While the rest of the BSC helped Claudia clean up the backyard, Stacey pulled Kristy aside so she could explain and apologize for her behavior. Kristy was very gracious about the whole thing and told Stacey not to worry about it. The reaction seemed a little off, but Stacey decided not to question it. Kristy's mental health seemed to have improved by about a hundred percent in the last two days and Stacey didn't want to push it.

Once the backyard was in order again, Alan went over to his brother's house and Claudia took the baby upstairs for a late nap. Mimi was getting fussy. All the attention and people had served to overload her little baby brain. Claudia hoped that a snack and some sleep would ward off any forthcoming tantrums. Luckily Mimi went down fairly easily. The rest of the girls gathered in the living room, intent on talking until their voices gave out. Husbands, boyfriends and fiancés had been sent home with rest of the guests.

"So when does everybody leave?" Dawn asked later that evening.

"I have to be back at school tomorrow evening," Abby replied. "The resident supervising me is a real hardliner and I was barely able to get these three days off. I'm taking the train out tomorrow morning."

"I have a meeting with my publisher the day after tomorrow. I have flight tomorrow night," Mallory said. She had enough material from these three days for a whole series of books and she was anxious to get the notes into her computer.

"I took the whole week off. If the office has an emergency I can be in the city in a couple of hours." Stacey was in no hurry to get back to New York. She was enjoying her friends too much. "I'm here for four more days."

"I have to be back in Seattle soon. Baseball is starting and I have a ton of contracts to go over. My office represents most of the Mariners. Not to mention that I'm almost at the point where the airlines won't let me fly. I'll probably leave tomorrow as well," Kristy said from her nest on the couch. She had wedged three pillows behind her back and two more on either side of her. Her back had been hurting all day. "I want to wrap up all the loose ends before I go on maternity leave. When do you go back to LA Dawn?"

"I fly out tomorrow night. I'm supposed to start assisting with some depositions for a really big case."

"So this is our last night together. How does time go so fast?" Jessi said sadly. "Seems like we just got here."

"We did just get here. It's only been three days." Kristy lobbed one of her pillows at Jessi, who ducked just in time. "It's just hasn't been long enough."

"I know. We have to get together more than we have. I miss you guys." Dawn was starting to get misty eyed. "Email and phone calls aren't the same."

"I know, it sucks. But we all have lives to live. You were the first to leave Stoneybrook. The rest of us had to follow at some point."

"Except for us." Claudia gestured to herself and Jessi. "We're hometown girls all the way."

"Hey, I didn't go that far. Stamford is only 45 minutes away," Mary-Anne stepped into defend herself.

"And New York isn't far either. An hour and a half on the train at most," Stacey said.

"Or Boston," Abby added. "Even driving is only a few hours. You and Kristy and Mallory are the ones who really left."

"Fine, so I can only blame myself for the distance. That doesn't mean that I have to like it," Dawn huffed in mocked anger. "I'm warning you all now that I'm calling in the pact when Jimmy and I get married. I'm expecting every one of you to show up. No excuses."

"We'll be there with bells on," Claudia replied. "In my case that may be literally true."

Kristy leaned back against the cushions and reveled in the sound of her friend's voices as they rose and fell around her. She hadn't felt this good in a long time. Not since Watson died. Maybe she had done the right thing in coming home. All those long talks with Mary-Anne since she'd been here had lightened her soul. Especially the one this morning.

Kristy had risen early and had every intention of going back to Seattle. Her tickets had already been changed and all she had to do was pack. Her back had been stiff and she'd gone for a walk to try to stretch out. And she had ended up at SMS, just like she'd told everyone. But what she hadn't said was that she went from there to the cemetery and Watson's grave. She hadn't been there since the day of his burial. And when she got there she began to cry. All the pent up grief for her father came pouring out in a rush of emotion. When it had finally ended Kristy had felt stronger and lighter inside than she ever had before. Like nothing could really touch her in the peaceful place she'd found in her heart.

"Earth to Kristy! What's the weather like where you are?" Stacey was waving a hand in front of Kristy's face. "You totally zoned out there. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just thinking about Watson."

Mary-Anne shot a cautious look at the others. "Really?"

"Remember when Mom first started dating him? I couldn't stand him. She had to beg me to sit for Karen and Andrew because I was convinced they'd be horrible little brats. And they turned out to my favorite sitting charges ever. Life's funny isn't it?"

"Life has a weird sense of humor. Nothing ever turns out like you'd expect. I thought I'd be hippie when I grew up, and instead I'm a lawyer. Jessi is a teacher, not a dancer. Claudia doesn't have some fancy gallery in New York; instead she designs clothes. Abby doesn't play professional soccer; she's in medical school. Not one of us, except maybe Mallory, saw ourselves where we are now back when we were still the BSC. And look at us, we're all happy. I love my life. My job is wonderful. I'm going to marry a man I adore and I live exactly where I want to," Dawn said contentedly. "I think I like life."

"Glad to hear that Dawn. It'd be a shame if you didn't like being alive." Mallory ducked out of the way as Dawn made a half-hearted swiped at her. "Stop that!"

"Guys chill! We're not 13 anymore," Abby said. "We're grown-ups now and we have to act like it."

"Say who? There's no one else here. We haven't been together in five years and if we get a little rowdy who cares? What's the harm?" Dawn shot back. A wail from the baby monitor was her answer.

"That's why," Claudia grumbled. "Do you have any idea how long it's going to take to get her back down?"

"I'll take care of it." Kristy hauled herself to her feet and started for the stairs.

"You don't have to do that Kristy. Dawn and Abby are the ones who woke her up."

"Really, it's okay. My back is getting stiff from sitting. I'd like to move around a little bit." Before Claudia could argue any further, Kristy headed up the stairs.



"Hey sweet one, what's the matter? Did Dawn wake you up?" Kristy leaned over the crib and picked up the crying baby. Mimi was screaming in rage and her face was turning red. "It's okay. There's no need to scream your head off like that." She checked the diaper and discovered that a new one was desperately needed. As soon as she was clean again, Mimi stopped crying. Within ten minutes she was asleep. Kristy sat down in the rocker, still holding the baby.

It was so strange to be here again, exactly where she had been when she had started to breakdown. Déjà vu all over again. But this time she didn't feel bad inside, like she was some awful person. She felt good and strong and light. As if the baby sensed the change in its mother, it kicked hard. The little foot or whatever it was bumped Mimi, who wiggled a bit but didn't wake up. Kristy laughed at the irony of the two children fighting before one of them was even born.

Eventually sitting so still got uncomfortable again and Kristy got up and put Mimi back in her crib. Just as she got the baby settled again, she felt a strange popping sensation. Warm liquid trickled down her legs and puddled on the ground. "Oh my God." Her water had broken.