Whiskey in the Jar

Story Leads:
Maeglin
MissAusten
Ariel Buttercup

The following characters are cleared for this hunt:
Richard Ingram
Romulus Remington
Elenna Fee
Georgina Gilmore

((Wikipedia says Lenna's new car is a 4 passenger car so we could all travel in one car))

Lenna was sitting behind the wheel of her shiny new car, Georgie had complained that it was yellow but Lenna loved it. She loved her Mustang too, but this was different. The Mustang was used and not just by anyone it was used first by her dad then by her brother and it was never her car. But this was all hers. And she loved the fact that the drive to Boston took three days, three days of getting to know her new favorite toy. Rome was the best big brother she could ever wish for, and the best part he not just said to make every of her wish come true. He actually had the resources to do that.

Lenna already sat in the car when Georgie left the safehouse. She really had to get used to the bright yellow, but she was probably the last person who was allowed to say something about the color of the car- after all, hers was shiny pink. When Georgie opened the trunk, Lenna opened the door and peaked out.
“Hey, you’re not loading my car full of your Barbie crap, are you?”

“Define ‘Barbie crap’.” Georgie didn’t look up while she put her massive Louis Vuitton in the trunk.

“You know what I mean…that girly stuff…like your hair products and God knows what…”

“I’m sorry.” Georgie closed the trunk. “But I don’t think Tex will find much use in my ‘girly stuff’, as you call it…”

“And now you’re blocking the entire trunk.”

Georgie ignored her and turned to Rome and Richard who appeared next to the car. “Did you really have to buy her a car? I’m not sure if it’s safe when she-“

“I can still hear you!”, Lenna shouted out of the car.

“Ssshh!”

“Don’t ssshh me!”

Rome grinned. “It’s not like she doesn’t have a licence, she drove before.”

“Just because she has a licence doesn’t necessarily mean that she’s a good driver.”

“Hey!”, Lenna complained.

“Okay, okay, I’m quiet”, Georgie said. Rome sat down in the passenger seat so that he could have a watchful eye on Lenna. Georgie waited until he closed the door, then she turned to Richard.
“Before we get to Boston, I just want to let you know that I’m completely on your side. There is absolutely no excuse for the fact that Lewis never contacted you, or told me about you, so if you want to confront him directly about that, go ahead. I’m not finished with him either.” She smiled. “He’s a chief prosecutor, he can take a case of angry little brother and pissed off niece. And believe me, I sure as hell didn’t make it easy for him when I was a teenager.”

Lenna honked. “Are you having a tea party or what?”

“Of course”, Georgie replied sarcastically and got into the car. “What do you think is in my bag? A brand new tea set just shipped from England.”

Her friend hesitated for a moment. “Seriously?”

Georgie rolled her eyes. “Just drive.”

"Whatever possessed me to get into a car with these two is beyond me," Rome laughed, nudging Richard. "But I guess if you and Georgie need to talk with, ah, with the 'Gilmores of Boston,' well, you'll need some backup. Plus, I love that town!"

The thing about this Camaro was, well, one, it was new. The Feebs hadn't picked up their vehicle change since the Ferrari was now rotting in a Federal impound somewhere. So it was good to keep hopping around vehicles.

Also, it had a much larger trunk. When it was just his and Lenna's stuff in the Ferrari it was fine, but Georgie's newest monstrosity wouldn't even have ever fit in the Ferrari's trunk alone! Maybe he should get a truck like Caleb, with all the crap they carried around.

He wasn't even prepped for a hunt, really, he realized as he stuffed his bag in next to Georgie's. Sort of just the standard loadout--ready for anything in case of emergencies--but he really hoped that if, since like Georgie said, hers was a hunter family, they needed salt rounds or silver bullets in a hurry for some reason--though this was a vacation, dammit!--they would be able to supply.

"Oh, that reminds me," Rome said, pulling out his phone to play with as he settled into the passenger seat with his backpack stuffed with Red Bull, junk food, and electronics--everything to keep a Romulus happy--"we are going to a Red Sox game, I am buying the tickets right now! Behind the plate? Or are you box kind of people?"

Rome banged on the window for emphasis as the girls still stood bickering outside. "Come on, let's get going! It's freezing in here, turn the heat on."

“If you don’t mind Georgie, I won’t ride with the rest of you. I’ll follow behind on the bike. I… I need to get a few thoughts straight in my head before the… reunion.”

The thoughts currently flashing through his head involved punching his brother square in the face. But Richard knew that wouldn’t go down well with Georgie, even if she was on his side, so he’d try and suppress the urge.

And then there was that other small issue… Ok, bloody massive issue, where in Erebus was his quota at now? There had been practically enough spirits there to fill his quota ten years ago. But part of him suspected that those ghosts did not count for some reason. And if there was a doubt, that probably meant it was being, for want of a better phrase, paged to him by the boss. Damn. Even if they didn’t count, the quota was still strong. No need to panic, yet.

As long as Rome didn’t ask any more awkward questions that is. But since the drive away from the island Rome hadn’t even breeched the topic. And if he was on the bike, it meant Rome wouldn’t bring it up to fill an awkward silence.

After two days straight on a bike Richard was begin to feel a bit seized up. He’d done such rides before, and longer ones, but that was when he’d been younger. He was starting to feel a bit too old to go scooting across the country every other day.

‘Ah well, only one more year to go. F***k it, who am I kidding, as if I’m going to stop this job once the quotas full. A holiday would be nice. Maybe in a hotel like that one.’ Then Richard realised that Lenna was pulling into the ‘hotel’ he’d seen. It wasn’t a hotel, it was the Gilmore’s house. As he followed down the drive Richard took in the building.

It was a bloody mansion! Not only did it’s red bricked walls look imposing, but also almost somewhere you’d expect an Agatha Christie novel to be set. Complete with thunderstorm and a sinister butler with a dark secret. Richard shook himself slightly. No one had butlers in these modern days.

Then the door was opened. Richard realised he’d been wrong. Yes, some people still had butlers. But of course, these days the profession was equal opportunity.

((Let me know if I got the Gilmore’s home wrong.))

The cold, midnight streets of downtown Boston were covered in a thin sheen of snow and an eerie calm. No living soul disturbed the alley behind the Blackberry Bramble bar.

And then, suddenly, with a faint rush of air, three figures appeared, and the quiet of the alley was no more.

"Oi! Put me da feck down, ye buggerin' pair o' fannies!"

The central figure was being held by two larger figures, who, glancing at each other, threw the smaller figure forward into the snow. He was dressed like a young teenager, wearing very fine shoes and a red leather jacket.

"Oh, ask me arse, Rigby," one of the larger figures laughed.

"No chance your Lady's letting you back in, now!" the other replied. Both were dressed shabbily in black, wearing red beanies against the cold.

"I'll kill ye!" the teenager screamed, launching himself at the other two.

A solid punch from one sent him flying back against a dumpster. He crumpled in the pile of trash and didn't get up. The two red-hatted men laughed.

"Not so tough now, are we?"

"Enjoy mortality, Riggers!"

"'Ey, Burke?"

"What ye want, Hare?"

"Let's hang about and get completely bolloxed for a couple hundred years 'afore we turn back."

"Sounds grand. Close the portal?"

"Nah. He can't get back in, it's no bother."

Still grinning menacingly, the two figures wandered down the alleyway and around a dark corner.

After a few moments, the figure in the garbage stirred. He groaned, stood, and approached a crack in the brickwork. As he drew nearer to it, it shimmered faintly, and he could barely hear the sound of music beyond.

"Lady..." he whispered, reaching his hand out to touch the crack in the wall--

"Yeeowch! Jaysus Mary and Joseph, dat fuckin' hurts!" he cried, leaping back and cradling his hand. Pulling back, he saw that his skin was burned and smoking. "Argh, feckin' bastards put the evil eye on it. ARGH!" he shouted at the sky. "Damned sodding mortal feckin' body--"

"Hey!" a door opened, and light shone behind a man wearing a chef's apron, sporting a thick South Boston accent. "You wanna watch ya fuckin' language, ya fuckin fairy?" he said, and slammed the door.

The teenager growled, but quieted. He kicked a chunk of snow. After a few moments' pacing, he turned wistfully toward the busy street, full of cars and people and life.

He needed a drink.

Or nine hundred.

As he walked, hands shoved deep in his pockets, he took up a song that echoed against the alley walls:

"As I was going over the far-famed Kerry mountains
I met with captain Farrell and his money he was counting.
I first produced my pistol, and then produced my rapier.
Said "stand and deliver, for I am a bold deceiver."

"Musha ring dumma do damma da
whack for the daddy 'ol
whack for the daddy 'ol
there's whiskey in the jar.

"I counted out his money, and it made a pretty penny.
I put it in my pocket and I took it home to Jenny.
She said and she swore, that she never would deceive me,
but the devil take the women, for they never can be easy..."

Lewis always took three cell phones with him; one for work only, the other for anything but work, and one for emergency cases, which actually was the ‘Georgina phone’, not because it was pink (Lewis most certainly didn’t carry around a pink phone) but because it was the phone his niece called him in emergencies, or like last month, his wife who told him that something was wrong because Georgie hadn’t responded to any of her calls.
As Lewis just walked out of the courtroom, one of his three phones rang and some people looked strangely at him while he rummaged through his briefcase and took out all of his phones. To his concern it was the Georgina phone, but it wasn’t his niece who called.

“Helen, what is it?”

“Do you know where the Austrian tea set is?”

“Excuse me?” He wasn’t sure if he really understood his wife.

“You know, the tea set we received from the Austrian ambassador.”

Lewis eyes met with the judge who just left the courtroom, then he turned away and lowered his voice. “Why are you calling me on this phone?”

“Because I knew you wouldn’t answer me on any other of your phones when you’re at work.”

“Helen, I’m dealing with a really big case here which millions of people follow in the news right now, very much like the O.J. Simpson trial, and you call me to ask me where the Austrian tea set is?”

“No, actually I called you because you’re supposed to be at home since Georgina and her friends arrive any time, and because we happen to have the governor of Massachusetts sitting in our living room right this second, because you were supposed to meet him and-“

“Oh, I see… You tell him that we have to reschedule our meeting, and our golf date still stands for next Wednesday. Just make sure he leaves as soon as possible”

“So you basically expect me to throw him out? The governor of Massachusetts?”

“He’s a busy man, Helen, he doesn’t have time to wait for me anyway. Besides, I will see him next week. And now, if you will excuse me…”

“Are you coming home now?”, Helen asked rather impatiently. “You were supposed to be here over an hour ago.”

“I know, but I can’t predict how long a trial lasts, especially not one as significant as this one. I will try to make it home by dinner, but I can’t promise that I will be on time.”

Helen sighed. “And the governor…”

“Please make sure he’s not still there when the group of hunters arrive, that would be slightly inconvenient…”

After hours and hours of driving Georgie recognized her beloved home state Massachusetts and the smell of the Atlantic Ocean. Now that she was finally so close to Boston she realized how much she actually missed her home.
Another forty-five minutes later and they approached Boston. When they drove by the Charles River Georgie opened the window despite the freezing cold temperature outside. “You smell that?”

“What?” Elenna crossed her arms. She was in the passenger seat now because Rome convinced her to take terms. “It’s getting really cold in here!”

Georgie ignored her and took a deep breath. “That, my friend, is true New England smell.”

“That’s nice, but I’m still cold.”

“Okay, okay!” She closed the window again and kept watching the landscape passing by. After they passed downtown and the busy traffic they reached the quiet, affluent neighbourhood of the city.
Elenna’s eyes widened as they passed various mansions, one bigger than the other.

“Who lives here?”

“Mainly bankers, lawyers, doctors and politicians”, Georgie replied. “To be honest, it’s not really interesting for a child to grow up here because there is absolutely no action.”

“Yeah, bankers and lawyers are not what you can call party-animals”, Rome said with a grin.

“Turn left, then straight ahead and we’re there.”

Right after he had turned left Lenna gasped. “Don’t tell me that’s your house!”

“Which one?”

“That one.” She pointed at the largest building.

“Oh…yes, that is my house. Well, technically it’s my Uncle’s.” Georgie smiled. “Home sweet home.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. That’s not a house, that’s a freaking huge mansion!”

“Not bad…”, Rome mumbled as he drove into the drive-way and parked near the garage—or garages. “Geez, how many cars does your uncle have?”

“Last time I checked he had three, and my aunt had two.”

“Five cars for two people?” Elenna looked at her friend. “I don’t get rich people, I really don’t…”
When they got out of the car they noticed Richard who looked like one of the statues in the driveway because he didn’t move and just stared at the house. Georgie grabbed Rome’s arm. “There’s one thing I need to make sure before we get in there.”

“And what’s that?”

“No inappropriate comments in the presence of my uncle, got it?”

“What?” Rome grinned sheepishly. “When do I ever-“

“All the time”, Georgie interrupted him. “I’m fully aware of the fact that your brain is filled up with dirty thoughts, but please keep them to yourself when my uncle is around. No dirty jokes, no inappropriate comments, are we clear?”

“Relax, G, it’s not like I’m going to tell him how hot you look in Victoria’s Secret …”

She flashed him a warning glance. “If you dare…” She turned away from him and walked to Richard who finally started to move. “You okay?”

“Yeah…”

“Listen, if you’d rather stay in a hotel I would completely understand. Not that I want you to stay in a hotel, you know what I mean, just in case it’s too weird…well, it is weird, but…um…”

“Don’t worry, I’m okay.”

Georgie wasn’t quite sure about that, but she decided not to bombard him with further questions. They walked to the huge door where a butler was waiting. Lenna seemed very irritated as the butler opened the door, and she was even more irritated when a maid in a black dress with a white apron appeared in the hallway and took their coats.
“Mr Gilmore is still in court, but Mrs Gilmore is here.”
Georgie nodded. “Thank you.” She had no idea what the name of the maid was, there had been so many maids since she lived here that she lost track.
As soon as they were inside everybody stared at the sight of the enormous size and the undeniably valuable furniture, especially the chandeliers on the ceiling.

Elenna’s jaw dropped. “Holy shit…”

“Is this you?” Rome pointed at a big oil painting of a little girl next to the entrance.

“Yes. I forgot to tell them to put all the embarrassing pictures of me down…” Her eyes wandered over to another picture“Why on earth is that baby picture in the hallway where everybody can see it?”

“Gosh, there are pictures of you everywhere!”, Elenna noticed. “This house is like one big ‘Georgina Gilmore Musuem’. Do we have to pay entrance fee?”

Georgie rolled her eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous. And I’m not the one who put all those pictures up.”
The same moment Helen and man in an expensive appeared on the other side of the hallway. The man passed them and smiled, then went out the door.

“Was that…” Georgie turned to her aunt. “The governor?”

“Georgina!” Helen, all dressed in Ralph Lauren, hugged her niece tightly. “You have been away far too long, young lady. And…oh my!” She released her and looked at Richard who stood a bit uncomfortable next to Lenna. Unlike Lewis she smiled when she saw him. “Amazing…he looks just like your father…” She reached out her hand. “Hello, Richard, I’m really pleased to meet you.”

“Um…thanks.” He shook her hand and she kept scrutinizing him a bit longer until she finally looked at the other guests because she didn’t want to be rude. She raised her eyebrows as she looked at Rome, and Georgie knew exactly that she always did that with every young man who spent a certain amount of time with her niece. Rome kept cool as he introduced himself, and Georgie could see that her aunt didn’t look that wary anymore. Then her eyes wandered to Lenna who still seemed irritated by the hugeness of the house and that massive chandelier that hang over her.

“You look familiar…”, Helen said. “Have I met you before?”

Lenna shook her head. “No. Um…I’m…ah…Lenna…Elenna.” She seemed to be intimidated by everything in this house, even by that pear-necklace wearing stepford wife in front of her.

“Are you all hungry? You came all the way from Kansas, didn’t you? Dinner should be ready any second.” She looked at her watch. “I think we can just go ahead otherwise the dinner will get cold. Oh, I completely forgot! Are there any vegetarians…or vegans…?” For some weird reason she looked at Rome as if he looked like the sort of guy who would eat vegan food.

“Auntie, don’t worry, nobody is a vegan here.” Georgie turned to others. “Am I right?”

Lenna unzipped her hoodie, Georgie looked at her in disbelieve. She had asked Lenna several times not to wear anything offensive and here she was wearing a very inappropriate shirt. Lenna grinned at Georgie, knowing that her blond friend hated her shirt. The thought if Rome the Vegan made her giggle.
The team followed Mrs Gilmore into the dining hall, this whole house was insane. Something was weird, when Mrs Gilmore looked at her she felt… weird. Why did she ask if she knew her? Did Georgie send her aunt pictures of her? But it was not just that Mrs Gilmore thought she knew her, Lenna felt as if she knew some of the pictures of Georgie as little girl, or maybe just the girl.

“Dordie.” Lenna mumbled suddenly. She wasn’t even sure what this word meant or why she remembered it. Georgie turned around. “Did you say something?”

“No. I didn’t.” Lenna hurried to follow her friends. She didn’t want to be alone, she was worried that she might break something. They all set down at the dinner table and Lenna moaned as soon she saw all the cutlery.

“Seriously? What is it with you rich people and the cutlery? Why can’t you just have one spoon, knife and fork? That’s all you need.” Lenna was eating her soup not realizing that everyone was staring at her. “What soup is this anyway?”

“It is asparagus soup Miss.” The maid in the behind Lenna answered.

“Ah.” Lenna looked up. “What? Did I say something wrong?”

"Please forgive Lenna, Mrs. G," Rome said amiably, pushing Elenna's chair in for her, swiping the napkin swan from the coffee cup and draping it with a flourish over her lap, and taking the spoon gently from her hand. "She's not used to polite society, but I promise she cleans up beautifully." He turned and took a passing maid by the arm. "Could we get a clean coffee spoon? I'm so sorry. Thanks," he said to her, and then, turning back to Elenna, selected her soup spoon and handed it to her with a grin.

She glowered and snatched it from him, though didn't make a fuss after meeting eyes with Georgina and Helen.

Rome then made his way around the table to push in Helen's chair for her. "Here you are, Mrs. G," he said.

"Oh, thank you, young man." A faint blush highlighted her cheeks.

Rome then moved to help Georgie sit before walking back around the table to sit next to Elenna. Richard eventually assumed the seat at the end of the table by Elenna.

Rome made a point of staring at the two women across the table from him until he was noticed. "Is there something the matter?" Helen asked, in that aristocratic almost-British Bostonian accent, that made her seem like she was not at all prepared to be amused.

"Oh, nothing. Only you couldn't possibly be her aunt, you can't be more than twenty-nine!"

"O-ho!" Helen laughed a sparkling laugh, and Georgie almost spit out her soup.

"I only wish that Georgie hadn't told me you were a happily married woman." He winked mischievously. Rome had a way with older women: they found him adorable, charming, perhaps he made them feel young again. Perhaps it was his cologne and wicked smile. "And the name of your chef, this is delicious!" he said, indicating the soup and smiling at a passing maid.

"Really, young man, you are far too much!" she said, still blushing faintly.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Rome giggled, breaking off a piece of bread and popping it in his mouth with aristocratic delicacy. "You must forgive me, too, I'm afraid. We west coasters are hardly a match for the east in style and civility. If I grow too forward, just have your lovely niece kick me under the table." He grinned widely.

"My, your friend is quite the charmer, Georgina!"

"And that's not all I'm good for--oh!" he added with a slightly over-exaggerated not-so-oops-oops-face. "There I did it again!" But Helen was laughing. "I better get it out of my system before Mr. Gilmore gets home. Where is he by the way?"

"He is working on an important case. He will join us as soon as he can, but I am afraid I cannot say when exactly he will be home."

Rome nodded. "Must be important to keep the Governor waiting!"

"Now where did you say you were from, again, Romulus?"

"Seattle. Washington. My father was the head of an emerging technologies corp--" Rome glossed over the memory as quickly as he could, "--I was going to follow him into the business, but then, you know, hunting called, and I answered. Suddenly I find myself keeping company with your exquisite niece, and, well, how could I go back to Seattle now?" he concluded with a wink.

Lenna smiled very sweetly and Georgie. “I think I just puked into my mouth.”

“Elenna!” Georgie looked shocked at her friend.

“I’m sorry, but rich people are kind of exhausting and just shallow talking. I mean I’m sorry Mrs Gilmore you are very nice person, but why do you try to butter each other up. It sounds exhausting and annoying and… Blondie stop kicking me.” Lenna looked angry at Georgie.

Mrs Gilmore smiled at her, ignoring Lenna's mean tone. “You can call me Helen. Are you sure we haven’t met? I feel like I know you from somewhere.”

“I’m pretty sure I’ve never been here. I think a very long time ago when I was still wearing pigtails I went once to Boston with my family, I mean… I.” Lenna looked embarrassed at her plate. “I’m pretty sure we haven’t met, my family never used that much cutlery in a week.”

“That is an interesting t-shirt you are wearing Elenna. “

“Oh, um thanks. Yeah I’m not a Barbie like Georgie, I’m more the in the mud playing and finding slugs type of girl.” Lenna looked up and smiled at Georgie. “Georgie can be lucky to have you.”

“Do you hear that Georgina? Your young friend is thankful in your name.” Lewis Gilmore walked into the dining room. Lenna turned around and suddenly got up, there was something that made her showing her best behaviour. “Good evening Mr Gilmore it is very nice to meet you in a more proper way. I never said a real thank you for saving us from the island.”

Lewis starred at Lenna, while Georgie and Helen looked at him. They both saw that something was on his mind.
Lenna was intimidated by Lewis and at the same time she felt as if she knew him, she liked him but had no idea why. Something was going on here and she didn’t know what it was, but it was weird. Or was it just her thinking like this?

As Lewis looked at Georgie’s friend Elenna, he couldn’t help but think that he had met her. He usually had an extraordinarily good memory, but he just couldn’t place her face anywhere. Maybe he would sooner or later.
“I’m sorry I’m late, I had a meeting with the judge, which took longer than I thought it would…” He looked at everybody and even managed to show the hint of a smile. “I hope you found your tea set…”, he said to his wife in a sarcastic tone.

“No, I didn’t, but thank you for asking.”

“I hope you had a good journey.” He looked at the younger people. “Whose car is the yellow one next to the garages?”

“That’s mine”, Lenna said proudly.

“I also noticed a bike…” His eyes wandered to his niece. “I hope you don’t intend to drive that thing, you don’t need to put yourself in more danger than-“

“It’s my bike”, Richard said dryly.

“Oh…I see…” Lewis cleared his throat and looked at Elenna again. He was just about to ask where she came from when Georgie turned her head towards him.

“Uncle, we need to talk.” There was not even the hint of an emotion on her face.

Everybody paused for a moment and looked at them while Lewis didn’t even blink.

“When are you finally going to remove this baby picture of me from the hallway? Everybody comes in and the first thing they see is this huge picture of me as a chubby baby.”

“You look lovely”, Helen said with a smile. “That was at your baptism, and-“

“I’m just saying, it doesn’t have to hang right in the hallway.”

Lewis was used to the complaints of his niece and focused on the guests instead. He was sure his little brother would say something to him sooner or later, and he had no doubt that his niece wasn’t done with him either. Georgina could be very persistent. He knew she would have made a great lawyer.

“So…Elenna was it, right?” Lewis looked at the brunette girl who clearly used the wrong spoon for the soup. She looked up, almost flinched as he talked to her.

“Um…yepp.”

“Where are you from?”

Lenna looked at Mr. Gilmore. “I’m from New York, um… Chestertown most of my life.”

Lenna didn’t feel comfortable talking about herself. Why was Georgie’s uncle so interested in her?

“That is not very far from here. I think I know you from somewhere, what is your family doing?”

“Um my dad was a Reverend and my mom a house wife.” Lenna looked at Rome, she knew that he didn’t like how she was behaving but she didn’t know how to stop.

“What did you say your last name is?” Lewis asked calmly but you could hear in his voice that he expected an answer.

“Fee, Elenna Fee. Daughter of… daughter of Christopher and Lorelai Fee, sister of Nicklaas Fee.” Georgie heard in Lenna’s voice that she really didn’t like talking about this.

“Uncle, if I wouldn’t know it better I would think you are examining Lenna.” Georgie smiled at Lenna.

“I am not examining your friend, I am simply doing conversation.” Lewis studied Lenna’s face. He knew he had to talk with her.

Lewis was finally able to know who the young lady in the rather unusual shirt was. He had known her parents, though not particularly well, but he had met them, as well as he met her brother and Elenna herself. True, the last time he saw her she was a toddler who couldn’t really talk yet, so he didn’t think she could remember. He decided to talk to her privately after the dinner to find out how much she actually knew about her parents.

“Do you care for some tea? Or coffee?”, Helen asked the others after they finished their dessert.

“Actually…” Lewis looked in Lenna’s direction. “Would you mind if I talk to you for a moment?”

“Um…did I do something?” She looked almost scared at him.

“Don’t worry, I just have a few questions.”

Helen sighed. “Really, Lewis? They just arrived here…”

“It’s important, Helen.” He got up. “And I won’t cross-examine her.”

Lenna looked from Rome to Georgie, waiting for an explanation.

“It won’t take long, Elenna, there is just something I need to talk with you about.”

“In case he gets on your nerves, just call me”, Georgie said, immediately getting a strict side-glance from her uncle.

Elenna nodded and followed Lewis into the living room where she almost stopped breathing because she couldn’t believe that something like that could even be called ‘living room’, it was the size of an entire flat.

“You probably wonder why I want to talk to you”, Lewis began, but he noticed that her attention was all over the place. He cleared his throat.

“Oh…um….yes!” She nodded. “Um…what’s…what’s up?”

Lewis was a bit irritated by the way the young girl talked, but he continued. “You look a lot like your mother, that’s why you also looked so familiar when I first saw you. Do you-“

“Wait, you knew my mother?” Lenna wasn’t even aware that she interrupted him.

“Not very well, but I did know her and-“

“How? I mean, you’re a lawyer, right?”

“Chief prosecutor, to be precise.”

“Yeah, that’s what I meant. So how did you know my parents? My father was a reverend and had nothing to do with…um…lawyer stuff.”

So she didn’t know about her parents’ true profession after all. That was all he wanted to know. Well, now he had a confused girl in front of him who wanted to know how he knew her parents.

“Well…I…helped a friend of your father with a case. Nothing important.”

“Okay…” Lenna still seemed confused. “Is that what you wanted to talk about? My parents?”

“Yes, I just wanted to see if you were really the daughter of Christopher and Lorelai Fee.”

Lenna nodded. “Yepp.”

“Good to know.”
And she has absolutely no idea whose daughter she really was…

While Lewis and Elenna went into the living room, Helen, Georgie, Rome and Richard sat at the table while they had tea. Since Helen couldn’t find her Austrian tea set, she found a good substitute, an English tea set that looked like old Granny painted flowers on it with her own hands. Georgie knew it was very valuable, but when she saw Rome and Richard staring at the tiny tea cups she tried really hard not to laugh. While Rome kept flirting with her aunt she started to feel the urge to kick him under the table again, but then she noticed how Richard looked at the framed photos of her and her parents, which were taken when she was about six.
Helen noticed it as well, and she smiled at her brother-in-law. “So, Richard, do you like baseball?”

Georgie stared at her aunt. She appreciated the fact that Helen at least tried, but seriously? Baseball?

“Ehm…”

“Adam loved baseball, he hardly missed any Red Sox game, isn’t that right, Georgina?”

“Please don’t do that, Auntie.”

“Do what?”

“Compare dad to Richard. They are two very different people, okay?” Georgie looked apologetically at Richard.

“Oh, I didn’t mean it like that. I just wanted to get to know him a bit better.”

“Speaking of which…” Georgie raised her eyebrows. “What in the world was your husband thinking?”

“You will have to ask him that.”

“Oh, I will, believe me.”

“Hey, G…” Rome touched her arm. “Your aunt is really nice, maybe you should-“

“I know she is, thank you for pointing that out, Romulus”, she hissed, and turned back to Helen. “So, did-“

“You know that your father visited Richard when he was little?” Her eyes wandered from her niece to Richard. “You must have been very young, too young to remember, and Adam was about eleven, but he saw you a couple of times. He wasn’t close to his parents, he was always with his older brother, but on some rare occasions when he happened to see them he always made sure that he saw his baby brother.”

“At least one did”, Georgie mumbled. She wasn’t sure if that made Richard feel any better at all, probably not. “And why didn’t dad take him in when their parents died?”

Helen sighed. “Your father was still in high school, and by the time he heard about what happened, the social workers had already found a family for his brother and Adam didn’t know where they lived.”

An awkward silence followed. Richard just stared at the table while Georgie was focused on her aunt.

Since nobody said anything, Rome decided to break the silence. “Nice tea set.”

Lenna looked confused at Lewis. Georgie had never told her that her uncle was that weird, very strict yes but not that weird.

“Okay, um are we done here? Sir? I would love to have some coffee it was a long day and we drove a long time. And I don’t think we will sit at home all night long.” Lenna smiled, even though Lewis Gilmore was weird, he still knew her parents and he said she looks like her mom, she really liked when people saw that. Her friends couldn’t say this since she never had shown them a picture of her parents.

“Yes we are. I apologize if I confused you.” Lewis turned around and went back into the dining room, while Lenna followed him.

As soon they were back Georgie looked at her friend, but Lenna wasn’t sure what to say. It was weird the whole visit here. Richard, Helen and Georgie didn’t seem to have the best time either while Rome tried to seduce Helen and still be on Georgie’s side. At least that was what it looks like from Lenna’s point of view.

“How is it going in here?” She asked smiling.

This wasn’t just awkward, this was bloody agony. Richard wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but it certainly wasn’t a brother who lived in a castle, had a fleet of cars in his garage, rubbed shoulders with politicians and had an army of serving staff. He mentally slapped himself for over exaggerating, but it didn’t help much.

Ok, so Lewis hadn’t taken him into the family. That, Richard could understand. He wasn’t sure if he agreed with it, but he understood. But the silence, the years passing and he hadn’t even made a token effort to get in touch. That stung, and stung even worse with the trappings surrounding him.

Richard was only moments away from blurting that out when Rome broke the awkward, hanging quiet. There was a palpable look of relief around the table that someone had begun to talk. Helen had just started to reply when Lewis and Lenna returned. Richard and Lewis locked eyes, and Richard could feel his hands tightening into fists. He needed to get some space before he did something stupid.

“If you’ll excuses me.” Richard stood up and walked out the room.

Georgie watched one uncle leaving the room while the other just entered. She shook her head, got up and walked right up to Lewis. She grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the dining room to his study.

“Georgina, what-“

“It’s my turn to talk”, she interrupted him. She was probably the only one who stood a chance against him if she was the opponent’s lawyer and had to stand against him in a trial. He won every case inside a courthouse, but at home his niece didn’t let him win that easily, and it had always been like that. She was his only true challenge and probably the only weak spot he had, and she knew exactly how to take advantage of that.
Georgie closed the heavy door behind him and crossed her arms. “You know that I’m very glad to be home, and to see you and Helen, and I really appreciate all the help I get from you, but how stupid do you think I am?”

“I never said anything about stupid.” As usual, Lewis didn’t have any facial expression, which drove her crazy because it was bloody hard to read his mind.

“But you thought I wouldn’t find out, right? That I happen to have a family member that you just kept a secret and thought I would never find out anyway…You know, that’s like this one movie…it was actually a book…with the twins who get separated after birth and their parents think that they’ll never find out, but guess what, they do…and…God, what was the name of the movie?”

Lewis didn’t react, and she knew he had no idea what the hell she was talking about.

“Whatever!” Georgie looked at him. “What I mean to say is, you can’t keep those things a secret because it’s just wrong, and someone is going to find it out anyway, and then you realize you should have been honest in the first place because you make things only worse by keeping it a secret.”
Her uncle still didn’t say anything. Which annoyed her. Majorly.
“Hey, can you at least try to argue with me here? You’re never this quiet, why now? Come on, you even argued with me back when I was in school and you thought the skirt of my school uniform was too short, so you have to have something to say about a subject as important as meeting the brother you never mentioned.”

“It was in everybody’s best interest.”

Georgie raised her eyebrow. “What was in everybody’s best interest?”

“That Richard got adopted after our parents died.”

“Really? You think it’s the best interest for a little boy to get adopted by complete strangers instead of living with the family that still remained? I’m not particularly sure about that…”

“I understand that you get involved in this, Georgina, but you don’t know a thing.”

“Maybe I don’t know everything because I didn’t live back then, but I know one thing for sure, and that’s the fact that you abandon your little brother.”

“I think he was much better off living with adoptive parents who took care of him, because by the time our parents died I just finished my PhD and started working, so I wouldn’t have had the time to look after him, and neither would your father, because he was seventeen and couldn’t even take care of himself, so I doubt that it would have been his best interest to live with us.”

“Okay, I get that…” Georgie started.

“But?”

“But that still isn’t an excuse for not contacting him and see if he was okay. You took me in after my parents died, and you were just as busy with your job. Why wasn’t I adopted by some strange couple after mom and dad died?”

“That was different.”

“How?” Georgie looked at him without even blinking. “How was my situation different than his?”
Lewis didn’t answer.
She took a deep breath. “I know we can’t change anything, past is past, but I do hope you’re human enough to admit that you made a mistake, and I expect you to get it together and be nice to your younger brother. That’s the least thing you can do.”

“You’ve become quite bossy, I have to say…”

“Guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” She looked at him with pursed lips. “You know…after mom and dad died it would have been really nice for me to have someone else there. You were in court, Helen was constantly at some meetings for the Daughters of the American Revolution…it would have been nice to actually know that I had another family member.” Georgie’s eyes wandered to an oil portrait with her, Helen and Lewis when she was about twelve. “Anyway, I should get back to the others, and I have to see where Richard went.” She went to the door. “And by the way, Uncle, your stubbornness is exhausting. Ease up a little, will you?”

If he wasn't so busy flirting with Georgie's smoking hot aunt, Rome would have had more time to be appalled. Sure, Lenna was a social cripple at the best of times, but he had half a mind to bend her over his knee and give her the kind of spanking that didn't lead to sex. Because they could be in the projects instead of the ritz, and she was still acting like a bitch.

Richard had walked out, followed soon by Georgie and Lewis, but they returned to the table in a few minutes looking flushed and angry at each other.

"Could I possibly get some cream?" Rome asked a passing maid. They shared a wild grin for the split-second where that was somehow a sexual innuendo--Rome had always wanted to do it with a real maid--before her face clouded.

"We're out, sir," she said, with small curtsy.

Rome didn't even really like cream in his coffee--it made caffeine's job harder--and it had really just been something to say, but he quirked an eyebrow at Helen at this admission.

Helen waved her hand dismissively. "It's all over the city. Mass milk spoilage, it was on the news."

Boston didn't strike Rome as a farming town, but, "So, what, just local product, or what?"

"No, imported, too. The FDA doesn't have any answers yet."

Rome, Georgie, and Lenna looked at each other pointedly.

"Now, not at the table, you three," she warned. "Not having milk in the house is hardly reason enough to discuss 'the other profession' or anything of the sort." Rome had the feeling that this was code for hunting, and what she said next confirmed it: "I won't have That kind of talk at the table, thank you." And that was it, and she went back to her black coffee.

After dinner the maid showed the boys where they would stay while Georgie showed Lenna her room, it was insane how huge this house was.

“Hey Georgie, why does your uncle and aunt think they know me?” The young girl asked trying to remember the way, but she wasn’t sure it would work all her landmark like paintings of old dudes where not really helpful there were too many paintings that looked the same.

“Maybe because they meet so many people that they just thought they know you but actually met someone else.” Georgie opened the door to another room and Lenna was actually speechless, a rare occasion.

“So what do you think it is the best guest room we have?” Georgie smiled at her. Lenna walked very slowly into the room. “Are you sure this is not one of those museums of how people lived hundred years ago?”

“Yes of course silly. Come on you’ll like it.”

Lenna looked skeptical at Georgie, the young girl was really worried she might break something, she was pretty sure even one of the chairs was priceless.

“What if I break anything in here?”

“What? Why should you break anything? What are you planning on doing in here?”

“I don’t know, but it all looks all so expensive and I dunno your uncle won’t sue me if I break something.”

Georgie laughed. “No he won’t, at least I think. Hey have you ever been in Boston? Maybe we should out enjoy the fact that we have no hunt.”

“Sounds like a plan, I bet you know a couple of good places to go out.”

“Yeah one or two, anyway you get settled in and I go and tell the boys our plans of going out later.” Georgie smiled Lenna before she left the room. Lenna didn’t sit still very long before she started wandering through the house, she opened another of the old heavy looking doors and she was taking by surprise. She had found the library, and not just a small, depressing looking library it was a large well lit room. There were many law books but she didn’t care she wandered around and touched the books. She looked truly happy. She found a historical atlas, it made her smile because her mom used to take the atlas and tell her stories about all the countries. Just for a moment she wanted to remember the time she had with Lorelai, so Lenna took the atlas and was confused when the atlas was weirdly stuck. She pulled will all her strength and suddenly the book moved but never out of the shelf, it wasn’t even a book. Suddenly the bookshelf next to her opened to another room, it was small compared to the library but full with books, books that made her grin. Lenna had just discovered the secret hunter’s library in the Gilmore house, she wondered if Georgie knew about this.

Before Georgie went looking for Rome and Richard, she headed to her room first to freshen up a bit. She felt better knowing that Lewis got the message that she was still pissed, but the whole issue was not completely out of the way yet.
She went straight into her walk-in closet - oh, how much she missed it!- and picked out a new pair of shoes. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt like she purposely wanted to get drunk, but at the moment she was very tempted to just grab one of the insanely expensive champagne bottles her uncle stored next to the wine cellar and drink the whole damn thing.
After Georgie left her room she checked if Lenna was in the guest room, but she wasn’t, so she kept looking and ran into Rome who just came out of his room and shot her a grin.

“Just tested the bed”, he said in a certain undertone. “Comfortable...”

“Yes, I am aware of that”, she replied sarcastically. She was actually very thankful for Rome’s calmness, the only one who was in the middle of everything and still cracked jokes. Although he seriously had the nerve to flirt with her aunt who was about thirty years his senior…

“What do you think of going out for a few drinks, there are some good places and I most certainly need a drink…”

“You wanna get wasted?” He didn’t even try to hide a grin.

“I didn’t say anything from getting wasted. And if I wanted to get wasted here, I would just spend some time in my uncle’s wine cellar, it’s not like I’ve never been drunk in this house before.” Georgie checked her watch. “Anyway, that’s irrelevant! Let’s see if we can find the others.”

No matter where Richard went, it didn’t help him calm down. Partially, that’s was because he’d become lost. Eventually he made it out into the garden, and took a few minutes to catch his breath. He walked around the garden and finding himself back at the garage he took some time to inspect his bike, checking it for wear after the long drive. Satified, he went back to the house.

But almost as soon as he re-entered the house, he bumped straight into Lewis.

‘Talk about bad timing,’ though Richard. ‘Oh well, better to get this over with.’ For the moment his temper was controlled, hopefully it would stay that way.

Though for a few minutes both just looked at each other, waiting for the other to speak first. Richards face broke into a painful smile.

“This isn’t going to work if we have a staring contest. We’ve a lot to catch up on, but there’s something we need to discuss first.”

“What’s that,” asked Lewis, bracing himself for what he knew was coming.

“Just answer one question honestly, why did you cut me out of the family?”

“I couldn’t have adopted you…” Lewis began.

“No,” replied Richard, feeling his temper rising again, “not that. Why didn’t you even try and get in touch afterwards? It’s not like you have the moral high ground here. You were a hunter, you know what’s out there and the dangers they pose. You turned you’re back on that, and became a lawyer of all things?”

Despite previously being calm, despite not wanting to, Richard found himself getting more and more enraged.

“And with all this wealth? Erebus, even if you didn’t want to hunt yourself you could have financed dozens of hunters and not even noticed.”

“My lifestyle has nothing to do with this.” Lewis replied.

“No, you’re right. ‘This’ has only one question that needs to be answered. And you haven’t yet. Why did you cut me out completely?”

Truth was, Lewis was not sure what the real reason was for cutting off his brother completely. True, he had barely any contact with his parents by the time Richard was born, and he had never been good with children in the first place…which could have been one of the reasons why he never really had the interest in visiting, next to the fact that he didn’t really want to meet up with his parents. Georgina had made a point; her situation hadn’t been much different than Richard’s, and yet Lewis didn’t even hesitate a second to take her in and become her legal guardian after her parents died. Lewis couldn’t give him an answer right away. He thought of what happened over thirty years ago, and tried to remember the reasons, or that one reason, why he never contacted his youngest brother. And he remembered that one particular reason, and he knew today just as well as he knew back then that it wasn’t right. Richard was waiting for an answer, and Lewis knew he deserved an honest one.

“You probably don’t remember much of your real parents, so you won’t remember that they were barely at home. See, our father tried to combine two jobs, being a lawyer and a hunter at the same time, which naturally didn’t work out, or, in his case, had the result that he was literally never at home, and neither was our mother. I was ten years older than Adam, so I raised him while I was still a child myself.” He paused for a moment. “By the time you were born I just started college and had no further interest in raising another child, which would have happened as soon as I would have contacted my parents again. And when our parents died I thought about getting in contact with the social worker who found a family for you, but then I feared that it would all start over again, taking care of someone that I wasn’t supposed to take care of. On the other hand I thought it would be much safer if you grew up in a normal family, away from everything related to hunting. I saw what it did to Adam, who was about to graduate from high school, but instead of going to college he chose hunting.” It was incredibly weird for him to talk to Richard, because it felt like he was talking to Adam due to the remarkable resemblance. “So, those were the two reasons. I was worried I had to take care of another child again, and I thought you should have the possibility to grow up in a normal family…which obviously didn’t help much, because you’re a hunter after all.”

Richard didn’t respond. He seemed as if he wanted to say something, but he wasn’t sure what.

“Anyway…” Lewis cleared his throat, and the same moment Helen appeared at the end of the hallway.

“You have a call from Australia, apparently it is urgent. I couldn’t quite make out everything that strange man on the phone said. They should introduce lessons to the Australian school system where children learn how to speak proper English.”

“That's what I heard the British say about Americans”, Lewis replied dryly while he took one last look at his younger brother, then he turned away and went into his study.

Rome nodded, took Georgie around the waist. "Yeah let's make sure Lenna isn't pissing anyone else off..." They turned and walked towards the guest bedroom Lenna was staying in.

"Rome," Georgie said.

"Huh?"

"Hands."

Rome looked down, realizing where his hand was. Oops. He grinned.

"Oh, come on, G, can you blame me?"

"Yes!" Georgie rolled her eyes and knocked on Lenna's door. "Lenna?" she called softly.

No answer.

"I thought she'd be excited to get out," Rome said, loud enough to be heard through the door. "Guess we'll have to leave her here..."

"Now, Rome, don't be nasty," Georgie said, trying the door.

"You're right. Then your poor aunt and uncle would be left alone with her, that would be cruel." He hoped she would hear him so he could give her that scolding he owed her, but her room was empty.

"Where could she go?"

"I don't know, this is your house!"

"Maybe she went outside?..."

Rome and Georgie checked. They only found Lewis and Richard yelling at each other. Not wanting to get in on that awkward, Rome quickly backpedaled, although Georgie looked interested in giving one or both of them a piece of her mind.

"Okay, okay, relax, they're two old guys, they're not gonna kill each other, we'll break it up later, G--" for a brief painful moment he knew the estranged-brother-pain intimately, but he quickly buried all thoughts of Rawson deeply. "They just need some time to duke it out, get it out of their systems, come on..." He pulled her back toward the house. "We were looking for Lenna, remember? Any idea where she'd be? Unless, of course, just you and me, a bar, a hotel..." he winked playfully, and she whacked him in the arm.

"Why would I go to a hotel when I'm home?"

Rome waggled his eyebrows. "Oh I see! You're into the whole 'quiet-my-parents-are-in-the-next-room' kind of kinky..." She whacked him again, harder, but this was too good to let go: "So you're going to need to gag me and as blindfold me if we're going to your room...I think I'm going to like this..."

"Rome! Will you just shut up!"

"Make me. Hur hur--OW!"

Rome had bent over double, as her next strike was a not-so-friendly sac tap. When he could stand and talk again, she was already far down the hall. "Damn, G!" he said, hobbling along after her. He had a few more, but he had learned his lesson at this point and would regroup for a later assault. "Ouch," he added petulantly, but she ignored him. "So...where do you think she's hiding? Do you have, like, a rink underground? She likes ice skating." Even Rome was impressed at the opulence of the Gilmore residence, and didn't put it past them.

"No, Rome, there's no ice rink," she said wearily. "And she hates tennis and swimming, so...it's either billiards or the library."

"You have a pool table?" Rome squeaked excitedly. "Can we have sex on that?!"

Georgie glared at him. Rome cupped his balls protectively.

"Kidding," he added. "Totally kidding please don't hurt me."

Georgie rolled her eyes and pushed open a large pair of mahogany double-doors.

"Ooh, a law library!" Rome said sarcastically, poking at the hardbound tomes that looked way more boring than he could possibly have imagined. "What fun!"

But Georgie wasn't paying attention to him anymore.

True…the library had never been a place where Georgie spent all her spare time while she was still living here, no matter how nice it looked…it was still a library. She didn’t mind reading, but honestly, as a teenager she had other things on her mind than books, so the library, which was mainly filled up with books she wasn’t interested in, was not place she had spent much time in.
After she and Rome entered the library and looked around, she noticed something she had never seen before in the library- an open door that led to another room. The door was actually covered behind the bookshelves, and there was no way she would have ever discovered it.
Georgie slowly approached the open door and peaked into the room. Lenna sat on a chair, her face hidden behind a huge book.

“There you are…”, Georgie mumbled while her eyes wandered through the room. This was not just any other room or office, it was a smaller library, and from what she saw she realized it was a hunter library.

Lenna looked up. “Cool place. Did you know about this?”

“I had no idea…” She stepped into the room and looked at some of the sketches and notebooks. “When I was younger I asked my uncle if he still had all his research material and books, but he said he had barely anything left, and it was of no importance anyway.” She flipped through a notebook. “Which, of course, he said because he wanted to keep me away from all this stuff. He really didn’t want me to get interested in hunting, although he knew that I always had a certain interest. God, he was relieved when he heard that I would study law at Yale.”

“There’s pretty useful stuff”, Lenna said. “Your uncle was really good in research.”

“And how did you get in here?” Rome raised his eyebrows. “Snooped around a bit, hm?”

“Hey, I only touched a book that seemed to be stuck, and when I pulled it the door opened automatically.”

Georgie sighed. “I lived here so many years and not once had the idea that there could be a secret room like this. I assumed Lewis had the remaining things all packed up in boxes somewhere in the attic, and I also went looking for it, but never found anything.” She shook her head. “That’s just typical! I think the motto of my family is ‘Keep everything hidden’, or ‘Do not talk about it’. There should be a sign right above the main door: ‘One does not simply walk into the Gilmore mansion and talk about the other profession’. It’s ridiculous…”

“What do they expect?” Rome read the back of some books. “I mean, it’s not like you’re going fishing during the time you’re gone.”

“I know. It’s just…I think they still have the hope that I come to my senses, go back to college and become the next lawyer of the family. They have accepted the fact that I chose hunting, but they are not particularly happy about it.” She took a deep breath. “Anyway, I’d say we get out of here, I really need a drink or two…” She turned to Rome who started grinning cheekily. “And no, you’re not going to get me filled up. And you…” She turned back to Lenna and snatched the book away from her. “Stop reading.”

“Hey!”, Lenna complained while her friend literally pushed her out of the secret library. They went downstairs where they found Richard alone in the hallway. Georgie noticed that he was obviously upset, so she decided not to immediately ask him how the conversation with his older brother went.
“I guess I’m not the only one who could need a drink”, she said.

“I’m driving!”, Lenna exclaimed.