The McParents

In late 1999, Michael (Mike) McQueen is a 40-year-old businessman (I've no idea what he does but it pays well) who married Kelly (a photographer), built a designer home (The Palace) and who dotes on his only child, Brooke. Eight years before, Kelly left him for the wealthy Ron Foster.

He meets Jane McPherson - a 36-year-old realtor and widow of Joe who died two years previously - during a lay-over on a business flight, and impulsively decides to go on a holiday cruise with her. When they return home they are engaged to be married.

Their children, Brooke and Sam, are apalled and hope that this is just a short-lived infatuation. It isn't. After a while, and a huge food fight, it is decided that Jane and Sam will move into the Palace.

As regards their children, Mike is old-fashioned and protective, Jane is more easy-going, but also prey to insecurities.

Booke initially resents Jane but soon warms to her. Sam finds this unsettling, she has already lost her father to cancer, now it looks like she's losing her mother to Brooke and Mike. She is badly hurt by the homecoming queen photo affair, and in an extremely moving scene in the cemetery, talks to Joe about her situation and admits to her shortcomings.

Things bump along until, after losing a promotion to a younger man, Mike publicly proposes marriage in three weeks time and Jane accepts. As plans for the wedding proceed the subject of cross adoption is raised. Brooke and Sam are totally opposed, but in family councelling Brooke reveals she has grown to regard Jane as her mom and withdraws her opposition to the match. Sam cannot agree to this and so seeks to find the runaway Kelly McQueen.

Kelly Foster (who claims this is her maiden name) now lives in San Fransisco, runs a photo gallery, and is married to a man called Barton (surname unknown). She tells Sam that she left home because she was unhappy in the marriage and that she was beginning to repeat the behaviour of her abusive mother. Weighed down by guilt, she is unable to return home to make amends.

Sam goes home, keeps quiet about what she has done, and the wedding proceeds with her blessing, which is now a double wedding thanks to Cherry Cherry. At the last moment Kelly appears to announce that she has not been properly divorced from Mike and stops the ceremony.

Jane feels threatened by Kelly as she stays in Los Angeles to be with Brooke over the summer break. Barton left her when the truth came out. She sees her kiss Mike and decides to move out of the Palace despite his protests of innocence (it's very clear he has no love for Kelly).

Kelly initially plans to buy a house and stay, but then decides to return to San Fransisco along with Brooke. Mike is devastated. Brooke then changes her mind and Kelly leaves alone. Jane has by now discovered she's pregnant but pride prevents her telling Mike this, she wants to be taken back for herself and not the baby.

Brooke finds out and is delighted. Sam eventually persuades her to tell Mike, he is also delighted and the family gets back together again. Thoughts of marriage are put on hold as events run their natural course, with diversions like Brooke's relapse into bulimia and dating an older boy. But eventually Mackenzie is born - with the assistance of Sam and Brooke - just before the junior prom. What happened then had to have lasting consequences, but what those were we never found out.