Brother, When You're Found

A Sequel to "Is It College Yet?"

 

Jake - I didn't mean to step on Dad's contact. The next day, he shipped me off to military school.

Mr. DeMartino - My mother didn't want her dates to know she had a son, so I spent a lot of time at the neighbors. Strange, twisted people.

Jake - I know! I had the same neighbors! (From "The Daria Hunter")

 

Daria - Don't worry, Dad. I'm sure you're doing better than your father did. For starters, wasn't he dead at your age?

Jake - Hey! (From "Jake of Hearts")

 

Helen - Jake, if you want I'll call that Mr. DeMartino. He's a bit high-strung, but he's a fixture at that school, and he can tell us if anything odd is happening. (From "The Lawndale File")

 

Jane: Wind, I don't know how to break this to you, but I don't think Mommy and Daddy will be bringing us home any new brothers or sisters.

Trent: Bummer. (From "Art Burn")

 

Jane - Anyway, being in a relationship can't possibly hinge on physical intimacy. 'Cause that would mean our parents are still doing it.

Daria - Which is absurd.

Jane - No chance.

Daria - I'd join the circus.

Jane - Right behind you. (From "My Night at Daria's)

 

Disclaimer: Daria's a trademark of MTV. I only borrowed it for a weak attempt to continue the myth...

Ages: At the start of season one in 1997, Daria was 16; now she's 18. To calculate the ages, I decided that this all happens in 1999. Jake is 46, so he was born 1953. His father lived from 1924 to 1969. DeMartino is (according to Outpost Daria) 48 in IICY, so he was born 1951. Trent's and Jane's siblings are 28 (Summer), 27 (Wind) and 26 (Penny) years old; their parents are 46 (Amanda) and 48 (Vincent).

Some Warnings:

Continuity: This fanfic sticks to most of what happened in the series and the other official sources, but Jake did NOT graduate at Buxton Ridge (Jake's letters in the Daria Diaries) and "Mad Dog" died before Jake met Helen, so he was NOT alive when they married ("Of Human Bonding"). Also, DeMartino does not have a buddy who married his mother ("Antisocial Climbers") - at least he does not appear in this fanfic.

 

This story begins at the end of the movie. Daria and Jane are sitting at Pizza King, talking about college and future plans. They just brought up a toast to college...

 

I. Choosing Partners

As they lowered their coke cups again, Jane looked at Daria. "You know there's still one last obstacle before you can forget Lawndale High for the rest of your life: the big prom. Ms. Li made it mandatory for all graduates and next year seniors to come and to bring a partner. It's her last chance to milk us for the benefit of school security." Daria took a deep breath. "I know that. I hope it won't get as pathetic as the last dance. Ms. Li's still mad at you for using water-resistant paints for your mural, forcing her to take money from the budget to clean all the walls. One of the best ideas you ever had." Jane smiled. "But this partner thing's going to be hard. It's the first time since fifteen months that neither of us has Tom hanging around."

"Aw, that's sweet. Do you miss him already?" "Jane, please!" "Sorry. But you're right. I don't suppose Quinn could lend us two of her admirers for that night?" "Forget it. When I told her I had blown off Tom, she asked why I didn't wait until the end of the vacations to do so. Besides, she'll soon have her own problems to find a date for the dance..." Daria managed to produce a small wicked smile. Jane's eyes widened. She leant over the table. "Out with it, Morgendorffer. What rumor did you spread about your sister? If it's still the Malaysian Toenail fungus..." Daria shook her head.

"No, I'm totally innocent... well, quite innocent in that matter. Quinn told me that she would wait until the day before the dance to consider all incoming offers. I think she expects the three J's to compete for her just as they did the past two years." "And?" "Do you remember the week when Quinn decided she needed a steady boyfriend because that would be mature?" "After you told her that more or less directly? Yes, it was funny to see all teenaged males of Lawndale expect perhaps Kevin, Mack and Tom line up to be examined for their possible use as Mr. Quinn." "She really thought it would make her more mature. Anyway, she ended up by trying out the three J's one after another." "Which culminated at the day your parents made a big dinner to meet their daughters' boyfriends, right?" "Exactly. At the end, the female Morgendorffers were left back because Tom and Jeffy decided to bond with Dad by catching a squirrel and returning it to the forest." Jane laughed. "That must have been awful for Quinn and you."

"At that moment, it really was. But Quinn calmed down after my mother told her she should do what made her happy in that matter. And when Dad came back later, he was so relaxed and happy that I feared he would want to have an own son. When Tom had to sneak out of my room at 4 am because we both fell asleep two weeks later, he met my father who had a night snack after too much sake. Tom told me later he had serious fears that Dad might kill him on the spot, but Dad welcomed him and even opened the door for him. I think Dad liked Tom, and was very sorry for accidentally telling Mom he had met Tom when he returned to bed." "So you two really didn't do you-know-what that night?" "No, we did NOT do 'you-know-what' that night, Jane!"

Daria had answered very decisively to appear angry. In fact, she was nervous. She wondered if she could ever tell Jane that Tom had come to her room in the guesthouse when they visited Bromwell and that, after some smooching and talking, they had slept together for the first and only time. Jane started talking again. "You wanted to tell me why Quinn'll have problems finding a date for the dance." "Oh yes. Most of her admirers became enraged when she chose first Jamie, then Joey and finally Jeffy just because it was the easiest approach to the whole "steady boyfriend" matter. And the three J's... well, they have wooed her for two years now. It became part of their routine: going to school, football team practice, doing things for Quinn. But when she decided to focus her attention on one of them at a time, they recognized that Quinn will probably never single out one of them to be her permanent boyfriend. She's just playing with them and the whole competition is jeopardizing the friendship between the guys." "Very deep insight. But how do you know about that? Did they tell you?" "They didn't. Mack told me they had a long conversation in the locker room. They made a vow that none of them should try to get Quinn because she isn't worth the trouble." "So Princess Grace won't have a date for the dance although it's mandatory." "Yes, but there's always Upchuck to comfort a lady in distress." Jane smiled. "I'm very sorry to disrupt your illusions, but he already has a date for the dance."

For one moment, Daria said nothing. Then she looked at her friend in mock fear. "Jane Lane, you can't possibly mean you have sunken that low! If I knew you were so desperate about guys, I'd never have stolen your boyfriend!" "Very funny, Daria. Haven't you noticed that Upchuck left very early at Jodie's party?" "First answer: I try not to notice Upchuck at all. Second answer: Even if I did, I'd have thought he learned that he'd never get a girl with his methods until he'd pay better" "Well, if you had noticed him, you would have seen him leaving with Andrea - holding hands!" "OK, now I'm shocked. They must both have been fairly drunk - the one to hit on the persona non grata of the opposite sex, the other to agree. But how do you know that this delightful couple survived the first hangover?" "I talked to Jodie yesterday. She told me that Upchuck reserved two tickets in the names of 'Ruttheimer and Hecuba'"

"So that's a surprise. But why should Jodie ask for both names?" Jane chuckled. "Come on, you know Ms. Li. She insisted on a list of all guests to know whom to accuse for any attempts to make Laaawndale High look bad. Jodie agreed to this to get the P.A. equipment for the dance." "Poor Jodie. But at least she has a boyfriend to take to the dance."

Jane got a mischievous grin on her face. "How about the easiest approach? I know two very ambitious musicians who could need a rest from practicing." "Are you trying to hook me up with Trent again?" Daria sighed. "You know that I'm completely over this stupid crush." "OK, then don't do it for yourself. Do it for me, Trent and our neighborhood." "Could you explain that clearer, please?" "Sure. Do it for me because Jesse won't come if Trent doesn't also. They have a Chewbacca-Han Solo friendship: Trent is the only one who can understand Jesse. Do it for Trent because he still feels bad about letting us down on this multimedia assignment. He was very sad that he didn't see you around as much as he used to be because of the 'Tom thing'. And do it for our neighborhood. Since Monique finally broke up with him, he spends most of his time practicing in the basement. The neighbors might appreciate one evening to walk on the pavement in front of our house without the feeling that an earthquake will arrive any second."

Daria leant back. She knew Jane for three years now and knew her way of sarcasm and joking, so she could tell that she was not sarcastic on this. She nodded. "You got me, Jane. I'll go to that dance with Trent. Actually, it will be nice to spend some time with the guys again." She paused for a moment. "After we're both through 'the Tom thing' without serious damage, life can go on." Jane looked worried as Daria referred to Tom. She remembered when she told Daria: "I should have jumped Tom while I had the chance."

Getting to know guys had never been her problem, but her sarcasm and very nature had driven all boys away after some days - except Tom. He wasn't put off by her art priorities, her living conditions or anything else about her. He never tried to impress her with his family's wealth or his social position. Jane had been really sad when it went down the time Daria stayed at the Lane house, and the "lady and the tiger" idea was originally - as she had confessed to herself after Tom left her - an attempt to repair their relationship. I wonder what would've happened if Daria hadn't barged in when we became passionate that day in front of my painting... She was still deep in thought when she heard a familiar voice. "Daria, can I talk to you?" It was Quinn.

 

The Morgendorffer sisters went home after Daria had agreed that Jane should ask the boys about going to the dance. As soon as they had closed the front door, Quinn turned to her sister. "Daria, you gotta help me! I need advice from a totally honest person." Daria measured her sister with a short look. "Is it about your clothing or about your looks?" "Daria, puh-leease! I have a really big problem and I need you." She went to the living-room sofa and sat down. Daria followed her, wondering if she should tell her sister about the vow the J's made when Quinn began to speak. "Look, Daria, you know that the school dance is next Saturday..."

Daria interrupted her. "...and you're wondering why no guy's yet asked you to go there with him." Quinn's face got an alarmed look. "What do you mean, Daria? I'm surprised that nobody has asked yet, that's right, but since I told them I'd decide on the day before the dance whom to take, they still have lots of time. Although I thought Joey, Jeffy and Jamie would ask me as soon as possible." "They will not ask you this time, Quinn. Mack told me that they decided to stop competing for you because it was ruining their friendship. But I'm sure you have enough potential candidates to replace them." Surprisingly, Quinn did not start to cry as Daria had expected. She just looked at the ceiling for a second before she turned back to Daria.

"That's sad, but that's not the reason why I wanted to talk to you." She took a letter from her backpack and handed it to Daria. "It was in the mail this morning. Read it." Daria looked at the simple white envelope and read aloud: "To Quinn Morgendorffer, 1111 Glen Oaks Lane, Lawndale. From David Sorenson, The Ivory Tower, Harvard, MS. You got a letter from David?" Quinn looked nervous now. "Yeah. He tells me he has got vacations and will come to Lawndale this week to visit his family. He asks if I made good progress in school and says he'd like to see me." "That sounds nice. Now why do you need sisterly advice from me?"

Quinn swallowed, then she began to speak slowly, as if she could wake up someone by talking at normal speed. "I... I'd like to see him and tell him how much the tutoring helped me this year. And... and I would like to ask him..." "Ask him what?" Quinn looked around the room like needing a hole to hide in. "Come on, Quinn. Tell me what you want to ask David. I'm still not capable of reading your thoughts." Quinn managed to look at Daria's eyes. "I would like to ask him... if he'd like to come to the dance with me!"

For a moment, none of them said a word. Then Daria drew a deep breath. "Okay, you would like to invite him to the dance. What's the problem?" "I don't know how to tell him. What if he doesn't want to? What if he has got a girlfriend at college?" Daria barely managed to suppress a smile. "There's only one way, Quinn. Ask him if he wants." "But just imagine he says no! And how should you know? You haven't got much experience with that. Just remember that Trent guy you had a crush on. You've never told him what you felt for him, right?" "Look, Quinn. First point: You asked me for advice and I gave you my opinion on that. Second point: I've had a steady boyfriend for almost a year, so I know a bit about that topic. And third point: I'll go to the dance with Trent because I have to bring a partner as graduate student, so I'm taking the easiest way. You have improved at school and you've got nothing to be ashamed of. If he doesn't want, pick one of your fans at school. But if you don't have the guts to ask him, you'll always wonder if he might have agreed. Believe me, I was there with Trent and never had the courage to ask. Don't be as dumb as I was. Ask him!"

Quinn looked at her sister, surprised at the outburst. "All right, I'll ask him. But don't tell Mom and Dad about it!" "Why should I do that? First thing Mom would want to know is who I'm taking to the dance. It'd be brave of you to take David with you, since your fashion-worshipping friends will probably drop dead at his sight. Didn't he drop them when they wanted to be tutored by him?" "Yes, he did. Sandi's still occasionally asking me what my "brainy geek-boyfriend" is doing. If he should really agree to come to the dance, I just got to have someone take a picture of her expression." She laughed, then she became serious again. "But you said that you'll take Trent? Did he ask you already?" "No, he didn't. In fact, Jane suggested that she'd take Jesse to the ball and that I'd help her if I invited Trent... I sound like a complete idiot, right?"

She broke off when she looked at her sister. Quinn had sworn that she would not do anything to humiliate Daria if she helped her with the decision about asking David, but the imagination of Daria asking Trent just to do Jane a favor was too much. She started to laugh uncontrollably. "Look, since I have to take someone with me, it was the easiest way to think of the brother of my best friend... Could you stop laughing, please? It can't be that funny!" Quinn calmed down again. "I'm sorry, Daria. But you admitted by yourself that you sound like a complete idiot." She sat up straight. "It's probably the best possible way, since you obviously don't want to invite Tom." They heard someone unlocking the front door. "Let's finish this later. I don't want Mom or Dad to listen to this."

 As they rose from the sofa, the door opened, revealing Jake carrying his briefcase. He set it down on the sofa table and gave his daughters a friendly smile as he picked up the remaining mail. Daria decided to start a conversation with him before he would ask what she and Quinn were doing. "Hi, dad. Anything for me in the mail?" Jake flipped through the letters. "Let's see... electricity bill, a postcard from Rita, the water bill..." He held up one letter and opened it. "Look, it's from my mother! I wonder what she wants..." He started to read it while Quinn went to the kitchen. After a minute, he looked up again. "She says she'll visit us tomorrow!"

 

II. Family Secrets, Part 1, Or: Sins Of Our Father

Later that evening, the Morgendorffer family sat in the kitchen, eating dinner. Helen had just arrived and wolfed down Jake's new meal creation because she had to leave again soon. Hearing that her mother in-law would come on the next day was not her idea of a nice family dinner. "But can't you call her to postpone this, Jake? You know that my workload is even bigger than usually because all the Schrecters are on a family reunion somewhere in Montana..." Jake cut her off. "I'll take a day off from work. I fixed the contract with that restaurant company yesterday, so I can stay home tomorrow and welcome my mom." He paused. "I wonder why she's coming. She wrote that there'd be something she wants to tell me personally... I hope it's no bad news." Helen looked at her watch and stood up. "I'm in a hurry, Jake. See you later."

After Helen and the girls left, Jake stayed at the table, obviously deep in thought. He hardly noticed Daria who came in the kitchen to get a can of soda a few minutes later until she slammed the door of the refrigerator shut. "Oh. Sorry, dad." Daria looked at her father. "Are you worried about Grandma Ruth?" Jake turned to her. "It comes pretty suddenly. But, knowing my mother, she's just checking that Helen treats me right. It's probably better that they won't meet immediately tomorrow." He chuckled. "Will you be here tomorrow, kiddo? I could use your help in dealing with her." "I'll be here until noon, I think. Jane and I want to go see a French movie at the Megamultiplex." "Thanks, Daria."

 

Ruth arrived very early next morning. As Daria entered the kitchen in their nightclothes, she already sat there, sipping coffee. After Daria had welcomed her, Ruth continued talking with her son. "But why couldn't Helen wait until I'd be here before leaving for work, Jakey?" "She had an important case to be discussed at 8am, Mom. She said she'd be sorry not to see you. But what was so important that you couldn't tell me by telephone?" "I got a letter from the Department of the Army yesterday. They want to name a barracks at Fort King after your father and asked me for my permission to do so. They also asked if we could come to Fort King for the official ceremony." Jake drew a deep breath. "Dad would've loved this if he was still alive... Not only having some military freak house bearing his name, but also condemning me to sit there and hear some colonel talking about Dad's decorations and merits..."

He looked at his mother. "What did you tell them?" "I told them that Dad would be honored and accepted it. You'll come there with me, right?" At that moment, Quinn entered the kitchen with her cell phone pressed against her ear. "Thank you Sammy. I'll be happy to come to your party next weekend. I suppose you also invited Sandi, Stacy and Tiffany..." Then she noticed Ruth. "Oh hi, Grandma Ruth. Anyway, can you believe that we have work to do in the vacation? O'Neill tried to prevent this because it 'might harm our unburdened souls', but the PTA head overruled him, saying 'If Anthony DeMartino can't...'"

          CRASH! Jake and his daughters gazes rushed first at the cup of coffee Ruth had just dropped on the floor, then at Ruth herself, whose face had turned white. "Mommy, are you alright?" He reached over the table and took her hand as Quinn terminated her phone call with some words. "You look like you had a stroke!" Daria and Quinn also looked worried as Ruth tried to sit up straight but failed miserably. "Shall I call an ambulance?" Quinn asked. Daria went over to the sink to wet a towel and placed it on her grandmother's neck. After a minute, Ruth recovered from the shock and glanced around at the worried faces of her family.

"I'm OK." she said. "Sorry for that, but tell me Quinn, did you really say the name Anthony DeMartino??!" Quinn nodded. "He's our history teacher at Lawndale High School, grandma." Daria said. "Do you know him?" Ruth's face became pale again, but it cleared after a second. She regarded her son and straightened in her chair. "I hoped that you'd never hear about this, Jakey; but I think now it's your right to know. I'd prefer it if the girls would leave..." Jake exchanged glances with his daughters, then he turned to his mother again. "I don't know what you'll tell me, Mom, but Daria and Quinn can hear it. They are grown-up by now and whatever I can stand to hear, they can... if they want to. And if it's about some family secret..." he shrugged, "...they're the only ones carrying on the name Morgendorffer." "But they should not be the only ones..." Ruth answered, causing total silence.

"What do you mean by this?" Daria asked finally. "Well, if your father thinks you shall hear this, I'll tell you." She looked at Jake. "Martin and I met fifty years ago. I was working at the local store back then and he was an army captain, serving at Fort King as drill instructor. We didn't fall in love at once, but with the time, we both became closer and closer." Jake listened fascinated. His mother had never talked about his father as 'Martin' before. "In 1950, Martin was sent to Korea as a company commander. Before he left, we engaged and promised to marry as soon as he came back." She sighed. "He wanted to have a house, a decent job and as many sons as I could give him. He fought in Korea until the end of the war, but he was allowed to fly to America two times; once to give evidence about a soldier who shot his sergeant while being drunken and once because of some medal. The second time, in late 1951, I met him after the ceremony in Washington and we spent the weekend there together. The first time, however, was different." She looked very sad at the thought, but then she continued. "Martin had to go to Fort Campbell because the trial was held there. I told him that I'd come down to meet him again, but on the day before he came, I fell off a ladder in the store and had a concussion, so nobody told Martin what happened and I wasn't there when he landed. He had looked forward to meeting me for months and now I wasn't there. On that evening, he drove into town, got drunk and landed in bed with a sixteen-year old high school girl."

Jake gasped while his girls just looked at Ruth. "On the next morning, I woke up and despite my condition called at Fort Campbell to tell Martin what happened to me. After some fuss like telling some dumb corporal why I had to talk to Martin, they found him and we could at least talk with each other. He didn't tell me about the high school girl at that time." Ruth looked angry now. "Two months later, I got a call from some officer at Fort Campbell who remembered my telephone inquiries about Martin. He told me that a pregnant young woman had been asking for 'a Captain Martin Dylan Morgendorffer, because she's having his baby' at Campbell. That night, I made a call to the Adjutant General's Office in Korea, telling them I had to talk to my fiancé ASAP. They assumed that he had left me pregnant, so he called three days later - at the store, because I had no phone at home. He told me all about that night, but when I got mad at him, he hanged up."

"But what did you do afterwards?" asked Quinn, who always liked a good love story with dramatic turns. "I didn't hear anything about Martin until he came back in February 1953. He returned to Fort Drum and I visited him there." Ruth looked rather unhappy. "I told him that I had waited for him and that I still wanted to marry him. He wasn't so sure until I reminded him that his military career would be over if the army learned about his illegitimate child." "That means you blackmailed him." "Daria!" "Yes, I did." Ruth looked at Jake, who was silent again. "Martin married me in July 1953, when I was already pregnant with Jake. He went down to Campbell once more, telling the girl with the baby that he couldn't marry her and gave her ten thousand dollars to keep her mouth shut. He asked me if I wanted to accompany him, but I told him that I wanted to see neither the girl nor the child ever in my whole life and neither should he." Ruth glanced at the kitchen clock before she continued.

"I hoped that with me and little Jake, he would settle down and realize all the dreams he told me about when we met for the first time. But his war experience and the knowledge that he had betrayed me as soon as he got the chance to poisoned our marriage. We were neither good spouses for each other nor good parents for Jake. After Jake's birth, Martin told me that he did not want any more children. He found a job fixing drainpipes and he still was a National Guard officer, but we both knew that he hated the life with wife and child. And since he couldn't act out his anger on me, he terrorized Jake..." Now her eyes were both fixed on Jake, who stared at his feet, his brain obviously full of bad memories. "His only remaining dream was to make his son a perfect soldier, thus reliving his career in Europe and Korea. When he decided to send Jake to Buxton Ridge Military School in 1965, I didn't stop him, thinking that it might be the best thing for Jake - and for us. But Jake's departure didn't improve our relation as I had hoped. In the following year Martin was sent to Vietnam to command a garrison. Three years later I got a letter saying that he died near Saigon. I took Jake out of Buxton Ridge and moved with him to West Virginia, where he met Helen in high school." Daria rose from her seat, fetched the coffee and poured a new cup for Ruth, who sipped at it, then cleared her throat.

"After Martin's funeral, I went through his things and found some photos of a two-year old child with black hair, sitting on the lap of a very young-looking woman. On the back of the photos, it said 'March 1953: Nora and Anthony' and an address in a small town near Campbell. I burned all the things, but I could neither forget the photo nor the fact that Jakey had an older brother called Anthony... DEMARTINO."

 

Daria stared at her grandmother while several memories went through her mind: Her encounter with Mr. DeMartino on the first day in Lawndale High... DeMartino in combat outfit at the paintball range - she remembered that he had talked with Jake there... DeMartino offering her gambling chips at the casino ship... DeMartino dragging both Ms. Barch and Mr. O'Neill at the field trip in the mountains... DeMartino throwing a sink through the window at the "OK to Cry Corral" and the children cheering... DeMartino as leader of the teachers' strike... She glanced to Quinn and Jake. Her sister was petrified, probably having similar memories of DeMartino while Jake continued to keep his eyes on his mother. At last Daria found her voice. "That means DeMartino is our... uncle?"

Ruth sighed. "He is, but I don't think he knows it. Martin sort of... well, he threatened his mother to ensure that she would never tell her son about his father. I kept silent about it for forty-eight years and wanted to keep silent until I died, but when Quinn mentioned his full name, I nearly fainted." "So the only question is: shall we tell him?" said Daria. "You know, I talked to him when we sat together at the paintball range while it rained... and he told me that his mother treated him badly... it would top things off for him if he learned that his father was an SOB without the courage to stand for what he did..." said Jake absently.

"I think we should tell him." Suddenly, all eyes were on Quinn. "Why should we tell him, sis?" Daria asked her. "First of all: I'll see him in school for another year. That means meeting him for several times each week, always thinking of him as Uncle Anthony. He may be screwed, but he's not stupid. One day he would ask me why I'm staring at him and I'd blare it out, humiliating myself totally." Daria smirked. "You told everyone that I'm your cousin. That worked for years." "Oh come on, Daria. Everyone knew it after you told the whole school at that stupid assembly. Anyway, would you like to live for almost fifty years with the feeling that you don't have a father? I'll tell him if you don't have the courage!" To his own surprise, Jake began to smile. "Relax, Quinn. I also think we should tell him all this." He turned to Ruth and his face hardened. "I don't know what part you had in this from the beginning, but Quinn's absolutely right. This has gone much too long."

At that moment, Helen entered in a hurry. "Hello everybody! I just have time for a microwave meal and then..." she broke off when she saw the looks of her family. "What has happened? Has somebody died? Dear God, please tell me..." Jake stood up and hugged her. "The exact opposite, sweetie. You'll never believe what Mom just told us." Helen listened with fascination as Jake repeated the story.

 

III. Baby, What A Big Surprise

Later that day, Jane called. The Morgendorffers had discussed about the new family member and the several ways to break the news to DeMartino - though the use of his surname had become more and more frequent during the last hours. Daria had supported the point of Jake and Quinn that DeMartino had a right to know about his origins and his half-brother. As a result, she had completely forgotten about Jane and their plan to meet for a movie. After waiting for thirty minutes, Jane went to the next phone.

"You've reached the Morgendorffer lair. All cats disappeared after being seen near our house are in a better world now." Daria said. "Hello Daria. It seems that your way to the top didn't lead past the Megamultiplex today." "Oh yeah. Sorry I forgot it, but I went through a situation you might know from experience." "Since there are so many several situations to master every day, give me a hint." Daria prepared for the revelation. "How about the discovery of an unknown family member?" "I always told you that you had enough intelligence for two people. So they found your moron twin?" "Actually, my grandmother broke down and confessed that Dad's father impregnated a woman two years before Dad was born." "So the infamous 'Mad Dog' had two kids? I assume the person showed up today and your Dad went crazy." "No, Quinn mentioned the name of a certain inhabitant of Lawndale at breakfast and Ruth seemed to get a stroke out of nowhere. When she recovered, she told us all about it." "And who, may I ask, enjoys the sudden benefit to be a part of the Morgendorffer family? Do I know him by chance?" "You do. It's Mr. DeMartino."

For a moment, Jane was silent. When she continued, her voice was full of disbelief. "Are you sure? DeMartino is your... father's brother??!" "According to Ruth, her beloved husband had a one-night stand with an underage girl forty-nine years ago. The result was our dear history teacher. And the best part is that he doesn't know it. We had a real battle here about the question of telling him or not." "And you were against it?" "No, I supported Quinn and Dad in telling him." Daria heard someone knocking at her door. "I gotta go. Bye." "Give Uncle Anthony my regards if you see him." "I will. Bye." Daria hang up.

 

While Daria returned to her family in the kitchen, Jane continued to stare at the phone. DeMartino as Daria's uncle? Jeez, I know my folks are weird, but at least they wreak havoc in other parts of the country/world than Lawndale. Daria has her family in dangerous proximity, and the discovery of an uncle whose temper she had experienced first-hand may just be another brick in the wall. Jane left the phone booth and started to walk home. I just have to tell this to Trent.

 

In the Morgendorffer home, the family council (plus Ruth) reached a decision. Quinn would try to call DeMartino the next day to tell him "that she had some questions about her homework" and ask if she could visit him at his house. If he should agree, Jake would accompany her and drop the bomb on his lost brother, hoping that he would believe the story.

 

As Jane arrived home, she went to Trent's room and looked inside: no Trent there. She went down into the basement: no Trent either. A short glance outside told her that his car stood in front of the house, so he had not taken it. She began to worry when she heard a noise from the most unlikely place for him to hide - Summer's old room, which was now Vincent Lane's (seldom used) home office. When she entered, she saw Trent sitting at the desk, writing rapidly on a sheet.

She looked around to spot any kind of coffee mug or a trace of some kind of illegal substance to cause this behavior, but she could see neither. Trent looked up. "Hello Janey. Where've you been?" "I planned to meet Daria at the movies, but she didn't turn up. I called her at home and got the most amazing story I heard for years. Do you want to hear it?" Trent smiled. "I've got a nice story too, but you first." He leant back as Jane settled on an old sofa at the wall before she cleared her throat. "Daria's grandma Ruth came to visit their family today. When Quinn mentioned DeMartino, Ruth said that he's Jake's half-brother and the result of a one-night stand of her late husband. So now the Morgendorffers have to decide whether to tell him and to face the consequences, or to keep the news away from him and leave him ignorant about his father."

Trent looked surprised. "That's a hard decision. It could have been worse for them, however. If you think about all the other lunatic teachers at Lawndale High like Ms. Li, DeMartino's a good pick. You know that he was the only teacher to understand my problems after what happened to Pat. If only..." His reminiscences were cut off as Jane sat up straight and looked at him. "I also wanted to ask you for a favour, but it can wait until you told me your story. If it kept you awake without coffee, it must be more amazing than mine." Trent shuffled on his seat, looking unhappy for a moment. "I don't know if it's more amazing, but it will change our present life considerably. Do you remember when Mom and Dad were here for the last time?" "When we both did unspeakable things to rebuild that damn gazebo? Me selling out and you doing manual labor? Yeah, I do remember it. Why?" "Well, that was six months ago. We didn't wonder why they came back together, did we?" "No, we didn't. But after they told us to chop down the gazebo, I did not really care, either." Trent looked thoughtful now.

"They came from some kind of WWF event where Mom studied Asian pottery and Dad photographed wild yaks. The important fact is, they come home tomorrow, and they sent a letter." "So what? They come for their annual visit. What's so important about this? They don't bring all our siblings with them, right?" Jane looked curious at Trent, who managed to smile. "They won't bring any of our older siblings this time, Janey... but they'll bring a younger one