Sorry not sure what happened there, i thought it had posted OK, but seems there was some format text at the start and end of every line, It happened to me once before, but not sure what caused it.
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They finally arrived home, Rachel woke the girls who quickly got ready for bed, they weren't as tired as they had been after sleeping most of the drive home. They went into Katies bedroom and sat on her bed.
"I've been thinking and it doesn't make sense, Mum and Dad's old friend said baby, and not babies, and we are so close in age, I think one of us is adopted" Katie said
"Katie, they explained, why are you always so obsessed with our age gap"
"Because it doesn't make sense, Mum said I was early, but early babies aren't usually 9lb"
"Maybe you were just born fat"
"Don't be stupid, they are hiding something, Mum and Dad always get nervous when ever I ask about it, and you are Mum's double so it must be me that's adopted"
"I don't think you are adopted" Zara said hugging her sister who was looking worried "You are too much of a geek like Dad"
Katie hit her sister with a pillow as Rachel walked in, she was exhausted, unlike her daughters she didn't get the luxury of sleeping on the journey home.
"Girls, it's really late, so let's get into bed"
"Good Night" Zara said as she jumped off the bed, hugged her sister and then her Mum and walked to her room leaving Katie and Rachel alone
"Mum, can you please just tell me the truth, I know I'm adopted" Katie said, Rachel sat on the bed next to her, put an arm around her youngest daughter and pulled her into her chest "honey, we will talk tomorrow"
"So, I am adopted?"
"Look, its complicated, I promise you everything is fine, but we will talk tomorrow it's really late and I'm about to fall asleep, but all you need to know is that Daddy and I love you and Zara both exactly the same" Rachel kissed her head and pulled the covers up over her
"Love you too Mum"
Rachel left her daughters room, turned the light out and walked into Zara's room
"Time for lights out darling" Rachel said as she perched on the end of Zara's bed
"OK Mum" Zara said as she lay down on the bed and Rachel kissed her forehead tenderly
"Love you darling" Rachel left the room turning the light out but leaving the door opened slightly.
"We need to tell the girls the truth tomorrow" Rachel said entering her bedroom, Eddie was already in bed in his shorts, it was starting to heat up for summer, even the West Coast of Scotland was warm tonight
"Rach, I thought we agreed they didn't need to know"
"Katie won't leave it alone, she thinks she is adopted"
"But, it's not Katie we are going to have to worry about, it's Zara, you know she is more sensitive than she puts on"
Rachel walked into the en-suite and was brushing her teeth as Eddie spoke
"How about we tell them the truth, but that we don't want to tell them which one of them is Mel's and which is mine, it doesn't matter to either of us" Eddie said
Rachel had come out with her PJ's on now "I don't know, I think they will want the truth"
"Can we try it my way please, I don't think Zara will take it very well, at least if they know the truth and know that they are still sisters and that we all are related it might be enough to quench Katie's curiosity"
"OK" Rachel sighed as she got into bed, she was too tired to argue with Eddie, and maybe he was right. "How is Michael?"
"In his room, I've confiscated his phone for the night, we can decide if he gets it back tomorrow" Eddie said, but he realised it was in vein, Rachel was already gently snoring.
Katie waited until her parents had went to bed, she could see their lights finally go out and waited a few minutes before quietly walking to her sister's room
"Zara, are you awake" she whispered directly into her ear
"I'm now" Zara replied sitting up and moving along to let her sister into her bed
"I was right, Mum said she will talk to us tomorrow and explain when I asked her again if I'm adopted" she said knowingly, her stomach churned, although she has thought for a long time that she was adopted, she now was pretty sure
"Look, no matter what they say we are sister's, I know you can be annoying sometimes but you are my best friend and have been my whole life, I don't care if you're not my real sister" she placed an arm around her younger sister and the 2 just sat for a while before they both fell asleep.
The next morning Rachel woke first, she usually always woke early and made her way downstairs to put on some coffee, it wasn't long before Michael was also awake.
"Morning Love" Rachel said from the kitchen "Do you want a drink or breakfast?"
"Do you have any square sausage and potato scone?" he asked hopefully, it wasn't something they really got in England and he usually had it when he came to his Dad.
"Got potato scone, but no square sausage, I can make you some bacon" Rachel smiled and Michael nodded before opening the fridge and pouring some orange juice.
"Did you sleep OK?" Rachel asked
"Yeah thanks, but it was roasting last night"
"I know, but don't complain, it's usually freezing" Rachel joked, a few moments later Michael and Rachel's breakfast was ready. She placed the rest in the microwave for Eddie and the girls when they get up.
"Rachel, I should still have a month left at school before the holidays and I'm a bit behind so not really sure what to do" he said nervously. Rachel usually wasn't quiet as strict as his Dad so he hoped by having her alone he wouldn't be in as much trouble.
"Don't worry, we can get you caught up, Mr Clarkson is going to send down your transcripts today, and then your Dad and I will have an idea of what we need to do"
"Will I need to go to summer school?" Michael asked
"Summer school what do you think this is? America" they both laughed.
Rachel placed a hand on her step-sons hand.
"I won't know till we see your transcripts, it might be your Dad and I just spend a day a week with you getting caught up over the summer, or if you need more support we will hire some tutor's, or it might not be as bad as you think and we don't need to do anything, but the main thing is you don't worry we can get this fixed"
"Thanks Rach, I feel much better"
Rachel smiled as Eddie walked in "I smell bacon" he said
"In the microwave, are the girls awake?"
"Yes, they are on there way down" Eddie said
"OK and after breakfast we need to talk with them, you too Michael"
They had all eaten breakfast and the girls were sitting on one sofa with Rachel in-between then, she held each of their hands in one of theirs. Eddie and Michael sat on the sofa across from them.
"OK, so we need to talk to the 3 of you, but before we do, I need you all to know that Dad and I love all 3 of you, and what we are going to tell you changes absolutely nothing about us as a family."
"So, am I adopted?" Katie asked abruptly just wanting to know the truth
"The truth is all 3 of you are my children, I have had 4 children, you know Michael had a twin brother who died called Steven" Eddie said
The girls and Michael nodded, Eddie still loved his eldest son, but it was 15 years ago, and neither Michael or the girls had any strong feelings for him, Of course they loved him, and knew his Dad had been upset.
"But, only one of you is biologically your Mum's child" Eddie said quickly
"I don't understand?" Katie said
"OK sweetie let me explain" Eddie said
"I had a relationship with your Mum and another lady around about the same time"
"So, you cheated on Mum?" Zara asked
"No darling, it wasn't like that, you know adult relationships can be complicated, and something that kids and teens might not understand"
"So, make us understand" Katie said angrily
"We had a bit of an on and off relationship and when we were off your Dad and Auntie Mel had a relationship, one of you is my baby, and one was Auntie Mel's baby"
"Auntie Mel, but she died" Katie said
"That's right, Auntie Mel was a little insecure, she was in trouble, and had lied to Daddy when they were together, she told him that they would get married, but she was a bigamist already"
"What's a bigamist?" Zara asked
"It when your married to 2 people at the same time" Katie said, not believing what she was hearing. Rachel was still holding her 2 daughter's hands but her grip was tightening as though she didn't want to let them go.
"I still don't understand, I have seen both of our birth certificates, and you are both our parents" Zara said
"Because they get a new one after an adoption" Katie explained she had been googling this for a while
"That's correct, so Auntie Mel had went off for a while and Phil lived with Me, then when she came back she didn't want to get caught out by the Police for being married to two people, she left a baby on my doorstep and drove to get a Ferry to France, but on the way she crashed her car and died, that's when Daddy and I decided to adopt, and since then the 2 of you have been brought up as sisters"
Katie pulled her hand away from her Mothers as Zara laid her head on Rachel's chest.
"I can't believe you lied to us, I knew for ages that I was adopted, and you could have just told me the truth"
"Katie, you have every right to be angry, but please calm down and sit back down"
"No, I hate you both for lying to me" Katie shouted as she ran upstairs to her room
"Just leave her Rach, I'll go and talk to her later"
"Mum, is Katie really the adopted one" Zara asked and Eddie moved over next to her so she was sitting between Rachel and Eddie.
"Actually sweetie, you are Mel's daughter, you were adopted by Rachel" Eddie said gently as his hand rested on her knee.
"Someone should tell Katie, she is angry"
"And what about you baby, are you upset?"
"I don't know, I'm just a bit confused it's all a lot to take in" Zara replied
"It's got more drama then EastEnders" Michael said, he didn't like seeing his sisters upset, he really did love them, and he was a little glad that he was going to school in Scotland so he could protect them at high school and now with this conversation going on, he hoped Rachel and Eddie would forget about him and what happened yesterday.
"Michael son, can you give us a few minutes alone?" Eddie asked, he agreed and got up and went upstairs and knocked his youngest sisters' door
"Go away, I don't want to talk to you!" Katie screamed at the door
"It's me" Michael said "I've got news" he replied and Katie opened the door
"What?" she said sharply
"You're not the adopted one" Michael said walking in
"Are you teasing me, course I am look and Zara she is Mum's double"
"Doesn't mean anything, she is Rachels sister kid, they share the same DNA, they just told Zara"
Katie smiled, suddenly she felt better and then felt guilty as she didn't want Zara to feel the way she did.
"I should go down and talk to her"
"Leave her, she is with Dad and Rachel, "
"OK, so what did you do that was so bad, Dad was fizzing the other day when your Mum called"
"Never mind"
"Come on tell me?" she asked again whilst sitting on her bed
"I got into a fight, no biggie"
"OK so don't tell me" Katie responded and put her headphones in which were connected to her iPad.
Zara was still sitting besides both her parents as the news settled in, she had lots of questions but couldn't vocalise them. She felt safe and could smell the familiar smell of her Mum's perfume.
"Love, I need you to know that you will always be my special girl, just because I didn't give birth to you doesn't mean I love you any less, hmm"
"I know Mum, I just feel a bit strange"
"I can understand that, but you will always be my brave, fearless and beautiful girl. Who else goes on the scary rollercoaster rides with me" Zara smiled she was right; her Dad and Katie were scared of rollercoasters but Rachel and Zara would be first on?
"I'm not angry Mum, I know you love me, and if you didn't adopt me then where would I have lived"
"With me and your Dad, honey we are still family, even if Mel was still here, I would still be your Aunt and your Dad still your Dad"
"Was Mel a good Mum?"
"Maybe you should talk to Phil, he can explain that better than me"
In all the drama, Zara forgot about Phil, he was her brother, not her cousin.
"Can I phone him?"
"Sure love, he will be at work just now, but tell you want we will facetime him this evening" Rachel said and Zara agreed.
"Can I go upstairs for a bit?" Zara asked.
"Sure, you can love, and we are down here if you need us" Eddie said. When Zara was out of earshot, he turned to Rachel who quickly had her head buried in his chest.
"That went better than I thought" he said
"You think, Katie has run off, and Zara hasn't taken it in yet, you were right last night she is sensitive"
"Look at what happened with Phil, and we managed to get through that, and look at him how, Zara will be fine" Eddie said confidently
"I don't want her to be fine, I want her to thrive" Rachel said
"And she will, you wait and see"
Zara went upstairs and straight into her sister's room, she was angry and confused
"Why did you have to keep going on and on, I wish I never knew, I wish everything was just back to normal!" she shouted at Katie after pulling her headphones out
"I'm sorry, I thought I was the one who was adopted"
"And what difference would it make if you were, do you think any less of me because I am"
"No, of course not, you are my sister, we share a dad, and our mums are sisters so we are still family" Katie replied
"And if we didn't share a Dad and our Mum's weren't sisters what then, would I still be your sister"
"Of course, that's not what I mean, look we have been together for 11 years no matter what you are my sister and best friend" Katie has said hugging her.
"We should talk to Michael" Eddie said, Rachel was sitting in his arms with her head still on his chest
"We need to talk first, Tom is sending his transcripts today, they might be in now" Rachel said picking up her phone and checking her email
"That's them in, to be honest they don't look that bad" Rachel said passing her phone over to Eddie
"He can do better" Eddie said, he always was the perfectionist and expected his kids to fulfil their potential when it came to school work, Rachel on the other hand would rather kids had a well-rounded education and have time to be kids.
"So, what do you want to do?"
"I don't think he needs tutors, but he does need some time revising, and no phone or going out without one of us for the next two weeks"
"Eddie, do you think maybe we shouldn't ground him" Eddie looked round quizzingly
"He is no where near his friends, he is starting a new life here, a second chance"
"He needs to know what he did was wrong"
"I think he does, but we can talk to him, I think you will find we get further by trusting him"
"OK, lets do it your way, but I'm making it clear he does anything like that and he won't know what has hit him" Eddie said.
Twenty minutes later Michael was sat on the same sofa he had been earlier in the morning.
"Michael, we need to talk about what happened earlier in the weeks" Eddie said
"I know it was wrong, I know I've been behaving badly"
"You can say that again!" Eddie said
"Michael, we just need you to understand that this is a second chance, coming to Scotland, changing schools is all an opportunity for you to get your life back on track" Rachel said
"I know and I promise, I won't let you down again"
"Good, we have decided that we won't punish you this time" Eddie said emphasising this time, Rachel winked, confirming to Michael what he already knew that she had convinced his Dad not to punish him. "but you set one foot out of line, and next time you won't be so lucky" he added quickly
"I promise, I'll be good" Michael said, he had been on the wrong side of Rachel and Eddie before, usually Eddie would shout and yell, and Rachel would be the calmer of the 2, but one time he really got on Rachels wrong side and he never wants to be there again. Besides the best way to get back home to his friends was to play the prodigal son who was repentant.
"One last thing, Mr Clarkson sent over your school transcripts," Rachel said, Eddie soon jumped in
"And you can do much better"
"I know, I promise, I will, I can start now" he said
"Good, I'll get you a maths book" Eddie said smiling
"And your Dad will give you your phone back, but I am trusting you to make good choices and not contact anyone your Father and I would not want you to have contact with"
"I promise, I won't" he said
"Then I think this conversation is over" Rachel said
"I'm going to go to the gym, do you want to come with me?" Eddie said to his son, hoping that getting him out and exercising might help him.
"Sure" Michael replied and Rachel went off to make lunch.
Please let me know if you are reading and what you think