Somebody That I Used To Know [Maureen]

[MAUREEN ABERDEEN]

She noted the sad look in his eyes and it took him a long moment to answer. She wondered if she had offended him, hoping she hadn't. She wanted to be who he thought she was, but how could she when she didn't know him? When she didn't even know herself? Everything was just so new and strange and it would take adjustments from all of them. Finally he nodded but the sad glimmer in his eyes never left him. “Okay…we’ll be friends.” He said softly but she felt his hesitation. She knew he, along with everyone, would need to come to terms with the fact that Maureen McManus had died somewhere in the ocean and was replaced with Maureen Aberdeen. Was it really all so bad? She knew deep down it wasn't that they preferred one Maureen over another, but they were simply expecting her to be someone she didn't know and as much as she wanted to be that girl, she wasn't.

“I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.” He sounded bashful, apologetic even. Maureen shook her head and reached over the table, placing her hand on his and squeezing lightly. "Please don't apologize. You've treated me as you always have and that's not wrong. It's endearing actually. I just don't want to plant this false sense of who I am in all of you. As much as I'd love to be the girl you all knew I'm afraid I'm not. I just don't want you all to be disappointed, so starting with a clean slate and rebuilding what we used to have is probably best for everyone. It gives you a chance to know me as I am today and for me to get to know you. That's not to see we won't rough house like we used to someday." There was an amused, mischievous smile on her face as she pulled her hand back. "It'll just take time for us to get back to that point." She explained not wanting him to feel rejected. Maureen wanted things to be as normal for them as possible without putting herself out there too much either.

"Alright.." She dipped her finger into the chocolate frosting and sucked it clean, eyeing the vanilla lavender cupcake. "I think I want to taste that one before I devour the rest of these two!"

---

Maureen had eaten every last crumb off her plate and had managed to gulp down the whole glass of milk. She was thoroughly full of sweets and ready to see the rest of the city with her tour guide, who she had spent the remainder of her snack talking about various things and joking around. The nice thing about Drew was that he was easy to get along with. "Alright, where to next?"

[DREW SOLOMON]

When Maureen’s hand came across the table and covered his reassuringly, Drew couldn’t help but smile more. “Please don’t apologize. You’ve treated me as you always have and that’s not wrong. It’s endearing actually. I just don’t want to plant this false sense of who I am in all of you. As much as I’d love to be the girl you all knew I’m afraid I’m not. I just don’t want you all to be disappointed, so starting with a clean slate and rebuilding what we used to have is probably best for everyone. It gives you a chance to know me as I am today and for me to get to know you. That’s not to say we won’t roughhouse like we used to someday.” Drew smiled wider, chuckling softly at the thought of it. Even if she wasn’t the person she used to be, he was excited to find out who she was now. “It’ll just take time for us to get back to that point.” He nodded to show her he was okay with this. He wanted to get back to that point no matter how long it took. Gently he squeezed her hand back before she pulled it away, his smile as warm as it always was.

“Alright…I think I want to taste that one before I devour the rest of these two!” He laughed and reached for his half of the third cupcake. “Agreed. I want to see what all of your sister’s fussing was about.”

__________________________________________________

It was getting easier and easier to talk to Maureen and find out more about her. Most of the time they spent devouring cupcakes was riddled with light-hearted jokes and funny stories. They talked about each other and he learned some about the family she had in Friday Harbor and the town itself. It sounded like a nice place to live and grow up, smaller than Scriptor Bay and a much quainter feel to it. Even though it sounded nice, Drew preferred a place like Scriptor Bay. It was where he belonged more than any other place in the world, after all. Then again, he wouldn’t mind seeing the place for himself. The way Maureen talked about it made him curious as to what it was like there and how comfortable he could be. That was easy though, since he was pretty much comfortable anywhere—he adapted easily.

Once outside, he looked down at Maureen, both of them stuffed and satisfied it seemed. He gave a heavy sigh and patted his stomach lightly. “Alright, where to next?” Drew scratched his slightly scruffy chin as he thought about the answer with a playful look of concentration. “Hmm…I guess we could go by city hall or the library. Which would you like to see first?” He looked down at her cheerfully, ready to pull her along in any direction she wanted. Despite the cold, he was enjoying being outside with her and showing her around. It had been warm inside the shop and the warmth was still clinging to him as they meandered in the general direction of both city hall and the library.

[MAUREEN ABERDEEN]

Maureen looked up into Drew's face as he scratched his chin and hummed lightly as he thought about where to take her next. "I guess we could go by city hall or the library. Which would you like to see first?” She met his smile with her own and then looked ahead thinking about it. She knew the library might have the same affect as the museum. Maureen did enjoy reading and she might want to go in and take a gander. She knew a library in a city like this would probably be at least twice the size as the one at home, if not larger. That didn't mean she didn't want to go check it out, but she wanted to make sure she caught some of the other sights before getting too wrapped up in just one. "Mmm... city hall first." She said with a deep nod.

The walk was cold and they continued their light conversation as they went. Maureen found that she didn't mind the weather all that much. Her belly was full of cupcakes and she had a lot of energy to burn, so their quick pace helped her keep warm, and she found the cool air nice on her cheeks when she occasionally flushed at Drew. She was blushing less and less with him, but now and then he said something or touched her in such a way that she felt weird butterflies in her stomach.

Maureen giggled as Drew finished up a story about the final project one of his student's did two years back, shaking her head. "For the first time I'm sort of disappointed that I don't get to assign final projects now." She said, the amusement still in her voice as they made their way up towards city hall. "I get to help with them now and then, but not usually. The best is when I get to help a student with a diorama. Those are soo much fun!" She insisted. "Did we ever do those with Mrs. Periwinkle?" She asked, climbing the steps to the massive building. It was gorgeous! "Whoa, this is a heck of a building.." She said looking at it. She wondered what sort of things even went on there!

[DREW SOLOMON]

Maureen considered Drew’s proposal for a moment, making him smile more down at her. “Mmm…city hall first.” He chuckled at her deep nod and pointed them in that direction. The building would probably look beautiful accented with the snow. They kept a quick pace which kept them warm as they continued to talk along the way. She was still in touch with that funny little girl who hid inside her, but he tried not to think of that. He had agreed to start this from scratch, from friends, and he was going to stay true to that. He needed to let past Maureen stay in the past. This Maureen was new and different, although just as sweet. When he looked at it that way, his thoughts on how pretty her smile was and how sweet her laugh was didn’t seem so strange. Of course, he kept these thoughts to himself, but he couldn’t help but blush a little when their eyes held each other for a moment longer than necessary or he saw the blush blooming on her cheeks. It was such a strange feeling to be so affected by her.

Drew told Maureen a story about the final project several of his students had participated in for his World History class. It was a mock dinner party where all students were asked to dress up and portray a character in history. They would be asked questions on their character and expected to answer them accurately as well as give a brief history on them. Each person brought in a dish from their character’s country to share and some of the characters portrayed were hilarious. One young man had even come in as Sigmund Freud and placed a line of talcum powder on his desk to look like cocaine. Though it was slightly against school rules, Drew made sure he cleaned it up right after he did his presentation. It was one of his favorite projects to do and he liked to use adaptations of it in his American History classes as well. Obviously only American characters or those deeply involved in American history were allowed to attend. Maureen was quite obviously entertained by the story.

“For the first time I’m sort of disappointed that I don’t get to assign final projects now. I get to help with them now and then, but not usually. The best is when I get to help a student with a diorama. Those are sooo much fun! Did we ever do those with Mrs. Periwinkle?” Drew grinned at her enthusiasm and nodded. “Yeah, we did a few of them! Those were always the best projects. My freshmen will do those from time to time if I’m feeling nice and want to give them a fun project.” He chuckled a little and then looked forward as they came to City Hall. They began to climb the steps, Maureen’s big eyes glued to the enormous building. Drew’s eyes watched her. “Whoa, this is a heck of a building…” He smiled warmly at her before looking up at it himself. He’d seen it so many times, he sometimes didn’t notice its beauty anymore. Being here with Maureen who was seeing it for pretty much the first time, he found a new appreciation for it. “Yeah, this is where all of our government takes places. The city council meets here as well our special councils…” He dropped his voice lower as his eyes panned around to make sure no one could overhear him. “The leaders of each species will meet her periodically. The Gargoyle politicians are also stationed here.” As he nodded wisely, he looked back to the building and when they came to the doors, he held it open for her with a broad, charming smile. “After you.” He gave a small playful wave of his hand as if to guide her inside and then he followed her into the elaborate marble floored atrium. Their voices had to be soft since the place echoed loudly, but he let Maureen take her time exploring.

[MAUREEN ABERDEEN]

"Thank you." She said sweetly as she walked through the doors and into the warm, grandiose building. The floors were marble and the walls were lined with framed pictures, mostly portraits. It was impressive to say the least. "It sure is pretentious." She giggled deciding that as lovely as it was, it was a little over the top. She expected something like this in New York maybe, or Rome more likely, but Scriptor Bay? No expenses were spared, that was for sure.

Maureen looked up at Drew and couldn't help that feeling in her gut that said this felt more like a date than two friends hanging out. Cupcakes, getting to know each other, visiting a lovely city and all its splendor? It just felt more like a date than anything else to Maureen, and she knew deep down that had been Maxi's motive. She was enjoying herself and she was certainly enjoying Drew, but she knew her sister had other motives which bothered her slightly. Just because she had found Drew attractive didn't mean they were destined to be together or anything, and she knew Maxi wanted that even though Maureen insisted it would be an awful idea. But as awful of an idea as it was, she couldn't help feeling slightly drawn to Drew. He was lovely. He had good morals and had a great deal in common with her, and he felt that since she told him they should start fresh he was making a genuine effort to get to know her as a friend and not as Maureen McManus.

"So I know Maxi did some traveling." She started, making light conversation as they walked around the gorgeous building, warming themselves from the chill outdoors. "I haven't really, not since before the accident, but what about you? Have you ever gotten out of this city and seen the world?" She asked curiously, genuinely interested in getting to know more about this wonderful man who was so graciously showing her around despite her sister's underhanded plan to get them together.

[DREW SOLOMON]

“Thank you.” The sweet way Maureen said the words made Drew smile wider and he followed behind her through the atrium, looking around himself. It always left him in awe to step into this building, even though he generally came here at least once a year with a field trip. Often it was more times than that. No matter how many times he stepped into the building, though, the grandeur of the architecture and design made him gape somewhat. “It sure is pretentious.” Drew looked at Maureen and laughed quietly. Yeah, that was definitely a word for this place. “That’s why I don’t work here.” His reply was soft and said with an exaggerated shifty eyed expression. In truth, he had no interest in actually participating in politics outside of possibly Blurr politics. He liked learning about politics, especially old politics, but modern politics held interested him only so far as how it affected him and his loved ones directly. He did often wonder where the Gargoyles were stationed in this building, though; that was information never disclosed to a lowly history teacher such as himself.

“So I know Maxi did some traveling.” Maureen’s words called his attention back to her and he looked down to the tiny woman beside him. “I haven’t really, not since before the accident, but what about you? Have you ever gotten out of this city and seen the world?” He smiled wide and nodded his head. “Yeah, I studied abroad in London for a semester, though I did a couple weeks of backpacking afterward. I went all over Europe to see castles and other historical places. Edinburgh, Versailles, the Vatican, Neuschwanstein, the Anne Frank house, Dracula’s castle…I went all over the place just exploring. I visited a lot of Jamie’s family while I was over there too, and Jamie himself while I was in London. Actually, we got into a lot of trouble together since he knew all the places to go and have fun.” His grin spread across his face as he looked back down to Maureen. There were some things about that trip that he certainly wouldn’t share with her; like getting blackout wasted and waking up in an Irish girl’s bed…

He gave her a curious smile, cocking his head a little to the side. “So how come you’ve never traveled? Besides the fact that you might get kidnapped and sold into human trafficking.” His smile was amused as he teased her, knowing it was unlikely, but Maureen was small and frail looking enough to attract a lot of unwanted attention. At her look he shrugged. “Well, pretty girls like you go missing all the ti—” He cut himself off as he blushed a little, realizing he was giving himself away somewhat. Drew had never been smooth about giving compliments. Most of the time, like now, they just slipped out before he could stop himself, and he often blushed afterward. He cleared his throat, smiling again and scratching the back of his head. “All the time. In sketchy parts of the world I mean…” he finished a little awkwardly. “Not that you’d be dumb enough to fall for a trap like that. Well, the other girls aren’t really dumb either…” He laughed at himself, shaking his head. “Feel free to jump in at any time.” His green eyes chanced a look at her, obviously still a little embarrassed about admitting he thought she was pretty.

[MAUREEN ABERDEEN]

“Yeah, I studied abroad in London for a semester, though I did a couple weeks of backpacking afterward." They had all gone to Europe it seemed and Maureen suddenly felt a twinge of jealousy. Would she have traveled abroad as much as the others had the accident never happened? How much had she missed out on? It seemed like quite a bit. What sort of person would she be today if things had happened differently? She would have been more worldly, that's for sure. she might be married with children; Jamie, Drew, Maxi and all the others in her wedding party. "...Actually, we got into a lot of trouble together since he knew all the places to go and have fun.” His grin was almost devious as if he had a secret to hide, and she was sure he did. She knew the kind of trouble boys could get into when they went places that were destined for "fun".

“So how come you’ve never traveled?" She opened her mouth to answer, but he kept on. "Besides the fact that you might get kidnapped and sold into human trafficking.” His smile was amused but she raised her brows. The thought had never occurred to her before. “Well, pretty girls like you go missing all the ti—” Her lips were pursed and she was giving him a questionable look. It was an odd sort of thing to say and she could see how uncomfortable he was making himself, which actually amused her a little. "All the time. In sketchy parts of the world I mean… Not that you’d be dumb enough to fall for a trap like that. Well, the other girls aren’t really dumb either… Feel free to jump in at any time.” His green eyes chanced a look at her, obviously still a little embarrassed about admitting he thought she was pretty.

She was grinning now as he rambled and tried to correct his little faux pas. It was sweet, really. Sure, he had said some rather strange things but she knew he wasn't trying to be rude or trying to insult her in any way. This was just Drew being Drew it seemed. "Thank you." She said with a laugh, "To say I'm kidnap worthy." She teased, the corners of her lips turned up slightly with her amusement. "But no, that's not the reason. I've just always been a little homebody. The accident made me fear doing any sort of traveling, more afraid of whatever vessel I chose to take crashing than anything else. I've been on boats, but they make me severely uncomfortable. I'd like to travel, though. I think I would wait until my parents passed, though. My other parents.. the Aberdeen's." She corrected, knowing her real parents had already passed.

"It's odd, though." She continued softly. "If I'd never been on that boat, I probably would have been all over the place. I probably would have gone to visit the Millers in Europe and back packed with you or Maxi or even both of you.. or maybe I would have been kidnapped and sold into human trafficking." She teased, giving him a teasing look. "But probably not. I can turn invisible, after all.."

[DREW SOLOMON]

At least Maureen was smiling at the foolish way Drew began tripping over his own words. Some girls would give him a weird look; most did, actually. That was probably the main reason he was still single. “Thank you.” He gave a nervous, lopsided smile in return, relieved at her laughter. “To say I’m kidnap worthy.” Drew laughed lightly, scratching the back of his neck. Though he was still blushing a little, he felt better that things wouldn’t be suddenly awkward between them. “But no, that’s not the reason. I’ve just always been a little homebody. The accident made me fear doing any sort of traveling, more afraid of whatever vessel I chose to take crashing than anything else. I’ve been on boats, but they make me severely uncomfortable. I’d like to travel, though. I think I would wait until my parents passed, though. My other parents…the Aberdeens. It’s odd, though. If I’d never been on that boat, I probably would have been all over the place. I probably would have gone to visit the Millers in Europe and backpacked with you or Maxi or even both of you…or maybe I would have been kidnapped and sold into human trafficking. But probably not. I can turn invisible after all.” He laughed, but still he felt sorry for her. It must have been hard to be constantly afraid to travel because you were crippled by a fear of crashing again. The old Maureen was fearless, but the new Maureen had every right to be afraid; he just wished she didn’t have a reason to be. Maybe someday he would show her pictures of the places he’d been. It was the same as being there yourself, but it would be a glimpse of the world from someone else’s eyes. He liked the idea of spending a day just looking at pictures with Maureen. Well, he really just liked the idea of spending time with her at all.

He gave a small shrug and smiled wide. “You’re still young. You have plenty of time to explore the world. We both do. Maybe one day you, Maxi and I can plan a trip to Europe. We’ll visit the U.K., see the Alps, drink authentic German beer, whatever you want. It might be stressful for you to be on a plane for so long, but I think it would be worth it to get to see what Maxi and I saw. We can just knock you out for the flight.” Drew gave a playful wink, imagining Maureen passed out with her mouth wide open on a ten hour flight. She would be wide awake by the time they got off that plane. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure nobody steals you off the plane.” He grinned again before guiding her through the rest of City Hall. The tour wasn’t long as there were only so many areas of the building open to the general public. There was a small museum in the building to give the history of the building; the architecture, the legend of the Gargoyles moving at night, and other interesting little artifacts from the aging building. It was a lovely building, even though it was pretentious, and he was glad Maureen appeared to be enjoying it. They looped around and ended up at the front entrance once more. Again, he held the door open for her and followed her out into the chilly late afternoon.

“Now for the library. I might be able to show you something pretty amazing if my friend is working today…” He gave her a secretive smile, putting his hands in his pockets with a smug look. Actually, he knew his friend would be working today. Tom worked in the rare books section of the library and they had a small but impressive collection of items. There was one in particular that he had in mind to show to Maureen. This was something she’d never seen before, even when she was younger, but he knew she would appreciate it. As he led the way to the library, he looked down at his friend to ask a question. “I know as teachers we’re not supposed to have favorites, but who been your favorite student or one that’s stood out to you over the years?” He gave a shrug, knowing the question came somewhat out of the blue. “Just curious.”

[MAUREEN ABERDEEN]

“You’re still young. You have plenty of time to explore the world. We both do. Maybe one day you, Maxi and I can plan a trip to Europe.." In theory it sounded wonderful, and she wanted to do it, but already Maureen had this underlying fear of the flight. What would she do on a flight that long? To her knowledge she had never been on a plane before! Just as she was thinking it, Drew was answering her. "..We can just knock you out for the flight.” He offered a wink and she couldn't help but giggle a bit. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure nobody steals you off the plane.” She rolled her eye's playfully. "I'm holding you to that, Drew." she teased back, nudging him with her shoulder.

The rest of the building was fascinating and she listened to Drew as he explained everything. It was surprisingly interesting and she looked around in awe at the history in those walls. Had she always found this so interesting, or did she not care about this sort of thing as a girl. She probably would never know.

“Now for the library." He announced as they got back up to the entrance of the building. " I might be able to show you something pretty amazing if my friend is working today…” He gave her a secretive smile, and she gave him a playfully wary look. "Uh oh.." She teased. "Don't know if that's a good thing or not." She had a feeling it was a very good thing considering the smug little look on his boyish face.

Maureen braced herself for the chill from outside, still not used to this sort of weather for this time of year. Sure, it started getting chillier in September where she was from, but not like this. This wasn't until December at least, maybe Thanksgiving on an off year. “I know as teachers we’re not supposed to have favorites, but who been your favorite student or one that’s stood out to you over the years?” He shrugged at her and she smiled. "Just curious.” Maureen smiled warmly, her hands sliding into her own pockets as they walked. "Ah, unlike you, I'm allowed to have favorites. My students don't get to see me interact with other students so they don't know when I'm favoring one over another." She said with a sly little smirk. Of course she treated all her students fairly, but it was true she might allow for more rewards for a favorite student.

"Hmm.. that's a good question, though. I don't know if I've had a favorite, really, but there are a few who stand out above others. Like Maggie." she started softly, recalling the child. "Maggie was in third grade. Really bright little girl, and very pretty. Her parents had divorced when she was three or four. Her dad had been very abusive towards her mother and they had spent some time in a shelter, but they hadn't heard from him in years. Well, he showed up one day and picked Maggie up from school. Told her that their mom said it was okay for her to go with him. She was excited to see him since it had been so long, and so she didn't question it. No one heard from her in almost two weeks. There was a huge investigation, everyone though she was dead. Turned up at a hospital in San Pedro, California with a bunch of broken bones. Her dad had been drinking and they were driving somewhere when he got in an accident. Maggie was in the front seat without a seat belt on and frankly shouldn't have survived. She was in bad shape, but in the end she was okay. Needed some severe rehabilitation, but the kid was a real trooper. Despite what she'd been through she was so kind and spunky. Great sense of humor, so bright and eager to learn. I always left our sessions smiling and giggling from her antics. I still keep in touch with her mother via email. She's just started middle school and plans to join the track team. It's one of those happy ending stories where things seemed really bleak initially." She explained, smiling up at Drew. "Okay.. your turn!"

[DREW SOLOMON]

“Ah, unlike you, I’m allowed to have favorites. My students don’t get to see me interact with other student so they don’t know when I’m favoring one over another.” Drew smiled wide and nodded his head slowly as he looked down at Maureen. “Hmm, very sneaky…” he teased, knowing that she most likely treated all of her students the same way. She seemed like the kind of teacher who would be fair all around. “Hmm…that’s a good question, though. I don’t know if I’ve had a favorite, really, but there are a few who stand out above others. Like Maggie.” Drew listened with great interest as Maureen told him about Maggie, a third grader who’d been in a serious and unfortunate accident. The accident didn’t bring her down and she kept her bright, happy attitude even as the doctors wondered how intense her rehabilitation would be. Thankfully the girl made a full recovery and it didn’t surprise Drew that Maureen still kept in touch with Maggie’s mother. He smiled as Maureen told her she was trying out for her middle school’s track team. Kids were so amazingly resilient. “It’s one of those happy ending stories where things seemed really bleak initially.” He gave her a warm smile, nodding his head appreciatively. “Those are always the best in my experience,” he replied.

Maureen turned her eyes up to him and he met her bright-eyed gaze. “Okay…your turn!” With his lips still upturned, he looked up to the sky as if he were thinking. While she told Maggie’s story, he’d tried to think of his answer to the original question, but it was a difficult question to answer. “Hmm…like I said, I’m not really allowed to have favorites. I like most of the kids who walk through my door with the rare exception of a few really bad troublemakers who just honestly don’t want to do the work. Of course, one of the favorites who stands out came from that group of kids. The difference was he was funny. His name was Justin. To put it lightly, Justin was a pain in the ass. The first few weeks he spent talking in class and I think I wrote about five referrals for him in three weeks all for talking in class. In short, that kid never shut up. Finally after the fifth referral which could result in suspension, I sat him down after class and asked what his problem was. What it came down to was he had a reputation as a little thug who ignored the rules and he genuinely hated history. He reluctantly admitted that it was hard for him. I suspect some of that had to do with the fact that he was always talking. It pains me when a kid hates history, so I told him he could talk as much as he wanted in class, unless otherwise stated, as long as it was loud enough for everyone to hear and it was about the class subject matter. He became our in house comedian; I’ve never had a funnier student. He started to understand history more and whenever he didn’t, he would ask questions, and he started to show a genuine interest in history. I think he has to be one of my biggest successes because he went from an F student to an A student in a matter of weeks. It was amazing and I actually wrote one of his college recommendations. We still e-mail every now and then.” With a big, nostalgic smile on his face, he looked back down at Maureen. “It’s students like that who make teaching worthwhile.”

Just then, he looked over Maureen’s head and nodded to the elaborate building across the street. Scriptor Bay’s library was one impressive piece of architecture. It was large and beautifully built, a more modern version of City Hall. As they made their way to the building, he gave a small introduction of the building. “It’s so big because this doubles as Greenwolfe University’s library. There are always students here and it keeps similar hours to a university library, staying late during finals week and everything. They have a great selection of books and they’re actually one of the best stocked libraries on the West Coast. It echoes a lot, though, so we’ll have to be quiet until we get into the stacks.” He gave her a wide smile before escorting her into another impressive atrium. Security at the door checked her bag before they were permitted into the building. He waved to the librarians who were all very familiar with him, a few giving Maureen curious looks as they passed. He was positive that had to do with her striking resemblance to another frequent visitor. “Maxi comes here all the time too. They’re probably wondering while you look so much like her.” He smiled down at his companion before leading her into the huge circular study room filled to the brim with university students and topped by a tall, dome installed with several windows, giving a great view of the black, swirling sky. Tiers to the upper floors were visible, circling as the room did and give a view of the rows and rows of books, even from the first floor. A few people walked along the banister, looking down on the crowd or through the stacks, but overall minding their own business. “Welcome to the library.” His voice was low, but easily heard over the hushed buzz of the room.

[MAUREEN ABERDEEN]

Despite the chill, Maureen's steps were slow and deliberate, taking turns watching where she was going and looking up into Drew's youthful face as they walked together on their little tour. It was difficult to believe they were as old as they were. Up until a few days ago she had thought she was unique and special, that she was the only one who stayed so youthful in appearance and could magically make herself disappear. She knew she had to come from somewhere, but it had been almost mind boggling to find out that she not only wasn't alone, but that there was an entire community of people who could do the same and she had only tapped the surface when it came to meeting them all.

Drew's story was both fun and touching. She knew she often touched the kids she worked with, but not in the way Drew had. It wasn't often she got a long term gig, and usually it was just enough time to really get to know them and work with them before they headed back to school. "I think he has to be one of my biggest successes because he went from an F student to an A student in a matter of weeks. It was amazing and I actually wrote one of his college recommendations. We still e-mail every now and then. It’s students like that who make teaching worthwhile.” Maureen nodded. "Justin was lucky to have gotten such a great teacher, it seems." She offered, truly liking the way Drew handled the situation and turned it around completely. It was apparent that he was good at the career he chose, and she was again boggled by the fact that he had once aided her in her learning career. He had been as much a tutor to her as she was to the children she left back in Friday Harbor. "That's a really great story."

Drew looked over her and nodded towards a building and Maureen followed his gaze. That was the library? Magnificent wasn't a good enough word for it. It was the biggest library she had ever seen and it looked more like a museum than a home for books. “It’s so big because this doubles as Greenwolfe University’s library." Drew explained, probably realizing how surprised she was by the grandeur appearance. "There are always students here and it keeps similar hours to a university library, staying late during finals week and everything. They have a great selection of books and they’re actually one of the best stocked libraries on the West Coast. It echoes a lot, though, so we’ll have to be quiet until we get into the stacks.” His smile was big and almost playful and she offered one in return as they went inside.

She had never seen anything like it. Once they got through security, she was met by stacks of books and dozens of people everywhere, but despite the number of people it still seemed almost empty considering the size of the building and the amount of stuff inside, and she couldn't even see all of it! When Drew waved to the librarians, Maureen looked over and blushed a little at their gaze. Why were they all looking at her? Or were they looking at him? She didn't know for sure, but it made her a little uneasy. Sensing her discomfort, Drew spoke and, as always, answered her unspoken question. It was almost like he had the ability to read her mind! “Maxi comes here all the time too. They’re probably wondering while you look so much like her.” She bit her bottom lip looking up at Drew. Did they know Maxi had a dead sister? Who knew about Maureen's supposed death? She tried not to think about it, giving a meek smile to the librarians before continuing on with Drew.

Maureen couldn't get over the magnitude of this place. It was comforting and intimidating at the same time. She could find probably every book ever written there, and multiple copies of it! She supposed they needed plenty of volumes for the students of the university, but this was just crazy! “Welcome to the library.” His voice was soft, but loud enough for her to hear and it sounded almost seductive the way he said it. She felt her stomach twist a little. "It's impressive." She said back in the same tone, her eyes still wandering around. Finally she looked up at him. "So what's the big surprise?"

[DREW SOLOMON]

“It’s impressive.” Drew smiled as Maureen’s eyes wandered around the library, pleased to see her so in awe of the place. It was exactly what he was going for. Inwardly he gave himself a nice big pat on the back. “So what’s the big surprise?” Drew grinned and then placed a hand on her back, guiding her toward the elevators. “It’s up in the Rare Books section. Top floor.” He mashed his thumb against the up button and then stepped back to wait patiently beside Maureen. “I think you’ll like it.” He liked being so enigmatic about it, knowing she was probably very curious at this point. As they waited for the elevator he happened to look over at the little girl watching him behind her mother’s skirts. Seeing her big brown eyes trained on him, he smiled gently at her. She gave a shy smile in return before burying her face in her mother’s skirt. He chuckled softly, the girl’s mom grinning down at her little girl. One good thing about being a big brother figure to a couple of little girls was you got very good at handling little girls. When she peeked her head out again, Drew waved with a big smile. She smiled wider and looked up at her mom, who encouraged her to say hi, and the girl gave a bashful wave. The little thing couldn’t have been more than five. Just as he was chuckling again, amused by the adorable little admirer, the elevator dinged and the doors slid open. He held his arm out for all the women to get on board before he followed them in, standing next to Maureen once he’d hit the button for the top floor.

As they stood in silence, he smiled wide at Maureen and then nudged her shoulder with his playfully. It just seemed like the thing to do to ease the silence of the car. Once again, he caught the little girl’s eye before immediately giving an exaggerated look up to the ceiling. His eyes rolled back around until they landed on the girl again who giggled. Again, he looked away in an exaggerated fashion and when his eyes fell on her again, she laughed more loudly, her sweet smile making him grin. She and her mom got off on the next floor, the mom smiling at him while the little girl waved goodbye. As the doors slid shut again, he looked down at Maureen. “I’ve had a lot of practice amusing little girls.” He shrugged, letting his statement serve as an explanation for his behavior. Drew had often wondered in recent years what it would be like to have a little girl of his own. He would spoil her rotten, that much he was certain of. For every little girl he had, he knew he was going to get steadily poorer. He’d spoil any child of his, but little girls had a way of melting his heart.

A couple minutes later and they were stopping at the top floor. Again he held his arm in front of the door so Maureen could leave first and then he followed behind her, his hand on her back again as they went. He guided her to a specifically sectioned off room, the glass doors allowing him to see his friend. “Good, he’s working! Now I know we’ll be able to see it.” The comment was mysterious, but it wouldn’t be for long. He and his friend Steve, the older man behind the counter exchanged greetings and Drew introduced Maureen. “A girlfriend! I didn’t think you liked women after all of these years!” Steve teased. “Maureen’s an old friend. And the problem isn’t me liking them.” Steve rolled his eyes, an awkward-looking man, especially compared to Drew, but he had to be one of the most genuinely friendly guys out there. He turned to Maureen and shoved a thumb at Drew while shaking his head. “Would you listen to him? He talks like he’s Quasimodo.” Drew had to laugh at that and shook his head. “Whatever. Listen, I have a special request.” With a playfully furtive look at Maureen, he leaned in and whispered to Steve what they had come for. Steve’s eyebrows went up and he smiled wide. “Sure! Come with me.”

They followed Steve into another, darker room where the lights were dimmer to avoid damaging the books. It smelled musty in the room, but the air was cool. Walking through the glass-paned bookshelves, it was obvious their collection of rare books dated back a very long time. Steve moved to a far cabinet and pulled out a very large and old tome before placing it gently on a stand with a soft light hovering over it. He carefully opened the book to a bookmarked area, revealing pages elaborated scrawled in Latin with pictures depicted in the first letters of each new chapter of the text. The text was the Bible. “Feel free to touch it.” Steve smiled before he nodded at Drew and walked away. They were old friends and Steve knew he could trust Drew with the very old tome. Drew was grinning from ear to ear at Maureen’s reaction. He stepped closer, looking at the magnificently designed pages himself. “This is an illuminated Bible completed in 1328 by Irish monks. You can see the Celtic influence in the designs from time to time. Like in this illustration.” He pointed to one on the right page, closer to her. “The patterns are reminiscent of Celtic triskele or what we call now Celtic trinities. And here…” He gently turned the page and pointed to a note written in thin, red ink along the margin. “This is where there was a mistake in the text and another monk, probably long after this page itself was completed, made note of it. Sometimes you can see where they try to fix the text, change the letters and such. And what it’s written on isn’t really paper; it’s animal skins pounded very, very thin. That’s why it feels different. Feel it.” He lightly grabbed her hand and guided it to the pages of the book. His voice was very soft as he explained the beautiful work of art they were looking at, a measure of awe in his tones. The illustrations on the page were made of rich blues, reds and greens and he pointed to one of them. “See how vibrant the colors are? It’s because the monk who created this page used inks made with a metallic base, not an insect base. The bases used were pretty consistent from monastery to monastery; for example, this monastery used metallic inks while a monastery in another part of Ireland might have used insect inks.” With a soft smile, he ran his own fingers gently down the side of the page. “It took monks years to complete these Bibles, sometimes as long as a century. This work is estimated to have had eight or nine different authors, each with a slightly different style. They devoted their lives to making this…can you imagine such devotion?” For a long moment his eyes just lingered on the page before he looked down at Maureen again. A somewhat bashful smile came to his face. “Sorry. Just rambling again.” His grin was lopsided as he looked down at the pretty little lady next to him. He liked that he could share this with someone other than Maxi, someone who would appreciate it as much as he did.

[MAUREEN ABERDEEN]

“It’s up in the Rare Books section. Top floor. I think you’ll like it.” She looked at him with playful suspicion, smiling up into his kind face. "You're being very cryptic, you know that Drew?" She knew he knew that and it was his aim, but she laughed softly, her arms folded on her chest as they waited for the elevator together. She was about to start talking with him again when she noticed him playing with the little girl waiting for the elevator with them. Her grin grew as she looked between her tour guide and the sweet child he was waving and smiling at. It warmed her immensely to see him this way. Drew was such a doll! She couldn't help but feel warmed by the entire exchange as she looked up at Drew. He really was amazing.. Maureen blushed a little thinking of Drew in that light; he was supposed to be like a brother to her. He saw her as a little sister, not someone to date and she wasn't interested in dating someone that was that close to her past. What if things didn't work out? She scolded herself for thinking of Drew as anything but a friend, but how could she help falling for him as he smiled and waved at this child? He would be such an incredible father, a trait she needed in a spouse.

When the elevator arrive she clambered on with the rest of the group. She looked up at Drew who was smiling down at her. She returned the smile, her cheeks slightly flushed from her not entirely pure thoughts of him from a moment prior. He was still playing with the little girl who was now giggling, which only made Maureen grin brighter. When the little girl and her mother left, Maureen bit her lip, waving at the pair and then looking up at Drew, beaming. “I’ve had a lot of practice amusing little girls.” He shrugged, and Maureen knew he was talking about her and Maxi and of course Jamie's sisters. It warmed her heart, but also drove home the point that Drew would probably always see her the same way as he saw that little girl. "I can see that." She said back semi playfully.

When they got to the top floor Maureen followed Drew out, looking around. “Good, he’s working! Now I know we’ll be able to see it.” She gave him a inquisitive look and then shrugged it off. He wouldn't tell her, he was just trying to cause suspense, and she had to admit he was rather successful! When they approached the guy she smiled meekly at him as the boys began their banter. When Steve suggested drew didn't like women she blushed. Was he gay? No, Maxi was trying to set them up, and if he were she would know! She grinned slightly as she was introduced as an old friend, lifting her hand in a slight wave. "Would you listen to him? He talks like he’s Quasimodo.” Steve teased and Maureen laughed in unison with Drew. She looked at the man beside her. He was nothing even close to Quasimodo. “Whatever. Listen, I have a special request.” Maureen rolled her eyes at Drew as he leaned in, Steve's eye's lighting up at the request. What on earth was in that library that would be so interesting? “Sure! Come with me.” Maureen sighed and followed the men, wondering if all the build up was worth it.

The books in this section were not only old, but very delicate it seemed. She looked around, almost afraid to breathe. The room was dimly lit and she looked at everything she passed until Steve stopped and pulled a book out of one of the cabinets. He put the tome on a stand with a light hovering over it. Maureen's brows creased curiously as she made her way over with Drew. Steve opened the book carefully and revealed the beautiful handwritten pages. She realized immediately it was in Latin but not completely sure what it was just yet. Her eyes scanned the words hoping something might jump out at her, but Steve distracted her and she smiled at him as he told them they could touch the book and left Drew and Maureen to their own devices.

“This is an illuminated Bible completed in 1328 by Irish monks." Drew's words brought her back to him and her eyes widened, looking up at him. It was a Bible? The awe in her face was clear as she looked back down at the volume on the stand. "You can see the Celtic influence in the designs from time to time. Like in this illustration.” He pointed to one on the right page and she nodded slowly, definitely seeing it. It was gorgeous and being a woman of the church she certainly appreciated the marvel in front of her. “The patterns are reminiscent of Celtic triskele or what we call now Celtic trinities. And here…” He gently turned the page and pointed to a note written in thin, red ink along the margin. “This is where there was a mistake in the text and another monk, probably long after this page itself was completed, made note of it. Sometimes you can see where they try to fix the text, change the letters and such. And what it’s written on isn’t really paper; it’s animal skins pounded very, very thin. That’s why it feels different. Feel it.” He took her hand and led it to the paper. She let her finger glide slowly down the page, feeling the difference between it and paper. It wasn't like any other book she'd ever touched and she could feel excitement bubble in her. This wasn't something everyone got to see and she felt so inspired by it. Her chest seemed to swell with how moved she was by what lay before her, Drew continuing his explanation about the inks and how long it took to do.

"They devoted their lives to making this…can you imagine such devotion?” She looked at the work and finally her eyes moistened, shaking her head slowly. She couldn't imagine being that devoted and it was truly beautiful how these monks gave their lives to the lord, spending much of their time writing his words for others to read and doing it so beautifully. “Sorry. Just rambling again.” She looked up at him and gave an embarrassed smile, sniffling and wiping at her moistened eyes. "No, it's beautiful.. not just physically but.. almost poetically. I've never seen anything so magnificent in my life." She sniffled again and still smiling brightly she looked at the book, reaching for the page and flipping it. She shook her head slowly from side to side as she admired the great detail they put into it. "It almost makes me feel insignificant." She said softly and then laughed. "That's it, I'm quitting my job and becoming a nun." She teased looking back up at Drew with dewy pink eyes that sparked with playfulness. "This is better than I expected. Thank you for showing me." She said genuinely looking back at the book, her fingers glossing over the page ever so gently. "I wish I could read Latin."

[DREW SOLOMON]

As Maureen looked up at Drew he noted how she dabbed at her eyes and sniffled. She was crying? He always felt so bad when a woman cried around him. But she was smiling, which eased him into a nervous smile of his own. She and Maxi were so much alike… “No, it’s beautiful…not just physically but…almost poetically. I’ve never seen anything so magnificent in my life.” Maxi had said something very similar the first time she saw this Bible and her eyes had also filled with tears. It warmed his heart to see how much they were like yet completely independent of each other. As Maureen turned the page, her fingers admiring the book, Drew also admired it for the hundredth time. “It almost makes me feel insignificant.” He chuckled a little and nodded his head, knowing exactly what she meant. The commitment he gave to his job was nothing compared to the commitment these monks gave to theirs. An entire lifetime and they still couldn’t complete their work. Yet they kept going until their fingers simply couldn’t create anymore beautiful images and perfect, impeccable retellings of the word of God. Yes, his devotion to his job and his faith was insignificant compared to the men who compiled the book they stood in awe of now.

“That’s it, I’m quitting my job and becoming a nun.” Drew laughed, looking down in her rose-tinted eyes. They were sparkling like stars…that was a weird thought to have. He couldn’t help but be sucked into her gaze, though. “You’d have to convert back to Catholicism first,” he teased quietly, trying to avoid making things awkward by just staring at her. “This is better than I expected. Thank you for showing me.” He gave a wide, almost nervous smile back, swallowing the fluttering feeling in his throat. What was wrong with him? All day he’d been having these strange feelings of attraction toward her. It was Maureen! Maury! Could he be attracted to a woman he could remember as a girl? But…but he had agreed to start over with her. Maybe his heart was getting the jump on that before his brain? It definitely felt that way. That had to be the only reason he felt the overwhelming desire to kiss her when she looked up at him with those big…blue…teary eyes…

“I wish I could read Latin.” He cleared his throat now that those eyes were off him and he looked back down at the page her fingers were glossing over. “I’d think you had the Bible memorized by now.” His smile made it clear he was teasing her as he pointed to the top of the page. “At least they were kind enough to give us the book of the Bible here.” His finger moved down the page to the illustration within the large, more elaborately designed letter at the beginning of the new chapter on this page. “And usually the illustrations will give clues as to what the chapter tells. For instance, this illustration shows a king with two women holding a baby between them. This is Solomon on the throne passing judgment on the two supposed mothers of the child. I know you know that story.” Drew smiled down at Maureen. Even though he wasn’t a religious man, Drew found something very beautiful about the stories that every religion passed down through the generations. He gave a playful shrug, looking back down at the Bible. “I always liked Solomon. We have the same name, after all.” A grin spread across his face at his little joke. “I always found the Song of Solomon beautiful too. The expression of love between husband and wife is not something often found in any religious text.” It was strange how the Song of Solomon was a love poem between and man and a woman and yet Andrew Solomon had never felt love, not like that; not romantic love. He hoped that would change and he could feel a love like in the Song of Solomon.

His green eyes turned back to her, the gaze gentle in the dim light. “I’m glad you appreciate it. I thought you would, that’s why I brought you.” He smiled wide, feel a little jittery at how close they were again. “You know, you and Maxi reacted pretty much the same way when you saw the Bible for the first time. Her eyes got all teary too and she just marveled at it. It’s kind of funny how similar you two are even though you haven’t seen each other in twenty-five years and you’re just finding out you have a sister. You two kind of remind me of your mom in your demeanor now: quiet, sweet, gentle…Your mother was a lot like that.” Margot McManus had been one of the nicest women he’d ever known. She was soft-spoken and kind with a big heart. Sean McManus had been very similar, but much more of a jokester and much more outspoken than his wife. They made a good couple, balancing each other very well. He scratched the back of his head a little nervously. “I hope that wasn’t overstepping my ‘starting fresh’ bounds. I just…it occurred to me while you were admiring the Bible. Thought I’d share. I think it’s sweet that all of you are so alike.” His smile grew, trying not to make her uncomfortable with his memories of her mother.

[MAUREEN ABERDEEN]

“I’d think you had the Bible memorized by now.” She gave a wet sounding laugh and then sniffled again, giving him a playful dirty look. She liked his teasing and she felt more comfortable around him now. “At least they were kind enough to give us the book of the Bible here. And usually the illustrations will give clues as to what the chapter tells. For instance, this illustration shows a king with two women holding a baby between them. This is Solomon on the throne passing judgment on the two supposed mothers of the child. I know you know that story.” Her eyes moved to the picture and she nodded, knowing the story well. It was a good story. She looked back at Drew and smiled back lightly as he spoke to her about king Solomon. She smiled when he teased they had the same name and she nodded when he spoke about the Song of Solomon. Her eyes were set on him and when their eyes met she felt her stomach clench slightly.

“I’m glad you appreciate it. I thought you would, that’s why I brought you. You know, you and Maxi reacted pretty much the same way when you saw the Bible for the first time." Maureen's eyes widened at that. Had Maxi really reacted the same? "Her eyes got all teary too and she just marveled at it. It’s kind of funny how similar you two are even though you haven’t seen each other in twenty-five years and you’re just finding out you have a sister. You two kind of remind me of your mom in your demeanor now: quiet, sweet, gentle…Your mother was a lot like that.” Her stomach clenched again but this time in a different way. She was glued to Drew, hanging on to every word he said. She liked hearing what her family was like and as much as she adored hearing it from Maxi, it somehow meant more from an unbiased source.

“I hope that wasn’t overstepping my ‘starting fresh’ bounds. I just…it occurred to me while you were admiring the Bible. Thought I’d share. I think it’s sweet that all of you are so alike.” Maureen slowly shook her head from side to side. "No.. no the starting over thing was more so you didn't have expectation from me. I love hearing about my real parents. I love knowing what it was like before the accident, the sort of life I came from, the people who raised me.. It's fascinating and.. well, as honest as Maxi is I know her views on things might be skewed due to heartache. Life couldn't have been easy for her and it's nice hearing about my family from someone who isn't necessarily a part of it. Not by blood, anyway." She added the last part with a gentle smile, not wanting to offend Drew and make him think she didn't consider him part of Maxi's family or her own. But he wasn't blood and he hadn't been raised in the McManus household, so he wasn't technically family.

"I'm glad you still think we're all alike." She added softly, looking back at the book, more bashful now. "I had sort of gotten the impression that I was different now. I mean, I know I must be, I was practically a child the last time you all saw me and I've grown up quite a bit, but I was afraid my changes were drastic. I got the impression I was sort of wily in my youth." She bit her bottom lip and partially smiled up at Drew. "I wish I could know her now." She confided softly. "My mother.. I'm so lucky to have been blessed with Mrs. Aberdeen and she was a wonderful alternative but she wasn't really a replacement." She sighed, not wanting to harp on it as she looked at the book again. "I'm sorry.." She said softly, "I feel like I'm overstepping the 'starting fresh' bounds now." She teased with a grin looking at Drew once more and feeling her stomach twist in that way it often did when he looked at her a certain way. "Are there other marvels in here I should see?" She asked her tone almost teasing.