AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is supposed to take place shortly after "Guilty Until Proven Innocent." My stories are posted out of order. Sorry about that.
It had been a week since Cyril's ex-friend, Silas Morales, had come to town, and did nothing but cause trouble. Things were getting back to normal at the Sneer mansion, but Sophia just couldn't shake one thing about the entire ordeal. Everyone in the Evergreen Forest knew Cyril didn't care much for Sophia, and it surprised everyone that he had chased off Silas Morales when he had attacked her. He probably would have killed her if Cyril hadn't stepped in. Sophia just couldn't figure out why.
One day, Cedric had gone to the Raccoondominium to spend the day with Ralph and Bert. He had taken Forest with him, saying that Ralph and Bert wanted to have a "Boys Day Out" thing, and they considered the baby as "one of the boys." Since the boys were going to be gone all day, Melissa had asked Sophia if she would be interested in going shopping with her, as a "Girls Day Out." Sophia declined.
"Thanks for the offer, Melissa, but I think I'll just stay here," she said.
"Sure," Melissa nodded. "I understand. I'll see you later."
Sophia nodded, and Melissa left. Sophia heaved a sigh, and walked down the hallways of the mansion. The Pigs were out visiting their mother, so that left only her, Cyril, and Cyril's dog Snag in the house. Cyril was in his office, reading the business section of the newspaper, and Snag was somewhere around the place, probably sleeping. Sophia knew Cyril didn't like it when she came into the office without knocking, even though the door was open. But she knocked on the door anyway. Cyril put down his paper, and merely looked at her.
"Well, what do you want?" Cyril asked. Since Cyril had scared off Silas, he had gone back to treating Sophia like he usually did.
"I was just wondering if we could talk," Sophia said, still standing in the doorway.
"What about?"
"Well, about . . . . you know . . . . the whole thing with Mr. Morales?"
"Oh, that. Well . . . . is anyone here?"
"No one except you, me, and the dog."
"Good. I've been meaning to have a talk with you over the matter myself, Sofa Girl. Come in and have a seat."
Sophia walked into the office and sat down in front of Cyril's desk. Cyril snuffed out his cigar, and pulled another one out from his desk drawer, lighting it.
"Let me take a wild guess why you want to talk about that whole thing," he said. "You want to know why I chased him off that night, when I could have just allowed him to do what he did, right?"
"Well, yes," Sophia said. "I mean, everyone knows you're not too fond of me, and that you don't think I'm good enough for Cedric. Even I don't understand why you stopped him."
"I'll tell you why I stopped him, but you have to solemly swear you'll never say it to anyone. And I know you can be a bit of a blabbermouth. The whole forest knows you can't keep a secret."
"I promise, Mr. Sneer, I won't tell anyone. At least, I'll try my best not to."
Cyril didn't say anything. He stood up, and walked over to the window, just staring out of it in silence for several moments.
"I assume Cedric told you what I told him about his mother," he said.
"Yes, he showed me the photos, too," Sophia said.
"Well, when I lost her, I made a vow to myself that I would do everything I could to see that he didn't go through the pain I went through. The fact of the matter is, that was one of the main reasons I didn't want him to get married in the first place."
Sophia didn't say a word. She couldn't. Cyril took a glance at her, and then went back to the window.
"But, that didn't stop him," he said. "And when the two of you got married and had Forest, I said to myself that I wouldn't allow anything to ruin the marriage, no matter what my feelings towards you are, Sofa Girl. You and the baby mean a lot to Cedric."
"I know, Mr. Sneer," Sophia said. "Cedric and Forest mean a lot to me, too."
"I'm aware of that. I'm fully aware of that. If anything ever happened to the two of you, I know Cedric would be crushed. Believe me, there is nothing more painful than losing someone important to you."
Sophia was once more at a loss for words. This was a side of Cyril Sneer she had never seen, and she had a feeling very few people had seen this side of him, as well. Cyril finally turned away from the mirror and went back to his desk. He sat down and heaved a sigh.
"I mainly did what I did for Cedric," he said. "He was about Forest's age when he lost his mother. That destroyed me, and I knew if Cedric lost you, he'd be destroyed as well. And . . . . well, I just don't want Cedric to go through the pain that I went through. And for Forest. I didn't want him to grow up without a mother, like Cedric had."
"It's hard on a parent to see their child in pain," Sophia said. "I think I understand, Mr. Sneer. I really do."
Cyril just nodded. Sophia stood up, and started to leave the office.
"I'm glad we had this talk, Mr. Sneer," she said.
"So am I," Cyril replied.
And with that, Sophia left the office. Cyril sat down, sighed, and picked up the newspaper, and he continued to go through the business section of the newspaper. Even though he hadn't said anything, Sophia knew he finally had accepted her into his life, in his own way.
The End