Family Reunion

Allen cringed as he ascended the stairs leading to his families' home in Ithaca, New York. He felt awkward as he knocked on the door, it had been six months after all. And it wasn't like he called ahead. Slowly, the door creaked open until an eyeball was barely visible beyond. Suddenly, the door swung open and he found himself being embraced by a strange woman. But the nostalgia came back like a wave and he whispered "Sarah,"

Stepping back she said "Yeah, it's me. You finally made it back to see us, little brother?"

He gave her a quick once over. No wonder he didn't recognize her, last time he'd saw her was when she came running into his going away party, crying that her boyfriend had left her, and that she was pregnant. That was an odd going away party. Given he was her brother he wasn't exactly at liberty to comment on her physical attributes.

"Yeah, sorry I didn't call," he said, rubbing his neck as he always did when nervous.

As if to break up the awkwardness filling the air between the two siblings, a small figure toddled into the door way, a small voice piped up "Mommy? Who is that man?"

"This is your Uncle Joe. Say hi to Uncle Joe, Davy." she cooed.

"Hi, Uncle Joe." came the muffled reply as the toddler forcefully attached itself to the female Allen's leg.

Trying to the break the ice, Allen asked "So, where's everybody else?" Noticing, the toddler seemed to try and avoid his gaze.

"Mom and Dad are out on errands. Jenna's upstairs 'working', and Jake's at school." replied Sarah, trying to calm a worried Davy.

Allen sighed, the reference to Jenna being at 'work' stemmed from the fact that her main source of income came from the phone-sex line she operated from her room at the Allen home. He wasn't necessarily approving of her doing this to begin with, but with a baby in the house? Hell, if his mother knew she'd have a fit.

Following his sister inside he found that not much had changed since he left for Afghanistan, six months ago. Same Purple Heart his dad had earned in the Gulf War, only now a picture of Allen in his Army Ranger uniform was hung next to the metal. Slowly, he made his way to the living room while trying to keep the audible moaning from upstairs from getting to him, he'd already scared the kid enough just showing up. No use in worsening that by screaming at his sister who got off for creepy old men who paid to listen to it.

Stopping at the mantle, he looked over the pictures strewn across it's surface. Most were the same ones he'd seen countless times during his youth. But their was a picture Allen hadn't seen before, but something about it felt like he'd seen it before. The picture was laying with the image face-down. Turning the photograph over in his hands, he realized it was of Sarah, before the pregnancy. She was in the arm's of an oddly familiar man. He couldn't quite place him, he was thin and lanky as well as having a scruffy beard and long shaggy brown hair.

"Hey, Sis. Who's this?" he asked, showing her the picture. He knew it was her old boyfriend, the one who'd got her pregnant, then left her. Allen was sure if he ever got a hold of the sick bastard he'd make sure he was equally repaid for all the pain he'd caused Sarah.

She looked at the floor, then with her eye's still trained on the floor, she muttered "His name was Jake. Jake Dunn."

Allen's jaw hit the floor. Dunn. His best friend, had caused his sister this much pain.

"You okay?" she asked, noticing his furrowed brow and clenched fists. "It's okay, I've forgiven him. Plus, he gave me Davy." Her gaze going to the two-year old playing with alphabet blocks at her feet.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he paused, unsure of how to go on, "It's just, you remember how I invited my Army buddy over?"

She nodded.

"That friend, his name is Jake Dunn.