Chapter Two – Pine Nettles

Lucas unlocked the door to Sami's apartment at 8:00am exactly. It being a Sunday morning, he knew hat Will was probably still asleep. In the kitchen, Sami was whisking some sort of batter and didn't even look up as Lucas came in. A nights sleep had cleared her mind somewhat and she was simultaneously shamed by and proud of what she had done last night. She was ashamed that she'd given into Lucas' demands about the annulment papers – but proud that she'd accomplished something for her son. Because of this she found herself unable to think of any action that wouldn't betray her one way or the other, causing her to ignore Lucas' presence even when she heard his keys clinking down onto the living room table.

Lucas, for his part, remained unphased. Without a word, he walked into the kitchen and began helping her. Oddly, he knew without asking what she was making, what she still needed to put into the batter, and where everything was. For a good fifteen minutes the two cooked in a companiable silence. From the corner of her eye Sami noticed that Lucas looked tired, which was true because hadn't slept at all that night. He had been so shocked by what Sami had done that he'd stayed awake just to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Feeling pity instead of anger for the first time that morning, Sami broke the silence by quietly saying, "I'll put some coffee on for you." As she handed care of the frying pan and cooking pancake to Lucas in order to get coffee, Lucas was frozen in shock. Spatula in hand, he simply stood by the stove for fully half a minute as Sami pulled out coffee filter and filtered water. When she was done, she glanced up and made the mistake of meeting Lucas' eyes. Suddenly, Lucas felt the need to break the silence as well, stupidly however, he said the first thing that came to his mind.

"I uh... mailed out the annulment papers like you asked me to. Same Day Fed-Ex air. They picked it up at seven... Brandon should get them sometime this afternoon." Within the space of a second, Sami's anger had snapped back into place.

"Why you -." Her anger put Lucas back on familiar ground. With a smirk, he raised his hands in a defensive gesture and silenced Sami by pointing his head in the direction of Will's room.

"Hey, the no fighting thing was your idea remember?" Sami silently fumed for a moment, than, struck by an idea, she smiled. Pulling out a grocery pad and a pen, she began a list, naming it "Post Christmas to do list." Under the first item, she wrote "Yell at Lucas for being an Arrogant Bastard." The gesture, meant to convey her annoyance without causing an argument served it purpose by breaking the tension and elicting a smile from Lucas.

"Hand me one of those." Now grinning herself, Sami handed Lucas a list and a pen. For a moment, he scribbled furiously than held it up for Sami to see. Under item #1 Lucas had written "teach Sami that Pancakes taste better when NOT burned to a crisp," With a look of horror on her face, Sami whirled around and attempted to salvage the neglected pancake currently sitting in the frying pan.

* * *

Will woke up to a sound that made him question his sanity - laughter. Mom's laughter... and Dad's. Surprised and amazed, he glanced out his bedroom door and looked around for where the laughter was coming from. When his eyes landed on the kitchen, he realized he wasn't imagining things. Mom and Dad really were laughing. Sami had something that looked incredibility charred in her hand and seemed to be trying to smear it on Lucas. Closing his door once more, Will allowed himself a big grin and listened carefully to the conversation behind the laughter.

"Sami stop! It wasn't my fault." Lucas couldn't keep from laughing even though he was trying to be serious. Backing away, he allowed Sami to corner him - overcooked pancake in hand.

"Wasn't it? YOU were supposed to be looking after the pancakes while I put coffee on." Seeing Lucas had no where to run, Sami allowed herself a wicked grin. "Besides, how are you going to teach me what tastes better if you don't know yourself." Hearing this, Will decided to rescue his dad. Opening his bedroom door, he tried to look sleepy.

"Mom?" Hearing her son's voice, Sami momentarily froze - giving Lucas enough time to take the pancake away from her and throw it into the garbage can. Will faked a yawn, and Lucas smoothly took over.

"Go brush your teeth and get dressed buddy, your mom and I are making breakfast." Nodding, Will did as he was ordered. In the kitchen, the silly mood had faded somewhat from both his parents. As Lucas set out plates and Sami continued to flip pancakes, the two began to talk out the details of the up coming Christmas.

"So are we decorating both apartments?" Sami asked, "I mean, it's fine if you want to do it that way but I had been thinking that since you practically live here anyway we could just decorate my apartment and you can hang out here for the rest of the week. I mean - you'd obviously have to go across the hall to sleep but..."

"It would save us the trouble of putting up two Christmas trees and all of that stuff." Lucas finished her sentence with a grin, "Yeah, I'm fine with it - besides, it saves me from having to cook for the rest of the week... although since I'll be eating your cooking I'm not sure whether to be glad or terrified." Lucas was joking, but had Will not entered the kitchen at that moment, Sami would've snapped back at him. Seeing this, Lucas only further incensed her by grabbing the chocolate chips from a cupboard and handing them to Will for his pancakes. Smiling from ear to ear at both the chocolate and how well his parents had been getting along, Will sat down to breakfast happier than he'd been in a long time.

As they ate, Sami tried to think up a way to retaliate for what Lucas had said about her cooking - the insensitivity of the comment aside, she did NOT like being thrust into the roll of 'the little homemaker' - least of all by Lucas. As the conversation turned towards putting up decorations and going to buy a tree Sami found her opportunity to retaliate - at least a little - by sticking in the comment, "We can't decorate until the house is clean Will. But since your father volunteered to help us, I'm sure we can be done in time to go get a tree and bring it back." Being in a good mood, and full of holiday spirit, the idea of a morning of chores didn't bother Will in the slightest.

After the table had been cleared and the dishes washed, the family began their cleaning. Will tidied his room and helped his mom dust. Sami neatened things up, returned objects to their proper places, dusted, swept, and wiped down tables. Her "revenge" came in the form of Lucas being forced to move heavy pieces of furniture from place to place in order to vacuum beneath them. At one point, while he was helping mop the kitchen floor, Sami offered Lucas a frilly white apron which he promptly threw at her. By lunch time, the apartment sparkled.

* * *

"How about this one mom? Dad could get it into the apartment - I know he can!" Though eleven years old (AN: yes I know in real time he's 8 but in real time Sami's 19 so you know what. - I don't care.) Will couldn't help talking and acting as if he were six again. For the first time in years, Christmas felt to him like what it was supposed to be. As he pointed excited at a huge Christmas tree in the Christmas lot, Sami and Lucas exchanged weary glances.

"I don't know hon..." Sami wasn't even finished with her sentence before Will was running off to pick a different tree. Beside her, Lucas smiled and rolled his eyes. After their cleaning spree, the entire family had been tired, so rather than making Sami cook again they had ordered a pizza of which Lucas had barely managed to eat one slice when Will began clamoring that they go tree hunting. Unwilling to ruin his good mood, both parents had assented.

For the next half hour, the three of them wondered around the lot, trying to find a tree to suit their purposes, at last they discovered a tree that was exactly what they were looking for. As they loaded the tree onto Lucas' car, someone on the other side of the lot watched them with amazement. Filling the thought away for later contemplation.

* * *

Lucas was determined not to give in. He was determined not to let Sami win. Even as he thought these thought's however - he couldn't help thinking that she'd already won. Somehow through one or two glib comments, she had tricked him into offering to carry the tree through the lobby, into the elevator, down the hallway, and into her apartment by himself. Behind him, Sami and Will each carried a bag of groceries - both trying not to smirk. With some trouble, Lucas maneuvered the tree into the elevator.

"Lucas maybe I could lend you a..."

"Don't." Sami giggled, Will didn't understand.

"But Lucas dear..."

"I said don't." Sami let out a full throaty laugh, and even though it came at his expense, Lucas couldn't help thinking that it was a beautiful sound. With a smirk he turned to his son.

"And this Will, is why you never let your mother talk you into anything - when we were teenagers she once - mmpph." Not sure which anecdote Lucas was about to tell, and knowing plenty she didn't want him to be telling, Sami had pulled the nearest thing out of her grocery bag and shoved it into his mouth - which in this case happened to be a raw eggplant. Seeing this, Will finally ceased to hold back the peels of laughter that had been building inside of him at his parent's antics all day. When the elevator arrived at their floor Will was the first to get out. Not far behind him, Sami turned to Lucas and smiled.

"You know, I'm starting to like this not fighting thing." Sami joked. Smirking, she left Lucas to deal with the eggplant himself and followed her son into their apartment where she deposited the groceries on the kitchen counter. Sometime later, Lucas had managed to get the tree into the apartment (after Will had taken pity and removed the eggplant from between his teeth) and the family had begun to decorate the tree.

The phone began to ring, but no one was able to get it, Sami and Lucas had their hands full and Will was on a stool, his head stuck inside a cabinet trying to find the popcorn. When the answering machine had played its message and thee voice on the end began speaking, Sami and Lucas froze. "Hi Samantha, it's Brandon. I uh... got the annulment papers today. Um... I guess I just wanted to let you know that. You did the right thing... anyway, I uh... guess everything's the way it should be now. Thanks. Bye."

For a few long moments, the tension was so thick that Lucas had trouble breathing. Hurt was so openly evident in Sami's eyes that Lucas would've strangled Brandon if he'd been nearby. As it was he couldn't help thinking that the bastard hadn't even bothered to say "happy holiday's". The silence was growing awful, Lucas felt that he had to speak just to end it.

"MOM!!!!" Will's shout surprised both Sami and Lucas, who simultaneously made a run for the kitchen. When they got their they weren't quite sure what they were seeing. On the floor, lay a broken bag of flour surrounded by its spilled contents. On a chair, stood something akin to an eleven year old snow-boy. "I was going to get the popcorn and it fell on me..." As Will stood embarrassed, (and covered from head to toe in flour,) his parents tried hard not to laugh. They failed.

"Like mother like son I suppose."

~ End Chapter 2 ~

AN: Tried for a little more humor and a little more Luminess - did I go overboard and go ooc?