Okay, you're all going to get a weird story right now. Post AtA, LK
didn't happen. This is an odd one. 

Disclaimers: I don't own them, I think, however, they might have some
legal claim on me by now J Any DP can archive this where ever they
want, Mel can put it on the www.fkfic.com site, all others please ask.
Enjoy!

 

Relativity (1/1)

By: Cousin Mary (Jenkins)

Detective Tracy Vetter slowly trudged up the steps to the North Side
Junior High Auditorium. She was just getting off a twelve-hour shift
and was exhausted, since switching to the day shift two years ago she
seemed to end up working a lot more hours. But despite her exhaustion
and despite the headache threatening to form behind her eyes, she'd
come. She'd had to, she'd promised. 

"Tracy! Over here!"

Tracy scanned the crowd and spotted her friend Myra Schanke, smiling
she walked over and took the spot the chubby brunette had saved for
her. "Am I late?"

"No," Myra shook her head, "They're always late starting these kinds
of things, we'll be lucky if we're out of here by ten."

"I've been up since five." Tracy groaned, slumping in her chair, "Hey,
Think they have any coffee?"

Myra chuckled, "No, just that god-awful 'orange drink' of theirs."

"Oh geez, hope I make it through the whole thing," Tracy gave a
lopsided grin, "The girls will kill me if I fall asleep during their
big scene!"

"And if you do, I'll help!" The friends shared a laugh.

Suddenly the lights dimmed and the principle came out on the stage,
there was light applause.

"Thank you ladies and gentlemen, and thank-you all for coming,"
Principal Livingston smiled, "I just want to say that this
presentation of 'Dracula,' came about after a lot of hard work by the
Drama Club, a lot went into this production, a lot of blood, sweat and
tears. Especially blood."

The audience groaned good naturally at the pun. 

"But enough of that, without further ado," The principal went on,
"Let's start the show!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The play was a rousing success, even though Van Helsing did forget his
line a couple of times and Dracula tripped over his cape during the
final scene. Mina and Lucy were just wonderful! 

When the house lights came up the entire crowd was on their feet.

"Bravo! Bravo!" Tracy shouted, turning to Myra she whispered, "You
know, I don't think I've ever seen a 'Dracula' where Lucy and Mina
kill the vampire and Lucy gets cured."

Myra shrugged and continued clapping, "So the club got to rewrite it a
bit, made it ten times better if you ask me. Wasn't Jenny a great
Mina?"

"Yes she was," Tracy beamed, then the curtains opened and the entire
cast stood there, basking in their parent's attention.

When the two leads, Mina and Lucy, stepped forward, the crowd shouted
the approval. "Brava! Brava!"

The two 14 year-olds joined hands, smiled hugely and turned bright
red, almost forgetting to take their bows.

"Girls!" Myra shouted, "Over here!"

The girls looked and Myra snapped a picture. The girls would be seeing
spots for awhile after that one.

Tracy leaned in and whispered, "I want a copy of that."

"You got it," Myra beamed, rolling the film forward for another shot.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later, after most of the crowd had left, Tracy and Myra went back
stage to congratulate the stars. The cast stood around the back, most
had changed out of their costumes and into their usual clothes. It
looked sort of odd with the elaborate hair and make-ups most still
boasted, but everyone was having much too good of a time to worry
about anything like that.

"Mom!" Jenny squealed, launching herself into her mom's arms the
minute she spotted her, "Did you see? I got my lines perfect! I didn't
even mess up when Greg botched his!"

Myra laughed, "You were great sweety!"

Tracy scanned the crowd, looking for one kid in particular. At last
she spotted her near the corner, looking slightly out of place as
always. Tracy sighed, no matter she'd just triumphed as Lucy, now she
was firmly back in her shell. Her foster daughter was always the
outcast, no matter how much the other kids liked her. Standing there
in her Daria T-shirt and baggy jeans she looked just like all the
other kids, but Tracy knew she still didn't -feel- like any of the
other kids. 

Tracy smiled and walked over to her, "You were great honey, world
class and beyond!"

The girl smiled slightly, then glanced over to were her best friend,
Jenny, was hugging her mom, then, as if remembering her lines, stepped
forward and stiffly hugged Tracy.

Tracy held her tight, and kept holding her until she felt her relax
into her arms and really start hugging her back, "You were wonderful
honey, I mean it."

The girl pulled back and smiled, "I was pretty good, huh?"

Tracy beamed, "Too bad they don't give Emmys for junior high plays,
otherwise you'd be a shoe-in!"

The girl laughed, launching herself into her foster mom's arms for
another hug.

Tracy smiled, enjoying the rare sight of her daughter actually happy
and carefree. The poor girl had been through so much before she met
her, so much she blamed herself for, sometimes she wondered if she
could ever live the normal life Tracy wanted so much for her. 

Tracy shrugged off her depressing musings and pulled her daughter away
to look at her, "Hey kiddo, the Schankes invited us to go for ice
cream with them to celebrate, want to go?"

The girl's eyes brightened for a moment, then she frowned, "But don't
you have to be up early? Maybe we should-"

"Nah," Tracy grinned, "So I'll need more coffee than usual tomorrow
morning, I think we need to whoop it up for tonight, after all, it's
not every night I find out my daughter is a world class thespian!"

The girl grinned, brushing her mousy brown bangs out of her eyes, "So
you really thought I did good Mom?"

"Wonderful!" Tracy nodded, "Now come on, we need to get to Baskin
Robins before they run out of my mocha fudge ripple!"

The girl laughed and gathered up her coat and backpack, then she
turned and looked back at Tracy, "I love you Mom."

Tracy smiled, pulling her into yet another hug, "I love you too
Divia." 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Just to make it clear, Divia's a mortal now and she goes to school
with Jenny. Comments and requests for sequels (not so subtle hint <g>)
to anteros@juno.com