Chapter One

The Last Goodnight

It was a quiet day. The common room was empty. The rooms were closed. The only movement came from one door, the right one to the end. Lorraine Walker browsed through the pages of a library book as she scribbled some notes into the notebook resting on her lap. It was a Thursday afternoon and no where to go. At least, no where for her.

But she had to admit, though her roommates had left her in the devastation of loneliness, she had managed to get most of her work done. She would be free when the weekend arrived and then, then she could do whatever the hell she wanted.

She was almost too wrapped up on her fantasies of a romantic weekend that when her cell phone abruptly interrumpted the state of peace she had created, it scared her, and the simple movement from her back and legs, caused her things to fall down to the floor. She didn't mind them as she leaned towards her nightstand to retrieve her phone. It was her mother...again.

Sometimes when people don't answer it's because they don't want to be found.

Lorraine rolled her eyes at and answered. She barely managed a "hello?" when her mother went on about it. "Yes, Mom, I'm fine. Live and in stereo." Nora didn't find her daughter's three day MIA amusing. She scowled her youngest through the line. "Mom! Calm down. And take a deep breath." Of course she was making fun of her mother.

Lorraine glanced out her window. She was incredibly glad, as she sighed in relief, no FBI agents were there on her behalf. When Nora calmed down, she went directly to the point of her call.

"Lorraine, sweetie, at what time is your flight landing?" Lorraine frowned for a moment as she closed the curtains. "Excuse me? What- what flight?" She tried to remember anything that she might have overlooked, but she couldn't figure it out. It was late September, or was there some unknown holiday she should know of?

"Well, a flight home, of course! Don't tell me you didn't book a flight. Lorraine! It's your sister's birthday for crying out loud." Lorraine's eyes widened. That was this weekend? For reals? "Oh you gotta be kidding me." She murmured away from the phone.

All those plans, all that work, her dream of a romantic weekend with Damon, they were all washed away by the mere presence of her mother. Even at different coasts she still managed to intrude in her private life. Oh Lorraine just wanted to kill her.

She leaned against the wall, yearning for an excuse to free herself from this one. It's not that she didn't like Kitty or that she didn't want to be with her. It's just that she had planned this weekend for over two weeks now! It wasn't fair. Besides, Kitty would have tons of more birthdays.

No one could complain or even mutter a word. The youngest Walker never missed a single family event. That was, of course, until she started college. But that was acceptable. It had to be.

So she took a deep breath and determined herself to win this round. She decided to put in practice what she had learned in class. Her negotiation skills should pay off now. "Mom, no. I can't. You see, I have a very important exam I have to study for and I just can't go." Her go-to answer for everything.

To say Nora wasn't happy seems like an understatement. "It's your sister's birthday for God's sake! You should be here!" Lorraine used Nora's words against her. "Mom, I'm so glad you have finally decided to put your differences aside and clear things with Kitty." That had Nora silent for a moment.

"Before I tell you anything else, Lorraine Walker, you must know that I love your sister very much and nothing will ever change that. As for you little missy, you get yourself on the next fly to L.A. and-" Nora was interrumpted. Lorraine placed her ear closer into the phone. She wanted to hear what was going on but the only thing she made out was some buzzing. Stupid reception.

"Lorraine, dear, your mother's right." Lorraine was almost shocked when she heard her father's voice. For the past month, she had only heard from her mother, and wondered if the rest of the family was still alive and standing.

When she didn't say a word, William continued. "It would be very important for the family if you would come and visit. Birthdays should be sacred moments. Actually, all family events should we sacred. You never know how much time we got left together." Lorraine played with the ends of her golden hair. She was losing.

"Now, I understand you have an exam this weekend? I'm willing to phone the coordinator and get you a chance to write it later, if, of course, you accept to come." She groaned. The offer was tempting… She looked through her agenda and then towards her things on the floor. Economy exam on Monday. She could very much take advantage of the opportunity.

"Okay, fine," She sighed. "But under one condition." Her father listened carefully. "I get to bring Damon."

"Meet your family? Are you very much insane?" For Damon Lefebvre the mere thought of being within a hundred mile radius of the Walkers was beyond frightening. Not that he knew it from experience but the way Lorraine made all her childhood and family stories sound, well, it was enough to scare the shits out of anyone.

"I guess I am." She said. She placed her arms around his waist and squeezed him gently. Damon kissed the top of her head and brushed away some of her hair. "And I wouldn't have it any other way." He said. He lifted her chin up and gazed into her eyes.

Her hair was gold. Light sleek blonde hair that waves till the lower part of her shoulders. Her eyes were a deep bondi blue. Mysterious and charming. She had William's eyes. But Lorraine's were her own. They were like two balls of piercing ice that could be lively and reckless and kind one moment and blazing with anger the next. The smile, her smile was lively and young and made her laugh so contagious. It was the laugh of a ten year-old on a sunny day. And her body to-die for, wrapped in preppy girl clothes and standing at 5'10. She knew she was beautiful.

She stared deeply into his.

His hair was dark, a deep intriguing shade of chocolate brown. It was soft and fine. His eyes were a deep sky blue. Fathomless and full of light. They were piercing eyes that locked you into his charming smile. He wasn't as muscular as other boys and he was a little slimmer. But he stood tall and lean at 5'11 with an engaging laugh and grace. To say he was gorgeous seems like an understatement.

He leaned in slowly and kissed her. Like the very first time he kissed her and the times that happened after that. Their lips moved slowly. It was like leaving a part of you with the other person. Tracing magic into their mouth and filling it with love. His kiss was something Lorraine would never forget. It was kind and gentle.

"So is that a yes?" She said between breaths. "We can still get our weekend. We'll check in early and sneak out reliving our teenage years." Damon chuckled. "Oh the high school glory days. They are surely missed."

Damon had told Lorraine most of his adventures when he was a wild and reckless teenager. Now he was just a wild and reckless "adult" (with no real meaning to the word). Lorraine always wondered and fantasized that if they had both been on the same school, with the way she was back then, they would've been badass. Too bad Damon grew up in Manhattan's Upper East Side.

They broke apart, though much to their displeasure. Damon sat down at the edge of the bed and started playing with an old baseball. "So, what time are we leaving then?" Lorraine smiled, real big and pleased. She turned towards her computer and browsed through her email. She had made the reservations as soon as her father "obliged" her to. They were to be at Logan's International Airport the next day at ten. Four hours from coast to coast. "Tomorrow, at eleven. We'll arrive, hopefully at three, or whatever the time is when we get there, to Los Angeles, then take a thirty/forty minute drive to Pasadena."

Damon chuckled. "I have always admired your organization. Wish I had that for myself." Lorraine rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, I can have everything under control for both of us." "Hmm. Amen to that." And she got on top of him and made out.

And so, the next day, with bags in hand, they arrived at the airport. And while they were waiting for their flight to be called, Lorraine's phone went nuts. It was Tommy, and Justin, and even Kevin. These people really need a life. I mean, who in their right mind is up at eight when they don't absolutely have to? She thought as she answered the multiple conversations.

"Hey Lo-Lo! What time am I picking you up?" Tommy greeted her. "Whoa, hold on a second! If anyone's picking Lorraine up is me." Kevin interrumpted. "Are you both nuts? We all know the real reason she flew 2,000 miles is because she can't stand the two of you. I'm the one picking her up." Lorraine sighed, tilted her head to the side and counted the seconds it took her brothers to figure out the conversation wasn't only between the three of them.

Damon smiled at her and she winked. "Lo?" She cleared her throat. "Yeah?" "Who is it gonna be then?" Kevin asked. Lorraine wondered for a moment. "You know what guys, I think I'm just gonna take a cab and see y'all at home." But she didn't hang up for the amusement to listen to their reactions.

"No!" They shouted and she had to pull the phone away. "I'm not about to let my sister, whom I haven't seen in over four months, ride home alone." She abstained from dragging Damon into the conversation. She wasn't sure they knew he was coming and she wanted to keep him as far away from her family as possible.

That stopped being a possibility though, when she brought him along.

She sighed. "Fine. Tommy, my flight arrives at three. See ya then." And she hanged up. She put her phone on her pocket and turned to look at Damon, who seemed to be enjoying the whole thing too much. She leaned on him. "I know they have their faults and their issues, but they're always there." She paused for a moment before adding. "In a kind of stalkerish way, though." He chuckled and caressed her soft skin.

"Lorraine! Lorraine! Over here!" Lorraine turned to the left as she heard her name being called. She saw her oldest brother waving at her. She smiled and hurried toward him. "Tommy!" He wrapped his arms around her, lift her up, and spun her around. "Oh my God! I've missed you!" He put her down and kissed her cheek.

"I missed you too." She said. "So how's everything? How's Julia?" "Great, great." He paused for a moment and then leaned in to whisper on her ear. "Don't tell the family, okay? But we're trying to see if we can get pregnant. You know, she's been dreaming of having a family and I think it's time." Lorraine quickly hugged her brother. "That's great. That's wow. I promise to keep my mouth shut." She said.

"Good." He said. "So, let's go." "Wait, I still need to get my things." "Okay, I'll help you." She was about to say something when Damon walked out the gate carrying their two bags. "You won't believe how long I had to wait for-," He paused. "Oh."

There was a moment of awkwardness as Damon and Tommy locked eyes. To run or not to run? That is the question. Perhaps hop on the next flight back? But Lorraine knew a meeting was inevitable; after all they had been dating for what? Two years now? That long?

"Tommy, this is Damon Lefebvre. Damon, this is my older brother, Tommy." Damon extended his hand and Tommy took it without a question. He gave Damon a welcome smile and Lorraine took that as a great sign.

"Okay, then, let's get going."

The ride home was everything but silent. Lorraine missed those long deep conversations riding shot gun.

"So, is it Kitty home yet?" She asked. "Yeah." "Is there going to be a Mom/Kitty war?" Tommy chuckled for a moment. "Well, when I left them everything seemed fine. We're having a pool party so I guess it's gonna be easy enough to keep them from abruptly killing each other." Lorraine nodded and sighed for a moment.

"What? What happened between your mom and your sister?" Lorraine smiled and turned back towards Damon. "Well, let's just say that Mom and Kitty aren't the best of friends. They used to get in these big ugly fights over the tiniest of things." She turned to look forward. "I think it was unspoken anger they were holding on to. Either way, it came a moment when Kitty just had enough and she left, for New York. It was the Kitty/Mom Cold War back then."

Lorraine rested her head on the window as Tommy mainly interrogated Damon. They seemed to be getting along fine. Just friendly basic questions.

She remembered those days, two years ago and the time before that, and how college just seemed to come around at the best of time. But still, even 2,000 miles away, she missed them, because they made her feel at home.

Half an hour later, they arrived at the big house. The first thing Lorraine did as the car came to a stop and the engine died was run towards the garage, to see her baby. She didn't care about the mocking comments from Tommy or how there were people inside anxious to see her. All she wanted was to make sure Justin had followed instructions and taken care of it.

She removed the big cloth to reveal her. Alegria was a Ford white Mustang SVT Shelby GT 500 with pink stripes over it. It had been her Sweet Sixteen present and she just loved it.

She felt a hand over her shoulder as she was about to hug the car. "Nice ride." Damon said. Lorraine smiled and leaned on his shoulder. "Yeah. Her name's Alegria." Damon chuckled. "You named your car?" He asked as if the mere thought was ridiculous. "Hey," She punched lightly. "Shut up! Some guys name their penises, so why can't I name my car?" Damon shrugged and she just rolled her eyes. She put the cloth away and they walked towards the house.

Tommy was waiting for them at the foyer and he took her hand to lead her into the kitchen.

"Hey everybody, look who's here!" He exclaimed.

The look on everybody's faces, of surprise and happiness and joy, like it had been four years instead of four months.

Nora was the first to reach her. She wrapped her hands around her and squeezed her so tight that her daughter had to gasp for air. She placed her warm hands on either cheek and took a good look at her. Lorraine was feeling self-conscious. What if she noticed?

"Good heavens, Lorraine, don't they feed you properly?" Lorraine just smiled. So you make your face a mask. A mask that hides your face. A face that hides the pain. The pain that eats your heart. The heart that no one knows about.

And her mother noticed her thinning face. All the weight you lost. All the weight you're losing.

And one by one she greeted everybody until she came across her dad. William Walker stood high. His smile was happy and his eyes were proud. He got his little girl home again. "Hey, Daddy." She said hugging him. "Hello, sweetie." He hugged her back. And for a moment, she was that little girl again.

He kissed her on the forehead. Then he wrapped one arm around her waist and Lorraine waited for Damon to be brave enough to step inside the kitchen.

He smiled nervously and she walked towards him to be supportive. "Everyone, I want you to meet my boyfriend, Damon Lefebvre." She smiled.

"So you're the boy who stole my little girl's heart." William walked over to greet Damon. "Hello, sir." They shook hands firmly. "Pleasure to meet you, young man." Lorraine stole a glance towards her father and he winked for a split second, enough for only her to notice.

"So, where's the birthday girl?" Lorraine asked. "Outside, with Sarah." Tommy spoke.

Lorraine walked outside and looked around. That pool looked irresistible. She remembered how warm California was. A few of the disadvantages of living in Massachusetts, a three month summer and that's it.

"Oh my God! Oh my God! You're really here!" Kitty said as she spotted her sister walking down towards her. Lorraine smiled and held her arms towards her. "But of course I'm here. You really think I would miss this?" Lie. "I even brought You-Know-Who." She said quietly.

Kitty eyed her surprised. "Really? What did Dad say?" Lorraine chuckled. "He was nice and he gave me the wink! I really hope the money's on this one." Kitty smiled and lead Lorraine towards Sarah. The three of them had some serious catching up to do.

"Ah, it's such a relief when they're finally asleep." Sarah sat down next to Lorraine. "Kids?" Asked Joe as he placed a dirty dishcloth over his shoulder. "No, the folks." She winked at Lorraine as she took a sip of her beer.

"Whoa, whoa." Kevin interrumpted taking the beer away from Lorraine's hand before she could take another drink. "Legal age is still twenty-one." Lorraine groaned at him. "I'll be twenty-one in two months. Don't be such a-" "Watch what you say, Lo, Damon here is still a virgin." Tommy patted Damon's shoulder. Damon just chuckled and Lorraine winked at him.

"Whatever. Kevin!" Lorraine said walking towards her brother and punching him on the shoulder. "Fine. But if Dad asks, you pin me down and took it." She chuckled. "Sure." She drank it triumphant.

"You know Sarah," Entirely different conversation going on. "They actually seem pretty great." Kitty said walking into the pantry. In her thirty-seven years, she's never seen a couple more in loved than her parents.

"Hey, does anybody want to go out? There's this great bar in Chinatown we could tear up." The offer seemed tempting, but Lorraine had already decided she would turn in early. "Do they allow people with jobs to go there?" Jerk. She shot a glare to her older brother, but he didn't see her. "Or is it for unemployed hipsters who know every episode of Scooby." She shot a glare to Kevin too.

"No, it's also kind of a favorite to veterans from foreign wars." Oh damn. Lorraine bit her lower lip as she tried to ignore the sudden moment of awkwardness. Well, she saw it coming.

Justin chuckled nervously as he turned towards Kitty. "Ah, you?" "No, I'm on New York time." He turned towards Damon and Lorraine. "What about you guys?" Lorraine shook her head. "Actually we're too going to turn in early." Justin nodded. "All right, ciao everyone." "Bye, thanks. You guys are all really nice." Lorraine smiled at the girl. What else could Fawn say? She chuckled at the irony.

And then, they left, and Lorraine leaned on Damon who played with her hair.

"Obviously, I'm worried." Kitty broke the small silence. "You know, I keep telling you guys, he's okay, he's just finding himself." Julia leaned on the counter. "Yeah, I think so too. Y'all do the Walker Watch on him, anybody gets spook by that." Joe purposely turned to look at Damon. "God, he's right. That's why I don't live here." Lorraine raised her bottle. "And amen to that, Kit." She said.

"Yeah, if you lived here you'd have more control over what's said about you." Kevin said. "Well, do you think I care- what do you say about me?" Kevin could hardly control his laughter. "You're fat." And then, Kitty attempted at a punch, and the rest just laughed.

"So you and Mother, not a disaster, right?" Tommy said between sips. "Oh, maybe she's planning a sneak attack for later." "Well, I'm surprised you didn't bring your muscle." Could Kevin just shut up? "What's up with Jonathan, anything you want to tell us?" Lorraine took Damon's hand and held it gently.

Kitty chuckled. "No." Her laugh was nervous. "Sarah what did you tell 'em." This was not gonna end well. "Nothing." Sarah quickly defended herself as she hit Kevin. "No, no, nothing. What- no, we, we like him." There's a first. "Oh. But?" "But it's you with him I'm not over the moon about. You seem slightly, I don't know, smaller. To accommodate what you see as his very large presence." "He's a little self-involved." Sarah added. "Oh, that is so not true." Kitty said. "Yeah, I happen to agree with Kitty. I mean, aren't we all." Lorraine said. Tommy winked at her, but Kevin, who the comment was directed to, just ignored her.

"Oh, when we had dinner in New York last year, he chose the restaurant, the wine, everything. I was like 'Where's Kitty'." "Oh God, that's absolutely not true!" "Hey, maybe it's just part of the whole conservative anti-feminist thing, right? To put yourself in some sort of second place." Oh God not with politics again. Lorraine sighed as she leaned on her chair to prepare herself for the fight.

"You know what Kevin, you're gonna have to get over thinking that my politics are just poses geared to annoy you." But of course Kitty got defensive. She's always the one that gets judged for being a Republican.

"About Jonathan," Sarah tried to calm Kitty. "It's not really our place. If Kitty's happy-" "No, no, hey, hey, no. Look, not at all." But Kevin had to interrupt, again. "I can't keep a guy. Joe and Sarah are in counseling. Whole family's whacked." Lorraine had to cover her mouth as she choked on her drink. What? The whole family's what? She's been gone four months and all this happened? Geez.

She wanted to say something, defend herself, but Sarah beat her.

"What?" Sarah turned to look at Kevin. "Oh, that's great! That's great. I told one person! Kitty!"

"You know, forget about Jonathan and the fact you think I'm some horrifying little zombie with him. I am sick of the cracks about my political beliefs. I am a conservative." Kitty shrugged. "Tough on crime, big on defense, America first, old-fashioned and in your face." "I'm with you there, Kit." Tommy winked. "And if you think this is funny, great. I'm glad to be of comic service. But you keep on laughing and watch the rest of the country pass you by." And with that Kitty left the kitchen, and Lorraine had to bit her lip to prevent from laughing.

"You set her off, Kevin." Sarah said. Lorraine chuckled. "Yeah, you set me off, Kevin!" Kitty yelled from the distance. And they all laughed.

"Oh well," Lorraine said as she stood up from her chair. "We're off, people." "Lorraine Walker turning in early? Now that's a new one." Lorraine smiled at Kevin. "You already lost against Kitty; you don't want to lose against me too." She said winking at him.

"You guys are staying at a hotel or…?" Sarah asked. "No, I told Mom we could stay here if she let us have our own room." "Oh. So turning in early, huh?" Lorraine winked at her older sister. "Bye guys." She took Damon's hand and headed for their room.

"I'm sorry you had to witness that." Lorraine said as she lay next to him on the bed. They had decided to put off the romance for later. The time zones had really messed with their sleep.

Damon smiled as he moved her hair away from her face. "I'm not. It was fun. Though I gotta ask Joe and Julia how they do it. You know, be immune to all of them."

Lorraine smiled. "I know they're not perfect, but they're real. Sometimes they're too real they scare me." Damon kissed her gently. "You don't have to be scare. I'll protect you no matter what." And with another kiss he wrapped his arm around her and held her close. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.

It was noon when Lorraine finally opened her eyes. She turned to look at the left side of the bed. It was empty. Damon was running around the house without protection? Okay, that sounded weird, even on her thoughts.

She walked towards the kitchen as she heard laughs. "Oh hey, darling." Nora greeted her. "Damon and I were just finishing up Kitty's cake." "Oh." Damon walked up to her and kissed her on the forehead. "Good morning, babe." She smiled at him and walked over to glance at the cake.

"I know it's a little late, but we didn't want to wake you. You seemed really tired." "I was. Thanks." "So, you want some breakfast?" Nora asked yearning for the stove.

Lorraine shook her head. She didn't eat breakfast. "No, thanks. I want to save my appetite for later." Lie but no one noticed.

"Good. You know Lorraine you have a really nice boy here." Nora said patting Damon's arm. It was funny how he was too tall for her. "Damon and I have been getting along just fine. He's a great cook and he surely knows how to make me laugh." "Oh, Nora, please." Damon said helping her with the dishes. "I'm merely being myself." Lorraine chuckled. She was glad her mother liked him. There was a first. Normally, Nora absolutely hated the guys she hanged out with. She thought they were all "bad". Good thing her mother couldn't see the devil in skin-tight leather behind Damon's charm.

And so, between laughs and pleasant conversations, Lorraine and Damon helped Nora set up for Kitty's party. Until the youngest Walker excused herself to go get ready. And that's when she heard the door open. Someone was early.

She finished fixing her earrings and made her way downstairs towards the kitchen. But she heard the voices so she stood silently at the other side of the door and listened.

"You don't have an opinion, Mom?" "Oh, Kitty, please. Please don't push me. I'm trying so hard." "Well, I see that. I see you bending over backwards to be polite." Lorraine could just imagine it. And she rolled her eyes. It really annoyed her when her mother did that. "If you want my opinion if you should marry a man I barely know…"

"Well, it was your choice." Kitty interrumpted her. "You're the one who virtually refused to be in my life for three years, who barely spoke. And I know it's because I unforgivably gave my opinion about Justin." Lorraine gulped. She wasn't sure she wanted to keep listening but she stayed because she was nosy. "Not refused. Couldn't. I was afraid of the things I didn't want to say." "Well, let's just say it. That I sent Justin to war. That I put him on the front lines. That's reductive. That's ridiculous."

Lorraine could hear Kitty's voice shaking and she sighed looking down. "He trusted you. He asked you. And you said to him that he..." "Oh please, I told him what I would tell him today. I told him that I was proud of him. I was there. I was right there. I was in New York. I was six blocks from where the towers fell." "I know where you were, Kitty. For God's sakes, you're my child. I was terrified for you. I was on the phone with you. And then, I was terrified for him. Day after day after day. You have no idea… what it's like for a mother. You have no idea." Now her mother's voice was shaking too.

"And then you don't think about that when you go on the air and you sell your views. And now you're gonna be doing it on national television. Oh Kitty, that's just great. Really great." There was a moment of silence. Lorraine understood what her mother was saying, but she also understood what Kitty was saying. She was not a Republican but even if she was she understood why Kitty did the things she did. It was not to annoy her mother. One had to be faithful to their beliefs. They make you. If you don't stand up every day and fight for them, then who the hell are you?

"No, Mom," Kitty's voice lowered. Lorraine knew she would start crying any minute now. "This is not just about my politics. Tommy and Dad think the same things I do, and you've managed to reconcile forty years of loving somebody who fundamentally disagrees with you. But you can't love me. And I don't know what it's about. But it's not about the war."

Lorraine sighed and walked away. Kitty was right. It was not about the war.

She walked upstairs to her room and shut the door behind her. Locked it. She let herself fall at the foot of the door. She didn't want to cry. She had just done her make-up. But she did replay everything Kitty and Mom had said. Was it true? Did Nora only loved what went her way? What would happen if she found out? What would happen if her mother found out she wasn't perfect? It scared her to think she would be on her own. That's why no one could know.

She looked at herself in the mirror as she placed her hand over her neck as if she was choking. No one would ever know. That was a promise.

By the time everyone was seated, the news of Kitty and Mom's fight was all over. But everyone just ignored it. It didn't do to dwell on it.

Lorraine looked around at her family with a smile. It feels like home.

"All right, listen up," Her father said as he raised his glass. "A toast. To the birthday girl. Kitty. My beautiful girl. With you home, the circle is complete." Lorraine didn't bother to comment she was home too. She let her ego rest for the day. Though her father did wink at her and she just smile. "We're all here together. And I must announce with some trepidation, you're no longer grounded." They all laughed. How could they forget that little memory?

"Grounded?" Damon whispered in Lorraine's ear but before she could speak Justin answer the question. "When she was fourteen she was grounded indefinitely." "What for?" Jonathan asked. "Oh, something to do with cigarettes and surf wax." Kitty said. "And shoplifting…" Tommy said."And a boy named Pablo!" Lorraine almost yelled as she raised her glass in addition. "Pablo!" They laughed.

"Who's Pablo?" Little Coop asked his grandfather innocently. "A name I never wanna hear again." Lorraine sometimes fantasized of naming one of her kids Pablo, just to see what would happen.

"To my little sister, Kitty," Sarah began the toasts. "Who at age seven ate all my Girl Scout cookies, which prevented me from winning a trip to space camp, which completely destroyed my dream of becoming an astronaut." "Aw, poor baby." Lorraine playfully elbowed her sister. "To Kitty," Kevin said. "Because of whom, I am always invited to join the Log Cabin Republicans." "Oh, you know what? You should. They're great. They love me." Kitty said.

Lorraine cleared her throat as she raised her glass. "To Kitty, who is always insisting me that I move to New York with her and who always takes me shopping when I visit." Kitty smiled at her younger sister and she winked.

"To my big sister Kitty who taught me how to surf and how to kiss." Justin said. "Oh that is so not true. Justin, stop telling that story. It's not…" "My dear," William interrumpted Kitty as he motion for Nora to say something. Nora seemed hesitant.

"Uh, well, to Kitty," Lorraine rolled her eyes. "Who I will probably always violently disagree with, but who I've never stopped loving. Not for one moment of her thirty-eight years." Lorraine immediately took back the annoyed gesture towards her mother and smiled.

"Happy birthday, baby." William finally said. "Cheers."

Her siblings sat around the table browsing around Kitty's presents, competing against who had given her the best one. Lorraine hadn't gotten her a big thing. With such short notice that she was even coming, she had bought her the first thing she had found. Well, the first thing that reminded her of Kitty. Some crystal earrings.

"Would You Rather?" Justin suddenly said. "Yes! Come on." Kevin high-fived him. Lorraine whined. "No." "No, no, no, we won't play that disgusting game." Kitty spoke. "It's just fun." Justin said.

Then Sarah's phone rang and Lorraine watched her get up to check something.

"Okay, who should we start with…" Justin looked around. "Oh, Damon, you've been very quiet." Damon chuckled. "Have I?" "Would you rather swim in a pool of human blood for an hour, or hang upside down for eight hours?" "Justin!" Lorraine complained. "What kind of question is that?" But Justin ignored her.

"Well, if I was to hang upside down for eight hours, I would probably die and then I wouldn't be able to spend time with this beautiful girl, so swim in a pool of human blood." "Aw. That's the weirdest yet most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me." Lorraine said and kissed him. "Stuck up." Justin whispered and Lorraine threw him some curled up wrapping paper.

"Damon," Justin started again. "Would you rather be part of the incest taboo and only do it with your family or never have sex for the rest of your life?" "Justin! I thought the interrogating was only for Jonathan." She turned to look at Jonathan quickly. "No offense." "None taken." He said. "Oh, he's getting his as soon as I'm done with your boyfriend." Lorraine stuck out her tongue at him.

She turned to look at Damon, but he was highly amused. "Never have sex for the rest of my life." "Really?" Lorraine asked him. "Yeah, I mean, having sex with my family is just plain weird." "Oh." She said. "Why? Are you disappointed?" He asked as he started tickling her. "I will abstain from answering that question for my own good." She said. Justin and Tommy whistled at them.

Then Sarah walked into the room again and the expression on her face made Lorraine wonder if something was wrong. "Has anyone seen Dad?" She asked. "Outside with Paige." Joe answered.

"Jonathan," Justin managed to finally get his attention off Damon. "You ready for this? Would you rather have a railroad spike permanently in your head or take public transportation for the rest of your life?" But Lorraine didn't pay much attention to Sarah and concentrated on listening to what Jonathan had to say. He took a sip from his glass before answering. "Oh, the spike. Definitely."

"Jonathan." "All the questions cannot be for Jonathan." Kitty defended him. "Oh, come on." Justin said. "Yeah, we're just getting to know him. Like we are with Damon." Lorraine refrain from giving her brother the finger, even though she had every intention of punching him.

"All right everybody, cake time." Nora called from the kitchen.

Lorraine turned to look at the cake and came across Sarah's face again and her expression didn't change. "Sarah." She said, but just then a voice overshadowed hers. One voice stood above all the other sounds.

"Grandma!" And then they all heard the splash on the pool. "Grandma!" Paige called again desperately.

They all stood up as fast as they could and ran outside to see what had happened. Justin and Tommy immediately jumped into the pool as they saw how her father was floating on it. They swam towards him to get him out.

Kevin held Nora as she tried to free herself so she could jump into that pool and save her husband. Sarah hugged Paige and got her away from there. Kitty watched from a corner uncertain as to what to do. And Lorraine, she ran behind Joe, with Damon right behind her, to help Justin and Tommy get her father out.

Between the three of them, and the two inside the pool, they managed to pull William for some fresh air. Only Lorraine screamed horrified when she found out.

Her father lay dead at her feet.