The Frios
Baby Blues
Starring: Connor Frio, Jared Frio & Claire Ursine
Connor comes home a little later than usual that day. Naturally, his big brother is curious, as always. "So, where have you been?" / "I was visiting someone, the rest is none of your business." Connor received a text from Jamie during work hours inviting him to her house. So he spent the entire afternoon with her. "Uh, sorry for asking, little brother" / "You don't have to worry about me, I'm 26 and I'll be fine"…
"I don't doubt that you can manage on your own… I'm allowed to worry about my brother, right? Something else… What did you mean yesterday about me not having a clue?" / "Uh, I don't feel like talking about it right now…" / "Connor… Damn!" / "If you really want to know what's going on, go see Claire, okay? Now let me…"
"Claire? What does this have to do with her, what's going on?" / "Like I said, I don't want to talk to you about it, it's between you and her. Besides, I promised her…" / "What? Now talk…" / "NO! It's only a few meters, move your ass! Ex or not, you two need to talk!" Connor said again in a forceful voice and disappeared into his room for good.
"Get out of your ass'… ph, I don't remember us having anything else to do… What else could she want?" Jared hesitated, thought for a moment, and searched for an answer himself. But nothing sensible came to mind. They hadn't seen each other in many months. They'd always skillfully avoided each other… Now it seemed important, he thought. "Hhh, okay…".
It was indeed only a few meters that Jared had to cover; his ex-girlfriend lived right next door. Still, they hardly ever saw each other, at least not in the last few months. He slowly walked up the stairs and then rang the doorbell. Then the door opened… "What are you doing here, Jared?" / "Claire, I… whoa!? You… I haven't seen you in a while, so… What happened?" / "Nothing, I just ate too much!" / "Sure, and it's snowing shit tomorrow…" / "hh…" / "My brother said we need to talk… Is that why?" / "Obviously…".
Jared was indeed extremely surprised. This was probably the thing his brother didn't want to or couldn't talk to him about… He stared, somewhat transfixed, at Claire's large, round baby bump. Besides, he remembered his ex-girlfriend as being a bit slimmer. But then he just shook his head briefly and came to his senses again… "Is…is it from me?" / "Who else could it be from, Jared? Nick Alto maybe? I wouldn't touch him with a bargepole!" / "Then maybe… Xander…" / "Are you crazy? He's still just half a kid! There was no other one except you, okay?"
Jared was sometimes quite skeptical, and that was no different back then. He always suspected that she hadn't always been faithful during her relationship with him. "Sure, you can tell me a lot. I always pulled my Jonny out early enough, so nothing could go wrong…" / "You idiot, were you ever properly informed at school? I don't think so!… It's your baby, whether you like it or not!" Claire said angrily.
Jared rubbed his forehead nervously. "And what do you expect from me now, Claire? I can't pay you child support, I don't earn much." Claire's face gradually relaxed, and her expression turned melancholy. "I don't expect anything from you, Jared. I know you'd rather spend your money on your little brother and hookers." / "They're not..." / "Anyway... Here, so at least you know there's someone else..." She reached into her pants pocket and pulled out her ultrasound pictures.
What felt like an eternity of silence surrounded the two. "Um, Jared… is everything okay?" / "Hmm? Sorry, I… It looks like an asymmetrical ink stain test…" / "Seriously, you're so… That's normal for an ultrasound!" / "I know that, or do you think I'm stupid? Man…" He looked at the ultrasound images again for a moment while she spoke to him. "I know being a father isn't your thing, and I don't know how I'm going to handle it, but I want this little thing, with or without you."
He looked seriously into her eyes for a few seconds and then back at the images. He shook his head slightly. "The two of us are like dynamite, almost exploding every time… Somehow we've always been able to stop ourselves, but for a long-term relationship…" / "…We weren't meant to be, I know that, Jared. I won't keep this child from you either, assuming you want anything to do with him or her at all. But later, he or she will have questions…
Jared slowly turned around without saying anything. "I want this child to know who their parents are. I'm not shutting you out, and I'm giving you the choice whether you want to see it or not… Okay? I was actually planning on leaving, but where would I go without money? At least I still have friends here…" She didn't really expect an answer from him. He was unusually quiet and stared toward the sunset. "Mmh.. okay… Good night, Claire."
("I meant it when I said I'd leave the choice up to him... I hope he makes the right one. I don't want to tell our child later that his father was a complete asshole. That's not my style. And I'm pretty sure there will come a time when I'll need his help.") Certainly :)
When Jared came home, Connor was reading in the living room. At first, no one spoke… But the tension was high, Connor noticed. "So?"/ "Just shut up, okay? Since when did you know?"/ "What now, should I shut up or…"/ "Man, Connor…"/ "A few months already. I'm excited to be an uncle…".
"Oh man, that can't be true" / "but it is. I think she told you she doesn't demand anything of you, huh? She should have. After all, you're…" / "You're such an annoying smartass, okay?" / "I know… I hope it's a girl. Well, boy is okay too, but it's definitely going to be a redhead" / "Oh man, I'm going to sleep."
("I've had plenty of opportunities to rub it in his face. But I'm not an ass. Claire can be a little short-tempered sometimes, but she's actually pretty okay once you get to know her. And Jared… I can't wait for him to change the little thing's diaper. He's got a pretty sharp nose, so he's unbeatable in the kitchen. But baby poop will definitely be a challenge for him, hehe").
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NOTE: As I said, this isn't really a story, but these households in SV always give you plenty of incentive. I use this save game for when I have nothing else to do or need a break… so at least the sequel stays exciting.^^
