I swear I wanted to update this sooner! But I actually have a reason this time. My computer died, and shortly thereafter I went on vacation. Since I've lost my computer, I have to wait to get to use my parents', which SUCKS because that basically means I get no writing time. Not to mention how I lost part of the chapter, and had trouble rewriting it. I feel really bad about making you wait. Hopefully a long chapter will make up for it. ;)

"Stop it! Chase, I said stop, that tickles!"

Things were finally back to normal. Cameron and Chase were lying on her bed, fooling around like normal couples should. They had gotten past the House incident, something everyone involved was grateful for.

Cameron finally managed to free her right hand from Chase's grasp and reached up to swat his hand away from her neck. He gave her a pouty look, and she returned it with a grin.

As she was about to lean in and give him a kiss, she was startled by the sound of the phone ringing.

"Let Mandy get it," Chase said.

Cameron happily obliged and went back to what she was doing. But as the ringing continued, it became clear to Cameron that her sister had no intention of answering the call.

She lifted her head up and groaned. "I swear, if that girl doesn't start earning her keep around here..."

Beneath her, Chase was having the same thoughts. It had been a while since he'd gotten to be alone with his girlfriend, he wanted to take advantage of every second of it.

Cameron reached the phone and placed it to her ear. "Hello?"

After a moments pause, she sat up and quickly worked herself off of Chase. "Hi, Mom."

There was another pause as she listened to the other end of the line. Chase did his best not to make any noise. He'd gotten the hint that Cameron didn't want to make her parents suspicious. Although that annoyed him a little, he decided to let it slide. This relationship was still new.

"Oh, uh, well, I'm not sure when I'm free..."

From the look on her face, he could tell that she wasn't happy with where this conversation was going. The question was, where was the conversation going?

"Yeah, but see, the thing is..."

Chase wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. Stay, and listen to the awkward call, or give her the room and wait until she was done.

He finally decided to do the latter. He silently motioned to her that he was just going out into the hall, and she nodded her recognition before turning her attention back to the call.

Chase headed out to the kitchen where he found Mandy, seated at the table with her feet up on the chair in front of her, focusing intently on painting her toenails. Chase rolled his eyes. Girls could just be so...girly.

"Nice of you to answer the phone," he remarked coldly as he grabbed an apple out of the fruit basket on the table.

Mandy looked up at him for the first time since he'd entered the room. "You don't expect me to get up now, do you? My nails aren't dry yet!"

Had his mouth not been full, Chase would have responded to that. But by the time he swallowed, Cameron had come into the room. She looked worn out. When he'd been with her a few minutes ago, on her bed, she'd been happy and full of energy. Now, she looked like she'd been totally drained.

"What's up?" he asked her, concern in his voice.

She sat down in the chair across from her sister and sighed. She didn't look around at Chase, instead stared straight at Mandy.

"Mom called."

Mandy froze, her cheeks turning as pink as her nail polish. Chase looked between the two girls, trying to make sense of what was happening.

After a few moments of silence, Mandy finally spoke. She kept her voice steady and emotionless, her eyes still peeled on the pink polish.

"And what did she want?"

"She wants to come to dinner. Her and Dad."

Slowly, Mandy nodded her head. Chase sensed that he was starting to get a feel for what was going on here.

"Well then, tell me when it is and I'll make myself scarce."

Cameron sighed again. "Mandy, you know-"

She shook her head and cut her sister off. "No, Allie, you know that's not an option."

"I just think that if you-"

"Stop it!" Mandy shrieked, exasperated. "How many times do I have to tell you, this is not negociable."

Cameron didn't want to start another argument with her sister, so she decided to take her advice. "Okay, I'll drop it." With that she stood up and headed out of the room, grabbing Chase's hand and dragging him along.

As soon as Cameron shut the door, Chase's questions started pouring out of his mouth.

"What's going on? Why is your Mom coming to dinner? When is your Mom coming to dinner? What's up with Mandy and your Mom? Do-"

"Chase, shut up." Cameron barked. She didn't mean to, she was just frustrated.

Surprisingly, Chase did what he was told. He and Cameron went back over to her bed and sat down. She took a breath, then started to explain what had just happened.

"Mandy and our parents don't get along. They were never as understanding as I was about her...lifestyle choices. They had a falling out a long time ago, and haven't spoken since."

He took a second to process that information. He knew what it was like to not get along with your parents, but he also had a feeling that when it came to Cameron's family, when she said 'falling out', it was a lot more serious than you'd think.

"They don't know she's staying here, which is why I was trying to get out of dinner, but my mom is very good at manipulating people."

He nodded. "So, what are you gonna do?"

She looked down at her hands, which were intertwined with his. "Well, I don't have much of a choice. I have to host a dinner for my parents."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Not unless you can find a way to keep my mother from noticing that Mandy's been staying here."

He knew she was only joking, but at that moment an idea struck him. "Actually, that might be possible."

Cameron looked up at him, eyebrows raised. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, what if I came to dinner? I could be like a distraction, to keep your parents from picking up on the Mandy thing. And even if they do notice her stuff lying around, maybe they won't say anything, with someone else at dinner."

Cameron just stared at him. Was he saying what she thought he was saying?

"Are you asking me if you can come to dinner? Do you want to meet my parents?"

At the tone in her voice Chase started to reconsider his proposition. Okay, maybe that was a little too extreme. He didn't want to push her to go further with their relationship than she was willing. Meeting the parents would be pushing.

"Well, if you'd rather I not, it's totally fine, I just thought that if it would help..." He trailed off as his face reddened.

Cameron appeared to be considering it for a moment. When she opened her mouth it was with a slight hesitance. "Chase, I don't want to let you put yourself in this situation without making sure you understand just exactly what you're getting yourself into." She paused for breath. "My family is, to say the least, a disaster, and my parents are usually the best when it comes to demonstrating that fact."

He smiled at her. She was cute when she was nervous. "Look, honey, I know what parents can be like, but I promise not to judge you based on them." He leaned in, touching his forehead against hers so their eyes and lips were inches apart. "I won't let them scare me off."

Finally Cameron smiled. "Okay then, why not?"

On Friday night the dinner that was to wreck all havoc on the Meyer family was set to take place. When Mandy had found out about Chase coming to dinner, she had been skeptical, but had warmed to the idea, due to a lot of begging on Cameron's part, and had let herself be convinced to stay.

It was a decision she was starting to regret.

Mandy hadn't seen her parents in six years. Six years of birthdays, Christmases, no contact whatsoever. It was like she was the forgotten child, the daughter that didn't exist. That hurt her.

Okay, so maybe she'd been partly to blame. All through her teenage years she pushed her parents to their limits. But that was what teenagers were supposed to do, wasn't it? You didn't just shut your child out because she pissed you off sometimes.

Allison had been there for her. She had always been the one the younger Meyer sister could run to, the one that was understanding. She would even on occasion stand up to their parents on Mandy's behalf. Through all those years, Mandy had valued that more than anything in the world.

But even still, she was nervous about the dinner. There was no telling how her parents would react to seeing her (especially her mother), and how she would react to seeing them.

Cameron, on the other hand, had thrown herself head-first into dinner preparations, not allowing herself to consider all the ramifications of the evening. She had thrown on her best "family dinner" attire, which consisted of a deep burgundy knee-length skirt and a pink blouse that she hated, but her mother loved, and spent about an hour on her hair, trying it a million different ways.

"I don't understand why you're trying so hard," Mandy had remarked from where she was perched on the side of the bathtub. "I don't care what I look like in front of her." All Cameron did was turn around from where she stood in front of the mirror, holding half her hair up on her head, and glared at her sister.

Chase got there twenty minutes early, just like Cameron had told him to. He looked particularly handsome, she had noted, in his navy blue blazer that brought out his eyes and a white button down that made him look polished yet not overdone.

He came up behind her in the kitchen, where she was stirring some kind of pasta dish. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he leaned around and kissed her cheek. She jumped.

"Watch it! This is hot!"

He couldn't help but laugh at her now, in her frantic state. "Honey, you've gotta relax."

"I can't relax," came the reply. "My parents are coming here."

She continued to bustle around the kitchen, and Chase tried to sit down and lounge, but Cameron nixed that idea, quickly setting him to work getting the table ready.

Mandy finally came into the kitchen, and she did not look impressed. "Are you happy now?"

Cameron turned. Mandy was wearing a forest green v-neck sweater and black dress pants. Her hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, and she'd finished the look with a light pink lipstick and touch of mascara.

Her big sister smiled. "Yes, actually, that's much better." Mandy had been perfectly content with wearing ripped jeans to dinner, but at the mere thought of that Cameron had nearly had a heart attack, and sent her to change into something respectable.

Just then, the sound of the doorbell pulled them all from their thoughts.

"They're here," Cameron announced. Chase sensed the slight panic in her voice. "Okay, I'll get it. Chase, I need you to grab the wine and glasses over there. Mandy-"

"I'm gonna go hide 'til you get them drunk enough for me to reveal myself," Mandy said, cutting her sister off.

Chase and Cameron both ignored that comment. They had a plan, they were going to get through this.

Cameron opened the front door to reveal an older couple dressed as though they were attending a business meeting. The man looked tired yet cheerful, but the woman's stance did not seem at all inviting. That is, until she saw her daughter.

"Allison, darling! It's so good to see you!"

Cameron gave a brief smile. "Hi Mom, hi Dad, come on in."

She quickly hugged her parents and led them into the living room. As soon as they sat down, before Cameron could ease them into it, Chase sauntered in with the wine.

Her mother looked startled, but quickly masked it with something resembling a polite expression.

"Mom, Dad, this is my boyfriend, Robert Chase."

Her father stepped forward and shook Chase's hand. He was a stout man who looked as though he was in his early to mid 60s, had light blue eyes, and Chase figured that his light gray hair must have been blond in his youth. That explained how Mandy got it.

Chase moved to shake Cameron's mother's hand, but as he did so he was considering pulling away. He didn't, and she took his hand and gave it a light shake to go along with a small nod and a "How do you do?".

Cameron and Chase poured the wine for her parents and themselves and then settled back down on the couch. The four engaged in small talk for a little while. Cameron's mother told them how Cameron's father was doing some business in Trenton and they decided to drive up and visit. As she did so Chase took a minute to study her. She appeared to be in her late 50s, had dark brown hair slightly darker than her oldest daughter's, and dark brown eyes to match. Wrinkles were appearing at her temples, but Chase could tell she was overcompensating for that with her attire. She looked perfectly made up in what he guessed to be a designer suit and sparkling jewels hanging from her neck and ears. She seemed like a presentable wife.

It was at this time that Cameron suggested they head into the kitchen for dinner, so Chase quickly dropped his analysis of Cameron's mom. There'd be plenty more opportunities tonight to find out what kind of a person Virginia Meyer was.

"Before we eat," Cameron said as she sat down across from Chase at the table. Her parents looked up at her expectantly. "I need to tell you guys something. Well, it's not exactly me that has to tell you, it's..."

"What is it, dear?" Her mother asked.

As if on cue, Mandy entered the kitchen.

The smile immediately disappeared off Mrs. Meyer's face, and Mr. Meyer choked on his wine.

Mandy slowly lifted her eyes from the ground and offered a soft, "Hi guys."

Virginia seemed to be fighting an internal battle with her mind, but finally, after a long silence, she settled it.

"Amanda, hello dear. Will you be joining us for dinner?"

Both the Meyer sisters mouths dropped open.

A/N: I need to take another poll of you guys. This time I need to know how far you want the Chameron thing to go. Do you want me to end this story with them in an established relationship, married, what? I'm not ready to finish this story, but after this arc, I'm not sure where to take it, so, I need your input!

Okay, that's the end of part one. Review and you'll get part two. :)