Author Topic: Second Chances - Apologies (Graveyard, Please...)  (Read 102302 times)

Offline RaiaDraconis

  • Crazy Rat Lady
  • Watcher
  • ******
  • Posts: 1959
Second Chances - Apologies (Graveyard, Please...)
« on: March 22, 2013, 12:59:09 AM »
Second Chances

Prologue – Trouble in Paradise

It had been a case of love at first sight.

They had met rather by chance in the park one balmy Spring afternoon not too long after she had moved to Sunset Valley. She would never forget that day for as long as she lived, the scent of fresh flowers in the air, the dulcet sounds of childrens' laughter in the distance, the sight of a handsome stranger approaching her. One smile was all it took for her to fall absolutely and completely in love.



Six months later, Thornton and Morgana were man and wife. Theirs was a whirlwind romance to be sure, but Morgana was very much in love and knew she had found her perfect match. Thornton always seemed to know how to make her smile, make her feel loved. He was tall, dark, and handsome...and the way that he kissed her was just...wow. It felt like something out of a fairy tale.

But not all fairy tales are sunshine and rainbows, and Thornton, as Morgana was beginning to discover, was far from the knight in shining armor she had dreamed about.

In retrospect she should have known that something was wrong when Thornton's mother tried to talk her out of the marriage. Maria-Jeanette Wolff was, at least according to her son, a very bitter woman. That she would disapprove of their union was not terribly surprising; what she actually said to Morgana on the morning of the wedding came as much more of a shock.



“Morgana, you are such a smart, wonderful girl,” she had told her. “I like you...and because I like you I truly, honestly hope that you reconsider marrying my son.”

“Wh...what?”

“Thornton is a good man, but he is his father in every way. The only reason why he has even considered marriage is because it is proper to do so.” Maria-Jeanette wrung her hands nervously. “Every executive must have his trophy wife on his arm, to love him and dote on him and kowtow to his every need with little regard for her dreams and desires.”

“But...Thornton isn't like that.”

“You don't know him as well as you think you do, dear.” She grasped Morgana's shoulders, her eyes pleading. “Morgana...you are no man's trophy wife. You are beautiful, but there is a brain behind that beauty and a soul that yearns to love. Mark my words...if you go through with this...my son will break your heart.”

Despite her reservations Morgana refused to put a stop to the wedding. Only now, two years later, had she begun to understand what her late mother-in-law had told her. It was shortly after their honeymoon that Morgana made the heartbreaking discovery that her new husband in no way wanted children.

“They will only get in the way of us,” he had told her. “I don't want to ruin what we have, just you and me.”



She cried for days after that revelation. All of her life she had loved children and longed for a family of her own. No matter how many times she tried to convince him otherwise, Thornton absolutely would not budge, and the last time she brought up the subject...

“Morgana, you are not bringing this up again. I have told you several times. I do not nor will I ever want children. Either find a way to accept it, or maybe we need to reconsider our marriage, hmm?”



Never once had Morgana heard her husband raise his voice. His reaction startled her greatly and she wordlessly walked away.

Later that afternoon he was contrite. “Morg...I'm sorry. You hit on a very touchy subject with me, and I just reacted. I didn't intend to hurt you.”

But hurt her he did. She couldn't sleep that night, and no amount of kisses and cuddles from her husband could assuage the anxiety in her mind. Her late mother-in-law's words haunted her. Their marriage was wonderful in every other way. She could live without having children of her own...right? She would be able to interact with children at the hospital...and maybe Hank and Pauline would eventually have kids that she could play with. That would be just fine...wouldn't it?

Morgana slowly came to a grudging acceptance of her situation, and things seemed a lot better between her and Thornton. It was almost perfect, in fact.

And then came December...and the annual Snowflake Day party at the hospital.

Everyone was dressed in their holiday finest, socializing and dancing to the beautiful tones of Sunset Valley's premier string quartet. The food was exquisite and the nectar flowed freely. Morgana couldn't remember the last time she had been able to just relax and just be herself.

About halfway through the event she noticed that her husband was conspicuously missing. It didn't take long for her to find him...



...flirting with one of the surgical interns on the other side of the dance floor.

It seemed innocent enough at first. After all, everyone by that point had drank a bit too much nectar and was starting to act a bit goofy. Even her boss's wife was starting to lighten up. Thornton was just having fun, and everything would be back to normal tomorrow. No harm, no foul, right?

In the last few months since then she began to notice that Thornton would frequently come home late from work. “Mr. Goth is working all of us harder these days,” he told her when she asked about it. Morgana had no reason not to believe him...until a casual conversation with Nancy revealed something else entirely. When Morgana told her what Thornton had said she flat out laughed, saying “That old skin-flint wouldn't give us overtime if we begged for it.”



Why would Thornton lie to her?

Unless maybe that innocent flirting with Jamie wasn't so innocent after all...?

The mere thought sent Morgana's mind reeling. Was she a bad wife? True, she had been a lot busier lately with classes, and Doctor Landgraab had given her a lot more responsibility that kept her working later hours than usual...but she still paid plenty of attention to Thornton and never once had denied his romantic advances. There was no reason that Morgana could think of why her husband would be cheating on her, but she still had a nagging feeling that something wasn't right--especially when he started spending hours talking on the phone to someone who he refused to identify.



Their relationship began to deteriorate. It was subtle at first, a little snip of an argument here, a feigned headache there. In the last three months they had been romantic a total of twice...and it wasn't for lack of trying on Morgana's part. It was just that whenever she got home late from the hospital Thornton was usually already in bed and rarely interested in doing anything more than sleeping.

Finally out of the blue a few weeks ago Thornton tossed out the idea of going to France to rekindle their romance. “We need to get you away from the hospital for a while, and I've got to get out of the office. Just be us for a change rather than our jobs.”



As much as she hated to leave her job and her classes for that length of time, there was no way that Morgana was going to refuse. That very next day she put in for the time off and was immediately approved. Part of her was excited for the trip and excited for the opportunity to get their marriage back on track. At the same time though, part of her was less than optimistic. Morgana wasn't about to give up on Thornton. If their marriage could be saved, she was going to do everything in her power to make it work.

The only question weighing on her mind was whether or not Thornton felt the same.

---

(Author's Note: Greetings once again! I am back with another Sunset Valley townie romance, though this one is going to be decidedly different than Two Worlds. Be prepared for a little bit of everything. ;) Thanks for reading so far, and I look forward to sharing more!)

Offline ladyaya

  • The Epic Panda-Cat Lover
  • Watcher
  • ******
  • Posts: 1105
Re: Second Chances - Prologue: Trouble in Paradise
« Reply #1 on: March 22, 2013, 02:02:37 AM »
Yay, a new Raia story showing us more depth into the townies~



Registered members do not see ads on this Forum. Register here.

Online MarianT

  • Global Moderator
  • Watcher
  • ******
  • Posts: 6998
  • Everything in life is here to drive you crazy. R.T
Re: Second Chances - Prologue: Trouble in Paradise
« Reply #2 on: March 22, 2013, 10:23:46 AM »
Most intriguing! I've got a bad feeling about Thornton's motivation for this trip to France, though. Could he be feeling a trifle guilty?
When the Zombies Come(Completed)--100 Nooboos Nabbed




Enjoy writing stories? Please check the Rules for Stories before posting.

Offline Spork-tastic

  • Immortal
  • *****
  • Posts: 669
  • Keeping it Spork Since 2011
Re: Second Chances - Prologue: Trouble in Paradise
« Reply #3 on: March 22, 2013, 05:34:30 PM »
Great opening! I love the mystery behind Thornton's actions. I will defiantly be reading!

Offline Ilessthan3TheSims

  • Occult
  • ****
  • Posts: 322
  • Call me iless :)
Re: Second Chances - Prologue: Trouble in Paradise
« Reply #4 on: March 22, 2013, 06:57:14 PM »
Delighted to see a new story from you.
Poor Morgana. I've always found the Wolffs situation interesting - looking forward to developments!

Offline MrComfortAddict

  • Nooboo
  • *
  • Posts: 13
Re: Second Chances - Prologue: Trouble in Paradise
« Reply #5 on: March 23, 2013, 06:32:57 PM »
Glad to be able to enjoy another one of the well-written stories. I like how you can take townies and make their lives so different and interesting, especially with your screenshot and writing creativeness. :)

Anna33

  • Guest
Re: Second Chances - Prologue: Trouble in Paradise
« Reply #6 on: March 23, 2013, 06:48:24 PM »
Yay, I am glad you are writing another story Raia. I loved your two worlds so I will most likely love this one too. :)



Registered members do not see ads on this Forum. Register here.

Offline RaiaDraconis

  • Crazy Rat Lady
  • Watcher
  • ******
  • Posts: 1959
Re: Second Chances - Prologue: Trouble in Paradise
« Reply #7 on: March 25, 2013, 12:57:40 AM »
Yay, a new Raia story showing us more depth into the townies~

Thanks. :) I admit, I love fleshing out the personalities of the characters, and Morgana has totally grown on me!

Most intriguing! I've got a bad feeling about Thornton's motivation for this trip to France, though. Could he be feeling a trifle guilty?

Great opening! I love the mystery behind Thornton's actions. I will defiantly be reading!

Guilty? Maybe...or maybe not. The truth will be revealed in chapter two...though keep an eye out for clues in this next one.

Delighted to see a new story from you.
Poor Morgana. I've always found the Wolffs situation interesting - looking forward to developments!

I have too, actually. The two of them are so fundamentally different from one another, and I have wondered what would happen if...er well, I can't give too much away. ;)

Glad to be able to enjoy another one of the well-written stories. I like how you can take townies and make their lives so different and interesting, especially with your screenshot and writing creativeness. :)

The screenshot part, I admit, is sort of an obsession. The Tab key is my friend. Thank you--I am glad that you enjoy.

Yay, I am glad you are writing another story Raia. I loved your two worlds so I will most likely love this one too. :)

Thanks. :) This story will be quite a bit different both in style and concept. All told I have three townie couples in the mix (at least so far) and numerous other cameos from the other residents.

Next up: The next best thing to having children is working with them, even if it is in a hospital environment. A glimpse into Morgana's work life and a bit into her social life as she manages a week chock-full of unexpected events, some good...some not-so-much.

Offline RaiaDraconis

  • Crazy Rat Lady
  • Watcher
  • ******
  • Posts: 1959
Second Chances - Chapter 1: The Coming Storm
« Reply #8 on: March 27, 2013, 02:35:23 AM »
Chapter 1 – The Coming Storm

3:21 p.m.

Morgana glanced at the clock, then back at the front door. He would be home any minute now.



On the outside she was emotionless, her face an unreadable mask as she waited patiently for her husband's arrival. On the inside, though, she was an absolute mess. Morgana's mind raced with a thousand rampant thoughts and wildly conflicting emotions as she tried to reconcile what had happened.

It had been a tiring week...and it was far from over.

Monday morning started off on a sour note when she found out that her application to join the paramedic program was filed one day too late thanks to exams, which meant she would have to wait until early Summer to reapply. “My hands are tied, Morgana,” Doctor Landgraab told her. “I wish I could bend the rules, but human resources would have my head for it.”

“I...understand, sir.”

Geoffrey smiled. “Don't be so hard on yourself. You are one of the best students we've had in a while. There is no doubt whatsoever in my mind that you will be accepted into the program come June. And besides, by then you won't have exams holding you back.”



Her boss's words gave her some measure of confidence, at least. Morgana didn't really mind being a nurse's aide, but she looked forward to the days when she would be saving lives instead of emptying bedpans.

At least her new assignment was a pleasant one. Geoffrey knew how much she loved working with children, and as sort of a consolation for what had happened he assigned her to the pediatric floor for the next two weeks. As much as Morgana loved being around children, however, dealing with them in a hospital environment was always a bit trying. She hated to see anyone suffer, least of all a child.

The rest of her morning was a bit chaotic as she tried to familiarize herself with the patients on her floor, though it would have been a lot less so if the young man in room 21 hadn't been so unruly.



According to VJ's chart he had undergone a routine tonsillectomy but reacted badly to the anesthesia, hence the decision to keep him overnight. He certainly wasn't acting sick, and after he got hold of a couple of surgical gloves and filled them with water Morgana and the other nurses found themselves on the losing end of a one-sided water balloon fight.



Fortunately, none of her other patients were quite so trying on her nerves. Morgana actually quite enjoyed looking after the little girl in room 23. How Darlene managed to be so bubbly and cheerful with a pair of broken legs and a concussion was anyone's guess, but she was more than eager to tell her story to every doctor and nurse that entered the room. “I was climbing on top of the jungle gym at school and slipped and fell off, and Bella ran to go get the teacher and Morty and Malcolm and Kay were there and I didn't even cry!”

But the second that her father entered the room she went from bubbly and cheerful to teary-eyed and whimpering.



“Daddy...it hurts.”

“I know, Pumpkin...I know.”

Morgana smiled inwardly but said nothing. She made a mental note to come back later when she had more time. One of the things she loved about working pediatrics was being able to socialize with the patients, and this little girl seemed like quite the character.

The rest of the day went well and Morgana arrived home that afternoon feeling very satisfied. She had even beaten Thornton home and, for the first time in weeks, had time to make dinner. When her husband walked in the door he gave her a big smile and a soft kiss.



“Let's go dancing,” he told her.

And they did. Three hours of absolute bliss at her favorite dance club. Morgana couldn't remember the last time that she and Thornton had had so much fun together, and that night as the two of them cuddled in bed she couldn't stop smiling.



The next couple of days were a dream. For the first time in months she actually looked forward to coming home after work. Things were finally starting to look up, and any doubts about the future of their marriage had faded comfortably into the background.

And then came yesterday...the day that it all began to fall apart.

It began pleasantly enough. Her morning rounds were easy and she managed to get in a bit of coloring book time with Darlene before her classes. One of the hospital's benefactors had even catered a fantastic lunch for all of the staff so she didn't have to brave the cafeteria (or their version of stu surprise...which she swore must have been a lab experiment). With only one class and another set of rounds left to do the afternoon seemed to fly by, and before Morgana knew it her shift was over and she was headed home.

As she walked up to her front door she heard Thornton's voice inside. He was on the phone, which wasn't all that unusual. The tone of his voice, however, made her hesitate as she was about to touch the door handle. He sounded almost...panicked?



“Are you absolutely sure?” A pause. “And there's no way that it's...? Oh Llama...”

Who was he talking to this time?

“Of course I know it's not something that can be kept a secret.” Another pause. “I've got to go. Morgana's due home any minute, and she really doesn't need to hear this. Yes of course. Good night.”

Morgana quirked an eyebrow. Exactly why was Thornton so worried about her hearing the conversation? She opened the door and saw her husband standing there, staring at his phone as if it were some foreign object.

“Hi.”

“Hey babe,” Thornton greeted her as if nothing had happened. Morgana managed a half-hearted smile as he embraced her.



“What was that all about?” Morgana asked.

“Oh, the phone conversation?” He hesitated. “That...was my boss, actually. There's a business conference in Starlight Shores that he wants me to attend. Problem being, it's the same week as our France trip.”

“Oh...oh!” Morgana's eyes widened. “You told him that you were busy, right?”

Thornton bit his lip. “Actually...no. I told him I'd go.”

Morgana's face fell. “Are you serious?”

“I've got to do this, Morg. Mr. Alto has already talked to me about becoming the next manager of the western division, and I've got to make the best impression that I can and prove myself to him.” He took Morgana by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. “If I make this conference, do you realize what that could mean? A promotion. A raise. An even better vacation later. I'm not canceling the trip, per se...merely postponing it.”

The news completely took the wind out of Morgana's sails. She tried to take it all in stride. Work was important to him as it was to her. At the very least she had to respect him for that, right?

While Thornton was taking a bath a few hours later she decided to give a good friend of hers a call, hoping to let off some steam. Pauline would understand...but as it turned out she had news of her own to share.



“You broke off the engagement?”

“Yeah. I just...I don't know if I can commit to someone like that, y'know?” Pauline spoke. “The split is mutual. I mean, Hank and I will always be total BFFs, but as far as marriage...I dunno...I guess neither of us are ready. Heck, we're still young, right? Plenty of time to settle down at some point.”

“Are you going to be okay?”

“Sure. Like I said, it was a mutual split. At least we didn't take the plunge first and then find out we weren't meant to be together. That would have been a mess.”

“Even still, I'm sorry to hear it.”

Pauline laughed. “Don't be. That means I'm a free girl for a while longer. Time to paaar-tay! Speaking of which, I'm heading over to Mick's tonight with a few of the girls. Wanna come?”

“No, that's all right. I have medical journals to read through,” Morgana replied. A white lie, but she wasn't exactly in the mood to socialize.

“You seriously need to get out more, girl. Life's boring if you're stuck working all of the time.” She paused. “Hey, I'd better let you go. Sunny's here and I still have to tell her that we're not going dress shopping on Saturday.”

“All right. Have fun tonight.”

“See ya!”

Morgana hung up the phone and heaved a sigh. Something that Pauline said had stuck in her mind and refused to let go. “At least we didn't take the plunge first and then find out we weren't meant to be together. That would have been a mess.”

“Hey babe, I left my phone downstairs,” Thornton called from their bedroom. “Could you bring it up for me?”

“Yeah, sure.”

Morgana plucked her husband's phone from the table, a legion of thoughts running through her head. Was he really talking to Mr. Alto on the phone when she arrived? Curiosity got the best of her and she pressed the power button on his phone, hoping that she was just being paranoid.



She didn't recognize the last number on the call list and there was no caller ID attached. Didn't Thornton have his boss on his contact list? Mr. Alto could always be calling from a different phone, but Morgana seriously doubted it. Not entirely satisfied, she checked the text messages and immediately wished that she hadn't. Most of the messages were either from her or Hank, but the most recent one, from about three hours ago, was from someone different.

Call me ASAP. I have to tell you something important.

She checked the number and immediately cringed. There was no caller ID attached to this one either, but the number was all too familiar. Morgana recognized it from the employee directory at the hospital.

It belonged to Jamie Jolina.

Suddenly all of the doubts that Morgana thought were gone had resurfaced with a vengeance. On Monday everything seemed so perfect, and now with the knowledge that Thornton was talking to Jamie plus the fact that he canceled their France trip...she really didn't know what to think anymore.

Sleep proved elusive. She was tempted (albeit briefly) to call in sick to work this morning so she could rest, but making a good impression on her superiors was far more important if she wanted to advance in her career. At least the Flying V wasn't too far out of her way, and this was one morning where a triple-shot mocha would definitely come in handy.

Morgana made it to the hospital half an hour before her shift began and made her way to the break room, where she came face-to-face with the one person whom she really did not want to see.



“Can we chat? Privately?”

Morgana was curt, but polite. “Yes...I believe that we should.”

The conversation that followed left Morgana absolutely stunned. Jamie told her everything that she needed to know and more than she ever wanted to hear. And now, eight hours later, Morgana sat in wait. A woman determined, she knew exactly what needed to be done.



She glanced at the clock again. 3:25.

Still no Thornton.

Morgana toyed with the wedding ring on her finger. She would wait all night if she had to.

At 3:27 she heard her husband's car pull into the driveway, and her heartbeat quickened as he made his way up the front steps. As he walked through the front door Morgana looked straight at him, her face stoic. The words that came out of her mouth stopped him dead in his tracks.

“So when were you planning to tell me that Jamie is pregnant?”

Offline Gogowars329

  • Watcher
  • ******
  • Posts: 3165
Re: Second Chances - Chapter 1: The Coming Storm
« Reply #9 on: March 27, 2013, 02:50:20 AM »
This is really good Raia! I haven't read your Two Worlds story but now I think I might have to! Poor Morgana, Thornton very unfaithful.
Gogowars Inc - The place to find all of my wonderful Sims 3 creations

Offline Dextra2

  • Ruler-of-All-She-Sees-And Has A Really Big Ego.
  • Immortal
  • *****
  • Posts: 860
  • You can call me Dex!
Re: Second Chances - Chapter 1: The Coming Storm
« Reply #10 on: March 27, 2013, 07:37:46 PM »
Will the hospital patients be making reapperences? I only ask because this isn't Darleen first rodeo with you. :P
And I do love myself some VJ. One of my favorite SV townies for sure.
If a cluttered desk is an indication of a clutter mind, what is indicated by an empty desk?
~~~
That one moment when you realize you've been stalking the same thread for ten minutes... And there no reason why because you're up to date on everything.
~~~
Crossing the Rubicon

The Dark Fae's Quest

Offline RaiaDraconis

  • Crazy Rat Lady
  • Watcher
  • ******
  • Posts: 1959
Re: Second Chances - Chapter 1: The Coming Storm
« Reply #11 on: March 27, 2013, 11:24:05 PM »
This is really good Raia! I haven't read your Two Worlds story but now I think I might have to! Poor Morgana, Thornton very unfaithful.

Thank you so very much. :) Given that Thornton starts out with a better relationship with Jamie than Morgana and just how different they are personality-wise, it seems almost inevitable that their marriage would be on the rocks.

Will the hospital patients be making reapperences? I only ask because this isn't Darleen first rodeo with you. :P
And I do love myself some VJ. One of my favorite SV townies for sure.

I couldn't resist bringing in one of my favorite townies for a cameo. :) Darlene seemed a good choice, since her bio states that she will do anything for attention and has the broken bones to prove it. VJ just seemed like the perfect troublemaker, which is one of the things I love about his character.

I don't really have plans to bring either of them back, but will probably have other cameos from other SV townies as the story goes on.

Offline Audren

  • Wearer of the Shoes
  • Watcher
  • ******
  • Posts: 2624
  • O Captain, My Captain!
Re: Second Chances - Chapter 1: The Coming Storm
« Reply #12 on: March 28, 2013, 07:02:35 AM »
*sigh* I was hoping Thornton was getting better, but I suppose that was too hopeful to think. Definitely a major revelation, though! Didn't see that one coming!  :o

Offline Ilessthan3TheSims

  • Occult
  • ****
  • Posts: 322
  • Call me iless :)
Re: Second Chances - Chapter 1: The Coming Storm
« Reply #13 on: March 28, 2013, 09:28:17 AM »
It was nice seeing the Bunches again. I really like the hospital "set".
Oh dear, poor Morgana. I wonder what story Thorton is going to come up with to excuse his unfaithful ways. ::)

Offline maisie

  • Occult
  • ****
  • Posts: 256
Re: Second Chances - Chapter 1: The Coming Storm
« Reply #14 on: March 29, 2013, 04:04:20 PM »
You have really written a great story so far.
I love it how you give the townies a backstory.
To be true, in all of my games where I've played Thornton and Morgana they ended in a divorce. I'm curious to see what will happen to them in your story. What will Thronton say about the fact that Jamie is pregnant and he never wanted to have children? Yeah, I'm really curious!  ;)

 

anything