Episode Twenty Five

Grant Mansion

Daniel stared at Jamie in shock. "How did you..."

"My Uncle Gee told me earlier," Jamie replied tensely.

"I shouldn't be surprised. Every time I've spoken to him over the years he's asked me to talk to your father and tell you."

"But you didn't. Why?"

"It's complicated."

"No, I think it's simple. I think that I don't have enough class to be a Grant, so you didn't want to acknowledge me. Bottom line, I'm not good enough for you to claim as your grandson."

"That is not true, Jamie!"

"Oh yeah?"

"I didn't tell you because Elizabeth said she didn't want you to know until you were old enough to understand it all..."

"I would have understood it all years ago. Why didn't you say anything after my mom died?"

"Your father made it clear he didn't want you to know, and that it would be too much for you to handle after loosing your mother like that."

"And what? You kept buying that for 8 damn years?"

"No, but I didn't want to hurt you by revealing it. There's been so much bad blood..."

"So instead I had to find out from my uncle, and realize that for my entire life my dad had been insulting my own blood? If you're so horrible, what does that make me?"

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry isn't good enough."

"I know. Just tell me what is, and I will do it."

"Nothing. There is nothing that can make it all better, Mr. Grant. For god's sake, you're my Grandfather and I'm calling you 'Mr. Grant'! All my other Grandparents were Gramp and Gamma, and Gramma Isa. And you're Mr. Grant. That's all you are to me!"

"I want to change that."

"Maybe it's too late to change that."

"Jamie, I know this is a low thing to say, but do you think your mother would want you to be so angry at me?"

"You're right."

"I am?"

"That is low."

Brady House

Summer was sitting on her bed, lost in thought, when there was a knock on her door. "Come in," she said.

Matt opened the door and walked inside, his face set in a grim expression. "Jamie told me in the truck. About being a Grant."

"He was so upset, Matt," Summer whispered. "He looked so lost and scared when he showed up here."

"He seemed more pissed than anything when he told me."

"He thinks there's something wrong with him, since the Grants never acknowledged him as one of them."

"That's ridiculous," Matt said. "If there's anything wrong with anybody it's them. Jamie's a great guy, he doesn't deserve any of this crap."

Summer couldn't help smiling. "You remember the day before school started, when you told me that if I was gonna fall in love with anyone at HFHS I should fall for Jamie because he was a good guy?"

Matt nodded and snorted. "Yeah, I do. Bet you never guessed I was pyschic, huh?"

Summer laughed. "Never in a million years, Matty."

"You haven't called me that since we were little. Before mom and dad..."

"Decided they hated eachother's guts?"

"I was gonna say got divorced, but your description is a lot more accurate."

"Matt?"

"Yeah?"

"You were really pyschic. I love Jamie."

"You said the same about Pete."

"Yeah, but this is different. Jamie's everything Pete wasn't. Pete was always ready to go at it..."

"I didn't need to hear that."

Summer hit her brother with a pillow. "Anyway, the one time Jamie and I almost started to... you know, he stopped us. He knew we shouldn't and he stopped. How many guys would do that?"

"Not many."

"Exactly. I love him, Matt."

"Does he love you?"

"He says he does."

"Ask him, Sum. I don't want you getting hurt."

"Matt, I know he loves me, okay? It's not just that he says he does, it's how he says it, it's how he acts towards me. He loves me."

Grant Mansion

"Jamie..." Daniel started.

"No. How dare you bring up my mom," Jamie interrupted. "I mean, you obviously didn't have much contact with her after she commited the horrible crime of marrying my dad. And she obviosuly wanted nothing to do with you since she never said anything about you. My middle name came from some relative lost in obscurity as far as I knew..."

"She was trying to bribe me."

"What?"

"By giving you the middle name 'Daniel'. Elizabeth thought I'd melt at the gesture and forgive her..."

"She needed forgiveness? For what? Falling in love? Or for having a kid with a man from a family you hate?"

"That isn't true! Jamie, you are my grandson and I...

"And I never had a clue because I wasn't good enough for you to claim as your grandson."

"You are more than good enough."

"Then why didn't I know? With all your money you could have bribed a judge and gotten visitation rights!"

"I was trying to do what was best for you!"

"By hiding who I was?"

"By keeping you away from Daniel Jr. and Miranda. If I had tried to get visitation rights, they would have had an influence on you. It was bad enough they would be influencing Aaron, I refused to let them do it to my grandson as well."

Jamie was quiet for a minute, looking down at his hands. "Would you have done it if not for them?"

"In a second. I held you once, Jamie. When you were about 2 years old. I was in Chicago on business and ran into your mother with you. She seemed so happy and she insisted I hold you for a minute. I never liked babies, they smelled and cried too much. But you... you looked at me and smiled. Like you knew who I was." Daniel stopped and opened a desk drawer. He pulled out a photo and held it out. "Elizabeth had a polaroid camera and took this. It's the only photo I have of you."

Jamie gingerly reached out and took the photo, sitting down in a chair across from the desk. It showed Daniel holding the young Jamie in a secure yet gentle grip. And, rather than looking at the camera, his attention and gaze were fixed solely on the smiling little boy in his arms. "I didn't know," Jamie whispered.

"I'm not surprised. Elizabeth was furious with me when I told her I wouldn't welcome her and Mike into the mansion with open arms. Jamie, I would have welcomed you and your mother in an instant, but Mike..."

"Was too vocal about his hatred of Grants."

"Yes. When he and Elizabeth told us they were getting married, Mike actually said he'd been hoping I'd have a heart attack. I don't want to speak ill of him, but it's true," Daniel explained. "I didn't want to be related to that man."

"I'm not surprised. Dad always said he hated you. I never understood why he hated you so personally. I guess I do now. He'd probably be so made at me for actually having sympathy for you." With that, Jamie bowed his head and starts to cry. "Another way I keep letting him down," he choked out.

Daniel was at a loss as to what he should do, so he simply got up and went to his grandson's side, patting the young man on the back uncertainly. He looked up as the door opened, and sighed in rleief when he saw Annie. Daniel gestured for her to come help him.

Annie cautiously entered the room, trying to figure out what was going on. Miles had told her about Jamie being there, and she had wondered if he knew the truth. When she saw Jamie hunched over, crying into his hands, she moved quickly to kneel in front of him and pull him into an embrace, rubbing his back. "It's all right, Jamie," she said softly. "It's okay."

Jamie pulled back, hiccuping slightly from the crying and wiped his eyes.

Annie reached out and brushed a tear off Jamie's cheek. "Do you remember meeting me a few years ago? I'm Annie..." she said.

"I remember," Jamie said, nodding.

"Good. Now why don't you come with me, okay honey? I'll take you upstairs and you can lay down for a bit and rest. How does that sound?"

Jamie nodded his agreement and let Annie help him to his feet and guide him out of the study and up the stairs.

Daniel followed them partway, watching his daughter care for his grandson. He felt a surge of regret that it had taken so long, but a surge of joy that his grandson was fianlly in his home. Finally where he belonged.

End Of Episode Twenty Five