For a correct timeline those should have been on the first site. The students arrived at an early stage, but spent some time at Sims State University before connecting with the Pleasantview neighbours. Some other "early" sims will be introduced at a later date because they show that not every sim's life is full of adventures. For some of them time flies by without any major events.
The Anderson (Shulkov) Family
Ninou Anderson arrived in the Pleasantview neighbourhood when she entered Sims State University together with some others from her hometown.
Ninou, Aemon, Jerome and Katie were initially only housemates, but quickly became friends. There were two more rooms and they were occupied by other students. Soon they had a strong community there and hardly left the dormer during their time at university.
It was probably more lively there than in some of the coffee houses at Sims State. Not always the visitors were welcome though. Some students became university mascots and those tended to be the kind of sims who loved practical jokes and pranks. Usually they were the only ones who found them funny while they were really annoying to the rest. Mary Perry, who was one of them, once followed one of their housemates, an exchange student called Vassily, around for the entire evening and he was close to hitting her in the end.
While Angel, their other housemate, was usually found in the kitchen or the other rooms they shared, Vassily was rather shy and remained in his own room most of the time. When he was not, he was working on assignments or studying and they did not really get to know him in the beginning. Maybe it was because their courses took place around the same time or by chance, but it was Ninou who was the first to talk to him more, since they often happened to eat in the kitchen together. She really liked Vassily and when they became friends, he began to feel more comfortable in the company of the others too.
Ninou remained the one he liked best. If it had first been by accident that they were sitting together for breakfast, it was now by their choice, and unless they were at class or working on term papers they spent a lot of time with each other.
It was late at night and everyone else was in bed. Ninou and Vassily had sat in his bedroom talking when a crush developed from their friendship.
She had never liked blond hair, but Ninou thought it looked great on Vassily and suited his pale skin. She found him alltogether very good looking now, although he was not the type she used to be attracted to and she really liked being with him. Over time - they were in their second semester - their crush turned into love.
She was very happy although her feelings for Vassily distracted her from her studies at times.
Unless they had to go to class there was hardly any reason to leave the dormer. Their studies required a lot of work and if they needed entertainment this was provided for as well, just as there was always someone to socialise with. Jerome was the first one to explore the neighbourhood and when he returned, his report of downtown made Ninou curious. One evening she asked Vassily, if he would like to take a trip down there.
She didn't know then, but maybe there was a wish to see Vassily outside of the usual environment. In the dormer they were all like one big family by now and it seemed such a normal thing to live with him in the same house. Maybe it was only this familiarity why she felt so serious about him. Vassily got very quiet again, being in the company of strangers and there was also one man in the hot tub with them, who she found rather attractive - his name was Darren - but they had a good evening out and she felt comfortable with Vassily.
Even if they were occupied with other tasks, living in the same place they obviously came across each other all the time. Ninou had taken the initiative in the development of their relationship and it had left her unsure if Vassily really had a romantic interest in her. He continued to study hard and success seemed to matter to him very much.
Vassily was indeed not thinking much about their relationship. Although he was in love with Ninou, there were other matters in his life that were more important than love to him. To get the grant to go abroad to Sims State had meant a lot of work and he was determined to make something out of it. But reason is one thing and feelings are another and eventually he could not avoid getting distracted by her standing nearby or sitting next to him.
It was those short encounters during the day which increased their affection. Little gestures, a hug or a slight kiss on the cheek as they passed each other. Their love had grown from friendship and if Ninou doubted Vassily's feelings, she had reason to doubt her own. Beside all the familiarity there remained a part of him that she felt she did not know or understand. They were very different personalities and at first there was no strong physical attraction - when she began to flirt with him that one night in his room it was more due to her mood at the time than a serious interest.
So it had not been love at first sight for either of them, but as time progressed the hugs and caresses were feeding it and making it stronger.
Still, it took a long time before their first passionate kiss. Ninou wanted more and after thinking it over in the morning she asked Vassily out on a date when he returned from his class. They had both completed most of the semester work and Vassily thought it was a great idea.
The date started well, they kissed a lot more and Ninou thought they had a lot of fun. Then they sat down for a meal and when they were finished she was going to ask him on the dance floor when he suddenly said: 'Don't you care what I need?', almost immediately added: 'I had a really good time' and then left.
Ninou did not know what to think. It was this type of behaviour she could not understand in him. She did not even know whether she was hurt or not. For two more hours she tried - without success - to have fun downtown on her own, thinking all the time about what he said and why and then she went back to the campus. Vassily was already back at the dormer.
She wondered if she should just ignore him for a while, but she was not that type of person and soon she approached him and asked, why he had ended the date. He apologised, telling her that he had simply felt uncomfortable because he should have taken a shower before they left and had been tired from getting up early.
She was not fully convinced that this was the only reason why he had left, but when they talked some more she stopped being angry with him. He really listened to her, when she explained how she had felt standing in the club on her own all of a sudden and while he didn't look like he understood why she was so upset, he seemed to be concerned about her feelings and that he might have hurt them.
When he assured her that he had really enjoyed going out with her and that it was not her fault that he had gotten moody, the rest of any bad feelings passed. Vassily had not shown any signs that he was angry with her for doing something wrong and Ninou became aware how relieved she was, when they were hugging and kissing again instead of arguing. She really did not want to fall out with him and it made her realise how important he had become to her.
It still doesn't fully explain why she chose this moment out of all to propose engagement. If the earlier rejection played a role in it, it was because it had worked as a shock which cleared her mind, not because she was seeking this type of relationship. True, they were probably not the most suitable couple, but it was partly the difference that attracted her and even if there were other, more compatible men out there, it was him she wanted.
Aemon could hardly believe his ears when he heard Ninou proposing to Vassily. He had not expected that she wanted to get married and neither had he thought that Vassily was so serious about Ninou. He was the quiet type and not very emotional and it was hard to tell what he was thinking sometimes.
A look at them convinced him that they were happy with their decision though and he was the first to congratulate them on their engagement.
The following days a smile was constantly on Vassily's face even when he was studying.
The others were as surprised as Aemon when they heard about the engagement, but now Vassily talked more about himself and Ninou and when they listened to him, it did not appear so extraordinary anymore. From Vassily it all sounded very simple. He loved Ninou and liked living with her, so why should they not get married?
Time had passed since they arrived at university and they had completed almost two thirds of their studies.
Then came the exams and the last semester.
They did not get much leisure time after the exams, but before they would have to concentrate on term papers and assignments again, they wanted to have some fun and they invited some friends and had a party. Although they stayed in most of the time, other students walked by and were invited in and they had made friends outside the dormer. Ninou had invited Enrique, who she had met downtown one day. She knew that he was interested in her and since she had no intention to be unfaithful to Vassily, she mainly wanted to introduce him to Katie. As she had expected they got on very well with each other and she talked most of the evening with Charlene, a girl who had lived in Pleasantview as a teen. Ninou, like her other housemates, liked the town and wanted to settle there after college.
Vassily and Ninou were getting on fine most of the time, although on some occasions Vassily closed off to her. Once there had been an incident late at night when she tried to kiss him and he had turned away and told her to leave him alone. It was still on her mind and depressed her, and she wondered if it was good for them that they never went out.
She was wary after what had happened the first time, but eventually she asked him on another date.
Once again she felt that they had a good time. They enjoyed the food, laughed and flirted over the meal and then, just like the first time, Vassily complained about her not caring about his needs and that he would leave now, but that he had enjoyed the day. A few minutes later he was gone.
This time Ninou did not bother to stay downtown any longer and went back home.
'What's up with you?', she asked when she saw Vassily, who had arrived shortly before her. 'Why did you do that to me again?' He apologised to her, saying that he was really sorry and that he didn't know himself why he would suddenly feel so uncomfortable that he had to take off immediately.
Ninou had actually hoped that their date would be a good prelude for their first woohoo, which she didn't want to put off until after their wedding and she really did not want to end the day with an argument. Maybe his reaction was really due to being so shy, because back at the dormer he did not look as if he was in any way unhappy with her. A sudden idea came into her head and she asked: 'What if we continue our date, but stay here? Would that be different?'
Vassily looked at her with surprise, but after thinking about it for a moment he answered: 'Yes, maybe, why not?'
Although not many of their housemates were around they moved from the kitchen, where they had another meal, back into Ninou's bedroom afterwards. As soon as they sat on her bed Vassily began to caress her and then he started to show a passion that she would have never expected.
Ninou had always been slightly suspicious that the reason for his sudden departures was that he felt she was getting too close and clinging too much, but didn't know how to tell her. He could be very sweet and gentle, at other times he would withdraw and appear not to be interested in love at all, but to see him passionate was very unusual.
She was wondering now if indeed the opposite of what she had thought was true. He pulled her close as they were kissing and she got very excited.
Ninou did not want to wait any longer, she finally wanted to make love to Vassily. As she started to take his clothes off she looked at him questioningly. 'Oh yes', Vassily said, grasping her intention.
Ninou had not known what it was like to woohoo, but what she got was better than anything she had ever imagined. When they got up afterwards Vassily walked up to her. He looked at her in a way like he had never done before.
and he kissed her more gentle and tender than he had ever done before, while slowly moving her back onto the bed.
A moment later they were under the sheets again.
When they got up it was early evening. To Ninou their date downtown in the morning appeared to have happened a long time ago and it was strange to think that not even a day had passed since then. She had to finish an assignment and Vassily got some food and sat down with the others. Aemon was busy writing on an assigment too, but Vassily did not talk much to Angel either, who was sitting at the table with them. Both of them had been away most of the afternoon and there was nothing in the behaviour of Ninou or Vassily that made them suspect that anything special had happened between them. If their housemates would have looked closer they might have noticed the looks they exchanged, and the smiles when they became aware that they both were recapturing the past hours.
After he finished eating Vassily was going to take a shower and then go to bed. Ninou was tired too, but she felt the need to be close to him one last time before they separated for the night. She really wanted to tell him how much the woohoo with him had meant to her and how much she had liked it, but she found it hard to put it into words. It is likely that Vassily understood her anyway, because he was feeling the same.
The next morning she talked to Angel instead, who had become a close friend. They also discussed the time after college. The last year had passed on and before long they would take their final exams.
Making love for the first time made a great difference to Ninou and Vassily. He was showing his affection a lot more than before and appeared generally more interested in their relationship.
After they had taken their final exams and graduated, Ninou and her housemates decided to spend all the money they had saved (and it was a lot) and to share the goods they bought between them when they would leave the dormer.
In the final days at college they passed a lot of time in the new whirlpool. There was no more need to study and they could simply enjoy being with the friends they made and who were invited almost every day.
Katie had recently met Kent Mendoza, a student from another dormer, and Ninou and Vassily had been sitting in the whirlpool talking to him since the late afternoon. When it became dark Vassily forgot his usual shyness and Ninou noticed that his caresses were more pressing than before. She whispered into his ear how much she would like to be alone with him, but Kent although he had probably heard her, showed no intention to leave the whirlpool.
Eventually they looked at him in a way that clearly indicated that they would appreciate some privacy. Ninou pointed out that he had originally come to see Katie and should he not have a look what she was doing?
Kent had hardly gotten out of the hot tub when Vassily started to make out with her. They made love twice that evening and Ninou wondered once again how much this quiet and serious sim changed when they were in bed together.
Some visitors were students, who they had only met shortly before leaving college. Vassily listened to Ben, who told him that before moving to university he had been in love with three different girls. They agreed that it was much better - and much less complicated - to love only one sim.
He did not stay in his own bedroom anymore. They were so many friends around in those last days that it usually turned into a party but when everyone had left he and Ninou would vanish into her bedroom and they were never too tired to make love before going to sleep.
Until this time Ninou had remained slightly worried that her spontaneaous engagement proposal might have been the wrong decision and their relationship would not last. When Vassily began to express his love and affection more openly, they became a lot more intimate with each other and Ninou was now looking forward to live together after college.
The others saw the change in Vassily too. He was looking a lot happier than he used to.
Jerome did not see much of them, because he was mostly with Cassandra, who came to visit him every day. They had already decided that Jerome would move in with the Goths.
When he walked past Vassily, who was upstairs with Ninou, one evening, the two sims exchanged a look that informed them about the similarity of their feelings regarding their life after college. They were both looking forward to live with the woman they loved and confident they had made the right choice.
The party lasted for a week, but eventually it was time to leave. One by one they packed their clothes and moved out. Aemon was the first. They hugged a last time and he assured her that he would soon visit them.
Katie came out of the house when he got into the taxi to wave at him one last time. She and Aemon had made love for the first time in the night before he left and she felt very sad to see him go.
But they would all be neighbours and there was no reason to stop being friends and seeing each other.
The others stayed on for the rest of the day, relaxing in the whirlpool one last time. They wished they had met some of the younger students earlier. Charlene had come over and brought Lilith with her and Ninou thought that it was very interesting to talk to her.
The dormer was a lot emptier than it had been in the last couple of days, but they still had sims over like the streaker, who paid a last visit to their house.
In the afternoon Jerome called Cassandra and they agreed that he would leave in the evening and take a taxi to the Goth house.
Before he went into his room to dress and pack the rest of his stuff he said goodbye to each of his housemates.
He and Vassily had become friends only recently, but they got on really well with each other and they wondered why it had taken so long for their friendship to develop.
In the evening he called a taxi and soon after he was gone.
Ninou was the next to leave. After she hung up the phone she could feel the age transition coming and a moment later she swirled into the next stage of her life.
She and Vassily had found a beautiful little house, which reminded him of his home country. He arrived there a few days later, because he still had to sort out some paperwork. Ninou had already missed him and she greeted him very affectionally when he got out of the taxi.
They hugged and then he stepped back. Sims at this stage did not look much different afterwards and so Ninou had been unable to tell if his age transition had already happened, but now she knew that it hadn't.
Only a few seconds later it was all over and among the last coloured sparkles the man she was going to live with appeared.
'You look good', she said and gently kissed him.
Mary Perry must have missed them, because all of a sudden she was seen in Pleasantview and repeatedly walked past their house. She had always really annoyed Vassily when she came to the dormer, although it was possible that she had simply wished to become friends with him.
Katie Moore
When Katie arrived at Sim State together with the other students from her town they expected that she would be rather predictable due to the combination of character and aspiration. But it turned out later that it was not that easy to find out who Katie was.
Maybe her studies were keeping her from socialising as much as she would have liked to. They required a lot of body and charisma skills and the exercise and training tired her out.
The way their life at the dormer developed they also didn't meet that many other students unless they were coming round and called on them.
The campus didn't have much to offer, there were a few good places but there never seemed to be many others around, so it was not much fun to hang out there. The first term passed very quietly.
As a result of always being together the housemates became really good friends though. They did well at their exams too.
Katie and Aemon fell in love relatively early. They were alike in some regards; Aemon was a romance sim as well and just like Katie he didn't show it at all. And despite their character, both not being overly serious or shy, they were not exactly party people either.
To be in love with each other appeared to be enough, and it didn't look like they needed more loving from somebody else. They studied hard, but the short flirts and romantic hugs inbetween was all that was required to cheer them up again.
Aemon needed a bit longer to fall in love with Katie and he looked stunned when it happened, at least to Jerome who was walking past them just this moment.
Both of them were slightly embarrassed. Unlike other sims who usually got embarrassed when they were caught cheating, Katie and Aemon blushed for being so homely. Katie really liked Aemon, but he was also the nearest available sim and it gave the impression that they had picked each other purely out of convenience.
It was very convenient. She was romance sim enough to enjoy kissing and making out and it was great to have someone around at all times to do it with especially a someone who did not demand commitment.
But a lot of the time at the dormer was reserved for studying and learning and Aemon and Katie weren't sticking out for excessive romantic encounters.
One term after the other passed and while Jerome and Ninou had both been downtown, Katie remained on the campus all the time.
Only slowly did they get to know other sims and there were a few they were getting attracted to. Aemon was quite impressed with Sabrina Caine for example who came round to their dormer one day.
Katie on the other hand met Enrique that day, a sim from Pleasantview that Ninou had become friends with and he was the first sim after Aemon who she fancied.
Apart from making new friends nothing resulted from those encounters though and another term ended with Katie and Aemon still remaining the exclusive lover of the other.
It didn't make them unhappy although Katie herself had expected that her college life would be a bit wilder than that. She and Aemon got on great.
The most surprising fact was that - contrary to their housemates - they remained virgins. They were close to woohoo a few times and they were always stopped by the feeling that this was just too obvious and predictable. Or maybe they were too afraid that going through all their first experiences with each other would create a commitment they didn't want, maybe even ending in them getting married, never knowing what it was like to be with someone else.
There was definitely something not right and neither of them took offence, instead they looked at each other almost simultaneously, laughing and shaking their head.
Aemon stayed in her room during those nights though and she liked to fall asleep having him by her side.
When they got close to their graduation, Katie met another student with whom she started an affair. She liked Ken, but not as much as Aemon and apart from making out and some cuddling not much happened between them.
It was enough to fall in love, but not enough to want her first woohoo with him.
Making out with him was rather good though, even if she carefully avoided Aemon seeing them together. She was convinced that he wasn't the jealous type, but she didn't want to risk finding out. She did not want to end her college time falling out with him.
In the end she had her first woohoo with Aemon, but it didn't happen until the last day at university. Aemon had already packed his stuff and was ready to leave the next morning. In the evening they were hanging out in her room talking about the time that came after college.
And for the first time it was the right atmosphere and they woohoo'd because they really wanted it. It did give a new quality to their love and Aemon was slightly relieved that they had waited so long. He was not sure if he wouldn't have come close to proposing to her if they had continued to live together.
They were exhausted and fell asleep shortly after but the memory of her first time followed Katie into her dreams and she had a smile on her face.
Their days at the dormer ended very harmoniously with two couples sleeping in each other's arms and Jerome looking forward to be united with Cassandra at last.
Katie was very sad when Aemon left the next day.
She followed him to the taxi and waved at him. 'I see you', she said. The woohoo of last night was still lingering in her head and didn't help to make parting any easier.
But she didn't stay on much longer herself and after making the phone call for the taxi she swirled into a new life span.
Not willing to be seen in a ridiculous disco outfit, she changed into a tracksuit and went to Bluewater to shop for some clothes. She met a woman who turned out to be Enrique's sister Gabriella and had a conversation with her.
Soon after Aemon came into the shop and although only a day had passed since leaving college she was very pleased to see him.
Even now that she had some comparison in other men who happened to be around Aemon still remained a very attractive sim.
She kept having an affair with him, but when she got settled, she started to meet others that interested her and she also developed an interest in some of the students now that she had left university. Lee Chase was a guy she met downtown and he lost no time to indicate that he fancied her.
They spent the entire night at the Hub and when she left in the morning she had a heavy crush on him.
Katie dreamed to become professional party guest and she was heading towards this goal with a quick pace. The jobs she was doing often didn't start until late and she had a lot of freetime in general.
She felt that since it wouldn't be her first time anymore, it would be nice to woohoo with Kent and he was easily convinced when she invited him to her house one day.
She also began to think about Kevin Nanale who she had met at college at one point. She wondered why he only appealed to her now, because he was really cute.
Lee called her soon after they met at the Hub and asked if she would like to go on a date. Katie accepted and had another great night with him.
Shortly after when she invited him they ended up in bed with each other. Lee fancied Gabriella Martinez as well and had an affair with her. Katie wasn't even sure if he was a romance sim, but he had a strong romantic streak. He admitted it with a smile. It didn't matter to Katie, who didn't want him exclusively. Lee was the guy for going out on great dates and having fun with and she guessed he was quite happy with that.
She also started an affair with Enrique not long after leaving university. He was a very good lover, although it was his character which appealed to her most. He had a way that made her feel very comfortable.
Aemon remained on top of her list for a long time though. Katie felt that they were both in a similar position. They were successful in their career and their personal life (Katie had reached her lifetime goal and became professional party guest soon after her date with Lee), they had no worries and they still felt like they had not found their place in Pleasantview yet. Like Aemon she had the impression that it would not make much difference whether she was there or not. They kept in contact with their friends from university, but they were concerned with their families now. Their lovers would miss them and then find somebody else. Maybe she and Aemon were the ones who cared most about the other.
The Anderson (Shulkov) Family pt. 2
Ninou had never expected that it would be that much different to live together. But Vassily, who had already started to change in the last weeks at college, managed to surprise her frequently.
He acted as if he had only just fallen in love with her. He showered her with compliments, telling her how lovely she was and how proud he was of her for graduating with honours.
There was one thing though, that had been on Ninou's mind for a long time. 'Tell me', she asked, 'why did you always leave so sudden, when we had a date? We are out now and there does not seem to be a problem.'
For a moment his shy attitude returned. He hesitated and did not want to tell her. 'It's so stupid', he said, 'I really liked being out with you and you would not understand it, if I told you the reason for it.'
But their relationship was not the same as then and he wanted to be open with her. Slowly he admitted that he sometimes felt an irrational fear to use public toilets and he tried to avoid it, especially if many stalls and urinals were fitted into one room.
When they were dating they had played around and she had sometimes tickled him, then they had eaten..he had come to the point where his need to use a toilet had become so urgent, that he couldn't concentrate on a conversation anymore, and at the same time he had shivered at the thought of a filthy toilet stall.
This might have sounded like a very implausible excuse to someone else, but Ninou knew that he was honest. She still tried to work out what exactly made the difference in him now. They had fallen in love when they were in the medium term at university and slowly the physical attraction had grown too.
But since his arrival at their house a new aspect had come into their relationship. For the first time she felt as if he wanted to be with her above all other sims.
Before his first woohoo Vassily's idea of love had been mainly to work jointly towards a good life, to give support to one another and have a companion to rely on. He came from a small village where it used to be the normal course of life to look for a reasonably suitable partner, get married, have children and try to get along as well as one could. He did not reject those values, but he had not expected to be as interested in sex as he turned out to be.
The first morning after his arrival he could not stop thinking about the night before. Vassily cared equally about money and knowledge, but woohoo with Ninou was really something else and at the moment all he wanted was to be with her.
Ninou felt the same. She was a knowledge sim and now that she had graduated she hoped to get a job at the hospital and become chief of staff one day. But this could wait, the first days in their new house she only wanted to be with Vassily.
She wondered if he had still restrained himself because of the others when they lived in the dormer since their lovemaking was even better than before. Actually it was more likely that Vassily could only relax after he had completed his studies. When he got his stipend and could go to a university abroad, he had seen it as his duty to graduate successfully. Now that he had achieved this goal he could concentrate on his personal life.
After a short time Vassily found a job in business. When he returned in the evening she could see how much he enjoyed coming home to her. They were living a very ordinary life and it was great.
As she had hoped, Ninou found a job in medicine soon after and became an intern at the local hospital.
One morning Vassily asked her how she thought about having children. Actually, Ninou had not often been thinking about it. Like the others, when she came to university she had not imagined to start a family right afterwards. But when she talked to Vassily about it she began to like the idea. He had a very natural way to treat such matters and always sounded convincing and plausible.
Eventually their conversation shifted to the date of their wedding, about which they had also not talked yet, and they decided to get married soon. They had never expected to be such a good match, but they were and there was no reason to wait.
But they had to make preparations nevertheless and some time passed before their wedding day. They were still meeting their former housemates, although Aemon and Katie were over less often than Jerome, who shared a similar lifestyle and could understand why they had begun to like their family life. Cassandra wanted children very much and soon he would get married as well.
Vassily got a promotion, but still found time to socialise with his friends apart from training for his job. Jerome noticed how much more relaxed he was. He remained a calm and even tempered sim, but he was not as serious and shy as they had gotten to know him.
Vassily advanced quickly in his job. All his hard work seemed to pay now and soon he was promoted again.
Meanwhile the wedding preparations carried on and they had by no means forgotten about their plans.
A few days before, Vassily had already waited for Ninou who worked longer hours and when she finally came home he asked her if she would like to go out. They had not discussed the topic anymore and Ninou noted with surprise that she was surprised. She had not missed going on a date and it had not crossed her mind that Vassily could ask her on one.
'What about your .. problem?', she asked. 'It still bothers me, but I don't want it to hinder my life. I have to overcome it some day. And until I felt this.. discomfort, I enjoyed it a lot to be out with you, I told you all about it since, so this will make it better already.'
They decided to skip the meal and go to a club to dance instead. This time they had a dream date.
They talked to a few other people in the club, but Vassily's thoughts were with Ninou the whole time. In his opinion none of the women around were coming close to her.
They stayed in the club for some hours and then went back home.
When they got out of the taxi they stopped outside for a short moment and looked at each other, smiling, but searching at the same time. They had decided to live together and hoped it would turn out well. They still had to adapt to the fact that it was a lot better than that. Ninou felt that she was only finding out now who Vassily really was, but what she discovered she liked a lot. Vassily loved Ninou for her cheerful and lively attitude, but realised that it improved their relationship that he was taking the initiative more often now.
When they went into the house, they moved directly into the bedroom and began to undress one another. Vassily looked at her as she was standing before him. 'You are so beautiful', he said and gently stroked her cheek.
They did not sleep during that night and when they finally turned round and closed their eyes it was near dawn. It was Saturday and they did not have to get up in the morning.
It was noon when Ninou woke up. Vassily awoke shortly after her and followed her into the bathroom. Their woohoo was a main cause for the strong attraction he felt for her now. The night before had really been exceptional though and he wanted to tell her.
'Hey, how are you?', he asked with a soft voice. 'Did you sleep well?'
He told her that nothing could compare to the experience of making love to her and that there was nothing in his life that was close to being as good. Ninou found it hard to imagine that it could be equal or better with somebody else. It was one field were they matched perfectly.
All this made them more eager to get married and finally, the following weekend, their wedding day came.
Before Ninou got a shower and put on her wedding dress, Vassily kneeled down and proposed to her. They had opted to carry his name and he felt that it was his turn to make a formal proposal. Her original question had resulted from a spontaneous decision and had come quite early in their relationship. He wanted her to know how glad he was that she was to become his wife.
They had mainly invited friends from university because they were still closest to them. Cassandra was the only exception. They would have never thought about inviting Jerome without inviting her. Cassandra did not look all cheerful, but that was only because she had hoped to get married before them (or simply earlier).
The guests helped themselves at the buffet table, they talked and exchanged the latest news and then it was time for the wedding.
Jerome told them later that to him they looked exactly like the figures on top of a wedding cake.
In a short ceremony the vowels were spoken and the rings exchanged and then their friends applauded the new weds.
Then the couple congratulated each other.
Some of their guests disappeared into the whirlpool afterwards. Ninou would have liked to talk to them more, but at least they had a good time and thought it was a great party.
She and Vassily went inside and joined Cassandra and Jerome, who were dancing in the living room.
It was a fantastic wedding party apart from it being too short. They had hardly spoken to some of their guests when they were already leaving again, thinking that the couple might want to have some time alone. After some six hours they were on their own, but still dancing.
Vassily was not used to drinking and after only one glass of champagne he was very high spirited and told Ninou once more how much he loved her, before he went on his knees again and serenaded her.
Then they went on their honeymoon ride.
When they came back they sat down in the front room and Vassily held her very close.
For a moment their love rose over them like a wave and silenced them. Ninou would always remember this as the happiest moment of her life.
They became very passionate and after making out on the couch for some time they decided to move into the bedroom.
After they made love they still didn't feel tired and they sat up and talked. They agreed that life could hardly be any better for them. They did not even have to make plans for the future, because it went into the right direction all by itself. Ninou cuddled up to Vassily, her husband, noticing that the fact that he had recently started to exercise was beginning to show.
They stayed up until the morning, talking, kissing, making love again and talking some more.
They probably would have stayed in bed all day if Ninou would not have been overcome by a sudden sickness. She got up and dressed when her stomach turned upside down again and she had to run into the bathroom where she threw up several times.
They slept for some hours and when Ninou got up again the sickness had passed. Instead she felt the need to stuff herself with junk. She got a huge packet of cookies out of the cupboard and sat down at the table.
Not even five minutes passed before the sickness returned. Could it be?, she asked herself as she ran into the bathroom again.
Staring into the toilet bowl she reflected upon the probabilities of her sickness being due to eating the wrong food or to another reason. She knew from her work at the hospital that the period before the first symptoms of a pregnancy varied widely among sim women, but it still would have been exceptionally early. There was a chance that it had happened in the night after their date, but it was minimal. Apart from that it had only been in their wedding night that they did not care about protection.
Whenever it happened it did not take long before it became visible that she was in fact pregnant. Ninou would have wished to gain another promotion before she was put on maternity leave, but overall they were both very happy. When they discussed it the first time the idea of having a child had still been theoretical to a certain degree, since then it had developed and they really wanted it now.
'What do you think it will be?', Vassily asked. He was working hard and although he usually didn't mind the long hours, hoping for another promotion to result from them, at the moment he would have liked to be at home more.
'I don't know, but whether it's a boy or a girl, it will have plenty of company when it grows up.'
Once again, a lot of women in the neighbourhood were pregnant at the same time, with Cassandra, who was married to Jerome now, among them.
The pregnancy progressed and it looked like Ninou would give birth soon. Vassily would have really liked to stay at home now, but they told him at work that it was impossible for him to take a holiday because of an important project he was involved with.
He also would have liked to make love to Ninou and wondered if it was still possible.
Ninou had the same on her mind and it was one reason why she was hoping the child would come soon.
She did not have to wait much longer. The next day, in the late morning, she gave birth to a daughter.
Vassily received the news through his mobile and he rushed home as soon as he could to greet Nathalie as they decided to call the baby.
He tried to make up for loosing the first hours of her life and took care of her for the rest of the evening.
Nathalie looked as if she had inherited the pale complexion of her father. Vassily and Ninou were both extremly proud of her.
Ninou grew into her role as a mother quickly. She was still determined to become chief of staff one day, but for the moment she was happy being at home looking after her little daughter. That she and Vassily were leading a rather traditional family life was not a statement of values. Although Vassily had grown up in surroundings were this was normal, he did not demand it of her and would have participated more in the upbringing of Nathalie if the circumstances would have been different.
Nathalie was very cute and Ninou was convinced that she would turn into a beautiful girl.
Needless to say that Vassily shared this opinion. His promotion had come but there was still no hope for a holiday.
When he was at home he tried to spend as much time as he could with the baby. His family was very important to him, more important even than fortune which mattered to him a lot.
Aemon Boulder
When Aemon went to college he expected a life full of excitement and adventure.
But while some of his housemates were making important decisions during their time at college, his own life remained uneventful.
The dormer was a good place and he hardly ever felt the need to go out.
He and Katie had fallen in love quite early and if he ever felt the need for romance he could find it where he lived.
They were always more friends than lovers. It was a relationship that was convenient for both of them and stopped them from feeling lonely and unloved.
They didn't woohoo though even if they were close to it a couple of times. They had no intention to spare themselves for someone special, but they were also aware that they had not met many other sims outside the dormer and maybe they were frightened to end up in a serious relationship they had never intended.
It did not happen until his last night at the dormer and in a way he was glad that he would leave the following morning. He realised that his fears were not unjustified. He loved her more than ever before, but he did not want to tie himself to one sim and if they would have lived here together any longer it would have inevitably happened.
So the next day he said goodbye to his friends and left.
They were the main reason why he decided to live in Pleasantview since he didn't really know the town.
Immediately on his first visit downtown he got involved in a jealous scene between Dina Caliente and Malcolm Landgraab. He liked Dina, who owned the shop, and he started flirting with her, when Malcolm came rushing up to them and started to shout.
Aemon thought that he had to learn to be more careful. Just because a woman wasn't wearing a ring didn't mean that she wasn't involved with anyone. Malcolm was exagerating though, making too much of a harmless flirt.
Curiously enough he came closer to some student girls after he left college. Sabrina Caine was one of them.
His showbiz career had a slow start and he was glad his friends didn't know how much he had to degrade himself to move up the ladder.
He and Katie were still seeing each other. Aemon sometimes wondered if they would live together one day after all. Did Katie get this feeling that they belonged together too?
Although his feelings for Katie were going deeper, Aemon learned that he simply liked to fall in love, even if it did not result in an affair.
He and Angel became better friends than they had been when they were housemates and after seeing her a few times, sometimes in the company of some of his other friends, he fell in love with her.
He and Angel were getting closer in the hot tub one evening when she visited with Jerome and Cassandra, but it never went any further.
It was partly his own making. As much as he liked her, he and Angel did not match well at all and he didn't even think she really fancied him. She was close to her graduation and he felt that she was mainly looking for someone she wanted to be with in the future.
When he met Marlon, a guy who had recently moved to Bluewater, he immediately thought that he should introduce them one day. Although they did not get on as well as he thought initially, it later proved that his intuition was right, because Marlon and Angel became a couple soon afterwards.
Aemon prided himself for getting them together. He wasn't jealous and felt happy for both of them. Marlon was an exceptionally nice guy and he was sure that he would make Angel happy.
He was slowly making progress in his job and already had a few appearances on tv.
He had also made a few friends within the families of Pleasantview and Bluewater, but he still felt a bit detached from his neighbourhood as if he hadn't fully arrived there yet.
He earned a lot of money, had a house, two lovers and nothing to complain about. What his life lacked was meaning; Aemon didn't think it made much difference whether he existed or not.
This only changed when he met Rover. Rover wanted to belong to a sim and Aemon was just right for that. He played with him the whole night and in the morning Rover went home with his new owner.
Rover became an important part of Aemon's life. It took some time to train him and stop him from digging up the front lawn, but Rover was clever and had already learned a few tricks.
He loved that dog. He had wanted to take him home as soon as he saw him.
Sabrina liked Rover too and immediately started playing with him. She had asked if she could come with a friend when Aemon invited her and arrived in the company of Willow Shaik. Aemon had called with the hope to get Sabrina to woohoo with him, but thought that if she already asked to bring someone along she was probably not in the mood for it.
He thought that Willow was attractive too, but soon found out that she did not have any interest in males. Actually he had the impression that she fancied Sabrina as well.
He ended up talking mostly to Willow and although this was not a bad thing and led to them becoming friends, the evening was a bit of a disappointment with regard to Sabrina, who was so endeared to his dog that she spent it mainly with Rover instead of him. So the next day he called her again and asked her to come over.
'I have the impression you quite like your friend Willow', he said when they were sitting on the bed.
'Yes, I do', she replied, smiling at him. 'The way you meant it', she then added.
'Do you still like me a little bit too?', he asked.
'Yes'
She pulled his head down and kissed him passionately.
Then they woohoo'd, but Aemon had the impression that their affair would not continue in the future. She was not really his type (although he liked her a lot) and even if she was not as decided as Willow, she still seemed to have a preference for females.
He and Katie were still seeing each other. She was still the one he fancied most, but he began to feel that it was usually him inviting her and there wasn't much initiative coming from her side anymore.
He could think of a reason for it too, because one day when he was at her place (he came home just as she was leaving a very unambigous message on his answering machine and had hurried over to see her) he met another guy there, with whom she obviously had an affair.
There was no doubt that Lee was her lover, although he didn't blink when he made out with Katie. They had both been in the hot tub when Aemon arrived and it was clear what they had been doing in there.
He did not ask her about it directly, but over time he gathered that Lee was not the only one that she was seeing apart from him. He could understand it, because around that time a movement was taking place in Pleasantview, which despite being a purely mental process brought a massive change in the attitude and behaviour of its inhabitants, and it had become a lot easier to start a romance.
Most sims were easier with regard to jealousy too and not so likely to have jealous fits anymore, unless they happened to be family. He noticed it about himself, because he loved Katie and was convinced that a short time ago he would have freaked if he saw her together with some other man.
Still, when she came over to see him she usually stayed the night and they had a very close relationship.
He always felt really good the next day and more satisfied with himself and his life. Katie would not be willing to give up her affairs for him and he did not even want her to, but he wondered if it wouldn't be a good idea to live together anyway.
Katie Moore pt. 2
One day Katie realised that without paying much attention to it, she had saved a lot of money and there was no need to live in the small house any longer. She left it for the next one who arrived in Pleasantview with a small budget and bought a house on the outskirts of the neighbourhood. As usual some visitors came to the house on the day of her move-in and she met Goopy GilsCarbo, a sim from town. The neighbours told her that he had lived in Pleasantview right from the beginning but he was not seen around much anymore.
He was charming anyway and they were making out in the kitchen when the other guests moved into the living room.
Katie had no idea why Nina had come to the house, because she was not very sociable. Katie had only wanted to congratulate her on her baby but Nina was very protective and acted as if she had tried to harm it.
Katie had enjoyed meeting new neighbours, but she enjoyed it more when Kevin visited her shortly after and they fell in love.
After a short detour to the hot tub their path ended in bed with each other. Kevin was really sweet and if he hadn't been so deeply rooted in student life (Katie had the impression that the members of the secret society considered it important that they kept it going), she would have been tempted to ask him to move in.
Katie had always believed that romance sims were less jealous until she made the personal experience that this was not so (at least at that time). Although there were enough rumours regarding Enrique, nobody - apart from his sister maybe - had ever really seen him with any of the women he was supposed to have an affair with.
When he was caught cheating for the first time it turned out that there were others apart from Katie who got jealous and this of course made it clear to everyone involved that they all had a reason. Diane looked like she had wanted to provoke such a scene and Katie immediately disliked her. She didn't know whether it was the flirting itself, which made her jealous or that he had made her feel like she was the only one when they had seen each other. She had guessed that it was not so and he had never said it, but you got that impression with him.
Some time after the mood in Pleasantview changed though and many sims - romance sims in particular - were indeed becoming less jealous.
Katie noticed some of the other effects too and on a day of increased longing she called Aemon. She only reached the answering machine and so she called Lee and asked if he would like to visit her. After indicating what she had in mind for entertainment, Lee rushed over to her place, but Aemon arrived not much later because he had come in from work just when she was leaving her message.
Neither of them got upset. Rather they seemed to enjoy the situation.
They actually had a great day and Katie was wondering if it would not be a good idea to get a housemate. She had been thinking about asking Aemon before, but did not want to start a serious relationship with him and the fear of potential jealousy had always led her to the conclusion that it was better for a romance sim to live alone, unless you had a single female friend (which she had not). Seeing how easygoing these two guys were with each other, she reconsidered her opinion. Katie thought that her life had improved when she moved into the new house, but she did not like living alone much.
She wondered how the new atmosphere would affect her and Kevin and she invited him over a few days later. She loved how easy it had become to act out your desires.
Enrique had asked Kaylynn to move in with him and had stopped seeing any of his former lovers but Katie intended to keep the three that were left.
Enrique's sister had also opted for a life with her boyfriend and Katie guessed it to be one of the reasons why Lee was asking her out so often now. Usually he could convince her that it would be worth it and although she did not intend to give up Aemon or Kevin, he hardly left her any time to see them.
She could have rejected his invitations, but they did in fact have a lot of fun when they were on a date. For this purpose you could hardly find a better sim.
That night in the Leisure Centre the atmosphere heated up quite a bit and Lee was beginning to make suggestions that involved a joint visit to the photobooth and were very tempting.
Afterwards she asked herself why it had never occurred to her that you didn't have to go home to woohoo (maybe it was because of that stupid old Ms Crumplebottom, who nearly got a heart attack when she became aware of the activities of her and Lee). She also wondered that it was not at all filthy inside the photobooth because lately a number of sims had made similar discoveries.
Lee invited her on a date almost every evening and unless she had to work she usually said yes. It was not great overwhelming love between them, but she had become fond of him and liked him as company and as a very good friend.
By taking her out Lee helped her a great deal to become settled in this town. She had made a few other friends apart from her former college mates, but only now was she beginning to mix with the neighbours and became aware how friendly and open they were in general.
Lee basically lived downtown, spending a lot of time in bars and clubs and Ms Crumplebottom could not impress him or spoil his fun. 'Oh shut up. What are you getting upset about? As if you have never seen me holding and kissing a woman before.'
For Katie this period was the beginning of her grand appearance as a romance sim. She was a natural looking girl who did not wear much make up and preferred a casual style, but there were a lot of males in town who found that very appealing.
She had met Gilbert again one day and had noticed his admiration. They talked for a while and she became aware that she was a lot more attracted to him than before.
Shortly before her last date with Lee she had met him again and after a short conversation and some flirting they woohoo'd in the photobooth. Katie didn't know if it was because of the excitement of doing it in public, but it was an experience she was not going to forget so easily.
It was so good in fact that they repeated it when they met in the same place some time later.
It increased her attraction to Gilbert considerably. When they had met shortly after her arrival in Pleasantview, she had thought him to be nice, but not exceptional. Doing it with him in the photobooth revised her opinion.
The same day she met a guy called Juan Sims, another romance sim. Despite her current favour for Gilbert she had begun to enjoy the variety and Juan was a very appetizing one.
Actually, the sim she believed she could fancy more than all others including Gilbert was sitting in the corner next to them. Although a romance sim too, he was the only one who never approached her.
Katie had not strived for this position, but she was aware that she was ranking as one of the hottest sims in town since Gabriella was living with Kennedy, with whom she had three children already, and Juan reacted very positively to her flirting.
Her dates with Lee continued and they were as good as always.
When she invited Juan the next day he asked her if he could bring along someone and arrived in the company of Florence Delarosa.
Florence was very different from her, but was known for her cheerfulness and good sense of humour and Katie would have liked to get to know her better.
She did not get the chance to talk much to her and wondered a bit why Juan had brought her over, because he more or less ignored Florence and was flirting so heavily with Katie, that she could not really socialise with her either.
Eventually his intentions with regards to her became rather obvious and after talking for a while on the sofa, they began to fondle each other and loosing pieces of clothes inbetween, they were in their underwear shortly after.
Once it used to be necessary to meet at least a few times first and Katie became aware how easy it had become to woohoo with a good looking and attractive guy these days.
She had completely forgotten Florence, something she noticed with some embarrassement when she came into the living room.
'Ahem, sorry to disturb you but I only wanted to say that I am leaving now.'
'I'm so sorry.. Hope we meet again one day..', Katie mumbled. Juan was getting so carried away that he did not even seem to be aware of Florence sitting next to them.
'Oh goddess, and they call making love in the photobooth a public woohoo. I hope that Florence did not think I wanted her as an audience.'
'Did you enjoy it?', Juan asked. He would not have admitted to it, but there were still some virgins among the romance sims in town.
'Florence coming into the room - no, but the rest - yes, very much.'
It bothered her to some extent (not that Florence had come in, which had surely been embarrassing for her too, but that she had not waited until her other guest had left) and she was dreaming about it later. Juan had agreed to stay for the night and was sleeping next to her.
Her encounter with another neighbour only a few days later really surprised her. She had met Adrian in town before and when he walked past her house, she had greeted him and invited him in.
Katie guessed that desperation was one reason for his straightforwardness, but she found him appealing enough to go along with it.
It proved to be worth it, but Katie was still wondering. Adrian was a family sim and it was rumoured that he fancied Wanda Tinker, who was definitely a very different type from herself.
It also occurred to her how much her life had changed since she had been a student at Sim State University. There had been a time when she had doubted her romance aspiration and had actually considered a few times (although she had kept it to herself) to move together with Aemon and become monogamous. She was still seeing him, but he meant more to her as a friend than a lover.
The funny thing was that she had not changed, only the circumstances.
Adrian became very romantic during the course of the evening and Katie was not sure if it was a good idea to start an affair with a family sim. Maybe she should stick to the ones that were more easygoing regarding love. She did not really want to be subjected to a jealous outburst.
The Anderson (Shulkov) Family pt. 3
Nathalie grew and became very fond of her parents.
They had planned to celebrate her birthday, but Nathalie did not want to wait for it to grow up. She had been asleep when Vassily returned from work and when she woke up and he lifted her out of the crib she swirled up into the air immediately.
Ninou could hardly wait to teach her daughter. Knowing how important it was to her, he did not interfere and mainly watched and gave encouragement to Nathalie.
With this support Nathalie learned quickly and was soon able to walk.
Even if he was not directly involved in her progress, Vassily was always present to witness it.
He and Ninou did not leave the house much during that time, unless they had to go to work. One day Vassily decided to take a trip to Pleasantview's Main Street since the fridge needed filling anyway. After he bought the food he went into the coffee shop where he met Aemon, who he had not seen for a while. They greeted each other with the old college cheer.
Although Vassily enjoyed meeting a friend he realised that the cheer was only a nostalgic reference to a period of his life that had passed. He did not envy Aemon who had gotten a job in show business and was slowly moving towards the limelight. Fame was one thing that did not matter to Vassily in the least.
Back home sitting in the living room and watching Nathalie and her endeavours he was a thoroughly happy man.
When he finished his coffee he picked her up to play with her. She laughed happily, having always been just a little bit fonder of her father than her mother.
Ninou played with her a lot too, but she also made sure that she would learn everything she needed to know.
She loved the evenings when her father was there to snuggle her.
There was less opportunity to woohoo while Nathalie was small, but they enjoyed it too much to stop alltogether during that time. With careful planning some hours could be snatched from the day, which was otherwise filled with work, the care for Nathalie, eating and sleeping.
The time for privacy remained limited though and Vassily usually didn't bother to try to sleep afterwards knowing that Nathalie would usually wake up not much later, forcing him or Ninou to get out of bed anyway. Yet, with the few hours they had and although they were trying to be quiet, the sex was still as good as before and through a few tentative inquiries in the conversation with friends Vassily had come to the conclusion that their life was outstanding at least in that respect.
Nathalie was still a toddler when Ninou was getting sick again.
Ninou would have probably stayed at home longer, had she not guessed that she was pregnant again. Instead she tried to get back to work for the short time that was left before she was put on maternity leave and left Nathalie in Vassily's care who had finally managed to wring a break out of his employers. As she had hoped she was awarded with a promotion upon her return.
Nathalie was already independent enough to be left playing with her toys on her own. But Vassily took his role as her caretaker very serious, bathing, feeding and playing with her.
The day of her birthday came and Ninou, who was on maternity leave again by then carried her to her birthday cake, which they had set out early this time.
Nathalie grew up well, a skilled and clever girl.
She continued to spend a lot of time with her father, one reason being that Ninou was often tired out from the pregnancy and needed a lot of rest.
They soon realised that their house was much too small and that Nathalie needed a room of her own as much as the other child would need one in the future. They had already saved a lot of money and they used it to acquire a property that was close to their former home. The lot was much larger than the previous one and on it a spacious and comfortable house was build. The first floor contained the living room, the kitchen, a dining room, a bath and Nathalie's bedroom.
On the second floor there was another bathroom, the parents bedroom and a room that they used for all sorts of things until it would become the bedroom for the second child one day.
In style it was very much like their old house, not only because it reminded Vassily of his home town, but also because it looked friendly and inviting.
Apart from her room Nathalie really liked the garden with the swing.
Then, once again in the morning, their second child was born.
This time it was a boy. They had already decided on his name before he was born and called him Yuri.
Apart from her red hair Nathalie looked more similar to her father and Yuri was even more like him. When she returned from school she was called upstairs by her mother and introduced to her baby brother.
Ninou had not been able to reach Vassily and when he returned she learned the reason for it. During a management conference it was decided that Vassily would be appointed to the board of directors and receive a direct share in the company. Still being very young he had already reached the top of his career.
He was in fact the youngest director the company had ever had and he could not wait to tell Ninou.
But when he came into the house and found his newborn son inside all this became meaningless.
Since he was now basically heading the company, Vassily demanded that he should be free to take a holiday if he considered it necessary. In his new job he was also working less hours and was therefore able to take a big share in the care for Yuri, so that Ninou could return to work. She did it to succeed in her career as well, but some days when she came home she wished that she would be the one to come to the door with the baby in her arm.
At least she did not work late anymore and at three o' clock in the afternoon the whole family was back at home.
Nathalie was bringing back good grades right from the beginning. Much of what she was taught in school she had already learned from her parents and an A+ became normal. Although her mother would have debated it, she was a strange rather than a beautiful looking girl. She often carried a serious and slightly critical expression on her face. She was a bit different from the other children and did not have that many friends. The ones she had were very close to her though and liked her for being unique and mysterious.
Before they knew it Yuri's first birthday arrived.
It was Vassily this time who taught their child to walk. Because he had taken a bigger share when he was a baby more than because he was a boy, he showed even greater affection to his son than he did to his daughter.
Yuri showed all the signs that he would look exactly like Vassily when he grew up.
Ninou's career was not as important to her as her child and she was not willing to leave all the training to Vassily. Vassily did not mind because he enjoyed watching them just as much.
With Ninou's help he gained the skill to demand what he needed from his parents.
Vassily began with his potty training
but it was completed by Ninou.
Yuri was a very playful and active child and both parents had to participate in that respect.
Contrary to his sister who had liked to play quietly with her toys, Yuri enjoyed everything that involved physical activity and when they turned the radio on he was moving to the sound of the music. Vassily and Ninou thought that it was one of the cutest things they had ever seen.
Both children felt very comfortable in the company of their father.
Ninou felt very comfortable in the company of her husband too. Some changes had taken place in the neighbourhood which increased the pleasure they had making love even further. Generally Vassily was striving for his goals in a patient and steady manner, but when they woohoo'd he became very active and determined and Ninou liked that as well as his strong and firm body. Vassily in turn got a lot of satisfaction from satisfying Ninou and neither of them felt the need for a romance with another sim.
Shortly before Yuri's birthday they were invited to Angel's wedding. It had taken her a lot longer to complete university and in the end she did not even graduate, but Vassily had the impression that she was very happy with Marlon.
They really enjoyed the party because they had the chance to talk to some of their friends. Once Jerome and Cassandra had started having children they continued with it and it was difficult to find time for a visit. Ninou knew that because they had a toddler in the house too and did not see their friends often.
She was glad that Angel had moved to Pleasantview. She had been one of her closest friends, but after they had left university she did not see her much anymore. Angel had become very family orientated and Ninou guessed that she would have a child soon, but they would still come across each other more often.
They had put Yuri in his crib to sleep before his age transition, but now it was time to get ready and Ninou picked him up to give him a bath.
She did not regret that he was growing up although he really had been an exceptionally cute toddler. She had enjoyed training both of her children, but she did not gain as much from it as some other knowledge sims.
When Yuri was washed and dressed Ninou carried him into the living room.
The rest of the family joined her and after snuggling her son one last time Ninou bent forward and helped Yuri to blow out the candles on his birthday cake.
A few minutes later Yuri was a schoolchild.
His hair had become lighter over time and after his age transition only a red shimmer remained of its former colour. The similarity with his father was showing stronger all the time.
After a short celebration they went to Bluewater to get some clothes for him and there Vassily discovered that it was not so easy to remain faithful anymore, not even for a guy like him.
He had a conversation with Kaylynn and without thinking much about it he found himself flirting with her.
In his defense it has to be said though that some sims in the neighbourhood appeared to provoke this type of behaviour. It wasn't Kaylynn's fault either, but there was something about her that appealed to the instincts of quite a few males. It was the last time that Vassily made a move towards another woman though.
The Anderson (Shulkov) Family pt. 4
In the meantime some very appealing women had moved (back) to Pleasantview, but for Vassily it wasn't worth the trouble that it caused in the life of some friends.
He rather enjoyed the greater autonomy with his wife.
Yuri and Nathalie were very different in character, but Nathalie had already played with him a lot when he was a toddler and they were very close.
Yuri was very fond of his older sister.
Ninou helped him with his homework and taught him to study.
After he was instructed by his mother it did not take long before he got his first A+.
He put down his homework and then ran outside again to tell his father about it.
Yuri found friends very quickly but he still spent a lot of time with Nathalie.
She was seeing her friends too like Manuel Caliente, who she liked a lot (her best friend was Elise Bendett though).
But their friends had to leave in the evening, while she and her brother could continue to play with each other until it was time to go to bed.
Ninou was studying a lot because there were only a few more steps to her life goal. Since they were both working again they had to hire a nanny for a few hours a week, but usually the children were visiting their friends after school on those days.
She looked up from her book when Vassily came in. They did not socialise much at the moment because she was learning most of the evening after work, but she liked it when he was around.
She still found it amazing how their life had turned out. Vassily had really put his heart into the marriage and his family. He was solid and reliable, but there had not been one moment when he had tired or bored her.
'I'm very happy with you', she said.
'Come here, I can make you happier still', he replied and smiled at her, while pulling her down on him. They both had their day off and plenty of time in the morning.
In the evening Ninou invited some of her friends over. Friendship always suffered when there was a small child in the house and while Yuri had grown into a schoolchild in the meantime, others like Brandi would have to look after a baby in the near future.
Her friend Angel had given birth to twins recently and did not even have enough time to talk on the phone.
Lilith came over shortly after. There was another friend who was pregnant and would soon be too busy for a visit.
Gabriella also came round, but did not stay for long since she only wanted to pick up Emilio, who had visited his friend Yuri.
Vassily stayed out of the living room for most of the evening, while Ninou having a chat with Lilith and Brandi. He felt like he was only disturbing their conversation and when he joined them eventually he did not really participate in it. He was interested to hear what Lilith had to say about her life with Ben, though. Even if they had never become friends he had known him since university.
Time passed and suddenly the trees changed their colour and they were experiencing the first autumn of their life. A new skating rink had opened downtown and since it was still warm and sunny they went there with the children one Saturday.
They didn't take them to town much because usually there were no others of their age around. When they saw how much Yuri and Nathalie enjoyed the trip they decided to do more often.
When they returned they found Felipe, who had come over to visit Nathalie on the front door. Nathalie invited him inside and they spent the afternoon playing and talking to each other.
'Mom, can Felipe stay on for dinner?', Nathalie asked.
'Yes, of course but I give his parents a call then and tell them that he comes home a bit later.'
Pancakes appeared a good choice to all the children and they were at the table within a minute after Ninou had called them over.
Shortly after Ninou was rewarded for her hard work and got promoted to surgeon. When she and Vassily returned from work in the afternoon the children came running out to greet them.
Nathalie quickly turned back to her friends though. She had brought Philip back from school and Christopher Bendett had come round shortly after. He had already turned into a teenager and his sister Elise would soon grow up as well.
Nathalie spent most of the day with Philip, but in the evening she talked to Christopher about growing up and what it was like.
'I will grow up soon too', she explained to him.
'That's true Nathalie, but at the moment you are still too young to be alone in the house', Ninou said as she entered the dining room. 'Christopher, you are a big boy. Would you mind to stay on and look after her and Yuri? Vassily and I want to go to the shops, I promise we won't be away for more than two hours.'
'Yes, no problem. I didn't want to leave yet anyway.'
In fact her parents expected that Nathalie would turn into a teen together with some of her friends in winter and that wasn't far off anymore. It was one of the reasons why they wanted to go shopping, because she would need warm clothes to wear then and they couldn't be sure that she would be provided with them on her age transition.
In town they met Brandi and Maurice who had become parents to another girl. Brandi told Ninou about the baby and about her other children, who had become teenagers recently. It did not seem to her that Brandi regretted that they had grown up and Ninou was actually looking forward to it. She did not see her children as a burden, but she felt that she would really enjoy having a teen daughter. She and Vassily were still young and not even Brandi and Maurice looked aged although they had become grandparents as well as parents recently.
Later, when they were about to go to bed, Vassily looked at her and said:
'I know we have agreed to leave it at two children, but how would you feel if I changed my mind? I really would like to have another one and when I listened to Brandi and Maurice talking tonight I realised how much I want it.'
'It really means a lot to you?'
'Yes'
'Okay, can we agree that we leave it to chance and see what happens?'
'Yes, we can. Oh Ninou I'm so glad that you are not completely against the idea. It will mean that you will have to wait longer for your next promotion, but I promise that I will give you every possible support to make up for it later.'
Since Vassily was very much into the idea it did not take many attempts before he got Ninou pregnant again. She had already guessed that much when she made her offer. She knew almost straight away after it happened. Before she fell asleep she was thinking about the recent conversations with her friends. The wish for children was spreading all over the neighbourhood, but on top of that she had gathered that in most cases - with the exception of Brandi - the men had taken the initiative. Even Cassandra - who was pregnant once again - had been surprised that Jerome wanted another child so early.
Ninou soon began to feel sick although she did not have to throw up this time.
'Are you alright Ninou?', Vassily asked when he came into the bedroom and saw her holding her belly.
While he changed, she told him that she was expecting a child.
'I'm not sure yet, but I have very little doubt.'
Vassily hugged her. 'That's wonderful!'
Most sims in the neighbourhood cared very much about the environment and it was not very popular to own a car.
It was very convenient though and since it wasn't using more petrol than the taxi, they decided to buy one.
Ninou used it for quick trips into town. She wanted to go out a bit more before she would be too tired from her pregnancy. One evening she met Charlene and noted with surprise that she already had a big belly again.
When they talked about it, they had to laugh because they had both come to the same conclusion regarding the involvement of sim men in this. Wanda Tinker, who was listening to their conversation could have added her own confirmation. Stephen had begun trying for another child immediately after the birth of their second daughter.
The trees were almost bare by now. In the winter Nathalie would become a teenager and their third child would be born.