Title: To Tell or Not to Tell, That is the Question
|~ Morning Has Broken ~|~ Disturbing the Nest ~|
Author: Carla
Email: cmfloresfd@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em I'm just having some good clean fun with 'em. The song title comes from the Cat Stevens song of the same title, it is used without permission but much gratitude and respect.
Summary: All is revealed to Mike and some new house rules are put into effect.
A/N: This takes place the morning following Night of the Comet and Significant Acts
The Palace - 7:30 AM
"Brooke" Mike McQueen once again found himself tapping on his daughter's door. "Brooke, honey I've been thinking…about our conversation last night. Can I come in?"
He listened for any sound that might indicate his daughter had heard him and was awake. Hearing none he carefully opened the door and peeked in. He was completely unprepared for what he saw; an obviously naked Brooke wrapped around an equally naked brunette, her head tucked under Brooke's chin. He closed the door silently, stepped across the hall and opened the door to Sam's room. The bed had obviously been slept in at some point but it was just as obviously not being slept in at the moment.
** Oh God I wasn't hearing things yesterday. She did almost say Sam. Shit what do I say to Jane `Hi honey, how was your day. By the way our daughters are sleeping together.' For that matter does Jane even know about Sam? I know Brooke told her when she told me but surely she would have mentioned it if Sam had told her anything? **
Closing the door to his stepdaughter's room, he stood in the hallway unsure of what to do. Should he speak with Jane first or Brooke? Maybe just maybe the girl wasn't Sam. Maybe Sam was downstairs already. Maybe she was jogging. He would go downstairs and check, that's what he would do.
"Good morning honey, coffee?"
"Sure"
"Are the girls up yet?"
**That answers that question**
"I'll go wake them"
"Thanks"
He trudged up the stairs. His suspicions were true; the brunette girl was indeed Sam. His daughter no daughters, were having sex, with each other, at that. Had Brooke lied to him yesterday? No he was sure she hadn't so this must have been the first time Brooke and Sam had slept together.
Standing in the hallway between both rooms he called out "Brooke, Sam time to get up. You're going to be late".
"'kay Mike, thanks" came the muffled reply from Sam's bedroom.
He turned at the sound of Brooke's bedroom door opening. She stood there in her robe, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"Did you knock a little while ago?"
"Yes I did. Let's go in your room I want to talk."
"Is something the matter?"
"I saw Brooke. I peeked in I just wanted to talk to you about our conversation last night. I wanted to tell you that you didn't have to bring your friend around. I wanted to tell you that I trusted you, trusted that you would introduce me to your friend in good time, when you were ready. But I saw what I saw and…I don't know what to say. Remember how, when you came out to me, I said that there might come a time when I was disappointed in your choices?"
"Yes"
"This would be one of those times"
"I love her Daddy"
"It's not right. Brooke she is your sister, for God's sake, think about that, why don't you?"
"She's not my sister"
"For all intents and purposes she is. I am in the process of adopting her you knew that. This relationship you two have going is not acceptable and it mustn't continue."
"Dad throwing two 15 year olds together and saying `Now you are going to be sisters. Act like it' is bullshit. We were never raised as siblings and have never thought of each other that way at all. And before you ask, `Yes' we thought about what this all meant. What it would mean to the family. But would it have been so different if Sam and I had been a couple before you and Jane were one. `No', it wouldn't have we'd still be stepsiblings, there would still be you and Jane and there would still be Mac. And we would still be in love. And we would still be a family."
"Perhaps, nonetheless I cannot claim to be comfortable with this. Certainly I can't imagine that Jane will be. Has Sam even told Jane?"
"Jane knows about Sam. Jane knows about `us'…me and Sam."
"I see" he stood up and walked to the door. "I think maybe it would be best if you and Sam didn't go to school today. I think, perhaps a little family conference is in order. I'll be downstairs with Jane. Give us half an hour please? You'll tell Sam won't you?"
"Yes"
He closed the door behind him, peeked into the baby's room to check on Mac and then went downstairs to the kitchen.
"Would you like me to reheat your coffee?"
"Huh?"
"Your coffee, would you like me to reheat it for you?"
"Oh yeah right sure"
"Are you okay? Did something happen upstairs?"
"I went to speak with Brooke about something and when I poked my head into her room I saw something…"
"Saw what?"
"Tell me how long have you known…about the girls that is?"
"Since the night Brooke came out to you"
"And it's been going on how long?"
"A few months, three maybe four, that I know of. Since after Mac was born"
"And you didn't see fit to tell me this why?"
"They asked me not to. Relax Mike, it's a phase I'm sure. They haven't even slept together yet. Don't worry it'll pass."
"That's where you're wrong, that's what I saw."
"Oh God"
"Yeah"
"Now what?"
"Ground rules I guess"
"Ground rules GROUND RULES are you out of your mind!"
"Well really what else can we do. I've told Brooke that they had to end it but she brought up some good points. It's not as if you and I have been together since they were five, we've been together since they were fifteen, almost sixteen. They would never consider themselves anything more than stepsiblings if that. More like two people whose parents happened to be married to each other, similar to the way I regard my mother's husband's son."
"Well what sort of ground rules are we talking about here?"
"Well I'd like to say the `No-Sex-In-The-House' Rule but realistically…last night may have been the first time but I am sure it will not be the last."
"How about a `No-Sex-When-We-Are-In-The-House' Rule?"
"And this is better how?"
"We make sure one of us is always home or at the very least they don't have too many parent free hours around the house?"
"What about when we go away?"
"Well the fact remains that even if they were seeing other people they'd probably be having them over when we're out of town…"
"And well at least we know `who' they're with"
"What else?"
"PDAs…not in front of us"
"No I won't say to my daughter `on the one hand I accept you but on the other I don't want to see you'"
"Okay how about no kissing or hanging all over each other, you know how teenagers get, in front of us"
"Fair enough. What about sleeping arrangements. I'd say from the look of things they've probably been sleeping, actual sleeping, together for some time now."
"Okay they can sleep, but only sleep, together if they want but it has to be clothed and we reserve the right to run spot checks at random."
When the girls came down almost an hour later they were presented with "The Rules", not all of which they were happy about but which they accepted nonetheless. After all it was either that or nothing and besides Mike and Jane were going on that two week trip with Mac in just ten short days.
A/N: This is set about two months after the events of Morning Has Broken. It contains descriptions of physical abuse, consider this a warning.
~~~~~
They lay on the bed naked a fine sheen of sweat covering them. Brooke on her back with Sam draped half over her, head in the crook of Brooke's neck. Brooke tightened her arm around Sam, pressing the girl closer to her side as the brunette ran her hand over the blonde's flat tone stomach. They had been like that for some time, comfortable in the silence between them, enjoying the time alone together. The Palace was empty, save for them, Mike was away on business and Jane had taken Mac to the doctor for a checkup.
"God Brooke…it just gets better every time."
"Hmmmmm yes…" long delicate fingers idly trailed over Sam's back as the cheerleader continued "Do you suppose we'll ever achieve perfection?"
"Well I'm willing to keep trying as often as you'd like"
"Well I'd like to try more often…damn rules." The Rules as they were known in the Palace had been in effect for over two months now and while it was true that they were somewhat limiting and very annoying to follow the girls accepted them. The Rules allowed them to be together in their home.
"It could be worse, look on the bright side; we get to sleep together every night and we get the thrill of illicit sex. Oh and let's not forget the joy of getting up an hour before morning bed check to put our clothes back on."
Jane had been up and checking on them everyday by no later than 6:00 AM. Some days this meant that they had to make sure to wake up early enough to put clothes on. They had been caught only once; shortly after the inception of The Rules Jane had opened the door to Sam's room unexpectedly and found them asleep, naked from the waist up. They had been given a warning in quiet tight-lipped fury by Jane, "Let this be the last time".
Brooke had shrugged it off but Sam had seen something in her mother's eye, something she hadn't seen in years. It had scared her, taken her back to a time when `the look' meant pain in addition to discipline. To a time when `the look' meant a beating with whatever Jane could grab a hold of. Sam always made sure to wake no later than 4:30 AM so that they could put on nightshirts. Sometimes she had to dress Brooke herself when she could not awaken the blonde but she made sure they were dressed.
"Well there is a lot to be said for illicit sex." Brooke cleared her throat "Ahem…Sammy speaking of The Rules we should get dressed. Mom will be home soon."
"Just a little longer…technically we're not breaking any rule, no one else is in the house"
"True but usually you're more uptight about getting caught than I am."
"I feel to good to be uptight right now."
"Fine with me, who am I to deny a gorgeous, nubile, naked young lady her heart's desire."
"Getting pretty flowery with the words there, Oh Captain, my Captain" Sam teased.
"Two, four, six, eight what's the biggest book to date?"
"Huh?"
"And you call yourself a writer, The Oxford English Dictionary unabridged version, of course."
"And where did you hear this?"
"Ripley's Believe It or Not…that Dean Cain guy is a cutie"
Sam laughed and Brooke smiled to feel the vibrations of that golden sound on her skin where the brunette's mouth was pressed into her.
"Sammy?"
"Uh-huh?"
"Can I ask you a question?" The slender body in Brooke's arms stiffened and Brooke stopped stroking her lover's back.
Silence
"Sammy, love?" Now Sam trembled slightly at the feel of Brooke's palm covering the scarred area between her shoulder blades.
Silence
"Never mind, some other day okay?"
Brooke felt wet, hot tears on her chest as Sam silently cried. She wrapped her arms around her raven-haired love, stroked the thick silken tresses kissed the girl's forehead.
"You want to know what happened to my back, right?"
"If you want to tell me then I want to hear"
Silence
"Do you remember when my Dad died? We were nine and in fourth grade."
"Vaguely. I remember hearing about it and that you didn't seem to be in school much for the rest of the year. What does that have to do with your back?"
"I…Mom…things were really rough, especially for my mom. Her husband was dead, she was depressed, I was acting out, money was tight, her job was on her back…she…she had a lot on her plate. Sometimes she would snap and start yelling, throwing things…"
"She did that to you?" it was a horrified whisper. "She did that…how could she?"
"She wasn't herself…she…I had this shirt, an old plaid flannel work shirt of my father's, it smelled like him and after he died I wore it all the time. I wouldn't let her wash it even after a month, even after his scent was gone replaced by the ripe aroma of unwashed nine year old girl. It was disgusting really, anyway she wanted to wash the shirt and I wouldn't take it off. She started yelling at me, tried to grab the shirt off of my back. I bit her, called her a fucking cunt. Next thing I know she hauled off and smacked me hard enough to split my lip. I could taste blood in my mouth and I remember that I spit at her, spit the blood in her face. Told her I hated her. I wished she had died instead of my father." Sam's voice held an almost clinical tone, as if she were describing a scene from a movie or play and not the horror of that long ago afternoon. "She hit me again hard enough that I fell to the floor. She was screaming about how she wished I were dead and I was an ungrateful spoiled brat. She dragged me down the hall by my hair, threw me in the shower and turned the water on. I remember it was really hot when it started but by the time my mom turned it off it was like ice…" Sam's voice drifted off as she became lost in her memories.
"How?"
"She used a metal grill scrubber / scraper type thing to `wash' the shirt and me by extension since I was still wearing it. At first she just hit me with it, it hurt but it didn't break the skin. But then…" Dark eyes closed as she swallowed convulsively. "But then she had me face down in the tub I remember the water splashing up into my nose and mouth and then she started scrubbing the shirt and the bristles, they were metal, cut through the shirt and into my skin. God it hurt and I begged her to stop promised her everything I could think of. Promised that I would be good that I wouldn't wear the shirt again. I was crying and there was blood everywhere, mostly from my lip and my nose, and then finally she stopped."
"Oh God Sammy. My poor Sammy."
"She really isn't like that, she's a good person."
"How can you defend her?"
"I'm not defending her. It's just…things were really rough for her, she didn't have a good support system and well…I...I understand where it came from. Besides she's my mother, I love her."
"You are defending her, you're making excuses for what she did, how can you forgive her?"
"Lots of therapy, for both of us. Lots."
"Was that the only time?"
"No a couple of times after that she smacked me around but never anything like that again."
"Does my father know? How can you be so sure she won't get stressed out over God knows what one day and hit Mac?"
"Mike knows she told him before we moved in. And as for the other, I don't think she will get to that point again. She has gone to anger management classes, individual therapy and group therapy. She and I went to family therapy and she and Mike went to therapy before Mac was born. I have to have faith that she won't do that again, won't be like that again. I have to."
"My father knew and he didn't tell me"
"He did what he thought was right. I'm sure he just didn't want to give you anymore of a reason to not want us here."
They continued to lay in each other's arms for a bit longer.
"Jane and Mac should be home soon."
"Don't hate her"
"How could I not, she hurt you."
"It's the past. It happened to me and I have moved past it. I need you to do the same."
"I know it's just going to take some time. For now I just…I can't call her Mom, okay? I'm not feeling the love."
"Okay" Sam raised her head so that she could look directly into hazel eyes filled with love. "I love you, Princess."
"I love you too, Brenda Starr: Girl Reporter"
"Race you to the shower"
"I don't think so. I just heard Jane's car pull into the driveway."
"Later gator."
"Gator? Are you implying that my skin is rough, dry and flaky?"
"Just around the knees, you were on them quite a bit earlier, you know?"
"Well in Sunday school the teacher said it was the proper position for worship."
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