Gen 1 Ch 3: Swamp Flora

It seemed that both their reputations preceded them. Right after graduating, Arthur received job offers from several police stations where he could pursue his dream of becoming a Dynamic DNA Profiler. Kaitlin, however, could not find employment anywhere despite her flawless GPA. It seemed that none of the Science Facilities wanted to risk their funding by hiring a potentially controversial researcher.
For the first time since Arthur had known her, Kaitlin seemed unsure of herself. It wasn't the lack of a job that bothered her however, but the lack of access to the resources that would have come with such a job.
"Kaitlin, don't you worry. I will work twice as hard and make enough money to buy you all the equipment these science facilities have. Better equipment even!"
Kaitlin giggled at that and took his hand.

They moved into a tiny house in the outskirts of Twinbrook. Arthur had heard good things about the police force there and he knew that Kaitlin would love living surrounded by all the flora and fauna of the bayou.

As he had hoped, Kaitlin loved their new house and instantly started a new indoor garden.
"Finally I can grow these! The humid air will guarantee the ideal conditions..."

The Twinbrook police force insisted on their scientists having 'street experience' as they called it, so Arthur started out as a Patrol Officer. He didn't mind. He spent his days questioning the strange residents of Twinbrook and getting to know his new home town.

Kaitlin also made new acquaintances, albeit in her own special way. Most people weren't very fond of the idea of giving DNA samples to a complete stranger, even after Kaitlin explained to them that it was needed for "top secret scientific research of the highest importance".

 She did manage to procure an enormous amount of samples though and assured Arthur that she was having the time of her life.
"It's great, I get to do all the research I want without having to waste time in boring lectures!"

 In the evenings, Arthur typed his reports surrounded by his ever growing collection of unsmelted metals - an obsession that had fascinated him ever since he found a piece of plutonium back on campus - and Kaitlin would tell Arthur about her adventures of the day.

She enthusiastically recounted the moment when she approached a herd of wild horses not too far form their home.
"It was uh-MA-zing! If only they had let me come close enough to touch them, I could have collected some samples..."

It relieved him to see Kaitlin this excited. She didn't even seem to mind their lack of funds for the moment. They were nowhere near affording a science research station like the ones available back at Sims University. Arthur even had to salvage their first pieces of furniture from a junkyard!

Arthur worked harder than he ever had in his entire life, only to come home every night to a run-down shack filled with broken furniture. But as he sat on the side of the tub in the dingy bathroom with his dinner, he couldn't help but smile. Ever since Kaitlin was a part of his life, he had been happier than he ever thought he could be.

Time went by and Arthur slowly worked his way up through the police force. After his promotion to Lieutenant, he began teaching the occasional class at the local school for some extra income. Passing on his knowledge in various fields to the curious minds of the younger generation of Twinbrook was so fulfilling! He silently wondered if Kaitlin would ever be open to the idea of them having children of their own.

The day came when he was finally able to afford the science research station he had promised Kaitlin. In fact, he did manage to get a newer model than what they had had in university! Her smile made up for all the hard work that had gone into this.

He half expected to spend another night alone in bed, with Kaitlin staying up to work on her experiments, as was usually the case. To his surprise, she took him outside to watch the stars instead.

"Look, this is the solar system where that extraterrestrial I told you about came from!"

Arthur silently listened as once again, what would have been a romantic evening for most Sims, turned into an excited babble of wild theories.

But Kaitlin surprised him yet again when she suddenly turned to him and whispered in his ear.
"You know, I really like the way you look in that uniform of yours!"

And for the first time in a while, Arthur did not have to sleep alone.

Soon they were back to their usual routine, however, and Arthur tried his best to turn a blind eye to Kaitlin's nightly activities. Surely now she wasn't testing security issues of banking networks for extra credit anymore! She assured him that all the extra money in their bank account had come from the scientific data she had sold to the local research facility. Arthur wanted desperately to believe her, but being an officer of the law, he could not shake that nagging feeling inside.

One night, as the rolling fog of the swamp penetrated the rickety wood boards of their little shack once again, Arthur had an idea. The only thing that could get Kaitlin's one-track mind off of her 'research' was her botany project.
"Kait, look! I think this fruit is ready for harvest!"

Arthur could not believe his eyes. Was he seeing this? Was the thick fog playing tricks on his eyes?
"It's... it's..."

"... it's a..."

"... a baby boy?!"

"Subject B-13∝-p53! It's a success!", Kaitlin exclaimed. "I'll have to update my notes right away!"
"Subject B-... what now?", Arthur mumbled, still completely confused by what had just happened.
"B-13∝-p53! I started to doubt whether it was possible after what happened to subject A...". She trailed off. "No matter! I have to document this right away!"

"It's a baby boy, Kaitlin. He needs a name."
"Its name is Subject B-13--"
"Bloom.", Arthur decided, tickling the baby's tiny palms. "Let's call him Bloom."
Kaitlin looked taken aback, then glanced at the little bundle in Arthur's arms and relaxed visibly.
"Bloom... I like it.", she smiled.