Disclaimer: Characters are owned and produced by The Disney Channel, That's So Productions, Brookwell-McNamara Entertainment, It's A Laugh Productions and Warren & Rinsler Productions. I am just borrowing them for these stories.

Author's Note: There is a reference in this chapter to a backstory for Victor and Cory's move to D.C., where "Cory In the House" is set. Now the next election is in 2008 and it would be a little early for an executive chef to be chosen. Plus, the first lady historically does that. But please, suspend your disbelief for me in the interest of advancing the story. Thanks!


The L Word

Chapter 8

Low Profile

Wednesday, August 23

Raven got a call from her father early Wednesday morning asking her if she and Chelsea could stop by around noon and that he would explain when they got there. Many things went through Raven's head as to why her father was summoning them. Is he going to finally accept them as a couple? Is he going to condemn them? Did Mom come home for good early and they are surprising her again?

The eldest Baxter child wound her truck through the streets of San Francisco with her girlfriend at her side. Normally a chatterbox in the car, Raven was silent for most of the ride home.

"Rae, is everything all right?" Chelsea asked.

"Yeah. I'm just wondering what my father wants. He normally just talks to me on the phone. I hope everything is okay."

"I wouldn't worry." Chelsea said, taking Raven's right hand and giving it a squeeze. "Everything will be fine. And if it's not, that's what I'm here for."

Raven smiled and let out a deep breath. "If I wasn't driving, I'd kiss you." Chelsea's response to Raven's wish was to kiss her own index finger and place it on Raven's lips.

Just as they pulled up to a stoplight, Raven slightly parted her lips, closed her eyes and kissed the tip of Chelsea's finger.

"Good enough?" Chelsea asked.

"For now." Raven said with a warm smile as they pulled off.

Twenty minutes later they pulled into the Baxter's driveway and made their way into the house.

"DAD!" Raven called out. "I smell fresh coffee brewing. He must be expecting company." She said to Chelsea.

"Hey, sweetheart." Victor said as he came into the living room from the kitchen. He walked over to Raven to give her a hug. "Hi Chelsea." Victor stepped over and embraced Chelsea. "Have a seat."

"Where's Cory?" Raven queried.

"In his room. He'll be down in a minute." Victor said.

"You're making coffee. You expecting somebody?" Raven's interest was piqued.

"Yeah. That's what I wanted to talk to y'all about." Victor began. "Remember the fundraising dinner I catered for Governor Martinez about a year ago?"

"You mean the same Governor Martinez that's running for President? Yeah. I remember." Raven said.

"Well, his campaign manager called yesterday. He was so impressed with my work, if he gets elected, he wants me to become the executive chef at the White House!"

"A – Are - Are you serious?" Raven was dumbstruck. "The White House? In Washington, D.C.?" She looked at Chelsea who's mouth had yet to close.

"Yeah! It is an incredible opportunity and is the ultimate resume centerpiece." Victor beamed.

"That's great Dad! I'm so happy for you! So when…" Raven began.

"Not so fast." Victor warned. "Because this is a position in the White House, they have to do a thorough background check on me, my family, my friends, my family's friends… They are very thorough."

"So who's coming over Mr. B, Secret Service?" Chelsea asked.

"Exactly. One of the Special Agents from the San Fran field office is coming to do a preliminary interview and they asked that I get as many of my family and friends as I could for a face-to-face." Victor continued. "Eddie will be over around 1. He said he had something to do."

"Yeah." Raven whispered to Chelsea. "Her name is Gina." They both chuckled.

"Now cut that out, you two!" Victor pleaded. "This is a big deal for me. I don't want to blow it." Just then Victor heard the microwave go off. "Hors d'oerves. I'll be right back."

Reality finally set in for Raven. The possibility of her father and brother moving across country to the Nation's Capital was very real. Although she was 21 and becoming more independent by the day, she still loved having her family nearby. With her mother still in England and now Victor and Cory possibly moving to D.C., Raven stood to be only Baxter left in San Francisco. Just before Raven opened her mouth to speak, she was pulled into a vision.

(VISION)

Eddie is getting out of his car on the street in front of the Baxter's house where he meets an irate Raven with Chelsea hot on her heels.

Eddie: "Rae! What's wrong?"

Raven: "That man tap dances on my fucking nerves! I am sick of being his daughter! He can take his ass to D.C. and not come back for all I care!"

(END OF VISION)

Raven had a look of terror on her face.

"Rae? What is it?" Chelsea asked in a worried tone.

"I just had a vision that I got really pissed at my dad and stormed out of the house."

"When?"

"Right before Eddie gets here, today!" Raven was cool on the outside but frantic inside. "What am I going to do?"

"Just pray you don't blow up in front of Secret Service!" Chelsea whisper-yelled seconds before the doorbell rang. Cory descended the stairs seconds later.

"I'VE GOT IT!" Victor yelled from the kitchen. He came bounding through the kitchen door and made a beeline for the front door. Cory went over to Raven and Chelsea, mouthed hello and stood next to them.

Victor opened the door. "Victor Baxter?" A woman in a dark gray pinstriped business suit queried.

"I'm Victor Baxter."

"Special Agent Veronica Stallworth, Secret Service, San Francisco Office."

"Please come in." Victor said. "This is my son, Cory, my daughter Raven and her friend, Chelsea Daniels." She's more than my friend Dad. You know that. Raven thought.

"Thank you." Agent Stallworth stepped inside. "It's a pleasure to meet all of you." Victor motioned to the sofa and the tall brunette took a seat. "This is a lovely home Mr. Baxter."

"Thank you." Victor said.

"This is going to be simply a preliminary interview to get some character information beyond the information we already have." The agent said.

The agent began with Victor and a series of personal questions that revolved around Tonya and her business in England. Then she moved to Cory and his life; school and friends, William, Larry and The Juicer, who's name, The Baxters found out, was Darryl Grisham.

The query then came around to Raven. Agent Stallworth asked Raven about attending Cal-Berkeley and her academic and career pursuits. Then came the subject of friends.

"Well, I have two very special friends. Eddie Thomas, who should be here soon." Eddie had text messaged Raven to let her know he was about 15 minutes away. "And Chelsea." Raven looked at Chelsea and smiled.

Victor displayed a nervous smile as he added his commentary. "Chelsea and Raven have been BEST FRIENDS since kindergarten."

Did he just… No. You're trippin' because of your vision. Raven thought to herself.

"Chelsea and I are a lot closer than friends…"

"More like sisters. Chelsea is a part of this family." Victor chimed in.

Victor's attempt at covering up the true nature of Chelsea and Raven's relationship is obvious even to Cory at this point.

"As I was saying…" Raven said with a slightly annoyed tone. Chelsea nudged her to keep her in line. "Chelsea and I are a lot closer than friends…"

"Would you care for some more coffee, Agent Stallworth?" Victor desperately tried to keep Raven from finishing her sentence.

"We are a couple." Raven said with an air of defiance.

"Of wonderful young ladies…" Victor added.

"Who happen to be lesbian lovers." Raven emphatically cut Victor off as she looked him directly in the eye.

"Oh shit." Cory mumbled under his breath as he dropped his head to avoid watching the inevitable train wreck. Just then, the agent's cell phone rang. She checked the caller ID.

"This is my supervisor, I need to take this."

"Through that door for some privacy." Victor pointed toward the kitchen. The agent walked through the kitchen door to take the call. Victor's head shot around toward Raven.

"What's wrong with you? Can't you take a hint?" Victor whisper-yelled.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you?" Raven shot back. "What difference does it make to her what my sexual orientation is? That is not a matter of national security last time I checked!"

"It's just not something that needs to come out right now." Victor said.

"Why not? Dick Cheney's daughter is gay and her partner is pregnant. And he is the Vice President!" Raven's blood was beginning to boil. "No! You don't want it to come out right now because deep down you still haven't accepted us and your too ashamed of your DYKE daughter to tell anybody." She put extra emphasis on the d-word.

"Rae." Chelsea tugged at Raven's sleeve to calm her down as Raven stood up. Victor was shell-shocked at his daughter's outburst.

"Raven, that's not…" Victor attempted a comeback.

Raven's response came just as Agent Stallworth was entering the room. "Right now Dad, I don't give a fuck what you think about us. C'mon Chels." Raven glanced at Agent Stallworth who was standing near the piano.

"I'm sorry Agent Stallworth, we have to go. You have my number if you have any more questions. Nice meeting you." Raven wheeled around to face the door, grabbed Chelsea's hand and headed out.

"Raven, wait!" Victor said.

'You have my number, Dad, if you have any questions." Raven said without turning around. "Bye, cockroach." She said to Cory.

"Bye, wannabe." Cory replied back. With that Raven and Chelsea disappeared out the front door.

Victor stood in the middle of the room with his head hung low. He lifted his head to speak.

"Agent Stallworth, I am so sorry…"

"Mr. Baxter, the sexual orientation of you, your family or their friends has no bearing on the outcome of this investigation."

Victor simply stood and rubbed his head.

The agent walked over to her purse, pulled out her wallet and sat down. She thumbed through her pictures until she found the one she was looking for. She held it out and showed it to Cory.

"That's me, my dog Scooter, and my friend Tammy." Agent Stallworth said. She then turned to look at Victor. "My BEST FRIEND Tammy." The emphasis she placed on 'best friend' mocked Victor's description of Chelsea and Raven earlier. It also confirmed to Victor and Cory that Tammy was her partner.

"As an agent of the U.S. Treasury Department, I will tell you that nothing beyond the scope of my interview questions will have any bearing on your investigation. Nothing I have seen would prevent me from giving the governor a positive report." The agent said before putting her shield on the table. "Now, coming from Ronnie, the lesbian…" She used her nickname. "You need to talk to your daughter. She is very hurt." She picked up her badge and her paperwork along with her bag.

"Thank you for coming Agent Stallworth." Victor said. He closed the door and turned toward Cory. "Well… I feel really stupid right now."

"You should." Cory said. "That wasn't one of your shining moments."

"How upset do you think she is?"

"On a scale of one to ten…" Cory replied. "This one's a 'you better call Mom'." Cory handed Victor the phone. Victor looked at his son for a moment then started to dial.

Moments earlier…

Raven was livid as she walked down the steps from her house. Chelsea was practically running to catch up with her. Raven was mumbling under breath during her speed walk toward the car.

"Chelsea and Raven have been BEST FRIENDS since kindergarten." Raven mocked in a high-pitched voice. "More like sisters. Chelsea is a part of this family." Her mockery continued. "I've been fucking the shit out of my sister, Dad!" She was just getting started as she walked past her car toward the street. "Need to take your head out of your ass!" More profane mumbling.

Eddie pulled up and immediately knew something was wrong.

"Rae! What's wrong?" Eddie slammed his car door and jogged over to Raven and Chelsea.

"That man tap dances on my fucking nerves! I am sick of being his daughter! He can take his ass to D.C. and not come back for all I care!" Raven screamed before collapsing into Eddie's arms in tears.

"Chels, what happened?" Eddie asked as he consoled Raven.

"Her father was trying to hide our relationship from the Secret Service agent."

"Secret Service?" Eddie asked.

"Governor Martinez wants Rae's dad to become White House executive chef if he gets elected, so the Secret Service is doing a background check on all of us." Chelsea explained.

"Go jump in the fucking Potomac River! I hate him!" Raven's scream was muffled as her head was still buried in Eddie's chest.

"You don't hate him Rae." Eddie said. "He's still having a rough time. He'll come around."

"I don't care anymore!" Raven said in between sobs.

"Yes you do. If you didn't you wouldn't be crying right now." Eddie said calmly. "Chels, take her keys and drive her car back to campus. She's gonna ride with me."

"Okay Ed." Chelsea took Raven's keys out of her purse, brushed Raven's hair back with her finger and kissed her forehead. "I'll see you at home sweetie, okay?"

Raven reached out and grabbed Chelsea in a bear hug. "I love you."

"I love you too." Chelsea said.

"MISTER THOMAS?" Eddie turned around when he heard his name. A tall, dark-haired, handsome woman that resembled Angie Harmon was headed his way. He assumed it was the Secret Service agent.

"Get in." He said to Raven. "I'll be right there." Raven slid into the passenger seat.

"Veronica Stallworth, Secret Service. I am going to have to re-schedule your interview. I'm sorry."

"No problem."

"Is Raven going to be all right?" The agent asked.

"Yeah. I'm gonna take her home and talk to her."

"Let her know that I said she'll be fine. It took my father a while to adjust too. Here's my card. I'll be in touch." The agent said before heading to her car.

Eddie glanced at the card and watched the agent walk away as he pondered her statement. He got into his truck and cranked it up. Raven was staring out the window. "Look at me Rae." Raven turned to look at him. Her eyes were glassy and puffy but to Eddie she still looked beautiful. "It's always darkest before the dawn. Remember that, no matter how bad you think it is. Now dry up. Your girlfriend needs to see a smile on your face by the time you get back to campus." Eddie then remembered what the agent said. "Oh, and the Secret Service agent wanted me to tell you that you'll be fine. It took her father a while to adjust too."

"Dang... Her too." Raven said realizing the meaning of Agent Stallworth's remark to her. Raven paused and dropped her head before looking back up at Eddie. "Just in case I haven't told you lately… I love you. Thank you for being my friend."

Eddie held out his hand for Raven to take. She put her hand in his. "I love you too, Rae." Eddie said with a warm reassuring smile.

"I don't love you as much as Gina did last night though!" Raven quickly rebounded sniffling up the last of her tears. "I mean damn, babyboy! We've got thin walls on campus, son!"

"Okay. Here we go." Eddie lamented as Raven started in on his memorable night with his "Alejandra".


Thank you for coming this far with me. Eight chapters into the Thunderstorms sequel. I didn't think I could make it. But here WE are. Come with me to chapter 9? PLEASE REVIEW!