Chapter Three—Hit Me With Your Best Shot

March 20, 2050

A few days later the phone call fiasco none of the Baker siblings or Ravens were speaking to her on what Sam imagined were direct orders from Brooke. That was one of the main reasons Samantha was so surprised to see a manila envelope with a Tree Hill postmark in the corner. Curious in spite of herself Sam slit the envelope with her fingernail cutting her thumb on the jagged edge of one photo.

"What the…?" she hissed as she sucked the metallic-tasting blood. It was a picture taken of three of the siblings taken before the Tree Hill High Spring Formal. Fifteen-year-old Jamie was sandwiched between his younger and older sister. Sam realized with horror that her face was cut of the photo. Searching through the rest she saw that her image was cut out of every picture in the envelope. Brooke had made it look as though her oldest daughter had never existed.

The realization gave her a pounding headache in her temples. Anger flared up in her chest, she couldn't believe her mother would be so heartless. There were times in Sam's early childhood when Brooke would chastise the four of them for pecking at each other because they were the only siblings each other had. Inevitably there would be a story about how Brooke's relationship with her brother helped her get through the bad times with their parents Victoria and Dan.

"Sometimes you will meet people in life that won't be very nice," she would ultimately finish, "but just like Uncle Jake and I, you will always have each other, not to mention a mommy and daddy who love you very much."

"Now you just love your liquor cabinet," said Sam putting the ruined pictures in the trash. "You're worse than Grandma ever was, at least she knew she was a bitch."

"Honey?" Jack called from the foyer, a rhetorical question since they always had coffee together when he got home. "Hey Dickenson did you get any writing done today?" he asked kissing the crown of her head.

"For your information yes, and just because I do my writing at home does not make me a recluse!" she snapped.

Her fiancé jumped back. "I know that," he assured her quickly changing the subject. "I went to the market on the way home I thought we could grill some hot dogs for dinner."

"In March?" Sam laughed.

"It's almost April," Jack pointed out. "Anyway I saw Dave and he told me to give you these." He handed her two slips of paper. "Family passes for the Tree Hill leg of our tour."

Without a word Sam put her mug down and went into the drawers for the kitchen scissors, promptly snipping the colorful paper in half. "That part of the tour is being—" She shoved the mutilated photos toward him and stomped out the room/ "Cancelled!" she called over her shoulder.

"I was afraid this would happen, " he muttered.

"Yeah, yeah you're a regular oracle babe," replied Sam sweeping the scraps into a mailing envelope.

"How successful would I be in stopping you," asked Jack as he watched her seal the envelope.

"I'm not even started."

March 23, 2050

"What can I do for you today Mrs. Baker," Tim Ashcroft said as he settled behind the desk in his Tree Hill law office.

"Just a routine check in Tim," replied Brooke. "Who do I have listed as the executor of my estate?"

"Let's see." The attorney found that information and flipped through it. "Typically the oldest child of the deceased serves as the executor but I'm not quite sure…yep Samantha Leigh Baker."

"Yes well since Sam and I are no longer on speaking terms my son Jamie will be taking over that responsibility. And I'd like to rework the document so that Sam's inheritance is split between my other three children."

Tim nodded. "I can do that but Brooke are you positive you want to cut Samantha out completely. You look to be in pristine health and this dispute may be settled before we even have to worry about who inherits what?"

Brooke nodded resolutely

"All right then I'll make the necessary changes. Say hello to Julian for me."

Brooke stopped at the end of the drive and took the letters out. One of them was a cream envelope addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Julian A. Baker; Brooke ran into the house as fast as her varicose legs could carry her. "Julian, come 'ere!" she shouted up to the second floor breaking the envelope's seal like a kid on Christmas morning. "Oh my God, she's going to do it!"

"Who is doing what?" Julian came down the steps pushing his reading glasses back on to his nose.

"Samantha," his wife explained impatiently, "is finally going to marry that fiancé of hers."

Julian considered. "One does this mean you two are speaking—if so hallelujah—and two how much is it going to cost be to throw them a reception?"

"Oh, look for yourself!" Brooke thrust it at him.

You are most cordially invited to attend the nuptials of

Miss Samantha Leigh Baker

And

Mr. John Thomas Daniels

Saturday the of

St. Church Avenue, Manhattan, New York City

At :45 pm.

Followed by refreshments at

"Well when the hell is it?" Julian squinted, holding the card up to the light. "And where the hell is it?"

"What in the world are you talking about?" Brooke snapped.

"This doesn't do us any good if the information is cut out. It looks like a botched ransom note." The card being snatched out of his hand was nothing compared to the earth-shattering scream the poor man endured next.

"THAT BITCH IS UNBELIEVABLE!" Brooke bellowed marching to the phone.

"Okay honey I'll be…not here," Julian trailed ushered back up the stairs with a wave of his wife's hand, a command he was glad to follow.

Ravens ~ Ravens ~ Ravens

Sam rushed out of the bathroom when the phone rang. "Don't answer!" she warned, her legs half-shaven. "It's her, I'm telling you it's her!"

"I'll handle it," Jack whispered. "Hello Brooke," he drawled into the phone. "So nice to talk to you again. Did you call to talk to Sam or to hang up again?"

Brooke laughed at Jack's attempt to get a rise out of her. "Well, no," she replied. "I only called to say that I've received the invitation and all I'll be sending is my condolences to you!"

Jack screwed up his face. "You know Brooke I am going to say to you exactly what I'd say to my own mother in this situation. Grow up!" Yes! Sam pumped her fist. Thank you God, thank you Go… "What are you so excited about Sam? The same thing goes for you, both of you grown women are acting like children! You—"

Jack dropped the phone as if it were a snake that had bitten him. "Did your mother just hang up on me?"

Sam smirked.

"You're mother just hung up on me!"

"Mm-hmm"

"Let me tell something, I don't know how your old man has hung in there for forty-some-odd years.

"For one thing, they've slept in separate bedrooms since Lily was a baby. Or was it Jamie?" She shrugged. "Point is he's had a lot of time to himself."

Jack laughed. "Your dad snores?"

Sam came over and sat on his lap. "My dad breathes. But he does love her. He really loves her."