Disclaimer: You know the drill. I don't own the TBs or any of the Tracy family with the exception of Sam.
Chapter 21
Jeff stood next to the limo waiting for his children to get in. Sam was standing off to one side of the dorm telling her boyfriend, Alex, goodbye. Catie and John were a bit further away saying their goodbyes. Scott and Brook were nowhere to be seen and that worried Jeff. He could remember how he was at the age of seventeen.
"I guess I'm going to have to talk to them about protecting themselves," he thought. Looking back at Sam, he was stunned to see her kissing Alex a bit too passionately for his comfort. Of course, Sam kissing anyone was uncomfortable for him.
"I'm definitely going to asking about that one and Lord knows she needs to have the talk soon," he continued to think. His musings were disturbed when Gordon and Alan ran into him in an effort to get in the limo and away from Scott. He reached out and grabbed Scott just as he lunged at his baby brothers.
"Scott, what's going on between those two?" he asked as he jerked his head in Sam's direction. Scott looked over at his sister and whistled. Jeff was not amused nor was he reassured.
"They're just dating, Dad," he said. He whistled a loud and piercing note and got the attention of his sister. John looked up and turned red that he'd been observed kissing Catie. That was when he noticed Sam and Alex. They were both as red as he was.
"Looks like we've been caught, Johnny," she said as the two couples walked towards the limo. Their father had not met Sam's boyfriend yet.
"Dad, I'd like you to meet Alex," she said. Alex stuck out his hand and shook Jeff's in a nice firm grip.
"Pleased to meet you, Sir," he said in greeting. It didn't escape Jeff's attention that Sam and Alex had continued to hold hands during the greeting. He turned his attention to John. He recognized the girl but couldn't remember her name or connection to his children.
"Dad, you remember Catie? She's Sam's best friend and lately we've been hanging out together," John said nervously. He could see that their dad was not thrilled to see not one but three of his children dating. Jeff nodded in greeting at Catie. His attention was diverted when he saw Virgil coming out of the dorm carrying a box of art supplies.
"Call me during break," Sam said to Alex when her dad's attention was diverted. She quickly gave him a kiss on the cheek and climbed in the limo. John looked around and gave Catie a kiss and climbed in behind his sister. Scott helped Virgil put his art supplies in the trunk and then they both got in the limo. Jeff looked at the assorted girlfriends and boyfriend one last time before he got into the limo with his children.
A few hours later they were flying back home to Tracy Island. Scott was Jeff's copilot. This would be the first time that he'd help fly his father's new plane. Sam was seated behind them observing. She and John still had another six months of lessons before they could qualify and test for their pilot's license.
"Scott, are we stopping in Kansas?" Sam asked quietly as she listened to a weather alert from Missouri. Scott turned his attention to her briefly before looking at their father.
"Sam, go ask your brothers if we need to stop in Kansas," said Jeff. He knew that she was asking Scott in order to not disturb him but he wanted Scott to pay attention to his duties. Sam went back to the passenger cabin and looked around at her brothers. Virgil and John were reading and Gordon and Alan were sitting together. It was obvious from the way they'd look around periodically that they were up to no good.
"Hey guys, Dad wants to know if we need to stop in Kansas," she said loudly. Her brothers looked up at her and shook their heads no. They only needed to go to Kansas at the holiday break from school. Sam turned around and went back to the cockpit.
"Dad, they all said no," she reported.
"Why did you want to know if we were stopping in Kansas?" asked her father. He was curious as to what she'd say.
"I just heard a weather alert from Missouri. They are saying that a major storm system is making its way from Kansas to Missouri. There have been reports of tornados and major wind gusts," she answered. She knew Jeff was an experienced pilot but she wasn't to keen on the idea of dealing with rough weather.
"Well, I guess it's a good thing that we are flying south of the storm," he replied. He had been aware of the alert but was pleased that she'd been listening. Sam had already turned her attention back to what Scott was doing and was asking him questions periodically. Jeff watched them out of the corner of his eye.
"Dad, when did you get this plane?" Sam asked.
"A couple of months ago," he answered. "With all the flying that we were doing between NYC and Tracy Island, I thought that a bigger plane would be a bit more comfortable to have. Besides, I hadn't splurged on a useful toy for awhile."
Sam looked at her dad and started laughing. He looked over at her and grinned. He knew what his only daughter was thinking.
"Boys and their toys, huh Dad?" she asked innocently when she stopped laughing.
"Something like that, Sam," he admitted. There was no point in denying it she was right. Sam returned the headset that she'd been using to listen to weather alerts and went back to the passenger cabin. John looked up at her as she walked to her seat next to him.
"John, I need a pillow. Do you know where I can get one that is kind of firm?" she asked in a teasing voice.
"Does my shoulder look like a pillow, Sam?" he teased back. She pretended to look at his shoulder.
"Kind of but if you'd rather I went to Virgil then I will," she replied as she looked over at Virgil. Virgil grinned up at her and patted the seat next to him.
"No way little brother. I've endured too many pokes and prods on my shoulder to have her trade me in for a new pillow," John said. Sam looked at Virgil and mouthed the words "Thank you."
She sat down next to John and leaned against him. Soon she was asleep as her brothers continued to read their books.
Sometime later, John was shaking her awake.
"Sam, we're home," he said as he continued to shake her gently. She opened her eyes and groaned.
"Alright, I'm awake," she grumbled as she stood up and stretched.
"Yeah, right. Your eyes may be open but you are definitely not awake," he retorted. She shot him a nasty look and said something he didn't quite make out.
"What was that?" he asked. She just glowered back at him and picked up the blanket that had fallen off of her when she stood up. She tossed it over the back of her seat and joined her brothers on the runway.
"Hey Sleeping Beauty, glad to see that you decided to grace us with your presence," chuckled Scott as Sam approached them as they unloaded their belongings. She playfully punched him on the shoulder.
"Bite me," she said. She didn't know her dad was nearby.
"Samantha!"
She looked over her shoulder and smiled weakly.
"Sorry Dad," she apologized. Scott and their other brothers laughed at her red face. It wasn't too often that Sam got caught mouthing off. Once the plane was unloaded, the siblings took the carts down the path and to the house. Working together they soon had everyone's belongings in the correct rooms.
Sam quickly unpacked her warmer weather clothes and put them away. She hung her school uniforms in the closet. She'd just gone into the bathroom to put away her toiletries when she heard someone come into her room. She poked her head out of the bathroom door and was surprised to see her dad. She put down what she had in her hands and went back out to her room.
"What's up Dad?" she asked. She was amused to see that her father looked a little embarrassed.
"Um, Sam, I think we should, um, have a talk," he stammered nervously. If there were ever a time that he really wished Lucy were still with them this was definitely one of them.
"Ok, Dad. Have a seat and I'll be right back," she said as she quickly ran out on her balcony and down the stairs to the kitchen. She grabbed a couple of water bottles out of the fridge and ran back up to her room. Her dad was looking around at all the photos that she had hanging on her walls.
"Here Dad," she said as she offered him the water. He looked back at her gratefully.
"Some of these are new aren't they?" he asked as he gestured to the pictures on the memory board by her desk. She had just put up some of John and Catie and Brook and Scott. Virgil had taken a few of Sam and Alex together. There were a lot of new ones of all of them together. Sam still made sure that she took a lot of pictures of her brothers. One that caught Jeff's eye was one of Gordon. It was taken at a swim meet and he had just broken a record for his division. Sam managed to get the time clock and Gordon touching the wall in the same frame.
Sam saw the picture that caught his eye and went to her desk. She opened an oversized envelope and pulled out a 5x7 copy of the picture of Gordon. She also pulled out a picture of Scott crossing the finish line of a cross-country race in which he placed first. Sam had sat out that race due to a sprained ankle. She still wanted to cheer on her brother and went despite the fact that it hurt a bit to walk.
She walked back to where Jeff was still looking at the pictures.
"Here Dad, these are for you," she offered. He took the photos and looked at them.
"These are good. Did a photographer at school take them?" he asked.
"Yeah, a photographer who is quite close to those Tracy boys took them," she said. "Dad, you bought the camera for me, don't you remember?"
"Sorry, Honey, I forgot and these are wonderful shots," he complimented her. "You really caught the moment and they are truly amazing." She blushed at his compliment.
"Can you keep a secret, Dad?" she asked. He looked at her and wondered what else she had been up to.
"Sure, Sam," he answered. She grabbed his hand and led him out of her room and into the room across from Virgil's. The spare room that Jeff had converted into an art studio for Virgil. He was surprised to see two easels set up near each other. Sam led him over to one of the easels. He looked at the painting and was somewhat shocked. It was a so-so painting and he wondered what was going through Virgil's mind when he was painting this canvas.
"Is Virgil okay?" he asked. "This is isn't what I'm accustomed to seeing from him.
"That's because it's mine," Sam said quietly. "Virgil has been teaching me but I don't have the patience that he does. I like photography better but I wanted to try something new." Jeff looked even more embarrassed at his slip up.
"I didn't mean it like that Sam," he said apologetically. "I wasn't aware that you had an interest in painting." The door to the studio opened and Virgil walked in. He looked up and saw his dad and sister.
"Sorry," he said as he began to back out of the room.
"It is okay, Virgil. We're just leaving," said Sam as she smiled at him. She and Jeff walked back to her room.
"What did you want to talk about, Dad?" Sam questioned him after she had closed her door. Jeff's face began to redden again as he looked at her.
"Sam, sit down. I think that we need to have a talk about boys and girls," he said nervously. "You see…um…Sam, you are at the age where you…will…um get feelings for…is it hot in here? Anyway where was I? Oh yes, you will get feelings for boys and boys will…be attracted to…you. It is important that you…um…use caution when certain feelings cause you to want to do…um things…with that boy. It would be better to…um wait until you're at least married but life doesn't always work out that way." He suddenly looked up at her and couldn't stop one question from popping out.
"You haven't done anything with Alex have you?" he asked in a nervous tone.
"NO!" she exclaimed. "I mean nothing other than kiss him. You know that you, Mom, and Grandma have instilled in me a strong sense of right and wrong. Not to mention morals and values."
"Good," he said as he visibly relaxed. A movement outside her open window caught her eye. Her dad had his back to the window and didn't see it. She slowly made her way to the window and looked out to see John and Scott squatting under the window. It was obvious that they were listening in on the conversation between their sister and father. She walked back to her dad and motioned for him to look out the window. He looked down and saw his two oldest. He looked back at Sam. She had a mischievous glint in her eyes and he raised an eyebrow in question.
"Follow my lead," she mouthed. He nodded in understanding.
"Dad, I can't lie to you," she said loud enough to be heard on the balcony. "I accidentally saw Scott making out with his girlfriend and she really seemed to like what he was doing to her and I thought that maybe Alex and I should try it too. After awhile, it started to feel really good and well you know." She began to fake cry as if she had truly done something wrong.
"Sam, I thought that I raised you better than that," he admonished as he grinned at her. They could hear the quiet shuffling of the two outside the window.
"Scott, let's go. I don't want to hear about my sister making out with her boyfriend," John whispered.
"Sit still or they'll hear us," Scott ordered in a whisper. Neither of them was aware that Jeff and Sam could hear them perfectly clear.
"I just wanted to find out what Scott was doing to Brook and why she seemed to like it," she cried. She winked at her dad when they heard a curse word come from Scott.
"I'm going to have to teach Scott that he is responsible for his actions especially when they teach his younger brothers and sister stuff that they're not ready for. He isn't ready for it either," he stormed. "Damn, I thought he had more respect for females than that." It was at this moment that Sam and her father opened the balcony door and stepped outside. Both feigned surprise when they saw John and Scott next to the open windows.
"What are you two doing?" Sam asked as the tears streaked down her cheeks. She looked embarrassed at the thought her brothers overheard the conversation.
"Um, nothing we were just sitting here. Trying to stay away from Gordon and Alan," Scott said quickly. His face was bright red as was John's.
"You didn't hear anything, did you?" Sam asked as she looked back at her dad and then to the open window nervously.
"Nope, we didn't hear anything, did we, John?" Scott replied. "We have to be going. Talk to you later." He grabbed John and the two of them hastily ran to Scott's room and disappeared. Sam looked at her dad and busted out laughing. Jeff joined her and was glad that he wasn't on the receiving end of her prank. She could be just as bad if not worse than Gordon and Alan.
"You're truly a force to be reckoned with, Sam," he said.
"Dad, please do me a favor?" she began. "The next time you decide to have a sex talk send Grandma. It will be much less embarrassing for the both of us."
"I couldn't agree with you more, Sam," he responded. "She can deal with you and I'll handle the boys."
"I feel sorry for them if their talk went like mine," Sam teased.
"Watch it or you'll soon be assigned to cleaning the pool again," he threatened her teasingly. "I need to go talk to your big brothers. I'll see you at dinner."
Sam went back through her room and across the hall to Virgil's studio. She walked in and watched him paint for a few minutes. He slowly became aware that he was being watched and looked up at her.
"Hi, Sam," he greeted. She walked over to where he was working. "Are you ready for another lesson?"
"Yeah, I can't seem to get this right," she answered as she looked at her easel. She was trying to paint a beach scene. The key word was 'trying' to paint a beach scene. Virgil stood next to her and watched her as she began. He gripped her hand in his and smoothly guided her hand and soon the water looked like it was gently lapping on the beach.
"How do you get it to turn out like that?" she asked in amazement. He shrugged his shoulders and went back to his own easel. The two of them worked in silence. The only sound that could be heard was a cd playing in the background. Sam paused as she listened to the music. She looked over at her younger brother. He felt her staring at him again and looked back at her.
"What now?" he asked.
"What cd is this?" she asked in return. He turned bright red.
"It's mine. I recorded it in the lounge one day while I was trying out some music I wrote," he admitted shyly.
"Can you make me a copy, Virg? It's beautiful," she asked. She put down her paintbrush and sat down on the floor and closed her eyes and listened to the music. Soon she was so absorbed in the music that she didn't hear the door to the studio open. She felt someone nudge her leg and regretfully she opened her eyes and looked up into the faces of two brothers. Virgil stood off to the side and watched the new drama.
"That wasn't funny, Sam" Scott snarled at her. "Do you realize that we just got an hour and a half lecture on safe sex and precautions from our dad who couldn't stop stuttering?" Sam grinned up at him from where she sat.
"Next time, I suggest that you not get caught outside my open window when I'm getting a lecture," she retorted. "You got what you deserved. It's not like you wouldn't have done it to me."
"Dad thinks that I have done something with Brook because of what you said," Scott said irritably.
"Well, he's not too far off the mark is he, Scott?" she shot back. She'd heard Brook chatting with her friends in the girls' bathroom and had received more than enough information on her brother and his prowess. Scott turned red at what she'd said.
"Brook believes in kissing and telling. Scott, I really do not want to know how good you are in bed or under the bleachers or in the teacher's lounge. Having said that can you relay the message to Brook?" she asked. "There are just some visuals that aren't meant for your brothers and sister to have and that one is second only to Dad and Mom together." John and Virgil were grinning from ear to ear at the verbal onslaught from Sam. They were also getting a bit more insight into their oldest brother and his extra curricular activities.
"Um, I…don't know what you mean?" he stammered.
"Do I need to explain in detail what Brook said?" Sam asked sweetly. John and Virgil were watching the exchange and could tell that Scott was about to bolt from the room. He was not going to be able to beat Sam this go around and he knew it.
"No, there is no need for that," he said as he began to walk to the door. Without another word he was gone.
"How do you do that?" asked John. "No one else can make him run off."
"Just lucky I guess," she said. She loved making Scott squirm and took perverse delight in her ability to do it. Virgil shook his head and returned his attention to his painting. Sam stood up and picked up her paintbrush and began working on her painting. She figured she'd better do it while Virgil was here to help her.
"What are you doing?" asked John. He didn't know about Sam's interest in painting.
"I asked Virgil to teach me how to paint. I've watched how relaxed he gets and I wanted to see if it would work for me," she explained.
"Has it?" he asked. His twin was very active and was constantly moving. Painting took intense concentration and he wasn't sure if she had it in her to stay still that long.
"Nope, I can't get it the way I see it in my mind," she replied truthfully. She sighed as she began to clean up her paints and brushes. She looked dejectedly at her sad attempt at painting.
"Better stick with writing and photography," she said quietly to herself. John put his arm around her.
"You can't be perfect in everything, Sam," he said. "We all have strengths in different things. Virgil is talented on the piano and with painting. Scott is a gifted pilot who will only get better with experience. Gordon is the strongest swimmer and interested in everything underwater. Alan is our racer. We're the astronomers and linguists."
"I know but I wanted to try something new. Now that I know that I am not an artist I can focus back on the other things I like to do," she said. She looked at her watch and began to hurry and get her mess cleaned up.
"Virg, you'd better clean up. Dinner is in fifteen minutes," she said. Virgil was concentrating on his painting and just mumbled an incoherent response.
"VIRGIL!" she called again as she tapped him on his arm. This time he looked at her. "Clean up. Dinner in fifteen minutes and you need to take a shower to get the paint off of your arms and hands." She started rinsing out his brushes while John began closing the tubes of paints. Virgil continued to stare at his work. John and Sam looked at each other and went to stand on either side of their brother.
"VIRGIL, Get a move on," they shouted. Virgil jumped and looked at each of them.
"Was that really necessary?" he asked irritably.
"YES!" the twins exclaimed in unison. They grinned at each other because despite the fact that they were growing up they still annoyed their brothers when they spoke the exact same words, at the exact same time, and in the exact same tone. They even grinned identical down to the dimple in their right cheek.
"How do you two manage to do that?" he questioned as he looked from one to the other.
"It's a twin thing and you wouldn't understand it," John replied. Sam looked at Virgil and shook her head.
"How do you and Scott seem to know what the other is thinking?" she countered.
"I don't know. Maybe it's that bond we seem to have. Kind of like you and John," he guessed.
"That's exactly what I'm saying, Virgil. We don't know how we do the things that we do or why. It's just a part of who we are. Just as the connection between you and Scott is part of who you are," she explained somewhat clumsily.
"Well, Sis, I'm sure that clarified a lot for him," teased John. Sam flicked some water at him as she went about finishing the rinsing of the paintbrushes.
"Watch it," he warned. He moved so that he was closer to her. "I need to talk to you about something Dad said."
"Okay, now or after dinner?" she asked.
"Go on, Sam, I can finish up in here," offered Virgil. John grabbed his sister's hand and dragged her out of the studio and to his room. He pushed her down on the couch in his sitting room and locked his door. He turned to face her and sighed. He sat down next to her and played with the corner of a blanket that was draped over the corner of the couch.
"Sam, I want to apologize for how I acted on the day you had your first date with Alex," he began quietly. "I talked to Dad after he gave Scott and I our sex talk and well you know I got chewed out for my behavior. I don't know why I acted that way except for the fact that I was so afraid that we'd drift apart once you started dating. I didn't see how you'd maintain a balance between all of us, school, homework, sports, and dating. I should have known how much family means to you. You always manage to juggle everything but I really couldn't see you taking on one more obligation." He paused and looked up at her. Her silence was beginning to unnerve him.
"I want you to know that I'd never want you to stop dating someone you like because of me or any of our other brothers. We want you to be happy and you'd never expect us not to date and it's not fair for us to expect it of you. More to the point, I shouldn't expect it," he finished quietly. He was afraid to look at her again. Afraid to see the same rejection in her eyes that he gave to her that horrible night in which he walked out of her room after she reached out to him. It was nothing less than what he deserved for being such a jerk. He'd never be able to forget the hurt on her face or the hurt he felt for what he'd done.
"You're right, John, you hurt me in a way that was worse than anything anyone else could have done," she began. "I trusted you more because we've always been there for one another and the one time you didn't like what I was doing you made a complete ass of yourself. All I did was go out on a date and big deal I kissed him. I wouldn't have begrudged you that if you'd been the first to go on a date." She stood up and paced the sitting room.
"You should have never forgotten that my family always comes first but I am growing up and I will date who I want and later if I decide to have more intimate relationships then that's my business and not yours," she continued. She was angry and had kept it bottled up. Now he was getting the full effect of her anger and pain. "Scott and I had agreed that we'd support the other's decision on who we date and accept that person regardless of how we really feel. Now it's only fair that you make the same promise to me. I never want to feel the way I did when you walked away from me and refused to speak or even look at me."
She stopped her pacing and looked at where John was sitting. He had his head in his hands. When she stopped talking, he looked up at her. The emotions that flashed through his eyes ranged from hurt to anger to remorse and finally to pleading. He wanted to know that she'd forgiven him. She knelt down on the floor in front of him and took his hands into her own.
"John, I forgave you a long time ago but you need to understand how I feel," she said softly. "I love you more than anything in this world but I need to know that no matter if I make a mistake or do something that you don't agree with that I have your support. I don't always agree with the things you guys do but you always have my support because you're my brothers. Is it fair that I don't get the same consideration?"
"Oh, Sam, I'm sorry," he said as he looked into her eyes. "We don't treat you the same do we?" He looked horrified that they'd been using a double standard.
"Now that you're aware, I don't think that you'll do it again," she replied. "You'll also help guide our brothers to change." John leaned forward and hugged his best friend close to him and kissed the side of her head. He was so thankful that she'd forgiven him and would be mindful of how he reacted in the future. He didn't want to drive a wedge between them.
"Dinner time," shouted Virgil from the hallway as he ran downstairs. Sam and John looked at each other and grinned. John offered his arm to her and was pleased that she took it. Together they went down for dinner. It was a typical Tracy dinner and everyone was in high spirits. Scott kept looking at Sam and blushing. She in turn kept blowing kisses at him. He knew she was making fun of the kissing and telling. He was so embarrassed that his sister and now Virgil and John knew that he was having sex. He'd never be able to live it down especially if Gordon and Alan caught on.
"What are you blowing kisses at Scott for, Sam?" asked Gordon. Scott groaned and asked to be excused from the table. Sam looked at him and shook her head.
"Dad, Scott isn't done eating. He should stay at the table until he cleans his plate and has dessert," she said. "Gordon, mind your own business. I'd guess from the way you and Alan were conspiring on the plane you have enough to worry about."
"Scott, your sister is right. You've hardly touched your food. Are you alright?" Grandma asked. She got up and felt Scott's forehead to see if he had a fever.
"I'm fine, Grandma," he said as he glared at Sam. Sam just looked back at him and grinned. Jeff was watching them and knew that there was more going on than what they were saying. Like most things in the house he chose not to say anything. He saw Virgil and John throw each other a knowing glance. When dinner was over and the dishes were done, Sam went out and sat in one of the lounge chairs near the pool. She stared out at the setting sun and relaxed. Today had been an emotional day, if not somewhat comical. She kept thinking of her father and his red face when he tried to talk to her about sex. She grew a bit pensive and wished that her mother were here to give her the talk.
"Just one more thing that she'll miss out on," she thought to herself. Had she not been so lost in her thoughts, she would have heard Scott sneaking up behind her. Revenge was clearly on his mind. He quickly grabbed her and threw her into the pool fully clothed and with her athletic shoes on.
"SCOTT!" she yelled when she surfaced. "You owe me a new pair of shoes. I just took these out of the box this morning." Scott looked down at her and grinned.
"Whatever little sister," he replied with a smug look on his face. Sam pulled herself out of the pool and stomped over to where he was standing and glared up at him.
"What are you going to do, Sam?" he taunted. "John isn't here to help you." Sam continued to glare up at him as a slow grin spread across her face.
"I don't need John to help me with everything. I think that I've proven that I can handle you all by myself," she shot back. "On second thought, Gordon and Alan would be good to use for payback. I can give them a bit of information and I'm sure that they'll put it to good use."
"Y-y-you wouldn't dare," he stammered.
"Want to try me?" she countered. "I want a new pair of athletic shoes just like these delivered here within two weeks. Oh, by the way I wear a size seven in women's. A special gift would be nice to receive from my oldest brother, too." He lowered his head in defeat. He knew that she had him and she wasn't going to give up until she received her new shoes.
"Okay, you win. Write down the style and maker and I'll order them and have them delivered here," he said.
"Who wins?" asked Virgil as he came out to see what was going on.
"I do, of course," answered Sam. "Scott ruined my new shoes and now he has to buy me a new pair or I spill what info I have on Romeo to Gordon and Alan."
"Did someone say our names?" asked Gordon as he and Alan ran and dove into the pool. Tin-Tin was a few steps behind them. Gordon swam to the side of the pool and looked up to where Sam was still glaring up at Scott.
"You need help with something, Sam?" he asked. He was just itching to play a prank on Scott and knew that if Sam got involved it would be spectacular. John was right about Sam she had a very devious mind.
"Nah, Gordon, I'm good for now," she said as she gave one final look at Scott and went to the path that would take her to the beach. Her brothers watched after her.
"What'd ya do to her?" Virgil asked. Scott shook his head. Sam was being more temperamental than normal. They didn't realize that she was just missing their mom and today's talk with their dad had made it worse. Unlike them, she didn't have a parent of the same sex to talk to about growing up. As much as Jeff loved her, he just couldn't begin to understand how she felt about things.
Sam walked along the beach with no particular destination in mind. She had just approached the furthest point from the house when she sat down and stared out over the ocean. She drew her legs to her chest and rested her arms on her knees.
"Sam, are you okay?" asked a voice behind her. She jumped and looked over her shoulder. Scott was approaching her cautiously. She turned back and looked out the water once again. Two tears leaked out of the corner of her eyes. Scott sat down next to her and slowly wrapped his arm around her. She leaned against him just as she started to cry.
"Scotty, I miss Mom," she whispered. "You guys are lucky that you can talk to Dad and each other about guy things but I can't talk to Mom and get her advice. It was kind of funny listening to Dad try and give me the "talk." All he could do was stutter and turn bright red." Scott held her closer as soon as she admitted to missing their mom.
"Sam, I wish that I could make it better," he said softly. "I guess it has been harder on you, hasn't it? You just seem to accept things regardless of how you feel that I think that we just take for granted that you can handle anything. I think we forget that you're only fifteen and the only sister in a house with five brothers. Is there anything that I can do to make things easier for you?" Sam was touched by his concern. She knew that he loved her but she'd never seen this side of Scott.
"I'll be fine, Scott," she said quietly. "I feel like I'm being a big crybaby."
"If there is one thing that you are not that is a crybaby," he said. "You're a definite pain in the ass but never a crybaby." She giggled at his remark and snuggled closer against him. The breeze off the ocean was a little cool and she was in shorts and a tank top that hadn't dried from her trip into the pool.
"Let's get back to the house before you catch a cold," he ordered gently. He stood up and helped her up. As soon as she was standing, he wrapped his arm around her to help keep her warm. They were half way back to the house when they ran into John and Virgil. John had a jacket in his hand. John handed the jacket to Sam, who gratefully slipped into it and zipped it up. She leaned back against Scott and he again wrapped his arm around her. John was on her opposite side and he wrapped his arm around her waist. Between her two brothers she soon warmed up. Virgil was on Scott's other side.
"I better let you know that Gordon and Alan are up to no good," Virgil said quietly.
"When are they good?" asked John.
"When they're asleep," answered Sam. "Cus then we know that they're out of mischief for awhile. Have any of you got an idea how I can keep the little buggers out of my room if I leave my windows open?"
"Nope. Why?" asked Scott.
"That's how they got into my room a few Christmas' ago. They popped the screen out and one of them climbed in and unlocked the balcony door," she replied. "If they're up to no good, I want to make sure that I don't have to wake up with them standing over me or dying my hair red or green." She had a sudden thought and knew that she'd have to find Brains to see if he could make what she'd just envisioned.
The four of them were just heading up the path when their dad appeared.
"I was just coming to check on you," he said as he looked at them. He could see that Sam had tear streaks on her cheeks as well as her shivering.
"Are you alright, Sam?" he asked.
"I'm fine, Dad. I took a dip in the pool and then went for a walk on the beach. I lost track of time and then the breeze from the ocean chilled me just a bit," she answered honestly.
"Well get up to the house and take a hot shower and put on some warmer clothes," he ordered gruffly.
"Yes, Sir," she replied. She was beginning to feel sleepy and was looking forward to a shower and crawling into bed. Her brothers walked her up to her room and then went to their own. Sam made sure that her windows were closed and locked. Then she locked her bedroom doors. Grabbing her pajamas and underclothes out of the dresser she went into the bathroom and closed and locked that door. She turned on the hot water and stepped into the shower. She stood there and let the water warm her chilled body. When she'd finally warmed up, she washed and conditioned her hair and washed herself. She shut the water off and stepped out of the shower and dried off. She got dressed into her pajamas and picked up the towels that she'd used and hung them up to dry. She stood in front of the mirror and brushed out her long blond hair. She quickly braided it into two braids and then grabbed her robe off the back of her door. She'd just walked back into her room and grabbed a pair of socks from the dresser when she heard someone knock on her door. She opened it and found John, Virgil, and Scott standing there. She stood back and let them in.
"What's up?" she asked.
"Well, we thought we could have a movie night with just the four of us," Scott said. "That is if you feel up to it?"
"Sure, I was going to watch something before I went to bed anyway," she replied. "Let me go tuck in the brats." She left her room and went to Gordon's. She knocked on the door and after a few minutes he opened it.
"Ready for me to tuck you in?" she asked. She heard Alan's door open and was aware that he was watching her.
"Um, Sam, I…um we know that you've tucked us in every night since Mom and Dad brought us home from the hospital as babies and we are glad that you cared for us like that," Gordon said hesitantly. "It's just that…um…we're a bit too old to have our sister tuck us in at night." Sam looked from Gordon to Alan and back again.
"Don't be upset, please," Alan begged.
"It's okay, you two are growing up," she said. "I guess I was just in the habit of doing it that I forgot how old you two had gotten. Can I still get a hug goodnight?"
"Always!" they cried together as they squished her between the two of them.
"Goodnight," she said when they let her go. She walked back to her room and looked back at them one more time and smiled. She walked into her room and sat down in the oversized chair that she loved to relax in. John looked at her and a worried expression settled on his handsome features.
"Sam, are you alright?" he asked as he continued to look at her. She turned her gaze to his and nodded.
"I'm fine, John," she said. "What're we watching?"
"I brought a horror film," said Scott.
"I brought a musical," said Virgil.
"I don't care," said John.
"What horror film did you bring?" asked Sam.
"A Nightmare on Elm Street," answered Scott. Sam and Virgil groaned. They'd seen that movie too many times and knew the words to the whole movie.
"Let's watch a comedy," said Sam as she looked through her collection of DVDs. She handed one to Scott. He looked at the title and laughed.
"Alright," he said as he put the disc into the player. Sam settled back in her chair. John stood next to her and motioned for her to scoot over. He handed her a blanket that was lying next to the chair and then sat down next to her. She spread the blanket over them and relaxed against him. Scott and Virgil sat on the couch and used the blankets draped on the back of it. Soon, they were laughing at the movie. Granted it was a kid's movie that was animated but Sam loved it. She thought Stitch was kind of like her cute and cuddly on the outside but ornery on the inside. Sam and John fell asleep before the end of the movie. Scott and Virgil looked over at them.
"You know, Scott, those two are really lucky," Virgil said softly. "They are as close as a brother and sister can be as well as being each other's best friend."
"Hey, we have a close brotherly relationship and I think of you as my best friend," Scott said seriously. Virgil looked over at him sadly.
"I feel the same way but our situation is different," he said quietly. "You only have one more year of being with us before you head off to college. Sam and John have already decided to go to Harvard. They've already mentioned it to Dad and with their grades what college would turn them down especially with the Tracy name attached."
"I didn't look at it like that," said Scott. "I guess this is part of growing up. Just think how hard it will be on them when they graduate college though. I mean they have always been together. At least the rest of us are different ages and despite the bond we have with each other it is no where near as strong as the one they share."
They continued to watch the twins sleep. Each of them lost in their own thoughts of the future. Slowly they began to drift off to sleep on Sam's couch. During his check of his children, Jeff found the four oldest asleep in Sam's sitting room with a movie still playing in the DVD player. He chuckled when he realized that it was Lilo and Stitch. He knew how much Sam loved Stitch's personality.
"He's kind of like her," he thought to himself as he shook Scott and Virgil.
"Go to your beds, you'll be more comfortable," he said quietly. They stood up and stumbled sleepily to their own rooms. He looked at Sam and John. He wasn't sure if it would be wise to wake them up. Finally, he reached out and touched John's shoulder.
"John, you need to go to your room and go to bed."
"Don't wanna, Dad, Sam and I are tired," he mumbled. "We'll do it later." He snuggled closer to Sam and began to softly snore. Jeff looked at them and was soon lost in a memory of the day that they were brought home from the hospital.
Flashback:
"Are the cribs set up in the nursery?" Lucy asked as Jeff drove her and their newborn son and daughter home. They didn't expect twins so Jeff had to rush out and buy another crib and set it up before they were released from the hospital. He also purchased an identical car seat for the second baby.
"Yes, Lucy, both are set up and I went out and bought some more diapers and outfits suitable for our baby girl," he said as he smiled at his beautiful wife. When they got home Scott was waiting at the door with his grandma.
"Mommy!" he screamed as he ran on little legs to the woman he adored. She leaned down and hugged him to her.
"Do you want to see the two new babies?" she asked. He looked at her confused.
"Two?" he repeated. Jeff had unfastened the baby carriers from the bases that stayed locked in place in the vehicle. He had a carrier in each hand and carefully lowered them so that Scott could he his new brother and sister. Scott reached out his little hand and carefully rubbed each of the babies on the side of their face. Both of them opened their eyes and appeared to look at him.
"They starin' at me, Mommy," he said in awe. He looked back down at them and carefully reached out a hand to each of them. When he touched their little hands with his they grasped his finger in their own little hand. He looked back up at Jeff to make sure that he was still alright. He'd been warned that the new baby would need careful attention. A sudden movement of his hand made him look back down. The baby in pink was trying to get his finger into her mouth. The baby in blue was content to just look up at him.
"I love them, Mommy and Daddy," he said with a quiet resolution.
"We know you do, Scotty," Jeff said. "You're a big brother now and Mommy and I will need your help watching over these two."
"Okay," Scott said as he continued to gaze at his baby brother and sister. Both of them had closed their eyes and went back to sleep. Jeff carried them to the nursery and Lucy gently unfastened Samantha from her carrier and laid her in her crib. Jeff had done the same with John. As soon as Samantha was laid down she opened her eyes and began to cry. Lucy quickly picked her up and sat in the rocking chair with her. Samantha continued to cry. Lucy tried to nurse her and checked her diaper. Samantha wanted nothing to do with what was being offered. John was stirring restlessly in his crib.
"Sammie wants Johnny," said Scott. Jeff and Lucy looked at him and shrugged their shoulders. Lucy gently placed Samantha next to John and to their amazement both babies calmed down and fell back asleep. Later when Lucy checked on them she was surprised to find Scott watching them. Sometime during their sleep John's arm moved over Sam. They had turned their heads so that they were face to face.
"Scotty, did you move Johnny's arm over Sammie?" she asked quietly.
"Nuh uh, Mommy," he said as he continued to watch them sleep. "Johnny loves Sammie."
From that time on, Lucy and Jeff could not keep them apart. In hindsight it was natural. They were together throughout Lucy's pregnancy and found comfort in being with each other.
Present time:
"John, come on. You need to go to bed," he said once again. This time John looked up at him.
"What's wrong, Dad?" he mumbled.
"You need to go to bed." John nodded and carefully stood up. He looked at Sam and walked to the couch. With a sigh, he laid down on the couch and was sound asleep before his head had touched the cushion.
"I guess that's the best I'm going to get from him," said Jeff softly. He pulled one of the blankets over him and looked back at Sam. She had slid over when John got up. Jeff straightened her up and fixed her blanket. He leaned over and kissed her on her cheek. She smiled slightly when she felt him kiss her and breathed in his cologne.
"G'night, Dad," she mumbled. He smiled down at her and left her room.
The next morning when the Tracy children woke up and ran downstairs to breakfast they were surprised that their dad wasn't at the table.
"Your dad had business to attend to and he said he'll see you at dinner time," Grandma informed them when she was asked where he was. They looked at one another and shrugged.
Sam began to plan her day in her mind. She had laundry to do and she wanted to give her room a thorough cleaning. She also planned on spending time in the darkroom that was attached to Virgil's art studio. She had several roles of film that needed to be developed.
"Do any of you have laundry that needs to be done?" she asked her brothers. A chorus of yeas echoed around the dining area.
"Take it down to the laundry room and I'll take care of it for you," she said.
"Thanks, Sis," they all said as they looked at one another. They all hated doing laundry and were always thankful when Sam helped them. She always did the laundry for them at school as long as one of them helped her. She let them know that she didn't fold underwear or match socks for them. That was their responsibility and they'd better do it or she wasn't doing the laundry for them anymore.
"I'll help you," offered Virgil. He knew how much she hated the chore despite helping all of them with it. Sam smiled gratefully at him. They all scattered to their rooms to gather their dirty clothes and towels from their bathrooms. One by one the brothers deposited their dirty clothes basket in the laundry room. Sam began to sort the clothes according to colors and care instructions. Soon she had two loads washing. Jeff had bought two washers and two dryers to keep up with the demand of having six children plus himself and his mother. Kyrano and Tin-Tin had a washer and dryer in their apartment as did Brains.
Once she had the two loads going, she sat down on the floor and began to read a book. Virgil had not shown up but she figured that he decided to join their brothers. She didn't blame him and settled back to read. For some reason her attention kept drifting to the mysterious door. Unable to curb her curiosity, she walked to the door and tried to open it. The door wasn't locked and she slowly opened it. She looked into the vast underground room. It seemed to be divided and there were huge crates scattered all around the area. What surprised her most was what appeared to be an aircraft that was being built in the very center of the huge room. It was long and sleek looking. It seemed to be silver and blue in color with a red nose cone. There were all sorts of computer components lying in cases around the body of the aircraft. She slowly walked out into the room and looked around. She was unaware that a surveillance camera was tracking her as she walked further into the room.
"This is where all of those big crates were disappearing to," she thought to herself as she triggered a silent alarm as she drew ever nearer to the aircraft. Suddenly, her dad came running out of another door and grabbed her.
"What the hell are you doing in here?" he demanded. "How did you get in here?"
"I-I-I was doing l-l-laundry and I was c-c-curious about the door," she stammered. "The door wasn't locked." She was cowering away from her dad in fear. She hadn't seen him this upset in a long time.
"I'm sorry, Daddy," she continued. He released his hold on her arm and sighed.
"Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag now," he said. "Sam, what you see in here is not to be mentioned to anyone and I mean anyone on the other side of that door. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, Sir," she replied in a small voice. "Dad, what is all of this stuff?"
"Sam, what you see here is the beginning of a vision I had," he began. "After your mother died, I felt so lost without her and I thought that if someone would have had the equipment to get to her faster then she might have lived. I know now that it wouldn't have mattered since she died from a broken neck. But what about the others that could have survived if they'd been found faster? I want to start an organization that will be dedicated to helping those in need."
"Dad, can you do something like that?" she asked. She liked the sound of what he was describing. It would be great if another family didn't have to suffer a loss like they had.
"That's what the goal is. I need you to promise to keep this quiet," he said.
"I won't say a word. I promise," she said. She turned to go back to the door she'd come through. She didn't look back and she never said a word to anyone not even when told Jeff his children of his dream. She knew that when the time came she would offer to help. Her fluency in various languages would be an asset to his plans and she would do everything in her power to be a part of this.
Once she was back in the laundry room she made sure that the door was securely locked and sat back down to read. A few minutes later the washers stopped and she transferred the clothes to the driers and started two more loads. She settled back down on the floor and began to read her book again. A few hours later she had everything folded and placed neatly in her brothers' laundry baskets. One extra basket held the socks and underwear of her brothers. She carefully stacked three baskets on top of each other and carried them upstairs to the second floor and sat down the basket outside of the right room. Then she went downstairs and got three more baskets and brought them upstairs and placed them outside the correct room. She made one last trip and got the sock and underwear basket. She sat that one outside of Scott's room. She went to her own room and picked up her basket and put away her clothes and towels.
After she'd finished her laundry chores, she began to work on cleaning her rooms. She started in the sitting room. She folded the blankets and placed them in the coffee table that served as a storage compartment for the blankets. She kept her favorite throw blanket draped casually over the back of her chair. She got some furniture polish and a rag and wiped down all of the hard surfaces. Then she went to her room and dusted everything in sight including the baseboards. She got the vacuum cleaner and vacuumed both the sitting room and her bedroom. Next was the bathroom and then she was done.
She went and sat out on the balcony and wondered where her brothers were. She looked down at the pools and couldn't see anyone. She walked down the stairs and headed for the kitchen. She found her grandma in there but she hadn't seen the boys. Sam sighed and grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and went for a walk along the beach. She reached the point that she had been to the night before and sat down and let the sound of the water lapping up on the shore relax her. She found herself at this part of the beach quite often during the summer break from school.
Finally realizing the time she got up and walked back to the house. She had just walked up on the pool deck when her grandma saw her.
"Lunch time, Sam," she called. Sam walked towards her and let her know that she was going to go and wash up and then she'd be down for lunch. By the time she got back her brothers were all sitting down. Sam took her place between Virgil and John.
"Did you guys find your laundry? I put the basket with socks and underwear outside of Scott's room," she said as she spooned up some potato salad that her grandma made.
"Thanks for doing our laundry," said her brothers. Virgil looked at her guiltily.
"It's alright Virgil," she said as she looked at him. "It wasn't that big a deal."
When she'd eaten her lunch and cleared her dishes, she went back to her room. She opened her windows and closed and locked both doors and collapsed across her bed. In just a few moments she was sound asleep. She didn't hear her brothers whispering outside her windows and she didn't hear Gordon pop out a screen. Scott boosted Alan through the open window and then Alan went to the balcony door and unlocked it for the other four brothers to enter. Silently they surrounded Sam and John reached out and gently shook her.
"Sam, wake up," he called. Sam rolled away from him and continued to sleep. He tried again.
"Sam, come on I need you to wake up," he called a little louder. Sam rolled back over and opened one eye.
"What do you want?" she asked. She wasn't aware of her other brothers in the room yet.
"We have a surprise for you," he said.
"We who?" she asked. She was still sleepy and wasn't following him very well. She gave up and closed her eye and went back to sleep.
"She's almost as bad as Virgil," commented Scott. He reached over and pulled Sam into a sitting position.
"Come on, Sam," he coaxed. Sam looked up at him blurrily.
"Scotty, I wanna sleep," she whined. She tugged out of his grasp and fell back on her bed. Her brothers looked at each other and shrugged. Scott reached out and picked Sam up and flipped her upper body over his shoulder while holding her legs against his chest.
"SCOTT PUT ME DOWN!" she yelled as he began to carry her out onto the balcony. Their other brothers followed behind him.
"JOHN GLENN TRACY! I'm going to get you for this," she shrieked as Scott continued across the pool deck. "GRANDMA, MAKE THEM PUT ME DOWN!"
Grandma came outside just in time to see her grandkids walk across the pool deck and up to the path leading to the hangars. Sam was thrown over Scott's shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She was hitting him on the back of his legs demanding that he put her down immediately.
"Would you knock it off, Sam?" he asked politely. "You're giving us all a headache." Realizing that he wasn't about to put her down this way she switched tactics.
"Careful, Scott, she's up to something," warned John. He had been paying attention and was aware of the pause but even he wasn't prepared for what came next.
"You know, Scott, I can kind of see what Brook was talking about in the girls' room. You do have a nice tight butt," she giggled. She knew if anything would make him put her down that comment would be it. Virgil, John, Gordon, and Alan all began to choke at her comment and Scott turned bright red and quickly put her down. Once she was on the ground, she tried to run off. Scott was prepared for her attempt and reached out and grabbed her arm.
"Let go," she demanded.
"Sam, we just want to show you something," he said as he fought to keep his grip on her arm. He dragged her to the hangar and pushed her in front of her motorcycle. She gasped when she looked at it. Her brothers had repainted her motorcycle and cleaned all of the chrome on it. It looked brand new. John and Virgil led her over to the storage lockers and opened the one she used. Inside was a new set of riding gear. They had chosen her favorite colors of blue and white. There was even a new helmet and gloves on the top shelf. She turned around and looked at her brothers.
"Why?" she asked.
"This is for all you do for us," Scott said. The others agreed with him. Sam looked back at her cycle and over at the riding gear and reached out and hugged the two brothers that were closest. The rest of them joined in and soon there was a big Tracy pile in the hangar.
"Thank you," she said as she looked at her five wonderful brothers that sometimes drove her crazy. She ran over to the locker and grabbed her gear and went to the office and changed quickly. She stuffed her regular clothes in the locker and checked over her bike. She checked the oil and the fuel and the air pressure in the tires. Satisfied with everything she put her helmet and gloves and started her cycle. Moments later she raced out of the hangar.
"Do you think that she liked it?" asked Scott sarcastically. "So do we join her?" They all ran to their lockers and changed into their riding gear and soon they were all racing to catch up to Sam. They all spent the rest of the afternoon racing along the trails. Hours later they were back at the hangar and parking their cycles. They refueled them and changed back into the regular clothes and put their riding gear into their lockers. Together they all headed to the house. Dinner was a bit more subdued. All of them were tired from racing and wanted to take a shower and relax.
The summer passed by quickly and Sam held true to her promise. She never mentioned anything to anyone about what she'd seen in the room past the laundry room. She and John received phone calls from Alex and Catie. At least once a month, Jeff flew Sam to the mainland either alone or with a brother or two to get some supplies. Virgil went through paints and Sam went through her photography supplies and film.
They all enjoyed this summer because they knew that next summer would be the last one that Scott would be home with all of them. It was a bittersweet moment when they went back to school. Scott was starting his senior year of high school and Virgil was starting his freshman year. This was their last year at the same school together and they were all aware of it.