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Elizabeth looked around for her sister.

Spotting her not far away with her back to her, she opened her mouth to call out her name, but then stopped herself.

Her sister was smiling.

And it wasn't just any smile either. It was a fully fledged burst of happiness and content.

Liz didn't think she'd ever seen her like this.

Following her line of sight, she had a soft smile of her own when she found what she was looking at.

Bobby Goren stood still, his face an intense look of concentration. In one arm was two year old Isolde, and in the other, eleven month old Sabine.

The picture of a devoted father, he appeared to be in deep conversation with his two daughters, listening to their baby speak as if it were a fully fledged adult conversation.

No wonder her sister was grinning.

She's known Bobby over the years as Alex's partner – she'd brought him home on occasion – but she was still getting used to seeing him as her sister's husband.

She wasn't complaining though: her baby sis was clearly happy. And, her two nieces were gorgeous.

When her own offspring came up to her, Liz gave into her desire to fiercely hug him.

"Mum!" protested Nathan loudly.

She didn't apologise. "You know I love you right?"

"Yes Mum," her ten year old (10!) replied with a roll of his eyes.

Watching him run off again, a sandwich quarter in hand, Liz looked back up to discover another of the complexities of the relationship between her sister and brother-in-law.

Their gaze was locked across the room, and even though no words were being spoken, Liz felt like they were having an entire conversation.

It ended when Alex smiled softly and then turned to her. "What?" she mouthed.

Liz just grinned in a way she knew drove her sister up the wall.

Later in the evening, Liz stumbled across another incident that showed just how much her sister had changed.

Alexandra Eames (Goren, she corrected) did not do touching.

She was a fiercely independent woman who had never let her boyfriends – Joe even – to coddle her like she was a defenceless maiden.

Standing there doing the dishes – after all, he who cooks does not clean – she watched as Bobby approached her sister, his wife.

He placed his hands on her shoulders, squeezing them gently before sliding his palms down her arms.

And all Alex did? Turn and smile up at him.

Her brother-in-law had a quirky smile on his own face as he reached for a tea towel and began to dry up.

Liz left them there in the kitchen, an intimate conversation for two, as she slipped away.

Ah, love, and the changes it brings.