Disclaimer: As always, I don't own anything.
A/N: Congrats to anyone who answered "Scrambled Eggs" for the question!
The drive to the Carrigans' house was pretty much uneventful, beside the fact that they had to figure out how to cram seven people into Max and Valerie's station wagon. Lizzy attempted to sleep for most of the ride—attempted being the key word. She sat squished between little Max and Michelle, and Max was trying to sleep, too, only he kept thrashing around while doing so. Because of her younger cousin's constant flailing, Lizzy got smacked repeatedly in the face and arms, causing her to wake up when she had finally begun to drift off. So, she gave up altogether more than halfway through, and took to staring out the window and having sporadic conversations with the adults.
When they pulled into the driveway, Lizzy felt her stomach twisting into knots. She was terribly nervous, especially after seeing her parents' attitudes toward the visit—particularly Jude's. Lizzy wondered how her grandparents would react to this impromptu reunion and seeing their long lost granddaughter. Judging from the overall mood of the adults in the car, things were going to be interesting.
Hesitantly, the group filed out of the vehicle, with Max mumbling something about how they should leave their bags in the car, just in case. Jude and Lucy agreed, knowing that would work out best if the visit didn't go well and they needed to leave quickly.
They walked to the door like troops marching into battle. Lucy and Max led them up the path to the front door, trying to keep their expressions stoic. Valerie and Jude were behind their significant others, Max was clutching his mother's hand, and Michelle and Lizzy rounded out the group, giving each other tense glances as they strode in the back.
Lucy and Max both took a deep breath before the elder sibling reached out to knock on the door. Max had been silently praying that they wouldn't be home while they were approaching the house. Unfortunately, that hope vanished when they heard the distinct sound of Mrs. Carrigan's high heels connecting with the hardwood floor and the click of the lock opening.
Mrs. Carrigan appeared a moment later. Shock wouldn't have been the correct word to describe the look on her face. She was way past shock. Lizzy peered out from behind her father's tall form to discreetly look at the woman who was her grandmother. Somehow, she reminded her of Maggie Harrison. Both women wore the same type of classy, proper clothing, except Mrs. Carrigan's outfit had been complete with a set of real pearls that hung around her neck. Her blond hair that was just a shade darker than Lucy's was streaked with gray, and the lines on her face were evidence of her old age.
For a brief second, Mrs. Carrigan's gaze met Lizzy's. Lizzy noticed and immediately went back to her original spot, hidden behind Jude. Mrs. Carrigan opened her mouth to speak, but Lucy beat her to the punch.
"Hi, Mom," Lucy said as cheerfully as she could manage, "I hope we're not intruding."
Mrs. Carrigan smiled, but it was incredibly forced. "Not at all. Come in," she opened the door wider, observing the family members who stood on her doorstep. "Hello, Maxwell." Max grumbled a response, and Lizzy wasn't quite sure if he had said something that even resembled any form of a polite greeting.
The seven of them stepped into the house; Lizzy pulled Jude's hat on tighter, her face shadowed by the hat and her hair. She peered out from under the brim, examining the Carrigans' stately home. She definitely felt that her grandparents would get along with the Harrisons. Their home had all sorts of expensive furniture, and the place seemed more…proper. More old fashioned, in a way.
They stood awkwardly in the living room, staring at each other--or, in Max's case, becoming interested in the wallpaper patterns. Mr. Carrigan entered the room just as Mrs. Carrigan was going on about how much Michelle and Max had grown. She hadn't looked in Lizzy's direction since they had made eye contact outside. Lizzy stood out of the way, feeling a bit out of place. She was currently questioning whether this was such a good idea after all. She wasn't feeling very welcome.
"What's this? My children come home to visit their parents?" There was a hint of surprise in Mr. Carrigan's voice, laced with a bit of sarcasm. He gave Lucy and Valerie somewhat of an awkward hug, and apprehensive handshakes to Max and Jude. Then, he embraced his grandchildren--two out of the three--warmly, offering them each a smile.
Lizzy was confused. Obviously, there had been a large argument between the adults three years ago. Now, her grandparents were acting as if it hadn't happened at all, although their reluctant actions showed that they didn't truly forget. And they were ignoring her in the process. She didn't think they were ignoring her on purpose. She thought that maybe they didn't know how to react to her being there. Either that, or her grandparents didn't recognize her as Lucy and Jude's child. But how could they not know? She clearly had visible traits from each parent; there was no mistaking that.
Lucy saw her daughter's unease and walked over to her, laying a hand on Lizzy's shoulder. "Mom, Dad," she began, "You remember Lizzy, right?" Lucy grimaced at her own choice of words, the statement sounding strange to her. She didn't know how else to put it without being too rude. 'You remember Lizzy, right? Your granddaughter, whom I gave birth to eighteen years ago? The one you called a mistake?' That didn't quite work. She didn't want to open up that wound again. Not when Lizzy was standing in the same room. She didn't want her to know about the hurtful things her grandparents had said.
"Of course," Mrs. Carrigan said at last. She and her husband approached Lizzy; Mrs. Carrigan put on her fake smile for the second time. "My, how you've grown, dear."
"Nice to see you again, Lizzy." Mr. Carrigan stated, shaking Lizzy's hand. No hug, no tearful hello like she had received when she showed up at the apartment building a on Christmas Eve. Just a handshake and a couple of half-hearted greetings. All Lizzy could do was plaster on her own forced grin and curse inwardly. This was hardly the welcome she had hoped for.
Out of the corner of her eye, Lizzy caught Max shaking his head. She averted her gaze to the floor while Mr. and Mrs. Carrigan attempted to make small talk with the rest of the adults.
"Lucy!" A new, feminine voice suddenly called, "Max!"
Lizzy's head snapped up to see who the newcomer was. A young woman in her late twenties with long, wavy blond hair bounded into the living room, her orange sundress flowing behind her. She practically tackled Max and Lucy, flinging her arms around their necks. Both Lucy and Max were thankful, however, for their sister's sudden presence; she had temporarily broken the tension building in the room.
"How's my baby sister?" Max asked. It was the first time Lizzy had seen her uncle smile since they'd arrived.
Julia flashed him a lopsided grin. "I'm hardly a baby anymore, Max." Max only chuckled, hooking his arm around his sister's shoulders.
"Oh, Julia," Lucy said, observing her younger sister from head to toe, "Look at you." She could hardly believe how grown up her little sister was.
Julia gave Jude and Valerie an equally enthusiastic hug before crouching down to say hello to her niece and nephew. When she finally got to her feet, Julia saw the eighteen-year-old who was choosing to be a bit antisocial at the moment. She couldn't blame her, though. There were a few times Julia had heard her parents talking badly about her elder siblings' lives, and she hated it.
"Lizzy!" Julia immediately pounced on the teenager, elated. Lizzy didn't know quite what to make of this, but she hugged Julia back anyway. It was the first warm welcome she'd received since she had stepped into the house. Plus, Julia came across as an energetic, kind person, and Lizzy felt comfortable in her presence.
"What are you doing here? I thought I'd never see you again!" She gave the young girl another squeeze. Unbeknownst to Lizzy, Julia had been pretty broken up over her departure from the family. Lizzy was her first niece, and Julia had been excited about being an aunt at such a young age. After Lizzy was born, Julia had persuaded Mr. and Mrs. Carrigan to let her go to New York for a few weeks, and there, she spent a lot of time with her. More time than either of her parents could account for. Therefore, Julia had formed a deeper bond with Lizzy, making it harder to see her leave.
Lucy beamed at the sight, knowing how much her sister had adored Lizzy. "That's actually one of the reasons why we're here." she announced, not only addressing Julia but also her parents.
"We're taking custody of Lizzy again," Jude explained. "She's coming to New York after graduation to live with us."
Julia's grin got wider, if that was even remotely possible. "That's great!" she said. "I can come visit you now!" Lizzy could practically see the gears turning in her aunt's head, knowing that she was probably already planning out various days that they could spend together. Not that she minded; Julia seemed like a fun person to be around.
"Are you heading off to college?" Julia inquired, wanting to catch up with teenager after so many years had been missed.
Lizzy nodded. "The School of Visual Arts. It's in Manhattan," she told her aunt. "I want to be an art teacher."
Jude glanced over at his in-laws to see their faces. He wanted to witness their reactions as his daughter declared that she was going to major in art. It wasn't something that they approved of--at least not when it concerned himself.
Jude knew that the Carrigans had expected Lucy to marry someone like her previous boyfriend, Daniel. Someone wealthy, and well educated. Someone who had a good, steady job or career. Jude didn't exactly fit that perfect description. And when Lucy and Jude showed up on their doorstep married, the Carrigans weren't very happy, especially since they had only met the artistic Brit once, before Max had dragged him off to the city.
Mr. and Mrs. Carrigan knew he was a polite, sweet boy. But they had no idea how he was going to support himself and their daughter with the kind of lifestyle they led. Lucy only had a witnessing job, and Jude was just an artist. As far as they were concerned, being an artist was a hobby, not a legitimate career choice. They were too young to be making a such a huge commitment to each other. The fact that Jude hadn't asked for Lucy's hand, and that they hadn't informed the Carrigans of their sudden marriage didn't sit well with them, either.
Mrs. Carrigan's expression was a mix of frustration and disappointment. Jude felt smug, knowing that secretly they probably had been hoping for Lizzy to become a doctor, or at least a teacher of something more "respectable".
"A teacher, hmm?" Mr. Carrigan put in, "Good for you." He was attempting to sound excited about it, perhaps putting on a better front than his wife, who was blatantly uncomfortable with the whole situation that was unfolding. Her kids and their families showing up randomly at their house after three years of not speaking to them? With Lucy's daughter?
A period of silence fell among the group, in which everyone tried to avoid looking at each other. Mrs. Carrigan couldn't take it anymore. "Dinner's almost ready," she stated, plastering on the fake smile. "Will you be joining us? I can set more places."
"Sounds great." Lucy said, throwing a look at Max, who had yet to say a single word to their parents.
So, they all sat down to eat dinner together at the Carrigans' spacious dining room table. As if the initial meeting hadn't been awkward enough, dinner was even worse. It would've been really bad if it weren't for Julia initiating conversations and being the only one genuinely happy to see her siblings and their families. And, Lizzy did get some enjoyment out of seeing little Max and Michelle having a mini food fight at their end of the table, which had been started by Max Sr., of course. Valerie kept shooting all three of them death glares, afraid of such behavior in front of Max's parents.
There were a few points during the meal where Lizzy actually spoke to her grandfather, when he asked her about her art and the college she was going to attend. Then, that led to an uncomfortable talk between Jude and Mr. Carrigan about college finances. They hadn't even had the chance to discuss graduation, much less invite them.
What made Lizzy uneasy was Mrs. Carrigan watching her every move. It was like she was the "bad" child just because she had to be raised by a different family for a long period of time. Like she didn't actually belong here. Lizzy knew that she wasn't particularly fond of her father, and that was most likely the reason why she was giving her weird looks--because Lizzy took after Jude a lot. However, she was very much like Lucy as well. Strong-willed, stubborn, sympathetic toward her friends, determined. Mrs. Carrigan just couldn't see that.
Lizzy did her best to ignore the stares, and joined Lucy's and Julia's conversation, where Julia was gushing about her fiancé, Henry. Lizzy hadn't heard the whole story, but what she got from it was that Julia had been dating Henry for a few years and he proposed to her about a month ago. Ironically, Henry was just the person Julia's parents would've hoped for. He was a successful lawyer from a normal but upper class family. From what Lizzy could discern, Henry seemed like an average guy, not one of those snobby, shove-it-in-your-face rich types.
During dinner, Lucy and Max (unwillingly) made plans to stay over night, because they didn't want to drag the kids on the road this late. The Carrigans had a couple of guest rooms for Max and Valerie and Lucy and Jude, Lizzy agreed to sleep in Julia's room, and the younger kids were going to take up Max's old room.
"So, do you have a boyfriend?" Julia asked later on when they were getting ready for bed. Julia had graciously given up her bed--even after Lizzy's protests and Julia arguing that she was her guest--and had spread out a few blankets, sleeping bags, and numerous pillows onto the floor.
"Yeah." Lizzy chuckled, remembering that she had asked Michelle and Eleanor the same question during their sleepover. She climbed under the covers just as Julia sat down onto her pile of blankets and began fluffing her pillow.
"Ooh, what's his name? What's he like?"
"His name is Paul. He's sweet. He's funny, and kind, loyal…he's known me for a long time. We're best friends. We just started dating this year." Lizzy prattled, a slight blush creeping onto her cheeks. She hadn't realized how much she missed Paul until now. She made a mental note to give him a call once she got back to New York.
"That's so cute," Julia smiled. She settled into her blankets, and Lizzy reached over to turn off the lamp on the nightstand. "'Night, Lizzy."
"'Night, Aunt Julia." Lizzy laughed.
"For future reference, call me Julia. The 'aunt' part makes me feel kinda old."
"You sound like your brother," Lizzy commented. "He makes a face sometimes when I call him 'uncle'."
This time, Julia laughed. "That's Max for ya," she said. Even in the dark, Lizzy could tell she was smiling. "Pleasant dreams." she added, before turning onto her side.
Lizzy rolled onto her side and closed her eyes. She was tired, not having slept like she wanted to on the ride here. Unfortunately, she was in one of those moods where she was so tired that she couldn't get to sleep, which was actually very annoying. With a quiet sigh, she turned onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. The room was basically silent, except for the faint rustling of the trees and the humming of the crickets outside Julia's window. It had been opened not even half way to let in some fresh air.
All of a sudden, Lizzy heard the front door slam shut. This got her attention immediately; she got out of bed and stepped over Julia's sleeping form to look out the window, which was above the front door. Curiously, she peeked out the window, and saw two figures on the front lawn, which she perceived to be her father and Max. She could make out the small flicker of light coming from the end of Jude's cigarette. Judging from the way the door had closed, the two men must've left because of something.
Lizzy, ever the inquisitive child, snuck out the door of Julia's bedroom and down the hall. As she approached the stairs, she could hear the urgent voices of her mother and her grandparents. Valerie had gone to bed after making sure her son fell asleep, so it was only the six of them that were up--seven, counting Lizzy, but they didn't know that. Lizzy stayed at the top of the stairs, listening. Their voices were a bit farther away--possibly in the kitchen--but they carried, especially because they were being so loud.
Feeling brave, Lizzy went halfway down the stairs to hear them a little better. It came as no surprise when she figured out they were arguing about her.
"Every time, you argue about the same thing!" Lucy shouted, louder than she intended to. "This is our life; why can't you accept it? We get by just fine, and having Lizzy in our lives again is something we've waited for."
"Yes, Lucy, you get by," Mr. Carrigan mocked. "I've said this before, but I'll say it again: you made decisions without thinking about the long-term consequences. You showed up on our doorstep married, and then that boy got you pregnant. You were too young. I kept my mouth shut then, but Lucy…I never thought you--maybe Max, but not you--would disappoint us like this."
"We've had to make sacrifices, I know, but--" Lizzy could tell that her mother was on the verge of tears. "I wouldn't trade Jude and Lizzy for the world. I love them, Dad. Would you rather me be married to some stuck up asshole and be miserable for the rest of my life? Jude treats me well, he loves me and Lizzy more than anything, and we have a wonderful, healthy, talented daughter who's going off to college. Isn't that enough for you? To know that I'm happy? I thought that's what you wanted for me."
"I didn't want you to have to worry about money, Lucy. I didn't want you to be a waitress, living paycheck to paycheck like this," Mrs. Carrigan replied. "How are you ever going to pay for Lizzy's college expenses?"
"I'm sick of arguing, Mom," Lucy said. She started to walk away, tears running down her face. "I don't want to hear it anymore. Hold your grudges if you want, but I'm done."
"You know, I could've dealt with you and that boy being married, but having a child so soon…" Mrs. Carrigan continued. They were in the living room now, but neither one noticed Lizzy standing on the stairs.
"Don't even say it, Mom. Don't," Lucy warned. "Lizzy was not a mistake, no matter how much you think so. She didn't ruin our lives--she made them better. And unlike you, Jude and I are going to support her in everything she does. If she wants to run off with a boy and get married, and they love each other as much as Jude and I do, then that's perfectly okay with me. Lizzy is everything we could've ever wanted. Don't ever call her a mistake ever again."
A quiet, but noticeable sob directed their attention to the young girl who had eavesdropped on the argument without their knowledge. Max and Jude re-entered the house just as Mr. and Mrs. Carrigan looked over at their bewildered granddaughter, their jaws dropping almost to the floor, afraid of how much she'd overheard. Both Lucy and Lizzy had tears rolling down their faces. Max and Jude looked absolutely livid.
"You think I'm a mistake?"