"Okay everyone, that's a wrap. That was an excellent interview, thank you. We'll have the photo proofs to you within a day or so. We had a lot of wonderful shots, so I don't think you'll have any trouble finding a picture suitable for the cover." 

Gabe allowed a tentative smile to grace his features as he silently closed the large oak door behind him. Perhaps this time he had arrived too late. Perhaps this time he had managed to escape the endless interviews, camera flashes, fake smiles, and publicity in general. Perhaps this time... 

"Gabriel, is that you?" 

Gabe winced and briefly entertained the idea of simply leaving and returning sometime after everyone had departed. He gave up the idea after realizing that his cab had surely left, taking with it his only chance of a temporary reprieve. With a long sigh, he dropped his duffel bag onto the pristine marble floor and shoved his fists deep into the pockets of his slacks. 

"Yeah, it's me," he called out. 

He heard the familiar sound of high-heeled shoes clicking as they made contact with the floor long before the source entered foyer. 

"Gabriel, you were supposed to arrive yesterday. You promised me you would be on time for once. You know how important this is," the woman scolded as she approached. 

Gabe mumbled an apology, his attention automatically drifting to the floor as if he were ashamed meet the woman's eyes. 

"At least the camera crew is still here and we can..." 

The abrupt halt to her words caused Gabe to finally look to the woman before him. Mrs. Katherine Patterson, his mother, appeared exactly as he had expected; smart navy blue suit, a single strand of pearls around her neck, matching earrings, perfectly styled short, brown hair, and expertly applied make-up. She appeared to be the perfect politician's wife. 

"What is this?" she asked as she reached a hand out to clasp Gabe's chin and turn his head to the side. She studied the fresh, red scar that was clearly visible on his left temple, complete with small criss-crossing lines, indicative of recent stitches. 

Gabe was disheartened to realize that her tone conveyed more annoyance than concern. "Actually, that's sort of the reason I'm late," he began with forced levity. "We ran into a little trouble in Peru. Judson decided to stay over a couple days longer because he wanted to make sure that this," he motioned towards his head, "would be alright. Personally, I think he just used it as an excuse so he didn't have to admit how sore he was." 

"Well, he needs to be educated about the importance of these campaign photo shoots." 

Gabe bit back the retort concerning educating her about the importance of her family's health. 

"So, this is the exciting life that drew you away from law school and a promising political career." 

At the booming male voice, Gabe stepped back from his mother's touch and instinctively straightened to a near-attention stance. "H-hello, Father," he hesitantly greeted the man standing at the entrance to the foyer. He cursed the stutter in his voice, the acid in his stomach, and the fact that his father could invoke this kind of response from him. 

Senator Patterson approached and placed an arm around his wife's waist. "Come on," he said, his dark eyes glued to his son. "We need to get at least one picture of the entire family." Without another word, the couple turned and walked away, assuming that the young man would follow. 

"You owe me fifty bucks, Isaiah." 

Gabe sighed inwardly at yet another familiar sound - his two older brothers discussing their latest bet, no doubt concerning him. 

"No way, Thaddeus. The bet was whether or not he would show up for the interview. The interview ended hours ago." 

"It's nice to see the two of you as well," Gabe quipped with no small amount of sarcasm as he entered the large family room. While his parents talked with someone from the camera crew, he slipped into the jacket and tie presented to him by the family's butler, Richard. He thanked the aging man and received a warm smile and softly spoken 'welcome home' in return. Gabe joined his brothers and sister, Constance, by the fireplace. 

"Your son?" The shocked voice of the photographer wafted over to the siblings. The obviously confused and agitated man dug frantically through his notes until he reached the desired page. "Let's see..." He began to read aloud. "Two sons, Isaiah and Thaddeus, and one daughter, Constance. I don't see anything that indicates another son." 

Gabe couldn't repress a humorless chuckle from escaping as the photographer resumed digging through his papers. He found it quite ironic that wherever he went with the Adventure Inc. crew, he was always quickly and easily identified as 'Senator Patterson's kid', but here and now, when he was supposed to be recognized, he was just another anonymous face in the crowd. 

"Ah ha!" the photographer proclaimed triumphantly as he held up a copy of an old TIME magazine cover that was decorated by all six members of the Patterson family. He inspected the photograph closely, no doubt comparing the teen in the picture to the young man who stood before him. Gabe offered a fake smile that was apparently all it took to convince the photographer. "Okay. Evidently, our records need to be reviewed. We just need one good family photograph, so it shouldn't take too long." 

The crew was busily shuffling the family members into their appropriate places when Katherine's voice rang out. "Wait! What about that scar?" she asked, pointing to Gabe. "We can't have people thinking that we can't keep our children safe." 

"It's okay," the photographer replied confidently. "I noticed that already. I'd planned to airbrush it out. Don't worry." 

Gabe rolled his eyes. "I'm fine," he mumbled under his breath as they all took their places again. "It was only a moderate concussion. The dizziness and nausea were gone within a day and the migraine was gone within two." 

A soft chuckle from his left drew his attention to Constance. Though his parents would frequently remind him of his twin sister's success in the legal field, using her as an example of what he should have become, she was the one bright spot to these required family gatherings. She may have chosen a career that followed the long-standing Patterson family tradition, but her down-to-Earth personality was a refreshing change form the norm. 

Constance elbowed him in the ribs and jerked her chin in the direction of the camera, indicating that the photo session was about to begin. Gabe plastered the usual fake smile onto his face but it quickly morphed into something genuine as he felt his sister's small hand slip into his own. 

After an indeterminate amount of time and enough flashes of the camera to cause temporary blindness, the photo shoot ended. The two elder boys immediately excused themselves and rushed out the door, intending to meet up with some old friends. 

"How long will you be staying this time, Gabriel?" the Senator questioned in a professional voice, seemingly devoid of emotion. 

"A couple of days." 

"Well, your room is ready. Dinner is served at six o'clock sharp. Please try to be on time." 

"Yes, sir," Gabe responded, feeling very much like a little kid who had been sent to the principal's office. 

"Perhaps you can use this time to catch up with Constance," his mother offered helpfully. "She has some wonderful news." 

He felt the small hand tighten almost painfully around his own. He looked to his sister who merely rolled her eyes and shrugged apologetically. By the time he returned his gaze forward, his parents had already left the room. 

"Well, that was..." Gabe faltered. 

"Warm, cozy, nice?" Constance provided a choice of words with a mischievous grin. 

"Actually, yes. So far, this is going much better than my last visit." 

The pair retrieved his luggage and ascended the stairs that led to the bedrooms. Upon entering his room, Gabe pulled some casual clothes from the bag and entered the adjoining bathroom to change while his sister busied herself with pulling back the heavy drapes that adorned each window, blocking all but the slightest trace of sunlight. 

"So, Connie," Gabe called into the room. "What's this wonderful news Mom was talking about?" Hearing no response, he quickly finished changing and reentered the bedroom to find her sill wrestling with the drapes. "So?" he asked again, still receiving no response. "Yoo-hoo!" He waved a hand in front of her face. "Earth to Constance Marie." 

"Oh, I'm sorry. What did you say?" she asked, pretending - very poorly - that she hadn't heard him. 

"What's the big news?" 

"Oh, it's nothing, just a job offer," she answered absently as she attempted to beat the final stubborn drape into submission. 

Gabe reached up and pushed the heavy cloth aside, his height giving him the leverage needed. "While that's good news, I get the feeling that there's a little more to it." 

"Umm, yeah. The job is with the law firm of Slate and Ferguson." She continued to busy herself with straightening the drapes, refusing to meet her brother's eye. 

While Gabe easily recognized the prestigious law firm and acknowledged that the offer could definitely be categorized as 'wonderful', he knew there was more to the story. "And," he prompted. 

She hesitated slightly. "And they promised me a full..." Each word was spoken softer than the last until the end of the sentence was nearly inaudible. 

"They promised you a full partnership?! Within five years!?!" Gabe's hearing was obviously better than she had anticipated. He grabbed the young woman in a bone-crushing embrace, lifted her from her feet, and swung her around in circles. "Congratulations! That IS wonderful news!" He set her back down, steadying her long enough to ensure that the impromptu swinging hadn't caused her to become dizzy, and took a good look at her. It was only then that Gabe noticed her lack of enthusiasm. "What is it?" he asked, the bright smile fading from his lips. "Don't you want the job?" 

"Oh, no, that's not it," she quickly reassured him. "This is everything I could have hoped for. I'm thrilled! It's just..." she trailed off, lowering her head. 

"Just what? What's wrong?" 

After another slight hesitation, Connie took a deep breath and began speaking. "I'm sorry. I just didn't want to rub your nose in my success. I know you hate it when Mom and Dad..." Gabe's laughter cut her off. "What's so funny?" she asked indignantly. 

He hugged her again. "You're priceless, you know that, Connie?" He released her and guided her to the small padded bench by the bay window. They sat on the red velvet cushion and he pulled her close. Though she was obviously hesitant at first, Gabe was pleased when Connie finally relaxed into the embrace and rested her head on his shoulder. 

Gabe rested his chin on the top of his twin's head. "Do you think I like what I'm doing now?" 

"Father says that you're just sowing your wild oats," she answered in all seriousness. 

"Well, Father is wrong." 

Constance gasped and pulled away, surprise evident in her expression, as if the idea of her father being wrong about ANYTHING had never entered her precious, naïve yet overeducated mind. 

Gabe laughed and pulled his sister close again. "Look, as much as Mom and Dad may want me to finish law school, marry a debutante, and enter the political arena, that's just not the life for me. It's not what I want. The world is such a big place filled with...well...everything you could imagine and much, much more. I love what I'm doing. I enjoy being out there and visiting the different places, meeting different people, touching pieces of history. It might be tough at times," he gingerly traced the scar on his temple with his fingers, "but to me, it's well worth the trouble." 

Constance sighed and shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I just don't see the appeal." 

"Of course you don't." Gabe lightly kissed the top of her head. "You're no more suited for my life than I am for yours. All that matters is that you're happy with what you're doing. And for your information, I don't get upset when Mom and Dad tell me about your accomplishments. I'm always very proud of you. I only get upset when they try to use you as leverage against me. It's as if they think that in response to them telling me how proud they are of you, I'll get jealous and return to the fold." 

Connie chuckled, clearly indicating her belief that that scenario would NOT be playing out anytime soon. 

"I'm not going to compete with you in order to make them happy," Gabe continued. "If they're not going to be satisfied or even acknowledge the accomplishments I've made in my chosen field, then I don't need..." He stopped, suddenly realizing that he was about to lie to the one person who could easily see through his façade. As much as he may try to deny it, he DID need their approval. It was his greatest wish to one day hear his parents say that they were proud of him. 

"...then I feel sorry for them," Connie finished for him. 

Gabe smiled and held her tightly against his chest as he sent a silent prayer of thanks to whatever deity had chosen to enrich his life by giving him this amazing young woman for a sister. He quickly wiped the tear from his eye and cleared his throat. 

"So, tell me about this job." 

THE END