Ah, the sweet smell of freedom! I'm back and hopefully in full force. I'm terribly sorry for taking longer than anticipated in getting this to you; the return to life has been welcoming!

MANY THANKS, more than I can muster to the Demon! What a gem!

UNEDITED FILLER. I'll look it over tomorrow afternoon.

Chapter Nineteen

Interrupted and Bruised

Mathieu tossed and turned all night as he thought about the life he had been deprived of with Alexis and Samantha. He knew that there was nothing to be done about those stolen moments, but he vowed to himself that he would establish new memories with his family. He did not care what anyone, particularly Mac, said; Alexis and Sam were his family.

When he had finally fallen asleep it seemed as though a second later he was being awoken from that slumber.

--- "Hello there."

He uncovered his face of the pillow to see two pretty young girls staring at him.

--- "Er, good morning."

Kristina raised her eyebrow to the man.

--- "It seems that way."

Molly and Mathieu frowned at the teen.

--- "I'm sorry?"

As he moved to stand up, Kristina cleared her throat and looked downward. He reddened and placed the pillow that had been on his face onto his lower half; he was wearing his boxers, but alas, it was in fact the morning and he had just woken up…

--- "Pardon."

Molly, while she continued to be confused as to what was going on, wanted to know whom this strange man on her mother's couch was; she was intrigued by his French accent.

--- "You're French?"

He reached for his pants that were neatly placed on the adjacent chair; Kristina handed them to him.

--- "Yes. You're Molly, non? And you—merci—are Kristina?"

Both girls nodded.

--- "And you are?"

He held onto the pants for dear life.

--- "Mathieu. Er, do you mind turning around?"

Kristina took Molly by the shoulders and turned her around as he himself turned to pull his pants over his boxers. In that moment, Diane staggered into the living room.

--- "Well hello there, Woody Woodpecker. Where were you when I needed you?"

Mathieu was further horrified.

--- "Oh Mon Dieu."

Diane walked up to him with her hand outstretched.

--- "Diane Miller. And you sir, would be?"

His ears burned.

--- "Mathieu LeGros."

Diane pursed her lips as she looked him up and down.

--- "Well, clearly."

She turned to the girls.

--- "Hello my little muffins, would you be so kind as to get your Aunt Diane a couple of coffee?"

Kristina looked at Diane.

--- "You look like crap. Did you stay here all night?"

It was true, Diane's hair was all over the place, and her clothes were disheveled.

--- "And that's why I adore you so, Kristina, but I think I very much prefer your sister."

Molly smiled.

--- "Me?"

Diane tapped the girl on the nose.

--- "No, not you. Sam—"

Kristina interrupted the woman.

--- "Sam's here?"

Diane shrugged.

--- "I have no idea. All I know is that I woke up in her bed… alone."

Kristina made a face before pulling Molly out of the room; there was no sense in attempting to get any information from the mystery man with Diane there hung over. They would certainly go to the source.

Diane called after them.

--- "I still need my coffee!"

Mathieu looked at the woman.

--- "I'm sorry about that. I did not realize there were so many people in this house."

She gave him the once over before trying to remember what it was that Alexis had told her about him.

--- "Um, you're Sam's father, right?"

His face lit up.

--- "Yes. And you're Alexandra's friend."

She nodded her head.

--- "That would be me, her very best friend and confidante. The only person who could beat her in the courtroom."

He sat down to put his shoes on.

--- "So she's good at what she does? I'm not surprised; she might have been quiet when I knew her, but she was always competitive and bright."

She sat at the dining room table; she leaned her heavy head on her hand.

--- "Alexis is one of the best attorneys around, aside from me of course. So, um, where have you been all these years? What are you doing on the couch and not in her bed?"

Mathieu rubbed the side of his face; he needed to shave.

--- "Er—"

She laughed.

--- "Oh, don't worry! I'm just joking."

He let out a sigh of relief.

--- "Good, I did not know what to say! I mean I would like to—"

Diane put her hand up.

--- "Well, you should go after what you want! You were her childhood love—"

--- "Her first love. She was mine. She and I had something special, but it was stolen from us. I want it back."

Diane put her hand to her chest.

--- "That is the sweetest thing that I have ever heard! But, I want you to remember something—"

He planned on taking all the advice he could get about getting Alexis back. Since Diane was her best friend and knew her well, he was, of course, going to pay attention.

--- "I'm listening."

--- "Alexis is not the same naïve child that you knew in Maine who was controlled by her father; she's a grown and independent woman. I mean, she's not against flambéing her own meat—"

Mathieu's interests peaked.

--- "Alexandra can cook?"

Diane scrunched up her face in disgust.

--- "GOD NO! And if ever she brings you into her kitchen, make sure that its not food that's cooking!"

Mathieu laughed; he found this woman terribly interesting. He was happy that Alexis had found a friend like her, rather than remaining a loner, as she was when he had known her, or sticking with that man.

--- "Ok, I will take that into consideration. What else can you tell me?"

She thought for a moment.

--- "Let's see… she has a mind of her own and is not afraid to let you know about it. She's sensitive, but tough at the same time; I think you'll see that when you see her with her girls, including Sam—"

He nodded his head.

--- "How is her relationship with Samantha?"

Diane laughed to herself. While she was not in town when Sam and Alexis first discovered their relationship, she knew their history well. It never ceased to amaze her how close they were despite the pains they had inflicted upon one another.

--- "Those two are a handful. Alexis treats Sam as she had raised her from birth, meaning that that young woman does not get away with anything."

--- "I noticed!"

--- "Yes, well, Sam might complain about it, and be quite rebellious and let her mother know that she's an adult, in the end, I truly believe that she loves it because she did not grow up with people who loved her enough to care about what she did."

Mathieu's heart broke at the thought that his daughter was mistreated. He walked around the room and looked at the pictures he had stared at for half the night.

--- "Samantha was not sent to a loving home?"

Diane did not feel as though it were her place to tell this kind man about Sam's past.

--- "I think you should probably speak to your daughter or Lex about that. But, nonetheless, those two love each other. Regardless of any bad blood, and even though they have their moments of disagreement, one being Jason, there is no denying that either one would lay down her life for the other."

Mathieu looked at the picture of Sam and Alexis from years prior, and compared it to the more recent picture from the non-wedding Alexis had told him about; despite any pain that Sam may have had growing up, he was happy that his daughter had found her mother and they were happy.

--- "Thank you Madame Miller—"

She waved her hand.

--- "Please, call me Diane! As marvelous as Madame Miller sounds, there is only one man in my life… you know what, forget it. Yes, Diane is fine."

Mathieu nodded his head.

--- "Thank you, Diane."

--- "No problem! I would do anything to help my BFF."

Mathieu smiled at the woman.

--- "Can you help me once again? Where is the bathroom? I would like to clean up before—"

She pursed her lips once more.

--- "Before the love of your life wakes up and sees you?"

He smirked.

--- "I suppose you could say that."

She smiled at him.

--- "Well, I'll take you to Sam's bathroom; I'm sure you'll have more privacy."

--- "Does Samantha live here?"

Diane shook her head and led him out of the living room.

--- "Nope, but Alexis has a tendency to kidnap her kids—"

--- "And pickpocket them as well."

The woman stopped in her spot.

--- "ALEXIS pickpocketed SAM? Well, that's something I'd have to see with my own eyes. Usually, it's the other way around. But, I'll accept that."

Mathieu frowned a bit, but laughed at the relationship his daughter seemed to have with her mother. He could not wait to reconnect with Alexis and reignite the flame of their youth.

Without bothering to knock, Kristina and Molly walked into their mother's room. Because Alexis was a light sleeper, she immediately awoke to the sound of her two interlopers entering. She looked over at the clock and noticed that it was seven in the morning.

--- "Why aren't you two still in bed? It's Saturday."

Kristina, sat on the edge of the her mother's bed, while Molly, unconcerned with the fact that her eldest sister was still fast asleep climbed in with her mother; luckily for her, Sam slept like a rock.

--- "Good morning, Mommy."

She gave her mother a kiss on the cheek before making herself comfortable, sitting Indian styled between Alexis and Sam.

--- "Morning, baby. How are you feeling?"

--- "I'm okay. I just need to go to the bookstore later today."

Alexis rolled over to look at her daughter.

--- "Okay, I'll take you later."

Kristina gave her mother an impatient look.

--- "Are we going to continue this small talk, Mom, or are you going to tell us who the French guy is on the couch? And why Diane spent the night? Or why Sam is still here, and dressed in my pajamas, I might add."

Sam stirred in her sleep. Alexis had hoped that she could have woken up before her girls that morning and gotten Mathieu out of the house.

--- "Um, good morning to you as well, Kristina."

Kristina rolled her eyes.

--- "Sorry. Good morning, Mom."

Alexis stretched and got out of the bed, and walked to Sam's side; she put her hand on her forehead.

--- "Hmm, good. Her fever is gone."

Molly ran her hand through her sister's hair.

--- "Was she sick?"

--- "Yes. Your sister decided that she wanted to go skinny dipping—"

Kristina shook her head.

--- "In thirty degree weather? Something must have been bothering her."

Alexis nodded her head before going into the bathroom to brush her teeth.

--- "You can say that [ahem]."

Kristina got up from the bed and followed her mother into the bathroom. She leaned against the doorframe as her mother put toothpaste on her toothbrush.

--- "Mom, what aren't you telling us?"

Alexis turned to face her daughter.

--- "Why do you presume that I'm not telling you something?"

She began to brush her teeth in order to give herself more time to think about what it was she wanted to say. Kristina knew her mother was stalling, so she went to wake her sister instead. She walked back into the room and shook Sam awake.

--- "Good morning big sister! It's time to rise and shine and talk to your little adoring sisters."

Sam groaned in displeasure at her sister waking her up.

--- "Ugh, seriously? Krissy, you're worse than an alarm clock. What do you want?"

Kristina smiled at her sister.

--- "Well, it seems as though you were a thief in the night; you stole my pajamas."

Sam rolled her eyes.

--- "Is that why you're waking me up? Because you want your pajamas back? Well, I've got news for you, I'm going to need to steal a few more things from you, because I don't have any clothes here, since SOMEBODY wouldn't let me go home last night."

Alexis popped her head out of the bathroom. She took the toothbrush out of her mouth.

--- "Honey, you were sick."

--- "Yea, THAT was the reason you kept me here."

Kristina cleared her throat and signaled to Molly to get their sister's attention back to the cause at hand. Molly smiled, leaned in and gave Sam a hug.

--- "Hey Sam."

She returned her sister's hug.

--- "Hey Mol."

Kristina poked her sister's arm.

--- "Um, so what happened yesterday? We didn't see you or Mom since the morning, and when we got home, both of you were out."

Sam rolled onto her side and rubbed her eyes.

--- "We went to the spa. I got Mom to get her grass mowed—"

Molly made a face.

--- "What?"

Kristina waved her hand knowing what Sam had meant.

--- "It's nothing Mol; Sam's just making a joke."

Sam smiled.

--- "Yup. Anyway, Maxie and I set Mom up on a date with Mac."

Kristina and Molly were shocked that their older sister would do such a thing.

--- "Really?"

Sam nodded her head.

--- "I'm serious. Well, it sort of backfired for us because they acted as though they didn't really want to be set-up, but it was pretty obvious from the non-wedding that they like each other. And then the next—"

Alexis walked out of the bathroom freshly showered and in her robe. She heard the tail-end of the conversation, and knew that her eldest daughter was talking about her night with Mac. It was bad enough that Sam knew about that incident; she did not need her telling Kristina and Molly.

--- "Sam, honey, didn't you have a phone call to make?"

She frowned at her mother.

--- "What?"

Alexis fixed her eyes onto her daughter.

--- "You know, to Department of Children and Family Services."

Sam smiled at her mother.

--- "I sure will—"

Alexis continued to stare at her daughter.

--- "Oh wait, you need to see if you've got a bruise first."

Sam smiled sweetly at her mother.

--- "No, I'm pretty sure I'm fine, thank you."

Alexis pointed her finger at her daughter before going into the closet to quickly change.

Molly looked puzzled.

--- "Why would Sam have a bruise?"

Kristina shook her head.

--- "Um, the better question is why she would need to call DCFS. Aren't they supposed to help kids who were being abused by their parents?"

Sam's face turned red.

--- "It was nothing."

Alexis stuck her head out of the closet.

--- "Oh honey, come one, you shouldn't be embarrassed to tell your sisters!"

Molly and Kristina were fascinated by their sister's embarrassment.

--- "Seriously, what happened?"

Sam glared at her mother. She decided that she would beat her at her own game; she smiled coyly and looked at her sisters.

--- "Um, did you guys know that the morning after the non-wedding, Mom realized that her juicer still worked?"

Molly stuck out her lower lip.

--- "What?"

Alexis walked out of the closet dressed in a stylish long sweater, tights, and boots.

--- "Sam, I'm beginning to think it's a very good thing that there's a doctor in the house."

Kristina was intrigued.

--- "Okay, so that guy is a doctor? Now, who—"

Molly cut her sister off.

--- "No, wait, I want to know what happened to Sam!"

If looks could have killed, Molly would have been dead; Alexis had provided them with the greatest opening of finding out who the man was, but Molly slammed the door shut. Kristina hissed at her sister.

--- "Real smart Molly."

The littlest Davis shrugged.

--- "What? This is important!"

Kristina shook her head and moved to allow her mother to sit on the edge of the bed beside her sister, as she climbed onto the bed and sat beside Molly. Kristina sighed.

--- "Okay, what in the world happened, and why are you two talking in code?"

Alexis laughed as she sat beside her eldest daughter. She patted her on the back.

--- "Oh gummy bear, I think it's about time you tried to sit, you know, to make sure that you're still able to."

Sam shook her head as she heard Kristina snicker softly.

--- "I hate you."

Alexis smiled largely.

--- "Honey, you shouldn't be embarrassed to tell your sisters that Mommy had to give you a little spanking—"

Kristina and Molly laughed loudly.

--- "Mommy, you spanked Sam!?"

Sam buried her head under her pillow.

--- "You did not!"

Alexis nodded her head.

--- "Well, your sister pulled a lot of stunts yesterday that it was kind of coming for her."

She leaned in, lifted the pillow slightly, and gave her daughter a kiss.

--- "Honey, do you have a bruise? Do you need Mommy to check for you?"

Sam glared at her mother as her sisters continued to laugh.

--- "I'm going to get you back for this, Mom. And yea, you two, please continue to cackle, but let me remind you that you two live here."

Kristina poked her sister's bottom.

--- "And yet you're the one who ended up with a bruised butt."

Molly nodded in agreement.

--- "Yea, did you put her over your knee, Mommy?

Alexis could not help but laugh aloud, earning herself a scowl from her daughter.

--- "If I were you, I wouldn't exactly laugh, Mom. It seems to me that you're about to have a conflict of interest."

Alexis wiped the tears that had formed from her laughing at her daughter.

--- "And what's that supposed to mean?"

Sam got up from the bed and walked toward her mother's bathroom.

--- "I believe my daddy being here and Mac on his way might result in another conflict of who's got the biggest wood you can knock."

Kristina and Molly looked at each other and screamed in shock.

--- "Sam's father? That's who that was?"

The door was knocked on once and opened. Diane poked her head in.

--- "Everybody decent?"

Alexis smiled at her friend.

--- "Ah, Di, come in. I don't know about decent, but we're all fully clothed."

The woman smiled and walked into the room holding a toothbrush and robe.

--- "Well, that's good! My goodness, Lex, that Mathieu is a fine specimen! He is tall, dark, and handsome… well, maybe not dark, but certainly handsome! Are you sure he's Sam's father?"

Alexis rolled her eyes before taking her daughter's toothbrush and robe from Diane.

--- "Yes, Di! I'm fairly certain that Mati is Sam's father. My mother wasn't very tall; I imagine that's where the girls get their height."

She knocked and walked into the bathroom to give her daughter her things.

Sam blushed as her mother caught her with a hand mirror attempting to see if she in fact had a bruise.

--- "Geez, Mom!"

Alexis chuckled to herself.

--- "Here you go bruiser."

She put the toothbrush on the counter and hung the bathrobe on the hook, before shaking her head, laughing, and walking out of her bathroom leaving her daughter mortified.

--- "So Di, aside from looking like a train ran you over, I see you're back to your normal self?"

Diane stuck her tongue out at her friend.

--- "I'll have you know that I seem to only have a toothbrush in my purse, not a change of clothes—"

Molly laughed and pointed at the woman's hair.

--- "Or a comb."

Alexis kissed her daughter on the top of the head as she sat down beside her; Diane rolled her eyes.

--- "Look, I was a little out of sorts—"

Alexis laughed at her friend's simplistic version of her state of sobriety.

--- "That is probably the biggest understatement since the last Administration's definition of an economic crisis. Whatever, I suppose I can give you your—"

Kristina interrupted her mother.

--- "I'm sorry, while I'm sure it's a great story how hammered Diane got last night—"

Di sighed and shook her head.

--- "If only I actually did get hammered—"

Alexis scowled at her best friend.

--- "DIANE!"

Diane put her hands up in innocence.

--- "What?!"

She looked around and noticed Molly staring at her.

--- "Oh, hello little one. Didn't I ask you to get me coffee?"

Molly rolled her eyes.

--- "Yes, but—"

Alexis cut her daughter off.

--- "Baby, you don't need to pay attention to Diane. If she wants coffee, she can make it herself. Diane, please don't have my children working as your personal baristas!"

Kristina was growing impatient; she had spent the past twenty minutes attempting to find out how her sister's father suddenly showed up out of nowhere.

--- "MOM! Can you please tell us about Sam's—"

Sam walked out of the bathroom freshly showered.

--- "What about Sam?"

Alexis walked up to her daughter and gave her a hug.

--- "I hope that the water pressure wasn't too painful for my baby?"

Sam shook her head.

--- "I swear if you tell any of these degenerates about the mirror, I'll never speak to you again."

Alexis snorted her muffled laughter. Sam smacked her mother on the arm.

--- "MOM! It's not funny!"

Alexis tapped her on the nose.

--- "Yes it was!"

Kristina was on the verge of a tantrum; she had never had a question evaded this badly.

--- "MOM! SAM! Molly and I really want to know—"

The doorbell rang. Kristina was not pleased.

--- "UUuuugh!"

Sam poked her mother in the side.

--- "It's showtime!"

She gave her daughter a look before raising her hand in mocking fashion as though she would once again spank her daughter.

--- "Remember, my love, that you're bare-bottomed under that robe."

Sam rolled her eyes as her mother tapped her chin.

Alexis then walked up and cupped Kristina's face in her hands.

--- "Sweetheart, I'm sorry. We'll talk about this later."

She gave her a kiss on the forehead.

--- "I need to go get that."

A thought came to her mind.

--- "Damn it! Mati's asleep on the couch."

Diane crossed her legs as she sat on her best friend's bed.

--- "Oh, he's freshening up in Sam's bathroom right now; which is why I brought her things in here."

Alexis was relieved about that fact; she knew that Mac was at the door for their breakfast date. Because she was not yet ready to go out with him, as she had not done her make-up, she did not want Mac to see that Mathieu had spent the night and jump to any conclusions. While she and Mac were clearly not an item, she did not assumptions to ruin anything that they might share together, and she certainly did not want to have to deal with the two men arguing again.

--- "That's great! Thanks Di!"

After Alexis walked out of the room, Diane whispered to the girls.

--- "Don't worry pumpkins; this is only going to get more fun!"

Molly was all ears.

--- "How do you know?"

Diane smiled.

--- "I made a little phone call to a certain somebody. I think we're about to witness a wonderful, 'Meet the Parents,' reenactment."

Sam's eyes nearly flew from their sockets.

--- "You DIDN'T!"

The older woman nodded her head.

--- "I did! I just could not help myself; I had to see this for myself."

Molly laughed.

--- "This is going to be great!"

Diane pursed her lips and stuck out her pigeon chest as she held the bedroom door open.

--- "And you two girls can thank me by getting me a cup of coffee! As for you Sam, I guess you can say that I saved you a phone call."

Kristina and Molly looked at each other before running out of the room and toward the living room, as Sam walked up to Diane holding her hands out toward her neck.

--- "Um, I guess I'll go, uh, get my things. I need to get going."

Diane quickly ran out of the room behind the two younger girls.

Sorry JaSammers, you'll have to wait until the next installment.

GOOD NIGHT FOLKS!

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