Round Ten - Knox 3 / Mazza

Emma wore the dress Shiina had made for her with pride, and got a new haircut to match. She felt every inch the beautiful, sophisticated crime boss - even if she hadn't made it quite that far in her career yet.


Both Emma and Danny loved exercise, and they'd found a new favourite kind...


Unfortunately their bliss couldn't last long. Emma caught colds and promptly passed it on to Danny - the house echoed with their wheezing and coughing.


Danny took a sick day and spent the entirety of it curled up on the sofa, sniffling and occasionally coughing, but by the end of the day he felt a lot better.


The same could not be said of Emma. Her cold seemed to have progressed into something worse - she could barely keep her eyes open and just wanted to stay in bed, and she kept getting nauseous and throwing up. She decided to go to the doctor's in case she had a serious case of flu.


"I've got some news... I went to the doctor, and, well, I don't have flu. I don't even still have a cold."

"That's great, but why the big fuss? And if you're not sick anymore why are you still so sleepy and throwing up all the time?"

"That's the news. I'm pregnant."


Note: This house will eventually become the Mazza house then, I guess, seeing as Danny and Emma don't seem in any particular hurry to tie the knot.

Round Nine - Knox 3

Using their combined wealth as a sports star and a successful criminal, Danny and Emma were able to afford a stylish and very modern house rather than a cramped apartment.


A silly mistake resulted in Emma getting demoted down the ranks of the underground organisation she was part of, and she was absolutely heartbroken.


Danny, on the other hand, was slowly but surely making his way through his career. He'd discovered a true love of studying and could often be found reading some book or other.


The new house had a large back yard and Danny and Emma wasted no time in getting some sports equipment installed. They invited work colleagues home for occasional soccer matches - Danny's work colleagues, of course. Emma wasn't about to risk detection and trouble.


All in all, things were going very well for Emma and Danny. Their shared love of sports just brought them closer together.


It didn't take long before Emma was back in her crime syndicate's good graces and she was back on the "team" when it came to heists. It was dangerous, she knew that - but it felt so good.

Round Eight - Knox 3

Danny was trying to keep his mind off Emma by throwing himself into his training routine, but it was no good. He was a rising sports-star! He could have any girl he wanted! Why was he so hung up about this? He decided he was going to join his teammates and go out for a night on the town.


He met a young lady while clubbing and they got chatting. She looked a bit like Emma, and Danny supposed that was where his attraction to her lay. Still, a date couldn't hurt, could it?


Unfortunately the girl saw right through his attempts.


Like his father had done years before, Danny ended up waiting at the bar. If only Emma would come round to his point of view...


Then a miracle occurred. Halfway through his day's training, Emma marched in through the front door.

"Danny... I've been thinking. Shiina's got a new man and she doesn't need me around anymore. So I was thinking, maybe we should move in together."

"That's... a bit quick?"

"And don't even try to pretend that isn't one of the things you like about me. I'm forward and to the point. I'd never mess you around and you know it."


Danny couldn't believe his luck.


Emma settled in quickly, trying to be a perfect housewife and keep her double-life hidden. For all she'd said about how open she was and how she wouldn't lead Danny on, she still hadn't told him what she did for a living. How would her clean-living athlete take the knowledge that she was rising up through the criminal underworld?


She finally decided to bite the bullet and tell the truth.

"I've got a confession to make... You see this outfit? It's no party costume. This is what I do. I'm a crook. A criminal."

"Yeah, I figured. And you know what? I don't care. I know who you are inside, and that's the girl I love."

It was a corny line, they both knew it, but they didn't care. It was true - they were in love, and nothing else really mattered.


Note: Sorry if all these updates seem really disjointed. My game's been having problems - everything is so bugged and sometimes the photo taking just doesn't work! But I'm doing my best...

Round Eight - Nakamura 2

Shiina's pregnancy was progressing quickly, and despite her frantic work schedule Emma was there for every check-up, every little kick. They were ready to be the perfect heterosexual life-partners parenting team!


Luckily Emma wasn't at work when Shiina went into labour. She rushed her best friend to the hospital and they welcomed a little baby boy into the world.


Shiina named him Jin. He looked more like his grandfather, Nobuo, than anyone else - his skin was a little darker than Shiina's and he had Nobuo's eyes, although he did have Shiina's jet black hair. He didn't take after his father at all, so far. Emma and Shiina were grateful - they didn't need any reminders of THAT deadbeat loser!


Emma and Shiina shared parenting equally. Whenever Emma wasn't at work she'd take over, allowing Shiina to get some much-needed sleep.


Jin grew up fast. He was a handsome little boy, and very boisterous. Shiina regretted the way he'd come into the world but she certainly didn't regret that he had.


She still hadn't broken the news to her mother and decided it was time.

"Mom, I've got something to tell you... no, it's not an emergency! I'm... well... you're a grandmother."

Sachiko took it well, thankfully, and made Shiina promise she'd bring Jin round to see them as soon as he was old enough.


Motherhood had kept Shiina off the party circuit for too long. A lot of her so-called friends didn't seem to have noticed but her friend Gabe, who she'd once tried to set up with Emma, called around to check how she was doing.


Gabe kept dropping round to help out with Jin and Shiina found herself growing fond of him. She could see herself settling down with someone like him - he was charming, intelligent, and RICH, having inherited a fortune from his parents, and he didn't want to rest on his socialite laurels.


And so, she made her move. Soon it was decided. Shiina and Emma were going to go their separate ways - Shiina was going to move in with Gabe, which left Emma free to go after Danny. A perfect solution!

Note: Gabe and Shiina only have one bolt but ACR decreed it was time for makeouts and falling in love, which was quickly followed by Shiina spinning up a want to get engaged! Crazy stuff...

Round Seven - Knox 3

Danny Knox didn't know what to do. He was infatuated with his neighbour, Emma, but she was difficult to pin down. One minute she was into him, the next minute not, half the time she wasn't even there (and she wouldn't tell him where she'd gone) and NOW her roommate had gone and gotten pregnant and Emma seemed reluctant to leave her.


He mostly focused on getting in peak condition - he would become an athletic superstar no matter what. Occasionally he let off steam with a few parties, which Emma and Shiina would briefly turn up at just to be polite. It was kind of embarrassing.


But sometimes he managed to catch Emma in a good mood. Maybe she'd never want to move in with him or be serious, but Danny was open to seeing how things went, and a few stolen kisses would do for now.


Note: Literally nothing happened this round >:(

Round Seven - Nakamura 2

Emma's life as a criminal was exciting, dangerous, and going extremely well. She was rising up through the ranks of the local syndicate. Unfortunately the need for secrecy and the unusual hours meant she didn't have much time for socialising - something she wouldn't have minded if it hadn't been for Danny Knox. She was a little smitten with her new neighbour.


Meanwhile, Shiina was enjoying the life of leisure she'd built for herself. She'd sold several paintings and celebrated by taking Trent out on the town for a meal.


Whenever they hit the dancefloor there wasn't much dancing involved. She just wished her little brother Hiro would stop following her around looking disapproving.


In fact, her occasionally slightly out-there antics provoked a lot of disapproval. After she and Trent had a bit of fun in a photobooth Shiina got the smacking of her life from the local busybody.


As time passed Shiina found herself feeling more and more tired and nauseous. She was also putting on a little bit of weight. It was disconcerting - she'd always been naturally slim.


Eventually she couldn't deny it to herself any longer - or to Emma. She was clearly pregnant. Emma dragged her off to the doctors and accompanied her to routine scans - Trent had seemingly vanished off the surface of the planet and was not returning Shiina's calls.


Emma became a de-facto husband.

"Ems! You don't need to make my bed for me! I'm pregnant, not an invalid," fussed Shiina.

"It's not going to make itself," Emma pointed out.


"I know, I know, I need to take care of myself more. I shouldn't rely on you so much. I think when the baby's born I should probably get a real job. Give up on the whole becoming-a-fashion-designer dream..."

"Don't be so ridiculous!" snapped Emma. "I don't mind helping you out and I don't want to see my best friend give up on her dreams just because some low-life has knocked her up. Talking of which, you need to take that photo down. He's a loser."


They were an odd pair, two straight women living together and about to raise a baby, but it worked. Now Emma had convinced Shiina to keep following her dreams life went back to the usual routine of Emma working out and Shiina painting or sewing, sometimes chatting to one another and sometimes not. Emma wondered if she'd ever want to move out; Danny was cute, but her friendship with Shiina was something very special.


Note: Curse you, ACR. Talk about a baby boom!

Round Six - Nakamura 2

This is the last of my scheduled posts - there'll be more in October!


Shiina had decided that she needed to find a man for Emma. Unfortunately her first pick, her friend Gabe, seemed a little too interested in blondes who weren't Emma.


Shiina's plan was all for naught. At the end of the night she caught Gabe and his mystery blonde kissing on the dancefloor.


"Is Gabe coming back with us?" asked Emma, still in a police uniform. She'd kept it to provide herself with a bit of cover - yes, she no longer worked for them, quite the opposite in fact, but she'd prefer to keep that a secret.

"Nope. He's a jerk anyway," said Shiina as they walked towards the taxi to continue the party back at the apartment. Emma sighed.


Shiina's own love-life was much more successful. She and Trent met up whenever possible. He had made it clear he wasn't in to commitment and Shiina respected this, feeling a little stifled by it herself, but she couldn't help but hold out hope she'd be the girl to change his mind.


Emma's job gave her odd hours and Shiina didn't much like hanging around the house painting and sewing on her own, so she and Trent would hit the clubs. Life was good.


"Do you ever think we could be... you know... something more?" said Shiina one night as they lay on her bed. A photo of them together caught her eye. "I mean, this is all really fun, but - "

"You're talking crazy again, hon. Let's just get down to business, yeah?"


Emma was too busy for romance anyway. She had discovered that her new career suited her down to the ground, it kept her excited and focused, and she was determined to reach the top.


That didn't mean she didn't socialise at all, though, just not romantically. She'd made friends with Ash Chalmers, who lived in the apartment below theirs. He was nice but he wasn't her type, plus his mind did always seem elsewhere. She'd seen him on a few dates with some girl or other and assumed he was pining after her, although her assumption couldn't have been further from the truth.


Things looked ready to change when a new neighbour moved in, though. Danny Knox had a certain something that caught her attention. Pity he was so young...