Ch. 1.1 Welcome to Presley family


Annika Presley had just moved to this new town. She didn't own that much anything, just her guitar, clothes and maybe just enough money to manage. She used to leave in a whole different world but decided that now, at the start of young adulthood, was good time to change the scenery. Annika had been raised by her grandparents,  she didn't even remember her own parents as they had died when she was just a baby. The life had been good with the grandparents but they had passed away just some days before her turning young adult. She missed them but felt that staying in the same city would only make matters worse, there she would always be the girl who lost her parents - and now her grandparents. She needed new start and this felt like a place to do it. She was scared but determined to start her new life, her adult life.

She had always loved music and playing guitar was something that she learned easily. As were other things too, whatever she decided to set her mind to, she learned fast.


The park was one of her favourite places where she used to come to play her guitar. She had a home lot in this town but it was much nicer in the park, and naturally you don't meet anyone if you just stay at home. One of her days at the park she noticed again the same guy who had been listening to her playing several times. She blushed and smiled at the guy who - she couldn't believe it - smiled back at her. After she had finished the guy walked over to her and introduced himself as Hugh Saldivar.

"Annika Presley", she heard herself say with slightly shaking voice.
"Let's sit down here", Hugh pointed at the bench, "I have been listening you to play and it sounds really good. I really like to listen when someone plays, I don't play much myself though. Where did you learn to play so well?"
Annika smiled nervously, Hugh seemed to be so confident, just the opposite of how she felt. She was glad he was though, she liked something about the guy and his smile - oh, that was something that she could just watch all day. Annika mumbled something about learning just by playing and stared at her feet. Then she almost jumped when Hugh took her hand.

"You are really pretty and sweet" Hugh said with friendly smile, "no need to be so nervous around me. I'm not that scary, am I?"
Annika laughed, not nervously this time,  looked at Hugh's eyes and suddenly it felt like someone had lifted the bench up from the ground.


Hugh leaned closer still watching her eyes and Annika shivered as his hand touched her arm. Then the whole world stopped when his lips touched hers, for a moment she froze but then she relaxed, leaned closer and realized she was answering to Hugh's kiss. Her body had to have a will of its own, certainly the reaction wasn't something she had consciously decided but it felt so good that she definitely didn't mind. And in a next second she wasn't thinking anything else than Hugh's hand on her arm, other on her back and his lips on hers.


The days passed, Annika was working on his career as well as Hugh with his and they met whenever possible. Annika had started a career on entertaining business, thinking that the guitar skill would come to use there. She wasn't sure if it was the right career path for her but as she had never thought what her career would be, she had decided to try this one, for now at least. The only problem was that her working hours were the opposite of Hugh's who worked as a journalist. One day Hugh had confessed to her that he would prefer the entertainer career but not with the music branch, his thing was making people laugh. Annika had told him that he would probably be very good at it. Hugh radiated the right charisma, had the right amount of healthy self esteem and she had never yet witnessed a situation where he would have been left speechless.

It didn't took long before they realized that there was nothing more they wanted than living together, maybe even the rest of their life, no matter how scary and final that decision would be. It was pretty summer day when they changed their vows in the same park they had met.


There was just one, minor, little detail. When Annika had said "home lot", she certainly had meant a lot, not a house. And now was the first time ever that Hugh couldn't find anything to say at first.

"So... you... live... here", he started, "how... why... how this never came up?".
Annika smiled reassuringly, "I have been living here nicely until now, the weather here seems to be sunny all the time so what do you need a roof and walls for?"
"How about some privacy? How about some security for our baby?", he glanced at her round belly but despite him being almost angry about this surprise, his glance was tender and he smiled nevertheless. He couldn't help it, if this was where they would live, then it would be and if Annika was here, he would be here too, no matter what. But there was one question still.

"Why?" he simply managed to say.
"I wanted a place where my family would live for a long without any need to move. This is so big that we, our children, grand-children and their children many generations after them can build here their dream house. After making the purchase I realized that I don't have enough money to build even walls here, I just bought things that I need."
Hugh sighed, "You mean, you bought bed, toilet and grill? How about shower, chair, tables...?"
"I have been showering at the gym, I can sit on the bed and there are tables at the park if you need one", Annika looked dreamily over the lot, "and look at the view."

Hugh looked at Annika with a crooked smile, "yes, view, who wants a real house when you can have this view."
Annika jumped to hug him, she was relieved that things had worked out this well.
Completely missing Hugh's sarcasm she replied "I knew you would like it too!"
Hugh sighed and hugged her back. What could he do? He loved Annika so much that he knew there wasn't much choice.


The next days included eating at the park - with a table -, working and saving money to build up a house.


They spend a lot of their time also in the library. It was free place to skill, relax and use the toilet.
Annika was suddenly making a noice that made Hugh glance from his book.
"What's wrong?" he asked concerned.
"I just...", she swallowed, "am not feeling that well".
"Maybe you should go home and rest a bit?", Hugh suggested.
"I will just finish this and then I will", Annika replied rubbing her stomach. It would have been easier to have computer at home where she could lie down whenever she felt like it.


They had finally bought their own toilet, it was too much to go the town just to use the toilet. There were even couple walls to give you some privacy. Annika decided to plant some flowers around it as well, to make things nicer. Also she thought that they could sell some flowers to earn a little extra money.


One day Annika was making hot dogs when she felt a pain that made her scream.


"Are you saying the baby is coming now?!?I thought we would have walls by then when it arrives! We can't raise the baby here. Who can grow up on a lot with just toilet, bed and grill?! It will be bullied at the school for this! It will crawl to the grill and burn itself! We will be worst parents ever! The child care will took our baby away!", Hugh shouted all at one go, he was down right panicking and wasn't being his usual self at all. But who would, in a situation like this?


"Calm down and come to see your daughter", Annika just said.
Hugh's yelling and panicking stopped right there, "my... daughter... I have a daughter? Like a real sim being?"
Annika laughed softly, "that's what usually happens when you give birth."




The new born was named Greta and she lived her first days indeed without walls. She didn't mind though, she was one sunny baby.


As Hugh was a journalist, he used quite some time writing. Articles of course but recently he had started on writing books. First ones were children books but quite soon he tested his skill on more difficult ones. The first ones had to be self-published and didn't bring in much, just some tens of simoleons but when he got better and wrote longer, more complicated books, he started receiving some descent royalties and could even sell the books for real publisher. This was of course possible only because they finally had been able to afford a computer. It was either the computer or couple walls and they decided on computer - for now at least as the weather showed no intention to change.


The flowers Annika had planted had grown up and were blooming. She was finally able to harvest them and she was also able to bring some more money for the household. The money was indeed tight, the lower end jobs they both had didn't bring in much. The flowers and the books were a real life safer, maybe even literally.


On Greta's birthday they were finally able to afford a small house with real walls, roof over them, toilet and even small kitchen.


Yes it wasn't much but Hugh sighed with relief, Greta was able to walk soon and the walls around them made him feel safer.


"Mummy, I vuw you", she said as she wondered to the garden looking for her mother.
Annika smiled, "that's sweet, little one."
"Cookie?", Greta asked tilting her head.
This made Annika laugh, the toddler was smart, "let's get you something to eat but not cookies, yet".


By the time Annika was pregnant for the second time they were able to extend the house a bit with some paint and real flooring.
"Gweta's little bwother bwoke Gweta's doll house", Greta said angrily.
"He couldn't have, he is in mum's belly still", Annika replied.
"Gweta knows he was it, Gweta saw him", Greta continued stubbornly.
Annika sighed, "are you quite sure it wasn't you who broke the doll house?" This was a mistake she realised as she soon had howling toddler in her hands screaming her lungs out.
"Gweta didn't, Gweta didn't! Gweta very sa-aaaa-aaaaad!!!!"

Moments like this made Annika wonder if they had been too quick on trying for a second baby. Soon they would have both toddler and a baby in their hands. They had decided that they would manage without a nanny or day care as long as possible and were taking it in turns to stay at home when their hours overlapped. The days would be good for skilling too as with a day (or evening in Annika's case) at work and a toddler home demanding attention would mean that they would just work from a day to another without any hope of getting promoted. What would be the point? Work with low salary and miss your child's best (or worst) years? They had a house now so there wasn't any real hurry to anywhere.


When Annika gave birth for the second time, Hugh didn't panic at all. The life was well and both of them welcomed little baby boy for their family. The little guy was named Nickolas.


"Daddy-y-y-y! Who is this?" Greta yelled to her father.
"Nickolas is your little brother", he answered from the kitchen.
"Why I has a little bwother?", she asked.
"So you would have someone to play with", Hugh replied.
"Gu-gu", Nickolas said at this point.
Greta watched him in horror, "he can't speak, he is stupid, I don't like him! I DON'T WANT HI-I-I-IM! Make him move awayyyyyyyy!"
"Nickolas is part of our family and will stay here, you better get used to it", Hugh replied and as he had predicted, he soon heard ear piercing whaling. He sighed, what on earth had happened to their sunny baby? This one seemed to be a real devil.

Nickolas didn't mind, as soon as he managed to stand still, or at least almost, he started walking. He was determined to get forward as fast as possible. He didn't have time to listen to his sister.


Of course the life wasn't just screaming and running toddlers, it was also those precious moments when you briefly thought that the kids were totally worth it. Reading a book while having the toddlers' undivided attention was definitely one of them.
"I know why rabbits have so looooong teeth", Greta pointed out while listening to a tale of a rabbit, "they have to eat soooo much carrots and they can't if they don't have long teeth."
"Wabbit, cawwot", Nickolas replied.
"Mum, Nickolas is stupid", Greta said seriously.
"No, he isn't stupid", Annika replied, "he is younger than you", Greta was close to her second birthday so the difference between the two kids was clear.
"I could speak before he did", Greta wasn't going to let this go, "he learns never. Greta not stupid, Nickolas is."
Annika smiled gently on both of them, as much as she loved both, Greta had a point. Greta had learned to speak when she was younger than Nickolas was now. She wondered if she should be worried but decided not to, as long as Nickolas learned to speak before he grew up, it should be fine.


When Greta grew up, she knew right away what she wanted to do. She would be the best at school, she would try and learn everything she could and when she was adult, she would have much bigger house than this! She was convinced that studying was a way to achieve that.




Soon the days were filled with usual activities with her age. Her favourite thing was the little lab she had gotten as birthday present. Greta liked to test different things on it and when she figured out something, she quickly wrote it down and continued the tests. Soon she had some potions for other sims to try. Her parents was forbidden her to try them on other kids but since when have the kids paid much attention to what their parents say?

She also occasionally spend some time drawing but even better she liked listening to the music. Annika liked to see her daughter as interested about the music like she had always been. Finally someone to share the interest.

They also visited the park as a family every now and then. Greta wasn't very social kid but she recognized some kids from her school and was always ready to play with them. Terry Tam was one who quickly became her friend.

Their house also got second renovation and enlargement. It was expanded more and now had two actual bedrooms, one for kids and one for the parents. Nothing fancy but just enough for their family.


Meanwhile Nickolas was... keeping himself busy as he wasn't let in the pirate ship.


Then the family grew up again - this time with a cat.



Nougat was soon everyone's favourite, especially the kids were totally in love with it.


Annika and Hugh realized that Greta had actually been quite easy toddler. Nickolas somehow managed to be everywhere. Just look away for a second and he probably was splashing the toilet, or his favourite - rummaging through the kitchen cupboards spreading everything on the floor. And when you had organized everything back in and turned your back - you can guess what happened.


In middle of this chaotic life both Annika and Hugh decided to change careers. Annika really wasn't sure what she would like to do and the entertainer career had started to wheel boring. The skills needed weren't really the ones that interested her much. She realized that she would actually like something more demanding, something concrete to do and something that she could use her interests about gardening, logical thinking and handcrafting. She didn't know how she hadn't thought this sooner but when she realized it, she knew it was the only choice, a job to retire from. She wanted to be a scientist. Her first days at work were of course chaotic, like they usually are when you have too many things to learn but she loved it from the very first minute. There wasn't anything like using the giant microscope for example. And finally she could analyze the plant samples she had been collecting!

Hugh listened Annika's excited stories about her work and he too confessed that he had been hoping to change career too. He had never been that much into writing actually he had told  Annika when they first met. He still wanted to entertain people, make them laugh but that job meant evening hours. So he hadn't brought this up while Annika too was working evening hours as they didn't want to leave their kids for a nanny. But now was the perfect timing for him to change career too. The hours would overlap a bit but only couple hours and they both agreed that it was ok to hire a nanny for that time. Besides the kids were getting bigger and could manage couple hours themselves if really needed.


When Nickolas grew up he calmed down a bit but was still more interested about playing on the playground than studying like her sister did. But as they went to the same school and had the same friends, they too became friends.



"I was just going to get up and get dressed and go to school when mum came to our room and threatened to turn my bed over if I don't get up RIGHT now, phew!", Nickolas complained, the mornings weren't his best time, "what was that about, as if I wouldn't get up."
"I know, she told me too that I was spending too much time in the toilet", Greta replied, "how easy would it be to get a second bathroom? I just ask."

There is nothing that makes you good friends with your brother better than complaining about your parents.

Thanks for reading!







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