"Alan, will you please help me clean up? The rest of the BSC is going to be here in half an hour!," Claudia yelled up the stairs as she finished vacuuming the living room. She was so nervous, she didn't know what she was going to do or say when they arrived. She knew Mary Anne and Jessi, kept a casual acquaintance with Stacey- but Dawn, Kristy and Mallory were mysteries.

"Didn't the doctor tell you to calm down, and not to do so much?" Alan's voice floated down the stairs as he came down the stairs. He took the vacuum off her, and took her hands in his, looking deeply into her eyes.

"This is going to be a happy time to see all your old friends again. If not, you just look at it as an experience, and you had some good memories with them when you were thirteen. Stop stressing so much!" She leaned her head on his shoulder for a moment

"I can't help it- what if they're all sophisticated people, and I'm the country hick?"
"You are hardly a country hick- you run a gallery here, there's one in LA, and people all over the country are begging for your work. You are a success in your own right. Now, where's the food?" She laughed and slapped his arm playfully

"You and your food!"

"I don't think I can do this," Kristy said nervously to Cameron as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. For this rare and momentous occasion, she was wearing a skirt- and Cameron joked that that was an occasion unto itself. He put his hands on her shoulders

"Kristy- you have to do this. We've known each other a long time, and you always get this wistful look on your face when you're reminiscing about the Babysitters. You want to know what happened to them- and now you are." Tamsin raced in, wearing her best party dress. Kristy wanted them both to come with her.

"Mommy look pretty," she said and hugged her knees. Kristy lifted her up and hugged her

"Thanks Tam- and so do you. Did Daddy do your shoes?
"Yes," she grinned over at her father. Kristy put her down again, and she raced outside again.

"Do you really think I can do this- I know Claudia's kind of upset at me, and Stacey got the impression that I didn't want her to marry Sam...and I never kept in touch with Mary Anne..."
"That's what you're going to do today so stop worrying, and lets go!"

"Stacey, how many times do I have to tell you that you look beautiful, no matter what you wear!," Sam called up the stairs of her mother's house as Stacey checked her outfit for the hundredth time.

"Like you understand- all you guys have to do is shave, and throw a shirt, pants, socks, shoes and jacket on, and you look great no matter what!," she yelled back as she surveyed herself in the model. Not wanting to seem too glamorous, she had stuck to a plain navy skirt, white shirt and navy sandals. She had very little make-up or jewelry on. She was still depressed about the double blow of losing her job, and her chance (she felt) of having a baby- but Sam had been marvelous- and they were going to Hawaii after this reunion. Satisfied, she left the room and went down stairs.

"See, I told you the skirt and blouse were fine- but didn't believe me, did you?" he teased as he reached for her hand.

"I'm just so nervous about this meeting- I don't think I could take another blow at the moment." Sam looked at her soberly for a moment

"I know you don't darling- and you probably won't have anything go wrong. If my sister says something, tell her to come to me."
"But that's the thing- she hasn't said anything at all!"

"Well, don't worry about it now. I'll be there for you- and I don't think Mary Anne or Claud would have changed much." Stacey gave him a shaky smile

"I guess you're right- let's go."

Jessi looked in the mirror in satisfaction- no one could possibly tell how much misery she was in over Quint and Mallory...whom she would see in less than an hour. She didn't know what she was going to say to her, but there were things she needed to clear up with her.

"Nervous?" her sister Becca wandered into the room. She, Paul and the kids had come up for the weekend. Jessi looked at her, blooming with radiance from motherhood, and began to wonder if she was meant to have children. Perhaps she was meant to be a loving aunt to JJ and Becca's children, and teach ballet for the rest of her life.

"A little- especially seeing Mallory again. How could she have known that Quint and I were together? I didn't think she spoke to anyone anymore."
"I was talking to Vanessa, and she must have mentioned it," Becca looked sheepish. "I'm sorry."
"There's nothing to apologize for- this gives me a chance to think about my relationship- I don't think we've been going great for some time. But, I'd better go- I'd like to help Mary Anne and Claudia set up."
"Good luck" Becca said quietly as Jessi walked out of room- to her destiny.

Dawn brushed her hair almost mechanically as she stared into the mirror- she was back at home, and she had brought the children with her. She had gotten the feeling that her mother was disappointed in her, and that she considered Mary Anne's children ("she and Logan are so wonderful together, and they adore the children") her true grandchildren. True, work commitments had kept her from coming out, but she also wanted her mother to accept her children. That's one thing she was going to tell Mary Anne- her children were only Sharon's step grandchildren. She sighed- she didn't want to go to this meeting- she hurt all the girls a lot since high school, and she wasn't sure if any of them wanted to see her again. She didn't blame them- she was a phony, married to a lousy husband, with a career she didn't care about- the only light of her life were her children.

"We can still babysit the children if you want, "she heard her mother's voice behind her. She put her brush down, and reached for her handbag.

"Isn't Mary Anne bringing her's over? I'm sure you'd love them more than mine," she couldn't keep the jealous tone out of her voice. In the mirror, she could see her mother's hurt expression

"She is-later- but I want to know my other grandchildren too Dawn. You know we couldn't afford to come over often..."
"Oh, but you could go to San Francisco and Louisville plenty of times! Don't worry, they'll be okay with me. I'll see you later." As she brushed past her, she felt her mother's eyes on her- hardly an auspicious beginning to the day- a fight with her mother.

"Come on kids," she called as she picked Chloe up from her crib. "Time to get going."

Mallory stared at herself in the mirror of her old bedroom- she had to admit, she looked terrible. Her hair, still dyed black, made her skin look white and prematurely aged- which it was from all the late nights, drugs and alcohol and other stuff she had flung into her body. She was terribly thin- from lack of food- and she could still hear her mother's gasp when she arrived on the train yesterday. She hadn't seen them for 6 months, but she had clearly changed since then. She didn't have many nice clothes, but she had a black skirt she wore when she was a waitress, and a white tank top, which only made her look skinnier. She looked around the room, remembering all the times when she and Jessi had laughed, she dreamed of stories and poems, and spending all hours talking to Vanessa. Vanessa was now married, and living in San Francisco as a writer with 3 children. The triplets were everywhere- she didn't know where- and the younger 3 were in school. She hadn't shown a lot of interest in her family since she had left- and she felt very guilty about that. She also felt guilty about the pain she was going to cause Jessi- Quint probably told her that she hit on him, but he was the one who hit on her and wouldn't take no for an answer. She wasn't looking forward to that either. Well, she didn't look great or feel great, but it was time to face her past. She looked at herself in the mirror (she had got contacts years earlier) and said loudly:
"I can do this."

Mary Anne looked around- she hadn't felt comfortable going to her father's house (especially when Dawn was there), so they were staying with Logan's parents. Abby and Josh were dressed in their good clothes, and Logan was looking forward to seeing Alan and Sam again.

"Ready to go?," Logan said beside her. She smiled at him

"Ready."