Disclaimer: I don't own the TBs or the Tracy family with the exception of Sam.
A/N: I'd like to thank Bluegrass for playing the Devil's Advocate on chapter 21. I don't think I'd ever sweated out a chapter like I did that one or go back and fix that many mistakes. Thanks also to those that take the time to review. Your kind words and helpful advice are always appreciated and treasured.
Chapter 22
August in NYC is hot and muggy, yet the family enjoying a three day trip in the city was so involved in their time together that they never paid attention to it.
"Virgil, is there anything special that you'd like to do for your fifteenth birthday?" asked his dad.
"Well, there is a concert at Radio City Music Hall that I wanted to see," he said hesitantly. He loved classical music but his brothers groaned at the prospect of sitting for a couple of hours bored to tears.
"Dad, can we go?" asked Sam. She wasn't as interested in classical music as Virgil but she enjoyed sharing in activities with her brothers. She had listened to him practice him different pieces on the baby grand piano at home and on a keyboard in his dorm room so she had developed a liking for it.
Virgil looked over at his sister gratefully. He saw their brothers roll their eyes. Sam also saw them and didn't hesitate to playfully cuff the ones closest to her.
"Virgil sits through the things you guys like to do. Why don't you show a little support? After all it is his birthday," she snapped.
"Sorry, Virg, if you want to go to some concert, we'll sit through it just for you," said Scott.
"More like sleep through it," mumbled Gordon. Sam rounded on him and stared him down.
"But we'll go willingly," he amended quickly. Sam patted him on top of his head in a condescending manner. Alan couldn't help but laugh at Gordon's change of heart once Sam stared him down.
"Smart move, little brother, I'd hated giving you a wedgie where everyone could see," she said quietly. Gordon's hands went back to the back of his pants. The rest of the family laughed at his reaction. Some of the brothers laughed in sympathy because they'd been on the receiving end of Sam's wedgies in the past and she knew just the right way to jerk to cause the most uncomfortable feelings.
"Alright, let's go to Radio City Music Hall and purchase the tickets," said their father. "Then we'll go back to the hotel and grab a bite to eat. Later we'll dress in our finest and enjoy a night out on the town." His children cheered at his plan. Virgil walked up to Sam and whispered a soft thank you. His eyes were sparkling as he thought of the music that he'd be hearing in just a little bit. Sam grabbed his hand and held it in hers. They walked with their family to purchase their tickets and soon they were heading back to the hotel.
They had just been served their lunch in the hotel restaurant when some photographers managed to get by hotel personnel and began to take pictures of Jeff Tracy and his family. Security hurriedly convened on the scene. Some surrounded the Tracy family and escorted them away while others escorted the photographers out of the restaurant and the hotel. The hotel manager apologized and offered to have their meals sent to their rooms.
"There is no need for that. We are quite comfortable right here," Jeff said. He had gotten used to being recognized but it still shocked his children and he knew that they'd have to get used to it because of who they were. Scott had immediately held onto Gordon and Alan when the photographers had descended on the table. John and Virgil had closed ranks around Sam. Jeff had stood between his children and the photographers.
After security had taken care of the photographers, the Tracy family was escorted back to their table. Their table had been cleared and reset. The manager had the chef bring out replacement meals for the family courtesy of the hotel.
"Dad, is it always like this for you?" Sam asked as she glanced over her shoulder nervously. She didn't mind most interruptions that people made to talk to her dad but this experience unnerved her a bit. John and Virgil sensed her nervousness and drew their chairs closer to her. Jeff looked over at her and was startled to see that his strong-willed and fiery daughter looking nervous and agitated.
"Normally, they keep their distance," he said. "I guess this time they couldn't resist getting all of you. I have tried to shield you from that kind of experience but I feel that as you get older you'll be more of their focus." Sam shook her head and looked down at the table.
"I don't like being rudely interrupted like that," she stated. She reached out to get her water glass and was surprised at how much her hand shook. Not trusting herself, she quickly set it back down and put her hands in her lap. John and Virgil each reached under the table and gave her a reassuring squeeze. Scott, Gordon, and Alan had already put the whole incident behind them and were concentrating on their meals.
"May I be excused, Dad?" Sam asked quietly. Her appetite was ruined and she wanted nothing more than to be in her room and away from prying eyes. Jeff looked at her and nodded his okay. Sam placed her napkin on her plate and stood up. She quickly left the restaurant and made her way to the elevator. John and Virgil each made a move to follow her. Their father put his hand out to stop them.
"Leave her alone," he said as he looked at each of them. They turned their attention back to their meals and quietly ate. When they were done, Jeff gave them permission to leave the table. Scott decided to have a cup of coffee with his dad and Gordon and Alan opted to have some dessert. John and Virgil all but ran to the elevators. Once the elevator doors were closed they looked at each other.
"That really bothered Sam, didn't it?" asked Virgil.
"She hates strangers pushing around us," John admitted. "That's why she has never been big on going to amusement parks. She hates big crowds." When they got to their floor, they ran down the hallway to John and Sam's room. He quickly unlocked the door and walked in with Virgil on his heels. They looked around but didn't see Sam.
"SAM, where are you?" called John. That was when he noticed the balcony door open. He walked towards it and went out. Sam was at the far end of the balcony looking out over the city. He and Virgil walked up to her. John wrapped his arms around her and felt her shaking in his arms. She looked up at Virgil with a haunted look in her eyes.
"Sam, are you alright?" he whispered. She continued to stare at him with that same haunted look.
"It was kind of like Mom's funeral," she said brokenly. She remembered seeing photographers hiding behind trees and cars. They had intruded on the Tracy family's privacy on what was one of the hardest and saddest days of their lives. She remembered the next morning and seeing her dad's newspaper on the table. On the front page was a picture of the family at the graveside. Sam was in her wheelchair with John next to her. Alan was sitting on her lap and Gordon was on her other side. The rest of the family was around them.
"Why can't they just leave us alone?" she asked angrily. "How would they like it they were interrupted when they were having lunch with their family? Or if they'd just lost a loved one, how would they like it if someone just started taking pictures of them on one of the saddest days of their lives?" She walked back into the room and began to pace around the room. John and Virgil sat down on one of the beds and watched her. A knock on the door startled them. Sam walked over to it and looked out the peephole. When she saw that it was her dad, she opened the door.
"Hi, Dad," she said as she went back to pacing around the room. Jeff watched her for a few minutes and then looked at his sons. They shrugged their shoulders and continued to watch Sam.
"Sam, can you stop for just a few minutes?" asked Jeff. Sam immediately stopped and sat down on the empty bed. She looked down at her hands and waited to hear what he had to say.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked quietly. She shook her head and slowly looked up at her dad.
"No, I don't want to talk about it. I want them to leave us alone," she hissed. "We have never done anything to them and I don't appreciate them ruining our family time or intruding in our personal lives." Jeff was stunned at her reaction. He never saw the newspaper the morning after Lucy's funeral so he didn't understand Sam's reaction.
"Sweetie, they do it because they make a living that way," he said. "It's not a lifestyle that neither you nor I can understand or want to live but they have to support themselves somehow."
"That's a load of crap Dad," she continued. "They splashed pictures of us on the saddest day of our lives on the front pages of a newspaper. They could have been respectful of how feelings and gave us that one day alone to grieve. Did they? No, they hid behind trees and cars and took pictures of us crying just so they could make some money. They cheapened our pain to advance their status as the one who got the Tracy family grieving." Jeff, Virgil, and John looked at each other and back at Sam.
"I didn't know that they had been there," said Jeff softly. Now he understood her negative reaction and why she left the table in such a hurry. The photographers had intruded on her family again and brought back some bad memories. He walked over to her and pulled her against him. She briefly held herself stiff and then sagged against him.
"Why can't they just leave us alone?" she asked as she held onto him.
"I know you have reason to not like or trust them but they aren't going to go away," he said quietly. "I've been in the public eye in the past and now I head a multi-billion dollar corporation. The interest is there especially when my children are spotted out in public with me." Jeff held her close for a few more minutes and then leaned back to look at her. She looked back at him and sighed.
"Now where is that strong-willed girl of mine hiding?" he teased. She grinned at him and winked.
"She's right here and she is currently upset that her lunch was ruined and now she's hungry," she teased back.
"Order something and have it brought up here," he said as he stood up. "I have to go find out what Gordon and Alan are up to." Virgil got up and went to sit next to Sam while John quickly called down and ordered her lunch. He ordered what she had chosen in the restaurant. After he had placed her order, he also sat down next to her.
"Sam, are you alright?" Virgil asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine just thoroughly irritated that people like that assume that they have a right to bother others," she sighed. She scooted up on the bed until she had her back against the wall. John and Virgil followed her and sat on either side of her. John held her hand in his and Sam leaned her head against Virgil.
"That concert that we're going to tonight, what music is going to be featured?" asked Sam.
"A bit of everything," answered Virgil. John looked at both of them and pretended to yawn.
"What's that mean?" asked Sam.
"Boring," John teased. He enjoyed Virgil's music as much as Sam and was looking forward to the concert. He just wasn't sure if he'd like the composer but he was supportive of Virgil and he really wanted to go for his birthday.
"Yeah, right, John," Sam said. "You like the music as much as I do. Though I prefer the private concerts we get at home in the comfort of the lounge." Virgil blushed a little and tried to hide it. A knock on the door got their attention. This time John answered the door and room service brought in Sam's lunch. John handed her the tray and she stayed on the bed and began to eat. The aromas were causing her brothers' mouths to water. Soon she was sharing her meal with them. She had ordered a Cobb salad and luckily for the boys it was huge. For dessert they shared a large slice of apple pie. When they were done eating Virgil set the tray on the nightstand and all three of them slid down on the bed and dozed off.
Sam was in the shower when the phone rang next to Virgil. He jumped up and answered it.
"Hello," he answered. He listened for a few minutes and hung up. John looked over at him questioningly.
"Dad says it's time to get ready. Tuxedos and the whole bit," he said. John nodded and got up. Virgil hurried down the hall to his and Scott's room. Gordon and Alan had the room between their oldest siblings. Jeff's was next to Sam and John's room.
"Sam, how much longer are you going to be?" John called through the door. Sam opened the door.
"Just a few more minutes and then I can finish up out there so you can get your shower," she replied. She had bought a new formal gown and had it delivered to the island during the summer. No one except Tin-Tin had seen it. It was a long white strapless gown with blue trim and a matching shawl. It was form fitting and flared out around the bottom. She had a pair of high heeled shoes that matched the blue of the shawl. She decided to leave her hair down. After she'd put on her shoes she walked out into her room with her makeup kit. John was watching something on the television when she came out of the bathroom. He looked over at her and shook his head in disbelief.
"What's wrong?" she asked as she looked down at her dress.
"Sam, you get more beautiful each year," he said as he stared at her. "I can see Mom's features coming out a bit but you are so definitely Samantha." She grinned at him and blushed.
"Thanks Johnny," she replied quietly. "I'm glad that you aren't saying that I look just like Mom. I want to be known for me even though I loved Mom and I always will, I can never take her place. Does that make sense?"
"Sam, it makes perfect sense and Mom understands," he said as he headed to the bathroom. She sat down at the vanity table and began to apply her makeup. She had just finished when John walked over to her.
"Can you tie this thing for me?" he grumbled. "I hate ties." Sam stood up and fixed his tie for him and helped him with his cufflinks. He in turned wrapped her shawl around her shoulders.
"May I escort you to the limo?" he asked as he offered her his arm. She took it.
"Yes, you may, dear brother," she replied. Together they went out into the hallway. Scott and Virgil had just come out of their room with their ties undone.
"Sam?" She didn't even need to say anything. She walked up to them and fixed their ties and helped them with their cufflinks like she had John.
"Scott, what are you going to do when you go off to college?" she asked. "It's not like I'll be able to help you over that distance."
"I'll have to find a woman that is willing to help me," he teased back. Gordon and Alan joined them in the hall and Sam repeated the process. Virgil had not said anything since he'd come out into the hallway. Sam looked over at him and noticed that he was staring at her.
"Virgil, what are you staring at?" she asked nervously. He blinked and focused on her and their brothers.
"Sorry, Sam, but you look stunning," he said quietly. Scott, Gordon, and Alan quickly agreed.
"You look so much like Mom except for your blond hair and blue eyes," Scott offered.
"Thank you, Scott," she said graciously. The six of them walked to Jeff's room and knocked on his door. He must have been waiting on them because the door opened instantly. He looked over his children and was pleased with how good they looked in their finest. Samantha looked stunning in her gown. She no longer looked like his little girl. She was definitely a young woman and a beautiful one at that.
"Let's go," he said as he watched John and Virgil step up on either side of Sam and offered her their arm. She took both and they walked down the hall with Gordon and Alan behind them. Scott and Jeff were at the back of the group.
"Dad, can you believe how much Sam looks like Mom?" asked Scott.
"She does look like her. I can't disagree with you on that but there is something about Sam that definitely makes her unique," replied Jeff. They ended that conversation as they all got onto the elevator. Jeff had a limo waiting on them just outside the hotel doors. John helped Sam get in and then followed her. The rest of the family climbed in after the twins. They were all in good spirits as they were driven to Radio City Music Hall. Once they got there they quickly went to their seats. Soon the house lights dimmed and the first notes from the symphony began. Virgil was swept away as the music flooded over him. Sam looked over at him and smiled softly at the peaceful expression on his face and the sparkle in his eyes.
When the concert was over the family got back into their limo and were taken back to hotel. The children sleepily walked to their rooms. Jeff checked in on all of them a half hour after they said goodnight. John opened the curtains covering the windows so that the sky could be seen. He carefully locked the balcony door and the main door. He looked over at Sam and smiled as he saw that she'd fallen asleep. He climbed into his own bed and reached out and shut off the lights.
"Goodnight, Sam," he whispered. He rolled over and looked out at the summer sky. He slowly drifted off to sleep.
The next morning was a busy one for the family. Jeff had decided to take them to do their school shopping. The afternoon was spent at Liberty Island. Sam took quite a few pictures of her brothers and dad in front of the Statue of Liberty. A security guard was convinced to take a picture of the family together. They ate lunch on an outdoor deck that offered a view of the Hudson River and part of Manhattan. After they'd had lunch they took a tour of the Statue of Liberty. They begged their dad to go into the gift shop. Once inside the six of them quickly settled on a book about the Statue of Liberty and they each picked out a baseball cap with the Statue of Liberty emblazoned on it. Alan picked one out for Tin-Tin and made Jeff promise to give it to her from all of them. They just made it to the ferry as it was making a last call for the return trip.
"Thanks, Dad, that was something that I'll never forget," said Sam as she looked out over the water. Her hair was blowing around her face from the wind. She giggled and quickly pulled her hair back into a ponytail. When they reached the dock, they hurriedly made their way to the SUV that Jeff had rented.
"What are we going to do this evening?" he asked as he looked around at his children. "I hate to say this but I have to take you back to school first thing tomorrow morning. An important meeting has come up and I can't miss it."
"That's alright, Dad, we understand," said Scott. "How about we just stay in tonight and order room service and eat in your room, Dad?" Jeff looked in the rearview mirror and saw his younger children nod their heads in agreement.
"Room service it is," he said. In no time at all, the SUV was entering the underground parking garage.
"We'll order at around 6:30P.M.," said Jeff as his children stood outside their rooms.
"Okay, Dad," chorused his children as they went into their rooms to freshen up and get their stuff ready for tomorrow morning's early departure.
In Virgil and Scott's room:
"Have you seen my sketch book?"
"The last time I saw it was when you had it in your hands."
"That was really helpful. Gracias por nada."
"I think that Sam and John are rubbing off on you."
"Here it is. How did it get in your suitcase?" Scott shrugged and watched quietly as Virgil began to sketch something that had evidently grabbed his attention. Unable to restrain himself, he looked over Virgil's shoulder and gasped. Virgil's head snapped up and caught Scott on his jaw.
"Damn, Virgil, you have a hard head," complained Scott as he rubbed his jaw.
"Why were you standing over me like that?" demanded Virgil as he rubbed the back of his head. He had dropped the sketch pad when Scott startled him.
"I just wanted to see what you were doing. You seemed really taken by an image in your head," he explained. He bent down and picked up the sketch pad and handed it back to his brother. Virgil flipped through the pages until he found the sketch he'd been working on. He held it up so that Scott could see it.
"Virgil, that is…" said Scott.
"What?" asked Virgil.
"Amazing. I don't know why you got all the artistic abilities but this must be part of the reason," he said. "Is that why you were staring at Sam last night. You were comparing her and Mom and planned on doing a sketch with the two of them."
"I hadn't planned on it but I kept envisioning the two of them together and it seems the older Sam gets the more she looks like Mom," he replied. The sketch was of Sam dressed in the gown she'd worn the night before and their mother dressed in her wedding dress. The similarities between the two of them would be hard to miss.
"What are you going to do with the sketch?" Scott asked. Virgil shrugged his shoulders.
"I might use it as inspiration to paint the sketch," he replied. He thought that it'd be a good present for John's sixteenth birthday.
"Um, Virg, could you make a sketch like that for me?" Scott asked. "I really like it and I'd love to have a copy to have in my apartment when I go to Yale and Oxford."
"Yale and Oxford?" gasped Virgil. He knew that Scott had applied but he didn't hear about his acceptance. Scott went to his carryon bag and pulled out two envelopes and handed them to Virgil. Virgil quickly read over them and gave his brother a big hug.
"That's great! Have you told Dad yet?" he asked. Scott shook his head no.
"Not yet. You're the first one that I've told," he admitted shyly. "I'm going to tell everyone tonight when we're having dinner."
"Virgil, are you really alright with this?" Scott asked.
"Scott, I am happy for you. You've worked hard to get to where you are. I'll miss you like crazy but it's not like I can't call you or see you on breaks," he replied. Scott heaved a huge sigh of relief and visibly relaxed at Virgil's words.
"It's time to get to Dad's room," he said as Virgil handed him the acceptance letters. Together they walked out of their room and went to their dad's room. They were the last one's there.
"About time, Scott," grumped Alan. "I'm starving and Dad says we have to wait on you. Next time you're told a specific time can you follow it?" John laughed at Alan's whining.
"Alan, its only 6:31," stated Sam.
"Tell that to my stomach," he continued to complain. Scott grinned at him and gave him a noogie. "Stop it Scott!"
"That's enough boys," admonished their dad. "Write down what you'd like for dinner." He handed out three menus for them to share.
"What are you getting, Sam?" asked John. "Oh, I know grilled chicken, baked potato, and salad." Sam glared at him and went back to looking over the menu.
"Actually, I think I'm going to have the Cobb salad with a glass of iced tea, thank you very much," she said. "And for dessert, I'll have a banana split."
"Wow, she can eat new foods," John said sarcastically. He narrowly missed the pillow that Sam threw at him. He looked at her and stuck out his tongue. This time she didn't miss. Their brothers began to laugh at John's expression when the pillow hit him.
"Nice shot, Sam," complimented Gordon. "You asked for it John and you of all people should know better." Jeff sat back in a chair and watched his children playing. He sipped his ice water and thought how lucky he was to have six children that were so close to each other. No matter what life had thrown at them they had triumphed over it together. He knew that Sam and John talked about their mother even though they thought no one was aware of it. He had heard them sneak out of the farmhouse with Virgil during the winter break. He had watched them walk out to the field from his bedroom window and had seen Sam point something in the sky. He sensed a change in Virgil from that point on.
He grew a bit pensive when he looked at Scott. One more year and then he was off to college. It was still up in the air as to which one. He was proud of how much he'd accomplished the past year. He'd managed to knock out two college courses for his degree. He would be taking two more college classes this year. He was doing all of this while maintaining a perfect grade point average. Jeff just hoped that Scott would be accepted into Yale and Oxford like he'd wanted.
Sighing softly, his gaze fell on John and Sam, who were now making faces at each other. He couldn't believe that they'd be sixteen in just two months. He loved both of them dearly but Sam held a special bit because she was the only girl in the family and he and Lucy didn't even know about her until she was born. She had hidden behind John during the pregnancy. Now they were about to start their sophomore year of high school. Life hadn't been easy on any of the Tracy family but John and Sam seemed to suffer worse. They had been seriously injured in the same avalanche that killed their mother. The next year, Sam and Alan had been injured on the island. Sam's injuries were serious yet again. The next year, John had appendicitis. His appendix was removed before it ruptured thanks to Sam. Her sixth sense had kicked in and she'd gone to check on John in the middle of the night and found him running a fever and complaining of the pain. He'd recovered with no complications. Despite all of these setbacks, they both maintained a perfect grade point average like Scott. They both wanted to go to Harvard and Jeff knew that they'd succeed. John had made him proud when he told him that he'd like to work for NASA as an astronaut. Sam was undecided but he had a feeling that wherever John was she wouldn't be too far behind him.
"DAD!" called Virgil as he shook him. Jeff looked at him and shook his head.
"Sorry. I was thinking," he said.
"The food is here. Scott went ahead and ordered it," said Virgil. The rest of the children were looking at him oddly. He stood up and got his dinner and sat back next to Gordon and Alan. He ate his dinner and listened in on his children's various conversations. Virgil and Sam were discussing the concert from the night before. John and Scott were talking about colleges. Gordon and Alan were, of course, planning a prank. Jeff suddenly shook his head at something that Scott said.
"What did you just say?" he asked as he stared at Scott. Scott could feel the blush creeping up his neck. Nervously, he cleared his throat and handed his acceptance letters to his dad. Jeff read them over and looked back at Scott in awe.
"You did it. You were accepted into both universities," he said. "I'm so proud of you Scott. When did you find out?"
"I received the letters a few days before we left home. I just wanted to break the news at the right time." He looked over at Virgil and Jeff realized that he'd wanted to tell his brother first to get an idea of how he felt. Jeff shifted his gaze to Virgil and was not surprised to see the look of support on his face.
Sam jumped up and grabbed her big brother in a rib crushing hug. Scott worked his arms free and hugged her back.
"Does this mean that you're okay with me leaving all of you?" he asked hesitantly.
"Scott, I'm so happy for you and it's not like we won't see you on holidays and during the summer. You could even come and see us on the weekends." Sam was positively beaming at her brother.
John patted his oldest brother on his back.
"Great job, Scott," he said. "Just remember though that when you head off next fall, I am not carrying all the weight of being the oldest. Expect a lot of calls seeking advice on how to handle this wild lot of brats." John quickly ducked as a barrage of pillows came his way just as he'd expected. Scott laughed at the sight before him.
"You're learning already, John. You must always remember to move fast cus the brats have a way of catching you." Sam looked over at her brothers and winked. She was still next to Scott when he made the comment. Taking advantage of her closeness, she knocked him off balance and onto the bed Gordon and Alan were sitting on. They quickly had him pinned to the bed with the other three soon piled on top of them.
"I give. I give." Was heard through the laughter and they all helped each other up.
"Never underestimate the power of numbers, Scott. You may be the oldest but there are more of us than you," teased Sam. Not one to admit to defeat, Scott reached out with lightning fast reflexes and grabbed Sam around her waist and flipped her onto the bed. He held her down with one hand while tickling her.
"J-j-johnny, help me," she laughed. She was trying everything she could to squirm away from Scott. "Please, Scott, stop."
"Who's in charge of you little monsters?" he asked. Sam looked up at him despite the tears pouring out of her eyes from laughing so hard.
"Dad is in charge. Um, are you sure they didn't make a mistake in sending those acceptance letters to you?"
Scott was caught off guard with that comment and began to laugh at her cheekiness. In retaliation he just tickled her harder.
"S-s-someone please help me!" she gasped as she continued to laugh. John and Virgil jumped on top of Scott and pulled him back.
"Dad has to sleep in this bed tonight. I don't think that he'd appreciate it if Sam had an accident," remarked Virgil.
"Hey, I have been potty-trained for the past fourteen years," shot back Sam.
"That's enough." All of them stopped and looked over at their dad.
"It's time for bed. We'll be leaving by 9:00A.M. Understand?" he asked as he made eye contact with each of them.
"Yes, Sir!" responded six distinct voices. They all gave their dad a hug and walked out into the hallway. Gordon, Alan, Virgil, and Scott gave Sam a hug goodnight outside the room she shared with John. Scott made sure that Gordon and Alan got into their room and waited until he heard the door lock and the chain lock slide closed. He and Virgil went into their room last. Each of the six packed up their belongings and laid out their clothes for the next day.
"Sam, are you excited about going back to school?"
"Yeah, I'm glad that we'll be back but I'm even happier that I'll get to see Alex and Catie. I've really missed both of them. Phone calls are alright but I prefer seeing my friends in person. Want to go on a double date tomorrow?"
"Sure, movie and lunch like always. This year will be better cus now Virg can join us when we go into town." Sam nodded in agreement. She looked over at John with a troubled expression.
"What's wrong, Sam?"
"Do you really think that we're going to have problems keeping our younger brothers in line when Scott goes to Yale? Right now all of us look up to him and it's going to be so weird not having him around. It's more real now that we're growing up with the written proof in front of us. Will we be as strong with one of us away? Will we be as close or are we going to drift off and become like some of our friends and their families?"
John reached out and pulled her to him. She trembled in his arms as the emotions of the night had caught up with her. She and John were more alike than what most thought. Their family was the most important thing to them and the fear of losing one of them even just because they were growing up was difficult for them.
"Sam, it's going to be fine. Scott will only be a few hours from where we are and we have to be supportive of him. This will be his first time away from all of us, too."
A knock on the door startled them and they both flinched. John walked to the door and stood back letting their dad in. He glanced over at Sam and gave an imperceptible nod of his head. Sam looked down at the floor to give herself a moment to collect herself. She was surprised to feel her dad hug her to him.
"I thought that I might be needed in here with the two of you. Scott isn't leaving you forever. He's just going to college and I will make sure that he has transportation to come and see you when his studies allow. I don't think that I'd be far off the mark in saying that I can almost guarantee that his cell phone will be used to check up on all of you constantly." Sam nodded into his chest.
"Thanks, Dad. Mentally I know all of this but since I'm the only girl here I seem to get stuck with all of the emotional junk to deal with. I know this might sound silly but I'm afraid that our closeness to each other will breakdown once we all start pursuing our goals. I don't want our family to be like those of some of our friends."
"Samantha Tracy, I will give you my word that won't happen even if at the holidays and special occasions I have to personally drag a wayward child back to the island we will stay close." Sam began to giggle out the image of her dad dragging Scott back to the island by his ear. John had drawn closer to his sister and dad during the conversation. Jeff had almost forgotten that John was there because he'd been so quiet.
"Do you feel better now?" their dad asked as he looked at both of them.
"Yes, Dad, I feel a lot better," said Sam. He gave his children another hug and left their room. When he got back to his room he got lost in more memories of his oldest three children.
Flashback
"Shh, Sammie, you gonna wake up Johnny," whispered a little voice as his hand reached in between the slats of the crib. He tried to rub his baby sister's face in an effort to soothe her. She turned to his fingers and tried to suck on them. He pulled back and ran to find his mommy.
"MOMMY! Where are you? Sammie's hungwry," yelled Scott as he ran to his parent's room. He pushed the door open and ran to their bed and climbed up on it. He crawled up the middle of the bed and shook his mom's shoulders.
"MOMMY, wake up now! Sammie's hungwry." Lucy opened her eyes and looked at him.
"How do you know she's hungry, Scotty?"
"She tried to eat my fingers and she's cryin'. She's gonna wake Johnny up and he'll be hungwry too." Lucy got out of bed and put on her robe. Jeff got up with her figuring that he'd probably need to give John a bottle. Scott was standing by the crib talking to Sammie.
"Mommy and Daddy are coming Sammie. It's okay now," he said. Sammie and Johnny were both looking over at him. Lucy carefully picked Sam up and took her over to the rocking chair. Johnny started to fuss as soon as Sam was picked up. Scott reached in and touched his face.
"Its okay, Johnny. Sammie is with Mommy," he said. Scott went between his brother and sister making sure that both were alright. Sammie was nursing contently while she stared up at Lucy. Johnny was still fussing and making it difficult for Jeff to change his diaper. Scott grabbed a little toy that belonged to Sam and put it next to Johnny's face. Johnny had turned towards it and quieted down a little.
"Thanks, Scott, now I can get his diaper fastened," said Jeff. He finished with the diaper change and fastened Johnny's outfit. He picked him up and took him to Lucy.
"Scotty, you are such a good big brother," said Lucy as she looked over at her firstborn. Scott grinned with pride. He reached out and touched the side of Sammie's head. She stopped nursing and looked over at him and smiled. Scott's eyes grew big as he watched her.
"She smiled at me Mommy. Sammie smiled." Sammie had turned her attention back to Lucy and began to nurse again.
Present
Jeff sighed as he thought back to that day. Scott had always been there for all of his brothers and sister. It was going to be hard on them when he went away to school but at least Sam and John would be there to help out. Suddenly aware of the late hour, he went to bed after setting his alarm.
"Gordy, it's time to get up and get your shower."
"Go way, Alan. I'm trying to sleep."
"Fine, go ahead and stay in bed. I'm going to get Scott." A sudden slam of a door let Gordon know that Alan had done just as he threatened. Groaning as he stretched, he looked around the room and got up. He had just walked into the bathroom when a cold glass of water was poured over his head. Before he could turn around, Alan had run out of the room and knocked on John and Sam's door. He could hear one of them stumble to the door and fumble with the locks. As soon as the door was open, Alan pushed his way in and quickly shut and locked the door behind him. John glared at him sleepily before stumbling back to his bed.
"Good morning Sunshine," said Alan innocently.
"What'd ya do now?" asked John as he tried to go back to sleep. Sam was on the other bed curled up into a ball and facing away from them.
"Why does everyone always think that I've done something when I just come to visit?" he asked in a hurt tone.
"Because you normally have done something. That's why." He looked over to where Sam was stirring in her sleep.
"You better get back to your room before you wake Sam up. She didn't sleep well last night and will not be in the best of moods," warned John. A loud pounding on the door caused Sam to jump up in her bed just as Alan ran to the side of her bed and dropped to the floor. John sighed and went to open the door. Gordon shoved his way in and glared around the room.
"Where is he?" he demanded. John pointed to the side of Sam's bed. Gordon stomped his way over and jumped on top of Alan.
"GET OFF OF ME!" he yelled. Sam had finally got to the end of her patience with the Terrible Two. She stood up and walked around the side of the bed until she was standing behind them. She reached down and jerked both of them to their feet and then grabbed each of them by their ear and pulled them to the door. John opened it for her and watched as their baby brothers begged and pleaded for her to let go. Scott and Virgil had heard the commotion and looked out into the hallway just in time to see Sam pulling Gordon and Alan by their ear to their dad's room. Sam kicked the door and waited until their dad answered. He was shocked to see the scene before him. Sam shoved the two boys at their father and followed them all into the room.
"What's going on here?" their dad demanded. Gordon and Alan began to speak at once until Sam glared at them.
"They barged into my room and woke me up. Dad, will you please give them a talk about respect and courtesy? Or at least give me the okay to beat the crap out of them for waking me up an hour before I had to," she said.
"Go back to your room, Sam. I'll deal with these two." Sam opened the door and went back to her room. She had to wait until John opened the door for her. As soon as she shut and locked the door, she stumbled back to her bed and fell across it and went back to sleep. John watched her from his bed with an amused expression. He knew that they'd have no problems keeping Gordon and Alan in line when Scott went off to college next year. In fact, Gordon and Alan had better watch out for Sam. After a few minutes of reflecting on the future, he got up and went to take his shower. By the time he was done Sam was awake and waiting for her turn.
"Morning," he said as she walked past him. Her only response was a grunt. He shook his head, thinking that Gordon and Alan were still in for some problems. Thirty minutes later Sam was out of the shower and more awake.
"Good morning, John," she said as she packed up some last minute things. John already had all of his stuff ready to go.
"Are you done grunting at me?" he teased. Sam looked at him with a funny expression.
"What are you talking about?" she asked.
"I said good morning to you earlier and you grunted at me," he explained. "You are aware that the brats woke me up first?"
"Sorry for being rude. I don't think that they'll pull that stunt again," she said.
"Probably not since you pulled their ears," he laughed at the image in his head.
"Come on you two. Time to get your stuff down to the SUV," called a voice from the other side of the door. They each grabbed their stuff and took it to the hallway. Scott and Virgil had just come of their room and into the hallway. Mumbling could be heard from Gordon and Alan's room just moments before they came out with all of their stuff. Jeff did a check of each room to make sure that nothing was left behind.
Before long the SUV was loaded and they were heading back to school. Gordon kept glaring at Sam whenever she'd look in his direction.
"Who do you think you're glaring at you little brat?" she demanded.
"Samantha, knock it off," warned their dad from the driver's seat. Gordon gave her a satisfied smirk and looked away. Alan stayed quiet and looked out of the window. Sam casually stretched her arm along the back of the seat that she, John, and Gordon were on. Once her arm was in position, she quickly popped Gordon in the back of his head and moved her hand back to her lap just as he yelped.
"Samantha Michelle Tracy, I'm not giving you another warning. Leave Gordon alone."
"Yes, Sir."
The rest of the drive to their school was quiet and uneventful. When Jeff had parked the SUV, Sam was the first one out. She grabbed her stuff and hurried up to her room. Once she got inside, she shut and locked the door behind her. She laid her suitcases and garment bags on her bed and opened up her window. She grabbed her garment bag and hung it up in her closet. She unzipped it and pulled out her school uniforms and then zipped it back so that her dresses would be protected. She unpacked her suitcase and stored it in her closet. She was just getting ready to open her door so that she could retrieve the rest of her stuff when someone knocked. Opening the door, she saw her dad standing there. He pushed her back into the room and shut the door.
"I don't know what has gotten into you young lady but you'd better lose the attitude," he said.
"Yes, Sir," she responded meekly. She knew that she was being difficult but she was still angry with her brothers. "May I go get the rest of my stuff?"
"Yes, you may."
She ran down the stairs and out to the SUV. She grabbed her storage tote that contained her stereo, laptop, and bedclothes. Not to mention all of her toiletries. Realizing that she also had to carry her backpack and her carryon bag, she set the storage tote down and was surprised to feel someone hug her from behind.
"Hi, Beautiful," was whispered in her ear. She spun around and faced her boyfriend.
"Alex! I missed you so much this summer," she replied. Alex looked around and after seeing the coast was clear, leaned into Sam and gave her a kiss.
"I missed you too," he said. This time Sam leaned forward and gave him a kiss. "Do you need some help getting this stuff to your room?"
"You wouldn't mind helping me?" she asked.
"Of course not but I will expect a payment later in the form of a date and some time with my girlfriend," he teased.
"I think that can be arranged," she teased back. Alex picked up her backpack and the storage tote. Sam grabbed the various shopping bags from her shopping spree the day before and her carryon bag. They were just entering the lobby when Jeff got off the elevator. He seemed surprised when he saw Alex.
"Dad, you remember Alex my boyfriend," she said as they approached each other.
"Hello, Alex."
"Hello, Mr. Tracy."
"Sam, is there anything else left in the truck?"
"No, Sir. I think that everyone got their stuff out."
"Okay, I'm off to those meetings. Call me if you need anything and don't forget your allowance will be increased a bit this year if you need anything. Take care and I'll see you in a couple of months for your birthday."
"Have a safe trip, Dad." He turned and went out to the SUV. Sam and Alex took the elevator to the third floor and Sam's room. All of her brothers had their doors closed when she walked by them. Alex followed her into her room. Sam shut the door behind him and locked the door. Alex put down the stuff he'd carried up for her and she put down all of her bags. Alex looked at her and thought that she'd gotten more beautiful over the summer. Without a word he reached out and hugged her to him. She leaned against him and was amazed at how much she'd missed him. She looked up at him just as he gazed down at her. Softly, he kissed her on the lips. He backed away to see if she still felt for him the same as before she went home. Seeing nothing but a twinkling in her blue eyes, he leaned down and kissed her with a bit more feeling. She responded in kind and soon they were lost in their kiss.
"Sam, are you in there?" called one of her brothers from the hallway. Reluctantly Sam broke off the kiss with an apologetic smile at Alex. He set about hooking up her stereo and laptop as she answered the door. Virgil and John came in and both looked surprised to see Alex in their sister's room. Sam had begun to put away her clothes and school supplies.
"What do you guys need?" she asked as she continued to organize her room. Once all of her clothes were put away, she made her bed and hung up the paintings Virgil had given her. Her memory board was the last thing that she hung up next to her desk.
"I wanted to know if you still planned on going into town today?" asked John.
"Yes, I want to spend some time doing something fun before classes resume Monday. Are you going Virgil?" she asked.
"Yeah, Dad turned in my consent."
"Well, do you want to tag along or do you have something else that you'd rather do?" she asked.
"I don't know. I don't want to be a third wheel while you all are sitting with your boyfriend or girlfriends. I might catch up with you for lunch though."
"Have you seen Catie yet?" asked Sam.
"Yeah, she is looking forward to going out," John replied as he began to blush. Catie had been a little too excited to see him and both had been left a bit breathless after her kiss. Sam looked at her twin with a knowing gleam in her eye.
"We'll see you later."
"Bye." Sam closed the door behind them and locked it again. Alex had walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her and held her close. She turned her face towards his and kissed him again. Without breaking the kiss she turned to face him and the kiss got a bit more heated. Alex suddenly broke off and stepped back.
"Sam, I think we'd better stop this before we do something that your brothers and dad will hurt me for," he said huskily. Sam agreed with him and went to her door and opened it.
An hour later, Catie, John, Sam, Alex, Scott, and Brook were at the movie theater. None of them sat in the same row but each of them knew that the other was more interested in their boyfriend or girlfriend than in the movie. As soon as the movie was they all went out for a late lunch. Virgil was waiting for them as they left the theater. He sat between John and Sam at the restaurant. All of them had a good time and were in high spirits when they got back to the dorm. John and Scott escorted Brook and Catie back to the girls' dorm. Virgil, Sam, and Alex headed back to the boys' dorm.
"Do you guys think that Virgil would be upset if we fixed him up on a date? There are a few girls that have mentioned how handsome and talented he is in the dorm," Catie asked.
"I don't think that he'd mind as long as they don't come across as overbearing. But don't forget about Sam. She'll tolerate whoever he chooses to date but don't let that fool you. She will not hesitate to make life uncomfortable for the girl. Sam is devious and very protective as you know," warned John. He was aware that Scott had pulled Brook off to the side.
"Brook, I heard something over the summer that kind of stunned me and I'd like to talk to you about it," he said in a low tone to avoid being overheard. "Have you mentioned anything about us having sex? It seems to have gotten back to Sam and she knows locations and other stuff that only you and I should know." Brook glanced down at the floor and swallowed hard.
"She was the one in the bathroom in the girls' dorm wasn't she?"
"Yeah, she was and she overheard everything that was said. Brook, do you know how embarrassing that was for me when she mentioned it? I'm supposed to be a role model for them and then they hear about me having sex at school. I can't legitimately say anything to them if they choose to have sex when they are seventeen because then I'd be a hypocrite. I'm asking you to keep our private business private."
"I'm sorry Scott for any embarrassment," she said. He kissed her goodbye and walked back to his dorm with John.
Scott and John had just got off of the elevator when they heard a scream from Sam's room. They ran down to her room and cautiously opened her door. She was standing by her desk shaking.
"Sammie, what's wrong?" Scott demanded. Sam slowly turned around and held out one of her scrapbooks that she'd been working on for their dad as a Christmas present. Each page had been marked on and comments had been written on the sides.
"Who did this?" he asked quietly. He could see all the work that had gone into the making of the scrapbook not to mention the professional quality of the photos. Sam had developed a great sense of capturing the moment in each of her pictures.
"They're all ruined. Six months of putting them together and in one day they are all ruined. I can't have them done again in time for Christmas," she said with her head down as she sat in her desk chair. Scott and John looked at each other. Without saying a word to Sam they ran out of her room and down to Gordon's.
"Open up Gordon," they called. Gordon opened the door and smirked at them.
"Hi, what's up?" he asked. John grabbed him and shoved him against the wall.
"Why the hell did you destroy those scrapbooks that Sam's been working on for months for?" he growled as Gordon tried to pull his hands off of him. "You had better have the originals here in this room or I'm going to beat the shit out of you. Sam is in her room crying because of the loss of an important gift she'd planned on giving Dad for Christmas.
"S-s-she was giving them to Dad?" he stuttered.
"Yeah, and she'd spent the last six months getting pictures gathered that showed all of us from babies to now. Each book represented one of us."
Gordon looked shocked at this news. John let him go and watched him walk over to his closet and pull out his suitcase. Inside the suitcase lay the six scrapbooks that Sam had so lovingly put together for their dad to look at when they were all grown up. Gordon picked them up and walked out of his room and went to Sam's. His heart was in his throat when he saw her sitting there crying over her vandalized 'books'.
"Sam, please don't cry," he said as he walked towards her. "Here are your books. The ones you have were fakes. I'm sorry but I was just playing around. I didn't know how much work you'd put into each one of those." Sam looked up as he handed her the six scrapbooks.
"Thank you for returning them, Gordon," she said quietly as the tears continued. "Please leave now." She turned her back on him and set the books on her desk. Gordon stood there with his hands in his pockets. Scott and John had watched everything and wondered how this was going to be fixed. Sam quietly pulled a squirt gun out of her desk without her brothers being aware. She suddenly turned around and sprayed Gordon. He let out a cry of surprise as John and Scott jumped back to avoid the spray.
"The next time you think that you can play a prank on me like that you'd better think again," she giggled. Gordon put his hands up in surrender.
"I give up. You are the queen of pranks," he said. He shook his head at being fooled by his sister yet again. Sam got up and hugged Gordon on her way to empty the squirt gun.
"I don't want to be the queen of pranks. I'm just letting you know that I am very much aware of everything you say and do when you try to sneak in my room." She said as she mopped up the water with an old towel.
John and Scott laughed at Gordon's confused expression. Not knowing what to say he went back to his room.
"Spill it Sam, how did you know that he was in here?" asked Scott. Sam pointed up on her bookshelf. A red light could be seen flashing from between the books. Scott walked over and pulled out Sam's camcorder.
"I knew the little bugger would want to get even after this morning so I began to think of ways to counter his prank. I just happened to see you guys coming into the dorm and listened for the elevator. Once I heard the door open I screamed and the rest you know."
"John, all those little pranks that happened when we were little…" Scott looked over at Sam.
"Sam was the mastermind. Unfortunately, she taught Gordon as well. We didn't know that he'd pay attention," he admitted. Sam looked up with a mischievous gleam in her eye. Scott instantly became weary.
"Did you have a nice chat with Brook today?" she asked pleasantly.
"Fine, why do you ask?" he replied. He was growing more nervous as Sam grinned at him.
"I just hope she keeps "private business private" Scott," she said. Scott stared hard at her. He'd just said those words to Brook not even an hour ago.
"How do you know about my conversation with Brook?" he demanded.
"Now, Scott, what kind of role model are you being?" she asked cheekily.
"SAMANTHA MICHELLE TRACY, HOW THE HELL DO YOU KNOW WHAT I SAID?" he yelled. Sam walked up to him and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and held up her own. Somehow his phone had called Sam's and she'd heard the conversation. John busted out laughing and soon Scott and Sam joined in.