- Chapter Forty-One -

If She Only Knew

Contemplatively tapping the plastic case over what was probably the closest thing the Drake family would get to an heirloom, the young blonde's mind wandered back to her uncle and his company. On one hand she was getting really close to beating her mom's legendary high score, but on the other it was rare that her uncle traveled with anyone that wasn't Sully. Crash... or a boring ass conversation that wasn't going anywhere...? Fun with a sneaker-wearing fox or patiently waiting for some sort of explanation that probably wouldn't pan out...?

Was there really a choice?

Leaving the conversation because there was an unbearable lack of momentum, the dull static of vague and forced pleasantries was almost maddening! Zero answers were forthcoming, and there weren't even any questions being put out! Worst conversationalists ever! Glad to bail when she had, Cassie had no second thoughts about her decision until a few minutes later, when the guest bath closed but failed to open again. Maybe it was just the biz, but if there wasn't an exit made soon, her mother would check up on whoever was in the toilet.

"You didn't pick anything up, right girl?" Turning away from the collection of clear crystalline CD cases on the cluttered corner of the cubical, Cassie scratched the chrysanthemum yellow retriever behind the ear.

Curled up on the messy cascade of pink sheets, the faithful lab slobbered and merrily wagged her tail against the bedding. Vicky had undoubtedly sniffed the strangers out and had given them passing grades, but even still the girl couldn't help but wonder who the pair were and what they were doing there.

Rafael had introduced himself back on the beach, even though he sounded hassled and just barely hanging on to his sanity. Like her parents weren't all that bad, but she could certainly relate to the feeling. As for the other guest, the one that her parents had been making such a huge fuss about ever since they learned that she would be coming, she seemed too out-of-sorts to really see anything beyond her own two feet. And since Sam had had to catch her almost right away, even that much was debatable. Supposedly she was someone important, but frankly Cassie wasn't seeing it.

Mostly likely the dark-haired stranger was someone important to her uncle.

Facts speaking for themselves, unless one counted Chloe, Sam never ever ever had any female friends - in fact, he didn't seem to have any other friends besides Sully. While that probably wasn't an accident, even on the few occasions they'd paid her uncle a visit, there was never so much as a hint that he had even a single aquaintance. No photos, no anything. Maybe it was all planned out in advance so she was kept in the dark, but from all accounts her uncle may as well have been a ghost.

But all the sudden he was traveling with (and had his arms all over) some woman? True, Cassie was still too young to really grasp the nuances of dating or whatever, but she'd always heard that bringing a date to family gatherings was a monumental step in any relationship. And with it being her birthday next week, the timing couldn't have been a coincidence. Even if by some fluke they could make her believe that it was, that didn't explain why Sully wasn't there too.

House built just for three, that all but ensured any and all guests would need to find alternate lodging, however that was usually no problem; too old to just camp out on the low seats in the family room or crash for longer than a day on the couch in the sitting room, Sam and Sully would rent rooms at the cheapest motel in town. They might not have shared rooms, however they did just about everything else together, so it had to mean something that Sully wasn't here but some stranger was.

It could have just been that Sully was working and wouldn't arrive until a closer to the date of the party, but this was definitely a first. Well, if this was what it seemed, good for Sam for getting out there!

Although if that train of thought was correct and Sam was in fact planning on formally introducing this strange woman as his girlfriend, there was another wrench to consider: Rafael. Just how did he fit into things, and if the couple was indeed traveling with a third wheel, why wouldn't it be Sully? Maybe as de facto father to the brothers Drake, it was considered creepy to hang all over Sam and his new beau? Personally she wouldn't like it very much if her parents butted in on her love-life. Still though, even if that explained the lack of Sully, that didn't answer what Rafael's role in everything was...

Hmm... Troubled by the handsome young man and how he fit into the picture she had built in her mind of Sam's relationship with the woman, the young blonde frowned at Vicky and crept back to the door. Ducking around the wood to minimize her chances of being seen, she expertly peered down the corridor and waited. For what, she hadn't the foggiest.

Not quite able to resist the mystery, she was probably going to regret picking this over her game, but if her theory was right, she had just as much right as her parents to judge Sam's taste in woman. After all, she was part of the family too.

[In The Drake Family Bathroom]

Six foot three and bringing up the rear, Sam was in the perfect vantage point to peek back over his shoulder and catch a fleeting glimpse of a little blonde head. Tapping into a whole skill set she didn't know she had (thank you mom and dad), Cass donned the mantle of spy as she attempted to seamlessly blend into her background. Peering around the corner of the wall, the pink of her wallpaper in contrast to the teal of the hallway, the girl scoped out the scene as it unfolded.

Clearly inheriting her parents' penchant for uncovering the truth, it really didn't come as much of a surprise that Cassie would be snooping around. Harmless enough, the ex-con decided to play along and pretend that he hadn't noticed her. At least for the time being - much as he loved his niece, the thief really didn't need the job to become any harder than it already had.

"It's Daniella, right?" Leaning back just enough so that they could look one another in the eye, Elena reached out with a soft, sincere smile. Either there had been some pretty quick exchanges he hadn't been privy to, or the blonde was a true credit to her trade.

Willing to bet actual money that it was the later, he hung back in the doorway as the heiress sniffled and managed a weak nod. Bleary-eyed, trapped in a hazy distance that she hadn't quite yet escaped, and acting as if she hadn't noticed that more than one person had come forth, Dells was capable of little more than blinking or nodding. Chest heaving from dry sobs that hadn't completely settled, at least that was the range she was displaying.

Keeping the momentum going, the woman prompted a civil conversation, "That's a pretty name. How did you come by it?" Points to the journalist for attempting to form a bond with the girl, but was she really asking for insight on how the twisted minds of her parents worked? Granted she might not have known very much on Bai, but Rafe? That asshole had been sixty percent of what had almost ruined one of the only working marriages to ever exist! "Was it a family name?"

Quite possibly as ignorant of the truth as Cassie was, as Daniella thought about it her face scrunched in an effort to recall what could have only been a family tree of monsters and murderers. "I don't..." Shaking her head at a loss, the girl had that look in her face like she was obligated to answer. It reminded Sam of the beaten way she's acted around Bai, "Um, maybe?" A good sign that she could string two words together in a semblance of a sentence, the brunette had to concede that maybe Elena knew what she was doing after all. "Mama..." Predictably upset by the mere mention of her mother, the girl struggled on, but ultimately it had been too much for her.

The elder Drake was honestly impressed with Daniella for what she had managed. It wasn't a complete victory by any means, but he was still proud of the young woman for embracing the help of a stranger - even if she hadn't gotten around to elaborating on her answer.

When their lives had first fallen apart at the seams and it had been just the two of them, Sam had been the only person that Nathan could rely on (just like he was to Daniella now). Both were shaken by the incident, however as the older brother, Samuel didn't have the luxury of shutting down. No, he had to speak for a sibling that withdrew from the world, had to stay strong even when he felt utterly powerless. Eventually Nathan had found Sully - and vise versa - but the journey had been anything but quick and painless.

So to see Daniella - who had just come from the latest in a series of royal fuck-yous from the universe - actually accept Elena like that was more than he could have hoped for. Dells might still have a long road ahead of her, but if she could allow a moment like this to transpire, maybe there was hope after all. Much as the thief didn't care to plan that far in advance, it was obvious that he couldn't always be there for her.

You did good, kid. He would have admitted as much too, if pride weren't getting in the way.

Picking up on where the girl was going but thoroughly misreading the warning signs, the blonde made the mistake of mentioning the unmentionable. "That's right, so much has happened you probably haven't been able to call your mom. She must be worried sick about you!"

Thank you, Elena.

About to offer the use of a phone most like, the woman was so caught in the prospect off reuniting a mother and daughter that she completely missed the plan backfiring. Dells had been leaning on the more mature female for support of all natures, but when the damage had been done, the girl recoiled as if she had been struck and made herself sit a little straighter. To be fair it was a really sudden shift, and outwardly subtle beneath the crushing layer of sorrow that drowned the girl like a rich and deathly musk.

Hovering silently on the sidelines long enough, Sam had reached his limit.

Still perturbed as he crowded into the last remaining space in the tiny room, the brunette made to deal with the heiress himself, before there was yet another setback. Only coming closer had triggered the flight-or-fight response in the young thing, causing her to squint fearfully over the woman's shoulder; alerted by the looming figure blocking the exit, Sleeping Beauty visibly flinched before realizing who it was. Relaxing for a whole second that very well might have been imagined, when the wounded child tore her gaze away he couldn't help but to follow her line of sight.

Obviously anything else was better than looking at him.

Going straight to that whole 'two can play at that game' mindset, the thief considered just leaving the two women to it and taking the bags. Easy enough to forget, someone would need to grab them before the trio moved on the motel in town, and more importantly, someone had to set the tone for their relationship moving forward. Apparently Daniella was more than capable of dancing with everyone who entered the room, content even to forget the one that had brought her, but did she have it in her to stay firm? Because he could certainly keep up the cold shoulder.

"I got this." Intentionally neglecting to use the name of the heiress, the historian gestured to his sister-in-law to scoot so they could trade places.

Naturally Elena didn't have any qualms with leaving the girl to the one person that knew her best - well, maybe there was a bit of hesitation, but that was what kept the little firecracker interesting. Mutely dipping her head, the blonde gracefully bowed out and slipped passed her in-law, allowing Sam to take her place at Daniella's side. For a brief moment they both saw the girl's jaw tighten, her mouth falling into a grim line when she was left to stay up on her own. Chalking it up to nothing more than the circumstances, the former journalist lingered in place, curious to know if she should stay or if they would want to hash things out in private.

Without any warning whatsoever, he scooped Dells up off her perch on the toilet seat and tossed her none too gently across his shoulders. Too sudden to predict, the blonde barely had time to step back out of the loo and into the hallway; the newly shorted heiress had even less time to realize what was happening. Eh, she could just put it on the tab if it was going to bother her that much.

Gritting his teeth to bite back the complaint building in his spine, Sam readjusted his grip on the human plank. Weight one thing he hadn't really taken into consideration, the other was the fact that she was much taller than the other women in his life and was in fact only a hair shorter than he was. Thinking back, it was probably safe to say that he could rest his chin on the top of her head without problem. All that length could have been a bad look for her, but strangely it was one of the few things she had going in her favor.

Just not this time.

Low enough that the naturally-cut door frame was brushable, he'd only had enough time to warn the girl to brace herself for impact, "Door."

Oops.

Vindictive smirk lighting his features as well as his mood, the hearty thud her head made against the wood was enough to leave a mark, however it didn't sound like enough to cause any concern for her overall well being.

"Mother-" Thanks to the influences of Victor and her beloved uncle Sam, Cassie had heard it all, but her parents probably wouldn't take too kindly to that kind of language regardless. Burying her face into his back even as he adjusted her position to cover up anything his niece might have overheard, the man could feel her swearing through the fabric of his shirt. Any more and it would have been teeth.

Compassionate as his little brother, Elena made a face as she moved to check on the girl, but that would only delay things, so Sam just kept walking with the legs of his prize jutting out dangerously like an over-sized pair of scissors. Good thing Daniella was too stunned to kick out. Although if the good doctor were to step in the path...

Progress unbarred largely due to surprise, despite a momentary delay fumbling with the knob at the front door, it was relatively smooth sailing. Dells was in no position to fight, between being emotionally drained and dazed, and no one thought to stop the duo as they departed. The runt would likely be making some jab back inside once they were gone, but that was a problem for another time.

Sky deepening to a dappled pepper gray spotted with the lightest of blues, for now all that mattered was setting Dells straight without any pressure. The bathroom would have been fine for talking, but on some level he would be thinking about everyone waiting on the other side. On the cusp of anger, the further they got away from that environment and the prying (but mostly well-meaning) eyes, the better.

This was gonna suck.