Disclaimer: Characters are owned and produced by The Disney Channel, That's So Productions, Brookwell-McNamara Entertainment, It's A Laugh Productions and Warren & Rinsler Productions. I am just borrowing them for these stories.
Author's Note: I know it's been over two weeks since my last post. I'm sorry. But I'm back and better than ever! Here comes chapter 4 and everybody's favorite transatlantic mother, Tonya Baxter.
For Them The Bells Toll
Chapter 4
Homecoming
Raven, Chelsea and Gina arrived at Raven's house around 7:35. They were glad to get off the road and also anxious to see if Gina's feeling of impending danger had some truth to it.
"Rae, turn on channel 5." Chelsea said as they came through the front door. Chelsea and Gina made a beeline for the sofa while Raven turned on the television, flipping to the channel.
(Television reporter)
"Reporting live from the scene… Sue Kwon, CBS5. Dana, back to you in the studio."
(Anchor)
"Sue, thank you. Once again if you have just joined us, a horrific fourteen-car collision has shut down both spans of the Golden Gate Bridge. Medivac helicopters have just arrived on the scene. It is unknown how many people are hurt at this time. The accident happened about 15 minutes ago on the westbound span coming into the city. Sue Kwon and fellow reporter John Lobertini were on their way back to the studio from Berkeley and are actually stuck on the Golden Gate Bridge about a quarter of a mile apart. John, what can you tell us about your situation right now?"
Raven turned the television off and looked toward Gina for her reaction. Chelsea dropped her head and began shaking it.
"Oh my God, Gina." Raven said incredulously. "You saved our lives. That could have been us on that bridge right now."
Chelsea began silently crying. "Thank you Gina." Chelsea said.
"I didn't see it but you felt it." Raven said. Gina remained silent. Raven walked over and sat down next to Chelsea, embracing her as Chelsea rested her head on Raven's shoulder.
Gina then slowly spoke. "Remember the quake back in '89?" Gina said.
"Sort of." Raven said. "We were like four."
"I just turned three." Gina started. "My mother told me that my father came up here on a business trip. She said she'll never forget it. Around 1 that afternoon my mother was in the kitchen starting to fix dinner. She said I came in the kitchen screaming at the top of my lungs, 'Daddy need to come home now!' She turned around and said 'Why does Daddy need to come home now?' And she said that I looked at her and lifted the toy that I had in my hand and started shaking it."
"What happened then?" Chelsea asked.
"She said I started screaming and crying hysterically." Gina said with tears glistening in her eyes. "I wouldn't stop crying. My mother said she didn't know what else to do so she started calling places my father said he would be until she reached him. She told him she had never seen me like that before. He told my mother to tell me that he was on his way home. That was two or three hours before the earthquake hit." Tears began to fall from Gina's beautiful brown eyes. "When he got home, he…" Gina reached in her purse and pulled out a picture. "He gave me that bear. He told me to squeeze it every time I missed him and that his love would come out with every squeeze."
Raven looked at the picture with a smile that quickly turned to astonishment. "Chels… that looks like…" Raven shot up out of her seat and ran downstairs to her room. Chelsea and Gina looked at each other with a puzzled look. Moments later, Raven sprinted back up the stairs and into the living room.
"Mister Winky?" Gina said with surprise.
"This is Mister Binky!" Raven said. "When I was little, my grandmother gave me two teddybears. One was named Mister Binky and the other was named Mister Winky. I gave Mister Winky to my father when he opened the Chill Grill and told him it was for protection."
"I remember that!" Chelsea said. "And you told me that your dad came home one day and told you that there was a little girl in another town that needed protecting and he gave her father the bear to keep her safe. Oh my God, Rae!"
"I… was that little girl." Gina said with astonished realization.
"Do… you still have him?" Raven asked.
"He's still on my shelf at home." Gina smiled. "You know what that means."
"We were destined to be friends." Raven said with a smile.
"Small world, huh?" Chelsea said.
"Small world, Chels." Raven said.
"Anybody up for a group hug?" Gina asked. The other two ladies smiled and embraced each other, further cementing their friendship.
Just then they heard keys jingling in the front door. Raven looked at her watch.
"It's only eight. It's too early for Mom and Dad…" Raven's thought was cut off by Cory walking through the front door with a young woman that looked to be about his age.
"Hey Cory!" Raven said.
"Oh, hey guys!" Cory responded. "Raven, Chelsea, Gina… I want you to meet Janina. Janina, my sister Raven, her fiancée Chelsea and their friend Gina."
"It's nice to meet all of you." Janina said.
"You want something to drink?" Cory said in a whisper. Janina nodded. "Have a seat. I'll be right back. Hey Rae? Dad wanted me to talk to you about something. You got a minute?"
"Sure." Raven said to Cory. "Be right back." She said to everyone else as she followed Cory into the kitchen.
"Well? What do you think of her?" Cory asked excitedly.
"Well Cory, from the seven words she uttered, she seems nice. But I thought you were going out with… Robin." Raven recalled.
"Ancient history. Janina just moved here from Hawaii. We've been dating for about three months." Cory said.
"Cory, is that a twinkle I see in your eye? You really like her, don't you?" Raven queried.
"Rae, she's not like these other girls around here. She's sweet, sensitive she's not all wrapped up in herself and cliques at school. She is just… I don't know, she just is." Cory said.
"So you brought her home to meet Mom and Dad?"
"I was talking to Mom on the phone and started talking to her and she asked me to bring her by tonight." Cory said.
"Well look, I'll lay off with the 'Cockroach' stuff since you really like her." Raven said with a smile.
"Thanks Rae."
"That's what big sisters are for." Raven put her arm around Cory's shoulders. "And by the way, thanks for the smooth introduction of Chelsea and me."
"I told her about y'all right off the bat and told her that if she had a problem with it that I would understand but we couldn't date." Cory said.
Raven took her arm from around Cory and faced him. "You… mean you would break up with someone if they didn't accept Chelsea and me?"
"Blood is thicker than water. I can always get another girlfriend. I can't get another sister. Well actually, Chelsea will be my sister-in-law but you get the idea." Cory said.
"Yeah. I get the idea that my little brother isn't so little anymore. You've grown up." Raven said with a playful punch to Cory's arm. "Thank you for being so supportive. Cory? Would you like to be one of our groomsmen?"
"I thought you'd never ask. I'd love to." Cory said with a smile. He opened his arms to embrace his sister. "Now, let's get some drinks for our guests."
Raven and Cory broke their embrace and fixed drinks for their guests and brought them out. For the next hour or so the five of them began talking about various subjects.
"So Janina, we didn't catch your last name." Raven said.
"Daniels." Janina said.
"Daniels? That's my last name!" Chelsea exclaimed.
"Oh wow! Where is your family from?" Janina asked.
"My great-grandfather emigrated from Russia." Chelsea said. "The family name was Danilovich."
"My great-grandfather moved to Hawaii from New Zealand. He was Māori." Janina said. "He met a man named Daniels and liked the name so he took it as his own."
"No Hawaii and New Zealand in my family tree I'm afraid." Chelsea said.
"Good!" Cory piped in. "I don't want to find out that my girlfriend and my sister-in-law are related! Then Chelsea and Raven would have to break up and that would be sad." Cory joked, earning a slap on the arm from both Chelsea and Raven.
"I think you two getting married is really cool. If you're in love, who's to stop you from being together." Janina offered.
"Thank you Janina." Chelsea said. She then turned to Cory. "I like her. Keep her around for a while." Cory winked.
"I don't know if any of us have said it Janina, but you are really pretty." Gina said. Raven and Chelsea nodded. Cory beamed.
"Thank you. You all are too kind." Janina said with a blush creeping into her cheeks. Janina Daniels had an exotic, Pacific Island look. She was of fair complexion, soft, dark brown eyes and wide, disarming smile. Her dark brown hair was shoulder length and pulled back into a simple ponytail.
Raven glanced at her watch again. It was a few minutes before ten. "Mom and Dad should be…" Keys jingling at the front door stopped Raven in mid-thought. Victor and Tonya were laughing as they came through the front door.
Before anyone could greet her, Tonya spoke. "FINALLY… THE MOM…" Raven and Cory joined her. In unison the three of them continued her Rock-esque introduction. "HAS COME BACK… HOME!" Cory was the first to greet Tonya at the front door. "My sweet baby!" Tonya silently said as she rocked with Cory in her arms, tears flowing from her. After a moment or two Cory released his mother and stepped aside as Tonya's gaze fell upon her daughter. "My little girl is getting married!" Tonya eked out before a flood of tears between the two of them fell. "My baby is all grown up!"
"I said you weren't gonna make me cry this time." Raven playfully said. "Guess I lied, huh?"
"I guess you did." Tonya came back. "I missed y'all so much."
"We missed you too, Mom." Raven said just before breaking the hug.
"Well! Let me see it!" Tonya said referring to Raven's engagement ring. Raven held out her hand for inspection. "Oh my! Chelsea? You didn't do anything illegal for the money for this ring, did you?"
"Well, Mrs. B, Raven is always telling me I have nice legs so… you gotta use whatcha got to get whatcha want!" Chelsea joked.
"You better come here before I spank you!" Tonya said as Chelsea came over to Tonya for a hug.
"Careful Mom, she likes that." Raven deadpanned.
"Raven, I'm tolerant but don't press your luck." Victor said half-jokingly, half-serious.
"Sorry, Dad." Raven said with a smirk.
"So which one of you young ladies is Gina and which one is Janina?" Tonya said. The two of them were sitting side-by-side on the couch.
"I'm Gina." Gina raised her hand and stood up.
"Gina it is a pleasure to meet you. Raven has told me so much about you." Tonya said as she embraced Gina.
"Mom! I just found out tonight that Gina was the one Dad gave Mister Winky to!" Raven said excitedly.
"Victor! This is the little girl that you came home talking about?" Tonya asked. "Oh my goodness! How time flies! I know Eddie is in Philadelphia grinnin' up a storm right now because of you." Tonya smiled. Gina blushed. "And that leaves you. You must be Janina. Cory has told me a lot about you. My son seems to have wonderful taste in women. It is a pleasure to meet you." Tonya stepped forward to embrace Janina.
Just then the doorbell rang. "Perfect timing." Victor said.
"Who's that?" Raven asked.
"Pizza. Your mother is starving. I ordered enough for all of us." Victor replied.
Cory and Raven helped Victor grab drinks while Tonya conversed with the other girls. After several minutes, they came back into the living room and everyone settled in for the impromptu pizza party.
"So have you two given any thought to where you want to have the ceremony?" Tonya asked.
"Yeah! We're gonna have it on the beach in L.A." Raven said enthusiastically. "We've been talking about it for years… as friends."
"You're… not having a church ceremony?" Tonya asked, her voice sounding a little deflated.
"Mrs. B, we've always dreamed of the crashing waves, the gentle ocean breeze, simple white dresses, our toes in the sand… that's our idea of a dream wedding." Chelsea said. "We told each other that whichever one of us got married first would do it. We had no idea we would get to share it with each other. That's gonna make it even sweeter."
Raven began to tear up again. "I swear Chels, if you make me cry again…"
"Then you're not going to get an argument from me. That's the wedding you want, then that's the wedding you shall have." Tonya said.
"And I would be honored if you let me prepare a feast that is fit for a queen… two queens in fact." Victor said before catching himself. "I didn't mean two queens as in two fairies, I meant…"
Raven chuckled. "Dad, we know what you meant. You can take your foot out of your mouth now." She then continued. "It's very sweet of you to offer, but we can't let you do that."
"Yeah, Mr. B. You should be walking Raven down the aisle, not in a kitchen somewhere in your chef's hat… although you are cute in it." Chelsea said causing Victor to grin.
"Chels, if you're gonna start flirting with my father then I'm calling this thing off." Raven joked.
"Ooh, the jealous type… Mama like!" Chelsea shot back.
"Hey! That's my line!" Tonya said. "Have I been gone that long that y'all have started using my lines?"
"Oh snap! She got you Chels!" Gina chimed in.
"Oh snap belongs to me." Raven deadpanned.
"Kaplowee!" Cory said causing Raven, Chelsea and Tonya to crack up. "That had to be the worst catchphrase of all-time!"
"Under the circumstances I thought it was pretty good!" Victor said. He then filled Gina and Janina in on the story. "I was on Good Morning San Francisco a few years ago and had to come up with a catchphrase like Emeril or G. Garvin."
"And you came up with Kaplowee." Gina said. "Well… it's not… that… bad…"
"Yeah, if you're a corny superhero." Janina chimed in. Cory laughed. Everyone else wasn't sure what to do. They didn't know that she had gotten familiar enough with Victor in the three months she dated Cory to kid with him. It wasn't until Victor started nodding his head and smiling that the other women knew that it was alright to react.
"By the way, where is my twenty bucks?" Victor shot back at Janina, who simply smiled and shook her head.
"Victor, why are you asking that girl for twenty dollars?" Tonya asked.
"It's a joke, honey." Victor explained. "The first time I met her, she pulled into the driveway in a Mercedes and I cracked a joke about her having all this money, so I always ask her where my twenty bucks is."
"Mrs. Baxter, I told your husband that my car was in the shop and my father let me borrow his… after a 45-minute safe driving lecture." Janina said.
"Pay him no attention, honey. Why do you think I'm in England? To get away from his corny humor, that's why." Tonya joked.
"Oh, really?" Victor said before standing Tonya up and slinging her over his shoulder. Tonya started giggling like a teenager.
"Victor! Put me down!" Tonya screamed, still giggling.
Gina leaned over to Chelsea. "Looks like someone else's momma's gonna get her switch flipped soon." Gina whispered to Chelsea but loud enough for Raven to hear. Gina and Chelsea started laughing. Raven glared at the two of them.
"Get out. Both of you." Raven said sternly, making Gina and Chelsea laugh harder.
"Hey! What's good for the goose…" Gina said with a chuckle.
"And I was just starting to really like you." Raven deadpanned.
"Now wait a minute. Weren't we talking about a wedding?" Tonya said.
"Oh, yeah!" Raven replied.
"So who's your maid of honor?" Tonya asked.
"You're looking at her." Raven said referring to Gina.
"Do I have to ask who the best man is?" Tonya asked in a matter-of-fact fashion.
"Edward Otis Thomas." Chelsea replied.
"What did he say when you told him?" Tonya asked eagerly.
"We… haven't told him yet." Raven said. "We're going to Philly Friday to tell him."
"Yeah, we were gonna tell him over the phone but Gina convinced us to do it in person." Chelsea said.
"You are a wise young woman." Tonya said just before letting out a yawn. "Excuse me! I think it's time for me to hit the sack. I'm exhausted."
"Good idea. It's getting late and we've got school tomorrow." Raven said. Everyone began getting up and preparing to leave.
"Mom, Dad, I'm gonna drop Janina off and then head over to Larry's." Cory said.
"Oh, right. I did say you could stay over there tonight." Victor said. "It's after eleven though. Isn't it too late?"
"No. His dad works an overnight shift and doesn't leave until quarter to twelve. And Janina's house is on the way. Besides, I told him I'd be over here late because Mom came home." Cory said.
"Well, it was a pleasure to meet you Janina." Tonya embraced her. "And you too Gina." Tonya also embraced Gina. "I hope to see more of you two."
"Bye, Mr. And Mrs. Baxter." Gina said followed by Janina and then Chelsea. That left Raven in the living room with her parents. Victor began cleaning up.
"What are you up to tomorrow?" Raven asked her mother.
"I'm gonna have lunch with Chelsea's mother then her parents are coming over here for dinner." Tonya answered.
"I'll call you when I get home from class." Raven said before leaning in to whisper. "Make sure you behave yourself."
"You know that I adore Chelsea's parents." Tonya said.
"I wasn't talking about tomorrow. I was talking about tonight." Raven said before lapsing into an impression of the Jamaican butler from Wedding Crashers. "Just be gentle wit 'im, okay? He be pushin' ninety." Tonya laughed.
"Alright, enough of that talking about me." Victor said as he walked back over to his ladies. "Be sweet Rae." He said as he hugged Raven and kissed her forehead.
"Love you guys." Raven said as she headed out the door.
"Love you too." Tonya said as she waved. Raven blew a kiss to them before walking out and closing the door.
"Whew! Home and alone at last!" Tonya said as she flopped down on the couch.
"Good to have you back… for a couple of weeks anyway." Victor said. "Lemme finish cleaning up and we can chill for the rest of the evening." Victor picked up the paper plates on the table in front of the sofa and started toward the kitchen.
"Not so fast, Mr. Man." Tonya said. "I haven't seen you in six months…" Tonya began to purr as she grabbed Victor's shirttail and pulled him toward her. "And frankly… I don't give a damn about those plates right now."
"Well…" Victor said as he sat the plates down on the table and dropped to one knee in front of Tonya. "What do you give a damn about right now?"
"Why don't you come closer and let me show you what mama like." Tonya purred again.
"I think Daddy gon' like too." Victor said as he joined Tonya on the sofa.
Tonya smiled the wicked smile that Raven inherited from her. "Damn right he is."
"Only a man whose heart is pure can wield the knife, and only a man whose ass is narrow can get down these steps. And if mine's is such an ass then I shall have it." - Eddie Murphy as Chandler Jarrell in The Golden Child.
I normally have something to say here but… I got nothing. Hope you enjoyed chapter 4. PLEASE REVIEW.
By the way, the new original character Janina was modeled after a young Hollywood actress. Read her description and where she said her family came from. Tell me who it is and I'll give you a cookie!