Meeting the Parents (Sav, Janet)

[Savannah Lyons]

Savannah felt like she'd been punched in the stomach. She couldn't breathe, and she couldn't have answered Nina's question, even if she had known what to say.

No, they were not dating. She knew that. But in that moment, she realized that she wished they were, and she felt like everything was hanging on Cameron's answer. Which was why his answer absolutely devastated her.

She knew about the girl Cameron was dating, of course. She'd seen them together at the Yule Ball. But she knew that the girl wasn't good enough for Cameron. Savannah would never say anything bad about the girl, since she had always been taught that if she couldn't say anything nice about someone, she shouldn't say anything at all. But Brenda Blair was the kind of girl that everyone spoke about in harsh whispers. She had a bad reputation, and Cameron deserved better. And to hear that he thought of Brenda as his girlfriend made Savannah feel a little sick.

Somehow she managed to maintain her composure, and she allowed the old familiar numbness to take over. "We're just friends," she replied simply, her voice even, but perhaps just a little too bright in tone.

She wasn't even sure that it was accurate to say that they were friends... the truth was that she was his best friend's sister. And they'd been spending a little more time together, because of their shared love of music and because Elliot was spending all of his time with Ingrid.

[Janet Wilder]

"Nina!" Janet had called after her sister, trying to stop her. But it was too late, and Nina blurted out the question with all the subtlety of a hurricane. Janet was standing in the doorway, cringing, powerless to stop it.

It was one thing to ask Cameron directly. He could handle it, he could laugh it off. But with Savannah sitting next to him, no good could come of it. If they weren't dating, it was the girl who would feel embarrassed by the question, as well as the answer.

Janet barely heard Cameron's response beyond the word "no." She felt terribly sorry for the girl, and wondered if there was anything she could do to make it easier on her.

All she could think of, however, was the tea. So she finished up with the tea tray, and she also put the ice tea pitcher on the tray, just in case she would prefer that.

She re-entered the room just in time to hear Savannah's response and the forced brightness of her tone. Giving the girl a warm smile, she nodded to the tea tray. "I didn't know what you'd like... I have Earl Gray, and I also have some iced tea. And do you like Oreos?"

It sounded hopelessly lame. But at the moment, all she could think of was that they needed to change the subject.

[Nina Wilder]

Nina's eyebrows went up, glancing at Cameron as though he were out of his mind, then at Savannah, noting a sad look in her eyes, and then to her sister. She shrugged at Janet a little. It was better that Savannah heard this now, right?

It took all of her will power not to ask the thousands of questions that came to mind though. Why did he bring Savannah here then? What was his girlfriend like? On and on and on... all things that she could at least recognize the brunette in front of them not wanting to hear.

"I see." She didn't. Not really.

[Cameron Wilder]

Cameron was aware that the mood in the room had suddenly changed, but he was still a teenage boy, and the implications of everything that just happened went well over his head. All three girls in the room were painfully aware of something that went right over Cameron's head.

He would never want to hurt Savannah or make her think that she didn't mean the world to him, because she did, even if he only knew her as Elliot's sister... which, she didn't seem to notice, was not how he introduced her.

"Thanks for the tea, Mom. And oreos, fantastic."

God, he wished someone else would say something. He was clueless to know how to fix this and bring the mood back up.

[Savannah Lyons]

Savannah was feeling very confused. She didn't know quite what she was feeling, or what she wanted. Was she in love with Cameron? Had she thought that maybe he was in love with her? The thought hadn't actually occurred to her before, but hearing him say that he was still dating Brenda crushed her. She'd thought they had some kind of bond... but now she realized that Cameron probably just felt sorry for her. She didn't expect him to love her.... but Merlin, she wished that someone did. Her father hadn't. Her uncle and Tyler barely acknowledged her existence, even though she probably kept them alive with her visits. Ryder treated her like a polite stranger. Even Elliot... he seemed to think she was some kind of responsibility. But no one loved her, at least not as far as she could see.

This was one of those moments where Savannah's strict upbringing came in handy. She really wanted to get up and run away, go somewhere and cry. But her father had drilled it into her head that ladies didn't complain when they were a guest in someone else's house. Ladies didn't run away and cry; they sat and bore their misery in silence with a graceful smile on their faces. But as she looked at Nina, Savannah wondered to herself whether she had ever sat in silent misery at a dinner party. No.... Nina said what was on her mind. Savannah wished she knew how to do that. She wished she could tell Cameron that his "girlfriend" was a piece of trash who was probably cheating on him.

But of course, she didn't do that.

Instead, she smiled politely at Janet. "Yes, thank you. Earl Grey would be lovely. And what is an Oreo?"

[Janet Wilder]

The girl was tough, Janet had to hand it to her. Anyone (well, anyone but Cameron) could see that the girl was upset, but she carried on as if nothing was wrong. Her tone was a little stiff and her smile seemed slightly forced, but no one would have blamed the girl if she had asked to be excused for a minute.

It was in that moment that Janet felt a rush of tenderness toward the girl. She was simultaneously strong and vulnerable, and Janet wanted to take her under her wing and build her up somehow.

"Oh, my dear, you've never had Oreos?" she asked in surprise. "You'll love them. They're chocolate cookies with cream in the center. You know what? I should get you a glass of milk. They're best with milk."

[Cameron Wilder]

Cameron was now decidedly uncomfortable. He'd done something wrong. He could tell by the looks in all three women's eyes, and he didn't quite know what it was. But no one was happy, and he was getting restless. He hated when he got restless, because it only made situations like this worse.

He just smiled as his mom got up to get milk for her, his eyes moving back quickly to Savannah. Merlin, how did he fix this? "The milk's okay, you know... but Aunt Nina taught me this one... they're really best when you eat them with peanut butter." He felt like an idiot, and shot Nina a desperate look.

[Nina Wilder]

If Cameron was confused, Nina was feeling guilty. She should have never asked that question, but it was almost impossible for Nina to keep her mouth shut something. If she was thinking it, you could bet money you were gonna hear about it.

He should not have been looking to her for help for this very reason. Nina was just apt to make the situation worse, and what was Janet thinking, leaving the two of them alone in the room with this girl?

"Savannah," she said, thinking she'd try for small talk just to get everyone's mind off the elephant in the room. "Where are you from? Born and raised in England, I imagine? I always wondered what it would be like to stay in one place." She smiled. "I'm not very good at it, really."

[Savannah Lyons]

The longer she sat here, the more Savannah began to realize that she was in over her head. It was odd how she had seen such horrible things--the fights between her father and mother, the abuse she herself suffered, the drunken exploits of her uncle and cousin--and yet she was still somehow so very sheltered. There were so many things--good things, she suspected--that she had never experienced. She had never had Pop Rocks or bubblegum or pizza or Oreos or even peanut butter. Right now, just about the only thing familiar to her, other than Cameron, was the cup of tea in her hands and she clung to it almost as a lifeline.

"I've never had peanut butter, either," she admitted faintly. Her bravery was starting to fade, and she took a sip from her tea cup as if hoping it would giver her strength.

She was almost relieved when Nina spoke to her again, trying to distract her from the awkwardness of the moment. Here, at least, was a question she could answer, and some of her confidence returned. "Yes, I was born in England, and I've never been anywhere else. But if you travel often, you must have seen such wonderful things. I wish I could travel... I've never had the means. Please, tell me about some of the places you've been. Have you been to Paris? I've always wanted to go there."

[Nina Wilder]

"Oh boy," Nina said with a laugh, glad the girl seemed able to switch conversations. She and Janet were going to have to clue Cameron in later, but for now, she let her mind wander, thinking of all the places she had been.

"I have been to Paris... found it terribly dull, to be honest. Too many people drinking lattes and staring longingly into each other's eyes. I loved Thailand. And India... very similar culture there, and so much color everywhere. I've tried Italy, but it's too stuck up for my tastes. Even still, I feel like I lose a piece of my heart everywhere I go. I can tell you all about Paris though, if you like."

[Savannah Lyons]

Savannah wanted to ask what a latte was, but she managed to refrain. She was tired of sounding so clueless. She couldn't imagine what Nina and Cameron's mother thought of the poor, sad girl who had never even had peanut butter.

"Paris sounds exotic enough for me," Savannah said. "I think Thailand or India would be too much of a culture shock for me." Especially considering that this simple visit with Cameron's family was something of a culture shock for her, but she left that thought unspoken. She was fairly certain that Nina was already thinking it.

"My mother... when she was alive... used to talk about taking me there. She was going to sing in a cabaret and I was going to back her up on piano. But... it obviously was never going to happen."

[Janet Wilder]

Janet returned from the kitchen with a cup of milk and, having heard some of the conversation from the living room, a jar of peanut butter and a knife. She was about to speak when she heard Savannah mention "when her mother was alive." That was when Janet remembered what Cameron had told her about Elliot--both parents had died in some sort of terrible tragedy. So poor Savannah was an orphan. Janet ached for the poor girl.

"Here you go," she said. "I brought you a glass of milk and, if you want to try Cameron's suggestion, I brought some peanut butter."

Janet was beginning to understand why Cameron had really brought Savannah here. Whatever his actual relationship with the girl was, there was one thing that couldn't be denied. He cared about her, and he wanted to help her. She had no parents, so he brought her to meet his own family... to give her a sort of surrogate family. It was really very sweet.

[Nina Wilder]

Nina nodded, even as the milk and peanut butter was brought out. Her sister was a wonderful hostess... where Nina loved parties, she could never be the gracious and attentive hostess. She always wanted to have too much fun.

"Then we'll talk about Paris. I'm sorry about your mum," she said, again not even taking the time to wonder if she should comment on that or not, so she did, because she did feel bad for Savannah. "Paris is an astounding place to go for any kind of art... especially painting and music, I think. You could spend days in the Louvre... that's their art museum. Original works in there, too. It will take your breath away. Cameron, what are you doing the summer after graduation? You should consider visiting some places. You, too, Savannah."

[Cameron Wilder]

"Whoa, Nina. I sort of thought about... finding a job?" He was being sarcastic with her, and Cameron's bright smile said as much. Though the bit about him finding a job was a lie. He didn't know what he wanted to do. He was too much like Nina in that way, so he also knew not to tell her that he didn't really have the money to go traveling to exotic places. He knew better- she would tell him about the time she backpacked through Austria with a small handful of American cash and relied entirely on odd jobs and the kindness of strangers. When Nina went somewhere, she really experienced it.

He leaned forward and took a cookie, spreading a healthy dose of peanut butter on it, and handed it to Savannah. "You'll be addicted, I swear."

[Savannah Lyons]

"Thank you," Savannah said politely to Nina's comment about her mother. It didn't bother her, not really... as long as no one asked about her father.

Then Nina was talking about what Cameron should do after graduating, and Savannah felt silent. Although the question had been directed at Cameron and not Savannah, it still got her thinking. What was she going to do after school? She quite liked the idea of traveling, but she didn't know if it was possible for her. She'd been raised, of course, to believe that she wasn't good for anything until she got married, and then her duty was to serve her husband.

But as she looked at Nina and Janet, both independent women who clearly didn't need husbands to take care of them, order them around, or in any way validate their existence. It was difficult to imagine Nina, in particular, taking orders from anyone. Savannah envied her.

She had expected that her father would arrange her marriage for her (since he surely wouldn't have trusted her to make an appropriate choice herself), but, thankfully, he was gone. And Ryder didn't seem particularly interested in finding her a husband. Which meant that she was free to find one of her own... or maybe not to find one at all. Maybe she could finally take control of her own life.

But she had other commitments. She wasn't sure her uncle and cousin would survive without her weekly checks. And she couldn't count on Elliot or Ryder to do it, because they never seemed interested. She just always did it herself, cleaning up after them and making sure they were alive.

She was still thinking all of these thoughts when Cameron suddenly shook her from her thoughts by handing her a black cookie coated with brown stuff and filled with some sort of white cream. Her eyes flashed to his again, and she smiled shyly at him. Their fingers brushed as she took the cookie from him, and she felt warmth spread through her. "Thank you," she said again.

He was still watching her as she lifted the cookie to her lips and took a bite. Immediately, her smile brightened. It was a curious mixture of flavors--deep chocolate mixed with a salty, nutty flavor, and mellowed out with a smooth, sugary vanilla flavor. She followed this up with a sip of milk, which washed it all down most delightfully. "It's so good!" she said, forgetting to be proper and reserved. Of all the things she had sampled today, she immediately decided this was her favorite. "What are they called again?"

[Janet Wilder]

The girl really did have a winning smile. It was the smile of a girl who wasn't used to truly smiling very often, and that made it all the more heartbreaking for Janet. Yes, the mother instinct was kicking in big time for Janet. She had always assumed that when Cameron brought a girl home, it would be some kind of buxom, blonde bombshell type with a bra size higher than her IQ. And maybe that was the kind of girl he was actually dating... but Janet infinitely preferred Savannah.

"It's an Oreo," she said. "Dipped in peanut butter. It's funny, most Brits don't like peanut butter. I actually have a heck of a time getting the stuff... but I'm American and I can't live without it."

She chuckled lightly, just as the doorbell rand. "Oh, finally. That must be the pizza. I'll get it."

She grabbed her purse and headed for the door, leaving the others to talk amongst themselves for a moment.