You return home and have to help Stephanie fit in

After being given the all clear the next day, your dad came and picked you up and you were soon on your way home. Most of the car journey was again spent finding out how things had been going in your absence and whether or not Stephanie had made any progress fitting in from the last time you had heard. Though he still gave you the rather vague "okay" answer to how things were going, he did admit that at times it felt like everyone was walking on eggshells around each other and it was rather difficult still seeing his 'wife' walking around the place. As for Stephanie, she still appeared to be keeping herself to herself and only once had to interact with someone other than the family, when your mom's friend Rebecca had popped round. Though she apparently managed as best she could to play the part and bluff her way through the conversation, your dad had to take the reigns in the end and explain to Rebecca after that she was still a little shaken up from the accident and would no doubt be back to her old self in no time - which thankfully she seemed to buy.

Arriving home then not too long after, still limping a little from your injuries - but thankfully in a lot less pain than you had been - you were greeted by your brother and sister, who while glad to have you home, were a little more concerned about the fact that they were going to have to go back to school the following week. Seeing as as far as the outside world was concerned, your mother had merely been injured in the car accident and there would be no funeral, your father couldn't really keep them out of school for longer than he already had - no without it seeming suspicious. The fact that your own injuries, which had been much more severe than the minor bumps and scrapes they had gotten, was going to keep you out of school for at least a couple of weeks longer seemed to be a real sore point, and according to David "totally unfair!". Not that there was much you or anyone else could do about it however, agreeing that it sucked you couldn't have the proper time to grieve and come to terms with everything that had happened, but you'd all signed the agreement with the hospital and been given compensation for doing so, which meant that absolutely nobody could know that it was really your mother who was dead and Stephanie Burke who was not.

Speaking of Stephanie, you hadn't yet seen her and asked your little sister where she was, receiving the reply that she was "upstairs in mom's room I think. I haven't actually seen her for a while."

So, heading up the stairs to see how she was, as well as let her know you were home, you made your way towards your parents bedroom and paused outside the door, feeling a little nervous as you gave it a knock. "Hey, Stephanie. It's me...Tim."

A second or two later the door opened and you saw your mother standing there before you - the familiar environment, the way she was dressed and the warm smile she wore on her face making it seem again for a moment like it really was her.

"Well, it's about time you got here," she said, looking rather relieved to see you, inviting you in to talk.

Once inside the two of you picked up pretty much where you'd left off back at the hospital, with Stephanie feeling a lot more comfortable around you than the rest of your family as she filled you in on how she'd been coping and how completely out of place she felt inside this new environment. Though she thought your dad was a pretty nice guy and your brother and sister were okay in small doses, she didn't really feel like she could properly connect with them, getting the impression that she was just a constant walking reminder of what they'd lost and not really being able to blame them for that either.

"They just need time is all. We all do," you told her, being able to sympathize, as well as see where your family was coming from at the same time. "This whole situation is messed up for everyone, but it's what we all agreed. And it's got to surely be better than being constantly hounded by the media and labeled a freak."

Muttering slightly beneath her breath, Stephanie responded, "I don't know. I've been called worse..."

Inquiring what exactly she meant by that she quickly brushed it off, telling you to, "Forget it, it's nothing," before returning once more to the subject at hand. "I'm just not sure, even with time, that I'm gonna fit in here," she sighed, "This whole lifestyle...being a suburban mom...well it's a lot different from what I'm used to. I mean, do you really think all of your friends and neighbors and stuff are really going to believe I'm her? That I'm your mom?"

"Sure they will! If anyone can act the part, you can. You're an actress remember."

"Yeah...right. I forgot."

Changing the subject then, clearly having spent enough time thinking about all this stuff over the last few days, she then brought up the DVD collection you'd promised to show her, figuring it was as good a distraction as any at the moment. So, deciding to keep to your word, even if it had only been a joke and did feel a little odd (as well as slightly embarrassing) giving your 'mom' a tour of your less than tidy, typical teenage sty, you led Stephanie to your room and showed her around, giving her even more of an insight into who you were and what she was taking on having you for a 'son'.

"Man, this takes me back," she laughed as she looked around, kicking away a pair of hastily discarded boxers from the floor, "It's like I'm in high school all over again!"

"Heh. Sorry. I didn't get a chance to clean up before the accident," you said, blushing slightly as you retrieved the underwear and stuffed them out of sight, having never really been the tidiest of guys in the world (even with Allison and your mom both breathing down your neck).

"Don't worry, I've seen worse in my time. Believe you me!" Though you were currently focused on making the place look a little more respectable for your guest, you couldn't exactly miss what she was insinuating by this, the fact that she wore your mother's body and spoke with her voice making you sometimes forget that Stephanie was a heck of a lot younger, and seemingly a lot less embarrassed mentioning her previous sexual exploits (or at least this was what you had took it to mean).

Letting out a nervous little laugh at this, not entirely sure how to respond - seeing as you were, for the moment still a virgin yourself, you led her towards your shelf full of DVDs and gave a slightly awkward and half hearted "Ta da!".

Thankfully though Stephanie did seem to get a kick out of your movie collection, pointing out a few movies that she herself had owned much to your surprise (having expected her to be more into chick flicks or dramas or something), and the two of you were soon casually chatting away, getting to know one another even more. It was funny you thought, as you sat there talking to her, though she looked just like your mother, she really was very different, being much more like a slightly cooler older sister or something. While most of what you talked about concerning your family and school went completely over her head, she was a lot more 'with it' and knowledgeable about stuff your mother never had a clue about, and was actually - as was becoming gradually more apparent - far from the shy, subdued woman you'd first encountered.

Over the next couple of days you soon discovered that she had somewhat of a fouler mouth than you had initially realized and would curse just as well as you or Randall, or just about anyone else you knew when it was just the two of you on your own. She also seemed to have a very playful, almost wicked sense of humor that occasionally came out when you least expected it and you began to find that, unlike with the rest of the family, actually having her around did help to block out some of the pain and grief you had over losing your mother (as weird as that was). This seemed to please your dad though, who while admitting that he himself was having some difficulty connecting with this woman nearly 20 years his junior, was glad that someone was and that she wasn't going through this alone, once again assuring you that "it's what your mom would have wanted". And seeing how it was pretty much just the two of you alone at home by yourself over the next two weeks (what with David and Tabitha at school and your dad at work), you did just that - helping Stephanie get to grips with your mom's life and everything it entailed, as well as developing a much firmer friendship. Even your siblings started to accept her presence around the house a lot more than they had done, finding her a lot less awkward to be around, your dad too, and although this whole situation was a dramatic upheaval for everyone, she soon found that she was actually starting to find a place within your family.