Author's Note: So this is the chapter where we finally get to meet the newest Miss Middleton! I admit, I wasn't sure that I wanted to do this at first- I thought I just might end it at Jenna's letter to Clare- but it seemed a little, well, anticlimactic, and this was bouncing around in my head, so I decided to pursue it. Sorry that last chapter was so short, but it was basically setting up for this one, which I promise will be much longer. Oh, and in case anyone is wondering, I know that the tweets from last chapter were a bit longer than they allow on Twitter, but I had to take some liberties to get my points across. I really hope that I was the only one who was THAT nit-picky.

Oh, and of course- I don't own Degrassi. However, I DO own Jordan Middleton, so don't use her. Again, the whole toys-in-the-sandbox metaphor comes into play here: it ain't yours, don't take it.

And of course, don't forget to review.

Thanks so much guys.

Eli pulled Morty in front of the small house at the end of the cul-da-sac. "Are you sure you're okay with this?" he asked her.

Clare unsnapped her seatbelt and climbed out of the car. "Of course I'm okay, Eli."

"Clare!"

A surprised cry caused her to whirl around as Alli darted towards her, Sav trailing behind. "I didn't know you were coming, too!" she squealed, throwing her arms around Clare's neck and nearly knocking her back on the gravel.

Clare wrapped her arms around her best friend, glad to see her. It felt like ages since she had seen Alli, though they texted and IMed almost nonstop and saw each other whenever they could. Still, a few hours every other weekend didn't even come close to all the time Clare had lost with her, or how much she missed turning the corner at Degrassi and having Alli be right there, waiting for her.

"I didn't know you were coming either," Clare told her.

Alli grinned. "Honestly, I'm surprised to see you here at all. You know," she whispered, dropping her voice conspiratorially, "considering."

Clare shook her head. "Considering what?" she told Alli. "It's in the past. And anyway, I figured she could use a lot of people on her side now."

Alli drew back, placing her hands on her hips, giving her a satisfied look. "Wow, look who's taking the high road. Big surprise for St. Clare."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Are we going in or what?"

Clare peered behind Drew. Connor, Dave, and Wesley were all coming up the drive holding a bouquet of yellow roses, balloons, and a giant poster board with "Congratulations!" written across it in pink bubble letters. They nodded hellos, and then Wesley reached for the doorbell.

Alli caught his hand just in time. "Don't use the bell," she told him. "In case the baby's sleeping."

Wesley nodded and took her advice. While all of them were excited to see the baby, none of them wanted to have their visit interrupted by a screaming infant.

A tall, rugged-looking red head answered the door. Clare had met him once before- he had come to the Degrassi car wash last year, back when she and K.C. had still been dating. She remembered his name was Kyle, and he was Jenna's older brother. He looked tired, Clare noted, then immediately thought, duh. He was taking care of a newborn baby. Of course he would be tired.

Nonetheless, he smiled brightly when he saw them. "Hey guys. The mom's in her bedroom with the baby. Come on in, make yourselves at home."

Propped up in bed, surrounded by pillows, Jenna looked a little less tired than she did in the photo from yesterday. Her long hair was braided loosely down one shoulder and she had applied some eyeliner, so the bags under her eyes weren't quite so visible. She still looked exhausted, but her face split into a wide, fresh smile when she saw them all come in. "Hey guys," she said brightly, her voice weary but still excited. "Come on in." She gestured to the squirming pile of blankets in her arms. "Come meet Jordan."

Behind her, Alli squealed, racing past her to throw her arms around Jenna's neck. She then bent down, staring at the baby with an expression of glee on her face. "Ooooh, she's beautiful," she whispered, ecstatic, and motioned for the rest to join her.

Sav hooked an arm around Jenna in a one-armed hug, then gazed at the infant. "She's beautiful," he announced.

Dave and Wesley both hugged Jenna while Connor handed her the flowers. "These are from us," he announced unnecessarily, then held up the sign. "And we got everyone to sign this during Homeroom. It's from the entire Grade 10 class."

Jenna smiled. "Thank you, Connor."

Connor's lips twitched into a semblance of a smile. "I'm glad your baby's okay," he said.

"I am, too," Jenna replied, and Connor actually smiled this time.

Wesley's face split into a wide, delighted smile when he looked at the baby's small face as he sidled closer to Jenna's bedside. Cautiously, he brushed back the folds of the blanket to further reveal her tiny, red face, then stopped suddenly. "Is this okay?" he asked.

Jenna nodded, then suddenly shifted Jordan in her arms. "Would you like to hold her?"

Wesley's mouth fell open, shocked. "Can I?"

Jenna nodded. "Come here," she instructed. "Hold her head steady. Like this. There we go. Now hold her up like that. No, not that way. She's not a football, Wes." Jenna giggled, settling her into Wesley's hold. "There."

Sav grinned at Wesley. "Hey dude, just imagine if the ladies at that Bachelor Auction could see you now. I bet you'd go for a whole lot more than just two dollars."

Wesley stood perfectly still, totally absorbed in what he was holding. "Hey there," he whispered, stroking the ends of her downy blonde hair with his fingers. "Hey." Jordan shifted in his arms, and Wesley beamed. "She smiled at me!" he crowed. "She actually smiled. At me!"

Everyone grinned, but Dave replied, "Hate to burst your bubble, dude, but I'm pretty sure that's just gas."

"Oh, I know all about that," said a woman's voice from the doorway. Everyone looked up to see a slender woman in jeans and a grey sweater. "K.C. was a very gassy baby. Very fussy. But this one," she commented, making her way to Jenna's bedside, "hardly ever makes a peep." She smiled at Wesley. "So you're probably right, she did actually smile at you."

Wesley looked elated while everyone else stared, mystified.

"Oh," the woman said. "Sorry. I'm Lisa, K.C.'s mom."

Clare's eyebrows shot up as she glanced up at Jenna, confused. Jenna gave her a look saying she would explain later.

Lisa motioned for Wesley to hand over the baby, and he slid Jordan into her arms. "Now, which one of you boys wants an up-close demonstration of how to change a diaper?"

Almost automatically, all of the boys took a step backwards towards the door, making Clare, Alli, and Jenna all laugh. Lisa shooed them out and laid Jordan down on the changing table, and Clare felt immensely grateful that she would not have to take part in the demonstration. Any girl who considers having sex without protection should try smelling a newborn baby's used diaper, she thought wryly.

Alli slid closer to Jenna. "Since when is Baby Daddy Guthrie a part of this?" she whispered.

Jenna rolled her eyes. "He's not," she said. "I called Lisa the night I had the baby. Turns out, K.C. hadn't even told her I was pregnant."

Alli made a disapproving noise, and Clare shook her head.

"So does K.C. know she's here?"

"I think so. She told me when she first came to see me that she didn't care what kind of problems K.C. and I were having; Jordan was her grandchild, and she intended to be a part of her life." Jenna shrugged, leaning back on the pillows. "I'm really lucky to have her, though. She's been so much help, just in these past two days. It's almost like having a mom to help."

They were quiet for a moment. "Any word from her?" Alli asked softly.

Jenna shook her head. Alli slid an arm around her shoulders and squeezed them sympathetically.

The boys filed back into the room, followed by her brother. "Knock, knock," he said, grinning at Jenna.

"Hey, Kyle," she said, motioning for him to come closer. "Everyone, this is my brother, Kyle. Kyle, this is Alli, Drew, Dave, Connor, Wesley, Eli, and Clare."

They exchanged polite hellos, then Alli asked, "so…is it okay if I get a chance to hold her?"

Lisa laughed, passing the infant gently into the cradle of Alli's arms. Alli laughed, rocking her softly. "Ooooh, look at your tiny little hands," she cooed.

Sav reached over and gently touched her face. The baby kicked, a reflex, and her tiny hand wrapped around his index finger. "Tough grip," he noted, grinning.

Connor hunkered over his shoulder, peering at the baby. "She looks just like K.C.," he observed.

Clare knew that Connor wouldn't recognize it due to his Asperger's and inability to pick up on social cues, but she could tell that everyone else in the room felt it, too- the way that the air suddenly became supercharged, like someone had stumbled over a wire and ignited a spark. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kyle's face change at the mention of K.C., a shadow passing over his face like a storm cloud.

"You know," Connor continued, oblivious, "They say that most babies are born looking just like their fathers. It's like nature's way of establishing paternity."

"Yeah," Kyle said drily. "We're hoping she'll grow out of that."

"She probably will," Connor said. The whole exchange might have gone over his head, but it was enough for Alli, Jenna, and Clare to all exchange a meaningful three-way glance.

"Hey, Alli," Dave cut in, diffusing the tense silence in the room with a light tone, "how about you stop being such a baby hog and let me hold that kid?"

Alli nodded, relieved, and Dave held Jordan as he perched on the edge of the hospital bed. "Hey gorgeous," he said.

"Look at those big eyes," Alli said.

Jenna nodded. "Big and brown," she agreed, then under her breath, so quietly that only Clare heard her, she muttered, "Just like her daddy."

"Did you know that most babies are born with blue eye?" Connor remarked.

Alli rolled her eyes. "No," she said sarcastically. "Enlighten us, please."

"Most babies are actually born with blue eyes genetically, but in the first year or so, their eyes can chance to a more permanent eye color, which will eventually be the eye color they carry for the rest of their lives."

Eli peered at Jordan over Clare's shoulder. "She does have beautiful eyes," he remarked. Then, much to Clare's surprise, he motioned for Dave to pass the baby to him. "May I?" he asked Jenna.

She nodded. "Sure."

Eli accepted the baby from Dave as gently as if she were fresh-blown glass, cradling her against his chest. "Hey there," he murmured. He watched Jordan intently, his face for once completely readable and peaceful. Clare watched, amazed. She'd never seen Eli be so gentle with anything before.

From the corner, Kyle cleared his throat, and everyone glanced over at him. "I hate to spoil this little reunion, guys, but she should probably go down for a nap soon, so it looks like visiting hours are over."

Everyone nodded, gathering their things. Eli handed the baby back to Jenna, but not before stooping to place a gentle kiss on the top of the infant's head. "Take care," he told Jenna.

Alli gave Jenna a quick hug. "Give me a call whenever you want me to stop by and see you," she said.

Clare took a step closer to the bed, unsure of what to do. "If you ever need anything…" she began.

Jenna just nodded, cutting her sentence in two. "I know someone I can count on," she told her. "You really are one of the best friends, Clare-Bear."

Clare didn't know what else to say after that. "You know my number," she said finally. "If you ever need anything…"

Jenna nodded again, getting the message. Life had moved on, the symbol of time passed now fidgeting restlessly in her arms.

The two girls exchanged another smile, and their hands clasped on the edge of the bed. They gave each other a quick squeeze of reassurance, before Clare gently brushed the light fuzz on the top of Jordan's head and headed out after Eli.