Author's Note: I do not own any of the "Team Fortress 2" characters or locations. This is merely for entertainment purposes, and I am not looking to profit off of this piece of fiction. All characters/locations belong to Valve. Sherry belongs to me.
The house already felt crowded and cramped by the time the rest of Helene's brood arrived at the too-small house. Before they had all come by, Sherry and Scott had washed up (Scott took a shower) and changed into clean clothes; Sherry was sporting a nice pink sleeveless mod dress with her favorite pair of white Go-Go boots. She had tied her brown hair back with a pink ribbon.
Sherry decided that she had avoided the rest of her family for long enough, so she decided to make her way downstairs into the living room, where bowls of nuts, chips, and dips were laid out on the coffee table. And there sat her eight brothers, all talking about something.
"I'm tellin' ya, bein' a cashier is a pansy job, Sherman!" Scott said to his brother who sat in the armchair across from him. Just that simple statement caused uproar from the rest of her brothers.
"Look who's talking, Scotty!"
"You don't even bother coming home for Christmas!"
"At least I go to college!"
"At least I'm not stuck out in the middle of God-knows-where with a bunch of men!"
"The best part about being a surgeon, Scotty? I don't have people wanting to kill me every waking moment of my life!"
"Ah, shaddup, all of ya!" Scott said after the barrage of insults. Sherry promptly seated herself next to Scott, taking a chip out of a bowl. She could see her brothers watching her.
"Sherry, don't you think that you're a bit…Underdressed?" Samuel, the eldest, said to her carefully. Instantly, groans were heard, Sherry's included.
"Will you shut up about how Sherry dresses? It's the style!"
"What do you want her to wear then? A flame-retardant suit?"
"Sherry, you're dressed fine, don't listen to him!"
"Why is it that every single time I'm not wearing jeans and a blouse that you have to scrutinize what I wear, Samuel?"
"What are ya? The frikin' Fashion Police?"
"All nine of you stop arguing!" Helene said, coming out of the kitchen, wielding a wooden spoon. All nine of Helene's children were silenced at the sight of the spoon; the smack that spoon gave would smart for hours if hit in the right place.
"I mean it. I don't want our guest of honor being scared away because some siblings couldn't get along. Sherry, you're dressed fine. Scott, don't insult your brothers and their careers. And all nine of you act your age!" Helene said, retreating back into the kitchen to stir something on the stove. Scott huffed as he sank back into the sofa; since he and Sherry were the youngest, they were the ones that got in trouble the most.
"So, Scott…How have you been?" Shad asked after several minutes of silence, popping a peanut into his mouth. Scott didn't answer; they all knew how he was doing.
"We missed you at Christmas." Sawyer said, reclining into his chair. Scott merely shrugged.
"I was busy, alright?" Scott said as he shut his eyes in annoyance. Sherry hoped that her brothers wouldn't crack out the traditional, "Let's interrogate Scott and find out if he's gay" card. Sherry knew from the postcards that Scott sent her that he was straight.
"You know, there's nothing wrong with a normal career, Scott." Seamus said gently.
And here we go again, Sherry thought dismally.
"Yeah? And how "normal" is it to be peerin' down people's mouths to see if they've rotted their teeth, eh? Just shut up, Seamus. I don't wanna put up with your crap tonight." Scott said in a tone that clearly displayed his annoyance. Sherry couldn't blame him for his annoyance; they would often remind him that his career wasn't "normal" whenever they saw each other.
Thankfully, Seamus got the hint and said no more about Scott's job as a Mercenary. Instead, he began to talk to his other brothers about his job as a dentist in hushed whispers. Sherry hated that her brothers disliked Scott's career choice; it caused so much unnecessary tension between all of them. Would they be in disagreement if she had told them of her desire to be an artist when she grew up?
"Sherry, I heard that you aren't doing so well in your French classes…Are things okay?" Shane asked. Out of them all, Shane was probably the most maternal, which annoyed Sherry to no end.
"Yeah, I just have a hard time with the pronunciation of some words. I just forget how to speak the words whenever I have to speak in front of the class." She said honestly. Sherry could smell the roast in the oven, and it just made her even hungrier. She knew that her Mother would be making an apple pie while they ate dinner.
"Say, Sherry…Can I talk to ya for a moment?" Scott said at long last, standing up from the couch. Sherry merely nodded, following her brother into the study as he shut the door.
"What is it, Scott?" She asked. Scott seemed to be…Nervous. But what was he nervous about?
"You wouldn't happen ta know what Ma's boyfriend is like, would ya? Like, what does he look like, or…" Scott began, Sherry cutting him off.
"No, I don't. Every time he sees Mom, I'm either at school or at Rebecca's house. He's always gone by the time I get back. Why?" Sherry asked, noticing the concerned look in his eyes.
"…It's nothing. Don't worry 'bout it." Scott said, shaking his head. But he couldn't shake off his nervous atmosphere, which seemed to spike when he heard the doorbell ring.
"Oh, that must be him! Come to the door, kids! I want him to see all of you!" Helene said excitedly, Sherry hearing her heels clicking on the tiled floor. Obediently, Sherry and Scott left the study, standing in a neat line from oldest to youngest at the front door. Outside, Sherry could see someone standing in front of the door, but she couldn't make out any features due to the frosted glass.
"Now, remember; behave and act your age!" Helene reminded them all as she opened the door.
Sherry could hear Scott first gasp, and then groan in agony as Helene's boyfriend stepped into the house.
"Bonjour, ma petite Chou-fleur." The stranger said in a velvety voice, kissing Helene's hand gently. Sherry could see her Mother blushing deeply as the man shut the door behind him. Next to her, Scott had tensed up greatly, a deep scowl set on his features. His hands had clenched into fists, shaking violently.
The man, as it turned out, was wearing a mask on his head, hiding everything excluding the area around his eyes and mouth. His suit was an intriguing shade of red, complimented with pinstripes. He wore red gloves on his hands, which made Sherry wonder just why this man was covered up so much. When he spoke, he had a French accent, leading Sherry to believe that he was French.
"Hello, Darling! I missed you!" Helene said as she placed a gentle kiss on his lips. Scott moaned as if he was in pain.
"And I you, ma chérie." He said as he once more kissed her hand. By now, Scott's jaw had been clenched so tightly, Sherry thought he was going to crack every single tooth in his mouth.
"You said that you wanted to meet my children, so I'll introduce you!" Helene said as she went over to Samuel.
"In order by age, this is Samuel, Sawyer, Seamus, Shad, Shane, Shaun, Sherman, Scott…" When she had said Scott's name, the man had given him a…What was the word that she was looking for? A dark scowl? A nasty grin? A knowing smile? Sherry didn't know...
"And last, but not least, Sherry." Helene said, placing her hands on Sherry's shoulders as she stood behind her. The man didn't say anything, but rather, he instead produced a bouquet of red roses, adorned with white babies' breath blossoms.
"For you." He said in a smooth tone. When Helene gushed over the flowers, Sherry could have sworn she saw Scott lock hateful eyes onto the strange man.
