*Author's Note*
Thank you for the faves, follows, and reviews.
We have a few new characters in this. Blane's family, the Erlings. Their face claims are:
Bianca (Blane's mother)- Elaine Hendrix
Alec (Blane's father)- Dennis Leary
Audrey (Blane's older sister)- Katheryn Winnick
Owen (Blane's brother-in-law)- Tom Felton
A Thousand Miles
Gem POV:
After my talk with Brock, I began to feel a bit shitty. Now he wanted to make things work and here I was, on the way to meet Blane's family in Connecticut. Middletown, Connecticut to be exact. A part of me wanted to jump at Brock's offer of working shit out and to stay the holiday with his Pops, but another part of me didn't want to go back on my word with Blane. I was raised with the philosophy that your word was your bond; was everything and determined your trustworthiness. Despite Brock's words and wanting to let him fix things, I didn't want to go back on the commitment I made to Blane about spending the holiday with his family.
Damn, I felt like I was between a rock and a hard place.
"Love, you're going to enjoy Middletown. It's got a small town feel to it, but it's only a 24-minute drive from Hartford." Blane prattled, pulling me out of my mental conundrum.
"Oh, it's close to the capitol." I concluded, looking out the window and mulling over my conversation with Brock. God, I should be more interested in Middletown, but I'm not.
"Yes, it is, but in my opinion it's better than the capitol." Blane said haughtily. Looking between me and the road, he explained with a smile, "It's got that All-American feel, unlike the capitol which is just a large, overpopulated city."
"You don't like Hartford cause it's an overpopulated city, but you seem to like taking me out to DC a lot and that's an overpopulated city." I dryly retorted.
"That's different, Gem. DC is the heart and soul of our nation; as a Poli Sci major I like it by default."
"You do know that Brooklyn's an overpopulated city, right?" I asked, reminding him of the demographics of the place that we'd be eating Thanksgiving pie at.
"Of course, I know it's a city. I'm not stupid, Gemma." My boyfriend hissed like an angry snake. "God, just because I said I don't like cities doesn't mean you have to be a smart ass."
"I wasn't being a smart ass, Blane."
Pointing to my visor, Blane curtly suggested, "Why don't you look at my cds and pick out something."
"Okay." I tightly sighed before flipping down my visor to look at the titles of the cds that were neatly lined up in the black holder that was attached to the visor.
I looked at the array of a dozen cds, but didn't see anything that caught my attention. I was just staring at the titles, hoping that something would click and I'd be like 'aha, I want to listen to that', but it wasn't happening. Damn… None of his music was my taste either.
"Love, why don't we listen to Vanessa Carlton?"
"What one?" I asked since he had all of her god awful cds.
"Be Not Nobody. It's got her breakout it on it, Love." Was my boyfriend's answer.
"Okay." I nodded, taking the cd out of the visor holder while wondering what song was considered her breakout hit. I wasn't a Vanessa Carlton fan, so I had no idea what songs were her star debuts or what was even on the cd I was passing over to Blane. Hell, if I knew how the cd player in his Beamer worked, I'd probably load it in myself, but his car had a state-of-the-art system and I didn't want to break it. I did grow up with the mentality of 'you break it, you bought it' so…
Silently, Blane took the cd from me and loaded it into his cd player. He hit a few buttons before placing his hand back on the gear shift. As soon as the piano melody fluttered out over the sound system, I felt myself cringe. I hated this song. Of all the songs to be stuck listening to, it had to be A Thousand Miles
Blane pointed to the stereo. "This song's her biggest hit, you know."
"Oh, yea." I nodded while the earworm worked its black magic on my mind. Poor Brock, he's gonna hate me when this song's playing on loop in his head soon.
A Few Minutes Later…
"Jesus Christ, get that song out of your head. I'm trying to do tactical planning; it's annoying as fuck." Brock grumbled thru out bond as I looked out of the window, bored out of my mind.
"I'm sorry, but Blane likes Vanessa Carlton." I apologized to my soulmate.
"He fucking would. Fucking douchebag fuck." Brock spat; irritation thick in his mental voice. "Once you get tired of mental torture just head over to Pops'; he won't mind."
"I told you I'd think about it, Brock."
"Oh, baby, I'm sure after listening to this for hours on end you'll be jumping out of the car and running to Pops'." My soulmate half-chuckled.
Whenever we entered New York, I felt a sick knot form in the pit of my stomach. Nostalgia and love for my hometown of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn was kicking in and I couldn't help, but feel melancholy about forgoing the weekend in New York (except for a short stint at my Uncle Rocco's for Thanksgiving pie) in order to meet Blane's family, the Erlings. I didn't know much about them, other than they were Eastern European descent. As I understood from Blane, his entire family (both his mom and dad's side) have ties to various countries in Eastern Europe. Apparently, he even has some distant relatives over there too.
Driving thru New York on the way to Middletown, Connecticut just made everything feel all the more real. I was going to be meeting Blane's family; spending the entire holiday weekend with them too. In hindsight, the ideal situation would be me spending the weekend with my soulmate's family. Well, I guess I could spend some time with Pops in between dealing with the Erlings. Blane might not like that tho. Hmm…What to do about that?
"Isn't the scenery just beautiful once leaving the city?" Blane asked, causing me to look between him and the window dumbly since I was broken out of my thoughts.
"I don't mind the city, Blane." I honestly stated.
"Of course, you don't. You were born and raised in it."
"I was born in Cleveland; raised in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, FYI." I dryly informed my boyfriend as we drove thru the highway of Upstate New York on our way to Connecticut.
"So, you went from one shithole city to another. No wonder you attended Culver." Blane sneered dismissively.
My head snapped so fast that I almost gave myself whiplash. I stared at the blonde next to me, narrowing my brown eyes into offended slits, while tightly asking, "What'd you mean by that?"
"You know exactly what I mean, gorgeous. You got sick of living in overrun shithole cities so you're attending Culver for a breath of fresh air in Willowdale."
"That's not why I'm at Culver." I shook my head.
"Sure, it isn't, Love." Blane sarcastically drawled out in a low, half-scoff.
"Since you're from Connecticut, why aren't you studying law in Yale?" I asked, putting the spotlight on him.
"Culver's closer to DC; more opportunities for me to intern and pursue a political career." Blane said, sounded a bit scripted.
"Uh huh…" I nodded, un impressed and un convinced by his explaination.
"You'll see once you get further along in the Poli Sci program at Culver."
"Mhm…" I hummed.
"You want to pick out something to listen to?"
"How about something on the radio?"
"Why? Don't you like my cds?" He asked accusingly. "Most couples listen to cds on road trips."
"I'm a bit tired of cds and since we're not soulmates we can listen to the radio instead of doing what 'most couples' do on road trips." I honestly told Blane as he stretched his arm out and over to my visor; flipping it down to envoke me to find a cd.
"My family comes from a long line of soulless people. Don't sweat it, Love. It's okay that we're not soulmates; lots of couples are happy without being soulmates." My boyfriend told me, tapping the visor cd holder before rubbing my cheek and placing his hand back onto the steering wheel.
"I never said I was soulless, Blane." I blurted out before I could think better of it.
"What?!" Blane roared. Giving me a dirty look, he bitterly asked, "Why're we dating if you have a soulmate?"
"It's a May-December situation; we just agreed to do our own things for a while until we can work shit out."
"I'm sure you'll be content to continue our relationship after spending time in Middletown with my family. You'll be dazzled and won't want to deal with your May-December bullshit."
"You really think I'm going to be that impressed by your family in Middletown?" I flatly asked.
"Yes, I do." Blane firmly answered
I didn't say a word, just shook my head and turned my attention to looking out the window at the fall scenery.
I was half-listening to the radio whenever we passed a blue and white wooden sign that read Welcome to Middletown. Blane wasn't lying when he said it looked stereotypical All-American. The main road we were on took us thru down town, which was full of various shops and quaint little 2-story houses. It looked like a scene out of a postcard. Very small-town America. I didn't see any chain stores, just some mom and pops.
"We'll be home in about 10 minutes." Blane told me as he made a left turn down a street that led to a country road surrounded by nothing, but trees.
"Okay." I simply nodded.
"My sister, Audrey, and her husband, Owen, should already be there since they don't live that far away."
"Oh. Where do they live?"
"Concord. He's a businessman and she's a stay-at-home mom."
"Concord, Massachusetts or New Hampshire?" I curiously pried.
"Massachusetts." Was my boyfriend's one-word answer.
My face light up as I informed Blane, "Oh. I have an uncle that lives in Boston."
"Ah…" My blonde boyfriend's voice hung heavily in the air as he half-nodded.
Silence fell over us for the last few minutes of our ride to his childhood home. When he turned down a street full of large colonial style houses, I couldn't help, but to feel a bit inferior and self-conscious. I was raised in a rowhome in a rough part of Brooklyn and Blane was raised in postcard picturesque USA in a large colonial house that could be considered a mansion.
"This is it? Your family's home?" I asked, my voice both strangled and squeaky, as Blane turned into the long driveway of a large white and brick colonial styled house, which even had columns and a balcony.
"Yea," Blane nodded, "this is it."
"It's huge." I gasped, feeling a bit overwhelmed, as he turned off the car.
"It's not that big." Blane rolled his eyes at me. "Come on, they're expecting us, Love." He briskly ordered while opening his car door and getting out.
"I hope they're expecting us." I sarcastically remarked, exiting the car while Blane walked over to the trunk.
"Be more considerate when I introduce you, Gem. My dad can't stand rude people and my mom feels that manners are very important." My boyfriend instructed while pulling our bags out of the trunk as I made my way over to him.
"But I'm not a rude person, Blane." I protested as he handed me over my overnight bag.
"You were rude just now." He pointed out, pulling the handle of his small suitcase up and beginning the long trek up to the large colonial house. Yea, the driveway was insanely long, and we were parked behind his sister's car (or at least I think it's her car).
"No, I wasn't. I was sarcastic." I defended myself, rushing behind him with my bag slung over my shoulder.
"You sounded rude." Blane ground his teeth, swiftly making his way towards the brick front porch steps of his huge childhood home.
I let out a huff and followed him. Oh my god, if he's going to be like this the entire time we're visiting, I don't know how I'm going to deal with it.
"Remember, be polite." Blane hissed at me as we stood at the threshold of the front door. I just rolled my eyes and let out a tiny huff. He took that for an understanding and proceeded to knock on the door.
About half a minute later, the door opened and a very tall and slender woman with a light blonde bob and blood red lips smiled at us. God, it was like a Disney villain's smile too. "Blane, this must be the young lady you told us about. Gemma Schulze?"
"Yes, mother, this is her." Blane answered his mother while at the same time I blurted out, "I go by Gem Rizzo-Schulze, Ma'am."
"Ah, Blane, you didn't tell me that she couldn't hold her tongue." Mrs. Erling zinged before stepping away from the door and saying, "Everyone's in the family room. Just leave your bags by the stairwell you can bring them up to your room later tonight."
I didn't smell any turkey or fixings cooking, which I found odd, as I followed Blane into the large house. The foyer alone was the size of my family's living room, dining room, and kitchen put together. God, I felt so out of my element. While Blane made the long trek over to the large, curved staircase, his mother placed her hand between my shoulder and proceeded to guide me over to said staircase while introducing herself with a venomous sounding, "I don't know if Blane told you, but my name's Bianca. Please, call me that instead of Ma'am." Giving me a thin smile, she explained, "Ma'am makes me feel like my old headmistress back in boarding school."
"You went to boarding school?!" I exclaimed; a bit shocked that Mrs. Erling was one of those high society women that had attended a boarding school as a young girl.
"Yes. I attended Westminster School in Simsbury. It's a co-ed boarding school and it's where I first met my husband, Alec." She told me as Blane placed his bag by the stairs and leaned against the railing, his arms crossed over his chest while he impatiently waited for me and his mom. "We kept in touch through our mutual circle of friends and decided to go out on a date during our last year of college since we were both soulless."
"Oh…" I trailed out in a sigh that lingered heavily in the air.
"Blane says that you're soulless too." Bianca remarked as we reached the staircase.
"Actually mother-" Blane began to intercede on my behalf only for me to cut him off, while placing my duffel on the ground next to his suitcase, with, "I'm not soulless. In fact, I'm in a May-December relationship; we're just doing our own things right now."
"Ah, I see." Bianca curtly gave me a half-nod. "Well, I'm sure you'll find our family more suitable than the one of your 'December' soulmate." She snidely remarked. "Maria'll be arriving just to make us our dinner; she knows not to be a bother." Blane's mom informed up before strolling off towards the family room, her high heels loudly click-clanking against the marble floor.
"Who's Maria?" I asked Blane as we began to walk in the direction his mom took off in.
"The housekeeper." He simply replied.
"Oh…"
"Don't be rude to the rest of my family like you were to my mom." My boyfriend ordered in a bark as we passed by a pedestal with a marble bust statue on it.
"I wasn't rude to her." I defended myself while taking in the intricately decorated hallway.
"Well, she thought you were." Blane countered, giving mea dirty look. "Dad hates rude people, so hold your tongue and don't bring up your May-December soulmate issue anymore either."
I felt like I was walking to the gallows while entering the family room by Blane's side. As soon as his dad spotted me by his son, he stood up from his sitting chair, smoothed out the invisible wrinkles from his crisp button-down shirt, and walked over to us. "Blane, you certainly weren't lying about her beauty." His dad, Alec, smirked.
"Of course, I wasn't, father." Blane scoffed.
"If I wasn't married to your sister, you'd have some competition on your hands." Blane's brother-in-law, Owen, (who reminded me a lot of Draco Malfoy) chuckled, earning himself a sharp elbow in the side from his wife, Audrey.
"She might be pretty, but she doesn't have the refined look that's needed for our family." Audrey sneered in a high-pitched voice that oozed of a sugary accent.
I snapped my head towards her and bluntly asked, "What the hell's the supposed to mean?"
"Gem, please, don't curse at my daughter when you're my son's guest. It's rude." Alec ordered in a low, stern tone.
Before Audrey could answer my temper fueled question, her twins, a boy and girl, that looked to be no older than 3, both chirped with toothy grins, "Your hair's not gold."
"Oh…." I nodded in a slow and exaggerated way. "So, I need to bleach my hair and become Malibu Barbie to be welcomed. That's it?"
"Blane, you didn't warn me about her loose tongue." Alec sneered at his son while narrowing his eyes at me. If looks could kill, I'd be dead by now.
"Fa-" Blane began before I cut him off and told his dad, "Don't talk about me like I'm not here. It's rude."
Bianca shot up from her own sitting chair and rushed over to us, her red heels clicking loudly against the floor. "Gem, Blane, why don't you two sit on the love seat and enjoy some hors d'oeuvres." She nervously suggested, looking between us and her husband, who's unimpressed look was growing by the second.
"Thank god Maria made them last night, otherwise we'd be starving while waiting for her to get here to make dinner." Audrey remarked as Blane led me over to the love seat, his hand gripping mine with a vice grip.
"Oh, Audrey, don't be like that. You know she has to put an entire turkey in the oven for her family; that they don't eat seared turkey breasts like us." Bianca told her daughter while click-clacking her way back over to her sitting chair.
"You didn't tell me your family doesn't eat the whole bird." I hissed in Blanes ear as we took our seats next to each other on the French provincial loveseat.
"You didn't ask, gorgeous." He hissed right back before leaning forward and stretching his arm out to grab a few fancy looking hors d'oeuvres off of a silver tray.
"Gem, my son tells me you're a Political Science major as well." Alec stated, not asked, as he sat back down in his sitting chair, that was separated from his wife's chair by a small intricate table.
"Yes, I'm a Poli Sci major." I confirmed Alec's statement while nibbling on the fancy herb cheese filled puff pastry Blane hand handed me.
"That's very good." Mr. Erling voiced his approval of my major. Something I didn't think I needed his approval for since I just met the man a few moments ago. "I was one myself and so was my wife, daughter, and son-in-law." He added in, most likely as a way to let me know that my major was gaining me acceptance into his family and not my 'rude behavior'. Looking between me and his son, Alec remarked, "Blane was able to get an internship with Senator Newman's staff. Perhaps when the time comes for you to consider an internship, you'll be drawn towards one with Senator Newman as well."
"Maybe, but that's still a couple of years away." I answered Blane's dad.
"Dad, I haven't discussed that much of my political beliefs with Gem yet. We've only started dating last month."
"The earlier you two get on the same page about politics the better, son." Alec told Blane, pointing to me as if I was an object instead of a living, breathing person with a mind and a soul. Oh yea, that's right, his family's soulless…
"Father's right, Blane. I knew about Owen's allegiance the first night we met." Audrey snippily remarked, her head held high with her nose pointing in the air. The slight smirk on her lips looked sickeningly sweet and unnatural.
Blane rolled his sparkling blue eyes and scoffed, "Of course, you did, you met at the Ye Olde Whisper Flame Tavern." Grabbing some more savory puff pastries, he added in, "You already knew his political doctrine."
Okay, this family's starting to sound a bit, um I dunno, borderline culty right now. I mean who calls political views political doctrine, other then people in a cults and shit like that? And just knowing somebody's political doctrine cause they go to a certain tavern is odd too.
God, this pre-dinner meeting is going to shit. I hope dinner's better than this or else I have no idea how I'm going to survive the extended weekend with these people.
AN:
And there we have it folks, Gem met Blane's HYDRA family. Dinner with the Erlings, desert with the Rizzos, and Gem taking Brock's advice about visiting his Pops will be in the next chapter. Sorry it took so long to get this out, but works been crazy busy lately. Gem meeting Blane's family is the beginning of the end for them. In a couple more chapters Gem will be with Brock. YAY!