Disclaimer: I don't own Ihop, Agent Sands, or any other crap like that. I own Trillian and Lina.
Dedication: To whoever invented the smiley face pancake. :D
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The house seemed to calm down considerably. There was no shouting, crying, screaming, or gunshots, and Trillian felt tranquil for the first time in days.
"I don't have any clothes." Sands commented, hopping up on the counter and swinging his feet slightly.
"I brought you some, they're in the car." Rei said, obviously feeling better now that the beeping had stopped for good.
"Now you tell me..." Sands muttered, crossing his arms across his bare chest.
"Why are you wearing sunglasses inside, Uncle Sheldon?" Lina asked, her innocent eyes wide.
"Uncle Sheldon can't see without them, sweetie." Rei cut in before Sands could speak, a warning tone in her voice.
"Oh." Lina said, her tiny lips in a wide 'O' of understanding.
Trillian smiled knowingly, but said nothing.
"I'll go get your stuff, Jeffey...I'll be back in a second." Rei said, heading out the front door to her car.
"What am I, your fucking kid?" Sands snapped, annoyed.
"No! I am. I'm her fuckin' kid!" Lina shouted, although she obviously had no idea what she just said.
Sands smiled, but Rei wasn't around to hear his swearing lessons.
"Don't say that again, okay, Lina?" Trillian said, amused. She kneeled down next to the small girl, admiring how adorable she was in her little Oshkosh overalls and flowered shirt. Her blonde hair was plaited into two braids, each hung to her shoulders.
Lina hugged Trillian's neck with a big smile.
"Okay." She whispered, like it was a big secret that only the two of them could know about.
Rei came back into the front door as the phone rang, and Trillian stood up.
"I'll get it." She called, and Lina walked over to Sands and poked his bare leg. Sands grinned, and then growled fiercely as he picked the girl up by the back of her overalls and sat her on the counter next to him. She giggled, and Trillian smiled.
Trillian picked up the phone, tucking her long, brown hair behind her ear.
"Hello?" She said, glancing back at Sands and Lina. Lina was standing behind him on the countertop, doing something to his hair. Sands was tolerating it, but Trillian could tell that it wasn't his preferred pastime.
"—illian?" She heard, the voice female, and frantic.
"Yes?" Trillian said, her pleasant tone taking on a slight note of concern.
"This is Sydney. I...I don't know..." The voice broke off, and Trillian spoke up.
"What? What is it, Sydney?" She questioned.
"Mona. Mona! She's dead, Trillian, she was in a car wreck on the way back home!"
"What? That...isn't possible. Are you sure?" Trillian said, bringing her hand to her mouth in shock.
"Oh God, I'm sure...the police found my number on her cell phone, and called me. Both of the kids were with her!" Sydney screamed, hysterical.
"No...oh my God..." Trillian said, her wide brown eyes filling with tears. Her sister, her two nephews...
"Trillian, I don't know what to do!"
"Calm down...Sydney, what happened?"
In the background, Trillian could hear the noises that Sands and Lina were making had stopped, and she turned to look. Catalina was no longer there; she was sitting on the couch across the hallway. Sands was listening intently, trying to get whatever information he could. His hair was twisted in what looked like a child's rendition of braids, but Trillian was in no mood to laugh.
"She said she was going home, with both the kids, she was sick or something. She said she had to get home, she left in such a rush..." Sydney broke off, sobbing. Trillian tried to think...Sydney was Mona's best friend since high school, so it was no wonder she was so upset.
"She...oh, Syd, I don't know what to think. Mona..."
"I have to go, the police told me just to call and let you know. I'm so sorry, Trillian."
With that, she hung up the phone.
Trillian did the same, a tear rolling down her cheek.
Sands spoke up.
"What happened?" He asked, his voice unsure. It was not like him, that voice...not from what Trillian had seen, at least.
"My sister..." Trillian began, but she couldn't go on. She stood before Sands, like a soul waiting to be judged, and she broke down. Sands walked over, and looked down on her with his sightless eyes.
Trillian's head was bowed, and she stood straight, the tears flowing freely, and her shoulders heaved gently with every sob.
Sands took her in his arms, his comforting arms, and he held her. She buried her face in his shoulder, crying softly with remorse for her sister, and her sister's children. They were all so young, they didn't...they didn't deserve to die. But who did?
"She didn't have to die...oh God...she didn't have to die." Trillian said, her voice choked and her chest tight.
Sands quieted her, and she continued to cry...and Rei never entered the room to break them apart, Catalina didn't say a word. Trillian, standing there, her arms around him...and Sands stroking her hair, and dulling the pain of her loss.
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Trillian sat at the old, faded yet clean table at Ihop, staring into her cup of coffee. It smelled good, and she needed it, yet she couldn't drink it.
Rei cleared her throat nervously, tapping the table with the dented spoon, and Sands was sitting on the inside of the booth, leaning up against the wall. Lina colored her already mutilated kids' placemat, getting crayon shavings everywhere.
"What do you want, honey?" Rei said finally, breaking the awful silence.
"What do they have?" Lina asked for the eighth time, not looking up from her masterpiece.
"Well, they have the smiley pancake, I know you like that...and a waffle with fruit on it..."
"That smiley thing is dumb." Lina said shortly, like she knew it all.
"Okay, what do you want, then, sweetheart?" Rei asked, and Trillian was surprised that there was still patience in her voice.
"Read them to me again." Lina demanded, still coloring.
"God, I've memorized that damn menu. Just pick something, will you?" Sands snapped, and Lina looked up, startled.
"Jeffrey!" Rei said in surprise, and Catalina began to cry. Trillian continued to stare into her aromatic coffee.
I'm the reason they're fighting. I am that reason. Mona is dead, and now they are fighting.
These thoughts crowded Trillian's mind as the Mexican waitress wandered over.
"Hello. Welcome to eye-hop. What can I get for ju?" She said in a thick accent, a bored look on her face.
Rei ordered for Lina, Sands, and herself, and then the waitress rounded on Trillian.
"And for ju?" She said shortly.
"Oh...uh...nothing for me, thanks."
Lina continued to color after the waitress disappeared, and Sands drummed his fingers on the table.
Rei coughed into her napkin, obviously very uncomfortable.
"One more day." Trillian said suddenly, picking up her coffee and taking a sip.
"What?" Sands asked, jerking his head upright again.
"I wish she had just one more day." Trillian said again, shrugging as she put down her cup. Sands shook his head, but didn't comment.
"She isn't coming back, Trill." Rei said, surprising Trillian with the nickname. She had only known her for...well, about a day.
"I know...I just...wish I could have talked to her one more time. To say goodbye." Trillian said, shrugging slightly. She took another sip of coffee, and realized that it tasted dull and flavorless.
Lina picked up her drawing and showed it to Trillian.
"Look what I did." She said, smiling widely at her.
"It's very beautiful." Trillian said, nodding.
"Look, Uncle Sheldon." Lina said, flapping it around. Sands nodded blankly.
"You're not looking! Look!" Lina insisted, throwing it at him. Sands brushed it away, and rubbed his forehead wearily.
"Lina, honey, stop that." Rei said, taking the menu back and putting it back in front of the small child.
"Okay." She said, nodding and continuing to color.
Breakfast passed in silence, except for the clatter of silverware. Rei kept her eyes down, and Sands focused on his food. Catalina seemed oblivious to it all, too busy getting whipped cream and syrup everywhere to notice.
Trillian finished her coffee, and sat back in her seat, still staring at nothing. The check came and went, and still nobody said a word.
Lina finally broke the silence.
"Why were you crying, Trillian?" She asked her once they had gotten to Rei's Mercedes Benz. Trillian had no clue what to say.
"I...I don't know. I just felt like crying." She said fretfully, climbing into the backseat next to Catalina. Sands was in the front, his arm propped against the door.
"Crying is for babies." The child responded, obviously forgetting that she had spent most of her time doing exactly that.
Rei got in and shut the door, but didn't start the car right away.
"Are you okay?" She asked finally, sighing.
"No. But thank you for asking." Trillian said, her voice not showing any sign of sarcasm.
Sands snorted, but otherwise stayed quiet.
Lina tugged on Trillian's sleeve.
"I have to go potty." She said, her eyes big.
Rei shook her head and started the car.
"We'll be home soon, you can go when we get there." Trillian said, nodding reassuringly.
"But I hafta go now." Lina insisted as Rei drove out of the parking lot.
"You can wait, Lina." Rei snapped.
"No I can't!" Lina said, and began to cry. At this, Sands lost it.
"Make her shut the fuck up!" He shouted, slamming his hand down on the windowsill, frightening the little girl further.
Trillian tried to comfort her, but she was too hysterical to listen.
"Shut up!" Sands shouted back at Lina, who wailed even louder.
"That's just great, Sheldon! Real effective way of getting my daughter to stop crying! I hope you're happy now!" Rei shot at him, and he shook his head.
"You shut up too, I'm getting tired of listening to you." Sands retorted, folding his arms across his chest.
Trillian was barely listening to all this. It all seemed vague as she stared out the car window. Everything slowed down, nothing seemed real. Even after they reached the house. Everything happened in slow motion.
She went into Mona's bedroom, looking around. Everything...it reminded her of her sister. Her poor sister, who died at only twenty-seven...she had two kids, a house...and now she was gone.
Trillian sat on the bed, feeling nothing but cold, harsh guilt. If she had insisted that Mona had come home when they spoke on the phone, maybe...she shook her head.
She lay down on the bed, hugging the other pillow to her chest. She wished that Mona was alive, and there to tell her what to do...
Another thought came to her at that moment. Rei. What if Rei took Sands back to the states? She couldn't handle another loss like that...but Trillian was so confused. Did she love him? Obviously she did, but did he love her back? If not, what had happened in the kitchen that morning? And the night before?
Trillian stopped for a moment. She had forgotten about the night before. What had happened? Why couldn't she remember? Did she want to?
So many questions nagged at her mind...so many that she began to doze, and the weight was lifted from her shoulders for the time being.
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Mmmm...and the plot thickens (or so they say). What did happen the night before? Will Rei take Sands back to America? Will I get any reviews? Find out next week...or tomorrow...