I'M BACKKKKKKK!! I bet you all thought I was dead or something? Well, thank God I'm not!!! My exams are finally over and I have now graduated!!! YEAAAAAA!!!! LOL! I wrote this chapter in umm…February, but I truthfully didn't have time to type it, so now that I have gotten my summer holiday I am on a writing spree!!! No one can stop me! Muahahahahahaha!!!!!
Thanks to all those who reviewed! Sorry that I can't mention you by name now. I hope y'all enjoy this chapter!!!
Chapter 5: Valentine Surprise
Disclaimer: I have done my CSEC exams but none of them involved creating Danny Phantom so…I guess I don't own it.
Sam's eyes flew open as a picture of Danny flashed through her mind. She sat up in bed and looked at Benjamin. He was asleep. Judging from the look on his face, he had slept well for the whole night and still was sleeping well…unlike Sam. She flung the sheet from off her and stepped into her bedroom slippers. She would go and check on her children, and then she would start her daily chores.
As she stepped outside, she practically ran over Zoey, who seemed to be heading into her parents' room.
"Hey Sam! Gooooood morning!" She chirped. Sam cocked a brow.
"Why are you so happy?" Sam asked.
"Duh, cause its Valentine's Day! What, you didn't remember?" Zoey asked. Sam shook her head 'no' as she stared at Zoey in surprise. Sam hated Valentine's Day. Every year, on February the 14th, she would daydream of that special one she lost, telling her how much he loved her. She wanted to curl up beside him with his strong arms holding her close to his warmness. She closed her eyes and told herself, reluctantly, that it would never happen.
"Hey, don't be sad, mom. Today will be great, trust me," Zoey said, giving Sam a hug.
"Thanks Zoey," Sam said, returning the hug, yet not believing what her daughter had said.
"Oh, Samantha, you're awake," the sleepy voice of Benjamin said from the doorway. Sam released Zoey and put a plastic smile on her face.
"Good morning honey! You do know what today is, right? She asked feeling disgusted with herself.
"Yeah, today is Saturday and I just got a call from Martin telling me they were having an urgent meeting down at the firm, so I'm just going to take a quick shower and leave," he said, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
"Oh," Sam said, relief running through her. Yet, she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. He didn't even remember. He closed the door behind him and Zoey spoke in utter disgust.
"Bastard!"
"Language," Sam said, still staring at the door.
"But he is, Sam! Anyway, forget him! Shaire, you and I can go somewhere and have a little fun," Zoey said, doing a little dance.
"Is Shaire awake yet," Sam asked, her eyes switching to look at Zoey.
"He's asleep. The first thing I did this morning was look at him. He's just so adorable," Zoey said. Sam smiled despite her messed up emotions. She felt proud of herself as a mother. Shaire was her special, most important gift ever. She indeed loved him more than life itself.
"So, where do you wanna go? I was thinking about going to that Valentines' Day Fair down by the private park. It's just $200 for one person to enter and I know money is not a big deal…but we do have to pay for the rides and food…but it would be fun!" Zoey said. Sam looked at her excited face and immediately drew a conclusion.
"Don't let me spoil your day with whomever you're going out with." Zoey immediately blushed 10 shades of red.
"Wha..wha…what made you think that?" She tried to play it off. Sam smiled and tilted Zoey's downcast face up to hers.
"I know you're young and I don't expect you to do stupid things if you thought I would be against your relationship with this unknown boy. I want us to have an open relationship and I can't say I'm not a little hurt, but I have to put it behind me. You can go, by yourself but you have to stick to your curfew, ok? And one day you can bring him home so that I can meet him," Sam smiled. Zoey smiled also and hugged her mother tightly.
"Thank you soooo much mom!" She said.
"Ok! Ok! You're welcome! Go on and get ready!"
"I love you!" Zoey said and raced off to her room. Sam's smile slowly faded. Oh how quickly they grew up. She found herself a few minutes later in Shaire's room. She gazed in at him, his childish innocence unmistakeable.
"Well, it's just me and you today Shai. My little man," she muttered to herself. He stirred and mumbled a few incoherent words. She walked over to sit beside him on his bed, silently. She brushed his messy hair out of his eyes and the next thing she knew, a pair of violet-blue eyes were staring up at her.
"Hey honey. Did you sleep well?" She asked. He smiled and nodded his head sleepily.
"Good. Mommy's gonna go fix you some breakfast then we can have some fun," Sam said and got up to walk out. At the door she stopped and looked behind only to see him climbing out of bed.
"Mommy, can I come with you?" He asked as he stood at his bed side looking cute in his Spiderman Pjs. She couldn't help but smile brightly.
"Come on kid," she said. He quickly came to her side and she scooped him up into her arms.
"Gosh, you're heavy," she said, barely managing to close the door behind her as she headed downstairs.
"I'm 7. What did ya expect? I'm hardly a child anymore," he said, hugging her tightly.
"That's true and I guess my inexperience with children contribute to it too. Truthfully, I'm not good at holding children," she admitted with a short laugh.
"Is that what happens when you get old?"
"I am not old!"
"You are too!"
"No I'm not!"
"Yes you are," Shaire put up his fight and so it went on playfully between mother and son. Soon they were in the kitchen cooking up a delicious breakfast.
"This is too cool," Zoey said upon entering the kitchen five minutes later. Her eyes roamed the room: ceilings, walls and floors, taking in the spectacle that was mess. Her eyes landed on Shaire who was behind Sam, licking something gooey from off the stove.
"You like?" Sam asked, covered in mess herself.
"Shaire! Stop that!" Zoey yelled. The little boy jumped in shock and turned wide eyed to Zoey. Sam turned to look at what he had been doing.
"He was licking the stove," Zoey pointed out as she tried looking for food that was not on the wall. She did find some in a plate, reserved for her she was guessing. She grabbed up her sandwich and kissed Sam on the cheek.
"Bad boy, Shaire. Don't do that again," Sam said as Zoey kissed her.
"I'm leaving now," Zoey said, heading for the door.
"Do you want me to drop you off?" Sam asked, stopping Zoey in her tracks.
"But it tastes good," Shaire said.
"Naw, I'm good. I made prior arrangements," Zoey said, hand on the doorknob.
"I would like to know how you're getting there, if you don't mind," Sam said. Shaire continued to lick the sweet goo from the stove. Sam pulled him away, not wanting him to get hurt or sick.
"Gone!" Zoey yelled unnecessarily and left. The door slammed behind her.
"Wait!' Sam said, holding onto Shaire's hand to hold him back from the stove, but Zoey was of course gone and not coming back. She sighed and picked up the cordless phone perched on the wall. She dialed Zoey's number.
"Don't lick the stove again, Shaire! It's dangerous. You'll get burned or…oh…how are you getting there? I need to know," Sam said. Zoey had picked up in the middle of her speech to Shaire.
"I just left, mom. I'm barely out the door!" Zoey replied.
"Obviously Zoey, but you still haven't told me who's bringing you. You're avoiding the question. Is it that…boy? Wait, I don't even know his name! I need information here!"
"Then what should I eat? I'm hungry," Shaire said, tugging at Sam's hand.
"Can't you be Sam now and not mom?"
"Stop acting like a spoiled child. You'll get something to eat if you wait," Sam said to Shaire.
"What?" Zoey asked.
"I'm not talking to you, it was Shaire, still intent on licking the stove," Sam said, fighting to equally divide her attention. Zoey sighed.
"Fine, since you have to know, I'm going with Uncle Tucker. He said he would bring me."
"Then why didn't you tell me? It's just Tucker."
"I…I…I don't know. I just wanted to feel in charge I guess. After all, I'm almost 15. I have to learn to take care of myself," she said.
"You're still young, you have plenty of time to grow up and become independent. For now, I would appreciate you behaving responsibly. By that I mean telling me where you're going and with whom you're going with. So I don't die of worry."
"Could you hurry up," Shaire demanded.
"I'm sorry," Zoey offered an apology.
"It's okay now that we have everything sorted out. Have fun and keep safe," Sam said to Zoey.
"Bye," Zoey said and hung up. Sam replaced the phone on the wall and turned to the impatient little one.
"I think you need just a little bit more of that thing called patience," she said.
"But I'm hungry," he said angrily, folding his arms and sticking out his lips in a pout. Sam folded her arms also and stared down at Shaire in a way that said "I am the adult here". Shaire's arms loosened and they fell to his side.
"I'm sorry for being unpatient," he said, sulkily.
"It's a lesson learned today and your food has been right on the table all along. FYI, it's impatient," Sam said, pointing at the table and thinking how she had become a mother at such an early age. She didn't know how to handle him, a 7 year old. He seemed to be in deep concentration as he pulled his sticky self onto one of the chairs.
"Impatient," he repeated. Sam smiled. She had to admit though, he was sweet, even if his manners needed a bit more tuning. Her smile fell as she wondered how he had felt having to wait 7 years for his "parents" to come back for him as they had promised. He must have spent countless nights crying in anguish, tired of waiting and wanting his mother. She almost cried as her heart almost burst. She had him now and that was all that mattered.
She rubbed the bleariness from her eyes and leaned back on the counter. Ben chose to walk into the room at that moment. Sam was caught off guard and for a moment, all she could do was stare. Ben looked GOOD! He actually brought off the Justin Timberlake look. He wore a dazzling white T-shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans with a light brown jacket. His T-shirt was tucked into his pants, held tightly by his belt adorned with a reasonably sized buckle. It hugged his contours perfectly, not too tight, not too loose, only perfect. His chestnut hair was slightly disheveled and Sam could smell his cologne from all the way across the room. It was heavenly. It was a different look from the neat man he was.
He stopped two seconds upon entering. His jaw fell and his eyes darted about the room. Sam pushed herself from off the counter.
"Benja.." She began.
"What the hell is this?" He yelled. Sam reeled backwards at the intensity of his voice.
"Bring your food upstairs and watch some TV," she said to Shaire. The boy glanced between the enraged Benjamin and the narrow eyed Samantha.
"Now this you don't need to tell me twice," he whispered to her and in the blink of an eye, one could hear his tiny feet jogging up the stairs. Benjamin stepped over the many food items in the room, slowly advancing toward Sam. She merely kicked them aside or stepped on them as she too advanced toward the angry man of the house. She was more than prepared to argue with him. She knew he would blame Shaire for it, especially since he did not fully agree with her taking on another "adopted" child.
"There is no need to raise your voice, Benjamin, especially when th…" Sam started. She didn't get very far for Benjamin's hand had connected with her face. She took two steps back in shock. Now this, she was not prepared for. He stepped up to her, eyes dark with warning.
"Don't let me get back here and see this kitchen like this, Samantha! For you know what I can do to those things you call children! I could send them back or to somewhere worse and you'll never be able to see another child around my house, unless they rightfully belong to me!" He shouted, thrusting a threatening finger at Sam. He did not wait for her to respond, he didn't expect her to answer either. She was his woman, he owned her. He stepped past her and all of her mess and in a few seconds he had left the house. Sam could hear the engine of his car start and she wished that a bomb would blow him up, but it was far-fetched and she realized it.
She stood in her spot for two minutes, trying to figure out if what she thought had happened, but never imagined would happen, had actually happened.
"I can't believe the bitch hit me. It is not ending like this," she murmured. She glared at the door through which he had left wanting him to walk back in so that she could stab him, right in the heart.
'You wanna play rough? I know just how to do that,' she thought. She pushed past the mess and went upstairs. She would take a shower to calm down then she would let Shaire take one.
She flung off her bed slippers and dropped her pants. In one fluid motion, her blouse had joined the collection of clothes on the floor. She went to the bedside table to take out a small face towel from the top and only drawer. She saw a picture of her and Ben together. They were smiling. She took it up and flung it across the room. There was a crash. The picture had collided with the full length mirror behind the door. The mirror was shattered into tiny unimportant shards, the picture and its frame somewhere in the mess. She didn't care.
She slammed the bathroom door behind her and easily took off her underwear. She let her hair down and stepped into the tub, turning on the hot water, full blast. She let out a scream and let the water beat down on her. She felt something on her back. She tensed, a bit afraid. It was soft and was caressing her skin, all over her body. She closed her eyes as she relaxed into the tender invisible being. Hands. Hands were on her body. Invisible hands. Chills ran up her spine at the change of temperature and she smiled, eyes still closed. She felt lips on her shoulder. They were familiar kisses. She knew what was going on.
"Danny," she whispered softly. A body appeared behind her. Hard and familiar and naked, just like hers.
"Hey," he said, kissing her neck and nibbling on it. She turned to face him. He crushed her to his body and kissed her deeply and passionately, unsaid words being shared in the exchange. She could feel every inch of him and he could feel every curve of her body. He didn't want to stop kissing her, but she turned her head away. He noticed her reluctance.
"I'm married," she whispered, pain evident in her voice.
"You don't want to be, so right now, to me you're not," he continued, still holding her body to his. She closed her eyes. There was something correct with them, it was there between them. The need, no, the knowledge that they belonged together.
"I can't," she said opening her eyes. Her protesting stopped right there as Danny totally ignored her and pressed his lips so naturally to hers. She had wanted this for such a long time and now that it was happening, after 7 years, she wasn't going to let it go. She melted into him feeling as if their bodies were one. She wrapped her hands around his neck, bringing his face closer to hers if it was possible. They withdrew and she stared into his baby blue orbs that she loved so very much. She examined his face, trying to believe that he was really in front of her. He caressed her soft cheek and pushed her hair back.
"I love you," he whispered.
"I love you too," she answered.
1 HOUR LATER
Sam lay on her naked stomach, head turned to look at the spot where the picture of her and her husband had once been. Danny's head was on her back, the sheet covering them.
"This wasn't supposed to happen," she said although on the inside she was light and without a worry. It had been great being with him. She wished that she could always be with him.
"But it did and I have no regrets," he said. Sam turned over on her back, disrupting Danny's head.
"Me either," she smiled at him. He took to resting his head on her stomach. Sam stroked his head, unused to his long hair.
"You plan on telling me about prison?" She asked. It was a pretty straight forward question.
"Well…" he began. He lifted his head from her stomach and looked at her, using his elbows to support his body. He looked like a man one always wanted yet could somehow never get. Simply put, he was hot.
"Well what?" She urged him, sitting up and bringing the sheet with her. He watched her and Sam felt as if he was looking right through the sheet.
"It was a whole new unexplored world to me. I knew no one and it was frightening to know that you weren't safe anywhere. You could walk around a corner and have someone offer you an apple. The next corner you walk round, someone may K.O. you. It was tough. I actually had to fight, really hurt a few people to get some respect in there. I don't know how I did it," he said, his face showing a far off look. One that was filled with pain.
"You did it, and that's all that matters to me now. I…I…I am glad. Absolutely overjoyed that you're here now. But, I thought you got many years…many, many years," Sam said, swallowing the bump in her throat.
"I was coming to that. They've dismissed the case, apologizing to me and making me a free man. It seems that it takes 7 years for everyone to find out that I could have acted out of self defense. It also takes 7 years to figure read my lips."
"Read your lips? What?" Sam asked, confused.
"In the video, I was screaming something at Vlad before I 'killed him'. Recently, they were looking at the video again and voila, they realized they had arrested an innocent man and I had killed the real criminal, though not in the way they thought I did." Danny smiled. Sam placed all her weight on the headboard and wondered whether she should be angry, disgusted or relieved. They had stolen her life from her.
"Those idiots! They were too busy looking for someone to throw behind bars that they couldn't even give you a proper trial!"
"Sam, forget it. It's happened and we can't go back 7 years. I've forgiven them, especially since they gave me my life back, job and all. Just, let it go. Please," he said. Sam bit her lower lip. Something popped into her mind. A nagging thought. One she had been thinking about for the past 7 years, a few months after Danny had been arrested. She decided to tell him about him, storing the newly heard news somewhere precious. She would never forget.
"Danny," she said, a tad hesitant.
"Yes, Sam," he said. She shivered at the way he had called her name. It was delightful.
"I have something very important to tell you and it involves…it involves…" she began. Danny met her eyes, already knowing what she was going to tell him.
"It involves Shaire. He's my son, isn't he."
I have taken up the task of reading The Other Boleyn Girl and I have to say I really like it. I was thinking about it through most of this chapter. Please, read and review and forgive me for taking so long with it. The next chapter will be out really soon I hope. It's written, I just need to type it.
