Hawthorne's Crossing

03. We Are Family

03. We Are Family

Two weeks later, Maggie and Meredith decide to have Penelope and Phoebe come over to the house for dinner, to tell Penelope about their connection and to get to know Penelope and Phoebe better.

After Penelope says yes, Meredith decides it is a good idea to ask Jackson as well. Jackson reluctantly agrees.

The night of the dinner, Phoebe, her husband, Jeremias, Jackson, and Penelope show up with their children. Derek welcomes them into the house where everyone else including Richard and Catherine are already there, playing with the children and talking when they walk into the living room.

"Hello," Penelope said with a awkward wave and smile.

Richard immediately stands up to introduce himself to Phoebe and Penelope. Phoebe hugs Richard. "It is so nice to finally meet you," Phoebe said.

Penelope is confused about how friendly her sister is being but doesn't say anything as Maggie and Meredith walk into the living room.

Penelope introduces her children. "This is Aiden and Alaina," Penelope said.

"It's so nice to meet you both," Richard said.

"And this is Asher and Aria," Phoebe said.

"Matching names," Amelia said.

"It's a twin thing," Phoebe said.

They moved to the dining room.

As they sat down for dinner, Meredith began innocently asking Penelope questions about her childhood and upbringing.

Penelope answered truthfully, revealing that she and her sister Phoebe had been adopted when they were young.

Seemingly intrigued, Maggie then jumped into the conversation, asking Penelope if she had ever considered trying to find her birth parents.

Phoebe chimed in that she had thought about it from time to time out of curiosity. Maggie went on to share her own experience tracking down her biological parents as an adult, and how fulfilling it had been to welcome them into her life.

Sensing there was more to this line of questioning, Phoebe let out a weary sigh, tired of dancing around the real purpose for this family dinner.

She finally confessed directly to Penelope that through some research, Meredith and Maggie had uncovered the shocking truth - they were actually Penelope and Phoebe's biological sisters. Meredith is their half-sister through their birth mother, Ellis. Maggie is their sister. Richard is their father.

Penelope took in this bombshell news with a simple "Oh," glancing around the table to see everyone else's solemn expressions indicating they had clearly already known.

"Okay," she said quietly, absorbing this profound revelation that would forever change her understanding of her identity and family ties.

Sensing her emotional withdrawal, Jackson grabbed Penelope's hand tightly, encouraging her to fully process this news rather than shut down.

Penelope took a deep breath, bracing herself to navigate this enormous disruption that would link her life permanently to this once-estranged family.

"I know it's a lot to take in," Meredith said.

Penelope looked at Phoebe. "How long have you known about this? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Penelope asked her twin sister.

"It's only been a couple of days and I don't know, you have a lot going on with Jackson so," Phoebe answered.

"Right," Penelope said.

Phoebe pointed a finger at Penelope. "Don't start a fight with me to avoid processing this information," Phoebe told Penelope.

Penelope rolled her eyes. "Thank you for the dinner, I suddenly feel ill, and I would like to go home," Penelope said.

"Penelope," Jackson said.

"No, she can leave. We won't force her to stay," Maggie said.

Meredith stood up. "I'll plate these leftovers for you to take home," Meredith told Penelope.

Jackson stood up. "Thanks, Mer," Jackson said.

"No problem," Meredith said, smiling.