Summer's finally here, time to be chillin' out...I'm off the clock, the pressure's out...

Invitations, invitations...and how lovely it was to read Chris's letter to tell Melinda to go visit soon his parents, a promise she had made once to him. He smiled, fixed her hair a bit because of the sudden freeze and then knocked the door. She just waited there...to get to see Chris and finally meet his family.

"Chris Door." Emily called up to Chris.

Chris was up in his room playing his guitar trying to finish a song he wrote. But then heard his mum. "Be right there." He said putting down the guitar and leaving the notebook opened on his bed. He ran down to the door. He ran a hand through his hair and opened the door. His eyes widened along with his smile. His heart began to pound inside his chest.

"Mel. Ummm." He just couldn't speak and gulped slightly trying to get the words out of his mouth. "Hey." He finally said but was still smiling wide.

Melinda's face lit up when she saw Chris, opening the door.

"Hey..." She said, biting her lip and feeling rather strange about the situation. "I came for my promise..." She told him with a wide smile.

How she wished to jump on him and kiss him. But those days flew with the wind and time.

Chris nodded. "Oh umm right your promise. And you can come in." He said and opened the door wide enought for her to come in. "Well I think my parents are in the living room." He told Melinda, normally he would have taken her hand and walked her into the room but they weren't together anymore. Although he wished he could just kiss her once, just once.

"Umm just follow me to the room." He told Mel as he put his hands in his pockets and started to walk to the living room.

Sigh, breath, sigh...
Melinda's heart was beating faster than ever, well maybe it had happened while Chris was still her boyfriend and all, but...she felt happier than ever to see him at least once this summer, this free summer.
She walked in and waited for Chris to show her around. "So...how have you been?" She asked, reaching into her jacket's pockets.

Chris walked towards the living room but stopped as soon as they were right next to the door. "I've been ok." But he just couldn't take it anymore and pulled Melinda into a tight hug. "I've missed you so much." He said into her ear.

Face to face...now into a hug. Melinda held tight to him. "I've missed you so much as well...I never lie when I write..." She said, letting out a slight giggle. She tried to reach to his forehead, worthless, he was too tall.

"Is it me...I shrunk or you are now a giant?" She asked with a wide smile, slowly reaching to his cheek and kissing it.

Helena was shaking. She wasn't even sure if she was at the right house. This was the town he had talked about.... oh, how they had talked. And talked. And yet, when Helena looked into his eyes, she knew he still loved her. Still, here she was - the beggar on his doorstep, whom he'd like nothing more than to squash like a bug. She raised a shaky pale hand to the door and knocked quietly twice.

Chris just smiled when Mel said she had also missed him. He laughed when she tried to reach his forehead. "I am not that tall." He said and laughed. And then kissed her cheek back, but then leaned a little and put his forehead against her's.

Chris then heard another knock at the door. He sighed. "People always have great timing." He said. "I will be right back." He said and let go of Melinda to get the door. When he opened it he saw Lena. "Hey Lena" He said.

After hearing Chris talking to someone and knocks at the door Charlie Chris's father walked out of the living room. He looked and saw Chris at the door but then a girl standing right out side of the living room. He rememebered seeing her picture in his son's room. "Hello you must be Melinda." He said and smiled slightly to the girl.

"Yes you are...and I'm proud..." Melinda said, wrinkling her nose as Chris did when he got mad. She let go slightly of Chris as she heard the door knock again.

Lena...Crawley? Wow...

She walked more into the house, right outside the living room and glanced at the pictures hanging from the walls. There was Chris, every stage of his life, then his little brother. All that made her almost cry...she already wanted to have a family, but first was duty.

Her face turned around when someone called her name. "Hello sir..." She said, smiling back to Chris's dad. "It's so great to finally meet you...Yes, I'm Melinda, Melinda Black..." She introduced properly. "How have you all been, sir?" She asked him.

Chris watched as Mel wrinkled her nose. "You've spent to much time with me." He said and laughed.

Charlie nodded. "Yes it's nice to meet you too. I mean Chris couldn't stop talking about. Even now he still talks about you." He told Melinda and chuckled. "We've been fine. How about you? Heard you were in France, how are you liking it?" He asked.

"Maybe..." Melinda answered, shifty smile from ear to ear. "...but it's almost my fault that wrinkled nose appeared...so I love it..." She whispered and smiled. As she waited for Lena to come in as well, she continued talking to Mr. Kaplan.

She blushed like a tomato when Chris's father mentioned about his son talking about her all the time and still doing it. If she had the chance to talk about Chris with her grandmother, but the only way was to tell her diary or JoAnne, her cousin.

"I heard about you being hospitalized at St. Mungo's...how did that come?" She asked, worried. Then came the question about France. "Err...I'm comfortable there, though I miss my family, friends..." She told Charlie with a long sigh.

Helena smiled and immediately relaxed when she realized that she was at the right house. Hey, Chris. Do you mind if I come in? Her eyes were an odd light purple, one of her own favorites, but not mood-wise.

Chris chuckled. "Maybe you should ask my mum to see if I ever did that before." He whispered back.

"Yes that was because of a heart attack. You know I am alright now. But thank you for asking." Charlie told Melinda. "So where in France do you live?" He asked after she explained about missing her friends and family.

"Umm yeah come in." Chris said to Lena. But he turned and saw his father and Melinda talking. Great. he thought to himself.

Helena stepped in, her eyes closing for the briefest of moments, not pausing to take in the lovely house she was in. She needed to speak formalities first and foremost. I'm terribly sorry for such an intrusion, she didn't need to look around to know that Mel was there, I really don't know why it is that I'm even here.... I guess I came close to where I was.... I'm so so sorry.... Helena shook her head, her dark curls looking more ratty than their usual, sleek selves. A single tear slid out of the corner of her eye.

Chris closed the door as Lena walked in. "Oh no it's fine." He told her and nodded. He then saw Lena let a tear slid down her face. He gulped."Are you alright. Is it something I did?" He asked pretty much forgeting about Mel and his dad for the moment.

Helena shook her head, quickly brushing any trace of the tear from her face. No, no, it's not you at all. I came back to Bulgaria to be with my grandparents, but there's no trace of them. They must've moved when my parents died. Now that my uncle's in jail, I have no idea where to go. She shook her head again, but managed a smile at Chris before feeling absolutely terrible again. I'm sorry, I shouldn't be bothering you with this. It's not your problem.

Chris listened. "Well is there anyway we could help?" He asked. "Maybe help find your grandparents or somthing." He asked Lena. "No it ok you're not bothering me." He told her.

"My pleasure..." Melinda answered to Chris with her wide smile. Time for him to talk with Lena. Not her...Their time had passed, or was it going to continue anytime??

She might have gasped when Mr. Kaplan mentioned a heart attack. She knew the pain, the horrible feeling that you will die and leave the people that you love. "I'm glad you're alright by now...Chris was really sad after he found out and during your time at St. Mungo's..." She informed him.

"Southeastern France...Marseilles..." Melinda answered with quite disgust. It was not her place, even though it was comfortable, and even the recommended by the doctors that were treating her heart problems. "I live with my mum's family..." She ended.

It was not her plan to over-listen to the conversation between Lena and Chris. The girl was now lost and had no family to be with. How sad...

Hayden walked up to the door and stood there stairing at it. Maybe I should come back another time with Heather or Lizzie, she thought. Then the thought of the guest at her mom's house waiting was almost nerve recking. She so wasn't ready for that. Taking a deep breath she nocked on the door.

"Really? Chris was sad and he told you that? Wow that's not like him at all." Charlie sort of felt bad that he made his son go throught that.

"Marseilles. I am guess you don't like it much." He said hearing her disgusted tone.

Chris heard yet another knock at the door. Oh my gosh he didn't know he invited this many people. But anyways he went and opened the door again and saw Hayden. He smiled slightly. "Hey Hayden. Come in." He said.

Charlie then saw another girl at the door. "Hey Chris maybe you want to get everyone out of the enternce way and maybe to the living room." He told him.

"Right. Umm that would probably be a smart idea." He said and walked over to the door of the living room waiting for them to come.

"Well it was very nice to meet you Melinda." Charlie said to her. "But I don't think Chris really wants me around here the whole time so I better leave." He said and smiled. Then walked out over to the kitchen.

Hayden walked in."Am I intruding I can come back later really. I don't want to be a bother." She walked out of the doorway and felt kind of out of place around everyone. They were all older than her and she felt so young.

Helena looked around the entryway once before following Chris into the living room as she heard his father suggest. I don't think there's really anything to be done - I've actually been here for a few days, but no one will talk about them. It's really weird... She rubbed her arms involuntarily, her eyes becoming light gray. I'm not even sure why I came. This was totally unexpected. She shook her head again.

"His expression could tell everything, sir...he was out of this world, kind of speechless. He really loves you as the son he is to you..." Melinda answered to Mr. Kaplan with her hand touching her chest. A little out of breath...what was going on??

Another girl, Hayden knocked the door. Whoa...and all girls. Chris was becoming quite a girl magnet.

Just for a minute, Melinda was in her thought-world. She snapped out of it and took her hand down again when Charlie began to talk to her once more, after suggesting Chris to take the visits into the living room. "It was nice to meet you as well..." She said, though she remembered her promise

"Err...how about I leave Chris with Lena and Hayden...I came here to meet his family, as I once promised him..." She told him with a smile.