Disclaimer: I own nothing. All characters belong to Matt Greoning (is that how you spell it?) Enjoy :) xx

Reunited

Chapter One: First Steps

As the taxi-cab pulled up to the pavement, Lisa gazed up to the apartment building from the window, eyes wide with anticipation. A sign above the door read "Ratcliffe's Apartments". She cautiously got out of the vehicle, dragging her luggage with her, a green bag with a huge sticker, stating, "I Heart Learning". She rifled through her pocket for some money, then handed it to the cab driver.

"Thank you, sir," she chirped, as the driver merely grunted at her, snatching her money away. The vehicle wasn't hasty in it's departure; Lisa had just enough time to close the cab door before it whizzed away, leaving tyre marks on the road. Lisa sighed as she watched the cab drive away, then turned back to the building. This was to be her home from now on. Ten years she had patiently waited, going from assignment to assignment during her school years, going from phase to different phase during her teenage years, and now, she was finally eighteen, and ready to start university as she so wished for. She pushed open the door to the apartment building, pulling her luggage behind. She took a minute to observe the room she had just entered. A desk filled the entire back wall, the mahogany material shimmering in the sunlight. Behind the desk were many keys hooked up, one of which would soon be in Lisa's possession. Other than the desk, Lisa spotted a large filing cabinet, which she assumed was where the residents mail was kept. She then approached the desk, and was greeted by a middle-aged woman, whose greying hair was tied into a tail. The woman looked up from her book towards Lisa, pushing up her glasses, which were hiding most of her ageing face.

"Well hello there, doll," she exclaimed, revealing a toothy grin, "Are you perhaps a new resident?" Lisa nodded slowly.

"Awww, c'mon now, no need to be shy," the woman continued, "What's your name, missy?"

"It's Lisa. Lisa Simpson," Lisa answered.

"Lisa Simpson, let's see..." the woman began, quickly shuffling through many pieces of paper, "Ah yes! Here we are. Now then, you will be aboded in apartment 10D, up on the tenth floor."

"Thank you," Lisa replied, taking hold of the key the woman had handed to her.

"Oh, and one last thing," the woman said, "Welcome to Ratcliffe's!" Lisa nodded with an awkward smile, then made her way to the elevator. She stepped in, pressing the button for the tenth floor. While the elevator made it's slow ascent, Lisa's mind pondered to a scene earlier that day...

-XxX-

"Oh honey, I'm gonna miss you so much!" Marge whined, holding on to Lisa tightly, causing her to drop her luggage.

"C'mon Mom, I'm not going forever," Lisa wheezed, struggling to breathe in Marge's embrace, "And I'll come and visit you as much as I can."

"Damn right you'll visit us!" Marge exclaimed, finally releasing her daughter, letting her breathe. Heavy footsteps shook the doorway as Homer approached.

"Marge...I got my tie stuck in the waffle iron again," Homer moaned, head slightly bent for the weight of the waffle iron.

"Homer, please!" Marge sneered, "Your daughter is about to leave us for her new life as an adult. How did that happen?"

"I dunno, I was hungry," Homer mumbled, scratching his head. Lisa tutted, approaching her father. With delicate hands, she untied the garment from his neck, letting it drop to the floor.

"I'm gonna miss you, Dad," Lisa smiled, throwing her arms around him.

"I'll miss you too, sweetie," Homer replied, "Make Daddy proud...unlike the other one." All three sets of eyes turned to Bart, who was asleep, drunken body sprawled out on the sofa.

"Hmm, say goodbye for me when he eventually wakes up," Lisa sighed. She flinched as she felt a presence in front of her. She looked down to her younger sister.

"Bye bye, Lisa!" Maggie exclaimed, hugging Lisa's waist. Lisa smiled, tapping Maggie lightly on the head. A horn tooted as a taxi-cab pulled up alongside the house.

"I guess that's me then," Lisa smiled. She hugged each family member in turn, then got into the vehicle. As the car began to drive away, she waved goodbye, and kept waving until the Simpson household was nothing but a dot in the distance.

-XxX-

The elevator finally reached the tenth floor. The doors opened, and Lisa stepped out. She walked along the corridor until she came across a door with the sign "10D" on it. She placed the key in the hole, turning it until she heard a clicking sound, then pushed the door open. The apartment wasn't all that big, consisting only of a small kitchenette and an en-suite bathroom. The rest of the room was a lounge and bedroom in one, a double bed the main feature of the room.

"It's not much, but it'll do," Lisa smiled. She placed her bag on the bed, unzipped it, then starting places her things around the room, attempting to give the place a touch of character, one of the things being her giant Bleeding Gums Murphy poster, which she placed above her bed. She then took out her saxophone, her most precious possession, placing it against the wall. Her eyes looked to the window. The beating sun was now slowly disappearing behind the horizon.

Think I'll go to bed after I've finished, she thought to herself, Then in the morning, I take my first steps into my adulthood...