Post by rsafan on Nov 30, 2006 3:22:00 GMT -5
“Okay, you have to promise not to laugh.” she called from the bathroom.
“Why would I laugh?” Max asked form their room, he was sitting on the bed, patiently waiting for her to exit the bathroom.
“Just promise okay? Otherwise I’m not coming out.”
“Okay, okay I promise not to laugh. Would you come out already?”
She stepped out and his jaw dropped, “Well?” she eyed him nervously, “Say something.” She demanded. And still he stared, she turned to go back to the bathroom, “I knew it. I look ridiculous don’t I? I never should have let Mimi talk me into wearing this thing. I’ll change into…”
“Don’t you dare!” he shouted, finally finding his voice, “You look gorgeous, you look breathtakingly amazing. You should wear dresses more often, especially if they make you look like that.”
“Really? You’re not just saying that to make me feel better?”
He shook his head, “I meant what I said; you look ravishing. In fact…”
“Don’t even think about it. My hair’s decided to behave itself tonight and once I get out of this dress, I’m never putting it back on again so if you’re having any inappropriate ideas just forget about them.”
“Well then, let’s go.” He said, grabbing her wrap off the bed.
“Why the sudden rush?”
“I can’t wait for everyone to see you; I’m going to be the envy of every man there. And what’s more, the sooner we arrive there, the sooner we can leave. And the sooner we can get you out of that dress.”
“No, we still have to stop by the hospital but maybe we can leave early, like Shawn and Mimi are doing. That way we can be home while its still Christmas and we can pick up where we left off this morning before Philip called.”
“You promise?” he asked her in the way she usually asked him.
She didn’t say anything, simply nodded and gave him a smile that left no doubt about what she had planned for the night. Suddenly Max couldn’t wait for the ball to be over.
“Mr. Kiriakis would like to see you.”
“Now?” she asked him.
The butler nodded, “Yes, in his private study.” Excusing herself, Victoria followed him to Victor’s study. She opened the door after knocking and found Victor sitting in a chair by the fireplace.
He got up when she entered and walked over to his desk. “Victoria, you look beautiful this evening.”
“Thank you. Henderson said you wanted to see me?”
Nodding, he ordered her to sit down as he did the same. Opening a drawer, he took out some papers. “I had these papers drawn up a while ago; I thought it would be an appropriate Christmas gift.” he explained.
He handed her the papers and she studied them, they stating that not only was she the beneficiary of a trust he’d set up, but that she was also to be included as an heir in his will. The details of her inheritance weren’t given, but it did state that she was entitled to an equal share to his estate as her siblings Shawn and Chelsea. She sat there gob smacked, she hadn’t been expecting anything like this, she didn’t want any of this and told him so.
“I appreciate the gesture Mr. Kiriakis.”
“Please no formalities. Victor is just fine.”
She shook her head, “I’m afraid I cannot accept this. It’s a thoughtful gesture and I’m touched at your acceptance of me, but I don’t want your money.”
“This isn’t a matter of whether or not you want my money. It’s a matter of me looking after my family. You’re my family and as such I have taken the liberty to ensure you’ll always have financial freedom, if nothing else.”
“Like I said Mr. Kir-…Victor, I really appreciate the gesture, but you don’t even know me. We’ve only ever met at the office and I’d hardly consider it appropriate for you to be handing me these documents. I haven’t earned it and I don’t need it. My parents have seen to it that I’d be financially secure.”
“I admire you my dear, both personally as well as in the business world. You’re sharp and intelligent and have the potential to go very far. Your parents have raised a truly gracious and unspoiled young woman and I’m sure they are extremely proud of you but those documents have nothing to do with what you’ve earned or worked for. They’re yours simply because you were born into the Kiriakis family, even if you don’t carry my name.”
“Victor, I admire you too and I endeavour to be as big in business as you currently are. But I intend to work for everything I have and I don’t want handouts.”
“This is not a handout, it is your right. It is not a matter of whether you choose to accept it but rather what you choose to do with the money and share options once they are yours. I’m not asking if you want it my dear, I’m giving it to you. And I will not be swayed, if you hope to be as successful as I am one day, you’ll have to know when to admit defeat.”
“In that case, thank you so much, both for welcoming to the family as well as for the sizable donation you’ll be making to the Horton foundation in the future.”
“Touché, it seems my instincts about you are correct. One day you’ll make an excellent businesswoman, a force to be reckoned with.”
She smiled, “Without wanting to seem rude, was that all? I’d really like to get back to the party.”
“You mean you’d really like to get back to Maxwell Brady.” He smiled when Victoria blushed, “You’re free to go Victoria, if I need to speak to you about anything else; I’ll do it at the party.”
Victoria got up, nodded at Victor and left the room. Once she’d left, he took the folder on her out of his desk. He’d gone through every single page and had decided for himself that Niko was right. Victoria Campbell posed no threat to him or his family. Placing the folder on his desk, he was about to dump the contents of the folder in the fireplace when Henderson stuck his head around the door, “Mr Kiriakis sir, more guests have arrived, I thought you should know.”
“Thank you Henderson, I’ll be right out.” Deciding that he could deal with Victoria’s file later, Victor followed Henderson to the front door.
She had every intention of doing just that until she saw the folder with her name on it, curios as to what was in it; she picked it up and glanced at the pages in the thick file. Her entire life was documented there, from her adoption, to where she’d lived, where she’d attended school, her grades, any friends she’d had. As she got older, the report became more detailed, boyfriends, classes. Where she had lunch, who she had lunch with, her relationship with Rex and any other person she’d come into contact with. The report ended with the results of three independent DNA tests and a summary concluding that there was no evidence to indicate that she was in any way involved with the Dimera family. ‘She appears to be the genuine article. Though all possible avenues were investigated, no evidence has been found to link her or her adoptive parents to the Dimera family subsequent to her adoption. Miss Victoria Blanche Campbell has no involvement directly with any known Dimera nor is she involved in any plot with them in an attempt to destroy the Brady, Horton or Kiriakis families.’
For a while she couldn’t understand what the document meant, why Victor would have it. Then it hit her, blinking back the tears and swallowing the hurt; she stormed out of the study with the folder in hand.
“You had me investigated?” She shouted the minute she spotted him, she didn’t seem to notice that there were other people on the terrace; her focus was on Victor alone.
Victor turned to her, noticed the folder in her hand and knew it was pointless lying, not only would she see through it, but it would hurt her even more. “I had to make sure…”
“Make sure that what? I didn’t ruin your family; that I wasn’t planning to hurt them?”
“Victoria you have to understand I was trying to protect my family.”
“Oh I understand alright, I understand that I didn’t seek out your family, I didn’t come to Salem to find my family I came to accept a job offered by your company. I understand that I didn’t even know about the Bradys or the Hortons or even the Kiriakis families until I came here and your grandson introduced them to me. What I don’t understand is why you would do this, I’ve never met a Dimera in my life the first I even heard of them was through your family.”
Hope, having noticed the commotion out on the patio, as had most everyone else by then, walked over to her daughter and placed a calming hand on her shoulder. She didn’t know what was going on, but she didn’t want Victoria upset, “Victoria if you’d just calm down.”
Victoria shrugged Hope’s hand off and turned to her, “Calm down? You want me to calm down; my entire life is documented in this file. Every step I took since my adoption; all my achievements, all my failures. Every hurt and every disappointment is highlighted as a motive for me wanting revenge on your family and you want me to calm down?” then turning to Victor, she asked him, “Do you have any idea how violated I feel? You picked my life apart in an attempt to find evidence of my involvement with people who stole me away from my family. You let me believe that I could trust you, that I was welcome in your home, that you accepted me and all the while you were doing this?”
“I’m sorry that you were hurt Victoria, that was never my intention.”
“Like hell it wasn’t. Do you really expect me to believe that you give a d**n about how I feel?”
“You were never supposed to find that file.”
“Then you shouldn’t have left it out for anyone to see.” Caroline pointed out; she could see the pain in her granddaughter’s eyes. Knew that this could mean the end of any relationships any of them had been building with this young woman.
“I’m glad I found it. It put a lot of things into perspective.”
By now, most of the Brady family was out on the patio.
Kate piped up, “Victor didn’t really mean any harm. What he did was wrong but he was looking out for the well-being of his family, I’d have done the same.”
Hope turned to her, not surprised that the comment had come from Kate, who wasn’t even part of the family, “So what the end justifies the means? You’re saying that because his intentions were good he’s actions are excusable?”
Chelsea forced her way to Victor’s side, smiling at Victoria, “At least now we know.”
“How could you say something like that?” Hope looked at her outraged, then shook her head, “I take that back, only YOU could say something like that?”
“Oh come on.” Chelsea looked around at everyone; she was enjoying this, watching Victoria suffer, “As if you weren’t all thinking the same thing. Victoria shows up here out of the blue and is welcomed into the family fold? What a better way to get to us, from the inside. You’re saying none of you had the exact same thoughts? Thanks to Victor, at least now we know for sure that she’s legit.” No one bothered to point out that she had been in a similar position the year before.
Victoria was listening too, but didn’t believe what she was hearing. Her ears started buzzing and she was feeling light headed, Victor reached out to steady her, “Victoria…”
But she pulled away, “NO! You were trying to protect your family, I understand that. I’m all for protecting your family; contrary to what many of you believe; I do have a family. One that loves me and I couldn’t spend Christmas with them this year, I had to settle for a phone call home. Shawn convinced me that I should come here tonight; he said that if I couldn’t be with the family I grew up with I should at least be with a family that loved me, guess he was wrong about that; so I’ll just remove myself so you can carry on celebrating with your family.” She threw the file and the papers he’d handed her earlier at him, “You can keep these, I want no part of you or your family.” And turning, she walked away with as much dignity as she could muster, she hadn’t been schooled in England for nothing. She bumped into Max on her way back into the house, not even realising it was him, “Excuse me.”
Max turned and watched a wrecked Victoria walk away; turning to the people outside he asked, “What the hell just happened here?”
“Little Miss Victoria got her feelings hurt, if you run fast enough you might be able to catch her and make everything all better.”
Sami would’ve gone on, only Roman cut her off, “Sami that’s enough.”
“But dad-” Sami was cut off by Lucas’ hand over her mouth, grabbing her arm he dragged her back into the house. He figured now would be a good time to leave, before Sami said anything else, beside him, she fumed silently. She for one had been in agreement with Chelsea but would she have wanted such a public display or for her cousin to get her feelings hurt? No. She was however glad they knew she wasn’t a threat to anyone, except maybe Victor. The look she’d bestowed upon him had been a promise of payback. Sami made a mental note to never get on Victoria’s bad side.
Hope filled Max in on what had happened before turning from the patio and going in search of her daughter.
“I can’t believe you people, she didn’t come to you. She didn’t even want to come here tonight. She wanted to be with her family in England but her mom said she should spend it in Salem, get to know you all better. I guess she did that huh.” He turned to Victor, “And you, I hope you realise just what you’ve done. Whether it was intentional or not, you’ve just ensured that you will never have a relationship with your granddaughter. I really hope it was worth it.” He turned and left them, he had to find Victoria.
“Mom over here, is Tory still on her way up?”
Hope walked over to Shawn and Mimi and shook her head, removing her coat, “I’m afraid she’s not coming, there was a little incident at the party tonight.”
“A scene? What kind of a scene?”
Before Hope could explain, Alice and Jennifer came over to them, “I thought that since she’s the newest addition to our family,” Alice smiled at Mimi who was holding a sleeping Zach, “well the newest addition that can read. Your daughter might want to read the Christmas story this year. She is after all a miracle in and of herself.”
Hope hated to be the bearer of bad news but she was the only one who knew what had happened. “Oh Gran, I don’t think she’s going to be doing that. She was terribly upset this evening, she won’t be coming tonight.”
Alice looked crestfallen, “Well then, Mimi will just have to do it on behalf of her son, Shawn Douglas has done it often enough.”
“I’d be honoured.”
“But it’s not time yet, so enjoy the cookies and eggnog.” Alice ordered them.
He walked up the stairs to their bedroom, “Tory are you okay?” she was pulling a sweatshirt over her head, his voice made her start.
“God Max do you have to scare me like that?” He studied her face; he could see she’d been crying. Though she’d obviously washed her face, her eyes were still red rimmed and puffy and she had a look about her, like her puppy had just died.
“Are you okay? I was worried about you, you didn’t tell anyone you were leaving. How did you get home?”
“I called a cab. Do you want to change first?”
“Change for what?”
“We promised we’d attend the hospital’s Christmas party tonight; I’m going even if you aren’t.”
She obviously wasn’t as broken up as he thought she would be, or she was hiding it extremely well, “Give me five minutes to change.”
They arrived five minutes before the Christmas story was due to be read. When they walked through the doors, Hope almost dropped her eggnog, Jennifer also stopped what she was doing, Hope had told her what had happened at the Kiriakis party, she doubted she’d have had the strength to come to the hospital had it been her. But then again, she was Hope’s daughter, when Victoria’s glance steeled on her, Jennifer smiled at her, the girl smiled back; a genuine smile that reached her eyes. Definitely Hope’s daughter.
Abby, who had been out on the balcony with Shawn, came inside, spotted Victoria and marched over to her, “You’re late, the party’s almost over.”
Victoria laughed, “I know I’m sorry, Max took forever to change and I couldn’t come in the gown I was wearing, it was way too thin and rather inappropriate.”
“Well, you’re here which says a lot.” Victoria glanced over Abby’s shoulder at Alice.
“I made a promise, I don’t break my promises.”
Alice nodded, “Good girl, that’s what I want to hear.”
Mimi, having returned from feeding Zach, shoved a book at her, “Here, you’re just in time. The kids are waiting for their story.”
She blinked back tears and sat down, “Hey, I’m Victoria.”
“Hi Victoria.”
She glanced at everyone she knew, her family. Max, Bo and Hope, Shawn and Mimi, Jack and Jennifer, Abby holding a sleeping Zach, Lucas and Will, Alice, Maggie and Mickey and smiled to herself. It hadn’t been such a bad Christmas after all, she was glad she’d come. Making herself comfortable, she began the Christmas story, the story of miracles, she was stunned to find she still believed in miracles.
As she walked away, Shawn pulled her back and kissed her senseless, “Don’t be long.” He said as he walked to their room.
After ensuring that he was settled for the night and turning the baby monitor on, she made her way to their bedroom. Shawn was sitting on the bed tiredly unbuttoning his shirt. She walked over to him and put her hands over his, stopping him. “Let me.” She said as she slowly started to unbutton the rest of his shirt. “You know, I was at the doctor’s the other day and she gave me some great news.”
“Really?” he asked, bringing her closer so he could kiss her.
“Yeah, she said that my latest test results showed no reason why I couldn’t have more children.”
“That’s great.” He replied only half listening as her removed his shirt; he was kissing his way down her neck.
She nodded and lifted her dress so she could straddle him, pushing him back onto the bed, “She also gave us the all clear.”
Shawn swallowed as Mimi made her way down his neck with soft little kisses, “The all clear for what exactly?”
He didn’t need an answer because when she reached for his belt buckle, he got the meaning loud and clear. “I really don’t think…”
“Good, I don’t want you to think, I just want you to lie back and enjoy.” He opened his mouth to voice another protest, but hers was already on his and soon they were both lost in the kiss and in each other. His pants came off, as did her dress and things were going rather well till Mimi wound up on the floor.
“Look I said ‘no’ okay?” he said as he sat up.
“Jeez Shawn,” Mimi complained from her position on the floor, “a simple ‘no thanks Mimi’ would’ve sufficed, you didn’t need to toss me across the room, to get the message across.” a slight exaggeration as she had simply fallen off the bed when he’d bolted upright.
Shawn opened his eyes then for the first time. Sitting up, he glanced at her, “Mimi, I’m sorry…I didn’t…”
“No problem, no need to explain anything, you just weren’t in the mood. I’ll just go and take a shower.”
Once she’d left, Shawn let out a ragged breath. d**n. d**n Belle and her stupid rooftop kiss and d**n his sister and her doomsday predictions. How was he supposed to tell Mimi that it hadn’t been her he’d rejected, but Belle? That he’d for a split second gone back to that night on the rooftop and that he’d been pushing Belle away not her. Maybe Victoria was right, maybe he should have told her at the very beginning, it was certainly too late now; after their talks of honesty and trust he couldn’t tell Mimi. It’d only hurt her but if this continued, and he couldn’t be sure that it wouldn’t. If it continued, it’d hurt her that much more. He heard Zach fussing and pulled his pants on to go and check on his son. He was lying in his crib looking up at the mobile that hung over it; it was a nightly ritual for him, waking up for about twenty minutes. It had started last week and Shawn counted himself lucky that he had checked in on him. It was usually Mimi who got the pleasure of sitting with him till he dozed off again. He carried Zach to the lounge and sat with him on the sofa, turning the television on.
In the bathroom Mimi turned on the taps and stepped into the shower. Well, that had gone over well. She’d wanted tonight to be fantastic, a perfect ending to a fabulous day, but once again nothing went according to plan. So much for celebrating, at least she knew now why the past six weeks had been so great, no intimacy. They’d been so focused on Zach and Claire and Victoria and every other family member who happened to ‘just pop in’ that they’d had no time for each other and she wasn’t just talking about sex. Although he obviously didn’t want that either, this was all so unfair. He’d been the one to ask for them to try but she’d been the only one making a concerted effort. She was glad the shower drowned out her cries, she didn’t want him knowing how much he’d hurt her tonight.
Shawn turned his attention from the television screen to Mimi when she stepped out of the bathroom. Mimi came to a stop when she saw Shawn sitting with Zach on the sofa. She smiled at the picture they presented, “You shouldn’t get him hooked at such an early age.”
“He’s not watching, Mimi we have to…”
“There’s a bottle in the fridge if he’s hungry, since you’re up with him anyway. All you have to do is…”
“I know what to do with the bottle if he’s hungry.” She walked to their room and he didn’t want her thinking… “Mimi, if you’d let me…” he tried one last time.
“Look Shawn, I’m really tired. I’m going to bed.” She walked into their room, leaving Shawn with a very worried expression on his face. In the months after they’d found out about Claire, it had been Mimi who had wanted to talk things out and he who had simply turned away; he wondered if this sudden role reversal had her curiosity peeked. If she wondered what he had to feel guilty about, what worried him the most now, was the way he’d felt during those months. Sometimes all he’d wanted to do was walk out and never return, not even try to sort out the mess their lives had become, and that scared the hell out of him because recently, he’d been getting the same feeling. He sat there wondering if he truly had forgiven Mimi for her betrayal or if he simply covered the hurt up because he didn’t want to lose her.
He climbed into bed some three hours later. Mimi wasn’t sleeping, but she didn’t turn around and gave no indication that she’d been lying there awake. When his arm came over her, in a familiar gesture, to pull her closer, she simply pushed it away. So much for a ‘merry’ Christmas.
“Why would I laugh?” Max asked form their room, he was sitting on the bed, patiently waiting for her to exit the bathroom.
“Just promise okay? Otherwise I’m not coming out.”
“Okay, okay I promise not to laugh. Would you come out already?”
She stepped out and his jaw dropped, “Well?” she eyed him nervously, “Say something.” She demanded. And still he stared, she turned to go back to the bathroom, “I knew it. I look ridiculous don’t I? I never should have let Mimi talk me into wearing this thing. I’ll change into…”
“Don’t you dare!” he shouted, finally finding his voice, “You look gorgeous, you look breathtakingly amazing. You should wear dresses more often, especially if they make you look like that.”
“Really? You’re not just saying that to make me feel better?”
He shook his head, “I meant what I said; you look ravishing. In fact…”
“Don’t even think about it. My hair’s decided to behave itself tonight and once I get out of this dress, I’m never putting it back on again so if you’re having any inappropriate ideas just forget about them.”
“Well then, let’s go.” He said, grabbing her wrap off the bed.
“Why the sudden rush?”
“I can’t wait for everyone to see you; I’m going to be the envy of every man there. And what’s more, the sooner we arrive there, the sooner we can leave. And the sooner we can get you out of that dress.”
“No, we still have to stop by the hospital but maybe we can leave early, like Shawn and Mimi are doing. That way we can be home while its still Christmas and we can pick up where we left off this morning before Philip called.”
“You promise?” he asked her in the way she usually asked him.
She didn’t say anything, simply nodded and gave him a smile that left no doubt about what she had planned for the night. Suddenly Max couldn’t wait for the ball to be over.
*****
Three hours later, they were enjoying themselves at Victor’s ball. She’d danced with at least half the males at the party, most of them family. She was standing out on the terrace having a chat with Sami and Carrie, laughing about the fun they’d had that afternoon, when Henderson approached her.“Mr. Kiriakis would like to see you.”
“Now?” she asked him.
The butler nodded, “Yes, in his private study.” Excusing herself, Victoria followed him to Victor’s study. She opened the door after knocking and found Victor sitting in a chair by the fireplace.
He got up when she entered and walked over to his desk. “Victoria, you look beautiful this evening.”
“Thank you. Henderson said you wanted to see me?”
Nodding, he ordered her to sit down as he did the same. Opening a drawer, he took out some papers. “I had these papers drawn up a while ago; I thought it would be an appropriate Christmas gift.” he explained.
He handed her the papers and she studied them, they stating that not only was she the beneficiary of a trust he’d set up, but that she was also to be included as an heir in his will. The details of her inheritance weren’t given, but it did state that she was entitled to an equal share to his estate as her siblings Shawn and Chelsea. She sat there gob smacked, she hadn’t been expecting anything like this, she didn’t want any of this and told him so.
“I appreciate the gesture Mr. Kiriakis.”
“Please no formalities. Victor is just fine.”
She shook her head, “I’m afraid I cannot accept this. It’s a thoughtful gesture and I’m touched at your acceptance of me, but I don’t want your money.”
“This isn’t a matter of whether or not you want my money. It’s a matter of me looking after my family. You’re my family and as such I have taken the liberty to ensure you’ll always have financial freedom, if nothing else.”
“Like I said Mr. Kir-…Victor, I really appreciate the gesture, but you don’t even know me. We’ve only ever met at the office and I’d hardly consider it appropriate for you to be handing me these documents. I haven’t earned it and I don’t need it. My parents have seen to it that I’d be financially secure.”
“I admire you my dear, both personally as well as in the business world. You’re sharp and intelligent and have the potential to go very far. Your parents have raised a truly gracious and unspoiled young woman and I’m sure they are extremely proud of you but those documents have nothing to do with what you’ve earned or worked for. They’re yours simply because you were born into the Kiriakis family, even if you don’t carry my name.”
“Victor, I admire you too and I endeavour to be as big in business as you currently are. But I intend to work for everything I have and I don’t want handouts.”
“This is not a handout, it is your right. It is not a matter of whether you choose to accept it but rather what you choose to do with the money and share options once they are yours. I’m not asking if you want it my dear, I’m giving it to you. And I will not be swayed, if you hope to be as successful as I am one day, you’ll have to know when to admit defeat.”
“In that case, thank you so much, both for welcoming to the family as well as for the sizable donation you’ll be making to the Horton foundation in the future.”
“Touché, it seems my instincts about you are correct. One day you’ll make an excellent businesswoman, a force to be reckoned with.”
She smiled, “Without wanting to seem rude, was that all? I’d really like to get back to the party.”
“You mean you’d really like to get back to Maxwell Brady.” He smiled when Victoria blushed, “You’re free to go Victoria, if I need to speak to you about anything else; I’ll do it at the party.”
Victoria got up, nodded at Victor and left the room. Once she’d left, he took the folder on her out of his desk. He’d gone through every single page and had decided for himself that Niko was right. Victoria Campbell posed no threat to him or his family. Placing the folder on his desk, he was about to dump the contents of the folder in the fireplace when Henderson stuck his head around the door, “Mr Kiriakis sir, more guests have arrived, I thought you should know.”
“Thank you Henderson, I’ll be right out.” Deciding that he could deal with Victoria’s file later, Victor followed Henderson to the front door.
*****
Victoria was about to join the other guests when she realised she couldn’t walk around the entire evening with the papers; she hadn’t brought a purse with so she couldn’t put it in there. She turned and made her way back to Victor’s study, she was sure he wouldn’t mind if she left it there and collected it after the party was over. She knocked on the door, but no one answered so she slipped in, intending to simply place the papers on the desk and then leave. She had every intention of doing just that until she saw the folder with her name on it, curios as to what was in it; she picked it up and glanced at the pages in the thick file. Her entire life was documented there, from her adoption, to where she’d lived, where she’d attended school, her grades, any friends she’d had. As she got older, the report became more detailed, boyfriends, classes. Where she had lunch, who she had lunch with, her relationship with Rex and any other person she’d come into contact with. The report ended with the results of three independent DNA tests and a summary concluding that there was no evidence to indicate that she was in any way involved with the Dimera family. ‘She appears to be the genuine article. Though all possible avenues were investigated, no evidence has been found to link her or her adoptive parents to the Dimera family subsequent to her adoption. Miss Victoria Blanche Campbell has no involvement directly with any known Dimera nor is she involved in any plot with them in an attempt to destroy the Brady, Horton or Kiriakis families.’
For a while she couldn’t understand what the document meant, why Victor would have it. Then it hit her, blinking back the tears and swallowing the hurt; she stormed out of the study with the folder in hand.
“You had me investigated?” She shouted the minute she spotted him, she didn’t seem to notice that there were other people on the terrace; her focus was on Victor alone.
Victor turned to her, noticed the folder in her hand and knew it was pointless lying, not only would she see through it, but it would hurt her even more. “I had to make sure…”
“Make sure that what? I didn’t ruin your family; that I wasn’t planning to hurt them?”
“Victoria you have to understand I was trying to protect my family.”
“Oh I understand alright, I understand that I didn’t seek out your family, I didn’t come to Salem to find my family I came to accept a job offered by your company. I understand that I didn’t even know about the Bradys or the Hortons or even the Kiriakis families until I came here and your grandson introduced them to me. What I don’t understand is why you would do this, I’ve never met a Dimera in my life the first I even heard of them was through your family.”
Hope, having noticed the commotion out on the patio, as had most everyone else by then, walked over to her daughter and placed a calming hand on her shoulder. She didn’t know what was going on, but she didn’t want Victoria upset, “Victoria if you’d just calm down.”
Victoria shrugged Hope’s hand off and turned to her, “Calm down? You want me to calm down; my entire life is documented in this file. Every step I took since my adoption; all my achievements, all my failures. Every hurt and every disappointment is highlighted as a motive for me wanting revenge on your family and you want me to calm down?” then turning to Victor, she asked him, “Do you have any idea how violated I feel? You picked my life apart in an attempt to find evidence of my involvement with people who stole me away from my family. You let me believe that I could trust you, that I was welcome in your home, that you accepted me and all the while you were doing this?”
“I’m sorry that you were hurt Victoria, that was never my intention.”
“Like hell it wasn’t. Do you really expect me to believe that you give a d**n about how I feel?”
“You were never supposed to find that file.”
“Then you shouldn’t have left it out for anyone to see.” Caroline pointed out; she could see the pain in her granddaughter’s eyes. Knew that this could mean the end of any relationships any of them had been building with this young woman.
“I’m glad I found it. It put a lot of things into perspective.”
By now, most of the Brady family was out on the patio.
Kate piped up, “Victor didn’t really mean any harm. What he did was wrong but he was looking out for the well-being of his family, I’d have done the same.”
Hope turned to her, not surprised that the comment had come from Kate, who wasn’t even part of the family, “So what the end justifies the means? You’re saying that because his intentions were good he’s actions are excusable?”
Chelsea forced her way to Victor’s side, smiling at Victoria, “At least now we know.”
“How could you say something like that?” Hope looked at her outraged, then shook her head, “I take that back, only YOU could say something like that?”
“Oh come on.” Chelsea looked around at everyone; she was enjoying this, watching Victoria suffer, “As if you weren’t all thinking the same thing. Victoria shows up here out of the blue and is welcomed into the family fold? What a better way to get to us, from the inside. You’re saying none of you had the exact same thoughts? Thanks to Victor, at least now we know for sure that she’s legit.” No one bothered to point out that she had been in a similar position the year before.
Victoria was listening too, but didn’t believe what she was hearing. Her ears started buzzing and she was feeling light headed, Victor reached out to steady her, “Victoria…”
But she pulled away, “NO! You were trying to protect your family, I understand that. I’m all for protecting your family; contrary to what many of you believe; I do have a family. One that loves me and I couldn’t spend Christmas with them this year, I had to settle for a phone call home. Shawn convinced me that I should come here tonight; he said that if I couldn’t be with the family I grew up with I should at least be with a family that loved me, guess he was wrong about that; so I’ll just remove myself so you can carry on celebrating with your family.” She threw the file and the papers he’d handed her earlier at him, “You can keep these, I want no part of you or your family.” And turning, she walked away with as much dignity as she could muster, she hadn’t been schooled in England for nothing. She bumped into Max on her way back into the house, not even realising it was him, “Excuse me.”
Max turned and watched a wrecked Victoria walk away; turning to the people outside he asked, “What the hell just happened here?”
“Little Miss Victoria got her feelings hurt, if you run fast enough you might be able to catch her and make everything all better.”
Sami would’ve gone on, only Roman cut her off, “Sami that’s enough.”
“But dad-” Sami was cut off by Lucas’ hand over her mouth, grabbing her arm he dragged her back into the house. He figured now would be a good time to leave, before Sami said anything else, beside him, she fumed silently. She for one had been in agreement with Chelsea but would she have wanted such a public display or for her cousin to get her feelings hurt? No. She was however glad they knew she wasn’t a threat to anyone, except maybe Victor. The look she’d bestowed upon him had been a promise of payback. Sami made a mental note to never get on Victoria’s bad side.
Hope filled Max in on what had happened before turning from the patio and going in search of her daughter.
“I can’t believe you people, she didn’t come to you. She didn’t even want to come here tonight. She wanted to be with her family in England but her mom said she should spend it in Salem, get to know you all better. I guess she did that huh.” He turned to Victor, “And you, I hope you realise just what you’ve done. Whether it was intentional or not, you’ve just ensured that you will never have a relationship with your granddaughter. I really hope it was worth it.” He turned and left them, he had to find Victoria.
*****
Though she wasn’t in the mood, Hope made her way to the hospital for the Christmas party. Her first Christmas without Zack, she’d known it would be hard, but she didn’t realise it would be downright painful. She parked her car and made her way into the hospital. Bo, Shawn, Zach and Mimi were already there, having left Victor’s party early to be at the hospital with the children. She was glad they hadn’t witnessed the scene but was reluctant to be the one to tell them. As the elevator doors opened, Shawn spotted her and called her over.“Mom over here, is Tory still on her way up?”
Hope walked over to Shawn and Mimi and shook her head, removing her coat, “I’m afraid she’s not coming, there was a little incident at the party tonight.”
“A scene? What kind of a scene?”
Before Hope could explain, Alice and Jennifer came over to them, “I thought that since she’s the newest addition to our family,” Alice smiled at Mimi who was holding a sleeping Zach, “well the newest addition that can read. Your daughter might want to read the Christmas story this year. She is after all a miracle in and of herself.”
Hope hated to be the bearer of bad news but she was the only one who knew what had happened. “Oh Gran, I don’t think she’s going to be doing that. She was terribly upset this evening, she won’t be coming tonight.”
Alice looked crestfallen, “Well then, Mimi will just have to do it on behalf of her son, Shawn Douglas has done it often enough.”
“I’d be honoured.”
“But it’s not time yet, so enjoy the cookies and eggnog.” Alice ordered them.
*****
Max walked into the apartment afraid of what he’d find there. The stereo was on, so at least he knew she was home. He’d searched the entire Kiriakis estate before coming to the conclusion that she’d probably left soon after she’d confronted Victor, his first stop had been home. Her sanctuary of sorts. He walked up the stairs to their bedroom, “Tory are you okay?” she was pulling a sweatshirt over her head, his voice made her start.
“God Max do you have to scare me like that?” He studied her face; he could see she’d been crying. Though she’d obviously washed her face, her eyes were still red rimmed and puffy and she had a look about her, like her puppy had just died.
“Are you okay? I was worried about you, you didn’t tell anyone you were leaving. How did you get home?”
“I called a cab. Do you want to change first?”
“Change for what?”
“We promised we’d attend the hospital’s Christmas party tonight; I’m going even if you aren’t.”
She obviously wasn’t as broken up as he thought she would be, or she was hiding it extremely well, “Give me five minutes to change.”
*****
She was hiding it extremely well, she’d insisted on coming to the hospital because it’d give her something to do. The minute she stopped, her mind started playing things over and over and she knew that when she got home tonight and got into bed, reality would hit her and she’d crash. Her only comfort was that Max would be there to help her pick up the pieces, Max would be there every night for as long as she needed him and then some. They arrived five minutes before the Christmas story was due to be read. When they walked through the doors, Hope almost dropped her eggnog, Jennifer also stopped what she was doing, Hope had told her what had happened at the Kiriakis party, she doubted she’d have had the strength to come to the hospital had it been her. But then again, she was Hope’s daughter, when Victoria’s glance steeled on her, Jennifer smiled at her, the girl smiled back; a genuine smile that reached her eyes. Definitely Hope’s daughter.
Abby, who had been out on the balcony with Shawn, came inside, spotted Victoria and marched over to her, “You’re late, the party’s almost over.”
Victoria laughed, “I know I’m sorry, Max took forever to change and I couldn’t come in the gown I was wearing, it was way too thin and rather inappropriate.”
“Well, you’re here which says a lot.” Victoria glanced over Abby’s shoulder at Alice.
“I made a promise, I don’t break my promises.”
Alice nodded, “Good girl, that’s what I want to hear.”
Mimi, having returned from feeding Zach, shoved a book at her, “Here, you’re just in time. The kids are waiting for their story.”
She blinked back tears and sat down, “Hey, I’m Victoria.”
“Hi Victoria.”
She glanced at everyone she knew, her family. Max, Bo and Hope, Shawn and Mimi, Jack and Jennifer, Abby holding a sleeping Zach, Lucas and Will, Alice, Maggie and Mickey and smiled to herself. It hadn’t been such a bad Christmas after all, she was glad she’d come. Making herself comfortable, she began the Christmas story, the story of miracles, she was stunned to find she still believed in miracles.
*****
“Wasn’t that an eventful night?” Mimi stated as they finally arrived back at their apartment, she hadn’t wanted to be out this late with Zach. Especially since the weather had been decidedly chilly today but she hadn’t been the driver today and Shawn had wanted to ensure that his sister was alright before leaving the hospital. They’d left Victor’s party early so they could be at the hospital earlier and thereby leave earlier but that hadn’t been the case and now it was almost twelve and they were only stepping through the door. “I’ll just go and tuck him in.” she said.As she walked away, Shawn pulled her back and kissed her senseless, “Don’t be long.” He said as he walked to their room.
After ensuring that he was settled for the night and turning the baby monitor on, she made her way to their bedroom. Shawn was sitting on the bed tiredly unbuttoning his shirt. She walked over to him and put her hands over his, stopping him. “Let me.” She said as she slowly started to unbutton the rest of his shirt. “You know, I was at the doctor’s the other day and she gave me some great news.”
“Really?” he asked, bringing her closer so he could kiss her.
“Yeah, she said that my latest test results showed no reason why I couldn’t have more children.”
“That’s great.” He replied only half listening as her removed his shirt; he was kissing his way down her neck.
She nodded and lifted her dress so she could straddle him, pushing him back onto the bed, “She also gave us the all clear.”
Shawn swallowed as Mimi made her way down his neck with soft little kisses, “The all clear for what exactly?”
He didn’t need an answer because when she reached for his belt buckle, he got the meaning loud and clear. “I really don’t think…”
“Good, I don’t want you to think, I just want you to lie back and enjoy.” He opened his mouth to voice another protest, but hers was already on his and soon they were both lost in the kiss and in each other. His pants came off, as did her dress and things were going rather well till Mimi wound up on the floor.
“Look I said ‘no’ okay?” he said as he sat up.
“Jeez Shawn,” Mimi complained from her position on the floor, “a simple ‘no thanks Mimi’ would’ve sufficed, you didn’t need to toss me across the room, to get the message across.” a slight exaggeration as she had simply fallen off the bed when he’d bolted upright.
Shawn opened his eyes then for the first time. Sitting up, he glanced at her, “Mimi, I’m sorry…I didn’t…”
“No problem, no need to explain anything, you just weren’t in the mood. I’ll just go and take a shower.”
Once she’d left, Shawn let out a ragged breath. d**n. d**n Belle and her stupid rooftop kiss and d**n his sister and her doomsday predictions. How was he supposed to tell Mimi that it hadn’t been her he’d rejected, but Belle? That he’d for a split second gone back to that night on the rooftop and that he’d been pushing Belle away not her. Maybe Victoria was right, maybe he should have told her at the very beginning, it was certainly too late now; after their talks of honesty and trust he couldn’t tell Mimi. It’d only hurt her but if this continued, and he couldn’t be sure that it wouldn’t. If it continued, it’d hurt her that much more. He heard Zach fussing and pulled his pants on to go and check on his son. He was lying in his crib looking up at the mobile that hung over it; it was a nightly ritual for him, waking up for about twenty minutes. It had started last week and Shawn counted himself lucky that he had checked in on him. It was usually Mimi who got the pleasure of sitting with him till he dozed off again. He carried Zach to the lounge and sat with him on the sofa, turning the television on.
In the bathroom Mimi turned on the taps and stepped into the shower. Well, that had gone over well. She’d wanted tonight to be fantastic, a perfect ending to a fabulous day, but once again nothing went according to plan. So much for celebrating, at least she knew now why the past six weeks had been so great, no intimacy. They’d been so focused on Zach and Claire and Victoria and every other family member who happened to ‘just pop in’ that they’d had no time for each other and she wasn’t just talking about sex. Although he obviously didn’t want that either, this was all so unfair. He’d been the one to ask for them to try but she’d been the only one making a concerted effort. She was glad the shower drowned out her cries, she didn’t want him knowing how much he’d hurt her tonight.
Shawn turned his attention from the television screen to Mimi when she stepped out of the bathroom. Mimi came to a stop when she saw Shawn sitting with Zach on the sofa. She smiled at the picture they presented, “You shouldn’t get him hooked at such an early age.”
“He’s not watching, Mimi we have to…”
“There’s a bottle in the fridge if he’s hungry, since you’re up with him anyway. All you have to do is…”
“I know what to do with the bottle if he’s hungry.” She walked to their room and he didn’t want her thinking… “Mimi, if you’d let me…” he tried one last time.
“Look Shawn, I’m really tired. I’m going to bed.” She walked into their room, leaving Shawn with a very worried expression on his face. In the months after they’d found out about Claire, it had been Mimi who had wanted to talk things out and he who had simply turned away; he wondered if this sudden role reversal had her curiosity peeked. If she wondered what he had to feel guilty about, what worried him the most now, was the way he’d felt during those months. Sometimes all he’d wanted to do was walk out and never return, not even try to sort out the mess their lives had become, and that scared the hell out of him because recently, he’d been getting the same feeling. He sat there wondering if he truly had forgiven Mimi for her betrayal or if he simply covered the hurt up because he didn’t want to lose her.
He climbed into bed some three hours later. Mimi wasn’t sleeping, but she didn’t turn around and gave no indication that she’d been lying there awake. When his arm came over her, in a familiar gesture, to pull her closer, she simply pushed it away. So much for a ‘merry’ Christmas.
