Chapter Seven: Repercussions

"I. Can't. Believe. It." Her dad paced back and forth among all twelve siblings while Nora, Bud, and their mother looked on. "Fighting? In public? You know, I realize that your mother and I haven't been as strict with you as we should have been, but at least I thought we taught you how to act like decent, civilized people. This was a fancy occasion!"

"But Dad –" Sarah objected.

"No 'buts'" he silenced her. "You have no excuse for what happened down there."

"Dude, it wasn't us, Dad," Jake put in, speaking fast to get his piece in before their father silenced him, too.

"Yeah, it was them," Mark said, pointing across the Club lobby where Mrs. Zimmerman was crooning over her four children, who sat there looking completely innocent.

"If Evan hadn't threatened Sarah –" Henry started.

"– None of this would have happened," Lorraine finished unexpectedly. Liz was surprised that her younger sister was taking the floor, but it appeared that they at last had their father's attention. Apparently sensing this, Lorraine continued, "Evan was trying to force Sarah to dance or kiss him or something – I'm not sure – and so naturally, we all intervened. It wasn't our fault that those…"

"… snobby, selfish, rich, yuppie city kids?" Henry supplied.

"Yeah. It wasn't our fault that they wanted to fight back. We just wanted to get Sarah out of there. Besides," Lorraine added, "the Murtaughs did most of the fighting."

Liz glanced over to where the Murtaughs were sitting. Jimmy was lecturing them sternly and in such a manner that all his kids simply sat there with their heads bowed submissively. Even Calvin, though he had large wad of tissue pressed to his nose to stop the bleeding and an ice pack against his cheek. Eliot sported a swollen lip and Anne had a couple minor scratches down one cheek. Daniel had remarkably made it through without a scratch. Jimmy had apparently finished lecturing and came over to the Bakers in time to hear Tom say, "Alright, I believe you. Just don't let it happen again. Go get your things."

"Is that all you're going to say to them, Baker?" Jimmy asked, a little rudely.

"It's not your business what I say to them, Jimmy," Tom said quietly.

Not in the mood to listen to them argue, Liz allowed Charlie to help her to her feet before she went over to the Murtaughs. Sarina had a cold compress on which she poured a little antiseptic and was using it to dab lightly on Eliot's lip. She looked up and smiled slightly at Liz's approach. Liz smiled back and crouched in front of Calvin, who groggily acknowledged her. "How are you feeling?" she asked gently.

"I've felt better," he admitted wryly, "but it was nice to kick the crap out of Braddock tonight."

Liz laid a hand on his knee. "Why do you hate him so much?"

"Why wouldn't you?" Daniel remarked dryly, his eyes closed as he rested his head on the back of the couch. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Sarina smiling. Maybe the new Mrs. Murtaugh wasn't so bad after all.

"None of the Zimmermans are exactly… likeable," Anne murmured as she accepted a moist cloth from Becky and used it to clean her scratches. "Ever since we first met them the summer after the last time you guys were here, they've made our lives miserable. They think they're the most important people at the lake, despite the fact that our dad owns most of it. And they have a knack for getting us in trouble, if you haven't noticed."

Charlie came over and leaned casually on the back of the couch behind Anne's head. "Yeah, we noticed. They kind of got us in trouble, too."

"At least your dad didn't chew you out like it was all your fault that Evan wanted to make trouble for Sarah," Eliot muttered sourly.

"Hey," Sarina said placatingly as Sarah came and stood shyly behind her before discreetly sitting down on the floor by Eliot's feet.

Any further discussion was cut short by Jimmy's return. He eyed the three Bakers sternly. "Alright Murtaughs, in the cars. Now."

Silently, all eight kids got to their feet – some more painfully than others – and filed out the front doors, leaving Charlie, Sarah, and Liz standing together, glancing apprehensively at each other. "I think he was a little too harsh," Sarah whispered.

"You think?" Charlie scoffed.

"Shh," Liz murmured as they allowed themselves to be caught up in the flow of Baker kids rushing out to the cars, chattering loudly in the night air. "Don't give Dad more reasons to hate Jimmy."

I actually kind of liked Sarina in this chapter. She annoys me in the movie (except at the end, when she chews Jimmy out -- that was amazing ;) And never fear, movie canon lovers, I'll get back to the movie plot next chapter. I just thought I'd throw a little extra scene in so that I could introduce the Zimmermans. Keep the reviews coming:)