Dinner was an awkward affair.
For a good part of the meal they had all sat in silence which was probably the first time ever in the Banana House where the stove is likely to catch fire if it's been quiet for more than two minutes. The only sound echoing in the room was the sound of cutlery against the plate until Buttercup, most likely out of boredom Rose really couldn't blame him, threw his orange baby food mush onto the floor.
"Honestly Cadmium can you not control your child?" Grandma Casson sniffed.
"Is it any of your business how Caddy and Michael raise their child?" Saffy asked in a cold polite tone.
Everyone froze at this. David kept his fork in his mouth while many others had theirs held up midway apart from Eve who had been in the middle of pushing her food around on the plate when Saffy spoke causing her fork to stop to a screeching halt. Everyone stared at the two women, Grandma Casson who remained expressionless; her lighter shade of blue eyes seemed frostier than ever while Saffy sat up in a perfectly straight posture much like Grandma Casson only her darker blue eyes were sparkling with defiance and anger.
There had never been a time before this where Bill cursed his daughter's stubbornness so thoroughly in his head.
"If they are not even married then they must know what structure is healthy for a child. Obviously Cadmium had not had the right structure of a healthy family otherwise she would not have run off in such an uncouth manner nor would you speak so rudely to your elders," Grandma Casson said equally coolly as she sipped her wine.
"I appreciate the fact you are speaking from experience seeing as you did a terrible job with your own son," Saffy snarled.
Eve, Caddy, and David looked horrified, Rose decided it was best to finish eating before something happens to the food (last time there had been an argument at the table Saffy had literally thrown a plate of spaghetti bolognaise at Daddy's head, it missed but Daddy sent them all to bed before Rose could finish her own dinner), Bill looked furious as did Grandma Casson, Michael wondered if anyone would notice if he went to the pub, Indigo was in his happy place, and Sarah quietly took her best friend's hand for comfort.
"I beg your pardon?"
The others tried to not shiver at Grandma Casson's voice. It had never been so icy, cruel, and evil before than it had right this moment at the fake politeness of the words.
"Well if he was raised better then perhaps he would not have an affair with his wife's sister or forget to tell said wife he has an illegitimate daughter or even forget to tell said illegitimate daughter said fact," Saffy said just as icily.
"William is a man," Grandma Casson said dismissively, "I cannot be held for his foolishness. You should count your lucky stars that you are born in this day and age. Back in my day illegitimate children was considered a shameful secret and would have never been allowed in the main household."
"Well it certainly be better than suffering this dinner with you!" Saffy shouted.
Grandma Casson was about to open her mouth to release a cutting retort most likely when she was interrupted by Rose. "What is illegitimate children?" she asked curiously.
There is a moment of awkward silence where the boys were suddenly more interested in their dinner, Saffy and Grandma Casson were having a staring contest though in Rose's opinion it was more of a glaring contest, Bill was trying to find an answer to Rose's question and after gulping down the dregs of her wine Eve decided to answer it for her.
"Illegitimate children are children whose parents weren't married when they were born, darling," Eve explained, "Like Caddy's Buttercup and Saffy."
"Oh," was all what Rose said before she began eating again.
"Buttercup? Buttercup? Cadmium, I thought you said your son was called Carlos, who is this Buttercup?"
"I wasn't sure what to name him and Rose kept shouting Buttercup...it's just stuck..." Caddy explained weakly at the terrifying glare of Grandma Casson.
"And it really isn't any of your business," Saffy snapped in her older sister's defence. "Seeing as most of us have never met you and you never bothered to contact us before today I hardly see why your opinion should matter."
"Oh you insolent child-"
"Oh shut up you hag!" Saffy spat out before she stood up pushing her dinner away. "I've had it with you and there's no chance in hell I'm going to spend the whole week with you. I'm leaving!"
"Saffy, no!" Eve cried out.
Ignoring Eve's cries, Bill's shouts, and Grandma Casson's ranting on how ungrateful she is Saffy marched up to her bedroom, packed a bag full of clothes and then stormed down the stairs where she pulled Sarah away from her dinner.
"Hey! I'm eating!" Sarah protested.
"Let's go back to yours before I'm forced to commit murder," Saffy growled.
With a sigh and an apologetic look at her boyfriend Sarah allowed her best friend to push her out of the house and down the street. The others kept their heads down as Eve sobbingly returned to the kitchen and Bill was making a terrible attempt to soothe her.
"Eve Darling, I beg of you, be sensible darling, dry up those tears..."
"Honesty Eve. People would think you were the child instead of the mother," Grandma Casson scolded the crying woman.
"Does anyone else wish they left with Saffy?" Michael whispered.
"Yes," the boys and Caddy hissed back.
"I'm still holding out for pudding," Rose said solemnly.
She didn't usually get pudding and if having someone as evil as Grandma Casson sitting there opposite her meant she got pudding then she was going to suffer in silence for pudding!
Five hours later she wishes whole heartedly that she had left with Saffy when she was lying there wide awake in her own bed hearing a monster roar not so far away.
It growled and grumbled.
It snorted and snarled.
It was loud and echoed throughout the house.
The Banana House has never been silent even at night with David's snoring, Buttercup's crying, Caddy and Eve accidentally break something, and Bill shouting for one reason or the other but this was awful.
Grandma Casson didn't just snore.
She snored loudly, constantly, and monstrously.
Rose couldn't even blink her eyes she was so terrified.
Author's Note: sorry for such a long update. I had a bit of writer's block and inspiration for various other fics instead of this one. I will try to update more often over the summer. Please review!