Tabitha winced as the wheels on her suitcase rattled, noisily, over the floorboards, making a thud every time they rolled over onto another plank of wood.

It always is that if you are trying your very hardest not to wake somebody, every little movement you make will seem even louder than it normally would.

She heard the creak of the floor behind her and stopped walking to listen out to check if anybody had awoken.

She was safe.

She and Dil were the only two awake at this very moment in time: they had to set off early to Granite Falls so that they could get there, buy their supplies, find a nice place to camp and then pitch the tent. They made sure to put aside an extra two hours for pitching the tent: it would surely take them a few more tries than it should with any normal person doing it.

The only thing that Tabitha had in the suitcase was their clothes and a first aid kit in case anything happened in the forest (trips, scrapes or being attacked by vicious tree monsters, for example. You never know what was alive here in the Sims universe: always have to take precautions).

Tabitha nodded to herself in satisfaction, knowing she hadn't woken anyone, and took one last look around the room to make sure she had everything she needed.

"Are we ready to go?" Came Dil's voice in a whisper from behind, almost making her jump.

"Yeah, we're all set," Tabitha verified.

"Great!" Dil smiled and looked over to the sofa to see his two creators/house-sitters/childminders fast asleep, sat up and leaning on each other's shoulders, a thin white sheet spread across their legs.

After coming home the day before, Tabitha had given them a sleepy, brief rundown of the rota before heading off to bed to get some sleep before she had to wake up early the next morning. She guessed they'd just been so tired after their arrival and their walk that they'd just completely dropped off, huddled up beside each other like penguins. Not usually something they'd do, so they must've been exhausted.

"You think they'll wake up in time?" Tabitha asked.

"Of course they will; if they don't, Dab will sure wake them up," Dil chuckled, very quietly, and his wife gave a warm yet tired smile.

Tabitha silently crept up to the sofa, trying to make as little sound as possible, picked up the edges of the blanket and tucked it around her friends' shoulders. She grinned to herself, a feeling of completeness washing over her, and decided that she'd done all she needed to.

"Let's go, then," she whispered to her husband and padded back over to the door to open it to the faintly chilly, early morning air. The sun was just beginning to rise and the sound of distant birdsong was just about audible. It was a very good day for camping.

Tabitha and Dil stepped outside, wheeling along the suitcase and, slightly too loudly, locked the door behind them.

Phil flickered one eye open at the sound of the lock turning in the catch and he managed a weary smile.

"They've gone," he whispered, under his breath, expecting Dan to be awake, too, but he received no reply.

He let out half of a laugh and shook his head, gently. Of course Dan wouldn't be awake.

He considered getting up and making a surprise breakfast for everyone but he decided that it was too risky, considering his clumsiness and the fact that he probably couldn't stand up without waking his friend, so he gave a yawn, closed his eyes and tried to fall back asleep.

He could hear the quiet creak and shuffle of Dab turning over in his room, the bed sheets ruffling, softly.

Phil decided that now was a very pleasant time to think.

The smell of linen that was drifting up into his nose from the thin blanket around him (which he didn't remember putting around his shoulders) calmed him enough to keep all his thoughts serene and cool, so he found his mind pondering over the week to come: all the things he'd planned out in his head before they arrived. He'd even made a mental list.

Whether any of his plans would go through was another thing entirely, but he thought that most of them were pretty good.

He was considering making ends meet with Erica, maybe meeting Bob properly for the first time, but mostly just spending his free time with his virtual family. Besides, that was what he and Dan were called here for.

His mind pored over the things he had premeditated to keep Dab entertained, too. He had thought of letting Evan come for a sleep-over, for one, and that would be rather fun to witness unfold. Evan would probably find him and Dan a tad… eccentric… but what did he care? Everybody has that one friend or family member who isn't quite there, having two would just double the fun.

Actually, Dab seemed the most human and normal out of all the family.

Dil was half Dan and half Phil so of course he was the most unconventional, and even Tabitha played with toy dinosaurs and carried around a bottle of 'monster killer' (water) in a spray bottle to ward away the imaginary beasts from under the bed, but Dab seemed to be the most human: he was artsy, somewhat more sensible than his parents already, and somehow had more of a social life than all of them.

Phil slyly smiled at this realisation and felt himself start to drift off again…

And everything in his mind told him that this week was going to be the indubitable best.