Family feud

Cradling my new baby sister gently, I traced my finger over her soft, tiny face. Mom had decided to name her Alice, a name that Nathan and I loved as well.

Mom and Nathan were upstairs catching up on much-needed sleep after a week of sleepless nights attending to Alice. Sitting on the couch, with my sister nestled in my arms, it was a strange feeling. Of all the changes I had experienced after waking up here, becoming a brother was undoubtedly the best.

I looked down at Alice as she yawned, her tiny hands clenching and unclenching. A smile spread across my face. I knew that from the moment I laid eyes on her, my life would be intrinsically linked to this little being, and I would do anything for her.

"Of course, you won't go to sleep; you kept us all awake last night," I told her playfully, to which she responded with baby noises. It was like she was challenging me.

As I tried to get her to sleep, I saw Nathan approaching with a tired smile on his face. "I can take Alice now, Danny," he offered.

I handed over Alice to Nathan as I had to leave the house soon. Nathan cradled Alice tenderly and sat on the couch next to me, trying to get her to sleep as well.

"It's alright, Danny," Nathan said, giving me a reassuring pat on the back. "You go ahead and leave. I've got this."

I had to go to the Dunphys today as Haley had invited me. "Alright, I'll see you later then," I said to Nathan. I gave Alice a soft kiss on her forehead and stood up to leave.

With a final wave, I grabbed my keys and jacket and headed out of the house.

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[Haley's Commentary]

"Things with Daniel have been amazing," Haley begins. "He's thoughtful, funny, and we just get each other, you know? It's like we're on the same wavelength."

"There's just one little problem," she continues, her voice lowering slightly. "His friend, Joanna. She's kind of famous too, like him, and incredibly talented."

"I mean, all my friends love her music," she pauses. "Alright, fine, I like her music too," she said, rolling her eyes.

"I've seen how they are together, and I can't shake the feeling that she's making a play for him."

"I know Danny won't do anything. I mean, come on, it's me," she said with a smug laugh.

"If another woman is messing with your man, you have to get proactive."

Her demeanor hardens as she leans in closer. "I don't care how famous she is or how well she can sing. If she tries to get what's mine," Haley pauses, "girlfriend's gonna get stung."

[End Commentary]

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General POV

"All my friends are going to be there, Mom," Haley said, walking up to Claire, who was busy cooking in the kitchen.

"I don't care; your father and I are not going to let you go to a concert and then spend the night over at your boyfriend's house," Claire said.

"But it's supervised," Haley protested.

"Oh, really? By who?" Claire asked.

"By Nathan, Daniel's stepdad," Haley answered.

"I really need to go to this concert; my entire relationship with Daniel may be at stake here," Haley continued, adding on the drama trying to sway her mother.

"I highly doubt that," Claire said.

"Oh my god," Haley began to shout.

Phil, who was listening from the table next to them, quickly intervened. "Let me just step in here; I think I can help," he said, guiding Haley to where Claire was standing.

"Haley, what your mom is worried about is what will happen when Daniel goes off to college or, you know, he gets more famous," Phil said.

"Why would he go to college?" Haley asked.

"Well, okay, you might have a point there, but," Phil paused, looking at Claire.

"What?" Haley asked.

"Haley, what we're trying to say is that things change, especially when fame and different life paths come into play," Phil continued. "Daniel's career is just taking off, and that can put a strain on relationships."

"But that won't happen to us," Haley interjected. Phil and Claire shared a worried look.

"I really need to be at this concert," Haley pleaded with her mother.

Claire shook her head. "I'm sorry, Haley, but the answer is still no."

"I can't believe this," Haley exclaimed before storming out of the kitchen and heading to her room.

"Don't worry, I'll talk to her," Phil said, following after her.

As Phil left to talk to Haley, Claire continued cooking dinner. The whole family was coming, so there was a lot to do. As she busied herself in the kitchen, she heard the sound of the doorbell. Annoyed, she wiped her hands on a towel and made her way to the door, opening it to reveal Mitchell standing there with a somewhat awkward expression.

"Hey, Mitchell. What's up?" Claire greeted, sensing something was off.

"Hey, just... just in the neighborhood," Mitchell replied, his eyes darting around as if he was reluctant to deliver the message he was carrying.

"So, do you remember how Mom gave up her career to raise us?" Mitchell started.

Claire sighed, a weary look crossing her face.

Suddenly, another voice joined in, unmistakable and sharp. "A promising career," it was their mother, Dede.

"Oh, God," Claire murmured.

"Claire?" her mother said again.

"Mom," Claire greeted, opening the door wider.

"Why so long?" Dede asked, now face-to-face with her daughter.

"Mm, I know. I know, it's weird when we haven't talked for a while," Claire replied, attempting to keep the conversation light.

"I mean your hair," Dede remarked, pointing at Claire's hair.

Claire rolled her eyes. "Well, if I can't tell you, who will?" Dede added, trying to justify her comment.

"Mom wants you to know that she's very sorry about the incident and... and she wants us to forgive her," Mitchell interjected, trying to steer the conversation back to the reason for his visit.

The incident was when DeDe caused a scene at Jay and Gloria's wedding. She was drunk and said some hurtful things in a speech she even caused the wedding cake to fall over.

"Oh, very nice of her to say that through you," Claire said, her voice laced with sarcasm, and walked back to the kitchen.

"Do you see? The sarcasm is so hurtful... Like a whip," she said to Mitchell, who shook his head and followed after his sister.

Their conversation continued inside the house as Mitchell mentioned to Claire that DeDe wanted to mend her relationship with Jay and Gloria. She wanted to apologize for her behavior at their wedding. He wants DeDe to be here during dinner so she can apologize. Claire is still not convinced.

As they argued, Haley stepped into the room. "Hey, Nana," Haley greeted and hugged DeDe.

"Oh, my little comet! Hey! Oh, look at you. You're all grown up," DeDe said, looking at Haley.

Haley, with a hint of sarcasm, replied, "Hmm, tell Mom that. She won't even let me go to a concert."

"Overnight with her boyfriend," Claire added.

"Oh, you got a boyfriend? Tell me all about him," DeDe said, sitting down on the couch with Haley.

"His name is Daniel," Haley said with a smile. "He is really great, and oh, he is famous," she added.

"Really?" DeDe asked.

"Yeah, he's been writing books since he was ten, and he even made a very successful movie recently," Haley explained.

"Oh, already doing better than your mother," DeDe said with a laugh.

"What do you mean doing better?" Claire asked.

"Remember Ricky?" DeDe asked with a knowing smile.

Haley, curious, asked, "Oh, who's Ricky?"

Claire quickly dismissed the question, "No one."

But DeDe could not resist elaborating, "Ricky was your mother's boyfriend, and he looked like Charles Manson. And one night, she didn't come home until 4:00 in the morning."

Haley's eyes widened in surprise. "4:00? Wow. Wow, Mom, what were you and Ricky doing?"

"Nothing. We were doing nothing," Claire said defensively and slightly embarrassed.

"...and he was a sweet boy. He was even a poet. He could have become famous as well," Claire insisted.

"Really? Are you saying he was like Daniel?" Haley deadpanned.

"Well... he could have been," Claire said weakly.

The doorbell rang again.

"Oh, who is it this time?" Claire asked.

"Oh, it must be Daniel," Haley said, sprinting to the door.

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Daniel POV

I was about to ring the doorbell again, but it swung open, revealing Haley with a bright smile. She greeted me with a quick kiss before ushering me inside.

"What's the hurry?" I asked.

"Oh, my grandma is here," Haley said as we entered the living room, where I saw Mitchell, Claire, and an older woman who I assumed was Haley's grandma.

"Mitchell, Mrs. Dunphy," I greeted.

"Danny, this is my grandma DeDe, and Grandma, this is Daniel Adler, a very famous author and, most importantly, my boyfriend," she said, introducing us.

"It's nice to meet you," I said politely.

She walked over to me and looked at me closely. She kind of reminded me of Nathan's mom. She eyed me curiously as if she was searching for something.

"You have a strange aura about you," she remarked, causing a brief silence.

"Uhhh… ummm," was all I could say as an awkward silence permeated the room.

"Daniel, could you please talk to my mom about the concert? She's still not sure about letting me go," Haley said, breaking the silence.

"Oh, yes, please, Daniel, tell me about this concert," Claire said sarcastically.

"I understand your concerns, Mrs. Dunphy, but I assure you it's a safe environment. All of my friend's parents will be there, and my stepdad too. This is just a small concert, you know, family-friendly," I tried to explain.

"Really?" Claire asked.

"Yes, I am the one organizing this for my friend Joanna," I replied. Claire's eyes quickly went to her daughter; it was like she had a realization.

"Alright, Haley, you can go to the concert. But no overnight at Daniel's," she stated firmly.

Haley looked like she was about to protest, but I interjected, "It's alright, Haley. Nathan can drive you back home after the concert."

"But what about meeting your mom and Alice?" she asked.

"How about this? You come over the next day," I suggested.

Haley nodded, seemingly satisfied with the compromise.

DeDe, who had been observing the exchange, chimed in with a wry smile, "I must say, this boy is much better than Ricky."

"Really, Mom?" Claire said, much to my confusion.

"Who's Ricky?" I whispered to Haley.

"I'll tell you later," she whispered back.

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I left after a while, planning to return since Claire had invited me to dinner. I had to meet with Lucy to discuss the upcoming release of my new book.

Driving to my publishing company's office, I prepared for a few hours of making very boring decisions regarding the next book. It was important, as it was going to be the penultimate book of the series and also one of the most anticipated books.

Additionally, it was going to be the second release this year, as I wanted to finish the Percy Jackson series by next year. The fans were very surprised when we announced that the fourth book would be released in December.

Entering the office, I saw Lucy in a heated argument with whom I thought was an intern. I approached, tapping her on the shoulder to catch her attention. Startled, she whipped around, her frustration melting away when she saw me.

"You look like you could use a break," I said.

"You have no idea," she replied before heading to her office. I listened as Lucy vented about how hectic it was. She blamed my sudden decision to release two books this year as one of the causes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think it would be so..." I tried to apologize.

"No, don't. It's my fault as well; I should have planned better," she said.

"Maybe you should consider taking a vacation, you know, to decompress," I suggested.

Lucy laughed it off initially, her eyes wide with disbelief. "A vacation? With the mountain of work we have?"

Seeing her dismiss the idea so quickly, I doubled down, "I'm serious, Lucy. You need a break. And don't worry about the office. I'll personally help whoever steps in to fill your shoes while you're away."

She paused, mulling over my proposition. The thought of a break seemed to gradually appeal to her, a softening in her eyes as she considered the possibility.

After a moment, Lucy finally nodded, a reluctant smile forming on her lips. "Okay, maybe you're right. I could use some time off."

"Great," I said, feeling relieved that she was taking my advice. "Let's make sure we set everything up so you can have a worry-free vacation."

Me being too busy at the studio had caused me to neglect my own company, and Lucy was holding it all down by herself, especially after Mom got pregnant.I left after promising to return tomorrow Lucy decided to have her vacation after Joanna's concert as she was helping me organize that as well.

Damn I really had to give her the best vacation possible.

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I returned to the Dunphy house, and as I was about to ring the doorbell, I heard loud noises from inside.

"I got Gloria! I got Gloria!" Phil's voice echoed through the walls, mingled with Gloria's shouts in Spanish. Surprisingly, I also heard DeDe's voice shouting, which I thought was odd as I found her to be a very gentle lady.

Curiosity piqued, I pushed the door open, only to be greeted by a bizarre scene. Phil was struggling to hold back an irate Gloria, while Cam and Mitchell were trying to restrain DeDe. It looked like a full-blown family feud. The moment the door swung open, everyone froze, their eyes turning towards me.

In the corner of my eye, I caught Haley, her face buried in her hands, murmuring, "This is so embarrassing."

As they stared at me with differing expressions, I could feel the awkwardness seeping into my bones.

"Hi," I managed to utter, my voice breaking the silence. Sensing that this might not be the best time to stick around, I quickly added, "I think I'll come back another time," before hastily retreating and closing the door behind me.

Sometimes I forget they are a sitcom family.