2.5 You're the only one I belong to

Karim enriched Britney’s life and work from the very same day he moved in. Sometimes, when he was in the middle of doing something, he suddenly had a great idea for a new article or a new column in their newspaper. Then he always stopped doing whatever it was he was busy with, and he ran over to his girlfriend to tell her about his newest flash of inspiration. Britney adored Karim and his cunningness. She had never met a genius like him, and that he wasn’t cocky at all, but friendly and willing to share his mind with her, made her fall in love with him more and more.

She often spent her nights writing, not having much time for intimate togetherness. But that was fine with both of them. Working together, and creating wonderful stories out of nowhere, was the core of their relationship.

When they sat together at breakfast, exchanging news about their work plans for the day, everybody could tell these two belonged together. Anna was just a little afraid they would spent their entire life just working, without living. Jobs were important, but family was, too.

Britney had that same thought when she stepped outside on a warm summer day, and almost tripped over the guy that had published the humiliating story about herself and her newspaper a few months ago. She immediately ran up to him, furiously and ready to kick some ass. He didn’t even try to defend himself, instead he blamed her for being so silly. As if any man would be truly interested in her, considering her huge nose. Before she could raise her hand to slap this guy right in the face, on his not exactly small nose, Karim and Anna both came running outside. They had heard all the commotion and wanted to prevent Britney from making a huge mistake. Beating someone up surely wasn’t good for a reputation as a serious journalist. When Anna hit the guy’s knees with her cane, really hard but –of course- accidentally, the message was clear. NEVER mess with this family.

Later that night, when Britney and Karim spent some alone time outside, lots of thoughts were running through her head. She was happy to be surrounded by family, not only in peculiar situations like the one in the morning, but generally. It made her feel safe not to be alone. And if she and Karim would keep working this much, they would probably never have a family themselves. As soon as her beloved mother passed away, and Barbra moved out, they would be alone. This was not what she wanted. Surely, there was a way to combine work and the love of her life. And so, when she spotted a shooting star on the beautiful pitch-black sky, she made a decision.

Not many weeks after this, she was suddenly plagued by nausea that especially articulated itself early in the mornings. Anna registered the occupation of the bathroom happily. A new generation would soon be born – a new generation of self-confident, strong and independent sims.

Even during her maternity leave, Britney didn’t stop working altogether. Articles were easily written in her study, keeping her busy and making her sure her colleagues didn’t forget about her. Each and every one of them had congratulated her on the pregnancy, but she was rather sure this was not for selfless reasons. She had actually become a threat to the experienced workers there, and by dating her boss she had put herself in a very unpopular position. It was important to maintain her status at work.

In the meantime, Karim found himself pretty much unable to run a household on his own. Sinks and electronic devices kept breaking, and when Anna managed to fix them within minutes, it made him feel incompetent. Women really were the stronger sex.

And another one of them was about to enter the real world. Barbra had made it through the years as a teenager, mostly without being seen at all. No dates, not many friends, and moderate success in high school - her time clearly was yet to come. She knew she wouldn’t be happy around here, with her successful and pregnant sister, her peaceful and her attractive almost-brother-in-law. She needed to get out of here as soon as possible, finding her own way.

And so, after a quick makeover and a few hours of packing, Barbra Vocis left the house for good. She was inevitably going to face many obstacles, especially since she wasn’t exactly self-confident. Her socially awkward behavior had not gotten any better now that she was a grown-up.

Soon after she watched her sister move out and start her own life, Britney went into labor. She had only been through a little more than seven months of pregnancy, which worried her. A lot. Something was not right here.

In fact, everything was more than fine. Christina Vocis was born around 2 a.m., appearing to love the nature as soon as Britney left the hospital with her. The trees and the fresh air seemed to actually excite her.

Cyra Vocis, her twin sister, was born an hour later. Like Christina, she seemed to be fond of being outside. But there was something else in her eyes. Something they couldn’t quite put their finger on.

Author's notes: We're back! This chapter was just dying to get out and now I had enough energy to actually type it. The last weeks were crazy, mixed with horrible news and a cold that declared now the perfect time to announce itself.
Anyway, welcome, Generation Three! Christina is named after Christina Aguilera, Cyra's name might be harder to guess, because I couldn't think of a second first name with a "C". Therefore, I chose Miley Cyrus and changed her last name a bit.