Dusk&Summer

3.

"Sophie, are you sure your family didn't move away and forget to tell you?" Meredith asked, as she walked around the living room, looking into all the empty rooms. Empty. The Shepherd house was completely empty and something about that seemed wrong. The Shepherd house was never completely empty. Someone was always somewhere, making noise and being a Shepherd.

"Mer, when people move away, they tend to take stuff," Sophie laughed from her place on the couch, flipping through a magazine. "Mom probably ran out to the store or something."

"But your house is empty."

"And?"

"It's just...your house in never empty. Ever."

"How long has it been since you were here?" Sophie frowned. "Kath and Nancy are married, Emily's engaged, Derek and Mark live in Seattle...it's empty a lot now."

"Oh," Meredith nodded. "It's been a while, Soph."

"Yeah it has. What....graduation? So...three years ago."

"That's a long time without seeing your family," Meredith nodded, sighing as she sat down beside Sophie.

"Mom's been asking about you. I just tell her you and your mom...well, you guys don't exactly get along so you just don't come home."

"It's shit," Meredith sighed. "But I miss your mom."

"She misses you too," Sophie smiled. "And she'll probably be home soon."

"Good."

"She's probably taking care of one of the brats or something."

"Probably," Meredith giggled.

"Don't tell her about Jason," Sophie groaned. "She's already on my ass about getting married and having kids."

"What? You're in college?"

"Mom's number one purpose in life is to have more grandchildren than anyone in the world."

"And I'm sure Kath and Nance are helping with that but you're in college."

"That doesn't mean I shouldn't be looking," Sophie said in a very eerie Mrs. Shepherd-like way.

"Sometimes I'm happy she's not my mom."

"Oh, at least my mom isn't on my ass about being...her."

"True."

"It doesn't matter. If Mom asks, Jason had to go home for the summer."

"Noted," Meredith nodded. "Although...she's going to know eventually. She always knows things."

"Yeah, she's weird like that. You know she told Nance she was pregnant before Nance even missed a period?"

"That's creepy."

"That's exactly what I said," Sophie rolled her eyes as headlights filled the living room. "Looks like she's home."

"Good. So we can get out of here before my Mom finds out I'm in the city."

"She's not going to find out, Mer," Sophie laughed. "She's at the hospital. It's not like she's going to drive by and see your Jeep."

"She might."

"Paranoid," Sophie nudged her as the front door opened.

"Hello? Is someone here?" Mrs. Shepherd's voice called.

"Hey, Mom!" Sophie called, jumping off the couch.

"Sophie!" Mrs. Shepherd exclaimed, suddenly rushing into the room. "I didn't know you were coming."