Final Departures

“She really said that?”

“Yeah! Apparently, I’m a bad influence on the kids. Somehow, I’m guilty by association with the twins,” Nate complained. “Like I’m the person in the family that taught them their tricks.”

“Well, your mom isn’t here for your aunt to blame. And you did pass out in their bathroom last night,” Finn pointed out.

“That’s Peyton’s fault. If she wouldn’t stop denying our destiny, then I would–”

“Look, if Olympia won’t let you sit in the same car with your cousins, I’ll drive you,” Finn offered, mainly to shut Nate up about Peyton. Just off to the side of the conversation, Auggie shook his head.

Standing near the hallway leading off the lobby to the ballroom, the two old friends people-watched while waiting for more of their friends to depart. Finn’s female friends from college had gone upstairs to see Peyton but should be down any moment. The soft hum of goodbyes and the occasional squeaks from luggage wheels created a backdrop to their conversation. However, one person with plenty on his mind heard Finn’s offer and rushed over.

“Oh, no! You’re not escaping this mess, Finny. I can’t stay here all day and can’t leave until your moth–I mean, until Rachel is safe from that crazy woman. That leaves you in charge of fixing Lana and Peyton,” Clive declared.

Finn rubbed his forehead. The crazy woman who Clive referred to wasn’t Kimberly. No, it was Gabriela and her reaction to discovering that her BFF didn’t tell her immediately about Miranda catching Kimmie in bed with Austin and his friend. Since the gossip blast from Nosy Nectar, Gabby had alternated between laughing uncontrollably about the threesome and gasping in horror over Rachel’s betrayal.

“And to think that bitch tried to get in on our hot tub foursome the other night,” Nate remarked. He immediately turned his side to Clive when the older man’s expression shifted to shock. “Uh, you know, if you need to help Rachel, I can always think of something to fix Lana and Pey. Actually, I have a damn great–”

“No!” Clive and Finn exclaimed simultaneously.

"Geez, Lana throws a few plates once, and I get blamed for that, too," Nate grumbled. "Huh? If I'm going to my grandparents' place, then why don't I just get a ride with them? They haven't left yet."

Finn watched as the shorter guy leaned up on his toes to scan the lobby.

“I don’t know. They came with the Fallons, and I don’t think their car is big—” Finn began to say.

“Even better! Grandma Pepper adores me. We can discuss Pey,” Nate responded.

“I wouldn’t say she adores you. Hey! Yo, Eoin, over here!” Finn called, spotting another of his closet guy friends.

“Dude! Don’t call him over here,” Nate grumbled under his breath. He glared as one of his current rivals for Peyton Tarver walked over.

“Do you have any extra room in your car?” Finn asked, causing Nate’s head to whip around to stare at him in horror.

“Sure. I think it’s just me and Iona unless she adds a friend,” Eoin replied, shrugging. “You looking to escape the girl fight?”

“Actually, Nate needs a ride to his grandparents’ house.”

“Hold up. I wanna see what Sugar is up to,” Zaylie announced, stopping the group of women after they rounded the corner.

Peyton, Pepper, Meredith, Jamie-Lynn, Harper, and AJ all stopped walking to watch Nate mimic strangling Finn when Eoin turned away from them. Peyton rolled her eyes in annoyance while her grandmother glanced over at her with a grin.

“Do you think they’re arguing over you again?” Harper inquired, glancing at her slightly older classmate.

“They’re definitely fighting over Pey,” AJ proclaimed.

“This behavior seems more typical than their dancing last night,” Pepper said, causing her granddaughter to turn on a dime.

“You saw it?!”

“Of course, I saw it, dear. Brandy is quite proud of herself,” Pepper relayed with a thin smile. “Virginia and I are waiting to hear what your mother and Tinsley think.”

“Crap!”

The women continued to watch as Nate reluctantly snatched his suitcase’s handle. A shaking fist toward Finn confirmed the girls’ suspicions. After clapping Finn’s shoulder, Clive also followed the two younger men to the other side of the lobby, only he went to search for his wife.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go with Nate?” Harper inquired. “Not that we don’t mind dropping you off before we head out.”

“Oh, I prefer to arrive at Sugar’s grandparents' house minutes after he gets there. Imagine the surprise on his face when he learns I’m staying with him for a few days,” Zaylie said, smirking.

“My, aren’t you a devious one? No wonder Tinny likes you,” Pepper chuckled. “However, I think you should give Nate a night off. Teddy and his family are flying out tomorrow. Until then, you can stay at our house. We have plenty of room.”

Zaylie placed her hand on her heart at the offer before profusely thanking Peyton’s grandmother. Of course, Pey couldn’t resist warning her friend about staying in the same house as her aunt.

“I’ve heard plenty about your aunt from Sugar’s mom,” Zaylie revealed.

“You girls don’t need to wait. Once Prissy is done helping Kiki with Lana, we can drop Zay off,” Meredith offered.

“I don’t know. Lana might keep them up there for a while longer. She’s quite perturbed,” Zaylie relayed.

“She’s always perturbed,” Peyton mumbled. “And doesn’t Kiki need to leave soon? She said she had to work tonight.”

“Hmm,” Pepper sounded knowingly as she witnessed Cecelia Bank and her two granddaughters approach Finn.

“What’s going on now?” Peyton wondered aloud.

Serinda and Sanna appeared to be begging their cousin about something. CeCe chimed in a few times, with whatever she said egging on the two sisters further. Eventually, Finn gave in and agreed to their demands, leading to a celebratory shout from the two out-of-towners.

“I’m sure you’ll find out soon, dear,” Pepper replied cryptically, making eye contact with CeCe.

---

“Quick! Put this coat on with the hood up. Actually, let me find you a ski mask just to be safe,” Fletcher announced, rushing over. He tossed an oversized coat with a large hood at his cousin.

“What?!” Sienna exclaimed, barely catching the coat before it hit her in the face.

“Rylee, keep an eye out for cops. C’mon, Si-Si, get your ass in gear,” Fletcher ordered, slapping said ass.

The shy girl squeaked at Fletch’s comment about the cops and the slap to her best friend’s behind. Following his direction, Rylee's tiny figure moved this way and that way as she peaked through the crowded lobby in search of any police. The petite golden blonde glanced back several times to watch as Fletch practically manhandled a struggling Sienna into putting on the huge coat.

“The hell are you doing?!” the ice queen demanded.

“Your best bet is to escape through the bowels of the hotel. There is a loading dock you can slip out of and into the waiting car,” Fletcher explained, forcefully turning the irate and confused blonde in the proper direction. “We need to go through that door. Come on, Ryls.”

Shoving his cousin, Fletcher found intense resistance. Using all her strength, Sienna locked her legs in place, refusing to budge even an inch. Telling her not to be foolish, Fletch lowered his hands down to get better leverage. He did so by gripping each of his cousin’s toned ass cheeks.

“Stop grabbing my butt!”

Rylee squeaked louder than usual before peering around Fletcher to see what her best friend meant.

“I’m trying to keep you from becoming somebody’s bitch in jail. Now, move!” Fletch commanded, pinching each buttcheek. “I got a plan. We’ll get you by train to Fountain Beach. From there, you’ll stow away on a cargo ship headed for Breezy Bay. Once you reach there, you should be able to lay low at our relatives’ resort.”

Fletcher felt the tap on his arm. Turning, he saw the quizzical and concerned expression on Rylee’s face. Deciding to play up on their close friendship, Fletcher threw a hint.

"Don't worry, Ryls. You don't need to go on the lam, too. I didn't see you on the security footage. You should be safe," the dark-haired teen reassured. As hoped for, his words had an impact as he felt Sienna's body stiffen.

“Security footage?”

“Dammit, Si-Si, you’re supposed to be the smart schemer in the family. Sure, you come out looking quite delectable in those fake nudes. Not as delicious or real as Bianca’s. Your tits were probably too large. Now, I could understand being pissed if you had shitty fakes like the ones of Prudence Goodley.” Fletcher suddenly stopped talking as he lost track of his point before recalling it. “How the fuck did you forget that a hotel has security cameras everywhere these days? Your ****, ****, and attempted **** are all over them!”

Rylee and Sienna gasped.

“Attempted ****?! I did no such thing!” Sienna declared, whipping around to face her cousin.

Fletch smirked as her move made it clear that she could've done so moments earlier during her complaining. He momentarily wondered if the impossible might be possible. Did his ice queen cousin not mind his hands all over her body? It seemed crazy and extremely unlikely, but one never knows. Shit, all those repressed sexual urges need to explode at some point. It probably has nothing to do with me. I just hope it’s not Charlie Cork that gets first contact with her privates.

“Denny had to be taken to the hospital. You tied the gag too tight, Sienna! He stopped breathing. And that’s not to mention what you did to Palmer,” Fletch lied.

Rylee eyes bugged out while her lips quivered in fear.

“I did not! I tied it fine,” Sienna argued before slapping a hand over her mouth.

“Aha! So you admit it,” Fletcher crowed triumphantly, raising his arms in victory while performing a complete spin. “Miss Perfect isn’t afraid to get down and dirty.”

“Denny is a foul, despicable person who got what he deserved,” Sienna asserted. “Stop playing games, Fletch. Is there really security footage?”

"Indeed there was. But don't worry. My people took care of it. I can't stand the thought of my innocent cousin landing behind bars. Bert has such a good heart. On the other hand, you would likely thrive in the clink," Fletcher stated.

Sienna stepped forward and two-fisted Fletch’s jacket menacingly. She didn’t need to say a word.

“Okay, okay, don’t get your panties in a bunch. Nosy Nectar either erased or stole the footage,” the Wynwick bastard revealed.

“W-Why would they do that?” Sienna questioned, stammering for a rare time.

“I don’t know. I guess they felt like Denny and Palmer got what they deserved.”

“But why tell you? Do you know who’s behind Nosy Nectar? Because it can’t be you,” Sienna stated. “You have zero patience or attention span to run something like it.”

Rylee gigged. At first, she did so based on Sienna’s comment. Then, her laughter continued as Fletch clutched his heart.

“You wound me, dear cousin,” Fletch replied, laying on the devastation thickly. “If you must know, I did my good deed to start the new year with Palmer.”

“Good deed? Ha! More like making a move on Kaitlin. Did she put you up to it?”

“Me? There was no quid pro quo as Katie doesn’t know I did it, and nobody else will either. Palmer deserved what he got. However, imagine my shock when Bert asked if he should put Palmer with the other guy. How could you corrupt poor Bert like that?” Fletch challenged.

Before Sienna could point out her cousin’s hypocritical question, they ended up interrupted by more family and friends.

“I see I was right,” Paige pointed out.

“For fuck’s sake, can’t you two ever get along?” Fiona hissed, spotting her son and niece bickering yet again. “At this rate, maybe Sela’s idea of counseling is a good idea.”

“It’s about time,” Sienna argued with a victorious head nod.

“I’m not talking just about sending Fletch. You two need to go together,” Fiona corrected her niece’s assumption.

“Ah, an excellent idea, Mother. I often feel nervous, if not violated, in Sienna’s presence. If you ask me, she’s got this weird cousin kink,” Fletcher said before leaning forward with a hand hiding one side of his mouth. “Probably got it from Aunt Sela and Uncle Calum’s marriage.”

“You’re the one that keeps grabbing my butt!”

Rylee covered her mouth while bending forward slightly in amusement at their antics. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Paige tsked-tsked in annoyance.

“Do you see, Mom?! Her filthy mind is rubbing off on me!” Fletch gasped in horror.

“For the last time, Fletch. Sela and Calum are distant cousins. Their marriage is not illegal or creepy. Maybe just a little strange,” Fiona noted.

"Oh! I know the perfect therapist for our couples counseling. We were just talking about Katie; her mom is a marriage and sex therapist. She can get to the bottom of Sienna's taboo tendencies," Fletcher suggested, practically fighting the itch to rub his hands together.

Fiona grimaced at her son's delight in her sister's original idea. Sending her son to a therapist with his cousin would only backfire. Despite his reputation, Fletcher usually behaved. She could be proud of his protective attitude around friends like Paige, Wesley, and Rylee. Yet, something in Sienna's icy attitude brought out the need to needle her at every opportunity. Still, picking fights with his cousin was better than carrying on the family feud with Whitney Diamond. Fortunately, that hadn't flared up in some time.

“Okay, let me get to the real reason I found you,” Fiona began, seeking to change the subject. “If you have anything in the spare bedroom, you need to move it when we get home today.”

“We have a spare bedroom?” Fletch questioned, blinking in surprise.

“Very funny,” Fiona replied sarcastically.

“Are you talking about the condo?”

“Yes, our home.”

“Well, you might have been planning to measure the drapes at the manor in preparation for Myles’ ****.” Sienna snorted at Fletcher’s comment. “Oh, I’m sorry. Is your mom planning to fight Kermit over who gets the family mansion? That’s cool. Mom and I like the condo better.”

“Fletch, can you please just move any stuff you have in the spare bedroom?” Fiona asked.

"Do you mean the bedroom to which Poppy claimed squatter's rights?"

“No, the bedroom next to yours,” Fiona pointed out with a loud sigh.

“Oh, you mean Paige’s bedroom! Why?”

“I want to set up a command center in there.”

“For what?”

“It’s for the elections, dummy!” Paige snapped.

"Don't yell at me. I just wanted to know why you'll end up on the floor or couch whenever you stay over," Fletcher explained. "I was worried about you. I guess if Poppy's bed is free and dry, you could sleep there."

“I’d rather sleep on the sofa,” Paige announced.

“Oh, there’s Brandy. I need to run a proposal past her,” Fiona said. “So check out the room when we get home.”

“I don’t know if I have anything in there,” Fletcher admitted, rubbing his chin in thought as his mother followed the youngest Fallon sister.

“You do, and I’ll handle it,” Paige declared.

“Hell, no! Don’t think I forgot about your repeated attempts to throw out my toys!” Fletcher screeched.

“You don’t need action figures any longer. You’re too old to play with toys,” Paige stated.

“I need to keep them sharp. Who knows when my team will need to go on a recon or rescue mission in the future?”

---

“Where is she?” the leggy blonde asked, sliding in next to the bookish blonde.

“Sitting over at that far table in the corner with Ramsey,” Fawn nudged with her head. She didn’t want to be obvious about watching Lacey. “What did Fiona want?”

“Is she still crying?” Brandy peered around her friend to spy on the petite redhead. “Fuck, I thought she’d be thrilled to see her ex embarrassed like that.”

“Somewhat. It’s not as bad as before. Every so often, Ramsey says something that gets her going again,” Fawn reported, noticing how Brandy cringed at the update. “I think it’s more the shock of Austin running off to another woman probably minutes after the breakup. Actually, he went to Bianca first, and she shot him down.”

“In a classic, brutal way,” Brandy stated, feeling weird for being proud of a Sugarbee.

“Honestly, Lacey likely expected him to go straight to Bianca. Kimberly is a whole ‘nother shock.”

“And awful taste.”

“So what did Fiona want?” Fawn pressed again.

“It’s a secret.”

Fawn looked back at Brandy before rolling her eyes.

“As if you have any secrets that I don’t know.”

"I do, too!" Brandy protested.

“Please. As soon as anything happens, you call or text me the details,” Fawn reminded her.

“You don’t know everything!”

“Name one secret that I don’t know,” Fawn challenged.

“What about…no, you know about…Wait, there was the time…No, I sent you a picture. Hey! Nice try, catgirl. But I know your sneaky ways and ain’t falling for your trick question,” Brandy said before mimicking the librarian’s voice. “Tell me a secret that I don’t know.”

“I honestly didn’t mean it as a trick question. Whatever. I’ll just find out in a day or two,” Fawn replied dismissively. “Do you want to wait until later to talk to Lacey?”

“No, we need to get this over with. Besides, we’re leaving soon.”

“So how should we do this?”

“Don’t worry. I have an idea,” Brandy assured.

The two blondes walked over to the isolated table in the corner of the ballroom. Fawn already figured the table had been set up this morning as part of a waystation for the wait staff with the unexpected use of the ballroom as an extra dining area. It served as a nice private spot for the two girls.

“Hey, kiddo. What’s happening?” Brandy asked, coming off way too cheerful. She ignored Fawn’s startled look.

"H-Hey," Lacey sniffled before wiping her eyes with the palms of her hands, making both older women feel even more guilty.

“Can we talk for a minute?” Fawn queried.

“S-Sure. We can–”

“Lacey’s a little preoccupied at the moment,” Ramsey stated, seeking to protect her friend.

“We understand that. However, we need to talk to Lacy about what happened,” Fawn continued, glancing over at Brandy to wonder what happened to her idea.

“Do you mind? We’re having a private conversation, Miss Graff,” Ramsey said, a little more stiffly than she meant.

“Okay, Lois Lane, we get that you want to protect Lacey, but we’re not here to hurt her. How about checking that attitude? I’ve known her since she was born, which is longer than you have. So we need a few minutes of privacy with her,” Brandy explained in an annoyed tone.

“Excuse you?” Ramsey questioned, not used to being treated in such a fashion by an adult.

“No, you’re the one that’s going to be excusing yourself for a few minutes. Why don’t you go stand over that and wait for your friend until we’re done? It’s the least you can do after I hauled your ass out of the Penalty Pub last night. So scram,” Brandy directed.

Lacey watched with big eyes as Ramsey grumbled a thank you for Brandy's help last night before stomping over to the spot the older blonde had pointed to. Fawn glared at her best friend, mouthing, "What the hell?"

"Alright, Fawn and I are really sorry you're upset, Lace. Although you shouldn't be. Austin is an ass, and you can do so much better than him," Brandy began. "Still, we'd like to apologize."

"For what? It's not your fault that he went and screwed that old…" Lacey's politeness prevailed, causing her to trail off.

“Whore? Slut? Bitch? Cunt?” Brandy rattled off. “Actually, part of it is our fault. You see, Fawn had this plan to get back at Kimberly. Now, I’ll admit that I went along with it, but it was only because I thought you’d be happy.”

Fawn’s head whipped around to glare at her best friend. She mentally cursed herself for letting Brandy take the lead. Of course, she’s spread the blame around for her bad idea for ****.

“What did you do, Miss Graff?” Lacey asked with a surprised expression.

Oh, you’re going to pay for this one, Brandy.

“Well, um, I sort of found out about Austin going into Kimberly’s room last night from somebody who saw them enter. Now, we didn’t know about Oscar joining them,” Fawn explained, stressing the word we while shooting a dirty look at Brandy. “And you didn’t hear this, but Daisy got hold of a passkey last night. So, we used it to get into Kimberly’s room to expose Austin for you.”

“Yeah, Fawn sent me into the hotel room to get footage as she couldn’t as a school staff member,” Brandy added, causing Fawn to shake her head in disgust.

“Wait, you’re the person who made the video?” Lacey asked.

“Both of us,” Brandy clarified, pointing between herself and Fawn.

“But how did Nosy Nectar get it?” the petite redhead questioned.

“I submitted it,” Fawn admitted. “I thought embarrassing Austin would make you feel better. Plus, I figured he’d get in trouble with his mom.”

Lacey stood there in shock and stared at the school librarian. Nearly ten long, painful seconds passed before the cheerleader finally reacted. Fawn almost fell over as Lacey lunged forward to hug her.

“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, Miss Graff! That’s one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me!” Lacey gushed, continuing to hug the astonished librarian.

“You’re not mad?” Fawn asked, looking over at an equally surprised Brandy.

"I'm hurt and pissed that Auss went off and slept with another woman, especially an older one, and that Oscar joined in for some reason. But I'm happy that Austin is getting exposed as an asshole. I can't believe I put up with or didn't know about some things he did."

A flabbergasted Brandy watched as Lacey bounced up and down on her feet as she continued to hug and thank Fawn. Feeling put out over Fawn getting all the credit, despite Brandy putting the blame on her, the boisterous blonde sought to get some due for her actions.

“Hey, I was part of this plan too.”

“Sure you were,” Fawn sassed back.

“I’m the one who told Miranda to come with us,” Brandy revealed.

“I guess that did add to Austin’s discomfort,” Fawn agreed, smirking at Brandy over Lacey’s shoulder. “But you did say this whole **** scheme was my plan.”

“I’ve…I’ve been taking care of Lacey since she was born. Who babysat her? Crap!” Brandy cursed, realizing that Fawn also babysat the redhead. “Well, I took her out for ice cream…shit! I took her to some of my cheer practices and games—fuck!”

“Yes, we did do things with Lacey a good number of times when she was little, but probably not enough,” Fawn agreed, pulling back from the hug to smile at Lacey.

"I…I…used to take her on dog walks with Hutz and Faraday!" Brandy yelled, finally finding something they did alone a few times. She was rewarded when Lacey turned to hug her.

"I miss walking Hutz and Faraday," Lacey cried, remembering how much she loved her family dog and the Fallons' one.

"Well, Sean will be out of the dogwalking business for a month or two. Maybe you can lend a hand by walking Watson," Fawn suggested, causing Lacey to rock backward at the idea.

“Yeah, as a varsity cheer–” Brandy began.

“You better claim that role before the Babybees do,” Fawn warned, causing Lacey to turn and hug her again over the idea.

“The hell?! Way to steal my thunder, book bitch,” Brandy swore, glaring at her beaming best friend.