Summary: Sometimes, the best person for you is the one you don’t expect. An expansion of the “Outside Chance” universe focused on Graham and Savannah and how they wound up in that ivory and estrogen tower with a pack of daughters.
Warnings: RATED E for sexual content, language, parenting shenanigans, mentions of verbal abuse, accidental pregnancy and associated discussions of options, postpartum depression and adjustments, children with illnesses, miscarriage, discussion of amputations and associated recovery, lots of mental health crap because I put all these characters through a lot, does that cover all my bases?
Summary: Sometimes, the best person for you is the one you don’t expect. An expansion of the “Outside Chance” universe focused on Graham and Savannah and how they wound up in that ivory and estrogen tower with a pack of daughters.
Warnings: RATED E for sexual content, language, parenting shenanigans, mentions of verbal abuse, accidental pregnancy and associated discussions of options, postpartum depression and adjustments, children with illnesses, miscarriage, discussion of amputations and associated recovery, lots of mental health crap because I put all these characters through a lot, does that cover all my bases?
Summary: Sometimes, the best person for you is the one you don’t expect. An expansion of the “Outside Chance” universe focused on Graham and Savannah and how they wound up in that ivory and estrogen tower with a pack of daughters.
Warnings: RATED E for sexual content, language, parenting shenanigans, mentions of verbal abuse, accidental pregnancy and associated discussions of options, postpartum depression and adjustments, children with illnesses, miscarriage, discussion of amputations and associated recovery, lots of mental health crap because I put all these characters through a lot, does that cover all my bases?
So up front... this is very much and very shamelessly based in real life. I am basically Savannah in this, only culprits in my case were all boys and had different motivations for their actions. Also, my version of it had the added frustration of quarantine so it’s not like I could just go back to the grocery store later that day... Anyhow, the transition stuff is all them, not my family, if that makes sense. Happy Reading, this is all very fluffy with only a handful of curse words.
Have no idea what I’m talking about?
Missed one or checking to see if I’ve written what you asked for?
Without further ado... I give you, a future take from Outside Expectations that also may include a teeny, tiny spoiler or two.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sneaking the S’mores
Today is the day of the groceries.
Outside the house, I hear the car pull up and Mom’s voice shouting. “Ariel! Brigid! Caitlin! Come help me unload real quick, please?”
“Not us, Pepper. We are busy,” Diana whispers to me. Her tutu tickles my nose as she lays across me, pressing the doctor toy to my belly as she listens to my insides and hums in a concerned manner. She shifts again and her galoshes thump into my sides. I huff. “Oh sorry.”
Brigid races out the door, a scarf trailing behind her. Ariel follows, tap-tap-tapping on her phone.
“You’re making that up!” Caitlin shouts as she follows behind.
“I swear, I’m not. It’s standard procedure for new kids. How else are we gonna know who needs help finding their way?”
“But,” Caitlin protests and the door shuts behind them, leaving Diana and I in peace, but only for mere seconds before they parade back in.
“Ariel, please stop torturing your sister.”
“I’m just trying to toughen her up. If she can’t take my harmless teasing--”
“For the hundredth time, she shouldn’t have to take your teasing.”
“Like you and Aunt Bri never tease,” Caitlin mutters.
“Okay. You wanna play that way. Ariel, Open season!” Mom says, I shift my eyes up to watch her. “But you know what that means, honey? It means I won’t stop Caitlin next time she takes your phone and answers when Liam calls.”
Ariel squeaks. Caitlin grins. Mom glances between them, triumph imminent.
“Fine,” Ariel finally groans. “You don’t have to make a sign.”
“I’m curious. What do these so-called signs say and what purpose do they serve?” Mom asks, setting the dual carseats she was toting onto the floor. I move to go lick them, but Diana wraps her arms around me.
“No! My puppy,” she insists, flattening me. I whine, but capitulate to her demands.
“Fresh meat,” Ariel mumbles.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear that. Could you say it louder?” Mom says. Oh. Ariel is in serious trouble for this.
“Fresh meat!” Ariel practically shouts.
Mom crosses her arms and stares down Ariel, who sighs. Turns to Caitlin.
“I’m sorry.”
“Yeah,” Caitlin says, digging her toe into the floor. “And um. I’m sorry I told Liam that you were constipated.”
“What?!?!” Ariel screeches. Caitlin tears out of the room. “Mom! Can you tell her to stop embarrassing me?”
Ariel stomps from the room and Brigid is left standing, eyes wide. Mom crosses her arms and examines Brigid. “And what did you get into while I was gone?”
“I just...wanted a… hug?” Brigid asks. Mom smiles and pulls Brigid into her arms. They hum happily and sway a little.
“Also I’m short fifty dollars for that snowboard I wanted and Cameron is taking us to see Aladdin tonight. I know we said we were going as a family but I already said ‘yes’ so yeah okay love you bye!” Brigid kisses Mom and runs out of the kitchen.
“And you left me with the groceries,” Mom sighs and checks on the twin puppies before heading back out to the car.
Mom needs a break. A vacation, I think the humans call it. Her pups have been acting somewhat unruly. It takes her several trips, and when she’s done, she smiles at Diana.
“So what are you fixing on Pepper today, Dr. Mellark?” Mom asks and Diana sits up from examining me to smile.
“Pepper’s having babies.”
“Oh! Puppies!” Mom says enthusiastically. “Guess I better buy more dog food, huh?”
“No,” Diana explains and opens my mouth to examine my teeth. “She’s having frogs. Not puppies.”
“....frogs?” Mom asks. Diana releases me and moves to look in my ears.
“Yes. Frogs.”
“Okay. How did that happen?”
“Frogs rhymes with dogs,” Diana explains seriously.
“I see. Fascinating.”
“She ate all my leftover spinach from school and now she’s having frogs. So if you could buy mosquitoes, that would be better than dog food.” Diana sits up and points at me. “You need to eat your mosquitos. They’re rich in fiber and good for the babies.”
Mom tries not to laugh. I fail to see what is so amusing. Diana is only concerned with the well being of my frog babies. She sounds a lot like Dad, actually.
“Savannah… should I be concerned about the death metal that Caitlin’s door is failing to muffle?” Dad enters the kitchen then, a pen tucked behind his ear, pulling on his tie.
“It’s not death metal, it’s a little lighter than that, and I made sure she’s got the clean versions for now.”
“So...are we concerned?”
“Not yet,” Mom tells him then reaches out to help him fix his clothes. “When she asks us to buy her a guitar and get a nose spike or wrecks her dirt bike, then we’ll talk.”
“I didn’t realize an eight year old could contain so much rage.” Mom snorts at this.
“You really don’t remember much about Ryen as a kid, do you?”
“Yeah but this seems a bit...excessive? Early?”
“She skipped a grade,” Mom says. “We have to be prepared for things to seem out of order.
“Okay I get that. But... Does she wear anything but black?”
“Sometimes she wears plaid.”
“Her nails are black. When did that start?”
“She’s fine, Graham. Just keep having conversations with her and allow her to rage against the injustices of the world.”
“I’m not kidding, Sav. Have you seen the books she’s brought home from the library? I couldn’t even understand half those things in high school.”
“Are you seriously upset that our daughter who skipped a grade is reading above her grade level?”
“No. It’s -- damn it.” He mutters and pulls the ringing box they call a phone from his pocket.
“Damn it!” Diana yells and then laughs.
“That is a Daddy word,” Dad tells her and she laughs.
“Then how come Mommy says it, too?”
Dad does not appear amused. Mom snorts and covers her mouth with her hand. He looks at her and one eyebrow lifts up. “So Caitlin has the clean version of the songs?”
“I’ll talk to them about it,” Mom assures him.
“Caitlin or Diana?”
“Both. All of them.”
“Alright. I’m gonna be late. We got all the bathrooms cleaned while you were gone. Ariel’s optometrist called to confirm her appointment on Monday. Did you get everything you need at the store?”
“I think so. We’re having a family bonfire tomorrow night. I have something special planned.”
“Sounds great. Text me if you forgot something, I’ll get it on my way home.” They share the human sign of affection and then Dad comes to Diana, a bright smile on his face. “Love you, ragamuffin.”
He holds a hand out to her and she stands, giggles as he spins her under his arm and then pulls her into a hug.
“Love you, Daddy.”
“See you all for dinner,” he says, gives me a scratch behind my ears and blows another one of those affection signs at Mom.
Once he’s gone, Diana continues her examination of me and Mom unloads the groceries. I doze in and out while Mom discusses words and anger and frustration, and the appropriate places to use them. People concerns. Diana’s hands remain soft on me. Gentle. She would make a good doctor.
************************
“Daddy,” a quiet voice disturbs my slumber. I shift my head and peer through the gloom. My night vision is no longer as strong as it once was. “Daddy,” the voice calls again, accompanied by a shaking of the bed. I huff, disgruntled at the disturbance as Dad wakes up, rather loudly.
The child steps back and the scent registers in my nose. Caitlin.
“Hey, Pumpkin. What’s the matter?”
“I’m sorry. I’ll go back to bed.”
“What? Sweetie, no. It’s okay,” Dad says and sits up. He looks behind him at Mom and smiles. “Wow. Mom’s out for the count, isn’t she?”
“Yeah. I already tried to wake her.”
“Oh,” Dad says quietly and manages to pull her into a hug. She relaxes a little, but the fear is still in her scent. “Well. How can I help you?”
“Do I get free financial advice with that?” Caitlin asks. Dad and I both snort.
“Sorry, Pumpkin. You caught me half asleep. Come on. We’ll go downstairs and talk. See what kinds of treats Mom got at the grocery store today.” My ears perk up at the word treats. My collar jangles with my alertness.
“Okay,” Caitlin says hesitantly. She shifts from one foot to the other as Dad stretches and stands. Motions for me to follow.
It takes me a moment to get down off the bed. My bones are getting old and beginning to ache. Jumping is no longer an easy task. By the time I join my humans in the kitchen, they’re looking through the pantry, Caitlin rejecting a few options. I curl up on the rug under the table.
“How about the graham crackers?” Caitlin asks.
“Yeah?”
“I like them in milk sometimes.”
“Do you? That actually sounds pretty good. You get the bowls down and I’ll grab the milk, okay?”
They make quiet sounds as they prepare their treat. I wait patiently, and I am not disappointed. A bone shaped biscuit is dropped in front of me.
“Here you go, Pepper,” Dad says before he sits. Their spoons clank on their bowls and they talk quietly.
“What’s keeping you up, Pumpkin?”
“Bad dream,” Caitlin answers simply.
The crunching of the biscuit in my teeth makes listening difficult, but no matter. Cailtin sought out Dad for comfort this time. Unusual, but there’s been much unusualness since he started spending more time at home. Usually he would be gone for the season of the snows, but he was not this last time.
They talk well past my treat being consumed and I curl up on the rug at Dad’s feet. Caitlin’s feet swing under the table, her brightly colored slippers an almost beacon compared to the shadows of her clothes. The scent of fear disappears and eventually, through the haze of my nap, I hear her laughing.
“Hey, Pep, come on old girl,” Dad says and lifts me into his arms. This is nice, I think as he carries me up the stairs and down the hall away from our bed, into Caitlin’s room.
“She doesn’t have to. I don’t wanna force her.”
“We’ll give it a try, okay?” Dad says as Caitlin climbs into her bed. He sets me down on the bed. There’s not much room, but Caitlin combs her fingers through my fur. Oh that’s nice. I drift and doze and when I wake up, the sun is peeking through the blinds and Caitlin is still fast asleep with her fingers in my fur.
I huff, satisfied as I set my head on my paws. The door creaks slightly and I watch as Mom peers into the room. She covers her mouth with her hand, but she is smiling. There’s the scent of joy on her. She tiptoes over to me and gives me one of the signs of affection.
“Good girl,” she murmurs.
Yes. Yes, I am.
************
Breakfast. The best part of the day. Especially on the days of no school, like today. The girls crowd around the table in their pajamas. There’s shouting and laughter, grumbling and the clanking of the dishes. The savory scents of sausages and freshly made pancakes. Dad is cooking today, which means that I’ll be getting extra scraps. I lick my chops in anticipation.
“Tessa wants to know if I can go shopping with her and her mom today,” Ariel says.
“That’s fine,” Mom says. “Just be home by dinner time, okay? We’re having a family night.”
“I see you all the time!” Ariel whines and Mom gives her a stern look.
“What about ear piercings?” Caitlin asks Dad and he falters slightly with the cooking. Glances at Mom, but she is busy with Ariel, and keeping the twins from scattering smashed biscuits over the floor.
Brigid quietly swirls her sausage in syrup and then smiles at me. Drops her hand with a small bite. I lick it up happily.
One must be constantly following multiple threads to keep up with my pack. Not every dog is skilled enough to manage this post.
“And what about you, Brigid? How was the movie last night?”
“No spoilers!” Ariel says. Diana smacks her hands over her ears and starts singing the song of the bus with the wheels at an ear piercing volume.
“It was good,” Brigid says with a shrug. Then she smiles. “Caitlin will like Jasmine.”
“I’ll decide that.”
Mom sighs slightly and focuses on Brigid again. “What plans do you have for today then?”
“Oh. I thought maybe we could paint?”
************
Mom still has paint splattered on her overalls as she hurries through the kitchen. The scents of roasting foods are most tantalizing. I lick my chops in anticipation of the feast.
“Back porch is all set up and I’ve got the fire started,” Dad tells her as he pokes his head in.
“Oh good. Dinner’s on those two trays. I just need to get the stuff for the surprise dessert!”
Dad picks up the tray but waits as something crashes in the pantry.
“Damnit!” Mom mutters.
“See! Mommy says it too!” Diana lifts her head from listening to my heart. “Punish her!”
“I didn’t even punish you,” Dad says and sets the tray back down. “Go tell your sisters that dinner is ready.”
“Okay,” Diana says and scurries out while Dad walks into the pantry.
“Need some help?”
“No,” Mom says, sounding frustrated. My ears perk at the sounds from the pantry. “Graham. Stop it. I’m trying to find the— grahams. Oh.”
“How long do you think it’ll take Diana to convince everyone to come downstairs?”
“Not long enough.” Mom sighs and then curses again. Her voice now sounds distressed. I listen more closely.
“What?”
“I swear I bought graham crackers.”
“You did...“
“Where’d they go?”
“Uh...what do you need them for?”
The girls tumble down the stairs then. Chaos reigns for a moment as food is toted out to the back patio. Dad follows them with the trays of food.
““I was planning s’mores for dessert. Damnit,” Mom says again and then shouts. “Caitlin!”
“Yeah, Mom?” she asks, poking her head back through the door.
“Did you eat all the graham crackers?”
“I…” Caitlin stutters a moment and Mom scowls slightly at her. “Dad helped!”
Mom turns to him, an angry expression in her eyes. Dad holds up his hands.
“I didn’t know you were planning anything with them.” Mom sighs at his words and relaxes.
“Guess I’ll have to pick up some more. So much for a s’mores night,” she says.
“Is that what dessert was tonight?”
*************
The day of the groceries returns. The bounty is tantalizing and Mom uses her leg to block me from the large bag that contains what I want. Fresh, crunchy, delicious kibbles. I growl at her slightly and retreat to my bed. It is clear that she won’t be allowing me to indulge. I can be patient.
I nap, opening my eyes only when I hear the scrape of shoes. The giggling of girls in the pantry. What are they up to, I wonder with a yawn. Then slip back into sleep, lulled by the burst of rich sweetness on the air as Brigid and Ariel chatter from inside the pantry.
*************
“We just had family night this last week!” Ariel complains, slumping over in her chair at the table.
“Did you have better plans?” Dad asks teasingly, pretending to pout for her. She scowls slightly at Dad.
“Liam asked her to go skiing. Like on a date,” Caitlin says. Ariel gasps.
“Were you eavesdropping, you little maggot?”
“No! Your voice is loud enough to echo in an anechoic chamber!”
“What does that mean?” Ariel yells back.
“Alright, ENOUGH!” Mom yells. Silence falls. She sighs. “It means, Ariel, that you sometimes talk in a voice loud enough to carry through the walls. And your plans to go skiing are for tomorrow, not tonight. You’re not going skiing tonight.” Ariel huffs. “That being said, Caitlin…”
“I can’t NOT hear! Dad told me to turn my music down before that.”
“If I bribe you all with dessert will you be nice?” Mom asks and once again, silence reigns. “Good. Graham. Please go start the fire pit. Girls bundle up. We’re trying s’mores night again. And afterwards, we will have a calm, rational discussion about roommate etiquette, understood?”
A mumbled chorus goes around the table. Mom stands, her feet quick as she heads to the pantry. A burst of cold air as Dad heads outside to start the fire.
“Um, Mom…” Brigid whispers. Loud sounds issue from the pantry and I lift my head, perturbed by the continued disturbances preventing me from napping.
“Where on earth did all the chocolate bars go?”
“Mom!” Brigid says more forcefully.
“What?” Mom asks, sounding a bit testy herself.
“Brigid and I kinda ate them,” Ariel confesses.
*************
Another week, another day of the groceries. Today is a school day and so Mom unloads the bounty by herself, one handed as she holds tight to her phone and listens. I assure myself that she does not require me and then lumber down the drive.
I wait patiently at the end of the drive for the large yellow conveyance. It is cold today. A light snow dusting the ground. A squeak of breaks and I pant in anticipation as the girls tumble down the stairs. Diana struggles with her backpack, her pigtails bouncing as she pauses to shoulder the bag.
“Hi, Pepper!” she shouts and drops to her knees, her tights muddied in seconds. Wet from snow and slush and mud. “Missed you. Wanna hear about my day?”
I do not answer, but follow her back to the house and absorb all the details of her day with Mrs. Kepler, learning letters and words, mathematics and other foolish human pursuits. But my dear girl sounds happy, and this is all that concerns me.
“No, there’s nothing his contract that says he has to--” Mom trails off as we enter the house and she spots Diana’s knees. “I’ll call you back, Craig…. No, I said I would call you back.” She sighs as she hangs up and smiles at Diana. “How about some hot chocolate and a snack after we get you out of those tights?”
“Sounds great, Mom!”
************
I follow Diana into the pantry. She looks about the kitchen. I can smell excitement on her.
“Okay, you bark if someone is coming, alright Pepper?” I do not understand the command.
Her tutu bobs as she climbs a step stool and she reaches for a package. She smiles as she tears it open and withdraws a large, fluffy substance. She shoves several into her mouth and then grins at me.
“Wa’ wa’?” she asks, nonsensically. Then she offers it to me. Sweetly sugary and delicate. I inhale it and await another.
Mom’s footsteps approach and Diana quickly stashes the treat.
“Don’t tell, okay?”
************
I feel ill. Those puffy treats were the devil.
************
Brigid and her friend crash through the kitchen. I watch and then relax. It appears that my nap is to be disturbed now.
“Snowboards stay outside!” Mom yells and the girls turn back around to deposit their gear on the rack designed for the equipment of snowy sports.
She shakes her head and laughs as Dad sweeps through the kitchen. Signs of affection are exchanged.
“I’ll go start the fire. Is Ariel back yet?”
“Not yet. Tessa’s mom is dropping them back here for a sleepover after their day at the mall.”
“So we’ve got Ariel and Tessa. Brigid and Cameron. Did Caitlin or Diana want to invite a friend?”
“I tried to talk Caitlin into inviting this Benji she keeps talking about, but she says she’s not sure he’d be comfortable around us.”
“She’s embarrassed of us!” Dad says in the fake upset and shock voice of his. Mom laughs.
“Wouldn’t you be?”
“Undoubtedly,” Dad says. Mom hums.
“Diana invited Corey but they’re out of town for the weekend.”
“Shame. Alright. So it’s you and me against six girls.”
“Seven if you count Erika. Plus Everett. Don’t forget him.”
“I don’t count them until they can back talk.”
Mom laughs again and Dad goes outside while Mom enters the pantry. I listen to the sounds of her humming and gathering supplies. The humming stops. Mom uses the forbidden words.
“Where’d the marshmallows -- DIANA!”
****************
Snow has built up heavy against the low windows in the house. The day of the groceries has returned. Mom drops several bags on the counter in a huff. She grabs an empty one and searches the full bags. Extracts several items and puts them into the empty bag. She ties the top securely and goes into the pantry. Intrigued by her behavior, I follow and watch as she climbs the step stool and shifts things on the higher shelves. Footsteps approach. Dad, in his socks and slippers I believe.
“Hey, hon--”
“Ah!” Mom screams and nearly drops the bag. Dad blinks at her.
“What are you doing?” he asks with a smile and she scowls at him.
“I am hiding the groceries. I want a mother freaking s’more, but every time I try to plan a s’mores night, somebody in this house eats one of the ingredients and I have had it! I am going to get my s’mores, damn it!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
I just wanted a s’more! Was that really so much to ask?!?!?! Also yes, those would be the twins Savannah is pregnant with at the 2018 Olympics, Erika and Everett. Try not to scream at me too loudly for spoiling it, okay? Also also, don’t feed your dog marshmallows.
Summary: Sometimes, the best person for you is the one you don’t expect.
An expansion of the “Outside Chance” universe focused on Graham and Savannah and how they wound up in that ivory and estrogen tower with a pack of daughters.
Warnings: RATED E for sexual content, language, parenting shenanigans, mentions of verbal abuse, accidental pregnancy and associated discussions of options, postpartum depression and adjustments, children with illnesses, discussion of amputations and associated recovery, lots of mental health crap because I put all these characters through a lot, does that cover all my bases?
Summary: Sometimes, the best person for you is the one you don’t expect.
An expansion of the “Outside Chance” universe focused on Graham and Savannah and how they wound up in that ivory and estrogen tower with a pack of daughters.
Warnings: RATED E for sexual content, language, parenting shenanigans, mentions of verbal abuse, accidental pregnancy and associated discussions of options, postpartum depression and adjustments. *PLEASE NOTE THAT I AM PROBABLY GONNA HAVE TO ADD WARNING TAGS TO FUTURE CHAPTERS*
For @savvylark and @honeylime08 who I blame for getting me into this mess.
Summary: Sometimes, the best person for you is the one you don’t expect.
An expansion of the “Outside Chance” universe focused on Graham and Savannah and how they wound up in that ivory and estrogen tower with a pack of daughters.
Warnings: RATED E for sexual content, language, parenting shenanigans, mentions of verbal abuse, accidental pregnancy and associated discussions of options. *PLEASE NOTE THAT I AM PROBABLY GONNA HAVE TO ADD WARNING TAGS TO FUTURE CHAPTERS*
For @savvylark and @honeylime08 who I blame for getting me into this mess.
Summary: Sometimes, the best person for you is the one you don’t expect.
An expansion of the “Outside Chance” universe focused on Graham and Savannah and how they wound up in that ivory and estrogen tower with a pack of daughters.
Warnings: RATED E for sexual content, language, parenting shenanigans, mentions of verbal abuse, accidental pregnancy and associated discussions of options, postpartum depression and adjustments. *PLEASE NOTE THAT I AM PROBABLY GONNA HAVE TO ADD WARNING TAGS TO FUTURE CHAPTERS*
For @savvylark and @honeylime08 who I blame for getting me into this mess.
