“He’s here,” Johnny says, his grin widening as he nods. “He’s waiting for you.” He pauses then, his hand sliding down to clasp hers. “But we’ve got time now, baby. All the time in the world.”

i guess they're done fighting

Well, it's a start, but definitely don't assume all is well just yet 👀 Also, this update is the last time we'll see the ranch in this generation! It'll look a little different next time we're there. Next time, I'll be back with the finale of gen one. It's really happening 😭😭😭

She wouldn’t have been able to hear the conversation, he knew, but she could guess the gist of it, see the way father and son clung to one another as they took small steps towards fixing what was broken. Teddy could’ve sworn he saw a hint of a smile and a tiny nod as she turned and went inside.

Teddy pulled him in for another hug, squeezing him tightly as Austin snuggled in closer, burying his face in the warmth of Teddy’s collar. Over Austin’s shoulder, a flash of fox-red hair caught his eye, and he realised Josie was standing on the patio, watching them intently.

“But then they won’t wanna be my friend,” Austin fretted, chewing his bottom lip. “You stood up to me when I tried to get you to do barrels, an’ I still love you, don’t I?” “Do you?” This time, it was Teddy’s eyes that filled with tears. “‘Course I do, Aussie. Always have, always will.”

Austin nodded, stunned, his eyes watering at the thought of spending time with his best friend again. “So m’not grounded anymore?” “No, you’re not grounded,” Teddy murmured, “But listen, bud, you’ve gotta start sayin’ no when people ask you to do risky things. Not jus’ Elle, anyone.”

Teddy’s words hung in the icy air for a moment as Austin processed what his dad was saying. “Really?” he eventually whispered, voice wavering. “Really– 𝘖𝘰𝘧!” Teddy wheezed, the air knocked out of him as his boy slammed into him, throwing his arms around his neck. “I’m guessin’ you like that idea?”

Austin looked up, puzzled, waiting for his dad to explain. “Ever?” “Nope,” Teddy shook his head. He steeled himself, knowing that what he was about to say he couldn’t take back, not if he wanted to fix things with his son. “Maybe I can call Elle's dad… I'll ask if we can go to her house later.”

Teddy hesitated. He could think of a simple solution, but his need to protect his son and his desperation to see him happy again were at war with one another. He sighed, knowing what he should do, even if he wasn’t quite ready for it. “Y’know, it doesn’t snow in StrangerVille…”

“Alright,” Teddy smiled, brushing sawdust off his jacket. “Breakfast, then bug hunting?” he suggested. At once, Austin was crestfallen, his head drooping. “M’never gonna find any with all this snow,” he grumbled, kicking his feet through the freshly settled powder.

“Is here okay?” Teddy asked, gasping for breath after hauling the solid wooden box through the mounting piles of snow. Austin looked around, his face scrunched with concentration as he assessed his surroundings. Whatever he was looking for, he must have found it. “Here’s good,” he nodded.

By the time dawn broke over the ranch, Teddy's project was complete, and he had a newfound understanding and respect for insects. He had no idea how Austin knew half of the things he’d spent the night chattering about, but seeing him so overjoyed after weeks of misery meant everything.

The bitter chill and the late hour were soon forgotten about as Teddy and Austin got to work; Teddy taking on the building of the house itself, whilst Austin dug through piles of wood and other junk, yelping with excitement every time he found an object that he thought his bugs might like.

The young boy pushed his auburn hair out of his eyes, staring at all the pieces his dad had assembled as his sleep-deprived brain whirred. Slowly, it dawned on him. “You’re buildin’ a bug house…” “Uh-huh,” Teddy confirmed, a spark of joy igniting as Austin giggled gleefully. “Wanna help?”

Austin nodded enthusiastically. He loved watching his mom collect honey, and couldn’t wait for the day she let him have a go. Teddy continued. “I was thinkin’, what if we gave your bugs a place to stay for the winter? That way, you’ll always know where they are.”

“What 𝘢𝘳𝘦 you doin’?” Teddy fought back a grin, trying his hardest not to get his hopes up that his plan might work after all. He couldn’t help it; this was the most his son had talked to him in weeks. “Well,” he began, “y’know how Momma has her bee house so the bees have somewhere safe to live?”

Noticing his son’s uneasiness, Teddy chuckled quietly to himself and dug out a rusty bucket from a pile of junk. He turned it over and waved towards it. “Sit there if y’like, or come watch what I’m doin’.” Finally, Austin’s curiosity outstripped his anxiety, and he shuffled over for a closer look.

The old garage was one of the few parts of Riverstone that Austin hadn’t explored. It was strictly off limits to him and his siblings, even when his dad was working in there. Stacked from floor to ceiling with ancient, lethal-looking tools, it was the one place they weren’t allowed to run wild.

He hovered cautiously near the door, watching as his dad started collecting scraps of timber and other parts that he didn’t know the names of. “You can come in, bud,” Teddy called over his shoulder. Austin gnawed at his thumbnail, his eyes shifting nervously. “M’not s’posed to be in here…”

Austin squinted and shielded his eyes as the lightbulbs overhead fizzed and spluttered to life. The workshop wasn’t much warmer than the snow-filled air outside, and the scent of dusty wood shavings, engine oil and rust tickled his nose, making him sneeze.

It’s time to find out what Teddy has planned 👀 New update coming later today! While you wait, the feed is up to date! bsky.app/profile/feed...

Another Oasis Springs resident has had a makeover! Josie’s ex-boyfriend, Johnny Zest. Freshly divorced from Nina and ready to start over 👀

I've been ageing up some sims this weekend ready for the start of gen two! Meet the Holiday-Huntingtons! J and Summer, with their daughters, Skye and Makayla 💕

realising i have no idea how to dress teens anymore so if all these kids look like they stepped straight out of 2008 just go with it ok

Look who it is 😍

Rude, crude and disrespectful describes my sims pretty well. No wonder it’s been a little quiet around here 💀

It had better be a really good plan if you want to save this relationship, Teddy 😒 What do you think, is Austin having nightmares, or is it something more? At least now we know what the Night Wraith said to him, even if it doesn't make much sense... Yet.

Teddy didn’t finish his thoughts as an idea struck him. He didn’t know if it would help, but it was worth a try. “You sleepy?” he asked, leaping out of his seat. Austin jumped, startled by his dad’s sudden burst of energy. “No…” “Yeah, me neither. Drink up an’ get dressed. I’ve got a plan.”

“Gonna be hard to find your bugs in this, Aussie,” he murmured sympathetically. He didn’t understand his son’s fascination, but he knew it made him happy, and that losing that hobby when he was already feeling so down would crush him. “At least you’ve still got the bee h…”

They sat quietly, listening to nothing but the hum of the refrigerator and Dakota snoring softly on the couch. Teddy once again stared out of the window, hoping the answers he needed would be carried to him by the falling snow. He shuddered, remembering how much he hated working outside in the cold.

“Careful, bud,” he muttered as he slid into the seat next to Austin. “It’s hot.” The boy said nothing and gulped down his drink, wincing as the scalding liquid burned his lips. Teddy shook his head, exasperated that his son never listened, but how could he blame him when all he did was lecture him?

No amount of apologising had persuaded his wife or son to forgive him. He was so lost in his thoughts, contemplating what he could do to help his son smile again, that the milk he was heating almost bubbled over. He swore as he grabbed the pan, then poured two mugs of steaming cocoa.

He had to find a way to fix this rift. It was becoming unbearable, and Teddy worried he might be on the verge of losing everything if things didn’t change - if 𝘩𝘦 didn’t change. He’d finally stopped pushing Austin to join him for riding lessons, but it hadn’t made any difference.

Teddy grimaced and returned to stirring the cocoa to hide his hurt. He knew it was deserved, but it stung all the same. He absentmindedly hummed the melody of the song he’d been writing to fill the uncomfortable silence, staring out the window as flakes of snow drifted lazily down.

Now that his panic had dissipated, Austin aimed a hostile glare at his father, seemingly remembering that they were still at war with one another. He threw himself into a seat at the island, huffing noisily and burying his head in his arms when Teddy offered a tentative smile in his direction.

Still sniffling, Austin followed his dad to the kitchen, and Teddy breathed a sigh of relief. Out here, the air felt warmer, lighter, like a weight sat on his chest had suddenly vanished. He shuffled to the stove to heat a pan of milk, the goosebumps prickling his skin starting to fade away.

Teddy stayed quiet. Anything he could think of saying to try to make things better had already been said dozens of times. Nothing worked. Instead, he held Austin tightly, stroking his damp hair until his tears stopped flowing, and his breathing settled. “Cocoa?” he eventually suggested.

“It was here,” Austin wept, his breath coming in ragged gasps. “It said…” he trailed off, bawling even harder at the thought. No one had been able to convince Austin to tell them what he heard in his nightmares. Any time he got close, he faltered, as if repeating it would doom him somehow.

“Aus, I’ve got you,” he murmured. “You’re safe, it’s jus’ a bad dream.” He fought to suppress the shiver that ran down his spine. He wasn’t so sure that his son was having nightmares anymore, but letting that show wouldn’t help. Warily, Austin peered at his dad, then burst into loud, choking sobs.

Casting aside his guitar, Teddy ran to his son’s bedroom, scooping the trembling boy into his arms. Austin was drenched in sweat despite the bitter, unnatural chill in the air. Teddy couldn’t understand it. The windows were shut; he’d checked them himself. Everything about the room felt 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨.

Teddy hadn't slept. The springs in the rickety old sofa pressing into his back and the song lyrics swirling around his mind that insisted on escaping from his head had made it impossible. He checked the time. 3 AM. No point in trying to rest now. Right on cue, the wailing began.

At the foot of his bed, the Night Wraith hovered, its eyes glowing crimson like swirling embers caught in the breeze after a raging wildfire. It knew Austin was looking, its features twisting grotesquely into a menacing leer as it lunged towards him, screaming. “𝑰𝑨𝑹𝑨𝑺.”

The unearthly howl turned his blood to ice in his veins as a whimper escaped his lips. He cracked one eyelid open, just enough to get a glimpse of what had haunted him for weeks. His heart stopped, then galloped wildly out of control, as if the frantic beats could carry him away to safety.

“𝑨𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏,” it rasped again. Louder, more urgent this time. It wouldn’t stop until he acknowledged it, Austin knew. It was the same routine every night. Pretending it wasn’t happening wouldn’t make it go away; better to get it over with– “𝑨𝑼𝑺𝑻𝑰𝑵!”

“𝑨𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏.” The whisper cut through the silence in the room; insistent, harsh, echoing with otherworldly power. At once, Austin was awake. He froze in place, eyes squeezed tightly shut as if not looking at the menacing presence could protect him from its wrath.

Goooood morning! I have another Hazelwood update for you later today! In the meantime, the feed is up to date if you want to catch up 💕 bsky.app/profile/did:...

the little close up because we love them, don't we 👀

𝔠𝔬𝔪𝔢 𝔠𝔩𝔬𝔰𝔢𝔯 #ts4 #sims4 #ShowUsYourSims

𝑮𝒐 𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍...