A/N Okay Loyal Readers, here is the next chapter. I know you are all looking forward to the big reunion but that is next chapter. I promise! Cross my heart hope to die. I'll try to get it up before Sunday. Until then here is today's chapter of "Coming Home".

I stayed in the library until three thirty looking up various cases that may be useful should Jeff and Elaine go too far with wanting mom's house. There were no cases that I found that were exactly the same as what this could become but there was enough that he could be held off. Satisfied I hopped into my car and started back to Shermer.

It had been really weird running into Brian. He hadn't changed that much since school. Sure he had bulked up but after talking to him for awhile I didn't see the football player form but the scrawny kid he was. That Brian Johnson was still there deep down. It was nice to know he hadn't changed. He joining us tonight would help take a lot of the pressure off of Bender and Claire.

I still needed to call Allison and wasn't sure how to get in touch with her. She didn't give me her number before she left so checking the phone book was the first thing I did once I got home. "Andy is that you?" Mom called from the kitchen.

"Yeah it's me."

"Where were you?" she said emerging from the kitchen and hugged me as though I had been gone for years instead of a few hours.

"Mom, what's wrong? Are you okay?" I don't think I had seen her that distraught before. Not even at the funeral. Maybe all the sorrow had finally caught up with her. She began crying harder. "Mom?" I just held her and rubbed her back. I felt helpless. After a few minutes she raised her head from my shoulder and sniffed. "Oh my I think the cookies are burning."

"It's okay I'll go get them." The cookies were a dark brown, one step away from being charcoal briquettes. I opened the window and tried to fan some of the smoke out. As I tried to see if any of the cookies were worth saving I noticed her standing in the doorway.

"You must think I'm a crazy old lady, Andy."

"I'd never think that, Mom. I do think we should make a new batch of cookies because if we try eating these we will need new teeth." That got a smile out of her. She nodded at me to go ahead and put more dough on the cookie sheet. "So what's wrong?"

"Nothing really; I guess being alone in the house with you not here it just dawned on me that your father is actually gone. He won't be walking through the back door with a pizza and a six pack after I cooked a nice healthy dinner, he won't be cheering on the Blackhawks or Bears in the living room disturbing my bridge match, and he won't be there for me to kiss goodnight." She was making tears well up in my eyes. In my mind I was still seven and she was there to kiss my bandage covered skinned knee to make them all better. How was I supposed to make her lonely heart better? "Maybe Jeff and Elaine are right." I started to interrupt her but she held up her hand to let me know she was continuing. "This house needs a family in it again and I am too old to live by myself. I've never lived by myself, Andrew. I went from my parents' house to your father's. Maybe I'm better off with people my own age."

"Don't talk like that mom. You aren't old and you are a strong woman. You have never lived on your own maybe its time to give it a try."

"Maybe but not in this old house. Too many memories."

"Do you know what I was doing today?" I asked as I slid the pan of cookies into the oven.

"What?"

"I drove back down to Evanston to the NWU campus and spent hours in the law library. I was looking for ways for you to keep the house. Right now it's hard for you. Right now you are feeling lost without dad but give it time and you will feel better. At least don't give up the house right way. I don't want you to do something that you will regret later."

"You do have point." She reluctantly admitted. "I love this place but without you boys and your dad it just isn't the same."

"No, it won't be the same. No one can recapture the past but you can look forward to the future. This is your house. I remember when you picked out the wall paper for the kitchen. This wall paper." Dad had put up such a fight when she wanted the wall paper with the little cherries and he wanted bears football helmets. As young boys we sided with dad but she stuck to her guns and told dad he could paper the garage in football helmets if he wanted but she would not have that logo staring her in the face every time she baked a ham or washed the dishes. "What about the carpet in the living room? Remember how dad wanted Astroturf? That is carpet that you picked, the wall paper that you picked, Mom this is your house."

At that she smiled. "I can see you in a court room, Andrew. You're right. I'm just not thinking clearly right now. Looks like the cookies are done." She said as she peered into the oven. "Now go wash your hands and Ill pour you a glass of milk and we can eat some of these."

After cookies and milk with mom I called Allison. She was the first listing under the last name Reynolds. "Hello?" she said answering the phone.

"Allison, it's Andy."

She hesitated a moment and then said, "Oh, hi. How did you get my number?"

"I looked you up in the phonebook. I hope you don't mind me calling but I ran into Brian today and we are meeting for dinner tonight at the Mikado at eight. Interested in joining us?"

More silence on the other end of the line. "Brian as in Brian Johnson?"

Your middle name is Ralph, as in puke, your birth date's March 12th, you're 5'9 and a half, you weigh 130 pounds and your social security number is 049380913.

Wow. Are you psychic?

No.

Well, would you mind telling me how you know all this about me?

I stole your wallet.

"Yep Brian Johnson. You won't believe how he has changed. So what do you say?"

"Sure why not. It's just after five now. Eight o'clock you said?"

"Yes. Do you need a ride or something? I could always pick you up." I could almost hear her smile over the phone line.

"I've got a car remember? A Black bug and a messy one at that."

I felt like such a dork. How come I could pick women up without any problems at clubs when going out with friends but when I talked to Allison I became an idiot? "Yeah, sorry."

"Sorry that I have a car?"

"No sorry that I asked."

"I knew that I was just teasing you."

A playful Allison? It was new to me but I guess even that Saturday I could see it lingering below the surface. She certainly led Claire on with her story about being a nymphomaniac that day. I laughed, partially at the memory and partially at her teasing.

"So see you at 8."

"Well there about. I have something to do so I may be a little late. I'll try to be on time but I can't promise."

"Sounds good." I told her. I knew that was my cue to say good bye but I didn't want to take it. I didn't want to hang up even though I knew I would see her later.

"Well I have to go if you want me to be able to make it later."

"Okay."

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye". I hung up to find my mom standing behind me.

"So who was that?"

"An old friend." She arched her eye brow. "I ran into a few old friends and we are meeting for dinner tonight." Then I realized that she might have wanted me to be there with her. "You don't mind do you?"

"Not at all. I have a bridge game tonight here and I was going to ask you if you would mind going out for a few hours."

By seven thirty I was ready and dressed. I decided to go with pretty much how I dressed when I met Allison the day before. I didn't want everyone to think I turned into a bum but I didn't want to be too fancy either. It would be weird to see them all together in one place again. The only thing weirder would have been to meet up in the old Shermer High School library. Brian would have probably loved it though. As I came down the stairs Mom whistled. "Some young lady is getting lucky tonight," she said with a smile.

I just laughed. "Mom it's a group not just one young lady."

"Could have fooled me by the way you were talking on the phone. You have a completely different tone when you talk to a girl you are interested in. You always have. Now you go out and have fun."

"You too, mom." I said as I kissed her on the cheek and left.

First stop was to pick Brian up at the train. I pulled into the station and he was already there. I checked my watch and I was earlier than what we had discussed. He looked up as I honked my horn. I leaned over and popped the passenger side door lock so he could get in. "Hey have a good ride out here?"

"Hi, yeah it was okay. It's a Saturday and kind of late so the train was empty. There was a screaming baby but the mom got off four stops before Shermer so it wasn't too bad. You know they raised the fares? I almost didn't have enough change for a ticket and…"

"Bri you're babbling again."

"Oh sorry. I'm pretty nervous. Aren't you?"

"A little bit;" I said honestly. I mean I had no idea how Claire and Bender would react to each other. He seemed to have mellowed a bit as he aged as did Claire but they were always volatile when they were together; baking soda and vinegar. Then there was Allison. I probably wouldn't have been as nervous about seeing her if she hadn't been so distant when we became reacquainted. At least Brian was there. I had a feeling he would be a good balancing force.

"So what are they like?"

"Well I guess you will see for yourself soon," I said as we pulled into the parking lot.

"Why?"

"Because we are here."