Thornton Sibling Gathering

[jamesthorn]

They meet at James' house on Friday night after James gets off his shift, and he barely has time to change out of his suit before he hears a knock on his front door and June's voice calling out for him. He puts away his workout bag and finishes changing his clothes then heads downstairs to greet his baby sister. She's come with the food, nearly one of everything from the menu at Quill, enough food to satisfy all their cravings for greasy food tonight, and he's looking at the bags and boxes with a smile but he's isn't sure tonight is one of celebration or what.

Demetri just said on the phone that they needed to talk, that the information James and Daniel wanted him to investigate had turned up, and James knows Demetri. Whatever he found, it isn't good otherwise all this sibling pow-wow business wouldn't have been necessary. All of his fears about Father being up to no good with that over-the-top dinner party for Amelie and Daniel were slowly coming to fruition.

He pulls out the plates and silverware and places them on the table, giving June a hug around the shoulders as he passes. June has been busy with her semester at St. Bernadette's, which in James' book is a good thing compared to her excessive rich-girl-party routine she had going last year, but he would be even happier to have his little sister around where he can keep watch on her at all times.

June takes a sip of the frozen coffee and gives James a pointed eyebrow. "So what's this all about James?" she asks just as the door swings open again and Demetri comes rushing through it already slipping out of his suit jacket, tossing it on James' couch as he comes into the kitch. He looks tired. Compared to James' job at the station, Demetri's work for the mayor kept him in nothing but headaches. It showed too.

Maybe it's a good thing Daniel is the last to arrive. It's his choice of girlfriend that probably started all this.

James takes a cheese fry from the container and eats it, looking at both Demetri and June. "I think Father is out to prove how much he loves us. Like always. Let's just wait for Daniel," he says, checking his watch. "He's late."

Comments

[under_the_radar]

"Maybe that's exactly what we should be doing." Daniel shot back. "Maybe that way we won't all be tarred with the same goddamn brush as him."

He was about to continue when a random memory of his mother flitted through his mind. His memories were of toddling towards a warm woman with outstretched arms, splashing in a bath tub with June, a woman's smile as she blew raspberries on his stomach. He'd been too young to remember all that much about her but sometimes he'd smell something or hear a laugh that sounded like hers and his heart would squeeze. This time the memory was of his mother rocking him to sleep after a nightmare. He'd been old enough to remember his dreams apparently and she was shushing him, telling him monsters weren't real.

That was the last memory of a caring parent he had. They had a series of nanny's and tutors and a parade of 'help' around the house but their father was absent and the estate never felt like home again. And now their father was going to try and take someone else's home and start a war in the name of spite.

He cleared his throat. "If you all want to go along with him, that's fine, but I'm not going to. I'll stay quiet in public if that's what you guys want, but I won't be with you. I don't care how it looks." It hurt to say it but he'd been thinking about this a long time. Daniel was fed up of being only known as his father's son. He didn't want to be a Thornton if this is what it meant.

[jamesthorn]

"Tarred with the same brush? There is an exhibit downtown with the entire family's history on display for the public. We are far beyond that, little brother," Demetri says shaking his head. "They hate us. We hate them. It is what people expect, and to be frank, it's good for business."

They've very rarely had to concern themselves with this. Yes, the Coombs have never been people any of them have associated with but the rivalry was more of an idea that anything tangible. James isn't sure how he feels about that changing. But the way Demetri's talking he thinks his brother would have no problems reigniting things between the families and he's never heard talk this way.

"Let's just take this one day at a time, okay? Together," James says looking all three of his siblings. "Maybe we don't all agree, but Father's greatest victory would be tearing us apart. That can't happen. Can we all agree on that much at least?"

[under_the_radar]

Daniel kept his mouth shut and frowned. He really didn't want to argue with his siblings over this, but he was being torn in two directions. Half of him wanted to just pretend this wasn't happening, just go on with Amelie like nothing was happening.

June sighs heavily. "This is all fascinating and he loves her and it's very Romeo and Juliet et cetera, et cetera, but what are we actually going to do?" She said, pushing her fries at Daniel in a peace offering. He takes them and grumps back to his chair.

"I don't know." Daniel said, sullenly. "Demetri seems to know everything. He must have a plan."

[jamesthorn]

Demetri shuts the folder on the counter and shrugs. "I was only told to report what I found. I didn't come up with any plans to stop Father. At this point, I saw the deal they are working on...it's pretty solid. Unless we kill him, I don't think we have much in the way to stop him from attacking the Coombs," he says. "All I can see is just waiting for the fire to be lit."

[under_the_radar]

"And there's nothing we can do between us to get in the way?" Daniel said, disbelieving. "We just sit and wait?" He shook his head. "I'm not prepared to do that. I have to tell Amelie. They should be able to defend themselves."

June made a frustrated noise. "You tell them and it'll be war. And they'll strike first."

Daniel shook his head. "Violet wouldn't dare. Not directly anyway." He admitted.