"[Sister.] She is your mirror, shining back at you with a world of possibilities. She is your witness, who sees you at your worst and best, and loves you anyway. She is your partner in crime, your midnight companion, someone who knows when you are smiling, even in the dark"

Morgan Ann Bennett

Last Week

"One, two, three!" Chris counted down the seconds until he blasted Quinn off of her feet.

Every one of us at the table looked at him with such admiration, at least I know I did.

"He's gonna be such a good father one day," Mary gushed about her son.

"You should've seen him when Jack and Kailyn were born. Ugh, he was the most overprotective big cousin in the world, wouldn't let anyone else hold them."

I looked up and saw her towel drying a glass dish.

"Here, let me help you," I offered, standing.

She pushed my down gently by one shoulder and smiled at me sweetly. "I got it, relax for once."

"I just want to help," I laughed it off, feeling slightly embarrassed that my offering hand was rejected.

The power had unexpectedly gone out at the restaurant on a random Saturday. It was in it's early stages and hadn't been properly ran in a while, they said. It didn't help that it was raining cats and dogs outside, as Mr.Porter kept declaring.

He and his wife warmed up by some candles in the window sill at the far end of the restaurant.

Callie and Jesse swept and dusted behind the bar while Carter helped Mary with the dishes, and The Jones's went over business details in a high rise booth on the right side of the building.

"Have you thought about what you're gonna call this place?" I kind of had to shout over the storm.

Alvin looked at me over his reading glasses and shook his head, always keeping a face of stone.

"How about you name it after this little monster, you love her so much?" Callie remarked. I think she was trying to be smart but by the looks on everyone's faces, she was onto something.

"Hm, that's not bad..." Sherry returned with her thinking face on.

I looked over my shoulder and saw Jesse nudge Callie out of her attitude. She began smiling and leaned into his lips.

"Quinn's? Quinn's place?" Sherry talking regained my attention, taking it off of my sister and Jesse's PDA.

Alvin tore off his readers and grumbled. "Nah, none of those are sticking."

"It means 'chief leader,' you could play on that?" I suggested with the raise of my shoulders.

Sherry tilted her head as she debated.

"What about, 'The Q?'" Chris suggested.

Silence fell as everyone danced with that idea. And actually, it wasn't a bad one at all.

"I like it!" I hummed, shooting him a proud smile.

He nodded back, thanking me in his gesture.

"Sounds hip." Carter chimed in with a frown as he bobbed his head. Agreed.

"I'd eat there!" Mary seconded.

"I'm picturing black accents — very modern— a green plant wall here for pictures; that upstairs space can have one long table for private parties, events..." I listed, talking with my hands as I covered the grounds to demonstrate my vision.

"Draw in a younger crowd, keep that café feel, and just expand?" Sherry caught on finally.

"Yup!" I squeaked with a grin on my face from ear-to-ear.

"Morgan, you're a genius! Chris, thanks for the name. That is, if it's okay with you, Callie?" Sherry exclaimed, bringing me in for a hug.

All eyes shot to Callie, awaiting her response as I just knew it would be a negative one.

She paused and looked back at all of us.

"You mean, if it's okay with Quinn?" Callie bubbled, surprising us all.

Chris stopped spinning Quinn and let her down only for the three-year-old to be dizzy and fall on her butt.

Chris laughed, feeling guilty, and helped her up as I approached them.

"Why is everybody looking at me, Morgy?" She talked in her little voice that made my heart flutter every time.

I was about to spring the question on her but thought to let Cal do it. So, I rushed her over with the flick of my wrist and she came running.

The two of us sat on the edge of the stage, level with Quinn, and probably scared her with the way we stared and grinned in her face.

"She-riri and Alvy want to name their restaurant after you, isn't that so cool?" Callie enthused. I stopped for a while to place my eyes on her and take the moment in; it was the biggest most pure emotion I've seen on Callie's face in some time.

Quinn stopped twirling her hair and pushed her palms into her cheeks. She puckered her lips and hesitated to say anything like she had to really think about it.

I dropped my head, laughing at the way she kept us waiting.

"Yeah!" She erupted, jumping into Callie's arms.

We all cheered, happy that the restaurant was finally named and some ideas for aesthetics were in place.

"Wow, my kid's become a little celebrity here, and what have I done besides be a barista?" Callie spat once everyone went back to their side conversations and tasks.

"Here you go with this bi-polar shit," I growled, bracing myself.

Callie's lips parted to make an 'o.'

"You sound just like Dad," she said.

I looked to my sister on the left of me and rolled my eyes, tired of her shit.

Usually I was pretty understanding of her mental illness, but sometimes she takes it too far. And I know it's selfish, but it gets to me sometimes and I cannot allow it to be an excuse for her any longer. All my life I've been burdened with the way she treats me when she's depressed, manic, or whatever the fuck. These episodes - I can't do it anymore. I won't.

"Try being happy for once," I advised, coming back to my usual sisterly self.

"It's easier said than done, okay?" She remarked.

I shook my head. "Everyone loves the daughter you made and your first feeling is jealousy?"

"It's not like that, it's-"

"Quinn is a great kid, of course everyone's going to love her. You should be proud that you're her mother."

"But where's my award for that? Why don't I get a par on the back and things named after me?"

I dropped the laminated example menus from my hands and started clapping, applauding.

"Good job, Callie, really. You raised a beautiful little girl. Should we roll out the red carpet for you?" I was sarcastic, gaining everyone's attention.

I threw my hands back at my sides. "Jesus, that's your job, Callie."

"When you're a mother you'll understand," she grumbled.

Ha. How many times have I heard that one?

"It's not motherhood, Callie. I'm happy of the son I raised but I don't think I deserve any special recognition, it's what I was supposed to do - just like supporting them." Mary expressed, slapping the dish towel over her shoulder.

Callie dropped her head with shame. She never liked listening to the truth about herself.

I was happy Mary stepped in because I didn't know about motherhood and if that was a part of it, I would've ended the conversation there, but she needed to hear this.

"What you have going on is something completely different," Mary insisted, taking a seat at the table before us.

Callie shook her head. You could see on her face that she was uncomfortable with this intervention as Sherry and Mrs.Porter came to sit and offer their two cents.

"Since we've got here everyone has thought she's Morgan's child, that Morgan is the perfect mother-figure. Well, what about me? It's just like our parents: I was the black sheep while she was their golden child. It's not fair!" Callie cried. If I had a nickel...

I tensed up, feeling like any second I'd start crying, but I didn't want to. If this was a family issue, one Callie had with me, I felt as if we could discuss it in private.

Honestly, I knew for a while that Callie had some time of resentment towards me. Like, there was secret animosity. It made it hard to maintain such a close relationship but I tried. God, I tried. She denied having such feelings towards me, but I could always tell - jealousy, or whatever it was.

"Callie, we can talk about this another time." I spoke up, voice deeper after clearing it.

"No, don't say shit to me! You need to hear this." She roared. Her face was red as tears streamed down it. Wilma (Mrs.Porter) sat on one side of her, Mary on the other, trying to hold her back.

"I never get anything when it comes to you two. Who raised you Morgan? And if I hadn't done such a good job, would you or Quinn have turned out like this? I'm always revered as the incompetent one, but I must've done a good fucking job because look at you now: somebody's trophy. And Quinn's getting restaurants named after her, well who did that, huh? Everyone hates me but guess what, without me there would be no you. Either of you."

"Callie-" Carter stepped in to reason with her but she gave him a look that could turn a man to stone.

"No. I've never been appreciated or respected. Where are my flowers? And yes, little sis, I do want the red carpet rolled out. I want a 'thank you.' I want a 'I know it's hard for you but you still manage.' But what do all of you do instead? Praise Morgan for cheating on Malcolm and she's not even there for Quinn anymore because she's too busy getting dick on the side-"

"That's enough." Alvin barked, scaring her straight.

I sniffed, sucking up the few tears that fell to my lips.

"I hate you, Morgan. From the bottom of my heart. I wish you were never my sister."

"You need to leave," Alvin put his foot down. "now!"

Callie gasped and looked like she just snapped back to reality. Her manic eyes darted around the room.

"Fine. Just know that means Quinn comes with me." She griped, snatching away from Mary's embrace.

Mary inhaled air sharply and brought her hands back to her own lap, feeling bad. She tried reaching out for Quinn who was crying as her mother dragged her across the stage.

"I-I'm sorry, guys," Jesse apologized on her behalf. "This isn't her, I promise. She's been in therapy. Must be the storm, or something, I— sorry."

"Just go, Jesse." Mary sighed, coming down with a slight headache.

He nodded, acting squirrely as he held open the door far after Callie and Quinn had exited through it.

"Make sure they get home safe." I yelled after him.

I hate that my first thought when she took Quinn is that she'd go and do something stupid. The fact it was storming and she was hopped up on such emotion scared me since she was with my helpless niece. I wouldn't care as much if she were alone behind the wheel, but just not with Quinn.

"Yeah," Jesse exhaled.

He relaxed his shoulders and then met me on the floor.

"I know you don't trust me that much, but I really am here for her - for both of them. I love them, too, and I hope one day you can see that I won't let anything happen to them, especially not to Callie when she's like this. She's gotten better, trust me."

"People like Callie," I sniffled, shaking my head as I stared blankly in the distance.

"They never change. The fact that she's still with you is a miracle. You're trying to tell me about my sister when I've known her all my life, so let me tell you something: you can't go by what she says or how it looks like she feels. The only person who knows what's going on in her fucked up mind is her. Just like she said she hates me, she doesn't mean it. She could be smiling one day, and rewriting her will the next. It's like the boy who cried wolf with her sometimes. At a point, you just stop listening. Stop caring. Do yourself a favor and leave, the rest of them did. Just, tell Quinn I love her. More than anything."

Jesse and I both looked up as the power miraculously cut back on.

"I'll tell Callie you love her, too," he said, patting my arm. "She did do a good job with you. And she is getting better, whether you believe it or not."