Fanfic: B&S episode 610: part 1/6
Season 6 - Episode 10 - I’LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS
By Marea67
About: Brothers & Sisters (general)
Rate: Can’t go higher than PG-13, as this is American Television, but I may add a few ‘deleted scenes’ here and there. ;)
Disclaimer: Just escaping from reality here, not created for financial gain
Summary: It is my very own season 6, you guys! Go with it! ;) Don’t complain! If YOU can do better, post your own story! (I dare you!)
*****
Starring:
Also:
Also appearing: Daniel Walker-Wandell, Elizabeth Walker, Courtney (ex-McCallister), Jack & Sophia McCallister, Evan McCallister, Cleo, Oliver, Roddy, Rick, Max Carter, Diane, Mike and a certain Mr Peel. :)
***** Part 1/6 *****
4 DAYS TO CHRISTMAS
*****
“How are you feeling?” Scotty asks, after a quick look at Kevin, who sits beside him in the car.
“A bit cold and empty. It took me a while to decide what to do with Alex’s ashes... but ... I think I did the right thing.”
“Yes, that place on the beach was really very pretty and peaceful.”
“I agree. Glad it wasn’t too windy, I had this nightmare of scattering the ashes and it all blowing back in my face...” Kevin quickly shakes his head as if he want to shake the image away. Scotty cannot help but laugh.
“For what it’s worth. It was beautifully done. The hide tide will take the ash out to sea...”
“He always loved the ocean...” Kevin replies quietly. “....Have you spoken to Michelle recently?”
“No. I can’t do it. It hurts to see her so lost.”
“Scotty, it’s been a few weeks since it happened, maybe... someone got through to her?”
“Yes, it’s been a few weeks ago and it’s nearly Christmas. I’d rather focus on that. Besides, why are you suddenly so keen on my speaking to Michelle?”
“Maybe it’s the spirit of Christmas?” Kevin offers as an explanation. When he sees it’s not sufficient, he continues: “Alex is now really gone and there isn’t much we can do for him anymore. We never could. He... he was a bit of a lost case... but I’d like to imagine that there’s still something we can do for Michelle...”
“I’m sorry, Kev, but I’m not ready for that.” Scotty answers.
“Fair enough. Let’s drop the subject then.”
“Thank you....” Scotty nods. He’s focused on changing lanes and Kevin doesn’t interrupt him, until Scotty is back on the lane he should be on.
“So, what do we do for Christmas?” Kevin asks. “Do you have to work?”
“No. But I’ll be working for New Year’s Eve, because Angie and her boyfriend wanted to celebrate it in New York, with his family.”
“So, we’re going to mom’s?”
Though Kevin seems to take it as a statement, he doesn’t appear to be very thrilled with the thought.
“You don’t want to go?” Scotty can’t almost imagine that Kevin would have other thoughts, not after last year’s Christmas when the Walker kids had so bickered because Nora had left with Dr Carl.
“Not really. I understand that Sarah will go to mom, with the kids. She’s depressed, because Luc is still in France. Kitty and Seth will be in Washington to be with Courtney. No one has heard a word from Tommy since he left. Julia and Elizabeth will go to mom’s though. And I’...” Kevin stops talking.
“Yes, I know, we’re seeing an awful lot of Elizabeth lately, aren’t we? Now that Julia is dating this ... Oliver.” Scotty says quietly.
“Yeah. Not that I mind. I like to see Elizabeth and to know that she’s doing great. She gets along great with Olivia and Daniel. Even Mateo is crazy about her, ...
But she’s becoming such a part of our household by now, that it’s hard not to make a mistake and I need to keep reminding myself that I’m supposed to be her uncle....”
“If it gets too painful for you to be around her, we need to tell Julia...” Scotty says practically.
“I thought about that, but I can’t. I’d rather see Elizabeth with us, then with some stranger or Julia’s friend...”
“Nora, Sarah or Justin are not a strangers.” Scotty corrects gently.
“No. But we know that Julia won’t bring her to Justin, Kitty or Sarah. Mom maybe, ......”
“You think that Julia brings Elizabeth to us, because you’re her biological father?”
“Don't know. I'd like to not think at that.... Though, of course, it’s pretty obvious, that Elizabeth likes to be at our place ... After all Elizabeth doesn’t know better or I’m her uncle.” Kevin looks out the window, but Scotty can see him wring his hands.
“Are you afraid of what will happen if ever Julia tells Elizabeth the truth?”
“That will still be a few years.” Kevin answers. “But, yes, I guess, I am.”
“I just hope that she will tell Oliver the truth about Elizabeth soon... If she’s right, he’ll be a great father to Elizabeth....”
Scotty keeps an eye on Kevin’s reaction. Kevin looks at him, realizing where Scotty is going with his words.
“I want Julia and Elizabeth to be happy... That is all that matters to me.. And he’d be better be good to Elizabeth, or I’ll sue his ass off.” Kevin tries to turn it into a joke, but Scotty isn’t too sure if it is.
*****
“Are you sure that Santa will know that I’m not here with Christmas?” Evan asks for the perhaps 117th time. Kitty sighs.
“Yes, he knows, sweetie. I’ve sent him a letter and a text.” She answers patiently, because she knows it’s all very important to her son.
“Maybe I should send Santa a letter as well...? Or a text? Or tell him?” Evan tries. Kitty smiles and taps him softly on the nose.
“Nice try, Evan McCallister, but ... I’m not allowed to give Santa’s private number.... What if all the kids started calling him? He wouldn’t have time to get the gifts ready...”
“Will the baby also get a gift? How can Santa decide if he or she is good, it’s a baby, and it’s just swimming around in your belly?” Evan wonders and for a moment Kitty has a vision of the baby doing the butterfly stroke in her belly, which is not even such a strange thought considering how much the baby moves.
It amuses her for a few seconds, but she realizes Evan expects an answer.
“I think that Santa knows things we don’t know. So he knows if this baby has eaten her or his veggies and fruit.... unlike another kid I know... Come on, finish up your orange..”
“I don’t want it anymore. I want an apple.”
“Let me guess? If I peel an apple, you’ll want a banana, am I right?” Kitty asks with a smile and Evan gives her his famous mischievous grin. Seth enters the room, a book in his hand, he absent-mindedly picks up one of the pieces of orange and puts it in Evan’s mouth, while passing by. Evan accepts it and eats his orange and Kitty shakes her head.
“Are you done packing?” Kitty asks.
“Still have to start packing.” Seth answers.
“Seth! We’re leaving tomorrow night!”
“I need half an hour to pack... It can wait.”
Kitty rolls her eyes, unable to understand how Seth can be so casual.
“Seth, please, make sure everything is ready in time.” She says.
“You sound just like my mom used to, when we used to go away on holidays... Stressed to the max.” Seth grabs an apple, starts to eat it, while continuing to read his book.
“Maybe it’s because I want do double-check that we have everything we need... And don’t compare to your mother.” Seth looks up at her.
“That would be creepy indeed.” He smiles. “Come here.” He reaches out to her and Kitty lets herself sink in his arms.
“Relax a bit, Kitty. I’ll make you a deal, alright? You go take a hot bath and soak a bit and if I see that you’re a good girl, and do as you’re told, I’ll pack everything tonight, so you can double-check everything tomorrow-morning. Twice, if you want.” He smiles and Kitty closes her eyes, enjoying the way he gently rubs her belly.
*****
“Mr Walker, this is very unusual...” Mr Peel, a lawyer in Seattle , looks over his glasses at Tommy.
“I know, but my brother is a lawyer and I trust him with this. Just draw up the papers.”
“Still, you’re giving him quite a lot of leeway here.”
“I know.” Tommy sighs. “But it’s not like I need the money, but I don’t want my ex-wife to have free access to it either, yet,... I still want to make sure my daughter is taken care of.”
“And you trust your brother, this.... Kevin Walker?”
“More than anybody.” Tommy isn’t happy to admit.
“Have you discussed this with him?”
“We’re not on speaking terms at the moment... My fault, not his.”
“But you’re confident that he will execute your wishes?”
“To Kevin, a contract is a contract...” Tommy answers stiffly, and he frowns as he remembers that he once let Kevin sign a contract too, one that says that he will never tell Elizabeth the truth and, somewhere deep inside, Tommy trusts that Kevin never will do it.
“Very well. I’ll draw up the paper-work and...”
“Can I sign it all tomorrow? I want to move on, as fast as I can.”
“Move on?”
“Yes, once this is signed, I plan to cross the border and have a look in Canada.”
“Canada?” Mr Peel isn’t really surprised. “I see.” He looks at the papers before him once more. Tommy notices it.
“Mr Peel? I’d prefer it if you wouldn’t contact my family. I had a huge falling out with them.
I’m not a criminal. My sister sold a media-outlet, that we, as a family, owned and every child got a fair cut. But I don’t need the money. I’ve discovered that it doesn’t bring me what I’m looking for.... I just want to make sure, that my daughter has everything she needs, and that is why I want my brother to have access to it.
And I want my brother to be able to make decisions regarding Elizabeth, while I’m not there. Sort of like a legal guardian. Naturally, my daughter’s mother is still in the picture, and I assume that most of the decision making will be hers, but ... just in case ...”
“The mother will need to sign this as well...”
“She will. She has accepted Kevin as a ...” Tommy hesitates, inside him anger and jealousy fight with acceptance and letting go... “She already puts a lot of faith in my brother and his husband.” He finishes his sentence. The last words make Mr Peel look up at Tommy again... “Is that a problem?” Tommy asks, defensive. “That he’s gay?”
“No. No. Of course not... It is your choice...” Mr Peel quickly mumbles. “I will draw up the paper-work and you can come back here tomorrow and sign it. You can make an appointment with my secretary.”
“Thank you.” Tommy gets up and leaves Mr Peel’s office.
Mr Peel sits back, places the fingertips of his hands together and thinks deeply, before reaching for his phone. For a moment he wonders what he should he do, if he should contact Mr Walker’s brother, but somehow he’s sure that Mr Walker has a good idea of what he’s doing, even if Mr Peel can’t see rhyme or reason to it and Mr Peel lets go of the telephone.
******
“Yes, yes, take it easy. Easy!” Nora yells as she goes down the stairs as quickly as she can. “Just get your finger off my doorbell, you’re making my electricity-bill sky-high....” She opens the door expecting it to be one of her kids or her grandchildren, instead she looks into the face of a man she has missed for a few months now.
“Brody! Oh, my God, Brody! You’re here! You’re here for Christmas!” She flings her arms around him and kisses him profoundly in such a fashion that Brody gets all nervous and shy.
“I might start to think you’re happy to see me.” He laughs, not entirely unhappy.
“I’ve missed you... You! You have a lot of explaining to do!... You’d only be gone for a few days. A week tops. And now it’s been nearly four months. What happened?”
“Long story. Can I come in and freshen up first? I’ve driven for hours.” Brody says.
“Oh, yes, of course. Sorry.” Nora lets him in.
Once inside the house, Brody wraps his arms around her and kisses her.
“Nora, I’m sorry. I had a few things to take care of. You won’t believe what had happened at the home-front and that had to be taken care of first, before anything else.”
“I would have expected you to celebrate Christmas with your children?”
“Cold day in hell, before that will happen.... Nora? Would it bother you if I moved in with you, here in this house?”
“As in making this your home?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I ... I don’t know.... I’d like that, I think, but .... what about your family, your house, your life and all that?”
“Well, that’s just it. I no longer have anything over there. I’ve burned all my bridges.”
“What?”
“Including the bridges to my family. I’m done with the whole lot of them.”
“What? Why? What happened?” Nora can imagine being angry at one of her kids, or all of them, but cutting the ties...?
“I’ve found out...” There’s a look of pain on Brody’s face. “.... that my eldest son, Edward, didn’t like the sudden addition of possible new family-members, he had talked my other children into a plan to have me declared unfit to run the family-company we own, so he could take over....
It led to quite some big fights, a lot of tears and a tons of accusations about what a terrible father I had been... Now, I’m not saying that I was a perfect father, I have screwed up, but not as big as they made it out. Edward, I think, had most problems with the fact that Sarah is older than him and would therefore ‘take his place’.
I tried to explain to him, that Sarah had no intention to do that, but he didn’t believe me. He said he would do anything to protect ‘the family’. He sees himself as the big protector of our family. Because I was never there, he’s always been the eldest man in the house, the one his mother, brothers and sisters turned to....
But... getting stabbed in the back by my own kids, was just an awful thought. So, I sold everything I had, which took up quite some time. Gave the kids each a fair share, allowed them to take what they needed from the house and sold the rest of it. .... I’m officially homeless, but not penniless.” He smiles.
“I’m so sorry to hear about what your kids have done to you.” Nora answers sadly. “I somehow feel responsible.”
“Don’t be silly, you’re not. My son played a game with high stakes, but I won in the end. But I have to say, he does know how to rally the family around him... and away from me.”
Nora wraps her arms around him and gives him a quick kiss.
“Still, I’m sorry, I can’t even begin to imagine what it would like to have your own family turn their back on you..”
“It hurts... it hurts a lot.” Brody says quietly and he lets Nora comfort him.
*****
“I’m sorry, you did what?” Jonathan asks, not sure if he heard Saul correctly.
“I’ve cancelled all the preparations for our commitment ceremony.”
“Without even discussing it with me?”
“I knew you’d talk me out of it.”
“Damn right I would have.” Jonathan replies angrily. “What on earth is wrong with you? .... Cancel everything?”
“It wasn’t right…” Saul tries to explain.
“No, getting married was the right thing to do. It was wrong to cancel it! ... I’m sorry, I’ve put up with quite some of your fear-based nonsense, but this…. For weeks… weeks! … we’ve been looking forward to this and now, a week before the big day, you simply announce that you, unilaterally, decide to cancel everything…. I’m sorry, this is too much!”
Jonathan grabs his coat.
“Where are you going?”
“Away for a while. I need to seriously cool off and re-think a few things…”
“Jonathan….”
“Bye Saul.” Jonathan leaves without even a kiss and Saul desperately follows him.
“Jonathan, we need to talk about this.”
“Should have done that before you cancelled everything.” Jonathan yells.
“Jonathan!!!” Saul yells back, but Jonathan steps in his car and drives away.
*****
“Sarah Walker.” Sarah answers tiredly on the phone.
“Sarah? It’s Luc….”
“Luc! What a surprise…. I haven’t heard from you in a few days.”
“I’m sorry, I had a lot to think about after our last talk.” She says, remembering their fight over the phone, a few days ago.
“I didn’t mean to get so angry at you… It’s been very tough here. With everything that has happened and I…. when you called, it all just unleashed itself.”
“I understand…. But that doesn’t make it right…” Luc says matter-of-factly.
“I agree. I was wrong…” Sarah swallows her pride away. “Are you coming home for Christmas”
“No… I’m staying in France… Sarah, I think I should warn you that … I’m having serious doubts about this marriage… and if we can work it out between us. … This is not just about Joe, but about me… I don’t feel respected by you. It is as if you only see me as a part of your life, when it’s convenient to you. But, you want to live your life and make up the rules as it happens, as if I don’t exist and it hurts…”
“You want a … a divorce?” Sarah asks astounded.
“I don’t know… Being away from you, has made me look at things from another perspective.”
“Luc, I want you to take the first plane back to America and I want you to come back home as soon as possible, so we can talk about this.” Sarah replies in a demanding voice.
“You haven’t listened to word I said, have you…?” Luc sighs and he hangs up.
*****
“Mike, you have to realize that this lawyer is such a shark… I don’t know what possessed Tyler to change lawyers, but I’m telling you, having her lawyer against you is trouble.”
“So, what are you suggesting? That I should simply sign the papers and forget about it all? Her new boyfriend is sitting on mega-bucks!”
“Maybe.” Mike’s lawyer looks at his client with disdain. He doesn’t like Mike much. “But Tyler doesn’t have anything. All the money belongs to Justin Walker. The hotel where Tyler works belongs to Scotty Wandell and Kevin Walker. Tyler is allowed to live there, but she doesn’t own anything…...”
“Give me those papers…” Mike orders and his lawyer hands them over. Mike hesitates for about two seconds, but then signs them and throws them back. “Give those to Tyler. I hope she chokes on them.” Mike gets up and without another glance or a proper goodbye he leaves the office and his lawyer can't say he's unhappy with that.
*****
End of part 1/6
**** COMMERCIAL BREAK****