“Well, we'll find out today.” Tracy scratched the cat's ears as she sat up. “I just hope that Mom comes up.”

“She promised she would.” Rachel replied as she went over, sat down next to her and put an arm around Tracy's shoulders. “She'll show up. She knows how important the doctor’s visit is today.”

“Yeah....” A tear slipped down Tracy cheek and she looked to the kitten and moved it to her lap. “But what if she...”

Rachel cut her off before she could continue. “Stop that. I know she is coming. You know it too, so stop worrying about it.”

“But what if she doesn't?”

Edited by Djkauf

A bit of Tracy and her family this time.

February 18th 1983

Tracy was up with the alarm again, this time she found Mittens the kitten sleeping on the pillow, inches from her face. She raised her head, shifting the pillow slightly and gaining her a dirty look from the kitten. She could see Rachel's bed was empty again.

She lay her head back down and started to pet the little ball of fur, making it purr, then get up and move closer to her. The door opened and Tracy looked over at Rachel who came in, drying off her hair. “I see the boss found a warm pillow to take over.” She said as she opened up the closet.

“Yeah. Wasn't happy when I moved my head, either.” Tracy replied.

“Happens.” Rachel stated. “So you ready for your appointments today?”

“Yeah. We get to see if I get hormones, so that's cool, but I'm a bit scared. What if they say no, or what if my body can't take them?”

“Then we find a new way to help you out.” Rachel replied. “Sage, Brooke and I are going to have our mothers meet you at your therapist. Then we'll meet you at the Emerald Dragon.”

“Are we doing a sleepover tonight?” Tracy asked.

“Maybe, why, something come up?”

Tracy shook her head, which disturbed the kitten and she was given another dirty look. “Not really, just that Dad may be coming and I want all the time with him I can get.”

“I can totally understand that.” Rachel said. “We can work something out. Remember, we can always ask Aunt Shelly and move to her place.”

“Yeah...wait, Brooke and the stairwell....”

“We take over the first floor and someone just helps her into the bathroom. Plus Aunt Shelly is really cool and she has cable too. Hey, is Vance coming?”

“Maybe? I don't know. If not, they'll send him to Grandma and Grandpa next door.”

“That would be nice for Sage.” Rachel said.

“Well, we'll find out today.” Tracy scratched the cat's ears as she sat up. “I just hope that Mom comes up.”

“She promised she would.” Rachel replied as she went over, sat down next to her and put an arm around Tracy's shoulders. “She'll show up. She knows how important the doctor’s visit is today.”

“Yeah....” A tear slipped down Tracy cheek and she looked to the kitten and moved it to her lap. “But what if she...”

Rachel cut her off before she could continue. “Stop that. I know she is coming. You know it too, so stop worrying about it.”

“But what if she doesn't?”

“Tracy, just have faith. She'll be here.” Rachel replied. “She loves you, she'll be here.”

~o~O~o~

Maggie and Bernice were in the kitchen killing time. Maggie had been realizing how empty the house had gotten without her daughter there. She had packed all of her clothes already and she was getting ready for her big move to Livermore, she just had to wait for her husband to get home from work. Her mother had helped her pack her car and was now at the stove, heating up a kettle for tea. Vance was at school, which was having a half-day for the Presidential holiday on Monday and William was in the yard with his father and Father-in-law. It was only nine in the morning and so far all that they had planned to do, they had done. That just left picking Vance up at Eleven, under the excuse that he had a doctor's appointment. They wanted him to come with, just to get him out of Oroville for the weekend.

There was the sound of a car pulling into the driveway and Maggie looked out the window. She could see a light blue Toyota that she didn't recognize in her driveway. She waited a moment till there was the sound of doors shutting and then a knock at her door. Maggie got up and went to the front door, and before she opened it up, she made sure the security chain was in place before she opened up the door just a crack. “Who is it?” She asked through the crack. As she looked through the crack, she could only see part of the person standing there. An arm and a light blue blouse.

“Maggie? It's Kimberly Caborn.” A female voice replied. “And my husband Herb is here with me.”

Maggie pulled the door open a bit more and saw the woman clearly. She noticed the younger woman and she realized that she was pregnant, something Maggie was shocked she had missed two weeks earlier. “What do you want?”

“I came to talk, Maggie.” Kim replied.

“I think you and your friends talked enough a couple of weeks ago. I don't need anymore preaching this month and neither do my children. Not from closed-minded elitists who believe themselves to be above everyone else then go attacking several children in a gas station.” She shut the door and she started to walk away, when she heard Kimberly speaking loud enough to carry though the door

“Maggie, I understand that you’re mad and I'm sorry.” She stopped when Kimberly paused. “Maggie, I was wrong to be a part of that the other day. I should have never gone along with it.”

There was a pause and Maggie walked back to the door, moving as quietly as she could. She swore she heard a frustrated sigh on the other side of the door, then the voice continued. “Maggie, I've come to apologize to both you and your family.”

Maggie looked at the door, and thought out loud. “Should I?” She asked in a quiet voice. Then Maggie thought back to the heated debate she had in her living room a few days earlier. She had been willing to throw around scripture as much as Molly Hallmark had.

Bernice put a hand on her shoulder. “Remember, Margret, To err is human, to forgive, divine.”

Maggie could hear the sounds of Kimberly and her husband walking over the gravel in the drive back to their car. She sucked in a deep breath and hoped that she wasn't making a big mistake. She went to the door, opened it and stepped out onto the porch.

As she looked at them, Kimberly stopped. Her husband saw her looking to the house, so he turned and saw Maggie Patterson standing there. “Kimberly, Herb, wait.”

Kimberly took a few steps towards the house, then stopped. “Maggie, I'm sorry. I had no right to come over here with them the other day and cast judgment on you. It's not my place to cast judgment on anyone, much less you and your child.” She lowered her head in shame and spoke softer. “I went home and prayed about it and I see the truth in what you said. None of us are without sin.”

Maggie gave them a small smile, then stepped back a step and gestured inside. “Please, come inside. Would you like something to drink? Coffee? Iced Tea? Hot tea. Water maybe?”

The couple came closer and Kimberly gave her a warm smile, then patted her swollen belly very lightly. “No coffee for me, but hot tea sounds wonderful.”

“I'll have the same.” Herb said with a smile as he followed his pregnant wife into the house.

Maggie gestured to the kitchen table. “Please, have a seat, I'll get the drinks.”

“I hope we're not intruding.” Kimberly said .

“No, not at all. I was just visiting with my mother, Bernice Richter. Mom, this is Kimberly and Herb Caborn. My Mom is here with my father from Wyoming and Mom was just helping pass the time before Vance comes home. I swear the house is way too quiet.” Maggie poured four cups of water, then she pulled out the tea bags.

“Quiet?”

“Yeah. Only Vance is here now.”

“Troy is gone?” Kimberly asked.

Maggie nodded. “We had to send Troy away for safety reasons.”

Kimberly looked to her husband and back to Maggie. “I think I can understand. It's not because of Molly, is it?”

“No....well kinda” Maggie shook her head as she bought the drinks out to the living-room. “Remember the picture that Molly was ranting about?” Kimberly nodded.

“The one Molly was ranting about that week before we came over here.” She told her husband.

“Ah.” He said with a slow nod as he comprehended what she meant.

“What do you mean by that?” Maggie asked.

“Molly took it to the bible study.” Kimberly replied. Bernice filled the mugs and placed them on the table.

Maggie ground her teeth, as did Bernice. Maggie decided to not dwell on it, now that Molly was in the mental institution. “Well, someone started calling here and each time he'd say awful things. Promised to rape and kill me, then rape Troy, kill Vance and William and finally rape Troy once more and kill him. Finally, a week after you came with Molly, we caught him, but the kid who took the pictures came over here and attacked my kids. Got his ass thoroughly kicked too.

“Wait...” Herb interrupted her, not understanding what was going on. “There were two people? One sending the pictures and one calling?”

“Yeah. See in December, Troy was attacked on the property by a boy he caught stealing at school. That boy had three friends with him, but one got smart and left. In the fight, they hurt Troy and in the end were arrested. Well the lead boy had a brother who managed to find Tracy...that's the name Troy goes by now.” She sighed and decided to go into the whole story. It wasn't going to matter in a few months and she was getting sick of hiding. She quickly covered the story of how she guessed that Tracy was wearing her clothes and how Modine found her. Then she covered how Tracy came out on the weekends and finally at Thanksgiving. She covered the attacks by Bruce and then the pictures and finally she stopped and took a drink from her cup.

Herb had listened to the story and had to ask, wanting to know the fate of the boys who had done the attacking. “They lock him up? The attackers I mean, and the man calling.”

“Yep.” Maggie nodded. “They were just going to question the older cousin, but the drugs they busted him with was nothing compared to what was in his house. This was his second arrest for drugs, plus he was breaking probation. So he's in jail for a few months now on probation charges and the real culprit is in Juvenile detention.”

“And that's why Troy, um, Tracy moved away?”

“Well, after those pictures got out, things have been rough for the family. Were you aware that Molly attacked Troy at a local gas station.”

“No. I mean there were vague stories going around and even June didn't have an answer. Someone insisted that she was put into mental health after being attacked, that it was your kid who attacked her.”

Maggie shook her head. “No. See, she saw Tracy, who was dressed as Troy at the time, in a store with a few of Tracy's girlfriends. As one of them, she's twelve, hugged him, as did the girl's six year old sister, Molly went crazy. She grabbed the older girl and pushed her away from Tracy, but Sage ended up slamming into a candy rack. She then shoved the six year old away and then my mother stopped her.”

“Modine?” Kimberly asked. “From our last visit?”

“No. Me.” Bernice replied with a snarl as she bared her teeth.

“There's something you need to know Maggie.” Herb spoke up. “Well a couple of things. The first is that Molly was showing that picture to the people in a bible study, like we said already. She going on and on about Troy being the Devil incarnate. She started in on a graphic story of how your child will attack and rape the children in town and how helpless everyone would be to stop it. She insisted that you were just as hostile and also unhinged during their visit, but Kimberly told me that Molly was worse.”

“I'll admit, I did get mad and I should have kept my mouth shut, but she was attacking my child....”

“Maggie, we understand. She's going on fear and trust me, she's crazy.” Herb said.

“Were you aware Molly has been in an institution before?” Kimberly asked.

“No....like a mental institution?”

Kimberly nodded. “I heard this from one of the people who didn't get into her little gang the last time, you know, with those two women. Well, from what I heard this person, Molly, had a thing with a girlfriend. Her parents thought she was sick in the head and sent her away for help. Keep in mind, this was the sixties and from what I was told, Molly came back a very different person. But you also have to know this. Her sister and her parents are just as bad. Her father fancies himself as a preacher, and he's a real fire and brimstone person. Her little sister is a sheep and follows what her parents tell her.”

“Maggie, you have to understand, that as someone who is training to be a psychologist myself, this scares the hell out of me.” Herb said.

Kimberly nodded in agreement with her husband. “From what I heard, they kept her in the institution for more then a year and each time they thought she had thoughts of another woman, she was subjected to electroshock therapy. When this happened, from what I was told, her mother and father would read passages from the bible that denounced gay and lesbian actions. I heard that running those woman out of town wasn't her first meeting of gays and lesbians since then. I also heard that she was ranting and raving at those people too.”

“If I had to guess, not having known her back then, I'd say that Molly has a persecution complex going on and paranoia. She's totally okay, until she knows of someone like your child, or a lesbian, then she's a raging beast. But she always claims she does things to protect children. So a part of me wonders if she suffers from something bigger.”

“Like what?”

“I don't know. Schizophrenia maybe?” Herb said as he shrugged his shoulders. “See sometimes a person who is schizophrenic, can operate like a normal person and if she's seeing someone, she could be on medicine for it. But there could be a trigger thing, in Molly's case, gays, lesbians and cross dressers.”

“And she can be dangerous?” Maggie asked.

“She did attack three children in a public place, didn't she?” Herb asked in reply to her question.

“I was stupid to join with her.” Kimberly said, shaking her head in shame. “But I was doing what I did for my baby. I really thought she was looking out for the interests of other parents, but I was wrong, Maggie. And I want to know if you can forgive me.”

Maggie reached across the table and touched Kimberly's hand. “Yes. I forgive you.”

~o~O~o~

Bernice and Marion stood by Maggie's car as she came out of the house. “I'm really sorry to do this to you two.” Maggie stated.

“Nonsense.” Marion replied. “You need to be with your child. We can always visit you when we leave your sister. From there it's interstate eighty all the way home.” He said with a smile. He pulled his daughter in for a hug. “You be good and now that I'm retired, maybe we can visit more.”

“I'd love that, Dad.”

“Maggie, you be safe and hug my granddaughter.” Marion kissed his daughters forehead and then he stepped back. Bernice scooped Maggie into a hug. Modine and Conner had already said their goodbys and were waiting near her car.

“I'll talk your father into visiting you, okay?” Bernice told her daughter. “But your sister is expecting us, so we'll head down there tomorrow.”

“Drive safe and call Shelly's number when you make it.”

“I will, Maggie.”

Marion and Bernice said goodbye to Vance and William, then they all watched as the family left the property.

~o~O~o~

Tracy had been watching out the window, waiting for their arrival. Shelly had given up on trying to do school work that morning. She found Tracy moving between her room and the stairwell which had a window that looked out to the spot in front of the garage.

Tracy was looking out the bedroom window when she saw her father and brother pull up and get out of the car. At first she wondered where her mother was, then she began to worry that her mother didn't want anything to do with her. She was about to start crying, when the doorbell rang and Tracy bolted out of the bedroom. As she reached the stairwell, she could see her mother’s car in front of the garage. She almost flew down the steps at the joy of her mother being there. She was halfway down the stairs as Shelly opened up the door. “Maggie! You made it.” She heard Tracy scrambling down the stairs and she moved out of the way as Tracy run up, hugging her mother tightly. “As you can see, someone has been waiting patiently for you.” Shelly joked.

Tears flowed from Tracy’s eyes as she hugged her mom. “I was so afraid you wouldn't come and you'd just forgot me.”

“Never Baby. Never.”

Maggie was on the verge of tears herself, so Shelly backed away as the two ladies hugged. A couple of moments later, Vance and William came around the corner and Tracy looked up, then let go of her mother and almost tackled her father.

“Well, little lady. Think you can help me get some stuff upstairs?” William asked his daughter.

“What stuff?” Tracy answered back.

“Your mother’s clothes.” William replied with a big smile. “We decided that she would move down here today and just save the trip again next week.”

Tracy looked at her mother and then hugged her. “You're here for good?!?”

“Yes, Baby. I am finally here.”

Tracy hugged her mother again and this time she sobbed for joy.

“Come on sweetie. We can cry in a bit. Let's get your mother’s car cleared out so we can move it to the back lot.” William told her and he put down the bag of luggage he had with him, so did Vance.

~o~O~o~

“Can we hit Caspers for a late lunch?” Tracy asked. “Mom knows where it's at. It's close to the Therapist too.” They had managed to empty Maggie's car in less then half an hour. Most of the boxes were in the upstairs room and would have to wait for Maggie to get around to opening them.

“They have good hotdogs” Maggie added. “And if Tracy is getting a shot and working out after that, she needs something to eat.”

“Sure.” William looked at Vance in the mirror. “I am going to bet that Tracy is going to be with the girls, are you okay with hanging out with the adults? We're planning on getting together and it may get boring, will that be okay?”

“Actually Moony asked if I wanted to spend the night at his place. I hope it's okay.” Vance said with a smile. “We're going to play some basketball at a nearby park, too.”

“Well, I don't know about the game in the park....” Maggie started

“Mom, it's right by their place.” Tracy said. “There's a court almost across the street from Brooke's, that's just a couple of blocks away. Besides, it may be dark when we get back and the park won’t let people in at night.”

“Oh yeah.” Maggie replied, recalling the park down the road from Brooke's.

Vance leaned forward so his parents could hear him better. “So can I stay?”

Maggie looked to William who shrugged. “May as well. They know each other and we know hanging with the adults is not fun at all.”

“Okay, you can stay the night.” Maggie said. “So which house will you be at, young lady?”

“Well, we were thinking of Sage's place cause her mother lets us run around naked there. I won't be naked, but they like it.” Tracy said as she went back to her book. “It was so much fun watching them run around naked last time.”

Vance's eyes bugged out of his head and he began to thank God for having Moony ask him to stay. “Really? They were all naked? Even Sage?”

Tracy looked at him and nodded. “Completely. And last time they were practicing kissing while we were naked.”

“Oh I'm definitely staying there now.”

Tracy began to giggle then it turned into a full laugh. “No...I was just kidding.” This caused William to laugh. “We don't get naked. I don't think Sage's mother would let us.”

“Awww.” Vance slumped in his seat.

“I'm not sure which house we're going to be at. Not sure what all is in the plans.” Tracy said. “I doubt we're staying at Sage's. Be far too many people. Maybe Brooke's, because last time was at Rachel's place and before that was Stacey and Casey's place.” She shrugged. “But it all depends on what plans have been made. You're leaving Sunday, right Dad?” Tracy asked.

“Yep, around four.” William answered. “That should be enough time to see if the gypsy’s want to buy you two.”

“Daddy.” Tracy said in a playful tone.

“You're right, it was the circus I think.”

“Well, cause if you leave Sunday, then I'll come home on Saturday so I can hang out with you.”

Next up, Fun with poor Vance, a meeting with all the parents and even more Tracy