Houston, Texas

"Mama?"

Walking through her house after dropping her books and bag upstairs in her bedroom, Katherine called out for her mother, surprised when she didn't immediately call back.

Her car had been parked in its usual spot when she'd arrived home not long ago, so she knew she wasn't out, but she hadn't greeted her at the door to ask about her day like she usually did which was odd.

Spotting her outside by the pool, she made her way through the family room out to the patio.

Getting closer, she noted how upset her mother looked.

"What's wrong?"

Able to name a few things that might be an issue in her mother's life, they were all fairly old news now, so she really had no idea what the problem was.

"Bobby Ewing."

Hearing his name, her heart beat a little faster, although she didn't let on, especially since the tone it was said in was not particularly positive.

"He's here?"

"I sent him away."

"Why?"

Sitting down, she wanted to hear the whole story.

"He said some awful things."

Not particularly enlightened by the vague answer she'd been given, she asked for more details.

"Like what?"

"He accused me of not trying hard enough with Cliff or Pam."

Hearing what had upset her mother so much, she shook her head. Bobby wasn't exactly wrong. Her mother had experienced something very difficult early in life, but she'd yet to really acknowledge that she'd also done something that was difficult for other people to deal with.

"Mother…"

Throwing a hand in the air, her mother sounded defeated, "not you too."

Not wanting to upset her further, she did have a few strong feelings on the subject that she thought deserved addressing.

"I just, I can understand why Cliff might be angry."

Hearing both from her mother and Cliff what life had been like back then, she certainly had no desire to experience anything like it, so she could see why he might look at the life they were living and feel resentful.

"And Pam?"

"I never met Pam."

Thinking about the sister she'd never known and would never know, she genuinely felt sad. She didn't think she and Cliff would ever really be close, and she couldn't know what her relationship with Pam would have been like, but she would have liked the opportunity to find out and to have missed that by only a few months was upsetting.

"I suppose you think that's my fault?"

Sighing, her mother replied in a tone that indicated she still didn't really believe it was her fault.

"Yes. You hid an entire lifetime from us, a whole family, there was never going to be a good opportunity to reveal that but the fact is, when it did come out, it was too late for Pam."

Her father hadn't left, their relationship wasn't the same as it had been, but it wasn't over. Her mother's worst fears hadn't come true when she'd finally revealed her past. Despite that, she got the feeling that her mother probably would have preferred none of it had ever happened, that she hadn't gone looking for answers and hadn't forced her to confront the past.

"You're right, there wasn't a good time."

Addressing the unfortunate timing, she wanted to believe her mother had some regrets, but she wasn't sure she did.

"It does upset me that I'll never know my sister."

Starting out curious, the more she'd discovered, the more she felt like she'd missed out on. It wasn't so much that she wanted her life to change, just that she didn't like being kept in the dark about things and knowing there was so much she wasn't privy to did bother her.

"But not your brother?"

Shaking her head, she answered the question, hoping her mother understood how her feelings could differ between siblings. "I've met Cliff, I can go and see him anytime I wish to, it's not the same."

Nodding, her mother seemed to know what she meant, which was a relief, because they rarely agreed on much.

Thinking about Pam, her mind drifted back towards Bobby. He had answers she wanted and her mother had sent him away.

"Where's Bobby gone?"

"I don't know, I asked him to leave. I didn't like his tone of voice or the accusations he made."

Speaking with a snippy tone, her mother's feelings were quite clear, and they were obviously very different to her own.

"He's probably upset that Pam isn't around to meet you."

Making an excuse for Bobby, she wasn't sure it was in any way accurate, but she didn't feel like arguing about it being the opposite again. Her mother had already said that Bobby was angry with her for not making an effort, but if she wasn't going to acknowledge there was any truth in that then she saw no reason to waste her energy arguing otherwise, she had better things to do.

"Maybe."

Accepting the apathetic answer, she felt their conversation was over now.

"Do you want me to sit here with you?"

Offering out of politeness, she hoped the answer wasn't yes. A few ideas about how to proceed were beginning to come to mind now and she wanted to see how far she could get with them before the night was over.

"No, I'll be fine."

Nodding, she squeezed her mother's hand and stood, walking back inside.

Heading upstairs again, her mind raced as she closed her bedroom door and picked up the phone, dialling directory assistance. She'd been unable to contact Bobby in the past, but he was in Houston, they were closer than ever before, so if she was going to meet him now was her chance. Getting away wouldn't be a problem, rarely was she at home on a Friday night, and while a little tedious, she didn't anticipate it taking too long to locate which hotel he was registered at. Tonight would be the night she met him, she'd make sure of it.

To be continued…