It's probably my most favorite neighborhood to play (tying with Belladonna Cove).
Standard operating procedure is to reunite Gabe and Alexandra O'Mackey. This "running off to become a dread pirate" thing is, well, lame. I hate divorce, plus the two have a child together, and I don't care much for Patricia Wan (I think Jules views her as an obstacle to her parents ever getting back together).
In this current version, I've (safely--using Theo's SimPE plug-in) deleted all households except the two O'Mackey and the Wan household. I delete Rose and Daisy Greenman because let's face it, Jason's too cute to be the ultimate tree-hugger! (Yet another "what were they thinking" moment--and I use SimPE to give Jason his real last name back.) I used the Sim Manipulator to make Patricia Wan a townie, since I don't plan on playing her, but she's part of the story and I can age her up since I have FreeTime. The Roths are boring beyond belief--so Jules and Jacob never broke up.
I also have a hack, I think I got it at Simlogical, that makes it so an apology gives a massive boost to the Sims' relationship--where without it, they apologize to each other then the next minute are mixing it up again. I decided, for this version, to leave Alexandra's aspiration at Popularity instead of changing it to Family or Knowledge (which, granted, would give her and Gabe's relationship a chemistry boost). I also change turn-ons and turn-offs. I make sure to turn on Alexandra's aspiration benefit of Fast Friends.
So we have the two O'Mackey households, Patricia and Cleo are townies, everyone else is gone (this time around I'm not playing Leod McGreggor).
I also gave Jules "surgery" via SimPE so she actually looks like her parents.
And so we begin our story.
Alexandra O'Mackey moves in on Riverbend Road. She calls up her daughter Jules and asks her to come over--and bring her father. Which she does. Gabe, understandably, is none too thrilled to see his ex-wife--after all, she did walk out on them.
Alexandra apologizes to Gabe. She realizes that she was being selfish and wants to make things right. She wanted recognition, but it hit her that she'd be recognized as a woman who ditched her family.
Jules is certainly glad to see her mother back. Gabe, meanwhile, chills out on the cheap love seat.
Later that day, when Alexandra knows Gabe is home from work, she asks him out on a date, and they go to Red's Famous 50s Diner.
Gabe is such a shy Sim!
The date goes really well, and then the next day Gabe asks Alexandra out on a date, this time to the One-Twenty-Five Cafe. He's really missed her, he knows Jules has missed her mother (her grades aren't the best)...and in the meantime he realizes that he needs to break the news to Patricia.
Well, Patricia found out herself.
After a confrontation and a few insults hurled, Gabe and Alexandra continue their date. Nervously he assumes the position.
She happily accepts. Their family is going to be together again.
The next day Gabe invites Alexandra over, and they're reunited.
And that night they proceed to conceive their second child.
Next chapter: Jason O'Mackey