Hiya, so weekend dealt with, here's the next part. It's split in two because it kinda went somewhere… the next part will be up later tonight if all goes well. Thanks for reading and reviewing, enjoy! Jessie xx
Hertfordshire
"It's very grand," Sandra held in a gasp as Robert drove into the school grounds. It had only taken them about half an hour to get to the boarding school where his children had spent most of their childhood. It wasn't nearly as terrifying to approach as the idea of meeting her …boyfriend's? son; though she had always imagined boarding schools to be.
"Sixteenth century," Mia said putting on a posh and disdainful voice in the back seat as she looked up at the sand-brick buildings.
Sandra turned in her seat to see the disgruntled look on the teenager's face.
"Some of it. Some of the teachers too," the youngster added rolling her eyes. "Did I really have to come? Why couldn't we meet Rufs in town or something?"
"You know why," Robert growled. He loved his daughter, of course he did, but she had been moaning about coming all morning. Apparently when she had told him to ring her brother she hadn't meant that she ought to make a return visit to her old school. "He's got to be signed out because he was playing football yesterday," he turned to Sandra. "Only one day off at the weekend. You know that," he added to the sulking reflection of his daughter in the rear-view mirror.
Sandra smiled sympathetically at Mia. She never wanted to set foot in her old school again either. Though for slightly different reasons. She hadn't actually be thrown out of hers; though many of her classmates might have liked her to be.
Pulling into a parking space in front of the senior school dorms, Robert took a breath and looked around at his girls. "Right?" he asked trying to install some enthusiasm into the situation. Truth be told he was slightly apprehensive himself, it had been almost a year since he had last seen his son. "Are we ready for this?"
"No," Mia grumbled. She sighed as her father's face darkened. "Ok, ok, we're ready," she corrected herself with a smile and set about unclipping Bella's carrycot from its shackles.
"Bella?" Robert asked as the baby stirred from its nap. He knew Mia had every right to not want to be here, but it had been her idea. He smiled as bright open eyes found the direction of his voice and pink baby lips opened to emit a 'perip' sound; as close as she had got to saying 'grand-pops'. "Good. Sandra?"
"As I'll ever be," she smiled shyly as she unclipped her seat belt.
"Hey, it's my son. He won't bite," he assured her, lightly resting his hand on her thigh for a moment. "Come on, it'll be fun!"
Sandra and Mia exchanged doubtful glances as Rob got out of the car and looked around the buildings to either side of him.
"I told him ten o'clock," he muttered as the rest of his family vacated the car. "Ah, there… is that him?"
Sandra squinted in the direction he was looking. Sure enough a lanky fourteen year old wearing designer jeans and a logo'd hoody was walking towards them. The expression on the lad's face was as apprehensive as her own. It didn't bode well.
"Alright, Dad," the clipped precision of his voice was tighter than Rob's. He hadn't the soft edge that age and experience had given to his father's tones. His hair was longer, but it was the same brown as Rob's and in a similar style. Eyes brown like his sister's (and presumably their mother's) narrowed slightly in an expression of suspicion that she recognised whenever her boss questioned her actions.
It was the most awkward moment in time that she had ever witnessed. He didn't sound pleased to see them. His face was stony. This was a bad idea, she thought to herself. If it wasn't for the fact that she loved Robert Strickland, she wouldn't be having to meet his family. She watched as Rob's face fell. She wanted to be able to take control of the situation, but even if she had been in a position to do so she wouldn't have known what to do. So she stood in silence behind where Mia holding Bella's cot stood to Robert's left in front of the boot of the car.
"Too easy," the lad grinned suddenly and barrelled at his father who responded quickly enough that the two of them were soon reunited in a great bear-hug. Sandra felt the warmth of their reunion from her position, she smiled at Rob as the young lad released him.
"Mia!" Rufus turned on his sister with a goofy grin. "You are in soooo much trouble! Tommy Harrison says you still owe him a dance and Rainey Thomas is after your life for that dress you ruined!"
Mia rolled her eyes and looked to Sandra who took hold of Bella's cot as she hugged her younger brother.
"So," Rufus looked to the two strangers in the group. Suddenly Sandra wished she was staring down John Felsham all over again.
"Uncle Rufus," Mia said formally. "May I introduce you to your niece? Annabella Marie Strickland. Bella, this is your Uncle Rufs!"
Bella looked decidedly non-plussed. Robert and Rufus both laughed; the same deep mirth that was at once infectious and rich with life.
"Hello Annabella," Rufus held out a hand to the child. Bella hesitated for a moment then slapped it. Rufus laughed. "Hi, five!" he joked. "And you must be…"
She was five years old. Standing in front of the headteacher without an alibi for her whereabouts when Karen Kirk's Dandy had been flushed down the toilet.
"Rufus," Robert took the lead and walked to stand in between Mia and Sandra on the other side of the car. He took a breath, he wanted his son to meet Sandra, he wanted his son to like Sandra. "This is Sandra."
Rufus nodded. It was a simple gesture. What else could they expect? It took enough of an edge off of the tension that she could greet him back.
"Hi," Sandra managed to say before her throat closed up fearfully again.
"Pleasure," Rufus held out a hand, which she shook. "So are you…?"
"She's a policewoman," Mia sensed the tension growing and stole the control that had apparently abandoned the two most sensible people she knew. "They met at work."
"Na…" Bella burbled as if to remind them that Sandra was a part of the family, not just someone from work.
The four of them turned to the child, wiggling in her seat and waving at her nana. She'd been starting to make more intelligible noises recently but this was the first time she'd added gestures to the sounds that didn't indicate that she wanted some particular toy. Mia was overcome with maternal pride as she smiled at her baby who had just dispelled the awkwardness of the situation slightly.
"Right," Rufus said simply. "Do you want to come in then?"
"Is your room tidy?" Rob asked with a wink.
"I thought we could hang in the common room for a bit," Rufus neatly avoided his father's question. "That's usually where parents go."
"Hermione Strickland?"
"Oh god," Mia muttered. The party turned to see one of the teachers striding towards them.
"What are you doing here?"
"I've come to visit my brother, Miss," Mia returned, readying herself for a fight. This was why she hadn't wanted to come. This was a day for her brother to meet the woman her dad loved, not for her to cause any of them embarrassment.
"Oh," the woman who, Sandra noted, did resemble a sixteenth century nun, said. "And is this?"
"My dad, Robert Strickland and his girlfriend, Sandra. And of course you know Rufus," Mia bit back the urge to hunt for some blunt object to bludgeon the woman with and settled instead for polite introductions with just a tint of 'bugger-off-and-leave-off'.
"I see," the woman replied shortly.
"And this is my daughter, Annabella," Mia had straightened herself to her full height which was a full six inches shorter than her father but still two inches taller than the witch in front of her. Sandra and Robert had deduced quickly that this woman was at least one of the reasons Mia hadn't wanted to set foot on school grounds. She suddenly felt a surge of protectiveness towards the daughter that wasn't hers while he, temper bristling, summoned all of his trained diplomacy and guarded his eldest child from getting herself thrown out for a second time.
"Nice to meet you," he stepped forward with his hand outstretched.
Mia took a step backwards to be closer to the rest of them. Rufus took a protective step forward so that he could intervene if his sister did decide to launch forward and land a well-deserving right-hook; he noted as he did though that Mia had taken hold of Sandra's hand. If her thumb had been in her mouth too, she'd have been six years old again.
"I'm sure," the woman said without shaking his hand. "Well, I'll leave you to enjoy your stay. Don't forget that you have a prep class at four Mr. Strickland," she added pointedly in Rufus' direction.
"We'll try not to keep him too long," Sandra smiled politely and offered the air of a woman who was very concerned that all classes, even those on a Sunday (of all days) should be taken very seriously.
To his credit the lad managed to smile and add his own thanks to the sixteenth-century-nun-witch for the reminder before she mercifully left them in peace.
"Who was that?" Robert raised his eyebrows as he turned back to his family.
"Miss Tomlinson," Rufus supplied. "She's the one who…"
"Asked me to leave," Mia finished. "Erm, I just need to get Bella's things out the car. Senior Common Room, right?"
Rufus nodded.
"Dad?" Mia took Bella from Sandra and looked at her dad.
"Right, we'll catch you up."
Rufus nodded and indicated with a hand that Sandra could come with him. He held in a laugh as his dad's girlfriend shot his dad a terrified glance before leaving the others behind them as they walked across to the door to the dorms and common rooms.
"You ok?" Rob asked softly as Mia opened the boot and laid out the changing mat.
"Yeah, I just, I'll just change her," she was shaking.
Placing the carry-cot beside the mat in the spacious cavern of his boot he laid a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Mia?"
"I really hate that woman," she gritted her teeth. "And it's, it's not about us, not today."
He watched on in silent confusion as Mia changed the baby's nappy. When she had finished she cuddled the child close to her.
"How do you mean?"
They both looked at him. Mia glanced at Bella, as if asking her opinion. Either he was going a little crazy or the child nodded back. "Today's about seeing Rufus," she said simply.
He watched her for a moment then picked up the carry cot and the bag. He lowered the boot and locked the car.
"Dad," she interrupted the path he was about to take toward the building.
"You don't have to ask us, you know," she shrugged as she looked at him with open brown eyes. "You know what we think."
"Come on," Rob rubbed her shoulder. Sometimes he found it hard to remember that his daughter was only sixteen. Except for her attitude when they had arrived. That had reminded him of every tantrum she'd ever had as a toddler. He smiled. "Let's go rescue them from awkward small talk, shall we?"
Sandra was quite proud of herself. She'd managed to meet the son without saying anything stupid (even if that had been thanks to Bella); follow him to the Common Room without tripping over anything; and begin a conversation about what subjects he was studying without setting fire to anything. Luckily as his list of subjects came to an end, the others joined them. Rob gave her the 'everything-ok?' look, to which she smiled and squeezed his hand while Mia distracted Rufus by entrusting him with holding his niece for the first time.
"She's really small," Rufus observed as he took in every feature of the little girl in his arms.
"She's a baby, Rufs," Mia grinned. "You should have seen her when she was born!"
Rob smiled proudly. Sure his family were getting some looks from the handful of other people in the Common Room, but he couldn't be happier that they were all together and getting on. He provoked some standard talk about school and football from his son. He questioned when his son had become a Manchester United supporter. "But Tottenham…" was however, all he could summon as an argument.
"Hi Mia," a tall, dark haired lad who had been about to walk straight past paused as he recognised Rob's daughter.
She turned from where she had been standing up, about to take Bella from Rufus. Brown eyes met brown eyes. "Darren," she smiled cautiously. "Hi."
"How you been?" he asked quietly.
Poking Rob gently in the ribs, Sandra stopped him from staring at the pair of them. It was clear to her that here was one person Mia wasn't adverse to seeing again. While engaging Rob and Rufus in a new line of conversation to offer Mia some privacy, she kept one ear to the simple exchange.
"Ok," Mia answered carefully. "How are you?"
"Alright," he smiled shyly. "It's good to see you."
"You too," she said sincerely.
"Sorry," he motioned to the rest of the group.
"It's ok," Mia assured him as she looked round. Rob met his daughter's eye. She sniffed and turned slightly so that her back was to them as the lad excused himself.
"You alright with her, son?" Rob asked Rufus as Bella squirmed in his young arms.
"Yeah?" Rufus replied uncertainly, pulling an exaggerated version of Rob's 'I haven't the foggiest clue what I'm going' face. All three females laughed as Mia turned back to them. Father and son looked at each other and shrugged. Mia glanced at Sandra who nodded and leant forward, gently relieving Rufus of his wiggling burden.
"So who was that?" Rob asked casually. He deliberately kept his tone light and looked away from her as he spoke.
"Darren Holmes," Mia replied calmly sitting down.
"You know, if you want to go catch up with some of your friends you can," Rob looked at her as she squirmed in her seat.
"I don't have any friends here anymore," she replied bluntly. "There's only Darren and Rufus who are still speaking to me."
"And that's only because I have to," Rufus quipped quickly, grinning at his sister who responded with a tranquil smile of her own.
Sandra looked between them as she tried to put Bella's sock back on her foot. They were a lot alike in looks; aside from their matching brown eyes they were a lot like Robert. Personality wise, she already knew how like her father Mia was; Rufus shared his laugh and his diplomatic skills if the two external interruptions were anything to go by. She couldn't be sure what he thought of her: probably not a lot, she reasoned, he was fourteen; his father's love-life probably didn't interest him that much, or cross his mind.
"Darren was in the crash," Rufus looked at his dad who was clearly uneasy at Mia's new excuse for not saying much.
"What crash?" Sandra asked frowning as she passed Bella to Mia.
"About a year ago," Rufus explained. "Four sixth formers were in a car crash. Two of them died, one of them never came back to school. Darren's parents made him come back last term. He's resitting his a-levels."
"Did you know the others?" Rob inquired. As neutral as his tone was, Sandra knew that something had been woken in the man.
Mia tried to put all her attention into tying the fake laces on Bella's socks but it wasn't working. "Yeah," she said quietly. "I knew them."