(*note: because the previous version of this chapter got deleted, I had to
rewrite this from scratch. This time it is shorter and slightly different,
less details. But I think it will suffice to fill in the gaps.)
-- -- --
~Chapter 3B~
Victoria wanted to do something for Mr. Valenti, since he had shown kindness to her by taking her in. It was something that was strange to her, this free kindness. He talked to her sometimes, but Kyle mostly avoided her. She didn't go back to Roswell High, so her days were long and boring. There were things she didn't want to think about, but being bored made it worse. So, she decided to do something around the place. She didn't even ask, but just started cleaning up the place. One day, Jim Valenti came home and smelled delicious aromas floating from the kitchen.
Victoria turned around when he looked into the kitchen. "I just wanted to do something since I'm staying here." She offered in something of an explanation.
Jim looked around. "Help yourself. Parmesan crusted chicken, scalloped potatoes and asparagus in a cream sauce." Victoria said.
He took a plate and dished up some food and took it back to the dining area.
Victoria sat down too. Just as they had sat down, Kyle came in the door, surprised at smelling hot food - especially food that smelled so good.
"Grab a plate, son." Jim said to Kyle.
Kyle ignoring Victoria, went around the table and to the kitchen.
"This is very good, Victoria. Where did you learn to cook?" Jim asked.
"Sometimes I would sit and watch the chef prepare meals at the mansion. We would talk sometimes. It was some sort of company. Adam wouldn't allow my tutors to say anything off topic or the servants and guards to say more than a few words, so it was better than nothing." -Victoria.
Jim looked at her and Victoria didn't want to see pity directed to her from anyone. She shrugged. "It doesn't matter now. Besides, at the time I didn't know it wasn't how every other child lived."
Kyle came back in and sat down. "Victoria cooked this?"
"Who else, Kyle?" Jim said. "Just try it."
"What did you put in it.. poison?" Kyle asked Victoria.
"Kyle." Jim said sharply in disapproval. Kyle hesitantly took a bite.
"Really now, do you think I would tell you if I had?" Victoria said.
Kyle dropped the fork and looked up at her in surprise, but only to see her smile.
Kyle rolled his eyes and took the bite. He was surprised at how good it was. Not that he would tell her that.
- - - --
Max, Liz, Kyle, Maria, and Michael were sitting outside on a table during lunch at Roswell High. Michael sat in thought, debating things wit himself.
"So how's it going at your place?" Liz asked Kyle, something to which everyone had been curious about.
"Weird." -Kyle replied, in between eating some chips.
"How so?" Max asked, concerned.
"What has she done now?" -Maria asked.
"Oh nothing bad, surprisingly." Kyle said, dismissively. "I mean weird because she hasn't done anything except sit around quietly or clean or .cook. And I think my dad is fond of her."
"Maybe she's okay." Kyle muttered. "She seems strange, but nice."
"That is weird." Liz agreed.
Michael stood up abruptly and headed off. He decided to do what he had been thinking about. He was going to ask Jim's advice on some things concerning Victoria, but she had been there and he couldn't handle seeing her then. But he was responsible for something or some ONE and he had been thinking about it all along. He dreaded it, but he also wanted to do it. Maybe he was masochistic. He doubted his sanity.
"Where are you going?" Both Max and Maria called.
"To take care of something." Michael called back, giving an elusive answer.
-- - - -- Victoria heard someone talking to Jim in the living room. And she knew who's voice it was: Michael's. She only heard some of the conversation.
"She's fine here, Michael." -Jim.
"She's not your burden to bear, but ours." -Michael.
They looked up as she came into the living room.
"Let's go." Michael said, briskly.
"What?" Victoria asked, confused.
"You're coming with me." -Michael.
Michael all but avoided her eyes. She looked from him to Jim.
"It's up to you. You're welcome to stay here. Or. you can go with Michael." -Jim said to her.
"No it isn't up to her." Michael looked at Victoria and said, "Get your stuff. I don't have all day."
All the way to Michael's apartment, Victoria felt cold despite the heat. Michael was giving that temperature off. She couldn't believe he had asked, no - told her to come live at his place. He didn't seem happy about it, though. She wasn't totally surprised about that of course, but still.
When they went inside, Victoria immediately asked, "Why did you bring me here?"
"Because you are our, problem not theirs, the Valenti's shouldn't have to deal with you." -Michael.
"I feel like you don't want me here." -Victoria.
"You're right. I don't." -Michael. And then he turned around to face her for once, "What do you expect? You were a conniving, deceitful bitch. You can't be trusted."
"Michael, that's not fair-" Victoria started.
"I'll tell you what's not fair-" Michael snapped. "It's not fair that you are even in our lives. It's not fair that you betrayed us.betrayed me."
Hurt, Victoria just looked at him, not knowing what to say or how to say it. She turned around and started for the door. Just as her hand was about to touch the door-knob, Max walked into the apartment. He looked from her to Michael,
"What's she doing here?" Max asked, not at all happy about her being there.
"I was just leaving." Victoria said, opening the door again.
"No she wasn't." Michael said, coming around the side of her and slamming the door closed.
"Well obviously if you hate me so much, why have me stay here?" -Victoria.
"Stay here?" Max said, in surprise. "Michael, what is going on?"
"She's staying with us now." -Michael said, still sharing a dagger-filled look with Victoria.
"No, Michael, she can't." Max said, incredulous.
"She's our responsibility, not the Valenti's."
Victoria walked away from them into the kitchen area to give them some space. What in the hell was she doing here? How was she going to manage to live with these two guys. She felt they both hated her, or at the very least: didn't like her. She had hoped to live with Michael once, but not like this.
- - -
"Michael, this is a mistake. Are you not going to listen to me again this time?" -Max.
Michael said, "Look, we can keep an eye on her this way. You know, she's right here. It's the place she should be."
"Keep an eye on her?" Max frowned, looking into her direction. "That's a given." He was not happy about this situation, but maybe Michael was right about one thing: if she was right here with them, she couldn't do anything - and plus, he just knew she knew a lot she wasn't saying. He knew for certain that he would have to find out who and what Victoria Winthrop really was.
. .. . .. .
-- -- --
~Chapter 3B~
Victoria wanted to do something for Mr. Valenti, since he had shown kindness to her by taking her in. It was something that was strange to her, this free kindness. He talked to her sometimes, but Kyle mostly avoided her. She didn't go back to Roswell High, so her days were long and boring. There were things she didn't want to think about, but being bored made it worse. So, she decided to do something around the place. She didn't even ask, but just started cleaning up the place. One day, Jim Valenti came home and smelled delicious aromas floating from the kitchen.
Victoria turned around when he looked into the kitchen. "I just wanted to do something since I'm staying here." She offered in something of an explanation.
Jim looked around. "Help yourself. Parmesan crusted chicken, scalloped potatoes and asparagus in a cream sauce." Victoria said.
He took a plate and dished up some food and took it back to the dining area.
Victoria sat down too. Just as they had sat down, Kyle came in the door, surprised at smelling hot food - especially food that smelled so good.
"Grab a plate, son." Jim said to Kyle.
Kyle ignoring Victoria, went around the table and to the kitchen.
"This is very good, Victoria. Where did you learn to cook?" Jim asked.
"Sometimes I would sit and watch the chef prepare meals at the mansion. We would talk sometimes. It was some sort of company. Adam wouldn't allow my tutors to say anything off topic or the servants and guards to say more than a few words, so it was better than nothing." -Victoria.
Jim looked at her and Victoria didn't want to see pity directed to her from anyone. She shrugged. "It doesn't matter now. Besides, at the time I didn't know it wasn't how every other child lived."
Kyle came back in and sat down. "Victoria cooked this?"
"Who else, Kyle?" Jim said. "Just try it."
"What did you put in it.. poison?" Kyle asked Victoria.
"Kyle." Jim said sharply in disapproval. Kyle hesitantly took a bite.
"Really now, do you think I would tell you if I had?" Victoria said.
Kyle dropped the fork and looked up at her in surprise, but only to see her smile.
Kyle rolled his eyes and took the bite. He was surprised at how good it was. Not that he would tell her that.
- - - --
Max, Liz, Kyle, Maria, and Michael were sitting outside on a table during lunch at Roswell High. Michael sat in thought, debating things wit himself.
"So how's it going at your place?" Liz asked Kyle, something to which everyone had been curious about.
"Weird." -Kyle replied, in between eating some chips.
"How so?" Max asked, concerned.
"What has she done now?" -Maria asked.
"Oh nothing bad, surprisingly." Kyle said, dismissively. "I mean weird because she hasn't done anything except sit around quietly or clean or .cook. And I think my dad is fond of her."
"Maybe she's okay." Kyle muttered. "She seems strange, but nice."
"That is weird." Liz agreed.
Michael stood up abruptly and headed off. He decided to do what he had been thinking about. He was going to ask Jim's advice on some things concerning Victoria, but she had been there and he couldn't handle seeing her then. But he was responsible for something or some ONE and he had been thinking about it all along. He dreaded it, but he also wanted to do it. Maybe he was masochistic. He doubted his sanity.
"Where are you going?" Both Max and Maria called.
"To take care of something." Michael called back, giving an elusive answer.
-- - - -- Victoria heard someone talking to Jim in the living room. And she knew who's voice it was: Michael's. She only heard some of the conversation.
"She's fine here, Michael." -Jim.
"She's not your burden to bear, but ours." -Michael.
They looked up as she came into the living room.
"Let's go." Michael said, briskly.
"What?" Victoria asked, confused.
"You're coming with me." -Michael.
Michael all but avoided her eyes. She looked from him to Jim.
"It's up to you. You're welcome to stay here. Or. you can go with Michael." -Jim said to her.
"No it isn't up to her." Michael looked at Victoria and said, "Get your stuff. I don't have all day."
All the way to Michael's apartment, Victoria felt cold despite the heat. Michael was giving that temperature off. She couldn't believe he had asked, no - told her to come live at his place. He didn't seem happy about it, though. She wasn't totally surprised about that of course, but still.
When they went inside, Victoria immediately asked, "Why did you bring me here?"
"Because you are our, problem not theirs, the Valenti's shouldn't have to deal with you." -Michael.
"I feel like you don't want me here." -Victoria.
"You're right. I don't." -Michael. And then he turned around to face her for once, "What do you expect? You were a conniving, deceitful bitch. You can't be trusted."
"Michael, that's not fair-" Victoria started.
"I'll tell you what's not fair-" Michael snapped. "It's not fair that you are even in our lives. It's not fair that you betrayed us.betrayed me."
Hurt, Victoria just looked at him, not knowing what to say or how to say it. She turned around and started for the door. Just as her hand was about to touch the door-knob, Max walked into the apartment. He looked from her to Michael,
"What's she doing here?" Max asked, not at all happy about her being there.
"I was just leaving." Victoria said, opening the door again.
"No she wasn't." Michael said, coming around the side of her and slamming the door closed.
"Well obviously if you hate me so much, why have me stay here?" -Victoria.
"Stay here?" Max said, in surprise. "Michael, what is going on?"
"She's staying with us now." -Michael said, still sharing a dagger-filled look with Victoria.
"No, Michael, she can't." Max said, incredulous.
"She's our responsibility, not the Valenti's."
Victoria walked away from them into the kitchen area to give them some space. What in the hell was she doing here? How was she going to manage to live with these two guys. She felt they both hated her, or at the very least: didn't like her. She had hoped to live with Michael once, but not like this.
- - -
"Michael, this is a mistake. Are you not going to listen to me again this time?" -Max.
Michael said, "Look, we can keep an eye on her this way. You know, she's right here. It's the place she should be."
"Keep an eye on her?" Max frowned, looking into her direction. "That's a given." He was not happy about this situation, but maybe Michael was right about one thing: if she was right here with them, she couldn't do anything - and plus, he just knew she knew a lot she wasn't saying. He knew for certain that he would have to find out who and what Victoria Winthrop really was.
. .. . .. .