Mary was in the kitchen walking back and forth from the fridge to the table to the stove, putting on the coffee, starting breakfast for the family, when the back door opened and Jessica came in carrying a book.
"Mary, I've got it!" she announced.
"Got what?" Mary asked.
"Mother's old diary," Jessica said.
Mary blinked. "What are you talking about, Jessica?"
"Well now that Sandy and Private Esquivo are staying with us at the house, we had to get another room fixed up for them to stay in, and while we were clearing the storage out of the attic, I found a box with some of Mother's old things, including her diary, see?" she held up an antique leather-bound book.
"What's Mother's diary got to do with anything?" Mary wanted to know.
"Well listen to this," Jessica flipped through the pages and found the section she wanted. "'Mary has begun speaking whole sentences at six months.'"
"What?" Mary asked.
Jessica nodded. "Mother wrote about us in her diary, you were already talking before you could walk…let me see, there's something else…" she flipped a couple pages ahead and resumed reading, "'Jessica still has not started to crawl at almost eight months. I took her to the doctor, who can find no physical explanation, but he fears that Jessica may be'…what's this word, Mary?"
Mary leaned over and read, "Retarded."
"'Retarded'," Jessica repeated, then lifted her gaze and stared straight ahead with a confused expression on her face.
Mary shook her head in confusion of her own. "Jessica, I don't get it, what's this have to do with anything?"
"Well you see, Mary? You started talking early, I crawled late…that proves there's nothing wrong with Scotty, none of the children in our family ever did the things they were supposed to at the ages they were supposed to do them, so you see Scotty's actually just normal."
"Jessica, Scotty flies."
"You got him on tape?" Jessica asked eagerly.
Mary shook her head, "No…he's too smart to do it when the camera's on or we're in the room."
"Well Mary, even if he does fly, that's not proof that he's an alien," Jessica said. "After all Corrine's baby was born possessed and she was only pregnant for three months…think about it, Mary, three months, Scotty's got nothing on little Timmy."
"But Timmy became normal after the exorcism," Mary pointed out. "What is it going to take for Scotty to be normal?"
"Well Mary, you must remember the members of the Gatling family have never really been known for being normal," Jessica said.
Mary's eyes looked up as she thought out loud, "So it is the family curse."
"Oh, Mary," Jessica told her sister, "when you get down to it, it doesn't really matter if Scotty's an alien or not, all that matters is that you love him."
"I do, Jessica, but I'm terrified," Mary said. "If he can fly and move furniture at one, what will he do when he's five, 10? He can already fly, I'll never be able to catch him to spank him when he's bad. Besides, there's something else to worry about."
"What's that?" Jessica asked.
Mary looked at her with eyes full of despair as she asked, "What if the alien Burt tries to come back for him? They kidnapped Burt once, what if they took him again? What if they took any of us? Or all of us? And what if they try to take Scotty away from me?"
Jessica shook her head with a determined expression on her face. "Oh, Mary, that will never happen."
"How do you know?" Mary asked.
"Simple," Jessica said with a hint of a smug laugh. "The devil himself didn't stand a chance against us…what're a few silver aliens going to do against the mad Gatlings?"
Mary stood there in a blank pause for a few seconds before she blinked and broke out laughing. She hugged her sister and told her, "Oh, I'm so glad you're home, Jessica. I don't know what I'd do without you."
"Oh," Jessica patted her hand on Mary's that was clapped against her shoulder, "you'd be fine. You were always the strong one, Mary, that's why you've been able to get through everything that's happened: Burt killing your first husband, Jodie being gay, Danny being in the mob, Jodie wanting to be a woman, the mob trying to kill Danny, Jodie attempting suicide, Jodie getting Carol pregnant, Danny marrying Elaine, Elaine being murdered, Burt having an affair, Burt being kidnapped by the aliens, his clone is sleeping with you…"
"Now I'm depressed," Mary said.
"Oh, don't worry, Mary," Jessica told her, "you and Burt were able to get through all of that, the two of you will be able to handle raising a flying baby."
"I hope so," Mary replied, then thought, "what about you? What're you going to do with El and Sandia wanting you to marry them?"
"Well, Mary," Jessica said in a tone that indicated she'd done a lot of thinking about it, "I've been trying to figure that out…on one hand, Chester wants me to take him back, and I was married to him for a long time, and he is the father of my children…except Corrine of course…but I could never take him back, there's just no way to rebuild that trust. I tried, God knows I've tried, but I just can't, because every time Chester breaks that trust all over again."
Mary made a sound of agreement in her throat and nodded.
"I've had a long time to think about what's going on in my home," Jessica said, "especially while I was waiting to be executed…you know, after I died in the hospital and recovered, I realized I had a second chance…and I was almost shot by a firing squad, so I got a second second chance, and I feel like there's something I need to do with it...although I haven't quite figured out what it should be yet, but I've decided once I do, I'm going to clean house." Her eyebrows raised and arched as if to emphasize the last part of the sentence as she nodded to herself.
"This house is crazier than the one I left," Benson said to himself as he closed the door behind him to the kitchen, "I said that when I first got here, and it's only getting worse."
The kitchen door opened again and Gretchen Kraus, the governor's cook, exclaimed, "Benson, I have been looking all over for you!"
Without even turning around Benson replied in a deadpan ton, "What a coincidence, Kraus, because I have not been looking for you." He turned to face the German woman and asked, "What do you want?"
"You have a visitor."
"A visitor, here? Me?" Benson asked. "Who?"
"A woman."
"More reporters? Sic the dogs on them," Benson told her.
"Benson, it's not a reporter," the woman who bore a slight resemblance in physical appearance and voice to the Gatlings' former Swedish maid, Ingrid Svenson, replied.
"Oh alright," Benson groaned, "just show her in and then get out of here."
He turned his back to the door again and muttered half under his breath, "it just never ends around here, the governor gets death threats, the press won't shut up about us being at that bordello, governor and I go to Katie's boarding school, security thinks we're burglars, I fall asleep and the governor takes a wrong turn and drives us clear out of state, then backs the car into a giant concrete dinosaur restaurant and we got to take a tow truck home." He sighed and shook his head, "Some days I swear I wish I was still working for the Tates."
"We did have some good times then, didn't we, Benson?"
Benson nodded, "Yeah we sure di—"
Benson's jaw dropped and his eyes bulged. He turned around and saw Jessica standing behind him.
"Oh my God," he said, "Mrs. Tate, is that you? Is it really you?"
"Well of course, Benson, who else would it be?" Jessica asked.
Benson's eyes got even bigger as he ran his hands across his face. He stepped over towards her, "Are you really here, Mrs. Tate?"
"Of course, Benson, if I wasn't here you could talk to me," she said.
Benson choked on a breath and told her, "Mrs. Tate, you were here a few days ago."
Jessica shook her head, "No, Benson, a few days ago I was in Malaguay."
"I know but…" Benson told her, "you were here…nobody else could see or hear you, just me, and you told me that you were in a coma somewhere in South America."
"Really?" Jessica's eyebrows pressed together in a puzzled expression as she said, "I don't remember that. And I should think I'd remember if I was in a coma in South America because I remember being in a coma at the hospital after I died."
"It don't matter," Benson said, then he heaved in an unsteady breath and felt his cheeks, "I feel like all the color's running out of my face."
"Oh no, Benson," Jessica shook her head, "no, you're still black."
"Oh my God, Mrs. Tate, it is so good to see you," Benson took another step towards Jessica and hugged her.
"It's good to see you too, Benson," Jessica told him as she hugged him in response.
"But," Benson pulled back, "what're you doing here?"
"Well I wanted to see you, and I also needed to ask your advice," Jessica said. "Can we get a cup of coffee?"
"Sure, but I'll make it, you don't want to taste nothing that Kraus makes," Benson answered.
Benson and Jessica sat at the kitchen table and Jessica brought Benson up to speed on what had been happening since he'd been to visit her in the hospital.
"One thing about it, Mrs. Tate," Benson said, "there's sure never a dull moment with you. I wish I'd known about the Malguay rescue, I would've come with them. But…Mrs. Tate, what're you doing here?"
"Well I wanted to get your opinion," she answered. "I mean I know I could've asked for Saunders' opinion and I'm sure he'd have one because he's actually there and he has to cook and clean for whoever is still staying at the house, but I don't think his opinion would've been like your opinion because you were there for a lot more years than Saunders was and you know the whole family better than he does…"
"And I know you better than he does," Benson added.
The redheaded woman nodded helplessly.
"Do you think I'm doing the right thing, Benson?" Jessica asked.
"I can tell you what I think…but I'm not there, you have to live with it, so it has to be your decision," he said. "But don't take Mr. Tate back, you don't need that heartache."
Jessica nodded. "It's just so confusing figuring out what to do. I divorced Chester, but I let him stay in the pool house, I wanted to keep him near the house because he is Billy's father and a boy needs his father."
"Mrs. Tate," Benson interjected, "Billy's a grown man now, the days of him actually needing his father are long since over…and besides, Mr. Tate wasn't there for Billy when he did need him, I was…I raised that boy, I taught him everything he needs to know."
"You know, you're right, Benson," Jessica slowly realized, "so in a way you're really Billy's father."
Benson smirked and said in a deadpan tone, "Damn straight, Darth Vader ain't got nothing on me, I was the black father to a white boy first."
"Well this certainly does change things," Jessica said as she put a finger to her lip as she thought.
"Mrs. Tate, I know you, and I know whatever decision you make will be the right one," Benson told her.
Jessica merely nodded in silent agreement. Then she responded, "I think you're right…it's going to be hard for a lot of people involved…but I have to do what I think is right."