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The Callahan's **Gen 1 - 2** Updated 7/26
AnnoyingTwit
Posts: 111 Member
Story derived from events while playing The Sims 4.
Played with the Legacy Challenge.
Current Game Packs/Expansions:
The Story Thus Far:
Alysia needed a fresh start, but it was a tough one. With barely any money left, she had to scrimp and save to get four walls up around her. But she's no alone, a man she's fallen in love with helping to keep her going. Life is changing so quickly for her, in many ways...
Table of Contents:
Played with the Legacy Challenge.
Current Game Packs/Expansions:
- Base Game
- Get to Work (expansion)
- Alysia Callahan (Founder)
- Travis Callahan (Spouse) formerly Travis Scott
The Story Thus Far:
Alysia needed a fresh start, but it was a tough one. With barely any money left, she had to scrimp and save to get four walls up around her. But she's no alone, a man she's fallen in love with helping to keep her going. Life is changing so quickly for her, in many ways...
Table of Contents:
Captain Fuzzbutt loves his plushie.
Post edited by AnnoyingTwit on
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Alysia Callahan, Founder.
Travis Callahan nee Scott, Spouse.
Captain Fuzzbutt loves his plushie.
Baby Callahan (pending!)
Captain Fuzzbutt loves his plushie.
Captain Fuzzbutt loves his plushie.
Captain Fuzzbutt loves his plushie.
Captain Fuzzbutt loves his plushie.
Captain Fuzzbutt loves his plushie.
Captain Fuzzbutt loves his plushie.
Captain Fuzzbutt loves his plushie.
Captain Fuzzbutt loves his plushie.
Captain Fuzzbutt loves his plushie.
Captain Fuzzbutt loves his plushie.
It was the last lot of land, the last place she had a choice to buy, if she was going to live here. She had nowhere else to go, no one to return to, and no choice in the matter.
"Ten-thou, take it or leave it," the realtor said, and Alysia bit her lip before letting out a sigh.
"I'll take it."
It was much more than she had wanted to spend, but she had no choice. That's what she told herself as she pushed a plastic yard shed onto the lot, something to block the weather but not much else, as her new temporary home. She had no choice but to hook a generator outside to power a cheap fridge she found on sale, the toilet a mockery that would be sure to haunt her nightmares as it wasn't hooked into any real plumbing system sitting beside it. Both were rigged to work, and it would have to do until she could afford to build a real house, install real plumbing, have real electricity. The mattress shoved in the corner was her sofa and bed, and that was all she had to her name. No running water, no heating, no cooling, no lights. Her life was crammed into a tiny storage shed and that's how she'd have to live until she could afford to do more.
But she was free. She had escaped, had made it to Oasis Valley, and while it would be hard, Alysia promised herself it could only go up from here.
****************
It didn't take long to get a job, despite her only talents being a better-than-average ability to wield a paintbrush and talking to people. It didn't pay much, and the hours were crap, but it was a job. So she dragged herself from her bed every morning, eating a container of yogurt from the fridge and tossing it in the trash bin outside before heading to the gym, where she'd shower and walk the track for a little before work. It was a surefire way to hide the fact that she still, even four months after moving here, didn't own a shower. Didn't have running water. Was violating so many housing regulations but not fined for any of them. Whether it was that the city just hadn't noticed yet, or that they were merely turning a blind-eye to their newest resident, Alysia didn't know, but she was grateful.
Work was a drag. Even after three months, she didn't know anyone, didn't see any chance of promotion, and didn't have the resources to practice at home. It was after work one day that she took herself to the museum instead of back to her smelly hovel, that her life took another turn.
He had been standing in front of a sculpture, a suit of armor from the middle-ages. He'd been looking at it with fascination, the aged metal barely reflecting his visage. She stood next to him, eyes fixed on the display, and silence permeated the space between them.
"It's amazing, isn't it?" he said, breaking the ice. "The craftsmanship that went into this."
"It is quite a piece of art, for something meant to protect a life," she replied, and he gave her a smile.
"I'm Travis," he introduced, offering a hand. She smiled, tucking a strand of long brown hair behind her ear before taking his hand in her own, giving it a firm shake.
"Alysia."
They walked around the museum, trading small talk and discussing the art pieces on display. Alysia loved art, loved looking at it, creating it, talking about it. From the grandiose Landgraab, to a few rare Goth pieces, each one spoke to her, stole a piece of her and held it captive, demanding her attentions and affections. Together they walked, talking and laughing and discussing the beauty that was art.
"I'm more of a digital man," Travis admitted, "but these are beautiful. To create this by hand, instead of code... that's amazing."
"I'll be up there, one day," she decided. "I'm going to have my art hanging right here, on this blank space."
He gave her a smile that, at the time, she didn't understand. But they exchanged numbers, smiles, and promises to talk more over coffee. As she crawled into bed that night, she felt hopeful. She made a friend.
****************
It was trial and error, but soon the little shed was no longer necessary. Covered in bits of sawdust and plaster, she smiled at the four walls that now made up her home. It had been tight, nickel-and-diming, long nights studying how to do this, install that, figure out every detail needed to build her home properly, and it was finally bearing fruit. It was nowhere perfect, far from it, and would take much more work. But it was not a plastic storage shed, it was a home. A physical address that made her feel proud.
It had electricity, the toilet actually led to the city sewage system now, there was *running water,* and there was a shower now. It was still a one-room hovel, but it was her hovel, and would only look better with time.
Excitedly, she called Travis, who’d be getting home from work now. Waiting for him to pick up, she washed her hands under the spray of the hose, and when he picked up she wasted no time.
“Trav! I did it! I finished the room!”
“Really?” her boyfriend of two months asked, surprised. “I’m glad!”
She’d explained her situation to him, how all of her money had gone to buying the land, and she’d been working hard to build herself a home from what remained. He’d been supportive, even before they confessed their attraction, and had encouraged her to keep going, helping when he could. He was a computer geek, not a handyman, so he didn’t have much to offer that Alysia didn’t have herself. But two sets of hands were better than one, and with his help she had a home.
“We could celebrate!” he said, and she made a hum of agreement. “Dinner at Angelo’s?”
Angelo’s was a little bar off of the main road that also had quite delicious pasta. As they clinked their juice glasses together, she gave him a brilliant smile.
“I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you. You’ve been my only friend since I’ve come here, and you’ve been the best friend I’ve ever had.”
He flushed, ducking his head and letting his blond bangs shield his face from her.
“You inspire me,” he admitted. “How dedicated you are, even when anyone else would accept you giving up. It’s not an easy task, building a home from scratch on your own.”
“But I wasn’t alone,” she reminded him, taking his hand. “I’ve had you.”
Chapter 2
Captain Fuzzbutt loves his plushie.
Another year went by, Alysia alternating her time between working at the art studio and working on her house. Travis was a regular visitor, helping with the construction as well as making sure that Alysia didn’t overwork herself, forcing her to take breaks to eat and sleep. They’d started on a second room, an empty door frame where the entrance would be for it, and when the roof was extended to cover the room, Alysia’s heart beat quick in her chest.
She finally had a bedroom.
“Looks good,” Travis said, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. They stood in the doorway, his hands laced with hers across her stomach. They were both covered in dust and grime from building, tools still scattered on the cement foundation, but it was livable.
She smiled, but her attention didn’t last long on the room as she felt something cool slip on her finger, glancing down to see Travis’ hand around hers.
“Will you marry me?” he asked softly, and Alysia gripped his hand tightly.
“I will,” she whispered, and turning in his arms, gave him a long, deep kiss.
****************
The wedding was a private ceremony, Travis’ two friends as witnesses at the courthouse. Life couldn’t wait for a honeymoon though, the house only having extended as far as to section off a bathroom and putting in counters along where the new kitchen would be.
She knew Trav’s friends didn’t like her much; they thought he could do better than a woman who didn’t have a real house, who still had to build it step-by-step with limited income. She felt the same way, but whenever she told Trav that, he would take her in his arms and kiss her fears away.
“Good news!” Trav said, stepping through the front door. His tie was loose around his neck, an excited smile on his face as he held an opened letter in his hand. “I got promoted!”
“Oh, that’s wonderful!” she exclaimed, climbing down the ladder to give him a hug. Construction had been going much faster since they married, the house fund doubling with both their income added. There were plans on a second room being added, the section roped off outside as they debated on how large to make it. With a promotion at work, it would only be easier. They could even hire a working crew if they earned enough!
“And I have news for you, as well,” she said, looking nervous. Travis looked concerned.
“Is this about the doctor? I know you’ve been sick, and today was your checkup. Did everything--”
“We’re pregnant.”
Travis paused, his mouth opening, closing, then opening again before his mouth closed, formed a smile, and his eyes lit up. He swept Alysia off her feet, spinning her around in a circle and laughing heartily.
“I was worried, because I won’t be able to help as much later, and the baby’s room isn’t finished, and money’s tight--” she rambled, but Travis shook his head.
“Oh, love. Don’t think of it like that. It’s only incentive to finish the room sooner. Wouldn’t it be great to bring our child home, put them to bed in their crib, in their own room, and go to sleep in our own?” He placed kisses along her brow, peppering her face with soft affection. She smiled, eyes closing in gratitude.
What did she do to deserve this man?
****************
It could be considered a promotion; her work in the studio was gaining more popularity, and aside from supervising youth art programs, she was getting more and more from commission sales. Just this last quarter, she had made almost two thousand from paintings alone. There had been a bid on one for almost 500, but she hadn’t wanted to sell that one, as it was a painting she’d done from a picture of her husband in in the garden he started beside the house.
Instead, she took it home to hang in the newly furnished living room. It hung proudly on the wall, a beautiful rendition of her love doing what he did best; playing with technology in the strangest of places. She remembered taking the photo, watching how the light streamed through the apple tree, Travis standing under it while playing some type of game on his phone while he waited for his ride to work.
A pair of arms wrapped around her, resting on her bulging stomach as a kiss warmed the skin behind her ear.
“Who’s that handsome man on the wall? Should I be jealous?” he teased, and she laughed lightly, covering his hands with hers.
“He’s the love of my life, my one and only. If you’re jealous, take it up with the mirror,” she answered, and turned to give him a proper greeting. They stood in the main room of their home, the kitchen to the right and the living room to the left, finished for the moment with three doors leaving behind her. Construction was finished for now, all their attention on their new bundle of joy. The room was furnished, painted, wood flooring laid down, and ready for the arrival of the newest Callahan.
“Happy anniversary,” he told her, and she smiled.
“Happy anniversary,” she echoed back. He took her hands, tugging softly and she followed, curious as to where he was going.
“I got you something, I hope you like it.”
She let him cover her eyes with his hands, moving behind her to lead her outside. As he drew away his hands, her own flew to cover her mouth in surprise, tears filling her eyes.
“Now, you can do what you love at home. With maternity leave coming up, I didn’t want you to get restless.”
She laughed, joy filling her heart as she stepped closer, looking down into the bin that was filled with a variety of coloured paints, brushes, cloths, palettes, and other tools. There were canvas of different size resting on a tarp, keeping them clean from the grass, and the easel that shined brilliantly in the sunlight, polished cherry wood with a bright red bow wrapped around the top.
“I love it,” she whispered. “Thank you, Travis.”
“I want to see your dream come true,” he told her seriously. “Your art will hang on that wall in the museum for all the world to see. This is only one step closer.”
Captain Fuzzbutt loves his plushie.