in for the exchange item. There are also two parking spaces, and two bike racks.

Entryway features windows into living room; dining room has bar as well as large windows overlooking the yard. Kitchen is small but not crowded, with as much light let in with windows as possible -- doors lead down towards trash bin, then to bikes and cars.

The living room on the main floor is mainly for study purposes, with bookcases and a desk for homework or portable computer. Doors lead outside to the two-level deck, where the chess board and telescope are located. 

The bedroom on the main floor is inteded as a guest bedroom, but could be a bedroom for elders or other extra family. Nursery features bed, highchair, potty chair, and xylophone.

Stairs lead from dining room up to the landing/hallway, with branches off at the end to the (future) laundry room. Upstairs bathroom is located at the end of the hallway, while the basement bath is -- no joke -- in the basement.

The Master bedroom/bath are themed with rose colors and an attempt at antique-y-ness. Bedroom/bath are open concept; bathroom also features a shower stall around the corner (on the bottom-right image).

The kid's bedrooms are located on doors opposite from each other in the laundry hallway. The boy's room holds two single beds, but since the room is an L-shape, it was hard to show that.

The basement is the one room I consented to some more 'modern' furniture, as they deserve at least a nice TV and game system. Desk is located in alcove at the back of the room, bathroom is located in the corner.

Some notes:

•  While I tried to use minimal CC, a few items slipped past me while I was "cleaning them out", persay, so there may be a few things missing. Most of the textures used in the house are CC, but I believe that textures are included with the download, so I'm not worried about that.
• Many Store items were used, but mostly just the free items. There are a few that I purchased, but they should make no difference overall to the house.
• There are very few decorations in the house -- this is because I intend to decorate it mostly with Sim photos, and I felt it would be odd to upload an item with photos of someone else's Sims. Overall, though, I think the house looks pretty nice without 'em anyways.
• The house is tested, so there shouldn't be any problems with Sims getting to objects and such.
• Like I mentioned earlier, yard is left unfinished on purpose, too. Leave it open, or fill it full o' stuff! I don't care. :)

All I ask is that you clicky the images so you can see the larger versions, and 'recommend' if you like it! Thanks!

Download it HERE! Do not be fooled by the other version; it does not install correctly!

Read more...

A Sketchy Proposition

As new residents on Dogwood Lane, Meredith and Jebidiah were expected to invite all manner of friends, family, and neighbors into their home for a "social initiation" that must be endured whenever a couple decides to start their new lives together. As tired and worn out as they were from the move, they realized that there could be worse things to handle, and allowed what seemed like an endless barrage of acquaintances into their house for it's christening... if only to get the whole ordeal overwith.

One of the latest of these guests was Meredith's sister, Tana Larson. Meredith was surprised to find that her sister was not among the random knocks and rings they received over the first week or so of living in their new residence on Dogwood. She decided that, having not seen Tana since the wedding, it was high time to head to the old Remington mansion where her sister still lived, and invite her over to the new place. It was, of course, what would be expected of a couple excited about their new purchase.

While the Jones sisters had been quite different from each other while growing up, they had grown a lot closer since reaching adulthood. With both girls now married and more aspects of their lives continuing in sync, the traits they shared were becoming readily apparent, even if the ones that separated them were as well. Since both were artistically minded, their conversations seemed to focus mostly on the latest paintings they'd completed, or the latest illustration Meredith had had published -- it gave them something to share rather than just their close age. But occasionally, Tana would let slip hints of the dark mind that brooded beneath her polished Law Enforcement mask, and it was all Meredith could do to brush off the idea that her sister might just be one more corrupt cop patrolling the streets at night.

That night, Jebidiah worked later than usual, so the girls found themselves talking far later into the evening than either had expected. As the old mansion where Tana lived was all the way across town and Tana had not brought her own car, Meredith insisted she stay the night -- so Tana became the first to break in their new guest bedroom.

For an athletically minded person, Tana had fallen far out of shape; Meredith had noticed Tana eating rather unfortunate amounts of cake at her wedding reception, but had chosen to ignore her sister's expanding thighs at the time. She wasn't surprised, then, to find her sister working out to the television first thing in the morning... Meredith decided that, although she didn't need it, she'd join in for encouragement.  Working out just isn't Meredith's thing, though. (And I still chuckle to think that it is Tana's, considering her shoe choice before I fixed her outfit.)

By the time Jebidiah arrived home, Meredith was ready to get started with her day, and was already exhausted from their short cardio routine. Tana, on the other hand, was still intent on changing her figure -- saying something about being taken a bit more seriously at the station. She was just about to head out the door to the gym when Jebidiah stopped her to chat...He seemed quite interested in her work as a police officer.

Well, the gears in Jeb's mind were ticking, now realizing he finally might have a way of getting on his sister-in-law's good side. Having quite the skill in athleticism, he offered to take her to the gym and train her himself... Now that she was in proper work-out attire, thank goodness. Reluctantly, she accepted -- if only because her sister was still nearby.

With some encouragement and persistence, Jeb stayed with Tana until she was fatigued and could barely stand any longer. But in his sneaky fashion, all throughout her training various things "slipped" out in their conversation. How he'd heard things were getting a bit rough for Tana at the station... How there had been rumors going around of a cop at the station being a bit too lenient on some of the more renown criminals... How there had even been rumors that Tana might actually get fired, if she didn't give some concrete evidence that she was actually trying to step up in the game.

This was a little too much for Tana to take. Disgusted with what she felt was Jeb's way of taunting her, Tana quickly changed clothes and started towards the door without saying goodbye. But Jeb was quicker than that, and stopped her so they could continue their little "talk".

'Look, I don't know where you're hearing that from, but I'd appreciate if you'd mind you're own business', she'd whispered to him, infuriated as well as paranoid that someone may overhear. But Jebidiah had a proposition. He knew people that could help her... Knew things that she could follow up on, and leads that would earn her solid promotions. And he also knew that deep down, she didn't like the department -- that Tana had learned information about the Company she still hadn't chosen to disclose to the rest of the police force... And there had to be a reason for that. He thought he knew what it might be.

As much as Tana didn't like Jeb, it was too much to refuse. Careful to avoid anyone overhearing, he laid out his proposition: He'd give her all the information she needed, earning her all the leverage in the police department she'd ever want, in exchange for keeping one crime organization off the map. It would keep his competition out of the game, and provide her the satisfaction -- and the salary -- that she had been lacking. Well... There was only one honest answer she could give him.

'Cut me a percentage, and you've got yourself a deal.'

Read more...

How It Started: Part 3

The problem with secrets is that, sooner or later, they slip through your fingers. The harder you grasp for them, the more forcefully they begin to float away...

It's a lesson that Jebidiah was learning the hard way. Life was good, and he was being bumped up the ranks of thievery faster than anyone else in the Company. So fast, in fact, that Mimi Brown, his boss -- ex-boss now, in fact -- was beginning to get a little jealous, and things hadn't been sitting to well with her at work. Still, it was hardly enough to get Jeb's spirits down. Mimi was almost unfit to be employed by the agency, let alone have her complaints even reach the head office. Nothing could bring Jeb down, not when he was behind that mask...

But, yet again, Jeb had become careless. Such as all criminals that become too cocky, simple mistakes can lead to dire disasters... But this mistake would be, to him, the 'pinnacle' of all his previous, and later, mishaps.

I would notice something awry, too.

Oh, if only he'd remembered to flip the switch behind him... But no, it was late at night, and who was he to expect his mother to dip into the cellar for some nectar so late into the evening?

Well, no surprise, Farah cautiously dipped down the stairs, more curious than anything, at that point.

Until she reached the bottom, that is.

Before her laid a scene she'd never imagined: a room full of locked up jewels, paintings, statues, and there, her son, sitting on a computer in full criminal regalia, typing away into what it wouldn't take a genius to see -- even though, for the sake of argument, she is -- was the police departments records.

It took her a few moments to actually react. How Jebidiah did not hear her, even  he continues to wonder, but it made no difference one way or another: things quickly became heated, and what was a testy relationship before became an even more tense one after that.

Jebidiah did have one card up his sleeve, though: once she threatened to turn him into the police, he quickly began to taunt her. 'Of course you won't', he'd said. Why? Because as much contempt as she may have had that her son was a criminal, she would feel even worse once he leaked that not only had she conceived a child with an insane pizza delivery man, but that the reason for her dead mentor's heart attack was that she was having an affair with him, and now, she was longing after her co-worker's husband (who she'd also had an affair with)!

Well, Farah had her reputation to think about. She could think of at least a half dozen other things Jebidiah would love to leak to the press with her name in the title, and the thought of which simply made her ill. With an uneasy truce -- though a dire hit to their relationship -- she resolved to keep his secret... For now. However, keeping the ruckus a secret from Meredith became the most difficult part of this endeavor; still arguing in the morning, Meredith had entered, ready to engage in talk about the upcoming wedding... At least they were both quick to throw on a smile, but poor Meredith is probably the only person to not see through the fake smiles. I mean, really. A child could tell those are fake!

It was decided that, Meredith never having had the opportunity to travel, she would be heading to France to buy her wedding dress, as she also had been paid significantly by the local diner for some photographs of Champ Le Sims; she did so indeed, but insisted that she travel alone. (It was obvious, the girl needed a bit of independence, and maybe she was smart enough to see that her family-to-be needed a little room to "work things out".)

After filling up her portfolio for the diner, Meredith was thrilled to help out the locals and do some exploring. Most of her days were spent at the museum, but finally near the end, she did pick out a dress, and quickly headed home to finish their arrangements.

Several days after Meredith had returned home, their wedding day arrived. There was some commotion early in the morning, though, as a burglar had tripped their alarm, and the police had skittered up onto the front lawn. Unfortunately, the burglar somehow managed to escape, but while this troubled Farah, Meredith didn't think much of it; they didn't steal anything, right? So what's the problem?

Only hours later, they were walking up the aisle and exchanging rings... But both Farah and Tana, Meredith's sister, seemed a little uneasy through the rest of the reception.

Could this be why? ...

Or maybe this?

One way or another, the knot had been tied, and neither Farah nor Tana could do anything to change that. It was for Meredith they were concerned... Did she realize what she was getting into, or had she been blinded by love? Apparently both were too afraid to ask... Even Tana was afraid of dampening her sister's spirits. But behind the scenes, Tana decided that it meant it was time to keep a closer eye on her little sister... And her husband.

Soon after the wedding, Jebidiah and Meredith decided that, as convenient as it was to live with Farah, the home lacked the expansion needed for raising a family, and they needed a place of their own. After a few days of house-hunting, the pair settled into a residence across town, next to the Martial Arts Academy.

They both began inviting over their friends and family to see the new place, but what Jebidiah didn't count on was, when his childhood friend Chandra arrived, she was in tears over something. Apparently she'd been dumped -- again. He did his best to comfort her and cheer her up -- a bit of dancing always helps -- but... Perhaps that wasn't the best idea.

Before he could even try to figure out what was going on in her mind, she rushed out the door to her job, leaving him hanging and confused. 

"Ach, women."

Read more...