Summary: Sarah is sent to live with Bud and Nora for a month, an action which tears the family apart, but it tears Jake apart the most.
Warnings: Incest in later chapters, mild course language and possible suggestive themes also in later chapters
If anyone looked at the Baker family they'd stare wide eyed, first at the amount of kids, but secondly at some of the close relationships that had formed.
Nora had already moved out and was living with her husband Bud, and she was expecting her first child soon.
Charlie and Lorraine were going to be moving out as soon as they both had apartments to live in. Charlie was going to open a garage up at the lake, and live there with his girlfriend Ann.
Lorraine was heading to the New York Institute of Fashion, though that didn't really surprise anyone.
This left only Henry, Jake, Sarah, Mark, Jessica and Kim, Mike and Nigel and Kyle still at home.
If you looked at the kids still at home, it would be the closeness of some that intrigued you, not that there were 9. Easily you could see that Jessica and Kim, and Nigel and Kyle were twins, not just in their looks but in the way they interacted with each other. They were almost the closest of them all. That was until you took a look at Sarah and Jake.
It didn't really surprise anyone at the connection the two made, Lorraine and Nora had each other, and so did Henry and Charlie. The twins had each other, and Mark had his animals. Mike had his hockey team and Sarah and Jake at home, his bond just wasn't as close as theirs. Some say it was natural that they were pulled to each other; they were only ten months apart and when they were born Mike hadn't been.
One would usually assume they were twins as well; they both had the same light brown hair, chocolaty-hazel eyes, and the same darker skin tone. The only major difference was that Jake was a few inches taller than Sarah as he stood at 5'6, and she at 5'4. It astounded many that the Bakers had met over the years that no, indeed they were not twins they were 10 months apart, though both were born the same year and are currently the same age. Jake was the oldest, something he didn't hesitate to use as an advantage over Sarah in their rare fights.
Currently in the Baker household Sarah was being berated for the latest prank she had pulled at school.
"Sarah this is your sixth detention since you started school 2 weeks ago" Tom said to his daughter who was sitting on the couch looking bored.
"Well, that's what the teachers get for separating me and Jake, we've been in the same class since we started school, who cares that we're in year 9" Sarah replied rolling her eyes at her dad for not understanding her logic. To her it was perfectly simple, Jake wasn't in her grade, which was mainly due to the teachers thinking it was time to separate them; therefore she was entitled to get back at them.
"Sarah it's not their fault that they separated you, you can't get back at them for doing nothing wrong" Tom tried to get Sarah to see it from his point of view but this was something she wouldn't let up on.
"I won't stop till Jake's in my grade or I'm in his" Sarah persisted. She had already lost this month's allowance and was grounded for 2 weeks, not much else could really be done.
"Go to your room, I need to talk to your mum about something" Tom said as he left the room
Sarah just headed up to the room she shared with Jake. When they moved back to Midland the house they used to live in was already sold so they brought another house in the same area except this house didn't have the same amount of bedrooms, it only had 7. So Jake and Sarah shared, the Twins shared and Mark and Mike shared. Henry was the only one that got his own room and that was because he was the oldest. Tom and Kate got their room, and the last one was set up as a spare room for when any of the other kids came to stay.
Sarah sank down onto her bed which was opposite Jake's in the room. She turned on her music with the remote control she had to the stereo they both shared. Jake came in a few minutes later, as he always did once Sarah started playing her music. It was sort of a signal, after a "talking to" as their parents put it, for the other to come in.
"How much trouble did you get into?" Jake asked as he laid himself down next to Sarah on her bed.
"Dad just really told me it was inappropriate but I'm sure something worse is to come as he said that he had to talk to Mum about something, which I'm going to assume is punishment for me"
"Don't worry about it" Jake replied as he gave his sister a hug. He missed having his sister next to him in class, passing notes, mocking teachers with him. He just handled it a bit better instead of pranking them back he just didn't do anything; he just sat at the back of the classroom, not talking or working.
"Kate what will we do with her?" Tom asked his wife as he was pacing around the bedroom they shared.
"I don't know Tom, maybe we should go down to the school and ask for Sarah to be put into Jake's grade" Kate suggested.
"We can't Kate that will be giving her wants" Tom said desperately trying to find another solution.
"Tom you may not see it, but don't you see that it's not just Sarah, its Jake as well. I've heard from his teachers that he's not doing work. He just sits at the back of the class neither talking nor working. You know how close they are, they're closer than the twins."
"That's what I'm talking about, maybe we should keep them separated. They need to get used to the fact when they finish high school that they probably won't be together."
"That's where I disagree you know that Jake and Sarah would go anywhere with each other, they tell each other everything and anything"
"See exactly I just don't think it's healthy, maybe we should send one away, just for a year. Boarding School maybe or with Nora and Bud, it'll mean that whoever goes isn't too far away, nor too close"
Kate was shocked at her husband suggested. Never had it crossed her mind to split her family. It reminded her of when her sister died. They were close, not as close as Sarah and Jake, but still really close. It killed Kate when her sister died.
"No Tom, I will not split this family, I hated it when my sister died, and I know that to Sarah and Jake it will be as if the other died. I walked around on autopilot for days after the death."
"I think it's our only choice besides giving her what she wants. If we don't do anything it will only continue till they're together."
"Tom, what would you feel like if the person in your family that you were the closest to was taken away and sent away, to Jake and Sarah it would probably feel as if they moved across the other side of the country."
Tom looked down as he thought. He was close to his older brother but it was more a Henry-Charlie close and still it hurt when his brother moved away.
Kate saw the realization hit him, and continued, "Now times what you feel by about 10"
As much as it pained him to know what the two would feel if separated he still couldn't help but think it would be better for them in the long turn if they learnt to function without each other being younger rather than older.
"I still think we should do this, maybe we should send Sarah to live with Nora and Bud for two months, she is the one pulling pranks after all."
Kate really didn't want to do this but she knew Tom wouldn't back down, still she decided for her children's sakes that two months was too long for them to be apart.
"Maybe we should but how about we try just for a month first, and allow them to talk on the phone and MSN but they can only see each other every weekend"
Tom settled as he knew it was that or nothing. He saw the pain in Kate's eyes as he accepted her terms. She seemed to really want them to stay here.
"Will I tell her or will you?" Tom asked.
"You can, I don't want to be home when you do though"
Later on the week, after he had talked to Bud and Nora, he went to tell Sarah. He only did it now because neither Kate nor Jake were home.
It was arranged that Sarah was to live with them for a month. They lived just outside Chicago, since Bud was moved from Houston to Chicago after working in Houston for 8 months.
Tom walked into the room Sarah shared with Jake and he saw her writing in what seemed to be a journal.
"Sarah" Tom said as he sat on the end of her bed.
Sarah quickly shut the book she was writing in and turned to face her dad. She knew it wasn't going to be good news because of the way he came in and was talking to her it was always a sign of trouble.
"Your mum and I have decided that you'll live with Bud and Nora for a month, so that you and Jake can learn to live apart from each other for a while. You'll be able to talk on the phone and MSN but you can only see each other on weekends." Tom had decided a quick approach would be better telling her all at once instead of in little pieces.
Sarah sat shocked at what her dad had proposed.
"No" she said, "I'm not going and you can't make me, I'll just run away and come back here"
"Sarah this is a non-negotiable matter. You ARE going whether you like it or not."
"NO" Sarah yelled at Tom, "I'M NOT GOING, YOU CAN'T MAKE ME, ME AND JAKE ARE STAYING HERE!"
"You leave on Monday" Tom said before swiftly exited the room. He knew that if he didn't he'd be on the receiving on some blows that he didn't want.
Sarah wasn't angry, she was past it. Dangerously irate would be words more suited to her mood. She started hitting everything that she could find. From downstairs Tom and everyone else, besides Mike, Jake and Kate, could hear the glass of the mirror shattering and breaking, no doubt into little pieces that would be all over the floor. Then they heard the thumping as she punched everything she could find.
She couldn't believe her parents would do this to her. She picked up her skateboard and hurled it at the wall, watching as it cracked in two as it landed.
Thoughts were raging round her head, her emotions were too. Anger, Rage, Sadness. She sunk too the ground sobbing. She was moving in 3 days.
"Dad why is Sarah angry?" Mark asked as they were sitting in the living room downstairs.
"Well, your mum and I have decided to send Sarah to live with Nora and Bud for a month. We feel it's time for them to learn to function apart, and we're sending Sarah as punishment for her pranks at school" Tom replied, thinking that at least some of the kids would accept their decision.
"How could you dad-"
"Why would you do-"
"That's terrible, how-"
All the kids started talking at once.
"KIDS!" Tom shouted to get their attention, "We did this because we feel this will help them in the long term."
"Not cool Dad, just not cool" Henry said as he stood up and walked away, Nigel and Kyle going with him.
"Why would you do that dad?" asked Kim as she and Jessica went to their room.
"That's terrible, how do you think they'll feel, how do you think WE feel?" asked Mark as he too left.
Tom was left sitting by himself in the living room, the Simpsons playing in the background. Maybe he hadn't thought this through. He hadn't though how much this would affect the other kid's as well.
It shocked Sarah when the door opened; she looked up and saw Jake. It made her realize how long she had been sitting there as he wasn't expected home till an hour after her dad told her. When Jake entered he initially didn't see the mess in the room he just saw Sarah sobbing on the ground, head buried in her arms, and knees pulled up to her chest. He sat down on the floor next to her and wrapped his arms around her. Sarah laid her head on his shoulder, and wrapped her arms around him. Her tears soaked her shirt, the thought that she wouldn't be near her brother hurt. It also made her scared, would he miss her as much as she missed him?
"Sarah, what's the matter?" Jake asked, as he noticed her tears had quieted down.
"Jake their sending me away" Sarah said, not moving her head from where it was.
"What?" Jake said, he couldn't believe what he'd just heard.
"Dad told me I have to live with Bud and Nora for a month"
Jake was in shock, how could his parents tear the family apart like that, he didn't ask any more questions as Sarah's tears had started up again, though this time Jake was crying slightly too.
He picked up his little sister, and carried her to his bed noticing for the first time the destructive state of the room, mirror broken, things everything. He laid Sarah down and gently climbed into the bed next to her, it wasn't long before she fell asleep; she was emotionally drained as well as physically drained. It took Jake a little longer to fall asleep. It seemed as if his mind wouldn't shut down. Thoughts kept coming and going, would she be okay?, would he be okay?, would the family be okay?
"So Tom, how'd it go?" Kate asked later that night as they were in the bedroom.
"Well, there's going to be a lot of damage to the room, and none of the kids are talking to me" Tom replied climbing into bed next to his wife.
"Honey maybe we should've warned her, said that if she did it again then we'd send her away"
"Kate we need to do this, they'll thank us in the long run and I'm sure the kids will get over it" Tom replied trying to believe what he was telling Kate.
"Sure Honey" Kate replied as she fell asleep, even though she knew they wouldn't. She knew she wouldn't forgive her parents if they took her sister away.
Kate wasn't surprised at how she found Sarah and Jake in the morning, or at the state of the room.
She stepped around the mess on the floor to Jake's bed. They often slept in the same bed when one was upset. They had done it since they could walk to the others bed.
It hurt that her kids soon wouldn't be able to be in the same house. She'd miss this, the sight of her kids getting along the way they did, helping each other. But she knew in the long run it would help, after all Sarah and Jake did need to learn how to cope without each other.
"Sarah, Jake honey you need to get up breakfast's ready." It was Saturday, Bud and Nora were driving down on Sunday and were taking Sarah back with them on the Monday.
Jake woke first and woke Sarah up; together they came downstairs and seated themselves at the table.
It was more or less silent except for the clink of cutlery on plates. None of the kids were talking to Tom or Kate, and Jake and Sarah didn't talk at all.
As soon as breakfast was over all the kids excused themselves. None could understand the reasoning their parents had for splitting up their family. It didn't make sense, sure Sarah was getting herself in trouble but how does that mean she should be sent away?
While Sarah and Jake returned to their room, the others all gathered in the lounge room upstairs.
Even though the T.V was on none were watching it, it wasn't the same without Sarah mocking it, or Jake defending his favourite show from Sarah's mocking.
"Henry what if Sarah doesn't come back, what if she decides she likes living with Nora better?" asked Mike.
Henry hugged his little brother close; it was a rare occasion for this to happen.
"Don't worry Mike she'll come back, I promise" he said
What he didn't know was that similar thoughts were running round all his siblings' heads.