The very next day Tessa found herself inside a New York City apartment building. It was very pretty and Tessa couldn't help but admire it. She immediately knew that someone with a huge fashion sense had to live there. At this residence she saw a girl who didn't look much younger than her.

"Is she why I'm here?"
"Yes, baby." Tess told her, exactly. "That girl's going through the exact thing you are right now."
"She's going to be caseworker too?"
"No. She's just being pulled a way from her family."
"Why?"
"Well, when she was little her Mother, Rachel, was offered the fashion job of a lifetime. For a very long, drawn out and complicated reason which isn't at all important she turned the job down."

"Her Mom is in fashion! I knew it! Look at this place, can't you tell?"
"Yes sweetheart, I can. Any way, that girl's name is Emma Geller. She's twelve, and her Mother has just been offered another job of a lifetime. She's going to take it. Emma and her sister are going to be staying with their aunt. You are going to be the foreign exchange student that will live with them."

"Foreign exchange student, but Aunt Tess, I'm an American!"
"I know, but in this case your supposed to be a foreign exchange student who was born in America but has grown up traveling all over the world."
"But what country am I supposed to say that I am from?"
"Ireland. You sometimes have the accent to pass it off."
"Your right, I do, don't I?"
"Yes, you do. Anyway, you should be getting to the Bing's."
"Who are they?"
"The people who you are staying with."

Tessa was nervous as she rang the doorbell. The house before her was good-sized and very beautiful. It was something right out of Martha Steward Living. She loved it and she loved it even more that she was going to get to live there for a while. Finally a skinny, attractive, brown-haired woman answered the door.

"Hi, I am Tessa.."
"Oh, we've been expecting you. You are the foreign exchange student from Emma's new school."

"That's right, it's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Bing."
"You too, just call me Monica, and come in." (And yes, this did make Tessa think of her Mother, and suddenly she really wanted some coffee).

"The kids are at school and they won't be home for at least another hour. So it's just me and Alyssa and you for now. She's a little over a year old."
"Oh how sweet!" Tessa told her."
"Do you have any siblings?"
"I have a sister named Zoe."
"I bet you'll miss her."

"Yes I will. How old are your other kids, I wasn't told too much about your family." Tessa said as she quickly tried to change the subject.

"Well, other than Alyssa and Emma, whom you know about, we have our twins, Erica and Jack and they are nine."

"My sister is eight!" She said, not knowing what else to say.
"Really, maybe they could meet each other someday?" She said as she escorted Tessa to the room she would be sharing with Emma.
"I hope that you don't mind, but one of our best friends is having dinner with us tonight."
"Oh, no of course not."
"Good, I am glad. Well, can I offer you anything?"

"May I please have coffee?"
"Coffee?" Monica asked, obviously shocked by the young girl's request. "Sure!" She said, delighted by the fact that the particular request had made her think of the days when she and her friends hung out at Central Perk.

Tessa was actually having a good time at the Bing's. The baby was cute, and almost as quiet as a baby angel. Monica was kind and her husband Chandler was hilarious. Jack and Erica were very nice and she and Emma were already becoming great friends. But then there was this Joey guy who had come for dinner and to stay with them. He was an actor and Tessa had seen some of his stuff and enjoyed it. She, however, could not get it out of her head that Joey was slightly strange. After all, he was wearing Santa Pants that he called his 'Thanksgiving Pants," and he was eating everything that he could. Monica told Tessa the story behind Joey's pants as she assisted her in washing the dishes and clearing the table. Joey laughed at the fond memory as he listened to Monica tell the story and he stuffed his face with pie.

"She's taking this harder than we are Andre."
"I know." He sighed.

Zoe had been very upset since Tessa had left. She wouldn't sleep or eat, but she would cry, steal cookies and question why Tessa had to leave them. Monica, Andrew and Tess really had no idea of what to do about it, other than pray and try to calm her and themselves. After all, they wanted Tessa there with them perhaps even more than Zoe did.
"She'll get over it eventually." Tess said as she came into the room.

"Tess, you make it sound like a cold!"
"Sorry, but it is true, one day she is just not going to care anymore."
"I know. But that's terrible!"
"Alright, may be she won't not care, may be she'll just get used to it."
:"May be." Monica agreed.
"I'm going to go see if Zoe's asleep."
"Don't wake her up if she is."
"I won't." He said as he disappeared from sight.
"This is all so strange. What do you think the Father's purpose is in this?"
"I honestly don't know for sure although I do have some ideas which I will keep to myself for the time being."
"Like what?"
"Like I said, I'll keep them to myself for now."
"At least Tessa's in a safe place for now. She's probably having fun, wouldn't you think?"
"She must be, her assignment's Mother is in fashion."
"She would love that so much!"
"I'm actually worried that she's going to do the fashion part and dump the assignment all together."

Andrew was going to go and talk to Zoe. It was to be a difficult conversation if there was to be one at all. Zoe had an answer and an argument for everything you could think of. It could be very cute at times, as well as a great advantage. But there were many times where it could be very overwhelming.

As for Monica, she had no idea of what to do about anything. She wished she could just wake up and be past this roadblock. She, however, was comforted by telling herself that this too shall pass.

And in the case of Tess, she knew this was part of the Father's plan, but she wished that the plan would come to pass.