Cleaning {Shelby} She Hates

[Briar Holmes]

Briar had been cleaning all day. She hated when she cleaned, it always took so long. She wanted to procrastinate, but she knew she couldn't or the house would stay a mess. The one thing about living in this house was that it took forever to clean it. She didn't want anyone else to clean it, because then she'd feel useless.

It was weird for her.

She was almost done, all she had to do was the kitchen. She took a rag and some cleaning spray to clean. She sprayed the the counter and started to wipe it down. It got the stains out of the counter, so it may not take all that long to clean off the counters, is what she was thinking. She moved her bangs out of her face and scrubbed at the counter to try and get out the stains that people made from food and drinks.

Finally, she finished one counter.

"God, why can't people clean up after themselves," She huffed, wiping down another counter. Then, she got an idea. She was a witch, while she cleaned the counters she could use magic to clean the floors. She took out her wand and muttered a spell that summoned the broom. She muttered another spell and the broom started to moved and sweep up things from the floor.

"Much better," She said with a smile.

[Shelby Crescent]

"Why are we here mum... I hate it here." Jenny whines, hiking up her blue dress as she climbed the stairs behind Shell. Her brown hair was pulled back with one of Shelby's ribbons, much to Jenny's dismay. "Yeah yeah, I know you do. I had to live here. Trust me seeing your grandfather once a month will do you good... I think. Remember your..." "My name is Serenity and I just love it here so much..." she says with a fake cheery expression that looked too much like her own when she had to live here. "There you go. You make me so proud." Shell teases before knocking on the door.

The butler lets them in and instantly smirks at Shell's red dress. "Don't even think about it William. I'll crucio your arse if you even do think of that. Trust me I'll know." she says sternly with a glare, placing her index finger on her temple. He knew that she could read minds if she wanted. Shell always played tricks on him when she was younger. "Of course Miss Rubalyn." he bows and shuts the door. Jenny just laughs silently before hearing a cluttering noise in the kitchen.

She walks off and grins seeing a broom sweeping the floor and Briar cleaning the counters. "What the hell, why do I have to get all dressed up when I come here when you live here and get away with that?" she mutters, crossing her arms lightly with a scowl on her face. Shell walks in a few minutes later and reacts the same way as Jenny does. "My father is unfair to me, even still." she says watching the broom continue with it's sweeping.

[Briar Holmes]

Briar finally finished cleaning the counters and crossed her arms, a smirk on her face in satisfaction. Now, all she had to do was finish sweeping and mopping, then she was done. She could go take a nice bath. She looked at her work on the counters and narrowed her eyes when she seen that there was still a stain. "You're gone. Now," She muttered, attacking the stain with the rag. She was scrubbing at it hard when she heard a voice, then another.

The second voice startled her so it broke the spell to the broom sweeping, making it clatter to the floor. "Shell! Jenny!" She exclaimed, letting out a breath. "It was quicker? Besides, your father has been gone all day with Dakota so he doesn't know anything about the cleaning. Shush," She added the shush to Jenny mostly. Her heart finally settled and she put the rag in the sink before walking over to the two. "What are you two doing here?" She asked, then looked at their clothes, "Ah. Here to see Alex, I see."

[Shelby Crescent]

Jenny smirks slightly and shook her head. "Aww, maybe I should tell him. And my name is Serenity and I love being here Grandma Bri." she mutters still letting her arms be crossed over her chest a bit. Shell just laughs and walks over to the broom picking it up and setting it against the counter. "Yeah, figured he want to see us, seeing as he sent an owl last week. Figures he's not here when he says to come." she mutters as well sighing slightly.

"How are you lately mum..." she asks with a forced smile. Logan had come to see Jenny and Shell already and it wasn't too good of a reunion. Jenny slapped him hard across the face and Shell well... kicked him somewhere. He leaves for more than ten years and just comes back wanting them to forgive him. There was no way that would ever happen. Shell and Jen hated that she was still with her father. It was just so distrubing knowing that they were 'together', sometimes in ways that she would never even want to think about.

[Briar Holmes]

Briar narrowed her eyes at Jenny and muttered a sarcastic "Haha" at the Grandma Bri. She leaned against a nearby counter and sighed. The bad thing about being with Alex was the looks and the fact that Shelby and her family didn't like it. They weren't married so she wasn't really related to them in that way. She hated that they teased her about it.

"Yeah, Dakota wanted to go out last minute and..you know how things go with the 'king of the house'," She sighed. She winced at the forced smile and the mum before sticking out her tongue like a kid. She couldn't come up with a sarcastic comeback at that moment seeing as she was exhausted. "I'm tired. I've been looking for another job lately and Molly has been acting really weird, which makes me stress."

[Shelby Crescent]

Jenny shrugs and opens her mouth to make a comment, but Shell knew it wasn't going to be very polite and slaps a hand around her mouth. "Don't you dare say that..." she says before leaning forward to her ear. "Even if that is true and rather funny." she adds, whispering the last part, causing Jen to laugh a bit. "Oh grandma Bri I love you..." she mutters, rolling her eyes and sits down at the table with a huff. Shell raises an eyebrow and nods at what Briar says.

Sure, he can make his life revolve around children that aren't even his, while he made his own children's lives hell. That makes sense.
She forces another smile and sits down across from her daughter and read what she was thinking feeling the same way that she was. They come over to see him like planned and he shoves them aside as usual.

[Briar Holmes]

Briar glared darkly at Jenny and looked over at Shelby. "She's old enough, can I flick her off?" But before Shelby could answer, she already had her infamous middle finger up. It was difficult now. She couldn't be around Jenny without being called something or having a rude comment made at her. It hurt her feelings, as tough she could act. Her eyes showed it most of the time, but Jenny never paid attention to it.

She walked over and sat down at the table with them, "He's trying the best he can, you guys. It's.. complicated. Can't you just talk to him about it?" She asked, folding her hands on the table. She could have a peaceful moment when they were here, it was always tense and she didn't get why Shelby couldn't just tell him how she felt about what's going on in her mind.

[Shelby Crescent]

Shell glares at Briar and shakes her head. "Thanks for waiting Briar." she says with a sigh before looking up at Jenny from the table. Jen manages a small smile at her and sighs, resting her head on the table and turns her head the other way when Briar sits down with them.

"Yeah right. Never comes to see us, tells us to come on specific days and we don't want to disappoint him so we cancel our plans and we end up here and he's gone. Yeah he tries so hard." Shell mutters, rolling her eyes like Jenny did before. "I swear that he's manipulating her mind mum. She's turning into one of them." she finishes, but her mind was continuing the sentence. And the way he's manipulating her is something I really don't wanna know or discuss."

Shell couldn't help but laugh, but she bites her lip for a second before crossing her arms to lean on the table. "No I'm not talking to him. Make him come and see us then I'll talk to the bastard." she mutters, not caring right now if Briar was in love with him or not. She overlooked the past for him and Briar and he didn't appreciate it at all.

[Briar Holmes]

Briar sighed and decided to give up on getting them to make amends with each other. She was right though, if he knew that they were going to come then why take Dakota out? He tried so hard to get them to come over, and when they finally do he's gone. He spends more time with the kids than anyone else.

She looked down at her hands and bit her bottom lip,"Fine. I will, I just don't like how tense it always is when you all are here. I'm just trying to make everything better," She said quietly, glancing up at her.

[Shelby Crescent]

Shell sighs, just biting her lip. "It's fine, don't worry about it. I don't really care anymore. If I can deal without in my life for thirty two years, I don't see why I should care now." she says honestly with a shrug.

Jenny glances over and frowns a bit. "It's only tense cause you left my father for a man twice your age and by the way he's my grandfather that nearly killed you." she mutters, standing and storming out of the kitchen. "Seri, come ba-... forget it. I'm not wasting my breath." Shell says with a sigh, leaning her head onto the table. "Well, am I expecting any new siblings soon?" she asks half sarcastically, knowing her father once talked about wanting a another child, a son to pass the Crescent name a while ago.

[Briar Holmes]

Briar sighed and started to stand up and go after Jenny, but she decided not to. Sliding back down into her chair, she looked down at the table, hands in her lap now. She didn't know what to do, or say. Really, some things they say to her were right. He was twice her age, which was a problem for the whole family and he did torture her years ago before he was killed.

Briar scrunched up her nose and shook her head, "No. No more kids, please. I don't see how you do it Shells." She knew Alex wanted a son to pass down the Crescent name, but she had enough trouble raising Faye, Dakota, and Brendyn. She wouldn't be able to raise them and care for a baby at the same time. "It's hard enough to raise the three that live here now."

[Shelby Crescent]

Shell let out a deep sigh of both relief and sympathy for her father. Shell knew that her parents were thrilled when the doctor told them that they were going to be expecting a little boy out of the twins, but wound up with Fiona and Shelby, or technically Scarlet and Rubalyn.

"Oh, is he upset about that? Not having an heir?" she asks sitting up in her chair some, deciding to take off her white gloves and the bobby pins that were holding her curls up in place as they fell in locks around her face.

[Briar Holmes]

Briar shook her head and sighed, "I haven't told him yet. I mean, I do want another child. But I just can't handle it. Not with Molly and Dakota doing all this shit. Molly is refusing to obey rules, Dakota is constantly getting hurt. My hands are full," She said with a frown. She didn't want to upset Alex, but she had to tell him. How was she going to say it? She didn't know.

She looked around really quick before using her wand to put up the broom and bring out the mop. She wet it really quick and then used the same spell she used on the broom, on the mop. It was quicker and less work to do that and get it done. Ofcourse, some people don't approve. She was a witch, not a muggle. She wanted to do it her way. With a smile, she nodded and watched the mop carefully.

[Shelby Crescent]

Shell nods, but couldn't help be feel a little distant about that. Zoe left home and was pregnant, Jessie hated her with a passion along with Vi now as well. Isaiah had been acting funny a bit and the twins were always off doing their own thing. The only ones that ever seemed that they really honestly liked Shell for herself were Jenny, Ashlyn, Liese and James.

Shell glances over at the mop and shook her head lightly. "Here." she says standing up and muttered a spell to herself and the floor was instantly clean. Shell moves the mop over to the side of the counter and sat down taking out her earrings and necklace off now as well. "After years of cleaning and only to see my house get ruined so fast I learned that spell."

[Briar Holmes]

Briar smiled and nodded in a thanks before actually saying it. "If only I knew that spell. But..the old fashioned way gets me some muscle going on," She said, lifting up her arms in a muscular pose. To try and get Shelby to smile. She still had some immaturity in her and she liked to show it when she could. But sometimes it could get out of control.

"I think..maybe I should go talk to Jenny," She mumbled, standing up from the table. She wanted to actually try and talk to Jenny. And listen to what she has to say aswell. Briar never did, and that was a problem. She looked over at Shelby to make sure it was okay before she went. After all, Shelby was her mom.

[Shelby Crescent]

Shell nods, glancing at her earrings and fumbling with them. "Sorry, I'm just under the weather today." she nods again taking a look at Briar and then back to the clinging sound of her silver hoops. Truth was that the cheerful and immaturity of hers had disappeared slowly and she was finally what Jenny called a bitter old lady. She didn't really care though, or so she told herself.

"It's fine, good luck getting her to listen and stay in one place." she says with a sigh, knowing when Jenny was upset there was no use in talking to her. "I personally think you should let her sulk but you have my permission."

[Briar Holmes]

Briar gave her a look to tell her she didn't believe her. She was always like that now, but she didn't blame her. Alot of things had happened to her so it would be kind of expected for her immaturity to be gone. She kind of missed the cheerful and immature Shelby. She remembered when she, herself, was like that. And Shelby pretty much forced her to get up and do things they used to do.

She smiled and nodded, "I know, I know. But I can atleast try and get her to listen..and talk." With that, she walked out of the kitchen and into the living area, where she began her search for the teenager.

[Shelby Crescent]

"What? I am. My good for nothing father has ditched me again and I'm getting a divorce what do you expect? Me to be all cheerful and start jumping on a couch with you like we used to?" she says raising an eyebrow at her before hearing the mop fall from the counter. "I'll get that, you just find her."

Jenny was in Shelby's old room, looking around at the photos and her mother's old clothing just smiling faintly as she found a pink ribbon with two little curvise S's on the edges of it. She knew it was hers, it was so faded. Once she placed it back into her guessing to be baby box she turns around and sees a collection of make up sitting on her vanity, before dusting it off to see what was there.

[Briar Holmes]

Briar looked in many rooms for Jenny, but never found her. She did, however, run into the butler. She should have obliterated him when she had the chance. seriously. She had been looking for her for about ten minutes before giving up on being quiet. "Jenny!!" She yelled, opening a door. A door she couldn't remember. She wasn't in there.

"Merlin Damnit," She sighed. She was about to give up when she seen a door cracked. Looking in, she seen that it was Shelby's old room. Pushing the door open a little more, she walked in and watched Jenny quietly. "Curious, aren't you?" Briar finally spoke up. "I've always wanted to look in this room, but was too scared to. I never knew what room it was." She walked over to the photos and smiled lightly. "I want to talk to you, Jenny. And I want to know why you're so worked up with me being here."

[Serenity Crescent]

Jenny glances at Briar and rolls her eyes. "I'm allowed to be. Sorta runs in the family curiousity, I take after my mother and my grandfather which by the way is still older than you by more than double." she mutters twirling the small perfume bottles around lightly smiling at the chiming noise they were creating.

"Why were you scared of this room, you're mum's bestest friend." she asks with a frown as she looked back to Briar. "I'm sure that she wouldn't care. She seems not to care much anything anymore." she adds before laughing slightly to herself. "I'm not your daughter anymore. I'm not explaining anything to you future grandmother." she says giving her a proper curtsy like she had to give her grandfather before walking over to a photo of Shell and her when she was about a year old and her mum was fifteen. They both had brown hair as Shell was holding Jen close to herself as they both were smiling lightly.

[Briar Holmes]

Briar sighed and sat down on the bed in the room, watching Jenny still. She hated how stubborn she was, all she wanted to do was talk. "If you would talk to me, I would understand more about why this is so big, Jenny." She was worse than Molly. Briar always felt like Jenny didn't like her for the pure fact that she used to be with Logan.

She looked around the room, wishing she had a room like this when she was smaller. But her dad insisted on a dark room. No make-up, no perfume. She didn't have any childhood pictures. "I'm not going to be a future grandmother anytime soon.." She sighed, looking at the floor.

[Serenity Crescent]

Glancing over she frowns changing her glance to a small white teddy bear with a green ribbon sewn on around it's neck and tied into a bow. Jenny knew that Alex wanted Shelby to be sorted into Slytherin, hence the bear. She found it funny that she wasn't even close to being sorted into that house. The hat was stuck between Gryffindor or Ravenclaw.

"Well let's see Briar. You were with my father, you had Molly and Dakota with him which are my siblings. Now if you stay with him they become my aunt and uncle. That's just so wrong in so many ways. After everything he has done to the family and you especiall you still probably sleep with the man every night if you get what I mean." she mutters, shuddering a bit. "I don't care if you are or not, it's still creepy as hell that you're even with him. Only reason why we're here is to tolerate him cause of you. You happy now that you know the truth?"

[Briar Holmes]

Briar sighed and closed her eyes for a moment, thinking of what Molly had also told her. How everything would go wrong if she married him. Saying that she would ruin her life. She couldn't believe all of this. She was so oblivious to what everyone else had been saying to her. Because she was happy that she had someone that actually cared about her.

"I finally had someone that acted like they cared about it. It's been ten years and not one bad thing had happened. Do you remember, Jenny, when I was with your dad? How upset I was that he never came home? God, then Alex came back and he was amazing.." She trailed off, squeezing her eyes shut. "This was all just a mistake, wasn't it? Am I reall ruining everyone's lives by being with him?" She was pretty much begging Jenny to tell her. No one else would tell her. If they did, she was oblivious and didn't listen. Now, she wanted answers.

[Serenity Crescent]

Jenny lets out a sigh the moment she heard Briar talking bad about her father. It was like her hearing subsciously turned the dial to mute until a new topic would come up. She fumbles around with a few things on the dusty nightstand before hearing her question.

Jenny bit her lip, remembering what Shell had told her.
Now no matter how much you hate them together, just lie and say it's fine.
"It's fine." she mutters, slightly gritting her teeth. She was never a good lier but she still tried at least. "Oh fine, Yes you are Briar. We all secretly hate it and just deal with it. Hell, I would never come see you or him again if I could, but mum makes me come Briar. She says that we shouldn't be selfish about it but we all think that."

[Briar Holmes]

Briar let out a growl when she seen Jenny kind of ignoring her about her father. That was also a problem. She would never listen, it seemed that Logan would always be the angel. She was turning eighteen and yet she would ignore her until a different topic came up? It bugged her to death.

She looked down at her hands, listening carefully to every word that Jenny said. She never knew that she was ruining people's lives. "Maybe..this whole thing is a mistake," She said in almost a whisper. She felt a tear slide down her cheek at the thought of all of this. Maybe she should leave Alex. For her kids and the rest of the family. It'd be best in her mind, and probably everyone elses. "Jenny, do you hate me?"

[Shelby Crescent]

[[I'm being lazy, sue me. XD]]

Jenny glances over at her staying silent. She couldn't really say it wasn't a bad idea to leave him but she could say that she felt horrible now that she let her temper go. No wonder her mum hated when she lost her own. Jenny sighs getting off the bed and looking down at Briar just a little seeing as she was only a couple inches shorter than her. "No I don't hate you Briar. It's just werid that it's my father's uncle and my mum's dad. That's all. I couldn't hate you unless you're the one that chased my dad away." she whispers the last part before sitting back on the bed.

[Briar Holmes]

{{*sues* o.o}}

Briar bit her bottom lip, feeling another tear slip. Finally, everything was coming out. And it would seem kind of awkward seeing as it was her best friends daughter that seen her crying. She was thinking about everything. The kids, her life with Alex, then the life she had with Logan. "I know..I know. I just..I don't know. He's so great, Jenny. Constantly with the kids, I have no time with them. And if I leave, we'll be struggling so hard to get by."

When she whispered the last part, she bit her bottom lip hard, "The thing is, Jenny, I think I am the reason," She whispered, "He was inlove with Shelby and he was never home because of it. I was just..there."

[Shelby Crescent]

Jenny sighs, wiping her tear away. "Mama Bri don't cry alright? You can stay it's your decision not ours." she says softly, until she felt a little bitter when she said they'd be struggling. "Briar, we're behind on the bills for three months, the water and power was turned off for a week and mum got a second job. She refuses to let me work or any of us... crap. She hasn't told you this has she?" she ask biting her lip.

Jenny shakes her head lightly at her.
He was never home cause of the order... not cause of his crush on mum.
"You know when you say he's your first love and you always came back to him? I think it was the same way for him but with mum. I know it's not fair but we can't control love and we can't control how you feel about him even if we don't like it. Same goes for me now if I fall in love with some werid guy that's obsessed with grilled cheese or something." she smiles faintly at her.

[Briar Holmes]

Briar had to smile faintly, "You haven't called me that in a long time," She said quietly. When she heard all of that, a deep frown came to her lips. "No, she hasn't told me any of that! Your mother is so stubborn. She knew if I found out I'd be intent on helping." She let out a breath before looking over at Jenny, "If your mum finds out you told me, how pissed off will she be on a scale one to ten?"

She smiled again and let a small chuckle escape her. She had to admit that if Jenny fell inlove with a guy obsessed with grilled cheese, it would be pretty funny. "Yeah..I guess so. I just wish he was here sometimes, you know? So he could see how all of his children have grown so much. And you, you'll probably fall inlove with a weird guy that's obsessed with grilled cheese." She nodded at the end.

[Shelby Crescent]

Jenny smiles lightly before feeling a frown that matched Briar's cross her lips as well. "If I calculate this right it would be around oh, a billion times a bajillion." she says with a nod. "Not a word to the stubborn woman that I somehow love." Jenny teases with a faint smile again.

"Yeah I know. Sometimes I wish he didn't pull an Amelia Earhart and disappear completely." she says shaking her head. No, I'll fall in love with the guy that's either obsessed with muggle things like me or obsessed with peanut butter jars." she says trying not to laugh.