"You have got to be kidding me," Alison-Marie said as she opened the door to her tree house and caught a glimpse of her brother. At eighteen she hardly considered herself grown but at least she had enough common sense not to get drunk at her own father's funeral. Then again that wasn't what upset her, not really. It may have been their father but it was her tree house which gave her the right to hide out there. Not Alec.<br/><br/>"Come on Ally-cat," he slurred his words and her anger grew.<br/><br/>"Only dad get's to call me Ally-cat," At fifteen Alec already looked so much like their father. Alec had their father's blue eyes while she was some genetic freak whose eyes didn't match. Alec had their father's sandy blonde hair while she had her mother's dark auburn, almost mahogany curls. They did share the same high, angular cheekbones but he had a long straight nose and hers was more of a button. Just then she hated her brother for no reason other than any time he missed their father all he would have to do was look in a mirror.<br/><br/>"Whatever," she grabbed the bottle from his hand as he made to leave.<br/><br/>"Eat something Al," she said and pulled him into a quick hug. It was all she had in her for comforting words. Alec broke free of her arms and left her alone with her thoughts in a tree house her father had built. Her thoughts and a mostly full bottle of a very expensive bourbon that was definitely older than her. "Here's to you dad. May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand." It was an old Irish saying she'd heard somewhere once before and she wasn't sure what it meant but it felt right.<br/><br/>She lifted the bottle to her lips and didn’t care at all that it burnt the entire way down. She took a sip for every memory. Her height chart by the door. The mason jars filled with sand and sea shells. The claw foot bathtub turned couch. "Actually," Alison said looking towards the ceiling and collapsing onto the couch. She didn't know if heaven was real but if it was her father would be there. "You kind of suck." She took another sip and was pleased when it burnt less. "I'm going to Duke for you. The least you could have done was stick around to watch me graduate. And what about my wedding? What about your grandchildren? Who do you expect to cook Christmas dinner? Me? Alec? Certainly not mom." She took another sip and then in a moment of anger threw the bottle across the small room.<br/><br/>Alison let out a sigh and got back to her feet. It may have been satisfying to watch the bottle break but she couldn't leave it like that. Broken. Shattered. "I can't be responsible for them dad. Mom needs you, Alec needs you. I-"<br/><br/>Alison stumbled out of the road as a truck sped by nearly hitting her. "What the hell?"