AN: I don't have time to say anything, so I'll just thank you all for the great reviews for the first chapter, and hope you enjoy this one. I rushed it, but whatever. Hopefully there are no typos, but there probably is, and I'll fix them tomorrow!
Also: Haley was never fired in this.
Haley could tell that Brooke was thinking about Sam. They hadn't even been talking about anything that had anything to do with the girl [Haley always tried not to], but it was obvious that Brooke still couldn't keep her mind off her. It had been three weeks, and Haley didn't think she'd ever be able to look at Brooke and know she wasn't thinking her of foster daughter.
Part of her felt guilty, that her friend's current heartache was her fault. If she had never suggested fostering Sam, Brooke wouldn't have lost her, and she wouldn't be so sad right now. That part of her was a lot smaller than the part that knew she'd done the right thing, though. It might not have worked out, at least not for now, but she knew that the time Brooke and Sam spent together was for the best, for both of them.
Still, though. Haley couldn't help but feel guilty. Her friend was hurting, and she couldn't just sit there and do nothing. If she couldn't fix the situation for her, she'd just have to settle for cheering her up. Deciding on her best plan of action, she took a deep breath.
She cringed before she even spoke the words, knowing they'd only make the wound worse before she could make it better. "What do you have planned for next weekend?"
"I have some shopping do to on Saturday," Brooke answered wearily, having a feeling she knew what Haley was getting at. She averted her gaze and looked down at the mug in her hand, swirling the hot liquid around a bit. "I'm not sure about Sunday." Any other year, she didn't give Mother's Day a second thought, and didn't usually even know when it was, but this year, she was all too aware of it.
"Oh, because I was thinking that you should come over and spend it with us."
"Haley …"
"Please, Brooke?" Haley wasn't above begging. "Let me do this. It will totally ruin my day if I know you're here alone, missing Sam. At least miss her with me, at my house."
"You're sweet, but I don't want to intrude on your time with your family." Brooke really did think Haley's offer was sweet, and knew that the other brunette probably didn't think twice at offering the invite.
"Brooke," Haley spoke, and it was all Brooke needed to hear to know that she wasn't going to win this argument. "First of all, you know you're part of my family. You're Aunt Brooke, remember?" Try as she might, Brooke couldn't keep the smile off her face after hearing that. If she wasn't already planning on agreeing, that definitely would have sealed the deal. Haley was good.
"And second?"
"After spending breakfast with Jamie, Nathan's present to me is taking him out, and giving me the house to myself for the rest of the day, so you wouldn't be intruding at all." It was all true, but even if it weren't, it would have been their tradition starting that year. She wasn't lying when she said she wouldn't be able to enjoy her day if she knew Brooke was here all alone.
"I'm not going to win this, am I?"
"Didn't you learn anything living with me senior year?" Haley laughed, leaning back in her chair and taking an early victory sip of her coffee.
Brooke laughed right back at her. "If I remember correctly, Teacher Girl, I was the one doing all the convincing. I could talk you into anything." Seeing that Haley was about to protest, Brooke immediately continued. "Cheerleading?"
"Fine," Haley relented, nodding her head and admitted defeat. "So I learned a few things living with you senior year. Either way, you're coming over. Got it?"
"Okay, okay, you win!" With that decided, and the subject of senior year already brought up, the two spent the next hour reminiscing about their time living together; all the nights they never bothered going to sleep, the dance parties they had in their pajamas, the fights they'd get into over the chores [which Haley always ended up doing] and even the one time they got kicked out of the grocery store for starting a food fight in fruit section. "But we had fun, right? I was fun to live with?"
Haley was confused for a moment, but then realized exactly what Brooke was really asking her. She smiled softly and reached over, covering her friend's hand with her own and squeezing it. "I couldn't have asked for a better roommate, and Sam couldn't have asked for a better mom."
"How is she?" Brooke whispered, finally asking what she'd been dying to ask Haley for weeks now, but had been too afraid to.
"I honestly don't know," was all the answer Haley could give her. "She comes to class and does the work. She used to hang around a bit after or even give me a hard time during my lesson, but she just sits there now." Brooke listened sadly, knowing that Sam had changed her relationship with Haley because of her. "Her work is still good, but not as good as it used to be. Like she's not inspired anymore."
Brooke just nodded, not wanting to ask anything else. She shared a sad smile with Haley before changing the subject again, trying to push the thoughts from her mind. However, her friend was doing the exact opposite. Haley was sick of watching both girls she cared about hurting, knowing that there was a simple way to make them both feel better.
She just had to figure out what it was, and fast.
"Everyone settle down, the bell doesn't ring for another five minutes," Haley shouted, trying to be heard over the noisy teenagers. They had all just handed in their test papers on Catch 22, and were ready to leave for the rest of the day, but Haley wasn't finished with them yet. "I need to tell you what this week's assignment is on."
"Can't you just tell us tomorrow?"
"I could, but then you'd only have one night to work on it, since it's due on Wednesday," she reminded them, smirking when they all groaned and quieted down. She folded her hands together and moved to the front of her desk, leaning back to sit on the edge. "Since I spent most of my weekend preparing the test, I didn't have the energy to think of a topic that was up to the standards of my usual fascinating ones. Then I remembered that Mother's Day is coming up, and decided it would be the perfect topic."
She risked a look to the back right corner of the class, and just as she expected, Sam's face was far from a happy one. She quickly looked away before she made eye contact, and went back to addressing her class, who were currently voicing their displease at where she was going with this.
"Oh, come on, guys," Haley laughed, expecting the response she received. "This one doesn't involve any research, and I'll have them back to you by Friday, so you can give them to your moms. You don't have to worry about getting her a present!"
As students fired questions at their teacher, Sam slumped back in her chair and fought the urge to say something about the assignment. A month ago, she would have spoken up along with the rest of her peers, but ever since she moved out of Brooke's house, she had tried to avoid talking to Haley as much as possible.
It wasn't that she thought Haley would be mean or rude to her, not at all. She just thought it might be awkward now, and not even because she thought Haley might bring Brooke up. She imagined Haley would know better than to do that. The thing was, Haley made her think about Brooke, and thinking about Brooke made her feel a lot of things, but in this particular case, she felt guilt and regret.
She missed being able to talk to Haley about things. While she had never really felt uncomfortable talking to Brooke about anything, there were just some things that she figured Haley would be better at answering. Every teen needed an adult that wasn't their mother to talk to, and until recently, that person for her had been Haley. But now, she couldn't even bring herself to talk to Haley about schoolwork, let alone anything else.
She never would have thought that old saying about not knowing what you've got till it's gone would apply to her, but she couldn't think of anything more fitting. After getting what she thought she always wanted, she realized she already had everything she could have asked for in Brooke, Haley, and her life being a Davis.
"So, I want a full page, double spaced, size twelve font, on my desk at the beginning of class on Wednesday," Haley instructed. It was the same thing every week, and one would think they would all know it by now, but some of the assignments she got told her otherwise. "You're all big kids now, so I'm not reminding you tomorrow." Before she could say anything else, the bell rang, signaling the end of class. All of her students immediately stood up and started filing out.
"Later, Mrs. JS," a few random kids thrww out as they passws by her. She smileed at them, but noticed Sam quickly gathering her things.
"Samantha, can I talk to you for a second?" she requested, knowing she'll be rebuffed. The girl who used to be a pretty vocal part of her class had all but become completely mute during lessons, only answering when forced to. Haley knew it was because of Brooke, and she understood why Sam would probably feel awkward around her now, but it didn't stop her from trying. She wished more than anything that Sam would talk to her, so she'd have something to tell Brooke the next time friend asked about the teen.
"Sorry, Haley," Sam threw out, cursing herself for referring to Haley by first name. It had been something she had a hard time getting used to at first, but now found that it was a hard habit to break. Her classmates that were still in the room gave her a weird look, but didn't say anything when they received a glare from her. "I have to get to gym."
The older brunette didn't get a chance to try again, since before she knew it, her classroom was empty. She sighed and walked around her desk to sit down. She didn't have a class that period, and would have normally started to mark the tests already, but she knew she wouldn't be able to concentrate. All she could think about was her conversation with Brooke the day before, and the look on Sam's face when she gave out the assignment.
God, she hoped her plan worked, and she wasn't just making matters worse. Though, really, she couldn't think of how much worse it could possibly get.
Sam let out a frustrated breath and contemplated just tossing her notebook aside and not doing the assignment all together. While it wasn't like not doing her homework would be a first for her or anything, not doing her homework for Haley would be. She always did all of her work in that class, and always did her best. Part of it was simply because she loved writing, but she'd be lying if she said it wasn't also because she really liked Haley, and she knew Brooke would kill her if she ever disrespected her friend like that.
She had been in this same position the night before, sitting on her bed, pen and notebook in her lap, and nothing had happened then either. She sat there for an hour trying to write something about Rebecca, but she eventually just gave up, leaving it for the next night.
Giving it a day didn't seem to help. If anything, she found herself even more stumped. She thought about writing about her feelings on Rebecca giving her up, and her life in foster care, but that wasn't what Haley had asked for. She knew she was supposed to be writing about how awesome her mother is, how much fun they had together, how strong their bond was, and how much she has done for her. It was supposed to be an easy assignment.
And yet her page remained blank.
"Samantha?" Rebecca called through the wooden door, knocking on it lightly. She didn't wait for a response before pushing it open and sticking her head inside. Sam composed herself and glanced up at the woman, letting her know she was listening. "I know we were maybe going to be watching a movie tonight, but Angela called and asked if I wanted to go out with the girls and …"
"It's fine," Sam cut her off and made a dismissive motion with her hand. "I have a lot of homework to do, anyways."
"Okay, she'll be here in a few," Rebecca informed her, taking Sam's words at face value, like she always did. "I'll call before I leave." Sam simply nodded and just like that, she was alone again. She sighed and looked back down at the blank sheet of paper.
She probably should be upset that her mother just blew off their plans to go out with her friends, but she really wasn't. She didn't really feel much of anything when it came to Rebecca and their relationship, and she didn't think that was a good thing. She should feel happy when she's spending time with her birth mother, and she should feel upset when she gets ditched.
"Samantha, I'm leaving now!" she heard from the other side of the door. "Don't wait up!" As soon as she heard the front door close, she leaned over and flipped on her stereo, letting the music fill the silence of the house.
It was always 'Samantha' with her. Brooke was always calling her honey or sweetheart, and although it felt a bit weird at first, she eventually grew to love it, and it always made her feel loved. Sam couldn't remember a time when Rebecca had used a term of endearment with her, or even called her Sam. She originally thought that maybe it was just because Rebecca was unsure, and eventually she'd get more comfortable, but it never happened.
Sam couldn't really blame her, though. She didn't know what to call Rebecca, either. She pretty much tried to avoid having to call her anything for the most part, but when she had to call her something, it was Rebecca. Honestly, she couldn't really fathom calling her 'mom'.
And just like that Sam knew why she couldn't write anything. Well, if she was being honest with herself, she'd known all along why she hadn't written anything. She knew as soon as Haley assigned the topic that she'd have trouble completing it. For the past three weeks, Sam had been pretending that she was happy, but she wasn't. She was fine, but she wasn't happy. She tried to tell herself that they were the same thing; that she could have a good life living with Rebecca, but she was lying to herself. And she knew the minute she heard the assignment that she'd finally be forced to face the truth about the whole situation.
She couldn't even write a page on Rebecca, but she could write a whole book about Brooke.
"I'll give you guys the weekend off, since we're starting our short section on poetry next week, but don't get used to it," Haley advised her class, smiling when she was meet with cheers instead of the usual groans she got. She glanced at her watch and saw that the bell was about to ring. "Samantha, I'd like to speak with you before you leave. Everyone else, have a great weekend and be nice to your mothers, please!"
Sam gathered her stuff slowly, lingering as the rest of the students filed out of the room, leaving her alone with Haley. She figured that Haley would eventually get sick of being ignored and back her into a corner like this, but the fact that it was happening after she marked her assignment was so predictable. She didn't really mind though, it was a long time coming.
"To what do I owe the pleasure?" she asked sarcastically, turning to face the older woman. She brushed her bangs out of her eyes and met Haley's hard gaze. "Sorry. Reflex."
Haley dismissed it. "Your paper was amazing, Sam."
"Yeah, well." Sam didn't really know what to say to that.
"You wrote about Brooke," Haley pointed out unnecessarily. Of course, that had been her goal when she devised the whole thing, but there was obviously no guaranteeing that she'd get the result she wanted. She could have easily been reading the whole situation wrong the whole time.
"That is what you wanted me to do, wasn't it?" Sam wasn't stupid, she could tell that was a plan from the get go. She wasn't mad though. Haley's heart was in the right place, and she couldn't hold it against her. "You knew that I was hiding from my real feelings, and that writing about it would finally make me face them."
"I was more like hoping," she timidly answered, feeling a bit guilty for using her authority in the way that she had. "Praying. I was just trying to help, Sam. I love Brooke, and it kills me to see her so heartbroken, but I care about you, too. I wouldn't have given that assignment if I didn't think you were just as unhappy as she is."
"It's okay, Haley, I know," Sam assured her. "You don't have a mean or selfish bone in your body. You were just doing what you thought was best."
"And was it? For the best?"
"I guess so." Sam shrugged and stuck her hands in her coat pockets, not really sure what she was feeling or thinking. "I miss Brooke. So much, you have no idea. She had adoption papers, you know. She asked to adopt me."
The look on Haley's face told Sam that she had no idea. "I didn't know that." She moved over and sat down on one of the desk, putting her feet on the chair and facing Sam. "When was this?"
"Right before I left," the teen whispered, leaning against her own desk for support. Suddenly Haley understood Sam's actions even more, but felt about ten times worse for Brooke than she already had. "I think it was because I had been hanging out with Rebecca so much, and she didn't want to lose to her."
"You know that if Brooke asked to adopt you that she meant it, right? She wasn't just doing it to win some battle with your birth mother."
"I know," Sam nodded, her eyes watering a bit, remembering how conflicted and lost she felt that night when Brooke asked her. "But when she asked me, told me she wanted me to be her daughter forever, I just couldn't help but think about my birth mother, who I was just getting to know. I loved Brooke and was so happy there, but I had been waiting my whole life to talk to my birth mother and to know her, and I was just starting to …"
"And you had to be sure," Haley finished for her. "Honey, I know why you had to go live with your birth mother. Brooke does, too. She doesn't hold it against you at all. If you didn't go, you'd always wonder, and you'd never be able to be happy with Brooke."
"Yeah." Sam sniffled and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "So what do I do now?"
"What do you want to do?"
"I wanna live with Brooke," she immediately answered. She let out a sigh after she said it, feeling like a weight had been lifted now that she finally spoke it out loud.
Haley beamed at her, ecstatic. "So what's stopping you? Brooke would have you back in a heartbeat, no questions asked."
"How am I supposed to tell Rebecca that?"
"Speaking as a mother," Haley began, leaning forward on her knees. "She'll understand. Just like Brooke, she'll just want you to be happy. Even if that means losing you." Sam looked doubtful. "Just talk to her, tell her the truth. You being there, and being unhappy isn't good for anyone."
"Okay, you're right." They shared a smile and both moved to stand up, knowing that they were done. "Thank you, Haley. For the talk, and for not minding your own business."
"Hey!" Haley laughed, playfully smacking the younger girl's shoulder. "I'm the one that got you and Brooke together in the first place. This was so totally my business."
"I guess," Sam agreed, pulling her bag over her shoulder and moving towards the door. Before she could leave, though, Haley called out to her again. "Yeah?"
"Brooke's coming over to my house for Mother's Day," Haley informed her, and held up a photocopied version of Sam's assignment. "Would you mind if I gave this to her? You said some amazing stuff in here, and I think she should read it."
"I don't want you to give it to her," she decided, leaning against the doorframe. Haley looked at her in confusion, but Sam just smiled. "I'll give it to her myself."
"Whatcha doing?" Rebecca asked, stepping into Sam's room. She hadn't seen the girl at all that night. When she came home from the diner, Sam had been in her room, and she hadn't come out since. After a couple of hours, she had finally decided to go see if she was okay.
"Just thinking," she answered vaguely, not looking up from the photo in her hand. She was sitting on her bed, knees drawn up, and staring at a picture. It was a familiar position to her, and the irony was not lost on her.
"About what?" When Sam just shrugged, Rebecca sat down across from her. "What are you looking at?"
"Pictures of me and Brooke," the brunette answered bluntly. She'd kept the picture under her pillow and looked at it often in the past month, but she had always hidden it from her birth mother, afraid it would hurt her feelings or cause an argument of some kind. But now, there was no point.
"Oh yeah?" Rebecca had never met Sam's foster mother, or even seen a picture, but she heard plenty of stories about her. Sam hadn't really talked about her since she moved in, but when they were hanging out before, she'd talk about her all the time. She told her about how they met, how she moved in, everything with X, and everything with Julian. Rebecca didn't know Brooke Davis, but she felt like she did.
Sam nodded and carefully handed her the picture she had been looking at. It was actually a series of pictures, taken in a mall photo booth. Brooke had taken her on a shopping spree in celebration after she won the school essay contest, and insisted that they get their pictures taken in the booth after she realized that they didn't have any pictures together.
Rebecca stared at the pictures, completely shocked to finally put a face to the woman she knew was more of a mother to her daughter than she was. "Wow. She's a lot younger than I imagined. How old is she?"
"Twenty-two."
"Wow," Rebecca repeats again. She would have never pictured this woman as the Brooke she heard so much about. Brooke and Sam are making funny faces in most of the pictures, but there's one where they're both smiling nicely at the camera, and Rebecca can see the woman clearly. She can tell right away that Brooke had to have been a cheerleader in high school – she was beautiful. For some reason, she found it hard to believe that this woman was the one that had taken Sam in, and taken such good care of her, even risked her life for her. Perhaps she was being shallow, and basing her assumptions on stereotypes of beautiful young women, but she was very surprised that woman like Brooke would obviously care so deeply for someone like Sam. "She's very pretty."
"Yeah," Sam agreed, though she didn't really see Brooke like that anymore. At first, she was a bit intimidated by her, originally thinking along the same lines as Rebecca; imagining what a girl like Brooke must have thought of a girl like Sam, practically homeless and stealing from places. She soon learned not to judge Brooke by her appearance, that she was so much more than a pretty face. "Look, Rebecca …"
"You miss her."
"I do." Sam could tell that Rebecca knew what was coming. She felt horrible, but at the same time, she was relieved that she wouldn't be blindsiding the woman. She really was nice, and Sam did care for her, but she had to do this. "So much. She wanted to adopt me, and I hope she still does."
Rebecca looked down at the pictures in her hands, seeing how happy Sam looked in them. She'd never seen her look that happy before. She didn't mope around the house or anything, but her smile never did quite reach her eyes. "You should go back to her, Samantha. It's where you belong. It always was."
Feeling brave, Sam reached forward and hugged Rebecca. It lasted only a few moments before she pulled back and smileed sadly at her. She couldn't believe how easy that was. "Thank you for understanding. I'm sorry for agreeing to come only to change my mind like this."
"Please don't be sorry." Rebecca understood why Sam came here, and why she wanted to go back. They'd both been struggling with this for the past fifteen years, both wondering about each other. And now they knew and they could move on. "We had to know. And now we do." Sam nodded, so grateful that she had a birth mother that was so understanding. "Come on, lets spend tonight watching movies and pigging out on junk food, and I'll help you pack up your stuff tomorrow."
"You'll help?"
"Yeah," she answered, handing her back the picture. "We want to get you back to your mom for Mother's Day."
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