"Yeah, well I guess it kind of was."

"So how does this work?" Madison said nervously.

“Where do we go?"

“He'll be waiting on the other side of the security checkpoint. I've only been through DFW once, and that was when I was a kid. I know it's huge though. It's like a transport center and a mall all rolled up into one. A very expensive mall.”

The two of them made their way through the herd of passengers towards the baggage claim. As soon as they passed the security checkpoint, --

"I see your . . . Mr. Hannity. He's not alone. Damn, she looks just like --"

Madison had switched on her echolocation just in time to be the recipient of a full-forced colliding hug.

"Ack!" she said, somewhat indignantly. A young woman had just hurled herself into Madison's personal space with the delicate sensibilities of a bull in a china shop.

“Morgan, I really don't think that's -—"

“Screw you Dad," the young woman in question shot back, her voice cracking like thin ice under weight it was never meant to bear.

“You do not get to tell me that I have a long lost sister and then tell me I can't do this."

"Ack!" Madison inserted again. It seemed to be becoming her favorite utterance. The girl had a friggin’ grip! Then it hit her . . . she was being hugged by her sister. Her flesh-and-blood biological sister.

She started to get a little bit teary, then Morgan started to get teary as well.

Heda stood next to Mr. Hannity.

“She always like this?"

"Morgan? Well, she's a sweetheart, but this is a little bit unprecedented for her." To his (younger) daughter, "Morgan, please let Madison go. There will be plenty of time for that later."

“God, they look a lot alike," Heda whispered.

Mr. Hannity nodded.

"I can't believe I didn't see it instantly. I guess that just the notion that she was real and alive was too much to process."

Heda glanced over at the teenage boy on the other side of Mr. Hannity. He looked somewhat suspicious and very confused, but not hostile.

"Madison, you've met my daughter Morgan," William said as the two girls finally achieved some separation.

"This young man is Timothy."

Timothy was sizing the new arrival up, and Madison scanned around to get a feel for him as well.

"Hey," he said at last.