1.10: The Rampart Boys

“That’s my boy,” Camron murmured as he placed a soft kiss to Leo’s forehead.  ‘That’s my good boy.  All changed.”  Leo giggled and gave a soft coo.

Just as he lay Leonidas in his basinet, his twin brother let out a little cry.  Camron grinned.  “Right on time, Ricki,” he murmured.  He changed Alaric’s diaper, and held him close to his chest for a little cuddle as well.

It was Mulan’s first day back to work after the twins were born, so it was just him and the boys until Yoshi got home from school.  The last couple weeks, Camron had become pretty good at juggling the boys’ needs.  It was a challenge that was for sure.  He and Mulan had thought they were prepared after Yoshi.  Having twins was a whole different ballgame, though.  Luckily, the boys made it a bit easier by trying to keep pretty regular schedules.  Once one needed something, the other was often right behind.

Camron always waited for Yoshi to get home from school, and get his homework done so he could spend a bit of time with his oldest.

Once he checked on the twins and made sure they were sleeping peacefully, he’d go for a short jog around the neighborhood before Mulan would get home.

Yoshi knew if there was anything wrong, all he had to do was either yell out the door since Camron never went far or give him a call on his cell.  He never had to.  Normally, Camron would get back home in time to shower real quick before his wife would arrive home.  They’d catch up and spend a few moments together.

Mulan would change and then it was her turn to look after the boys.  She did enjoy the time with them, especially breastfeeding.  There was just something about it, that bond with her babies.

Once Alaric and Leonidas were seen to, she and Yoshi would sit down to watch some cartoons.  He’d often be snacking on some leftovers.  Today, it was pancakes.  “How was school, baby?”

“Good,” he answered.  “A little boring at parts.  I’m not so into the math class, but our art class was great!  And next week, we’re learning how to do shading!”

“Oh really?” Mulan asked.  “That’s wonderful baby!”  Her son was a quick study, but art was his passion.  He’d begun to really be interested in music, too.  “I got a call from your music teacher, baby.  She had some wonderful things to say about you.”

“Oh she did?”  Yoshi blushed.

“Yes she did.  She wants you to take lessons.  And when you’re a bit older, she thinks you’d do wonderfully with the guitar.”

He seemed to think about that.  “I think that’d be really cool!”

Mulan laughed.  “Well then, it’s settled.”  She pulled him to her.  “I love you, Yoshi.”

“I love you, too, mama.”


“Hey Papa, how come I can’t hold them?” Yoshi asked, looking up at his dad.

“Because they’re delicate, son.  Not that we don’t trust you, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.  Don’t worry, when you come home from school, they’ll be big enough for you to play with.”

Yoshi leaned over his little brother Alaric’s bassinet.  “Hey there.  It’s just your big brother, Yoshi,” he told the infant.  “When you get bigger, we’re gonna be able to play all sorts of games!”  Camron chuckled.  Yoshi was good with the boys, though he chafed a bit at the fact that he couldn’t even hold them.

“Oop, I hear the bus, son.  Best get going,” Camron murmured.

Yoshi dashed out, calling over his shoulder, “Bye dad!  See you after school!  Bye Rickie, bye Leo!”

Camron smiled after his oldest son, then went to his youngest give him a bottle.  He had certainly lucked out in the child department.  He couldn’t imagine a better kid than Yoshi and even the twins, despite the constant fatigue of keeping up with two newborns, Camron realized it could be a lot worse.  Yoshi certainly made things much easier on Mulan and himself.

Wolf: Yeah, you got real lucky.  Yoshi’s a sweetheart.  I know some families where the term ‘sibling rivalry’ is a gross understatement.

Camron grimaced.  “I don’t see that happening.  Yoshi seems enamored of his brothers.  And I would assume twins would be pretty close, wouldn’t you think?”

Wolf:  Yeah, I’d think so.  Though you Sims… anyway, no point in worrying about it until you get there, right?

“Exactly.”  Camron gave a sharp nod.  He just didn’t see his boys having any kind of issues like that.

Wolf: Sounds like Mulan is up.  You guys ready?

“Ready as we’ll ever be to see our children grow up,” Camron answered softly.

Mulan came into the nursery and smiled at her husband, though she gave a distinct sniffle.  “C-can’t believe it’s that time already.  Time seems to be flying by.”

Linking hands, the two approached the bassinets.  “Go ahead, Wolf,” Mulan murmured.  She and Camron stepped to the side as the twins’ bassinets began to shake and then their two boys did quite the acrobatics, sparkles filling the air.

The two boys looked at their parents, then at each other and burst out laughing.  They both ran to the dresser to don their own style and fix their hair.  Leo went first since he was the older of the two (by a whole two minutes, as Alaric was quick to point out).  He liked a bit slicker look, being a bit more conscious of appearance than either Yoshi or Alaric, with an outgoing personality.

Alaric went in more for comfort than style.  He took after his mother, being quite the geek, though rather than being a history geek like she was, he was enamored of science fiction.  Already, he had the itch to play video games and watch all the sci-fi shows he could.

In fact, the first thing he asked his dad after getting his clothing and hair sorted out, was what was on.

Leo’s first order of business was to head straight outside to go take a swing on the monkey bars.

“Where’d the boys all get to?” Mulan asked.  She’d just been cleaning up the house a bit and hadn’t seen the boys in a few hours, since they’d sorted themselves out.

Camron was getting ready for work.  “Pretty sure they’re up with Yoshi in his room.  Once he got home from school, that’s where they disappeared to.  That and he brought home his little friend Olivia.”

“Ah, ok.  I’ll just go run up and check on everyone, see if they want any snacks or anything,” Mulan murmured.  Indeed, that’s where Mulan found all three of her boys and Yoshi’s friend Olivia Spencer-Kim-Lewis, in the twin’s room

Mulan walked in, grinning.  “Hey kids.  How’s everyone?”

“Heya Mom!” Alaric exclaimed.  “Guess what’s on tonight?!  SimFirefly!”

“Geek,” Leo snickered, though it wasn’t malicious as he read one of his new textbooks.  He wanted to be ready for school in the morning.

“Yup and proud of it,” Alaric retorted, grinning widely.

Mulan laughed.  “That’s nice sweetheart.  Well, when you kids get hungry, there’s some snacks and juice in the fridge, ok?”

“Ok mom!”  “Ok, Mrs. Rampart!”

Mulan went downstairs to see her husband off to work.  She gave him a hug and a kiss, then watched him leave, a soft smile on her lips.  She could hardly believe it.  Her kids were growing so fast.  Time just seemed to march on.  Such was the way of things, though.  Still, seeing her boys run around together and joke and josh each other tickled her to no end.  She sat on the couch, contemplating the turn of events of her life.  Maybe she was grateful to Wolf after all.

Wolf: I should hope so.  Her Watcher’s voice was teasing.  I really do have your best interests at heart, you know.

“Yes, I’m starting to see that maybe you actually do.  Thank you, Wolf.  For choosing me.”

Wolf: You’re welcome, Mulan.  Don’t worry, we’re not close to done yet.  You have plenty of time.

“Yes we do.”


1.09: Welcome to the Family

So this one isn’t quite as long as I’d like it to be.  But I wanted to end on a certain point.  So sorry for slight lack of content, but hopefully next week, I’ll have a longer update ^^

“Hey Mama!  How you feeling today?” Yoshi asked as he passed his mother in the hallway.

“I’m ok, baby.  Little sore yet.  I was just coming up to check on you.  You want some breakfast?  Your Papa is making some French Toast now.”  Camron had just gotten home from work a couple hours ago.  He enjoyed making breakfast for the family before he went to bed for the day.

“Woo!” Yoshi exclaimed.  “I love French Toast.  Dad makes the best, hands down!”

Mulan laughed and ruffled her son’s hair.  “Yes, yes he does.  Your Mama can handle eggs and toast, but that’s about it.  That’s why your daddy is the cook in the family.”

Her son giggled and nodded.  “Yeah, I know Mama.”  His mama was amazing and could do a lot of different things, but cooking wasn’t her strong suite.  “How’s the baby, Mama?  Can I touch them?”

“Of course you can, baby.  You don’t need to ask me ya know.”

“I know, but I like to,” he said with a smile.  He put his hands to his mother’s stomach.  “Hey in there.  It’s almost time for you to come out.  I can’t wait to play with you.  I’ll be the bestest big brother ever!”

Tears pricked at the corners of Mulan’s eyes.  Oh, how had she gotten so lucky with such a sweet boy as Yoshi?  She couldn’t help the sniffle that escaped.  Yoshi looked up at her, concerned.  “Mama?  Are you crying?  Is something wrong?”

She let out a little laugh.  “Oh not at all, baby.  Everything is perfect.  Sorry, your Mama is being silly.  I’m just so happy, baby.  I love you.”

Yoshi smiled up sweetly at her.  “I love you too, Mama.”  Mulan leaned down to give him a hard hug.

She kissed the top of her son’s head.  Yoshi looked up at her, grinning.  “I’m gonna get dressed, get some of that French Toast, then go out and play!”

“Sounds like a plan, baby.”

He scampered off, Mulan watching after him with grin and those tears of happiness in her eyes.


“Hey son, how was your breakfast?”

Yoshi looked up from the computer game he’d been playing after he’d finished his breakfast.  He grinned at his dad.  “It was great!”

Camron grinned.  Done with his game, Yoshi leapt up and ran outside to the monkey bars that his parents had had installed not long ago to give him someplace to get out some of his energy.

Wolf: Having fun there, champ?

“You bet, Wolf!  Watch this!”  He proceeded to show off for his Watcher as he raced across the monkey bars.

Mulan changed her clothes, preparing to sit down to do some work on her computer.  But she just stared at it for a long moment.

Wolf: Wow.  I uh… hope that doesn’t mean what I think it means…

“What?  What are you talking about?” Mulan asked.  “Look, I know I’m huge.  I feel as big as two whales, already.  I don’t need your commentary on it, alright?”

Wolf: Right… yeah, forgot, hormonal pregnant woman.  Sorry, Mulan.  I didn’t mean anything by it.  Just that… since the last patch there have been a-  Wolf’s voice trailed off as she began to mumble to herself, something about patches and some kind of a chance sky-rocketing.  The truth was, Mulan wasn’t in any shape to decipher her Watcher’s ramblings.  She had so much work to do and no mental capacity with which to do it.

Camron was working on preparing some spaghetti for dinner that night.  He liked getting a lot of the prep work done first.  Mulan joined him at the island, letting out a sigh.

He looked at her.  “You look done in, love.  When I go to sleep, you should come and join me for some shut eye.”

Mulan nodded.  “That sounds like a good idea to me.  I’m beat.  I wasn’t this bad with Yoshi, I don’t think, was I?”

“At times, but you seem to be more tired this time around.”  He came around the island and stood next to her stool.  He pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead.  “I’ll finish preparing the sauce, then we can head to bed, ok?”

Mulan nodded gratefully.  She was ready for this pregnancy to be over.  It was true that she didn’t mind being pregnant, but the constant energy drain this time around was difficult on her.  That, and she wanted to hold her baby.  “Would you check on Yoshi before you come to bed?”

“Of course.”  Camron threw on some clothes so he could go out to let Yoshi know that they were going to lay down for a bit.  “Your mom’s pretty today, but she said she’d be up in a few hours so if you wanna go to the park, she said she’d take you.”

Yoshi grinned at Camron.  “That’s great dad!”

Camron ruffled his son’s hair, then went to join his wife.

Mulan felt like she had only just managed to close her eyes when she felt something give way inside her.  She sucked in a breath and stood up.  That’s when the pain began.  She was in labor!  But she wasn’t due yet!  This was too early!  She let out a yell as a particularly bad contraction ripped through her.

That woke Camron up and he was in quite a panic.  “Mulan!  What is it?!”

“I’m in labor!” she snarled.

“What!?  But it’s too early!” he exclaimed, clapping his hands to his head.

“No kidding!” she snarled, then let out a wail.  “B-but it doesn’t seem to matter!  The baby is coming!”  Camron panicked.  He had no idea what to do.

After she let out another cry, Camron took a deep breath.  “Should we go to the hospital?”

“N-no.  Don’t think I’d make it.  I-I’m going to go to the nursery.”  Still letting out a short scream every few moments, Mulan toddled her way to the nursery.

Upstairs, Yoshi was looking at the giant stuffed dragon his parents had gotten for him.  He hugged the big dragon.  “Dad says Mom’s having the baby now,” he whispered to his friend.  “S-she’s doing a lot of screaming.”

She was, indeed, doing a lot of screaming.  She stood beside the bassinet that had been taken from storage, alternating between moans and full out screams.

After a few hours of labor, Mulan felt the pressure ease considerably and in a shower of sparkles, Leonidas Rampart was born!

Except… well, no sooner had she settled little Leo into his bassinet than she felt another contraction!  “CAMRON!” she screamed.  “There’s another one!  ANOTHER ONE!”

After another couple hours of labor, Mulan could lay little Alaric Rampart next to his twin brother.

Mulan could only stare for a long moment.  Twins… she’d been carrying twins!  No wonder she’d been so tired.  She had been carrying two the entire time!

Wolf: Yup, knew it because of the last patch.

“What are you talking about?”

Wolf: Eh, it’s not important.  Congratulations, dear.  They are beautiful boys, regardless.  And hey, at least you got it all done in one go, right?

Mulan said nothing to that, afraid what might come out of her mouth at that moment.  But looking at her two boys, a tender smile crossed her face.

Welcome to the world, Leonidas and Alaric Rampart!


1.08: Great News and a Good Life

Before she told her son about the fact that he was going to become a big brother, Mulan figured it would be better to let her husband know that he was going to be a father again.  But according to the clock, it would be a bit before he was home.  Feeling sleepy, she curled up on her bed to take a nap so she’d be plenty rested by the time her husband, then son came home.  But as tired as she was, she slept right through her alarm.

That’s how Camron found her when he got home, still curled up on their bed, cute little snores issuing from her mouth.  He smiled tenderly and sat on the edge of the bed, turning his head to watch her sleep.

After a moment, he couldn’t help himself.  He scooted up and leaned down to gently press a kiss to her cheek.  Her eyes fluttered open.  “Oh, Camron!  I-I didn’t mean to sleep this long!”  She sat up and went to stand.  But Camron grabbed her hand and pulled her back down.  He crawled over his side of the bed so that he was sitting next to her.  He greeted her properly with a kiss.

Then Mulan lay her head against his shoulder.  “Hi,” she greeted, grinning.

“Hello, my lovely wife.  Tired, love?”

She nodded, then she sat upright!  “Oh!  I have something wonderful to tell you!”

“Oh?  Do tell.”

“Camron, I’m pregnant again!”

His smile disappeared and he sat there in stunned shock.  “Wait, what?!”

Wolf: Pregnant, you know, what happens when a man and a woman-

“I know what pregnant means!” he snapped at Wolf before turning his attention back to Mulan.  “You’re pregnant again?  You’re sure?”

She nodded eagerly.  “I’m positive.  Took the test twice.”

He stood up for a moment, Mulan doing the same, frowning.  She had thought he’d be ecstatic about the news, but at the moment, he just seemed shocked.  She reached a hand out to put it on his shoulder, but he turned and pulled her into a gentle embrace.  “We’re gonna have another baby!” he murmured breathlessly.

“Yeah, yeah we are,” she replied, swallowing back tears of joy.

He put her at arms’ length and gently brushed a hand over her cheek, his eyes tender.  “I love you, so much.”

She hugged him tightly.  “I love you too.  So you’re happy?”

“Of course I am!  Sorry, just a bit of a shock, that’s all.”  He smiled widely.  “Can’t wait to meet our newest little one!”

As Mulan opened her mouth to reply, they both heard the door open then close and Yoshi’s voice rang out in the house.  Mulan swallowed and looked at Camron.  “D-do you think Yoshi will be as excited to hear about a little brother or sister?”

Camron smiled, unworried.  “Let’s find out.”  He called out for his son to join them in their room.

Yoshi came bouncing in, smiling at his mother and father.  “Mama, Papa!  I drew some great pictures in school!”  He ran to Mulan and gave her a big hug.

“That’s great baby!  C’mere, sit next to your Mama.”  Mulan sat down as Camron helped their son scramble up onto the bed next to her.

“What’s going on?” the boy asked.

Mulan looked up at Camron for a moment; he just smiled down at the both of them, looking so proud.  Mulan smiled back and then turned back to Yoshi.  “Well, baby.  Your father and I wanted to share some great news with you.”  She swallowed.  “You’re going to be a big brother, baby.  Your Mama’s gonna have a baby.”

Yoshi’s eyes went wide.  “A baby!?  Really, Mama?”

Mulan nodded.  “Yup, really.  You’re going to be a big brother.”

“That’s so cool, Mom!  Will I have a little brother or little sister?” he asked, looking really excited.  Mulan was such a proud Mama at the moment.  She couldn’t believe she’d been worried.  Yoshi was such a sweet boy.

He cuddled to her side.  “I’m gonna be the bestest big brother, mama!”

“Yes you will,” she murmured softly, holding him close.  Camron looked on, smiling proudly at his family.


Wolf smiled down at them.  It was time to make some more room for them.  Yoshi had been sleeping in what was the nursery, but now it was time to give him his own room and then make room for his new sibling.  So as the family settled in for the day, Wolf went about her work.  The Keep (as she called it) got a second story.

There was a hallway and two bedrooms that were connected by a jack and jill bathroom.

Wolf looked at her handiwork.  They were ready at least.  She turned her attention back to the family.  Camron was helping Yoshi with his homework by telling a story so that Yoshi could write it down and ask questions about it.

Wolf: Hey guys, c’mon upstairs, Yoshi.  Got a surprise for you.

“Ooo!” he exclaimed, jumping up.  “A surprise?  Really?”

Wolf: You bet. C’mon.

The boy pounded up the steps and ran into the room Wolf told him to do and found a room with his bed in it, as well as a giant stuffed dragon and an activity table, just for him.

He leapt at the little desk and began to create immediately.  Wolf smiled.  Good.


“That went well,” Camron murmured as he stared at his wife across the chess table.

“Yes, yes it did.  I don’t know why I was so worried,” Mulan replied.  “Our Yoshi’s such a good boy.  Such a sweet boy.”

“That he is.  That he is.  Are you hungry?”

“I am actually, want to make me a parfait?”

“Coming right up, gorgeous.”  Mulan ate her parfait happily, positively glowing even as she and Yoshi sat down and watched TV.


Time passed fairly quickly for the little family.  Mulan showed more and more each day.  “Ugh, my back is killing me,” she complained as she sat at her desk, trying to write.  Yoshi was upstairs, in bed already.  She wanted to take the time to get a bit ahead of some of her work.  Though she had some time off saved up, she didn’t want to waste it yet.

Wolf: Not surprising there, dear.  You uh- are carrying at least another person in there.  Bound to create some aches and pains.

“You’re the Watcher, can’t you do something about that?”

Wolf: How about no?  Don’t think you want me messing with any kind of coding… it would just end badly.

Mulan thought about that a moment.  “Yeah, you’re right.  That would end terribly.”  She turned back to her computer, situating herself so she was at least a little more comfortably and then she began to write.  It seemed to help because before she knew it, it was time for Camron to come home.  She changed out of her pajamas and had decided to watch a bit of TV when he came home.  He swaggered in wearing a white Chef’s coat.  He greeted his wife by grabbing her hand and pulling her close, then pressed his lips to the knuckles of the hand he held.

Then he claimed her lips for a steamy kiss.

After he released her, he immediately leaned down to begin talking to her belly.  “Hey little one.  Guess who got a promotion?  Guess who’s a Line Cook now?  Yup, that’s right, Daddy’s a Line Cook now!”

Mulan’s eyes widened.  “Wait, you got the promotion!?”

He smiled up at her and winked.  “You bet.  Like my shiny new coat?  I’m so close, baby.  So close to getting put where I want to be.  The boss says that in a few days, there might be an opening at the bar.  Where I really wanna be.”

“That’s wonderful, Camron!  I’m so happy for you!”  He kissed her again.  “I’m going to go and change.  What ya planning to watch?”

“Thought we could watch a movie together.  Sound good?”

He smiled as he disappeared into the bedroom for a moment.  “Sound great.”  Mulan sat down, grinning from ear to ear.

Camron came out in street clothes, sitting down.  Mulan curled up against him, but a sharp twinge in her back had her grimacing.  “Hurtin’ babe?”

“Yeah, it’s worse this time than it was with Yoshi,” she murmured, trying to shift around.

“Here, let’s see if this helps.”  He turned her around and then began to dig his fingers gently into her shoulders and neck, then down her back.

She let out a few moans and then curled up against him.  She fell asleep about a quarter way through the movie.  Camron just smiled tenderly down at her, kissed the top of her head and let the movie play.


1.07: New Life

Mulan looked at her precious little boy for a long moment.  Then she brought him close to her chest.  “My baby boy,” she murmured softly, her voice thick with emotion.

Camron opened the door and peeked in.  His jaw dropped and his eyes went wide as he watched his life cradling that little bundle in her arms.  A baby…  Their baby.

Wolf: Your son.  Her voice was gentle and even proud.  That’s your son, Camron.  Go on, go to your wife, your little boy.

He approached slowly, reverently as Mulan gently lay Yoshi down into his bassinet.  She turned to her husband, tears in her eyes and a warm smile on her face.  “C-can I hold him?” Camron asked his voice cracking.

“Of course,” Mulan murmured, stepping back so Camron could get his first real look at his son.  “Isn’t he beautiful, Camron?”

He could only nod lamely, at a loss for words.  He wasn’t sure how long he looked down at the little baby before he found himself reaching tenderly into the bassinet.  Part of him was terrified; how could anything that small be alive?  Oh sure, he’d seen babies before but it was a whole different thing when that baby was your own small little son.  Yet looking down at that sweet little face made his heart melt.

The uncertainties that he hadn’t really been aware of seemed to evaporate as his son giggled and grinned up at his father.  “Hey little man,” Camron murmured, his voice cracking.  “I’m your daddy.  I’m your daddy little one.”

Mulan watched, having to swallow past the lump in her throat as Camron brought Yoshi up to his chest and held him securely there.  “I’m gonna look after you and your mom.  You’re gonna grow up, find someone just like your mom too.”

He lay his son back into his bassinet and then went to his wife.  He took her hands in his and looked her straight in the eyes.  “Thank you,” he murmured.  “Thank you for my son and for being mine.”  He pulled her to him and hugged her tightly.

“I love you, Camron,” she whispered.

“I love you, too Mulan.”

Wolf looked down on the two of them, smiling softly.  The little family was adorable.  She couldn’t wait to see what the future held for them.


With an infant in the house, it was important to develop a routine.  Luckily, work schedules were such that they rarely had to drop little Yoshi off at day-care because while Mulan was working, Camron was home, even if he didn’t get much sleep and vice versa.

Little Yoshi was at the center of everything.

It wasn’t a hardship, however.  Camron and Mulan loved him so.  Losing sleep was a small price to pay for their child.  While Mulan was at work, Camron would take his turn with Yoshi, feeding him from a bottle that Mulan would prepare the night before, changing him, even just cuddling with his boy.

After she got home and Camron went to work, it was Mulan’s turn with Yoshi.  She was breastfeeding and there was nothing like it in the world to her.

Just because there was a child in the picture didn’t mean that Mulan and Camron didn’t find time to just be with one another.  It was normally only an hour or two each day right after Camron woke up and before he got ready for work and after Mulan had come home from work.  They mostly sat and watched TV together, just enjoying the moment of quiet with one another.

And of course, amidst all the diaper changes, the bottle feedings, the rare occasions where Yoshi cried and cried and cried, work was being done on their home as well.  They were finally able to begin decorating.  So aside from the nursery, the kitchen and living room were finally painted and the floors were finished.

There had also been an expansion and an addition of a small entranceway.  Even the façade on the outside had been completed.

On their rare days off together, Mulan often went for a run in the morning, trying to get back down to her pre-baby weight, though it was awfully hard with Carmon’s delicious cooking.

Wolf: Hm, I wouldn’t worry so much about that if I were you.

“Why ever not?” Mulan demanded to know, though it was said with her out of breath.  She was realizing how out of shape she was.

Wolf: Oh no, reason…

Mulan frowned.  Despite having gotten used to having Wolf pipe up intermittently on a frequent basis, there will still times that she had no idea what her Watcher was up to.  It was definitely disconcerting.  “What do you know that I don’t?”

Wolf: Oh, nothing at all.  I don’t actually know anything, really.

“Forget I asked…”

Wolf: You got it.

“No wait… ya know, just never mind.”


Time seemed to have flown by.  And before they were even close to ready, their baby boy was no longer a baby.

In fact, he was a bright boy and quite self-assured.  He wanted to dabble in the arts, so Mulan and Camron happily bought him an activity table.

Yoshi was a good boy.  He came home from school and began his homework right away.  When Mulan would ask if he needed help, he’d grin up at her.  “Nah, I got it, Mom.  It’s pretty easy.”

About the time he’d finish with his homework, Camron would get up and then he’d get to spend time with his dad before Camron had to go to work.

He spent his time before school with his mom, telling her all about how he couldn’t wait to get to school since their music class would be getting to play instruments.

He scampered off to go get dressed, then dashed out the door.  Mulan waved after him.  She got up, feeling a bit queasy.  She’d been feeling a bit unwell the last couple days.  Luckily, she had today off.  She planned on going to the library for a bit of peace and quiet before Camron woke up.  But only a few minutes after her arrival and sitting down at one of the computers, that queasiness became full blown nausea and something actually started to come up.

Luckily, she made it to the bathroom before she was sick.  She barely made it home before she fell down into her bed.  After a few hours of sleep, she was feeling much better.  But she had her suspicions.  And sure enough… after going to her medicine cabinet and pulling out a pregnancy test, the + sign on the stick looked up at her.  Mulan was pregnant again.

Wolf: I told ya.  Feelin’ better?

“Wait, you knew!?  Why didn’t you tell me!?” Mulan demanded.

Wolf: Well, I didn’t know for sure.  But then again, you and Camron have been fairly… uh, well, busy of late.  It was bound to happen, after all.

Poor Mulan didn’t really have anything to say to that.  What could she say?  It was true.  Despite their opposite schedules, she can Camron tended to find time for one another.  She smiled.  Camron would be ecstatic.  They had talked about having another child.  They thought Yoshi needed a sibling.  But as she thought that, her smile faded.  Yoshi had had all their attention since he’d been born.  How would he react to the news of a sibling?  She looked at the clock.  She supposed she would find out in a few hours…


1.06: What Every Legacy Reader Looks Forward to!

Mulan got up that morning, went about her normal routine.  As she sat down to eat breakfast, she was grinning from ear to ear.  She had something very important to tell her husband as soon as he got up.  He hadn’t gotten home until late in the night, so she’d let him sleep, but she was fit to bursting!

 

Time seemed to drag on and on.  She kept glancing at the clock on her cell phone, then she hopped on the computer, knowing that she needed to do something, or risk going batty before Camron woke up!  Before she knew it, the door to their bedroom opened and Camron wandered out, looking a bit sleepy still.  He wasn’t at his best when he first woke up.  She always thought it was rather endearing and couldn’t help the giggling.

 

“Morning, love,” he greeted her right after a yawn.  He plopped himself down in to the comfortable chair that Mulan had gotten from work.

 

“Morning,” she returned, still grinning.  She thought she was going to burst!  But she wanted to do this right.  Camron came to stand behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders and giving her a rub before he leaned down to press a kiss to the top of her head.

 

She put her hands over his, then stood up.  Taking his hands in hers, she led him to the couch and they both sat down.  “Turn on the game!  The Llamas are playing the Alpacas today!”

 

Mulan shook her head, looking solemn.  “Not yet, love.  We need to talk.”

 

“Aww, but I’ll miss the opening throw!” he pouted.

 

Mulan just grinned.  “Well, I think telling you that you’re going to be a father is a bit more important, don’t you?”  To put just the right amount of emphasis on it, she pointed down to her stomach.

 

It took a moment for Camron to process what she was saying.  After all, he’d only just woken up and he hadn’t even had any coffee yet.  Mulan watched as it suddenly dawned on him.  “Wait, are you serious!?” he exclaimed.

 

She laughed.  “Yes, I am serious.  We’re going to have a nooboo!”

 

Camron reached up to wipe a tear from his eye.  Then he took her hands in his and just looked at her.  A father.  “Did ya hear that, Wolf?  We’re gonna have a nooboo!”

 

Wolf: I did.  I surely did.  You guys are gonna be great parents.

 

Camron pulled his wife close.  He was fitting to burst with happiness.  Mulan wasn’t far behind either.  They nuzzled their cheeks against one another, neither quite able to get words out just yet, each just wanting to be with the other.

 

After a moment, Camron leaned over and whispered in her ear.  Wolf couldn’t hear what he said, but Mulan started giggling.  “Yeah, we won’t tell her.”

 

Wolf: Hey!  No secrets!

 

The two burst out laughing.  “Don’t worry, Wolf.  It’s nothing bad,” Mulan assured her.  “We’re just very excited.  We hope there’s twins!”

 

Wolf: Ack!  Don’t you put that out there!  Not right now!  It’s true, you guys are doing fairly well, but still… twins could bankrupt you at this point!

 

The two giggled some more.  They were on cloud 9 and nothing Wolf said was going to burst that cloud.  Wolf was happy for them, really.  If the nooboo ended up being two nooboos, they’d just deal with it.

 

*****

 

Mulan began to show pretty rapidly.  She wasn’t even at the second trimester mark yet and it was more than apparent that she was expecting.  She was beginning to wonder if she really was carrying twins!  Maybe even triplets… though she kept that one to herself.  As much as she wanted a large family, the thought of having triplets right off the bat made her exceedingly nervous.

 

She and Camron had made enough money of late that they were able to add on a small office that was going to double as the nursery for now.  It wasn’t anything spectacular, but bills were going to be due soon enough so they had to be careful.

 

Camron tried to talk Mulan into taking some time off work immediately, but she insisted that they couldn’t afford it.  Besides, she enjoyed her job.  Despite the nausea, she headed to work after one of her long weekends.

 

Of course, once she came home, she may have regretted that decision…  She’d been pretty ill most of the day.

 

But Camron had just gotten up.  He came out to her and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek and offered to make her a cup of tea to help settle her stomach.

 

Despite working late nights, Camron did whatever he could so that Mulan didn’t have to.  He was often pretty tired because of it, but he wouldn’t have changed it for the world.  He loved Mulan with all his heart and he wanted to make sure she was healthy.  Her and their nooboo.  He was fascinated with her belly and could often be found feeling it and talking to the little one inside there.  “I’m your Daddy there precious.  Your Mama and I can’t wait to meet you.”

 

Mulan thought it was adorable.  What she didn’t think was adorable, however, was how big she really got.  By the time her third trimester hit, she felt like a beached whale and she was sure she looked the part, too.

 

As she climbed into bed with Camron after a long day at work, she groaned.  “Is it time yet?  I’m so tired of being pregnant… I want to be able to see my feet again!”

 

Camron turned over so he could face her.  “I know, baby.  I know.  Soon.  Soon.”  He caressed her cheek.

 

Mulan smiled.  “You always know what to say.”  They snuggled up together.  Camron had a little while before he had to go to work yet and they enjoyed the time together.  But an hour or so later, Mulan had to get up.

 

“You ok, love?”

 

“J-just uncomfortable,” she muttered, though there was quite a pressure building in her abdomen.  Camron got up with her, intending to give her a message when Mulan let out a scream.  She looked at her husband, her eyes wide.  “M-my water just broke!” she whispered, a hint of panic in there.  Her face contorted in pain as a contraction hit.

 

Now, they had practiced for this.  But all that practice went right out of Camron’s head.  As Mulan let out another cry, he stood there, waving his arms about.  “Breath!” he kept yelling.  He remembered that much from the coaching classes.  But that seemed to be all he remembered…

 

“Camron!” Mulan snarled.  “I’m breathing already!”

 

Camron knew the better part of valor and retreated as far away as possible.  He would only be in the way.  Mulan seemed to have it under control.

 

Indeed, she did.  Though she felt like she was being ripped open, Mulan seemed to know what she was doing.  She went into the nursery where she could be alone.  She huffed, and puffed, and screamed some more.

 

Then with an explosion of sparkles and a blessed cessation of pain, little Yoshitune Rampart made his appearance in the world.  Welcome little Yoshi Rampart.


 

1.05: Say Hello to Mr. and Mrs. Rampart

Author’s Note: Apologies for the delay in a reply guys.  NaNoWriMo has started with vengeance, though I surprised myself today by writing a whopping 6400 words for the first day, so I’m super psyched.  I definitely plan on updating this story from time to time, but honestly, it probably will only be once a week or so, unless I really need a break from my novel.  I hope you guys enjoy and if anyone has any questions about Nano, don’t hesitate to ask!

Camron had a plate of food in front of him as he sat in the nice armchair that Mulan had gotten as a reward from her job.  “Hey love?” he asked, looking over toward her.  “Where do you think we should get married?”

 

Before Mulan could voice her opinion, there was a decided interruption.

Wolf: Don’t you guys worry about that.  I’ll take care of that.

“Hey!” Mulan objected, “don’t we get a say in where we get married?”

Wolf: What better place than getting married at the park where the love of your life proposed to you, hm?

“Oh… well, then.  Yes, I guess that works,” Mulan muttered sheepishly, grinning over at Camron.

He returned it, then looked at his watch.  “You have to leave for work soon, don’t ya babe?”

Mulan sighed.  “Yeah, I do.”

Wolf: Good, Camron and I will have a surprise for you when you get home, dear.  So enjoy work.

Mulan froze; she had been going to stand up.  Now she was halfway out of the desk chair, halfway not.  “I… should I be scared by this?”

Wolf: *laughs evilly* I don’t know, should you be?

Camron rolled his eyes.  “C’mon Wolf.”  He went to his fiancé.  “Don’t worry, it’s a good surprise, ok.  Just enjoy your day at work.”  Mulan gave him a tender kiss, then leaned close to whisper something into his ear.  He laughed.  “Hm, I’ll hold you to that.  Go on now, I’ll make sure Wolf behave herself.”

Wolf: Hey!  I behave myself… really… I do… Ok, ok.  Don’t worry, you’ll like it, I promise.

Mulan left, leaving Camron alone with Wolf.  “Ok, so I’ll just go over here, ok?  It won’t take long, right?”

Wolf: Not so you’d notice, she muttered.

The next thing Camron knew, the lot had been transformed a bit.  His eyes widened.  “Whoa!  That was fast!”  He and Mulan finally had a house… of sorts.

 

Camron frowned a little.  “No paint, or windows?”

Wolf: How many times do we have to go over this?  Your prices here are ridiculous!  So now, there’s no paint, no windows.  And I don’t want to hear anything about the fact that the house looks like a construction zone.  As you guys make more money, we’ll decorate more, alright?

Camron held up his hand.  “Ok, ok.  Yeesh.  Sorry I said anything.”  He put his hand on the doorknob tentatively and opened it up.  He was actually pleasantly surprised.  There was an actual kitchen at the back of the house, complete with fridge, stove, the counters that he’d gotten from work.  Even the coffee pot he’d won at a raffle there sat on one of the counters.  Mulan’s desk and computer sat to the right of the door and just as they entered, there was an actual couch with a coffee table and TV.  Camron explored the two doors, one on each side.  One was their bedroom with just the bed there, the other was their bathroom which now had a sink, which was nice.

 

Camron settled down in front of the TV.  He hadn’t gotten to see a game in a while.  “Not bad at all,” he murmured.


 

 

By the time Mulan came home from work, she was exhausted.  It had been a very trying day.  When she got home, she froze, afraid she had come to the wrong place at first.  She looked around, bleary-eyed and confused.

 

“Uh, Wolf?” she called tentatively.

Wolf: Yes, this is the surprise.  You have a house now.  I know, it needs paint and windows, but this is what ya got for now, until we get a bit more money.  But first, take a shower, then go to bed.  You looked wrecked.

Mulan just nodded dumbly.  She couldn’t quite appreciate their new house just yet.  She had barely gotten out of the shower when she passed out on the way to bed!

 

Camron froze on the couch.  “I-is she ok?”

Wolf: Yeah, give her a moment.  Yup, there she goes.  Huh… I’m pretty sure she’s sleep walking at this point.  Let her get a bit of sleep, she’ll be fine.  It’s time for you to head to work anyway, Camron.  Don’t worry, I’ll look after Mulan.

He left, albeit reluctantly.  He wasn’t sure about leaving his future wife with just Wolf, but he didn’t think the Watcher had any ill intentions for Mulan.  She WAS the founder, after all.  That got him to thinking.  He was only the founder’s spouse.  Did that mean…

Wolf: Oh stop!  I get too attached to you guys to really hurt you.  Don’t worry, you and Mulan are completely safe, I promise.  Now, get a move on!


 

 

The next few days went fairly well.  It was certainly a relief to Mulan and Camron to have walls around them and a roof over their head.  Camron practiced his cooking skills…

 

He’d bring Mulan some of his pancakes.  They were quite good and they both seemed to love them.

 

When they weren’t at work or working on skills for work, they enjoyed spending some quality time together watching a little TV.  Mulan wasn’t much for sports, but she enjoyed watching Camron’s reactions during the games.  He wasn’t a very volatile man… until it came to sports that is.  Then he spent a lot of time with his head in his hands.

 

But something about this side of Camron brought out Mulan’s competitive nature and she liked to root for the team that was planning against Camron’s.  It made for some interesting nights.

 

They were both doing fairly well in their chosen careers as well.  Mulan received a few nice pieces to decorate their walls with and Camron was given a very nice island set, plus a sink.

 

Mulan was also becoming quite the handy-woman around the house as well.  Because Camron tended to work such late shifts, when something broke, Mulan fixed it.  Things like the computer and the stove were difficult, but she managed to do it without getting shocked.

 

When household chores weren’t being done, they did what a couple waiting for their wedding often did… made out at every opportunity.

 

They spent every moment that they possibly could together in fact.  Whether eating, or just enjoying what time they had together.


 

 

Finally, it was time for their big day.  One of the reasons the house hadn’t been decorated inside yet was because Camron wanted to give Mulan a real wedding.  It was true that she wouldn’t mind eloping.  But he wanted more than that for her.  She deserved a real wedding and he was bound and determined to give it her.  So on a balmy Wednesday evening, with both of them having that night and the next off, they dressed in their finery and went to the park.  Wolf had been as good as her word about making sure everything was in readiness for the big day.  There was a wedding arch complete with a full complement of chairs, a bar and kitchen area for a caterer and mixologist to use, and of course, there was just the gorgeous scenery of the park itself.

They stood under the arch next to the little pond.  Camron held Mulan’s hands within his own as he looked into her eyes.  There they exchanged their vows.

 

Camron went first.  “I swear that for the rest of my life, I will do everything in my power to make you happy, Mulan Rampart.  I will raise our children with you, grow old with you, be your best friend until Grim sees fit to take me away.”

Mulan had to wipe away a couple tears as she spoke her vows.  “I swear that for the rest of my life, I will be your best friend, I will share all the hurts, and all the good things in life, raise our children, and grow old with you until Grim or high water.”

Then it was time for them to share their first kiss as man and wife.

 

As Mulan moved off to get their slice of wedding cake to share, she turned and blew her new husband a kiss.  He caught it, a perfectly sappy expression on his face.

 

They shared their first piece of cake together and then they packaged it up to freeze for later.

 

Then it was time for home.  Here is a picture of Mr. and Mrs. Rampart discussing something very important to a legacy.  The readers will most likely be able to tell what it is.  But that’s for next time!

 

Congratulations Mulan and Camron!

1.04: An Unforgettable Date in the Park

Mulan sat on her bed, reading.  Camron was next to her, munching on a bit of scrambled eggs and toast.  He’d have to leave for work soon.  He was still working the late shift at the diner.  “Our next day off, we should go on a date,” Camron said, chewing his food thoughtfully.

 

“A date?” Mulan looked up from her book, an intrigued expression on her face.  “Yeah, I like that idea.  You have tomorrow night off right?  I have tomorrow off and won’t have to go in until 10 am.  Will tomorrow night work?”

He grinned and stood up, nodding.  “You bet.”

Mulan stood up, too.  She gave Camron a hug and a quick kiss.  He lingered, not heading to work quite yet.  He brought his hand up to gently brush the backs of his fingers over her cheek.  “You’re so beautiful, ya know that?  Inside and out.”

 

Her heart melted on the spot; she had to swallow past the lump in her throat as moisture pricked the corner of her eyes.  He always seemed to know what to say.  She was the writer of the two of them, but Camron was definitely no slouch when it came to words and how to use them.  Before she could think of a coherent reply, he kissed her cheek and headed off to work.  She watched him leave, sighing softly.  Unable to stop grinning, Mulan sat at her computer to work on her latest novel.


 

The next morning, Camron came home to find Mulan already getting up.  He grinned at her, just drinking her in.

 

“Morning beautiful,” he murmured.

“Hey handsome,” she returned.  They were in one another’s arms in an instant, kissing tenderly.

 

“That’s quite the welcome home,” he murmured in her ear after the kiss ended, though he still held her in his arms.

The corners of her mouth turned up in a grin.  “I stayed up so we could go to bed together.  Do you mind?”

“What kind of a man would I be if I said no to that?  Especially after such a welcome, hm?” he asked, pretending to take a little nip at the tip of her nose.  “Besides, I’d like to see you try to get away from me after we lay down.”  Mulan laughed.  Camron changed and the two of them hopped into bed.

 

Mid-afternoon saw them both dressed.  While Mulan worked on a few household chores (namely, cleaning their toilet and shower), Camron prepared a bit of food.

 

After he found Mulan fixing the sink that sprang a leak-

 

Camron shook his head.  “I could have done that, love.”

Mulan shrugged.  “It didn’t take me long.”

He just chuckled, taking one of her hands in his.  “Alright.  Are you ready to leave then?”

 

She nodded.  “So, where are we going for our date?” she asked him curiously.  He hadn’t been very forthcoming with the details.  She was trying hard not to act like a kid at Christmas, trying to pry his secret from him, but it was difficult.

It was only made more so when he grinned and winked at her.  “You’ll find out when we get there.”  He took her hand in his.  “C’mon, I think a nice walk will do us both good.”  Mulan succumbed to the excitement of looking forward to whatever surprise that Camron had concocted and she squeezed his hand as they strolled out into the neighborhood.

As they walked, Mulan rested her head on Camron’s shoulder.  She let out a sigh.  “It’s a beautiful evening, isn’t it?”

“Hm?” he murmured.  His attention had been on her.  He looked around a bit.  “Yeah, yeah it is.”  The truth was, he was nervous.  He was amazed his hands weren’t bathed with sweat.  The object in his pocket felt heavy.  He was so lost in thought that he barely spoke until they reached Magnolia Blossom Park in the center of town.  “Here we are,” he murmured.

Mulan was intrigued.  She hadn’t explored much of the town, certainly not the park.  It was a pretty place, with a peaceful air at this time in the evening.

 

“It’s beautiful here,” she breathed.  Camron swallowed and had to let out a quick breath before leading her to a bench.

“Why don’t we have a seat here, just take it all in for a minute, huh?”

Mulan was only too happy to comply, following after him.  She sat down next to him, looking into his eyes.  “Thank you.  It’s nice to get away from home for a bit.  This was a great idea.”

 

He grinned.  “Yeah, I thought so,” he teased.  “Thought we could both use a bit of time out, getting some fresh air.”  He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.  He pressed a soft kiss to her hair.  “Hey, why don’t we go check out the fountain?”

Her brow furrowed.  “The fountain?”  Her eyes narrowed a bit and she shifted to really look at him for a moment.

 

“What are you up to?” she asked suspiciously as he helped her up.

“Just this.”  He pulled her to him, twirled her around a bit and then dipped her down, his lips over hers.

 

Fireworks exploded in Mulan’s brain at the kiss and her toes curled up.  It was a darn good thing that Camron had a secure hold on her because she very much doubted her legs would have been able to hold her.  When Camron righted her, she leaned against him for a long moment, trying to catch her breath.  “W-wow,” was all she could say.

Camron grinned and pressed a kiss to her forehead.  “I’ll take that as a compliment,” he murmured.  Slowly, he led her to the fountain.  She still seemed dazed because when he released her hand, she stood there, swaying on her feet a bit.

 

Wolf: That must have been one brilliant kiss, there Camron.

“Whoa!  Crimeny, Wolf… must you do that?” he grumbled out of the side of his mouth, hoping Mulan wasn’t hearing this.  “Thought you said you were gonna be scarce for a while.  You promised!”

Wolf: Relax, relax.  Just wanted to compliment you on your choice of venue.  I’ll leave ya alone now.  Go get ‘er, tiger!

Camron had to let loose another breath.  Oh boy…

Steeling himself and slipping his hand into his pocket, he fingered the little box that resided in there.  He felt Mulan’s presence right next to him.  Pulling in another quick breath, he turned around and got down on knee, something hidden in his hands.

 

Mulan could only stare at him, stupefied for a moment.  Her brain wasn’t quite registering what she was seeing yet.  “Mulan Rampart,” Camron murmured, looking up into her eyes.  “It has been my honor to share the last few weeks with you.  I want to share the rest of our lives together.”  He had to gulp in air quickly.  “W-would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

 

“O-oh, Camron,” she whispered, her voice cracking even as tears gathered in the corners of her eyes.  She had automatically brought a hand up to her chest in surprise and shock.

 

“I love you, Mulan.  Make me the happiest man in the world and say yes.”

 

“Yes,” she whispered.  “Of course, yes!”

Camron slid the ring onto her finger, his own hands barely able to hold steady.  Mulan held her hand up, admiring it as it flashed on her finger.

 

Then she threw her arms around him and the next thing he knew, she’d leapt straight into his arms.  He held her and just gazed into her eyes, lost in their cool blue depths.  “I love you, Mulan.”

“I love you, too, Camron.”

“Are you ready to build that legacy now?”

“With you?  Of course.”

“Let’s go home, then.”  Camron refused to put Mulan down; he insisted upon carrying her all the way home.

Wolf: *lips curl into a grin* Thatta boy.  She was proud of her Sims.

1.03: Things Looking Up

Mulan motioned him to follow her.  “Are you hungry?  I actually was able to afford a counter and a stove.”

Camron tilted his head.  “Nice.”  He was feeling a little leery.  But he liked Mulan, a lot.  He watched her cut up the ingredients for a simple salad.  “I could eat.”  He gave her a smile.  “You- uh, wanted to talk?”

 

She nodded.  “But first, let’s eat.  Hope you don’t mind salad.”  She handed him the bowl before he could protest and then she led him to the only real seat on her lot: her bed.  He shrugged and followed her.  They sat down and ate in silence for a moment.

“Good salad,” Camron commented.  “I like the dressing.”  He almost hit his forehead with the heel of his palm.  ‘What an idiot’, he thought to himself.  He was really anxious to know what she wanted to talk about.  He hoped it was something good.  He hadn’t handled things well so far.  But the truth was: he was nervous and he wasn’t at all sure of himself.  Mulan was beautiful and smart and funny.  What did she see in a guy like him?  He had begun to think that she hadn’t wanted to hang out with him because his prospects weren’t so good.  Even finding out she hadn’t wanted to hang out because she was embarrassed hadn’t silenced his inner critic.

Mulan grinned.  “Thanks.  Figured to make something simple.  I uh… burned the last batch of grilled I tried to make.”

He laughed.  She took his empty bowl from him and set it on the only surface she had: her desk.  He stood up, his hands unsure what to do.  Mulan went to him.  “Camron,” she said solemnly.  “I wanted to apologize.  I’m really sorry about everything.  I should have been honest from the get-go with you.  I was embarrassed, though.  I didn’t expect to have so little when I came here.  I-“  She paused and sucked in a breath.  “I didn’t want you to think less of me.”

He stopped her with a hug.

 

Putting her at arm’s length, he shook his head.  “Mulan, none of that matters to me.”  His gaze went off to the side.  “Truth be told, you deserve better than me.  I’m an orphan with very little prospects.  I’m sleeping on someone’s couch.  I can’t even give you what you have here.  And I know what you were used to-“

He was interrupted by the fact that Mulan took a step forward and her lips touched his!

 

She stepped back and just looked at him.  He stood there in shock for a long moment.

 

“Camron,” she said softly, taking his hands in hers.  “I really like you… a lot.  I left home because I needed to get out on my own.  Yeah, this is different than what I’m used to, but that’s ok.  And honestly, I don’t expect you to give me anything.  What I’m looking for in a partner is just that: a partner.  Can we… start over?  Or maybe, just go from here?  Take it further?”

 

He didn’t say anything; he just pulled her into a hug.

 

Mulan rested her head on his shoulder, letting out a soft sigh.  Then they separated and she gave him a mischievous grin.  “Now, I know you are sleeping on your friend’s couch.  There, you have a roof over your head.  How about making different arrangements?  Sleeping under the stars isn’t so bad,” she murmured.  She looked sideways at him and raised her arms, as if presenting her bed to him.  “What do you think?  Think you could deal with switching accommodations?”

 

“Wait, are you asking me to come and live with you?”  There was incredulousness in his voice.

“I do believe I am,” she murmured, just looking at him.  He couldn’t tell what she was thinking.  Those beautiful blue eyes were almost enigmatic.

He swallowed.  “Yes.  Yes, I’ll come and live with you.”

It seemed to shock her.  “Wait, you will?”

“Yes, I will.”

Mulan began to dance a little, waving her arms in the air in excitement.  “We’re going to live together!”

Her enthusiasm was catching and Camron found himself waving his hands up and down with her.  “We’re going to live together!” he echoed.

 

There was another hug, this one a bit longer.

 

They separated and just stood there for a moment.  They were going to live together.  It was taking a little while for it to sink in, for both of them.

Wolf: Well, this is sweet!  I was hoping you’d come to your senses, Mulan.

Camron just about jumped out of his skin, spinning around.  “Who said that!?”

Mulan winced.  “Oh boy… Hey, I thought you weren’t going to interfere!”

Wolf: I won’t, but that doesn’t mean I can’t still talk to you, now does it?

Camron just stared at Mulan.  “Um… Mulan, h-honey?  What’s going on?”

“That was… Wolf.  She’s- our Watcher.”  She held up her hands.  “I know, I know.  It sounds crazy.  But it’s true.  Apparently, I was lucky enough to be chosen as a legacy founder.  I-I… is this a deal breaker?  Because me being a legacy founder has nothing to do with me asking you to move in.  I really like you and-“

“Whoa, whoa, slow down,” he murmured.  “It’s ok.  I believe you.  Y-you really want to make a family with me?  A legacy?”

She nodded.  “Eventually, yes.  When we’re both ready.  A-are you interested?”

He nodded slowly, his face breaking into a wide smile.  “I am.”  Mulan let out a whoop then began to hop up and down, giddy as a school girl.


 

Mulan and Camron settled into a nice little routine in the following days.  Camron worked at a local restaurant as an assistant dishwasher, but he was already on the fast track to moving up.  He had been taking some online culinary classes.  So while Mulan worked on writing (she had moved up to where she was actually writing her own books; she’d even self-published a couple), Camron practiced his cooking.

 

He often worked till 1 am or later, and Mulan would already be in bed.  Camron would crawl in next to her, smile at her sleeping form, then let himself drop into sleep.

 

They’d both wake up together; Mulan always had a kiss for him.

 

He’d pull her to him; he just loved to hold her in his arms.  “I love you, Mulan,” he’d murmur, nuzzling his cheek over hers.  Mulan would murmur back, her eyes alight with happiness.

 

Wolf looked down on them, smiling.  Yes, things were going very well for the two of them and it made the Watcher very happy.

1.02: The Woes of a Legacy Founder

Wolf: House?  Mulan, you had $1800.  That’s not a whole lot, especially for you Sims!  Your prices are nuts!  Just be glad you have a bed, a toilet, and a shower.

“Not even a fridge!?”

Wolf: Not quite enough for that yet.  But you have work tomorrow, so should have more than enough to get ya a fridge.

It was a rough night for Mulan.  Though Wolf had splurged a bit on the bed, the fact that she had no roof over her head was definitely a worry, especially for someone like her that had grown up in what almost amounted to a castle.

 

The next morning, wondering if she’d made a mistake by coming to Willow Creek, Mulan went out into the town again.  She needed food and had been so out of it, she’d just left without taking a shower.  So she found herself in front of the gym first.  And boy was she not happy…

 

After a shower, she ran down the street to the bar to grab a bowl of their stale, over-salted chips.  She ate with her head down definitely not in the mood for any kind of socialization.

 

After the less than satisfying ‘breakfast’, Mulan was feeling only marginally better.  She looked down at her watch and let out a yelp.  She was going to be late for work!  Panicking at the thought, she sped out of the bar and ran down the street.

 

Her first day of work was a whirlwind.  She was promoted that very night, no longer a simple Writing Assistant.  She was a Blogger.  And a blogger needed a computer, right?  So that computer that the add promised came home with her and she had made enough money to buy a cheap fridge and a desk and chair.  Immediately, she typed in her SimsMessenger screenname and password, logging on.  No one on her buddy list was on.  Disappointed, she shrugged and pulled up a game of Blickblock.

 

Wolf: You should totally call up that cutie Camron.  Invite him over.

“Invite him over?  Are you insane?!  My bed, shower, desk, and refrigerator are all out on the middle of my lawn!  I don’t even have a house!  There is no way I can invite him over!”

Wolf: What about that J guy?  He’s cute too, though I don’t know how he’d be for a husband…

“Husband!?” Mulan sputtered through an incoherent dribble of words.  “Just what is going on here?!”

Wolf: Wait, did I forget to mention all that?  You, my dear Mulan, are a Legacy founder.  I’m sure you’ve heard of that, right?

There was no answer.  Mulan just sat there, her jaw hanging open.

Wolf: Hm… perhaps I should have been more clear…  You ok, Mulan?  What’s that noise you’re making?

It was something between a gasp and trying to yell.  But nothing was actually coming out.  Finally, she just smacked her forehead down on the desk.  “Don’t tell me, I don’t want to know!  I have heard of these legacies… but I always thought they were a myth.  Look, I’ll do this on one condition: let me do it in my own time, my own way, ok?  I’ll do the best I can, follow whatever rules you have, but I get to pick my own guy and in my own time.  We clear on that?”

There was silence for a moment.  Wolf: Alright, you got a deal then.  But I make no promises about later generations.  If they start to stray, I’m putting the ka-bosh on that.

“Fair enough.”

And so, Mulan was left in some relative peace.  She played her game some more until her stomach rumbled.  She grabbed a bowl of cereal and sat on her bed, complementing this ‘deal’ she had made.

 

Once she had eaten, she made a note to herself that she needed a sink and a garbage can as soon as she could afford them.  Her refrigerator and the desk and chair had taken all the money she had made the day before.  She set the bowl down on her desk and hopped back on her computer.  As she brought up the word processor to possibly begin writing a story idea that had begun to pop into her head, there was a message.

 

Cowboy Sunrise82: Hey, this is Mulan, right?  Mulan Rampart?

WarriorWoman124: Um, yeah… this is.  Who’s this?

Cowboy Sunrise82: It’s Camron!  Sorry, I know this must seem a bit stalkerish… I looked you up through your phone number.  You don’t mind, do you?

WarriorWoman124: Oh wow!  No, that’s fine.  I forgot you could do that.  How are you?

Cowboy Sunrise82: I’m doing well.

Once again, Mulan lost herself in conversation with Camron.  But eventually, she was falling asleep at the keyboard.  ‘Sorry, Camron, I gotta get some sleep,’ she wrote.  ‘I’ll talk to you later, ok?’  She signed off and stood up, grinning.  She was still grinning as she climbed into bed.

The next morning, Mulan woke up later than normal.  It was her day off, after all.  So she decided to just laze about in bed for a bit longer.  The fact that she was still in the middle of a field didn’t seem to faze her as much this morning.

 

She finally roused herself and stretched.  Some inspiration struck her and she hopped on the computer to finish that story she had started the day before.  It was a children’s story based on the stories that her parents had always told her as a child.  Of course, she altered it just a bit.  It had always annoyed her to no end how the hero of a story was always the man and he had to rescue the ‘damsel’.  And so, the Warrior Princess was born.  Before she knew it, she was done!  She printed it out to go back and reread it, then settled on her bed to read through it.

 

She was fairly happy with it.  But she hopped back onto her computer in order to make a few changes.  As she did so, a message window popped up.  She frowned at the screen.  It wasn’t Camron’s screenname this time.

 

LadiesMan58: Hello beautiful.  How are you today?

WarriorWoman124: I’m fine… who is this?

LadiesMan58: It’s J, of course.  I was wondering, wanna meet me for drinks a bit later?

 

Mulan hesitated a moment.  Then she shrugged.  What harm could it do?

WarriorWoman124: Sure, why not.  Meet ya there in two hours?

LadiesMan58: Sounds great, doll.  See ya there.

He signed off.  Mulan stared at the screen with a bemused expression.  “Doll?” she muttered.  She sighed.  J wasn’t a bad guy but some of his habits were a bit annoying.  But it was just a drink.  She got up and hopped into the shower.  But as she stepped out… naked as the day she was born, she turned her head and went bright red, letting out a surprised shriek.

 

As Camron stood there, a blank expression on his face, Mulan ran behind her little bathroom wall to change her clothes.  She leaned against the bathroom door, her face flaming.  She really hoped Camron would just keep on walking.  Instead, she heard her name being hailed. Swallowing, she slunk out from behind her hiding place, her head hanging down.

 

“Um… hi,” she finally ventured, looking up.  She wasn’t sure which was worse right now, the fact that he had just seen her in all her glory… or that he was standing next to all she owned in the whole world, out in a field, in the middle of a lovely, but otherwise empty lot.

He just looked at her, then looked around.

 

“So uh… guess it really isn’t much, huh?”

She winced.  “I am really sorry about that… look, I… I was embarrassed.  I should have been honest.  I just…”

“Look, I get it, I do.  I’m crashing on someone’s couch as it is.  But you coulda told me.”

She looked down at the ground again, ashamed.

 

“Look, Mulan, I like you… a lot, but… I don’t know, guess it makes sense, the reason you keep putting off hanging out.”  He looked around again, his expression somewhere between sad and rueful.  “I uh… I should head to work.  I was on my way to work and took a detour to see if I couldn’t track ya down.  I guess… I’ll catch ya later.”

 

Mulan raised a hand, wanting to stop him, but he was already striding away.


The next week or so passed in a bit of a haze.  Her heart was heavy with guilt.  She hadn’t heard a word from Camron since that night.  She spent it mostly writing blindly, reading, and spending her nights tossing and turning.

 

Work was going well.  She’d gotten two more promotions since she became a blogger.  It was her day off again.  It was hard to believe a full week had passed.  She’d run the gamut from guilt to anger to sadness and back again.  That morning, she woke up determined.  She showered, ate a cup of yogurt, then picked up her phone.  Her hands shook a little as she dialed the number.  The phone rang once, twice, three times… she sighed in dismay even as she heard a click and the familiar voice, “Hello.”

“Camron!  Please don’t hang up!” she begged.  “Look, I know I screwed up.  I want to try to fix things.  Would you like to come over?”

 

There was a heavy pause.  “Alright.  Give me about an hour, then I’ll be over, ok?”

Mulan paced around her lot, feeling nervous, hoping he’d show up.  When she saw him, she approached him tentatively.  “Hi…”

“Hi yourself,” he returned.  She was glad to see there was at least a small smile on his face, even if he looked a bit guarded.

1.01: Welcome to Willow Creek

What happens when one is raised by two medieval history fanatics?  A lot of things, really.  Especially when those two fanatics tend to delight in bringing up all the famous warriors-male and female- in their family tree.  Of course, if half of what they say is true, their family tree is quite diverse and most likely impossible…

But be that as it may, they instill a sense of pride in their only offspring.  That offspring grew into a fairly self-assured young woman, but with an almost unhealthy obsession with the past, specifically with the heroes and- in particular- the heroines of history.  After all, being named after a nearly mythical female figure of Chinese history might make one fairly curious.

This is Mulan Rampart.

 

As much as she loved her parents, when it was time for her to leave home, she got as far away from them as it was possible to be.  But when one has their heads so far into the past, they don’t realize what living in the modern era entails.  So after spending most of the money her parents gave her to get to Willow Creek, Mulan arrived at the plot of land she’d purchased.  She’d thought for sure that the ad in the paper had said there was at least a small shack on the property… except, when she got there, there was nothing.  Just an empty lot.

 

Mulan rubbed a hand over the back of her neck.  “Well, this isn’t quite what I thought it would be…”

The voice: This is why you shouldn’t buy a home or land off a website like SimsList.

 The girl froze.  “Who said that?”  She whirled around, trying to find who the voice belonged to.

The voice: I did.  Don’t worry, you won’t find me there.  You can call me… Wolf.  Or Watcher, though Watcher is just too formal.

 “Wait… Watcher?  As in the one that supposedly controls all our lives?”

Wolf: In a manner of speaking, yeah.

“Huh… well, then.”  She pursed her lips.  “I mean, I’ve read enough about the Watcher to know that various cultures across the board have acknowledged your existence, but…”

Wolf: Don’t worry, you aren’t crazy.  Or at least not any crazier than any other Sim.  You guys are a bit nuts, after all.

 “Gee, thanks… So uh… why are you talking to me, exactly?”

Wolf: You have been chosen from among many different Sims.  Don’t ask why.  Then we’re really getting into fourth-wall territory and we’re already milking that pretty heavily now.  Suffice it to say that you’re just that lucky.

 “Joy…”

Wolf: You’ll get used to it.  Or you’ll go bat-mad crazy… either way, should be entertaining for me.

 That was met with absolute silence.

Wolf: *long sigh* That was a joke… really.

 “Why doesn’t that reassure me?”

Wolf: Because maybe you are the world’s first sensible Sim?

 “Can you at least make yourself useful?  What am I supposed to do about this?  It’s a field!”

Wolf: Well, if you don’t want to go through what little money ya got left, think ya should get a job first.

 “A job?  What kind of a job?”

Wolf: Well, according to my sources, you like to write, don’t ya?  Here’s someone asking for a Writing Assistant.  Says here that you get a free computer out of the deal on your first day.

 “Free computer?  Sold!”

The girl brought out the cell phone that her parents had agreed to keep paying for and dialed the number the voice gave her.  “Hello? Hi, my name is Mulan. Mulan Rampart.  You’re still looking for a writing assistant, right?  Uh huh, yup.  Oh, only that much?  Well, that’s fine.  I can start tomorrow.  Great!  See ya then!”

 

She hung up and then sighed.  “Seriously, only $25 an hour?”

Wolf: Beggars can’t be choosers, there dear.

 “Yeah, yeah.  Hm… so, now what?”

Wolf: Oh c’mon, I’m here to help, not do everything for you!

 “Yeesh, touchy… ok then.  Off to the library!”  Mulan sauntered off and after a short jaunt, soon found herself in front of the Willow Creek Library.

 

A huge smile lit her face.  Books were some of her favorite things in the whole world.  And the smell of old books, that mix of vanilla and slight acidity, ink and old leather.  It was heaven for her.  She pulled a book off the shelf, and sat down, letting out a satisfied sigh.

 

Several hours had gone by, though Mulan didn’t notice it.  Not until she felt a rumbling in her stomach.  She looked up.  “Hey, uh… Wolf, right?  What am I supposed to do for food?”

Wolf: There’s a bar, club-thing just down the street.  Go grab some of their chips for now.  I’m working on getting things set up at your home, sweet home.

She thought about it for a moment.  “Yeah, I’ll do that.  But first, need to check my email.  Since I won’t get this computer until I actually go to work, might as well use the computers here while I can, right?”  She didn’t wait for the voice to answer her.  She slid over to the empty computer next to her and booted up the machine.

 

A few people came and went as she hammered away on the keys.

Wolf: What are you actually working on, anyway?

 “Nothing much.  Just working off some writing prompts.  A bit rusty.  Haven’t written much in the last few months.  Need to get back into it.”

 

Wolf: Ok, then.  Hey, uh… see any guys you like by any chance?

“What?  Guys?  What are you talking about?”

Wolf: Oh nothing… Just thinking that you might want to keep an eye out.  Ya never know.  I’m not insinuating anything, really…

 “Ooo-k… I’m not going to ask,” Mulan decided.

Wolf: Probably for the best.

 Mulan was working on one of her prompts when someone took the vacant computer next to her.  She’d done a little bit of chatting during her time there so far, but had mostly kept to herself.  After all, even Sims found it odd when one talked to themselves.  And when she wasn’t talking to Wolf, she was talking to herself and grumbling about a verb or a subordinate clause every so often.  “Hi there.”

She looked up at the sound of the voice, blinking.  “Hi.  Sorry, was I being loud?”

The man who had sat down smiled at her.  “No, not at all.”  He offered his hand.  “I’m Camron, Camron Kirk.  I’m new in the area.”

 

“I’m Mulan, Mulan Rampart.  Nice to meet you Camron.  What brings you to Willow Creek?”

“Needed a change of scenery.  You?”

“The same.  Where are you staying?”

“With a few friends.  Temporary arrangements, though.  How about you?”

Mulan hesitated.  “I uh… I have my own place, actually.  It’s not much at the moment-“ More like it was a field, but he didn’t need to know that.  Wolf had said that she was taking care of that, right? “-but it’s home right now.”

“That’s great!”  He looked at his watch.  “Oh crap!  I gotta go!” He stood up.  “Hey, hope to see ya around?”

She grinned, one corner of her mouth going up in a goofy expression.  “Sure, yeah.”

He waved as he left.  Wolf: He seemed nice.  And he’s awfully cute too.

 The blush crept up Mulan’s cheeks before she could stop it.  “Oh, was he?  Hardly noticed.  He was nice, though.”  She went back to typing.

Wolf: Uh huh, sure you didn’t notice.  Weren’t you going to get food?

 “Oh yeah, that’s right!  I was, wasn’t I?”  She stood up and shoved her seat under the table.  She went out the library door then stopped.  Her eyes lit up when she saw a now familiar figure standing outside of the bar.  “Camron?”

He turned.  He had changed, it seemed.  Mulan couldn’t help but think about how good he looked in that cowboy hat.

 

“Hey there!  Fancy meeting you here.  Decided to go out on the town?”

Mulan wasn’t about to admit that she had no other way to eat, so she just laughed.  “Yeah, thought I’d see what the town has to offer.”

Camron smiled at her.  “Well, I have to go meet my friend.  Maybe I’ll see you inside?”

“Sure!”  Mulan winced as he turned away, hoping she didn’t sound overly eager.  She made her own escape inside where the noise and the smell of slightly stale beer and cheap bar food washed over her.  She managed to snag a seat at the bar and ordered a thing of chips right away, seeing as how that was the cheapest thing there.  As she nibbled on them, the guy next to her leaned over a bit.

“Well, aren’t you a breath of fresh air,” he murmured, his voice a soft purr.  “I’m J.  You are?”

Mulan wasn’t completely naïve.  She knew a line when she heard it.  Still, he was cute, in a debonair, but slightly unreliable way.  Couldn’t hurt to talk with him and it’s not like she had many friends in Willow Creek.  “I’m Mulan.  Mulan Rampart.  Nice to meet you, J.”

 

Someone called his name and he turned away.  Mulan shrugged and finished eating her chips.  She really hoped that Wolf was as good as her word.  Deciding that she’d give her a bit more time, Mulan wandered out to the outer room where someone was playing some blues on the piano.  She suddenly found herself between two male figures.  J and Camron!

 

Camron waved at her.  “She’s pretty good, isn’t she?” he mentioned, indicating the singer/pianist.

Mulan grinned.  “She is!”

J butted in a bit.  “You like the blues, Mulan?”

“Yeah, mostly,” she conceded.  She didn’t miss the look he was giving Camron.  And she couldn’t stop the blush as it warmed her cheeks.  But just as before, J’s name got called and he wandered off, leaving her with Camron.  It didn’t seem to bother Camron one little bit, since he’d been giving J a look of his own.

“Wanna have a seat?”

“Sure.”  Mulan tried a nonchalant shrug, but she noticed the pitter-patter of her heart as she took a seat at the table with Camron.

“How were the chips?” he asked her.

She looked surprised.  Then she laughed.  “A bit stale and certainly over-salted but not bad over-all.”

 

He laughed.  “Yeah, well… this isn’t exactly fine cuisine, ya know?”

“No, it certainly isn’t.  You like to cook?”

He nodded.  “Yes, I do.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, I’m a chef, or training to be one, anyway.”  He grimaced.  “At the moment, I’m a dishwasher.  But gotta start somewhere, right?”

That started their conversation done a fairly creative vein with Mulan telling him that she hoped to become a published author someday.  Before she knew it, hours had gone by.  She almost jumped out of her seat when Wolf’s voice was suddenly filling her head.

Wolf: Ho, ho!  What’s this?  You look like you’re having a good time.  Mulan had all she could do to keep the blush to a minimum.

“You scared me half to death,” she muttered under her breath.

Wolf: Uh huh.  Don’t worry, that’s not a death in this g- You’ll be fine.  Oh what’s this?  What kind of look is Camron giving to J there?

 

“What are you talking about?” Mulan muttered.  It was good that the music was fairly loud so Camron didn’t hear her essentially talking to herself.

Wolf: Oh, I think you know.  Anyway, you must be exhausted.  If you can pull yourself away from those two handsome men… your little field is no longer empty!

 Mulan stood up, stretching and trying to stifle a yawn.  “It’s been great talking to you, Camron.  I should get home, get to bed.  Gotta work in the morning.”

He looked disappointed, but he covered it up with a grin.  “Of course.  I’ll talk to you later?  Maybe we can hang out again sometime?”

Mulan grinned, ridiculously happy that he wanted to see her again.  Thinking that Wolf had given her at least a half-way decent domicile, she nodded.  “You bet!”  She sauntered off, waving.  And he couldn’t keep his eyes off her.

 

On the way home, Mulan couldn’t stop humming happily to herself.  But it abruptly stopped and she let out a shriek.  “WOLF!  What is this!?  Where’s my house?!”