Ch1: Goodbye California, Hello Mom

"This bites."

Glenn Jacobs grinned as he turned to his niece. It had been a few days since Rachael was released from the hospital, once she got out the family immediately began packing their stuff for the move. Today was the big day.

"I know you're not happy about this, but try and be positive." Glenn said setting an arm around her.

"You know as well as I do that if mom's involved it's anything, but positive." Rachael said. The two watched as Virginia and Mark loaded up the truck. "I don't wanna leave uncle Glenn."

"I know you don't." He said pulling her in for a hug. "But it's for the best. Hey you might like living in Charlotte."

"Yeah right." she hugged her uncle tighter not wanting to let him go. "I'm gonna miss you."

"I'm gonna miss you too Rach, but I'll come by and visit."

"Time to go." Mark announced, he walked towards the pair.

Rachael pulled away and looked up at her uncle sadly. "Bye Glenn."

"Bye kiddo." As Rachael made her way over to the car mark turned to his brother. "What did the doctor's say?"

Mark sighed, "Suicide watch."

"For how long?"

"I have no idea." he answered. "Glenn I'm worried about her."

"She's gonna be fine man."

"I hope so."

"So how are you gonna work things out with Evan?"

"I don't know, just take it one day at a time. She really wants to fix everything between us, especially the girls." He ran a hand through his hair, all of the sudden he was getting really nervous.

"You okay man?" Glenn asked sensing his brother's mood.

"I'm just a little nervous that's all, I still don't know if I'm doing the right thing by moving down to Charlotte with her."

"Hey if it doesn't work out, you guys can always move back here, remember that." Mark only nodded. "You better get going or else traffic's gonna be a bitch."

"Okay." The two men hugged. "See ya later little bro."

"See ya and good luck." He watched as mark jogged over to the car and hopped in. Once the car started he pulled out from the driveway and onto the street. In the backseat Glenn could see Virginia and Rachael staring at him with saddened faces, he gave a small smile as he waved to them. They slowly waved back before the car drove out of sight.

---------------------------------------------

"We're here!"

"About time." Rachael rolled her eyes as she sat up in the backseat. Turning to her sister who was sleeping against the window she shook her a few times to wake her up. "Get up stupid." She said.

Virginia groaned angrily, "Alright stop fucking shaking me." She answered slapping her hands away.

"Virginia what have I told you about using that kind of language?" Mark asked from the driver's seat while he glared at her through the rearview mirror.

Virginia rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "Sorry dad."

"Come on we have to unpack, your mom's already inside."

"I don't see why we had to come." she muttered crossing her arms over her chest. "Why couldn't we stay back in California?" Virginia looked over at her father awaiting his answer.

Sighing mark leaned back in his seat, "Rachael, you know me and your mom haven't had the best relationship. Now honestly, I don't like this anymore than you do, but she wants to try and patch things up between us. She wants us to be a family again."

"As long as she keeps on drinking, doing drugs and smoking we're never gonna be a family again dad. Get it through your head."

"Rachael.." Before he could say anything else she opened the car door and got out. He grabbed the bridge of his nose, "God damn it."

"Dad." Looking up into the mirror he saw Virginia staring at him. "Everything's gonna be fine."

"I'm already having second thoughts about this whole thing."

"Look I'm not looking forward to dealing with mom again either, but if she's willing to try, I think we should too."

"You're right." He put on a small smile before turning to look at his oldest daughter. "We'd better start taking all these boxes inside."

"Good idea." Virginia opened the door on her side of the car and got out. As she headed to the trunk she couldn't help noticing the depressed look on her sister's face. "Hey cheer up sis."

"How am I supposed too?"

Virginia opened the trunk and started taking out boxes, "Look I know you're not thrilled about this whole thing Rach, but the fact of the matter is we're stuck here, like it or not. So just plaster on a fake smile and make the best of it, okay?"

"How are you so calm about this?" Rachael asked not believing how well her sister was taking everything. "Don't tell me you're not pissed off."

"I'll admit the thought of moving here and living with mom again makes me wanna puke. But I'm gonna tell you the same thing I told dad just now, if she's willing to try, we should too."

Rachael sighed in defeat, why did her sister have to be so damn mature? "Fine, I'll try to make the best of it."

"Good." Virginia grunted as she tried to move a heavy box from the truck.

"You need any help?"

She turned to her a little skeptical, "You sure you can lift heavy things in your…condition?"

Rach took a moment and looked down at her bandaged wrists which were currently being covered by skull wristbands. "Virginia I slit my wrists, I'm not crippled." She replied some what annoyed.

The two girls lifted the box out of the car and dropped it onto the driveway.

"Wow." Rachael said surprised by the weight of it. "What's in there?"

"Dad said they were old pictures." Virginia answered. They kneeled down and opened the box, pulling out one of their many photo albums they began to look through it.

"I can't believe dad kept this stuff."

"Me neither." The two paused as they stared at a photo of mom and dad.

It had been from their wedding day. Mark was still in his tuxedo and Evan was still in her wedding dress, the two were smiling as they each held an infant in their arms. Mark holding Rachael and Evan holding Virginia.

"They were so happy then." Virginia said looking over the photo.

"What do you think went wrong?" Rachael asked. Her sister just shrugged.

"I don't know." She answered sadly.

Suddenly they heard a loud noise and they quickly jumped to their feet when they saw a woman exit the house. She was of medium height, her sandy brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. Even though she was dressed in jeans and a button down shirt, her well toned figure could still be see. The woman smiled brightly as her brown eyes wandered over to them, she waved happily.

"Hi Rachael, hi Virginia." She greeted as she walked towards them.

The two girls glanced at each other nervously before turning back to face her. They each forced a smile as she walked up to them.

"Hello mom."