Tori's parents are useless human beings.

Twenty Nine

There was a deadly silence. "That young lady in there needs some help." Jim deliberately turned his head towards the nurse.

The woman took one look at the tableau in front of her and immediately vanished, trotting towards Trina's room purposefully.

"You have no place here." Holly Vega spoke in a menacing voice. "So take yourself, and whoever you have with you, and get out."

Tori let out a breath, hoping she wouldn't throw up. "My sister asked me to come. It's her choice. Not yours." She forced herself to meet her mother's eyes, and felt the disgust there hit her with almost physical force.

"You're not part of this family. I thought I made that clear."

Tori sensed Jade and Jim moving closer. "You're not a part of my family." She responded bravely. "But Trina and Shelby are. Excuse me." She turned her head and walked deliberately around them, towards the waiting room.

"Not if they know what's good for them." Holly spoke after her, not turning around. "Don't be here when we come out." she took her husband's arm and walked forward, leaving them behind.

Tori stopped just inside the waiting room door, her knees shaking so badly she almost fell. Jade seemed to realize it, and got an arm around her, as James came round in front of where she was and patted her cheek.

"Tori?"

She swallowed a few times, then looked up at him. "I'm okay." She whispered. "I just wasn't expecting that." She tucked her trembling hands under her arms. "I can't even blame her for feeling like she does." Tori dropped her eyes to the highly polished tile floor, the reality of what she'd done hitting solidly home.

James scowled, then looked up to see his daughter gazing at him over Tori's shoulder, with a helpless, beseeching expression.

He knew that please fix it daddy, look, all right. "C'mere, kumquat." He put his arms around the brunette woman. "Don't you be chewing on yourself, hear? If I'd done what that woman did, I'd hope mah kid would have the guts, and the honor you had in letting everyone know about it. Your own pa is a coward. He don't ever speak up fer ya."

Tori absorbed the words, and the emotion behind them, in this little pocket of grace she found herself in. Jim's fingers scratched the back of her head lightly as she slipped her arms around his large, and solid form. She wasn't sure he was right, Her father did some redeeming things well hidden from her mother, but it helped. "Thanks." She released him and hoisted herself up on her toes, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Jim blushed. "That's enough a'that." He pointed to the chairs. "Sit yer butt down. I'm gonna go find some coffee." He escaped out the door, leaving Jade and Tori to link hands and cross the room, sitting down and exhaling in perfect unison.

They looked at each other.

"You'll be okay." Jade told her reassuringly.

Tori nodded. "Yeah, I think I will." She glanced towards the empty doorway and smiled, just a little.

"Oooo." Trina winced, biting down on her lip. "Now you're in a hurry?" She held her breath until the spasm was over, then panted. "Kids."

"Tell me about it." Cecilia straightened the covers and helped the younger woman into a more comfortable position. "I was in labor for twenty two hours."

"Oh my god." Katrina breathed. "I can't imagine anything enjoyable I'd like to do for twenty two hours."

"Well." Cecilia mused, then chuckled to herself.

Trina blinked at her, blushing as she caught the reference. "Um… thanks for distracting me, by the way… I know I hardly know you... but I… " She glanced up as the nurse hurried in, giving her a tense, professional smile.

"I see things are moving… let me get the doctor." The nurse moved into an alcove, and picked up a phone.

"Don't worry about it. I was glad to help." Ceci turned her head at the footsteps, seeing the two older figures fill the doorway.

Interesting. "Hello." She greeted Tori's parents, noting the angry, flustered glare she got in return.

They ignored her. "I thought I told you no contact." Holly Vega addressed the woman in the bed.

Trina curled up in a ball, her face tensing with pain. "I just…"

"Easy." Ceci patted her arm.

"How could you, Katrina." Tori's father spoke up, visibly upset. "After all she's done to us."

"I just wanted someone to talk to." Trina got out, as her contraction relaxed. "She's my sister…"

"No, she isn't." Holly responded sharply. "And if you need someone to talk to, I'll hire you a secretary. You can talk all you want." her eyes went to Ceci. "Do you work here?"

"Unfortunately no." Cecilia felt the anger settle into the pit of her stomach. "If I did, I could call security and have you thrown out." She plastered a searingly polite look on her face and held a hand out. "I don't believe we've met… I'm Cecilia West from connecticut."

They stared at her.

"Tori's mother in law?" Her eyebrows lifted in sarcastic emphasis.

Ceci entered the room and ran her slim fingers through her silvered hair. "Well. That was certainly a treat." She glanced at Tori. "Your sister's settling down to some real pushing."

"Sorry." Tori apologized. "I should have warned you my parents were here."

"How?" Ceci asked, reasonably. "Send up a flare?" She turned her head, then gave Jade an inquiring look.

"Coffee."

"Ah." The older woman took a seat and laced her fingers around one knee. "I hope there's a second waiting room, or this could be a very long evening." She gave Tori a wry look. "My telling your parents I was your mother in law was not a popular choice."

Jade swiftly stifled a laugh.

"I'm really, really sorry." Tori told Ceci.

"I'm not." Jade's mother smiled. "No offense, Tori, but I've never liked your mother's views, and meeting her in person doesn't do anything to enhance them... it was a pleasure making her attempt to swallow her tongue."

She was still mad.

Not that she was a perfect parent. Oh no. In a group of a hundred of those, she'd come in last. But for the sake of the goddess, even she'd have the sense not to come in and yell at a woman trying very hard to give blessed birth.

Well, all right then, if the Vegas were included, she'd come in 98th out of a hundred.

Moving up in the parental world. Who'd have thought it?

"Poor Trina." Tori murmured. "That looked like really hard work."

"Oh yes." Ceci muttered. "Ranks right up there with your retail jobs like expelling a watermelon out of your urethra." She got up and went to the door, in search of her husband.

"Jade?" Tori whispered.

"Mm?"

"I think you should hire your mother."

Blink blink. "Wh… for what?"

"The marketing department."

Jade thought about that. "They'd all jump out the windows of the fourteenth floor, Tori."

"Mm… " Tori scratched her nose and nodded. "Yeah, but can't you picture her and Elle in a meeting together?"

Jade nibbled her lower lip. "Hm."

They heard Holly Vega's angry voice approaching, and Jade let her hands drop to her lap. "That's it." She stood up, ready to meet her as she entered. "I've had about enough of his.."

"You!" Vega had reached the doorway, and pointed at her. "This is all your fault, you disgusting piece of filth… I want you and the rest of your rabble out of here before I call my security and have you thrown out!"

"Who are you calling filth, you closeted adulterous swindling Bitch." Jade bristled, moving towards her. "Take your judgemental bullshit and shove it right up your… "

"Jade.."

"Holly.."

A deep rumble suddenly slammed through the room, stopping the shouting and motion for a frozen moment.

Then the shock wave hit, and the lights went out, and the world started to crumble around them.