Not Expecting to Collide (COMPLETE) - ABP Fanfiction

Chapter 56 - Blood

October managed to stifle her sob as Bam walked through the door and into the library. She discreetly wiped her eyes and sat up straighter against the couch cushions. Instead of sitting next to her, Bam chose the chair on the opposite side of the coffee table. He sat down, put his elbows on his knees and cradled his head in his hands.

"I don't know where to start." He said quietly.

October leaned forward and pushed a cup of tea towards him. "We can't get anywhere if you don't talk at all." She replied softly. "Just start talking. Tell me what happened in Seattle."

Bam ran his hands through his hair and twisted it at the nape of his neck. He remembered every detail of that meeting in Seattle; every word of his father's betrayal. He took a deep breath and, at her gentle urging, told her everything.

~*~

Myra sat at the head of the boardroom table as the Brown family filed in, one by one. Once seated, Myra pointed to the papers that had been set in front of each chair. "This is what we have planned for the second half of this season. Take a look and then we can talk about it."

Bam flipped through the multi-paged document and made quiet comments that only Birdie, sitting beside him, could hear. "This seems to be getting worse." She nodded in agreement.

"Who is going to believe this bullshit?" Birdie giggled at Bam's curse-word and earned herself a sharp look from Billy. She turned several pages ahead and murmured to Bam.

"Check out page eight. Who is Bambi, and why are you lying in bed with her?" Birdie hissed.

Bam flipped to the same page Birdie was reading and starting shaking his head as he  ran his finger down the paper. "No, Myra. I'm not doing this."

Myra flashed him the same serene smile she did at his work-site back in Seattle. " I understand your reluctance because I understand you already have someone, but if she won't agree to appear on screen, we will be forced to improvise."

Bam's eyes flashed at her. "I won't agree to this." He spat as he threw the script across the table at her. Billy  lifted his head and watched Bam carefully. He was about to say something when Myra lifted her hand to silence him.

"This script has already been approved. If you don't abide by it, you will be in breach of contract."

"Who approved it? I've never seen it before today."  Bam spat back.

Billy spoke up. "Your mother and I approved it yesterday."

Bam swung his head over to his parents and scoffed. "You! How could you agree to this? You had to know that I wouldn't want this!"

Ami cast her eyes down to her lap and remained silent.  "If this is what the network wants, then this is what they are going get." Billy replied flippantly.

"And what about what I want?" Bam said, feeling like a two year old for choosing those words.

"Frankly, son, it doesn't matter what you want."

"Wait a minute." Matt piped up. "Da, that's not fair that you make all the decisions. This is our life too and we get a say." Bam flashed Matt a grateful look.

Billy 's face was beginning to turn red.  Bam mustered all the self control he had and turned to Myra. "Myra, can you give us the room for a few minutes to discuss this as a family?"

Myra nodded, stood from her seat at the head of the table. "Before I leave, I just want to leave you with one quick reminder that this show is what we like to call and 'ensemble cast'. It is about your entire family and your contracts are drawn up to reflect as such.  Should one of you - " her gaze zeroed in on Bam, "- choose to quit, it would mean an end to the show for all of you." She turned back to Billy. "I'd really hate for that to happen since we have a really good thing going here. Your family has managed to benefit greatly." She smiled that damned serene smile that gave Bam violent thoughts and left the room.

After the door clicked behind her, Bam turned back across the table to where his father was sitting.  "You will do this Bam, for the family." Billy stated flatly.

"I'd rather quit." Bam growled.

"Look at what this show has done for our family." Billy argued.

"What?" Bam exclaimed. "Destroyed our privacy, threatened our self-respect and made us the laughing stock of Southern Alaska?"

Billy shook his head. "It's got us working together towards our dream."

"No," Bam stated. "Only towards your dream."

Billy ignored that comment and continued. "We have fame and recognition. Just the other day, your mother and I got a call from a modeling agency wanting to sign Rainy when she turns fourteen."

The vein at the left side of Bam's head throbbed visibly. '"Over my dead body!"

"Your dead body?" Billy shouted. "Rainy is not your daughter!"

"She's not your meal ticket." Bam ground out.

Noah, ever the peacemaker of the family, volunteered a suggestion. "Let's vote on it."  He said loudly, hoping to quell the argument that had erupted in the room. Ami chimed it that it was a good idea.  Surprisingly, Billy agreed, very confident that the majority of the family would support his side of the argument.

"Okay," Bear said.  "All in favour  of Bam quitting the show, and in turn, bringing the entire production to a halt, raise your hand." Billy's mouth dropped open as he glanced around the table. Everyone had raised their hand except Ami and Birdie. Bam felt a flood of emotion at the outpouring of support from his brothers. Bam knew that Birdie was afraid to go against their father's wishes and that was what was preventing her from siding with him.

"Ma, how could you agree to this?" Bam implored. His mother looked at Billy, who shook his head before she looked away. Bam should have known his mother wouldn't go against anything his father had decided. Even wishing it so was useless.

Billy's face turned red.  He stood up and roared. "I am the head of this family and I will make the decisions! You will all abide by them or you will leave the circle."

"What am I supposed to tell October?" He replied hotly.

"That girl", Billy  snapped. "is not family."

Bam stood up so quickly that his chair knocked over behind him.  Birdie gasped and moved closer to Matt, who was sitting on her other side.

"That girl has a name." Bam shot back. "It is October and she is family, Da. My family."

"Just because some pretty, little floozy opened her legs for you doesn't make her family." Billy's eyes widened comically as Bam lunged across the table at him. Matt and Bear both leapt to their feet and pulled Bam back by his arms. Gabe stood quickly and put himself in between Billy and Bam.

The yelling must have carried to the outer corridor because soon after that, two security guards burst through the doors of the conference room. Bear and Matt had Bam backed up against the wall at one side of the room while Gabe was standing in front of Billy on the other. Birdie was crying. Ami was speaking softly to Billy, trying to calm him down. Noah was trying to keep the security guards from making things worse. Finally Bam yanked himself roughly out of his brothers' grasp. "It's okay." He growled. "I'm fine."

Billy stood in front of the window and glared at Bam. "Blood is thicker than water." He screamed as Bam walked out the door. "She's not blood, BamBam. She's not blood!"