Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit work of fanfiction. The Office is the property of NBC. Please support the official release. I only own the original characters.


About an hour had passed since Walt had apologized to him. It wasn't like Andy really needed it, but it was nice to hear it from his brother nonetheless, especially since Andy used to blame Walt for much of his childhood misery. Sure, it wasn't fair to blame him for being born, but it didn't help Andy's self-esteem one iota growing up to see his parents always treat Walt like the golden child. Walt had finally passed out in his bed after a few bottles of wine, leaving the eldest Bernard son out alone on the patio, still drinking the night away.

"Funny isn't it?" a feminine voice quipped behind him.

Andy jumped slightly, startled at the sudden intrusion. He turned around and quickly relaxed, seeing it was just Gretchen. She held a large bottle of vodka in one hand, a bottle of orange juice in the other, and most likely had a pack of Marlboros in her coat pocket.

"Sorry that I startled you. Mind if I join you in drowning our sorrows away?" she asked.

"Nope, don't mind at all," Andy replied, glad to have company from the only member of his family he actually liked. "We can be miserable together, just like old times."

"Atta bro," Gretchen said back with a smile. She took a seat next to him, grabbed a glass nearby and poured herself a strong drink, which she proceeded to chug down rapidly. Andy still sometimes couldn't believe the sheer amount of alcohol she could knock back for her small size. Much like him, she had dark brown hair, bright blue eyes, a thin nose and a pointed chin, features they both inherited from their mother.

"What did you mean by 'funny isn't it'?" Andy asked.

Gretchen replied, "Well, you gotta admit it's kinda funny that the two of us, the kids that were passed over, have ultimately become just marginally better than the little golden boy who freaked out and now drowns himself in alcohol all day everyday."

"Aren't we all kind of alcoholics or at least have to be?" Andy asked her with a chuckle. He wished he could say he was joking, but…

"Well, it is the only legal substance we've got that can dull the pain of our miserable and shallow lives. Otherwise, I'd be smoking Mary Jane out till kingdom come."

That drew a laugh from Andy, who had to admit she was pretty on the money there. "Well, at least we both actually have things to look forward to. Me with my new job, you with your engagement…"

Gretchen smiled at that, nodding in agreement as she pulled out a cigarette and lit up. For a while, the two siblings sat in silence, simply enjoying the moment. It was really the only enjoyment they could have as adults at their childhood home, next to their parents.

"Oh, and by the way," Gretchen suddenly said, "I'm sorry that I agreed with Mom on having a big birthday party for you. Really didn't expect it to become a total shit-show like that."

Andy waved his hand flippantly. "It's fine, Gretch. It's not like I can go any lower. Plus, you did make it up to me by handling most of the heavy work."

"I suppose that makes us even."

Out of everyone in his family, Gretchen was the only one who ever really understood him. They were the outcasts, forced to depend on each other because Mom and Dad were so fixated on Walt. Andy for never fitting their parents' expectations and Gretchen for being an unplanned accident that they weren't really sure what to do with.

But while Andy spent/wasted a large chunk of his life trying to gain their acknowledgment and approval, Gretchen had long learned it was a lost cause. In a way, it kind of made her the black sheep of the Bernards - she rejected their WASP life, eschewed going to the nice Ivy League school in favor of moving to the other side of the country to study at a college in California and make a life for herself in Los Angeles, mingling with the stars and getting engaged to a movie producer of all people as opposed to one of the other boys from the "old money" families they met during holidays in the Hamptons. She was the one that got out and, despite having a little bit of a drinking problem, Gretchen actually had her head together way better than either of her brothers did.

"Wish I could've learned earlier what you realized long ago," Andy remarked after a couple minutes of silence as he continued drinking.

"What? That trying to please Mom and Dad is impossible?"

"Yeah."

Gretchen shrugged and sadly said, "Well, we all react to stuff differently. But hey, better late than never at least, right?"

"I guess so," Andy replied.

Gretchen made herself another drink, and as she sipped on it, she asked, "So… to change the subject to something a little less heavy… how are things in Ithaca? Cornell treating you well so far?"

Andy smiled and answered, "Great so far. Got a nice new apartment and I don't have to deal with annoying sales calls or all that other bullshit anymore. Just have to evaluate and approve and that's it. And how about you? How's Jordan doing?"

"We're doing great," Gretchen replied with a smile. "He's scheduled to be working on some of the new Marvel movies, so he's going to be pretty busy, but we make it work."

"That's good."

"And what about you? Anyone… special out there? How're the ladies of Ithaca treating you?"

Andy shrugged and replied, "Eh, it's okay. They're all fine. Had a couple dates, but nothing serious. A couple of hook-ups…"

"Wait," Gretchen cut in, her expression incredulous. "You are having one-night stands?"

Andy shrugged. "Look, Gretch, I'm not really focusing on that right now. I've just been feeling burned out on it all and I don't need that stuff to be happy. Besides, I'm probably a doom magnet anyway."

"You still have unresolved feelings for her."

That wasn't a question.

Andy's features hardened. "Does it even matter anymore?" he asked angrily, looking off to the side as he took another long drink of rum, needing its numbing powers now more than ever. "I've left her be, cut her out completely, and that's the end of it."

"Hey, no judgment, big bro!" Gretchen quickly replied, throwing her hands up defensively. "She's the one that got away, I understand that totally."

"More like I pushed her away," he grumbled bitterly.

Gretchen continued, "Well, you shouldn't be so hard on yourself. Dad fucked it all up for us. Like, everything. Besides, everyone has one, the one that got away. Hell, I have one of those. Remember Livio, my boyfriend from Italy?"

"That guy you wanted to elope with?" Andy asked, a small snicker coming out of him. "Yeah, I remember. Not to give them too much credit, but Mom and Dad were right that getting with him would be a massive mistake. Dude was, what, twenty years older than you, and sang on Eurovision!"

Gretchen was wistful, however, as she took another drink and said, "I really did love Livio. He… he was the first guy to really understand me. It could've worked. But hey, just say the word, and I'll beat up that little girlfriend stealing shithead and that British she-demon bitch with a baseball bat."

Andy laughed at that before he shrugged and said, "Well, no use in harping on it now though. We're all moving on with our lives. It's just a bumpier road for some of us than others."

"I guess so," Gretchen agreed. She then reached into her pocket and pulled out a single cigarette. "Here, take one. I know you have your whole thing about not wanting to damage those singing pipes of yours, but I can tell you need it."

"You read my mind," Andy admitted begrudgingly, taking the cigarette and lighting up. The taste of tobacco filling his mouth and throat, Andy let the burn linger for a few seconds before exhaling a thick cloud of smoke.

"You'll get there, I know you will. We've already survived this much without turning into psychos or druggies. We just have to make sure that if a new generation of Bernards come into this world that we're not going to fuck them up too."

"Not a great bet there," Andy murmured. "Maybe the world would be better off without us fucked up Bernards. Let this family line die and be forgotten by history."

Gretchen laughed at that. "We don't have to be that extreme and nihilistic. We can redeem ourselves. I know you, Andy - you're tougher than you give yourself credit for. It'll get better, I promise," she reassured him.

"Thanks, Gretch," he replied, finishing off the cigarette and putting it out in the ashtray. It actually felt kind of good to have this one cigarette. It was like a once-in-a-while treat for himself, when things just got too heavy and letting loose with something that was so blatantly bad for him surprisingly calmed his nerves.

Another hour had passed by. Once they were done drinking and comfortably numbed, Andy and Gretchen both finally tucked out for the night. As he tried to get comfortable in his old bed, Andy reflected on what Gretchen said. That, for all their fuck ups and issues, maybe, just maybe, they weren't all entirely hopeless.

And, try as he might, he thought about her statement.

That he still had unresolved feelings for Erin.

Okay, admittedly, maybe he did. But it wasn't entirely unjustified. The way their relationship ended wasn't on the best terms, and he didn't take it well either.

He then thought back to their goodbye. A small, vindictive little part of him hoped that he hurt her in some small way by not facing her when he said his goodbye. But then he stamped it out. Even that didn't bring him anything good. It was still thinking about her and he was done letting her be in his head all the time. There was no use in staying fixated on someone who moved on with her life. He had to do the same.

Eventually, the alcohol and fatigue mixed together to knock him out for a good few hours.


First scene! It takes place after the post-birthday flashback in the prologue of the main story.

Since Andy's sister never made an appearance in the series and never even got named, I had to create her from the bottom up. I got some inspiration for her character from another Andy-centered fic on this site, namely her refusal to gain their horrible parents' approval and close bond with Andy. She was loads of fun to write, and hopefully, she will play a decent role late in the main story too.

Keep your eyes peeled for the next updates! ;)