Round Ten - Chalmers

Ash was completely entranced with being a father, and hated letting little Josh out of his sight. It was such a shame he had to go to work; he would have loved to be a stay at home dad. Unfortunately, they needed the money.


Jacinta was less impressed. Sure, she loved the little wriggling thing that had lived inside her for nine months, but she hadn't bonded as completely as her husband had.

Josh grew into a toddler, and a difficult one at that. Things would have been okay if Ash had been able to take off more time at work, but life isn't always easy. Jacinta was feeling permanently tired and hungry and couldn't keep up with her toddler son, often falling asleep where she sat.


She was also feeling nauseous on top of everything else, often having to stop in the middle of teaching Josh some skills because she felt too sick.


She ended up spending a lot of time in bed. Then one day she woke up in extreme pain and was rushed to hospital, fearing a burst appendix.


It was there she found out she'd miscarried. She hadn't even known she was pregnant! Suddenly it made sense. She hadn't wanted another child so soon but she was still extremely upset.


She was still very tired and weak, which, when combined with how depressed she was, meant she spent a lot of time in bed and started avoiding Ash and leaving the childcare entirely in his hands.

She also renewed an acquaintance with a girl from their old apartment complex. She was very pretty... it seemed her attraction to girls as well as boys hadn't faded entirely. Jacinta briefly considered having an affair.


Eventually, though, the darkness lifted. She couldn't believe she'd been so reckless! She would never leave Ash. They were good together.

Note: Ash had to go to work because he would get fired otherwise and Jacinta had a day off anyway. Josh picked that day to be especially difficult and Jacinta's needs kept plummeting. Whenever I sent her off to bed, she'd wake up straight away because she needed food. Whenever I sent her to get food, she'd either eat a tiny bit then run off to be sick or, as you saw above, fall asleep in the food :(

Round Nine - Chalmers

Ash and Jacinta were enjoying their life as newlyweds in their very own suburban house. It offered a lot more privacy than their tiny apartment with the paper-thin walls!



Jacinta had always had a big appetite but now she was finding herself getting so hungry she woke up in the middle of the night and had to raid the refrigerator. She was also putting on a bit of weight, which wouldn't have been surprising except she had always had a fast metabolism and was feeling sick all the time... the symptoms clicked into place. She took a pregnancy test and lo and behold, it was positive.


Ash was overjoyed when she told him. In fact, he was probably considerably happier than she was - not that she was miserable, just that she had her career to think about whereas Ash had always been more of a family man who looked forward to grandchildren someday.


She got into the idea of parenthood quickly, though, and soon they were discussing names.

"What do you think of 'Daisy' for a girl?" she asked over a delicious roast turkey dinner.


It wasn't long before she was showing and had to start taking time off work. She was a bit resentful but tried to keep it out of her mind.


All her resentment washed away when she gave birth to a little boy that she and Ash named Josh. He looked like his father except for his bright green eyes, inherited from his mother and grandfather.


Jacinta went back to work as soon as she could - even if she'd wanted to stay home, Ash hardly let her be involved in parenting at all! He was always picking up Josh from his cradle and playing with him or feeding him.


Sometimes Jacinta thought back to her own childhood, wrecked by Jill and her manstealing ways. Really she was lucky to be able to offer her child more stability - Ash would never stray, she could tell. She had to keep that in mind whenever she was annoyed because Josh's crying called her away from studying.

Note: Even though I've got the hack that makes them stop harassing the babies, Ash is ALWAYS going and waking Josh up. ACR was responsible for Josh and Ash had a want for a baby while Jacinta didn't.

Round Eight - Chalmers

Jacinta had moved in with her boyfriend, Ash Chalmers, and was trying to put the whole kissing-a-girl-and-liking-it incident behind her.


Unfortunately, just because she'd moved out didn't mean her mother wasn't going to interfere. Sabrina stopped by the apartment for an impromptu visit and instantaneously started getting on her case.

"When are you two getting married?"

"Mom! He hasn't even asked yet! And we'll get around to it in our own time! I'm too concerned with my career right now."

"Well hurry up, I want grandchildren. Legitimate grandchildren."


As much as Jacinta did want to marry Ash, her career was indeed the first thing on her mind. She perfected the last few skills in her mental armoury, hoping she would soon reach the highest ranks she could in the scientific community. She didn't want to be like poor Lisa Mackenzie, kept behind in her career due to too much maternity leave...


Despite Sabrina's frequent intrusions on their privacy, they were happy together. They hadn't... "done the deed", as it were, but they were plenty romantic enough without.


Jacinta wasn't surprised when Ash popped the question, but she WAS delighted. She wanted to be reserved and sensible, consider it, ask if it was too soon, but she started doing an awkward little dance of joy.


Jacinta found herself enjoying the domestic life and rediscovered her love of the culinary arts. She happily made pancakes for the two of them every morning, as Ash was definitely not a morning person and probably would have burned poptarts.


They got married in a small, private ceremony, but asked Jacinta's family, including her step-family, over for a reception party at their apartment.


It went swimmingly. The whole family seemed on the same level as Ash about things, with the possible exception of Ruth who was considerably less down-to-earth.


Jacinta was happy. She was sure she could get used to married life...


...and finally being "an honest woman" had a few extra advantages!

Note: I refused to let Ash and Jacinta do anything beyond make out until they were married. As soon as the party was over, they got busy on the couch and Jacinta instantly got pregnant. What happened to your career dreams, lady?!?!