Well David... you could knock me over with a feather. I don't have to tell you all, that I switched Tori's parents Genders from the original. Mainly because I like David more than I like Holly. You have seen me slip on the pronouns here and there. and my bad. and I could have given Tori a brother, like in the book. But I have established in my lore that Shelby is the twin. Tori was also blonde and had green eyes in the original. all this to say is. that when you see it, either ignore it or let me know, because sometimes I miss these things. Don't get mad at me because I told y'all it wasn't my story. however, I really love what the head of the family is starting to do here in these chapters. almost redeemable.

Thirty-Seven

Well… Tori eyed the snow covered landscape going by. At least she felt a hell of a lot more relaxed than she had the day before. She flexed her hands inside her lined gloves, and tightened her grip on the steering wheel, sparing a glance to her right to where Jade was sitting. "Depressing, isn't it?"

Jade was examining the view out the front and side window. "Um…. " It was mostly flat land, with dead trees, though the occasional evergreen threw a splotch of color into the mix, dripping with heavy white snow. "It's definitely sort of… "She paused. "Bland."

Tori had to agree. "Yeah. One of the things I noticed first when I moved down to a warmer climate was how damn colorful it was." She pulled off the highway and turned onto the road that would eventually lead to her parent's house. "I sometimes forget how much it's not like that in the north, in winter."

Jade settled back in her seat, folding her arms across her chest. "Must be nice in summer, though." She offered. "And it's kinda pretty, with all that snow and all. Looks like something off a Currier and Ives print."

"I guess." Tori allowed. "It can be fun around here. I used to have a good time in winter, sledding down hills, and ice skating." She said. "And in summer, on the lake." She noted the new buildings on the low horizon."Trips to New York were the most excitement we got."

Jade chuckled. "I don't know, Tor. Doesn't seem like a bad place to grow up."

Tori gave her a quick glance, then she turned into the opening in the long, brick wall they'd been driving next to. "It's a whole different world." She pulled up next to a gate and opened her window, allowing a cold, wet draft in. The gate guard bent down to look at her, then almost jerked back in surprised.

"Ms. Tori!" The older man, dressed in a thick winter parka smiled. "Been a long time."

A year. Tori nodded. "Yes, it has, John. How are you?"

"I'm doing great." He leaned closer. "I'm sorry about your mother." His eyes flicked briefly to Jade, then back to Tori. "Terrible thing."

"Thanks." Tori gave him a small smile. She watched as he straightened up, and opened the gate, and she drove carefully through and continued up the driveway. At the end of it was a circular drive, and the imposing, classic outline of her family's home.

Tori felt a tiny shiver pass over her as she remembered the last time she'd driven down this road, the night her mother had thrown her into a mental institution. The night she'd revealed her relationship with Jade.

The night Jade had claimed her, flying from Ssan Freancisco and powering her way into the hospital with a ruse so incredible, she still didn't believe her lover had gotten away with it.

That night. When they'd driven back to pick up Tori's things, and she'd had her one, last, furious confrontation with her mother and left the house, crossing the line in no uncertain terms to go back home to her new life, her new job, and her new lover.

Tori pulled up on one side of the circle, and put the car into park. Fortunately, there were only two others there, she suspected Trina and Shelby's, and the press seemed to be completely absent. "Well." She looked over at Jade. "Here we are."

"Let's go then." Jade smiled at her. "Nice to see this place in the daylight this time."

Ah. Tori got out of the car and shut the door, taking a deep breath of the cold air before she trudged around and joined Jade on the short walk up to the front door to the house. Halfway there, she felt her hand captured, as Jade's long fingers wrapped around hers.

It felt wonderful. Tori's shoulders lifted, and she almost smiled as she lifted a hand and use the huge, brass door knocker. She heard footsteps behind the door, then the lock turned, and it opened. Her brows lifted. "Hey."

Trina looked profoundly relieved. "Good grief, get in here before you freeze." She pulled Tori, and by default since their hands were still linked, Jade - into the house and shut the door behind them. "I'm really glad you decided to come over, sis." Her eyes shifted. "Good morning, Jade."

"Morning." Jade replied.

"Seems quiet here today." Tori ventured. "Where is everyone?"

"It's just us." Her sister answered. "Dad, Shelby, and me. Everyone else is someplace else, and I for one am damn glad for it." She took Tori's arm. "C'mon, we've just started breakfast."

Jade followed behind the two sisters, taking a moment to look around curiously at the interior of the house. She remembered it somewhat differently than it was now, probably due to the circumstances and the late hour. In the daylight, the house was a large, airy, well designed place with vaulted ceilings and a beautiful curved stairway going up to the second story.

They walked through the lobby and under an archway she vaguely remembered, then turned and entered a small dining room with a vaulted sky light the let in the wan winter sun. Seated at the table were Tori's father and Twin, and both of them looked up as they entered.

Jade watched them carefully for a reaction, pleased when she saw welcome and relief. She'd figured that might be the case, but with Tori's family, you never knew, and she had no intention of standing by if it were otherwise. She was rested, her arm was much better, they'd had a great night together last night, and she was feeling pretty feisty at the moment.

"Ah. Victoria." Tori's father stood and came over to them. "I'm so sorry about yesterday." Shelby got up also and came over to hug her sister.

"It's okay." Tori had decided to be gracious about it, for now. "I needed a break last night anyway." She returned Shelby's hug and gave her father a smile. "How are you?"

"As well as you could imagine." David replied. "Come sit and have something for breakfast." His eyes drifted up and met Jade's. "And you as well, Jade."

It was peculiar experience, Jade mused. She followed them back to the table and sat down on a chair she recognized as antique, at a table covered in fine linen, china, and silver service. For breakfast. Jade shook her head a little, turning when she sensed a presence at her elbow.

A young woman stood there, with a tray. "May I put this down, ma'am?"

Jade nodded, and was presented with a plate of gently steaming eggs and fresh fruit, then the woman moved to put an identical plate in front of Tori. Jade noticed that Tori, though giving the woman a quiet thanks, otherwise treated this as a completely natural thing, and it struck her suddenly how different this was from their normal lives.

Breakfast at home, such as it was, generally consisted of a glass of something, milk for her, juice for Tori, and something that would give them energy for running. Usually eaten standing in their kitchen, while the sky outside turned from inky black to the pearly pink of dawn in the window.

Hm. Jade had known Tori's family was well off. She'd known, at an intellectual level that her lover had been brought up with a proverbial silver spoon in her mouth, and little things like her impeccable manners sometimes reminded her of that.

But it was strange to actually see her fitting in here. She listened to the talk, slightly strained and very general, everyone staying away from any controversy, and wondered if that was normal, or just put in place because of the uncomfortable things between them all.

"Excuse me, Jade?"

Jade looked up, shaken out of her musings, and met David Vegas' eyes. "Yes?"

"Victoria told Katrina you weren't well last night? "

Huh? I was g… "Oh." Jade cleared her throat slightly. "It's not really anything. I managed to do a little damage to my shoulder last week, and it was giving me some trouble." She said. "Maybe the weather." She inhaled in surprise as Tori poked her under the table, and shot her lover a look. One of Tori's eyebrows was raised, and a half smile tugged at her lips. "What?"

David gazed at both of them with a little, puzzled look. "Well, I certainly hope you feel better today, after resting."

"Resting?" Jade inquired, with a slight drawl, seeing Tori's eyes widen out of the corner of her own. "Oh.. right." She replied politely. "I feel much better today, thanks."

There was an awkward little silence, which Jade used to ingest a forkful of eggs in peace.

"So, what are you working on now, Tor?" Shelby asked, changing the subject neatly.

"Well." Tori took a sip of juice. "I just finished reorganizing one of our operational divisions, and we added on two brand new support groups in the Western US." She said. "My life's been a lot nicer since Jade put our new network online."

"Everyone's has." Jade agreed wryly. "Even mine."

"How does it help?" Trina inquired. "I remember reading in the paper about your company doing something that revolutionized something or other, and it was very fast."

Tori took a biscuit, and sliced it open, neatly adding a pat of butter to it. It gave her a moment to try and come up with a way to explain what she did to her family. How do you describe high speed, high bandwidth WAN networking to someone who never even thought of how a computerworked? "Well…"

"A network is like a highway." Jade stated. "If you have a few cars on it, everyone goes fast. Add more cars, everyone starts to go slower. Find a spot in the road where it narrows, and everyone bottlenecks and comes to a standstill."

"All right." David nodded. "That seems clear."

"We had mostly two and three lane highways. I made them forty lanes across." Jade said. "And took out the speed limit."

"And made everyone buy Ferraris." Tori murmured.

"Ah!" Tori's father looked pleased. "Yes, that's very clear. I understand."

"Yeah, so do I." Shelby added. "Outrageous. Can you explain what a chip is next?"

Jade looked him right in the eye. "You sure you can handle it?" She inquired, in a low drawl. "It involves a lot of silicon."

Shelby gazed uncertainly at her, not sure if she were joking or not. "Does that hurt?" she hazarded a guess.

"Only if you get some up your wazoo." Tori replied dryly. "So, what have you been up to, Shelbs?" She neatly cut off a square of biscuit and collected some eggs with it on her fork. It was stressful, and uncomfortable, and Tori realized they were all putting a conspicuous gloss over a lot of things.

But hadn't they always? Why should this be any different than any other time?

"We've made some plans." David murmured, into a small silence that had fallen. "The service is scheduled for three pm tomorrow." he paused, and took a breath. "I realize it's quite short notice, but the staff seems to feel…"

"Papi." Tori put her fork down. "Who cares what the staff thinks? Is that what you want to do?"

Her father shifted uncomfortably. "Well, dear, it's really not…" She stopped. "There's quite good reasons for it, you see…"

"Bullshit." Tori found herself getting really angry. She stood up. "First they have the balls to tell me to stay away, then they tell you when you should bury Mom? Where are these assholes? I want to talk to them, right now!"

Jade blinked in mild alarm, putting out a hand and laying it carefully on Tori's back. She could feel the tension vibrating through her wife. "Hey." She murmured. "Easy."

"Victoria!" David protested. "Come now, your language! They're doing what they think is best for all of us, surely you understand?"

"No." It became too much all of a sudden. "I don't understand." Tori shot back. "It's never what's best for us, only what's best for them. Always." She ducked out from behind her chair and just started walking, needing space, and air, an overwhelming fury buzzing around her head like a swarm of bees. She got through the dining room door and kept moving, one hand grabbing the door edge and slamming the portal shut behind her.

The solid crash of wood against wood gave her primal satisfaction.

There was a definite silence after she left. Jade felt all eyes turn to her and she took a breath before she looked back from the now closed door to her lover's family.

"Well." David Vega put his napkin down. "I must go speak with her."

Jade stood. "I'll take care of this." She stated with quiet firmness, before putting her own napkin down and following Tori without waiting for them to respond.

The door closed again behind her. "This is outrageous." David stated.

"What did you think was going to happen? Katrina asked. "I told you she's still really ticked off, mother. Did you really think she'd just waltz back in here and everything would be peaches and cream again?"

"She could make an effort. We are her family." David replied.

"Maybe it would help if she hadn't been tossed in the looney bin last time she was here." Shelby replied bluntly. "That would put me in a bad mood too."

"We've discussed that." Their father looked annoyed. "You know your mother was just doing what he considered best for Tori."

"Bull." Trina slapped her cup down. "I'm so tired of hearing that. Shehad no interest in what was best for Tori, and you know it. All he cared about was not letting the press find out she had a gay daughter."

"Trina." David gave her an exasperated look. "Please."

"It's true!" Now Katrina was upset. "I've had to listen to two days of everyone saying what a freaking saint she was, and I'm sick of it." She took a breath. "No one here's grieving, Papi, we all know that. She never cared about any of us, just herself."

Their father sighed. "She was a very forceful woman."

"And Tori was the only one of us who had the guts to stand up to her." Shelby said. "Now she's paying big time for that, when all these freaking people should be patting her on the back and saying good job." the twin sided firmly with her sisters. "I'm going to kick their asses out of the house if they do that again this afternoon."

"Shelby Marie!" David stared at her.

"I don't care!" Shelby stood up. "I don't' give a shit about any of them. Tori's the person I care about, she's my sister, and I'll be damned if those two faced lying bastard uncles are going to give her grief!" She stated angrily. "And if I can't do it by myself, I'll get Jade to help me. I bet she could kick their asses sound asleep!" She pushed his plate back, and moved away from the table. "I'm outta here."

"Me too." Trina decided. "And if any of those weasel aides say a word, I'm going to slap them." She followed Shelby out the door, leaving their father in pristine silence.

David released a breath, and sat back. The door opened, and a tall, slim man entered, with an appointment book and a pen. He took a seat next to him.

"We've got everything scheduled, Mr. Vega. Here's the details." He offered him a sheet. "Now, the press will be by later as the more important guests arrive. We need to discuss how you want to present the family." He gave him a little, sympathetic smile. "I know we've got some work to do on that."

David looked at the paper, then looked at him. He placed a fingertip on the page and moved it back towards him. "I'm afraid you've got it a bit wrong. My family's perfectly capable of presenting itself, and you would do well to remain uninvolved."

He looked a little surprised, but regrouped quickly. "There are certain things…"

"No, there are not." David stated with calm finality. "If the press wishes to come and make a spectacle of itself, it may do so. My children are free to speak to them, or not, as they please. I will not tolerate any interference with any of them."

"But…"

"Henderson, have I not made myself clear?"

He tried again. "Mr. Vega, you know we're only working to present a united and positive image of your late wife in these trying times…"

"Nonsense." David cut him off. "Please let us stop using euphemisms. You are anxious about the press asking after Victoria, is that right?"

He hesitated briefly. "The more sensational papers, yes." He admitted. "It really doesn't add to the image we're trying to build, you see, and.."

"Mr. Henderson." David tapped him on the arm sharply. "My wife is dead. He no longer cares about his image. It is difficult for Victoria to be here, and I simply will not allow you to make it more difficult for her. Is that clear?"

"Mrs. Vega…"

"If you were even slightly intelligent." David finally lost his patience. "You would realize that antagonizing my eldest daughter is an extremely stupid idea." he paused. "Her mother learned that lesson far too late." he stood up. "If we're finished, I must go change. Goodbye."

Henderson was left alone in the large dining room, its walls still ringing with David's last words.

Jade prowled through the uneasily still house, following a logical guess as to where Tori had run off to. Her lover's unusual explosion of temper had surprised Jade, but she could tell the tension was ratcheting Tori up to a point where almost anything could happen.

Ahead of her, she spotted daylight, and she turned through a small corridor and found herself inside a solarium. It's thick, insulated glass panes hazed the scene outside, but it provided natural light and she had a feeling if she poked around inside, she'd find what she was looking for.

A soft creak alerted her, and Jade walked quietly between two rows of precisely trimmed flowers. Near the back of the solarium was a two person padded swing, only half occupied. Ah. Tori's back was towards her, but as Jade approached, the brown head turned in her direction.

They regarded each other for a moment, then Jade slipped into the seat next to Tori, and simply took her hand, lacing their fingers together in silent sympathy. They sat quietly, rocking a little on the bench as they watched the snow come down outside.

Finally, Tori took a deep breath, pulling Jade's hand up and tucking it against her heart before she spoke. "If I ask you something, will you promise not to think I'm a coward?"

"Sure." Jade answered, already knowing what it was Tori was going to ask. "When do you want to leave?"

Tori leaned against Jade's shoulder. "I don't want to." She answered sadly. "But I think I have to, Jade. If I stay through this, it's only going to get worse." She felt Jade's fingers tighten around hers. "I can't deal with it, and I don't want you to have to."

Jade understood, possibly far more than Tori imagined. "I remember being at daddy's funeral service." She replied in a low voice. "A service, not a burial, because they told us there wasn't anything left to bury."

Tori remained very quiet.

"And I hated everyone." Jade had to stop for a minute, as a vivid memory of that cold day sharpened in her mind's eye. "All these people getting up and talking about him.. they had no clue who he was, or how he'd lived his life…" She slowly shook her head. "They wouldn't let me talk."

Tori just closed her eyes.

"So I ran." Jade said. "I ran out of there, and kept running. All the way home."

"From Connecticut?" Tori asked, very softly.

"Yeah." Jade replied, just as quietly. "I hitched back… walked… took a bus once in a while. Gave me time to get it out of my system."

"The anger?"

Jade shook her head. "The grief."

Tori regarded the frosted glass in front of her. "You know something, Jade?"

"Mm?" Jade slipped her arm behind Tori's back.

"I wish I'd had a parent worth that kind of feeling." Tori let her eyes close as she was pulled closer by Jade's encircling arm.

Jade rested her cheek against Tori's hair. "You do." She reminded her.

That was true, Tori acknowledged. She was closer to James and Ceci after knowing them less than a year than she had ever been to her own parents after most of a lifetime. She loved Jade's parents deeply, just as she did their daughter, and she was grateful beyond words that she had them in her life.

Was it even worth staying for the service tonight? "Let's go home." She whispered. "I can't change how they feel about me, Jade. I'm going to leave them to their hatred and stupidity."

"All right." Jade hugged her. "Home sounds good to me too."

Jade followed Tori out of the solarium, and across the quiet, spacious parlor. "It's a nice place." She commented, glancing around. "Plenty of room."

Tori also looked, slowing her steps and turning around as she did so. "I guess it is." She replied. "I never really thought of it that way though, because so much of the house was pretty much off limits for us as kids." She paused, then walked over to a painting on the wall and looked at it, then reached up and touched the canvas with a curious finger. "We used to get punished for grabbing anything."

Jade had wandered over as well. "Punished?"

"Yelled at." Tori clarified. 'Sent to our rooms, mostly." She eyed the painting. "I only got hit once that I remember, and all because of this damn stupid thing."

"Really?" Jade examined the object. "What's there to this that's worth being hit for?"

"It's a Renoir." Tori indicated the signature. "And I always though it was way too dull and ugly, so one day I took my box of one hundred and twenty eight Crayola crayons and changed that."

Jade bit the inside of her lip, but a tiny snort of laughter escaped anyway. "Oh boy."

"Mm. Yeah, it wasn't pretty." Tori smiled faintly. "I had to drag one of those antique chairs over here and climb all over it to get all the squares filled in. Did I mention it had been raining outside, and I was covered in mud?"

"Oh, Tori." Jade covered her face with one hand. "You want to know something really funny?"

"What? Did you do the same thing when you were a kid?" Tori turned and grinned at her. "Don't tell me that."

"No." Jade shook her head. "If I'd shown the least bit of interest in drawing my mother would have thrown a party." She admitted. "But I was thinking, on the way up here, of how much I wish we'd met sooner." She let a hand rest on Tori's shoulder. "I would have liked a friend like you."

Tori spared a moment to remember the increasingly lonely years after her childhood, a life full of acquaintances and parties, activity and publicity, but very few real friends. She would have loved to have known Jade then, but she also knew the sad reality of the fact that her parents would have prevented their friendship. "I'm glad we didn't." She replied softly, reaching up to cover Jade's hand with her own to soften the words. "I wasn't ready to know you back then." She watched Jade cock her head in mild consternation. "I still believed in my parents, and they… " Tori glanced away, then back up at her lover's face. "I'm glad I met you when I did."

Jade's lips twitched up into a smile. "Do you really think I'd have let your parents stand between me, and a friend, even at that age?" She asked, in a low drawl. "We would have been tabloid city. 'Wild child corrupts Senator's daughter - film at eleven.'"

Tori had to smile back, both at the sentiment, and the mental picture.

"Besides… " Jade pointed behind her at the picture. "Anyone with the will to color by number a Renoir would have been right up my alley anyway." She leaned forward and surprised Tori with a gentle kiss. "My mother would have adopted you in the vain hope you'd rub off on me."

Tori drew in a breath, then released it as a certain tension eased out of her. She put her arms around Jade and simply hugged her as hard as she could. Then she released her partner. "C'mon. Let me give you the ten cent tour, then. I don't know if I'll have another chance." She held out a hand, which Jade took, then led the way through the labyrinth of rooms.

The first place they went was the library. Tori pushed the door open, and was hit with the inimitable smell of a critical mass of books. The room had traditionally dark paneling, and a thick wool rug, with heavy leather and brass bound furniture and floor to ceiling shelves of books on all four sides of the space.

"This was my favorite spot." Tori reflected, as Jade roamed around the room and studied the books. "Not so much for the subject matters... I brought my own books in here, but it was always a nice, quiet place to hide in." She walked over to a chair near the corner, and settled into it. "Seems a lot smaller now."

Jade walked over and leaned on the chair. "I had a spot I used to disappear with a book into also." She said. "Wasn't as cushy as this, but I know what you mean."

Tori nodded. "Your dad's a big reader." She noted. "Was that really Wuthering Heights on his workbench the other day?"

"Mmhm." Jade murmured.

"Incredible." Tori got up and tugged Jade after her. "One of the good things about all the doors is that you could always escape out one way if anyone official or anything was coming the other way." They walked down one hallway, and turned into another. "Here's another favorite spot." She pushed open a swinging door, and peeked into the kitchen. "For a while."

Jade poked her head in also, to see a large, well laid out room with commercial quality cooking equipment. A tall black woman entered from the other side, then stopped in surprise at seeing two heads looking back at her.

"Ms, Tori? Is that you?"

Tori eased the door open and entered. "Hello, Betsy. Yes, it is." She walked over and gave the woman a hug. "Been a while, huh?" A year, to be exact. "You look great."

Betsy smiled. "Honey, so do you." She looked curiously at Jade. "This your friend?"

It didn't even feel strange, which, in and of itself, was very odd. "This is my partner, Jade." Tori replied, with a smile. "Jade West. Jade, this is Betsy Stonewright. She's been a part of the staff here since before I was born."

"Now, don't you be revealing how old I am, Ms. Tori." Betsy shook a finger at her, then extended a hand to Jade. "You take your horns off before you come in here, Ms. Jade?" She asked Jade, with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "Cause I heard you had a nice pair of them."

Jade chuckled, and took her hand, returning the strong grip with one of her own. "Yeah, I left them with the tail and the pitchfork in the hotel." She reached over and ruffled Tori's hair. "She's got a little baby pair too."

Betsy snorted. "Honey, I've seen hers, and they ain't little. I could tell you some stories about how this little angel used to turn this place upside down."

Tori blinked innocently. "Who, me?" She pointed at her own chest, then smiled. "I was just telling Jade about my artistic assault on Renoir."

"Lordy, that was some day." Betsy shook her head, then sobered, as she took Tori's hand. "Tori, I'm sorry about your momma. I know you and her didn't get on, but still and all."

"Thanks." Tori accepted the words with quiet grace. "Well, listen, we don't want to disrupt anything. I was just showing Jade around. Is Mary here?"

"She'll be back shortly." Betsy told her. "Hold on now." She ducked into the large walk in refrigerator on one side of the kitchen, the reappeared with two small cups. "Here you go." She handed one to Tori, and offered one to Jade. "Unless you done decided you don't like chocolate no more."

"Not hardly." Tori accepted the treat with a smile. "I still have dreams about your mousse cups, Betsy. Thank you." She slipped her other arm around Jade and leaned against her. "Jade likes chocolate too."

"A little." Jade agreed. "Thanks." She draped an arm over Tori's shoulders. "Where to next?"

"Wanna see my nursery?" Tori asked. "I think there might still be chuck up stains somewhere."

"Lead on." Jade winked at Betsy. They made their way out of the kitchen, leaving the cook behind, shaking her head and chuckling.

"Lord." Betsy turned, as the back door opened. "That you, Mary?"

"Yes, ma'am, and who else would it be?" Mary took her coat off. "Did I miss something?"

Betsy gave her a smug grin. "You most certainly did, woman." She crossed her arms. "You just missed meeting that infamous Jade West."

"No!" Mary looked devastated. "You're having me on."

"I am not. She was just standing right here in this kitchen." Betsy told her. "And child, let me tell you, there was a lot to see. I always did say that girl had a good eye, and sister, oh, did she pick a nice one."

Mary chuckled. "Only one in this whole damn family with a lick of sense and a passel of taste."

They ended up their tour in the large foyer, standing at the foot of the large, curved stairway that led up to the bedrooms on the second floor. Jade had gotten the impression that the place was a beautiful, certainly impressive home with absolutely no sense of its occupants personality.

Now, Jade was honest with herself. She could really say the same about her house, right? Her brows creased, as she considered that, letting Tori ramble on about the architecture. Her thoughts ran over the changes in her own home over the last year, and she had to sheepishly admit that her supposition was no longer valid.

How had she let Tori convince her to have those damn doodlings framed?

Anyway, Jade dismissed the thought. This place had even less personality. Tori's old apartment had held far more.

"Excuse me." A male voice caught both of their attention, and they turned, to see a tall, slim man standing nearby, his hands folded primly in front of him.

"Yes?" Tori replied, warily. "Can I do something for you?"

The man approached. "I'm Tak Henderson. I'm part of the senatorial staff."

Jade bit her tongue to prevent ill thought out words from emerging. The man's smug attitude was making her nape hairs stand up, and she found herself moving closer to Tori instinctively.

"Yes?" Tori repeated.

"Ms. Vega, I can appreciate this is a difficult time. It's hard for all of us." The man stated. "I'm sure you don't want to make it harder than it has to be."

Tori's brown eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"

"Listen." He lowered his voice. "I know this hasn't been very pleasant. I'm sorry you've had such a rough time of it, but is there any real reason to keep it going?"

Tori's features settled into a cool mask. "You suggesting I leave?" She asked, having made that decision on her own not that long ago.

"Wouldn't it be better?" Henderson asked, evenly. "C'mon, Ms. Vega, no one needs the trouble you've had to go through."

Exactly what Tori had been thinking. She was aware of Jade's silent presence at her side, lending a solid, tangible support just an extended hand away from her. Jade would be glad to go home. She would be glad. She wanted so badly to smell the salt tang in the air on their porch, and feel Chino's warm welcome. If she closed her eyes, she could imagine herself there, her and Jade snuggled up on the couch, a bowl of thai chicken between them and glasses of chilled plum wine just within reach.

Tori sighed. There was so much good about her life. She had a nice place to live, a good job, loving friends, a pretty dog, and a drop dead gorgeous partner who was inexplicably crazy about her. Maybe this dweeb was right, and her choice had been the right one. "That's true." She exhaled. "It's been a bitch."

Henderson seemed to sense his advantage, and he smiled. "I think you'd feel a lot better being out of it."

Tori studied him. "You're right, I would." She replied candidly, making a decision and hoping her beloved partner wasn't going to wring her neck for it. "But unfortunately for both of us, I'm not going anywhere, so you might as well take your clipboard out of your ass and find something useful to do."

Henderson got caught completely flat footed. He stared at Tori with a slightly hanging jaw for a few seconds, then collected himself. "Now just wait a…"

Jade finally made her move. She slipped in front of Tori and closed in on Henderson, who backed up a step in reflex. "Henderson, you said your name was?" Jade asked, in her silky, dangerous boardroom voice.

"Yes."

"All right, Mr. Henderson. " Jade said. "Let me tell you something. I've had it about up to here..." Jade lifted a hand to her forehead. "With bullshit attitudes. If you don't leave, right now, and keep clear of Tori until she decides to go elsewhere, I'm going to call up every major news agency and spend a half hour telling them just what a bunch of skunks live up here in the woods of Darien." She paused. "Got me?"

His whole face twitched. "I don't know that they.."

"Oh yes they would." Jade cut him off. "And if that's not enough, I"ll call the tabloids and give 'em good shots of me and Tori kissing on the doorstep out there. How 'bout that?"

That shut him up.

"I thought so." Jade pointed to the door. "Move it."

Surprisingly, Henderson did just that. He walked right past them, into the Senator's former study, and closed the door, leaving them once again alone in the lobby. Jade considered the door, then released a satisfied little grunt. "So, we're sticking around, huh?"

Tori sighed. "Are you going to kill me?"

Jade ruffled her hair affectionately. "Nah. You can make it up to me by finding me more two bit half witted stuffed socks I can practice my intimidation skills on." She chuckled softly. "I almost forgot how much I enjoy doing that."

"All right." Tori took her hand and pulled. "C'mon. Let me show you one last place."

"Your bedroom? I've seen it." Jade teased.

"No, the attic." Tori smiled privately.

"You think the governor's really going to do it?" Shelby asked, as they reached the room Trina had been staying in, and sat down on the bed. "Name dad to take mom's spot?"

Her sister shook her head. "It seems ridiculous." She had to admit. "Why should our Dad be a senator, just because he was married to our mother? He doesn't know the first thing about politics. You know he always made a point of steering clear of all that."

"Yeah, I know." Shelby agreed. "But you have all those scumbuckets who worked for her desperate to keep their jobs." she noted. "And, how else will they do it? Not like they can just dig an election up this time of year."

"Mm." Trina nodded. "That's true. Hope he tells them to go stuff it."

Shelby's lips quirked into a smile. "You're in a feisty mood today."

Trina sighed. "I'm just sick of it. That stuff with Tori pissed me off."

"Me too." Shelby nodded. "I mean, it's not like it's this deep dark secret anymore, so what's the big deal?" she wondered. "If the lawyers hadn't be stupid enough to make Tori just blurt it out on national television, that'd been one thing, but Jesus, like, who cares anymore?"

Her sister shrugged. "That's what I was thinking too. It's just old news, and besides, it's not like she's done anything really radical, like buying a motorcycle or getting a tattoo."

Shelby cleared her throat self consciously.

Trina looked at him. "Oh, you didn't."

She batted long, dark lashes back at her with devastating innocence. "Don't worry. No one'll see it unless they get me really mad, and I show them where they can kiss my ass." she admitted sheepishly. "Tony and Brad and I went out last week and got pretty plastered. They bet me I didn't have the guts to go through with it, so…"

Trina sighed. "Shelby."

"I know, I know." Her sister grinned. "I'm a jerk."

"You're hopeless. When are you going to grow up?"

Shelby shrugged.

They were both quiet for a moment, then Trina spoke again. "You going to keep working for the publicity firm?"

Shelby stared at the floor past her clasped hands. "I dunno. I haven't really thought about it." she murmured. "I don't have to now, do I?"

"No." Trina shook her head. "But she's not around to get your butt out of trouble anymore, either."

"I could run away and join the circus."

"Shelby."

"You going to tell papi about Daniel?"

Trina fell back onto the bed and gazed up at the ceiling. "Maybe." She admitted. "I might have to. I slipped the other day and left Andrew's medical papers out where Richard could see them."

Shelby looked at her. "So? He doesn't have Daniel's name branded on his ass, does he?"

"No, but my blood type is O. Richard's is A. Andrew's is B, just like Daniel's." Trina stated, with a grimace. "I told Richard they must have made a mistake on the papers."

"Ah." Her sister murmured. "Well, if things get real bad, you can reveal that, I'll pull down my pants, and Tori'll come out looking like the Republican in the family."

Trina paused a moment, then burst out laughing. Shelby joined in, relieving some of the stress of the situation.

"What's so funny?" Tori asked, as she paused in the doorway.

"Don't ask." Her sister advised her, propping herself up on her elbows. "We were just comparing scandals. What are you two up to?"

Tori and Jade entered the room. Tori took a seat on the wooden side chair, and Jade merely lowered herself to the carpet, extending her long legs out and crossing her ankles. "I was giving Jade the tour." Tori explained. "She didn't get to see much last time. What scandal did you get into now, Shelby?"

"I got a tattoo." Her twin admitted.

Jade snorted, and folded her arms over her chest. Tori just rolled her eyes. "Oh god, it figures. How drunk were you?"

"Maybe I wasn't!" Shelby retorted, in an injured tone. "Maybe I just decided it was something I wanted to do for personal growth."

Tori studied her , her fair head cocked to one side. Then she smiled. "No way, Shelbs. You're the biggest chickenshit I know when it comes to pain. You were either drunk off your butt, or unconscious."

Shelby scowled, then stuck her tongue out at her. "You're just jealous because you don't have one."

Tori's green eyes twinkled. "How do you know I don't?" She asked. "You haven't seen all of me in a very long time."

Shelby looked at Trina, who looked back at Shelby, then they both looked at their sister uncertainly.

"I have." Jade came to their rescue. "Every square inch, and she doesn't." She told them dryly, as Tori blushed a deep crimson, making her eyebrows stand out vividly. Everyone laughed, and even Jade chuckled at her wife's loss of composure.

"Stop that." Tori covered her face with one hand, rubbing her skin. "Jade, you're so bad."

"Well, you don't." Jade replied matter of factly.

"Wanna see mine?" Shelby offered, to distract everyone.

"No." Jade replied immediately. "Based on what I know about you, I can make a guess where it is, and that window's got a clear shot to the street."

Trina burst out laughing, holding her stomach as she rolled over. Tori joined in, pointing at her sister's injured expression. "She's right isn't she?"
Shelby stuck her tongue out again. "You guys are such girls!"

Jade pulled her collar out and glanced inside her shirt, then nodded. "Guilty."

Now the laughter turned a little giddy, mixing amusement with relief and not a small touch of bittersweetness. It finally petered out, and Tori wiped her eyes with her sleeve and regarded her siblings.

"Sorry I lost it before." She apologized. "I know you guys were trying to keep things under control."

"That's okay." Trina rolled over onto her side, and exhaled. "We both did after you left too. I'm just so over it. Shelby's just so over it. We've had enough of all the political garbage and we just want our sister back."

It caught Tori by surprise, and she returned a stunned look at them, her face going very still for a long moment. Finally she released a breath, and rested her elbows on her knees. "I'd like that too." She murmured. "I never meant to hurt either of you."

Trina got up and went to her sister's side. Jade remained very still, just watching. "Tori, you never did. If you did anything, you helped us both realize there was another way to live." She put a hand on Tori's arm. "You always were our ringleader."

"Yeah." Shelby scrambled over to them, stepping carefully over Jade's legs. "We love you."

Jade smiled, from her spot on the carpet. Tori's siblings were surpassing her expectations for them, and she was silently delighted at the look of surprised pleasure on her wife's face. She was glad, now, that Tori had changed her mind, though Jade would have supported her either way.

This was better. Tori needed this.

Now, if she could just figure a way to prevent the rest of her family from ruining it.

They trooped up to the attic together. Shelby opened an unobtrusive door set in a small alcove, and they walked up the heavy wooden stairs.

Jade listened to the door close behind her, and she exhaled, shifting her shoulders a little before she followed Tori. The stairwell was very narrow, and her shoulders only just fit in the space. The closeness made her uncomfortable, and she suspected Tori realized that, because halfway up, and hand reached back and she took it, feeling the comfort of Tori's fingers curling around her own.

That was good, because the ceiling came down rather close to her head, and by the time they climbed up and out into the vaulted attic space, Jade was beginning to twitch. It was far more open up here, though, and she relaxed a little. It was warm - the heat from the house clustered up here despite the chill outdoors, but the eclectic nature of the place drew her interest quickly.

There were steamer trunks pushed against three of the four walls, and stacks of neatly bagged bedding and clothing. Two old rocking chairs sat peacefully in the corner, and there were containers of unknown items scattered around here and there. Jade had no idea why Tori wanted to come up here, especially after their footsteps stirred up a mild cloud of dust and they all sneezed, but she was willing to go along with it for a while.

"We stuck them here." Shelby dragged one of the larger trunks over and knelt, dialing the combination lock and throwing the top open. "All of Tori's stuff, that Trina and I could find around the house before the thought police came through."

Ah. Jade's ears perked up, and she slipped around Tori to investigate the trunk. "What have we here?"

"Hm. Good question. " Tori scuttled over and knelt beside the open lid. "Think I can just have this whole trunk shipped?"

Jade pulled out a pair of very old, yellow, obviously well worn footy pajamas that featured an almost threadbare cotton tail on the back. She grinned at Tori, who was making a face at them, and pulled out her cell phone and keying in the memory. "Fedex? I'd like to schedule a pickup."

"Oh, my god." Tori covered her eyes. "Of all the things for you to save."

Trina snickered. "You know something? It's worth it just to see your face right now."

"Jade, give me that." Tori reached for the rags, but found them lifted up outside her reach. "Jade!"

"Shh." Jade finished giving the address to the operator, then folded her phone shut. "These are.. um.. " She held up the pyjamas. "Cute." She examined the fluffy tail in the back. "Wanna model them?"

"Augh." Tori lunged across the trunk and snatched the old things out of her partner's hands. "I haven't worn those since I was six, thanks." She tucked the fabric under her arm for safekeeping, then warily explored the top layer of the trunk. "Oh god, Trina.. " She lifted out a photo album. "I was wondering if you snagged this."

Jade slid over next to her and peered at the book with interest. It was leather bound, and age creased, and she settled at Tori's side as her lover opened the cover. Trina and Shelby also inched closer, sitting cross legged on the floor at her side.

"Oo." Jade laid a long finger on the page. "I like that one."

"Jade." Tori had to smother a chuckle. "That hoary old baby on the bearskin picture?" She eyed her naked infant self, sprawled over some fuzzy fabric, staring up at the camera with a look best described as astonished. "Can you believe that's me?"

Jade examined the picture. "Sure." She replied candidly. "Parts of you haven't change a bfwh." Jade found a hand covering her mouth, as Tori's sisters started cackling.

"You are so dead." Tori admonished her. "You just wait, Jade Giana. I'm going to…to….to….yow!" Tori pulled her hand hastily away from the nibbling teeth and exploring tongue. "Stop that!" She reached over and grabbed Jade's tongue and pulled.

Trina almost hurt herself as she rolled over onto the floor, narrowly missing the edge of the trunk. "Oh my god." She gasped. "You guys are too much."

Jade retrieved her apendage and returned it to it's normal spot. Then she grinned, looking right up into Tori's eyes, getting the hoped for tiny crinkle above the bridge of her nose and the faint smirk that meant her lover really wasn't as annoyed as she sounded.

"What's gotten in to her today?" Tori wondered silently. Being this demonstrative in public was definitely not normal for her usually far more reserved partner. Jade would, on occasion, put a hand on her back, or ruffle her hair, but never did she indulge in the kind of extremely personal horseplay she was displaying this morning.

So. If she was, there was a reason. Tori knew Jade well enough to know that - very very seldom did Jade ever change well ingrained patterns without a solid, logical thought path behind it. Tori glanced at her siblings, who were both much more relaxed, and joking with Jade about the rest of the pictures on the page, daring her to guess which of them each one represented.

Acceptance. The realization clicked for Tori suddenly. That's why Jade was acting the way she was, because she knew it would make Tori feel better if her family liked Jade.

So Trina and Shelby were getting the cute, mischevious side of her lover that very few people ever saw. Tori was touched, and she reached over to scratch the back of Jade's neck lightly, smiling into the inquiring pale blue eyes that turned her way. "Thanks." She mouthed silently.

Jade winked at her, then went back to studying the photographs. "Hey, there you are on a pony."

"Oh, yes." Tori nodded, leaning over the book. "Tympani." She put a fingertip on the picture. "What a little bastard he was."

"Remember the time he bit Shelby?" Trina said. "Nastiest temper I ever did see on a horse."

"Pony." Jade said. "Maybe he had a short horse complex." She added, with a straight face, hearing the snickers, and feeling Tori poke her in outrage. "Friends of ours had some horses down south when I was younger." She added. "It was always the little ones that were hell on four hooves."

"Did you ride, Jade?" Trina relaxed onto her side.

"Sure." Jade nodded. "We used to take three or four of them and just go on campouts in the glades in the winter. Catch our own food, make our own shelter, that kind of thing."

Shelby goggled at her. "Really?"

"Really."

"Like, hunting, and all that?" Trina inquired curiously.

"Yep." Jade agreed. "Of course, now that I've learned where the supermarket is, you won't catch me doing that again." She told them gravely.

They all laughed. "Yeah." Tori combed through Jade's hair with her fingers. "Jade and I both agree the only camping we'll do is from the inside of an air conditioned RV."

"With a satellite hookup." Jade amended. "Which reminds me, the sat company called before we left. The system for the cabin's in stock."

"Cabin?" Trina asked.

Tori told them about the cabin. "It's a little place down in the Channel Islands." She explained. "Pretty run down, but Jade and I have been doing it all over on the odd weekend. It's cute." She said. "And very peaceful. We can pull the boat right up to a dock nearby, and it's getting to be pretty cozy."

"Wow." Trina sighed. "That sounds nice. Richard was talking about us getting a place up by the lake to take the kids, but.. " She shook her head. "I don't know."

"The tough part was getting a dedicated pipe in there." Jade related. "The phone company was scratching their heads for weeks over that one. But we got it done." A pause. "You guys'll have to come out and help us christen it."

The stairs creaked, and they looked over at the door as it opened, revealing David Vega framed in the doorway. "My goodness, it's dusty up here." The older man stated disapprovingly. "I must have a word with the staff." he continued on up into the attic, walking carefully on the wooden floor. "What's going on up here?"

Tori indicated the album. "I was just showing Jade some of my baby pictures." She replied quietly.

"Gracious, how did they end up here?" Tori's father asked in astonishment.

"I put them up here." Trina answered. "When mother was looking to burn them."

There was an awkward silence. "I see." David sighed. "I had thought she'd gotten to them before I had and they were gone." he murmured. "We had a horrible fight about that." A slight shake of his head followed. "At any rate, I came up to find you, Victoria, because I asked John to bring your and Jade's things upstairs. " Here, her father paused perceptibly, then took a breath. "I thought you might like the corner green room, perhaps."

Tori opened her mouth to decline the offer, then stopped, as her memory of the house kicked in. She peered up at her father in honest surprise. "Um.. that would be fine, sure." She answered. "Hang on." Tori slid a hand down Jade's side and into her front pocket, retrieving the car keys and pulling them out. "Here." She offered them to her father. "Our bags are in the trunk."

"Excellent." David had regained her composure, and she took the keys. "Well, perhaps you'll all come down for lunch. The reverend will be here, and several others of the family who asked to come over early."

"Sure." Trina nodded. "Sounds great."

"Okay." Shelby agreed.

David gave them all a slight nod, and left, closing the door behind him.

All three siblings stared at each other. "Son of a bitch." Tori snorted. "Can you believe that?"

"No." Trina shook her head. "No way, nu uh, not on this earth, what drugs are they giving our father?"

"Wowza." Shelby breathed. "Did you score, or what?"

Jade cleared her throat gently. "I think I'm missing something here." She stated. "Someone want to fill me in?"

Shelby crawled closer. "She put you guys in the green room."she said.

"I have uncles and aunts who never got in there." Trina added. "For years."

Jade looked at Tori. "And?" Her eyebrows rose.

Tori actually smirked. "It only has one bed." She explained. "It's where they put the honored, very married members of our family when they visit." She still felt a sense of shock and amazement. "You have no idea what a big deal that is here."

Jade absorbed this unexpected, but gratifying news. "Does that mean we have to go out and get him a toaster?"

Tori laughed, then let herself get lost in wonder for a moment, her world suddenly becoming a topsy turvy place where anything could, and apparently might, happen. "Yeah." She agreed. "I think it does."