The students stayed at the campus for a bit longer to celebrate their graduation and one day Ben invited Patrick and Eleonor to the dormer. They had always talked about visiting one day, but somehow it had never happened. They both liked it at the campus, although they felt that it was not their own turn yet even if their older friends were already talking about it.

Actually it made Eleonor feel younger than usual when she mixed with Ben's friends and she wanted to behave in a way that would not show it. Dirk found it amusing how she tried to act like an adult, at the same time he reflected that Eleonor would surely be a very beautiful sim when she grew up.

Sometimes their parents had the impression that the younger children had received less attention than the older ones (which was not true because Patrick and Eleonor had grown up among them being babies and toddlers), but Elise and Christopher did not feel they missed out as school children.

The older family members simply did not see them much when they had friends over (they liked to play in the garden) and had taken less notice of them. Therefore it escaped them that they began to concentrate on those of their friends who were close in age. There was more contact between the families who had older children and had lived in Pleasantview longer, but now a new generation was slowly approaching their transition into teens like Nathalie Shulkov, the daughter of two of the first students who had moved to Pleasantview after their graduation. Nathalie was younger than Elise, not so much though that it would matter in the end. They were really good friends.

Manuel was younger too, albeit in his case it was more that he had not been a school child for so long. Elise liked him a lot and they became best friends when he visited that day.
Manuel was great, it was always so much fun to be with him.

Instead of playing outside like they normally did, they all sat in the living room talking that afternoon. Marisa watched them with a smile and reflected on her life. Under different circumstances she probably would not have thought much about children and definitely would not have had four, but she had never regretted her decision to marry Darren. They headed a lively household and it was everything but boring.

A few days ago they had visited Ben.
Darren was slightly disappointed when Ben did not invite them after moving into his new house, but Ben had explained it with the fact that he wanted them to meet Lauren, who had not yet returned.
One day he called and said that Lauren was back and would they like to come and see them? Marisa was searching his face when she talked to him. Although he looked happy she remained suspicious that Lauren's absence had not been the only reason for not inviting them earlier. He and Lauren had already been going out when they were teens, but she guessed that he had still needed time to make up his mind with regard to her.

Now they were living together though and Marisa was convinced that Ben would not wait long before he asked Lauren to marry him. She thought that Lauren was a very nice girl although it did not escape her attention how much Darren appealed to her.

She could rely on her husband. Darren thought that Ben had picked a lovely girl, but did not forget that he was married to a woman that was lovelier.
(Marisa had recently discovered that she was not as faithful as he was. She had put aside her kiss with Maurice though, deciding it was a folly how they sometimes overcame sims these days and confident that Maurice was seeing it the same way).

She thought that it was not surprising that other females showed an interest in Darren. They had a wonderful family but their love life gave her no reason to complain either.

Later, when the friends of their children had gone home, she hugged him affectionately.
'I was thinking back to the time when we met earlier on. I think if you would have asked me to move in after our first date I would have said yes as well. I knew that you and me were a great match and I was right.'

Despite the fact that Patrick could not completely forget his argument with Jasmyn (and was still angry with her somehow), he intended to continue their relationship and live with her when they went to college. But then he was invited to the birthday party of Jean, the youngest sister of Alice. Alice was a regular guest at their house, but there had been a wordless agreement to avoid any romance.
When they went out to relax in the hot tub he was aware about the emotional consequences. He neither feared them nor did they stop him. He did not even want to be stopped.

He and Alice had been about the only ones who did not pay much attention to the jealous scene between Barry and Melanie and nobody paid much attention to them. They had played punch-you-punch-me or rock paper scissors, he could not remember, and a tension had started to build up until they were afraid to let their eyes meet because of what their looks were conveying. They had not needed many words to find their way to the whirlpool.
Any thought about Jasmyn was completely wiped off his mind. He had always wanted Alice, his best friend, the only one he truly loved, at least that's how it felt at that moment. He realised that they had never kissed until today.

From their first kiss it quickly progressed and if kissing her had already left a lasting impression their first woohoo did even more so.

Patrick's feelings were all mixed up when he said goodbye to her in the evening. It had not been easy to accept that Alice was going steady with Alistair and now the situation had changed again. She did not give the impression that their affair was something she wanted to forget, telling him instead how much it had meant to her to make love to him.
It had been very special for him too. It would have been unfair to dump Jasmyn at a whim from Alice but he would have done it, had he not known that Alice was far too nice to ask that of him or hurt Alistair at the end of their teenage years. What he could read in her eyes though, was a promise that things might change when they became adults.

Patrick wished he wasn't angry with Jasmyn, because it made it more difficult to get a clear view and find out about his true feelings.

Earlier on Lilith had walked past and was invited to join them. Seeing her reminded Patrick that there were good reasons to find out about your true love sooner rather than later. That Ben had left Lauren to live with Lilith and her early pregnancy was a big story among everyone who knew them but Patrick (and Eleonor, who was there as well) felt more directly involved because it concerned their family. Ben was going through a difficult period and Patrick wondered if it would have been better for him, if he had made up his mind earlier. He guessed that this was easier said than done, but there were many paralleles to his own story and maybe he could profit from the experience of his brother.

The next time they met Lilith it was on the occasion of Christopher's birthday party. She and Ben came over in the morning and were greeted by Patrick, who was looking forward to seeing his older brother.

The family members who didn't know her yet were very curious about Lilith and Christopher was annoyed that he did not get the chance to play with her although it was his birthday party.
Marisa had decided to invite Lilith together with Ben, but had discussed it with Darren before. Her husband was all kind and sweet, but not the quickest to notice the emotional delicacies of his children. When Marisa heard about Ben moving in with Lilith she remembered the evening at his house and guessed that he had not sorted out his relationships after all. She told Darren this and then asked him his opinion. 'You have to be aware that we might have to adapt to another girlfriend again, I don't think that Ben has made up his mind yet. Do you still think that we should invite Lilith?'
'Well, as far as I'm concerned Ben has made his bed, now he should lie in it, but whatever way it turns out, Lilith will be the mother of my grandchild and I want to be able to see it, regardless whether she lives with Ben or not.'

Elise wished that Ben would come over more often. She and Christopher were very fond of him, but when he was visiting he talked mostly to their parents or Patrick. When she failed to get his attention she turned to Lilith and chatted with her.
Lilith was not aware of it, but while she had been spending time with her brother David, she had learned from him too and knew how to deal with children.

When Lilith had a look at the family photographs, Darren sat down with Marisa and Ben to discuss the current situation.
'You are an adult, Ben and I can't tell you what to do, but I guess you know my opinion. I would be very pleased to hear that you plan to get married, now that there is a child on the way. However, I want you to know that I will respect your decision, whatever it will be. I have to make it simple for myself though and for the moment I will treat Lilith as a family member.'
'Believe me Dad, I would really like to get married. I would be a lot happier without this confusion inside me. At the moment I try to think from one day to the other. I am really excited that we are going to have a baby, I just feel like I could enjoy it much more if I had a clearer idea about the future.'

In the evening when it was time for Christopher's age transition his teenage friends came over. Their circle was growing and Patrick became aware that his teen days were ending. He wondered how it affected Eleonor, who could choose to stick with them for a while and enjoy suddenly being the oldest.

While they all assembled round the birthday cake, Darren was watching Lilith. He had liked Lauren (a very good looking girl), but he had the impression that Ben had a prospect for a happy family life with her. She appeared to have a very close relationship to her unborn child already and her love for Ben was obvious. Darren felt that she had a more realistic attitude than his son, who did not seem to understand the impact of having a child yet.

But this was not the right moment for such reflections, because it belonged to Christopher and when everyone had found the way into the living room he bent over his birthday cake and blew out the candles.
'It's not working', he said, remembering how he had ended on his father's head at his last age transition and fearing that something horrible might happen again.
But the others (who knew that it was taking a minute) just laughed and cheered. 'Come on! Let it sparkle!'

Christopher did and without complications. There were more teen girls than boys and when he had looked at Joy shortly before his age transition, Christopher got an idea that he would have a great time.

He and Joy had become close friends when they were children and Christopher thought that she had turned into a beautiful girl.

While Christopher was talking to Joy, Darren had a conversation with Lilith. He was curious how she was seeing her relationship with Ben, but mainly he wanted to be friends with her and show her that she was welcome in his house.
Lilith remarked what a nice family he had, which was a good way to score with Darren, especially since she sounded very honest and not like she just said it to please him. Like Ben she had chosen a career in the police and Darren offered to take her out with him one day after she had given birth.

'I must admit that I understand your problems much better than I expressed earlier', he said to Ben afterwards. 'You got mixed up between two fine girls. I liked Lauren too. I still believe that you should think about marrying Lilith though, and talking to her only confirmed my opinion. Marisa was not concerned about family either, don't get fooled by her aspiration.'

Lilith was very pleased to hear from Ben that his family liked her. Marisa, who had watched them during the day, thought that it had been a good idea to invite them together. They did not want to put pressure on Ben, but she believed that the opinion of his family would have an influence on his decision nonetheless.

'Patrick! Stop acting so childish!'
Giving noogies had become very popular among teens lately, but while the one giving it usually thought it was great fun, the other could never share this view. Eleonor felt that it had been much more entertaining when she had given one to Joy earlier.

After his friends had left Christopher talked to his mother, telling her how important memories had passed through his head during his age transition.

Then he went upstairs to check for clothes that would suit him better. A visit to the bathroom followed and some work on the hair. Christopher was not thoroughly convinced but content when checked himself out in the mirror afterwards.

Ben was the last one awake and they still talked for a short while before saying goodbye.

Christopher stayed in the living room for a few more minutes. It had been a great day and it was great being a teen. He had enjoyed his childhood but it had always appeared to him that teens had more fun.
He had become a family sim like his father and his brothers (and nobody was surprised), but Christopher was also very sociable and looking forward to seeing more of the town.

Since they had already arrived in the morning, Lilith had been very tired and they had offered her to sleep in the bedroom of the boys. Christopher tried to be quiet and not wake her up and then slid under the blanket next to Patrick.

'Are you sure you don't want to stay the night?' Darren had woken up when Lilith came down the stairs.
'No, really it's very nice of you, but I rather go home. It was good to have a rest for a few hours though.'
'Okay then. We all enjoyed meeting you and I hope that we will see you again soon.'

The Jenkins Family pt. 7

When the family went to town the next evening to get a mobile for Christopher and warmer clothes for all of them, they became witness to a jealous scene between Florence Delarosa and her husband Ryan. Initially the new atmosphere of liberty had not resulted in much jealousy, but some sims were apparently taking it too far.
To make out right with someone else in front of your wife was sheer stupidity in their opinion and Marisa and Darren could only explain it with Ryan wanting to be caught.

Patrick had become friends with Louise during Jean's birthday party and he kept in contact with her afterwards. He wished they would have been friends earlier. He liked her a lot, but she had already grown up and moved to college by now.

Darren was extremely happy when the news reached him that he had two grandchildren and not just one. Having twins was a lot of work, but Ben told Lilith that he could manage on his own for the day, because he knew that she really wanted to accompany his father and get an idea what it was like to be Captain Hero.
'Wow, that was cool, just like I imagined it to be', Lilith said when they landed on the lawn. 'And you always travel to work like this?'

Darren had already become very fond of Lilith and Marisa liked her a lot too and wished to be friends with her. When they talked to each other later, Lilith told her that she might be pregnant again.
'You have so much medical experience. Do you think it is possible? I would have happened on the day I gave birth, which I find it hard to believe, but I have been sick a couple of times and I feel very tired.'
'It's surprising, but no, it's not impossible. If it is true you are up for a hard time my dear. You are lucky, like I was, you don't seem to get that exhausted, but two babies and another one growing at the same time.. I don't envy you.'
While she said this, Marisa was wondering about the implications of this information. Ben had theorised about returning to Lauren after the baby was born, but had probably known himself that it was very unlikely that he could bring himself to do that. It appeared to her that he was trying to avoid this step.

Marisa was not too unhappy about this turn of events. Maybe she was exagerating it now, but Lauren had shown a little bit too much interest in Darren for her liking, while Lilith only seemed to see him as Ben's father. She also looked like she really enjoyed being with their family.

Marisa suggested that she should get out of this uniform and have a shower. When Lilith came back down, she presented her with a present.
'For me?! What is it?'
'Actually there is nothing much inside the box, but I did not want to stand here with empty hands. I ordered a snapdragon bouquet for you, put it close to the bed or a sofa. Its aroma really does wonders.'

When it became autumn they experienced their first thunderstorm. The whole family watched with awe when the lightning struck the fir tree in front of the house.

Darren was very fit but he liked working out and believed that a Captain Hero should have maximum body skills. He could feel the pain in his thighs when he pushed the weight one last time, but it was worth it. His body was like steel now and he felt healthier than ever before.

When Christopher visited Joy for the first time after becoming a teenager, he immediately fell in love with her. They were very different from each other, but she was such a close friend and like it had happened in the generations before them, they got tempted to try the first innocent romantic gestures.
With Christopher being a member of the Bendett family he did not even have to flirt with her. It was enough to hold her in his arms when they were dancing.

While Christopher was making his first experiences with love, Eleonor began to think about her future.

Before Cary had gone to college he had invited her on a date almost every evening. He told her how sad he was to leave her, and how much he was hoping that he would not have to wait too long.

Eleonor was very fond of Cary, but at that time she was not keen to grow up so early, although she did not tell him. She imagined that it could be good fun to hang out with Christopher and his friends for a change. Patrick had been correct in guessing that it appealed to Eleonor to be older than the others.

She missed the woohoo with Cary though and fondly remembered the last time they had been together. She still felt the same friendship for him, but as he had said the feeling of love disappeared when he became an adult and Eleonor was missing that too.

Irfan, who was visibly happy that his competitors were becoming unavailable (with Barry being the next to move to college), came round almost every day. Eleonor liked him, but he could not make her forget that she had liked Cary better.
With more and more teens leaving, the neighbourhood became a boring place and growing up appeared in a much better light to Eleonor.

Then it was Patrick's turn.
'Come on, Christopher, show me that there is some muscle in those limpy arms.'
Patrick was in a splendid mood. Alice had asked him to move in with them and told him that Jasmyn had agreed to join them too. They had all stayed at home learning and Patrick had not seen either for a while, but he intended to ask Jasmyn to become his steady girlfriend. He was still thinking a lot about Alice, but since she had also asked Alistair to share a dormer with her and her sister, Patrick had not much hope that they would get together. It was sad but at least he would have his best friend(s) close to him.

Christopher was the image of their father and when he looked at him, Patrick suddenly began to worry (irrationally and stupidly) that their mother liked him better. He guessed that it was really the fear of growing up and leaving the family, but it was a weird feeling.

Marisa must have read the expression on his face. 'I love you all, but you will always have a special position as my first born. I have to warn you. I will become very emotional when I take you to the campus tomorrow morning.'
Christopher smiled, knowing that she had not tried to indicate that she was less fond of her other children.

Marisa and Patrick were going to stay near college for the night, because he would have to be there early.
Darren regretted that once again he would not see his son grow up, but since he was close to tears already he imagined they had a reason for going there alone or in the company of Marisa.

Eleonor got distracted from the departure of her brother, because that evening she and Irfan kissed for the first time. The way he had acted before she was surprised when she found out that it was his first proper kiss ever.

But saying goodbye to her brother was more important. Eleonor realised how strange it would be without him and it was another reason why she lost interest in being a teenager.

'Elise, I am not sure if I can visit before and we might not see each other until your birthday. We will talk on the phone though, alright?'
Marisa had called a taxi and after he said goodbye to Elise, they got in and Patrick was taken to his new life as a student.