New Paths, Old Faces
|~ Mail Call ~|~ Happy Birthday Mac ~|~ And The Bottom Drops Out ~|~ Telling The Other Mother ~|
It just keeps going and going...
Sam opened the mailbox and pulled out several envelopes for both her and Brooke. She knew what most of them were, either acceptance letters or rejection letters from the colleges they'd applied to. They'd been filtering in for the past few weeks. She looked at the addresses and saw that they both received responses from U. of Southern Cal. She set Brooke's down on the counter and opened her own. Joy filled her as she read the school's letter welcoming her to the freshman class. She whooped and jumped around the kitchen.
"Win Publisher's Clearinghouse?" Brooke asked as she walked in on Sam's amusing display. Sam rushed over and grabbed Brooke in a bear hug and swung her around.
"I got it! I got in!" she yelled happily as she twirled Brooke in her arms. Brooke laughed.
"Where?" she managed.
"USC! I got what I wanted!" Sam answered. Brooke smiled brightly at her, genuinely happy.
"That's terrific Sammy! I'm so happy for you! Can you put me down now? I'm getting kind of dizzy." Sam set her down but continued to dance around the kitchen. Brooke laughed at her and then spied her own mail on the counter. She quietly opened the USC envelope, read the letter and smiled. Sam stopped her happy dance and looked at her.
"What?" she asked. Brooke focused her grin on Sam.
"I got in too," was all Brooke said before Sam started swinging her around again.
"That's great!" Sam said with a wide smile before her face turned serious. "But you don't have to go there." Brooke rolled her eyes.
"I know, but they have a good teaching program and I've really been thinking about that lately. I've always thought that I'd make a good teacher." Sam nodded.
"I think you would," she agreed. She hugged Brooke again. "God, I am so happy!" Brooke laughed.
"That's obvious, Sammy," she joked. "I have good news of my own. Guess who's currently in first place in our class?" Sam's eyebrows shot up.
"You?" she asked. Brooke nodded proudly.
"Me," she informed Sam. Sam hugged and kissed her.
"Congratulations, Princess, I know you've been working hard for that," she said. Brooke smiled.
"I have and after all the crap we've both been through, it's a nice validation."
"You didn't get Prom Queen but you get Class Valedictorian. And you earned it, it wasn't a popularity contest, good for you, love." Brooke blushed.
"Where are you in class ranking?" she asked. Sam suddenly looked away and decided that the fridge held the wonders of the universe.
"Hungry?" she questioned Brooke. "Cuz I can make you an omelete."
"Sam," Brooke said in a warning tone.
If you don't want eggs I could make pancakes or tacos."
"Sam," Brooke said again. Sam sighed.
"If I pass all my finals with B's or better, 12th," she said. Two spots away from an honors diploma. Brooke sighed, Sam had been trying so hard but because of the time and work she'd missed after the accident last year, she never really caught all the way up. Still, 12th wasn't bad. She wrapped her arms around Sam's waist in a comforting hug.
"I know you wanted better, Sammy but 12th is fantastic. Especially for someone who a year ago was lying in a coma and we weren't even sure was going to survive. And don't forget that there are almost 110 other people who would love to be you right now." Sam nodded.
"Yeah, and 11 who are glad that they're not," she scoffed. Brooke shook her head.
"Little Miss Glass Half Empty," she chided. She felt Sam chuckle.
"That's me," Sam agreed. She turned around in Brooke's arms so that they were face to face. "You still love me right?" Brooke pretended to think about that for a minute.
"Of course I do," she answered a few seconds later. "If you keep asking dumb questions like that, I'm not surprised you came in 12th." Sam mock glared at her.
"Keep that up and see who sleeps alone tonight," she threatened.
"Eep!"
"Hap-py birth-day dear Maaaaac, happy birthday to youuuuuuu!" the assembled crowd sang as Mac clapped happily and dug both hands into the small Elmo shaped cake set in front of her. She then attempted to shove both cake filled and frosting covered hands into her mouth.
"That's our Mac, true to form," Sam quipped as she laughed and reached over to wipe some errant frosting from Mac's forehead. She wondered how Mac could have gotten it that high up so quickly but had no doubt she'd be covered in it before too long. Mac reached out and wiped her hand on the front of Sam's shirt. Sam glared at her little sister.
"Gee, thanks Mac," she said dryly. Brooke walked up behind her laughing.
"Look, Sammy, she's sharing with you," she laughed. Sam moved her glare from Mac to Brooke.
"Ooo, you're funny, Princess," she sighed. "But looks aren't everything." Brooke looked at her with a mock-horrified look.
"Ouch, Sammy, but then you'd know, I guess," she shot back.
"Har har," Sam stuck out her tongue. "Can you believe she's a year old?" Brooke shook her head as she wrapped her arms around Sam, careful to avoid the frosting stain.
"Seems like yesterday we were delivering her right here in this kitchen," Brooke responded as they watched their parents and friends play with Mac in her highchair while Mike filmed the whole thing with his ever present videocamera. Mac was flinging cake everywhere but no one seemed to care.
"She's going to be one hell of a sugared up one year old," Sam pointed out. Brooke nodded.
"Yup, and just think, Mom and Dad get to deal with her." Sam laughed.
"Good point," she agreed. "I gotta go change my shirt."
"I'll come with," Brooke suggested. They both went upstairs and Brooke sat on the bed and watched as Sam changed out of her stained shirt and into a fresh one with a lopsided grin. Sam recognized the look on Brooke's face and wagged a finger at her.
"Get your mind out of the gutter and my pants, Princess. We have guests downstairs waiting for us who are going to notice our absence before too long. Not to mention it's our little sister's first birthday party. We don't want to miss that," she reminded her lover. Brooke pouted knowing Sam was right.
"Awwww," she growled. Sam raised an eyebrow at her.
"Not that I mind, cuz I don't, believe me I don't. But what has gotten into you lately? You've got the libido of a crazed ferret on crack," Sam said with a wide smile as Brooke blushed a deep red color.
"Am I that bad?" she asked quietly. Sam laughed.
"I said I don't mind. I like it, actually."
"I love you Sam," Brooke said as she looked at Sam seriously. Sam knelt down in front of her.
"I know you do. I love you too. Is that why?" she asked as she stroked Brooke's cheek gently. Brooke shook her head and shrugged.
"It's just so much bad has happened to you, to us. Sometimes I'm afraid of losing you to that, Sammy," she admitted as a few tears fell. Sam brushed them away with her thumbs. "And I just want to hold on to you as tightly as I can. I love you, I want you, I need you." Sam smiled gently.
"Same here, Princess. But I'm not going anywhere, I promise. My heart and soul are yours for as long as you want them. A day, a week, a month, a year, forever. Whatever you choose. You'll never lose me until the day you say good-bye."
"That day will never come. Forever, Sammy," Brooke said firmly. Sam smiled again, this time a wide and bright smile as she stood up taking Brooke with her.
"Forever it is, then, Brooke. Come on, we have a party to get back to."
"OK," Brooke agreed. Sam stopped suddenly and turned back to Brooke.
"By the way, this by no means means that we should cut down on the sex, you know that right?" she asked. Brooke laughed.
"Wouldn't dream of it," she responded while pulling Sam into a heated kiss.
**
When they returned to the party, as Sam had figured, Mac was covered in cake and frosting and was still laughing wildly. Sam was glad to see several others, most notably Carmen and Lily, were also hit by the frosting monster. She and Brooke entered the kitchen and started laughing. Everyone just stared at the two of them.
"What's so funny?" Lily asked as she tried to wipe some frosting off her cheek.
"I see I wasn't Mac's only victim," Sam quipped as she kept her distance from Mac and watched her mother try to clean the baby up some. The cake was no more, either eaten or being worn by the various occupants of the room.
"Yeh, well, she's an energetic one," Harrison said. He had a small baby sized handprint on the front of his black tee shirt made entirely of frosting.
"Wait twenty minutes for the sugar to actually hit her system," Brooke warned. It seemed like the only one in the room to have escaped Mac's cake filled wrath was Nicole, but that was only because she kept a discreet distance. Even Mary Cherry was picking cake from her hair.
"OK, I think it's present time," Jane said after she'd cleaned Mac up. Everyone moved to the livingroom where they unwrapped Mac's gifts, seeing as she was a little too small to do it herself. Jane had changed the baby's clothes so everyone took turns holding the sugared up child (except Nicole).
Mac got a pair of baby sized Prada heels from Nicole, a small leather jacket from MC (which Lily refrained from commenting on), several stuffed animals from Carmen, and a myriad of other gifts that any one year old would be happy to have if they were aware of having them.
Eventually, though, Mac started to fuss. Knowing the way things worked by now and wanting to see everyone's faces, Brooke handed the baby to Sam before she could protest. Mac calmed down, grabbed a handful of Sam's long hair, and snuggled into her sister's arms with a yawn.
"Oh for crying out loud," Sam sighed as she shot Brooke a dirty look. "Would you stop doing that?" Brooke giggled at her as their friends stared at the display in shock.
"It's just so damn cute Sammy," Brooke said between giggles.
"She's right, Sam, and I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes," Carmen commented. Sam sighed again as Mac stretched and closed her eyes, going to sleep right there in her arms.
"Great, I'm the kid's giant security blanket," Sam complained. Not that she actually minded. Inside she was touched.
"Could be worse, you could make her cry at the mere sight of you," Nicole pointed out wryly. "Like the rest of us do."
"Gee, thanks Satan. Ever think of a career in counseling?"
Finals came and went with little fanfare or fear from either Brooke or Sam. They were both well prepared and passed with flying colors. Now all they had left was graduation week itself. An entire week of rehearsals, goofing off, half days and Brooke trying desperately to write her speech. Despite several offers from Sam to help, Brooke was steadfast in her determination to write it herself.
She was sitting on the couch with a pad and a pencil trying to write the damn thing while Mac sat happily in her playpen playing with one of the toys she had gotten for her birthday. It was one of those infrequent quiet days where you just lay around and wait for life to happen. (I should let Sammy help me with this) Brooke told herself. (No, I can do it myself) She wanted to do it herself because it was her last chance to leave her mark at Kennedy as something other than the `gay popular girl'. She just had no idea what to say.
The doorbell rang and she was halfway off the couch to answer it when Sam bounded down the stairs at a frightening pace. Brooke was almost afraid Sam was going to go through the door bodily.
"I got it!" she announced. Sam reached the door and yanked it open. Her stomach dropped to her feet for a minute and then anger flooded her system. Brooke, who was all ready up and almost to the door anyway, came up behind her.
"Who is it, Sammy?" she stood behind Sam and looked out the door. The face that greeted her sent her into shock.
"Mmo...Mom?" she stuttered as her mother Kelly stood in the door. "What are you doing here?" Kelly smiled.
"You didn't really think I'd miss my baby's graduation, did you?" she asked. Brooke and Sam kept staring at her in various degrees of shock. "Can I come in or do I have to stand out here all day?"
"Stand out there all day," Sam muttered as Brooke elbowed her and they both stepped aside to let Kelly in. Kelly missed Sam's little comment. Kelly looked around the room.
"Wow, the house has changed," she said. She spied Mac in her playpen. "And who is this?" she asked sweetly as she walked over. She leaned over the top of the playpen and Mac eyed her warily. Sam recognized the look and silently encouraged her little sister.
(Come on, Mac, do it) she cheered. Mac's face scrunched up and turned red as she started to cry. (All right Mac! Way to go!) Sam picked her little sister up and away from Kelly.
"That's MacKenzie, our little sister," Brooke explained as Jane and Mike entered the room. Both stopped in their tracks.
"Kelly?" Mike said surprised. Jane shot a look at all three of her daughters.
"I came to see Brooke graduate," Kelly explained. Sam handed Mac to her mother.
"I'm going to put Mac down for her nap," Jane said as she exited the room. Sam walked back over to Brooke.
"Well, the awkward quota in this house just rose 300 percent," she whispered. Brooke nodded.
"So where are you staying?" Mike asked feigning interest. Kelly rolled her eyes.
"The Hiatt, like you care. Honestly Mike, why do we play this game? I came to see my daughter so just go back to doing what you were doing," she said. Mike looked at Brooke who nodded.
"I'm in the kitchen if you need me, girls," he said to Brooke and Sam as he left, glad to get away from his ex. Kelly turned back to her daughter.
"Brooke, have you put on weight?" Brooke paled and shrunk into herself while Sam's anger flared.
"Hey! Back off, bitch! There's nothing wrong with the way she looks," Sam snapped. Kelly fixed her with a bored stare.
"I wasn't talking to you, Sam. Run along, I want to spend time with my daughter." Sam's hackles were now firmly up.
"How convienent for you. Where have you been since she was nine, huh?" Sam challenged. Brooke meanwhile was looking down at herself and wondering if she looked that bad. Sam noticed and crushed the urge to kill Kelly on the spot.
"Brooke," she said firmly to get the young blonde's attention. Brooke looked at her with an expression mixed with fear and self-loathing that broke Sam's heart. It amazed Sam that Kelly could be in the house less than ten minutes and undo months, years worth of progress in helping Brooke overcome her self-image problems. It also pissed her off more.
"Brooke," she repeated softer. "Princess, you look great. Don't let her get to you. We've been over this. You're healthy and that's all that matters, OK?" Brooke nodded and Sam turned to Kelly.
"As for you, what gives you the right to march in here whenever the whim hits you and pull the rug out from underneath her like that?" Sam demanded to know. Kelly glared at her.
"I'm her mother," she responded.
"When it suits you," Sam shot back. "I got news for you, she's got a mother now that's there for her 24/7 and doesn't care what size she is and loves her unconditionally. Can you say the same?"
"She should watch her weight. No man is going to want a fat, bloated, has-been for a wife," Kelly countered. Sam smiled wickedly at how she could defeat that argument but thought it best to wait until all parties were calmer before dropping that bombshell.
"You'd know, huh?" Sam shot back.
"Mom, Sam, please stop," Brooke finally spoke up. "Look, this isn't the place to be having this conversation."
"How about dinner, Brooke? My treat, just the two of us?" Kelly suggested.
"Three. Sam goes too. We have some things to discuss with you," Brooke said. Kelly shook her head.
"You don't need her there to talk to me, Brooke. Just you and me." Brooke turned to Sam.
"Give us a second, Mom?" Kelly nodded and walked a few feet away.
"It's up to you, Princess. I don't like it cuz she winds you up so," Sam whispered. Brooke sighed.
"I know but she won't let you go and she has a right to know about us," Brooke told her. Sam shook her head.
"Are you sure you want to tell her alone? I mean we told everyone else together, except my Mom but she sprung that on me so that doesn't count. We're in this together, love." Brooke spared her a small smile.
"No choice this time, Sammy. Besides, what's the worst she can do, really? Leave me and never talk to me again?" Sam squeezed Brooke's hand before letting go and watching Brooke walk back over to her mother.
"That's what I'm afraid of, love," Sam sighed. She had a bad feeling about this.
Dinner was a strained and awkward affair between Brooke and her mother. Actually, Brooke spent more time chasing a piece of lettuce around her plate than actually eating but that was beside the point. Kelly kept going on about the gallery and how Brooke had to visit and how great San Francisco was until Brooke began to entertain fantasties of stabbing her mother with her fork.
(Now I KNOW I spend too much time with Sam) she giggled.
"And has Sam ever been checked for rabies?" her mother's question dragged Brooke from her fantasyland.
"Huh?"
"I mean, she was just way out of line speaking to me like that. Where does she get off taking back to me like that?" Kelly questioned. Brooke smiled at the memory of Sam walking up one side and down the other of her mother. It had been an entertaining show.
"She cares for me, Mom and you said some pretty insensitive things," Brooke informed her mother. Kelly sputtered at her for a minute.
"Excuse me? But you have gotten a little horsey since I last saw you," Brooke felt a physical need to vomit but squelched it. She knew intellectually that she was not `horsey' or `fat' or `bloated' or a `has-been' but emotionally her mother was beating her with a large stick and it hurt. Brooke was suddenly reminded why she liked Jane so much. And she really wished Sam were with her for comfort.
"I am not horsey," Brooke said quietly. "I'm healthy." Kelly laughed.
"Keep telling yourself that, or keep believing Sam when she tells you that but no man is going to want you looking like you do right now." Taking a page from Sam's book, Brooke converted her hurt into anger as her only defense.
"OK, Mom, that's enough," she snapped. "First off, back off. I'm not fat, I'm happy. You can't just waltz into my life whenever you please, pass judgement and then leave. It's not right and I won't let you. If you really cared about what was good and right for me you never would have left in the first place."
"Second, I couldn't give a rat's ass what some stupid guy thought about how I look. If you can't accept me as I am then I don't want you. Besides, I have someone in my life who loves me wholely, completely and without reservation no matter what I look like. They've said as much. Love is blind, Mom, not based on what size you wear or how much you weigh."
"You have someone in your life, Brooke? That's fabulous. Who is he? Is he cute? Is he rich?" Brooke sighed and rubbed her eyes. She felt a migraine coming on.
"Mom, you might want to order another drink for what I'm about to tell you," she warned. Kelly frowned.
"Why Brooke? Is he a poor ugly boy?" Brooke sighed again and rested her head in her hand for a second. She then looked back at her mother.
"OK, I warned you," she said simply. "Simply put, Mom, he is a she." All the color drained from Kelly's face.
"Excuse me?" she asked in a low voice. Brooke felt a chill wash over her and knew this wasn't going to be pretty. Again she wished Sam were with her.
"Mom, I'm gay," she explained slowly. The paleness of her mother's face was replaced with a red tint that was alarming to Brooke. (Oh, that's not good)
"You're gay?" Kelly repeated. Brooke nodded.
"Yes," she said confidently. Kelly blinked at her for a few minutes.
"And who is this person who loves you `wholely, completely and without reservation no matter what you look like'?" she asked sarcastically. Brooke winced and braced herself for what was sure to be a messy fallout.
"Sam," she told her mother with conviction. Kelly's face shifted from red to purple. It was an odd parody of Mike's reaction.
"What? SAM?" It amazed Brooke sometimes how such a small word,three little letters could wind people up so much. "You have got to be kidding me! That piece of trash?" Now Brooke was getting angry again.
"She is not trash, she's the most loving and generous person I know and I love her with all my heart. But you know nothing about true love, do you?"
"Brooke, you're not gay. No daughter of mine could possibly be gay. It's just a phase, an experimentation. All teens go through this sort of thing." Brooke rolled her eyes heavenward and groaned as she buried her face in her hands.
"Oh, here we go," she muttered.
"Brooke, I live in San Francisco, I see gay people all the time and you don't fit the mold," Kelly continued apparently happy just to hear herself talking. "You're not gay, sweetie. You're too good looking." Brooke groaned again.
"Have you seen Melissa Etheridge's present girlfriend? Tammy, I think her name is," she asked no one in particular. Kelly ignored her and kept talking.
"Besides, I know for a fact your father would never stand for it. He'd probably try to kill Sam." Brooke winced.
"Been there, done that," she sighed. "Not a happy memory."
"So you aren't gay," Kelly concluded. Brooke looked at her mother.
"Do you feel better now?" she asked sarcastically.
"What do you mean, honey?" Kelly asked confused.
"Now that you've had your rant, do you feel better? I mean, it doesn't change anything, I'm still gay and in love with Sam." Kelly rolled her eyes.
"How could you possibly love HER?" Brooke slammed her hands down on the table.
"I do! Live with it!" Brooke yelled as she stood up.
"You are NOT gay," Kelly challenged again. Brooke took a deep breath, stood on her chair and yelled for everyone's attention in the restaurant. Her father was probably going to kill her for this stunt but her mother had pushed her too far.
"Attention everybody! Yeah, hi, sorry to interrupt your dinner but I have a little announcement to make," she started. Everyone was staring at her.
"Brooke, get down from there," Kelly ordered. Brooke grinned wickedly.
"I just wanted everyone to know that I, Brooke McQueen, daughter of Kelly McQueen Foster here," she pointed at her mother who sunk down in her seat. "Am GAY! Yes, that's right, gay! Homosexual, fruity, lesbian, queer, a dyke. And I am deeply in love with my stepsister Samantha McPherson who loves me back! You can now return to your dinners." She hopped down off her chair and was surprised when most of the patrons applauded her. She bowed and headed towards the door stopping first at her mortified mother's side.
"Believe me now?" she asked before leaving.
**
Sam was curled in a ball on her bed laughing hysterically and trying frantically to stop to no avail. The picture Brooke had just painted for her was just too priceless. She held on to her sides and kept laughing, tears running down her cheeks as Brooke sat nearby patiently waiting for her to regain her composure. Sam was almost to the point of making herself sick she was laughing so hard.
"So you�you `outed' yourself," she started when she calmed down some. "And me," she added, "in the middle of one of the ritziest restaurants in L.A. just to shut your mother up?" Brooke nodded with a sheepish grin and Sam started laughing again until the hiccups started.
"I wish I could (hic) have seen it!" Sam roared with laughter. Brooke joined her on the bed and pulled her into her embrace.
"You should have seen her face, Sammy," Brooke laughed at the memory of the mortified/pissed look on Kelly's face. Sam hiccuped.
"I wish I had," she agreed. She played with Brooke's hair for a few minutes while they both calmed down from what really wasn't a funny situation. "Are you OK, Princess?" Sam asked seriously. Brooke sighed.
"Why couldn't she have been more like Jane? You know, cool about it?" Brooke wondered outloud. Sam hugged her tighter.
"Then my mom wouldn't be so cool," Sam said cheekily. Brooke smiled at her. "She'll get over it, Brooke, or she won't. Either way, she's never been that big a part of your life. I know her opinion means a lot, I don't understand why, but I know it does. Just know that I'm here for you and that I love you."
"I know Sammy, thank you," Brooke whispered as she kissed Sam. A knock at the door interrupted them. Sam turned her head.
"Who's there?" she called as Brooke kissed her way down her neck.
"Mike. Can I talk to you two?" Brooke growled into Sam's neck and Sam let out a sigh that bordered on a laugh. She got up and let Mike in.
"Hey Mike, what's up?" Sam asked nonchalantly as Brooke made no attempt to get off the bed. Mike sat down in a chair nearby as Sam sat back on the bed and Brooke wrapped her arms around her.
"Brooke, your mother just called," he started.
"Uh-oh," Sam mumbled.
"Kelly," Brooke said suddenly. Both Mike and Sam looked at her confused.
"What honey? Mike asked.
"Kelly. She may have given birth to me but my Mom is Jane. She's the one who loves and takes care of me despite the things I do. That's a mom. It's not a matter of blood, it's a matter of love. Please, call my birthmother Kelly when refering to her from now on," Brooke explained. Mike and Sam both smiled.
"Mom will love to hear that," Sam said giving Brooke a squeeze.
"Yes, Brooke, she will," Mike agreed. "OK, Kelly just called, absolutely livid about a scene you apparently caused."
"Dad, I can explain�" Brooke started. Mike held up a hand to stop her.
"Let me just see if I have this straight. You told her about you and Sam and, knowing Kelly, she didn't take it well. How am I doing so far?" Mike asked.
"Pretty good," Brooke admitted.
"OK, so, after that she protested you being gay and wouldn't listen to your explaination so you got up on your chair and announced it to the entire restaurant. Do I have that all correct?" Brooke nodded.
"Uh, yeah," she said. Mike nodded slowly.
"To the ENTIRE restaurant?"
"Uh-huh."
"Just checking," Mike sighed. "She is one pissed off woman. She seems to think this is all either my fault or Sam's." Brooke eyed her father.
"You're not mad?" Mike smiled.
"You publically humiliated your mother, sorry, Kelly, as the only way to make her listen. I have my own issues with the two of you but that won't change anything. So, you want to stand on a chair and announce it, it's your life Brooke. I just wish I had a picture of Kelly's face." Brooke and Sam started laughing.
"So do I, Mike," Sam agreed.
"What else did she say?" Brooke asked. Mike sighed.
"She still doesn't want to accept that you're really gay despite the fact that I told her you were. And she really has something against you Sam," he said sadly. Sam shrugged. She could care less. "She still wants to be here for your graduation but wants no more mention of your sexual preference."
"Whatever," Brooke said. "I'm not going to hide it from her either."
"Don't," Mike said. "Be yourselves and make her deal with it like you did me. She either will or she can leave."
"Thanks Mike," Sam said genuinely happy that he seemed to be dealing better.
"Yeah thanks Dad." Mike smiled at the two girls.
"Goodnight. See you in the morning." Mike got up and left leaving the two girls alone in the room again. Brooke laid down on the bed taking Sam with her.
"Now, where were we?" Brooke purred into Sam's ear making the brunette shiver.
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