Hey guys! Finally had the free time this weekend to get this baby cranked out, so here it is! But before you read, a little housekeeping business regarding the plagiarism issue from a few weeks ago. I would like to thank the readers who informed me that my story was being posted on another site…I never would have figured it out for myself, and I really appreciate you guys having my back like that. From talking to the poster, it seems that she was trying to share my story, not take credit for it, and things got lost in translation. Just a side note on that, if you ever want to share my work or play with the original characters, that's fine. Just make sure you ASK me first. That's your general fanfiction etiquette…ask the author before posting anything related to their work.
I would also like to thank everyone for sending me messages of support when I was upset about the plagiarism and helping me get the story taken down…it's nice to know you have an army of rabid fans ready to come to your defense :) HOWEVER, it has come to my attention that some of you were a little overzealous when asking the other author to take the story down. In fact, I believe some of you were crossing the line into cyber bulling (name calling, accusing her of stealing other stories from me, etc). I am so grateful for all my readers and so happy that I've created a story that you feel so passionately about. But cyber bullying is never, ever acceptable, and I was not happy to hear that it was going on. So again, thank you for rising to my defense, but please remember that behind the usernames and avatars, there are real people who make mistakes, and verbally attacking them is never ok. My name is Sasha Snape, and I approve this message. On that note, enjoy this latest chapter!
"We will pass and we will score and you will beat us nevermore!" Sam finished the standard Tree Hill cheer with a high kick, glancing over at the practicing basketball team to see if Mitchell was watching. He grinned from his place underneath the basketball hoop, where Lucas and Nathan had the boys running layup drills.
"Alright ladies, nice job!" Angela called. "Five minute water break, then we'll run through Friday's halftime routine."
"Hey Love Struck," Lucy said, elbowing Sam in the side. "Keep your eyes off your guy for half a second, would you? That last kick was dangerously close to my head."
"Sorry," Sam apologized, blushing a little. "It's just…he told me last week that my high kick is really sexy. I wanted to make sure he was watching."
"Not gonna lie, that's a little creepy that he watches your high kicks intently, but whatever floats your boat," Lucy said, shaking her head and smiling. "So do you and Mr. High Kick have any special plans for the big day?"
"What big day?" Sam asked in confusion.
"Okay seriously? You must be the only high school girl on the planet who hasn't realized that Saturday is Valentine's Day. Having a boyfriend is seriously wasted on you," Lucy said with a sigh.
"Oh right," Sam said. "Yeah, I knew it was coming. We haven't planned anything…things have been a little quiet on the formal dating front since…yeah. And I dunno, just the whole idea of Valentine's Day always seemed a little weird to me. Like, one day out of the year to tell a person you love them? Not to mention all the pink cards and crappy candy."
"Hold up," Lucy said, dropping her pom poms to the floor and putting her hands on her hips. "Forget the crappy candy. What is this love business you're talking about? Have you guys like…gone there yet?"
"No," Sam said quickly, blushing even more. "I mean, I haven't said it…I don't even know if I…I just don't know."
"Hey, you don't have to know yet," Lucy replied, placing a comforting hand on her friend's arm. "We're in high school. We're supposed to be naïve. But the second you do decide to tell him, I demand we have a sleepover so you can give me all the dirty details."
Sam rolled her eyes as the pair headed off to grab some water. "Now who's the creepy one?"
Practice ended at the same time for both the cheerleaders and the basketball players. "Hey Mitch," Lucas said, placing a hand on Mitchell's shoulder as the boy headed for the locker room. "You mind grabbing Sam and bringing her by my office in five? I need to talk to the two of you."
Mitchell visibly blanched at his coach's request. Since the incident at the Sparkle Classic, Lucas had been respectful of Sam and Mitchell's relationship, even smiling at them when he passed the two of them talking in the hallway at school. But maybe he and Sam's secret glances during practice hadn't been as secret as he'd hoped.
"Calm down, kid," Lucas said, chuckling outwardly but secretly feeling a bit proud that he still managed to scare the boy a little. "I just needed to ask the two of you a favor. Nobody's in trouble."
"Cool," Mitchell said, trying to act nonchalant but barely hiding his deep sigh of relief. "Sure thing, Coach."
Five minutes later, Lucas looked up from some stat sheets at the two teens entering his office. "Hey guys. You can sit down if you want."
Sam plopped herself down on one of the folding chairs in front of Lucas's desk and folded her arms across her chest. Lucas had been very well-behaved since the Classic, but she was still on her guard where Mitchell was concerned. "What's up?" she asked suspiciously.
"Have you guys made any plans for Valentine's Day?"
"Excuse me?" Sam asked, her eyes widening incredulously. "What the hell does it matter if we do or don't?"
"Hey, watch your mouth, young lady," Lucas reprimanded her, but his tone was light, not scolding. "I wasn't asking because I was prying. I was hoping to take your mother out for a romantic dinner on Saturday, and someone is going to need to baby-sit for Sawyer and Chelsea."
"You want me to baby-sit on Valentine's Day? Is this some passive aggressive move to try and keep us apart?"
Lucas rolled his eyes. "Samantha, could you please give me a little more credit? I have been trying, you know." Sam dropped her arms from her chest with a sigh and nodded in reluctant acknowledgment. "I was hoping that both of you would be willing to baby-sit. Sawyer's starting to crawl, so she needs constant supervision, and I would feel better if there were two people in charge. I was thinking as payment, I could give you guys some money and you could order out from wherever you want, and after the kiddos go to bed, you can have dinner for two."
"That's…actually a really cool idea," Mitchell said, unable to mask the surprise in his voice.
"Well, I do have them occasionally," Lucas said drily. "How about it, Sammi girl? You get a free dinner with your boyfriend and I get to rest easy knowing all three of my girls are safe at home?"
Sam stared at him with a half-smile on her face. "You seriously trust us alone together?"
"Of course. Especially now that I've installed all those hidden cameras," Lucas said nonchalantly. The look of horror on Sam's face caused him to break into a wide grin. "I'm kidding. Yes, I trust you."
Sam shared a look with Mitchell before getting up and coming around the desk. "Thank you," she said, hugging Lucas tightly around the neck.
"You're welcome," Lucas said, patting her on the back. "Now get out of here. You know your mother worries if you're home late."
"Yes Dad," Sam said sarcastically, skipping off and leading Mitchell out of the office by the arm. But the sarcasm in her voice didn't matter to Lucas; he closed his eyes briefly as he relished the sound of that word: Dad.
Four days later, Sam was rifling through her mother's closet, while Chelsea was bouncing on Brooke's bed watching her get dressed.
"Chelsea Lynn, if you damage that box spring, I'm going to damage your bottom, little girl," Brooke warned as she placed the back on one of her diamond solitaire earrings.
"Yes Mama," Chelsea said, heaving a large sigh as she stopped her bouncing.
Sam turned around from the tops she was sorting through and laughed at the woeful look on her little sister's face. "We can jump on the bed after Mom leaves," she whispered conspiratorially.
"I heard that, young lady," Brooke said, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "And let me state for the record that if I come home and any furniture is broken, both of you are going to pay the price. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Mom," Sam replied, mimicking her mother's eye roll. "Hey, can I wear this tonight?" she asked, pulling out a short red strapless mini-dress.
Brooke looked at her incredulously. "Okay, let's pretend for a minute that that dress isn't utterly inappropriate for a girl your age," she said, placing one hand on her hip and resting the other on her dresser. "I expect you to actually take care of your sister and Sawyer tonight. That means you will have to get down on the floor and play with them. That means you will have to feed Sawyer her bottle and change her diapers. Do any of those activities sound like things you should be doing while wearing a silk dress?"
"Fine," Sam said exasperatedly, hanging the dress back in the closet with a pout. "But if you think the dress is so inappropriate for me, aren't you setting a bad example by wearing it yourself?"
Brooke opened her mouth to retort, but stopped when she realized Sam had a point. "If you stop being such a smart-alec, you can wear the red wrap top near the back of the closet," she said finally.
Sam smirked, knowing she had caught her mom, but she happily accepted the offer of the top. "Do you think I should wear it with skinny jeans or my denim skirt?" she asked Brooke, holding the shirt up to her chest.
"Definitely your black skinny jeans," Brooke said, refocusing on her own ensemble as Sam skipped off to her room, top in hand. She had just finished dabbing some perfume on her neck when the doorbell rang.
"Oh shoot, I still have to fix my eyeliner," she grumbled, glancing at the clock. Lucas had known her for almost ten years; why in the heck would he think she'd be ready early?
"Chelsea, baby," Brooke said, turning to her youngest daughter. "Can you answer the door please? Remember to ask who it is first and only open it if it's Uncle Lucas or Mitchell."
"Okay Mama," Chelsea said agreeably, jumping off the bed and dashing out the door.
It turned out that Lucas did know Brooke well enough to know she wouldn't be ready on time. Mitchell was the one who had arrived early, sending Sam into an absolute state of panic because she wasn't dressed yet and hadn't even considered her make-up. Fortunately, Brooke was done with her eyeliner in a jiffy, and was able to help her teenage daughter make herself presentable. Chelsea, for her part, was delighted to show Mitchell all the ins and outs of her Barbie Dream House.
Sam came clattering down the stairs, Brooke close behind her, when the doorbell rang for a second time.
"Hey!" Sam beamed at Mitchell, while Brooke opened the door and reached out to grab a diaper bag from Lucas before he dropped it.
"Luke, what in the world is all this?" Brooke asked, staring confusedly at the two diaper bags and portable crib. "Did you make our dinner reservations in Paris? Because it looks like you packed enough stuff for Sawyer to stay for a week."
"Sorry," Lucas said, blushing slightly as he set Sawyer down in her baby carrier. "I just…you know, the kids haven't baby-sat before. I wanted to make sure they had everything they need."
"We'll be fine," Sam assured him, coming over to coo at Sawyer. Lucas smiled down at her before looking up and noticing Mitchell, who was currently crouched next to Barbie's Dream House with a half-dressed Ken doll in his hand.
"Didn't realize you had such versatile interests outside of basketball, Mitch," Lucas said drily, causing the teenage boy to turn beet red.
Sam was about to shove him the leg for teasing her boyfriend, but before she could reach for him, Chelsea piped up. "He's not as fun to play dollies with as you, Uncle Lucas," she chirped. "He doesn't do good voices like you."
Brooke and Sam both laughed as Lucas's face turned redder than Mitchell's. "You totally deserved that," Brooke said, giving him a quick peck on the cheek.
Lucas grumbled and returned the kiss before looking back to Mitchell. "What happens in this house stays in this house. Deal?"
"You got it, Coach," Mitchell said, trying hard not to crack up at the thought of tough Lucas Scott dressing up Barbie dolls.
"Alright, kids," Brooke said, allowing Lucas to help her into her coat. "We both have our cell phones, and all the emergency numbers are on the fridge. There's leftover macaroni and cheese in the fridge for Chelsea, and chocolate ice cream for dessert if she behaves. Chelsea, your bedtime is 8:30 tonight, but tomorrow you can stay up late with Mama and Sam and watch a movie."
"Okay, Mama," Chelsea called as she tried desperately to jam Barbie's foot into a high heeled shoe.
"As promised, here is enough to pay for a nice dinner for two," Lucas said, handing Sam a wad of bills. "The baby formula is in the blue diaper bag. Sawyer just ate, but she'll be ready for another bottle at 7:30, and then you can put her to bed. Do you remember how to set up the crib?"
"I think we can manage," Sam assured him, unstrapping Sawyer and nestling her into her shoulder.
"Of course you can," Brooke said, reaching out to pat Sawyer on the back. "We will be home by 10:30 at the latest. Remember: no boys in your bedroom."
"Mom!" Sam hissed, blushing as she looked over at Mitchell. Fortunately, her boyfriend was helping Chelsea with the Barbie shoes and wasn't listening.
Brooke laughed and gave Sam a kiss on the cheek. "Shall we, boyfriend?" she asked coyly, holding her hand out. Lucas accepted the proffered appendage and kissed it gently before leading Brooke out of the door.
Sam gave a sigh of relief and looked at Sawyer. "And they're just going to get worse as they get older," she said seriously. Sawyer looked back at her and responded with a sneeze, causing Sam to laugh and rub her back.
"Chelsea!" she barked, heading over into the living room. "Quit tormenting my boyfriend with Barbie Dolls!"
"But Sissy!" Chelsea whined. "Mitchell likes playing with me. Don't you, Mitchell?" she asked sweetly.
Mitchell flushed once again as he looked in between the two Davis girls. "Uh…well…" he stuttered.
"Tell you what, midget," Sam said, transferring Sawyer to her hip. "How about I make you your macaroni and cheese, and Mitchell can set up a movie for you? Then we can all watch it together, and if you don't bug us and make Mitchell play girly stuff, I'll give you extra ice cream. Deal?
"Deal!" Chelsea said happily. Sam winked conspiratorially at her boyfriend; she knew her little sister could always be bought with ice cream.
"Alright then. You pick out a movie, and your dinner will be ready soon. Mitch, can you take the baby while I get stuff ready?"
Mitchell held out his arms and awkwardly accepted Sawyer from his girlfriend, causing her to laugh. "Dude, she's not made of glass. She won't break. Just hold her," Sam said, walking into the kitchen.
"Hey, I know how protective Coach Scott is of you," Mitchell called to her retreating back. "Imagine what he'd do to me if anything happened to his actual kid."
Chelsea tugged on Mitch's shirt sleeve. "Which one do you want to watch, Mitchell?" she asked, showing him copies of Cinderella, Mulan, and Lilo and Stitch.
"Definitely Lilo and Stitch," Mitchell responded immediately. He would do anything for Sam and her sister, but he was glad that he wasn't going to have to sit through a Princess Movie or continue playing with Barbies.
"Good choice," Sam called from the kitchen. "Lilo's my favorite."
"I can see why," Mitchell replied, as Chelsea went to jam the movie into the dvd player. "She's sweet and sassy, just like you." Sam gave him a giddy smile and continued to fix dinner.
Meanwhile, at the fancy French restaurant Brooke and Lucas had gone to, the former sat perusing her menu while the latter was in the restroom. She was debating between Coq au Vin and Stuffed Crepes when she felt something delicate fall against her chest.
"Happy Valentine's Day," Lucas whispered in her ear, fastening the necklace and giving her a kiss on the neck before sitting down. Brooke looked down and fingered the silver heart inlaid with two bright aquamarines.
"I was going to get you something red, but I remembered both of the girls have March birthdays, so I thought you'd like something with their birthstone," Lucas said with a nervous smile. "Do you like it?"
"It's perfect," Brooke breathed. "A wonderful reminder that I have two perfect daughters and a perfect man."
"Your man is not nearly as perfect as my woman, Pretty Girl," Lucas said coyly, reaching out to take her hand. Brooke gave it a squeeze and stared at him happily for a moment before reaching back for her purse.
"What've you got there?" Lucas asked curiously.
"What kind of girlfriend would I be if I let you spoil me with jewelry and didn't even get you a card?" Brooke asked, handing him a flat envelope. Lucas looked confused as he opened it; it looked more like a letter envelope than a card.
"A plane ticket to Orlando?" he asked, examining the contents. "You trying to get rid of me?" he joked.
"Hardly," Brooke said, reaching out for his hand again. "As you just pointed out, the girls both have birthdays coming up, and all of you have spring break around the same time. I haven't taken them on a real family vacation yet, so I decided to surprise them with a trip to Disney World."
"Chelsea will go ballistic," Lucas said with a chuckle. "Sam will too, even though she'll try to hide it."
"You're right about that," Brooke agreed. "Anyway, I thought about it, and I decided that no family vacation would be complete without you and Sawyer. So…will you come with us?"
Lucas felt his breath catch in his chest as he realized what Brooke was implying. "You're really ready to take that step?" he asked her softly. "Including me and Sawyer as part of the family?"
"I think I've been ready since I was 16 years old," Brooke replied quietly, looking deep into his eyes. The two continued to stare, getting lost in each other's gaze, until their waiter walked up and cleared his throat.
Back at the Davis residence, things were not quite so perfect. Although Chelsea had been surprisingly cooperative all evening and was currently brushing her teeth, Sawyer had not been quite as well-behaved. After chivalrously offering to feed the baby while Sam and Chelsea gorged themselves on ice cream, Mitchell soon found himself regretting his offer when Sawyer promptly spit up all over his shoulder. Chelsea had burst into giggles, and Sam had been close to joining her before she saw Mitchell's mortified face. She had temporarily cleaned him off, but his shirt was starting to smell by the time they got Sawyer to bed, so they went in search of something else.
"Here, put this on," Sam said, tossing Mitchell a t-shirt from Brooke's bottom drawer after rifling through it a moment.
"Ok, as badly as I want to get this baby puke stained shirt off of me, I really don't think I'm going to fit into your mom's t-shirt," Mitchell said warily.
Sam rolled her eyes. "It's Lucas's, dummy," she retorted, jumping back to her feet.
"Oh, cool," Mitchell said, stripping off his dirty shirt before stopping to stare at Sam incredulously. "Wait, Coach keeps his stuff over here? It's that serious?"
"Guess so," Sam said with a shrug, trying to remain calm as she focused in on Mitchell's chiseled abs. "Mom doesn't keep anything at his house, though. But I think they're in it for the long haul."
"You okay with that?" Mitchell asked, putting on Lucas's worn out Ravens shirt and covering his upper body, much to Sam's chagrin.
"Yeah, I think so," Sam said, following him out of the bedroom into the hallway. "He really has been trying hard to be less strict since the Classic, and he makes Mom so happy. It's making her a lot less strict, too."
"Good for us, I guess," Mitchell said, wiggling his eyebrows as Sam elbowed him in the side.
"Go downstairs and order the food," she commanded. "I've got to put Chels to bed."
"Yes, ma'am!" Mitchell said with a salute.
"And don't forget to ask for extra spring rolls!" she called after him.
Two hours later, Brooke and Lucas slipped quietly back into the house and found the two teens curled up together on the couch, surrounded by empty boxes of Thai food and completely immersed in The Dark Knight.
"Lucas, am I seeing things?" Brooke asked in mock surprise. "The house still standing, the little girls sound asleep, and the teenage couple behaving perfectly?"
"Probably…we did have a lot of wine," Lucas joked, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind.
"Ha freaking ha," Sam said drily, snuggling closer into Mitch's embrace.
"Hey, don't get too comfy," Brooke chided, coming to sit beside her daughter. "Mitchell, don't you have an 11:00 curfew?"
"Yes ma'am," Mitchell said grudgingly. "I guess I should call my dad."
"No worries, Mitch," Lucas said, lifting Sawyer gently from her crib and taking her to her carrier. "I can drop you off. It's not out of my way."
"Thanks Coach," Mitch said. He leaned over and gave Sam a quick kiss, blushing when he saw Brooke smiling at them. "I had a great time tonight," he said softly.
"Me too," Sam replied with a cheesy grin.
"Brooke, I'll call you tomorrow," Lucas called quietly as he hoisted Sawyer's carrier. "I love you."
"Love you too, babe," Brooke said, wrapping her arm around her daughter. As the two men courting the Davis women left the house, Lucas was overheard commenting that Mitchell's shirt looked incredibly familiar.
"So…you had a good time?" Brooke asked, stroking Sam's hair.
"Except for Sawyer puking all over Mitchell, everything went great," Sam said with a wry smile.
Brooke laughed. "Well, it looks like he handled it well…he certainly seemed to have enjoyed himself," she teased.
"Yeah, yeah. So, how'd your night go?" Sam asked, cuddling up to her mom. "I see you have a new accessory."
"I do indeed," Brooke said, lifting the pendant from her chest. "Pretty, isn't it?"
"It's gorgeous," Sam agreed. "What'd you get Uncle Lucas?"
"That, my darling girl, is a secret…for the time being," Brooke said, touching her forehead to her daughter's. Sam wrinkled her nose in confusion, but shrugged it off and settled in to finish watch The Dark Knight.
Obviously, the next chapter and possibly the one after it will focus on the trip to Disney and the girls' birthdays. It's been far too long since Sam or Chelsea got into mischief, and as a former Disney employee, I know a million ways they can get in trouble at Disney! I have finals coming up yet again, so there definitely will not be an update before May. But the better the reviews I get, the faster I update…just saying :) Hope you guys liked it!