Chapter 2

Allison seemed unusually preoccupied with her pizza toppings, while Abigail rummaged through the office, looking for whatever it was she was looking for. Jack had just taken a huge bite of pizza when Allison reached over and dropped something into his can of pop. He looked at the can for a minute, then back at her. She grinned, so he raised his eyebrow.

"Piece of sausage," she said, gaily. "Just like old times."

Jack was confused. "What are you talking about?" he asked, around his mouthful of food.

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Abigail must have been right there because the door opened almost immediately. When Abigail gasped the first time, he looked towards the front entryway, even though the wall obscured his view. Her second gasp brought him to his feet.

"Abbie?" he said, as he stepped quickly around the table. Allison was right behind him.

Just then Abigail came around the corner into the dining room, her eyes wide and brimming with tears. Jack pulled up short. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She tried again, and Jack felt momentary fear.

Allison passed Jack and grabbed Abigail's hand. "Abbie? Abbie, what's wrong?"

Motion behind Abigail caught Jack's attention. There stood Analise, dressed as fashionably as always. Her long, strawberry blond hair in perfect loose curls fell past her shoulders and framed a pretty face, a face marred only by a huge fading bruise surrounding one eye and extending down below her cheek bone.

She had tears in her eyes, as well, as she looked from Jack to Allison and back. Jack looked at Allison, as well. Her eyes were wide with fear, and she was trembling.

Abigail turned back towards her middle sister. Without a word, she took something from Analise's hand, and for the first time Jack noticed the baby carrier. Abigail handed it off to Jack and whisked Analise into the living room.

It took a few long moments for Jack to make sense of the baby that lay bundled in the carrier. As he looked at the infant's dark brown skin and kinky curls, he felt a huge weight lift from his shoulders. He felt the sudden need to sit down, so he set the carrier at his feet as he plopped into the chair.

That the baby was partially of African descent was obvious. The baby wasn't his. He wasn't a father. In any other scenario, that would make him sad, but in this one, he felt only relief. He could hear Abigail and Analise talking, but he was so zeroed in on the baby that he couldn't make out the words.

He was sleeping. His eyes were peacefully closed and his lips were pursed. One little fist poked out of the top of the swaddling blanket and rested firmly against his little round cheek. The baby was the perfect picture of innocence, though it was clear that his conception and entrance into the world were anything but. Jack looked beside him, but Allison wasn't standing there anymore. She'd been there when Analise entered. He looked over at his Abigail and their visitor. They were sitting on the loveseat, turned slightly so their knees were touching. Abigail was holding and patting Analise's hand. Allison wasn't there either.

"Um, Abbie?" Jack said.

Abigail looked up.

"Where's Allison?" he asked.

It took a second for Abigail's mind to shift directions.

"I thought she was right beside you."

Jack got up and looked in the front bathroom and office, but Allison wasn't there. He heard Abigail calling for her in the master bedroom. Abigail met him when he came back into the dining room.

"She's not there," Abigail said. "Did she say anything to you?"

"No. I don't think she said anything at all, though I can't be sure. I was kind of focused on the baby."

"You don't think..."

" ... she left? I don't know. She seemed upset, but she didn't say anything. I was looking at the baby and when I looked up, she was gone."

Analise spoke up for the first time. "This is my fault, I shouldn't have come here."

"Nonsense," Abigail replied. "You came exactly where you needed to go."

Analise shook her head. "It was foolish of me to think she'd be accepting of a visit."

"We can talk about the logic of your visit later," Jack said. He looked at Abigail. "I'm going to go out and see if I can find her. You wait here in case she comes back."

Jack quickly grabbed his keys off the table and left the apartment. He rounded the corner and started down the stairs when Allison appeared on the landing, on her way back up. She was carrying a suitcase in one hand and a diaper bag in the other.

"Allison?"

She looked up at Jack as she began ascending the last flight of stairs. Jack saw the pain in her eyes, an emotional pain that he hadn't seen in months. Like her sisters, her tears had stained her face, but Jack knew they were shed for a different reason.

She didn't say anything. Jack met her halfway and took the suitcase from her. He stood in front of her until she looked up at him again.

"You OK?"

She shrugged.

"You want to talk about it?" he asked.

She shook her head.

He smiled warmly and reached his hand out to take hers.

"Why is Abigail so accepting?" she asked, suddenly.

Jack thought about the question for a few moments.

"That's just her nature. She is like a mother bear, and one of her cubs has come home wounded."

"So that's it? Analise comes crying, sporting a black eye, and we're just supposed to forget everything she did? Doesn't that seem wrong to you?"

"Abigail isn't necessarily forgiving Analise, she's helping."

"Analise raped me, Jack!" Allison was trembling, her eyes flashing.

"I know, and Abigail helped you when you needed it, too." He set the suitcase down, sat down on the step, and looked up at Allison. Then he took her hand. "You have a right to be angry, Allison. Analise hasn't asked for forgiveness, and even if she did, you don't have to grant it until you are ready. However, if Abigail chooses to forgive Analise for what she's done to you, me, even Abigail, that's Abigail's prerogative. That doesn't mean she expects you to, or even that she loves you any less."

"Then why did she comfort Analise and not me?"

"Maybe she didn't realize you needed comforting. I didn't, and for that I'm sorry."

Allison sighed and Jack pulled on her hand until she turned and sat in his lap. She nestled her head into his shoulder and sighed again.

"I'm being stupid."

Jack put his arms around her and held her. "No, you aren't."

"I'm not sure I'm ready to forgive."

"No one's asking you to."

"But you'll eventually expect me to."

"Don't you think that, at some point, you're going to want to forgive? Don't you think that you'll want to put this behind you so it doesn't eat at you for the rest of your life?"

Allison didn't say anything, so Jack was quiet for a bit.

"Why did you go down and get her suitcase and diaper bag?"

It was another minute or so before Allison answered.

"When I saw Annie, I was suddenly scared. I almost panicked. Then I looked at you beside me and Abigail was standing between us and the fear sort of went away, but I had all these memories come back to me, you know? They weren't happy at all. They embarrassed me and kept me feeling uneasy, but they mostly just made me angry. Then I saw how Abbie made over her, and that made me angrier. When they went to sit in the living room—MY living room—I don't know, I just felt the sudden need to get out of there. It was like I couldn't breathe all of a sudden. I needed to get out, so I left."

"I'm sorry I didn't notice how you were reacting to everything."

"You had your own emotions to deal with, you know, considering the baby isn't yours. I'm not mad at you. Besides, you're a guy. Guys are oblivious."

It took a second before Jack realized she was teasing him, and that made him feel a bit better about Allison's state of mind. He chuckled. "Gee, thanks."

"Anyway, I left the apartment. I didn't know where I was going to go, but I knew I couldn't be in the apartment with her. Not now, at least. When I got down the stairs to the sidewalk, I saw Annie's car. It was sitting there, still running, like she was only stopping to drop off a plate of cookies or something. But you know what? Her car is full of stuff. Clothes, baby stuff, blankets, pillows. I think she's been sleeping in her car, Jack. When I saw that, my heart broke for that little baby. No matter how angry I am at Annie, I can't let her sleep in a car with her baby. They need a comfortable, safe place."

Jack was quiet as he digested what she said. He was amazed, as always, by the two most important women in his life. He'd grown to expect Abigail's compassionate nature, so he wasn't surprised she was so quick to put her arm around Analise. He told himself he needed to stop being surprised by Allison, too. Even amongst all her negative feelings for her middle sister, she still found compassion in her heart. She was just as amazing as Abigail.

"I'm proud of you," he said, then kissed her gently on the lips, not worrying whether anyone saw them or not.

"I'm doing this for the baby," she said quickly, as if trying to justify her actions.

Jack smiled again. Amazing, indeed.

Abigail stood holding the cordless handset, her hand trembling slightly. She was trying not to pace, but couldn't help it. Analise had gone to the bathroom to clean herself up a bit, so Abigail had nothing to take her mind off her youngest sister.

As soon as they realized Allison was gone, Abigail was immediately wracked with guilt. She should have known Allison would respond negatively to Analise. It was a common response when a victim meets her rapist for the first time after the event. The social worker in Abigail knew that. The lover in her should have seen to Allison's needs first. The sister in her, however, was where the lapse in judgment occurred. She had responded to the sister most obviously in crisis. She saw the physical crisis before she saw the emotional one.

Abigail heard the front door open and immediately moved that direction. Allison came around the corner first. Abigail was there immediately, apologizing with all the fervor she could muster. She clung to Allison as they cried together.

"I'm so, so sorry, Sweetie," Abigail cried.

"It's fine. You didn't know I'd react like I did."

"I should have. I was thoughtless."

"No, you weren't. You went to Analise when she needed help."

"But I should have gone to you first."

Allison shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. I'm not upset with you. I'll be fine."

Abigail leaned back a bit to look into Allison's face. "Truly? You're fine?"

Allison looked down. "Well, I'm better than I was before. It'll take me some time."

Abigail looked at Jack. He was holding a suitcase and diaper bag. He nodded towards Allison, then set the bags in the corner of the room. Abigail looked back at her sister for a few moments, hoping for some words to come to her mind, some way to offer comfort to her young lover. When they didn't immediately come, she took Allison by the hand and gave it a squeeze.

"We'll work through everything together, Allie. I promise."

"Maybe I should go."

The trio turned to see Analise standing just inside the room. Abigail wanted to reach out to her, seeing her bruised face and even more bruised self-esteem, but for Allison's sake, she wasn't about to make that mistake again.

Analise watched Abigail expectantly, as if waiting for her to respond. When she didn't, Analise's lip trembled. She didn't look at Allison or Jack, instead turning towards her baby's carrier and stuffing her tissues in her pocket. She picked up the carrier, gave Abigail an apologetic smile, and turned to leave.

Allison pulled her hand from Abigail's and took a step forward.

"No." Allison's voice was shaky, but the word came out with a forcefulness that surprised Abigail.

Analise stopped, but didn't turn.

"You can't leave," Allison continued, her voice still shaky. "You ... you need to stay here."

"Why?" Analise asked, still not turning to face Allison. "You don't want me here."

"It's not just about you anymore. Your baby needs a safe place to stay."

"So you want me to leave him with you?"

Abigail watched as Allison took another step forward. "No, he needs his mother, too."

Finally, Analise turned to look at Allison. Abigail couldn't see Allison's face from her spot behind her, but she could see her body stiffen and almost recoil, like she was faced with a sudden danger. Abigail wanted to wrap her arms around her lover and protect her, but as quickly as Allison flinched, she recovered and stood up straighter.

For the first time since Analise had raped Allison, they stood face-to-face. Abigail was amazed to see the difference. When she rescued Allison from Analise's home during the holidays, Allison was the broken victim, cowering and weakened. Even when confronted with her crimes, Analise stood proud and defiant. Now, the roles seemed reversed. Analise was clearly broken, her spirit crushed by consequences of her own actions. Allison, on the other hand, seemed to be drawing more and more strength the longer she faced her abuser.

Analise could only look at Allison for a few long, tense moments before her face turned away and looked at the ground. Abigail caught just a hint of pain and sadness in her middle sister's moist eyes.

"I'm sorry." Analise's words were barely a whisper. "For everything."

Allison shook her head. "No. I'm not ready for that. You can stay here until you and Abigail figure out what to do, but I don't want to talk to you. Not yet. I just can't forgive like Abbie can, or like Jack. You hurt me more than you can ever know. I might forgive you someday, but it isn't today."

Allison turned away, wiped tears from her face, and pushed past Abigail and Jack without a word. A moment later, the bedroom door closed.

"Maybe I should just leave," Analise said again.

Abigail could hear the pain and loneliness in her sister's voice, emotions already evident on her face and in her very demeanor.

"No," Jack said softly. He went back and picked up her bags. "We'll put you in the front bedroom."

"The couch is fine, or the floor. Allison doesn't have to give up her bed."

Jack glanced over at Abigail, and a silent communication passed between them. She nodded and took the bags from Jack. He kissed her cheek and went to be with Allison in the master bedroom.

"You'll take the front bedroom," Abigail repeated, as she stepped past Analise. "It's not Allison's room; it's the office."

"Oh," Analise said, as she followed her older sister, but she didn't question the statement Abigail made.

Abigail set the bags on the day bed that filled one corner of the room and turned back to Analise.

"Have a seat. We need to talk, because I think we both have a lot to tell." Once Analise had settled into the desk chair, Abigail hesitated as she searched for the right words. "Allison doesn't sleep in here, because she sleeps with us."

Analise's eyes got wide. "She fucks your husband and you let her sleep in YOUR bed to do it?"

Abigail sat up straighter, suddenly incensed. "Allison sleeps in our bed because we've both taken her as a lover."

Analise was speechless. Her eyes were open wide, her lower jaw hanging open. Abigail felt a mix of discomfort and irritation.

"It wasn't like with you and Allison," she said tersely. "It was consensual on BOTH sides."

Analise flinched at those words, but still said nothing. That Abigail had felt the need to defend her actions in front of Analise just irritated the older woman even more.

"As we worked through everything that happened over the last six months, we fell in love. Actually, we realize now that there was always something there, something more than what might be conceived as 'normal, ' but we only recently began to explore it. We've now made a commitment to each other—the three of us."

"Well, that explains why you brought her with you to Washington."

Analise leaned back in her chair. Gone was her broken demeanor. In its place was the all-too-familiar self-righteousness that Analise frequently wore. Abigail went from irritated to pissed.

"Don't you sit there and judge us, Annie," she snapped. Analise flinched in response, and seemed to cower. Abigail quickly reigned in her emotion, and more calmly said, "You of all people have no right to judge us."

Analise hung her head. "I'm sorry. I ... you're right. I'm sorry."

"We've been through a lot, Annie, and your ... actions ... were only a part of it."

"Do Mom and Dad know?"

"About what you did?"

"Well, yeah. That, too, but I really meant about you and Allison."

"Yes."

Analise's head shot up. "And they still let you bring her here? I'm surprised Dad even let you within 500 feet of her."

"He didn't have much of a choice."

"Oh?"

"He found out about Allie and Jack, and me and Allie, through the grapevine. Needless to say, he was livid. He made all kinds of demands, but it basically boiled down to us having no contact with Allison, and Jack leaving our lives forever, or else Dad would ruin him." Abigail smiled sadly. "We rejected his proposal, to say the least."

"How did you get him to give up?"

"It was actually Jack's plan. Seems our dear, pious father isn't as upstanding as he claims to be. Jack did a little digging, discovered some of Dad's dirty secrets, and gave him a counteroffer. We got custody of Allison, but had to leave Tennessee. He's forbidden Mom, Ben, or Brad from having anything to do with us."

"Holy shit," Analise said, under her breath. "I always wondered about some of the things Dad was up to. I mean, he had enough closed door meetings in his home office, and some of those folks weren't the kinds he normally dealt with at the bank."

Abigail was surprised by Analise's comment, though only partially, because Analise seemed so observant. "I never really paid all that much attention to what he was doing or who he was seeing."

Analise shrugged. "Truthfully, I was in my own little world, so while I noticed, I didn't really care. So you think that with the proof Jack got about Dad, he'll leave you guys alone?"

"We hope so. Though, without hard factual evidence—"

"You don't have evidence?"

"Well, we have enough circumstantial evidence to make him THINK we do."

Analise shook her head. "You might not want to get too comfortable. Dad's pretty tenacious when it comes to business. Given that he feels his reputation is being threatened, it wouldn't surprise me if he treats this with even greater intensity than other business. My guess is that he's probably got some files somewhere safe that contain a whole list of shit to dump on you guys."

Abigail didn't respond. Her sense of caution was heightened by Analise's remarks. She was right. They need to keep their wits about them.

"So what are you going to do now?" Analise asked. "I mean, the three of you."

"Well, Jack and Allison will graduate at the same time, so we'll just get through the next two years and see how things go."

"This thing with Allie, is it long-term?"

"We hope," Abigail said, then sighed. "Allison is still young. She says she wants it to last, and I know that Jack and I have enjoyed having her as part of our lives, but we're realistic enough to know the challenges that face our relationship, not the least of which is Allison finding out she wants something different in her life."

Both girls were silent for a bit. Finally, Analise sighed.

"Who would have imagined that my goody-goody sister would do such crazy things?"

Abigail smiled. "It doesn't change the fact that I'm still goody-goody."

They fell into an awkward silence. The baby started to fuss, and Analise finally removed him from his carrier.