Disclaimer: I don't own the TBs or the Tracy family with the exception of Sam.
A/N: Thanks to all of those that continue to read my story. Lillehafrue, thanks for being such a wonderful friend and loyal reader of the story. Some of your lines that you let me use are really great and humorous.
Warning: There are scenes with sexual content contained in this chapter. May not be suitable for younger readers.
Chapter 30
"Tracy Two to Tracy Island, requesting permission to land."
"Tracy Island to Tracy Two, you are cleared for landing and welcome home."
Scott landed the plane with a slight bump and soon had the plane parked in front of the hangar. Sam and John quickly helped him with the post-flight work while Gordon, Virgil, and Alan unloaded their stuff from the holds and the passenger cabin. They had more to unload due to Sam's frequent shopping trips on the way to see Scott in Connecticut.
"How many pairs of jeans does she really need?" complained Gordon as he pulled out a big shopping bag with blue jeans in them. A sudden thump to the back of his head made him drop the bag.
"OUCH! What did you do that for?" he complained as he rubbed the back of his head.
"For your information some of those are for Tin-Tin," said Sam. "She asked me to pick some up for her while I was out." Sam grabbed the bag as well as her carryon bag and purse. She reached over and picked up her suitcase and carried everything to her room. She made a second trip back for the Christmas presents that she had been buying over the course of the semester. She saw Tin-Tin next to the pool when she came back from grabbing the rest of her stuff.
"Tin-Tin, when you get a minute I have something for you in my room," she called. Tin-Tin ran over to Sam and helped her carry a few of the bags.
"Thanks, those were getting heavy," she said in gratitude for the help.
"It's not that big of a deal," said Tin-Tin. Sam looked at her and smiled.
"Tin-Tin, you have been a wonderful friend to have on this island," Sam said. "You helped me when I was at my worst and didn't leave me despite the fact I tore into you just as much as I did John. I still feel bad for the way I treated everyone when I couldn't do anything for myself."
"Sam, there is nothing to feel bad for. We all understood how hard it was for you," she said in her quiet voice. "I know the real you and that wasn't her." Sam unlocked her balcony door and held it open for Tin-Tin. They sat her stuff down next to the bed. Sam quickly located the bag with the blue jeans in them. She handed a few pairs over to Tin-Tin.
"I picked these up for you during a trip to Connecticut to see Scott," she said.
"Thanks, Sam," said Tin-Tin. She held a pair of the jeans up and nodded. "These will fit perfectly." She gave Sam a quick hug and took the jeans to the apartment she shared with her father. Sam unpacked her belongings and put the Christmas presents in her closet. When she was done she ran downstairs to see her grandma and dad.
"Grandma, what's for dinner?" she asked as she walked into the kitchen. Her grandma turned around and gasped. Sam looked around her and behind her trying to figure out why her grandmother had gasped.
"Samantha, have they been starving you at that school?" she demanded. Sam looked down at herself and chuckled. She was wearing one of Scott's Yale sweatshirts. She had gotten chilled on the plane and Scott had an extra shirt in his carryon and gave it to her. She quickly took the sweatshirt off since she had a t-shirt on underneath it.
"I eat plenty Grandma. I have to so that I can keep my weight steady for cross-country," she replied. "Scott's sweatshirt was just baggy and oversized." She reached out and hugged her grandmother. "I missed you."
"Sit down and I'll get you a snack to hold you over until dinner," ordered her grandma. "We're having salad, smothered chicken, baked potatoes, and steamed vegetables." Sam's mouth started watering at the thought of such a delicious sounding dinner.
"That sounds wonderful," she said.
"What sounds wonderful?" asked her dad as he walked into the dining area.
"Daddy!" said Sam as she jumped out of her chair and grabbed him in a big hug. "I have missed you this semester. It has been chaotic at school with all of the meets for Gordon and me not to mention driving down to see Scott. Oh and grade wise, all of us are doing well. John and I are still tied at the top of our class." She took a deep breath and let it out.
"Slow down, Sam," he teased. He sat down at the table and listened to her chatter away about school as she ate her snack. Soon they were joined by the boys.
"Hi, Dad," they all said as they came through the door. Alan's voice cracked as he greeted their father much to the amusement of the rest of his brothers.
"Just call him Squeaky," said Gordon as he dodged Alan's arm. Jeff shook his head and listened to Scott tell him about the townhouse.
"Dad, that place seems so empty when the brats aren't there and so peaceful when they leave," he said. "I can go to the store once every other week for me but when they come down for the weekend, I have to stock up before they get there and go again right after they leave."
"Well, it is a bit of a change to go from one person to six," said Jeff as he grinned over his son's comments. "How are the SUVs doing for you?"
"Ours is fine," said John. "Virgil has been making sure that it is well maintained."
"Mine is fine too," agreed Scott. "Sam and John seem to be handling the drive to and from school just fine. They called me once to let me know that they weren't coming down cus of the snow that they were expecting."
"I told you that they could handle the responsibility," said Jeff quietly. Only Scott heard him. Grandma gave each of the boys a snack just as Sam finished hers and went out to the pool deck with Scott's sweatshirt in her hand. Scott followed her outside and sat in a lounge chair next to her.
"You alright, Sam?" he asked as she sighed. She looked over at him and smiled.
"I'm fine, Scott," she answered. "I have to give you a lot of credit though."
"For what?" he asked her curiously.
"For managing to keep the five of us in line and maintain your sanity and have a relationship," she replied. "Gordon and Alan have tried my patience this past semester. They volunteered to do the laundry one day that I had a meeting to attend for cross-country. Let's just say that Dad is not going to be happy when he gets the bill for a new washer from school. Not to mention that I had to request a bit more money for replacing the clothes that were ruined." Scott chuckled quietly at his sister's description.
"We don't call them the Terrible Two for nothing," he said. "I'm probably going to regret asking this but what did they do?"
"They had a 'special' bottle of laundry soap that they forgot about," she giggled. "When it came time to do the laundry, they didn't grab the one under my bathroom sink. They grabbed their 'special' bottle that had bright pink dye added to it." Her giggles changed to full-blown laughter at the memory of her brothers carrying a basket of bright pink clothes. The Headmaster had been right behind them when Sam saw them walking down the hallway towards her room. She'd groaned when she'd seen the smirk on Gordon's face.
"Let me guess, the Headmaster was less than pleased with them," he laughed as he listened to her description.
"I really feel sorry for Virgil when John and I leave for college," said Sam when she'd stopped laughing. "At least he only has to deal with it for one year."
"How has it really been this semester?" asked Scott. Sam glanced over at him and pondered her response.
"School wise, it's been the same," she said honestly. "Getting used to not having you around everyday took a bit of getting used to for all of us. Between you and me, I think that Virgil had it the hardest. The rest of us missed having our oldest brother nearby but you and Virg are closer and I know it was harder for him to adjust."
"How do you know that?" questioned Scott.
"He told me," she answered. "Remember, our brothers come to me if they have an emotional type of dilemma to deal with. He spent some of his free time with me in my room while I was studying. My guess is he just needed to be around one of us." Scott stood up and sat on the end of her lounge chair.
"Sam thanks for looking out for him," he said. "I feel a lot better knowing that you are there for him and the rest of our brothers. Who's there for you though?"
"That's easy, Scott," she began, "I have five brothers that I can turn to anytime that I need to. John is always there for me to confide in and he knows me better than anyone in the family. Virgil is the sensitive one that I can talk about emotional stuff or point out a beautiful sunset to. He understands the artistic stuff that I can't quite seem to say. Gordon and Alan are there for me when I need a good laugh or when my headache isn't quite bad enough. They know how to make it worse but I wouldn't trade them for anything. You are my inspiration, Scotty. I know that we butt heads quite a bit but I really admire you and your strength and character. I know that I can always get a reliable answer from you and know that even if you don't agree with something I do or say you still love me and will be supportive of me." She had sat up during their conversation and noticed the blush creeping up his neck. He pulled her into a big hug and kissed the top of her head.
"Sam, you don't know how much that means to me," he said gruffly. "I'm always going to be here for you and our brothers. I do have one request though."
"What's that?" she asked.
"Can you please try to refrain from breaking any bones for the next five to ten years?" he teased. "I don't think this family can handle you being in a cast again." He started laughing at her and she joined in with him. They didn't see the rest of their brothers come out from the kitchen.
"What's so funny?" asked Gordon as he leaned over the back of Sam's chair. She looked up at him and smiled.
"Oh, I was just telling Scott about your sad attempt at doing the laundry," she replied. Gordon and Alan both stared over at Scott nervously. Scott stood up and stalked towards his youngest brothers.
"I wonder if Dad has received the bill for the new washer and if his accountant has told him that Sam had to request an increase on her allowance to replace Virgil's, John's, and her clothing." Gordon looked around at his older siblings and ran off down to the beach. Sam laughed as Alan watched him run off. Virgil and John nodded at each other and quickly surrounded him and picked him up.
"PUT ME DOWN!" he screamed as they carried him to the pool.
"Alright," said John as he and Virgil threw him into the pool. Alan surfaced and glared up at them. "Hey, Alan, you look a little wet."
"Bite me," he muttered. Sam had joined her brothers and was looking down at him when he started to mutter.
"Watch your mouth, little brother," she said as he continued to glare up at them. He muttered something else that he didn't think any of them would hear. Sam suddenly stood straight up and glowered down at him.
"Get out here and repeat that again," she hissed. Alan swallowed hard and swam for the opposite side of the pool and climbed out and ran down the path to the beach. Sam was hot on his heels leaving their brothers dumbfounded. Virgil, Scott, and John took off after them. They got to the end of the path and stopped suddenly. Sam was sitting on top of Alan with her knees pinning his arms down.
"Don't you ever call me a bitch again," she snapped. "Do you understand me? I don't know where you got the idea that it is alright for you to use that word but I better never hear you say it again." She stood up and backed away so that Alan could stand up as well. He saw his older brothers behind Sam and visibly blanched especially when he noticed the murderous gleam in John's eyes. He turned and ran down the beach to get away from them. He knew where Gordon had run off to and he was going to hide there, too, until his brothers calmed down again. Sam looked back at her brothers and ran back up the path and towards the runway. She grabbed her riding gear out of her storage locker and went to the office and changed. She went back out to her motorcycle and got it started and was soon revving it up and racing out onto the trails surrounding the island.
"Is that a motorcycle?" asked Virgil as he looked around at his brothers as they walked back towards the house. Scott and John ran off towards the hangar with Virgil right behind them. They pulled their riding gear on over their shorts and t-shirts and raced out after Sam. They had gotten to the interior of the jungle when they came upon Sam's motorcycle off to the side of the trail and she was leaning against a tree. She slowly looked up as she heard them approach her.
"Sammie, are you alright?" John called over the noise of the three motorcycles.
"I'm fine," she called back. "I just stopped to wait for you to catch up. She jogged over to her bike and put her helmet back on and started the bike. She and her brothers were soon racing over the trails and enjoying their ride. They came up to a sharp turn when Sam and John heard a crash over the noise of their motorcycles. They turned around and saw Virgil lying still on the trail. Scott swerved to avoid hitting him. Sam dropped her bike and ran over to the motionless body of her brother.
"VIRGIL!" She called as she felt for a pulse and sighed with relief when she noticed him looking up at her. She lifted the face shield of his helmet so that she could hear him speak. He grimaced as he made an effort to sit up.
"Lie still," she ordered aware that Scott and John were next to her. "Can you tell me where you hurt?"
"My hand and wrist," he whimpered. The pain radiated through his sensitive features and dulled his lively brown eyes. Sam carefully felt his wrist and looked up at Scott and John. He stifled a cry as she moved it from where he'd cradled it against his chest.
"I think it's broken," she mouthed. Scott realized which wrist was in her grasp.
"Shit," he whispered. Virgil made another move to stand up and this time Scott helped him to his feet. John got Virgil's bike upright and moved it to the side of the trail.
"Virgil, you're going to have to ride back with one of us," said Scott. Virgil sighed and nodded in agreement. He lowered the face shield of his helmet and walked over to Sam's bike. She followed him to her bike and righted it. As soon as she climbed onto the seat she started it and held it steady as Virgil swung his leg over the rear part of the seat and held onto her with his right hand. All the while, he kept his left arm pressed tight against his chest between him and Sam. She drove slowly and carefully back to the house. When she got to the side of the pool deck she parked her motorcycle and waited for Virgil to get off so that she could put the kickstand down and get him to the infirmary.
"Samantha, why is your motorcycle parked on the pool deck?" asked her dad. She looked up at him and nodded towards Virgil, who was heading into the house.
What happened?" he asked.
"He wrecked his cycle," she admitted. "I think that his wrist and hand are broken."
"Will there be a year when one of you isn't in a cast or the hospital?" he snapped. He followed Virgil down to the infirmary just as Scott and John walked up to her. They had already put their motorcycles away.
"Let's go get Virgil's bike," said John as Scott jogged into the house. He put his helmet back on that he'd carried from the hangar. Sam quickly put hers back on and started her cycle again. John climbed up on the back of her bike and held on as she raced back along the trail. When she stopped along side Virgil's bike, he got off of hers and got onto his. Moments later they were riding back towards the hangar. They parked the bikes and jogged down to the house to check on their brother. In her haste to see that he was alright, Sam didn't see Alan until she ran into him and knocked him down.
"What did I do this time?" he demanded as he glared up at her. She ignored him and went to the infirmary. She and John walked into the room and were surprised to see Virgil arguing with their dad and Brains.
"It can't be broken," he snapped. "I can't paint or play the piano with one hand in a cast, especially my left wrist and hand." He looked up at John and Sam and silently pleaded with them to make the diagnosis wrong. Sam walked up to him and sat on the bed next to him.
"I'm so sorry, Virgil," she said softly as he leaned against her. "I wish that I could make it better but you're going to have to accept the fact you are beginning to take after me." He half smiled at her remark.
"Sam, I won't have any way to express myself without painting or my music," he said. Sam gently took his face in her hands and determined blue eyes met sensitive brown eyes.
"We will find a way for you to do what makes you feel better," she stated firmly. "You can use my camera to take pictures now and paint them later when the cast comes off. Not that any of us are in your league but we could play the left hand side of the piano so that you could still have your music." She made it sound so obvious that Jeff and Brains had to chuckle at her solutions. Scott on the other hand knew that Sam and John would make sure that it was done. Jeff ordered them all out so that Brains could take more X-rays and set the broken bones. Sam kissed Virgil on the forehead and gave him a reassuring hug.
"See you in a little bit," she said quietly. She and John walked out of the infirmary with Scott behind them. Gordon and Alan were standing in the hallway when they came out.
"What's going on?" demanded Alan.
"Virgil broke his hand and wrist," answered Scott. "Which he probably wouldn't have done if we wouldn't have gone after Sam. All of which only happened because you called her a bitch and pissed her off." Alan stepped back and winced at the comments his oldest brother had made. Gordon stepped in front of Alan and glowered up at Scott.
"Don't blame him for Virgil breaking his wrist and hand," he snapped angrily. "Besides if Sam wasn't such a baby needing her brothers to protect her then you wouldn't have felt the need to go after her." The words were barely out of his mouth when suddenly he was knocked back against Alan. His hand was on his face and he was staring at John in shock. John was standing there quivering in a silent rage as his blue eyes flashed fire at his younger brother.
"Don't you ever speak about Sam like that again or I'll make your life hell," he threatened in a clipped tone. Gordon glared at him and made a split second decision. Before Scott and Sam could intercede, Gordon launched himself at John and both of them fell to the floor punching each other.
"You friggin brat!"
"At least I don't have my sister protecting me!"
"Gordon and John, you need to stop before Dad comes out here," said Scott as he tried to separate them. Sam grabbed one of John's arms just as Gordon went to punch him. His fist connected with her nose and she slumped to the floor. Instantly the fight ended and all of the boys leaned over Sam as the blood gushed from her nose. Scott rolled her onto her left side in a recovery position and sent Alan to get a wet cloth. Gordon had stalked off towards his room as John tried to help Scott with Sam. Scott looked up at him and shook his head.
"You two really did it this time," he said. "I can't cover for you this time. Your fighting resulted in Sam getting hurt." John looked even angrier and more concerned as Scott accepted the wet cloth from Alan.
"Is she alright?" he asked. Scott just looked up at him and gently picked Sam up and carried her into the infirmary. Brains had just finished taking Virgil's X-rays when he looked up and saw Scott carrying Sam into the infirmary. The blood still running out of her nose. Jeff moved away from the office and demanded to know what had happened.
"Gordon and I were fighting, Dad, and Sam tried to pull us apart and she was punched in the face," admitted John. Jeff looked to Scott for confirmation. Scott nodded and carefully laid Sam on the second bed. Virgil glanced over at her and sighed.
"John, go to your room right now," ordered Jeff. He took the cloth from Scott and gently wiped the blood off of Sam's face. She groaned as began to wake up. Pushing the cloth away from her face, she slowly opened her eyes and looked up into the bright lights of the infirmary.
"What did I break this time?" she muttered. Jeff couldn't help but chuckle at her comment.
"Nothing this time," he replied. "Just a bloody nose and probably a black eye. Oh, and a headache." Sam looked around the infirmary and noticed that John wasn't in there.
"Where's John?" she asked. Scott looked down at the floor and Alan shifted nervously. Jeff looked down at her and frowned.
"I sent him to his room for fighting," he answered. Sam sat up on the bed and then slid off the side. The nosebleed had stopped and now the only signs were the red streaks on her face that her dad had missed and in her hair. She walked towards the door and out of the infirmary when Jeff called out.
"You are not to go and see him, do you understand me?" he called. Sam ignored him and went up to the second floor and keyed in John's code to his room. As soon as the door opened, she was walking towards his bedroom. She found him lying facedown on his bed. She reached out and touched him on his arm.
"John?"
He rolled over and looked up at her.
"Sam, are you alright?" he asked. "Dad wouldn't let me stay with you."
"I'm fine, I just had a bloody nose and of course a black eye," she sighed. "Gordon had one heck of a wallop lined up for you." John scooted over on his bed and Sam sat down next to him, leaning against the headboard. She wiped at the blood on her face with the still damp cloth. She missed more than she hit and John took the cloth from her and gently wiped the remaining blood off of her face.
"Are you sure that you're alright?" he asked again. Sam nodded her head and looked over at him.
"Of course, when Dad finds out that I came in here, I'll be in trouble," she said. John looked at her sharply.
"What do you mean, you'll be in trouble?" he asked.
"He ordered me to stay out of your room because you had been fighting," she said.
"I can see that you don't follow a direct order very well," said a deep voice from the shadows of the sitting room. Jeff's form suddenly materialized out of the shadows as he stared down his son and daughter.
"Samantha Michelle Tracy, when I tell you not to come to your brother's room that is just what I mean," he said. Sam stood up next to John's bed and watched her dad approach her. "Now, go to your room for the rest of the night. You're grounded to your room like John and Gordon for the next two days. I honestly don't know what has gotten into all of you but you'd better snap out of it." He motioned for Sam to leave the room and was surprised to watch her defiantly cross her arms over her chest.
"Sam, don't make this worse," pleaded John. He knew the look on his sister's face and that she was about to clash with their dad in a full-blown Tracy attitude. The only other Tracy's that routinely showed that trait were Jeff and Scott and Alan. The rest of them didn't get angry as quick or as often.
Sam continued to stare back at her dad impassively. Her blue eyes, unblinking and flashing in anger, never wavered as Jeff stared back at her. His brown eyes just as intense as hers. He made a move to grab her arm only to grab onto thin air. She had anticipated his move and easily maneuvered away from him. John was captivated by the battle of the wills being displayed before him even though he knew that Sam wasn't going to win against their dad. He commanded respect and he sure wasn't going to tolerate her behavior for long.
"Samantha, I'm giving you this last warning before I lengthen the time and severity of your punishment that will include being home-schooled for the remainder of this school year," he said quietly which was a sure sign of his anger. Sam shot a look at John and looked down at the floor and lowered her head in defeat. She walked out onto the balcony and over to her own room. Jeff followed her into the room and took her cell phone away and unhooked her computer. She sat on her bed and watched him take away her connections to the outside world.
"Dad, will you please let me know how Virgil is when Brains is done with him?" she asked as she kept her gaze on the floor. The only response that she got was the door closing as he left. She picked up a book off of her nightstand and threw it in the general direction of the door. Evidently, he heard the thump because he keyed in her code and opened the door.
"I'm not telling you again to lose the attitude," he said as he shut the door again. Sam got up and went to the shelf that had the wolf on it and picked it up. She walked back to her bed and laid down cuddling the stuffed wolf next to her and fell asleep. She spent the next two days pacing her room and gazing out of her window. She had no contact with John or Gordon. Alan and Scott brought their meals up to them in rotations. It was through Scott that Sam found out how Virgil was doing.
"He's fine," he answered the first time she saw him. "His arm is in a cast from his elbow to mid-palm." She shook her head and sighed.
"Sam, why did you pull that stupid stunt with Dad?" Scott asked her.
"I don't know why I did it," she admitted. "I just couldn't see him dictating when I could and could not see my twin brother. Then the stupid Tracy attitude kicked in and, well, you and I have gone toe-to-toe a great number of times and you know that neither of us ever back down. Well, Dad is worse than the two of us combined and I still refused to back down until he promised to have me restricted to the island again for the remainder of the school year." She flopped back on the big chair in her sitting room and sighed.
"Well, at least you finally gave in and shut your mouth," said Scott as he headed to the door. Sam glanced up at him and gave a sad smile as he left her room. He felt bad because he knew that he and Alan were her only contacts during her punishment and even they were limited to no more than a few minutes in each room. Sam stared up at the painting that Virgil had done for her and wondered how he was coping with his arm in a cast. She lost track of time as she thought of a memory of her and Scott that soon had the whole family involved.
Scott and Sam:
"Scotty, can you help me?" asked five-year-old Samantha. Scott looked over at his only sister and laughed when he saw what she was wearing. She had on his pee-wee league baseball jersey that fell to her knees and his cleats. His baseball hat covered her eyes and she kept pushing it back.
"What do you need help with, Sammie?" he asked as he squatted down in front of her. She held up the plastic baseball bat and the ball that came with it.
"I can't hit the ball and Johnny called me a sissy," she said. "But, Scotty, I am a sissy. I'm your sissy and Johnny's sissy and Virgie and Gordy and Ally's sissy." Scott shook his head at her lack of understanding of the term and made a note to tell John to be nice to her.
"Let's practice then," he said as he guided her out to the field behind the barn. He paced her a little ways from him and gently tossed the ball in her direction. She swung the bat and missed. After five attempts and placing the baseball cap on backwards, she finally managed to hit the baseball.
"I did it! I did it, Scotty," she cried. She ran up to him so that she could give him a hug but tripped up in his cleats and fell face first on the hard packed ground. She rolled over just as the first tears poured down her cheeks and she tried to stifle her cries as Scott knelt next to her. He helped her sit up and brushed the front of her jersey.
"You're alright, Sammie," said Scott as he helped her stand up. She kept grinning up at him as he led her to the house and into the kitchen. Their mom was sitting at the table, feeding Gordon. Gordon was spitting his food out as he laughed at his mother's exasperated look. She blew her hair out of her face and he responded by blowing his food out of his mouth.
"Gordy, will you please stop spitting your food out and eat?" she pleaded.
"No eat. Swim," he jabbered back to her.
"Mommy, I hit the baseball," Sammie yelled as she walked in the kitchen. Lucy looked up at her and gasped when she saw the blood dribbling down Sam's chin. She dropped Gordon's spoon, which he instantly grabbed and banged down on the tray of his highchair. Lucy picked Sam up and sat her on the counter and told her to stay still.
"MOMMY! I hit the baseball," she cried again. "Scotty helped me hit it so that Johnny won't call me a sissy anymore but I wanna be his sissy cus he's my bestest brother." Lucy wiped Sam's face with a wet cloth so that she could see if she was hurt worse than the bloody lip. Sam jerked away when the cloth touched her lip.
"OWIE! That hurted," she screamed. She kicked her legs and screamed again as her mom wiped at her lip again. John and Virgil came running into the kitchen when they heard her scream. They were followed by their dad with baby Alan in his arms.
"What's wrong, Sammie?" asked John as he looked up at her on the counter.
"I hitted the baseball," she told him matter-of-factly. "So now you can't call me a sissy. But Johnny, I am your sissy and Virgie, Scotty, Gordy, and Ally's sissy." Gordon looked over at her and smiled when she said his name.
"Ammie!" he cried as he banged his spoon on the tray again. Lucy tried to wipe Sam's lip again only to have her scream and kick her legs again.
"What's all the screaming for?" asked Jeff as he looked down at his daughter.
"MOMMY, STOP TOUCHING MY OWIE!" she demanded. She kept turning her head so that Lucy couldn't touch her anymore. Gordon was still banging on the tray but had also managed to pull his bowl of food onto the tray. Scott had just looked over at him when Gordon dumped the bowl of food on his head.
A sharp knock on her bedroom door brought her back to present time.
"Come in," she called as she continued to sit in the dark. Her door opened and she saw her dad backlit by the hallway light. He flipped the switch and turned on the lamp in the sitting room. Sam blinked in the sudden brightness. She shifted positions in her chair and watched him curiously. He sat down on the couch and looked directly at her.
"Samantha, I don't understand this attitude that you've had lately and quite frankly, I'm tired of it," he began. Sam looked down at her hands and frowned.
"I understand that you and John are close but when I tell you not to go to his room and you do it anyway makes me very upset and disappointed in you," he continued. "Your punishment lifts tomorrow morning as does John and Gordon's but only on this one condition, one more direct defiant behavior like the one from the other night you will be home schooled for the rest of the year. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, Daddy," she said quietly. She looked up at him as a single tear fell from her piercing blue eyes that expressed how she felt so readily to those that knew her. She wiped the tear away and looked down at the stuffed wolf in her lap. Jeff followed her gaze and smiled at his daughter. He stood up and walked over to her chair. Sam looked up and jumped out of her chair and threw her arms around his waist and buried her face in his shirt.
"I'm sorry for being such a brat and disrespectful to you," she cried. Her words were muffled but he heard them and knew that despite her behavior she was truly sorry for the way she'd acted. He held her close and was reminded of how little time he had with her and John before they were adults. He could hardly believe that his twins would be eighteen-years-old in less than a year. He kissed her on the top of her head and just held her. They stood that way until Sam started to yawn.
"Go to bed and get some sleep," he ordered gently. Sam nodded at him and picked up her wolf and stumbled to her bed and flopped on it and was soon asleep with the wolf on the pillow next to her.
Early the next morning, she woke to the sounds of someone pounding on her bedroom door. She sleepily walked through her room and the sitting room to open the door.
"Good morning, Sam," said Virgil as he walked into her room followed by Scott, Alan, John, and Gordon. Gordon and John were busy glaring at one another and barely greeted her. Scott shook his head at Sam's questioning glance. After two days of being restricted to her room, she'd had enough. Without warning, she popped both John and Gordon in the back of their heads.
"Would you two please grow up and start acting your age?" she snapped. Virgil and Alan started laughing at the stunned expressions on John and Gordon's faces. Scott just sighed and watched them to make sure that nobody got hurt again. Though they didn't go out of their way to talk, they were at least civil to each other. Sam pulled Gordon aside before they headed downstairs for breakfast.
"Gordon, I know that you didn't mean to hit me the other night," she began. "But if you ever say that I need to be protected by my brothers again, I'm personally going to beat the crap out of you. I've never asked for any of you to protect me and I don't plan on needing to have anyone protect me. I'm quite capable of taking care of myself. One other thing that was one heck of a punch that you nailed me with." She left him standing opened-mouthed as she went to join their other brothers. They all reached the dining area at the same time and noisily. Sam took her normal place between Virgil and John.
"Virgil, how are you handling the awkwardness of the cast?" she asked. Virgil shook his head irritably.
"Using a fork or spoon is darn near impossible and Scott has been cutting up everything bigger than bite size so that I can manage it," he answered. He groaned when breakfast was served. Omelets and sausage and toast. Sam took pity on him and quickly cut his food in manageable pieces. Then turned her attention to her food without saying a word. She joked around with all of her brothers and was relieved that even John and Gordon were behaving normal to each other. When breakfast was over, they all went to the lounge. Virgil went to his piano and pecked at the keys. Sam followed him and sat on his left side and grinned at him. She began to play a tune that he'd taught her when they were younger. It was a piece that required both hands and he automatically began playing with his right hand while she played with her left. Jeff walked into the lounge when he heard the music and smiled at the two playing piano. He was again reminded of how similar Sam was to Lucy. Sam went out of her way to help her brothers with no thought of getting something in return. He went to his desk and read over some paper work as Sam and Virgil continued to run through the songs that Sam knew. Scott was sitting on the couch reading the newspaper while John flipped through a magazine on astronomy and NASA. Gordon and Alan were outside in the pool with Tin-Tin.
On Christmas morning the Christmas tree was standing in front of the windows with presents scattered and piled all around it. The Tracy family and their dearest friends were sitting around the lounge when Jeff suddenly stood up.
"I have someone I'd like you all to meet," he said as he noticed a small airplane fly by. "Follow me down to the runway." Scott, Sam, John, Virgil, Gordon, and Alan all looked at one another and ran after their dad. They had just reached the runway when a man and woman climbed out of the small plane. She was dressed like a fashion model with the only difference being the whole outfit was pink and he was dressed in a uniform. Jeff ran up to them and greeted both of them. The woman looked over at the Tracy children. Alan stifled a laugh as the woman approached them.
"I wonder what color she likes?" he asked Gordon under his breath. Gordon laughed out loud much to his dad's surprise until he saw Alan turning red. He decided to ignore it for now and talk to them later.
"Lady Penelope, these are my children Scott, John, Samantha, Virgil, Gordon, and Alan," Jeff said as he pointed out each of his children. As was their habit, they had arranged themselves in order of age.
"Hello," she greeted them in a rich English voice. "Parker, will you please carry my bags to the rooms that Mr. Tracy has assigned to us for the evening?"
"Yes, Mi'lady," he responded to her command. He picked up her luggage and followed the Tracy's and Lady Penelope down the pathway to the house. Jeff led her to the lounge and Kyrano led Parker to the guest rooms. Lady Penelope looked around the lounge and greeted everyone. Grandma offered to get her some tea as she sat down in one of the chairs scattered around the lounge. Jeff began to pass out the presents from under the tree. A few hours later, the Tracy children were gathered in Sam's room with Tin-Tin.
"Is that the woman you asked me about when I got home?" asked Sam.
"Yes, she is here for a day or so and then leaves again," she answered. "I don't know what she does but I do know that she is in your father's office for much of the time that she is here." Sam and her brothers looked at each other and wondered what was going on with this lady. They shrugged their shoulders because they knew that until their dad told them what was going on they wouldn't find out. A knock on Sam's door startled them. She opened it and stepped back as Jeff stepped in and motioned everyone out but Gordon and Alan. Everyone else went to John's room and sat down in the sitting room to watch a movie.
Meanwhile in Sam's room:
"What was all the laughing for when you were being introduced to Lady Penelope?" he asked. Gordon and Alan glanced at each other and shifted nervously.
"We were just commenting on her outfit," replied Alan. He couldn't help the grin that crept up on his face. Gordon started laughing again as he looked at Alan.
"Will you two please behave when she's here and keep the pink comments to yourselves because if memory serves me well you two like pink enough to dye your older brothers' and sister's clothes a bright pink," he said with a smirk that even Gordon had to admire.
"Some of my underwear still is," Alan mumbled under his breath. Gordon started to laugh again and Jeff even had to cough and hide the smile that was just below his stern demeanor. He quickly left the room and jogged down the stairs to the lounge.
The rest of the holiday break was uneventful. Three days before their break was over, Scott, John, and Sam flew the rest of their brothers back to Connecticut and dropped Scott off at the airport near Yale and then John and Sam flew Virgil, Gordon, and Alan to their boarding school. Sam did the post-flight paperwork and logbook while her brothers put their luggage into the back of their SUV. When the plane was stored in its hangar, they all climbed into the SUV and headed back to their school.
They had just unloaded their stuff and carried it up to their rooms when Alex and Catie came up to see them. Sam was in her room putting away her books when Alex knocked on her door.
"Come in," she called. He walked in and closed the door behind him and made sure that it was locked. He quietly walked up behind her.
"Hi, Alex," she said as she turned to face him. He looked stunned that she'd known it was him. "I know your cologne and none of my brothers wear it." She tilted her head up to kiss him as he leaned down. His arms wrapped around her and pulled her to her bed.
"Alex, we're going to get caught if we keep this up," she said as the last words ended in a moan as he kissed her softly on her neck and ran his hands over her. He groaned when she placed her hand over the front of his jeans and unfastened them and slowly put her hand in his boxers. He gasped at her touch and pushed her down on the bed. In a frenzied rush he made sure that he was protected and laid down next to her and began kissing her again and within moments was making love to his beautiful girlfriend. Sam moaned as she felt him move within her and cried out softly when his lovemaking got a bit harder as he climaxed. With a sigh, he lay atop of her and both gasped with the intensity of their lovemaking. Sam snuggled her head against him and kissed him along his jaw line. He groaned as he felt himself becoming aroused again.
"Sam, I don't have another condom but I'm ready again," he said huskily. Sam went to her bathroom and grabbed a couple of condoms and went back to her bed and handed him one. She lay down next to him and stroked him and soon was enjoying the intense feelings that he was creating in her. Afterwards, they both fell asleep in each other's arms. He woke up first and watched her sleep. He noticed the faint bruising around her eye and wondered what happened to her. She shifted in her sleep and the blanket covering her slid down and exposed her breast. Unable to keep his hands still he began to gently caress her until he was ready to go again and Sam was just as responsive.
After they woke up, they went to her bathroom and took a shower. By the time they were finished it was time to go down to the cafeteria for dinner. Just as Sam shut and locked her bedroom door behind her, Virgil and Jodie came out of his room and both were flushed looking. Sam did a double take when she saw the hickey on her brother's neck. She grinned mischievously at Alex, who groaned in sympathy.
"Virgil, you might want to cover that up," she advised as she reached out towards his neck. Jodi looked horrified that Sam had noticed the hickey and both her and Virgil so flushed and guilty looking. Virgil grinned at Sam as he wrapped his arm around Jodi's waist. Alex grabbed Sam's hand and pulled her down the hall. For her part, Sam busted out laughing and made a mental note to make sure to have Grandma buy some condoms for him and embarrass Virgil as she had done to Scott and John. Alex looked at her questioningly and she told him the story that Scott had told her. Alex laughed along with her as they walked across the commons and into the cafeteria. John, Catie, Gordon, and Alan were already at the table and joking around. Jodi and Virgil soon joined them and unfortunately for Virgil, Gordon and Alan noticed the mark on his neck.
"Better watch the vampires around here," said Gordon as he winked at Alan.
"I hear they'll suck just about anything," added Alan. John and Sam rolled their eyes but Alex and Catie smiled at their antics.
"Knock it off," growled Virgil as he noticed Jodi getting upset. He leaned towards her and whispered something that soon had her smiling.
Gordon competed in a few more swimming meets over the remainder of the semester and placed in the top echelon of his division. His name was already being mentioned as a possible member of the men's swimming team for the Olympics in two years time.
Gordon celebrated his fourteenth birthday and Alan celebrated his thirteenth. Jeff couldn't make it to New York but Scott drove up from Connecticut and they all went out and celebrated the youngest Tracy becoming a teenager. The next month, Scott celebrated his nineteenth birthday. May brought the Junior/Senior Prom and Alex asked Sam to go with him and John asked Catie. They all had a wonderful time and danced until the very end of the dance and then rushed back to the dorms to grab a couple of hours of sleep before Sam and John drove their brothers to see Scott.
A couple of weeks later, they had packed all of their belongings and loaded them into the SUV and drove to the airport. After the plane was loaded and the SUV stored safely in the locked hangar, John and Virgil began the pre-flight work and they headed to Connecticut to get Scott. Scott piloted the plane from Connecticut to Kansas with Virgil as his copilot. Sam took Virgil's place as copilot from Kansas to Tracy Island with John as the pilot.
"Tracy Two to Tracy Island, requesting permission to land."
"Tracy Island to Tracy Two, you are cleared for landing and welcome home."