Eloise woke her up before the alarm, yelling about how, “Sister is coming home today!” It was adorable, if not a little loud at five am. 

“I know, baby.” Pam told the energetic little girl when she came into their room. 

After a minute she wound up crawling into bed with her parents, it being the only thing that Pam could use to coax her back to sleep, however... by the time the alarm really went off at seven thirty, Eloise was ready to resume her earlier activities. 

“I can't wait to see her!” she exclaimed while Pam tried to get her dressed, her arms flailing around wildly in all her excitement. 

“I'm excited to see her too, but we can't go get her until you get dressed,” she said to her daughter, using her best no-nonsense voice. “So can you help me by getting dressed?”

“Yes, Mama,” Eloise said, suddenly determined to get her outfit on. 

Once everyone was dressed, bathed, and fed, Jim and Pam got to work on the last minute cleaning that was needed before Karen and Julia arrived. Jim tackled folding the load of laundry that she had done up last night but had never folded, while Pam cleaned up after breakfast. Even with all his help, she still feels like their home will never be up to Karen's standards. 

Since moving to their home just outside of Paris, Karen has been very hesitant to let Julia visit. At first it was complaints about how “unsafe” it was so close to the city, and then it was how they don't have enough space, or, “wouldn't you rather spend time with YOUR kids?”

She’s always told herself that it probably isn't about her, that it’s about having Julia so far away, but it still stings. Her and Jim have always worked so hard to be good parents to Julia, so it feels like a slap in the face when Karen keeps her from them.

“It's time to go!” she heard Jim call to her, breaking her train of though. 

She helped him corral the kids into the car and they strapped in for the hour-long drive to the airport. 

“Are you excited to see your sister?” Jim asked the kids from the front seat. He got a quiet “Yes,” from the older kids and what can only be described as a shriek of joy from Eloise. 

“What about you?” Pam asked him with a smile, knowing the answer already.

“Me?” he jokingly asked, “I’m thrilled.”

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They spotted them right away. Julia was standing next to her massive suitcase, wearing a pair of shorts that seemed to be three sizes too big, and a t-shirt with a band logo Pam didn't recognize. Karen was next to her, her immaculate floral sundress blowing in the wind. 

“Dad!” Julia cried as soon as Jim got out of the car, running to get a hug from him. He scooped her up, holding her like she was a little girl again. To see the unconditional love between father and daughter, it never fails to take her breath away. 

Karen just got in the car, taking Pam's place in the front seat without so much as a hello. But she didn't let it bother her, because as soon as Jim let go of Julia, she was in Pam's arms. 

“I missed you,” she said, her voice muffled against Pam's hair. Julia was as tall as she is now, a hallmark of her dad's side of the family shining through. 

“I missed you too; it's good to have you back.” she told her, letting her go so that her siblings could hug her as well. All her kids, back together again. There's never been a more beautiful sight.   

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“How was the flight?” Jim asked them once they were all back in the car, heading home. 

“Fine,” Karen told him, her eyes fixed out the window. She was acting completely disinterested in any conversation, never once looking up when any of them spoke.

“It was nice,” Julia chimed in, “I slept through most of it.” she was still beaming, riding the high of seeing her dad again.  

“That's my girl!” Jim told her with a laugh, reaching back to give her a high five.

“Two hands on the wheel please, Jim” Karen scolded him, hitting him on the arm ever so lightly. She was in rare form today, on a mission to suck any and all fun out of the day. And luckily for her, she managed to make the rest of the drive a joy-less, silent, affair. 

When they got home, Jim started to work on getting everyone lunch while Pam showed Julia and Karen where to put their luggage. 

“Wow!” was all Julia could say when Pam showed her her room. “I love it!”.

She sighed a sigh of relief, grateful that her hard work had paid off, that Julia felt welcome in their home. 

“It'll do,” Karen said from the doorway, eyeing the room like a hawk. 

Pam just ignored it, trying to tell herself that Karen just wants the best for her daughter, and it has nothing to do with her. Even if deep down, she knew, it definitely has something to do with her.  

She was just as judgmental when Pam had her put her stuff in the living room. 

“But what if the kids get into it? I don't want them ruining my clothes!” she questioned, her arms crossed over her chest. 

“They won't, trust me.” she said, trying to assure Karen that the kids are good, and they have no interest in destroying her clothes.  

In the end, her victory came in a scoff and a “fine,” from the other woman as she reluctantly sat down on the sofa bed.  

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It was barely noon, and she was already exhausted. The idea of having to deal with four kids, and an annoyed ex-wife was daunting, and the fact that she would have to do it alone tomorrow was even more terrifying. So she sought comfort the only way she knew how, through Jim. 

He was in the kitchen, making stacks of sandwiches at a snail's pace. She could tell that he was tired as well, he had tossed and turned for most of the night before. He never sleeps the night before seeing Julia, the anticipation making him as restless as a kid on Christmas. 

“Hey,” she said, standing behind him, her arms snaking around his waist. 

“Hey,” he sighed, turning around to fully embrace her. “How are you holding up?” 

“I’m okay,” she told him, burying her head into his chest. “It's so great to have Julia back.”

“Yeah,” he agreed, pulling away. He turned back to making the sandwiches, instructing her to tell everyone that lunch was ready. 

She did, while he brought out the platter of sandwiches and plates. It was a simple lunch, and she hoped that Karen wouldn't have any snarky comments to make about it. Her capacity to deal with them was growing thin. 

The kids sat at the end of the table, talking Julias ears off. They were all speaking over each other, the conversational equivalent of a dogpile. She didn't seem to mind though, a smile on her face as she listened to each of her siblings rapid chatter. 

Jim caught her staring at them, and he couldn't help but reach under the table and squeeze her hand. His little way of saying, “look at that, we made that.” 

Karen just ate her ham and cheese in silence, ignoring Pam's attempts at conversation.

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They were all bone tired at the end of the day, the kids all falling asleep around nine, the adults not far behind.

She wanted nothing more than to stay awake though, trying to bask in what would surely be her last full day with him for a while. After lunch he began receiving call after call. Some huge client backed out at work, yet he still refused to go into the office, to leave his family on the one day he promised he would be with them. The kids were extremely grateful for that, soaking up every last minute of their dad. It was all so beautiful and heartbreaking all at once. 

She snuggled closer to him, wanting to tell him in a million different words how much she loves him and their children, and grateful she is for him, but for some reason, she couldn't. So she just laid there, listening to him fall asleep, preparing for the next day, to lose him to the week once again.