Serena glanced up from the book she was reading and raised her eyebrow at Summer stomping through the apartment, throwing her bag down onto the floor and crossing her arms as he sat down heavily next to her mother.
"Hello terrible teens," Serena mumbled under her breath closing her book and placing it down on the table in front of her before turning to look at her daughter.
"What?" Summer growled out and Serena had to bite back a smile as she watched the girl try to keep the exasperated expression on her face as Serena kept staring at her. "Mom, stop staring."
"Do you want to tell me what's bothering you?" Serena asked gently and Summer shook her head and sighed. "Did something happen with Nate?" she asked, it had been a week since Summer and Nate found out and they had spent every morning together before he had to go to work, Serena was surprised the girl woke up every morning.
"No," Summer said shaking her head and Serena let out a sigh of relief, it's not that she didn't trust Nate impeccably, it was that Summer was basically a teenager and his newfound daughter and she worried sometimes that one of them would say or do the wrong thing and she wouldn't be able to help seeing as she was still on shaky ground with Summer and no ground with Nate.
"Ok, did you eat something bad? Fight with Uncle Erik? See Blair again?" Serena listed and each time all she got was a shake of Summers head to say no. "Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed?" she asked jokingly and for that she got a glare.
"No, mom, none of that," Summer said letting her head fall back onto the couch and she sighed dramatically.
"Ok, then do you want to tell me what happened before I start guessing again?" Serena said. "And you know how bad my guesses can get."
"It's Lola," Summer said, twisting the way she said 'Lola', her frown getting deeper and Serena frowned as well, raising her eyebrow and waiting for an explanation as to why Nate's girlfriend was a problem. "I don't like her."
"Honey, what did she do?" Serena prodded when Summer didn't speak.
"She tried to talk to me," Summer said rolling her eyes and Serena scratched her head as she waited for the rest of that explanation because that really couldn't be all to set off her mood.
"About?" Serena asked slowly, getting information out of this child today was like pulling teeth, usually she didn't even have to push very hard before everything came pouring out.
"About dad and how I feel now that I know who he is," Summer huffed and Serena furrowed her brows and clenched her jaw, who exactly did this lady think she was. "Just because something like this happened to her when she was like 5 years old doesn't mean that she knows what I'm thinking, it's not even the same thing, I doubt she can even remember that far back."
"What did Nate have to say about that?" Serena asked, a little angry at him for allowing his girlfriend to talk to their daughter about things that don't affect her.
"He wasn't there," Summer said deflating a little and kicking off her shoes so she could pull her legs up onto the couch. "There was an emergency at work so he had to rush, we were done anyway so all she had to do was make sure I got into a cab safely."
"Does she come out with you every day?" Serena asked curiously.
"No," Summer mumbled. "It was just today and yesterday but she's weird, like she was trying to talk to me about things and smiling at me strangely and being all motherly and I don't like it, I have a mom, you're my mom, I don't want her to be my mom."
Serena didn't think she could really say anything that would be sufficient enough to follow that sentence, she pressed her lips down in an attempt to hide the smile that had formed.
"Plus she was like overly sweet when dad was around and then when he left she was pushy about getting to know me better and I really don't want to talk to her about it mom," Summer said and Serena nodded sympathetically all the while just wanting to kill Nate's girlfriend. "I mean I've barely spoken to you or dad about it."
Serena shivered every time Summer called Nate dad and smiled internally, thankful that everything she did and all the damage she caused was not going to stop them from being as close as they should have been.
"Summ, you haven't liked her since we met her last week," Serena said gently and Summer shot her a look as if to say 'you too' and Serena rolled her eyes because yes she didn't like Lola either but that was for a different reason than her daughters immediate dislike of a random person. "Do you think maybe it's possible that you're just getting irritated at everything she says because you don't like her?"
"Urg, no, mom," Summer said exasperatedly and Serena sighed, maybe she shouldn't have said that when Summer was in this mood. "Me not liking her has nothing to do with her being the most annoying looking person ever."
"Ok, ok, it was just a thought," Serena said shaking her head and Summer sighed and leaned forward so she could rest her chin on the palms of her hands. "Their relationship must be pretty serious if he told her about you so soon and if she's coming out of breakfasts with the two of you, he probably wants you two to get to know each other."
"I guess," Summer said picking her head up again to look at her mother and try and decipher what she was getting at. "They've been dating a while and she doesn't have a ring on her finger, it really can't be that serious."
Serena lost her train of thought for a moment as she laughed at Summer's words and the seriousness of her tone as she said it. "Well honey I think you should maybe try and get used to her if they are serious."
"I have a better idea, how about I just ignore her until she and dad break up," Summer said with a smile, expecting her mom to indulge her and smile as well but she frowned when Serena shook her head. "What?"
"I think if they've been together so long then there's a big possibility that a ring could pop up on her finger soon," Serena said carefully, she didn't want that to happen anymore than Summer did but it was a huge possibility, one she's surprised hadn't happened as yet.
"No," Summer squeaked standing up and glaring at Serena and Serena gulped, she felt a little as if history was repeating itself, she remembers being in Summer's position refusing to accept the remarriage of her one of her parents. "You know if you just told dad the truth you would have been married to him and I would have known him forever and there would be no Lola."
Serena sighed and buried her face in her hands as Summer stormed off, wincing as the door slammed and taking a moment to compose herself before she could go after her daughter. She was expecting moments like this where Summer would blame her for being kept from Nate's life and since their talk about it after Summer found out she kept waiting, she just didn't expect each time to hurt this much.
"Well Grandma, you told me this was going to happen," Serena said looking up. Her grandmother only let Serena know that she knew about Nate in her final weeks but since Summer was born she kept pushing Serena to find the father and tell the girl the truth or find another man and fabricate a believable truth to avoid exactly this kind of accusation and heartbreak. She also told her that Summer was going to drive Serena crazy in her teen years. "Please don't let this be like her terrible two's."
Serena waited a few silent moments before going into Summers room to find the girl sitting on the floor at the foot of her bed throwing a bouncy ball at the wall and catching it when it bounced back to her.
Serena took a moment to remember how she almost cried the first time she saw Summer do this, she was maybe 4 years old and she was upset at Serena for not allowing her to have more sweets so she went to her room and started bouncing that ball and she caught every single rebound, exactly the way Nate used to when they were children and he was upset about something.
"I didn't mean it," Summer said with watery eyes and Serena smiled sadly, of course she meant it. "I just really wish you and dad made it work so we could be a family and I could have known him when I was little."
"I know," Serena whispered, feeling the overwhelming want to transport herself back to when she was 15 so that she would book that flight back home to tell Nate the extraordinarily scary news instead of just staring at the computer screen.
"Maybe then I could have stopped it," Summer said frowning as Serena sat down next to her.
"You really don't like her that much?" Serena asked, knowing that Summer probably really didn't like Lola only because she was dating Nate and for no other reason but that.
"I don't know," Summer said sighing, catching the ball and holding it in her hands, twirling it between her fingers. "I just ... It's too much."
"Come here," Serena said pulling Summer into her arms, stroking the girls back. "I know you want things to be like that fantasy you have in your mind but what if I had told Nate and after a few years it didn't work out and he still ended up with Lola? Maybe Nate and I weren't meant for anything more than to have you, maybe he's meant to be with Lola and you're pushing her away because you want us to be the family I denied you instead of seeing that and being happy for him."
"Mom, you know I love you right," Summer said and Serena raised an eyebrow and waited for the next part of that sentence. "But what if it worked out? Do you really believe that you and dad weren't meant for an epic love, without Lola standing in the way? I saw the way you looked at him, remember, and the way he looked at you, after 13 years of being separated, I'm pretty sure if you wanted him all you'd have to do is tell him."
"Honey he kinda hates me," Serena said pushing Summer's hair back and shaking her head, of course she believed she and Nate were fated to be together, of course she loved him, but she didn't want to give her daughter any false hope. "I kept you from him and I don't think he's going to forgive me for that."
"I forgave you," Summer said shrugging as she slumped a little against the bed. "Dad's just a little mad but if we could get rid of Lola, he'll come right around."
"I feel like this is about to hit dangerous territory," Serena said wearily as she looked at her daughter with narrowed eyes.
"I'm not saying we kill her," Summer said obviously joking and Serena raised her eyebrows. "I'm just saying we break them up."
"If they break up it will have nothing to do with you," Serena said grasping Summers arms gently but staring at her intently. "Nate is happy with her, you will let him be happy with her until he decides he isn't, I don't want you playing the manipulative daughter, that's not how I raised you."
"Fine," Summer said taking a deep breath. "I just want you to be happy, all those relationships that didn't work out finally makes sense now, you were waiting for dad, it's like a movie."
"What kind of movies are you watching?" Serena asked jokingly taking the ball from her and Summer grinned. "Lola isn't your cup of tea but you will deal with her, got it?"
"Got it," Summer said after a moment. "So do you still love him? 13 years is a long time to love someone, especially someone you haven't seen in that long."
Serena took a breath as she threw the ball, her daughter was too inquisitive for her own good and too observant, when did that happen? She was about to say something when she realized the ball was coming back to her, she shrieked and ducked before the ball hit her face, Summer was laughing too hard to glare at Serena for not answering her question.
"Still can't catch it?" Erik asked as he picked the ball of the floor and grinning, Serena rolled her eyes and Erik threw the ball to Summer. Serena could never catch the ball when they played this game, she just threw it and ducked.
"Oh look Erik is back," Serena said dryly, sticking her tongue out at him. "One day I will be just as good as the two of you."
"We've been waiting 12 years," Erik said and Summer giggled.
"You guys are mean," Serena said playfully squinting her eyes at her brother and standing up. "I'm going to go get some work done, try not to cause too much trouble."
"Well what do you want to do kiddo?" Erik said raising an eyebrow as Summer watched Serena walk away from them. "I don't like that look."
"Come on Uncle Erik we have to plan," she said giggling as she ran to the other room excitedly.
"Plan for what?" he asked looking nervously in the direction she just went. "Why do I feel like this isn't going to end well?"
A/N : Hey guys I'm soooooo so sorry about the wait, real life was crazy this past month with the festive season and work that writing has been the last thing on my mind and when I finally got back to it it was ridiculously hard to get back into it
So I really hope you guys liked this chapter, it is a little random but its more insight into Serena and Summer and their relationship and I'm currently writing Nate into the next update so yey for that, I know this story is progressing slowly but hopefully, if my muse allows it, it will pick up in the next few chapters and lead to an awesome end
Please review and let me know what you think , Thank you so so much for the reviews on the previous chapter
Until Next Time (^^,)