Family Bonds

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N

Chapter 3 (Jason's Family)

It was an hour drive to San Jose, where Jason's family had settled down. The drive consisted of Shawn and Michelle playing multiple games in the car, annoying their older sister, and threats to turn the car around and drive home. By the time they reached the home where Beck and Jade lived, everyone was exhausted.

"When we go to Los Angeles," Trina whispered in an exhausted whisper, "We are flying." Los Angeles was a six hour drive from San Francisco, and there was no guarantee her family was there anymore. "I'm surprised Beck and Jade live out here now."

The house was a simple one story flat with a large front yard that overlooked a shallow lake nearby. Beck and Jade were standing on the front porch, waving to the couple. "We're here, kids." She turned and watched Rachel shake Michelle awake as Shawn opened his door and jumped out of the car.

Trina left the car and walked around to the back side. Shawn had already pushed the second row seat forward to get out of the car, so all she had to do was reach back and lift her drowsy child from the seat.

Michelle mumbled incoherently and slid her tiny arms around her mother's neck. Trina wrapped her arms beneath the child as a perch and turned in time to see Shawn trying to walk across the side curb as though it were a balance beam.

Jade approached her and gently pat the child on the back. "She seems small for her age, Trina."

"She is. Michelle was born premature, so her developmental progress is slower than most." The average height for an eight year old girl was 50.5 inches, which was just a little over four feet. Michelle was just under four feet, between three and a half to the four foot mark. "We really have to be careful too, she's excitable like most children her age, but too much can hurt her."

The problem there was Michelle always emulated Shawn, following her older brother around everywhere he went. Shawn was adventurous and liked to act out from time to time, which made him a child with a high abundance of energy.

Too much excitement could damage Michelle's heart, so she couldn't be as active and do all the things her brother did. "Heart trouble runs in Jason's family as well…"

"Hey mom!" Shawn called out. Trina turned and watched her son point to a broken gap in the curb. "Do you think I can jump across that?"

"Shawn, get down from there before you hurt yourself." Shawn charged for the gap, laughing as he braced himself for the run. The three foot gap was combined with a pothole in the road right alongside it, which horrified Trina as she thought about her son falling into that and scraping himself up. "Shawn!"

Just as Shawn started to jump, a pair of arms swooped down and lifted the boy. "Now, now," Beck said while raising Shawn into the air. The boy's eyes were wide and his feet were slowly kicking in place as if he were still moving. "Can't have my nephew hurting himself now can we?"

Trina sighed and Jade brought her hands to her hips. "Beck, how many times have I told you to call someone to fix that?" Beck flashed a cheesy grin and started for the house. Jade shook her head and motioned for Trina to follow.

She heard Jason and Rachel behind and listened eagerly as he asked a question that she'd been wondering about herself. "How did you manage to meet your cousin when he lives an hour away? This mutual friend of yours must have known Kevin from here?"

"Yes dad. My friend lived in San Jose for a few years before his family got transferred to San Francisco. They kept in touch online."

"I see. This friend of yours is a boy?"

"Yes. I met him at school."

"Have we met this boy?"

Trina looked over her shoulder and looked curiously at her daughter. Rachel pushed her hands into her pockets and shrugged.

"No. Most of my guy friends are intimidated by you and mom." Rachel rolled her head in a circle and ran her hand over her neck. "So I don't bring them to the house."

"We'd certainly appreciate if you did," Trina remarked, "We'd like to meet your friends." Rachel shrugged. Jade held open the front door for the family while Beck set Shawn down on the ground. "How did your friend know you and Kevin were cousins?"

"He didn't," someone answered. A tall sixteen year old boy with short brown hair and olive-tanned skin approached them. He was thin and had freckles dotting around his eyes to look like a masquerade mask. "Grandma and Grandpa said I had an uncle living in San Francisco, and I was talking to Ryan about it when I mentioned Uncle Jason's name. Ryan knew Rachel, so he said he could introduce us."

Beck pat his son's back. "Our son decided to take my car and drive out to San Francisco by himself to meet Rachel first." Trina hummed and watched the boy laugh sheepishly. "We would have grounded him for it, but considering the circumstances…"

A ten year old girl with waist length brown hair came running into the room. It was their youngest, Katie. "Finally you're here!" Katie said excitedly. Trina felt a shifting sensation and glanced down to see Michelle raising her head from her shoulder.

Michelle blinked multiple times and then looked at the ground. "Katie? Momma, let me play with Katie." She smiled and set her daughter down. The two girls hugged and left the room with Katie declaring that she wanted to play dolls with her.

Shawn bounced on his feet and looked around the house, groaning over boredom. Beck crouched down and motioned to the back door. "We have a fort out back, if you're looking for something to do." Shawn's eyes grew in excitement and he asked his dad for permission to play out back. When Jason gave the okay, Shawn bolted like a bat out of hell for the door.

Kevin snapped his fingers and motioned to the room he came from. "Grandma, Grandpa, and Grand Uncle Erwin are waiting in the kitchen." Trina put her hand to Jason's shoulder and watched him take a deep breath.

They walked into the kitchen and Trina spotted Mr. Sikowitz first. His hair was much more trimmed than it was twenty-five years ago and had grown white. His face was covered in wrinkles and his once large scruffy beard was now a neat trim.

Beside him at the table was his sister, Pam. Her silver hair was up in curls and her lips had small cracks extending from them. Crow's feet extended from her eyes, and her cheeks resembled a sack of coins. Next to her was her husband, Henry, who looked similar to Sikowitz but with a full head of white hair and clean shaven.

Pam stood up first, cupping her hands over the center of her chest and looking at Jason with misty eyes. "Jason," she breathed, "Honey." Jason walked towards the chair across from the elders and placed a heavy, trembling hand to the top of the back.

"Mom. Dad. Uncle Erwin…" He smiled politely and his eyes searched them. "It's been some time. My kids are playing with their cousins until we finish our talk, I suppose." Rachel and Kevin entered the room with Kevin's parents and sat down at the sides of the table. With Jade and Beck on Sikowitz's side of the table, and the kids on Henry's side.

Sikowitz pointed up to Trina and spoke with a soft tone. "I never knew you married Miss Vega. We knew when you were married, but that's about it…" Jason sat down and Trina moved behind him, setting her hands at the top of the wooden chair and curling her fingers around the top bar.

"Our wedding was small, Uncle. We didn't want an extravagant ceremony and neither of us invited the family. You know my reason, you don't know Trina's, but I suppose that's not important for us." Jason leaned forward, setting his forearms on the table and clasping his hands together. "I was stubborn. Angry. At the time I couldn't understand why you would want anything to do with the kid born out of Dad's affair."

Jason unfolded his hand and glanced at Beck. "Being older, having three kids of my own, I understand now what I didn't get then." Trina looked to Jason's parents and her eyes fell to their hands, which were clasped on the table between the two of them. "Mom forgave Dad, the two of you eventually remarried. I was still angry, at all of you, even at Beck. I didn't understand what makes a family, not back then."

Jason sat upright. His back pushed into the back of the chair and his hands unfolded and slid along the table. "I know it's been a long time, but I do want to start again. To get back on track. I am sorry that I judged you all, and in my anger I just left you behind."

"You are right," Henry replied with a calm voice, "Family does forgive. Your mom and I, and your uncle have waited this long for you to come back to us." The man smiled at him and nodded. "I understand why you were angry, we all do. We're just hoping we can start over, all of us, as a family."

"Truth be told it's good timing," Jade said above the others. "I've been offered a job in San Francisco. Beck teaches at the high school level, and it's summertime, so it wouldn't be difficult for him to find a job there…and we've all been discussing the possibility of relocating. It wouldn't be difficult."

Trina's heart leapt up and she looked towards the three elders. "Not difficult at all," Sikowitz responded. "We're retired, I live with Beck and his family here, and my sister's willing and able to move anywhere."

"It would be nice to have you all there." Jason brought his hand to his chin and hummed contemplatively. "Katrina and I cannot relocate, our careers avoid that luxury."

"So we will consider relocating over the summer. To be closer to family." Sikowitz paused and the minute his eyes moved towards Trina, she felt a sense of sadness overtake her. "Speaking of…Trina, I understand you left them behind. I don't know the story, but…"

"I couldn't tell you where they are or what they've been doing," she replied. "I left because of a number of things. I'd like to find them, to try and get in touch with them. If anything, for the kids. They deserve to know their grandparents on my side and their aunt."

"You know we're happy to accept you and your children." Sikowitz turned his head towards the window, smiling as he watched Shawn climb the fort outside. "My sister and brother in law are certainly thrilled to meet all of their grandchildren."

Pam laughed with glee and her palm rose up as her five fingers extended. "Five grandchildren, and five chances to finally spoil my grandkids." Trina chuckled nervously and pulled out the chair next to Jason.

"I'd love to know more about you all." She sat down and her eyes lit up with interest as her daughter nodded and agreed. "It'll be great to get to know more about you-even you, Mr. Sikowitz."

Sikowitz laughed happily and pulled his hand to his chest. "Of course, I'm happy to share some stories with you and with the children." The man's lip tilted up and he leaned forward, slowly bringing his hands together above the table. "Do you know the story of how our parents came to be?" She raised her eyebrows and Rachel grinned.

"Tell the story Uncle Erwin." Rachel's voice was full of intrigue, which amazed Trina to no end. It wasn't often her daughter took a great deal of interest in things such as this, but then, Sikowitz was a 'new' relative.

Pam looked to her brother with a sigh and swept her hand through her silver curls. "Erwin loves to tell the story." The woman rubbed her brother on the shoulder and Sikowitz cleared his throat.

"Well, as I'm sure Jason has told you my our father was Polish and our mother German." It was an interesting combination considering the time that Jason's grandparents were alive; World War Two. "Aron and his family were prisoners in one of the many camps, he was just a young child at the time. Hilda was the daughter of a German soldier there, and the two met."

Jade pulled her hand over her mouth and Trina let out an astonished gasp. Even Jason looked surprised, though he never told her the story so he likely didn't know how his grandparents actually met. After all, Aron and Hilda never left Germany. It was Erwin and Pam that left, with a taste for American shores.

Sikowitz's lips vibrated and his eyes squinted. "I believe my mother's father sympathized but only followed orders, but the man would have had to know his daughter was spending time with our father. She would go to see him, taking bread and water as gifts. Eventually in '45 English soldiers arrived at the camp, and Hilda led them straight to Aron."

"So what happened after that?" Beck inquired. "Aron and Hilda were just children, right?"

"Yes. Aron would have been nine, and Hilda was just two years younger. They remained fast friends for the next twelve years, and then married when they were old enough." Sikowitz reached around Pam's shoulders and flashed a toothy grin. "I was born in '59, and my dear sister in '64."

Trina scrunched her nose and looked from Pam to Henry. "You said your parents never left Germany. How did the two of you meet Henry, and when did you guys arrive in America?"

"We wanted something more. We heard stories of America and wanted to be there, and of course Germany wasn't in the best shape at the time. So in '79, I left for America…My little sister couldn't resist tagging along." Pam laughed joyously and Henry squeezed her hand.

"A good thing too because we might never have met," Henry explained. Trina smiled at the man. He took a breath as his wife placed her head on his shoulder. "My father was part of the English Royal Navy, and my mother was from a Russian family that moved to England in the 1950s. She started working for the military and met my father around the same time. The two of them fell madly in love and were married, they moved to America and obtained citizenship a year before I was born."

"How did you and Pam meet?"

"A college history class, of all things." She was curious also how the man came upon meeting Beck's mother, but that wasn't something she felt was an appropriate question. Everyone present likely knew what happened, save for herself and possibly Jade, so there was no reason to bother bringing that up.

"What about the two of you?" Pam asked of Trina and Jason. "I don't suppose you met through my brother?" Jason shook his head and Trina chuckled.

"We met at a camp, initially." She pulled her hair over her shoulder and a looked at Jason. "We fell in love there, got separated and found each other again when Cat wound up dragging him back to my house. I thought the two were an item."

"I wasn't interested in ditzy redheads," Jason said with a grunt. Jade and Beck smirked as he turned his eyes onto Trina. "I was more interested in a knockout brunette that I was trying to find." Her cheeks flared up and she quickly cleared her throat.

"We managed to talk online while he was in San Francisco. I wound up taking classes there online my first year, then moved into his apartment the second year."

"I remember that," Sikowitz interrupted, "I remember Jason saying his girlfriend was moving in with him. I can't believe I didn't put two and two together, but Tori never said anything aside from your leaving."

"Right." She folded her hands on the table and her eyes slid down to them. "Speaking of Tori. I was wondering if maybe you knew anything about what my family was doing, Mr. Sikowitz. I kind of want to try and see if they'll accept my kids into their lives."

It was more for her kids than for herself, but even then she didn't know if she'd be able to get a response.

Sikowitz furrowed his brow and his lips tightened together. "I…can't say. Once your sister graduated, I didn't hear anything more from her or her family. I do know that a talent coach found her a year after graduation. She was a singer for a little while, I believe, but that's all I know."

"So nothing about my parents?"

"I'm sorry Trina, I wish I could help you." Sikowitz leaned back and crossed his arms. His eyes sharpened and darted over to Beck and Jade. "Honestly I do remember the way Beck and Jade spoke of your family, they paint a toxic picture. I don't know why, you knowing how your family was, that you would even begin to want to go back to them."

"I feel like my children deserve to know who their grandparents are and who their aunt is." Rachel smiled at her while Sikowitz shook his head. Pam looked at her with concern and raised her hand slightly to hover over the table.

"Don't forget that no matter what, you have us." She smiled graciously at Pam and closed her eyes. "If your family wants nothing to do with you or your children, they do still have us."

"I appreciate that. Still, I have to try."

"We'll be with you," Jade said aloud, "I don't think you should try and get in touch with them on your own." Trina squinted as Jade leaned back. "I remember Tori was pretty angry when you left. She said you were ungrateful and didn't realize how good you had it since your parents were letting you stay there."

"Ungrateful?" She brought her hand to her chest, gasping once. "I was ungrateful? After all that I put up-I'm not even angry with them anymore. I just want my children to have some sort of relationship with them."

"Then Beck and I will be there. If Tori still has any grudges, then maybe we can try and smooth things over." While possible, Trina knew it wouldn't be that simple. Tori never had to deal with Jade siding with Trina on anything. "As for your parents, I don't know. Your dad might be willing to accept you."

"Her father?" Beck chortled and smacked his hand on the table. "The man responsible for her leaving, to the point he may have thrown her out the door himself? The man that wasn't even joking when he asked that she go far away?" Trina winced and the others shook their heads with dismay. "Why on earth would he be so quick to accept her back?"

"Maybe because when he was divorced by Holly, he had no family left. She left him for that cop guy, remember? Tori didn't want anything to do with her dad either, if I remember right, so he's probably been on his own…maybe he's changed his opinion on some things."

"We'll see…"

What do you guys think? Interesting family history and whatnot.