on the safe side, part 6

January, 2084 - Summer Phoenix is 19, Hayden is 34, Ryanne is 13.
Soundtrack: "Because of You," by Kelly Clarkson.

warnings: a severe lack of pictures, more difficult conversations, renegade third person past tense narration, the Phoenix family's last story on this blog.

***

The future was full of plans again. After dinner, after talking, after the tears had all dried, you could have counted the plans in a list. Nessa looked forward to going back to work. Jack looked forward to getting her pregnant again, which her doctors told her there was a decent chance would be successful. Hayden and Piper's baby, would it be a boy or a girl? They didn't care as long as it was healthy, of course. And then the night quieted down, Nessa and Jack and Grandma Sophie went home and it was just the four of them -- five if you counted the baby -- what a strange thing to get used to.

on the safe side, part 5

January, 2084 - Summer Phoenix is 19.

Soundtrack: "Because of You," by Kelly Clarkson.

Summer arrives at her dad's house with a sleeping bag under her arm. She owes her sister a sleepover. She has a deck of cards and she'd going to teach Ryanne to play Euchre. They'll do makeovers if she's up for it, though Summer doesn't care much for makeup. It seems like the kind of thing a big sister is supposed to teach. They'll talk about boys and music and maybe their wrecked family, if Ryanne wants to. Summer isn't sure what good talking about it does sometimes. Because they don't talk about it – they talk around it. They talk about everything except what actually matters.

She finds them all in the living room with Ryanne. It wouldn't surprise Summer that Ryanne had caused yet another argument, but it doesn't look like they're talking about Ryanne for once. There's a nervous calm on their faces, the kind of weight that only comes with matters life or death. Aunt Nessa, Summer thinks, dropping her sleeping bag to the floor where it bounces once and rolls to a stop near the wall.

But then Hayden speaks first, and Summer remembers his phone call earlier in the week. She was partly right about the life and death.

on the safe side, part 3

January 15, 2084 - Hayden Phoenix is 34, Piper Wilson is 29, Ryanne is 13.

Soundtrack: "Because of You," by Kelly Clarkson.

Hayden has been through this two times before; there won't be anything there to see for a few months still. But Piper swears there's a bulge, a small one, a bloating. He only smiles and lets her believe it, lets her stand there in front of the mirror, holding her belly, their little bean. Her boobs are bigger already, she says, she's never had big boobs in her life.

She'll hardly even be showing by the time they're married this spring. Piper has plenty of nieces and nephews, and he knows she knows this too, but still she stands there every morning, cradling her still flat belly, as if she might see it start to grow before her eyes.

The first time he'd been through this, he was fifteen years old. There was little magic about that pregnancy. It was mostly panic, indecision, and the transforming end of two childhoods before they were ready for it. This time feels like a fresh start. Mostly.

"Do you want to be there when I tell Ryanne?"

on the safe side, part 1

January 10, 2084 - Ryanne Phoenix is 13, Summer is 19, Hayden is 34, Piper Wilson is 29.

Soundtrack: "Because of You," by Kelly Clarkson.

It's boring being grounded. It's the middle of winter, but there's no deep snow on the ground, not that she'd be so childish to go sledding, or skating with her sister the way they used to, the way they'd find some frozen puddle in the field, no matter how small, and get their skates out. Most of the time, the thin ice just cracked under their weight, breaking through to one inch of water and soggy winter grass. It was fun for a minute. Back when they still lived in Bluewater, back when their mom was still alive.

But otherwise, there's nothing to do here in the winter, and Ryanne was bored. So she stopped at the CVS on the way home from the bus stop and she did this. It turned out mostly pink, and a little bit green too. It wasn't a statement. It wasn't a rebellion, or revenge, or hatred for anyone. It was just something to do.

2083, postcards from the edge, and December extras...

All work and no play for me these past couple weeks. But I do happen to have some funny gems saved up in my screenshots folder, so I thought I'd appease you all with some extras, outtakes, and updates from our supporting cast! ;)

And because you know you can never have too many pictures of angry Vicky! lol!

picspam, like a peace offering...

Sorry, no story update ready for you this weekend. But before you get very disappointed, I'm going to make up for it with pictures of Dallas and Lucy... and a very cute toddler ;)

LH stuff: Hayden and Piper wallpapers

Further amusing myself with some wallpaper! This one was requested by LunarFox (Hayden and Piper, at the arcade), like two weeks ago, lol! So here you go!

This picture happened completely randomly, by the way. I just had them there playing pinball together, and he looked over at her like he was all Champion of the Pinball Machine 'n stuff, and she was all *blush* and I just thought it was the cutest thing I ever saw! lol!

one day, Piper bought Hayden a new t-shirt...

December 1, 2083 - Hayden Phoenix is 34, Piper Wilson is 29.

A tiny little mini-story, about a new shirt:

She bought this shirt for him, a present for his 34th birthday. Space Invaders was his favorite game when he was a kid - he told her this. He told her how he'd play it so late some nights that he'd be too tired to wake up for school in the morning, and he'd fake sick. Then he'd stay home and play it some more, curled up on the couch under a flannel blanket, with a bowl of his mother's famous chicken soup and some warm tea and honey. Who'd want to go to school?

picspam: randomness with Hayden and Piper

This all started because Hayden and Piper wanted to buy a house. They won't be married for another six months still, but I didn't want to do the moving hassle at the same time I'm having to deal with wedding plans, so we did this now.

This is in Hazel Park (and hey, look, train station in the background!). He's still just about a mile away from his mommy, because I figured he'd want to move too far away, lol!

I didn't build this, but remodeled it quite a bit, both inside and out. I changed out all the windows and doors and stairs, and the color scheme. Complete overhaul inside. The second floor was left unfinished, so I finished it.

graduation, extras

*** graduation extras ***

I think I like posting the outtakes separately when they're as plentiful as this. I wish I'd been doing it all along, so I could have my concise and well-planned story posts, and then my long-winded and rambling gameplay posts... but you know, I didn't. Ah, well ;)

one day, just because they felt like it...

January 2083 (mini-update) - Jodie Larson is 27, Piper Wilson is 28, Hayden Phoenix is 33.

They all left her, as people tend to do. Jodie didn't know if it would be for good, because most of the time it is, but not Piper. This funny little sprite of a woman came back to visit.

Jodie doesn't hug people but Piper does. So Jodie returned the hug, and to her surprise, it actually felt so good she nearly picked little Piper right up off the ground.

2082, extras

Extras, misfits, and outtakes from the year 2082 :)

one day, when he is finally brave enough...

November 2082 (mini-update) - Hayden Phoenix is 33, Piper Wilson is 28.

One day, when he is finally brave enough, Hayden sits down to talk to his wife. Almost three years have passed, and he's never done this alone. The cemetery is empty, but still he looks around to be sure he's really alone. He is. There is nothing but the wind blowing through treetops, cold and subtle as whispers.

"I feel like an idiot," he starts, easing himself to the ground at her grave. "My therapist thought this might be a good idea."

Summer's place, continued, part 2

July 2082 (part 2 of 2) - part one here.

*** optional soundtrack, "Not As We," by Alanis Morissette ***

He's been lounging around the house lately deep in thought. You'd think he might be giving up the gaming industry to become a philosopher or something. But he decides this morning, just as she's leaving for work, that he'll finally wake up and come bounding out to the garage to stop her and say, "Hey, Summer, wait up a sec'."

Summer's place, continued, part 1

July 2082 (part 1 of 2) - Micah Phoenix is 59, Sophie is 60, Hayden is 32, Summer is 17, Ryanne is 11. (Tyler Jackson is 18). Last update, November 2079.

*** notes: Just a warning, this first part is sad, but the second part made me bawl like the sappy dork that I am, so, if you're that way inclined, maybe don't read these in public ;) ***

*** optional soundtrack, "Not As We," by Alanis Morissette ***

The shop has been closed for almost three years. Summer hasn't even stepped foot inside except for once or twice in that time, and she finds herself surprised at how much it still smells like woodchips, and a little bit like dust. The shelves are still stocked with stuffed teddy bears, and a wooden toy firetruck remains on the front counter, right where her mother left it. She doesn't know what she thought would have happened to them in her absence.

And she doesn't know why she expected to magically find the light switches she was never able to find before, because she doesn't. Not at first. It's a lot to take in all at once, and she finds herself stalled here as the last evening light fades from the day. This front store room is a place stopped in time.

national female appreciation month

November 2081 - Jack and Nessa Phoenix are 32, Aaron is three weeks old. Last update, April 2080.

Aaron Phoenix is three weeks old now, and his mommy is absolutely in love! Nessa has to go back to work in a few weeks, and she doesn't know how she'll do it. She can hardly even put little Aaron down for a second! Everybody knows you're not supposed to wake a sleeping baby, but she's been known to pick him up sometimes, just to hold him a little bit more, sneaking her fingers underneath him while he sleeps, carefully, so not to wake him.

But they've already filled out the paperwork, and Jack is going to stay home with Aaron. Nessa has places to go in her career, like executive vice president. She always knew she would be happy to become a mother, but she didn't think she wanted anything to slow her down.

strawberry tart

July 2081 - Carly Cook is 28, Piper Wilson is 26, Jodie Larson is 25. // Jason Larson is 30, Amelia Bradshaw is 25. // George McCarthy is 26, Blossom Moonshine is 22. Last update, May 2080.

*** eeek, this is long ***

"Those are pretty," Amelia says. "Did Hayden send them?"

"Yeah, we're on fire, I'm telling you."

fourteen percent

April 2081 (mini-update) - Hayden Phoenix is 31, Piper Wilson is 26.

They finally had coffee. And when they did, she actually said to him, "This is the most intense coffee I ever had." She doesn't mind if he laughs at her, which is good, because he just can't get over the things she says sometimes.

They didn't stop at coffee.

give me back my broken parts

October 2080 - Hayden Phoenix is 31, Summer is 16, Ryanne is 10. (Tyler Jackson is 17, Piper Wilson is 26).

* optional soundtrack, "Be OK" by Ingrid Michaelson *

Hayden and his girls are finally trying to put their lives back together, but first-things-first! Ryanne says, "You need a new outfit, Dad, you're thirty-one-years-old and you need to wear shoes that cover your toes!"

blissfully clueless

May 2080 - Carly Cook is 26, Piper Wilson is 25, Jodie Larson is 24. // Jason Larson is 29, Amelia Bradshaw is 24. // George McCarthy is 25.

Piper Wilson leads a simple happy existence, working as a Flag Capturer in the gaming industry, making little money, but having a lot of fun, showing up at her friends' parties, fliting from one non-relationship, to another, to another...

She doesn't figure there's anything wrong with her, that she knows of, but just considers herself picky. She isn't lonely, as many friends as she has, as busy as she finds herself. She's torn between a strong desire to settle down with just that perfect man, and raise an adorable baby or two, but also indulges herself in life's great frivolous pleasures.