Ryan waited impatiently for his brother and mother to arrive. It wasn't that they were very late; it was rather Ryan's own wish to get this meeting over with. He had not seen Trey since his senior year of high school and the sad and bitter memories of Trey's short stay in Newport still were fresh in Ryan's mind. Much of the sadness that had taken place in Ryan's life four years previously had stemmed from Trey's near rape of Marissa. Her shooting him had driven her from Harbor and into the sympathetic and willing arms of Johnny Harper; that strange love triangle had introduced them all to the man who took Marissa down that bad path that had lead to her death.

He hadn't really wanted to see Trey again, but his mother had been very anxious about her two sons coming together again and Ryan had felt himself relenting, albeit very unwillingly. As to his mother, Ryan was not overjoyed about the prospect of seeing her either. Ever since the reappearance of the reformed Frank Atwood, Dawn's already tenuous relationship with her son had been further strained. She had not understood how Frank could return back and make such strong headway in the life of Ryan when Dawn had fought so hard for all her second chances. Ryan and his mother had fought about the subject of Frank Atwood very bitterly during Ryan's freshman year of college and ever since then, he and his mother had hardly spoken.

Now, however, both Ryan's brother and mother were in town and wanted to see him. He had wanted to go alone despite the fact that Taylor, Sandy and Kirsten had all been more than willing to go with him. Ryan's wish to shield Taylor from his family was obvious; Trey had tried to force himself onto one girlfriend already, Ryan didn't need his brother developing a violent attraction to another girlfriend. As to Sandy and Kirsten, Ryan wanted to keep them away from the drama of the Atwood family, at least for now. If they both proved to be different and better people, Ryan would open up the doors of communication a little more.

Finally, Ryan spotted them. He rose and watched as Dawn Atwood, Trey and a thin and pale young woman approached him.

"Hey baby." Dawn was misty eyed as she hugged her son. "How are you?" Apparently all the bitterness of their last fight seemed to have been forgotten.

"I'm all right." Ryan felt nervous and anxious; his brother stood before him, silent and ashamed. "Hey man."

"Hey." The two Atwoods stood silently facing each other, each not sure what to say or how to act.

"Give your brother a hug." Dawn prodded Trey who smiled shyly and reached for Ryan—the younger brother stood rigid as Trey wrapped his arms around Ryan and hugged him tightly.

"I've missed you brother."

"Yeah." Ryan could think of nothing else to say. He stood awkwardly for a moment and then looked towards the young woman who was standing meekly at Trey's side. "Hey."

"Come here sweetheart." Trey seemed very proud of himself at that moment as he introduced the young woman to Ryan. "Lisa, meet my little brother Ryan—Ryan, this is my wife Lisa." As a flabbergasted Ryan reached out for Lisa's thin hand, he noticed for the first time the wedding ring on Trey's hand.

"Married? Congrats."

"Thank you." Dawn explained that they had been married just this February. She looked proudly at her son and daughter-in-law, who seemed to be just as uncomfortable at the entire situation as Ryan.

"How did you guys meet?" They took their seats now and Ryan forced himself to smile at both his brother and mother. The fact that Trey was married and on seemingly good terms with Dawn was strange for Ryan; Dawn and Trey had been fighting for years so this sudden era of good feelings between the two was shocking to Ryan.

"In Las Vegas about two years ago." Trey looked at his wife and smiled at her. "I met her through her father."

"At the casino?" The last Ryan had heard of Trey he was working as a bartender at a less than reputable gambling hall.

"No—my father's never gambled." Lisa's voice was sour which matched the sour expression that seemed to always exist on her face; Ryan wondered if the girl was perpetually miserable.

"He didn't mean anything by it." Trey turned to his brother and his face became very animated. "Her father's a minister in the city; he's the one that saved me."

"He's saved many through Christ." For a brief moment the girl's sour expression was replaced by a bland affection.

"Trey was going through a bad time Ryan—Dwight was the only one that would care for him." Dawn reached out and squeezed Ryan's arm. "We've all made a lot of mistakes but God has been good to us lately."

"I was going through a bad drinking bought and had lost my job at the casino—Lisa's dad found me in the gutter one day and brought me to his ministry." Trey told the story of how he had resisted Dwight's message at first but Dwight never for a moment gave up on him. "He told me that I was a sinner—that we were all sinners—and that he could help me find some peace."

"So now you're here trying to save me too?"

"Not to force you Ryan—I made mistakes brother, you know that." Trey's excitement became replaced by shame; he had trouble making eye contract with his younger brother and almost seemed to be on the verge of tears. "I"

"Tell him honey." Dawn's voice was sweet and coaxing. "This is hard for him Ryan."

"I messed up bad with you and Mari" Ryan got up before the rest could come out his mouth. The café had become too hot, too crowded; angrily he left the café and cursed bitterly for a moment. All of this was too overwhelming and strange. So Trey had found God? What was he expecting of Ryan, that he could show up and say he was sorry and expect to be forgiven, for things to settle into their old brotherhood. "I know this is tough for you." Trey had joined him outside, shame and penance prominent on his face.

"Yeah just a little—you show up here and say that you're sorry and expect what?"

"A second chance—I don't know—like the one you gave dad, or don't you remember the hell he put us all through?"

"No—I remember; dad changed."

"I have too—and so has mom." He looked so sincere standing there, his dark eyes hopeful and sad at the same time. "Come back and stay—for ten minutes at least." Dawn came out of the café and her eyes were deep with worry.

"Ryan—honey, we just want a second chance."

"To be a regular family?"

"To be any type of family; we don't want to replace the Cohens, we just want to have you in our lives."

"It's been so long."

"And I know a lot has happened—but when your father came to you, you gave him a chance—give us a chance." Dawn seemed on the point of saying something but then stopped; no doubt she wanted to say what had just flashed through Ryan's mind: Frank Atwood had put them all through so much but had been accepted by Ryan. He had opened his heart up to him and now Ryan and his father got a long very well. Dawn and Trey had all been a team once, they had all looked out for each other, or had at least tried to. They deserved the same opportunity that Frank Atwood had been given.

"Do we have the time though—I mean, it's going to take time to make things okay—how long are you even going to be up here?"

"Well that's the other thing we wanted to tell you." Dawn smiled at Trey and they both turned to Ryan with sparkles in their eyes. "Trey and Lisa moved up here because they're going to help run the soup-kitchen over on Brown St."

"Lisa's dad is friends with the director there and he set us up—we're going to help them out up there and spread the word."

"So that means you guys are going to be up here for a while?"

"At least two years, maybe more if things go really well." Dawn seemed to be full of the same zeal that flowed through Trey whenever he talked about Christ and the ministry that had saved him.

"You should come by one day when we're all settled in."

"Come on a Saturday morning and help serve breakfast." Trey explained to Ryan how moving an experience it was to help those who were poor and needy; he himself had never felt more humble than when he had served others. "It's why we were put here on earth, to serve one another."

"So what do you say—we've kept Lisa waiting by herself for too long and I'm starving. Have lunch with your mother?"

Ryan looked to both Dawn and Trey, both so eager and hopeful. He had given his father, a man who had committed so many wrongs against them all, a second chance. No doubt they deserved another shot as well.

"Sure—I haven't eaten all day."