The sight of someone else on the sand made Nora slow her pace and tug gently on Stitch's leash, trying to keep him closer to her side. It wasn't that she was afraid- not in the least. She just wasn't in the mood for more failed socializing. She specifically picked this spot because she had noticed that the beach-goers typically stayed further up the coastline. As she walked closer, she realized it was Charlie sitting down, and let herself relax.

"Hey." she kept her voice quiet, not wanting to startle her niece, who was clearly in a daze. Even still, she jumped a little and tilted her head to look up at her. "Sorry. I didn't realize you'd be out here."

"It's okay."

"I was just taking the dog for a walk." she gestured with the leash, as though Charlie did not see the mutt between them. Stitch gave a bark and trotted as far as the leash would let him. He whined, not being able to reach Charlie, who smiled slightly. Nora leaned down to take the leash off and the dog darted forward, nearly barreling the young woman over. It brought a smile to Charlie's face as she scratched him lovingly behind the ears.

It didn't surprise Nora that Charlie could gain comfort from their pet. She had been the one to find him hidden under the pier only a few days after they had settled into the house. She and Jason had brought him back home, yelling for Miles and Nora to help. Nora was sure she would not forget the sad, concerned expression on her niece's face as she showed them the dog, wounded and malnourished. Miles grumbled he was not a veterinarian and she was too old to be bringing home stray animals. Alex had peered over their shoulders- "A dog? Can we keep him? Please? I want a dog."- pestering until they agreed they would watch him for the night. Neither of them were animal experts but they could tell he wasn't seriously injured, the paw wasn't broken, and the wound was caused by some asshole rather than another rabid dog in a fight.

One night turned into two, two turned into a week, and without discussing it, they had all bonded with Stitch- insistently named by her son after going on a Disney movie binge- and it was nearly a month now since he had been brought home. He was healed, healthy, and rapidly gaining weight- no doubt thanks to the food they constantly tossed him, despite her insisting they keep to the diet they figured out. They had no idea what breed he was. Nora thought he seemed like a bit of a Labrador and maybe some kind of Shepherd. Miles believed he was demonic. Despite all his grumbling and eye rolls, her husband seemed to be the one who fallen most for Stitch, though he'd never admit it otherwise.

"Mind if I sit with you?" Nora finally asked as the dog raced towards the crashing waves. Charlie shook her head, waved a hand at the empty space next to her.

"Feel free."

"I didn't want to intrude."

"Last time I checked, I didn't own the beach."

"No, but sometimes people like to be alone."

Charlie flinched slightly at the word alone but said nothing as Nora sat and wrapped her arms around her knees. They sat quietly for a moment, watching Stitch as the sun continued to set.

"I'm sorry about today." Nora muttered. The blonde gave a halfhearted shrug, then smiled weakly.

"It wasn't your fault. It wasn't really their fault either. I mean, they're right, aren't they?" she scooped up a handful of sand, watching as it sifted through her fingers. "No functioning adult clings to their family."

"You're not clinging and you're perfectly functional. Besides that's not what she said."

"Right. Why would a grown woman follow her extended family. Just a better way of phrasing it."

"Extended is rather insulting, don't you think? Kind of makes it seem like we're less important than parents and siblings. I'm sure for some families that is the case but there are some that don't consider aunts, uncles, cousins to be extended, especially if you're that close."

"Still raises a lot of eyebrows."

"Well, it's too late to change our story now. I don't think they'd believe if we said you were our daughter. So what do you suggest?"

"I don't know." Charlie shook her head. "I don't know about anything anymore. I shouldn't be like this though."

"Because a couple prissy neighborhood moms told you so?"

"No, because-" she trailed off almost immediately, looking rather sheepish. Nora merely raised an eyebrow. "I guess, you know, I always wanted to leave where we lived. When I finally got to, it was under the worst circumstances and it wasn't what I thought it was going to be. Now, I would give anything to go back to those days and I feel like that's childish. I don't know what else to be other than some... country hick or a killer. What else is there? It seems that all that is expected of you is to get married and have kids. I don't know if I want that either. But I know we can't do this. It's not fair to you and Miles to have me and Jason hanging around like an extra set of kids. It just seems like it's time to grow up but I don't know what to do about it."

"Okay, one, you're not just hanging around. You have been extremely helpful, especially when I needed you those first couple weeks when I couldn't do much and God knows if I left it up to Miles to deal with on his own, chaos would have ensued. Two, if you want to leave, you're more than welcome to. We would love for you to stay around but if you don't want to, that's fine. But the thing is, you grew up a long time ago Charlie, a lot sooner than you had to. Is it so bad to let us take care of you for a while?"

"I feel like it's past that point. I don't want to be ungrateful. I just, I don't know. I don't know." she threaded her hands through her hair as she shook her head. "I thought things were okay and now I feel like I'm doing the wrong thing. What am I supposed to do?"

"That's up for you to decide. All we can do is support whatever decision you make." Nora sat back on her hands and tilted her head up towards the sky. "You've got plenty of time to figure things out. You're young still. When I was your age, I had no idea what I wanted to do. Granted, things were different then. You were expected to go to school, get a good job, make an impact some how. Still, I was clueless."

"When you were my age, you were helping form a government. And you were in a relationship."

"Before that, I was just a regular girl in college, trying to balance a shitload of chemistry homework while going out and having fun. Even after the blackout, I had no idea what I was doing. I was an idiot in so many ways. To this day, I don't- things just happened. I don't think I ever truly sat down and contemplated what I was doing. All I knew was I was in love and I thought that was enough and I would follow Miles to the ends of the earth.

"I took a very big risk. Luckily, we actually were in love and we managed to create a life out of this but it could have all meant nothing. My point is, no one has it figured out Charlie. Don't feel pressured to do anything if you're not ready. Society is... nosy and pushy, no matter how advanced it may seem." she paused for a moment, then smiled lightly, and said, "Don't tell him I said any of that. I faked most of how I acted in those early days, trying to impress him and hoping I'd be able to persuade him. I still don't think he's caught on yet."

Charlie let out a quiet laugh, shaking her head slightly. She leaned forward with a sigh so that her chin hit her knees and her hands continued to rake through the sand.

"Can I ask you something?" she asked quietly. She kept her eyes straight ahead but Nora noticed the tension in her jaw and the worry etched into her face. Maybe some sadness too.

"Of course."

"You- you've mentioned your dad a couple times. It seems a lot like me and my mother."

The comment made Nora hesitate. Though, she had to agree, there were similarities between her relationship with her father and Charlie's with Rachel- ones she hadn't paid attention to earlier. She waited patiently for Charlie to continue.

"You never saw him again, I guess. Since Mia was trying to get you to go find him back before Philadelphia."

"No. The last time I saw him was probably two years before Mia showed up at one of the camps. I happened to be in the area and stopped in to see them. He tried to get me to stay, leave Miles, the usual, but I said no. I wanted to bring Mia to Philly and he was completely against that idea."

"He wanted you to leave Miles?"

"Oh yeah. They hated each other. Miles had no respect for him, basically thought he was a waste and told him so straight to his face. My dad thought he was terrible and using me for his own needs, corrupting me, all that good stuff. Obviously, I didn't listen and I wouldn't because as far as I was concerned he had no right to say anything about my life."

Charlie nodded silently, absorbing the new information. Stitch came running up then, shaking water and sand over them both. Once he had raced back towards the water, Charlie spoke again.

"Does it still bother you?"

"I think you need to be a little more specific there."

"Does... your relationship, how he treated you still bother you?"

"Sometimes. It's not so much that it bothers me. I just get... melancholy, I guess. I was never close to him, even when him and my mom were still married. He was always doing something else, wanting something better than us. I was never 'Daddy's Little Girl.' He really was a bad father. He provided the necessities but nothing more than that and even trying to get that was like pulling teeth. I try to understand. He was only nineteen when I was born. But then again, so was my mom and she did everything she could to make sure I was happy. I think that's why Mia fared a little better than I did. They were older, realized the mistakes they made with me. Not that it mattered, Mia still got the short end of the stick like I did.

"It used to bother me a lot. I would wonder why I wasn't good enough, what I did wrong, why he didn't love me like a parent was supposed to." Nora paused, scanning Charlie's face for any kind of emotion. There was a sense of recognition and understanding in her gaze. "It took me a long time to understand that it wasn't anything I did. Sometimes people aren't meant to be parents."

"Or they just don't want to. It was different with Danny."

"No it wasn't."

"Yes it was. She always cared about him more. She was different with him. She was nice towards him. Worried. Loved him."

"Charlie, the majority of his life, she wasn't there. That was a decision she made. You, Maggie, and your father raised him, did what you could for him. A few motherly gestures here and there over a span of eighteen years doesn't make someone a mother."

"There was still a bias when she was around. So it's not that she wasn't meant to be a mother, she just didn't want to be a mother to me."

She grabbed at the twig laying next to her and began to drag it through the sand. Nora stared quietly for a moment, trying to form a response. Charlie was right and she wasn't sure how to counteract that. At least she and Mia were treated equally shitty.

"That's why you take solace in the fact that you had your dad and Maggie- just like I had my mom. I pity my father. And, yes, I get angry sometimes. He had two daughters that would have done anything for him and he chose to miss out on all that. He didn't even care enough to come find us when we had to have been in danger. I think now, these past few months, and having Alex, have brought these thoughts back. I don't understand people who voluntarily give up their kids when there are people who don't have a choice in the matter. I would do anything for him. It's instinctual. I wouldn't think twice about jumping in front of him to save him or anything. But when you become a parent, you reflect on your own and your childhood, worry you'll make the same choices they did, and how you want so much more for your own kids."

"I don't think I could ever do that."

"Maybe not. Maybe one day you will want to."

"It's not that I don't want- I- I couldn't. It seems... like it's the most terrifying thing in the world."

"That's because it is."

"I know I couldn't handle it if something- families are-" she looked away, tears building up. "I couldn't voluntarily start one. I've lost too many people. And... why would I ever subject a kid to someone like me?"

"Someone like you?"

"As much as I- she- there are times, I do things, and I think I'm just like her. And then I think, maybe that's it. Maybe no matter what I do, I'm destined to be her." Charlie dipped her head down, ashamed of what she was admitting.

"Charlie, you are nothing like her. Trust me on that. You're good, selfless, you worry about people you've known for five seconds, and try to see the best in everything. She is none of those things. I would say you're stubborn but I won't even give that to her. That's a Matheson trait." Nora smiled slightly, then gently brushed her niece's hair out of her face. "You're sounding a lot like your uncle right now. But you remind me a lot of your dad."

"You never met him."

"I did- once."

"What? When?"

"After we left Philadelphia. We went west, tried to stay low, but we were always causing trouble. Finally settled at the Grand. When we called it quits, I didn't know where to go. I found you guys. I thought- I thought if I got Ben to see Miles, things-Miles- would change. He refused, I figured he would- remember, I said he was stubborn and he had every right to be, but he was empathetic towards me. We talked for a while, he listened, apologized for his little brother being a blockhead, and then I left. Headed back east, tempted myself into going back to Chicago, but I kept walking. My point is, even when he was confronted with something he didn't want to deal with, your dad still did what he thought was right and helped to the best of his abilities."

"I don't remember this."

"You weren't there. Maggie took you and Danny out for the day for supplies and plants. I scouted the village for some time before I made my move. I didn't want to get you guys involved. It would have been harder on all of us, or so I thought."

Charlie went silent, letting the revelation sink in. How many times had they come close to meeting? How many times had things been so close to turning out differently?

"I miss them a lot." she mumbled.

"Of course you do."

"Sometimes, I don't think about it and then other times, it's like-" she trailed off and Nora could tell she was getting ready to cry.

"You haven't had time to really sit and process things, grieve. The past year has been a whirlwind for everyone- especially you."

Charlie sniffed loudly and wiped her hand angrily over her eyes and nose. Nora hesitantly placed a hand on her knee and squeezed comfortingly.

"You need to adjust and now that things are calmed down and you have time to go through everything, this is going to happen." she murmured. She remembered her own grieving process after her mother died. It hadn't occurred until months later, once things had relatively halted, and it truly hit her that she was gone. "We're here, you know. It's hard losing people but you take comfort in others and slowly pick up the pieces."

That only made Charlie cry more and she began to ramble, mumbling through hard sobs. Nora simply held her gently, not making out most of what she was saying. Towards the end though, she caught I feel so alone.

The statement stung but Nora knew she wasn't meant to take offense to it. They all may have been there for her but there were certain spots herself, Miles, and Jason would never be able to fill.

"Hey," Miles took a moment before looking up as the kitchen door slid open. Stitch raced ahead of Nora and barreled into Alex's ankles under the table. "How was..."

He trailed off as his niece slipped in behind his wife. Nora gave him a warning gaze but he silently raked in Charlie's swollen, red eyes and furrowed frown.

"How was your walk?" he finished quietly.

"It was okay. It's nice out." she replied. She scanned the table, eyes narrowing as she took in the scene. Miles, Alex, and Jason were all seated around the kitchen table with a deck of cards split amongst them in what looked to be a game of poker. The card playing was fine. What got her were the mounds of faded Legos, some poker chips, Monopoly money, and Sorry game pieces that were in the center and in front of each of them. "What are you doing?"

"Playing poker."

"And teaching our son to gamble."

"It helps build math and decision making skills."

"Right."

"Come help enrich his mind."

"You know you sound like a complete loser when you say that, right?" she teased even as she took the seat next to him.

"You know your hesitancy is just a cover for your fear that I will beat you and take all your Legos."

"I don't see anyone hesitating."

"Tell me you're going to stay and not make me listen to this by myself." Jason smiled, looking up to catch Charlie's eye. The corner of her mouth twitched with a slight smile but she shook her head sadly.

"No, I think I'm going to go to bed." her hand fell gently to his shoulder as she passed by to the hallway. Miles glanced at Nora, who in turn looked at Jason. They sat silently until they heard the faint shut of the door upstairs.

"If I were you, I'd do the right thing and check on her." she commented lightly. Jason fidgeted slightly and Miles happened to catch his eye.

"Remember what we talked about this afternoon?" he asked, a warning tone in his voice. "Here's one of those times. Don't screw it up."

"I know. It's just-"

"Go." they chorused together as Nora leaned over and grabbed his cards and tokens to finish the game.

"She doesn't want to talk to me. She told me so."

"That may be so but times change and certain people have different effects at different times. Even if she decides not to talk to you, I know she'll appreciate that you checked in on her rather than pretend everything is fine."

"She needs her space."

"Jason, she needs her boyfriend."

"I don't want to bother her."

"You're not going to bother her. Take the initiative. Again, at the very least, she'll appreciate that."

He took a deep breath, slowly nodded, then stood from the chair, and left the kitchen. They stayed silent as they heard his heavy footsteps up the stairs, his hesitant knock, and a mumbled explanation to Charlie. After a moment, the door shut, and there was no sign of him coming back downstairs.

"He needs some serious schooling in how to treat a woman." Miles muttered.

"And you're going to be the one to do that?" Nora raised an eyebrow at him. "Might I remind you it took you... oh, probably up until we were married, you know, two years after we met, to learn how to properly console me?"

He opened his mouth to retort but Alex cut him off quietly, asking, "Is Charlie okay?"

His obvious concern for his cousin made Nora smile proudly. Despite everything he had gone through and the influences he had been exposed to, they had a good kid.

"She's just a little upset right now but she'll be okay."

"Why?"

"Yeah, what's going on?" Miles chimed in.

"We just talked a little about things. Ben, Danny, others. Starting to catch up now that she's not preoccupied."

"Who's Ben?"

Nora glanced at Miles after their son's question and nodded slightly, as if to say your turn. Explain.

"Ah, Ben is-ah-was- was Charlie's dad. He was my brother, which made him your uncle. And, uh, unfortunately, he died."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

"Are you sad too?" he gazed across the table with wide eyes. Nora smiled sadly as she met Miles's eye. It was wrong but often times, she forgot that he had had lost a brother. She could only remember one time since he and Charlie found her that he openly grieved.

"Sometimes, yeah. But, it was a little while ago, and you need to keep going when bad things happen." he cleared his throat and gestured to the cards in front of them. "Come on, let's keep playing. Show your mom what you learned so far."

They went two more hands before Alex spoke up again.

"Rachel is Charlie's mom." he said quietly. He glanced at both his parents for confirmation. Nora nodded silently. "So... she was married to Ben like you and Dad are."

"Yes."

"So how come she was married to Bass too?"

"Um, I wouldn't say they were married. You don't always have to be married to be in a relationship. Charlie and Jason are girlfriend and boyfriend. That's one step leading to get married. One day, they'll probably get engaged, then they'll get married."

"Oh. But how come she was with him?"

"That's a good question. I'm not completely sure of the answer but sometimes, people don't love someone as much as they think and they find another person they want to be with. So they break up or if they're married, they get a divorce, so they can be with the other person."

"That's dumb." Alex frowned down at his cards as he fiddled with them. "I bet Ben was way nicer than Bass."

"That was their decision. A lot of factors go into it. Who knows what happened."

"Does that happen to a lot of people? Do you and Dad love each other?"

"I don't think it happens to a lot and yes we do, very much so. That's nothing you need to worry about with us." she smiled, finding the conversation partially amusing. Alex looked at Miles to agree with her statement and he gave a nod in response.

Another three or four hands went by before Alex looked up again. He glanced at both of them, a furrowed expression on his face, then said, "So you had a brother."

"Yeah," Miles gave another nod. "It was me and Ben growing up."

"Do you have a brother?" his eyes shifted to Nora.

"No but I have a sister- Mia. She is younger than me."

"And Charlie had Danny. A bunch of kids at the party had one too. How come I don't?"

"You know what? I think it's time for bed." Miles announced.

"What? We're not done playing."

"I know but it's late and you need to sleep."

"I think you're avoiding his question." Nora commented with a smirk. "Honey, sometimes people don't have siblings."

"Why?"

"Variety of reasons." she gazed at him for a moment, then asked, "Do you want one?"

"Maybe." he shrugged. "Can we get one?"

"It's a little... more involved than that but- maybe."

"What?" Miles froze in collecting the pieces. "What- maybe?"

"We'll have to talk about it and- your dad's right. Bed time, okay?"

"Fine. Hey, if we get one and I change my mind, do we have to keep it?"

"Yes."

"Oh. Maybe I'll think about it a little more then."

"Okay. Go get ready for bed. We'll be up in a few minutes."

He grudgingly agreed, taking his time to drag himself out of the kitchen. Miles remained silent as he continued to throw the tokens into an old tin box.

"You know it was going to come up at some point." she said quietly.

"I know."

"At least he's open to the idea."

"Right."

"Babe,"

"What?" he looked up slightly. "I-we talked about another."

"I know. So why do you seem all... I don't know."

"Because I'm thinking about the fact that he thinks this is his decision." a smirk formed on his face and she laughed softly.

"I liked the 'do we have to keep it' part."

"The part about thinking it over a little more was better. Kid's going to be in for a rude awakening if you get pregnant and he's not willing to be a big brother." he finished putting the pieces in and replaced the top on the box. The smile seemed to freeze on her face at the thought. A slight panic built up inside but she shook her head.

"No, he'll be okay. Every kid is like that. I bet Ben didn't want you hanging around and I know I wasn't too thrilled about Mia. Once they're born, that mind frame changes." it has to, she added silently.