Author's Note: I just remembered that it's a convention - if not a rule - around here to put disclaimers in to remind people that you don't own the material. (Yeah, like I'd be writing fanfiction with it if I did.) I also wanted to add (in case you didn't know) that I completely made up all of Hathaway's family backstory that I'm using here; none of it is actually from the series. And thanks so much to indianpipe, my first reviewer, and also to xcourtniex, robby1925, native67 and doctorjay for such nice compliments. May other readers follow in your footsteps!
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"The funny thing is, we weren't that close, for a while, growing up. Dad walked out when I was about four, and Jess was just a baby. So Mum had to work and raise both of us... To this day, I don't know how she did it. But what do kids know about those things? All they know is: Mum's not around. So we both figured, well, maybe make some noise and she'll come running. It was an all-out war for five minutes of her time, here and there. To me, Jess was the cute one, the baby, and a girl to boot, so, of course, Mum liked her best. To Jess, I was the older brother who got all the praise for taking care of things, for being Mum's right-hand man, which was a total fiction because I was about five when she started saying it." James' grin felt stiff and stretched on his face, and it didn't seem to be working on Lewis, anyway, so he gave it up and took another swig of beer.
"The war lasted until Jess started school. I know it'll come as a bit of a shock to you, but I wasn't exactly one of the popular crowd. Being a yard taller than the other boys and about half as wide, not to mention committing that cardinal sin, enjoying school... well, it doesn't exactly scream cool, does it? Jess, on the other hand, was queen of her castle, but since she loved all her little half-pint subjects, it never spoiled her. Gave her plenty of balls, though, so... she saw the way the other kids treated me, and one day, in the morning break, she gave my whole form the talking-to of the century. It was priceless. Little blond, curly-headed princess who barely came up to anyone's knees scolding a bunch of rough-faced, sporty goons about being nice to her big brother. I think there might also have been something in there about kindness to underlings... She didn't know the words 'noblesse oblige,' but she was very familiar with the concept."
"Wish I'd seen that." Lewis laughed, imagining the look on boy-James' scrawny face when his baby sister fearlessly confronted a bunch of burly louts he'd taken to avoiding like the plague.
James seemed to know where his partner's mind had gone; he smiled at the memory. "Yes, I was pretty shocked, to say the least. But the funny thing was, even to me at the time, that they did leave me alone. I imagine none of them felt like confessing to the headmaster, or their parents, that they'd taught a five-year-old girl a lesson she'd never forget. Jess, of course, only saw her triumph over the enemy, and we were inseparable after that. Might have been different if I'd had any other friends, but as it was, we looked out for each other. She was the big cheese at school, and at home, I helped my mum look after her so that Jess would stop feeling passed over. It was hard on both of us when I changed schools, but we compared notes on almost everything; we were desperate to stay up to date on each other's lives. I've always told her everything - school, jobs, girlfriends, music, and from what I can tell, she didn't leave much out, either. All except one: I never told her why I left the seminary."
The room was silent for several minutes. Neither of them had any clue what should follow this admission. Lewis was having some trouble comprehending everything it meant, especially now after a couple of beers, and he could see Hathaway was just as overwhelmed as he was. He only had one clear thought, and he said it. "Right, well, I can see this couch and I are goin' to be great friends. Let me just pop back to mine and grab a toothbrush and things."
"Don't be ridiculous," James snapped. "I'm not trapping you in this pit I've been wallowing in for God knows how long and inflicting this relic of my student days on that back of yours into the bargain. I'll kip on your sofa."
"Suits me," Lewis answered, amused. No one had ever invited themselves onto his couch before. "I have got a spare bedroom, though, in case you change your mind."
James laughed, heaved a coaster at him and missed. "Pillock." His brow scrunched up in thought. "Sir."