The Brat Pack

Two hours later, Bender makes a cross on his chest as Claire circles the roundabout driveway in front of a large, white house.

"Jesus Christ," Bender says, looking to Claire. "This is your uncle's house?"

Brian whistles up at the house. Claire nods and parks her car behind a black Camaro. Bender frowns. "Is that your uncle's car? I thought you said he wasn't home."

Claire shakes her head and smirks at Bender. "It's my aunt's."

Bender's mouth drops and he quickly takes off his seat belt, wandering over to look at the car. Andy hops over the side of Claire's car, not bothering to put Bender's seat down, and goes over to stare in awe too. Brian, trying to act cool, hops from the car, nearly tripping as he does, and Claire laughs, covering her mouth and turning away from him. He blushes and gives her a smile, going over to Ally and helping her from the car. Claire puts the top up and shuts the car off, getting out.

"My uncle and aunt will kill me if they ever find out I brought friends over without permission," Claire says, and they all look over at her. "I can pretend I was here alone no problem, so just don't move anything and do not-" Claire shoots a look at Bender- "touch any alcohol. If you do, so help me God you will walk home."

They all nod and follow Claire up the porch. She unlocks the front door and swings it open wide, letting them all pile in ahead of her. Bender stares in awe around the house, glancing up at the crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

"Is your house this big, Claire?" Brian asks, looking at Claire.

She laughs and shakes her head. "I wish," she says, tossing her purse on the coffee table by the door.

Ally lifts her bag over her head and sets it next to Claire's, wandering off into the kitchen. Andy runs down and jumps onto one of the white couches in the sitting room, throwing his arms behind his head. Brian follows and stands in front of the fireplace, pretending to smoke a pipe and act rich. Claire watches them and laughs, not noticing Bender sneak away to the staircase.

The second floor, as expected, is huge. Bender can hear Andy and Brian talking loudly as he pops his head in every room. Finally he finds the master bedroom and goes inside, stretching. He looks around and goes into the connected bathroom, smirking when he sees the tub.

"Imagine how many blonde babes I could fit into this thing," Bender says to himself.

"Too bad I'm not blonde, huh?"

Bender whips around to find Claire leaning against the door frame, an eyebrow raised. Bender points at her.

"Yeah, and your tits aren't big like I imagine theirs as, either."

Claire crosses her arms over her chest and huffs. "What are you doing up here, Bender?"

Bender shrugs one shoulder. "I was just looking around." He sees the frown on Claire's face and rolls his eyes. "I ain't about to steal something, if that's what you're thinking."

Bender pushes by Claire and goes out into the bedroom, walking to the large windows on the other side of the room. He pulls the curtains open and stares out. "Some view," he says.

Claire lounges back on the bed, propping herself up with one arm. "I used to love coming here as a kid. It seemed so big then."

"Seemed?" Bender looks at her, incredulous. "If this place doesn't seem big to you, I fear for your husband in the future."

"I liked to pretend it was a castle," Claire continues, ignoring him, as she looks up at the ceiling, her eyes dreamy with memories. "And that I was the queen. I would run around in the tiara my mom bought me, waving one of my plastic wands around. My aunt would hate it and always scolded me about running, always reminding me that ladies never run."

"She sounds like a hoot with kids," Bender rolls his eyes, wandering over to the vanity. He picks up some perfumes and smells them, cringing as the scents hit his nose.

"She can't have any."

"Huh?" Bender asks, turning around to stare at Claire.

"Kids. My aunt, she can't have any."

Bender feels his shoulders droop. "Oh. Sorry to hear that."

"She always said she didn't want any. But then when she learned she couldn't..."

"So what? Does she just stay cooped up here with your uncle all day?"

Claire nods. "Mostly, yeah."

"Why doesn't she adopt?" Bender asks.

Claire shrugs her shoulder. "I've always wondered that myself. She never says why she doesn't, though. I think she likes to keep up the facade of not wanting any, for my uncle. He doesn't want any, either. He said he's gonna leave all their wealth to me and my cousins."

Bender wanders over to the bed and notices something sticking out from underneath, leaning over to retrieve it. It's a blue photo album. He raises it to Claire, who shrugs. Bender climbs up onto the bed and opens the album, flipping through the photos.

"These all your family?" he asks Claire, glancing over at her.

Claire nods. "We don't interact a lot, though."

Bender snorts. "Rich people problems."

"What about you?" Claire demands, then softens. "What about your family?"

"What about them?" Bender asks, flipping a page.

"C'mon, anyone other than your mom and dad?"

Bender shrugs. "I don't know, my parents and I don't really sit and have light chats like you and yours probably do." Bender points to a picture, a slight grin coming across his face. "Is that you?"

Claire leans over and looks down, her eyes going wide. "Bender, no!"

Bender jumps up from the bed, staring down at the album as he moves away from Claire's reach.

"Claire Standish used to have braces?!" Bender exclaims. "Oh man, this is too good." He shakes his head, laughing.

"Bender, please!" Claire squeals, getting up from the bed. "Don't tell anyone. I've tried so hard for everyone to forget that!"

Bender thumbs through more of the pages. "You're in here more than anyone else," he comments, looking up at Claire.

She shrugs one shoulder. "My parents and I are the only people who really visit these two. My aunt can be kinda cold, so the others don't like to." Claire flops back down on the bed, smoothing out her skirt.

"When was this from?" Bender brings the album over to Claire and points. She peers down at it.

"Tenth grade class photos."

"There's two copies here."

Claire shrugs. "So?"

"So do you think your aunt would notice one missing?" Bender sets the album down on the bed and slides one of the copies out, holding it up and staring at it. Claire makes a low whining noise in her throat.

"What do you want with that?" Claire asks, watching as Bender pulls his wallet out. He pulls out a photo of Stacey and puts it in his pocket, sliding Claire's photo in it's place.

Claire stares at Bender and he catches her eye, putting his wallet back. "What?" he asks defensively.

"So does that mean you consider me?" Claire asks jokingly, taking the album back and closing it, sliding it back under the bed. When Claire stands up she jumps back, Bender right in her face.

"You're lucky I consider you at all," Bender says with a smile. He wraps an arm around Claire's waist and pulls her to him, kissing her on the lips.