A little while later Sami knocked on Sydney's bedroom door. "Sydney, Sweetheart, can I come in?" She asked.
"Fine." Sydney answered shortly.
Sami walked into Sydney's room. She was sitting on her bed watching something on her iPad. Her body language told Sami that she was still upset. "I'm sorry about earlier." Sami apologized, sitting down on the side of Sydney's bed. "You just caught me off guard."
Sydney looked at her mother. "I'm sorry too, mom. I shouldn't have quit boarding school without talking to you first." She replied and Sami gave her a smile that let her know she was forgiven. "It's just that I was scared that you were going to say no."
Sami nodded understandingly. "I probably would have." She admitted.
"Why?" Sydney asked.
"Well first off all your father and I paid a lot of money for you to go to the best school and you put a lot of effort into your education yourself." Sami started. She could still hear her own mother saying the same thing to her when she ran away from her school in Colorado years ago. "I just don't think Salem High is the best school and I would miss you of course."
"Then move back to Salem too." Sydney replied. "And Will went to Salem High and he became a great writer." She added.
"I don't just mean education wise, Sweetheart." Sami said, thinking back to how badly she was bullied about the Alan situation during her time at Salem High and back then no one there helped her.
"Then what?" Sydney asked curiously.
"It doesn't matter." Sami answered, not wanting to project her own trauma's onto her daughter. "I realized I should let you make your own decisions and not stand in the way of them because of my own feelings."
"So that means that we can move back to Salem?" Sydney asked, getting excited.
"Your father is checking to see if and when you can transfer to Salem High." Sami said and Sydney cheered. "I want you to really think about this decision in the meantime though and if you still want to move to Salem in a week we will support you." She added.
"And you'll come too, right?" Sydney asked, hopeful. She knew her parents would get back together if they would only spend some more time together.
"Probable not, Sweetheart." Sami admitted. "But we'll talk on the phone all the time and maybe you could come back to visit me during the holidays?" She offered.
"No!" Sydney exclaimed, upset, because she didn't understand. "Why would you stay here if all of us are in Salem?" She asked.
Sami sighed. "A lot of things happened…and Salem just isn't my home anymore." She explained.
"But you always said your home is wherever we are." Sydney replied, referring to her sister, brothers and herself. "And when dad woke up from his coma you said you would always keep fighting for our family." She added, throwing her mothers words back in her face.
Sami felt the tears forming her eyes. She knew exactly how Sydney felt right now. "I tried, Sweetheart, I swear."
"You have to keep trying!" Sydney exclaimed. "You and dad always tell me to not give up until I reach my goal and now dad is finally back to being himself again and you are giving up?"
"Syd, I swear I did everything I could to give you and brothers and sister the family you deserve." Sami promised. She had fought for years to find EJ, then to get him out of his coma and finally she swallowed all the hate and hurt he threw her way and kept on helping him heal. "But too much has happened…"
"Well dad and I will keep fighting...even if you won't." Sydney said stubbornly before stomping out of her room and slamming the door.
—
Sydney stormed into the living room hoping to find her father there so they could come up with a plan to convince her mother to move to Salem. Instead she found her grandparents sitting on the couch reading. She halted and looked at them awkwardly, not really sure what to do after not seeing them in real life for a very long time. "Ehh hi." She said.
"Hi Sweetheart." John said, standing up to give his granddaughter a big hug.
"Oh my god, you have gotten so grown up." Marlena said emotionally, giving Sydney a tight hug as well. "You are even more beautiful in real life." She added, referring to the video calls she occasionally had with Sydney. Sydney had EJ's dark wavy hair and complexion but she had Sami's piercing blue eyes.
"Thanks." Sydney replied, a little shy.
"Are you okay, Sweetheart? You seemed a little upset when you walked in here." Marlena asked.
Sydney wasn't sure how to answer her grandmother. Her mother had avoided talking about her parents and other family members for months so she didn't really know what the status of their relationship was. "Yes, I'm okay." She answered, giving her grandparents a reassuring smile. "Mom and I just had a little disagreement but I'm sure we'll work it out."
"I'm sure you will." Marlena agreed, giving her granddaughter a smile. She sensed she was being careful with her words and did not want to push her into talking.
"Your dad told us that you quit boarding school today." John said instead, raising his eyebrow.
"He did?" Sydney asked surprised. "I didn't know you were really on speaking terms. You know; Brady versus DiMera feud and all that." She added, half joking.
"Well I guess we can stop feuding for a little while." Marlena answered with a wink. "Just as long as your mom needs us too."
"So you're like working together with my dad?" Sydney questioned, a little surprised.
"Well I don't know if it would say it like that." Marlena answered. "But yes we are both here for your mom."
"Right." Sydney said, looking down sadly. She felt a little guilty about storming out on her mother earlier when she obviously hadn't been doing great.
"So you are a little worried about her too?" Marlena guessed.
"Yes." Sydney answered. "She wants to stay here all by herself if dad and I go back to Salem."
"I know, Honey." Marlena replied.
"I just don't understand why?" Sydney asked, hoping her grandmother could give her some insight.
"I think your mom is just dealing with a lot right now and she needs some peace and quiet." Marlena explained.
"And she can't get that in Salem?" Sydney asked.
"Well you know your mom has lived in Salem almost her whole life and she has a lot of complicated relationships over there so I guess I understand why she would feel like she can't really have peace there." Marlena explained and Sydney shrugged her shoulders. "You don't understand?" She asked her granddaughter.
"I do but it's just not like mom. She always told us to stick together now matter how hard things get." Sydney answered.
"Your mom has been through a lot the last few years, Sweetheart." John said. "Maybe that changed her a little bit."
"I thought we would all live happily ever after when my dad woke up from his coma and they said he could make a full recovery but dad wasn't dad anymore…and then first Allie left, followed by Johnny and then mom was suddenly marrying that creep Lucas…" Sydney said and her father walked in exactly at that moment.
"I know your mom and I really made a mess of things, Sweetheart." EJ said. "But I'm trying to fix all that right now." He gave Sydney a comforting hug.
"I hope you can, dad." Sydney answered. "Because it seems like mom has just given up."
"Remember when your mom fought for me all those years?" EJ asked and Sydney nodded. "Now it's time for me to return the favor." He said.
"I agree." Sydney said, giving her father a knowing look. "And I'll help as long as I'm here… or do I have to go back to boarding school for now?"
"Your mom and I decided to give you one week to make a decision and you can spend that week here at home. After that you'll either have to go back to school here, even if it's temporary, or we'll move you to Salem." EJ explained. "I'll call Salem High tomorrow and we'll know more."
"Dad, I am a 100% sure that I want to move to Salem but we can't just leave mom behind can we?" Sydney asked.
"You concentrate on making the right decision for you, Sweetheart. Let me and your grandparents worry about your mom." EJ answered.
"Yes." Marlena agreed. "Why don't I go check on our girl right now?" She offered, making her way upstairs.
—
Once again Marlena was knocking on Sami's door to check on her. She walked into Sami's bedroom and found her sitting on the bed leaning against the headboard. "You've been crying." She said, noticing the tear streaks on her daughter's face.
"I'm okay, mom." Sami replied, giving her mother a fake smile.
Marlena sat down on the side of the bed. "You want to tell me what's going on? I just saw Sydney downstairs and she said you two had a disagreement." Marlena replied, not believing for a second that Sami really was okay.
"Sydney wants to move back to Salem." Sami explained.
"And you want her to stay here with you?" Marlena asked.
"Well yes of course…but I realize that would be selfish of me. So I told her to go if that's what she really wants." Sami replied.
"But she doesn't want to leave without you." Marlena replied matter a factly.
"She doesn't understand why I would want to stay here without the kids and EJ. All she wants is our family back together." Sami said.
"And you know exactly how she feels." Marlena replied knowingly. She vividly remembered the days that Sami hated her for breaking up their family.
"Yes…I was only a little younger than she is when…" Sami trailed off not wanting to hurt her mother.
"When you found out I cheated on your father with John and broke up our family." Marlena finished for her.
"Yes." Sami confirmed. "And Sydney is so much like me… I just don't want her to have the same life that I did."
"Well there's a few big differences here." Marlena said and Sami gave her a questioning look. "You were pushing me away while all Sydney wants is for you to be closer. And your father left but EJ is sticking around as far as I can tell." She explained.
"Yeah I guess…I just don't know what to do…what's best for everyone" Sami replied.
"Well why don't we go over your options together?" Marlena offered and Sami nodded.
"I could stay here by myself and let my children have a happy life in Salem, surrounded by each other and their family and friends." Sami said, giving her mother option number one. The best option in her mind.
"You think they would truly be happy if you were to stay here? I mean Allie and Will have already lost their father." Marlena asked, hoping to give Sami a different point of view.
"Yes, because of a situation that I helped to create…a situation that brought chaos upon their lives…something that I always manage to do." Sami answered.
"I won't deny that you tend to have some chaos surrounding you." Marlena said, putting it mildly. "But don't you think it's up to them to make that choice?" She asked.
"But shouldn't I be making my choices based on what's in their best interest?" Sami asked.
"You should… but do you remember how you felt when you were their age and your father was gone and I was barely in your life?" Marlena asked, again answering a question with a question.
"Alone and scared." Sami admitted.
"And even though so much was going on in our lives, would you ever have chosen for your dad or I to move to the other side of the world if you could have made that choice?" Marlena asked.
Sami thought about that for a few seconds. "No." She replied honestly. Things might have gone different for her if her father hadn't chosen to leave all those years ago.
"Then you have your answer, don't you think?" Marlena replied. "So how about option number two?"
"I'll move back to Salem. I know I won't be able to stay away from EJ if I'm that close to him… everyone will be involved; the children, Belle, Eric, Nicole. There will be a lot of chaos and fighting. You and John will be in between Belle and I. Dad will probably be in between Kate and I. Eric and I will fight about Nicole…I mean do you want me to go on?"
"No, I get the picture." Marlena answered. "But I do think you are thinking about the worst case scenario here."
"Well, the worst case scenario is usually what happens to me… or because of me." Sami admitted.
"Well I can only speak for John and myself but we would rather you be in Salem, near us, where we can keep an eye on you and love you instead of you being here by yourself doing god knows what. Even if that means some chaos will ensue." Marlena promised.
"Are you sure?" Sami asked.
"100 procent." Marlena answered surely. "Honey, we've been worried sick about you and I know you haven't been happy here either. Sure we'll have some issues to deal with within the family if you come back to Salem but at least everyone will be together."
"I have to think about this, mom." Sami said, not ready to make any promises.
"I know, Honey. It's getting pretty late anyway. Why don't you try and get some sleep? We'll have plenty of time to talk later." Marlena replied. She wasn't planning to leave Sami here anytime soon after seeing the state she was in when they just got to Italy.
"Sure." Sami agreed, she did feel pretty tired and was hopeful about getting some sleep after the night before. "Do you think you could stay here again? At least until I fall asleep?" She asked her mother. Sydney was here so drinking herself to sleep definitely wasn't an option and her mother being there did really help her the night before.
"I would love too, Honey." Marlena answered and Sami laid down under the sheets hoping sleep would come.