Cousins Are Comin' and We Need More Alcohol

Tam nodded and fetched him a glass of water before tossing in a frozen dinner in the microwave for herself. Settling next to him on the couch as she happily watched movies with Kent.

---
"This is the address, but clearly no one's here." Jonah said as he peered into the front window of what used to be his uncle's home. "They're not here, Lisa."

His sister crinkled her nose as she looked at the for sale sign that had been kicked over and hidden by some overgrown shrubbery. "Think they don't want to live in the house their dad shot himself in?"

Jonah frowned, he remembered how his mother had talked about her brother, that he was a broken man and that whatever good he had had been flushed out of him after years of misery. Jonah had tried to dig up information about his uncle for this trip. A friend of a friend put him in touch with someone in the police who was kind enough to tell him the grizzly details. Abuse, child neglect, incest... It made him feel sick.

"I wish we knew what Tamara's phone number was." Lisa said as she propped the for sale sign back up. Then she tilted her head as she saw the phone number for the realtor. "But I got the next best thing..."

Jonah turned and saw the smile on his sister's face, and was glad he wasn't going to have to make a call to Vinny to dig up his cousin's phone number.

---

Tam heard a knock at the door and frowned as she looked to Kent, she had almost fallen asleep on his good lap as they watched Hellraiser together. She yawned and stretched as she got up to answer the door. Who she found standing there was more confusing than anything else. A handsome young man with dusty blonde hair and a younger girl with auburn hair. Their eyes were the same light brown.

Before Tam could even react the auburn girl let out a high pitched squeal and threw her arms around her. "Cousin!"

Tam frowned. "I beg your pardon?"

The girl looked at her, a giant smile filling her face. "Remember me? Lisa. Your cousin???" Then she gestured to her brother who was silent but regarded Tam with a nod and a small smile. "And Jonah?"

Tam vaguely recalled her cousins, only having met once before on a family get-together when her parents were still married. Yet she remembered her aunt being quite the drinker. "What're... what're you two doing here?"

"We came to see if you were okay. We heard about what happened..." Lisa's voice went flat at the thought of her uncle.

Jonah looked to the swanky new apartment and noted Kent sitting on the couch. "Looks like you're doing quite well actually."

"Yes!" Lisa beamed. "This place is faaannccyyy!" She peered in and also so Kent and smiled and waved. "Hello!"

"Is Chris okay?" Jonah asked Tam. "The repor... The word was that he'd been shot."

Tam nodded. "He's fine. He's out with some of my friends right now. Why don't you come in?"

Lisa was practically vibrating as she happily stepped inside. "Oooh this place is gorgeous, Tamara!"

"Please, just Tam."

"Tam! Sorry, sweetie." Lisa looked to Kent again and smiled. "Who's tall dark and handsome here? You scored big time!" She giggled.

Jonah just shrugged and looked to his cousin. "She's been excited to see you and Chris... if you can't already tell."

Tam chuckled. "I'm still confused as to why you're here."

Jonah shrugged again. "We came to help you and Chris. With..." Jonah didn't even want to utter his bastard uncle's name at this point. "Him gone... We figured you'd need help. Though... I actually did have an ulterior motive... regarding her..." He looked to his sister. "She's looking to study writing in college and she got it in her head that moving here would be a good idea. I saw you're selling the house... maybe... we could buy it?"

Tam was taken aback. "You want to move here?"

"Lisa does, and if it helps with her education I figure why not, I got nothing to go back to Virginia to." Jonah shrugged.

Tam shrugged and nodded. "I can give you the house, no problem. If you don't mind it's where your uncle died."

"That man was not my uncle..." Jonah said in a cold tone. "Whatever he was... it wasn't the man I heard about as a kid." He looked her straight in the face. "As far as I'm concerned, you and Chris are family and Lisa and I will do what we can to help." He looked to the apartment again. "Though it seems you do have things under control."

Tam chuckled. "I have very good friends."

Jonah looked to Kent and nodded. "I can see that." He went over and offered his hand to Kent. "Jonah Gunner, you met my sister already."

---

Chris looked sad. "Aww, I'm sorry about that River." He smiled at her. "I'd be sad if you left anyways. I like you. You're pretty." He blushed and chuckled as he looked away and finished his ice cream.

---
Max was so stunned by what Paul had said that he couldn't find the words before he left. Looking to Kevin he nodded. "Yeah... I think he did..." With a heavy sigh he sat down and gently took Bonnie and her mousy son and set them on his lap where he proceeded to pet them both.

"That was quite the bombshell..." Max muttered, still trying to process the information before he suddenly said: "I need a damn drink..." Getting up, he handed Bonnie to Kevin and decided to pour himself a drink, only upon making it that he realized aloud: "Where's your mom and dad?"