Post by mutzi on Dec 17, 2011 18:55:33 GMT -5
Just a note: This was supposed to be a one-shot story. But it is running longer and more convoluted than I planned, so the conclusion will be posted Sunday or Monday. I hope it's okay to post it here and that you enjoy it.
Brooke stared into the distance, unconscious of the flickering lights from the Christmas tree and the smoldering fireplace. She took a sip of the hot spiced cider and sighed. Life was so good now - why had it taken her so long to arrive at this place? She should have been here so long ago. She smiled contentedly as she glanced at the photos arranged on the mantel - Rick with Sophia and their children. She was happy that Rick and Sophia had moved back to L.A. from New York so he could help his father with the new business. Eric IV looked so like Rick, relaxed in his college letterman’s jacket. Brooke shuddered at the thought of the injuries he might face in the NFL, but it was his dream. His younger sister Gabriella had Rick’s fair coloring and her mother’s dark hair and eyes. She was a beauty and as a sophomore in high school was focused on a career in foreign relations. At her age, she was already fluent in English and Italian, of course; but also French, German, and Japanese. Gabby had a natural gift for languages and was beginning studies in Russian and Farsi in January.
The next set of pictures were bittersweet - Bridget and she had made a sort of peace with each other. But Brooke knew the distance helped Bridget because she was across the country in Genoa City. She was working in medical research and her daughter Colleen was the image of her father Jack. Brooke had been against the marriage - Jack was too old for Bridget and too much of a player. But it had worked for them. Jack adored Bridget, treated Colleen like a princess, and adopted Logan when Owen died in a skiing accident. Owen had helped Jack take Jabot back and Jack was building it into a phenomenal success. Jack had sent Eric one of the first bottles of Jabot Homme, a cologne tribute to his father. Colleen was a tiny fashionista in the making; although only 4 she had informed her grandparents that she would be head of one of the fashion houses one day.
Brooke looked at her treasure - her Hope in her wedding portrait. After too much heartache, Hope sent Liam and Oliver away. Both had broken her heart and their efforts to put things right were too little and too late. In spite of it, Brooke smiled - another tie to Genoa City. Hope decided to attend Northwestern University in Illinois and was captivated by a student there. When Hope mentioned Noah in her email and phone calls, Brooke had no idea it was Noah Newman until he showed up at their door that first summer. The graduate student in media and culture swept Hope off her feet and she was completely in love with him. The young man who considered himself quite a playboy had fallen in love with Hope without meaning to and never realizing it until it was too late. In the end, Brooke gave her blessing and the two were upstairs, spending Christmas with the family before heading to their new home in San Francisco. Noah had a job with the San Francisco Chronicle as their new features editor and Hope was the new director of the city’s largest homeless shelter and soup kitchen. They assured Brooke that children were for the future.
As she walked to the fireplace to look at the pictures of her two youngest, the front door opened. She turned to greet 18 year old RJ and 14 year old Jack. "How are my two favorite men?" Brooke smiled warmly. They both looked so much like their fathers. RJ had Ridge’s dark coloring and chiseled features, but his eyes were filled with warmth and merriment rather than arrogance. Jack, though, was the image of his father - unruly blonde hair falling over his forehead and sparkling joyful blue eyes.
RJ laughed. "We know who your favorite man is, don’t we, Jack?" He reached out to tousle his younger brother’s hair, but Jack pulled away.
"I’m not a kid anymore, RJ. Stop it!" Jack turned to his mother. "Do you know what he told Lisa?" Lisa was RJ’s current girlfriend. "He said he had to take me to see Santa!"
Brooke tried to control the smile playing on her lips. "RJ, don’t tease your brother. Jack, RJ only does it because it gets a rise out of you. Lisa knows it’s not true, so just ignore him." She studied them ruefully, even her babies were growing up. "I have a burrito casserole in the oven. It should be done in a half hour. Hope and Noah are joining us for dinner and your father should be home, too, Jack. Why don’t you both run up and get ready to eat?" As they headed for the stairs, Brooke called RJ.
"What is it, Mom?" RJ thought he knew she was going to say and he dreaded this conversation.
"Have you worked out when you’re going to see your father and the family over the holidays?"
He grimaced. "Mom, can’t I skip it this year? I’ll invite Dad out to dinner between Christmas and New Year’s. Grandpa, too."
Brooke shook her head. "RJ, you know that your grandmother wants to see you, too. And Taylor, Tom, and Steffie. You can have Christmas Eve dinner with us and Christmas morning here for gifts. You have to spend Christmas Day dinner with them. Please, son?"
"Steffie won’t be there." He looked disgusted. "She and Spencer want to be alone for the day. They’re spending Christmas Eve with the Forresters."
"RJ, please. It’s the holiday season." She saw the anger in her son’s eyes. "We’re all happy now. I know it doesn’t make what they did right, but..."
"Mom! Not right?" RJ thought of the nights when he could hear Hope crying in her room. "I know Hope and Noah love each other and he’s a great guy. But Steffie broke her heart with Liam." He spat out both names. "Then, just when my sister was feeling happy again - Steffie and Spencer dumped Liam and Aunt Katie to be together. How long was Aunt Katie living here - hurting and putting stress on her heart?"
"I know, son. You’re right." Brooke was pensive. It had been the final crack in her marriage to Ridge. Once again, he had defended his daughter for causing misery in her own family. In some ways, that was a positive result of Steffie’s and Bill’s perfidy. Were there any others? Bill had lost forever the son he had only recently found. Donna’s and Justin’s marriage had teetered on the brink for some time when she learned of his involvement in Hope’s heartbreak. He had won her back when he broke completely with Bill over his renewed relationship with Steffie. Maybe that was good. And, then there was Katie. She turned her attention back to her son. "Since Steffie and Bill won’t be there, will your Aunt Katie be there Christmas Day? I haven’t talked to her."
"No." RJ smiled gleefully. "Uncle Thorne told Dad and Grandma that it would be a ‘cold day in Hell’ before he would subject his wife to his monstrous family. He and Aunt Katie are going to spend Christmas in New York with Allie."
"Okay, they don’t need you there." Brooke wheedled. "But Tom does and you and he get along well. And what about Grandpa and Jackie? Being there will be rough on them - can’t you be there for them?"
He nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, okay. Mom? Why do Grandpa and Jackie want to spend Christmas there? Taylor and Grandma are terrible to her. So is Dad." RJ looked ashamed. "He called Jackie an overaged slut last year. And there wasn’t even a place at the table for her. Aunt Felicia and Aunt Kristen took care of it quickly, but.. Aunt Kristen won’t be here this year."
"Your grandfather wants to spend some time with all his children and grandchildren during the holidays and Jackie supports him. They’re both tough, they’ll be fine."
"How tough is Hope, Mom?" RJ was no longer flippant and there was an anxious look in his eyes.
"Just tell me, RJ. I think she can handle anything. But what is it?" Brooke thought - can’t this family ever avoid drama?
"I talked to Allie on the phone last night. She is all excited about Uncle Thorne and Aunt Katie going to see her for Christmas. She bought tickets for the Rockettes show and tickets to ice skate in Central Park and..." He trailed off when he saw the impatient look in his mother’s eyes. "Allie wants to introduce them to her new boyfriend. It’s Oliver, Mom. He moved to New York when everything happened. I guess they met at Columbia - he’s taking a few classes there. He and Allie never met - she was away at school in France. She sounds so happy, Mom, but I don’t want Hope to be hurt by this."
A musical voice sounded behind him and Hope threw her arms around her brother’s waist from behind. "You don’t need to worry about me. Oliver and Liam didn’t mean to, but they did me a favor. I might never have met Noah. I won’t tolerate Oliver hurting Allie and I hope he is honest with her. But he’s a good guy and I bet they look cute together."
After returning Hope’s hug, RJ said: "Well, that’s all my news. I’m going to get ready for dinner. Do you need any help, Mom?"
"I’ll help her, bro. Just do me a favor - when you’re ready to come down, pull my husband away from his computer and the newspaper. Tell him we eat as a family here." RJ nodded in agreement and affectionately kissed the top of Hope’s head before he left the room.
"So, you’re okay with Allie and Oliver, honey?" Brooke sounded anxious.
"Mom, I’m really over it all - the love and the hurt. Oliver is a good guy; he had some honesty issues with me. But he has straightened that out. You thought he was a little old for me, he’s eight years older than Allie and that might bother Uncle Thorne. But I’m fine with them." Suddenly, she grinned wickedly. "As long as he doesn’t decide to go by the nickname ‘Ollie’. I don’t think I could stand referring to my cousin and her boyfriend as ‘Allie and Ollie’."
Brooke laughed, then shuddered. "It does sound like a comedy team or some ‘clever’ new TV show, doesn’t it? Could you set the table and add the dressing to the spinach salad? I know it’s a strange salad to have with the burrito casserole, but Nick does love it."
Hope smiled as she sat plates around the table. "And what Nick loves, he gets; doesn’t he? Even if it takes awhile."
Before Brooke could answer, Nick’s voice sounded from the doorway. "Some things and some people are worth waiting for, Hope. I’m looking at two of them right now. My treasured daughter and my beautiful wife. Are the boys home?"
"They’re upstairs getting ready for dinner. Noah, RJ, and Jack will be down soon." As she spoke, Brooke moved into his arms and the two shared a passionate kiss.
Hope grinned and said: "C’mon, you two are grandparents. Why don’t you act like it?"
Nick kept his arms around Brooke even as they ended their kiss and regarded Hope, smiling. "I’m not a grandpa yet. Now, this old woman here - she’s a grandmother many times over." He took one finger and traced her mouth. "And I never realized how very sexy a grandmother could be."
Hope shook her head. "Just watch it, you two. The last thing I need as a new bride is a newborn sibling."
Brooke drew Nick’s mouth down to hers for one more kiss, then pushed him towards the table. "Help Hope with the table, the salad, and the drinks while I put the finishing touches on the casserole."
She lifted the two casseroles from the oven - one beef and one vegetarian - and artfully arranged the shredded cheese on top. After pouring a pattern of red and green salsas over the cheese, she added huge dollops of sour cream. As she worked, Brooke thought about the last five years. She had missed so many years with Nick and she felt wistful reflecting on the time they had lost. She remembered Donna and Nick feigning love for each other while she was separated from Justin, just to nudge Brooke’s memories of her love for him. It had worked - oh, not immediately. She had struggled to hold onto her marriage to Ridge in spite of his forgiveness of all Steffie’s underhanded actions. She remembered the night she asked him to leave (forever) when he was explaining to her and a sobbing Katie why it was right for Steffie and Bill to destroy two marriages to be together. When Ridge finally understood that she was in earnest, he went upstairs to pack an overnight bag. (He was certain she would be begging him to come back.) Katie urged her to mend things with him and she had sat down with Hope and Katie, apologizing for letting them down, and explained why it was over with Ridge.
She smiled as she thought of the next morning. Since meeting Nick, Brooke had always found such peace at the docks. She headed there to stare out over the water and think. And she waited for the tears to fall - they didn’t. Instead she felt light and free; there was still some melancholy over ending her marriage. But she realized how her fears of upsetting Ridge or his family had weighed her down. She took deep healing breaths now as she had then - breathing in the smell of their home and dinner to fortify her as the sea air had that day. In the final act to free herself, Brooke threw her wedding band into the water.
"What? Another little fight with the dressmaker?" Nick spoke from behind her. The words were smirking, but the tone was gentle and concerned.
Brooke turned to look at him. "Good morning, Nick. You won’t believe me. I can’t blame you. But this is the last one - I asked Ridge to leave my house last night. I won’t let him back."
He saw the peace and tranquility in her eyes and face. "I believe you mean it this time. Come on board the Marlin and tell Uncle Nick all about it." Nick took her hand and led her onto his boat. As it rocked in the waves, he slipped his arm around his waist to steady her. In truth, his arm had been around her ever since that day. The sound of the doorbell brought her back to the present.
"Grandpa! Jackie!" Hope greeted Eric and Jackie with hugs. "You’re staying for dinner, right?"
Eric laughed. "I think so - we weren’t sure if it was red, white, or rose for burrito casserole. So, we bought a bottle of each." They followed Hope to the kitchen.
Brooke smiled warmly at them. Jackie was beautiful, elegant and loving as always and Eric looked ten years younger with this marriage. "Everything’s ready. Please sit down, Nick can uncork the wine. Hope, tell your husband and your brothers dinner is on the table."
Before Hope could move to the staircase, the three young men were at the table and everyone sat down to eat. As the plates were filled, Eric said: "So, what are the plans for Christmas?"
Brooke stared into the distance, unconscious of the flickering lights from the Christmas tree and the smoldering fireplace. She took a sip of the hot spiced cider and sighed. Life was so good now - why had it taken her so long to arrive at this place? She should have been here so long ago. She smiled contentedly as she glanced at the photos arranged on the mantel - Rick with Sophia and their children. She was happy that Rick and Sophia had moved back to L.A. from New York so he could help his father with the new business. Eric IV looked so like Rick, relaxed in his college letterman’s jacket. Brooke shuddered at the thought of the injuries he might face in the NFL, but it was his dream. His younger sister Gabriella had Rick’s fair coloring and her mother’s dark hair and eyes. She was a beauty and as a sophomore in high school was focused on a career in foreign relations. At her age, she was already fluent in English and Italian, of course; but also French, German, and Japanese. Gabby had a natural gift for languages and was beginning studies in Russian and Farsi in January.
The next set of pictures were bittersweet - Bridget and she had made a sort of peace with each other. But Brooke knew the distance helped Bridget because she was across the country in Genoa City. She was working in medical research and her daughter Colleen was the image of her father Jack. Brooke had been against the marriage - Jack was too old for Bridget and too much of a player. But it had worked for them. Jack adored Bridget, treated Colleen like a princess, and adopted Logan when Owen died in a skiing accident. Owen had helped Jack take Jabot back and Jack was building it into a phenomenal success. Jack had sent Eric one of the first bottles of Jabot Homme, a cologne tribute to his father. Colleen was a tiny fashionista in the making; although only 4 she had informed her grandparents that she would be head of one of the fashion houses one day.
Brooke looked at her treasure - her Hope in her wedding portrait. After too much heartache, Hope sent Liam and Oliver away. Both had broken her heart and their efforts to put things right were too little and too late. In spite of it, Brooke smiled - another tie to Genoa City. Hope decided to attend Northwestern University in Illinois and was captivated by a student there. When Hope mentioned Noah in her email and phone calls, Brooke had no idea it was Noah Newman until he showed up at their door that first summer. The graduate student in media and culture swept Hope off her feet and she was completely in love with him. The young man who considered himself quite a playboy had fallen in love with Hope without meaning to and never realizing it until it was too late. In the end, Brooke gave her blessing and the two were upstairs, spending Christmas with the family before heading to their new home in San Francisco. Noah had a job with the San Francisco Chronicle as their new features editor and Hope was the new director of the city’s largest homeless shelter and soup kitchen. They assured Brooke that children were for the future.
As she walked to the fireplace to look at the pictures of her two youngest, the front door opened. She turned to greet 18 year old RJ and 14 year old Jack. "How are my two favorite men?" Brooke smiled warmly. They both looked so much like their fathers. RJ had Ridge’s dark coloring and chiseled features, but his eyes were filled with warmth and merriment rather than arrogance. Jack, though, was the image of his father - unruly blonde hair falling over his forehead and sparkling joyful blue eyes.
RJ laughed. "We know who your favorite man is, don’t we, Jack?" He reached out to tousle his younger brother’s hair, but Jack pulled away.
"I’m not a kid anymore, RJ. Stop it!" Jack turned to his mother. "Do you know what he told Lisa?" Lisa was RJ’s current girlfriend. "He said he had to take me to see Santa!"
Brooke tried to control the smile playing on her lips. "RJ, don’t tease your brother. Jack, RJ only does it because it gets a rise out of you. Lisa knows it’s not true, so just ignore him." She studied them ruefully, even her babies were growing up. "I have a burrito casserole in the oven. It should be done in a half hour. Hope and Noah are joining us for dinner and your father should be home, too, Jack. Why don’t you both run up and get ready to eat?" As they headed for the stairs, Brooke called RJ.
"What is it, Mom?" RJ thought he knew she was going to say and he dreaded this conversation.
"Have you worked out when you’re going to see your father and the family over the holidays?"
He grimaced. "Mom, can’t I skip it this year? I’ll invite Dad out to dinner between Christmas and New Year’s. Grandpa, too."
Brooke shook her head. "RJ, you know that your grandmother wants to see you, too. And Taylor, Tom, and Steffie. You can have Christmas Eve dinner with us and Christmas morning here for gifts. You have to spend Christmas Day dinner with them. Please, son?"
"Steffie won’t be there." He looked disgusted. "She and Spencer want to be alone for the day. They’re spending Christmas Eve with the Forresters."
"RJ, please. It’s the holiday season." She saw the anger in her son’s eyes. "We’re all happy now. I know it doesn’t make what they did right, but..."
"Mom! Not right?" RJ thought of the nights when he could hear Hope crying in her room. "I know Hope and Noah love each other and he’s a great guy. But Steffie broke her heart with Liam." He spat out both names. "Then, just when my sister was feeling happy again - Steffie and Spencer dumped Liam and Aunt Katie to be together. How long was Aunt Katie living here - hurting and putting stress on her heart?"
"I know, son. You’re right." Brooke was pensive. It had been the final crack in her marriage to Ridge. Once again, he had defended his daughter for causing misery in her own family. In some ways, that was a positive result of Steffie’s and Bill’s perfidy. Were there any others? Bill had lost forever the son he had only recently found. Donna’s and Justin’s marriage had teetered on the brink for some time when she learned of his involvement in Hope’s heartbreak. He had won her back when he broke completely with Bill over his renewed relationship with Steffie. Maybe that was good. And, then there was Katie. She turned her attention back to her son. "Since Steffie and Bill won’t be there, will your Aunt Katie be there Christmas Day? I haven’t talked to her."
"No." RJ smiled gleefully. "Uncle Thorne told Dad and Grandma that it would be a ‘cold day in Hell’ before he would subject his wife to his monstrous family. He and Aunt Katie are going to spend Christmas in New York with Allie."
"Okay, they don’t need you there." Brooke wheedled. "But Tom does and you and he get along well. And what about Grandpa and Jackie? Being there will be rough on them - can’t you be there for them?"
He nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, okay. Mom? Why do Grandpa and Jackie want to spend Christmas there? Taylor and Grandma are terrible to her. So is Dad." RJ looked ashamed. "He called Jackie an overaged slut last year. And there wasn’t even a place at the table for her. Aunt Felicia and Aunt Kristen took care of it quickly, but.. Aunt Kristen won’t be here this year."
"Your grandfather wants to spend some time with all his children and grandchildren during the holidays and Jackie supports him. They’re both tough, they’ll be fine."
"How tough is Hope, Mom?" RJ was no longer flippant and there was an anxious look in his eyes.
"Just tell me, RJ. I think she can handle anything. But what is it?" Brooke thought - can’t this family ever avoid drama?
"I talked to Allie on the phone last night. She is all excited about Uncle Thorne and Aunt Katie going to see her for Christmas. She bought tickets for the Rockettes show and tickets to ice skate in Central Park and..." He trailed off when he saw the impatient look in his mother’s eyes. "Allie wants to introduce them to her new boyfriend. It’s Oliver, Mom. He moved to New York when everything happened. I guess they met at Columbia - he’s taking a few classes there. He and Allie never met - she was away at school in France. She sounds so happy, Mom, but I don’t want Hope to be hurt by this."
A musical voice sounded behind him and Hope threw her arms around her brother’s waist from behind. "You don’t need to worry about me. Oliver and Liam didn’t mean to, but they did me a favor. I might never have met Noah. I won’t tolerate Oliver hurting Allie and I hope he is honest with her. But he’s a good guy and I bet they look cute together."
After returning Hope’s hug, RJ said: "Well, that’s all my news. I’m going to get ready for dinner. Do you need any help, Mom?"
"I’ll help her, bro. Just do me a favor - when you’re ready to come down, pull my husband away from his computer and the newspaper. Tell him we eat as a family here." RJ nodded in agreement and affectionately kissed the top of Hope’s head before he left the room.
"So, you’re okay with Allie and Oliver, honey?" Brooke sounded anxious.
"Mom, I’m really over it all - the love and the hurt. Oliver is a good guy; he had some honesty issues with me. But he has straightened that out. You thought he was a little old for me, he’s eight years older than Allie and that might bother Uncle Thorne. But I’m fine with them." Suddenly, she grinned wickedly. "As long as he doesn’t decide to go by the nickname ‘Ollie’. I don’t think I could stand referring to my cousin and her boyfriend as ‘Allie and Ollie’."
Brooke laughed, then shuddered. "It does sound like a comedy team or some ‘clever’ new TV show, doesn’t it? Could you set the table and add the dressing to the spinach salad? I know it’s a strange salad to have with the burrito casserole, but Nick does love it."
Hope smiled as she sat plates around the table. "And what Nick loves, he gets; doesn’t he? Even if it takes awhile."
Before Brooke could answer, Nick’s voice sounded from the doorway. "Some things and some people are worth waiting for, Hope. I’m looking at two of them right now. My treasured daughter and my beautiful wife. Are the boys home?"
"They’re upstairs getting ready for dinner. Noah, RJ, and Jack will be down soon." As she spoke, Brooke moved into his arms and the two shared a passionate kiss.
Hope grinned and said: "C’mon, you two are grandparents. Why don’t you act like it?"
Nick kept his arms around Brooke even as they ended their kiss and regarded Hope, smiling. "I’m not a grandpa yet. Now, this old woman here - she’s a grandmother many times over." He took one finger and traced her mouth. "And I never realized how very sexy a grandmother could be."
Hope shook her head. "Just watch it, you two. The last thing I need as a new bride is a newborn sibling."
Brooke drew Nick’s mouth down to hers for one more kiss, then pushed him towards the table. "Help Hope with the table, the salad, and the drinks while I put the finishing touches on the casserole."
She lifted the two casseroles from the oven - one beef and one vegetarian - and artfully arranged the shredded cheese on top. After pouring a pattern of red and green salsas over the cheese, she added huge dollops of sour cream. As she worked, Brooke thought about the last five years. She had missed so many years with Nick and she felt wistful reflecting on the time they had lost. She remembered Donna and Nick feigning love for each other while she was separated from Justin, just to nudge Brooke’s memories of her love for him. It had worked - oh, not immediately. She had struggled to hold onto her marriage to Ridge in spite of his forgiveness of all Steffie’s underhanded actions. She remembered the night she asked him to leave (forever) when he was explaining to her and a sobbing Katie why it was right for Steffie and Bill to destroy two marriages to be together. When Ridge finally understood that she was in earnest, he went upstairs to pack an overnight bag. (He was certain she would be begging him to come back.) Katie urged her to mend things with him and she had sat down with Hope and Katie, apologizing for letting them down, and explained why it was over with Ridge.
She smiled as she thought of the next morning. Since meeting Nick, Brooke had always found such peace at the docks. She headed there to stare out over the water and think. And she waited for the tears to fall - they didn’t. Instead she felt light and free; there was still some melancholy over ending her marriage. But she realized how her fears of upsetting Ridge or his family had weighed her down. She took deep healing breaths now as she had then - breathing in the smell of their home and dinner to fortify her as the sea air had that day. In the final act to free herself, Brooke threw her wedding band into the water.
"What? Another little fight with the dressmaker?" Nick spoke from behind her. The words were smirking, but the tone was gentle and concerned.
Brooke turned to look at him. "Good morning, Nick. You won’t believe me. I can’t blame you. But this is the last one - I asked Ridge to leave my house last night. I won’t let him back."
He saw the peace and tranquility in her eyes and face. "I believe you mean it this time. Come on board the Marlin and tell Uncle Nick all about it." Nick took her hand and led her onto his boat. As it rocked in the waves, he slipped his arm around his waist to steady her. In truth, his arm had been around her ever since that day. The sound of the doorbell brought her back to the present.
"Grandpa! Jackie!" Hope greeted Eric and Jackie with hugs. "You’re staying for dinner, right?"
Eric laughed. "I think so - we weren’t sure if it was red, white, or rose for burrito casserole. So, we bought a bottle of each." They followed Hope to the kitchen.
Brooke smiled warmly at them. Jackie was beautiful, elegant and loving as always and Eric looked ten years younger with this marriage. "Everything’s ready. Please sit down, Nick can uncork the wine. Hope, tell your husband and your brothers dinner is on the table."
Before Hope could move to the staircase, the three young men were at the table and everyone sat down to eat. As the plates were filled, Eric said: "So, what are the plans for Christmas?"
