Chapter Two

I have no idea why, but I feel like incorporating Charmed into this. So I think I will.

“Here you go, Sam,” the waitress says, setting my plate of food down in front of me.

“Thanks, Paige.” I smile kindly up at her.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Paige asks, wiping her hands on her apron and sliding into the seat in front of me. “I mean, you came in here crying with your make-up running down your face, for God’s sake.”

“Nothing’s going on,” I say through a mouthful of mashed potatoes, refusing to meet Paige’s eyes.

“You seriously expect me to believe that?” She folds her arms across her chest. “Why won’t you tell me what’s wrong?”

Setting my fork down slowly, I run my fingers through my hair. “I had a fight with my dad.”

“Well, why didn’t you just say so?” she chuckles. “What was it about?”

“I’d kind of be more comfortable talking about that someplace a little less public.” I look at my watch. “How much longer until your shift ends?”

“About fifteen minutes. Do you want to take a drive or something and talk after I’m done?”

“Yeah. That’d be good,” I say, smiling.

“ ‘Kay, then. See you in a few.” Paige smiles back at me, stands up, and returns to work.

Watching her walk away, I think back to when I first met Paige Halliwell. (I know her last name isn’t Halliwell, but I wanted it to be in this story.) Hank and I had just begun to date. Her grandmother, who raised her and her two older sisters, had been friends with Hank’s parents since Hank and Paige were babies. One evening, Hank invited me to a party his parents were throwing. Paige was there, visiting from San Francisco, and she and I hit it off right away. We’ve been friends ever since. She told me that her mother passed away when she was little and her father was never around, so her grandmother ended up raising her and her two sisters, Prue and Piper. (FYI, there’s no Phoebe in this story. I personally think it’d just be weird.) I remember back to the time when I lost my own mother, who I only vaguely remember. It just makes me so sad to think that Paige has no memories of her mom. I hope my son or daughter will have their mommy around.

“Hey, ready to go?” Paige asks, giving my shoulder a shake and shocking me out of my flashback.

“It’s been fifteen minutes already?” I ask incredulously, pulling back my sleeve and staring at my watch.

“Uh, yeah. So, are you ready to go?”

“Yeah, sure. Let’s go.”

As Paige and I walk out the door of the Fairfield Diner, her cell phone begins to ring in her pocket. “Damn. Hang on, Sam, sorry.”

“That’s alright.”

Managing to pull the phone out, she flips it open and groans a whiny “Hello?” into the speaker. “Oh, hi, Piper!” I recognize the name of one of her older sisters. “Yeah, I just got out of work. Why?” Looking at me, she rolls her eyes, makes a face, and mouths “sisters”. “I’m going for a drive with Sam. Can I call you back later? Okay. Adios, amigo.” She flips the phone closed with her chin. “My goodness, she has a knack for calling me at the most inopportune times.”

“I wouldn’t know. I don’t have any siblings,” I say, shrugging.

“Well, you have Jonathan. He kind of counts, doesn’t he?” Paige asks as we approach either side of her car.

I open the passenger door and flop down on the seat. “Yeah, I guess. I mean, we pretty much grew up together.”

“Well, anyways. You came to talk to me about something. What was that?” Paige asks, changing the subject.

I take a deep breath and lay my head against the headrest. “I found out today that I’m pregnant.”

“Oh my god!” Paige squeals. “That’s amazing!”

I turn my head to look at her, tears in my eyes.

“You don’t look very happy about finding out you’re going to have a baby.”

“I told my dad and he got angry,” I mutter, wiping a few stray tears as they leak down my face.

“How could he get angry? He’s going to be a grandpa. How much luckier could he get?” Paige exclaims, turning out of the parking lot.

“I don’t know. I thought he’d at least be happy for me.”

Paige looks at me sympathetically as I lean my head against the window and stare out into the dusk.

Fifteen minutes later, Paige pulls up in front of my dad and Angela’s house.

“Do you want me to walk you in?” she asks, taking the keys out of the ignition.

“If you want to, sure.” I avoid her eyes, unbuckling my seatbelt and stepping out of the car.

As I walk up the driveway, Paige trots up beside me and links her arm through mine.

“It’ll be fine,” she says.

I take a breath as I stop on the front porch, but before I could reach out a hand to open the door, it is yanked open.

“SAM!” Angela cries.

“Hi, Angela,” I say, stepping past her into the house with Paige still attached to my arm.

“Oh, sweetie, we’ve been so worried about you!” she says. “Your dad feels awful.”

“He does?” I tighten my arm around Paige’s and she smiles at me.

“Yes, honey. He didn’t mean to make you that angry.”

“Samantha!” I turn around to see my dad and Hank coming out of the kitchen.

Unlinking my arm from Paige’s, I throw my arms around my dad’s neck as our bodies collide.

“I’m sorry for leaving like that, dad,” I gasp, tears flowing down my cheeks.

“I know. It’s okay.” He strokes my hair and kisses the top of my head.

I close my eyes and bury my face into my father’s shirt. I hear a few pairs of feet shuffle across the floor and the door to the kitchen swings closed.

After what seems like an eternity, I open my eyes and look up at his face. He looks down at me and kisses me forehead. “I’m sorry I got mad. I still think of you as my little girl,” he says.

“I still am, dad. I’m just… bigger.” I smile up at him and he kisses my forehead. “And hey, just think about this,” I say, letting go of him and taking a step back. “If you get a granddaughter you’ll have another little girl to obsess over.”

“Good point.”

“Tony? Sam?” Angela asks, poking her head around the kitchen door. “Is everything going alright?”

“Everything’s great,” I reply.

“Good, cause we were getting worried,” Paige says, coming out of the kitchen behind Angela. “And a little bored.”

“Very subtle, Paige,” I chuckle.

“Yup.” Suddenly, Paige’s cell phone begins to ring again. “Argh… Hello?” She covers the mouthpiece and says, “It’s Piper again. I think I’ll go and leave you to your chatting.”

“Alright, Paige. See you later.” I give her a one-armed hug and she walks out into the chilly March evening.

Just as the door closes behind her, an arm wraps around my waist and pulls me tight against another body.

Laughing, I turn around and wrap my arms around Hank’s neck.

“So,” he says.

“So, what?”

“Sam, we’re going to be parents!” he exclaims, kissing me.

“Uh, Sam?” Angela asks quietly.

Momentarily releasing my husband, I peer over his shoulder.

“Yeah?”

“Your father and I will be in the kitchen… uh, booking a doctor’s appointment for you,” Angela says, taking my father’s hand and leading him into the kitchen.

“Look at that. Now it’s just you and me,” Hank says, kissing me again.

“Hey, look at that. It is,” I reply, kissing him back.

“What do you say we go back home and I show you how much I love you?” he suggests mischievously.

“Ew,” I say playfully. “But okay. Dad! Angela! We’re leaving! Call us about that appointment!”

Taking my coat off of the rack, I pull it on and intertwine Hank’s fingers with mine.

“Strangely, I miss living here. It was nice,” I say, looking back as Hank and I walk down the driveway to the car.

“Yeah but how much privacy did you get? Sex would be impossible here for us.” Hank looks down at me and winks.

“Sicko,” I laugh and slap his chest. “But you’re right.”

“I had a feeling I would be.”