Chapter 28- The Nerd of Horror

Sam pulled Scout onto her lap as their family gathered around the table. Danny put his bare feet up in from of Willow.

"Stop it!" Willow shoved them.

"Danny, put your feet down!" Sam scolded. "You have three days… three days until school starts. And tomorrow is the wedding… can you please just hold out a little longer?"

Danny pulled his feet down. "Geez, don't have a cow, Mom."

"Danny, do not speak to your mother that way," Drew said. "Now, we wanted to talk to you about tomorrow."

"We really haven't planned much for the wedding. But your grandmother is hiring a bunch of people to pick some flowers for it." Sam chuckled a little. "It's going to be small though, just family really."

"Just family?" Danny scrunched his face. "You said Jax and Josslyn are coming."

"They are Willow's father and sister, so that makes them family," Drew said.

Danny rolled his eyes, then kicked Willow under the table.

"Danny!" Willow kicked him back.

"Ow!" Danny groaned.

Drew rose to his feet. "Danny, up!"

"What?" Danny said.

"Up," Drew repeated. "We're switching seats."

"Ugh, fine." Danny switched seats with his dad.

Sam sighed. "We're having it outside in the courtyard and Father Coates is going to perform the ceremony. Grandma is going to walk me down the aisle..." She frowned a little.

"Danny…" Drew patted his back. "I'd like you to be my best man."

Danny grinned. "Okay."

"But I want you to be on your best behaviour," Drew added.

"Ain't I always?" Danny smirked.

"And you missy." Sam stroked Scout's braids. "You get to be our flower girl. Kind of like at Aunt Molly's wedding."

Scout blushed a little.

Sam kissed her cheek, then turned to Willow and reached for her hand, giving it a squeeze. "And Willow, I'd like you to be my maid of honour."

Willow started to tear up and smiled. "Really? I'd love to."

"Maid of honour?" Danny scowled. "More like nerd of horror. I bet her dress will fall off halfway up the aisle or she'll scare all the guests off when she looks at them. She'll just stink up the whole wedding!"

Willow stared at Danny for a moment, then let go of Sam's hand. Without a word, she left the table and went to her room.

Danny frowned.

Sam clenched her jaw and let Scout down from her lap. "That's it, Danny. Go. To. Your. Room. NOW!"

Danny's shoulders sank.

"This was supposed to be a special moment for all of us, and you just ruined it for Willow!" Sam raised her voice. "Tomorrow, you are sticking to your dad's side like glue until the ceremony. And you're not to throw your dirty socks, dirty clothes, or anything into Willow's room tonight or tomorrow. You're not to make up lies to Scout for your amusement. And any word or look to your sisters during the wedding is to be rooted in kindness"

Danny opened his mouth to respond, but Sam cut him off. "Now go to your room and stay there until your dad gets you in the morning. You're only to come out to use the bathroom. And you're not to go into Willow's room."

Danny breathed in deeply, then hastened to his room.

He plopped down on his bed and stared at the ceiling. Did he go too far? Was this the wrong time to tease her? He didn't mean it… He thought Willow knew that. He was just having fun with her. Wasn't she having fun too? Maybe she thought he was serious… maybe she was feeling unwelcome here. Maybe she really thought he didn't care…

He sat up straight. Okay… he was told not to go to Willow's room tonight. He was told not to leave his room… but he had to make things right.

So, Danny rolled out of bed and pulled the door open slightly. The hall light was on, but no one was sitting at the table or on the couch.

He was about to knock on Willow's slightly opened door, but noticed his mom sitting on the edge of the bed as Willow was laying on her side crying.

"No, he doesn't hate you," Sam said. "I put my foot down with him tonight. I'm not going to let him treat you like this anymore."

"Well, he clearly doesn't want me at the wedding," Willow said.

Sam sighed. "Even if that were true, this isn't his wedding. I want you there. I'm already sad that my dad isn't going to be there. But if you're not there, then the wedding's off."

"I don't want to ruin your wedding. But…"

"But, what?"

Willow exhaled deeply.

"Are you having reservations about Drew?" Sam asked. "I thought you said you were okay with us getting married."

"What?" Willow laughed a little. "No, it's not Drew. I was being silly about him before He's been really welcoming. And… I like cooking with him. He's fun."

"Then what is it? You can tell me anything."

"It's Danny!"

Sam sighed.

"I'm sorry," Willow said. "I don't want to make a big deal out of it. And I don't mind teasing once in a while and I guess pranks can be fun. But it's all day every day. It's like I'm back in school."

"Were you teased in school?"

She paused for a moment, then said, "Yeah. And I was never at one school for very long. I was always the smart, goody-two shoes nobody liked."

Sam swallowed hard. "You definitely take after Jax or my mom…"

"Even the kids at the communes we stayed at picked on me."

"Did Harmony ever try to stop it?"

Willow shook her head. "Only time she noticed it was with one of the guru's kids. She had to impress them, so…"

Danny frowned.

"She should have stopped it," Sam said.

Willow shrugged. "Shiloh was actually the first person I stood up to. Well, if you call running away standing up to someone."

"Sometimes that's the only option you have for survival. You wanted to protect your baby."

"Yeah."

Danny raised an eyebrow.

"You know, we really haven't talked much about what Shiloh did to you," Sam said. "I mean, we sort of have. But it's not something you can just get over."

Willow looked away from her.

Danny stepped a little closer in the doorway to hear better.

"Did any of these other gurus or cult leaders do the same to you?" Sam asked.

"No," Willow said barely above a whisper. "Shiloh was the worst."

"What he did to you…"

"But it was an honour," Willow started to choke up. "It was an honour to join the trust. That's what my mom said. I wanted it. So did everyone at D.O.D."

"But you didn't know what the trust entailed."

"I didn't even bat an eye when he asked me for my pledge," Willow said. "I know you know the rest."

"Yes, but I think you need to talk about it," Sam said. "You need to get it off your chest."

Willow nodded. "My pledge was a secret. Something that he could hold over me. Then it was time for my initiation ceremony. So, Mom and two other women gave me this drink to relax me. It was some kind of drug… I felt really floaty and out of it. Then they tattooed me with Shiloh's mark… They welcomed me into the sisterhood… Then they left… And Shiloh came in…" More tears streamed down her cheeks. "And he had sex with me."

Danny's mouth dropped open and he felt the colour drain from his cheeks.

"Oh, Willow…" Sam laid beside her and wrapped her arms around her. "I'm so sorry that happened to you."

"But I don't know if it's considered rape. I didn't try to stop him."

"Listen to me, it was rape. Because he forced himself on you. It wasn't your fault."

Danny balled his hands into fists.

"I wish I could have been there to stop it." Sam kissed the top of her head.

"I hate him… but every time I close my eyes he's there. And my mom… how could she hand me over to him?"

"I don't know," Sam said. "I hate her for it."

"I'm glad she's not my real mother. I don't want to think of her as my mom anymore…"

"Then don't," Sam said, tucking some of Willow's hair behind her ear. "Let me be your mom."

Danny turned and stormed back into his room. He kicked the wall, then plopped down on his bed and punched his pillow. He was disgusted with himself. He'd been a horrible brother to her. And it was a good thing this Shiloh was dead otherwise he would have killed him himself.