Chapter 72: Stigma

Desdemona gives birth to a baby boy.

She cringes, disgusted, as she deposits him in the Archer nursery with his half-sister.

"I bet you're Percy's too," she snaps to Chervil, Tiberius's son.

"I'm only going to tell you once, man," Tiberius complains. "That picture of your grandpa over the crib is terrifying."

"I'm going to call this one Basil," Percival replies.

Abbie's trip back to France was not without incident, as the train she was in suffered a freak accident in the engine room. Most injuries were minor, but Abbie's was not; in what can only be described as a simultaneous freak accident, her head was smashed against a serving cart, leaving her with a severe brain injury.

Percy feels indescribably terrible about it.

While Abbie remains indefinitely unconscious, the child she was carrying is unharmed, and suitable for emergency removal - or rather, the twins she was carrying are unharmed.

The twins are a boy and a girl.

They can't very well go unnamed. Hopefully Abbie would understand. Percy continues the seasonings gimmick when he names his youngest daughter Cayenne, and completely ruins it by naming his youngest son Loki.

"That role made me famous."

Mittens isn't sure if high school fame counts.

"It's also a name Abbie was considering, for a boy. She had some ancestors from Aurora Skies."

Mittens almost says they aren't in Aurora Skies, and Loki is not a normal name here, but she stops herself. Percy is grieving. Abbie wasn't to him what Reggie was to her, but she was still something.

Still, she can't stop herself from asking if she can expect any more surprise grandchildren soon. They're going to need a second nursery, at this rate.

Percy doesn't know how to answer her.

At least Kay isn't going to judge him for fathering so many children.

Parsley becomes a toddler, inheriting her father's ears and dark reddish hair.

While her baby brothers and sister sleep, Parsley is on her feet, exploring.

Mittens installs curtains in the nursery.

Seemed like a good idea.

Basil, Percival's son with Desdemona, becomes a toddler. He looks very much like his mother.

He also inherited her crankiness.

The twins join their siblings soon enough.

Loki has his father's eye shape and his mother's nose; Cayenne has her mother's eye shape and her father's nose.

And of course there's Chervil, with the Caliente-green eyes.

"My real dad's eyes looked like this," Tiberius muses. "He said they were the color of melting Tiberium."

"That's an odd comparison." Percy stares into the backyard. "You rarely speak of your biological father."

"The old man literally died of the old," Tiberius says bitterly. "Elderly folks shouldn't have young kids. It's just not right, because then they die, and leave you all alone." 

Mittens ignores the phone; her grandchildren are more important.

Tiberius arrives home tonight just in time to tuck Chervil into bed.

"I'm tired too, buddy..."

"You may be satisfied with milk for now, but when you get older I'll teach you what real food is."

Cayenne is content to play alone with the peg box and other toddler logic puzzles, while Basil is fussy and must be constantly entertained. 

As he tickles and tosses the kid in the air for the tenth time, Tiberius thinks he's starting to go soft.

Which is just as well. Better to go soft than to go Jack Cross.

On weekdays, Percy gets home from work about the same time Tiberius leaves for work.

"I'm starting to lose track of which kid is mine," he tells Chervil.

Looking after five toddlers is a nightmare. Percy isn't sure what he would do without his mother's help.

"I feel like I should be handling all of this, Mom. I don't want to be a burden to you."

"I adore you more than anything else in this world," Mittens assures him, without turning around.

"I know you didn't approve... of..."

"I forgave you a long time ago."

Loki plays dead, but Parsley is not fooled.

The Archers have tons of old toys from past generations, but Loki doesn't like any of them. He prefers this brand new bunny toy. 

Percy doesn't think anything of it right now, but one day, a long time from now, it will make sense.

Basil calls both Tiberius and Percival "Da". 

They try to correct him, but he doesn't get it yet.

Kay wants attention too.

"I'm thinking of changing my name," Tiberius says, "before my son gets old enough to know the difference."

"Oh, yeah? May I suggest Galahad?"

"You may not."

"Lancelot?"

"I meant my last name. I don't properly feel like I should hold the name Annan."

Percy frowns. "Okay. Uhm. Lancelot?"

"You're a piece of work. What're you making that face for?"

"Vivian changed her perfume. And it's all OVER me. I hate it."

"You two are at it again, huh?"

"It was just a kiss for the scene. For my job."

"Sure. Okay."

"Kirk."

"Hm?"

"Tiberius Kirk has a nice ring to it."

Tiberius considers. "I don't know..." He doesn't see Percy trying fiercely not to laugh.

Tiberius gets a new tattoo. 

Mittens and Kay grow old.

Tiberius explains why cars are bad for the environment. 

"And supposedly there's cake. LOTS of cake. It's magical. The end. Now c'mon, go to sleep. Sleepy time!" Percy stares intently at the toddler. "Go. To. Sleep. I need. To. Sleep."

Kay inspects Loki.

Gone soft.

"So. Sleep with any old friends or enemies from school lately?"

"I'm... really tired, Tiberius."

It's true. Percy is just too tired to be anyone's toy these days.

Unable to get Percy interested in her at work, Vivian stops by his house, only to be flatly rejected.

"Still think babies are cute?" Tiberius quips.

"Of course!"

"I visited Abbie in the hospital," Percy says. "No change yet."

Tiberius thinks it's very sad that Percy holds out hope for Abbie. He doesn't say so, though.

Working out a childcare schedule is difficult in this household, but our boys handle it with maturity. And occasionally groveling.



____________________________________________________________
Etc.: So that's all 5 kids! Let me tell you, getting the boys to impregnate all those women in the space of two sim days was no easy task. I deserve a medal. THE TODDLERS ARE A NIGHTMARE. Poor Tiberius, Mittens and Percy can barely sleep at all. Mittens even passed out once. I was going to leave the 5th child until later, because I couldn't decide if the mother should be Tanya or Saffron or maybe even some other woman. Turns out I'm lucky I waited until the others were born, because the game decided to give me a big middle finger, in the form of twins. I love the twins though. And in retrospect, it's more believable that Percy wouldn't knock up almost every single girl he's been with. Three is enough! Three out of five is still pretty bad.

The roll for generation 7 is couple, one child, primary career medical, secondary career business, perfect children and fashion diva. Secondary career was originally busker, but I got so bored of that when I played Cliff that I forced myself to use my last remaining joker on it. So yay, a couple after three generations of single parenthood. Cayenne is probably the heir, though I was also seriously considering Loki.

Though the name Loki cannot escape being associated with the trickster god, I personally associate it with an online friend of mine. One of those friends you consider friends without even knowing their real name.

Chapter 71: Similar Situations

Sometimes Mittens is lonely.

Lonely enough to visit the Liver sisters and the cats she adopted out to them.

Vivian playing with Kay. She likes fuzzy animals, she can't be all that bad.

Wait, what?

You seriously could not find another willing model, Mittens?

"Do you have to bounce around in your underwear?" Tiberius complains grumpily.

"Do you have to make pancakes half naked, with that sexy tattoo?" Vivian retorts.

Tiberius scowls, embarrassed, and decides to put a shirt on.

Virtual Reality adventures were very helpful for Percy in fostering the creation of the right mindset - becoming another person temporarily, so to speak.

"Scientists are always making dangerous crap," Vivian says warily.

"It's not dangerous. You should try it!"

"I will never join you!!" Percival points dramatically. "And then... and then what is it? I always forget this line."

"I have to go to work."

"That's not it."

"No. I have to go to work. I don't have time for this, Archer."

Samir Seabottom, a scientist Mittens has worked closely with, is over 102.

He's finally decided to retire and go on some cruises.

Mittens arrives at his house to attend the retirement party.

"Cake's this-a way," he says, guiding her into the kitchen where other friends and family are gathered. "I'm really only retiring for my wife's sake, you know. I'll never be able to get my mind off of scientific advancement. I fear I won't much enjoy cruises and relaxation."

"I can relax at times," Mittens muses, thinking of isolated parks in the area she could spend hours at, observing the wildlife. "But in a way I feel the same. Analysis has taken over my thoughts. Always there in the background." If you weren't already married when I met you, she thinks, I think we might've even had a connection. I definitely wouldn't have asked a brilliant scientist to retire.

He's been a good friend all these years. Always her advocate and willing to find odd work for her, even when the rest of them at the science center scoffed at Mittens's freelance approach.

This isn't the first time a friend has shown up on Percival's doorstep asking to hide.

"I'm starting to show, and it's yours," Vivian puts the situation bluntly. "I need to stay here until it's born, so I won't have to take any crap from my husband about it."

Percy is skeptical. He's hardly the only person Vivian gets around with. "Are you sure it's mine?"

"WHAT? Of course I'm sure! I know how the timing on this works; I have three other children, remember? And all three are my asshole husband's, yes, thank you. I ought to punch you, so hard."

Percival steps aside, allowing Vivian to enter the house. "What happens after the birth...?"

"Sending it to adoption services," she says, as if it was the most natural response in the world.

The first thing Vivian does after entering the house is eye up Tiberius's cookies.

The situation is explained.

Mittens dislikes the idea of sending one's own child to others, where it can only be presumed to be safe.

"Trust me, this is for the best, no one will be the wiser, and my career won't have to suffer from negative attention. Neither will Percy's."

"Doesn't almost everyone know about your unfaithfulness anyway?" Mittens questions.

"A baby changes the situation," Vivian says, glaring. "You don't know shit about our industry apparently."

"Don't speak that way to her," Tiberius protests.

Accursed cat. Always begging for food.

Tiberius always preferred dogs.

Kay even seems to know when Tiberius is looking at PICTURES of food.

Tiberius is a CHEF now. Not usually one to talk about his job, since he considers it to be both boring and embarrassing to work in food service, today he's pleased about his recent promotion. He has a master plan to introduce more vegetarian meals.

Since Vivian is hiding out in his house with nowhere to skip off to if she gets annoyed with him, Percival takes the opportunity to try to get her to leave her husband. Again. He would even marry her and adopt her three children.

"The whole point of this arrangement is to protect my marriage," Vivian reminds him.

"Why is it worth saving, if everyone in town sees you fighting in grocery stores and going out with different people?"

"We've already been over this."

Vivian is such a.... selfish, vain, materialistic woman, incapable of understanding deep conversations.

Mittens regrets even trying to talk with her.

Vivian is incredulous when Percival asks to keep their child.

"Whaaaat? Why would you want to do that? I guess you don't know, because you don't have any, but kids are a lot of trouble! And there would be talk... and someone would think it was mine..."

"No one has to know it's yours. I only don't want my child with strangers," he says quietly.

"What about the kid?! It's gonna wanna know. It's gonna come to its own conclusions about-"

"I won't let it cause any trouble. I promise, Viv."

"It better not," she pouts. "Not when we could have solved the problem by adopting it out anonymously."

 "Don't you trust me?"

She groans. "If I say I do, will you stop with the tragically sad face? That's not fair play."

Meanwhile, Tiberius is suddenly faced with a disturbingly similar choice.

"I think it's obvious why I asked you to drop by," Iris says, without preamble. "I'm legally required to inform the father of this child, that the child exists, before handing it over to social services."

Her eyes fill with tears before he can say anything, and she continues, "I want children badly, Tiberius. But I want them with my husband. When I got pregnant... by you, we... my marriage almost fell apart. But we've been to counseling, and we're going to get through this, because we love each other."

"I guess social services would be smart," Tiberius manages to say.

Iris shrugs, smiling sadly. "You work as a dishwasher. You live in somebody's attic."

"Actually I've been learning a lot, and I'm a chef now. And that somebody is a film star. And it's not an attic."

"Sure."

"I think I make enough money to get out on my own now. I can't justify giving this kid up for adoption."

"Ti..."

"I can accept responsibility. It's going to be a miniature version of us. How could I let that go?"

He's never touched one of these before.

When Tiberius informs Percival of his decision to leave and get his own place, the reaction is not quite as expected.

"You shouldn't leave because of a kid! That's completely silly. Unforgivably silly. Mother and I wouldn't mind if you had a child here. Besides, mine's going to need someone to play with."

"You... what? Yours? I thought you and Vivian were giving your child up for adoption."

Percival shrugs. "No. I'm manning up."

Tiberius narrows his eyes. "Is Vivian moving in?"

"N-no. She wants nothing to do with the baby."

Tiberius's thoughts wander. This goofball? A father? That poor kid. ...Dammit. I can't just sit back and let him accidentally have a catastrophe. "Alright. .....Fine. I'll stay. For now."

Vivian goes into labor that night, and Percival drives her to the hospital.

Strangely enough, Mittens is the one to have a nervous breakdown. The only one.

"It's alright, Miz Goldbeard," Tiberius to calm her. "We got this under control."

Hours later, Vivian deposits her newborn daughter in the Archers' nursery.

"I think you'll be happy here," she tells the infant.

Percival cuddles his first child for the first time, still in shock. 

"I have a daughter," he states the obvious.

Tiberius wants to be supportive, but feels as though he's being nosy by witnessing this moment; he's examining the scene before him on analytical terms. Soon he'll have to go through this fatherhood thing himself. He doesn't think he'll be wearing Percy's fascinated expression. "Grats man."

"I don't know what to call her. ...What are you going to call yours?"

"I was thinking Parsley. But Iris recently let me know to expect a boy. So. Yeah, Parsley is too feminine-sounding."

"Why?"

"It just is!"

"Okay. My family is bad with names I guess," Percy says distantly.

Tiberius folds his arms uncomfortably, while Percival is silent.

"You can steal the name if you want," he says finally. "I'm going with Chervil now. Chervil is... uh..." he makes up an excuse on the spot, "manliest of spices."

"She's so tiny..."

Tiberius blinks. "Well. Yeah. She's a baby."

"Lookit her little hands..."

Tiberius chuckles. "All babies are hideous, Percy."

Consequences are not done with Percy. Desdemona calls that very night.

"So this is why you took a leave of absence..." Percy realizes. "But why, Desdemona? Why hide this for so long?"

"I shouldn't have kept it this long! I should have got rid of it! But I thought... well honestly... I thought maybe it would make you drop everything to be with me. But I realize I'm an idiot, and you already have another woman's child. We're done. You're not who I thought you wer-"

He opens his mouth to say something, but her glare stops him.

"Who I wanted you to be," she corrects.

"Maybe you should pay me something to not tell the press about this," she threatens.

"Tell whomever you please," he says, voice quietly angry.

He's puzzled about why woman throw themselves at him, but the fact that he gets around is no secret.

 "I already have one child. A second isn't a big deal, since you obviously don't want it."

"So who's your other babymomma? Huh? Which whore is it? There are so many!"

"None of your business. We never had a meaningful relationship, Desdemona. You said so many times yourself." 

She has this kink where she's really mean to him in the bedroom, but she's also really mean to him outside of it.

Abbie La Mer is back in town for a short project, and asks Percy to meet her at the YARRcade.

"Heeeey," is the best greeting she can muster, when she sees the stare he's giving her midsection.

"Are you here to demand something, lest you take this to the press?" he asks wearily.

"Wow." Abbie shrinks back. "Why would you say something like that?"

"If you could see the day I've had..." he cringes. "Apologies. Let's start this conversation over."

"Well, it is yours. I always wanted kids, so... I'm keeping it. If you don't want anything to do with it that's fine."

"Actually, I'd feel kind of horrible if I never saw my own children. What about your career, Abbie?"

"I'm confident I can balance." She shrugs. "I'm going back to France soon. But if you want me to make time to visit, I mean, maybe the kid could have a weekend with you every once in a... err... while?"

Percy frowns. Not sure how to feel. France is very far away.

"I feel like I, like, caught you at a totally bad time?" She tilts her head. "So... I'm thinking it's true? You have a daughter now?"

"Her name is Parsley." His expression softens. "Her mother doesn't want to be known."

 Abbie is here with her cousin Myra, and her big brother, Wilbert.

The YARRcade is a happenin' spot tonight.

With the I HAVE NEWS part of the evening out of the way, Abbie prefers to spend the rest of it enjoying herself, playing games and dancing and listening to Wilbert rock out.

"He won't kill you," Abbie says. "Probably."

 "So those ears are are good for something, huh?" Abbie jokes.

"Mm-hm," Percy agrees, without thinking.

 Luckily Myra isn't mad Percy knocked up her cousin.

Then again, why would she be? She's so French it hurts.

"Children are part of the wheel of life! They are necessary! I think you two will have a beautiful baby. It would be a shame if you didn't pass those genetics on, no?"

"Genetics won't make me a father," Percival frets. "Especially not if I barely see them."

Myra hugs him. "You must'nt worry so. It'll work out. You wait and see."

 As the doctors predicted, Tiberius brings home a son.

"I never really had a good example for a father," he tells Chervil, after a midnight bottle feeding. "So I'm just going to do everything the opposite way from Jack. Deal?"