Tori stood in front of the mirror in her bedroom, messing with her hair. Should she pin in back? Put it up? How did most women in their mid-twenties who weren't waitresses and/or moms of little kids wear their hair?

"Mommy, sock."

Tori turned from the mirror. Sophie was sitting on the floor, holding a sock in the air. It was much too big to be one of Sophie's.

"Where'd you find that?"

Sophie pointed under Tori's bed.

Tori bent down and took the sock from her daughter and took the sock. She noticed it was not a clean sock. "Thank you, sunshine."

Sophie smiled.

Tori booped the tip of Sophie's nose. "You know, Soph, you're not allowed to grow up. Who's gonna find stuff for me when you get bigger?"

Sophie only giggled and went back to her actual toy.

Tori stood up again and put the sock in her hamper, before turning to the mirror again and combing her fingers through her hair.

"Knock knock," said a voice from the other side of Tori's door, accompanied by actual knocking. André.

"Knock knock," parroted Sophie.

"You can open it." Tori called.

André pushed open the door.

"André!" Sophie cheered, pushing herself to her feet.

"Hey nugget," André greeted, scooping her up into his arms. "Tori, I wanted to let you know that Cat and Robbie should be here any minute."

"Oh boy," Tori murmured, turning back to her reflection, twisting her hands in her hair.

"Hey, stop that."

Tori looked to André.

"Your hair looks fine. You look fine."

Tori visibly deflated.

"I know you're nervous. But it'll be okay."

Tori sighed. "You're… you're right."

"I know," André smiled.

Tori looked to Sophie. Cat had met Sophie twice. Once when she was very little, and once about a year later when Robbie was there too. They had been in and out of LA for a long time, so fast that there was never a time to visit. Tori did text Cat. Sometimes. When she remembered. She knew about Sophie. Everyone knew about Sophie. But Tori's stomach was still in knots.

The buzzing sound of a visitor asking to be let in echoed through the apartment.

"That'll be them," André passed Sophie into Tori's arms and went to go stand by the door.

Sophie grabbed at Tori's hair. "Love you,"

Tori relaxed a moment and smiled, pressing her forehead against her daughter's. "And I love you, Sophie-Bear."

"Tori?" André called.

Tori sighed. "We got this, right?" she asked Sophie.

"Got this," repeated Sophie.

Tori walked out of the bedroom, shutting the door behind her, Sophie on her hip. Tori stood next to André by the door.

André put his arm around Tori's shoulders and gently squeezed, "Relax, Tori. It's gonna be okay."

Tori held her breath for a moment and nodded.

A few knocks sounded at the door.

"Knock knock," said Sophie.

André opened the door, revealing Robbie and Cat. Cat was bouncing excitedly on her toes and Robbie laughed a bit at her enthusiasm.

"Hey guys, come on in!" André greeted.

Cat squealed and wrapped her arms around André, already talking a mile a minute. Robbie went in for a hug too. Tori already felt overwhelmed. It had been so long since she saw them.

"And Tori!" Cat said, turning. She came in for a hug. Tori hesitated, but accepted the hug. "It's been so long! And Sophie's so big now! How are things?"

Tori backed up a bit, holding Sophie, who looked confused, closer. "I, uh,"

"Easy hon," Robbie reminded Cat with a smile, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"I know… I'm just so happy!" Cat replied, bouncing back up on her toes. "I'm sorry, Tori. I just missed you!"

"It's okay," Tori assured, smiling. "I… missed you too, Cat."

Cat beamed.

"Hi Tori," Robbie greeted, stepping forward and offering his own hug.

"Hi Robbie," Tori said, hugging him. "It's nice to see you."

"You too." Robbie smiled. "Hi Sophie,"

Sophie only stared for a moment, before looking at Tori and pointing at the new people in her house. "Dat?"

"These are my…" Tori looked to Cat and Robbie. "These are my friends."

Sophie nodded seriously. "Mommy's friends."

"Uh huh. Do you remember meeting them last year?"

Sophie turned back to Cat and Robbie and shook her head.

"That's okay," Tori laughed softly. "Can you say hi?"

"Hi," said Sophie, suddenly shy, ducking her head and leaning back against Tori.

"Hi Sophie," Cat said sweetly. "It's nice to see you again."

Sophie wrapped her arms around Tori's neck and Tori snuggled her.

"Why don't you guys sit down?" Andre suggested, gesturing to the furniture behind them.

Tori put Sophie down on the ground and she toddled over to the little basket where her toys were kept and Tori sat on a chair, on the edge, very uncomfortable.

Cat and Robbie sat side by side on the couch and their hands intertwined instantly, as if it had been unnatural for their hands to be apart.

André plopped into a chair as well, asking Robbie how his comedy tour went, getting Robbie and Cat talking and they asked André how his music for the new show he was working on was coming along.

Tori was doing her best to listen, and she nodded in appropriate places, but she couldn't really focus. She let her eyes drift to where Sophie was pulling out her toys. She already hand a bear puppet on her hand. It was huge on her.

Cat mentioned how someone in New York was impressed by her costuming abilities and would maybe be in touch.

Tori smiled. She was proud of her friends, and very happy for them and their successes, but she felt like she didn't fit in. She had given up on her dreams, on offers that awaited her right after college because she had Sophie to look after. She loved that kid more than anything, but listening to her friends chat about the busy world of show business made her heart ache.

Sophie couldn't care any less about the grown up conversation happening around her. She pulled out her little plastic pull-behind dog from her toy basket and walked over to Tori. She held her arms up and Tori pulled her into her lap, oversized bear puppet and plastic dog too. Tori rocked her a little, almost absently while her mind wandered elsewhere.

"…Tori?"

Tori shook herself from her thoughts. "Huh?"

"I asked how you've been." Robbie repeated, looking almost nervous.

"Okay," Tori replied. "Busy."

Robbie looked like he wanted to say something else, but Cat placed her free hand on his leg and shook her head just the tiniest bit.

Tori wanted to talk to them, to say something, but she didn't feel like she had anything valuable to contribute to the conversation, so she just held Sophie close and listened to Cat, Robbie, and André talk. It was close to the little girl's nap time and Tori knew she was slowly falling asleep.

André's cellphone rang and he answered it. "Hey Beck. I thought you weren't getting here until tomorrow? Cool, cool. They're here actually. Sure, sure. I'll text you. See ya." He hung up the phone and looked to the people in his apartment. "Beck and Jade are here already. They wanted to know if everyone wanted to hang out tonight."

"That sounds fun!" Cat said.

"Yeah, I'm in!" Robbie added.

Everyone looked to Tori.

"Oh, I don't know…"

André spoke up. "It'll be fun, Tori."

"I don't have anyone to watch Sophie."

"You could bring her," Robbie suggested.

"I don't want to mess up any plans."

"Don't worry about that. We'll do something that Sophie can join us for." André said.

"Are-are you sure?" Tori asked.

"Of course!"

Tori looked down at Sophie and then back up to her friends. She didn't have work tomorrow and she hadn't seen her friends in such a along time. "Okay,"

"Okay?" André clarified.

André would never let her her bail. It was easier just to agree to go rather than be haggled. "We'll come. As long as it's no trouble."

"Sweet! I'll let Beck know," André said, typing on his phone.

"Yay! Everyone is going to be together!" Cat said with a giggle. "How fun!"

Yes, thought Tori. How fun.