Christopher was an engineer and worked at the town's power plant. He was married for over five years, and falling out of love was the matrimony's demise. He asked for a divorce, and his ex-wife didn't let go quite easily.

She vowed to take everything from him, including Ciara, unless he compensated her with the amount of alimony she saw fit. Not wanting to take their daughter through any more trauma, he gave in.

Chris believed it was the best decision for him and Ciara. He might have been the reason for his ex-wife's lavish living, but as long as she was on the east side of the country, he could sleep well at night.

Mary Jane loved that Chris was a positive person despite going through something so hard. Being a single father was new and scary territory for him. But he was taking it day by day and did his best to make sure the rest of Ciara's upbringing was at least peaceful.

"So, enough about me," Christopher sat closely with Mary Jane on the couch. There were so interested in each other, it's as if they were the only ones at the party. "Tell me about Mary Jane Barrett."

"Hm," Mary Jane didn't know where to start. "Well, I am the third to be adopted by my parents. I was put in the system at two. I don't really remember much of my bio family. I was livin' foster home to foster home until I was six."

"How was that?" like everybody, Chris knew of the things that kids tended to go to being passed around.

"It wasn't awful," Mary Jane thought. "I would definitely say I was one of the lucky ones. I hated movin' so much, but I don't know, I guess God was looking out for me. So much that I ended up here."

"You ever think about searching for your bio parents?"

"Nah," she shook her head. "I'm not really one who likes to dig in the past. I feel like things happen the way they're supposed to. I don't need to meet my bio parents to know who I am. Blood or not, I'm Mary Jane Barett and ain't nothin' ever changin' that."

Christopher shined his perfect smile. "I like that attitude." His phone vibrated in his pocket. It was Ciara.

"It's Ciara. Give me a minute?"

"Of course, yeah," Mary Jane waved her hand nonchalantly.

Chris got up and went to find a quiet place to talk.

Mary Jane cheesed in excitement like a high school girl who had just been asked out by her crush. She locked eyes with Addison, who was talking to Ashton in the corner.

Addy gave her a nod of approval, making her chuckle. Surveying the party, MJ noticed Jaxon across the living room, pretending like he wasn't watching her little sister.

"So, he told you what happened," Addison drank the last of her beer, ignoring Jaxon's gaze as she'd done all night.

"He did," Ashton nodded.

"What are your thoughts?"

"Fewer thoughts, more questions."

"Shoot," Addison was intrigued.

"Did you really think Jax, a man, was gonna save himself for you?"

"Yes, I did," Addison said with no remorse. "He's not just any man. He was my best friend. We told each other everythang and always kept our promises. We have history. It's not like he's some guy I met off the internet or somethin'."

"You're right," Ashton shook his beer bottle. It still had a few swigs left.

Addison leans her shoulder against the wall. "Maybe my expectations were a little too high. I don't know. I was gone for two years. At this point, I just wished he wouldn't have made the promise. It would still hurt me if he was with someone else, but at least I wouldn't be holdin' him to anythang, you know?"

"Yeah, I get it," Ashton was thinking about his own relationship. "I was engaged," he suddenly said. "Back in New York."

"Mhm," Addison motioned for him to go on.

"Now, I'm not," he swallowed hard. "She cheated on me."

"Oh, Ash," Addison held his arm. "I'm so sorry."

"It's uh, it's whatever," he didn't want to say it was okay because it wasn't. "I guess I'm just telling you, so you know that I get what you're going through. When someone says they love you when they've gone through with their promises time after time. You don't have a reason but to believe in them. And when they suddenly don't come through, it's like . . ."

"Your world just shatters," Addison took the words out of his mouth. "It's as if you've been livin' a false reality the entire time. Now you don't know what to do. You almost question every relationship and friendship you've got."

"Yeah," Ashton nodded. "Exactly."

A comfortable silence fell over the two as he sipped some of his beer.

Talking to Ashton made her feel more at ease about her feelings. She, too, had questioned her anger.

The world almost made it seem like men shouldn't be given a standard because most were viewed as douchebags that you couldn't count on. Yet the world never tells you what to do about men who mostly do everything right until they well, don't.

Addison felt foolish for thinking a man would remain abstinent not only for her but in general. After all, they were a gender of physicality more than emotion.

In the end, however, Jaxon made the promise, and if he couldn't keep it - he shouldn't have made it. And if he was dating Michelle, he shouldn't have climbed into Addison's bedroom window.

Addy felt like that if he really had any regard for her, he would have told her about Michelle that night at the bar. As far as she was concerned, all Jaxon has done has been for himself.

As the twenty-one-year-old was dwelling on the situation, she noticed Michelle walk up to Jaxon across the room. They whispered to each other back and forth, stealing glances at her.

"Oh look, they aren't even tryin' to hide that they're talkin' about me," Addison went to drink her beer but realized that it was empty.

"Another?" Ashton placed his hand on the bottle.

Addison pushed herself off the wall when Michelle started walking towards her. "I need somethin' stronger," she let go of the bottle.

Her first instinct was to walk away, for she had nothing to say to Michelle. But the alcohol she had already consumed put her in a mood of confrontation.

Like a child avoiding being caught between his arguing parents, Ashton went to the kitchen, leaving the two to talk.

"So, let me guess, I should talk to Jax," Addison crossed her arms over her chest.

From the couch, Mary Jane watched the two closely, barely listening to what Chris was saying. Even Hailey, who was still dancing with Ben, was keeping an eye out.

"Yeah, you should," Michelle nodded. "He loves you. He never stopped. Even we were together -"

"Are you really admittin' that you dated a man who never loved you? Do you know how stupid you sound?"

"I didn't date Jax for love."

"No, you dated him to take someone else that I love away from me."

At the mention of Nathan, Michelle's posture went limp. "I loved your brother."

"Did you love him when you were datin' someone else behind his back?"

"I was young, okay?"

"And what are you now?" Addison asked her.

"Look, Addy, I don't want any trouble, okay?"

"You say that, and yet everythang you seem to touch always brings you right back here. What is it with you and my family? Why the hell did you even come back to Saxondale anyway?" Addison gritted bitterly.

She was fuming so much, her nose was almost touching Michelle's. Despite her hurtful words, the blonde didn't back down.

"I don't have to answer to you."

"Then why don't you run away? As a matter of fact, skip town," Addison shrugged. "You're good at that."

Grimacing, Michelle looked around. People were staring at them, waiting for a screaming match to turn violent. Neither of the two would ever give such satisfaction.

With a tight jaw, Michelle walked away. She was ready to go - now.

Looking for Isabelle, she found her in the kitchen, standing on the kitchen counter with Sage. Both were a drunk mess, had kicked all the snacks on the floor, and were beginning to strip.

"Sage, what are you doin'?" Grace stood beside Mason, Ashton, and Sean. She watched her sister, horrified. "Get down right now!"

"I can't hear you!" Sage earned cheers from the crowd once her shirt was off.

"Oh my god!" Grace held her forehead. "Please," she looked at the three men. "Get her down. Both of them."

Sean and Mason sprung into action, Sean grabbing Sage and Mason Isabelle.

Luckily, the girls didn't get violent but groaned at the "killjoys," ruining their fun.

"I thought you weren't drinkin'," Sean stifled his anger, helping Sage put on her shirt like she was a child.

"I changed my mind," her words slurred. Her thick eyebrows suddenly burrowed together, anger suddenly striking her.

"Why do you care?" she pushed him away and pulled the rest of her shirt down.

"You know why I care," Sean found himself in such a distraught state that he hoped his vulnerability would make her see that she had a problem. "I love you, Sage. I always have."

Sage snickers turned into outright laughs.

"Sage," Grace grabs her arms, preparing to take her upstairs.

But Sage pulled her arms free, laughing so hard she couldn't breathe.

"I should have never let you marry my brother," Sean shook his head.

"Well, you did!" Sage snapped at him, never mind the onlookers. "You did! It's your fault I'm like this," she started to cry. "Your fault."

"Don't say that," Sean reach out to her, but Grace kept him back, not knowing what her sister was going to do. "Sage, I love you."

"Are you stupid?" she roughly pointed to her mind. "You think I'd be dumb enough to fall in love with another Smith boy. No," she shook her head. "I won't make the same mistake twice."

Sean tried to reach out to her again, but this time Ashton and Mason held him back.

"Don't listen to her, okay?" Grace tried to ease the pain so visible in his eyes. "She doesn't mean that."

"Yeah, I do," chuckled Sage, already on to her next emotion. She looked just in time to see an angry Michelle pulling Isabelle out of the kitchen.

"Come back!" she went after the two.

"Sage!" Grace went after her, bumping into Hailey, Mary Jane, and Addison in the foyer. "Sage is drunk out of her mind. Help me get her," she led them out the door.

"Let her go," Sage held on to Isabella's arm while Michelle held the other.

"She's drunk, and I should take her home," Michelle insisted.

Mary Jane and Grace managed to break Sage's hold on a giggly drunk Isabella, who nearly knocked Michelle down.

"Michelle's right," MJ told a protesting Sage. "It's time for Isabelle to go home."

Hailey and Addison helped in trying to calm her down, but it wasn't working.

"Get in the car," Michelle was trying to pull Isabella toward the passenger seat. She was behaving just as defiantly as Sage.

"I don't want to leave!" She whined, "aren't you havin' fun?"

"No, I'm not!" Michelle had reached her limit. "I didn't want to come, and I should have never let you talk me into this. I want to leave now, Isabelle. So get in the damn car or so god so help me!" she screamed so angrily her face was red.

"Look," Isabelle sighed absent-mindedly. "I get it. You know, your issues with the Barretts. But listen, maybe if you told them about you and Nathan's son, they'd forgive you."

Michelle clutched her hand over Isabelle's mouth a little too late. She stared at the confused intoxicated girl with eyes do wide. They were the size of quarters. She could feel the Barrett sisters staring her down and didn't have the guts to look.

"What'd she just say?" a slurring Sage broke the deafening silence.

More people from the party had filed out of the house to watch the chaotic mess.

"Let's go," Michelle started shoving Isabelle toward the backseat of the car.

"Hey!" Mary Jane grabbed her by the arm.

Michelle roughly pulled away, "don't touch me," she said threateningly.

"Explain," Mary Jane was unphased. She glared, "look me in my face and tell me she's just talkin' out the side of her neck."

Michelle looked from Sage to Grace, Addison, Hailey, and right back at Mary Jane with a gulp.

^^^^^^^^^^

A few moments before . . . 

Connor arrived at the party pretty late. After napping way longer than he expected, he decided it was best to show up rather than not at all. He was a man who liked to keep his word even when he didn't want to.

Luckily, this time he did. He was eager to get to know more about Jolene, especially after their talk yesterday.

He searched the party for Jo, but it seemed she wasn't there. When he went into the kitchen and saw Grace, he interrupted her conversation with Mason.

"Have you seen, Jo?"

"I think she's on the patio in the backyard," Grace told him.

With a nod, he went outside and found Jo, just a Grace had said. She was sitting in front of the lit fire pit with a sleeping Daisy at her feet. She looked to be in deep thought.

When she felt Connor's presence, she looked at him. "You came."

"Did you think I wouldn't?" he sat next to her.

"I figured the chances were slim after the first hour had gone. Not that I'd blame you. Technically I'm not here either." She pulled at the sleeves of her gray sweater, hugging herself despite already being warm. "Not really in the party mood tonight."

"I see," Connor sat back. "Something on your mind?"

"Just my brother, Nathan," she watched the fire embers soar in the sky like fast-lightening bugs. "He was the oldest. I knew him before we were adopted."

"Yeah?"

Jolene nodded, smiling as she remembered. "We were in the same foster home. The best of friends, really. We protected each other. When my mom and dad came searchin' for a kid, they wanted both of us. Knew we had this twin-like bond. Couldn't separate us. We begged them not to. I got adopted; first, my bio-family havin' relinquished their rights when I was a baby. It took a little longer for my parents to get Nate."

Her smile disappeared, "his mom was sick, mentally. She was tryin' hard to get herself together, but she couldn't. But she also didn't want to give him away. I was never told why, but eventually, we were Barretts. Then came Mary Jane and Sage two years later in '01. Grace in '03, Addy and Hailey '04."

"So, none of you were infants when you were adopted?"

"Nope," Jolene shook her head. "We're one of the lucky ones. Nobody ever wants the orphans who are already carryin' trauma in some way despite being so young. Abandonment alone can send a kid reelin' at a young age."

"I can imagine," Connor nodded attentively. "What happened to your brother? If you don't mind me asking."

"He uh . . . "Jolene bit her bottom lip, still hating to say it. "He committed suicide. Overdose. Addy found him in the guest house. She was eight. He was seventeen."

Connor took in the information, thinking back to why she was looking at the guest so closely. It made a lot more sense now.

"I guess that's why I'm not too keen about my daddy hirin' you. Nathan was his only boy. In my own way, I've tried to fill that void for years, and then one day, he just happens to hire you. Brings up old feelins' of bein' an orphan. Wonderin' why you weren't good enough and given away like some old furniture."

"Hey."

Jolene looks at Connor.

"I can promise you I'm not trying to take your brother's spot in any way. I'm just here to work."

"Don't worry," Jolene smiled. "I don't blame you or even my daddy. Just workin' through my thoughts and feelins' is all. To you, I don't know why. I've never even opened up to my father about this."

"What can I say?" Connor shrugged. "I'm a good -"

He was cut off by shouting coming all the way from the front of the house. Daisy sat up startled, and started to bark.

Jolene looked in the house to see the party fumbling to get outside.

"Somethin's happenin'," she quickly stood. After telling Daisy to stay put, she went inside the house with Connor at her heels. They pushed through the crowd until she was able to see her sisters arguing with Michelle.

MJ was in her face and looked about, ready to hit her. Sage was drunk and crying, Hailey was on the edge of tears herself while Grace and Addy were furious.

Jolene stood in between the two, pushing MJ back. "Hey, what's goin' on?"

"Isabelle says Michelle's got a son. Guess who the father is."

Jolene didn't even have to think about it. With furrowed eyebrows, she turns to Michelle. "Is that true?"

"Maybe it is?" the blonde shrugged.

"What the hell do you mean?" Grace mocked her shrug. "Do you not care that you kept our nephew away from us all these years?"

"Are you surprised?" Michelle frowned. "Do you think I would let my son around you people? After what you did to me."

"What we did to you?" Addison took a step forward but was stopped by Grace."

"I don't have to listen to this," Michelle turned away.

Jolene grabbed her arm, gripping it so tight it hurt if she tried to pull away. "You're not goin' anywhere."

"Or what?" Michelle challenged. "I'm not your little sister, Jo. I don't have to listen to you."

Jolene gritted her teeth, pissed. "That is my brother's -"

"He is my son. My son, and if you ever want to see him, I suggest you let go."

Sucking in a breath, Jolene reluctantly let go, taking a step back.

"Get in, or I'm leavin' you," Michelle told Isabella, getting into the car.

Murmuring drunk nothings, and annoyed Isabelle got inside the car, having no regard for the drama she just started.

Jolene ran her fingers through her hair in disbelief, she and her sisters watching Michelle drive off into the night.

*****

I am so excited about this update. I stayed up until five in the morning just to finish all the parts. I hope you enjoyed it! Please let me know what you think. Do you have a favorite sister yet? Are there enough pictures? I can't wait to read your thoughts. Thank you for the support!