"So... it was obvious that me and Freddy were never going to...Sam? Was that, incredibly-expensive-I-don't-even-want-to-know-how-much-it-cost-but-I'd-sell-my-first-born-to-drive-it Mercedes Benz, in the driveway at the Palace when we
left?"
Sam snapped out of her, to much information daze caused by unwanted tales about Harrison and Freddy Gong's short lived relationship, just as he parked his car right beside Nicole's. Sam smiled to herself as she watched Nic file her nails completely oblivious of her new audience. Getting out of Harrison's car she walked to the drivers side of Nicole's car and just stood there, knowing it wouldn't be long before Nic looked up and saw her.
Of course, when Nicole did finally look up it wasn't in the direction of Sam, but through the passenger side window..... Which Harrison currently had his face plastered to...Causing Nic to almost have a heart attack before glaring at him.
Seeing this Harrison, immediately backed away from the window looking sheepish with a faint blush rising up his neck. Rolling her eyes Nic grabbed her purse and went to open her door only to see a smiling Sam opening it for her.
Caught between a smirk and a soft smile Nic took Sam's offered hand and got out of the car. After getting out of the car completely and standing up directly in front of Sam, Nic leaned in and gave her a `hello' kiss, before whispering in her ear."Wow Sam how butch of you to open my door."
Sam simply chuckled, holding Nic in her arms for a few brief seconds that would have been longer had Harrison not chosen that moment to interrupt.
"Oh my god! Nic! IS THIS A 2007 S-Class MERCEDES BENZ!?!?! These aren't even on sale yet! It's has to cost like.. A million dollars! And it's an import! It's an import isn't?! Oh wow, oh wow... " Harrison went on rambling about the greatness that was Nicole's car. Finally with an almost childlike awed voice Harrison says..."Can I drive?"
Looking up with pleading eyes.
However, the request caused Nic to burst into laughter... borderline evil and hysterical laughter. After composing herself and walking out of Sam's embrace, she walks to stand right in front of Harrison and while leaning against her car she says, "This isn't a 2007 S Class, Harrison. It's a 2006 S600 with all of the added toys of the soon to be released 2007 S600. No the car did not cost a million dollars but it probably cost more than then the Palace. Yes it is indeed an import. And if you so much as touch my keys, I'll have you killed."
Harrison's face immediately lost all color and he unconsciously took a couple big steps back to his car. Causing Sam to shake her head at both Nic and Harrison's reaction to the car, muttering, `And she calls me butch? I'm not the one with the car obsession.' Shaking her head again as Harrison muttered a quick goodbye and drove away, Sam's breath caught in her throat as she looked at Nicole and actually noticed what she was wearing. Nic had on white slacks with soft gray pin stripes that rested just below her hips with a gray knit top.
Walking over to again stand in front of Sam, Nic stopped and cocked her head to the side when she saw the expression on Sam's face. "What?" Nic asked slightly puzzled at the small smile Sam was now sending her way.
"Nothing you just look gorgeous, like always. Come on, let's get inside. It looks like it's about to start raining again." Sam said grabbing Nic's hand and leading her to the front door of the Palace. While Nic followed behind her with a small smile of her own.
Sam knocked on the door a couple times then wrapped an arm around Nic who had just placed her head on Sam's shoulder.
::knock::knock::
"Sam why are you knocking? Don't you have a key?" Nic asked, sending shivers down Sam's spine as her breath tickled Sam's neck.
"No, I lost it." Sam said leaning down to kiss Nic just as the front door opened an interrupted them.
"SAM! Your back! How was your..." Brooke started before seeing and realizing who was currently leaning against Sam. "Nic... Hey! How `ve you been!? It's been like... Forever!" Brooke finished trying to force a cheery tone in her voice.
Walking behind Sam as she entered the house Nic paused, raised an eyebrow and looked at Brooke with a gaze that could have frozen hell. "Don't."
"Oh. My. God..." Sam said as she looked at the scene before her. Which was Mackenzie surrounded by enough make-up to open a beauty supply store with her `Mantha doll' as the center of the make up's attention.
"Wow..." Was all Nic managed at the same scene.
Seeing the horrified look on Sam's face, Brooke couldn't help smirk at her perceived victory over Mac's affection. That is, until Mac realized Sam was home...
"Mantha!!!" Mac squealed as she snatched her doll from Brooke, ran and jumped on Sam, "Look! Bwooke made doll Mantha pwettier! Like it?" She asked while looking at Sam hopefully and at Nic, who was standing just beside Sam, anxiously.
"Umm..." Sam stalled, looking at the blonde doll that now had blush, eye shadow and lipstick on. "Well, Mini Me, I think lil Mantha is cute... But I think she's even prettier just the way she was. Just. Like. You." Sam finished with a smile, taping Mac's nose in between those last three words. Then started to tickle the younger girl with one hand, holding her with her other arm, while Mac laughed and giggled wildly showing her dimples. Looking up at Brooke, Sam said, "Don't you think so Brooke?"
Rolling her eyes Brooke said, "Yeah sure." And walked away, again feeling like second best.
After Brooke had fully left the living room Mac peeked out from Sam's shoulder to stare at Nicole. Who simply raised her eyebrow at the child when she noticed the girl staring at her. Sam looked between her two favorite girls and had to hold back the laughter threatening to come out at the site of them both sizing each other up. Turning around so that the little girl was looking at Nic, Sam started introductions. "Mini-me this is my girlfriend Nicole. Nic.." She started with a smirk, "this is my baby sister Mackenzie."
"Hi..." Mac said quietly still staring at Nic, yet now with curiousity.
"Um.. Hey...Mackenzie..."
Hearing her mom asking for help with the door, Sam smirked and looked at Nic.
Before Nic could realize what was happening Sam had put her sister in Nic's arms and headed to the door. Telling Nic to hold Mac for a minute. Leaving a very uncomfortable Nic holding a very curious Mac.
Looking down at the girl she was holding Nic decided putting her down would probably be a good way to lesson the awkwardness of having the girl stare at her.
"So...Mac, how about I put you down?" Nic said as she stood the girl up on the floor.
So there they were, alone in the living room standing and staring at each other.
Then Mackenzie bit her bottom lip and furrowed her eyebrows in concentration much like Sam sometimes did and Nic had to roll her eyes to keep from smiling.
Sitting down on the couch, Mac followed suit and sat on the loveseat. After a couple of moments of silence, Nic decided to ask the question that had been bugging her slightly since Mac had said the name of her doll. "So... you named your doll after Sam?"
Mac perked up at the thought of Sam and immediately started nodding her head "Yep I named her after my Mantha. She's pretty huh!" Mac said shoving her doll in Nic's face.
"Um..yeah she's really pretty." Nic said, noting the long blonde hair and blue eyes of the doll. "So did Sam give her to you? Is that why you named her `Mantha'?"
"No, Bwooke gave her to me." Mac said now brushing the dolls hair.
Nic smirked at that, "So then why did you name her Mantha?"
At this question Mac again bit her lip and furrowed her eyebrows briefly before shrugging. "I don't know."
Laughing slightly and startling Nicole in the process, Sam came back into the living room and said, "Don't bother trying to get a better explanation then that.
Brooke spent the days before I came back trying to figure out how that happened."
Recovering quickly from the shock of Sam coming back into the living room, Nic shook her head and smirked. "I have to admit 'Mantha... In all my fantasies, I never saw you as a dumb blonde with make up that looked like it was put on in the dark before...." Nic said, looking at the doll in question then back at Sam.
"Oh Ha.. ha..." Sam said sitting down next to Nicole on the couch and giving her a quick a kiss.
However, from her seat Sam's mini-me was feeling just a tad threatened by the 'big kid' that called her Mantha, well... Mantha and kissed her and held hands and took her spot next to Sam on the couch. So she decided to remind both older girls who Mantha belonged too. Getting off of the loveseat Mac stood up, walked over to Sam and Nic, tugged a on both off them and waited for them to give her their attention.
Noticing the interruption first, Nic broke the kiss and looked at the oddly determined looking child, all the while seeing more and more of her Sam in her. 'Mini-me indeed' Nic thought.
"What's up Mini-me?" Sam said, as soon as she realized why Nic had broke the kiss and noticed the look on her little sisters face.
Mac for her part wasn't so sure of her place with her big sister anymore, so what was going to be a statement turned into a statement slash question. Looking between both Sam and Nicole, Mac asked, "My Mantha?"
Smiling down at her Mini-me Sam prepared to answer right when Jane started yelling from the kitchen.
"Brooke!? Sam!? One of you come help me please!!"
Knowing she was closest to the kitchen, Sam looked briefly from the kitchen door to Mac's wide eyes before saying, "Of course I'm your Mantha, Mac. And you're my Mini-me. Now I'm going to go see what mom needs help with ok?" Leaning down to give her a quick kiss on the head Sam stood back up and walked to the kitchen. Once again leaving Nic and Mac alone in the living room.
Feeling more assured about her place, Mac sat down next to Nic and said with a smile, "My Mantha."
Understanding that the little girl was feeling threatened by her sudden presence in Sam's life and combined with the cuteness Nic saw in the Mini-Sam prompted Nic to realize she wanted the girl to like her, "Can we share her?"
"Umm..." Mac said as she stared at Nicole, deep in concentration, trying to decide whether or not she would share her 'Mantha. "Why?" Mac finally said, after deciding she'd need more information.
"Because I love her a lot." Nic said truthfully, deciding that would probably be the best reason and knowing she was right when a slow smile came over the younger girls face.
"Like mommy loves daddy?" Mac asked suddenly smiling widely. As she started to understand as much as her four year old self could.
Chuckling, Nic rolled her eyes and said, "Yep just like that."
"Ok then we can share Mantha. She'll be our Mantha." Mac said pleased.
Nic smiled at Mac and said, "Thanks kid." Causing, Mac to beam up at her.
"Hunny!! Please tell me that gorgeous car in the driveway is an extremely early we're-going-to-have-to-sell-the-house-but-I-bought-it-anyway birthday present!" Mike screamed as he came into the house.
"Daddy!!!" Mac screamed as Mike finally made it to the living room and jumped on him much like she did Sam earlier.
"Hey my little Princess" Mike said, picking up Mac and bouncing her up in the air a couple times. When he finally put her down he saw Nicole getting up from the couch. "Oh... hello Nicole... Are you here visiting Brooke?"
"No, actually Sam and I had plans tonight. However, since you were supposed to be having a family dinner tonight she invited me to dinner so we could go out after."
Mike stared at Nicole's straight face for a minute before starting to laugh. "Hahaha, good one, why would you and Sam have plans? So what are you and Brooke doing tonight?"
Staring at Mike, Nic merely raised an eyebrow. Unfortunately for Nic, before she could say what was on the tip of her tongue Sam and Jane had entered the living room. Jane took Mackenzie from Mike and Sam took Nicole's hand and rolled her eyes at the smirk Nic wore. Turning around to look at Mike she also raised and eyebrow at Mike, that is until she saw the look Jane was giving her.
"Mike, Nic is my girlfriend. Mom invited her to dinner tonight since she was supposed to be taking me out and because mom wanted to meet her 'properly'." Sam said using air quotes and a smirk when she said the word, properly.
Seeing Mike struggle to find something to say, Jane decided to help him out a little. "Well the food is ready so, Mike why don't you go upstairs, take your tie off and wash your hands. Sam, why don't you and Nicole go upstairs, wash your hand and tell Brooke the food is ready."
Nodding Sam grabbed Nic's hand and started leading her upstairs to the sounds of Mac asking... "What about me, momma?"