Chapter 1.6: Changes

Crux chose well. Polaris is quite pleased with her new home, though she thinks that he must have spent longer than a few seconds choosing it. Something told her that Crux had been planning for this for awhile, because the unique and colorful house fits her personality all too well.

Four bedrooms, two and a half baths. Why would he pick such a large house, Polaris wonders. She's not complaining since her last house was a bit cramped, but she wonders if Crux knows something that she doesn't.

She wanders around the house, checking for any sort of surveillance devices. The only electronic equipment is an old television, so outdated that its screen is black and white. Despite its antiquity, she checks for bugs and is relieved to find nothing. She knows it's a risk, but she leaves the house immediately after sweeping it to procure a cell phone. Crux warned her that her communicator was bugged, so she is in need of a new method of communication.

When she returns home, she hesitantly dials Luke's number. She knows she should be cautious, keep a low profile, but she feels like she needs to see him immediately. The phone rings several time before he picks up.

"Hello?"

"Luke? It's me..."

"Polly! Where have you been? I've been calling you for days, but your phone must be disconnected or something," Luke cries out on the other end, "I've been worried. I went by your house, but you weren't there. I tried to file a missing person's report, but I couldn't..."

Days, she thinks, I've been gone for a few days. She quickly thinks of a lie. "I was in Bridgeport. My aunt died. I had to go to the funeral. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you before I left."

Luke breathes a sigh of relief. "Thank god. Can I come by and see you?"

"Yeah, but...um...well, I moved to a new house. My aunt bought it for me before she died," she gives him the address and hangs up.

Luke arrives only moments later. He must have sped there. He rushes in as soon as Polaris opens the door. "You had me so worried," he whispers, pressing his lips against her forehead--a somewhat awkward action considering the amount of hairspray necessary to achieve the beehive hairstyle. He pulls away from her and looks at her face. "Wait, what happened to your face? Tell me who did this to you!" He shakes her a little, as if the answer will fall out of her.

"Calm down, Luke. I got into a fight with my cousin. You know how family reunions are," she shrugs, "it's not important. If I have it my way, I'll never see them again."

"I'm just glad you're okay," he whispers, "I don't know what I would have done if you'd never come back."

"Me neither," she replies with a contented smile. He leans in and kisses her, brushing his chapped lips against her wounded mouth. She runs her fingers through his hair, enjoying the sensation of his coarse hair on her palms. He makes her feel  safe, comforted. Warmth spreads through her, from her stomach, up her throat....

"Move," she pushes Luke away. Polaris throws open the bathroom door, leans over the toilet and heaves. Where is all of this coming from? She washes her face and rinses the sick out of her mouth before returning to Luke.

Polaris finds him examining a series of pictures she had framed and hung on the wall--one of the only objects she salvaged from her previous home. "We took these the night before you left," Luke remarks, "only a week ago. It feels like it's been much longer."

"Doesn't feel like that long to me," she replies, "umm...sorry about that. I've been sick recently."

"Maybe you're pregnant," he suggests.

"That's impossible," she scoffs, "it's probably just nerves from...my aunt's death."

"It's very possible," he replies, grabbing her hands, "we didn't really take any precautions." He looks worried.

We shouldn't need to take any precautions, she thinks, our physiology can't be that similar. This isn't Star Trek...

"Don't worry about it," she finally says, "I really doubt that I'm pregnant."

"Well then," Luke says flirtatiously, "we should celebrate." He points at her and flashes a cheesy smile.

"Well, I do believe I'm gettin' the vapors," she says coyly. She feels warmth wash over her again, nausea excluded. Magnetism quickly engulfs them, turning them into nothing more than a flurry of hands and lips. They stumble to the bedroom, both of them unsure of where to go. They don't have the muscle memory yet to walk blindly through this new house.

Somehow, the couple makes it to the bed. Polaris deftly slips out of her clothes, and Luke echoes her disrobing. As he kisses her, she can't help but think of Crux. She tries to shake his image out of her head.

"Is something wrong?" Luke asks in between kisses.

"No. Don't stop," she says. He doesn't.

***

Life continues without incident. It snows almost constantly. It shouldn't be legal for it to snow this much, Polaris grumpily thinks, this is a friggin desert. She occasionally ventures out in order to collect gems and rocks so she can sell them. Although she's free from the Hegemony, she still needs money to survive. There are worse ways to make a living.

Luke visits almost nightly. They don't talk much. Polaris doesn't know how to talk to him. She wants to be able to tell him everything--about the Hegemony and the Commander--but she has to lie constantly, and it's becoming a pain. She feels the unrelenting urge to make love to him. She is ashamed of it, but she occasionally thinks of Crux during those nightly dalliances. Still, it keeps her otherwise active mind occupied, and soothes the pain she feels in her lower back and stomach.

It soon becomes apparent why Polaris has been suffering from cramps and nausea. The realization hits her while she's waiting for Luke's nightly visit: Luke was right, she realizes, I'm pregnant. She doesn't need a pregnancy test; she can just tell. And the strange thing is that she isn't worried. Beyond the superficial question of how, she feels calm.

Serendipitously, Luke walks in the front door shortly after her realization.

"Luke, you're just in time," she says, "follow me. She leads him to the living room."You may want to sit down," Polaris warns him. Luke just looks at her blankly.

"What's going on?"

"I'm...well...Luke, I'm pregnant." He looks confused, worried, and then...happy.

"You mean--I'm going to be a father?" he asks, obviously excited, "this is unbelievable!"

"You have no idea," Polaris smiles.

"Has it been kicking? Could I feel it?"

"It's been pretty quiet, but go ahead." Luke gently places his hand on her belly. There's a slight kick, barely perceptible, but Luke jumps back as if a kangaroo had kicked him.

"A baby...we're going to have a baby?"

"Yes, we've established that."

"What are we going to name it?" he asks. Polaris is stunned for a moment. She forgot that she would have to name it.

"Um...I haven't thought of anything. What do you think?"

"Luke Junior!" He exclaims.

"What if it's a girl?"

"Luke can be a girl's name," he protests, "and if you're having twins, they can be Luke and Luke."

"Please don't say I'm going to have twins! You'll curse me," Polaris cries. She suddenly feels superstitious, despite all her scientific knowledge.

"You're not going to have twins. I promise," he smiles, "and I promise to support you. I'm not going to be a deadbeat dad."

"How are you going to do that, Luke? I mean, I'm not trying to be snobby or anything, but you're a musician. Besides, I've been doing pretty well recently. Maybe I'll support you."

"I've got this, Polly. I'll bring home the bacon. I just need to set some stuff up with the band," he promises. Polaris looks skeptical, but Luke seems unaware--he's on cloud nine, and his mind is reeling with visions of a happy life with a wife and kids, the sort of suburban bliss he had always shunned.

***

Luke still visits Polly every night, but he spends a lot more time talking about the baby and less time romancing. They set up a nursery, though it's a little bare. "We'll spruce it up later," Luke promises, noticing Polaris's dismay, "when we have more money."

Polaris begins to swell up, her stomach expanding to an almost cartoonish size. She alternates between large bursts of energy during which she wants to clean and tiring moments of entropy. Luke finds her watching tv in such an entropic state on a particularly lazy night. She looks worried.

"What's wrong, babe?" Luke asks. He too seems anxious.

"Oh...I was watching the news and there was some report about how there have been a rash of arsons across Simnation. Someone has been burning down abandoned warehouses. There are reports from Bridgeport, Twinbrook, Moonlight Falls, and Sunset Valley."

"So?" Luke didn't mean to sound so blunt.

"It's just kind of scary. I've noticed...well, this sort of thing has been happening a lot recently. Fires and explosions and stuff," she replies.

Luke laughs and drops onto the couch, leaning against the armrest. He motions for her to join him. Polaris shifts onto the couch, laying her head in his lap. The couch cushions part to accommodate her growing belly.

"We don't live in a warehouse, Polly," he reassures her, "we'll be fine."

"We? So you're finally going to move in?"

"That's what I came to talk to you about," he hesitates, "I have a great opportunity."

"An opportunity? Why does that sound ominous?"She shifts again, settling on his lap.

"Well..."

"Just spit it out, Luke," she snaps.

"My band finally signed with a label. We're going on tour."

"When?" she tries to sound calm.

"We leave next week."

"Next week, Luke? Next week?!" she glares at him like he's an idiot, "I'm due in a month!"

"Polly, please! I'm getting a lot of money for this up front. We need money. Your collecting isn't enough."

"But you were doing fine here," she insists, "why are you leaving?!"

"I'm doing this for you! I want to make you comfortable, and I want the baby to have everything it needs," he explains. Polaris feels anxiety run through her, like electricity jolting through her bones. She jumps up from the couch and paces.

"I can't do this alone," she pleads, "I need you here."

"Polly, you can go to a hospital," he stands up to meet her eyes, "I don't know why you want to avoid it."

"I can't, I told you that! I can't go to a hospital. Please believe me!" She is practically shrieking at this point. Luke covers his ears.

"Polly, this is the right thing to do. Trust me," he begs, "I only want to make you happy."

"Fuck this," Polaris turns away, "I'm sleepy anyway." Luke grabs her around the waist, placing his hand on her breast. She covers his hands with hers. Calm momentarily washes over her--it's amazing how his touch can influence her like that.

"Don't go to bed angry. I might be gone for the birth, but I'll come back in a couple of months and help you raise our child."

"Leave," Polaris says, tired, "I'm going to bed. Come back tomorrow and we'll talk about it."

"Are you still angry? I won't leave if you're angry."

"No," her answer is honest, "just tired. I'll be angry tomorrow."

Luke leaves with a tender kiss and another plea for understanding. She changes into her pajamas and sits on the edge of the bed. Rubbing her hands on her belly, she tries to send positive thoughts to the baby.

It's just you and me, little one, she thinks, but we'll make it. Just the two of us. Your father won't be gone for that long.

True to her word, she wakes up angry the next day. But she also wakes up with the infuriating knowledge that she cannot control the actions of others.

***

The birth comes quicker than expected. Luke is only gone for a week before Polaris goes into labor. The pain is excruciating, and Polaris's screams echo throughout the empty house. I'm spawning, she panics, I'm spawning and there's no one here to help me.

"Fuck! " she wails, "I love you, little one! I've taken care of you! Why are you hurting me so much?!" She tries to regulate her breathing, but starts to hyperventilate--she's inhaling and exhaling too quickly.

"Excuse me, missy," a gnome magically pops up beside her, "I'm just headed to the kitchen." He strolls into the kitchen and rummages through the fridge. She grimaces at him.

Polaris's hyperventilation becomes even more violent. Fantastic, she thinks, I'm spawning, and there is no one here to help me, and now I'm hallucinating that there is a terrible gnome creature in my house.

It feels like hours, but Polaris finally gives birth--it's a surprisingly clean birth, free of feces and goop and even an umbilical  cord. Polaris holds her newly born son close to her. "Solaris," she whispers, "I'll call you Solaris." All is calm.

Well, all is calm for a brief moment. Polaris begins to feel a sharp pain once more. "I'm having twins?!" she screams, "Luke lied to me, the bastard!" She quickly waddles to the nursery and deposits Solaris in his crib. More pushing, and more pain, but her second little one is successfully brought into the world.

A girl--a teal-skinned, bright-eyed girl. "Luna," Polaris says, "I was hoping you would look more human, for your sake." Looking around, Polaris decides to take her to the master bedroom and place her on the bed until she can get another crib. Polaris rushes back to the nursery to check on Solaris when she succumbs to sharp pains yet again. "Triplets?!" she screams, "You have to be fucking kidding me."

 

It was true: triplets. Two girls and one boy. "Elysia," Polaris gasps, tired from the birth, "Elysia. I hope you're the last one, no offense." Elysia winks knowingly. Polaris returns to the bedroom, places Elysia on the bed with her sister and adjourns herself to the hallway. "I'll be back, my tiny offspring. Momma has to make a call about this disaster."

Polaris dials Luke's number. It rings. And rings. And rings. Finally, someone picks up.

"Geoffrey Golding speaking," a strange voice says.

"Geoffrey? I thought this was Luke's number..."

"It is. Luke is practicing right now. I'm his manager."

"Well, get him. I need to speak with him."

"I can't do that."

"Listen buddy, I just spawned and Luke needs to know about his three new children--three!"

"Spawned?" the man sounds confused. Polaris pauses as she tries to remember the correct nomenclature.

"Gave birth, whatever. Just get Luke."

"I'm afraid I can't, Miss..."

"Bee. As in the thing that stings," she cringes at her choice of words. That sounded much more threatening in her head.

"Miss Bee. That's right--Luke told me about you. I will inform him as soon as practice is over," Geoffrey hangs up without another word. Polaris seethes momentarily before collecting her wits and making a second call to a furniture store.

Polaris has the nursery renovated in a matter of hours--she has to admit that Luke's up-front tour money came in real handy. She also orders a small bed along with two new cribs and a plethora of new toys. This is a room for four now, and Polaris has a feeling she won't see much of the outside world for a while.

"There--now you don't have to roll around on mommy's bed, my little monster," she coos to Elysia as she places her in the crib, "I'm going to take good care of you and the rest of the litter." She yawns.

"I'll take care of you after the doctor-recommended eight hours of sleep," she promises as she pulls back the sheets of the single bed. She falls asleep as soon as her head hits the pillow.

Screaming--an unnaturally shrill, high-pitched screaming. It shakes Polaris awake. What's making that god-awful noise, Polaris wonders as she rolls out of bed. She's only been asleep for twenty minutes. Luna is wailing. Like clockwork, Elysia begins to scream, then Solaris starts screeching. It's a choir of shrieking infants. This does not bode well.

***

David Bowie--Changes

Author's Note: Hey guys, guess what happens when you have your pregnant sim listen to kid's music and watch children's television at the same time?

I did want twins, but I did not expect triplets. I was pleasantly surprised that I had mixed-gender triplets, though (I've never had mixed-gender multiples). So, to explain their names: the boy is named Solaris, which means "of the sun" in Latin. He was initially going to be "Sol" (sun) but that made me think of two acronyms: "shit outta luck" and "Satellite of Love." I also like that Solaris rhymes with Polaris. The teal girl is Luna, which is Latin for "moon" and the youngest girl is Elysia, which means "heaven" in Latin. 

Quick clarification about cash flow: Polaris is the sole earner for the household, as per the random legacy rules, but she earns a ridonkulous amount of money for someone who just picks up rocks off the ground. Thus, I decided to say that Luke sends her money from his lucrative new gig. It makes a bit more sense that way.

I wanted to leave you all with a gift of sorts as a thanks for reading (and I also feel very guilty that I have not finished reading some of your blogs). I know sim babies are super-boring looking and I've already played the game up to the their first birthday, so I took a family picture of Polly and the triplets. It gives some hints as to what the next chapter will be like: