Disclaimer: I own all characters in this fic but Blair, Jo, Natalie, Tootie, Mrs. G., Beverly Ann, Rick, and Jeff. I do not own Peekskill, it is a town. I do not own Over Our Heads, Mrs. Garret does. I think that about covers it. :)

Symbols:

A: Alexz

J: Jo

R: Rick

BA: Beverly Ann

B: Blair

Ra: Rachel



(((Rick's car, 4:00 PM)))

(Jo is driving Rick, Alexz, and herself to Peekskill for a reunion.)

A: Mom, do I have to be nice to this Rachel person? From the way you describe her mom, she'll be a total drip!

J: Alexz, honey. Be sensible. Not everyone grows up to be like their parents. Take me, no... what about you?

A: Yeah, mom, am I like you?

J: Well, sorry Alexz. You're a carbon copy of me.

A: Really? How?

J: You don't want to know.

A: Yeah, I do. Come on!

J: (Smiles.) Okay. Well, you're tough when you need to be, and I used to be really tough. I lived in the Bronx, like we do now, and I ran with the gang.

A: You? You were a rebel? How cool can you get! Now that had to be more interesting than being a prep at a preppy school, huh?

J: Well, I was into learning. I got to school on scholarship and... haven't you heard this before?

R: I have!

J: Rick, why don't you tell Alexz about your life?

R: Alexz, Alexz. I play piano in foreign places.

J: Rick, really. What about when I first met you at the center-

A: A center? Were you homeless or something?

J: No, it was a recreation center. I worked there, Ri-

R: I played pool there, and Blair owned there. She made that clear to me many times.

J: Now, Rick. I'm sure she had a very good reason to... (Looks amazed.) I defended Blair from my own husband! As Nat would say, "There is a God!"

R: Now, honey, I'm sure the devil made you do it.

J: (Playfully hits Rick and laughs.) Shut up, Rick. Look, we're almost there.

A: Really? Where?

J: You see that big building up there?

(Alexz sits up in her seat and looks ahead to see a house with a sign that was painted over a long time ago: Over Our Heads.)

A: Is that all? There's only one car, an awful choice, too. Who in the h...world would get a Winnebago?

J: Beverly Ann! I guess I'm the first, then. Blair will be fashionably late, as usual. Maybe Blaine has changed her.

A: Blaine? And Blair? (Starts laughing.) That's a good one!

(Jo and Rick start laughing.)

J: She couldn't get enough of herself I guess.

(They pull into the driveway. An old lady looks out the window, sees them and starts to hurriedly walk out. Jo sees her, opens her door, and runs to her.)

J: Beverly Ann!

BA: Jo! You're early!

(They hug, and Beverly Ann has tears in her eyes.)

BA: Oh, Jo! I can't believe how much you've changed! A kid? You have a kid? What's her name?

(Alexz gets out of the car and walks up to Beverly Ann.)

A: Hey, my name is Erica Alexzandra Marie Bonner. My mom has talked a lot about you.

BA: What nice manners!

A: Don't get used to it. You're nice to me, so I'm nice to you. And you don't want to know what I'm like when I'm not nice. It's really not nice.

J: Alexz!

A: What? You told me you used to to act like that when you were little!

J: (Laughs.) You got me there. But I didn't do that to people I first met, except for... (Looks at driveway and sees another car.) Blair! She's here! (Suprised.) She's early! How is that possible?

(Rick walks up with all their luggage.)

R: Hey, Bev! Where do you want these?

BA: In Jo's old room. It's-

R: I know where it is.

BA: Okay. Hey! (Looks at Jo.) How does he know?

J: (Shrugs.) He must be psychic!

A: You guys had it goin' on! Before you were married! Ooooohhhhhh!

J: (Smiles and hugs her.) You are a mini-Tootie, you know that?

A: (Stands back and looks at Jo with a concerned look.) Is that good?

J: You decide. Her full name is Dorothy "Tootie" Ramsey.

A: (Gasps.) THE Dorothy Ramsey? You two were roomates?

J: She bunked on the bed above me when I first got there. We had a lot of good laughs up there. Hey, there's Blair.

(She runs out to the end of the driveway and waves. Blair waves back and smiles. When their car gets in the driveway, Blair jumps out and hugs Jo. They smile and hug again. Now both of them have tears in their eyes.)

J: Blair, I can't believe it's you! You look... will you kill me if I say this? You look like a normal person!

B: (Pauses and looks down a little, embarrased.) That's what child birth does to you. By the way, this is Rachel.

(Rachel steps out of the car and shakes Jo's hand.)

Ra: Hi.

J: Hi, I'm Jo.

Ra: I know, my mom hasn't talked about anyone but you.

J: (Suspiciously.) Oh really? Blair, is that you?

B: Well... (Smiles.) I guess I sort of missed you.

J: Ohhh... Well, so did I... I mean, Rick is just too hard to pick a fight with. And he isn't as easy to bruise.

Ra: You hit my mother?

J: Well, I never admitted it, but I regretted it after I did it. But you had such a big black eye!

B: Oh, well. Blaine always got mad when I tried to pick a fight with him.

J: Wait a minute, he always got mad? As in past tense?

B: Yeah, we're getting a divorce.

J: Oh, I'm sorry. I'd hoped you never had to go through one of those.

B: Well, Blaine insisted, so-

J: You mean you weren't the one that wanted one?

(Alexz walked up by Jo.) Oh, Rachel? This is Alexz.

Ra: (Holds out her hand.) I'm Rachel Stevens.

A: (Looks at her.) Alexz. (Turns to Jo and whispers.) Do you see what I mean? They're both preps! I expected more out of you're friends, mom!

Ra: (Whispers to her mom.) I don't like her. Mrs. Bonner is okay, though.

J: You know, Rachel, you look exactly like your mom when she was you're age.

Ra: (Tosses her hair.) I do?

J: (Bursts out laughing.) Have you been taking lessons from Blair?

B: Actually, she has! I gave her five bucks so she would do that.

(Blaine gets out of the car. Jo looks up, then looks back at Blair.)

J: Blaine? My Blaine, the one I dated?

(The girls excange glances. Blair saw it and laughed.)

B: She wouldn't have married him. He wasn't her type.

J: But what is he doing here? I thought you were getting a divorce?

B: Well, we are, but I... Rachel, why don't you and Alexz go inside and let Beverly Ann show you around?

Ra: Mom, are you okay? You always act this way when you talk about dad. Why can't you stay together? (She hugs her mom.)

B: I don't know, honey. I don't know. (Whispers.) I'm sorry.

Ra: (Sniffs and walks over to Alexz.) Let's go, huh?

A: Okay.

(They walk off. Jo sighs.)

J: Blair, lets go inside, okay? Blaine is in there with the kids. We have a lot of catching up to do.

B: Jo, I begged him to come. I cried and pleaded. All in front of Rachel. Do you know what he said?

J: Blair, don't. Don't do this to yourself.

B: He told me to mind my own business. Then Rachel... Rachel walked up and asked him once... once, after I had asked so many times... Of course he said yes right away.

J: Blair... Blair, don't do this. Do you want your daughter to see you like this?

B: (Starts crying.) No... No, I don't. I don't want to hurt her. Or Blaine... I love him, Jo. I still love him. But he won't let me... (Hugs Jo.)

J: Come on, stop crying. We can go to our room and talk about the good ol' days. Okay?

B: Okay.

(Blair stops crying and they walk inside.)