John was standing on the docks, hands in his pockets. Ellen was seated on a bench back near the front of the area, opting instead to not be near the water. His eyes scanned the horizons, his hair blew gently in the wind. Footsteps approached, but he didn't even bother to look and see who they belonged to, the answer was obvious enough without that. Geena saddled up beside him and shook her head, hands also in her coat pockets.

"I know it's typical for sisters to take things from eachother," Geena said, "but I gotta say, stealing a boat really tops the list. That's...that's a new one."

John chuckled, then coughed, nodding. He didn't respond, but instead just stared dead ahead, chewing on his lower lip intermittently. Geena exhaled and looked at her shoes.

"She's not coming back," Geena said quietly.

"She will," John replied, "she said she would, and she wouldn't lie to Ellen."

"John, all she's done her whole life is lie, what makes you think-"

"You're conflating this behavior with who she was, not who she's become. The Alex we know now isn't the Alex you knew then, okay? She'll. Come. Back." John said, not even bothering to look at her as he delivered his statement. Geena nodded again, going back to being quiet. John was right, she knew, she just...it was hard for her to admit it now. She'd only known Alexis as someone else her whole life, and the woman she'd become since her overdose, since rehab, wasn't someone she'd gotten to truly know. She wish she had now, given her absence. Geena casually glanced back over her shoulder at Ellen.

"Does she talk about anything much?" Geena asked.

"Not really. Mostly keeps to herself. But I've got her eating, and that's good enough for now. She's in a place where she is safe and isn't screamed at, and really, I think that alone is an adjustment she'll need to get used to first before she opts to open up, even to someone as close to her sister as I was. You can try your luck though, if you feel so inclined."

Geena turned on her heel and headed back towards the benches, leaving John to his thoughts. As she approached, Ellen turned her head, but kept her eyes to the ground. Geena sat down beside her on the bench, and exhaled.

"What happened must've been...a lot," Geena said, "dad is gonna be in the hospital a while, he got pretty messed up, but he and mom are opting not to press charges. I think they know whole heartedly that if the police get involved, it would only get worse, specifically for them, so. I guess Alexis gets off scott free yet again for her actions."

"She's gone, she left everyone and everything she knew," Ellen said, finally looking up at Geena, their eyes locking as she added, quietly, "how is that scott free to you?"

Geena wanted to reply. Wanted to have an answer. But, again, as had just happened on the pier, she knew Ellen was right. So instead she kept her mouth shut, and she sat in the silence, letting the wind do all the talking.

***

"Not often I get treated to a theme restaurant," Lilian said, "thank you for the opportunity."

"Everyone should get to experience rampant capitalism disguised as a personalized interest at least once," Gregg said, making Lilian chuckle. She was surprised, to say the least, that Greg had asked her to lunch. Lilian was always under the assumption that therapists weren't exactly meant to fraternize with their clients. Then again, they had a very different kind of relationship than a typical doctor/patient situation, so maybe it was fine. Still, despite her relatively calm demeanor, she remained somewhat on edge, though she didn't show it.

"So what's good here?" she asked, looking through the menu as Gregg sipped his soda.

"Well," he said, smacking his lips as he lowered his glass, "I think that depends on your flavor palette now doesn't it?"

"So why did you want to have lunch with me?" Lilian finally asked, foregoing any kind of coolness about it, opting instead to approach it outright.

"I...need a favor," Gregg said, "and...well, given your profession, you're the only one I trust to do it right."

Lilian had to admit, he'd piqued her curiosity. She nodded, waiting, listening.

"My daughter is sick," Gregg said, "she has cancer, but...her birthday is coming up, and I guess I thought it'd be neat for her to have what you guys offer. I know it's not the kind of thing she would really admit to being into, but I do think she would enjoy it, and...I just...I want her to be happy for a day, you know?"

Lilian wanted to hug this man. His devotion to his daughter was nothing short of wonderful. If only all fathers could be like this; but she thought back to Maddie's father, and she smiled. Some were good dads, even if her own had been absent. Lilian looked down at her hands on the table and smiled weakly.

"My dad...wasn't really around," Lilian said, "he kind of took off, cause my mom was...well...let's just say she was hard to deal with for a long time. We're in a good place now, but for a long time she was selfish and obsessed with appearances, and not necessarily in a way that felt intentionally cruel, she didn't realize how the way she acted affected those around her that she loved, but it did cost her her husband. My dad. But I do remember going to the theme park with him, you know, back when that woman killed herself on the monorail, and I remember sitting with him earlier that day before that happened. I think mom was in a gift shop or something. Dad told me that the lack of absence didn't mean an absence of love. I think he felt guilty about how much he'd already distanced himself from the family, from my mother...from me, as a result, and I think he felt like he owed me some kind of explanation. But I didn't want an explanation. I just wanted my dad."

Lilian rose her sight back up to meet Gregg's, whose own eyes were swelling up with tears.

"Your daughter is very lucky," Lilian added, her voice breaking, "and we'd love to help you give her the best birthday she can have."

***

"So what would you like to do?" John asked, sitting with Ellen at a table at a nearby restaurant, the pier still in plain view as they awaited their order of seafood.

Geena had left to go to work, so now it was just John and Ellen. Ellen had barely spoken since being dumped on his doorstep, but the way he saw it that was just because she was still trying to process everything that had occurred, and not just that day but in general in her life. He knew what that was like, how long it could take.

"I don't really know," Ellen said meekly, "I don't...I don't know if I have interests. I don't know what I like."

"That's actually a good thing, you haven't been influenced and you're starting with a blank slate," John replied, smiling warmly at her as he added, "that means you can do anything you want, discover what truly interests you. Not everyone gets so lucky to have that option, especially at your age."

"Isn't it worse to be this...unformed at my age?" Ellen asked, making John shake his head as he sipped from his soda.

"Absolutely not," he said, "not at all. What's worse, to have to discover who you, what you like and what you want to do when you're an adult, or to have it all figured out for you when you're a child with no input or autonomy?"

Ellen knew the answer, and knew what point he was trying to make. She thought to her sisters. Geena had always been on a straight line to a clear goal, while Alexis - never really have a clear goal in mind - had floundered a bit, swapping between multiple things, but always ultimately winding up on her feet. Ellen wanted that for herself, that...that ability to keep pushing forward. She admired her sisters for their drive, even when things seemed their bleakest.

"I kind of...want to..." Ellen said, making John arch an eyebrow in curiosity to the remainder of the sentence forming in her mind; finally she finished, adding, "I want to help animals."

John smiled and nodded.

"That's noble, and if you wind up good at it a very well paying profession," John said.

"At the house, all I had were books," Ellen said, "and magazines. I would read a lot about animals. Sometimes I'd sneak down and watch TV about animals, nature documentaries and stuff. I liked that. I'd like to help animals. Animals aren't like people. I don't...I don't necessarily have the greatest opinion of humans at this point."

"Who could blame you, considering," John replied.

"But," she continued, "animals are just grateful for your presence, and your help, and they give you unconditional love if they get attached. I hate people but I love animals."

"Well," John said, stretching, "we can look into classes at the local community college, get you on the right track from there."

"Why are you doing this?" Ellen asked, causing John to pause as the waitress finally arrived, setting their food down between them. Once they were gone again, and John started to dig into his crab legs, he leaned back in his chair and thought about the question. After a long moment, he nodded, sighed and spoke while he chewed.

"When I met your sister," he said, "she was...a mess, I mean, I'm not gonna sugarcoat it, she was a mess. She was using heavily, drinking nonstop, and she didn't let any of that hinder her job, she was committed as hell and it was impressive, but she was...she was barely functioning outside of that. I saw, in her, I guess...a way to fix the damage that had been done to other young women thanks to the input, or lack thereof, of their parents, and I guess I just needed to do something about it, having been on the opposite end of that."

Ellen didn't exactly understand what he was referring to, but she didn't feel like pushing it.

"You're all more capable than you were led to believe," John said, taking her by surprise by his sudden change in tone, "it's just that you've been convinced otherwise. Granted, she had a near death experience to recover from as well, but still. If you want to help animals, then let's make that a reality. The strongest thing you can do, Ellen, is get hurt to hell and back and still give a shit."

Ellen wanted to cry. No "adult" had ever spoken to her like this before, in a way that was simultaneously comforting and supportive, while still being serious but not judgemental. Suddenly she saw what Alexis saw, why she'd entrusted her to this man. And as she watched him eat his crab legs while she ate her Calamari, she couldn't help but think that, yeah, just because those people had mistreated her didn't mean everyone would. She'd had everything taken from her. Now it was time to give back.

***

"So," Lilian asked as she and Greg exited the restaurant and headed to the parking lot, "when is this birthday, when will our services be needed?"

"In a week," Gregg said, "hopefully that's enough time?"

"Absolutely, I can wrangle it together by then," Lilian said as they stopped by the cars while Gregg retrieved his keys; she leaned against the car and smirked, adding, "you know, they say that you aren't supposed to become friends with your therapist."

"Are we friends?" Gregg asked, "I kinda saw us more as twins, honestly."

"...how so?" Lilian asked, confused.

"Well," Gregg said, unlocking his car and placing his leftovers on the passenger seat, "maybe not in the typical sense, but...you wanted a dad, I wanna be a good dad, plus you and my daughter have a ton in common, not to mention your girlfriend has even more in common with her. Just kinda feels like...with a connection like ours, it would behoove us to be more than just patient and doctor, you know? That sort of thing only comes around every so often, and it'd be stupid to squander it."

Lilian smiled, wanting to cry. The last few weeks had been hard. Alexis bailing the way she did, with little to no notice, not to mention just everything going on with Maddie and her friend, and the company being under new management now. This felt good. This felt...necessary. It was important, she reminded herself, and okay, to slow down now and then.

"Lily," Gregg said, "you told me about Maddie's friend, the sister of the boy who died at her party? It got me thinking...did you ever...think to track down the family of the woman who killed herself at the park?"

"...why would I do that?" Lilian asked, genuinely confused.

"It's important to face things. Her death didn't just impact, presumably, her own family but it impacted you as well," Gregg said, "I just think it could be a worthwhile thread to tug at, that's all, if you're interested."

Gregg hugged her, and she happily hugged him back before watching him pull away and go around to the drivers side of the car, pull the door open and get in. He closed the door behind him, then started the car up and she watched him pull out and drive away, waving at one another as he did. Lilian chewed on her lip and thought, as she waved, about what he'd mentioned. Maybe he had a point. Maybe it was something she should finally face. She'd never really thought of it as having that much of an impact on her life, but...it had. It'd caused her to want to be a princess, and to wind up in the career she was currently invested in. That was impact, even if it didn't feel like it. Lilian got back to the apartment and found it empty. Maddie, Lux and Miranda had gone out to the park, leaving Lilian some alone time. She pulled out her laptop and quickly got to work, doing some searching online for information regarding the woman who'd jumped in front of the monorail. No matter what she did though, no matter what she typed or what she tried to access, nothing returned her the information she was after. The name of the woman was never mentioned, not once.

After an hour or so, Lilian finally exhaled and put her face in her hands. How would she even find this information? Was it even accessible? Was it smart to pull at this thread, as Gregg had put it? After all, she had no idea what it might unravel, and what if...what if it wasn't worth unraveling? What then?

Meanwhile, back at home, Ellen was asleep, taking a nap on the couch while John sat in his armchair and watched. His eyes were wet. He wanted Alexis back so badly, her absence hurt so much. But then he smiled, rubbing his face with his palm, as he watched Ellen roll over in her sleep. If someone had to be the parent to these girls, might as well be him. After all, he had the experience.

That was the thing nobody seemed to notice, what Gregg had said at lunch, was that everyone involved with this company, with eachother, seemed to just be mirrors of one another, twins, in a way. And that couldn't be anymore clear than with Lux and Maddie, who were sitting in swings at the park while Miranda read a book on a nearby bench. Each girl had suffered tremendous loss, and abuse, at the expense of their supposed "loving family", but now they'd overcome, and found one another.

"I'm thirsty," Maddie said, "let's go to the fountain."

She got off the swing and, Lux by her side, began walking towards the nearby water fountain. Stopping at it, Maddie pressed the button and started drinking as Lux watched, leaning against it, arms folded.

"It's nice," Lux said, "having people who care about me. I mean, not that my parents don't love me, but..."

"No, I get it. My dad loves me so much, but it's nice to know you're worth something to adults who aren't your parents," Maddie said, making Lux laugh and nod in agreement.

"Or, not even adults," Lux said, "it's nice just having you around. Someone like you. Who understands how much it hurts."

"I definitely understand," Maddie said.

Maddie and Lux locked eyes, and for a moment, Maddie swore she saw a flicker of something in Lux's face that she recognized when she saw Miranda and Lilian look at one another. Maddie then held out her arms, and Lux hugged her. The girls stood there, by the fountain, just hugging for minutes on end. Twins didn't need to be fraternal. Twins could be anyone who matched you. And nobody matched eachother the way these girls matched eachother.

If that isn't love, what really was.