Laws of Motion – Book 3
Written by: Ms. Maggs/Edited by: KJT
Chapter 26
Tuesday - October 4, 2005
The Sanders Home
5:40 pm
Standing in the middle of his bedroom, Scott held out his arms and asked, "Do I look date worthy?"
"Are you kidding?" Tawny stepped forward and fussed with her father-in-law's collar. "Every single woman over forty will be checking you out. She took Scott's hand and pressed a small tin of Altoids in it. "In case you decide to go for a goodnight kiss."
"Thanks, Sweetheart, but I'm really not ready to get romantic with another woman. I'm too hurt from what the last one did to me and am still considering swearing off them forever…no offense."
Greg laughed as he held out two condoms. "If you're really serious about going the non-female route I'll need you to hang on a sec while I grab one additional supply."
"Don't you have some furniture to build incorrectly?"
"Hey! Give me a break!" Greg lightheartedly raged, "I put one door on wrong out of seven pieces of perfect furniture! One! Seriously…where's the love and support for a good effort? Or did we change our name to Stokes and are only rewarding absolute perfection now? No one gave me a copy of that memo."
Struggling not to laugh, Scott turned to his daughter-in-law. "Tawny, there's an enchilada casserole in the fridge with heating instructions attached. I expect to see your English paper on the table when I get home, so you better not spend the whole night fooling around with your boyfriend."
"Yes, Sir, and don't worry, my boyfriend and I are practicing abstinence until we're ready for the responsibilities of marriage."
"Atta girl." Scott stepped in front of Greg. "Nice job on the furniture, you worked extremely hard today and I'm very proud of you. Feel free to take the night off and chill if you'd like." After grabbing the condoms from his son's hand, he winked. "Don't wait up."
"Look out, Sin City! Scott Sanders, Super Stud is on the move!" Greg catcalled until his father was out of the room. Then he noticed Tawny was covering her mouth.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Are you feeling okay!" Greg reached out and moved Tawny's hand. "You look like the Cheshire Cat."
"We're alone for the night."
"Yeah, Missy, and you have an English paper to write while I build furniture."
"When I finish my paper could we watch a movie together?"
"As long as it's not a romantic movie or porn," he warily stipulated, still not ready to deal with heavy intimacy. "A horror flick in the dark would be cool though, because I'm definitely in the mood to snuggle someone special tonight."
Excited by the prospect, Tawny skipped after her man, "How about we go to the video store after dinner?"
"I'll drive, you pick, I'll pay."
"Deal."
The Blakes
5:50 pm
"Guns were not part of the deal! Carrie knows that!" Wendy blasted Nick upon finding out Sean had been taken to the shooting range under the guise of homeschooling. "I can't believe…"
"It's all my fault, I'm sorry," he confessed from his position in the living room full of Blakes.
"You're doing it again! How many times are you and I going to have the same conversation?"
"What am I doin' exactly?" Nick huffed.
"Apologizing after the fact for something you knew I wouldn't want you to do. Only Carrie's just as guilty as you this time."
"No, it was my idea, I didn't even run it by her until..."
"Sure you did, Uncle Nick, don't you remem..." Sean covered his mouth.
"So, you're also teaching my son to cover your lies too?" Wendy asked in disgust. "Of course you had to cover, because God forbid, the princess gets in trouble."
Nick pursed his lips until the words pushed through, "Maybe if you'd let me finish my sentence…"
"Wen, c'mon on…" Paul intervened, "I think we're all a little over emotional today because of the news." He was grateful that Celine was out at a lengthy counseling session to prep her for meeting her mother. "How about we…"
"Don't patronize me, Paul! They both know how I feel and yet they took my son to a shooting range and put a gun in his hands."
"Why'd you take Sean and not me, Nick!" Ryan yelled when he saw an opening. "I've asked you a bunch of times to take me. Why does Sean get to do all the cool stuff with you and I get all the stupid chores! It's like I'm good enough to mow your whole damn lawn and scrub your toilet, but not to hang out with!"
"First of all, watch your mouth, and second…give me a break." Nick fought back, "We've played ball how many times? I took you campin', and who bought you those brand new expensive sneakers you're wearin', huh? I did, because you did such a good job with the yard work, remember? As I've already explained a dozen times, chores aren't punishment, they're the reality of a household and they're divided among the people livin' in the house according to their age and abilities. You've had it too good livin' here, that's why you think I'm punishin' you. Sorry, but in my house, we don't sleep until noon or play video games all day on the weekend. In my opinion, thirteen year old boys are more than capable of pullin' their weight instead of letting their Mommy do everything for them."
"Just for the record," Sean interjected, "I don't play video games, I'm always up by eight, and I volunteer to help Mom all the time."
"Would stop sucking up for once in your life!" Ryan screamed in his brother's direction. "You're such a brown-noser you're starting to smell like a giant turd!"
Ignoring her battling sons, Wendy got in Nick's face. "Unbelievable…on top of taking my son to a shooting range without permission, you have the nerve to accuse me of not running my household properly and not raising my children to be responsible adults."
"I never said that, Wendy. We just do things differently." But, two words for you…Greg Sanders! Raise men, not boys! Ryan is thirteen years old and just did his first real load of laundry and doesn't know how to make eggs! You're Bev-light!
"Yeah, well…at least my kids won't grow up to be stressed out, gun toting, rule-obsessed, ulcer patients like you and your siblings!"
As his stomach twisted and burned, Sean wasn't quite sure his mother was right in her assessment.
Nick folded his arms across his chest. "You forgot that my siblings and I are also civic-minded, hard-working, well-educated and financially independent."
"Is that directed to Carrie paying off our Visa and giving us her wedding money after you won the Spleen Lottery? Because I didn't ask her to do that, she insisted on helping her brother!"
"No! I was just pointing out that you left out all the good stuff about my family's values and focused on the negative." Really wishing Carrie had dropped off Sean and picked up Ryan, Nick delivered a kill shot, "You know what, nevermind, I grew up with enough women to recognize when it's a bad time of the month to argue."
"You sexist!" Wendy was too livid to form words that she could say in front of her children.
Nick nodded at his finally silent adversary. "I'm officially done here."
"No!" McKenna rushed over and hugged her uncle. "Please don't divorce us! I love you!" After seeing her best friend cry at school because her parents were getting divorced, the thought scared her to death. "I want you to be my uncle forever and ever. You have lots and lots of nieces, but I don't have any uncles but you. I think video games are stinky and I always make my bed and put my clothes in the hamper."
"And this is exactly why I don't like arguing in front of children." Nick picked up the trembling little girl. "I meant I was done for this minute, not forever, Sweetie, and divorce is only between married people. Once I marry your Aunt Carrie, I'm never, ever divorcin' her, which means I'll always be your uncle and a member of your family." No matter how much your mother grates on my last nerve sometimes, or how badly your grandpa scares the crap out of me. "Okay?"
"Uh huh."
"Good." He kissed her forehead. "I love you too."
Paul extracted his traumatized daughter from Nick's arms. "Come on, kids. Let's all take a walk to the park so Uncle Nick and Mommy can say they're sorry to each other for being silly."
"I'm sorry," Nick said once he was alone with Wendy. "I know this is you usin' me like a punching bag because you blame me for Mike gettin' out of jail free."
"Why shouldn't I? It's your fault," Wendy coolly replied. "He's out because Carrie asked me to help protect you."
Nick winced as the words sliced through him, "Wendy, please…"
"Carrie came here sobbing her eyes out saying that if I didn't help her get Mike out of jail, then his lawyer would represent the guy serving time for the Kristy Hopkins murder and make a case that he was railroaded to protect the real killer…who he'll say is you." Her voice rising with her emotions, Wendy yelled, "I had to walk into the DA's office and lie to protect you. I told them the key to Samantha's room was lost for a while and I found it in Ryan's room. I said that I noticed the boxes had been opened up and rummaged through, so they could declare all the physical evidence used in the trial inadmissible. My words let my sister's killer and my rapist go free today, and it was all to save your ass! Sure, there were a list of other reasons Carrie said I had to do it, but the bottom line is, I wouldn't have done it for any of the other reasons!I did it for you and yes, I'm really pissed about that! I think I have a right to be pissed! And don't even think about saying I could have said no. If I had said no and you ended up in jail for the rest of your life, Ken would have strangled me dead for ruining his precious little girl's future!"
"Uh…" Nick swallowed the lump in his throat. "Yeah, if I were you, I'd hate me too. Sorry again about the range." He turned and made a beeline for the front door.
"Nick!" When the door shut, Wendy dropped onto the couch weak from venting. "Dammit."
Drowning in guilt, she immediately reached for the cordless phone sitting on the coffee table and when her call was answered, she sweetly whispered, "I'm way too old to catch a former A&M Running Back, so thanks for taking my call. I'm really, really sorry, please come back so we can talk, and you're right…I'm way too easy on my boys. I'm over-compensating because I hated my parents and I don't want them to hate me. I really do want my boys to grow up to be strong men."
The Vartanns
6:04 pm
'How's my candy-ass little brother who's overcompensating with a little red sports car doin?' is what Tony heard when he answered his home phone. "Matthew Thomas Vartann, not even you could ruin my good mood today."
"Amy called and told me you married a baby killer. She said she told Ma too. I told her if she ever called my house again I'd send one of my snitches over to Vegas to surprise her in a dark alley."
Shaking his head, Tony grabbed a beer from the fridge. "That is an admirable attempt at ruining my good mood, I'll give you that. Except the snitch part, that put a smile on my face. She knows Vice cops have the nastiest snitches too, that should work."
"I called to say thank you, because now my wife won't be last, as usual, in the 'best daughter-in-law' competition this year. Gina was a lock for first place because she had Ma's Baby Boy's baby, but I figured Janey was assured second for a change once Mom learned Amy was screwing around on ya. Then you had to run out and marry a rich girl who sent them on a cruise. Even though Becca's not Catholic apparently the 'rents found her undeniably charming and once again, poor Janey was in line for last again, but today…that all changed. I bet you want to kill Amy for tellin' Mom that bit of scandalous news, huh?"
After a gulp of his Fat Tire beer, Tony snapped, "Don't you think you should at least meet my wife before you start bashing her? After all, I gave Jane the benefit of the doubt until I met her and realized she was the presumed-dead Wicked Witch of the West."
"Well, I would have loved to have met your wife at your wedding, but I didn't get an invite…not that we could have gotten there with twenty minutes notice anyway. Unless I missed a message, we haven't been invited out for a weekend in Richville and you haven't knocked on my door. I get it, you don't want us to embarrass you in front of your snooty country club wife. Tone, come on…you're really okay with being a kept man?"
"No, I'm not okay with it…I'm thrilled and you're jealous as hell of me, and to that I say…it's about damn time." Walking outside to the patio, Tony watched the angling sun set. "Okay, jokes over. How are things with the baby? Any new information?" Because it wasn't planned Jane hadn't been living as a pregnant woman, and he knew they had been concerned.
"Just had the twenty week ultrasound yesterday. Surprise number four will arrive healthy like the rest of them. Another girl so it'll be two and two, it also means another wedding I have to save up for."
"Congratulations, I'm happy for you, Bro."
"You got all the money and no kids, I've got all the kids and no money. That doesn't seem fair. If we coulda split that it would've been nice, huh?"
"Yeah."
"Does your pro-choice wife want kids? How old is she anyway?"
"Thirty and yeah, but we're gonna wait and enjoy being newlyweds for a while. I re-read the stuff I got from the doctor today as a matter of fact and the IVF stuff should work as long as Becca doesn't have a problem too, because my soldiers are healthy, there just aren't enough of them."
"You know what I think…I think Toxic Amy was the reason your sperm count was down. Maybe the soldiers were just afraid to deploy around her or they conscientiously objected to creating her spawn. Hell, for all you know that psycho was doing something to your balls in your sleep. Did you ever get re-tested for disease at six months like I told you?"
"And at seven and then at the nine month mark, I'm clean. She said she used a condom every time and the pregnancy happened because one broke, maybe the lying skank was actually telling the truth about that."
"That bitch was gonna answer to me if she gave you something, I wouldn't have let a snitch do the honors either. Seriously, you should go back to the fertility doctor and see if anything's changed since you've been living away from her for a while because it doesn't make sense that Reg and me have no problems, and you do."
"Thanks, Bro, maybe I will." Smiling from his brother's support, Tony leaned against the fence rail watching the desert come alive at twilight. "Hey, I'm really sorry I haven't invited you over, or introduced you to Becca, everything happened so fast. I'd invite you up here, but we really aren't set up for kids, so how about this…I'll put something together for all of us to stay at Disneyland for a long weekend. I have a shit-load of time because I have seniority now and maxed my OT until I met Becca, so I'm sure I can work around your schedule. Send your available dates and I'll talk to Becca about what's good for her. All you have to do is drive there and then it's all expenses paid. Would that work? I think that would work best for us." He figured restaurants, maid service and an entire amusement park to get lost in if the family togetherness became too much was something Becca could handle.
"Nah, you can just come here. You can stay in one of the resorts in Scottsdale, so your wife doesn't have to deal with us twenty-four-seven."
"Yeah, I know I could, but I really wanna to go to Disneyland with my brother just like old times. Come on, you know the kids will have a blast." When he only heard silence, Tony knew his brother's pride wasn't going to let him accept a handout, so he restructured the idea, "Hey, I just realized that I didn't celebrate my fortieth this year because I was too busy being pissed at the world, so I'm gonna have a big birthday party at Disneyland and invite Mom and Dad, Reg…the whole family, all expenses on me. Will you come to my party weekend? I really had a rough year and could use a little time at the happiest place on Earth with my family."
"Anything for my brother."
"Cool."
"Thanks, Tone, I'll go email you my schedule."
The Rodgers Home
6:19 pm
Standing at the dining room table, Mike compared the schedules received from Val, Nick's secretary, to the ones he got from Amy.
"I'm ready," Marlene announced when she returned to the great room dressed in workout apparel. "You really aren't gonna make me jog, are you? I'm forty-two!"
"But you look thirty-two now that you had all that work done." Not moving his eyes off the CSI schedule he was studying, Mike said, "You really should want to improve on your cardio health. What if you're walking in a dark parking lot at night and some creepy guy starts chasing you? You want to be able to escape, don't you? A looker like you, who can't run or defend herself, is a rape waiting to happen."
"Are you trying to freak me out?" Marlene snapped. "I already got hit by a bus last month right after someone cursed me to step in front of one."
"I've only been a cop again for twenty minutes and I'm already thinking like one." Taking his wife's hand, he softly pressed a kiss to it. "I didn't mean to scare you, Honey."
Still not used to a man treating her well, Marlene was wary of the tenderness and assumed it would only be a matter of time before he knocked her around for something out of her control. It would be a small price to pay for the beautiful house and luxuries. "Thanks, Baby."
"Let's go." Grabbing his new dog's leash from its hook, he whistled. "C'mon, girl, Daddy wants to check out the neighborhood."
After clipping on the shepherd's leash, Mike opened the door and stepped outside and filled his lungs with fresh air. "You have no idea how good it feels to walk outside any time you please. It's not something you can really appreciate until it's suddenly gone."
"Hi there!"
When he saw his next door neighbor waving, he returned the gesture. "Hello!"
"You must be Mike," Kelly Mattson, a thirty-nine year old dentist walked over with her hand extended. "I'm Kelly. Your wife has been counting the minutes until you got home. It's a pleasure to meet you. You must be thrilled to be home after the ordeal you've been through. I can't imagine serving time for a crime I didn't commit."
"As a police officer, I know that mistakes happen every once in a while. When I was a rookie, I made a serious one myself. As an ordained minister, I fully intend to practice what I preach and forgive everyone involved."
"Well, my husband works nights at County General, so I'll feel a lot safer alone at night with a cop right next door."
"I hear you," Marlene empathized. "All this time I've been living here, I'm getting more and more creeped out by that couple across the street. Did you know that freaky scientist has a room full of cockroaches?"
"Really?" Kelly shivered. "Eww. Thanks for the warning."
"Ladies, don't worry." Mike put forth his most charming smile, "I'm here to serve and protect." Taking his wife's hand, he nodded at the neighbor, "Again, it was nice meeting you, Kelly. Have a wonderful evening."
The Vartanns
6:22 pm
"Wow, that's a gorgeous sunset," Becca commented as she walked over to join her husband on the patio.
"You almost missed it." Tony held out his hand. "Did you finish the application?"
"Yep, now the hard part starts, I have to study for the Bar." Snuggling up, she jokingly asked, "Are you sure you don't want to transfer to California instead? I think it's a lot easier for a cop to switch states than a lawyer."
"And be at the bottom of the food chain when I'm four years from retirement? No way, not happening. You'd hate it too, trust me. I'd get graveyard and be a miserable bastard to live with even on my days off. My Sergeant keeps trying to talk me into a promotion that I don't want, but might take if we do start a family. It would mean I'm off the streets for the most part, but that's the part I like best, so I don't know what I'll do." Remembering the new less controlling leaf he turned over, Tony said, "What I meant to say was, I'm open to discussing to that option as well as any career moves with you, Honey."
"I was just kidding anyway, but nice recovery." Pausing, she watched the last of the sun slip away. "I miss the beach and Southern California weather, but Hoj and Scott are here and they're the closest thing to family I ever had, and I really like Carrie and Nick and the Grissoms. BPAC is a relaxing environment to work in, except for the day the boss decided to shove his tongue down Tawny's throat, but I don't foresee that happening again. Plus, I really think Dr. Myers will be good for me."
"If we moved, we'd be away from Amy's bullshit, and we'd be close to Reg and Gina, those are perks. Maybe in four years when I retire?"
"You do remember that you don't actually have to worry about bringing in a salary, right? You could work anywhere or not at all if you need a break after all these years."
"Honey…come on," he chuckled while shaking his head. "We're living in a house you bought, I'm driving around in a car that would take years of my salary to buy, and if I want to get you pregnant my only option is via a Petri dish. My career is the only part of my manhood I have left. If I have to start asking you for lunch money I may as well wear a dress and change my name to Nancy."
Cupping her husband's face she jubilantly declared, "I so totally love you."
Drew's House
6:29 pm
Watching her dream man stare at the finished sunset, Marta's heart ached. The sunset's done, just like life as he's known it for years. Hearing about what happened to Cassie at school, she knew he was hurting terribly, but couldn't think of a way to make anything better.
"Is there anything you'd like me to do to help?" She finally spoke, in the voice of a mouse. "I could remove the inventory signs now that everything's...over."
"I'm not crying," Drew stated without turning around.
"I know! But it would be okay if you were because I did at least four times today. It's a very sad day. No one likes sad endings, that's normal." Her nerves getting the best of her she overtalked, "That's why movies usually have happy endings. No one wants to pay ten dollars to be depressed at the end. If it's not a happy ending, it at least has to be an uplifting ending. Like Titanic for example, it was so obvious that Jack and Rose were each other's true loves, but Jack dies saving Rose. Everybody in the theater bawled their eyes out thinking why did I pay ten dollars to cry my eyes out and be depressed, but then we see Rose grab a whistle and try to blow a rescue signal. At first she blows very softly because she's crying, freezing and weak, but then it's like Jack's life force gives her the breath she lacks and she starts to blow the whistle a little louder each time." Tears pouring down her cheeks, the young woman placed her hand over her heart. "The whistle personified her will to live…to go on as Jack would have wanted her to and therefore his heart goes on too, just like the song. Then we fade back to present and see one hundred year old Rose in bed passing into the great beyond and as the camera pans by pictures of her life we know she lived the life Jack wanted her to have and that lifts our spirits."
"Marta…" Drew stared at the emotional woman.
"Yes," she sniffled.
"What's your point here exactly?"
"Lissa was your Cal Hockley and it's unfortunate that Jack Dawson didn't intervene for you too, except if he had, then your kids wouldn't have been born and I love them something awful, so that would have been terrible, and…I don't know what my point is, I'm starting to think that even if I had one originally, it wasn't very good."
"You did it again." He pointed to the smile on his face. "I've never seen that movie, I have no idea who those people are, but listenin' to you made me smile. Thanks, and keep that up."
"You've never seen Titanic!" she blasted while grabbing a pile of napkins to blot her face. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scream, but I didn't think anyone missed it. Seriously?"
"It's a chick flick." Drew shrugged. "Never liked those much."
"Because you're afraid to cry in front of other people and were afraid you might if you watched one?"
"Uh, no," he laughed, "because they're full of silly romantic notions that don't appeal to guys and are devoid of burpin' and explosive action scenes which we like."
"Wrong! There is a burp scene in Titanic and what can be more action-pack than a ship hit by an iceberg and people desperate to survive!" Marta promptly covered her mouth. "Sorry, for yelling at you again, on the worst day of your life especially."
"Exactly how many times have you seen this movie that you obviously feel very passionate about?"
"I…um…you know…" She shook her head. "I'm gonna take the fifth for fear of incriminating myself as pathetic."
Nick and Carrie's
7:44 pm
When Jillian found her son digging what she hoped was a garden, not a grave, by the light of camping lanterns, she said, "Alas, poor Yorick! Where be your laughter now?" Carrie had told her what happened between Nick and Wendy.
"Huh?"
"You never really did care for Shakespeare much."
Not having a clue what his mother was babbling about, Nick answered, "I'm just behind on projects and want to get this going while the weather's right."
"I hear BS makes for good fertilizer."
Nick smiled as he dug deeper. "There's no loitering here, ma'am. This is a work zone."
Jillian grabbed a hoe that was leaning against a nearby tree. "I'm a co-worker now, feel free to start bitchin'."
"Can you believe Wendy Blake said our family is nothin' but a bunch of stressed out, gun toting, rule-obsessed, ulcer patients?"
"What was your retort?"
Tossing a scoop of dirt, he said, "I told her she forgot to mention we're also civic-minded, hard-working, well-educated and financially independent."
"Classy and factual. Nicely done." Jillian busied herself moving dirt around. "If Ken Blake had been there he no doubt would have mentioned that we're all sex-addicted, hot-headed, opinionated, red necks too."
"Thank God for small favors, he was nowhere to be found."
While tossing a scoop of dirt in the hole her son was emptying, Jillian teased, "How's that pretty Sofia girl I met when I was out a couple of months ago? Does she have family to speak of? If she's an orphan, I say you dump Carrie and marry her instead."
"Her father's deceased, so that would work, but she's a slob and I couldn't handle that on a long-term basis." He extrapolated as he dug, "She puts the cleaning products on the same shelf as the food…balls her bed sheets up and stuffs them in between towels on the shelves…doesn't match up her socks or keep the white ones separate from the colors. Seriously, if you saw her cabinets and closets, you'd die."
"Best you stay with Carrie then, because she'd organize the clouds if she had a tall enough ladder."
"That's one of the many reasons I love her."
Watching her son toil harder still, she probed, "What else did Wendy say to you?"
"That I've ruined Sean because I put a gun in his hand, which is hilarious, because she sees nothin' wrong with the fact that her boys can't separate laundry or make eggs."
"They can't make eggs or do laundry?" the mother said in disbelief.
"See! It's not just me, you think it's stupid too." Nick stopped digging and grabbed his water jug. "Boys don't grow up to be responsible on their own, they have to be shown the way. Guns aren't the problem. Irresponsible people usin' guns is the problem"
"Careful now, you sounded ever so slightly Republican."
"Don't worry, I still believe it takes a village." After laughing with his mother, Nick sobered again, "I didn't think I was ready to be a dad when we found out Carrie was pregnant, but with Ryan bein' here, I found out I am ready…but now there's no baby. I didn't know how bad I wanted the baby until it was gone. I wanted it so badly that apparently I'm fathering kids against their mother's will. When we were at the museum, a lady mistook me for his father, which normally would have me feel old as hell, but today it felt great." Stopping his dig, Nick confessed, "I took Sean to the range 'cause Dad used to take Andy and me. You know how busy Dad always was, so those days at the range were like gold and I loved every second. I wanted to share that with my son and Sean was fillin' in."
"I'm sorry, Honey I wish I could make it better, but all I can do is give you a hug."
As his mother's arms squeezed him tight, Nick snickered, "Wendy Blake would make me cookies and offer to do my laundry."
"I have some antacids tablets for that ulcer I gave you from being a militant mother, will that do?"
"Ooh, you do? Seriously, I could use some." He held out his hand. "My gut's on fire, thanks."
"Mine's been acting up all day too." After she chomped Maalox with her son, Jillian said, "I'm gonna go in and bake some chocolate chip cookies and look for some laundry to do."
"I love you."
"I love you too, and please don't worry, I'm saving my best grandmothering for my last grandkids."
"Thanks, Mama."
The Sanders Home
8:02 pm
"Okay, Dad." Greg hung up from the call and yelled to Tawny, "I think it's a real date!"
"I knew it!" She rushed into the kitchen. "Didn't I tell you that Lily was totally into him when I met her in your Dad's office!"
"Yep." Greg opened the microwave to grab the bag of popcorn he made for the movie. "He sounded like a giddy little girl on the phone, which is great because I know my mom did a number on his self-esteem."
"My paper's on the kitchen table," she quickly changed the subject from self-esteem crushing women since she was one recently. "I'm ready for our fright fest." Since it was October, they rented Halloween and Poltergeist.
"I've got the corn and the vines, you grab the drinks." Greg hurried into the adjoining Family Room.
"The TV looks great in the new entertainment center you built." Tawny set the drinks on a magazine on the new coffee table. "Everything looks great."
"Thanks." Greg kicked off his shoes and immediately tucked them under the coffee table so Tawny wouldn't trip on them.
He remembered not to leave his shoes out! "Which one do you want to watch first?"
Greg immediately began singing the chorus from This is Halloween in the voice of a Tim Burton singing corpse, "La-la-la, la-la-la, Halloween, Halloween, la-la-la-la-la."
"I don't remember that song in the movie."
"It's not, it's from A Nightmare Before Christmas."
"Never saw it."
"Ooh, we definitely have to rent that one then."
"Ooh, the boy is planning for the future, always a good sign when dating." Her high spirits took a hit when he put the popcorn bowl between their bodies on the couch.
"At Disneyland, between October and December, they transform the Haunted Mansion into Haunted Holiday and theme it to the Nightmare Before Christmas movie, I've gone every year when at my parents' house for the holidays, I love it."
"I've never been to Disneyland."
"Seriously? I would have thought your dad took his little princess to see the castle."
"As an underpaid teacher, he worked all summer when school was out to make extra cash, so we only went camping. I never even stayed in a hotel until I came to Vegas."
Winking at his wife, Greg said, "In the future, we'll definitely have to go to Disneyland."
The Vartanns
8:09 pm
"Disneyland!" Becca exclaimed in horror as she placed her pet rat back in its cage. "I hate Disneyland! Loathe it! I can't believe you! Of all places!"
"What? You just sent all those Make a Wish families there. I don't get where this is coming from!" Tony looked at his wife in disbelief. "Who hates Disneyland? It's the happiest place on Earth."
"I'll tell you who hates Disneyland, little girls whose deadbeat fathers take them there the day before they move to New York and start forgetting to send birthday cards and Christmas gifts!" Flying out of the room, she kept ranting. "Let's spend the whole day together, Rebecca. Let's make this our special place. You're my little princess, Rebecca. Oh, by the way, I'm moving to New York, but don't worry, I'll visit. Bullshit, all of it!"
"Honey…could you…Honey…" Tony watched her pace the bedroom and mumble. "I should have asked. It just never occurred to me that you'd hate it there. I thought I was doing you a favor by meeting my brother and his family in a fun, public place that wouldn't require you to have deal with his kids and bitchy wife in two thousand cluttered square feet. I'm sorry. Consider it cancelled."
"That'll really make them like me! Aunt Becca took away our free trip to Disneyland. She's an even bigger bitch than Uncle Tony's first wife!"
When she dropped onto the bed, he took a seat next to her. "Hey…what about the new memories thing you said to me this morning?"
"Huh?"
"When we were making love after the gym. The gist of it was that every time we do something together that we used to do with someone we hate now, we replace that memory and make a new one like our song says."
"Why do you listen to me? I'm a nutcase."
"Because I liked what you said, that's why." Taking her trembling hand, he kissed it. "Come to Disneyland and make new memories with me. I want to hold you in my arms and watch the fireworks over the castle."
"I don't know." After a minute she asked, "Do they still have churros, the dough sticks with the cinnamon sugar all over them?"
"Yep."
"I have been craving one of those."
"Maybe I really did you get pregnant last week." Laughing, he shared his brother's 'Toxic Amy' infertility theory and when he was done, he noticed Becca was smiling. "Good, I cheered you up, and don't worry, my brother's kids will be excited wherever we take them because they don't go on vacations in nice hotels. What about Sea World? Any problems with Shamu?"
"Wait…did you ever go to Disneyland with Amy?"
"Yeah."
With the enthusiasm of a Super Bowl MVP, she announced, "I'm going to Disneyland!" Becca flew off the bed. "Anything you did with her, I'm doing with you, and anything I did with my loser father, you're doing with me."
"Did your father wear mouse ears?"
"No."
"That's a relief."
"Did Amy ride Space Mountain with you?"
"Yeah."
"Doh! I'm scared of roller coasters." Breaking into a smile she said, "But I'm sure I can get over my fear."
The Sanders Home
8:19 pm
Tawny turned to stare at her husband. "I forgot the name of the psycho killer in Halloween was named Michael."
"Me too," Greg vacantly replied while listening to the eerie dialogue. 'He's gonna get you! He's gonna get you! The bogeyman is coming! Don't you know what happens on Halloween?'
"Are you sure you don't want to watch Titanic?" Tawny whispered in the room she had insisted on being dark for effect. Then she saw Greg moving the popcorn bowl barrier and sliding closer. "Just kidding, this is fun."
'Oooo! The Bogeyman! The Bogeyman! He's gonna get you!
The Grissoms
8:28 pm
"Who could it be?" The unexpected chime of their doorbell startled Sara as she sat on the couch with her husband watching Forensic Files. "You don't think he would…"
"No. Well…on second thought, he might."
"We'll go together, just in case he rings the doorbell thinking you'll answer and then burst through the back door."
"Sara…"
"Yeah, yeah, I'll stop imagining the worst right after it doesn't happen, let's go!" She hurried off to the front door knowing he'd follow.
"There's an envelope on the stoop addressed to The Grissoms," Gil remarked when he looked out the peephole "You said Marlene told you to look out for an invite, right?"
"It's probably laced with poison, just leave it there."
"Okay." Gil walked away.
"Where are you going! We have to know what it says!"
"Sara…"
"Wear gloves and open it outside."
"That'll give the neighbors something to watch."
Drew's House
8:35 pm
"Jack cleans up well, doesn't he?" Marta commented as she sat on the couch watching Titanic with Drew who was reclined three feet away from here. "Just wait…all the rich folks at dinner love him and that ticks off Cal."
"You really love this story, huh?"
"What's not to love?" she replied while meeting his gaze. "It's a classic love story that gives people hope. No one expects a pauper like Jack to get the beautiful, rich girl to fall in love with him, but she does because she realizes that beauty comes from within and money can't buy love."
"Lissa fell for me because of my money."
"I'm sure there was a little more to her attraction than that." Why not just come out and jump the man if you're going to be that obvious! Shut up, Marta Jean! "I mean…it probably just feels that way now that things didn't work out."
"We had great chemistry, but she married me for my wallet and the Stokes name in Dallas. My whole family warned me, but I was too caught up bein' married to a supermodel who looked good on my arm and would give me beautiful kids."
"They are beautiful kids, because they're sweet and kind as well as gorgeous."
"I don't know how they managed to turn out sweet and kind considering who their parents are." Then he saw the answer right in front of him. "Actually, I do know, it's because they spend most of their time with you."
"Thank you, that's a very nice compliment." Barely able to contain her innermost thoughts, the flustered nanny pointed at the TV. "I love what Jack says here, listen."
'Well... it's a big world, and I want to see it all before I go. My father was always talkin' about goin' to see the ocean. He died in the town he was born in, and never did see it. You can't wait around, because you never know what hand you're going to get dealt next. See, my folks died in a fire when I was fifteen, and I've been on the road since. Somethin' like that teaches you to take life as it comes at you. To make each day count.'
Choking up she shared, "It makes me think of my brother, and how glad I am that he got to see Alaska before he died. He was obsessed with Alaska. We took him when he was in remission. Now that he's gone, I'm so glad he got to go. I paid for the trip from working for your family and it's my proudest accomplishment, which I know must seem silly to someone like you who has accomplished so much in his life."
"Not at all," he softly replied while focusing on the tears falling from Marta's eyes. "That's a beautiful story, really it is. It's makin' me think of the night I stood there watchin' Nicky dyin', that was the scariest night of my life. I don't know what I would have done if I lost him like that."
"See…action movies aren't nearly as cathartic."
"Holy hell, I'm cryin' again," Drew remarked as he felt his eyes well.
Laughing through her tears, Marta tossed the tissue box to the other end of the couch. "Take a few for later, just in case."
Grissom's Home Lab
8:54 pm
Checking the envelope for toxic trace, Gil and Sara were relieved to find it safe to open.
"They're having a neighborhood pot luck!" Sara cracked up. "As if I wasn't paranoid about pot lucks normally…all that food made in unseen kitchens and a million people touching the serving spoons with their potentially unwashed hands. Having one hosted by a maniacal murderer really ups my comfort level."
"We've been assigned to bring something in the dessert category."
"I'll get right to work baking a Fat Chance Cake layered with sarcasm." Parting the window blinds Sara saw Mike on the front porch swing he had been putting together earlier. "I refuse to let you give me the creeps!"
The Sanders Home
9:21 pm
"Oh!" Tawny shrieked while grabbing Greg's arm. "I forgot that part. Totally creepy!"
"Come here." Slipping his arm around her, he pulled his wife close. "Better?"
"Much." Closing her eyes, she savored the moment. "Greg…"
"My dad's home! I hear his car alarm."
"It's way too early to be home from a date."
Greg peered through the window blinds. "Ooh, she's with him! Shut off the TV and we'll hide and spy if they come into the kitchen."
"We can't do that! It's so wrong!"
"They're holding hands!"
Tawny hurried to shut the TV and hide behind the couch. "Over here."
"Greg!" Scott flicked on the lights. "Tawny!" After a quick survey of the scene, he turned to Lily. "They must have gone for a walk or they're upstairs and indisposed." He flipped on the Family Room lights as well. "Check out the furniture. Greg built it all today, he's really doing a great job around the house. I've never been prouder of him."
Behind the couch, Tawny saw her husband grinning wildly from the compliment.
"You're lucky to be near your son, Scott. My daughter's husband got transferred to Boston and I hardly ever see her." Lily placed her purse on the kitchen counter and smoothed her hands over the new dress she had bought that afternoon. "That's why I come to visit my sister so often. It's lonely without family in San Marino any more."
Tawny whispered, "She said lonely, that's a hint."
Grabbing a bottle of Chardonnay, Scott casually remarked, "I hope you'll give me a ring for dinner on your next visit too. It was great having dinner with a good friend after being the new guy in town here."
"He said 'good friend'," Greg whispered. "Nice move…creates intimacy."
"If that's how you feel, maybe I'll try to visit more often." Lily wrapped her hand around the stem of the wine glass. "Here's to close friends."
"To close friends." Scott gently tapped his glass to his date's, took a sip and then said, "Sooooo, do you want screw in the kitchen or over on the couch?"
Greg and Tawny's eyes shot open.
"Do you have any chocolate syrup?" Lily asked while opening the fridge.
"Now, now…you know as a dentist I can't approve of licking something sugary off a woman's naked body. I stopped at the store and bought some special sugar-free edible lotion."
"Does your son have handcuffs we can borrow?" she asked while moving to the couch with Scott.
"CSIs don't carry handcuffs unfortunately."
"Nevermind, just rip my clothes off, because I can't wait. It's been five very long years and I need sex, lots of it."
Scott reached over to the coffee table, grabbed a magazine and ripped it in half while Lily shrieked.
"Yes! Oh, yes! You're an animal!"
Greg jumped up from behind the couch.
"Oh, hello, Son." The unfooled father rolled his eyes. "Come on out, Tawny, I know you're back there too."
"How did you figure it out?"
"Over there, genius." Scott pointed to the mirror on the wall. "I can see behind the couch by looking in there. I told Lily the score and she played along."
"Sorry for spying." Greg waved to Lily, who looked much different in her date clothes. "Are you guys having a nice evening?"
Scott took Lily's hand. "I'm having a great time, how about you?"
"Same here." Winking at Greg, she sweetly said, "I didn't know how much I missed your dad until we weren't together forty-five hours a week."
"Do you guys want to watch a movie with us?" Tawny offered.
Scott quickly declined, "Thanks, Sweetheart, but we had plans to talk over a bottle of wine in my living room."
Drew's House
10:43 pm
"Here you go." Drew handed a glass of Cristal to Marta. "In celebration of life and in memory of Jack Dawson, we're drinkin' the best stuff in the house."
"Oh, I really don't usually...hmm."
"The kids are with mom asleep at Nicky's and I don't want to drink alone."
"Well, okay then." Raised in a conservative Methodist household, she hadn't been exposed to alcohol growing up and was always too busy working to dabble. "Whoa…this tastes..."
"You've probably never had Cristal, huh?
"I've never had champagne ever."
"Get out."
"My family doesn't drink alcohol and there's not even a bar in the town I'm from."
"There's another two bottles in the fridge if you like it. I know I'm up for gettin' trashed." Drew headed to the plasma TV. "What movie would you like to watch now?"
"Have you ever seen Shallow Hal?"
"Nope."
"I have a copy in my room." She finished off her glass of bubbly and set it on the coffee table. "I'll be right back."
Next Chapter: A lot of sweetness, a new case file and that Mike guy. For all the Marta and Drew fans, they have an interesting scene. Posting: Friday, 10/20.
Thanks for reading!
Maggs