Chapter 13: While We Have the Time

"Life just kicked you in the nuts, didn't it?" Rio commiserates with his friend. Hawke turned to him for consolation and support. His sister would no doubt just point out how it was all his own doing, and that she'd warned him about Zhenzhen.

"I was just maybe getting to a point where I wasn't thinking about Sun all day, every day. And then I get seduced into some fantasy where I saved her from the infection and we were living together. It's like she just died again.

"She's been gone a long time," Rio says, "Your daughter is almost a young woman. It's past time you let go, and let yourself live."

That's what Zhenzhen said to him, Hawke thinks. "It's not like I can just forget her."

"You won't ever forget, but you can go out and have a life. Even if it doesn't feel right at first, it will come eventually."

Thierry and Amelia try to be a normal happy couple celebrating their pregnancy, but the deadline that comes with this birth looms over them.

Even though he will have to leave when the baby is born, Thierry reads up on parenting.

No one will tell Li Feng what happened with her father, why he was shut up in his room for days, or who the green-skinned woman was and what she did to make her father come out again. No one will tell her what happened to Zhenzhen. Li Feng suspects her former imaginary friend did something to, or with, her father, but they all jusy smile and change the subject when she asks questions. Her father is particularly taciturn lately, and barely talks to her at all. Li Feng'a paintings begin to take the colors of her agitation and worry.

Quincy picks Li Feng up for their prom. Her father is out somewhere, as are Amelia and Thierry, no one is here to see her off to her prom. It's like they don't even know she's here. She wishes she had a family like Quincy's.

Li Feng is surprised to be greeted by her father when Quincy drops her off after the prom. "I'm sorry I missed you earlier," Hawke apologizes, "I had a sound check, but I should have blown that off. You look beautiful." Hawke is surprised by the rain of tears that falls on his neck.

"I thought you didn't care," Li Feng sobs.

He's been too absorbed in himself, Hawke thinks, it's time he pulled his head out of his ass and saw to his daughter.

Amelia places her newborn son, tristan, into his crib, and looks down him with regret and sorrow. If she could have somehow delayed this birth...but there's no point thinking about what ifs.

She has one more night with Thierry before he must leave her, and she doesn't know when she'll see him again.

One more embrace after they make love. "I'm sorry," he whispers, "I wish..."

"I know," she sighs, "I'll miss you. Come back as soon as you can."

Thierry makes one more goodbye before he leaves.

Hawke is a rock star, and he thought it was high time he started living like one. He bought a house large enough for his extended family, and invited his niece and her newborn child to move into with himself and Li Feng. He even invited his sister and Thornton to join them, but they declined, being more than satisfied living with just themselves.

Needing something to do, to feel like she was part of something greater than herself, Amelia responded to a military recruitment poster. Getting up at dawn to rush off to basic training keeps her mind and body occupied, so she doesn't wallow in self-pity.

Her growing son also helps to keep Amelia happy. Looking at him does sometimes give her pangs of regret, reminding her of the husband she misses, but she's determined to never let Tristan se anything but a mother who is happy to be with him.

Since he doesn't party like  a rock star, Hawke has a lot of free time to help out with Tristan.

And Li Feng absolutely adores her little cousin. She can't wait for the day when she has children of her own. She even suggested to Quincy that they get started right away, but he insisted they be adults and married before they start having kids.

Hawke decided it was time to meet his daughter's boyfriend. Quincy gets along fine with his potential future father-in-law, but Li Feng winces in embarrassment anyway.

She changed her hair since he last saw her, but as soon as he caught her eyes, Hawke recognized her.

"Zhenzhen, thanks for meeting me."

"I was surprised you called me," Zhenzhen says, "You have every reason to hate me, but you don't."

"I don't hate anyone," Hawke says.

"No, you are too much of a lover to carry hatred like that," Zhenzhen says, smiling a little sadly. "But you said you never wanted to see me again. I remind you of things that bring you pain."

Hawke hugs her fondly, "I was in a bad place them, Zhen. I'm sorry I said that. How are you doing, out here in the world of humans?"

"I'm well, Hawke. Especially now that I know you can forgive me."

Hawke asks her to join him for lunch, but she has to leave soon for work; she's taken on a career in sports. "I get off at nine," she says, smiling hopefully, "Maybe we can meet for drinks."

"My agent set up a publicity gig for me tonight," Hawke says, "I'll be at the Coco Bongo if you want to meet up."

His agent made a bad call on the publicity gig; the Coco Bongo is nearly dead. But when Zhenzhen shows up, Hawke at least has a dance partner.

"You're smiling, Hawke," Zhenzhen observes, "Are you happy?"

"I guess I am," Hawke says, only now realizing that he'd been having a good time all night. He'd dropped his burden of grief somewhere on the dance floor. They stop dancing, then, as Hawke leans forward to kiss her. After a long, passionate kiss, Hawke's forehead drops to her shoulder, "I'm sorry," he whispers, "You could do so much better than a broken, middle aged man. I shouldn't..."

"I'm thousands of years older than you," she laughs, "I've been with more men than you can count. There has never been one like you."

It's nearly dawn when they get back to his place. Hawke sends her up to his room while he checks on Tristan, and when he joins Zhenzhen, he finds her asleep in his bed.

They sleep through the morning and into the afternoon. For once, Hawke's dreams are not nightmares about losing Sun.

When they wake, Hawke tries one more time to talk her, and himself, out of this rash involvement.

"I love you, Hawke," she insists, "Love me while we have the time." In the end, he gives in.

Li Feng comes up to his room to check on him. Luckily, she arrived after they had dressed,  but she still suffers from acute embarrassment.

Amelia almost didn't believe it when Li Feng told her Hawke had brought Zhenzhen home with him, but when she goes for her daily swim, she sees her for herself. She wants her uncle to be happy, but she lost her husband to get him out of Zhenzhen's grasp.

"Is there any way to get a message into the fae?" Amelia asks Fricorith, Thierry's older brother, "I need to speak with my husband." Fricorith is a firefighter, and Amelia dropped by the station after work to talk to him. He also happens to be the husband of Amelia's commanding officer, ShamekaTricou.

Her brother-in-law looks uncomfortable. "I try getting away from all that fae crap, but it just keeps coming back," he sighs. "I'm sorry they snatched Thierry out from under you like that. He never wanted any part of it, either. I can talk to Moth, and get a message to him for you. You don't talk to my wife about this stuff, do you?"

Amelia laughs, "Hardly. She gives orders, and I follow. We don't chat at the water cooler."

"You need me, beloved?" Thierry asks, and doesn't wait for an answer before pulling her into a deep kiss. "I've missed you so."

"Hawke has been seeing Zhenzhen," Amelia tells him, "After what you did to get him away from her...I don't want it to have been for nothing."

"She's human now, she has no power over him," Thierry explains, "Well, no more powerful than a human woman has, anyway. The worst she could do to him is break his heart. What I saved him from...whatever goes on between them now, my sacrifice, your sacrifice, was worth it."

He came at Amelia's call, and he has the night to spend with her, and their son.

For one night, they get to live as a normal couple.

"Are you going to stay with s now?" Li Feng asks as Thierry cleans up after dinner.

"I wish I could," Theirry answers, "But I must return to...France...tomorrow."

Amelia and Thierry make the most of their one night together.

In the morning, he must say goodbye to his wife and son again.

________________________
Challenge Notes:
Since there isn't any 'fae' for me to send Thierry into, he lives with his mother. Sad, I know. He and Amelia are still married, he just doesn't live in the house.
Oddly enough, Amelia doesn't get many opportunities. (Her goal is Opportunist) I do them all when they come. Her meeting with Fricorith was from an opportunity. A Charismsa skill opportunity to use 'Get to Know' on a random Sim. It worked into the story.
She also doesn't roll many wishes related to her Athletic trait, the trait I picked for her Live Your Trait fun roll. Sheridan used to roll 4 or 5 workout related wishes a day, but Amelia doesn't. Still, I fulfill the ones she does roll, and make her swim, jog and/or workout everyday for that.
She needs to have one more kid for this generation.

My roll for Gen 3 is couple, 4 kids. Primary career is Political. Secondary is Job Hopper. The ten rolls for that are Music/Rock - None- Author- Busker- Freelance Science- None- Mixologist- Busker- Farmer - Farmer.
The goal is Living Green and the misc. fun it Tattoo Addict.
So, yay, a hippie politician. I look forward to that.
Tristan will not be the heir. I didn't roll for it, because I want to keep any hidden traits I can, and Tristan was born too early for the 'Can Salute' trait that Amelia will pass to the second child. Both kids will have Thierry's French Culture trait.

Li Feng facepalms more than any Sim I've ever played.