Over the next several hours Kate and Elly greatly enjoyed themselves. After finding Josh later on in the evening the two sisters sat down at the kitchen table to participate in several drinking games. Both girls drank a fair amount of alcohol but took care to not get drunk. Tricia did not have such restraint and drank to her heart's content, Padma riding right along in more ways than just the adventure in alcoholism. Karen sheepishly looked on as their designated driver to keep Clara and Mika out of trouble. Though a round of strip poker did end with Clara rushing to the toilet with nothing but a pair of panties on.
As the party began to wind down around 1:30 Katie found herself standing around the bonfire holding onto Josh's arm.
"I had a great time tonight Josh," Katie purred as she cozied up to him. Josh looked down at Katie and smiled. "Any chance you'll stay the night?"
Katie paused and thought about it for a moment. The idea was tempting but knowing there are younger iterations of her and her friends waiting for her at home forced her hand. "I wish I could," she sighed. "My....little sister is at home with her friends and I have to watch her this weekend."
Josh sighed turning to face Katie, "Well," he said. "Hopefully I'll see you around campus." Katie met his gaze and smiled sweetly. She was unsure but maybe, just maybe she would see him again. The young couple slowly moved toward eachother before exchanging a sweet and passionate kiss.
"Hope so," Katie said with that she left her first love and began to make her way towards her friends.
Tricia, Padma, Karen, Mika and Elly were waiting patiently by the road with huge smiles on their faces. Clara laid unconscious in the back of the Jaguar. Tricia started a slow clap as Katie walked towards them. Katie blushed a deep crimson as she brushed her blonde hair out of face.
"Way to go girl," Mika squealed. "Hope you got his number." Kate looked up and smiled sheepishly.
"Good job sis," Elly said, "for a first kiss I think you picked a good one."
"Just make sure you stay close to me." Karen insisted. "The last thing we want is for our hangovers to be too obvious."
-Back at Katie's-
"Okay girls, now remember Claudia and I have to check over all of the candy before you eat any just in case. So you go wash up and get changed for bed."
Kellie and Claudia watched as the group of sleepy six year olds went to take off their costumes and change for bed.
"Thank you Kellie for helping out tonight." The two start going through the candy, checking each piece and sorting it. Some they weren't certain about immediately get tossed.
"It was a pleasure." Kellie smiled at Claudia for a moment.
By the time all the girls were finished washing up and changing into pajamas, Kellie and Padma had finished sorting the candy. The six year olds certainly wouldn't get any that night, but they would have plenty of candy during the weekend.
Kellie and Claudia got the tired group of six year olds into the bedrooms. “Feeling okay?”
“Yeah…” Katie let out a sigh. “I just… did not expect Mom to remember that, especially not a clone of her.”
“Well, perhaps we could put a pin in that for tomorrow…” Claudia then removed the ring and handed it back to Katie with Carrie doing the same except hers began to drift towards Claudia’s and with a sudden pull, both rings combined together as if the timelines were reunited. “Hmm… guess it must have something to do with its magic.”
“Definitely gonna keep this ring away from the other ring.”
After they all got into the beds and when Kellie was about to leave, Claudia quietly went to Carrie and traced the golden locks that used to be hers at one point. All this talk of advanced placement from their spectacular grades (courtesy of the younger kids' prior education) stewed in her head as she herself slumbered in her rocking chair waiting for her younger self to arrive with her set of girls.
By 1:45, Claudia looked to find the car driving up with the college girls talking amongst themselves. Mika and Karen carried in a topless, drunken Clara by each arm. Her ramblings were inaudible and indecipherable. Kate proceeded to tuck her in on a nearby recliner as Claudia walked to her and filled her in on the happenings of the younger batch and more importantly, the ring’s pull towards time clones of itself.