Jason could almost remember it clear as yesterday; the day his father had first informed the family of wanting to start doing Family Game Night again. It was about 3 years ago, and Jason was at home, watching his then infant daughter while Anna was at work. Jason had the day off, and was flipping through channels on the TV when the phone rang, and he answered, only to hear his fathers voice on the end of the line.

"Jason?" he asked calmly, and the hair stood up on the back of Jasons neck as he slid into an upright position on the couch.

"Dad?" he calmly asked, trying not to freak out, "Hi...what...what's going on?"

"Jason, I, uh...I've been calling everyone and asking about how they're feeling about starting doing Family Game Night again. You were the last one I had to call, so I was just...it's nice to hear your voice, Jason," Harold said, trailing off, "Are you doing okay?"

"I'm doing okay, yeah," Jason said, "Yeah, I'm just watching the kid while Anna's at work. Are...you okay?"

"I'm doing alright, sure. Look, Jason, I'm ready to move on if you are," Harold said, "Why don't you stop by the toy store and pick up a game and drop on by and we can all play something this coming week, alright? It'll be nice to see you again. It's been too long."

"...that...sounds...just great, dad, yeah, I'll do that," Jason said, before they said their goodbyes and hung up. Little did Jason know at that time that he would be so grateful for the time he did get to spend with his father after that, because he'd be dead soon. Now, after Harolds death, Jason was standing in his apartment, staring at a box on the table that he'd wrapped himself, picked it up and headed out the door to Family Game Night.

                                                                                                ***

"So, you're saying werewolves deserve their own stores?" Carl asked, chewing on some nuts while sitting at the island, watching Ashley at the sink as she cleaned an orange and started to peel it.

"Well, at least a fuckin clothing exchange or something, right? I mean, it's hard enough to be a werewolf without ruining your entire goddamn wardrobe, why not cut them some slack? So you give em like a werewolf clothing exchange where they can buy cheap shit they don't care about ruining when they transform and then buy cheap new clothes in case they do ruin their clothes," Ashley said, placing the orange on a cutting board and slicing into it.

"You know, I'd imagine most werewolves just get naked when they're about to transform," Anna said, opening the fridge and taking out a bottle of water.

"Sure, there's preparations I'm sure, but it's gotta be kind of like a period, you know? Sometimes it just shows up out of the blue, you forget it's coming," Ashley said, "I've forgotten my cycle more times than I'd like to remember."

"I would imagine of all the monster syndromes to be endowed with, lycanthropy has gotta be the worst," Carl said, "I mean, vampires are pretty easy. You just try not to go in the sun too much, you slip out at night and drink some blood when you have to, it's pretty easy to conceal, especially since they look like people, but shit, a whole period of time where you just transform into a wolf? That's not something you're keeping from your wife, I'm tellin you that right now."

"If I was a werewolf, I would kill the people I hated when I transformed, and then nobody would know it was me that killed them," said Anna, "Like there's this cashier at the Whole Foods near our house, he's this skinny little redheaded fuckboy who keeps dinging my car with the cart when he's taking stuff out for me, oh my god, I'm ready to transform into a werewolf right now and slit his throat."

"That was the most white person problem I think I've ever heard," Carl said, the three of them laughing, "Waaah, this teenage boy at the Whole Foods nicked my Mazda!"

"Don't you kids ever talk about anything important?" Betty asked, coming into the kitchen.

"Where in the world did you get that idea, mom?" Ashley asked as Betty took some orange from the cutting board.

"Well, since it's your birthday," Betty said, placing her hand on Carls shoulder, "You get to pick which game you'd like to play this week."

"Same as every year, Guess Who," Carl said.

Just then there was a knock at the door, and, expecting Jason, Betty went to answer it. As she pulled the door open, there stood a man who appeared in his late 50s, somewhat balding, with a bushy mustache. He had bags on the porch next to him and opened his arms for a warm embrace.

"...Ernie?" Betty asked.

"Guess who!" he shouted.

                                                                                           ***

Jason was sitting in his car down the street, staring at the package in his lap, when he noticed a taxi pull up to the Fuller house. He opened the car door and got out, heading up to the house as he watched the man standing on the porch push his way inside the house, and a strange feeling came over Jason as he swallowed uneasily.

"Uncle Ernie?" he asked himself.

Indeed, it was Uncle Ernie, Harolds younger brother. As Ernie set his bags down in the hallway, he made his way into the kitchen and gave Ashley and Anna hugs, and then Betty got a hug. Ernie then stopped when their eyes came to meet Carl. He slid his hands into his pockets and smirked.

"Well, look at you," he said, "You're all grown up now."

"What're you doing here?" Betty asked.

"My brother dies, I'm worried about his wife, his kids, I just wanted to come to town and see if you guys were holding up okay. What's everyone doing here? I actually only expected to find Carl and Bets at best," Ernie said. Just then Jason came into the kitchen, putting the package down on the kitchen counter.

"Uncle Ernie," he said, making Ernie turn and face him. Ernie grinned and grabbed Jason, giving him a bear hug, as Jason continued, "What're you doing here?"

"I was just explaining to your mother and everyone else that I just wanted to check in on you guys," Ernie repeated, "I know it's sudden, I'm sorry for not calling or some shit beforehand, but man, Harolds death hit me really hard and after the funeral I knew I just needed to see you guys. Betty, you're like the last connection I've got to my brother, you know?"

"I understand," Betty said, "Well, we were about to sit down and play a game if you want to join us."

"Shit yeah, that sounds like a nice way to catch up," Ernie said, following Betty and Anna into the living room, leaving the three siblings alone in the kitchen, all shaking their heads in disbelief at this happening.

"I didn't know he was out of prison," Ashley said.

"You know he's not going to be any better than he used to be," Carl said.

"That's not fair, people change, right? I mean look at me, I'm changing, or trying to," Jason said.

"Oh, is that what you're calling what you're doing?" Ashley asked, picking at her teeth as she and Carl exited, laughing. Jason grimaced and glanced back at the package on the counter, then followed them into the living room. The siblings took their seats on the couch, while Anna and Betty sat this one out. Seeing as Guess Who is only a two person game, and it was Carls birthday, it would be them facing against Ernie. Ernie sat on a small footstool across the coffee table from them, wringing his hands nervously, grinning.

"God, it's great to be here," he said, "I feel like I haven't seen you kids in years."

"You haven't seen us kids in years," Ashley said.

"What're you all up to?" Ernie asked.

"Well," Jason started, while Carl set up the game, "I took some time off after dad died, I went to Africa. I just needed to really look at myself and what I was doing with my life. The pregnant broad over there's Anna, she's my ex wife and our unborn child."

"You got any other kids?" Ernie asked.

"Yeah, we have a daughter named Belle," Anna said, and Ernie smiled.

"That's real great, man, that's fantastic. Family is the most important thing in the world," Ernie said, then looking at Ashley, "What about you, sweetheart?"

"Advertising, graphic design. Doing okay right now. Life's pretty boring otherwise," she said matter of factly. Ernie nodded and then looked across the table at Carl.

"I can guess what you've been doing," he said, smirking.

"You have no idea what I've been doing," Carl responded without looking up.

"No need for attitude, I'm just pointing out the obvious," Ernie continued, "Ya know, my brother was a pretty feminine kid up to like, high school, so I'm not too shocked is all. You know, the world's becoming a more accepting place overall, but there's still some people that-"

"Can we just play," Carl said flatly, starting the game.

"Ya know," Anna said, scooping some ice cream from her bowl, "Guess Who had some flack in more recent years. That's probably why I don't see it in stores much these days."

"Flack?" Ernie asked, taking his turn, "For what?"

"Well, for one, it's got a 95% white male population for its characters," Anna went on, "There was only 5 female cards on the board for the longest time, and in fact, in the original, there was only one non white character, Annie, who was later redrawn as a white woman. Obviously the african american community, and women overall, were not very happy about this whitewashing."

"Black people always need something to be mad about," Ernie said, scratching his beard, "It's how they get things done. They pick a cause, they fight for said cause and then they enact change, even when there's nothing really wrong with the thing they're attacking. Everyone needs a villain, ya know? So the people that're the so called 'minority' are always attacking those above them, because they perceive them as the villain, purely for having worked hard or simply having a different skin color."

A quiet filled the air. Both Ashley and Jason were staring at one another in quiet disbelief.

"I need...to...pee," Jason said, standing up and heading for the stairs, Ashley right behind him as Ernie turned and looked at her.

"Where're you going?" he asked her, as she stopped, one hand on the banister, one foot on a step.

"I...too...need to pee," Ashley said.

"...you guys go to the bathroom together?" Ernie asked.

Jason and Ashley glanced at one another and then back at Ernie.

"I...can't go to the bathroom alone," Jason said, "Enormous fear of being alone. In fact, sometimes it's so crippling that instead of staying home and peeing, I'll often go out and go to a public restroom just so I don't feel too scared."

And with that, the two of them headed upstairs as Ernie turned back towards the game, scoffing.

"Strange kids you got, Bets."

"You're tellin' me," Betty replied.

Jason and Ashley got into the bathroom and locked the door. Jason leaned against it, exhaling, as Ashley sat down on the side of the tub, rubbing her forehead with her palms. After a few moments of this destressing, they finally looked at one another in awe.

"What an asshole," they said in unison.

"I mean, christ, now I know what I must've been like," Jason said.

"No, trust me, you were never like that," Ashley said, "We can't allow him to stay here. He's toxic. He's a racist, and he's obviously uncomfortable around Carl."

"Well what do we do? Mom needs help. Dad happens to be dead, remember?" Jason asked, and Ashley nodded.

"Well, we could start splitting our time with mom, come over now and then to help her with things, make sure she's not alone. If that doesn't work well, we could hire someone. Like a...like a live in maid or something," Ashley said.

"I'm not hiring some strange man to live with our mother," Jason said, "You don't know where that may lead."

"I'm not talking about hiring a fuckin hunky cabana boy here, Jason!" Ashley said.

Meanwhile downstairs, Ernie and Carl were in the middle of the game. Ernie was massaging his beard as Carl waited for him to make his move. Carl was looking at their cell phone, scrolling through some social media, all the while unaware that Ernie was taking a long time because they were staring at Carl, rather taken aback by their outward feminine appearance, and unsure of how to broach the subject.

"Is that glitter on your nails?" Anna asked, making Carl look up from their phone.

"Yeah, it's a clearcoat with glitter that goes over your color," Carl said, turning their hand over and letting Anna admire it. Anna got up and came to the couch, sitting beside them and taking their hand in her own, looking at it.

"That's really cute," Anna said, "Where did you get that?"

"I have a ton of it if you want your own bottle," Carl said, chuckling, "You can totally have one."

"That'd be awesome. I've been trying to do something new with my nails and nothing's stuck," Anna said.

"So Anna," Ernie said, interrupting and taking his turn finally, "Uh...you're not with Jason anymore?"

"No, we split a while ago," she said, "It was a somewhat mutual decision."

"Must've been quite a blow to lose his lady and his father all at once," Ernie said as Carl started to take their turn.

"Well, Jason and I were having problems long before Harold died, so, it wasn't sudden or something," Anna said, "Anyway, we've moved past things obviously. He's doing his own thing, and I'm with Ashley and we're raising Belle just fine as friends and-"

"Wait, what? You're...you're with Ash?" Ernie asked, starting to laugh, slapping his knee," Christ! I don't come to visit for a few years and Jason's a goddamned hippy, Ashley's eating rug and this one," they said, pointing at Carl, "Whoo, let's not even touch that one."

Carl blushed and looked at the lap, feeling Anna stroke their hair.

"It's been more than a few years," Betty said, "Just to be accurate, and I'd imagine it's rather hard to visit from prison."

"Yeah, well, nobody came out to see me. I mean, even my own brother for chrissake wouldn't come see me! Jason did, but that's only 'cause he's a good kid. He doesn't abandon family just because we have political or ideological differences. Jason's a stand up guy."

"Guess Who," Carl said, finishing their turn and turning their board around to show a character who looked exactly like Ernie, "Big surprise, it's an asshole."

With that they stood up and headed up the stairs, just as Ashley and Jason were coming back down.

"What's his problem?" Ernie asked, making everyone groan subtly before he turned to Betty, "Bets, there a guest bedroom I can throw my shit in?"

"Yeah, I'll take you up there," she said. Ernie grabbed his bags and followed her up the stairs. Ashley, Jason and Anna all stood around in the living room, looking down at the character piece Carl had won with, and not saying a word.

"He says you don't just abandon family because you have political or ideological differences, but I think that's just the excuse people like that use because they know they'd be utterly alone otherwise. They guilt trip people into not leaving them because they know people would in a heartbeat," Anna said, "What a disgusting person. What did he do, exactly, to end up in prison? And why the hell would you visit him? You've never really talked about him much."

"That's another story for another night," Ashley said, pulling her jacket on, "Come on, let's get out of here. This place has a bad vibe now."

"Carl was going to lend me some nail polish," Anna said.

"I'll come pick it up from them tomorrow or something, I just wanna go," Ashley said. As she and Anna approached the front door, she turned and looked back at Jason, who was standing on the stairs, looking at the photos on the wall leading up to the second floor, cleared her throat and asked, "You leaving?"

"Nah, I have something to do," Jason said. She nodded and shut the door behind herself. Jason went to the kitchen, grabbed the package off the counter and headed upstairs. As they reached the hallway, they found themselves face to face with Ernie coming out of the bathroom.

"Hey kiddo," Ernie said, "Man...what happened to this family?"

Jason shrugged and responded, "I guess we grew up. You don't stop growing when you reach eighteen years old, you know, you're supposed to always be growing and changing. Just because society says you're an adult doesn't mean you are. Hell, science says the brain hasn't even matured until you're well into your 20s, so for society to claim you're an adult when you're 18 is laughable, because you're so obviously not."

"Let me ask you somethin," Ernie said, "You're not going soft on me too are you? I mean you got a sister sleepin with your exwife and you got a brother who-"

"I don't have a brother anymore," Jason said, "And it's late and I'm too tired to discuss anything right now. I just have something to give to Carl and then I'm going home. If you wanna call me tomorrow and talk more, feel free."

Ernie smiled and smacked Jasons shoulder, nodding, before heading off towards the guest room. Jason knocked on Carls door, and after a few seconds, just entered anyway. They found Carl sitting on their bed, looking at a photo album. Jason took a seat next to them and looked at the album as well. The photos were of Harold and Betty, and the kids, mostly vacation photos.

"I took dad for granted," Carl said, "He's never going to be proud of me because he can't be proud of me. He's gone now, and no fucking game night is ever going to bring him back. So what if we 'honor his memory' or some shit. He's dead."

"Tonight...wasn't great, but I do have something for you," Jason said, handing them the package. Carl took it reluctantly and started to unwrap it. Inside was a Cribbage board. They looked at it and then looked at Jason.

"What do I look like, a 75 year old in a nursing home?" Carl asked, making Jason laugh.

"No, uh...when I graduated college, dad gave this to me. He said his father gave it to him. He...he says it was the first real game he ever played, and he played it with his own grandfather, and then his father, and he taught me to play. He told me that Cribbage holds a special place among American submariners, serving as an "official" pastime. Apparently, the wardroom of the oldest active submarine in the United States Pacific Fleet carries the personal cribbage board of the World War 2 submarine commander and Medal Of Honor recipient, Rear Admiral Dick O'Kane on board, and that upon the boat's decommissioning the board is transferred to the next oldest boat. He says it's what taught him to love games. He called it the...the best thing his father ever gave him. He says it meant the world to him, and he wanted it to end up with someone he really loved and trusted."

"Why're you giving this to me?" Carl asked, looking up from the Cribbage to Jason.

"Because...because I think it's more important right now that you have something of Dads. He was proud of you. He saw the progress you made. I think he would want you to have this. Happy Birthday, Carl," Jason said, leaning forward and hugging them.

"Thanks, Jason," they replied, tears in their eyes, "Thank you so much."

                                                                                            ***

Jason was standing in the driveway, hands in their pocket. It was soon after college graduation, and Harold was having a garage sale. Jason strolled up and down the driveway among the other people shopping and came upon an item.

"Dad?" he asked, making Harold come over to him, "What's with this?"

"Eh, it's junk, I mean, it was my grandfathers and my dads but, I don't really care about it all that much and honestly, it's not really a board game, so, I figured why not let it go," Harold said.

"What if I buy it?" Jason asked, and Harold shrugged.

"Don't think being family nets you any sort of discount," Harold said, and Jason smirked as he opened his wallet and gave his dad a five dollar bill. Jason held onto the Cribbage board for years afterwards, unsure of why he purchased it and what it really meant to him, until he decided to give it to Carl. He figured they could use it much more than he could. So what if he lied about its origins, or its importance to their father? All that mattered was he was able to make his sibling feel better, and that was the best birthday gift of all.

Betty Fuller was laying on her bed, staring up at the ceiling, waiting for her children to get here for their first family game night in about 7 months. She exhaled slowly, rubbed her eyes and thought about if she could even go through with tonight, thought about how much it meant to everyone, and how much she'd missed her children since the last time they'd all been together. It had been the longest gap in family game night they'd ever had, so she knew she had to go through with it, even if-

"Betty?" Harold asked, sitting down on the bed next to her, smiling. Betty sat up and took his hand, kissing it gently as he continued talking, "You feeling okay?"

"I'm feeling alright, I guess...I don't know, honestly. I'm a little scared. It's been so long since we've done this, I hope it's still as fun as it ever was," Betty replied, as Harold leaned in and kissed her forehead, stroking her hair.

"It'll be a blast, trust me, you'll be so happy," he said, making her blush. Even after all these years, even after what happened, he could still make her blush.

                                                                                             ***

Ashley and Anna were sitting in Ashleys car, driving towards her parents house. Anna ran her hand down her rather pregnant tummy, smiling at it. Ashley glanced down, and then their eyes caught and they both giggled. Ashley turned into a new lane, and came to a red light.

"This all feels so surreal," Anna said.

"I know what you mean, but, it'll be good," Ashley said, "I have missed having family game night, honestly. I can't wait to see them again. Plus, my mom will probably give you a bunch of maternity clothes, if you don't think they're too ugly."

"I'd rather be comfortable than pretty," Anna said, "...good god, I've given up on myself."

"You're pretty in anything, come on," Ashley said, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel to the radio, not noticing Anna blushing, feeling extremely complimented. Just then, someone pulled up beside them in the lane and tapped on their window. The girls glanced at one another, then Ashley began rolling down her window to see a guy sitting on a bike. He pulled his helmet off, and it was a rather bearded Jason, but his hair was dreaded and he was wearing what appeared to be a necklace of an elephant.

"Ladies," he said, waving at them, "I'm sorry I haven't called you since I've gotten back into town, but I've only been here a few days, so I figured I'd just wait until I saw you tonight."

"...what is that smell?" Ashley asked, sniffing the air.

"Diesel," Anna said.

"That's me," Jason remarked, laughing, "It's patchouli oil. It's my fragrance of the month."

"The fuck is fragrance of the month?" Ashley asked, trying not to laugh.

"It's just a fragrance made from a species of plant. I'm just so tired of the over masculinized colognes they have on the market, aimed at making men feel bad if they don't smell like a generic, macho thing, with names like Musty Cave or Lumberjack. I wanted to try something different."

"Trust me, you smell like a musty cave," Anna said, making both the girls laugh.

"I'm not going to take that personally. We all have our likes. I'm going to take your humor with good nature and just admit that I like how I smell and that I like myself right now. I finally feel good, and it feels good to feel good."

"Where's...where's your....car?" Ashley asked, in between gasps of air from laughing, wiping her eyes of tears.

"It's at my place. I'm trying to use this bike now for exercise, plus it's better for the environment," Jason said, "It's a fixgear, best on the market.

"Oh, hang on," Ashley said, pulling her cell phone out and answering it, "Hello? Oh yeah, let me tell him. Hey, Jason, the 90s called and they wanted me to tell you that you're a walking stereotype, and that, what's that?" she asked, pretending to be on the phone again, "Alright, let me tell him, and that Felini thinks you're pretentious."

Jason just smiled and shrugged, then the light turned and he continued peddling as Anna and Ashley continued driving, cracking up the rest of the way there.

                                                                                          ***

Carl was sitting in the kitchen, at the island, looking at a scratch on the floor, their eyes damn near glued to it. All they could hear in their head was the sound of an ambulance. The fact that they were outside when Harold had had his heart attack instead of inside like usual had been eating away at them for many months now. Carl sighed and pushed their bangs out of their eyes. Their hair was longer now, well past their shoulders, and their skin had cleared up quite a bit. They were wearing a soft, deep green sleeveless blouse with a brown skirt and cute sandals, their nails painted coral.

They leaned back in their chair and sighed, crossing their arms. Sure, the situation was over, months over, but the fear of that night still lingered inside of them. They bit their lip and started chewing, still glaring at the mark on the floor, so focused that they didn't even hear the door open and hear Jason enter the kitchen.

"Hey," he said, tossing his helmet on the counter and heading for the fridge where he got out a carrot juice and took a few swigs, "....hello?" he asked again, this time getting Carls attention.

"Yeah, hi," they replied.

"Watcha lookin' at?" Jason asked, strolling over beside them.

"This mark on the floor. It was made by the thing dad dropped when he had his heart attack," Carl said, pointing at it, "I just...I can't get beyond that night. I should've been in here like I was every family game night and instead I was on the porch and I'm never going to forgive myself for that."

"Dad would," Jason said, smiling.

"I know that. I know dad wouldn't hold it against me," Carl said, sighing, "I just...I wish I could've done more. Those last few months I really felt like dad was getting to know me and feel proud of me, and that we were getting closer and closer. Then I had to blow it..."

"Come on, you know dad's not like that. You know dad loves you, supports you. You know that," Jason said, hugging Carl to them and patting their back. Carl took a whiff of the air and waved their hand in front of their nose.

"What the hell is that stench?!" they asked.

                                                                                          ***

"Do you remember right after we got married?" Betty asked, the two of them sitting on the bed, her legs to her chest, arms wrapped around them, "And all we had to do was sit around in that little apartment and watch TV on a bad signal because we had that rinky dink little antenna?"

"I do," Harold replied, chuckling.

"But then one night, you said we should just go to a thrift store, for some furniture, so we did, and you found a bunch of board games, remember? And then you told me this story about how your grandma used to play board games with you all the time and that you loved it but hadn't done it in years, and now you really wanted to so you bought them all?"

"Yep, some of those are still in that closet," Harold said, "God...it seems like a million years ago now."

"It feels like it," Betty said wistfully, "Hell, 7 months ago feels like a million years ago now...anyway, you then decided that we would have a family game night, because you knew it would bring everyone closer. But then...well, that happened, and we stopped having it for a while."

"I've always regretted missing that time," Harold said, rubbing his chest, "I feel like we wasted a lot of time on a whole buncha nothing."

"Now the family plays game night again. We're not perfect, but we all get along and we all love one another, and...and we're all invested in eachothers lives. It's how a family should be. So what if we have to wrap our identity, our togetherness and support system, around a board game? Who cares if it takes Scrabble to bring us together? We're together. That's what matters."

"I'm happy everything's going so well," Harold said, "I was pretty worried for a while that they wouldn't, especially after Jasons shitty behavior towards his wife."

"...remember how you told me we bought our house? This house? We had looked at it a few weeks before, and then one night we were playing Monopoly, and it said I landed on some property and I could buy it if I wanted to, and so I did and instead of giving me money for income from it you just handed me our door key?" Betty asked.

"I do remember that!" Harold said, laughing and coughing, "Yeah, I remember that. Man...I was a huge dork."

"You really were," Betty said, leaning in and kissing him.

                                                                                             ***

"So...so what you...you just lived in a hotel where animals could walk right through it?" Carl asked as Jason opened up a bag of pretzels and hopped up to sit on the counter. Anna was sitting at the island while Ashley leaned against the wall, one hand in her pocket as she ate an apple.

"Well, they like, built it ON an elephant trail, right, so like...okay, the elephants take the same trails every year and they have for a long ass time, so then these contractors come in and they built this hotel that went right through one of the elephant trails, so the elephants aren't gonna learn a new route so they just go right through it. It was pretty cool, eatin' breakfast like, 5 feet from elephants."

"I guess that's pretty cool," Ashley said, swallowing her bite of apple, "Any other animals?"

"There was a giraffe that would come to the upper level windows and I always fed it salad mix," Jason said, "That was pretty neat."

"Any kids ever get eaten by a lion?" Ashley asked.

"There were feedings, but they were at weird times, so I never saw them," Jason said, making Anna smirk, "Anyway, it was a wild experience you guys, you really need to check it out."

"Well, when I have some time to just hop on a plane and spend a few months in Africa, I definitely will look into that," Anna said, pushing hair behind her ear as Ashley threw her arms up in the air.

"When's this game night gonna start?" she asked.

"I don't know, I'll head upstairs and see what's up," Jason said.

"I'll set up the game board," Ashley said, grabbing The Game Of Life off the counter and heading out to the living room. Once they were gone, Anna glanced over at Carl and smiled.

"I like your look," she said.

"...oh...thanks," Carl said, blushing, "Yeah, I don't know. I still don't feel 100% comfortable, but I guess I'll get used to it. I get ma'amed everywhere I go and everyone treats me very nicely, but...I don't know, I guess I still think that like, even if they're nice to me that after I'm out of earshot, they're making fun of me, no matter how 'convincing' I seem. I don't know, it's weird."

"Being a woman generally is," Anna said, "But hey, you'll make do, you look fantastic."

"Thanks, but it's not all about appearance," Carl said, "Like...seeing you pregnant, it makes me pretty uncomfortable, because I'll never have that."

"Well, you could always ado-"

"I know. I know that. Everyone always tells me that, but that...that isn't the problem. Even if you were infertile, you still have the machinery, you know what I mean? You have all the pieces that it take to make a child, they just don't work the way they should. I'll never have that....I don't know, I'm sorry. I'm feeling really weird lately," Carl said and Anna hugged them, kissing them on the cheek.

"It's cool, you know I'm here for you," she said, making Carl blush again.

                                                                                             ***

"Well," Harold said, sighing as he lay on the bed holding his wife close, "I guess game night should get started. It's only fair, they've waited long enough."

"I don't want to leave this room," Betty said.

"You're going to have to leave it eventually," Harold said, and Betty felt him start to wipe her eyes dry as he turned her face to look at him, his smile gleaming at her, "It'll be okay. I promise."

"No, it won't. It'll be so weird and uncomfortable," she said, starting to sob.

"Life is uncomfortable, but you're Betty fucking Fuller, you're the woman I chose to live my life with, and I'll be damned if you decide to stop living it now. I love you," Harold said, kissing her firmly on the lips.

*knock! knock!*

"Mom?" Jason asked, "Can I come in? We're ready to start game night. I'm coming in."

As Jason entered, he turned the lights on and found Betty sitting alone on the bed, hugging her pillow to her chest, sobbing to herself as she softly rocked back and forth. Jason put his hands in his pockets and stood there, staring at her.

"...you okay mom?"

"I...don't know..." she managed to say.

"I know it'll be weird without him, but we're here for you, okay? We love you. You just come down when you're ready. Ashley set the board up and everything," Jason said, kissing his mom on the forehead, as she collapsed into him crying. Jason sat down and held his mother. As he sat there, he heard the tinkling of shattered glass, and looked down to see a picture frame on the floor. It was of his parents. He just kicked it until it rolled over, and kept holding his mother.

Harold Fuller might be dead, but his game night would last forever.

Carl Fuller found themselves standing in a large, empty waiting room in a hospital at 1 am, arms folded, staring out the window, in the direction of their house. All they could think of was everything they'd ever been too afraid to do in life, and how they hadn't told their father about their intentions to transition, and how now they may never get the chance to. Suddenly, Carl felt someone sidle up beside them, and looked to see their sister Ashley Fuller standing there, her eyes bloodshot from crying.

"...I was on the porch," Carl finally said in a low tone.

"What?" Ashley asked.

"I was on the porch," Carl repeated, "Every single game night, I've been in the kitchen with dad before it started, and for some reason, tonight, I was on the porch. Of all the nights to sit on the porch and not at the island...this'll haunt me for the rest of my life."

"...he'll be okay. He's dad. Dad is unstoppable...at least that's what every kid thinks about their father," Ashley said, chewing her nails, "Every kid thinks their father is unstoppable until they get older, and they see for themselves that this once fantastic superman is actually just as flesh and blood as anyone else, and that they WILL die one day. Anna doesn't really have a family, and I know that upsets her, but sometimes I think she doesn't recognize the pros that come with that, like having to grieve over losing them."

Carl nodded and looked at their sister, who looked back at them.

"I never got to tell dad about my plans," Carl said, "What if he dies without knowing?"

"He knows how you feel, it's not like you didn't openly admit that weeks ago," Ashley said, "Dad knows, and he'd understand support you, you know that. He'll be okay. He HAS to be okay....where the hell is Jason??"

Meanwhile, in the hallway down from the waiting room, Betty was standing in front of a candy vending machine when Anna came up behind her, touching her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Anna asked.

"I am not okay, no, my husband might be dead and my other son is nowhere to be found and now this piece of shit won't give me my fucking Almond Joy!" Betty said loudly, before turning back to the machine, grabbing it and shaking it hard, "Give me my candy you bitch ass sugar dispensary!"

"Betty," Anna said, trying not to smile at her attitude, "Betty, Harold will be alright. Now, from what I saw, I think it might've been a heart attack."

"And where did you acrue this medical knowledge? From the comfort of your doctors office couch watching General Hospital?" Betty asked, before recognizing her own tone and rubbing her forehead, "God, I'm...I'm sorry, Anna. I'm sorry, dear. I shouldn't be so-"

"You have every right to be so upset," Anna said, taking one of Bettys hands, "It's a scary situation, okay? And nothing's going to change that until you're told your husband is fine and you can go in and see him...in the kitchen, he told me that I am part of your family now. That...that you guys love me and welcome me, even if Jason and I aren't together. I'm glad I got to talk to him right before it happened."

"Anna, about Jason-"

"Don't. He tried to apologize to me about him too, but...marriage isn't one persons responsibility. I'm not the best wife, and it's just as much my fault as it is his in many ways. The difference between Jason and I is that I recognized my shortcomings ages ago and was willing to work on them, while he denied things and then when finally confronted with his reality, denied it outright until it was too damn late. I just wish he could be here...I've tried calling him but nobody's answering."

"Um," Carl said from behind, as they turned to look at them, "I was thinking of going home and getting some snacks and books and stuff, in case we're here for a while. I just wanted to let you know in case you wondered where I went."

Betty nodded and hugged them, kissing their cheek. Carl turned and walked down the hall, heading for the front of the hospital. Just then they heard a *clunk!* and looked at the vending machine, where Anna bent over and picked up an Almond Joy, handing it to Betty.

"What do you know, there might be some hope after all," Betty said.

                                                                                             ***

Carl pulled into the driveway, and just sat there with the car turned off, their hands gripping the steering wheel. They couldn't think straight, and felt like everything was crumbling around them. Carl's knuckles turned bright red as their grip on the steering wheel tightened and they started to scream and throttle it violently. After a few minutes of crying, they looked up and noticed the upstairs bedroom light was on. Carl took their seatbelt off, opened the car door and headed into the house.

They stepped quietly, in case it was a burglar or something, but as they headed up the stairs to the upstairs bedroom, they could hear rummaging going on in their parents room. Carl pushed the bedroom door open slowly and saw Jason digging through their parents closet, muttering to himself.

"Jason?" Carl asked meekly, making Jason jump and turn, facing them.

"Oh," he said, putting his hand to his chest, "It's just you, god, you scared me half to death."

"What're you doing here?" Carl asked, "...didn't you get any of our messages?"

"Yeah...I took a taxi here," Jason said, sitting on the end of the bed and sighing, "...I can't go to the hospital. I've let dad down so badly, especially recently. I don't wanna be there if something happens. It's easier to cope with from afar."

Carl came and sat down next to Jason, not saying a word, as Jason looked around the bedroom and then down at their parents bed.

"When we were little, I used to have nightmares that were so bad, that I'd have to come in here and get in bed with mom and dad. I acted tough, and was never picked on at school, but I...was such a scared kid. I would come climb in here between them and knew that I was safe, because you're safe when you have family, when you have your parents, or just someone to love you. But once you're grown up, once you're alone, and on your own...I've lost them all. I've disappointed everyone, and I pushed my wife away and now my father's in the hospital and we are gonna lose him too and-"

"We're not gonna lose dad," Carl said, "Trust me, he'll be fine."

"Even still," Jason continued, on the verge of tears, "...I...I feel so alone in the world. I don't know who I am, what I even really want...where I'm supposed to be."

"Well there's nothing wrong with that as long as you're wiling to look and learn and grow," Carl said, "I mean I-"

"I quit my job," Jason said, taking Carl by surprise.

"...wh...what? You did what?"

"I quit my job today. I'm leaving the country for a while, going on a trip," Jason said, "...I just need some time to find out who I am and what I want to really do. I need to become better. I need to grow, like you said. This is what I'm doing. I'm leaving in a few days."

Carl didn't really know what to say. They just looked at their brother, seeing them as a terrified, vulnerable human being, and knew they'd been much too harsh on them lately, as had everyone. Yes, Jason had made some very bad mistakes, but it was never intentional, and he wanted to make amends, to grow and better himself. Carl put their hand on Jasons back and smiled as Jason looked at them.

"You wanna play something?" Carl asked and Jason laughed, half crying.

"What?"

"You wanna play a game? Dad always played stuff with me when I was sad," Carl said, "Let's find the game closet and play something."

Jason nodded, getting up with Carl and following them out of the room.

                                                                                            ***

Ashley was standing at the window when Anna joined her. Anna took her hand and kissed it softly, making Ashley smirk just a bit, which she so badly needed this night. As Anna hugged her arm and looked out the window with her, she heard Ashley sigh and wipe her eyes on her sleeve.

"Mom and dad have been together for so long," Ashley said, "They love eachother so much and I want that. I feel like you're giving me that. It's all I've wanted my whole life is to have what my parents had. To not be alone, to have someone by my side who believes in me supports me...I mean, isn't that what everyone really wants?"

"I'd think so, yeah," Anna said, "But you know Harold's gonna be okay."

"Even so, it doesn't change the fact that things like this put life into perspective. The funny thing is, it's always these 'very special episodes' on TV shows that force people to put aside their issues and finally get introspective, to look at themselves, look at life and realize what really matters. Life is so filtered through media that it's always supposed to be peachy and happy and everything works out in the end, but that's not life at all, that's just life we've packaged to ourselves to be consumed as what we wish life was, because it's so not what life is. Life is messy and scary and confusing and dangerous and hard but...but sometimes you don't have to do it alone and that's the luckiest thing in the world."

Anna blushed as Ashley kissed her cheek, gently biting her ear.

"Anna," she continued, "I don't wanna be alone. I know things are hard right now, and I know your life is going to weird and complicated for a while, but I'm willing to be by your side and help you through it. I promise. No matter how fucked up everything gets, I will be there. I love you."

"I love you," Anna repeated, looking into Ashleys eyes, kissing her back.

Betty, who was sitting a few benches away, eating her Almond Joy, was watching this and smiled to herself. She looked at her wedding ring and thought of Harold, of all the good they'd done together, raising these kids, doing good in the world by volunteering and helping others. All the places they'd seen together, all the fun they'd had together. Now she wished her children could have that, and it looked like they would. She just didn't want herself to be without it too. She needed Harold. She loved him more than words could ever begin to express. He was-

"Miss Fuller?" A doctor asked, and she turned her head.

"Yes?"

"Come with me," they said, and she nodded.

                                                                                           ***

Carl and Jason were sitting in their parents bedroom, playing Operation on the bed. Carl was looking at their fingernails while Jason tried desperately to remove something from the stomach of the Operation guy, the buzzing from the gameboard filling the room nonstop.

"It's a good thing this guy's already in the fuckin' hospital, 'cause I'd send him there if he wasn't!" Jason muttered angrily, making Carl smirk.

"So where do you think you're gonna go?" Carl asked.

"I don't know..." Jason said, "I guess, maybe like Africa or something."

"Why does every single white person go to Africa to find themselves?" Carl asked, and Jason shrugged, smiling at the very true statement they'd just made, "Well, whatever you're looking for, I hope you find it. You deserve to be happy too."

"You too," Jason said.

"...I'm going to transition," Carl said, and Jason looked up from the gameboard.

"Yeah?"

"Why not? People obviously can seem perfectly fine and then just fall over in their own damn kitchen at the drop of a dime, so why not just do whatever the fuck I want with my life," Carl said, "Anyway, I'm going to start seeing a therapist about it soon. I'm nervous."

"You shouldn't be nervous, I mean it's understandable since it's such a change, but...you've always been way better than I have in doing whatever the hell you want to. I think that's been made pretty damn clear these last few weeks, considering how much everyone hates me," Jason said, "Ya know, it's funny; a few weeks ago, on the drive over here, Anna told me she really didn't want to keep coming to these Family Game Nights. I'm the one who pushed her to keep coming and look, it's cost me everything. If I'd just listened to her for once in my sad life..."

"You'll be okay," Carl said.

"So will you," Jason said, "Alright, that's it, I've had it with this buzzy motherfucker, let's find something else to play. We need to find the actual game closet, and not just whatever dad had picked out for next week. Come on."

The two got off their parents bed and started down the upstairs hallway, with Jason staying upstairs while Carl headed downstairs. After a few moments, Jason leaned over the banister and looked down at Carl, who just shrugged. Carl leaned against the wall by the stairs, and felt it nudge. Jason was coming down the stairs when they spotted Carl looking at the wall.

"This wall shifted...like a door, but there's no...there's no doorknob or anything," Carl said.

"Really?" Jason asked, as he put his palm on the wall and pushed, feeling it shift. He then went to the fireplace, grabbed the poker and came back, shoving it into the wall a bit, until it slid through a slim slit, and he pushed it sideways, forcing the door wall to slide like a sliding glass door to the side, revealing an enormous closet of board games. Jason and Carl stood there, staring at this collection, both their jaws somewhat dropped.

"God...dad really loves board games," Jason said, "There's nothing of us really anywhere in the house outside a few school or family photos or some shit on the fridge, but no, he loves fuckin board games. Hey, there's Mouse Trap! Let's play Mouse Trap! That was one of my favorites growing up!"

As Jason pulled an ottoman over so he could climb up on it, he reached into the top of the closet and pulled Mouse Trap down, pulling down along with it, The Game of Life, which tumbled to the floor, the lid flopping off.

"Shit," Jason said, "Put the lid back on that and hand it to me, I'll put it back."

"Jason..." Carl said, kneeling down over the game box. Jason looked down, and slowly climbed down, kneeling on the other side of the game box on the floor, the both of them peering into, not an actual board game, but just a box full of drawings, photos, awards and other things from their childhood, up to and including copies of their graduation certificates and whatnot.

"...Dad...he...he saved everything in this, this is where everything's been," Jason said softly, picking up a few pictures of them at Halloween when they were children, "...he saved it all. I knew dad loved us, I just didn't expect him and mom to be sentimental like this. A few weeks ago I told Anna that they never cared about anything we ever did really, but here's Ashleys dance recital tapes, and every good essay I ever wrote and everything you ever draw in art class and-"

Carl started sobbing, and Jason crawled over to their side, cradling their sibling in their arms, stroking their hair, his eyes still sitting on a family photo they'd taken when camping one year when they were in their early teens, their fathers arms around them both, and Ashley sitting on his shoulders while their mother stoked a campfire.

Family is weird. They're the one group you can't decide for yourself to associate with. You're just born to them, and while they can decide not to have you or you not to have them, they will always be a part of you to some extent. Family can be the best thing in your life, the worst thing in your life, but it's also the one singular constant thing in your life no matter what. It's the one thing that will always be there, even if you don't speak to them, they're still there. That's what Jason learned that night, was that even if they hated how he acted, they were still there for him, and it was time for him to be there for them as well, even if Harold was fine.

"Ironic," Jason thought to himself, "Dad put all of our childhood in The Game of Life."

Yeah. Harold Fuller really loved board games. He loved his children even more.

Harold and Betty were standing in the kitchen, Harold just finishing doing the dishes while Betty was putting some things away. It would still be about a half hour before anyone arrived for this weeks Family Game Night, so they were enjoying the nice time they had to themselves. As Harold finished and shut the water off, he rubbed his chest with his hand.

"Are you okay?" Betty asked, shutting a cabinet and turning towards him.

"Yeah, I just don't feel good today," Harold said, "I think I'm getting a cold. I can't remember the last time I got sick though, so this isn't gonna be fun."

"...Harold," Betty said, "Do you think our children are doing okay?"

"What do you mean? I think they're doing great," Harold said, "I mean, okay, Jason's a bit lost, but he'll find his way again. But Ashley and Carl, they're both doing better than I've ever seen them do, especially Carl, and I am so SO proud of them for that. I think our children are doing better than okay, yeah."

"The world isn't as accepting as our household is though, Harold. Sure, here Carl feels loved and accepted and safe, but that doesn't carry much beyond our foyer. The world is cruel and cold and mean. People kill people like our children every single day. I cannot tell you how many friends I've lost because they were gay, or fell under the LGBT spectrum, or something. I want them to be themselves but I want them to be safe."

"Bets, at a certain point, you just gotta accept that they're gonna have to be on their own and hope for the best. We can be here, give them advice, guide them through some things, but their life is their own. Besides, I think Carl is safe enough. They know how to take care of themselves," Harold said, kissing his wife and rubbing her shoulders, "Everything's gonna be great. Trust me. None of us are goin' anywhere anytime soon. We all got too many more Family Game Nights to endure. We're stuck with eachother until the bitter end."

"And boy will it be bitter," Betty added, making Harold laugh.

                                                                                           ***

Ashley and Anna were driving in Anna's car on their way to the house, Ashley braiding her hair while sitting in the passenger seat while Anna drove. Anna seemed frustrated, but Ashley didn't want to push it, so she just didn't say much of anything. As they came to a red light, Anna grabbed the steering wheel and repeatedly banged her forehead against it before screaming loudly and violently throttling it.

"You okay?" Ashley asked.

"I never thought this would be my life. I don't mean that in the whole 'oh no, I'm 30 and my life hasn't turned out the way I thought, I'm not a model!' sort of thing, but my husband and I are breaking up, I'm sleeping with his sister and I'm pregnant," Anna said, "Not that any of that is BAD exactly, it's just...unexpected."

"Hey, you're telling me," Ashley said, "I never in a million years thought that I'd be living with my brothers ex wife. But you know what? I am, and it's awesome."

Ashley leaned in and kissed Anna's cheek, making her blush. As the light turned green, Anna kept driving while Ashley continued braiding her hair. As they pulled up to the house, they noticed Carl sitting on the porch, looking at their cell phone, wearing not just a nice floral dress but also their hair was styled now, a bit curly, and they looked very pretty. As Anna parked and the girls got out, approaching Carl from the walk, they waved at them and Carl waved back, smiling.

"Watcha doin' out here?" Anna asked.

Carl shrugged, "Just enjoying how nice it is. I always sit in the kitchen, but I don't know, I just figured tonight I'd sit out here and enjoy the air, look at the sky. It's pretty."

"I like your hair," Anna said, gently touching it and Carl blushed.

"Thank you, I had a friend from work do it," they said, "I think it looks okay right now, plus it gives me something to work with until my hair grows out a bit more."

"You're growing your hair out?" Ashley asked.

"Yeah, I..." Carl started, but then looked at their feet, trailing off.

"What?" Anna and Ashley asked in unison.

"...I'm thinking that...I'm going to do it," they finished, leaving both Anna and Ashley slightly confused until it dawned on Ashley.

"You mean you're going to-" she started but Carl interrupted her.

"Yeah," they said, "Yeah, I'm going to do it. I'm going to start seeing a doctor and therapist in a few weeks, and uh...and hopefully get on medication by the end of the year. I haven't told mom or dad yet, so don't say anything okay? I know they won't mind, but still, I'm nervous."

"It's not our place to, so don't worry," Anna said, "Has Jason come by yet?"

"Nope."

"Alright, well I'm going in, I'm cold out here," Anna said, patting Carl on the shoulder and heading inside. Ashley sat down on the banister by Carl, putting her hands on her legs and exhaling loudly. Carl looked over at her, and after a few minutes, she finally spoke, not looking at them, but looking up instead at the stars.

"...I want you to know how sorry I am that you never felt like you could talk to me about how you felt," Ashley said, "Nobody should ever feel that alone, and I know because growing up gay, I felt so alone. It's a different kind of loneliness, for sure, but still...it's....I am so proud of you, I really am. You are SO brave, and I cannot express how much I love and support you. I'm thrilled to have a sister. I love you."

She finally looked at Carl, who had tears coming down their face, and she smiled and leaned in, wiping them away with her jacket sleeve, and then hugged them. Meanwhile, Anna came into the kitchen and saw Harold and Betty making out in front of the sink. She shielded her eyes as she came in, her jacket hanging half off now.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry!," Anna said as she entered.

"Hey, we had to watch our teenagers make out in our house, you uncover those eyes and show your elders some respect!" Harold said, making Anna chuckle as she took a seat at the island. She hung her jacket on the back of the chair as Harold and Betty went about their business, continuing their cleaning from earlier.

"Is Jason here?" Betty asked and Anna shook her head.

"Nope. Carl's out on the porch and they said they haven't seen him so far," Anna said, "Frankly...I'm not surprised, given the last few months, especially just between himself and I. He's probably just running late, though."

"I'll be right back, I have to use the little boys room," Harold said, wiping his hands on his pants and heading to the bathroom. Betty stopped her cleaning and stood on the other side of the island, taking an apple from the fruit bowl and biting into it.

"So," she said, mouthful of apple, "Jason tells me you're seeing Ashley."

This surprised Anna.

"Ye...yeah, I...am...he told you that?"

"All men are little boys, Anna, you should know that by now. When they don't get their way and nobody else will listen to them, they turn to their mothers. He called me a few nights ago, extremely upset, telling me about alot of the things that've been going on between you two lately."

"Is he...upset that I'm with Ashley?" Anna asked, feeling embarrassed.

"He didn't sound embarrassed, no. In fact, he said he was glad his sister could love you in a way that he couldn't, and that you deserve everything she gives you," Betty said, sighing, "I just never expected my childrens lives to be such messes. You know, we all have kids thinking they're be the stereotypical norm, straight, accomplished, successful, happy, but they're people. Just as parents can be flawed because they're people, children can be different because they're people. I'm happy my children feel that they can be themselves, that they feel safe enough in our home, that we've cultivated such an open mindedness in our kids that they feel they can openly be themselves and live the lives they feel are what make them happy...but it doesn't make me feel like a very good mother when I see how sad they are, even if I know it isn't my fault."

"You're a good mother, Betty, trust me," Anna said, "If anything, I'M the one who should be ashamed of her parenting...leaving my child and husband and just-"

"Anna, sweetheart, don't make your life be about others if you're not happy yourself," Betty said, "You're a good person and a good mother, and you deserve to be happy yourself."

Just then, Carl and Ashley came into the kitchen as Harold came back from the bathroom.

"Hello kiddies," he said, and they hugged. Carl took a seat at the island and looked at Harold.

"So what's the game tonight?" they asked.

"Clue," Harold said, "One of my personal favorites. Also possibly the only board game to get a movie. Jumanji doesn't count."

"Yeah, there really haven't been too many board game films have there?" Carl asked, "Clue is the only one I can really think of."

"I set the board up like an hour ago, so we can just go in and play," Harold said. As they headed through the doorway passing from the kitchen to the living room, Harold rubbed his arm and sighed. Ashley stopped and put her hand on her fathers back.

"You okay dad?" she asked.

"Yeah, I did some yard work earlier, just kinda sore," Harold said, "I'm just not as young as I used to be, plus I think I'm catching a cold. Usually happens around this time of the year, but I'll be okay."

Ashley and Harold continued and got to the living room. She sat beside Anna, while Carl sat beside Betty. Harold took the big chair Betty usually sat in and started handing everyone their pieces while he took the dice. As the game started, Anna looked up at the front door and furrowed her brow.

"Don't worry, I'm sure Jason's just running late," Betty said as Carl took the first turn.

"So," Carl said, exhaling, "I had a date last weekend. After dad told me about Sarah Riddley asking about me, I looked her up online and friended her, and we started talking and went out. She...she's really cool, honestly. We had a lot of fun. Must've been the first date I've been on in months."

"That's awesome," Ashley said, "What'd you two do?"

"We had dinner and talked and then she wanted to go see this, like, small band and live theatre show thing downtown, so we did that. It was nice. We're gonna go out again next week when she's back in town. She has to travel for her job."

"You should bring her over sometime," Harold said, "It's always nice to have someone else for Game Night and I always like to know who my children are seeing."

Ashley and Anna glanced at one another, but said nothing. Carl blushed and looked down at the game board.

"I'll do that, yeah," they said, smiling about the prospect, and twirling the idea of telling their parents about their decision to transition, but decided they'd be better suited NOT in the middle of a board game to handle that kind of news.

"So," Harold said, "Your mother and I are thinking of taking a trip this summer."

"Where you going?" Anna asked.

"We're thinking of going to New England," Betty chimed in, "I've always wanted to go, and we've talked about going for a few years now, but we just...you know how it is, you always have something else to do. So, we're finally going to go and have a nice vacation, which...god...when was the last actual vacation we took? I don't even remember."

Anna stood up and went to the kitchen for a drink, while Betty and Harold talked about their vacation plans. As she stood at the fridge, drinking out of a beer, her eyes were caught by the photos and drawings on the fridge. How had she never noticed these things before? She ran her fingers down them; things the kids had drawn when they were small, and some fine art Ashley had done in a high school class, and photos of the kids growing up during various points in life. Holidays, birthdays, family vacations. Anna felt a pang in her chest, realizing she'd never have this with her own family, but maybe she could have it here....or with Ashley.

"You okay?" Ashley asked, grabbing the bowl of chips from the island and heading over to her, nodding at the fridge as she approached, "Awww, look at what a cute kitty cat I made. I loved halloween when I was a little girl."

"Yeah...you know, it just dawned on me how little Jason and I ever had like this in our home. We only have a few pictures up, like wedding photos and whatnot. We have a lot of stuff with Belle up, past birthdays and first days of school and such, but...not much of ourselves. I guess we did always sort of know it'd never last. By the way, your mother knows about us. I guess Jason called and told her."

"He would," Ashley muttered, holding the chip bowl out to Anna, who took a handful and shoved them in her mouth. Ashley leaned in and kissed Anna on the neck, gently biting her ear, before looking back at the fridge photos and chuckling, pointing with a free finger at one, saying, "God...this was back when dad chaperoned my 6th grade dance and danced with me the whole night because no other boy would cause of my braces....he danced with me so I would feel beautiful and not left out...he's such a good dad."

"He really is," Anna said, smiling at the warmth of Ashleys memory.

"Hey! You're missing the game!" Harold said, coming into the kitchen, stopping at the sink, "Come on, get your butts in gear and let's go. SOMEBODY'S gotta kill someone here eventually."

Harold reached into the cabinet and pulled a glass out, starting to fill it up with water as the girls still looked at the fridge. Ashley finally patted Annas butt and headed back to the living room. Suddenly, a loud shattering sound made her heart race and Anna spun around to see Harold standing, staring at the glass on the floor.

"Dammit!" he said, grabbing his wrist, "God, I hate getting old."

"Are you okay, Harold?" Anna asked.

"Yeah, just sore. I told Ashley, I did some yard work earlier, and I think I'm catching a cold," Harold said, "I just...I don't...it happens once a year, and..."

Harold just stared off into space. Anna finished chewing the chips and swallowed, looking at him.

"Harold?" she asked, approaching him. Harold looked at her, and shook his head.

"Sorry," he said, "I zoned out, uh...anyway I rarely get sick, but...um...but yeah, it's like what I told you earlier, Ashley, I just-"

"Anna," Anna said, correcting him, "I'm Anna?"

"Sorry, fuck, see. Well, whatever, you're my daughter in law, so it's fine," Harold said, kneeling down to clean up the broken glass, he continued, "I know you never really had much of a family, but you know you're welcomed here and loved. Both Bets and myself love you to death, and we're very sorry about the divorce."

"It's okay," Anna said, "I'm...working through it."

Harold slid, his hand catching the glass on the linoleum kitchen floor, tearing his hand up, blood smearing on the floor. He grabbed the floor with his other hand, putting his bloodied one to his chest, wheezing. Anna dropped the bowl of chips and rushed to his side, grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Harold?!" she yelled, "Harold?! Are you....Harold?! Betty! Ashley! Carl! Get in here!"

"Anna..." he muttered, "An...call...."

"Dad?!" Carl screamed, rushing into the kitchen, running to their fathers side, "Dad?! What's happening!?"

"I'm calling an ambulance!" Ashley shouted from the doorway, already on her cell.

"Dad?!" Carl shouted, "Dad, talk to me! Stay awake, okay?!"

Carl looked up at Anna.

"What happened?!" they asked and she shrugged.

"I don't know, I'm not a doctor!" Anna replied, as they looked at Harold, his eyes now closed, his breathing tight and sparse.

Harold smiled, reached up and touched Carls shoulder.

"Carl..."

"Dad?"

"...it was a heart attack....in the kitchen...on Colonel Mustard," Harold said, before losing consciousness.

An ambulance arrived moments later.

"There's a distinct difference between board games and anything else, that's why we don't play things like dominoes or backgammon or anything with anything other than a board," Harold said, "So the next time you ask why we don't play something other than a board game, maybe think before you speak you ungrateful little shits."

Carl and Ashley were sitting at the kitchen island, Ashley with half a chicken wing out of her mouth.

"Jeez, I just asked a question, excuse me," Carl said, wearing a light blue sleeved blouse and a black floral skirt, "I just...there's other kinds of games, so why limit ourselves to one type of game?"

"Carl's right," Ashley said, "We should just try and go outside our comfort zone, even if for one evening."

"You know what happens when someone goes outside their comfort zone? People get hurt. I had a friend in college, Brian Turner, and he was a complete introvert and he had this girlfriend once who told him that he just needed to get out into the world and see it, experience it, to really visualize how beautiful it all really was, show him what it was he was truly missing. So, she took him driving on a road trip, living out of her camper and everything, and one morning he's brushing his teeth outside, and this Komodo Dragon comes up, grabs his ankle and drags him off. Ate his face right there in the desert. Do you wanna die like Brian Turner? Cause that's what happens when you leave your comfort zone, Komodo Dragons eat your face."

"...there's no Brian Turner is there?" Carl asked.

"We're ALL Brian Turner, Carl, that's the moral!" Harold said loudly, throwing his arms into the air.

"Is he using that Brian Turner story on you guys?" Betty asked, coming into the kitchen, drinking a bottle of carrot juice, "He's used that on so many people just to 'prove a point'. He used it on our insurance agent last year when he was trying to explain what happened when 'Brian' went with a different insurance agency, and how important our agent actually is. Brian's more important than any of you kids, let me just clue you in on that. Brian has lived a more interesting life than any of you kids. You will NEVER be as loved as Brian Turner."

"Brian Turner isn't even real," Carl said, "How am I supposed to compete with someone who isn't real? That's not fair."

"I'll kick Brian Turners bitch ass," Ashley said, dropping her chicken wing bones and licking her fingers, "I'll kick YOUR ass, dad, if you ever bring him up again."

"Don't kick your fathers ass, dear," Betty said, putting her carrot juice back into the fridge.

"Well let's kick SOMEBODY'S ass," Carl said, "I'm in a brawlin' mood. Fuck this game night shit."

"Family Fight Night," Ashley said, starting into another chicken wing.

"As much as I am impressed by your entrepreneurial modesty, I don't think that would go well," Harold said, "Besides, your mother would kick all of our asses. She took Karate for years. Don't fight your mother, seriously, that's coming from experience."

"Damn mom, you scary," Ashley said.

"You ever wonder what other families talk about?" Carl asked.

                                                                                      ***

Jason pulled up in the driveway, Anna in the passenger seat, brushing her hair. He exhaled, both hands gripping the steering wheel firmly. He glanced over at Anna, who looked at him and shrugged. Jason just sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I...don't know how to face them anymore," he finally said, "I want to be a better person, but I feel like everyone goes out of their way to upset me. I'm trying to be better."

"I know you are," Anna said.

"How do you DO it? Not you specifically, but the proverbial you. How does one just...BE a good person? It feels like it takes so much effort, you know? I want to be supportive of Carl, even if I don't understand it well, but do I call them by Carl or do I call them by some other name? And then there's you and Ashley...I'm not even touching that one with a ten foot pole right now. Hate is easy. That I understand. Being angry comes naturally to me, but...being good, being nice..."

"I understand," Anna said, setting her hair brush back into her purse, "But you have to ask yourself WHY is anger and hate so easy for you? You have a good job, and despite what's going on between us, we have a wonderful daughter and your family is really solid. So what is it that's making you so angry?"

"I don't know, and that's even MORE frustrating!" Jason said loudly, clearly annoyed, "Is it just because I'm a straight, white male? Is that simply enough for being angry? We normalized the world to work for ourselves, oppressed everyone else and now that things are changing, we feel threatened because we recognize we might lose 'power', but it's not power, it's just this idea of power, and power should be available to everyone. Everybody matters. Everyone is a human being. But I don't think that's MY reason, and if it IS, that's...that...sucks."

"You're trying, and that's enough for right now, okay? So come on, let's just go inside and play a nice game," Anna said, smiling warmly, resting one hand on his shoulder.

                                                                                      ***

"So let me get this straight," Ashley said, staring in disbelief at the game board in front of them, "Every week hasn't been enough fighting for you, but now you want us to play Monopoly? Mom, does dad hate us?"

"It's possible," Betty said, sitting on the couch and eating a piece of celery.

"Monopoly is a classic," Harold said, "It's just gotten a bad wrap over the years."

"No, you know what's gotten a bad wrap? Rap music. Violent movies. Video games. But this...I have looked into the eyes of hell, and let me tell you, Monopoly IS pure evil," Carl said.

"Monopoly is a totally fine game that's been ruined by the poor team cooperation of bad families. We are not a bad family, we can handle this," Harold said.

"We can't even handle Hungry, Hungry Hippos," Carl replied.

"Okay, you know what, you named your band in high school Painkiller Picnic, so you don't have any right to say what is or isn't acceptable," Ashley said, "Despite that, I agree with Carl. This is a terrible idea. Look at the last few game nights, we've literally gotten into physical altercations-"

"Told you we should just fight eachother," Carl said.

"-and you think 'hey kids, you know what'll stop all this fighting? a family game of Monopoly!', like, I say this with the upmost respect because you're my father and I love you, but you're a horrible human being and Brian Turner would be ashamed of you right now," Ashley finished.

"We are going to sit down and play Monopoly, and if any of you have a problem with it, I will write you out of my will," Harold said.

"I'm in the will?" Carl asked.

"Keep complaining and you'll never find out," Harold said, "Now sit down."

The front door swung open and Jason and Anna waltzed in, taking their coats off.

"What's going on?" Jason asked.

"Monopoly," Carl & Ashley said in unison.

"Dad, seriously, the fuck?" Jason asked, as he and Anna sat down, Anna seating herself beside Ashley.

"How am I going to win this game? I'm not even good with REAL money," Carl said, and Jason laughed, as Carl turned to sneer at him, "Okay, you wanna make a bet, Mr. 401k? How about you put your money where your mouth is."

"Gladly," Jason replied.

"Thank god, maybe since his mouth is now an object, he won't talk so much," Ashley said.

"Hey! There will be no low stakes betting under my roof!" Harold said loudly, "You only go hard or go home here, okay?"

As Anna took her seat, Ashley touched her shoulder and Anna looked behind her at Ashley, smiling. Ashley nodded her head towards the kitchen, and so she helped Anna up from her seat and the two of them headed into the kitchen for a moment of privacy. Ashley sat down at the island, and Anna sat on the other side.

"So..." Ashley said, clearing her throat and pulling her hair back into a bun, "...I've never done this before, and I know it might not be the right time but I was just...I was thinking that...if things are uncomfortable and stuff and you want to make this transitional period easier, you could...move in with me?"

"I could?" Anna asked, blushing, surprised.

"Yeah," Ashley said, beaming nervously, "Yeah, uh, I mean, obviously you could. I mean..."

Ashley took a long, deep breath and looked Anna dead straight in the eyes.

"I love you," she said, "And I've rarely ever said that, but it's true. I know it's weird cause you're still with my brother and you guys will be getting divorced and it might be messy, but I...I've been in love with you since the first time I ever saw you. I really...I cannot believe how lucky I am to even be having this conversation with you right now, it seems so completely unreal. Anyway...uh...yeah, the option's there if you want it."

"...I love you too," Anna said, and Ashley felt tears well up in her eyes as Anna continued, "I always used to joke with Jason about it, like 'heh, your sister, she's cool and pretty hot' and stuff, but...you've been so much better to me than anyone I've ever met, Jason included. I can't believe I get this lucky to have two people, from the same family even, love me. It makes up for my own family not wanting me in any capacity. If you really will let me, and think it'll work, then yes, of course I'll move in with you."

Ashley didn't know what to say, so Anna took the opportunity to lean across the table and kiss her, with a sense of real longing and passion that Ashley had never gotten from another woman kissing her before. After it broke, Anna smiled, stood up and headed back to the living room, Ashley in tow. They sat down beside one another, and Jason and Anna smiled at one another.

"So, as an aside to your earlier story, what would've happened to Brian Turner after the Komodo Dragon attack? Did he survive, and if so, how did he survive without a face? He couldn't have had a facial transplant or anything grafted on, especially when it was when you guys were in college. That technology at that time was rather minimal," Carl asked, "So what's the next leap in the Brian Turner saga?"

"Brian Turner would've persevered, thank you very much," Harold said joyfully, "He would've moved on with his life, been left by his shallow faux worldly girlfriend and met a new, truly open minded love in David from Spain. Together they would live a happy, fulfilling life together, enriching all of those around them."

"That's beautiful dad," Ashley said.

"It doesn't matter, he's not real," Harold said, "That's the thing about Brian Turner. Any one of us can be Brian Turner. He's an analogy for not trying, for not believing in yourself, for not taking chances. For not being you. That's why we can't play anything besides board games, because it'd feel like my face was being ripped off and eaten by Komodo Dragons."

"I guess I could see that," Carl said, "And I'm sorry for suggesting it if that's the case."

"Would you love me more if I changed my name to Brian Turner?" Ashley asked.

"Honey please," Harold said, smirking, "Where did you ever get the idea that I loved you?"

Ashley laughed and Harold patted her back from the side of the table.

"I guess in that sense, I could be Brian Turner," Jason said solemnly, "I mean...I'm afraid of everything changing around me, of discovering things about myself, and learning more about the world. In a sense, I am Brian Turner. I'm afraid to take that leap because of the consequences, but I am trying. I'm, in a way, better than Brian Turner, and that says loads."

"That's the spirit, see, Jason gets it," Harold said.

"Maybe then, if that's the case, I really COULD win this bet," Carl said, and Jason furrowed his brow.

                                                                                          ***

As midnight approached, Jason and Carl were deep in it, and Carl was actually winning, much to everyones surprise. Anna had been knocked out and was resting her head on Ashley's shoulder, watching her struggle to stay in, along with Betty, who too was on the verge of bankruptcy.

"So what do I get when I inevitably triumph over you?" Carl asked.

"You're gonna get a swift fuckin kick in the-" Jason started, before Ashley interrupted.

"I think you should pay Carl a thousand dollars," she said, "That'd more than make up for your disparaging remarks a few weeks prior."

"Fine, you want a thousand dollars? I'll do one more than that. I'll sell my car," Jason said, and everyone gasped, but he continued, "And I'll give you the bluebook value. So, even if it doesn't sell for that, I'll pay the difference and give you all of it, how's that?"

"I like this restitution stuff," Carl said, chuckling.

"I think Carl's gonna win, to be honest," Ashley said and even Harold nodded solemnly.

"How're you doing so much better than me!? You can't even do well financially in real life! How're you doing so well with fake money?!" Jason shouted, "This is ridiculous! Just once can I win a Family Game Night please!?"

"Not with that bitch ass attitude," Carl said.

"They've already got you outbanked, that's for damn sure," Anna remarked, "You're not gonna have much money to buy anything, especially if it comes down to just the two of you, because if they're the only one left then they're the only one able to land on your property and pay you, and that's just not enough to live off of."

"Good, it's what you deserve," Carl said.

"I really can't do anything right, I cannot be successful at all," Jason muttered, "Losing my car, my game night, my wife. Christ."

Just then all the lights in the house went out. Everyone looked around for a moment, and then there was the sound of something knocking at the glass back door. Everyones necks snapped in that direction, terrified. Harold got up and grabbed a flashlight from out of the end table by the couch.

"Everyone stay put and be quiet, I'll take care of this," he said, before heading down the long hall towards the back door. He opened the door, stepped outside and turned the flashlight on. A few moments went by and nothing. Carl and Jason exchanged nervous glances, and Ashley held onto Anna tightly, just in case. And then...Harold ran into the house, his right hand missing and blood squirting out of it onto his shirt, staining across the floor.

Everyone screamed on demand at the sight as their father dropped to the floor and didn't move. Anna buried her face into Ashley's neck as Jason and Carl clung to eachother tightly, as Betty stood up and broke a beer bottle on the end of the coffee table, and just then, from the darkness of the hall came a man, his face looking scratched and bloodied, like something had tried to eat him. He stood, towering over them all, and then pointed down at their father, his voice low and gravely.

"That's why you believe in yourselves, because if you don't...your dads dead friend will come back and murder your father," he said, and that's when Ashley put her hand to her face.

"Oh jesus christ," she muttered, as the lights snapped back on and Harold stood up, taking the fake arm off of him, revealing himself to be perfectly fine. He and the man started laughing, hugging.

"Kids, this is my friend Martin, from the college. Or, for tonight, you may call him Brian Turner," Harold said.

"Dad, what the fuck?!" Carl screamed.

"You sick son of a bitch!" Jason chimed in.

"Mom, dad's scarring us psychologically!" Ashley said.

"Don't I know it..." Betty said, sitting back down.

                                                                                      ***
As everyone exited the house, Ashley and Anna got on Ashley's scooter, while Jason pushed his car keys into Carl's hands. Carl got into Jason's car, started it up and pulled out of the driveway, all of them leaving Jason alone in the driveway, his hands in his pants pockets. Jason felt a hand on his shoulder and looked to see Martin, Brian Turner, standing beside him, still in costume.

"Rough night huh?" he asked, and Jason shook his head.

"Fuck off Brian Turner," Jason said, as he started walking home.

It was a quiet evening. Harold and Betty Fuller were out of town, Ashley was working late and having a dinner date with a potential client and Carl had gotten hired by that job they'd mentioned so they were working. For once in the past few months, Anna thought she had a night free. As she came into the apartment, setting her coat up on a hanger by the door, she tossed her purse on the kitchen counter and noticed Jason setting up a game on the coffee table in their living room. Anna stopped in her tracks.

"...watcha doin'?" she asked.

"Well, just because everyone else is gone, you heard my folks, doesn't mean we can't have game night," Jason said, putting his hands on his knees and looking at the game, "I picked battleship, mostly because it's not really a board game and my father would never include it."

"...no," Anna said, starting to laugh, "No, we aren't doing this, not this week. I'm taking a shower, I'm eating something and I am going to bed and reading. I have the night off for once and I am not gonna waste it playing a game," she finished, her voice trailing off into their hallway to their bedroom.

"I guess you wouldn't, being a chicken and all," Jason said. Anna popped her head back out from the hallway and looked at him.

"Did you just call me a chicken?" she asked, "Did you...did you seriously just call me a chicken?"

"I call 'em like I see 'em," Jason said, grinning.

"Ok, first of all, I think everyone in our lives has made it very clear that you are actually the chicken. I'll go on rollercoasters. You won't. You're the chicken."

"Takes one to know one."

"What're you, five years old?" Anna asked, putting her hands on her hips, laughing. She sighed and came to sit on the other side of the coffee table, where Jason had set up her Battleship station. She took a few minutes putting her ships onto the board. Once she was done, he rubbed his hands together and started the game, taking his turn.

"F5. So," Jason started, "How's my sister?"

"Miss. She's doing fine. She's having dinner with a potential client tonight, working late. I'm seeing her tomorrow," Anna said, "Uh...J7."

"Miss," Jason replied, "What time is Belle's recital tomorrow? C4."

"Hit, ironically," Anna said, placing a peg on her boat, "It's at 6, so we need to be there early enough to set up a camera and stuff. A6."

"They're never going to watch it," Jason replied, "Hit."

"What do you mean they're never going to watch it?"

"Ashley did a lot of dance stuff, and they were always busy working or something so Carl or I taped the performances. They never watched them. Our parents act great, and in many ways are great. They're loving and accepting and all that wonderful stuff, but they aren't perfect," Jason said as he put a peg on his boat, "A3."

"...miss," Anna said, "...Well, just because your parents are that way doesn't mean we have to be that way. A7."

"Hit," Jason said, placing a peg on a boat, "No, but we're already way worse than my parents. Look at this failed fucking marriage. Not that that's a bad thing, I mean, at least we tried. Too many people don't even try. We at least gave it a fair shot, had a kid, spent some nice years together. There's no shame in things falling apart, that's what I'm trying to teach myself. H6."

"Hit," Anna said, placing a peg on her boat, and clearing her throat, "Yeah, but there's shame that comes from others judging you. Okay, so you don't feel bad that you failed, but everyone else feels bad that we failed. Doesn't that mean anything to you? Or are you just so in denial now that you're going to claim you don't care what others think? Because the people who don't care what others think are goddamned liars. B2."

"Hit," Jason said, "Anna, you're overlooking the big picture here. I have come to terms with what I've done, how I've hurt people, and that I'm kind of a bad person, yes. That I need to change. So okay sure, I care what others think, but their opinions about me aren't why I'm trying to fix myself."

"You're sure as hell not trying for me," Anna said.

"I'm trying for the best of everyone," Jason said, "I'm the only one in the family who is detached from reality. You're all growing, learning, changing. I'm stuck in believing that I have to be who I've been my entire life because that's what society pounds into our heads from the second we're born. It assigns us a gender role and tells us 'you can only be gay or straight' or 'you can only fail or succeed' when that is really such fucking bullshit. I am tired of being the only one at family game night who isn't part of the family."

"You're not not part of the family, Jason, for chrissakes, it's YOUR family. I'M your wife. I'M the one not related to them," Anna said, "If anyone isn't a part of the family, it's ME. You wanna spout off some pop therapy platitudes to make yourself feel better, that's fine, but don't deny the fact that if and when this divorce happens, you're the one who still has a family, and you're the one who'll still go to game night and you-"

"You'll come, you're seeing Ashley," Jason interrupted.

"It's your turn, by the way," Anna said.

"C5," Jason said as Anna plugged another peg into her boat.

"B3," Anna said, watching Jason peg another, "Don't turn this around to be about you and what you're going to lose, okay? YOU'RE the one who wants this divorce. I'm fine with a separation, taking some time apart and thinking about things, and-"

"No," Jason said sternly, shaking his head, "No, it's divorce or nothing."

"Why are you so deadset on-"

"Because I don't like limbo!" Jason shouted, "J2!"

"Hit," Anna said, pegging her ship, "B4! Jason, I'm willing to work on things, but you're so deadset against things already being so far gone that you aren't willing to listen to the possibilities! We could fix stuff, we could-"

"I don't wanna be with you!" Jason shouted, "I...I don't want to ruin your life anymore! I've held you back so long! Go and be with my sister, or whoever your wanna be with, just stop trying to be with ME!"

They both exhaled, panting, out of breath. They sat back down, looking at their game boards as Anna wiped her eyes on her sleeve, trying not to openly cry in front of him. Jason rubbed his face with his hands and groaned.

"B6," Jason said.

"Miss," Anna said, "B5. I can't...I don't....I don't know what to say to you anymore."

"Anna," Jason said, "When you told me about you and Ashley, god, your eyes lit up. They lit up in a way I haven't seen in years now. I used to see that light, but I don't get to see it anymore, and if I'm not making you light up like that, someone else should be able to. You...you deserve to be happy and loved, and if my sister can make you do that..."

"What about Belle?"

"Plenty of children have divorced parents."

"Doesn't mean they SHOULD. I don't want Belle having no family like I had," Anna said, starting to cry.

"Anna, she won't have no family!" Jason said, almost laughing, "God, I love my daughter, she's the only good thing I've ever done, and she'll still have my family and you and...Belle will be loved, I will go out of my way to make sure of that. J5."

After a few seconds, Anna pegged something and looked at her lap.

"You sunk my battleship, Jason," she said quietly, "you've sunk everything."

"...I'm sorry, Anna, but you'll be happy, trust me," Jason said.

"Trust you? Trust you about dissolving our marriage? Thinking I'll be okay?" Anna said, "...I already trusted you when you said you wanted to marry me, and that you loved me. I recognize I've made mistakes too, but at least I'm willing to try and fix things and-"

"For Belle. You're fixing them for Belle. Not for you. That's the difference," Jason said, "Our child deserves a happy home, yes, and to be loved, yes, and for things to be stable, but...not at the expense of you spending the rest of your life being unhappy. I'm trying to change, Anna, and this is the first part of that."

Anna pulled her knees to her chest, resting her chin on them and wrapped her arms around her knees, looking at the battleship board.

"You know, when I was a little kid, Monica and I played board games all the time," Anna said, "It was the only thing we had to do, ya know, our family was so distant and split up and unhappy. But we had eachother and we spent so much time playing board games. Even well into high school we spent so much time together at nights just...playing board games, because we loved being with one another."

"....and?"

"I fucking hate board games now," Anna said, "I also fucking hate my sister. Guess who's fault both of those are."

"I take full responsibility for those, yes," Jason said.

Anna stood up and grabbed her jacket, pulling it back on.

"Do you wanna play another game? There's still a lot to discuss," Jason said.

"No, Jason, I don't wanna play another fucking game. I am done playing games. Fuck battleship and fuck you," Anna said as she exited the apartment, slamming the door behind her. Jason sat on the couch, just listening to the traffic outside when Belle appeared in the living room, looking at him.

"Daddy?" she asked.

"Hey pumpkin," Jason said, "C'mere."

Belle walked over and sat beside Jason, snuggling up alongside her father as he gently stroked her hair and kissed her forehead.

"What's going on?" Belle asked.

"Oh...nothing really. Your father's just kind of a bad person. You want me to read you a bedtime story?" he asked, and she nodded happily. Jason picked her up and carried her off to bed.

                                                                                ***

Anna pulled over on the bridge connecting the two sides of the city, took a few deep breaths and then started pounding her steering wheel, screaming "fuck you" at he top of her lungs repeatedly. After a few minutes, she opened the glove compartment, pulled out a pen and a scrap of paper and started writing furiously. When she was done, she took a bobbypin from her hair and pinned the note to her shirt, then got out of the car. Anna walked slowly from the car over to the bridge wall and took a deep breath, then climbed on top. Below was the dark cold bay, crashing and swirling. All it would take was a single step.

*bzzzzz!*

Anna stopped, her foot dangling over the edge. Her phone buzzed again within her jacket pocket. She pulled it out and swiped the screen to see a text.

"Hey, out early. You wanna play Scrabble on fb?" from Ashley Fuller.

Anna took a few quick breaths, and realized that board games have ruined her marriage, but they've also just saved her life. She stepped off the bridge back onto the road and replied she would like that, but in person, and that she was coming over with chinese food.

Scrabble stopped her suicide. Fucking Hasbro.

Jason Fuller could remember the first time he ever met Anna Chlumsky. It was in college, about their third year in, and he met her at a book fair. She was reciting poetry she'd written herself, and then a few weeks later he spotted her playing a ukulele outside in the quad for the sake of performance one night. He couldn't stop thinking about her, thinking about how god damned beautiful she was. She was about 5'7, she had that farm girl paleness to her, freckles splattered across her face over the bridge of her nose and her cheeks, that medium length auburn hair that glinted in any light she stood in. She had a laugh that could hypnotize anyone else into laughing as well, and was so thoughtful, so caring, so funny. He just had to get to know her.

By the time they were out of college, they were a serious couple, and she'd met the Fuller family on numerous occasions. They loved her, and she liked them well enough too. She and Jason wanted the same things from life, they were both driven and hard working, they liked a lot of the same stuff. It seemed like a match made in heaven.

To hear Jason tell it.

Anna, however, felt trapped. Sure, she loved Jason. She knew she could have a life with this person. But that didn't stop her from questioning things. She knew she didn't want to be that settled down that early into her life. She didn't want to be that pigeonholed. She wanted...a life, first. She wanted to live. So whereas Jason could remember the first time he ever saw Anna Chlumsky, Anna Chlumsky could remember the first time she ever met Ashley Fuller. Admiring her own boyfriends sister from a distance, always wondering, always thinking...and now it was real. Now she was sitting in Ashley's car, down the street from the Fuller household, kissing the woman she'd forever wondered if she could be with. Anna was pushed against the passenger side, the back of her head against the window, as Ashley kissed her neck, biting gently, Anna moaning softly. After a few minutes, Ashley stopped and looked at Anna.

"Are you okay?" Ashley asked.

"I am really okay, yeah," Anna said, "I feel like a hypocrite, being with someone and yet being mad at my husband for doing the same thing, but, that's life I guess. Nothing is every cut and dry or crystal clear."

"You are so goddamned beautiful, I can't imagine why my brother would EVER sleep with someone else," Ashley said. Anna smirked, ran her hands through her own hair and exhaled.

"There's a lot of history between your brother and I," Anna said, "A lot of stuff you don't know about. Men romanticize their relationships because they want to think they're emulating what they see in films, women romanticize films because they want it to be real life. Jason isn't a bad guy. He's....he has said some cruel things, and he has done some bad stuff, but everyone does, everyone has, and he's not that bad a person. He's just lost and confused and angry."

"I get it," Ashley said, "...when Jason left for college, I was still in high school and I wanted to be him, I wanted to be out on my own and experiencing life, but...people always say 'isn't it funny' when referring to how when you're a kid you wanna be an adult and when you're an adult you yearn for childhood, but they're wrong, it isn't funny. It's sick. It's cruel."

Anna looked out the windshield and saw Jason pull up and park in the driveway. After a few minutes, he got out and went inside. Anna turned to Ashley, grabbed the back of her neck and kept right on kissing her.

                                                                                     ***

Jason entered the foyer and found Carl sitting alone at the island in the kitchen. He walked in and unzipped his windbreaker, only to recognize that Carl was...in a dress, and, from what he could tell, had makeup on? Jason walked to the island and stood opposite from them, finishing unzipping his windbreaker before pulling a stool aside to sit on.

"Hey," Jason said, and Carl just nodded, not even looking up from what they were reading, so Jason continued, "Where is everyone?"

"Mom and dad are upstairs, and I don't know where Ashley is. I guess she isn't here yet," they replied, "How're you?"

"I'm okay," Jason said, "My jaw's still a little sore," he added as he walked to the fridge and got out a fruit juice drink, twisting the cap off and taking a drink, "I uh...I like your dress, it's a very nice pattern."

"Oh," Carl said, looking at it and then at their brother, smiling, "Thank you."

"What's the game tonight?" Jason asked.

"Trouble," Carl said, "...speaks volumes, actually."

"...Carl, I really want to apologize for last week. I...I am so so fucking sorry. I am just so frustrated and upset and angry. You and Ashley and Anna, you all know who you are and I...I don't know who I am. I feel like I just took what society TOLD me I am and have been living as that for all these years. I wish I was as confident about myself as you all are. I love you. If you're my brother, I love you, if you're my sister I love you, no matter what I love you."

Carl stood up, walked around the isle and hugged Jason tightly, crying into their shirt. Jason just hugged them back, ruffling their hair. He smiled and laid his chin on the top of their head, just embracing the moment. Ashley and Anna came into the kitchen to this sight and were confused, until Carl pulled away from Jason and Ashley grinned.

"You look so good!" Ashley said, giving Carl a hug, "Did you do your own makeup?"

"Yeah..." Carl said, their voice shaking, clearly nervous. While Ashley and Carl talked, Anna grabbed Jason's sleeve and nodded toward the front porch. He followed her out there, shutting the door behind them. Anna sat on the porch swing, while Jason did the same, a bit of space between them.

"Um..." Anna said, "...I figured this was the right thing to do, so I've discussed it and I'm going to do it. I forgive you for what you did with my sister. I know you're unhappy, and I know that things aren't good between us, like, at ALL, and uh...I've been spending the night at your sisters a lot, so if you've been wondering where I am, that's where I've been."

"Well that's nice of her," Jason said, "You just talking about me? Hahaha."

"...I'm sleeping with your sister," Anna said, "I know, the irony is hilarious, believe me I get it."

"You don't have to say anything, Anna. I feel like I trapped you inadvertently by marrying you without really asking you more about what you wanted. I...have done some terrible things the last few weeks, and I've said some awful stuff to everyone, and I just don't think I'm the person you're meant to be with."

"...what?"

"I just think you deserve someone a lot better than me," Jason said, smiling, "You're a beautiful, intelligent, remarkable woman, Anna, and you deserve so much more than I've ever managed to give you in the entire time you've been with me. Come on, let's go in and see if the game's ready."

As it turned out, Harold and Betty were already finished setting up, and Ashley and Carl were sitting side by side on the floor. Anna sat on the couch beside Jason, as everyone put their pieces on the starting lines and started taking their turns. Carl cleared their throat and smiled as they finished their turn.

"I have a job interview," Carl said, "I think...I might get this job. It's tomorrow. This is the second interview, so I'm really nervous but I'm excited."

"That's awesome," Ashley said, taking her turn, "I've been turning in work like crazy trying to catch up on the lost revenue from Snack Cats, but it's going pretty well. Still, I'm exhausted every night because I've been working so much."

"Well, your mother and I won't be here for next weeks game night," Harold said, as everyone turned to look in surprise.

"Yeah, we're going to see my uncle in the hospital, so we'll be out of town for a bit," Betty said, "You all feel free to play though if you want."

"Carl," Jason said, clearing his throat, scratching the back of his neck, "Uh...will your work let you..wear whatever you want, or?"

"...I...I don't even know that I would, I mean, I'm almost not even comfortable doing it here," they replied, "It's kind of new for me to be this open around people, even if those people are you assholes. But maybe?"

"If you run into any trouble, I know someone who can help you legally, if you want to pursue that," Jason said, everyone sort of quiet in awe at his kind nature, especially in regards towards Carl, "But that's totally up to you."

"Thank you, Jason," Carl replied, watching Anna take their turn.

"It's a shame that you guys will be out of town next week because Belle is in a play at school and she asked if you guys could come," Anna said, "She'll be a bit upset."

"We're sorry, you know we would but this is very urgent," Betty said, "We don't even know if he's gonna last until we get there. It's a real shot in the dark even trying, but I owe it to him. He's my favorite uncle, and I wish I'd seen him more recently."

"I understand," Anna said, "We'll videotape it for you and you can watch it when you get back."

"That would be lovely," Betty said, "We'll make sure to get it from you when we get back."

"You know, I went to the store earlier and ran into Sarah Riddley, the girl who used to babysit you guys, remember? She was a teenager at the time. She's getting married now and it's just so weird to see other people you knew who aren't your children getting older and growing up," Harold said, "She was really nice still, she said to tell you hi Carl."

"She asked for me by name?"

"Yeah, she said to tell everyone hi and tell Carl I miss them," Harold said and Carl blushed, as Harold continued, "It's just weird, you don't gauge how much time has passed until the time has passed, you know? You never realize how fast your kids are growing up until it's twenty years down the line and suddenly your kid's getting married and you wake up and go 'holy shit, I am old, what the fuck happened?' ya know. It's a very-"

"I want a divorce," Jason said, as Harold dropped his gamepiece onto the board and everyone stared at him. Anna's jaw was lowered, her eyes wide, nobody saying a word. This was not what they'd expected, and had they expected it, they especially hadn't expected Jason to be the one to ask for it. After a few moments, Anna managed to squeak out a quiet, "What?"

"I want a divorce," Jason said, smiling, looking calm as can be, "I want you to have a divorce from me, so you can live your life the way you want to and I can stop holding you back."

"...I...I don't...is it my turn?" Anna asked, as someone handed Jason the dice.

"After me," he said, rolling, "Anyway, I've already contacted a lawyer, so I suggest you do the same. We can do it really easy, we can just split things right down the middle. I don't want you to give anything up, and I'll pay child support. We can do split custody or you can have full custody and I'll just have weekends if that's what you want. Whatever you wanna do, Anna."

A long silence. Anna didn't respond. She just took her turn and then gave the dice back to Ashley as Carl folded their arms.

"I don't 'get' board games," they said, completely ignoring Jason's statements, "I mean the entire idea is friendly competition. That's a phrase we hear far too often, right? Friendly competition. That's an oxymoron. There's no such thing as 'friendly competition'. If you're competing, you're trying to win. The competition part totally undermines the friendly aspect. I don't know, just bugs me."

"You guys hear that siren? It's the semantics police," Ashley said, snickering.

"After what you did, after what I told you earlier, you want a divorce?" Anna asked, still apparently stuck in that moment, and then, turning to Harold, asked, "Did you ever fail to give your wife an orgasm?"

Betty, admittedly, did a spit take back into her wine glass, nearly laughing. Harold cracked up, as Ashley's jaw dropped now and even Carl looked a bit bewildered by this turn of events.

"Uh, well, if you're asking my ego then of course not, if you want the truth, you'd have to ask her," Harold said.

"Harold has been a very considerate lover," Betty said, "But nobody can be perfect all the time."

"Holy god, what're you doing," Carl asked, horrified at this conversation.

"But you tried, at least, yeah? You gave it your all? You didn't ask her to dress up like someone else, or call her by the wrong name repeatedly? You wanted her and only her? Why make love to someone you're clearly not in love with, am I right? Because that's what I've been dealing with the last few years," Anna said, now turning to look back at Jason, "It's obvious that what you said on the porch was true, that's why it surprised me, because even YOU recognized the reality of it. You obviously haven't been in love with me for a long time, you just love the CONCEPT of me, a wife, a homemaker, a child rearer."

"You're absolutely right, yes," Jason said, "That's what society has taught men to strive for. I did love you. I still do. But you're right, not in the way you want me to, that you need me to or that you even deserve to be loved. That's why I want you to leave me. Because I recognize my shortcomings and that you should be given more than I have given you or ever could give you."

"....is he a pod person?" Carl asked, "Did...did aliens take over your body? Where's our brother?"

Carl took their turn as Harold and Betty watched the tension and confusion between Jason and Anna. After a few minutes, Anna started laughing hysterically. Jason cracked a smile and began to laugh as well.

"What is WRONG with you people?" Carl asked, "Your marriage just fell apart!"

"I know!" Jason said, happily tossing his arms into the air, "Isn't it great?!"

"God, why didn't we just break up a long time ago?" Anna asked.

"I don't know!" Jason said gleefully, "I feel like an entire weight has been lifted off my shoulders! Let's just finish this fuckin game, guys! Family game night, right?!"

Carl and Ashley exchanged a nervous, confused glance behind Anna's back, as they continued with the game.

                                                                                   ***

That evening, after the game had ended and everyone went home, Ashley stayed behind to help clean up and shut the house down so her folks could go to sleep. Anna and Jason had actually gone home together, probably to discuss the dissolvement of their marriage, and Ashley felt alone. She walked out the front door and took out a pack of cigarettes, lit one and then spotted Carl sitting on the porch swing, still in their dress. Ashley sat down next to them and sighed, scratching her forehead with her pinky nail.

"Do you think....do you think the people we end up with will ever hate us like that?" Ashley asked.

"I don't think Jason and Anna hate eachother, that's the thing. I think they love and respect one another so much that they recognize they're not supposed to be together and they don't want to lie anymore. That's kind of beautiful, actually," Carl said.

"...you look really pretty," Ashley said and Carl smiled.

"I feel really comfortable," Carl said, "I actually feel really comfortable. It's amazing what just dressing in the right clothes can do for your mental health."

"I'm sorry if this is too personal or something but...are you going to go any further?" Ashley asked, "I mean, the strides made in this field, hormone replacement therapy is like magic, man, have you seen the shit it can do? Some shots or some pills and bam, that's that. I mean, I know it doesn't ease the overall pain, but it can make people so much happier, and more comfortable and-"

"I don't know, Ashley, honestly. Right now I really don't know," Carl said, "I just know that I look at Jason and Anna and I think 'I NEVER want to be THAT unhappy', you know? So yeah, maybe I will, because if I don't then I might never and then I'll die without really being who I am, and that's wrong. We should all be who we are."

A cool breeze wafted by, ringing their mothers wind chimes on the front porch. Ashley exhaled her smoke into the clear night sky and sighed.

"...I guess I'll go home," Ashley said, "...you know, I'm behind you 100% ok?"

"I know Ash, thanks," Carl said. She smiled, walked down the driveway, got into her car and left. Carl pulled out their cell phone and got onto social media. They searched for a bit and finally found Sarah Riddley. They smiled, put their finger on the screen and clicked "Send friend request".

Upstairs, Harold was reading a book while Betty flipped through the TV channels, landing on a cooking show. Harold cleared his throat and looked at his wife, lowering his reading glasses.

"So that stuff earlier, about how nobody can be perfect all the time?" he asked.

"Total lies, sweetheart," Betty said, "You rock my world."

"I knew it," Harold replied, going back to reading.

"What?" Carl asked, staring at Betty as she was making tea, her back to him, but he continued, "What the hell do you mean dad isn't doing Family Game Night tonight? That was a week ago, and it wasn't even his fault, he shouldn't-"

"Whether he should or shouldn't feel bad is irrelevant, what matters is that he does feel bad," Betty said, "And he won't be joining us tonight. He's leaving you and me in charge, so go get Risk out of the game cabinet."

"I don't even know where the game cabinet IS," Carl said, sitting down on a stool at the island.

"Alright, I'll go, just watch my tea," Betty said, as she exited the kitchen. Carl sat there and looked at his nails, which he'd painted a sort of seafoam green the other night. He smiled at it, and then wondered if he was going too fast. He wasn't even exactly sure yet what he considered himself...and then Ashley came in, in torn jeans and a white tank top with writing that said, "There's no rules for dating my daughter" on it.

"Hey," Ashley said, heading straight for the fridge and getting a bottle of juice out and then a glass from the cabinet. She set it down on the island and started pouring, and then looked at Carl, who had watched her, and got another glass for him too. After she sipped her juice, she exhaled and looked around, "Where's dad?"

"In their bedroom," Carl said, "He's too upset about last week to come play. Claims the whole thing was his fault."

"Probably because you kept telling him it was his fault," Ashley said, wiping her mouth on her arm, "Just guessing though."

"Hey, dad didn't sleep with Anna's sister, alright?" Carl said, "Besides, mom's in charge and I'm sure she'll do fine....you smell weird."

"That your opener for all women you meet?" Ashley asked, "You might wanna work on that."

Carl sniffed around her, leaning over the island on his elbows, "You smell like...I can't place it, it's really familiar. You smell like something fruity."

"Ok that's just homophobic," Ashley said, the both of them grinning. Just then, the teapot started screeching and Ashley took it off the stove when Anna came into the kitchen in grey heels and a cute strapless blue dress. They smiled at one another as Anna sat down at the island next to Carl.

"I am so tired," Anna said, running her face down with her palms, "I had such a long day, and I have an evaluation next week, and it's just like...it's just too much to handle right now. Can I have some juice?"

Carl gave her his glass and she drank some before pouring more into the glass. Ashley came away from the stove and leaned on the island, grinning. Carl and Anna looked at one another before looking back at her, both looking unnerved.

"What?" they asked in unison.

"Wanna fuck with Jason?" Ashley asked.

"After last week? Yeah, I really would," Anna said, "Why? What you got in mind?"

                                                                                  ***

Jason was sitting in his car, in the driveway of his childhood home, dreading going inside for Family Game Night. He kept tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, trying to think of anything he could to distract him from everything that had fallen apart in the last few weeks, especially the previous week. Since last game night, Anna hadn't been talking to him much, and some nights hadn't come home until very, very late. This made Jason nervous for numerous reasons, most of them ridiculous. He sighed and rested his forehead on the steering wheel, unsure of what to do, when there was a knock on his driver side window. He jolted up, surprised, and then rolled the window down to see Ashley standing there.

"What?" he asked.

"Are you coming inside? It's gonna start soon," she said, "Also, dad isn't playing tonight."

"He's...he's not?"

"He feels bad for forcing that sorry idea on us last week," Ashley said, "So mom's taking over for this week. Anyway, come inside, everyone's here and-"

"...I don't know that I want to," Jason said, but Ashley reached in, unlocked his door and started pulling him out by his arm.

"Alriiiight, come on sad sack, let's go," she said, putting his arm around her shoulder and helping him inside. Once in the foyer, Jason straightened up and fixed his tie, smiling a little bit more. He looked at Ashley and nodded approvingly.

"You're a pretty good sister," he said.

"She is pretty nice," a voice said from the kitchen entrance, which Jason immediately recognized as Monica. He looked at her, his face flushed, his eyes burning with anger at his sister. He figured something like this might've happened.

"It's nice to see you," Jason said.

"Yeah, I guess it's nice to see you," Monica said, approaching them, "though I might be a little more lenient than my sister is right now."

Monica walked back into the kitchen, which was when Jason grabbed Ashley by the shoulders, snarling into her face, a stupid enormous grin on her the entire time.

"Why did you invite Anna's sister?!" Jason whispered angrily at her, "After last week, you...oh...oh I see, this is a lesson isn't it? I get it. You and Carl and Anna, you all think you're so fucking clever don't you? This is low."

"That's rich, coming from a cheater," Ashley whispered back, "And I'll have you know, Monica and Anna aren't really on the best speaking terms right now. Probably because you slept with one of them while being married to the other. So you've not only ruined your own marriage, but a sisterhood as well. Well done."

Ashley patted him on the shoulder before heading into the kitchen. Jason just stayed in the foyer, running his hands over his face, gritting his teeth, wanting to scream his lungs out. He felt a hand on his shoulder and put his hands down to see his mom standing there, smiling at him.

"You don't hate me?" he managed to sniffle out.

"I hate what you've done, but no Jason, I don't hate you. You're my son, I am never going to hate you, even if I disagree with your choices," Betty said, "Come on, help me set up the board."

Jason followed his mother into the living room, where she put Risk down on the table and took the lid off. Jason sat on the couch, not even helping, just watching her as she set the game up. He ran his hands through his hair, exhaling loudly.

"I can't...I've ruined my whole life, and worse than that, I've...I've ruined Anna's life too," he said, "As if I don't feel bad enough already...and not because it came out that it happened, but because I did it in the first place. Anna doesn't come home until late now, I don't know what she's out doing or anything. She won't talk to me, which I deserve, and I don't have any right to know everything she does, she's her own person, but still..."

"When your father and I were in college," Betty said, "Or, rather, when I was in college helping your father, there was this couple in his morning class. They were living together off campus, and at school everything seemed fine. They were sweet and lovey to one another all the time. Then, one morning, they're late for class and when she finally comes in, she's asking for help and she's got blood on her. She shot him, right there in their kitchen, because he was abusing her. He wasn't even getting drunk and using alcohol as an excuse, no, he was just beating the shit out of her of his own want in their home. She put up a good facade in public so nobody asked any questions, but he was so controlling, and she couldn't do anything she wanted with anyone she wanted, friends or family, whatever. She finally had enough and probably saved her own life, all in the name of self defense. Still, people came to the guys defense far more than they did for her. They claimed if he had reason to be suspicious, then maybe she was doing something behind his back, as if jealousy is any justification for killing anyone, man or woman. So, when the shoe inevitably drops, if you and Anna break up, just know that no matter what happens, you'll win out in the end, even if you weren't the one in the wrong, all because you're a man and society is conditioned to believe you far long before it even considers believing her."

"I know all about the inequality women face, believe me, I'm not a sexist, you know that. I love Anna so much, but I don't think I'm the person she's supposed to be with, and like what you said, no reason is going to justify what I did. Excuses, excuses, all that jazz. She...she deserves someone better than me. I think we got married because it was easy. There was no risk involved. We liked one another, and it was safer than putting more time into someone else after that many years together," Jason said.

"That's how life is, often, Jason," Betty said, stroking his hair, kissing the top of his head, "I'm going to get the others."

Betty exited the living room, leaving Jason alone. He just sat and stared at the game board, and then his eyes wandered over to where his father should be sitting, if he wasn't upstairs, feeling ashamed. Jason wanted so badly to go upstairs and get his dad, bring him down, make him see none of this was his fault, but he just didn't have it in him. Sometimes people need their space. He was coming to learn that the hard way. Betty, Monica, Ashley, Anna and Carl came into the room and all took their seats. Risk is designed for up to 6 players, so with Harold sitting this week out, everyone got a chance. Anna was sitting directly across from Jason, next to her sister on one side and Ashley on another and Carl was beside Jason, with Betty at the end of the table.

"Well, I actually have good news," Ashley said, "I found a new client to replace Snack Cats. Looks like I won't be in the red by the end of this year after all."

"Hey that's great," Carl said, as they all set up, "I have another job interview tomorrow, so this looks pretty promising actually. Hopefully by next week I'll be employed."

"This guy I met last month is taking me to this fancy ass boat house his folks own up in Tahoe next week," Monica said, "I'm pretty excited, 'cause I haven't had time off from work in months it feels like."

Everyone had something going for them, things were looking up for everyone, except Jason. He needed to win this game. He needed SOMETHING.

                                                                                        ***

"Oh god, it's nearly 1 am," Anna whined as Ashley yawned, sitting in the big lazy chair. It had come down to Ashley, Carl and Jason. Anna, Monica and Betty had been taken out, and Ashley was on the brink of destruction, teetering on failure. Jason had everything except Ashley's hold on South America and Carl's hold on Asia. Ashley leaned closer to Carl and whispered while Jason mulled over his options.

"We fucked up and Monica is out, but she and Anna are talking more...still...I'll give in to you if you take Jason out. He needs to topple," Ashley muttered, and Carl nodded.

"I can do it, I know I can," Carl said, "Just leave it to me."

Ashley set about setting up her own downfall, allowing Carl to take control of her armies and land, and putting him into prime position to set up Jason's demise. After the next few turns, Ashley was out as well, and went to sit by her mother. Carl looked across the table at Jason, and could see his brother chewing on his nails, which he knew from growing up that he only did when he was really nervous.

"So where'd you meet this boat house guy, Monica?" Ashley asked.

"At the country club, where I wait tables, well I'm actually the head of the kitchen department, but waiting tables just saves time when explaining my job to people," Monica said.

"That must piss off all the rich white people, eh?" Anna asked, "That you're a successful black woman at their country club?"

"Honestly, Anna, the prototype country club that rich white people created is just a way to still have some form of slavery over african americans. It's still a huge, overly rich plot of land, not unlike that of an orchard or plantation, and they love to 'employ' us. They barely have any other folks that aren't black working there, it's...kinda sickening. But the pay is rather decent, so I keep it until I decide what I really wanna do," Monica said.

"I agree," Jason said, which took everyone by surprise, as he looked up and scratched his head, "I mean, she's not wrong. The entire idea of a country club is for luxary for those who can afford it, and we don't allow people who aren't the majority, white, to be able to afford it. We fix the system in our favor, stack the odds against them, and then tell them they just need to 'work harder' or some bullshit, when, let's face it, a lot of those white people didn't work at all and were born into that money. She's totally right."

"Well, thank..thank you, Jason," Monica said, and Anna smiled.

"Speaking of toppling the top 1% white male patriarchy," Carl said, "I'm about to destroy your entire regime. Game, set match."

Everyone looked at the board and realized he wasn't joking. Jason looked up from the board at Carl and saw Carl was staring at him with the most intense look in his eyes.

"...I...I just...wanted..." Jason mumbled.

"Oh, YOU wanted something? Well, I bet your wife wanted someone who wouldn't cheat on her, with someone in her own family nonetheless. By the way, this lesson has nothing to do with you being a straight while male, like so many people seem to think these days, no, it has to do with you being just kind of an asshole. Stop. fucking. hurting people," Carl said, and Jason stood up, the both of them standing there, staring at one another, "I know that that's the risk one takes when you trust somebody, especially in something like marriage, but-"

"What the fuck would you know about marriage?!" Jason shouted, "You've barely ever had girlfriends! You're so fucking sad and unmasculine, you think you wanna BE a girl!"

And that was it. There was a collective gasp within the room, as even Jason's eyes widened, and he realized what he'd just said. Carl's eyes were swelling with tears, as Anna stood up and walked to Carl, putting her arms around his shoulders.

"Carl, I'm so-I'm sorry, I...I didn't mean-"

And down Jason went to the floor, as Ashley's fist collided with his jaw. Jason rolled onto his back, clenching his jaw with his hand, massaging it as he looked upwards at his sister, towering over him.

"Fuck you!" Ashley shouted, "How fucking DARE you say that to anyone, let alone a family member! The fuck is WRONG with you?!"

And then Ashley grabbed the board and started beating her brother with it.

"Ow!" Jason said, shielding himself with his hands, "The fuck, Ashley, stop! That hurts!"

"Yeah, well, getting beat up is the risk you take, I guess, for being a dick!" she yelled, continuing to beat him with it. After a few moments, Harold was standing behind Ashley, holding her back, looking at Jason.

"Dad?" he asked.

"I can't leave you people alone for a single week without it devolving into a soap opera," Harold said, "This right here, this is why we even HAVE family game night, is because families fucking hate eachother, and that shouldn't be the norm. Look at every single family sitcom since the late 90s, it's all insults and backhanded remarks, it's a snarkfest. Families should not hate one another. You're supposed to love your family. You're supposed to be able to depend on them. They're supposed to be the one group of people in your life who won't hurt you or abandon you. Look at yourselves. I guess I failed in raising you, or maybe society just corrupts us no matter what our base influence is, I don't know, all I know is that this is sick and this fighting has to stop. Jason, apologize to Carl."

Jason looked from his father to his brother, stood up and rubbed his jaw a bit more before putting his jacket on and just left. Everyone looked at Carl, who just turned and went upstairs, nearly sobbing before even shutting their bedroom door. Harold sighed as Betty got up and helped him start to pick up the pieces of the game. Monica looked at her sister, and then went out the front door as well, maybe to follow Jason, nobody was sure. Ashley looked at Anna, who just stayed sitting in the chair. After Betty and Harold left the room to put the game away and head upstairs, Ashley sat down on the couch and looked at Anna.

"...Anna, you know you can stay with me as long as you'd like, but I can't tell you what to do about your marriage," Ashley said, "I mean-"

"Harold's wrong," Anna said sternly, taking Ashley by surprise.

"What?"

"Your father...is wrong. He sees fighting and yelling and thinks that's bad. He thinks that because he knows no different. I come from a family who adopted a black sister, which is great, but that was because they wanted to prove they were good people, that they weren't racists. To someone who has a family, you don't know what having no family is like. Yeah, you all fight and yell and stuff, but you're together, you keep coming back week after week and everything works itself out. That's a hell of a lot better than not having any family at all," Anna said.

Ashley stood up, walked to Anna's chair, sat in her lap and kissed her. Anna's hand reached out and pulled the string on the floor lamp, turning it off, leaving them in darkness.

The entire family had given up some secrets, things they'd been sorry for, but none had come close to what Jason had just admitted. Everyone stared at him, in absolute shock, their jaws nearly touching the floor. Anna had her hand to her mouth, her eyes brimming with tears as she backed away from him, unsure of what words she could even manage to get out of her throat.

"Wow," Carl finally said, "Wow, you're a real piece of shit."

                                                                                        ***

                                                                            1 HOUR EARLIER

"This is a terrible idea," Carl said, "I'm telling you, you don't wanna do this. After the last few game nights, especially."

"How can you be a family if you don't grow together, and learn and trust one another?" Harold asked, as he sat at the kitchen table with Carl, the both of them eating cookies from a package on the table. Harold put a cookie in his mouth and kept talking, "We've got to keep growing, until we die, otherwise we aren't really growing at all. People use the term 'growing up' but they figure they're done growing up once they've grown up to a point in which they're content with. You never stop growing up though. That's why I'm doing this. So that each one of us can look inside of ourselves and admit something we're sorry about."

"Dad," Carl said, sitting forward, arms crossed on the table, "...dad, I really admire you, I do. You're an intelligent man, you're well educated, you're insightful, but trust me when I say this, and I do say it with the upmost respect, this is a fucking stupid idea and you're a fucking idiot if you do this."

Harold laughed and opened his bottle of carrot juice, taking a swig, "Carl, I understand your reservations, but this is how things are gonna be tonight. It can't go too poorly."

"I bet that's what Napoleon said," Carl said.

                                                                                       ***

Jason was driving, Anna in the passenger, neither one saying a word. Neither one had actually spoken much to the other in the last week. They'd put on a nice face for Belle, but when she wasn't around, when she was at school or asleep, things were just quiet and discomforting, if not sometimes downright rude. Jason wanted to apologize for how he'd been lately, the guilt had been eating him up inside, and Anna couldn't get his sister out of her head. The way she'd kissed her in the bathroom, the way she'd tasted and smelled...she was hooked on her.

"What's the game tonight?" Anna finally asked, looking out her window while she spoke.

"It's Sorry," Jason said, "...a little too on the nose if you ask me, but hey, that's dad for you. Not a man for subtlety."

Anna did crack a bit of a smirk at that, but then just as quickly wiped it away, looking out at the cars around them. They came to a red light, and Jason tapped on the steering wheel with his fingers to some tune she didn't recognize. After a moment, Jason looked over at her and realized she was staring at him.

"What?" he asked.

"...when you asked me to marry you, did you actually love me, or was it just something you needed to do before your siblings did?" Anna asked, and Jason was actually somewhat surprised at her tone. She'd been mean before, sure, he'd seen her utterly pissed, but this was different. This was...cold.

"Of course I loved you, I still love you. See, this is exactly why I wanted to stop coming to this thing. Look at what it's doing to us. We used to be best friends, Anna, and in the span of a few short weeks, everything's changed. We don't talk anymore. Hell, we hardly look at one another."

"...who're you trying to convince, exactly?" Anna asked, and then looked away from him again.

                                                                                        ***

Carl and Harold were setting up the board, Carl the entire time just casting doubts on this entire idea, but Harold wasn't having any of it. As Carl placed the last piece at the 'start' line and then set the dice in the middle of the board, he sighed and looked at his father again, who was putting the game box on the floor beside the table.

"Dad, seriously, please listen to me, you don't-"

"Alright, Disparaging Dora, I've had it-"

"Disparaging Dora?" Carl repeated.

"-with your attitude tonight. Nobody in this family ever actually talks about something unless they're fighting about it, that's what this is aiming to change. Your sister showing up here with that woman was shocking, only because she'd never talked about it before. Your mother and I would've gladly talked to her about who she was and who she loved, but I guess she just thought we might take it poorly, which I understand, a lot of parents sadly do. But that's the thing, nobody talks to anyone. I'm going to change that with tonights game. We're going to fucking talk, god dammit."

It was one of the rare times Carl had actually heard his father openly curse like that.

"You can't talk to your children except under the ruse of a board game?" Carl asked, realizing he was opening up a whole world of problems, "Why is it on the children to initiate conversation? Why can't you guys call Ashley up and be like 'Hi there, we'd like to talk to you, anything going on in your life you want us to know?'. Cause it seems like a pretty one sided relationship if you expect us to do all the work."

Harold was staring at Carl now, not saying a word, chewing on the inside of his cheek. After a few moments, Harold put the box for the game down on the table and walked over to him. He put his hands on his sons shoulders, looked in his eyes and said, "You're right. It shouldn't just be on you guys. I'm sorry."

Carl wasn't expecting that. Just then the front door swung open and Ashley came in, wearing a skirt, and a light blue blouse with the collar buttoned up. She was pulling her hair back in a ponytail when she approached the living room as Betty came out from the kitchen, holding some beers.

"Hi mom," Ashley said.

"Hello dear," Betty said.

Betty handed one beer to Harold and then opened the other for herself. Carl looked back between the two of them and shrugged as Betty sat down in the chair beside Harold.

"Where's MY beer? What about me?" Carl asked.

"What ABOUT you?" Betty replied, finishing her sip.

"Jason's not here yet?" Ashley asked, walking past Carl, touching his shoulder and taking a seat on the couch, pulling out her cell phone, unlocking it. Carl shook his head in response to her question and then headed into the kitchen for his own beer.

"So," Harold said, "I was just telling your brother that-"

And then Jason and Anna entered, Anna coming in a few steps behind Jason, looking clearly pissed off. As they came in, and Anna took her seat next to Ashley, the two of them flashing a quick smile to one another. Jason took his seat in a chair and crossed his arms, putting his feet up on the ottoman.

"Jason, Anna, I was just about to tell Ashley what I'd already told Carl. Tonights game is going to be a bit different. The last few game nights we're been arguing a lot, and I figured tonight we'd bypass all of that and play Sorry, and for each turn, we'd have to admit something we're sorry about. So, that's how things are going to be tonight, any objections?" Harold asked.

"No, I'm sure we'll have no problems finding things to be sorry for, knowing this family," Ashley said.

Carl came back in and handed Jason a beer, which made him smile and thank him, and then took his seat on the other side of Ashley. Harold took the dice, sat down and rolled. He moved a few spaces and then sighed, crossing his arms.

"My first apology is to everyone," he said, "When you kids went to Aunt Gales, I took Picnic to be put down. She was in a lot of pain, and it just wasn't fair for her. I know you kids were really sad, and I'm sorry I said she'd just died instead of telling you the truth, but you were kids, and I didn't want you to hate me because of it. I'd had that dog for years, and I was devastated, believe me, it was a LOT harder for me than it was for you kids. For that, I'm sorry,"

"You had a dog named Picnic?" Anna asked Ashley.

"Don't blame me," Ashley said, thumbing at Carl, who shrugged.

"It was a good word! It sounded like a cute name! Doesn't it sound a little feminine?" Carl asked, and Jason waited a second and then nodded.

"Yeah, yeah I can see that," Jason said, sitting up, "You know, in foreign countries they give words genders. Germany especially. Tables, chairs, whatever. Female chairs. Male tables. We're the only culture that doesn't do it outright, but we still do it. We gender colors, like how 'pink' is somehow associated with women. Pink's a color, folks, not a gender."

"I can't believe you put Picnic down, but I guess I can see how it would hurt you," Carl said, "I forgive you dad, and I'm sorry you had to go through that."

Jason leaned forward and took the dice and rolled, moved his spaces and then sat back and sipped his beer while thinking. After a few moments, he smiled and sat back upright.

"Alright," he said, "Ashley, when we were in high school, I took your floral knee length skirt to give to a girl I liked. I told her I bought it at a fancy boutique and she loved me for it. So, for that I'm sorry."

"Wow," Anna said, "So you've always been kind of despicable."

"I was in high school!" Jason said, half laughing, "I mean, come on, nobody is good in high school. That's the peak of shitty human essence."

"He's not wrong," Carl said.

"I loved that skirt," Ashley mumbled, "I went crazy looking for it...especially in the last year."

"You were STILL looking for it?" Jason asked.

"I was coming over constantly last year looking in the attic and stuff for it. The girl I got it from as a gift died, and I wanted to wear it to her funeral," Ashley continued to mumble, "So yeah...it was kind of important. She was my first serious crush."

Suddenly all eyes were on Jason, as his smile died and he looked actually horrified at how his actions had affected his sister.

"Ash, I....I'm really sorry," Jason finally said, "I didn't..."

"Just shut up Jason," Ashley said as Carl took the dice and looked at their father.

"Good idea, dad," Carl said dryly, before rolling and moving his spaces. He waited a few seconds, and then thought for a moment before exhaling and looking at Ashley.

"Oh god," Ashley said, "Did everyone screw me over growing up!?"

"Ashley, when we in middle school," Carl started, "...uh...you...some of your clothes went missing, remember?"

"What, you give them away to some girl too?" Ashley asked.

"No, I...I was taking them but not to give them to someone...I was...using them for myself. I was...questioning a lot of stuff because I wasn't fitting in and feeling comfortable with who I was, and so I was...I would dress up when I was home alone and see if that made me feel more normal. It helped, a little, but it didn't fix anything. I guess I'm just sort of in between. Anyway, I'm why you were missing some stuff from time to time, and I'm sorry."

Nobody said a word. After a moment, Ashley got up, walked over to where Carl was sitting and hugged him, patting his back, whispering into his ear, "I am so proud of you. You can talk to me anytime about any of this, ok?"

Carl nodded, smiled and Ashley went to sit back down. As she did, she took the dice and rolled, took her spaces and then sat back for a few minutes, thinking about what she might have to apologize for. After a few minutes, she sighed, rubbed her forehead and took a deep breath.

"I have to apologize to myself," she finally said, "For not...being myself, for far too long. I've always tried to be nice to you guys, so I really don't have much to apologize."

"What about the time we filled Jasons car with crabs?" Carl asked, and Ashley laughed.

"That was you guys?!" Jason shouted, standing up, "You know what, I'm not sorry for your stupid skirt. That car was brand new, it was my first car, and my date that weekend complained endlessly about the fish smell. I'm sure that's why she didn't go out with me again."

Anna took the dice and rolled, moved her spaces and looked at Jason, "I'm sorry Jason. I'm sorry that when we were first dating, I actually tried not to get to know your family because I didn't want things to get too serious too fast. Now I'm glad I failed because your family is great, you on the other hand..."

Everyone looked from Anna to Jason, like dogs watching a stick being thrown back and forth.

"Well, Anna, I'm sorry that right after Belle was born, that I was gone a lot, 'working' extra hours. Truth is, I didn't know how to take care of a child and figured you'd be fine doing it yourself," Jason replied, fire in his voice, "I know I've been kind of a shitty husband, so I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry that I keep myself looking good when honestly it's exhausting trying to be pretty in this society all for a guy who doesn't seem to give a shit anymore," Anna said, "I'm sorry I'm not just model gorgeous for you."

"I'm sorry I slept with your sister!" Jason screamed, and that stopped everything.

Anna and Ashley waited a second, looked at one another and Ashley shook her head. Anna didn't respond, she just got up and walked out the front door. Ashley stood up, and passing by Jason muttered, "You're a real fucking asshole" as she went after his wife. Jason sat down, breathing hard, before starting to cry.

"I...actually AM sorry, that's what sucks. I didn't just say it to hurt anyone," he managed to say, as Carl patted his shoulder. Outside on the front porch, Anna was sitting on the porch swing when Ashley came out and sat down beside her.

"...are you ok?" Ashley asked.

"I asked him to stop making us come to these a few weeks ago. I'm glad he refused. This would've have come out if he had refused. I...I'm glad this happened, because now things are a lot clearer for me," Anna said, "He and I haven't gotten along for a while. I feel like this was what I needed, something concrete to really...to just sort of force my decisions."

"Anna," Ashley said, "I know I shouldn't defend him, I know the whole 'but he's my family' shit is trite and overplayed, but he didn't used to be this way. I mean he was always kind of a jerk, but what guy isn't, especially a brother, right? But...I feel like he's...I don't know...in a lot of pain or something. That being said, his pain is not YOUR responsibility, just because you're married. You're your own person, and-"

"I don't want to go home tonight," Anna said, "Can I-"

"Yeah, you can, for sure," Ashley said, pushing Annas bangs from her face and then leaning in, kissing her quickly.

Meanwhile, inside, Betty had gone to make dinner while Jason, Carl and Harold were sitting in silence, confused, unsure of what to say, and annoyed at not having finished the game. After a few seconds, Harold stood up and looked at the floor.

"You were right, Carl. I'm sorry everyone," he said, before heading up the stairs without even looking at anyone, off into the bedroom. They heard the bedroom door shut. Carl looked at Jason, and shrugged.

"What happened, man?" Carl asked.

"...I have no excuse, there IS no excuse for doing what I did. People say like 'oh, I was scared of being a new father!' or whatever, the responsibility and shit being too much to bear, but...there's nothing real, there's no excuse. What I did was unforgivable, I at least recognize that," Jason said, "...it's probably over between us. Things haven't been good for a while now, and this was probably the nail in the coffin."

"...Jason," Carl said, "...it might not be, sort of...I don't know, solid advice but, have you tried just not being a piece of shit?"

Jason chuckled a little and looked at his brother, sitting cross legged on the floor in front of them.

"You're a better person than I am, Carl, and that I think is what bothers me most. You're my younger brother, but you know more than I do, and you know who you really are, and...you're a better person than I am."

A moment passed and they looked at the board.

"Wanna finish?" Carl asked, and Jason nodded, the two of them each taking a side and continuing the game.

                                                                                 ***

When they all went to their respective places that night Jason going home alone, Anna going home with Ashley, Carl found himself sitting in the kitchen eating a sandwich when Betty came down and sat across from him at the table. Carl stopped chewing and looked up at her.

"Yeah?" Carl asked.

"Do you want to talk? About you?" Betty asked, "...my brother, your Uncle Remus, he...he wanted what you talked about. He was too scared to take it, because at that point in time it was just...not done as much. I just want you to know, Carl, that if you ever want to be who you feel you are, that your father and I accept that. I will always love you, if you're my son, or my daughter or whoever you are, okay?"

Carl had to hold back tears as he set his sandwich down and then wiped his eyes on his shirt sleeve before exhaling and looking at his mother.

"You guys are pretty great parents," Carl said, "I'm sorry if we never admitted that growing up, but we were pretty lucky."

Betty smiled, stood up and kissed the top of his head, then headed off to bed. Carl finished his sandwich, then headed upstairs to his bedroom. He shut the door behind him, locked it and opened his closet door. In the very back, behind some backpacks was a pile of clothes. Dresses, skirts, whatever. He took out his favorite, one of the dresses with sunflowers on it and smiled. He undressed, pulled the dress on over his head and climbed into bed. He got his hairbrush off his nightstand, brushed his hair out and then laid down, smiling at the glow in the dark ceiling stars he'd put up years ago.

Family Game Night might be destroying the rest of them, but it was saving him.

And with that in mind, he drifted off to sleep.

"I really don't think this is a good idea," Anna said, sitting in the passenger seat, putting her earrings in, "I really think everyone is going to be very, very pissed at us."

"What's wrong? She's part of the family, she's our child, my parents grandchild, why should this be a problem?" Jason asked.

"It's your family," Anna said, shrugging, as Jason glanced at her, his brow furrowed.

                                                                                       ***

"Why's it have to be board games?" Carl asked, "Why can't we play poker or gin rummy or uno one night? Those are games. Why're you limiting us to one singular form of entertainment? What about the board makes the game more special?"

"It's more interactive. It's the whole idea behind an amusement park vs a theme park," Harold said, "An amusement park is there just for fun, for the sake of going on rides, for amusing you. A theme park, that's an experience. Amusement parks are built around a premise, a theme park is built around an idea. A theme park gives you an entire world to discover, to live in, just for a short period of time. That's why we play board games, Carl."

"...that was actually quite insightful, dad," Carl said, "I guess you're right. There's a big difference between going to something like Six Flags vs going to something like Disneyland."

"There's also the ease factor," Betty said, pulling herself out from the oven, where she had a large pot between her hands, "Meaning card games take a lot of numbers to factor in, lots of information to remember. Board games are simple. They do everything for you. You roll a dice, you move a certain number of spaces. Let's not overlook your fathers laziness just because he made a solid argument."

"...wow, mom really knows just how full of crap you are," Carl said, looking back at his father.

"I knew I loved this woman," Harold said, grabbing and kissing her hand. Just then, Ashley entered, her hair a mess, her clothes looking slept in. She was in a grey tank top and jeans, with boots on. She had her hair pulled back into a ponytail, as she went to the fridge, got a beer and then sat beside Carl at the island, cracking the top off her drink.

"Rough night at the office?" Carl asked, smirking, and she mocked him before taking a long drink.

"I lost a client, a big client, and I'm completely distraught," Ashley said, "When you're self employed, you rely on yourself to bring in your own clients, so when you lose a client, you can only blame yourself, which sucks if you don't want to admit you're anything less than perfect."

"That sucks, Ash, I'm sorry," Carl said, "Who was the client?"

Ashley looked into the bottle, before mumbling, "Snack Cats."

"Snack Cats?" her brother, mother and father all said in unison.

"The cat treats that look like cats?" Carl asked.

"Does that bother you too?" Harold asked, "Doesn't it feel like they're advocating for cat cannibalism?"

"Yeah, that did always creep me out," Carl said.

"Well, they wanted to redesign their packaging, and I completely borked the whole situation," Ashley said, "Anyway, it's all over. That was a huge project too, which means I just lost a good percentage of my income for this year."

"What happened?" Anna asked, as she entered the kitchen.

"Ashley lost a big client," Carl said, "Snack Cats."

"Those commercials creep me out," Anna said, "Their treats look like cats, which means cats are eating cats. The insinuation is deeply unsettling. It's like when a banana companies mascot is a banana. That just opens up a whole world of questions, like, in this humanoid banana world, does that mean bananas as a food don't exist, or that they slaughter and eat their own? It's all very morally and ethically ambigious."

"Heyo," Jason said, coming into the kitchen with his daughter, Belle, on his shoulders. Everyone stopped and stared at him, while Anna tried to hide her face, a bit embarrassed at the fact that they'd brought their kid to this thing. Harold finished his orange and cleared his throat.

"Jason, I see you brought our granddaughter," Harold said.

"Well, it's a kids game tonight, so I figured let the kid play for us," Jason said, "She's part of the family."

"Hi grandma," Belle said, as Jason let her off his shoulders and onto the floor, where she ran to Betty, who picked her up and hugged her tightly. Harold went to set up the game board, while Betty took Belle out into the living room, Anna on her heels, leaving everyone else in the kitchen. Ashley and Carl turned to their brother, a smug smile on his face, his hands in his pants pockets.

"You devious, underhanded bastard," Carl said, "You brought your fucking kid here to try and gain the sympathy hand? You think people will just forgive your behavior after what you've done the last few weeks? How you've acted? Just because your adorable little daughter is here?"

"Who says I'm trying to gain anything from this? She's part of the family, and it's a family game night, so why can't she participate?" Jason asked.

"I'm gonna wipe that smirk off your face and then wipe my ass with that smirk," Ashley said.

"Game's on!" Harold called from the other room. Carl and Ashley stormed out of the kitchen, leaving a rather bewildered Jason behind. As they set up in the living room, Carl and Ashley sat on the couch beside eachother, realizing they were going to play against Harold and Betty and Belle. They were facing off against their parents, and their brothers child. Carl and Ashley gave one another a nervous glance, and then both looked across at Jason and Anna, standing behind Belle. Anna just shook her head, mouthing "I am so sorry" at them. Ashley felt a fire rising up inside of her. Harold handed the dice to Belle.

"Here sweetheart, why don't you roll first," he said. She took them, grasped them in her fist and shook it, letting them roll onto the board, and then taking her spaces. Ashley got up as Carl took the dice for his turn and headed to the kitchen to get another beer. As she had the beer in her hand, shutting the fridge door, she felt a hand on her shoulder and then felt it turning her around, making her face to face with Anna.

"Is it my turn?" Ashley asked. Anna stared at her for a moment, and then put her hands on Ashley's hips, pushing her back against the fridge and leaned in.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered again, and then kissed her. Ashley couldn't believe what was happening, but she put the beer on the table next to them, held Anna's face with her hands and kissed her back, tasting her, enjoying her. After it ended, Anna looked at Ashley's eyes and sighed.

"Are you...are...is...are you okay?" Ashley finally managed to mutter.

"....what do you think?" Anna asked.

"Ash! It's your turn!" Carl shouted from the living room. Ashley grabbed her beer, looked at Anna again and then headed for the living room. Anna paced in the kitchen, chewing on her nails. Ashley took her seat back on the couch and took the dice, handing Carl her beer, which he promptly opened and took a few sips of. Ashley rolled the dice, and only got a 2.

"Mother-" Ashley started, when Carl prodded her in the ribs with his elbow, gesturing at Belle, and Ashley finished, "...of invention."

"Atta girl," Carl said dryly. Anna came back in and stood back behind Belle, staring directly at Ashley, their eyes deadlocked.

"Look mom, I'm winning!" Belle said, smiling up at her mother.

"That's great, honey," Anna said, leaning down, kissing the top of her daughters head. Harold took the dice and rolled for him and Betty. A few minutes went by, and Carl, handing Ashley her beer back and wiping his mouth on his sleeve looked at Jason and ran his hand through his own hair, now sitting up and no longer slouching.

"So," Carl said, "how's living in your wife's shadow financially feeling?"

"I have no problem with my wife making more money than me," Jason said, "I'm not so wrapped up in my masculinity that I need a bigger paycheck to feel superior or something. Come on, you should know me better than that."

"I can't believe I lost Snack Cats," Ashley mumbled under her breath, wiping her forehead with her palm.

"Snack Cats?" Belle asked, "People are eating cats?"

"No, sweetheart, they're a snack FOR cats," Anna said.

"I mean, people DO eat cats," Carl said, with Jason looking at him in horror, so Carl shrugged and added, "Hey, you wanted her to be a part of the family, so why should I talk down to her just because she's younger than us? I'm going to respect her intelligence, talk to her like an adult. It's true, Belle, people eat cats. Mostly in foreign countries."

"Why would people eat cats?" Belle asked, and then something dawned on her face and she looked up at Jason in horror and asked, terrified, "Is that what happened to Ziggy? Did you eat Ziggy?!"

"Honey, Ziggy was old, I had him even before I met your mother," Jason said, "I didn't eat the cat."

"What is the weirdest thing you've eaten?" Carl asked.

"Besides your own words," Ashley added, the two of them doing a high five without looking.

"Once, my parents took me to a small island in the Caribbean," Anna said, "I ate fried crickets. Lots of bugs, mostly fried. Didn't eat spiders though. I won't eat spiders or scorpions."

"Wow, you ate bugs?" Ashley asked.

"So what, I ate bugs as a kid and nobody patted me on the back," Carl said, "I even did it for money. I was an entrepreneur, but no."

Carl picked up the dice for his turn as Ashley slapped his knee and stood up,

"I gotta go to the bathroom, beer goes right through me," she said, as she headed up the stairs to the bathroom. While Jason and Carl argued about whether they'd ever eat anything exotic, Anna slipped away and headed up the stairs after Ashley. Anna came into the bathroom and shut the door behind her, locking it. Ashley was washing her hands. Anna reached out, only to find Ashley pinning her against the bathroom wall, kissing her neck, Anna's nails running up Ashley's back of her shirt.

"I fucking hate your brother," Anna whispered.

"It's ok, everyone in the family does," Ashley replied.

"He has to be top of the food chain at everything, even game night. 'Secure enough in his masculinity', give me a break. He cries when he can't get it up," Anna said as Ashley kissed down to her collarbones.

Just then there was a knock on the door, and they heard Betty asking if Ashley was alright. Ashley said she'd be out in a second, and then they waited for Betty to leave before talking again. Ashley had her ear against the door, listening.

"Alright, she's going down the stairs. Climb out the window and down the wisteria to the backyard, say you needed some fresh air," Ashley said. A few moments later, Ashley reappeared downstairs, and a few moments after that Anna also reappeared, coming in from the backdoor. Carl finished his turn and handed the dice to Betty.

"Speaking of Snack Cats, I hate things like Candy Land that exist within their own universe where everything is anthropomorphic," Carl said, "It's creepy. Do they have candy in Candy Land that they eat, and if they do, is that insinuation that they're cannibals? And if they don't, then what DO they have? Human bars?"

"Dude," Jason said, looking down at his daughter and Carl shrugged.

Belle took her turn, and then Ashley took the dice.

"It'll be okay, I'll find a new client. I can make up for the lost revenue," Ashle said, "So long as finding the new client doesn't take too long."

After she moved, Carl took the dice, rolled, moved and realized he'd just won.

"Uncle Carl won," Belle said, smiling.

"I did win," Carl said, surprised at this himself.

"You were supposed to let Belle win!" Jason shouted.

"Daddy," Belle said, "It's just a board game. Mommy, I have to pee."

As Anna took Belle upstairs, everyone looked at Jason, who was seething with rage. He began to pace the living room floor, hand on his head, other hand on his hip, gritting his teeth. Carl stood up and headed out the front door. When Jason showed up with him, Carl was lighting a cigarette as Jason stood beside him, arms folded.

"She was supposed to win," Jason repeated.

"Like your own kid said, it's just a board game," Carl restated.

"You don't...." Jason said, "...I have to have this, it's all I have left. Everyone, even my own wife, does better than I do. I need to win Family Game Night. I recognize it's an unhealthy thing to have, this fixation on winning and being the best, but goddammit, it's all I've got left."

"You've got a wife and a child," Carl said, blowing smoke into the air, "It's not all you've got left. Stop being so damn dramatic."

Carl put the cigarette out and headed back inside, as Jason sat on the front steps and silently cried into his palms. That night, in the car driving home, Jason still wasn't over it. He was gripping the steering wheel with such intensity, while Belle slept in the back seat and Anna scrolled through her social media newsfeeds on her cell phone.

"Tonight was a mistake," Jason said, "Everything I've ever done has been a mistake."

"Jesus, you don't need to go THAT overboard," Anna said, "Besides, not everything you've ever done has been a mistake. Marrying me wasn't, right? Having Belle wasn't, right?"

"I will always be seen poorly by that family, all because I refuse to be mediocre," Jason said, "Because I...I refuse to be middle of the road, or an underdog. When did being successful become something to be ashamed of? Embarrassed by? They rally around Carl, and they make fun of me. That's backwards."

"Maybe you're right, maybe everything has been a mistake," Anna said, "Let me out of the car."

Jason pulled over, somewhat surprised by his wifes attitude. As she got out, she leaned in through her open window and told him, "Put her to bed, no dessert, try not to even wake her up, honestly. I'll be home in a bit. I just need to be alone for a bit."

Jason nodded, then pulled away and kept driving, looking in his rearview mirror at her. After he was well out of sight, Anna began walking.

                                                                                   ***

Ashley was in her kitchenette in her apartment, making a smoothie when there was a knock at her door. She opened it to find Anna standing there. Ashley pulled down on the oversized college sweatshirt she was wearing with nothing else, but Anna just waited and finally spoke softly.

"Are you alone?" Anna asked.

"Only all the time," Ashley replied, both of them snickering.

"...can I come in?" Anna asked, and Ashley nodded.

"I'm making a smoothie, I can make you one if you-"

But Anna had her lips pressed firmly against Ashley's before she could even finish the offer. They found their way to the couch, and spent most of the time there.

Anna didn't get home until late that night.