DING DONG! Kristy rang the doorbell nervously- so many memories overwhelmed her as she heard voices inside, approaching the door. Cameron and Tamsin were waiting expectantly behind her- Cameron had insisted that she ring the bell. The door began to open...

"Kristy! Hi! Come on in!" it was Alan Grey who welcomed her in. "And is this Cameron, and Tamsin? Mary Anne," he added before she asked how he knew about the family. Claudia stood awkwardly in front of the stairs, and they stared at each other until....

"Kristy."

"Claudia." After a pause, they ran into each other's arms. They pulled away after a while

"It's been a long time," Claudia said, wiping her eyes.

"Yes. I'm sorry I haven't kept in touch, but I didn't know where you were most of the time." She wasn't crying, but her eyes were damp. Claudia laughed

"Don't worry, I didn't know where I was half the time, till I married Alan 3 years ago." Kristy looked from Claudia to Alan in surprise

"You're married? I thought Alan was too immature for any girl to marry." Alan mock hid his face, and then laughed.

"Stop it Kristy, you're embarrassing me in front of the good doctor here." Before he could go on, the doorbell rang. "Shall I?," he asked. Waiting outside was Stacey and Sam, looking like the perfect couple they had always been. There was an awkward silence as they stepped over the threshold, but Claudia and Stacey could still feel the bond that had been there for 17 years, and it sprang to life as they ran into each other's arms. Sam looked at Kristy- they were slightly uncomfortable around each other. "Sis."

"Sam," she said equally as formally, as Stacey and Claudia broke apart, and Stacey turned to her. "Hey Stacey."
"Hello Kristy." But, unlike Claudia, there was no embrace. To fill in the awkward silence, Kristy spoke again

"Sam and Stacey, I'd like you to meet my partner Cameron, and our daughter Tamsin. Cam, Tam- this is my brother Sam and his wife Stacey. Uncle Sam and Aunty Stacey." While the men shook hands, Kristy saw Stacey, looking at Tamsin, and her eyes filled with tears, and then she turned away to wipe her eyes. Sam patted her sympathetically on the back, a look of sorrow on his face. Then, he picked up Tamsin

"Hey there, Tam. I'm your Uncle Sam, and I have got a lot of practical jokes to tell you so that you can play them on your mommy and daddy." Stacey had seemed to recover,

"I'm just unbelievably tired," she explained, but Claudia (and even Kristy) knew that was something wrong with Stacey. Perhaps there was a purpose to this meeting..........

"Why don't we go into the living room, and Alan can be bell boy," Claudia tried to lighten the mood, as Alan looked mock angry.

"Oh will I?," he teased back, then smiled lovingly at her. Both Stacey and Kristy could tell that they were very happy together. Just as they entered the living room, the doorbell rang again, and Claudia disappeared. After a pause, Claudia came back in with a very thin and very changed Mallory Pike.
"Hello Mal," both of them said in unison, as Mallory looked uncomfortable, and looked around the room- anywhere but them. Stacey instinctively knew she had her defenses up. But who could blame her- no one knew what this meeting was about.

"Hey guys, it's great to see you again. Claud, what have you done to this place- it looks fantastic!" She wandered over to the window, as the other three glanced at each other- the first sign of unity. The doorbell rang again, and in strode Dawn, with three children in tow. Stacey saw Kristy's face tense up, and she herself felt the familiar empty pain in her heart.

"Hey Claud, is there anywhere I can put Chloe down to sleep in her bassinet? She's going down for a nap soon. Hey all," she swept a casual hand around the room, and the other three were infuriated by the casual way she was treating them. She may be a movie star, and married to a famous TV actor, but she couldn't treat people like this.

"Sure, in the spare room upstairs." As the two of them left, Dawn casually called out over her shoulder.
"The other two are Lisa and Adam" who were looking shyly at the adults, then ran after their mother. Before they could say anything, she was gone, and the doorbell rang again- this time it was Jessi. There was some relief in the room, as Stacey had seen many of her performances and was a huge fan.

"It's so good to see you," Jessi cried, embracing Stacey, making Kristy feel left out. However, she turned to her moments later, and gave her a hug. She didn't acknowledge Mallory cowering in the corner. Once Claudia and Dawn came into the room, there was the same hugs and 'great to see you' (genuine on Claud and Jessi's parts), but it was clear that they had changed a lot since they had last seen each other.

"Where's Mary Anne?," Kristy asked as Tamsin and Dawn's two seemed to sizing each other up warily- similarly to their adult counterparts.

"She should here soon- she's bring Logan and her children." Just then, the doorbell rang for the last time.

"I'll get it!" they heard Alan call, and there was an odd silence, and a long pause as they heard some strange noises. Just then, they all saw......... Logan wheeling Mary Anne in in a wheelchair, with their two children behind them. There was an audible gasp as Mary Anne smiled around the room at them. "Hey guys- it is so great to see you again."

"She should be here soon- she's bringing Logan and the kids." Just then the doorbell rang for the last time.

"I'll get it!" they heard Alan call, and there was an odd silence, and a long pause as they all heard some strange noises, as if there were wheels being scrapped in the door. Just then, they all saw...Logan wheeling Mary Anne in in a wheelchair, with their two children behind them. There was an audible gasp as Mary Anne smiled around the room at them "Hi guys- it is so great to see you again."