Notes: Disclaimer is on the prologue. This will be a six part story, with a prologue, epilogue and a chapter devoted to each of the original Babysitters. I have nothing against Dawn, Mallory, Jessi and Abby, but my time is limited. Don't worry, you will find out what happened to them. I plan to get the parts up a couple of days apart, but don't worry if it takes awhile. I will finish.



Chapter One

"Mom I'm home." Kristy Thomas walked in the front door, marveling that her key still worked. She thought for sure that the locks would have been changed in the last five years. She stood in the foyer, drinking in the familiarity, and noticing the changes. Pictures of Serena joined the ones of Kristy and her sibling on the walls, and toys were scattered in the corners. The wallpaper was different, pink rose buds instead of green stripes. The door to Watson's old study stood slightly ajar. Feeling morbid, Kristy walked hesitantly toward the door and nudged it open.

It was now a playroom. The walls had been painted yellow, and the furniture replaced. Instead of the dark oak desk, filing cabinet and computer console, there was an overstuffed couch, shelves all along the walls and a TV stand in the corner. Toys, books, games and art supplies were everywhere. A tarp and easel in one corner stood testament to Serena's favorite activity. Feeling slightly saddened, and a little wistful, Kristy walked back out and closed the door behind her. "Is anybody home?"

"Who's down there?"

"Em? Is that you?" Kristy didn't recognize her sister's voice for a split second. "It's me, Kristy."

"Oh my God." Emily Thomas-Brewer came flying down the stairs to hug her older sister. "I completely forgot you were-" Her voice trailed off as she got a better look at her sister. "I guess you've been busy."

"Save it Emily. I'll explain tonight, when we're all here. And not a word to anyone, you hear me?"

"Sure. Wow. I can't believe it though."

"You believed it easily enough when Charlie and Samantha had Kelly. Not much difference."

"Tell Mom that. So how was your trip?" Emily had the attention span of a typical 14 year old girl.

"Fine. I'm exhausted though. Are you the only one home?"

"For now. Mom took Serena to visit Nannie, Sam and Charlie are off reminiscing at the high school, Karen is at Nancy's and Andrew is- somewhere. Oh, and David Michael is at work. They should all be home in about an hour. Is that all you brought?" Emily gestured to the duffle bag and grimaced, as though she couldn't imagine traveling anywhere without a closet's worth of clothes.

"They're all here? I didn't think Karen and Andrew came in until next week. How's Nannie? Is her arthritis any better? She won't tell me anything."

"It isn't worse but it isn't better. Mom keeps trying to convince her to come live here again but Nannie won't hear of it. She keeps saying that she isn't going to be a burden to Mom and she's more comfortable in the retirement community.

"I'm going to take a bath and change my clothes. Don't tell anyone I got here yet. I'd rather just make an entrance." Kristy didn't wait to hear her sister's reply. Instead, she hefted the bad and headed up the stairs.

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Her room hadn't changed. Same furniture, wallpaper and sports posters on the walls. Kristy closed the door behind her and gratefully sank down on the bed. Her back and feet where killing her. Groaning with relief she slipped her shoes off and began to change out of the suit she was wearing. "Ouch! That was a hard one baby." She rubbed the spot where the baby had kicked, and headed into the bathroom. The bath salts from the last time she had come where still there. She ran the tub, and added a handful of the salts.

The hot water felt great on her back. Kristy slipped gratefully into a drowsy state, reveling in the first rest she had been able to get in a month. There was no comfortable way for her to walk, sit, stand or sleep. No matter what, the baby got in the way. She couldn't wait until this whole pregnancy thing was over. "One more month. I can't believe Mom did this five times," she mumbled to herself. "The morning sickness alone almost killed me." Through her reverie, Kristy heard the front door open and close several times. Her sibling must be getting home. Idly, she wondered why Stacy hadn't come home with Sam.

She lingered in the tub until the water cooled, then relutantly hauled herself out. She didn't really want to face her family but she knew there was no choice. Emily would only keep her mouth shut for so long and Kristy wanted to be the one who broke the news about the baby. An especially hard kick to her diaghram spurred her into real action. "Okay, I'm going. No need to be rude here." She rubbed her belly in a futile effort to calm the baby down, then went to get dressed. At least she didn't have to face the killer heels and maternity suit again. She slipped into her jeans and pulled the baggiest sweatshirt she owned. Surrveying herself in the mirror she grimaced. "Not too obvious if they've all gone blind. Here goes nothing. Just remember I love you. The yelling is just me telling people about you. Don't worry. Their bark is worse than their bite. I hope." With one last glance in the mirror, Kristy took a deep breathe and headed downstairs.

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Kristy lingered in the the shadows, watching her family for a moment. They were all there, even Karen and Andrew. After Watson had died, their mother had moved them to Chicago. They spent part of every summer in Stoneybrook. Both kids had said they wanted to stay close to their step-mother and siblings. Not to mention that Emily and Serena were their sisters, and they didn't want to lose touch. The last time Kristy had seen them was five years ago at the funeral. She remembered a gangly 14 year old girl and a shy 11 year old boy. Neither was sitting in the living room tonight. Kristy's breath caught in her throat looking at them. She'd seen pictures of course but it didn't do them justice, especially Karen. At 19, she was stunning. The braces and buck teeth were gone, and her glasses had given away to contacts. Her glossy blond hair tumbled almost to her waist in gentle curls. She was tall, lithe and thin. With every gesture and movement she made you could tell she was a drama major. All that imagination and energy she'd had as a child was shaping her into a wonderful comedic actress. Andrew had changed as well. He was as tall and broad shouldered as Charlie was, with a deep voice to match. Kristy remembered her mother saying that he played football at his school in Chicago. He turned slightly and Kristy almost burst into tears for the millionth time that day. He looked almost exactly like Watson, without the dark hair. He was as blond as his sister. At 16, he already had the look of a heartbreaker.

Charlie and his wife Samantha sat on the couch. Kristy knew they were fequent visitors, given that they lived in town. In fact they lived in the Thomas's old house. They had bought it from the Perkins two years ago. Sam and Stacy would stay with them for the week. It was too much trouble to take the train in from the city everyday. They hadn't really changed from when they saw her in Seattle the year before. Their daughter was bigger though, and more active. Kelly was only six months younger than Serena, and the two little girls were fast friends. They sat playing with a puzzle in the corner under their father and brother's watchful eye. Sam and David-Michael were opposite Charlie and Samantha, teasing Emily about starting high school in the fall. They were telling her the same stories that Charlie had told Sam, that Sam had told Kristy, and that Kristy had told David-Michael and Karen. Kristy's mother, Elizabeth, came in from the kitchen and started to herd the crowd back for supper. No one saw Kristy watching them. It wasn't until Samantha picked up Kelly, and the little girl let out a squeal, that they looked.

"Aunt Kwisty!" Kelly wriggled out of her mother's arms and raced across the room to grab Kristy's knees. Serena was right behind her. She was surprised. She thought for sure that the girls wouldn't know who she was. They hadn't seen each other since Serena was two and Kelly was three. "You here!"

Kristy knelt down as best she could and hugged her niece and sister to her. She was aware of everyone staring at her. "Hi guys. I didn't think you'd remember me."

"I see your picture. Daddy and Mommy have your picture at home. And we talk." Kelly was right. Everytime she talked to Charlie or Samantha, she made sure to say hello to Kelly. It touched her that the little girl remembered who she was. Serena didn't say anything, but hugged Kristy hard.

Karen was the next to approach Kristy. She dashed across the room with her customary grace and energy, nearly tripping over the couch. "You're really here! I don't believe it! I didn't think you were ever coming back." She grabbed her sister in a hug that nearly knocked Kristy off her feet.

"Watch it little sister. I'm not so graceful these days. Look at you. You're all grown up. I remember a little 14 year old." Karen just laughed and grabbed Kristy's arm before she fell.

"Little sister. Yeah right. I'm five inches taller than you are. As for the growning up, it happens." She hugged Kristy again, more gently this time. "I've missed you big sister. Why didn't you go to school in Chicago like I asked you to?"

"Because I was already settled at UCLA. How've you been? Got that starring role yet?"

"Next fall I will be portaying Lady Macbeth at the Rosenburg Theatre. I'll send you a ticket. You had better be there too." Karen stepped back and looked at her sister more closely. "I'd better make that two tickets. When's the baby due?"

"In a month. And it took you that long to notice? Everyone else still has their tongues hanging out." Kristy gestured to their family, who at least had the courtesy to blush over staring.

"I noticed. It took me that long to overcome all those lessons in tact that I'm trying to remember. You know me, blunt and bold. Is is a boy or a girl?"

"I don't know and stop asking questions. I'll tell you everything in my own time." Sam was next to hug Kristy. In fact he picked her up and swung her around, then put her down and grabbed his back in mock agony.

"Good lord Kristy! How huge are you?"

"Big enough to kick your butt if you make fun of me again. How you'd like me to sit on you?" It wasn't an idle threat. These days she could hardly get up with out help. She was beginning to wonder how much longer she could stay mobile. "You haven't changed a bit have you? I thought for sure Stacy would tame you a little.'

"Not a chance my big little sister. For then I wouldn't be the man she fell in love with, now would I? Oww!" He jumped back in alarm as Kristy swatted him. "Help me!"

"You're getting what you deserve, picking on a pregnant woman's weight. You're lucky I don't help you kill her." Samantha gave her brother-in-law an impatient push and came forward to greet Kristy. "Don't mind him, you look terrific. And he needs to learn to grow up. Still prank calling our house in the middle of the night. How are you feeling?" Samantha slipped right into confidence mode as she questioned her sister-in-law.

"I'm tired and I feel like a whale." Sam opened his mouth and caught three different elbows in the ribs. He looked up to see his brothers glaring at him. All of them had seen the anger in Kristy's eyes at his earlier comment about her weight, and none of them wanted to see her temper go off. "Shut up Sam. And before you say anything to that, I know you and opportunity so don't try to deny it."

One after another Kristy's sibling came forward to hug her and welcome her home. Finally only her mother remainded in the background. The others tactfully vanished, saying they had to get dinner on the table. "Mom."

"Oh baby. I though you'd never come here again." Mother and daughter fell into a tearful embrace. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too. So much."

Elizabeth relutantly released her daughter, knowing that tight squeezes had to be uncomfortable for her at this stage of the game. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"I didn't know how. I kept thinking that it wasn't real. I wanted to tell you but I just couldn't form the words." Kristy was sobbing now. "I'm sorry Mom."

"It's okay sweetie. And what are you sorry for? It's not like I'm not a grandma already. I think it's wonderful."

"No, Mom you don't understand. I'm not keeping the baby. I'm placing it for adoption." For a long moment there was silence between the two women. "Are you angry?"

"No sweetheart. That's your decision to make, not anybody elses and no one has the right to judge your choice." Elizabeth heard the sadness in her tone and knew her daughter had picked up on it. "Are you going to tell the others?"

"I don't exactly have a choice do I? But I'm not planning to annouce it at dinner if that's what you're asking. I'll tell you whole story later okay. I don't really want to talk about it now."

"That's perfectly all right honey. Now lets go eat."

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Dinner was as noisy and chaotic as Kristy remembered. David-Michael and Andrew got into a debate about football plays, Karen recited half her lines from Macbeth, Elizabeth attempted to start a real conversation and both Kelly and Serena knocked over their milk. Sam kept trying to break in and tell knock-knock jokes, while Charlie and Samantha dealt with the little girls. Kristy sat back and enjoyed the whole scene. She was 13 again, Karen and Andrew were visiting for the weekend, and she was trying to get out the door to go babysit. It had been so long since she'd had a noisy, crazy time with her family. She missed it.

"All right!" Charlie stood and got everyone's attention. "We are all here and it's a time to celebrate. So Samantha and I have an announcement to make." He looked at his wife, who smiled back and nodded. "We're going to have another baby in about seven months." The dining room errupted in cheers and congratulations. Elizabeth glanced down to where Kristy sat and saw the shock on her face. Before she could say anything, Kristy got up and walked out.

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Kristy walked down the street, not really noticing what direction she was headed in or where she was going. She had to get out of there. She shouldn't have come back now, she should have waited, pact or no pact. It was too hard, she couldn't handle this. Hot tears streaked down her face, blurring her vision slightly. Angrily she swiped at them. It was her own fault she was in this mess. How had her life come to this? She was eight months pregnant, it ought to be one of the happiest times in her life. But instead she was dreading her baby's birth, knowing that when he or she was born, she would have to say goodbye. In her head she knew it was for the best. A child should be raised in a loving, two parent home and she couldn't provide that. But her heart was a different matter.

Her heart knew how much she loved this child already. Her heart knew the thrill she had felt when the baby had kicked, when she had seen it on the sonagram, when she had heard it's heartbeat. Her heart knew that it was going to be torn to shreds when the baby came and she actually saw it, and held it in her arms. And her heart knew that this was the only baby she was going to have. She was never again going to subject herself to caring this deeply for someone. It was too hard.

The baby kicked, it's foot catching Kristy in the diaghram and knocking the wind out of her for a second. She sat heavily down on the nearest bench and tried to catch her breath. When she looked up she realized that her feet didn't forget. She was standing in front of Stoneybrook Middle School. She began to laugh softly, not believing what she saw.

The building hadn't changed. It still looked the same as it had seven years ago when she left for UCLA. She remembered that night like it was yesterday. She had come here to cry and say goodbye, but instead had ended up having the best time of her life. The entire BSC had come, not by prearranged plans but pulled by something inside each of them to be there. They hadn't been the BSC for a long time. High school was busier than middle school ever was, and it left little time for babysitting. They had drifted apart, made new friends but still stayed slightly connected. But the night before she left for school they came back. They held each other, cried and laughed, shared secrects, and relived memories. That was the night they signed the pact. They remembered a movie from when they were 13. A group of friends promised that whenever one of them needed the others they would be there, no matter what. That night they had swore an oath to come back if they were needed, and to never forget their incredible friendship. The pact had only been invoked twice before, once by Kristy when Watson had died, and once when Mary-Anne got married. Kristy sat and stared SMS for a long time, before she finally turned around and headed back to her mother's house.