A/N: This chapter is a short one, I know, but enjoy!

Back In The Old Town For Thanksgiving

By: CNJ

PG-13

4

Karen:

It was sooo good seeing my stepsiblings again! Kristy had invited her friends from the original BSC to spend the night and we all gathered in the big den to see a movie on video. My friends Nancy, Hannie and Vanessa had come over and we sat on the floor. The original BSC lay in a huge heap on the couch behind us as the movie started. Dad and Elizabeth were getting something in the kitchen.
"Heyyy, Mom...Watson, the movie's gonna start," Kristy called from where she was curled with Mary Anne, who was in a ball on her lap.
"We're coming," Liz called. "Go ahead and start..." They eventually came in and sat.
"You girls are comfortable?" Watson looked at my friends and me, then at Kristy and her friends.
"Yeah..." "Sure..." all of us told him. It was kind of a funny sight seeing my stepsister in a heap with her friends in a tangle of arms, legs, and hair. Occasionally, we whispered and I could hear the original BSC crack up over some joke. They tried to laugh quietly, but one of them let out a snickasnik noise and another one kind of cackled a little. Kristy belched, which made Mary Anne laugh. "Damn, you can belch..." Claudia muttered. As the movie went on, we all eventually got quiet. The movie, Artificial Intelligence was interesting. I'd seen it in the theaters last summer when it was released, but I didn't mind seeing it again. I was a little like old times having the original BSC back here again. But I knew the weekend would fly by and they'd be back at their colleges again and we the current BSC would be back at our meetings in my room. I like being the BSC vice-president. I could see why Claudia enjoyed it. And Charlotte keeps that book as neat as Mary Anne did as the secretary and hasn't made any mistakes. We got two new members last week. So now we have seven members in the BSC the Next Generation. I'm so glad the BSC is able to continue since it's a real valuable service to parents here.
"Oh, shit..." I heard Mary Anne sort of gasp-whisper. "Abby, grab that tissue and hand it over." Abby reached over and tossed it to her with a grin and I grinned too, knowing Mary Anne was getting ready to cry during this mushy part. "Thanks..." she whispered and tried to blow her nose quietly. I tried not to watch Mary Anne's tears as she wiped her eyes. The scene got even mushier and Mary Anne put the tissue over her mouth and several of us grinned at her. Mary Anne blew her nose and managed a shaky grin herself. Mary Anne's still the town crier, I thought. Only now, she's a city crier. Good thing there was only a couple more emotional scenes or Mary Anne would have to extricate herself from the heap to get a pile of tissues. Kristy stretched out her legs and Stacey and Abby thunked off the couch onto the floor.
"Sorry..." Kristy whispered.
"It's all right," Stacey whispered and she and Abby sat up and stayed on the floor for the rest of the movie.