And this is the final chapter. I've been at this fic for over a year. And I've come a long way! If anyone has questions about the sequel feel free to head to my tumbly, my name is writingsteph and the link is in my profile I've answered a lot of people's questions there, and you can ask me one as well. I hope you enjoy the chapter. And I LOVE YOU ALL!
"MOM! MOM, I can't find my bag, have you seen it?!"
Brooke groaned and moved from her office where Lucas was reading on her couch and she was looking at designs. She moved to the kitchen and grabbed her daughter's purse, heading towards her yelling child.
Sam came bounding down just as her mother came up the stairs. "Oh, where'd you find it?"
She grabbed her bag and slung it across her shoulder, flashing her mom the smile that Brooke adored.
"In the kitchen. Where you always leave it."
"I do not!" Sam sputtered indignantly.
"You do. I'm the one that takes it back to your room." Brooke leveled her with a satisfied smirk.
Sam deflated, "Oh...thanks, then."
Brooke let out a breathy laugh, "Uh huh, 'oh' is right." She leaned and pecked her daughter's cheek, "Where you headed?"
"With Jack. We might hang with Liz and Manny later." Sam passed her mother to get down the stairs and Brooke followed. "Eat something first!" Brooke called going towards her office.
"We're eating out!" Sam yelled from the kitchen, where she was grabbing some water.
"Where's she going today?" Lucas asked as Brooke walked in.
"With Jack, of course."
Lucas sighed and looked at Brooke, "Babe. Do you think that-" He closed his book and sat up a bit, "That she and him, how far do you think-" This question had been on his mind for a while.
Brooke pursed her lips, trying not to laugh at Lucas, "Are you trying to ask whether or not I think Sam and him have passed the kissing stage?"
"You need to talk to her Brooke." His voice more serious than before, "She's going to be 15 in two weeks. With school back in session, and less time for us to be watching her, I just, I want to know that she's taking care of herself and that it's clear that she is not to be messing with boys in that way."
Brooke sighed and sat next to him, "Luke, I've already talked to her."
Lucas looked at her surprised, some anger showing in his eyes, "You, you, what? Why didn't I know about this?"
She shrugged, "She didn't want me telling you."
"I'm her parent as well Brooke! You should've at least told me you talked about it."
Brooke grabbed his hand, "I'm sorry. She didn't want you to worry and freak out."
Lucas pulled his hand away. "I had a right Brooke."
Brooke sighed. He was angry. "I know, you're right. She was just so worried about it. Look, she just told me that they've had some makeout sessions, but that's it, nothing beyond that."
"Makeout sessions?" His eyebrow raised, "And you told her that was okay?"
Brooke rested her head on the back of the couch in frustration and then eyed Luke, "What did you want to me to do? Ban her from seeing him? Of course I don't like that our teenager is already making out, but it happens Lucas. They grow up."
He sat up straighter and turned so all his body was facing Brooke, " So you're saying you told her it was okay?"
Brooke sat up, feeling equally as defensive. "Yeah Lucas, I also threw her a condom and a Plan B pill and told her to knock herself out." She got up off the couch and walked back to sit at her desk chair. Lucas closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, "Brooke, be serious." He said annoyed, "I'm just trying to figure out what happened. Because apparently you and her have been having talks that I don't know about."
"Oh My God Lucas." She groaned, "This is exactly why she didn't want you knowing. You turn into this huge daunting guy, hell bent on overprotecting her."
He shook his head, "I am protecting her the right amount Brooke. And you going off on me about being overprotective?" He scoffed, "That's rich."
Brooke raised her hands in surrender. She was not in the mood to fight. They were already stressed with the wedding plans and the baby and school starting. Their relationship didn't need a fight to be thrown into the middle of it as well.
"Lucas." She said more calmly, "I told her I wasn't keen on knowing that they've had kissing that turn into makeout sessions, but that I wanted her to feel comfortable enough to come and tell me about these things and any insecurities she had. I explained that intimacy is messy and complicated and can be a lot for anyone, especially for someone her age. I was clear that she is far too young to be having sex, but that when she does decide to begin having sex she needs to come talk to me. Afterwards I cuddled her until she fell asleep." She crossed her arms across her chest, "Is that enough detail for you?" She couldn't help that last snarky bit.
He swiped his face with his hands and groaned, "She understood what you told her? She wasn't sarcastic about it or anything?"
"We were both sincere. We can't keep her under lock and key. Being repressive only makes them rebel. You know that."
He let out a worried breath. He then looked to Brooke, "I just-you know I worry."
Brooke gave him a sympathetic gaze, "I know you do." She looked towards her open door, "But we can talk more about it later. She's coming right now. Act normal."
"I'm off!" Sam came in with a wide smile on her face. "I'll be back by curfew. Scouts honor."
Lucas gave her daughter a weary smile, "With Jack, right?"
She nodded, "Mhm but we're meeting up with the crew later on. Might head to a party at some guy's house named Pete." She patted her bag, "Got an extra pair of clothes here. Pete's on your team dad. Apparently it's like in the mansion side of Tree Hill. Which, by the way, why don't we live in a mansion? Aren't we supposed to be rich or something?"
Brooke rose her eyebrow, " Your father and I are rich." Brooke reminded her, "You're rich by association. And I like my house. It's homey." She shook her head at the diversion, "You never mentioned you were going to a party."
The teen shrugged, "Liz just texted about it. Turns out her mom has a date with that one dude she's been seeing a lot lately and she has a feeling that Rebecca might, you know, bring him over to their place sooner or later. I mean, she says he's a nice enough guy, "Sam continued to rant.
"Sam-" Brooke tried to cut in, thoroughly unimpressed.
The girl was unfazed, "But she's just taking necessary precaution. Trying to avoid catching them doing things. If you know what I mean."
Brooke put her hand up to halt Sam's rant, "We get it Samantha. Please don't go any further."
Adam, the man Rebecca was seeing, was a sweet man. Typical teenagers and their crazy reactions to their parents dating.
Sam shrugged in response, not seeing what the big deal was with her description. Whatever.
"I don't know Sam-" Lucas began, unsure of the prospect of her at another party.
"I've been to a party before." She shot back, trying to stifle any attitude or defensiveness, "Are you guys seriously gonna say no?" A hand made its way to her hip. A pose, strikingly similar to her mother's.
Lucas and Brooke looked at each other unsure of bringing up that it was at that party that she had a flashback.
"Mom. Dad." Sam groaned having easily read their minds, "I'll be fine. Seriously, don't freak out! I'm not gonna cower in a bathroom again. Please don't make a big deal out of this." Her attitude edged out a bit, "I wanna move on, you know?"
The parents had a silent conversation, "Don't miss curfew, okay?" Lucas told her sternly, "You already missed it twice this week. Third time and you're out the game."
"Yeah. Yeah. Got it." She griped.
Lucas thought back to Pete. "This kid's a junior, right?"
She nodded in the affirmative
.
"I want you to be careful. We're not dumb and know how crazy these parties can get. You call us if you need us to pick you up for whatever reason, okay?" There was love and concern in his voice. It made Brooke fall in love with him all over again whenever she heard him use that voice with their daughter.
"I will dad." She said growing annoyed, a stark contrast from her mother's reaction. Then again, she was the one being told what to do, not Brooke.
"Sammy, we're serious." Brooke jumped in from behind her desk, pushing down her glasses. The ones she hated, but Lucas loved.
"You're still young, please don't try and grow up so fast. Have fun, but I don't want you ever coming home drunk, or on any sort of drug. Ever."
Sam rolled her eyes, "And we have a winner folks! That's what you guys were trying to get at it. I promise I won't drink in my weight and I won't become a raging coke addict. I'll come back home just as I am now. Perfectly lucid."
This still didn't appease them. Probably because there was still snark in her answer, but they said nothing else.
Sam went to her dad and hugged him. He held her tight for a second longer and she indulged him by kissing his cheek, "Bye dad." She whispered, "I love you."
He let her go and watched her do the same with Brooke before skipping out into that big world. The one that had hurt her so much already. And she left alone. Without him. Without Brooke.
He heard Brooke chuckling lightly at him. Okay, so maybe he was the overprotective one.
"Do you think she's tried alcohol already?" He asked, a little to himself, and a little to Brooke. He was in his thoughts. Brooke could tell.
Brooke bit her lip, "Well, she's a sophomore now. When we were that age-"
"Oh God, don't remind me." Lucas begged. Brooke walked over to him and sat on his lap, "She's a good kid. She knows to be careful, and she knows to call us if she's in any trouble."
"I need to stop asking these questions because then I get all these horrible images of her doing these things and I can't-" He shakes his head, "It's too weird, considering she's the same girl that loves to snuggle up with us and sleeps with a blanket and a teddy bear. It's too weird."
"But she's also our Sammy. She's been through a lot. She's kept to herself this year, and is just starting to branch out, so I wouldn't be surprised if she's just starting to experiment. I know it's scary, but at the same time, I'm proud of her. She's finally doing the normal teen thing."
Lucas laid his head on Brooke's chest, "I need to stop thinking about this. It'll drive me crazy."
Brooke kissed his lips, "I can help you get your mind off our teenage daughter."
Lucas moaned as she bit his bottom lip. This was nice. This could definitely help him get off 'worried dad' mode.
… … ….
Jack and Sam were staring up at the sky as they laid down at the nearby park, "I can't believe she said that." Jack lamented after Sam told her about what Joan told her after the trial. Sam had kept that a secret for a while, and just now decided to tell Jack, "She's such a bitch. Fuck her Sam. Fuck all of it. You're done with that shit anyways."
Sam sighed and grabbed his hand and squeezed it, "Yeah, I'm glad too. It's over and I feel like I can move on. Like I took this big step and it feels good. Life feels so great right now."
Jack turned his head to look at her, "Hell yes. Life is great and we just need to be care free teenagers, like all the other normal 14 and 15 year olds." He laughed a little at his own statement, "I mean as normal as we can be, right?"
"We're better than normal though. We need something else to call ourselves." Sam retorted.
"Hmmm, what should we be then?"
"Motherfucking awesome." Sam replied, content with the way that sounded
"Motherfucking awesome." Jack repeated, "I like that one."
"So it's agreed then. Normal sucks."
"Fuck normal!" Jack yelled.
"FUCK NORMAL!" Sam yelled even louder. Both devolved into laughter before Jack looked to her again a few moments later, "Oh yeah, guess what?"
"I hate guessing." Sam deadpanned.
"Okay fine. I'll tell you. We're keeping Addie. Sue's filing for permanent custody."
Sam swung on her side and rested her head on her palm, "Oh my God! That's awesome Jack!"
He nodded and smiled, "Yeah, she's a rad little girl. You know she asked for you?"
"I saw her last week!"
"She totally likes you."
Sam smiled and laid on her back again, "I like her too. You wanna go back home so I can spend time with her then?"
Jack just shook his head, "She's out with Sue. They're shopping for new school uniform or something. But I am down for ice cream."
"You know I'm always down for some bombass icecream." Sam replied. She was about to get up but Jack pulled her down, "But I'm also down to give you a kiss."
"That's something else I also love to do." She whispered, then laid next to him, moved closer and kissed his lips for a few moments before they got up hand in hand, to head to the ice cream parlor.
… …. ….
Jack had to go home early. Addie was missing him. The little girl had had a particularly rough day at the stores. There were too many people and she broke down when she thought she saw her mother's boyfriend. Sam understood and said her goodbyes to him. It was just her, Liz, and Manny heading to Pete's party.
"Damn this house is huge!" Manny said excitedly with wide eyes. It was Liz that invited them since she was the one in the know.
"Manny please don't act like an excited nerd inside." She insisted as they walked up the driveway.
Sam was wearing dark wash skinny jeans, a loose white t shirt and a denim shirt unbuttoned over the t shirt. It was an effortlessly casual look. She looked over at their excited friend, "I have to agree with Liz on this one Manny."
"You're God awfully stunning, but you are a TRAITOR." He hissed at Sam, "I can maintain my calm ladies. Puhlease. I am not an amateur at this."
Sam opened her eyes wide and held in her laugh. Manny sure was something else.
"Alright my beautiful girls, don't go crazy on the beer and wine coolers. Steer clear of all hard liquor!" Manny singsonged before they went in, "Wait." He stopped them.
"What now?" Liz sassed, "More golden parental gems before we enter?"
Manny raised his eyebrow, "I was going to ask for your curfews. Just in case one of us loses tracks of time, we have the others back and can remind each other. This will prevent you, Lizzie, from hearing some parental gems thrown your way should you be late." He spit back.
Sam shrugged, "He has a point Liz. Mine's 12:30."
Liz rolled her eyes, "Mine's 12:00."
"Perfect." Manny clapped, "Mine is 12:30 too."
"Now are we ready?" Liz asked impatiently.
"Yes popularity queen. We may."
Once inside, Liz navigated to some of her teammates from soccer. Manny and Sam navigated their way towards some of the kids who were a part of the glee club. They were near the pool.
"Sammy! Manny!" A sophomore named Joseph called them over, "
"Why hello my fellow Glee brethren. What are we all in cahootz in?" Manny called back rather theatrically. His flare always entertained Sam.
Joseph pointed to the laptop in the middle of them, "We're looking up choreography YouTube videos. Come sit!"
"Ooohhh! Can we dance them?" Manny said excitedly.
"If we can learn them." Joseph ribbed Sam, "You know, I hear, Sammy has two left feet."
"I do not!" She retorted "Just show the damn videos. I'm musically inclined dummy."
The kid pressed play to a choreography how to of Beyonce's Drunk in Love. A wine cooler was given to both Manny and Sam. Sam heard her parent's words ringing in her ears. She knew to be careful and not go crazy. She didn't need to walk into her home acting a fool.
"Alright. Ready?" Joseph said to his crew of seven dancers in front of the large living room. Manny and Sam included.
They had been messing around practicing. No one really minded them since the house was huge as was the party itself. Most people were inside and those outside only watched for a few seconds before turning back to their own group of friends. But the glee crew realized that they were actually pretty good at the choreography and so they decided to make a spectacle of it.
Pete was laughing, "Are you guys seriously gonna do this?"
"Dead serious." A girl named Kaya answered, "Just turn on the music. We got a SHOW y'all!" She yelled to everyone, "Come watch us!"
Kaya was probably one of the drunker ones in the group. Though it was fair to say they were all feeling at least a little bit looser because of the alcohol. Sam had drank two wine coolers, and Manny three. Nothing too bad.
"Hit play Petie!" Manny yelled. The room was filled with the deep bass of the song and the club danced in sync to the sensual song. Sam even took the spotlight for a few seconds, right before Manny moved towards the center and Sam moved to the left. Hi snapped down and touched the bottom of the floor with his hand before dragging up to his face in an enticing manner.
Everyone around them was hyping them up, surprised that the glee club could pull off a song like that. By the end of it there were claps and yells before the normal music playlist went back on and people began to disperse once more.
Pete went up to them, "Damn, y'all killed it. Props to all of you."
"Told ya." Sam said with smirk, "We're motherfucking awesome."
"Yeah I agree." He said advancing closer to her, "You are."
Sam just gave him an awkward smile, "Umm, thanks."
Manny jumped in and put his arm around her when he saw his attempts at flirting and Sam's obviously unimpressed face.
"She's taken Pete. A dude from across the tracks. Back off."
"Jack." Sam added, "That's his name. Sorry Pete."
They could tell that Pete wasn't' used to not getting his way. "Is he here?" He asked.
"No." Sam told him with attitude, "But it would be a pretty sleazy thing to do to act different when he's not around."
"Right." He scratched the back of his neck, "Whatever." They saw him scoff and leave. Manny and Sam looked at each other and laughed a bit.
"Idiot." Manny said with an eye roll and a final chuckle, "Looks like someone is morphing into quite the hot stuff."
Sam scoffed and pushed him, "As if Manny. I'm a stick with no boobs and no ass."
He winked, "Think what you will, but I'm right. Now, come on partner in crime, let's go celebrate our successful presentation with our fellow glee nerds."
As they were walking they heard Liz's loud cackling laugh. They went into the kitchen and found Liz playing Beer Pong, and playing badly. Meaning, she was drinking way too much.
"Shit." Manny and Sam said simultaneously. Sam moved her way into the game, "Liz."
"Hey Sammy!" She slurred, "Wanna play? I'm winning!"
The other girl laughed, "She's losing. We were gonna have her take a seat 'because she tapped out two solo cups ago."
Sam looked at her annoyed, "Did she only drink beer."
The girl shrugged, "She was drinking some wine coolers before when we were playing Never Have I Ever. She drank like three of those though."
"Great, thanks." Sam said with attitude and an eye roll as she helped steady Liz, "Who wants to play next? Liz is done. Manny, come help!" She called to him, clearly annoyed and a little nervous with drunk Liz.
"Her mom's gonna kill her." She whispered to Manny as they walked out of the party.
"Liz." Sam shook her a little, "Liz, we're gonna get you home."
"G-guys. I'm fffiiinnneee." She slurred and threw a lazy hand their way, "I won't drink. Let's just stay!"
"You're not fine." Sam said seriously, "Shit Manny, neither are we. I think I'm buzzed." He ran a hand through his hair then hissed at their drunk friend, "Liz, Liz, stop playing with the grass!"
Liz had sat down and was ripping at the grass, "Well y'all are just talking. I don't wanna talk! I wanna go back in." She pouted.
Manny went over and grabbed a hold of Liz and helped her up, "We just need to drink a lot of water and we'll be fine. She's the one we need to worry about."
Manny went in and came out with three bottles of water. One for each of them.
"I just called us an Uber. It'll be here in like five minutes." Sam told him as she drank some water.
They all looked at each other and couldn't help but dissolve into laughter at their situation, "Oh man, we're fucked!" Sam said through their laughter, "At least Liz is."
"Liz, is your mom home?" Manny asked.
The girl shrugged, "Who cares?"
"We do." Sam said holding her still, because the girl was dancing to no music at all, "I'm not trying to die tonight."
"She's out with Adam." Liz spoke, "She, um, she, she, she. I like that word "she."
"LIZ!" They both yelled simultaneously.
"She always gets back like at midnight when she goes out with him on the weekend." The girl finally got out.
Manny checked his clock, "It's 10:44. We have time then."
The Uber driver in a blue Honda Civic pulled up and the kids piled in. They provided him with the address and luckily Liz only said a few dumb things on the drive.
Sam held her from one side and Manny the other as they walked up the driveway.
"Rebecca's car's not in the driveway. That's a good sign." Sam said, "We just gotta get her in bed."
"HOME SWEET HOME!" Liz yelled once inside.
"Lizzie, shut up!" Sam groaned.
"I'll get her water. You take her into the bathroom and like, sober her up or something."
"You want me to shower her?" Sam asked incredulously. I mean, she and Liz were close, but...
The boy shrugged, "I don't know! You're the girl. I can't do it! Just like, wet her face or something."
"S-sammy." Came a low, and stuttering voice from Liz.
"Hmm?" Sam said turning back to Liz who had moved to the couch. "I don't. I don't think I feel so good."
"Shit." Sam rushed into the bathroom, grabbed the waste basket and thrust it under her. Manny moved her and grabbed her hair back when the upchuck came. Sam winced and looked away. She'd never been a fan of bodily fluids.
"Becky, is that you?" Came a voice from upstairs.
Sam and Manny felt their blood run cold, while Liz started laughing, "Holy Shit. That's Adam." She breathed out before beginning to vomit again. The other two didn't need water to sober up any longer. The fear of being caught was enough.
They heard footsteps on the stairs. Fuck. Shit. Fuck.
"What the hell?" Came Adam's confused voice once he notice two scared teenagers and another throwing up on the couch. She recognized Sam and Manny as Liz's friends. They had met briefly before when they had come over and he had come to pick Rebecca up for their date.
Sam and Manny spun around to face him, but Liz's sense of self preservation was not there.
"Hi mom's boytoy!" She drunkenly yelled.
Sam bonked her friend on the head, "Shut. up. Lizzie." She spoke through her teeth.
Adam walked over quickly, concerned for Liz, "Oh my God. Elizabeth, are you okay?"
"She's just a little inebriated, um, sir. No, no worries…" Manny weakly attempted.
But the tall man paid Manny no heed and shook his head, "Liz, how many drinks did you have?"
Liz's head that was dangling near the wastebasket moved to stare at him, "Wh-where's my mom?"
"She went to do a quick pharmacy run. Liz, your mother is going to kill you." He replied through a sigh, truly worried for the girl. He knew how protective Rebecca was when it came to her daughter.
Liz just giggled and shook her head, "Just-just don't tell her Addiedumdum." Suddenly, the world started spinning for the girl. She put both hands to her head, "Oh no. I can't. Everything, it's spinning."
Adam sat her up, then looked to Sam, "Can you go bring me water? And grab this wastebasket. I think she's done throwing up."
Sam dumbly shook her head and did as she was told. Then she grabbed Manny's hand so he could follow. When they came back Liz's head was leaning on his shoulder. He grabbed the water and maneuvered it into Liz's hands, "Drink up Liz. You need to drink water."
Unfortunately for the trio, the front door opened, and in came a very surprised Rebecca. She looked at all the kids. She saw Liz drinking water, leaning on Adam. But when Liz put the water down and she saw her glassed over eyes. She knew something was wrong.
The woman dropped the CVS bag and moved quickly to the couch, "What happened?! Lizzie, are you okay?"
She placed her hands on her daughter's flushed cheeks and she instantly knew. The mother felt her blood begin to boil, "Elizabeth. Are you drunk?!" Her voice raised and it made everyone except Liz cringe. Adam nodded in the affirmative when Rebecca looked at him, "She is. Just threw up twice."
The girl opened her eyes again and tried to stay serious. She only shook her head to her mom, which exacerbated the spins. She groaned and laid her head back, "Everything's moving." She mumbled.
Rebecca turned to the other two, "Somebody please explain to me what the hell happened?"
Reprieve came for Sam and Manny when Liz suddenly attempted to get up only to stumble and have Adam catch her, "I hafta go!" She whined.
"Go where, young lady?" Rebecca asked with an eyebrow raised.
Liz crossed her legs together, "P-potty!"
Rebecca took that as her cue to push away the questions for a moment and help her kid before she embarrassed herself further in front of her friends and Adam.
She put an arm around her and guided her into the restroom, "Alright, just hold it. I'll take you." She then turned to the two teenagers standing awkwardly near the couch, "Manny, call a cab. I'll pay for it if you need me to. Samantha, sit down."
Both nodded simultaneously and did as they were told. Adam, turning to give them a sympathetic look.
"Sam, my mom's taking me to go pee." Liz stopped to turn and yell at her friend, "You don't have to!" Sam only weakly nodded at her friend. Truly embarrassed for her.
Rebecca patted her daughter's shoulder with the arm that was slung around it, "Elizabeth, into the bathroom now. Come on."
Liz turned to look at her mom, "I have to go really bad!" Her whine came and Rebecca rolled her eyes , "I know Lizzie. So let's get you into the bathroom then.."
The bathroom door clicked and Sam and Manny fidgeted in their seats under Adam's gaze, "Did you call a cab?" The man asked, attempting to fill the silence.
"An Uber." Manny squeaked.
"Is that how you guys got here?"
Two nods came.
"How much did she drink?" He asked, trying to sound as non threatening as possible. After all, he wasn't her father. But still, he was concerned. He liked Liz.
Sam bit her lip. Was this breaking some kind of code? Should she tell him?
Adam sunk into the couch at both of the teens' silence. Whelp, so much for a romantic night.
Rebecca stared at her daughter who was sitting on the toilet. Her head hung down. "My God Elizabeth, what were you thinking?" The mother couldn't help, but chide.
Liz groaned and held her head, "The world, mom, make it stop."
Rebecca knew that her daughter had a bad case of the spins. As she had similar problems when drunk.
She moved from leaning on the counter to help her daughter clean up.
"I feel dizzy." Liz groaned, now that her mom had her up and almost ready to leave the bathroom, "I-I wanna sleep mommy."
Rebecca's heart tightened at the tears that were threatening to leave her daughter's eyes. Liz obviously didn't realize that she was in trouble, but for now, Rebecca wasn't in the mood for scolding. She just wanted to get her kid into bed.
"I'll take you bug." She soothed, "Let's just get your pants up."
"But I don't wanna sleep with my pants on! They're too tight." Liz whined.
The mother tried to hold in a laugh, "I know you don't, bug, but we can't have you walk out in your panties. Adam and Manny are here."
Liz just dumbly nodded and let her mom pull her skinny jeans up, holding onto her mom's shoulders for balance..
"Adam?" Rebecca asked kindly once they walked out of the bathroom.
He looked over at Rebecca from the couch.
"Can you help me carry her up the stairs and into her room?"
He got up, "Yeah, of course." Then picked Liz up bridal style emitting a jovial "Weeeee!" from Liz. He managed a small chuckle as his eyes met Rebecca's, then let the girl's head rest on his chest.
"My, uh, Uber, is here." Manny said before they walked up the stairs.
Rebecca looked at the teen and gave him a short nod, "Okay, get home. I'll talk with you later, if I see that I have to. Understood?"
Manny nodded, "Yes m'am."
Rebecca eeked out a smile, "Thank you for bringing her home." She looked to the sitting Sam, "Thank you to the both of you. Sam, what time is your curfew?"
"It's at, umm 12:30."
It was nearing 12 now.
"Stay put." She directed her.
Sam watched Manny leave forlornly. He only whispered a 'good luck' to her before heading out. She fidgeted on the couch as she watched Adam, Rebecca, and Liz ascend the stairs. Great. Manny got a free pass to go. Liz would just be put to bed. And she'd be the one to deal with Rebecca. How the hell did that end up happening? It was her turn to groan and sink into the couch.
Adam carefully laid Liz down onto her bed, "There you go Lizzie." He spoke kindly.
The girl just groaned and turned over. Rebecca rubbed her face in frustration and then turned to Adam, "I am so sorry Adam. I was not expecting my 15 year old to come home-"
He leaned in and kissed her lips, stopping her words, "It's okay." He shrugged with a soft smile, "It happens. I'm glad I could help."
She looked at him adoringly. He was such a great, and loving guy.
"Do you want me to head out? I can call you later."
"That'd probably be best." She sighed, rather sadly. Rebecca was also sad for their romantic night that never happened.
"Mom there's no boys allowed upstairs remember?" Liz mumbled sleepily, "Especially after bedtime."
Both adults laughed a little.
"I guess that's my cue." He smirked then gave Rebecca one last kiss and headed downstairs.
Once alone with her daughter Rebecca sat down and took off Liz's shoes and socks quietly. Liz hated sleeping with socks on and her mother knew this. The teenager wiggled her freed toes happily.
Rebecca's mind was racing about all the things that could've happened to her daughter tonight. She felt herself choke up and shook the thoughts away quickly.
'She's safe. She's in bed, She's right next to you.' She told herself.
Liz tried to undo the button on her pants but couldn't do it. Rebecca noticed her struggling "I got it Liz. Just relax." and turned her daughter onto her back and undid the button and zipper for her. Liz smiled at her mom widely as the mother shimmied the jeans down and off her, leaving the teen in her white, star covered panties. "There you go bug."
Liz turned onto her side, and mumbled a "thank you." Rebecca patted Liz's pantied bottom, "Sleep time honey, I love you."' She covered her with the throw blanket and placed a kiss on her forehead.
"Goodnight my little alcohol fiend."
She watched her daughter for a bit and let out a deep sigh. Her kid was definitely in hot water when she woke up, but for now, she'd let her sleep.
Rebecca walked down the steps and realized that Sam had fallen asleep where she had left her. Her shoes on the floor next to her. She sighed for the millionth time that night, realizing that she'd have to wait until the next morning to get answers. She went into the kitchen and didn't notice one of Sam's eyes open and the teenager sigh in relief. She had successfully averted Rebecca! Better keep the act up though. She closed her eyes again.
"Hey Brooke."
Oh shit. Sam tensed. Rebecca had called her mom! She should've guessed that. She hoped to God her parents didn't decide to freak out at this hour of night.
Brooke and Lucas were enjoying a movie together when they heard a phone ring. A phone ringing at this time of night, while their kid was out was always nerve wracking.
"It's mine. It might be Sam." Brooke said getting up to grab her phone
She saw the picture of Rebecca come out on her phone. She took a deep breath.
"Hey becky. Is everything okay?'
Rebecca ran a hand through her hair, "Not exactly. The girls are fine. I promise you. It's just Sam and Manny brought home a drunk Liz."
Brooke gasped, "Oh my God. Rebecca, is Liz okay?"
"Yes, she's asleep right now. Although she'll have to face me once she's awake. Anyway, Sam ended up asleep, waiting for me. I wanted to talk to her before I let her go, to find out what happened. I don't know if you want me to keep her for the night, or if you want me to drive her over."
"I'll pick her up tomorrow morning. Becks, was Sam okay, was she-"
Rebecca read through the lines, "She wasn't drunk. It was just Lizzie." Rebecca took a shaky breath.
"Hey. Babe." Brooke soothed, "She's okay. It was a teenage mistake. We've all done it. And she had her friends there."
"You're right. I just need to sleep and deal with it all tomorrow."
When Rebecca said her goodbyes Sam let out a deep breath. It seemed like everything went smoothly. She heard the woman's footsteps, then moments later a hand shake her. She opened her eyes slowly, "H-hmm?"
"Sweetheart, let's get you up into the guestroom? Your mom said you could stay the night."
The girl only nodded and allowed Rebecca to lead her, after all, she was supposed to have just woken up. Soon enough she was tucked into bed by the woman and given a sweet goodnight kiss.
"Night Sammy. Thank you for looking out." Sam only gave her a small nod and Rebecca turned out the lights and left the door open. Brooke had told her that Sam preferred the door open when she was staying the night in other homes. It made her feel safer.
… …. ….
The third damn time. Sam's phone was ringing for the third. damn. time. It was finally out of annoyance that she snatched it from the table next to her. Rebecca had left it there charging.
"Manny." Sam groaned when she saw her missed calls. She didn't want to call him back this early in the morning. It was seven o' clock for Christ's sake! So she texted him a "IT'S TOO EARLY."
He responded asking how everything went down and Sam indulged him with all the details of a surprisingly uneventful night once he left. Rebecca had basically put them both to bed and that was it. Sam was honestly relieved and surprised.
After having humored Manny and his laundry list of questions Sam decided it was time to go home. It was early enough that her parents were probably still sleeping and so was Rebecca. The house seemed quiet. She hoped to slip into her house and into bed to fall back to sleep once more and put off the inevitable conversation that her parents would probably want to have with her for a little longer.
She just needed to grab her shoes and bag that were downstairs and make her exit. She'd send Rebecca a text one she was home. She slowly creeped down the stairs, after having creaked open Liz's door. The girl was still passed out, and Sam expected that to be the case until at least noon.
She tiptoed down the steps, feeling freedom closer and closer, then touched the floor and breathed a sigh of relief. She found her shoes by the sofa and went to get them.
"Ahem. Going somewhere?"
Fuck. Shit. Shit. Fuck. Sam closed her eyes and sagged her shoulders. That was her mother's voice. Caught.
She turned slowly and found both Rebecca and Brooke nursing a cup of coffee. Her mother's eyebrow was raised and her eyes narrowed. Sam hated that look. It always made her feel ten times smaller.
"M-mom." She stumbled on her words, "W-what are you doing here?"
"I came to pick you up. I was waiting for you to wake up, but I see you had other plans?"
She also hated when her mom did that sugary sweet voice. It meant the complete opposite of what it sounded like.
"I, umm, was gonna go home. I was gonna text Rebecca that I left too. Promise."
Brooke let her face come back to her normal stare and beckoned her daughter over, "Well good." She said as Sam trudged over, "I certainly hope you weren't avoiding Rebecca." Of course Brooke knew that was exactly what Sam wanted to do.
Sam sat down, knowing that's what was expected of her, "Of course not." She flashed a smile, and managed to make a sarcastic remark, "I would never be so cruel as to deny Rebecca this beautiful being, that is myself."
Rebecca chortled and Brooke smirked, "Ladies and gentlemen, my daughter."
Sam gave her mom a wink, "I'm here all day, folks."
"Well I'm glad you're here all day because we have some questions."
Sam slumped in the chair and her tone got a little more serious, "Yeah, I expected that. But I wanna point out that I did the responsible thing and took Liz home."
Rebecca jumped in, "I know. And I wanna say thank you for that. I just want to know what happened. I need to talk to Liz and I want to repeat that I'm not mad and you're not in trouble-"
Sam looked at her mother who nodded in agreement. Phew. She wasn't in trouble.
"-I just want a better picture."
"Go on Sam." Brooke encouraged her sternly.
Sam fidgeted and gave out a defeated sigh, "Okay...I was walking back outside with Manny at some point 'cause that's where all the Glee kids were and I heard Liz laughing and I went to go find her and she was playing beer pong super drunk. Manny and I helped her out and that's when we took her home."
"Do you know if that's all she drank?" Rebecca inquired.
"Wine coolers too" Sam grumbled, "Only one though." She softened the blow for Liz, knowing that she had drunk three. She'd text her the number she said, hoping to God Liz read the text before her mother got to her, "Guess she's a lightweight." Sam said with a shrug.
Brooke crossed her arms around her chest, "Were you and Manny drinking?"
Sam's head popped up, "What? I mean, why does that matter?"
Well that was a yes. "Answer the question Samantha."
God, Sam could just disappear right then. She mustered up her biggest puppy dog eyes, folded her hands in her lap, and looked at her mother, "Just one wine cooler mama. Promise." It was two, but you know, that's just details in a teenage brain.
Brooke stared down her daughter for a few moments and figured she was telling the truth. "Alright, come here."
Sam hesitated but walked over and was engulfed in a hug. One she was happy to fall into. "Thank you for being responsible." She whispered. Sam just nodded and hugged her mom tighter.
"Where's dad?" She asked as they pulled away from the hug, "Had a Sunday morning practice with the team." Brooke rubbed her daughter's back over and over as a small show of comfort. Sam loved it, and the teenager was okay with a little bit of loving up around Rebecca.
"Oh." She shifted on her feet and the looked at her friend's mother, "Rebecca?"
"Hmmm?" The woman peered over her cup of coffee.
"You know Liz is just really competitive. She, um, she probably kept playing that drinking game because she was trying to win. You know how she is. That's why she's so into soccer and stuff. Can you not, you know, go so hard on her?"
The woman put down her coffee cup and smiled, "I'll think about it Sammy. I need to talk to her first. See what was going through her head. Regardless of her reasoning what she did was dangerous, especially at her age."
The teenager bit her lip. At least she tried. She hoped to God Liz wasn't sent to the gallows when she woke up.
Brooke had treated Sam that morning to some Starbucks. They were sitting at a table together and Sam was eyeing her mother not so subtly, "Hey mom?" She finally spoke.
"Yeah?"
"You're not mad at me or anything, right?" Here eyes betraying her and showing some worry in their deep blue sparkle.
Brooke cocked her head, "Why would I be mad?"
The girl spun her straw around in the cup, "I dunno. 'Cause I was at a party where people drink and I, well, drank something. Do you think dad's gonna be mad?"
Brooke put a hand on top of her kid's so she could look up at her, "Your dad and I were young once too, Sam. We know what high school parties are like. I'm happy that you've been responsible so far. I want that to be the case until you graduate." Brooke also wanted to add that she knew at some point an inevitable slip up would happen but she didn't want to act like she didn't trust Sam.
"What if I ever come home like Liz?"
Brooke hummed dramatically and tapped her chin, "Then you'd be in a hell of a lot of trouble."
Sam didn't want to ask if she'd be spanked. She'd rather not know. Although the thought crossed her mind. Since New York, past the occasional swats, she had only really come close to another spanking when her parents thought she had stolen something. Now that she was almost 15 she couldn't imagine having to still go over her parents' lap to be punished like some little kid, until she, well you know, ended up sobbing like one too. Sam didn't doubt that after that spanking in New York, she looked like the perfect image of a contrite child as she cried wholeheartedly on her mom's lap, in nothing but a shirt pulled up past her belly button, and her panties that couldn't hide her reddened bottom that peeked through, all the while her mother rocked her and whispered words of love in her ear. The idea of anyone seeing her like that mortified the teenager. Even after all her beatings in foster homes, she never broke down that bad. She had never wanted to cuddle with her foster parents afterward. She had never wanted to be rocked in their arms and fall asleep next to them. Her mom had really only given her a light spanking compared to what she faced in the past. But damn, did she feel the weight of the meaning behind it. The girl was also positive that any spanking she were to receive would end up with her reacting the same way and the idea of feeling and acting that childish at 15, 16, 17, and 18 years wanted Sam want to curl up and die of embarrassment. Wait, wait, would her parents really still do that to her at 17 and 18 years old? She doubted it. No way, right? Well at least that was a punishment reserved for really big things. Else she would've been nursing a sore bum A LOT more frequently.
Ugh, well her parents were right about it being a punishment that served as a deterrent. Then the girl thought about how disappointed her parents would be and it made Sam's heart skip a beat just thinking about. Disappointment was the worst.
"But we'd still love you." Brooke added, "Nothing you do will make us stop loving you."
The reassurance made Sam blush a bit. Her parents, at one point, would used to have to do that a lot. Reassure her, that is. They would tell her they wanted her, that they loved her regardless if she did something wrong. They wouldn't hurt her, turn her away. It was crazy to Sam how all those words had finally internalized at some point down the road. Of course, there were still inklings of her insecurity of the past. But Brooke and Lucas didn't miss a beat and would always be there to reassure her once more.
"Thanks." Sam murmured, taking another sip of her Green Tea Latte.
…. … ….
Monday had come around and Lucas and Sam had just gotten off the car and were headed into the school. Sam was following her dad into his office because she had left her Algebra 2 textbook in there and she needed it for today. As they walked, Lucas got greeted from multiple students, particularly girls. Sam just rolled her eyes. It was too weird knowing that your dad was the "hot teacher." Bleh. Gross.
"Dad, you realize those girls think you're hot, right?" Sam said as her dad ushered her in and closed the door.
He snorted, "I'm too old. Why would they think that?"
Sam looked at him incredulously, "Are you serious dad? Aren't you the writer? You should know these things. You've become the trope of all high school dramas. You're the 'hot teacher.'" Sam let out a bitter laugh, "And I'm the hot teacher's daughter. How wrong is that?"
Lucas shook his head, partially disgusted for a second. He should've known. How was he becoming oblivious to teenage thoughts? Oh no, he was getting old.
"Imagine what they think about when you're teaching them during PE."
"SAM!" Lucas scolded, "That's-eew." He shook his head, "That's disgusting."
Sam loved to get a rise out of her dad, "It was a joke dad. Chill."
"Well don't joke about it." He shuddered, "Here's your book."
"Thanks." Sam answered stuffing it in her bag. "Remember, your mom and I are having the ultrasound after school today. We're gonna find out the baby's gender. Where are you gonna be after school?" He sounded giddy just talking about it.
"Couldn't you have done that before." The girl asked, "And I'm gonna head to Tamara's house."
"Okay, be safe. And yes, we could've done it before but we were trying to hold out. We didn't even want to look at past ultrasounds, we just asked them to tell us if the baby was healthy. But we're just too excited so we're going to ask for all the details and the ultrasound pictures."
"Who broke, mom or you?" She was no fool. At least one of her parents was dying to know.
Lucas smirked, "Me."
"I knew it! You're the softy in a relationship." She joked.
"He walked over and enveloped her in a hug, "Yeah well, your mom's the softy when it comes to you."
"No, I think both of you are pretty tender." She mumbled still hugging her dad, "Soft as putty in my hands."
He chuckled. She wasn't lying. "Alright, get outta here before I make your bottom a little warm and tender because of all your little comments." He pulled away from the hug.
Sam gave him a feigned look of surprise, "You wouldn't dare. That's just cruel."
He leaned in and kissed her head, "You're right. I would never, not for that reason at least." He said with a wink, "Now get outta here."
She slung her backpack on her shoulder and wished her dad a good day as well as she walked out. The girl was also excited to find out if she would have a little baby brother or sister.
Sam saw Liz and ran to catch up with her, "Hey Liz! Liz!"
Liz stopped and turned walking over to Sam.
"You're alive!" Sam squealed, "Your mom didn't kill you."
"Yeah, she was all like, I know that high school will inevitably involve some form of drinking but the state you were in is something I never want to see again. Especially at 15 years old." She parroted her mother, "I'm almost 16 anyways!" She harrumphed.
"You have 3 months to be 16 chill." Sam pointed out, "At least you're not the youngest sophomore in Tree Hill."
Liz pinched Sam's cheeks, "Aww, you're almost 15, chin up! You'll be a big girl soon enough."
Sam slapped her hands away, "Shut up dude!' She laughed a little, "Anyways what was your final sentence? My parents had this long ass talk with me about drinking and stuff, all thanks to you. "
Liz smirked, "So did I. I'm also grounded for like ever and on Wednesdays the cleaning lady comes, but my mom gave her two paid weeks off and told me I'd clean the house spotless for those two weeks."
Sam frowned, "I hate when they make me clean." The girl positively hated punishment chores.
"Let's go find Manny and talk about something else." Liz said wrapping an arm around Sam as they walked, "I'm not exactly in the mood to talk about my prison guard, aka my mother."
Sam had an evil glint in her eye, "Okay, let's talk about how hilarious you were Saturday night."
Oh boy. Liz groaned and rolled her eyes as she heard Sam retell the events.
Liz had also conveniently left out some parts to Sam. Like when she had woken up feeling something awful and the first thing she did was burst into tears because she remembered some parts of the night before and how she was probably in trouble, on top of her upset stomach, and raging headache.
She left out the part when her mother came into her bedroom, after hearing her cry, and the first thing out of Liz's mouth was a "Mommy I'm sorry!" and when her mother went over to the bed she pitifully whined that her "tummy and head hurt" and that she never wanted be drunk like that again. Thankfully, her mother gave her TUMS for her upset stomach. She also begged her mother not to spank her, and she was surprised when Rebecca said she wouldn't but they did have a long talk about drinking after her punishment had been explained to her.
Liz also definitely left out the part when they had finally gone down so Rebecca could give her something to eat and her mother called her over. Liz thought her mother was going to give her a glass of juice or something but her mother, in one swift move had her sweatpants pulled down and tucked under her arm, "You said no spanking!" Liz cried as she felt her mother tug her panties down.
Rebecca doled out 8 swats to her daughter's unprotected backside.
"Mom stop. No mom!" Liz yelped out. Rebecca righted her, then pulled the surprised and red eyed teenager into her arms for a fierce hug. "That wasn't for drinking. That was for scaring me half to death when I realized how drunk you were. I acted mad, but I was terrified. Don't ever do that to me again." Her voice was so stern but her hug was loving.
The teenager blushed when she felt her mother pull up her panties and sweats for her. A far cry from yesterday when she showed no inhibition to her mother helping her get ready for bed. But Rebecca didn't mention that. When they met each other's eyes Liz gave her a small smile, "I won't mom. I promise."
The rest of that day consisted of Liz getting loved up by her mother, and her teasing her mother about Adam, of course. She soaked in the closeness. Her mom was a busy woman and they usually didn't do this during the day. Her mom, however, did tend to snuggle up with her at night whenever Liz wanted to though. That was always nice too and whenever she was wrapped up in her mom's arms she wondered why she didn't do this with her as often.
…. …. ….
Lucas and Brooke stared blankly at the Ultrasound technician. Out of all the things they thought they'd hear, this was the last thing they expected. It took a while for their brain to catch up and parse through their racing thought.
"Twins?!" Brooke finally gaped and looked at the equally stunned Lucas who was sitting by her. She looked at her blue jelly covered stomach and couldn't believe that she was carrying two kids.
"A boy and a girl." The woman said happily, "Looks like you two have your work cut out for you. You're stomach will probably balloon up soon, but they're both healthy."
Lucas began to tear up, "B-babe, we're having twins."
Brooke didn't even care about the whole stomach ballooning up comment. She was a mommy to twins! Her eyes welled up and she put a hand to her mouth as she looked at the computer screen. Sure enough two babies were floating in there. "OH MY. Oh my God. We're, we're having two babies Luke. A little girl and a little baby boy."
Lucas wiped his own eyes and leaned over to kiss Brooke, "Yes we are. I love you Brooke Davis. I love you and those little twins."
... ... ...
Sam's head was on Jack's legs, while Jack's back leaned on the front of the sofa, meanwhile Tamara was on top with her foster brother and sister, Ronnie and Leslie. They were all watching Pitch Perfect. Jack's selection, and Tamara wouldn't stop making fun of him for it.
Sam got a ping on her phone and she lazily took it out to check it. It was her dad and he had sent a picture of the ultrasound. She looked and her eyes widened. Were those….another text came "TWINS!" It read, "A boy and a girl!"
Sam gasped. "H-holy shit." Shakily stumbled from her mouth.
"OOOOOoooooooo!" Leslie sing songed, "Sammy said a bad word!"
"What?" Tamara asked sitting up a little, ignoring her sister. Jack craned his neck to see what Sam was looking at. She handed the phone to Jack, "Oh Shit!"
Ronnie giggled at Jack, but Leslie was getting frustrated that two people said bad words in her house and they didn't get in trouble for it. , "T!" She shook her sister's arm, "They said bad words." Tamara gently pushed her arm, "I know Les. I'll put them in timeout later." She placated the child.
This made Leslie laugh, "They're too old for timeout Tamara! You're silly."
The teenager just rolled her eyes, "Go play with Ronnie in your room and I'll give you oreos later." That was an easy decision to make and Leslie took her younger brother's hand.
Tamara looked back to her friends, "What the hell are you guys freaking out about?"
Tamara stole the phone from Jack, annoyed that she didn't know what was going on, "Goddamn it. What?!"
She saw the texts and knew exactly what.
"Sam, that's crazy!" She gasped.
Samantha nodded dumbly, "A baby boy and a baby girl."
"You get to corrupt two kids!" Tamara joked. Jack chuckled and pushed Tamara a little.
"I won't corrupt them!" Sam shot back through her own laughter. After the shock went through Tamara went to go make sure her siblings hadn't killed each other and Sam kept looking at the ultrasound picture. She had texted her dad back with a "Congrats." in caps lock and a "double the diaper changes!"
"That's gonna be a lot of work for them." She thought out loud.
Jack was playing with her hair, "Yeah but you can help your parents out too. You used to take care of little brothers and sisters, remember? You're good at it."
Sam snuggled into her boyfriend, "Yeah." she sighed.
"It'll probably be weird at first, right?." She mentioned.
Jack could practically hear the insecurity in her voice. Tamara sat back down on the couch just as Sam had said that. She frowned, knowing that Sam might be, at least a tad hesitant about the idea of two babies.
"Yeah, babies cry and cry and all they want is attention, but you'll get used to it." Tamara added, "But you know Brooke and Lucas will probably end up crawling in with you at night and say they miss you and stuff. They're saps for you. I'd put that down and bet a million dollars."
"You don't even have a hundred dollars." Jack quipped.
"Fuck you." Tamara smacked him in the back of the head.
Sam laughed a little and tried to keep her mind off the nagging worry. Two babies. She had prepared herself for one. It was stupid that she felt this way as a sophomore in high school! She wasn't a little kid, she could handle this news. It was so weird to be simultaneously excited as ever and nervous for what was to come.
Later on, she got another text from her mom this time asking if she wanted to go out for celebratory dinner, but Sam, honestly wasn't up for it. As ashamed as she was to admit that. She decided to lie and said her, Jack, and Tamara had already bought tickets to see a movie and she'd be home by 8:30.
And by the time 8:00 rolled around Sam was already at home but her parents were still out at dinner. Her, Jack, and Tamara had picked out two stuffed animals for the twins. They had gone to Target and Sam rolled her eyes and listened to her friends argue over which animals to choose. Sam eventually overruled them and chose a hippo and a lion. Every kid deserves a teddy. Even the most well adjusted of kids would need the comfort of a plush animal at some point in their life. Sam, of all kids, knew how helpful they could be. She placed them on the table in front of the TV and left a note, just in case she fell asleep, "I figure the twins can choose which one they want. But consider this my first kind act as their big sister."
She went up the stairs, took a shower, then changed into her PJs and turned off her room light, then turned on the television, hoping it could lull her to sleep.
She heard the sound of the door opening and closing downstairs at around 9:30. Her parents were home. She wondered if they'd come in. Her door was closed and the lights were off, maybe they'd just leave her be. Doubtful.
Twenty minutes later, both her parents walked in. Sam sat up from where she was lying with her blanket and Barry, still watching TV, "Hey." She said still holding Barry in her lap.
"Hi peanut." Lucas spoke softly. Both parents walked in and sat on either side of her, "That was a beautiful gift. I'm sure your brother and sister are gonna love their hippo and tiger. It was really thoughtful of you." He added.
The teen shrugged, "No big deal."
"It is a big deal." Brooke tucked a strand of her daughter's hair behind her ear and watched her daughter's eyes for a moment. Sam didn't realize it, but she was an open book to her parents.
"Well yeah." Sam replied looking at her mom, "You having two kids at the same time is a pretty big deal."
Brooke and Lucas looked at each other for a moment and knew that their kid was trying not to show her worry.
"It is." Lucas said sitting back on her headboard and opening his arms, a proffered offer of embrace that Sam never turned away. She ducked her head slightly and scooted towards her dad'. He kissed the top of her head as Brooke moved closer to both of them and lowered the volume on the television.
"How was the movie?"
Sam nuzzled her head in her dad's chest, "Fine."
"What'd you end up watching?" Lucas furthered.
Sam racked her brain for a title, "Ummm, the new Rocky one. Creed."
Brooke bit back a smile at Sam's feeble attempt, "Oh? What was it about?"
The teen tensed only to feel her dad rub her back, "Oh, just some guy who boxes and stuff."
"Sam." Brooke called her in gentle sternness, "You're lying to us."
The girl lifted her head and looked at her mother surprised, "I-"
There went her mother's raised eyebrow again. Sam ducked her head and sighed, "Yeah." She admitted, "How'd you know?"
Lucas lifted her chin, "You left the receipt in the kitchen, and you bought the stuffed animals while you were supposed to be watching the movie."
Damn. Stupid mistake Sam.
"Oh."
"Why'd you lie Sam?"
The girl shrugged and wanted to hide in her dad's chest. But Lucas held her back, "No. No. Talk to us. Is this about the twins?" They already knew it was.
She groaned and shook her head in frustration, "I just, I didn't feel like celebrating, okay?" Now that that part was out it was easier to talk, "I'm sorry. I know that makes me sound like some spoiled brat. And I feel bad. Like, I'm super stoked that I'm gonna have two little mini heathens to play with and be an older sister to, but there's this part of me that worries. I know I shouldn't, I just can't help it. I'm sorry. I know I'm old enough to understand this."
"Whoah. Whoah." Brooke kissed the back of Sam's head as Lucas finally let her fall back into his arms, "Sammy listen to us." She soothed, "We don't expect you to always to be perfectly okay with this. We get that this isn't easy. It's okay to have mixed feelings."
Sam let out a frustrated huff, "It's so stupid that you still have to comfort me about something as small as this. I'm sorry."
"Stop apologizing." Lucas instructed her with a kiss to the top of her head, "We are not upset with you. Having two little kids running around will certainly be an adjustment, but we'll get through it. Because we're a family, Sam. And we all love each other and hold each other up when the other needs it."
"You don't think I'm being a baby about this?"
"No honey." Brooke assured her, "Not at all. Dad and me understand completely." They did. They knew her fears were rooted in deeper trauma, and they'd never judge her for it.
The mother continued, "You don't need to hide your feelings from us, okay? And I don't want you lying to us just because you're embarrassed at your emotions." Her voice firm, "You come to us, or someone you trust. But you don't lie to us."
"You're not in trouble." Lucas assured her, "We just want to make it clear. 'Kay kiddo?"
The girl only nodded, not wanting to leave her dad's arms. They were where she felt safest. The most secure. They were firm and strong but still loving.
The three of them ended up watching the remaining part of the SVU episode Sam was watching. By the end of it the teenager was asleep. Lucas carefully set her back in the bed, and she received a loving kiss from both her parents. And truly, it would never cease to warm their heart to watch their kid sleep. Soon, they'd get the wonderful opportunity to watch three babies sleep.
…. …. ….
Brooke sat on the couch, securely wrapped in Lucas's arms. Her favorite place to be. Things seemed so perfect right now for their family. Sam was as sarcastic and spirited as ever. She had finally found herself after the trial that had seemed like years ago. The parents loved to see her flourish. They couldn't be happier. Today was also Sam's birthday.
Fifteen years old.
Brooke could cry just thinking about it.
They had woken up their daughter with sweet kisses and tickles that elicited pleas and groans for them to stop from their newly turned 15 year old. Both had wanted to spend the whole day with her but after many persuasive arguments they had agreed to let her go to Six Flags with all her friends. She didn't want a party or a dinner or anything. All Sam wanted was Six Flags with friends. The parents agreed and had an early birthday dinner the night before.
Julian, who was there for the weekend, took Sam and her crew. The girl had been wanting to spend time with Julian and asked him if he wanted to come to Six Flags with her as well. He wasn't exactly keen on a day at an amusement park, but for Sam, he agreed, on the condition that he could take Peyton. Of course, Sam agreed. She loved her aunt!
Sam was due to come home soon, as the two parents sat together to reruns of a basketball game that played softly in the background. They were anxious to hand their daughter her final present. She had already gotten the new Iphone 6, red Keds, and a watch from her parents.
Brooke sighed and placed a kiss on Lucas's jaw. He tightened his arms around her and pulled her closer into his side, "What're you thinking?" He whispered.
She laced their fingers together and sighed, "That our daughter is growing up too fast, and I want her to stay 14 forever."
Lucas chuckled, "You mean fifteen?"
Brooke leaned her head onto his shoulder, "Nope, I mean 14. Actually, preferably 6 years old. That seems like a cute age."
Lucas gave her a sad smile as he watched Brooke's look turned somber. They had missed Sam at 6 years old. They had missed 13 years actually. It was hard not to forget that. Especially on her birthday.
He kissed her temple and tightened their hands together, "Sam was probably the cutest little six year old." He mused, "I mean, hands down, she's the cutest 15 year old I know. And that's a lot of 15 year olds, considering I work at a high school. Then again, I don't tuck any of them into bed at night and hear them call me 'dad' so I might be biased."
He got a laugh from Brooke and he was happy to hear it.
"She's officially ours now." The mother said breathlessly, "I can't wait to show her the papers."
"Mhm." He hummed, "It'll be a nice end to her birthday. She deserves that. Except, you know, she's always been ours. It's just a piece of paper."
"But it's a nice paper to have." She said before kissing his lips once more.
The father couldn't agree more.
"Can you imagine having three kids running around here?" Brooke spoke softly.
Lucas hummed, "Can you believe that we'd end up together with three kids all before the age of 35?"
Brooke imagined her life just a year ago. God, how things change. "Life has a funny way of working out."
"I got lucky." He whispered, "I love this family. I love it more than myself. I would do anything for all of you. You, Brooke Davis, and our children, are the best part of me."
They stayed in each other's arms for a little while longer and an hour later Sam strode in, a bright, but tired smile on her face. She looked happy. Strike that. She was happy. Happier than she had felt in a long while.
"Hi lovebirds!" She quipped dropping her things by the door.
Lucas untangled himself gently from Brooke and smiled brightly at their kid, "Hey champ. Peyton dropped you off?"
Sam walked and perched herself on the armrest of the couch and looked at her parents, who looked eager to hear what she had to say, "Yup. I had lots of fun. We found out Manny is terrified of rollercoasters that twist. He basically cried when we got on one!" She laughed at the newly formed memory.
Brooke shook her head good naturedly, "Was the money we gave Tamara and Jack enough?"
Sam nodded, "Yeah. Thank you for that, by the way." She ducked her head shyly, then smiled and turned back to them, "That was really nice of you guys."
"Of course kiddo." Lucas chimed in, "We care about them."
Sam hopped off the couch armrest and moved to wiggle her way between her parents. Both gladly accepted, "I had lots of fun. Thank you for letting me go with my friends and Julian and Peyton. Even though I know that you really wanted me to spend it here and with you guys."
Lucas kissed the top of her head when he felt her snuggle into his side, "I'm glad you had fun."
Sam bit her lip for a second and curled her feet onto the couch, "There was a girl when I was little at the group home that, umm, all she wanted for her 15th birthday was to go to six flags."
Both parents stayed quiet as they listened to Sam. Lucas stroked her arm comfortingly. They understood that Sam was explaining something to them. Giving them another look into her past.
"She always talked about it and how she'd have so much fun with her friends and stuff." Sam continued.
"What happened to her?" Brooke brushed a hair from Sam's face with her fingers and gave her a loving look.
Sam looked at her shorts. "She, um, she got into this crazy car accident with her boyfriend and, and she ended up, you know, passing away, or whatever."
"Oh baby-"
The girl shook her head, "No, it's okay. I didn't really know her well. I was too little, like 8 years old. It's just," She rubbed her hands together, "Is it weird that I wanted to do this for her? Like, I remembered her all of a sudden and just felt like I needed to. Even though, you know, it probably doesn't matter, since she's dead."
Lucas turned her chin gently to look at him, "It does matter. You are a good person, and a loving person. Trust me when I tell you that it matters in some weird cosmic way."
Sam blushed and nodded, content with the answer. She laid her head back down on her dad's chest, "I love you guys. Can we watch a movie together? I wanna spend the end of my birthday together."
Brooke gave her a broad smile, "Well we have one last thing to give you. There's also chocolate ice cream in the kitchen. Why don't we go in there for a bit after you shower and put some pjs on?"
Sam gave her an enthusiastic nod and was the first to get up to shower.
Lucas took Brooke's hand when they heard Sam in the kitchen and then walked in. Sam already had the ice cream out and was grabbing three bowls.
The parents leaned on the counter and slid a yellow envelope in front of her. She put the bowl in her hand down, "What?" She asked looking at the thin envelope, "What is that?"
"Open it." Brooke urged her.
Realization dawned on the girl and her mouth dropped, "Wait." She quickly looked up at them, "Did you guys- am I- is it official?!"
Lucas laughed as Sam got more and more excited, "Well you gotta open it first kid."
She ripped open the envelope and in there was a whole bunch of legalities, but as she scanned through with eyes filled with wonder, gratefulness, and excitement. Then she found what she needed to see. "Officially, legal guardian, parental rights, reinstated." She mumbled as she read.
She slammed the paper down, "MOM. DAD." Her eyes wide. Her look childlike, "I'm yours! I'm yours!"
She practically jumped across the counter and lunged at her dad, and brought her mom into the hug. She was crying hard, and the parents were honestly surprised. They had known this mattered to Sam, but they didn't realize just how much. It really was so much more than just a paper.
"I'm, I'm yours." She squeaked as they hugged her tight and held her for longer.
Lucas voice was choked up, "Baby you've always been ours."
Sam nodded into his chest. She let go of them and laughed a little as she wiped at her tears, "I-I know, but for a kid like me, you know, who's been in foster care. This, this means so much."
Brooke couldn't help it, she brought her into another hug, "Oh my sweet girl." She kissed her head over and over, "Happy birthday baby girl. Yes, you are ours. You have been and always will be. We have you baby. We have you."
Sam hugged her mother's middle as hard as she could, wanting nothing more than to be as close as she could to her mom and dad. She finally let them go and wiped her eyes happily, "I thought we had to wait 'til next week?"
Brooke flipped her hair dramatically, "I worked my magic."
"You bullied family court, mama? That's just downright badass!"
"What?" Brooke asked indignant, "Why is my magic considered bullying?"
Sam giggled and gave her mother innocent eyes, "Ummm...I dunno."
Lucas put a hand on Sam's back, "Well you're right. She terrorized those lawyers. I even got scared."
Sam's eyes went wide and she stared at her mother.
Brooke shook her head and laughed, "Your dad is delusional. I did no such thing." Now come on and scoop out the ice cream so we can watch a movie."
Actually, Brooke was a bit harsh to the lawyers. Pointing out all the ways the courts and them had failed Sam in the past, and telling them that they needed to get their asses in check unless they wanted her to sue their own lawyer asses with lawyers that didn't get their degree online. Needless to say, it worked.
Thirty minutes later the family was up in Brooke and Lucas's room watching The Scooby Doo movie. The bowls of ice cream on her nightstand. Normally, Brooke wouldn't allow food in her room, but those damn puppy dog eyes and the fact that it was Sam's birthday made her cave and she allowed them to watch it up there, icecream in hand.
When the movie ended their girl was half asleep. Six Flags had wiped her out.
"Mama can I stay in here tonight?" She yawned tiredly. She was too lazy to walk to her own bed, and she was already cozy anyways.
"Sure baby." Brooke got off the bed to go change into pajamas and Lucas grabbed the bowls to take them downstairs. Sam went to grab her phone on her mom's nightstand and noticed the frame. It was a new picture. It was all three of them at Jamie's Birthday party from two week ago. Sam was sitting on top of a plastic table. Her hair was a little messy from playing tag with Jamie. She was wearing a black tank top with a faded out smiley face in the middle of it and jean shorts. Her legs crossed indian style. And her parents were standing on either side of her, tucked up close against her. The side of their heads leaning against one another, leaving Sam sandwiched in the middle. They were all smiles.
"You changed the picture." Sam said once her mom came back out, more awake than before. She moved back towards the middle of the bed. Brooke smiled when she laid down and grabbed the picture from the stand, "I did. You look so carefree here." She said staring adoringly at the picture.
Sam watched her mom. She saw the love in Brooke's eyes even as she stared at Sam through a picture. "I had a good time." Sam said softly laying down and snuggling close to her mom. Brooke put an arm around her and squeezed her tightly, "Oh my little Sammy." She whispered, "Stop growing up."
"I can't stop time mom." The girl laughed a little.
"No, you can't. But at least you'll never stop being my baby girl."
Lucas walked in and put his hands up on his hips. One of his hands carried a blanket and a bear. "What? A cuddle fest without the biggest cuddler in the family? That's treason." He put Sam's beloved items on the bed then jumped in and tickled Sam's sides making her giggle uncontrollably. "No, we were waiting for you!" She argued. He grinned at Brooke who was watching them lovingly and stopped, "Hmmm, I'll forgive your slight then."
He grabbed the picture that was left on the end of the bed, "Well look at that. It's all of us."
"Almost all of us. We're missing two." Sam pointed out.
"Well, they're technically there. You just can't see them." Lucas answered fixing his statement.
"You look so much like your mama." He added.
Brooke nodded happily, "That's why you're gorgeous."
Sam gave her mother a sly smile, "Sure mom."
"But you have my eyes!" Lucas added enthusiastically, "I, for one, think that's what makes you truly beautiful."
"She'd be just as beautiful with my green eyes!" Brooke argued back playfully.
Sam rolled her eyes and fell back on the bed, "Are you guys really arguing the merits of what makes me beautiful? Which, by the way, beauty is a social construct."
Brooke and Lucas stopped and looked at their daughter laying down, staring up at them. "Well beauty may be a social construct. But no matter what you look like, you'll always be the most beautiful girl to me." Lucas winked.
"Parental bias." Sam grinned
"Well we're not gonna figure out where you got your good looks from tonight. So let's just go to sleep."
Both parents laid down next to their daughter and Brooke turned out the lights, "Happy birthday Sammy. I love you." Lucas told her one last time.
"Thanks dad." She snuggled in and got a goodnight kiss from her mom.
Just as Brooke and Lucas were falling asleep Sam had one final thing to tell them. "I figured it out. Now you guys can stop arguing." She had been fidgeting for the last ten minutes.
"Hmmm?" Lucas asked, wondering how his kid suddenly had energy again. She was half asleep by the end of the movie, and now they were half asleep and she wasn't!
Brooke turned over and pulled her daughter in so Sam's back was to her mother's chest, "Sleep honey. It's late and you had a long day."
"I will, but I just wanna say that I'm equal parts you, mom, and equal parts dad. I got my good looks from both of you. Along with my strength, my sarcasm, my annoying sensitivity, and of course my intelligence."
Both parents were now more awake and teary eyed as Sam spoke.
"I'm your spitting image. And I'm proud of it."
Lucas moved close and kissed her daughter's forehead, while Brooke hugged her tighter. Indeed she was. But Sammy was also their little fighter. Their heart and soul. Their first born. She was their dream come true.
It's been one hell of a ride. See you in the sequel! And don't forget to review :)