Never Again Separate
By Cypher
Chapter Two
"Remember, don't be nervous. Just act normal."
"Act normal. Right." Matt looked around, eyeing the other apartments in the hallway, his hands swinging slightly.
John whapped Matt on the shoulder. "Stop that. No normal person does that."
"I'm sorry, it's just...well, you know." Matt wiped his hands on his pants. They were covered with sweat, though whether from anticipation or nervousness he didn't know. "What if she doesn't want to see me? What if she doesn't even remember me?"
"She's the oldest of the group. She'll remember." John found the apartment number they were looking for and stood by it, looking at Matt expectedly. "Well, aren't you going to knock?"
Matt pulled out the paper with Mary's information that the detective had given them, as if double checking the apartment number. Be strong, Matt. This is your sister. You've been looking forward to this for years. So why are you so scared?
John rolled his eyes and knocked on the door for Matt.
Matt jumped and looked at John. "What'd you do that for?"
"You weren't getting to it."
"But-"
Matt was cut off as the door opened, revealing a young man with black hair, a little shorter than Matt, and brown eyes. "Yes? Can I help you?"
John nudged Matt. Both of them realized that this man was Mary's husband, Wilson.
Matt cleared his throat. "Um, we're, uh, looking for Mary."
"And you are?"
Matt glanced at John, wondering if he should tell the truth or not. When John didn't give him any indication what to do, Matt decided on a partial truth. "We're friends of hers, from Glen Oak."
Wilson turned around. "Honey, were you expecting anyone?"
Matt wondered why he didn't feel any sort of anger or worry at the term 'honey.' Then again, he hadn't raised Mary the later part of her life, he wasn't as connected as he would be if they had stayed together. I guess I really have become detached from them in emotion. He felt somewhat guilty for that.
"They say they're friends from Glen Oak."
"I'll be right there. Could you finish helping Billy get ready for school?"
Billy? Apparently he hadn't detached as much as he thought, for resentment built up inside him at the thought that this man, this stranger, had gotten his sister pregnant.
John rested a hand on Matt's arm.
Matt looked at it, then at John's face, and let out a calming breath. Stay cool, stay cool. You don't know everything.
And then, a minute later, she appeared at the door, kissing her husband briefly as he left and leaning on the frame, smiling at them. The smile faded, though, and Matt could tell she couldn't identify either of them. Have I changed that much? Matt mentally shook himself. Get a grip, Camden! Say something before she closes the door on you! Yet as he opened his mouth, no sound would come out, not even her name.
"Do...I know you?" The smile had left her face, and she was eyeing the two men.
John realized that Matt wasn't going to snap out of the shock of seeing his sister grown up and stepped forward. "Mary, I know this is strange but," John looked at Matt again, to see if he was going to finish the sentence.
Instead of saying anything, though, Matt stepped forward and tightly embraced his younger sister, a couple tears sliding down his face.
Mary was about to shove the stranger that had hugged her, when she heard his choked voice let out one word.
"Mary."
The voice froze her in place. She knew it, remembered it from a past she had tried to put behind her a long time ago. She wasn't sure, though, and her eyes met John's.
John nodded. "It's him, Mary. It's your older brother, Matt. Matt Camden."
~*()*~
An hour later, after Matt's voice had returned to him and he had cleaned up himself slightly, he and John sat in the living room of Mary's apartment. Mary asked her husband to take care of Billy's school ride and after reassuring him it was okay, Wilson and Billy had left.
Matt could hardly believe how much his sister had grown. He still remembered her as the little eleven year old girl that was taken from her siblings and placed into a loving family. And even though he had seen her head shot, seeing her in person was still a shock. She had grown so much taller than he had expected, rivaling John in height. Her hair had grown out, as had her body, making her a very attractive woman. Matt knew that she probably had beat men off with a stick in high school, and that she probably still had to with that figure. He also knew that if he and Mary had stayed together, he wouldn't have let any guy near her.
She came in after a moment, tossing a soda can to John and Matt. She had hugged Matt after John told her who he was, but for some reason, it didn't seem like that big a deal for her. "So, how did you find me?" She sat in a rocking chair across from the couch. "I mean, it's a big country, and you just started looking now."
"A private investigator." Matt leaned forward and set his soda on the table, not really thirsty. "Mary...wow." He looked over Mary again. "It's just...amazing how much you've changed."
"You've changed too. You let your hair grow long." Mary rested her arms on her lap. "This is...surprising." She looked at John a moment, then back at Matt.
"You have no idea how many times I've imagined us meeting again. Of seeing all of you again."
Mary offered a half smile. "For some reason, I always thought you'd come and find us. I just thought it was a stupid fantasy from when I was a kid that I'd never outgrown."
John, who had retreated towards the back of the couch and sipping his soda, spoke up. "It's a fantasy Matt's had for a while, too. He never stopped talking about you four."
Mary looked over at John again. "I'm afraid we haven't met." She held out her hand. "You are?"
"John Hamilton. We took in Matt after about a year." John shook her hand.
"So that's what happened to him." She sat back again. "I will admit, I thought about what could've happened to you guys from time to time." She set her soda down, sighing. "But I had to get past it. I had to live my life in the now, not on some memory."
Matt rested his chin on his hands. "What was your life like?"
Mary shook her head. "Not that exciting. My adopted family moved to New York, I met Wilson and Billy, and, well..." She looked at Matt. "I married him. I put you and everyone behind me to try and make myself a future. And I did."
Matt let out an internal breath of relief. Billy isn't her child.
Mary watched Matt. "Have you found any of the others?"
Matt sighed. "No. You're the first."
Mary hesitated. "Matt, there's something I've always wondered, and maybe you know, since you went back to Glen Oak."
Matt raised his eyebrows, looking at John for a moment. "Yeah?"
"Why didn't Ruth and the Colonel come and get us? Or Grandma and Grandpa? Or Aunt Julie?"
Matt frowned. He didn't want to answer, but knew Mary deserved to know the truth. "It's...not an easy thing to answer, Mary."
"What?"
Matt took a deep breath. "Mary, Grandma is dead. She's been dead for years. It got a lot worse after mom and dad died, and Grandpa never got over it." He saw Mary flinch. Grandma was always a favorite in the Camden household. When he had done some research, he couldn't believe that she had leukemia. "He's not really doing so well either. Aunt Julie," he closed his eyes. Aunt Julie was someone who was always special to him, and when he learned of her drinking problem he felt crushed, another of his family dead in some ways. "She became sick."
"With what?"
Matt swallowed. "Drinking." It hadn't been easy for him to find that out, either. He kept trying to figure why she dodged his calls, and eventually it took a toll high enough that he phoned a friend of hers.
Mary looked stunned. Obviously the news that Aunt Julie wasn't perfect or respectable hit home. "T-the Colonel? Ruth?"
That was the one question he hated to answer most. "I...don't know."
"You don't know?"
"I could never reach them after I got back. It was like they vanished. I don't think...I don't think they could cope, losing both of their children to death and drinking."
Mary closed her eyes and faced the ground.
Matt didn't want to tell her. It hurt him to bring up such memories, and now he was just spreading the pain around.
John, noticing his friend and his friend's sister not doing so well, decided to change the subject. "Mary, tell us about Wilson. How you met him, what's up with Billy, all of that. Matt's got years of catching up to do."
Mary wiped her eyes and nodded, grateful to talk about something else.
Matt got himself under control as well, making a mental reminder to thank John later.
Sniffing, Mary sat up again. "Well, I met Wilson about three years ago..."
~*()*~
"You're welcome to stay."
Matt shook his head. "We can't. We have to get back home. Besides, I want to find the others still."
Mary nodded in understanding. "So...now what? We just go our separate ways?"
"We have to, but I'll be in touch. And after I find the others, I'm going to bring you all together, for a family reunion."
Mary smiled softly. "I'd like that."
"Matt, we've got a plane."
Matt glanced at John. "Right." He looked back at Mary and hugged her once more. "I'll talk to you soon. I promise."
Mary hugged him back. "You'd better keep it, or I'm flying out there to kick your butt."
Matt laughed and pulled away. "I missed you."
"I missed you too."
Matt nodded at Wilson, who was standing a few feet behind Mary, then turned and caught up to John, who was on his cell phone. "Who're you calling?"
John waved for Matt to be silent and listened a few for minutes. "Thanks." He hung up and smirked at Matt. "We're going to be making a stop in Denver, Colorado."
Matt stuck a hand in his pocket. "Why? What's there?"
"A family with six kids, one of which was adopted when she was an infant."
Matt's eyes widened. "Ruthie?"
John nodded and started down the flight of stairs. "If we hurry we can catch the red eye there."
Matt was right behind him. Ruthie. First Mary, and now Ruthie. It won't be long before I find them all. I can feel it.
~*()*~
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Author's Prattle: Well, I've been getting a lot of questions about why the Camden grandparents and family pick up the kids after their parents death. I'm hoping this chapter helped explain some of it. The main reason, though, was if the grandparents had taken care of the kids, then, well, there'd be no story, no angst other than coping with Eric and Annie's death. I'm sorry if this chapter is a bit rough, but Mary is not one of the best characters I can write. Don't worry, the other children have far more interesting pasts than Mary (one reason this chapter was hard to write, she had an easy past). Thanks for reading, and if you enjoyed, please review!