Chapter One: The First Stop

"Right. Come on, Universe. You can do this!"

Steven took a deep breath and got out of his car. He crossed the street and approached one of the neat doors.

Pausing for a few seconds, he rubbed his gem through his shirt, then knocked on the door, trembling slightly.

Footsteps, the sounds of a bolt being drawn and a key being turned, then Steven was staring into the face of an older woman, slightly shorter than him.

She looked him up and down, then, with a slight sneer, said "whatever you're selling, we're not interested," and moved to close the door.

"Wait! Please- Mrs Demayo?"

Steven held his hands out, and something made the woman pause.

"Well?"

"Oh! Um, well, my name is Steven, and I'm...oh, geez, this is really difficult..."

"I haven't got all day, kid, if it's important, spit it out or get off my property."

Steven sighed. "Mrs Demayo. I'm, well, your grandson."

The woman's eyes widened slightly, and she stared at Steven's face. Then, seeming to come back from some distant place in her mind, she shook her head sharply.

"No. I'm sorry, young man, you must be mistaken. We have no grandchildren."

She looked at him once more, before shutting the door gently in his face.

"But...my dad! Greg, his name is Greg, he's your son!" Steven called through the door, but once again he heard the key turn, followed by the bolt being drawn closed.

Tears in his eyes, Steven turned and left. He sat in his car with his head on the steering wheel, thinking.

I can't call dad; he won't even get as far as I did. Besides, he wants to speak to them less than they want to speak to him.

He drove aimlessly through suburban streets, where balding men followed the Dondai with their eyes as they watered lawns and waxed cars far more expensive than his. Then, finally, it came to him.

He drove until he spotted a gas station, somewhere he could pull in and make a phone call.

Sitting on the car roof, he found the contact immediately, and pressed 'call.'

"Hello?"

"Uncle Andy!"

"Oh, hey Steven. How ya doin' on that road trip of yours? You eating well? Not too many roadside burgers, I hope."

"Haha, Andy, I'm a vegetarian, you know that! I'm doing well, except..."

"What is it, Steven? Did ya get mugged? I'll get Greg, we'll come and get you right..."

"No, No, nothing like that, I'm fine, honestly. It's just...I dropped in on, um, my grandparents, and got the door shut in my face for my troubles."

There was a silence. Then a sigh.

"Look, Steven, Greg and his parents, they don't get on. You know that. And I can see that's why you called me, not Greg."

"It's just, you know, I really want to get to know the human side of my family. Apart from you and Dad, I don't know any of them. It...it hurts."

Steven could almost hear the cogs whirring in Andy's head in the silence that followed.

"...Andy?"

"Yeah...yeah, I'm still here, Steven, I'm just trying to work this one out. Look, me and Bismuth are just giving the plane a once over, scheduled maintenance, you know? Once we've finished, I'll send you the coordinates of a field not far from their house. Meet me there, I'll be about fifteen minutes from when you get the message.

And, Steven? Just stay calm, it's not your fault. They're...set in their ways. Like I am. Well, like I used to be."

"Yeah," Steven laughed, "The Andy I first met wouldn't be letting illegal hippy immigrant aliens look over his plane."

Andy laughed, too. "You're a clever guy, Steven, I'll see you soon. Bye!"