iDeceive

It was two in the afternoon by the time Melanie walked through the door. Carly was in the kitchen, dressed in a t-shirt and sweatpants, a cup of coffee in hand. Sam was on lounging on the couch, Girly Cow DVDs on TV. Carly took Mel's return in stride, but Sam was immediately in her sister's face. Sam had become that which she never had. She had become a concerned parent.

"Where have you been, Young Lady? Don't even bother to call and tell us when you're coming home? Anything could have happened to you…"

Carly knew what was coming. She quickly set her coffee on the kitchen counter and ran into the living room, hoping to ward off a confrontation between the sisters. She could already hear Sam getting upset.

"I mean, Jesus, Melanie… Where the hell were you all morning? You were gone before we were even out of bed — thanks for breakfast, though, by the way – six hours, not so much as a call… and we know you weren't with Him… he called because he hadn't heard from you, so what gives?"

Melanie remained silent. Carly was sure that she didn't want to speak out of spite, harming the trust that she and Sam had built recently. She loved her sister. She didn't want to fight. Melanie looked into her sister's eyes and spoke quietly and evenly, as if she was simply too fatigued to argue.

"Sam…"

Carly instinctively moved in to protect her new sister – even from the love of her life – she loved them both more than she could ever put into words.

"Sam… She's a grown woman. She doesn't have to answer to us. Granted, a note might have been nice, but it's nobody's place to tell her much of anything, unless she's done something dangerous, which, I mean, come on…she hasn't… unless you count wearing super-hot boots."

She shot Melanie a smile. She looked next to her partner, expecting an answer.

Sam whined, which, from experience, Carly knew, meant that she conceded defeat. She spoke up anyway.

"I love you, Carls, but why I'm in the wrong because I worry about my sister, I…."

Carly cut her off. Melanie immediately felt uncomfortable. She had never meant for this to happen. Never in a million years.

"She's my sister too, Sam… you're my family… the two of you, Spencer, and Freddie…"

Melanie immediately threw herself in-between Carly and Sam. She wanted to absorb the abuse before it got any worse.

"Girls, please…" She was deflated, but she felt incredibly emboldened somehow. Carly's calling her 'family' had brought that out. It was the elixir her soul now needed.

"Girls, I'm sorry. I was selfish, and I should've told you where I've been going lately… I should've told you, but I just wanted to get away. I thought you would appreciate not having me here. I thought you'd like having the time to be…" Melanie paused, not sure how to say it without offending. "…you know, alone…"

She blushed. She certainly didn't have a prejudiced bone in her body, and she most definitely loved them, Sam and Carly both, and needed no help figuring out what went on in their bedroom, not that it bothered her in the slightest. As far as Melanie was concerned, everyone was entitled to love whomever they saw fit. It was an inalienable right, and something that was as innate as Carly's chocolate locks or Sam's blue eyes. It wasn't her business. She swallowed hard and spoke up again, clearly nervous.

"Girls, can we sit down and talk?" Melanie felt her palms sweat. She noticed Carly's computer on the kitchen counter. She was, no doubt, online, searching for a dinner recipe. "Can we sit in the kitchen? I brought you presents…"

Melanie hadn't ever intended to sound like she was five years old again when she said 'presents', but she did, and it caused her to flush a rich shade of magenta. Carly chuckled. Sam was ambivalent. The sound she made could be charitably described as a grunt. Mel followed Carly into the kitchen, Sam bringing up the rear, now not at all sure what was going through Blondie's prissy little brain.

Walking into the kitchen, Melanie spoke up again, this time less afraid of degenerating into tears.

"Carls, can you grab your computer for a minute, please? I'm going to need to borrow it for a minute, if that's okay…"

Carly did as she was asked without as much as a question. She unplugged the power cord from her laptop and brought it over to the table. Melanie sat in her usual seat, in-between Carly and Sam.

Sam had no idea what was going on, but she took a shot in the dark. They were in the kitchen. Carly was cooking, and Melanie said she'd brought her a present. What else could it be?

"You said something about presents? What is it? You mean ya brought me ribs?..."

Sam Puckett was always thinking with her stomach.

Melanie, sensing her first opportunity in weeks, decided to take a pot-shot at her sister. It was a crude, cheap joke, and she hoped to God that Carly wouldn't be offended either, but she just had to. It was too easy. She smiled, looking as smug as her sister usually did. She cast Sam a look. It was simple, subdued, and biting all at the same time. She chuckled.

"Ribs? Since when? I thought that you were a va—…"

Sam cut her off before she could even get where she was going.

"Wait just a second there, Sweet Cheeks…" Sam growled. Carly was perfectly willing to round on her love, lecture her, only to see a slick, stupid smile cross both Sam and Melanie's faces. They were learning to coexist.

Melanie took a long, labored breath. Carly recalled that sound well. She remembered all too well when she had done exactly that. Her mind raced.

"What the…? Is Mel going to tell us there are two gay Pucketts under one roof? Oh my God…"

Before saying a word, Melanie opened her purse, reached in, and removed what Carly immediately recognized as slim CD cases. One pink, one purple. Each bore an orange sticky note. Carly. Sam.

Melanie spoke up.

"I… I… here."

She handed Carly her CD, but kept Sam's in her hand.

"Hey there, Tinkerbell! That thing's got my name on it!"

"Sam, please. Humor me?"

Melanie handed the disc to Carly, who slipped it into the computer. The disc spun up and the music began to play. It was a song that Sam hadn't heard in years. It was at once intimately familiar and strangely foreign.

Then it hit her. She could only listen to the folksy guitar and the background vocals. It slowly built to a crescendo. It went from folk to flat-out rock. She remembered it well. Only this time the vocals were different. They were throaty, dark, and soulful… soulful and oh so familiar.

"…You are digging for the answers…"

"…until your fingers bleed…"

"…to satisfy the hunger…"

"…to satiate the need…"

Sam knew this song. It rang out in her head for years, as she drifted off to sleep, dreaming of Carly. She got lost in the chords, only to be snapped back by words she'd thought she'd forgotten.

"…Mothers tell your children…"

"Be quick, you must be strong…"

"…Life is full of wonder…"

"…Love is never wrong…"

"…Remember how they taught you…"

"…How much of it was fear…"

"…Refuse to hand it down…"

"…The legacy…stops…here…"

Sam had placed the song – and more importantly – the voice from the beginning. She was overcome. She didn't know what to say, so she did what she always did when she was little – she looked to her sister.

"That was yours. I did it because you're my sister and because I love you…"

Melanie's secret – her sneaking around, everything – was done just to keep them in the dark about what she was doing for the both of them. She had cut these songs at a studio down by the water – her favorite place as a little girl. She had to keep it all private – for now. What it would be tomorrow, she didn't know. All she knew was that she had done her best work ever solely because it was driven by everything that lived within her. It was going to be interesting when she played the third single she recorded.