Hello, Hello. Well, chapter 3 is up and I hope you like it. ;) Leave a review please and make me happy!:)
Disclaimer: You know this...Sam is mine...so are Jessie and Eleanor...the rest aren't...
Chapter 3: Montagues and Capulets Theme - Romeo and Juliet Ballet by Prokofiev
After a couple of weeks the Brightmores had fallen back into their every day routine of school and work. Sam no longer clung to her mother when being dropped off in the morning and sometimes even took her time instead of meeting Niles straight away at the end of the day.
On this particular day the school was abuzz with excitement. It was the annual open day in which parents and relatives could come to the school and observe their children in action. It had always been difficult for C.C. to attend, however, for her long working hours often prohibited such a visit. And even when Niles had appeared in the picture they still hadn't managed to come and see her, work had always got in the way. And while Sam had always put on a brave face in front of her friends and pretended to be quite happy not to be observed, she was now thrilled at the prospect of finally, and for the first time, having one of her parents attend. Niles would join her later on in the day when she was accompanying the school band on the piano and she was sure to make him proud.
Jessie and Eleanor were waiting for her already at the school gates.
"Are you excited?" Jessie asked immediately, grinning at her friend's barely concealed happiness.
"Yeah," Sam nodded, grinning from ear to ear.
"What's the big deal?" Eleanor chimed in "It's just a school thing."
"Yes well, your mother is in attendance every year." Jessie instantly replied.
Sam kept quiet, this was one conversation that could soon turn ugly and she really did not want to be caught in the middle, least of all on that particular day. Jessie came from a rather poor background and had been given the opportunity to attend this school on a scholarship basis. Her parents were hard-working people though, both working in shifts every day of the week, but unfortunately because of that not having a lot of time for their daughter. Eleanor, on the other hand, came from quite the opposite background. Her parents were wealthy and lived in a Park Avenue mansion, her mother stayed at home while her father earned the money, enabling her mother to turn up at every school event, much to her daughter's dislike.
"We better go inside or we'll be late." Sam eventually said and dragged the two of them with her.
The day went by smoothly and almost boring, had Sam not glanced at her watch every 5 minutes to see when Niles would arrive. They were just on lunch break when Jess tapped on her shoulder.
"You're being watched," she whispered confidentially.
"Watched?" Sam asked in return, wondering what her friend was up to now.
"Yes, this old lady is following you around."
Finally intrigued by this piece of information Sam put down her spoon and scanned the crowd. Most children were sitting with their parents, even Eleanor whose mother had brought their butler along with their own food basket. Her eyes remained with them for a moment and she grinned to herself at how uncomfortable Eleanor looked, but then she caught sight of the grey-haired woman and her heart missed a beat.
"I'll be right back," she told Jessie and left the table to approach the woman.
Grey hair pulled into a neat bun, smooth skin on her face, wrinkled hands and a burgundy conservative outfit. All in all: the image of flawed perfection and none other than B.B. Babcock.
"Grandma?" Sam asked, looking up into the cool blue eyes.
The woman nodded. "Samantha."
Sam waited for a moment, shifting from leg to leg, but her grandma didn't speak again.
"Um…what brings you here? I mean, how long have you been there? You coulda just come and said hi."
B.B. frowned and then exhaled.
"You mean I could have approached you and said hello?" she asked.
Sam pulled a face and shrugged. "Just what I said."
"No, you, young lady, still have to learn how to talk properly." B.B. corrected sternly but Sam, unfazed, shrugged again.
"As long as people understand me and I haven't had any complaints so far. But yeah, what are you doing here? I didn't know you were coming."
"Well then it wouldn't have been a surprise, would it now?"
"That's certainly true," Sam nodded "on the other hand my friend now thinks you're a stalker or something."
"Then I'd suggest you'd find a more intelligent girl to be your friend." B.B. commented disdainfully.
"Nah, she's alright." Sam grinned "Besides she's never seen you before and now caught you all day long following and watching me, what was she supposed to think?"
"I guess you're right." B.B. nodded.
There was a calm to that girl that almost annoyed her at times. Beatrice knew her daughter, her daughter would fly into a wild rage when provoked, but not her granddaughter. This serene calm, it wasn't Babcock, it was all him. She wrinkled her nose in dislike.
"So, are you gonna stay or?" Sam asked, rocking up and down on the balls of her feet.
She watched how her grandpa produced a list, opened it and scanned it.
"I see here that you have a concert coming up soon?"
"A concert?" Sam repeated, frowning.
"Yes, is this not true? This is your school's newsletter, is it not?" B.B. asked, showing her the piece of paper.
"Ah yes! It's not a concert though, I'm just playing with the school band."
"That, young lady, is an achievement, wouldn't you say?"
"Yeah, but-"
"Samantha!"
"Yeah, alright, I guess it's a concert, grandma." she sighed "Are you gonna watch me play?"
Unbeknownst to Sam she was being watched yet again, this time by a pair of deep- blue eyes.
"I never would have guessed that B.B. would turn up here." Niles thought to himself.
He was standing by the doors of the cafeteria, so at a safe distance. He knew that had C.C. been there she would've already stormed over, grabbed Sam and retreated again, but he wasn't about to do something like that. Of course, B.B. Babcock wasn't on his list of favourite people either, but he could see Samantha's excitement and wasn't about to ruin that. So he remained where he was until the bell rang, then he slowly approached them. As if having a finely tuned detector that would tell her when a domestic was near, B.B. Babcock's eyes snapped to him before he was even remotely close. He continued to head towards them and when he arrived merely nodded at her and placed a hand on Sam's shoulder.
"You're here!" she exclaimed happily, something that was echoed not a second later by her grandmother in a less enthusiastic tone.
"I told you I wouldn't miss it." he smiled and lifted her up in his arms "God, you're gonna break my back soon."
"Young girls are not to be lifted," B.B. criticized sternly.
"Why not? Oxygen levels are the same as on the floor, you don't have to worry about your granddaughter's safety." he grinned and Sam giggled.
"You're silly!"
"Have you ever known me to be something else?" he asked her with a twinkle in his eyes.
"I still don't think it's appropriate that you turn up here." B.B. continued, as if that display in front of her was sickening.
"Why not? I'm her father. C.C. couldn't be here, but I can. So I'm going to watch her play." he replied calmly.
"You are not her father and you are a domestic! You are over 50 and still don't have enough money for such a school. The only reason Samantha can attend here is because of C.C.'s money, money she inherited from me! You, on the other hand, should be out on-"
"Your daughter worked hard to give Sam everything she needs, so do I." he interrupted her, his demeanour calm still, because he could tell that Sam was starting to get upset, but his voice on edge. "And if you will excuse us now it's almost time for the concert and Sam can't be late."
And with that he walked away, holding his daughter still in his arms.
"Aren't you gonna come and watch?" she called after her grandma.
But the old woman merely shook her head and retreated.
"I'm sorry, Sam," Niles sighed and set her back down once they had reached the auditorium.
"It's not your fault," she replied, but he could tell that she was disappointed "I just don't get why you two can't get along."
Niles chuckled and ruffled her hair a bit.
"It's a long story, Sam, I just think we're too different a people to get along."
Sam nodded and thought about this for a moment before giving him a serious look.
"But at least you put in the effort to be nice," she then said, as if she had reached the conclusion that his behavior was commendable.
He laughed softly again and then gently ushered here into the auditorium. "I'm glad you approve."
Niles arrived home again around 10 o'clock at night and was greeted by a strange silence. No Sam running to him and flinging herself into his arms and no C.C. on the couch. He put his keys aside and took off his shoes and frowned.
"C.C.?"
"Bedroom," came the curt reply and he sighed.
Someone was in a bad mood. Ridding himself of his coat too he trudged across the room and into their bedroom. There she sat on the bed arms crossed in front of her chest.
"What's wrong?" he asked instantly, sitting down by her side and pecking her lips.
"My mother." she said pointedly and he winced.
"Sam told you, eh?" he sighed, stretching his tired body.
"Yes, she told me what mother said to you." Her eyes flashed dangerously.
"Love, don't be upset. You know B.B. and I will never get along…" he tried and softly pried her arms open to get her to relax.
"It's not just that! It's the audacity this woman has to insult you in front of my daughter. She had no right to be there in the first place…"
"C.C.," he sighed "it was an open day, she's Sam's grandmother…of course she had a right to-"
"Don't defend her!" C.C. snapped angrily "You're as bad as Sam."
Niles nodded and kept quiet for a moment, adding two and two together.
"You fought with her?" C.C. nodded and softened a little.
"She just doesn't understand what my mother is capable of…"
He nodded again and pulled her into his arms. "I know…but you can't fight with her, you know how stubborn she is, it'll only antagonize her."
Niles thought that this would be the last of it. That C.C. and her daughter would cool down and forgive each other in the morning, but this time it wasn't the case as C.C. continued to stubbornly hold on to her grudge. After breakfast she told them to get dressed and grab their coats and then ushered them to the car. Niles should've known where they were going, but still he didn't fully realize it until they pulled up in front of the mansion.
"C.C., you can't do this, not with Sam in the room." he urged quietly but she'd have none of it.
Wordlessly she got out of the car and marched to the front door and passed the baffled butler.
"Sorry," Sam and Niles whispered in unison to the poor man and followed suit.
They found B.B. in the library, reading a magazine.
"My, a family visit, is it Christmas already?" she asked dryly, barely looking up at them.
"I am here because you wrongfully approached my daughter and insulted my husband!" C.C. snapped, ignoring Sam's protest.
"Wrongfully? Chastity, you may not like it but the girl is my grandchild. It was an open event at her school and I chose to attend."
"You did not tell any of us you were going to do so!"
"If I had not ordered the school newsletter I wouldn't even have known. And how stupid do you take me for? If I had informed you, Chastity, would you really have allowed me to come? I was not even invited to your wedding!"
"Would you have really attended?" C.C. yelled, matching her mother's tone.
"Not in a million years!"
"Then there you go!"
Niles sighed and put his hands on Sam's shoulders from behind. But at that moment he was not so much worried about his daughter as more intrigued by something else. B.B. Babcock had actually looked hurt not to be invited. He didn't quite think yet that she had accepted him as her daughter's husband, but something had changed about her…
"You think you are so perfect, Chastity and you tell the girl I am the villain of the piece. But if you are so perfect then pray tell me: where were you? Why weren't you there to see your daughter?" B.B. challenged.
"You know damn well I had to work!"
"You had to work," B.B. repeated, an almost triumphant glint in her eyes "isn't that ironic? If I recall correctly you complained before about your lonely childhood with your father away on business all the time. Funny, isn't it, how certain things repeat themselves?"
C.C. remained silent, all fight knocked from her body and a deeply sad look in her eyes.
"And so instead you sent the butler to look after her...similar, wouldn't you say, to Nanny Bobo looking after you?" B.B. continued.
"Shut up! There is a very big difference! Niles loves her like a father and he cares for her. We are a family, whether you like it or not!"
"You cannot stop me from seeing my grandchild!"
"Oh you just watch me!" C.C. growled, turned on her heels and left the room.
Sam looked torn for a moment and then chased after her mother, leaving Niles alone with B.B.
"Well, I suppose you're happy now." she said coolly.
"No, actually I'm not. You're not happy," he began frankly "Sam's not happy and I'm almost certain C.C. isn't either. I'm sorry." And he left as well.