Miranda came back from school to find her mom sitting on Aunt Kendall's couch sorting through piles of her 'get-better' pictures. Gabby was sitting beside her, and they were looking at the drawings together. Miranda couldn't help noticing her mom looking a little sad, but she covered it with a broad smile when she saw her eldest daughter. Miranda knew she missed Marissa.

"Miranda! Have you had a good day at school?"

"Yes mommy." said Miranda giving her mother a great big hug and a kiss, knowing how much it always cheered her up.

Miranda noticed her mom was sorting the artwork into piles. There were seven or eight all dotted around the room.

"What are you doing?" she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Well," said mommy giving Miranda a big grin before she turned back to all the drawings and paintings. "I've had an idea for a fund raiser for the Miranda centre. Your drawings helped me so much, so I thought it would be wonderful if they could help as many people as possible."

Miranda felt her chest almost bursting with pride.

"Do you want to help us sort them out?" Gabby asked giving her sister a grin too. "I'm putting all my pictures on this pile, and all the w-eally teeny tiny ones on this pile, and all the animal ones on this pile, and all the flowery ones on this pile and all the w-est mommy is doing!"

"All help is welcome. You know there are over 500 pictures here." said Mommy. "You, AJ and Gabby started something miraculous."

Miranda wanted to say yes, but she knew she had something else to do first.

"I have to do my homework." she said, "But can I help after dinner?"

"Of course." said mommy, although she didn't let her eldest daughter escape until she had given her another kiss.

…

Guiltily Miranda crept down the corridor, but rather than go into the room she now shared with her little sister to do non-existent homework, she snuck into her mommy's room. She picked the phone up from the nightstand and ducked down behind the bed.

She pulled a piece of paper from her pocket and carefully dialled a phone number; making sure she had the extension number correct. Then she held the receiver up to her ear and waited with baited breath.

"Hello?" she asked when the phone was answered after the first ring.

"Hello." came the whispered reply.

"Hello AJ." said Miranda, smiling at the sound of her almost-brother's voice.

"Miranda!" AJ whispered back.

She and AJ had been calling each every Friday night after school ever since JR had caught them together in the parlour. It was her way of cheering AJ up before the weekend with his daddy. JR wouldn't let her come on play dates. He wouldn't let AJ spend time with Bobby either. The worse moment was when he tried to organise a play date for AJ with nasty Amber but luckily Amber's mom said no. Miranda missed seeing her friend outside school.

"How is your mommy?" Miranda asked.

Marissa had moved back into the mansion a couple of days ago and it upset AJ a lot. Her behaviour was confusing him and neither child knew how to make things better.

"She keeps telling me to be nice to daddy. She keeps telling me he loves me. She keeps leaving me alone with him and won't play with me as much…"

"Is your daddy still saying that you are going to be a family again?" Miranda asked.

"Yes." said AJ sadly. "I don't think mommy feels the same. And anyway I don't want that. I want you, Gabby and Bianca to be my family and live in our new house."

"We need to get them together." agreed Miranda. "Mommy looks sad without Marissa. We need to think of a plan."

"But daddy won't let me tell mommy about Bianca…"

Miranda heard him sniff.

"AJ," she asked cautiously, "Are you crying?"

"No." said AJ, although she could hear the sob in his voice.

"It's going to be alright AJ." said Miranda, trying to reassure him. "I'll think all weekend of a way to get them together. We can fix this."

"I don't want daddy to make mommy cry again." said AJ, in a quiet tearful voice. "I keep waiting for him to start shouting. And mommy looks sad here. Why can't we all be happy again?"

"AJ?" whispered Miranda, worried about her friend.

"I have to go." he said sadly.

"We'll have a plan by Monday; you'll see…" said Miranda but he had already hung up the phone.

…