Thanks for the support thus far, it's brilliant x

Chapter 2

The last time Wendy Hamilton had seen her brother Andrew, U2 was at number 1 with 'With or Without You.' In the twenty seven years it had been since they had seen each other, a lot had changed and she had no idea how he was going to react to seeing his twin sister after that amount of time. Maybe coming all the way from Oregon was a bad idea.

"What if he hates me? It has been nearly thirty years since I've seen him, I left the house when I was eighteen with a note and I haven't seen him since. He's graduated college since then, he's probably married with kids, he's had a life without me for over two decades. Andrew has every right to hate me; I wouldn't be surprised if he slammed the door in my face for having the cheek to turn up half way across the country after all of these years. He has a nephew he doesn't even know about. I'll never forget the smile on his face the night I left; he was so full of hope after I promised I was going to apply for a job. I can't imagine his face when he, mom and dad woke up and found a note saying that I was packing in Washington and moving away. This was a mistake."

Patrick Hamilton only half resembled his mother, but she was his son all the same. Sighing in the passenger seat, he put a hand on hers.

"Mom, twenty seven years is a very long time, a time in which Uncle Andrew could have easily forgiven you. You don't know if you don't try. What we're gonna do is, we're gonna march up to that door and knock on it. Whoever answers it, we'll deal with it. You've been on such an amazing journey; you've made yourself a much better person than the user they last remember you to be. God has forgiven you; you need to forgive yourself like I'm sure the family will. We can't back out now."

Wendy nodded, "You're right, you're right. I have to see my family, I have to own up to what I did to them, mend broken bridges. Are you ready to meet your uncle?"

Patrick nodded too, "Yeah, he sounds great, the way you always talked about him. Let's go."

The rental car pinged as the blonde pair exited it, making their way up to the suburban Lima house. Wendy was breathing heavily as they arrived at the door, after several moments, she knocked loudly to ensure that they would be heard. Her heart banging against like a drum against her chest, she waited nervously as footsteps could be heard coming towards the door. Mona arrived; looking puzzled at the sight of the two strangers, but still opened the door.

"Hi, can I help you?"

"Is Andrew Hamilton here please?" Wendy asked nervously, hoping she'd got the right address.

"Sure thing," Mona smiled at them, "One second."

She turned back into the house and shouted for her husband, informing him that it was for him. Wendy was still shaking as she waited. Andrew finally appeared, his face going from a welcoming smile to one full of utter shock. Freezing at the sight of his sister, he didn't take his eyes off of her, as Mona still looked completely baffled.

"Hi," Wendy managed to squeeze out.

Without a word, Andrew went to hug her, the two locked in a tight embrace for several minutes without either of them saying a thing. Both had tears in their eyes, though neither of them tried to hide it as they slid down their cheeks. Pulling away from one another, they both remained holding the other's arms, staring at one another in gentle surprise.

"It's been..."

"...A long time," Wendy finished, "Too long."

"Who is this?" Mona asked, gesturing to the other blonde woman.

"Mona, this is my sister Wendy. Wendy, this is my wife Mona."

"Oh hello," Mona blinked in surprise.

"What are you doing here? How did you even know where I live?"

"Well, I ran into Craig Jones, remember him? He said that he had a rough address for you, so that's how I got it. As for seeing you...it has been years Andrew, I can't forget about what I was like and what I did to you and mom and dad, running off like that as some little smack head. Things have changed so much since we were eighteen. It's been so utterly crazy; my life has been like some kind of rollercoaster. I have missed you all so, so much. This one persuaded me I needed to mend broken bridges if I wanted to go forward in life."

She nodded towards Patrick.

"And this is your..?" Andrew prompted.

"Oh sorry," Wendy took his arm, "Andrew, this is my son Patrick. Patrick, this is your Uncle Andy and Aunt Mona."

"Hi," Patrick waved nervously, "Nice to meet you, I guess you are my aunt and uncle aren't you? Seems quite weird to say, not something I've said before."

"You too," Andrew smiled as Mona still stared confusedly, "You're right, things have changed a lot haven't they? We both have kids now."

"Oh you do?" Wendy asked excitedly, "I'm an auntie?"

"We have a daughter Rebecca," Mona supplied, "We call her Becca though, she's 17. Should be back from school soon, she's got practice, due back soon."

"Why don't we go sit down?" Andrew suggested, "When Becca gets home I suppose we can have the full explanation."

Wendy and Patrick followed them into the living room, Mona going to get them a glass of water. Once she returned they sat there in relative silence, with only Wendy commenting on some of the photos with her brother and sister-in-law just replying with polite information. Both Wendy and Andrew were still in a haze of shock, with Patrick and Mona having no idea what to say or do.

Luckily, they were both saved by the metaphorical bell when Becca entered, humming cheerfully to herself. Sweeping in the room, she greeted her parents in the usual way by kissing them on the cheeks and doing a happy hello. It was only after they'd done the usual asking about their day that Becca really paid attention to the others in the room.

"Who's this?" Becca asked.

"Becca darling," Andrew rose, "This is your Aunt Wendy."

"What, the crack addict?"

"Rebecca," Mona hissed.

"Rebecca Marie Hamilton, you apologise now."

"No, no there's no need to apologise," Wendy stood up, going over to her niece, "It's nice to meet you finally sweetheart, I always wanted to have be Aunt Wendy. Well let's take a look at you. You're a pretty little thing, very pretty girl."

"Thank you. Sorry, who's this?"

She was addressing Patrick at this point.

"This is my son Patrick," Wendy smiled, "Your cousin I guess."

Patrick gave an awkward wave, "Hi there."

"Hello," Becca smiled shyly, "Well this is weird but the Lord works in ways we do not understand. I just...I just don't really know what to say. Have you spoken to daddy properly yet?"

"We wanted to wait until you were here before your auntie explained everything," Andrew told her, "Why don't you sit down so we can all find out what happened?"

Becca nodded, she and Wendy sitting down. The blonde teenager cuddled up to her mother, resting her head on her shoulder, but she also squeezed her father's hand comfortingly.

"Shall I start?" Wendy asked.

Andrew nodded.

"Well I don't know how much Mona and Becca know about me but I'll explain anyway. In high school I got in with the wrong crowd, started doing drugs. This wasn't me being a casual seventeen year old smoking weed at parties; I was doing the hard stuff like heroin and LSD, getting completely off my face. I barely graduated; I feel I did well considering what an addict I was. When you're eighteen and you've just finished high school, you feel free. I was off my head and I thought that I was doing the right thing, so one night I packed my bags and skipped town. Whilst you were all sleeping, I hopped on a greyhound and went to San Francisco. I was there for years, couch hopping and squatting whilst taking the horrible stuff my friends gave me. There were times I openly bought heroin on the streets, I was that brazen- I was too off my head to care. For years, it was a blur of drinking, drugs and parties. I watched friends die of HIV from bad needles and just die of overdoses. One time I woke up to find my friend Lottie dead in our tiny cramped room, right next to me. It took years for me to properly mourn because I'd been so desensitized to death. Not to be disgusting in front of a picture of Jesus, but I was with guys all the time, how I didn't get pregnant earlier I don't know. Then one day, a few years down the line in 1991, I find out that I was pregnant. As soon as the doctor told me for sure, that was when I knew it. I didn't want to abort this child, it was the signal I needed me to tell me that I needed to stop this. I stopped. It was so hard, there were times where I nearly relapsed but I knew I couldn't because I had a dependent child in my body. Thanks to an amazing Christian charity that helped mothers with addict backgrounds, I got back on my feet. Patrick was born in April 1992; I named him Patrick Andrew after you. For a few years it as tough, but we did it. I decided San Francisco wasn't a good idea so I moved out to a nice place in Oregon. Whilst another charity helped with Patrick I got an apprenticeship in accounting at a night school whilst working in the day. Once I got chartered I quit my day job and become an accountant at a good family construction firm. We were never super rich but we were comfortable, we had holidays, I got a car and Patrick worked hard to get one. I told everyone that his father and I split up when he was very young, that's not true because I honestly don't know who he is. For years I was too scared to go to anyone. You know how traditional we all are, I didn't know how mom and dad would react if I got pregnant out of wedlock- heck, you always said you wanted to be married first. I don't even know who the father is. Then Patrick finally persuaded me that I needed a family. He wanted to meet his uncle, his grandparents and maybe cousins and an aunt. I wanted to as well, so we finally hopped on a plan and here we are. Mostly, I'm just here to say sorry for what I put you all through and beg for your forgiveness. I feel God has forgiven me, I just hope that you can forgive me and I can forgive myself."

She did some little jazz hands.

"Wendy," Andrew leaned forward, "Mom and dad did not kick you out when you started shooting up heroin, they would not have cared if you weren't married when you had a baby. Mona and I were married when Becca was conceived, but they would have been thrilled whatever happened because we weren't sure it would happen to us. I am thrilled to have you back in my life and to meet a nephew I never knew I had. You don't need to apologise because I got what i wanted- my sister back. Sure, I was angry when it first happened but I missed you foremost. All I hope is that we get back what we once had as siblings."

"You mean that?" Wendy asked, tears in her eyes.

"Of course," Andrew smiled, handing her some tissues.

"I'm really glad," she sniffed, "So how about you? What have you been doing the past twenty seven years?"

"I went to Gonzaga of course, got my economics degree. In my junior year I was at a music shop and I met another junior called Mona Summers who went to Whitworth," he smiled at his wife whilst Becca mimed vomiting, "After we both graduated we settled in Spokane, I got my finance job and Mona became a proof-reader. We married in '95 and were blessed with Becca in '97. When Becca was fairly young, Mona got into an accident when some idiot ran a stop sign and ploughed straight into her car. It could have been worse, Mona had to learn to walk again and there are those physical symptoms, but she wasn't killed thank God. We worked through it. Last year I got a good offer for a job in Lima so we moved, we're happy here. I guess what we got what wanted."

"Albeit in very different ways," Wendy shrugged.

"How long are you here for?" Mona asked.

"A week, but we can stay longer. We're at the Norton Road Hotel."

"I think we can expand things over the week," Andrew decided, "Do some family stuff. Stay for dinner, we can talk and start to get to know each other. That won't be a problem will it?"

Mona shook her head, "No, I can do extra. I'll get on with it now."

She stood up, heading into the kitchen.

"I also think we need to talk privately," Andrew told his sister, "Becca, can you entertain Patrick?"

"I have homework, but I can put TV on in the background for Patrick," Becca suggested, "It's just some math equations, nothing major. I'll go get it now."

Andrew handed the remote to Patrick before he and Wendy disappeared off somewhere quiet to work. Becca came back downstairs with her math sheets, going through them easily as ESPN played in the background. Focusing intently, she found solace in something she knew what to do. She sometimes felt Patrick's eyes go over to look at her, but she didn't look back. It all seemed so sudden, Andrew and Wendy exchanging their life stories, having a little cry before having a private chat. She'd heard snippets of Aunt Wendy, for years her father had kept the real reason from her until she was 15, which was when her parents felt that she was old enough to know the truth. It had always been in the back of her mind, she never thought she'd meet her but here she was, a cousin she never knew about in tow. Becca felt she had no idea what to say, she knew that her parents would expect her to be all loving towards people she met five minutes ago because they happened to share the same DNA. As soon as they went, Becca would need to talk to her friends. She had no idea whether to call Ryder or Spencer, weighing up the options between her. For sympathy, she wanted Ryder but for honesty she wanted Spencer. At the moment, she wanted both. She supposed she could call Spencer for the honesty then wait until school for cuddles from Ryder. Honestly, it wasn't a really shitty situation but she was conflicted about how to feel. More than anything, it was the religious side. She'd feel like a bad Christian if she didn't forgive and embrace Wendy, but she didn't like the idea of her aunt just walking onto her life like nothing happened.

Wendy and Andrew came back in, Patrick turning off the TV.

"What homework is that you're doing?" Wendy asked.

"Polynomials," Becca replied without looking up from her sheet.

"Is it difficult?"

"No."

Finishing her math easily, she switched to her chemistry worksheet. Her family chatted in the background, Andrew quietly telling the others to let Becca get on with her homework. She could deal with noise; it was all in the back whilst she focused heavily. Mona then came in.

"Dinner's ready."

They headed into the dining room, Wendy sitting with her son, Mona and Becca across the table and Andrew at the head of the table.

"Let's say grace. Be present at our table Lord. Be here and everywhere adored. These mercies bless and grant that we may feast in fellowship with Thee. Amen."

"Amen."

"You know the Lord really helped me. I'd nearly completely abandoned him during my San Francisco years but having Patrick really moved me back to God. Our Pastor is great."

"The Lord never leaves us, even when we leave Him," Mona agreed.

"Amen to that," Wendy nodded, "So sister-in-law, why don't you tell me about yourself?"

Mona and Wendy exchanged information before turning on Patrick.

"So nephew, 22 huh?" Andrew asked, "You finished college?"

"Nah, I went down the technical route like mom- I'm a mechanic, car mechanic. I always liked shop at school and I thought wasting thousands on a degree that I may not use."

"Good idea," Andrew agreed.

"Always loved cars and vehicles this one," Wendy smiled, "Forever had Hot Wheels as presents as a child, one could last him forever."

"Yeah I love NASCAR," Patrick told them excitedly, "My favourite band is Dashboard Confessional as well, and my favourite shows are American Chopper and Top Gear. Mom joked I was born with a wrench in my hands and grease in my fingernails. I couldn't afford a new car like some of my friends so I bought an old clunker from the garage and fixed it up myself, good as new."

"Well that's great," Andrew enthused, "You like sports son?"

"Yes Uncle Andrew," Patrick nodded, "I played Basketball in high school, being this tall has its benefits. I'm a big Trail Blazers supporter for b-ball, 49ers for football and Dodgers for baseball."

"Seahawks, Mariners and Cavaliers for me. I was never that good at basketball; I was the cornerback in the football team."

"Those football guys at school always got the chicks," Patrick laughed, shaking his head.

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Not at the moment, few across the years but only one or two that were super serious."

"He had better luck than me," Wendy quipped, running a hand through her ponytail, "Dating as a single mom is hard work. I always wanted a father figure for Patrick, I was worried he'd go some of the way that those without dads do but he was sensible. Wise beyond his years."

"Mom did a great job raising me, I didn't need a dad when I had all the parents I need rolled into one."

Wendy put a hand to her heart, clearly touched by her son's kind words.

"You're still young Patrick," Mona told him, "Plenty of years before you start looking at marriage and settling down."

"That's easy to say Mona, kid is way too sensible- he's had marriage and kids on the brain for years, I'm pretty sure he wants a small army. I'll be the grandmother looking after ten kids."

They all laughed apart from Becca, who hid her unimpressed expression by pretending to be remarkably interested in her meal.

"So Becca, I guess we have to learn about you now," Wendy smiled, "So you're a cheerleader I see."

Becca knew that she had to contribute happily to the conversation or her father would push her. Faking a smile, she nodded.

"Yes, I am. Co-Captain of our squad, National champs as well. This is my last year of high school so I hope to relive it again."

"So you're applying for college then?" Wendy asked.

"Yes I am. I've spent my summer working on my applications but I've done most of them now, still got a few months to shape them up and ship them off."

"Anywhere good?" Patrick asked been mouthfuls of food.

"I've got Case Western; Kent State; Purdue; University of Washington; Ohio State; UPenn; Notre Dame and Carnegie Mellon on the main list. Caltech is my second choice, I did my summer programme there but my absolute dream is Harvard. I've spent hours working on my application for there; I really, really want to go."

"Those are some tough schools," Wendy sounded impressed, "You must do well academically."

"I guess," Becca shrugged.

"Becca's being modest. A+ average, got 5s in all of her AP classes last year, highest grades in her school and 2380 on her SAT," Andrew beamed at his daughter, "We have absolutely no idea where she gets it from, her brain is something else. I sit and watch her do her math and science, no calculator and she just writes it out then comes back with near perfect grades. We have high hopes for her, she'll be the first PhD in our family, I just know it. God really put the brains in her."

Becca blushed.

"Very bright, I do wonder where she gets it from," Wendy agreed, "What are you hoping to do?"

"I'm planning to do cellular and molecular biology for my undergrad and PhD, and then hope to do medical research."

"I see what you mean," Wendy laughed, "I don't think anyone in our family is that smart. What about your friends dearie, who are they?"

It seemed that Wendy was making up for lost time, because she'd asked Mona everything under the son and was now asking the same of her niece. Smile on; Becca decided that it was best to play along so that her dad wouldn't get annoyed.

"There's Spencer, he's my best friend. We met when I moved to Lima, I thought he was an idiot at first but then we started chatting at this party and we became besties, he'll like my friendship soulmate if there's such a thing. I'm close with his little sister Katie; she's a freshman and just got into Cheerios. She's like my little sister as well. Bree is my co-captain, Aimee and Jordan are my other Cheerios girls, and we're like a small group I guess. There are others, Spencer's boyfriend Alistair then some of the other jocks."

"Becca got nominated for Prom Queen last year," Mona supplied, "She would have won but some guys tampered with the ballots so that no one won. I bet she'll get nominated this year."

"Aww I'd love to see those pictures. A pretty girl like you must have many male admirers."

"According to Spencer, that's all of the McKinley male population," Andrew quipped.

"Yes, I have a boyfriend," Becca went red again, "His name is Ryder, we met last year when I sat next to him in class, we've been dating since January. He's the absolute best."

"Do you have a picture?"

Becca nodded, going into her pocket to grab her phone. Flicking through it, she found one of her and Ryder at prom. Handing it over to her aunt and cousin, she let them look at it before taking it back and putting it in her pocket.

"He's a real cutie," Wendy teased.

"He is such a sweet boy," Mona cooed, "So lovely and he's got the nicest manners, a proper gentleman. His family are great as well."

"Not so sweet when he's necking my daughter on a football field," Andrew muttered.

"What was that?" Patrick asked innocently.

"Just before summer there was a big football game that Ryder scored the winning touchdown in. During the celebrations, he and Becca were quite...passionate in front of the entire crowd," his grumble went into a small smirk.

"Would you shut up about that?" Becca grumbled.

"Oh dear," Wendy laughed, "Well Andy, she's 17 and in a relationship, I don't think that making out in a field is the worst thing she's ever done."

"Don't want to know that, thank you," Andrew snapped.

They talked until dinner was over, every knife and fork laid on the plate. Wendy cleared her throat.

"Thank you for this, Mona it was great. Look, I cannot pretend this is not a shock for all of us. I had no idea how you would all react and am thankful that you have all been so good to me. I said this to Andrew earlier, but I'll say the rest now, I am going to wait a few days to contact mom and dad- I think I need to plan what I'm going to say to them after all these years. This may be a shock but I thought that if you all accepted me with open arms, I wanted to move here. Oregon is great and all, but there's nothing keeping me there, now Patrick has left school. There's a job here waiting for me if I need it and there are plenty of houses I can move to at short notice. I want to be closer to you. Now, it was Patrick's decision to stay if he wanted but most of his friends have moved on, he decided he wants to come with me. It's safe to say that I have been away from my family for too long and I want to be back with them."

Andrew and Mona looked at one another.

"We'd be happy to have you," Andrew eventually told his twin, "Both of you."

"Definitely," Mona added, "Becca?"

Becca paused.

"I'm not so sure I can forgive so easily," Becca finally admitted, biting her lip.

"Becca," her father started, "This is your aunt you're talking about."

"I know that daddy but I'm seventeen and I think I'm mature enough to make my own decisions about my own kin," she responded, "Look, this is something that is more than a black and white thing, this is a very grey area. You can't expect me to suddenly become close with family I have never met or never thought that I would meet, it's impossible for me to do this. I always saw grandma's face when Aunt Wendy was mentioned, that pain at her daughter going away and leaving. It may seem very un-Christian not to forgive, but I know that I will be guided by the right path somehow. This is not something that can be done easily. You have a history with Aunt Wendy, I don't and mom doesn't. Mom has that choice and she has chosen to absolve any blame. Look, I'm not saying that I'll never talk to Aunt Wendy, I want to get to know her and will try, but forgiveness comes a long way. As for Patrick, none of this is his doing and ya know, I am excited about having another cousin I've never met."

There was silence at the table.

"You know Andrew," stated Mona slowly, "I think Becca has a right to her own opinion."

"I'm fine with it Andrew," Wendy gave a half smile, "She has every right to what she thinks, I suppose my arrival was quite sudden for her. Becca sweetie, I do look forward to getting to know you and I hope that I am able to gain your forgiveness."

"I really hope that too," Becca replied sincerely.

"And I look forward to getting to know my little cousin," Patrick gave her an excited grin, he seemed a pleasant fellow.

Becca nodded in agreement before helping her mother with the plates. Biting her tongue as she loaded the dishwasher, she decided that it was wise not to say anything in the presence of Mona even though she knew that she somewhat agreed but was too polite to say a single world on the subject. They headed back out into the living area, where they found Wendy and Patrick putting on their things.

"Oh, you're leaving?" Mona asked.

"Yes," Wendy put on her jacket, "We don't want to burden you for too long, we imagine Becca has lots of homework and that you and my brother have a lot to discuss. As for me and Patrick, we need to talk about how we are going to do this, this moving to Lima. It's a lot for one night, for both of us. Andrew suggested we all do something as a family soon, I hope to get to know you as my sister in law. I wished that I had attended your wedding."

"So do I," Mona smiled.

"I was thinking Wednesday for bowling or something," Andrew suggested, "Neither of us are working late that night, are we? Becca has no Cheerios after school."

"It's date night for me and Ryder," Becca interjected.

The look on her face and tone of voice suggested that she was not interested in changing it. She was looking forward to some time alone with Ryder at Breadstix and had no plans to change it to accommodate happy families.

"Then is Friday ok?" Andrew asked, "Perhaps I can go to your hotel on Wednesday to help you sort out your moving plans?"

Wendy nodded, "Yes, I would quite like that. We better get going Patrick."

"Yeah, yeah," he raised a hand, "Nice meeting you folks."

"You too sweetheart," Mona smiled as Wendy hugged her and Andrew, wisely choosing to avoid hugging the unimpressed looking Becca. They walked them to the door, waving them off until their car had disappeared away from the road. Andrew shut the door before turning to his wife and daughter with a heavy sigh.

"You're angry at me," Becca observed quietly.

"No darling, I'm not," the blond shook his head, "I wish that you would be more forgiving but I respect your choice, even if I wanted you to think my way. We almost called you Sophia you know, it's Greek for wise and you have at least shown wisdom. Becs, please at least just think about it because I don't want my family to be torn apart again. Next time, just please try to be a little more co-operative with your aunt and cousin, it showed when you were annoyed."

Becca nodded sadly, "Sorry daddy."

"Don't apologise darling, come here," Andrew held out an arm, indicating that Becca come to give him a hug, "I've got my two best girls with me, now my third best has come back too."

"I love you daddy," she whispered, "But I have to make up my own mind about this."

"I know, I know," Andrew gave her a sad smile; "I love you too peanut."

"I'll let you and mom be alone, I know that you have a lot to talk about," she released her father, making a start for the stairs, "Don't try and protest, I've said my piece and I know that you and mom will need to have that talk that parents do. Besides, I'm up to my eyeballs in French persuasive writing and the essay is not going to write itself."

Andrew nodded warily as Becca thundered up the stairs, ponytail flouncing behind her. Shutting her bedroom door, she flopped onto her bed and picked up her phone. Staring at it, she mentally wondered who to call- Ryder or Spencer. Eventually, she decided that it was neither and that talking herself to death would distract her from her mountain of AP work. Explaining it in person tomorrow would make life so much easier, once she'd calmed her exhausted mind. Out of respect for her parents, she would not be eavesdropping on the conversation at the door- she'd doubtless not hear them anyway, they were downstairs away from prying teenagers. Placing her phone to the side, she pulled out her French book and dictionary. Flipping them open, she clicked her pen and began.

Hi guys, I hope you enjoyed it. I wanted to highlight the more flawed version of Becca, with her stubbornness and unwillingness to forgive easily, however much it conflicts with her religious values.

Next Time: Becca is still conflicted, but a date night with Ryder eases her troubled mind and as always, her boyfriend helps her come to a decision.

Thanks again and hope you enjoyed it xxx