“I had a talk with her yesterday morning. She actually opened up to me and I felt you needed to know about it.” Shelly came out and handed a can of soda to her. Persephone opened it up and took a quick sip. “She's had so much fun the past few days, she's dreading having to be Troy for Christmas.”

“When the family is up?” Maggie asked.

“Yeah. She understands that Troy is a necessary evil, but she hates it. She gets to be who she wants now, but when school starts again, she has to hide herself under the guise of Troy and she hates it.”

“I don't know if there's much we can do for her.” Maggie replied. “If we let her go to that school, as Tracy, the abuse she'd suffer...” Maggie let the sentence hang. The others knew the possibilities.

“How did the meeting with that therapist go before you came down?”

Maggie shook her head. “It didn't. She spent most of the time calling her Troy and asking why he had worn a skirt.”

“Maggie? Could I offer a suggestion?” Persephone asked as she leaned back in the couch.

Thanks to Djkauf for the Editing

Last part of Livermore for a while. But not the end of Tracy and her friends

Note: Rating gone up slightly due to a little issue brought in at the end

December 22nd 1982
Livermore CA

It had been a good drive down to Livermore. Maggie had talked Modine into getting out of the house. She just knew that the older lady needed to take it easy. They had left just after noon, so Maggie was able to put a few hours in at work. She allowed Vance to ride along, mostly so someone could strong arm the wheelchair into the trunk. The talk on the way down was the typical stuff. Family, friends, the upcoming holidays and teasing Vance about Sage.

They pulled into the parking lot for Shelly's townhouse and Maggie shut off the car. A couple of parking spots over sat Lynn's car, Lilian's car and Persephone's bus. Maggie smiled at that and got out of the car. “Son, I need you to grab our bags, okay?”

“Sure, Mom.” He replied as he got out of the car and went to the trunk. He followed his grandmother and mother around to the front door of the house.

“Should have guessed they'd all be here.” Maggie said as she knocked.

“Who?” Modine asked.

“Persephone, Lynn and Lilian.” Maggie replied “I just expected Persephone.”

“Maybe they all wanted to talk, away from the girls.” Modine shrugged.

“Possibly.” Maggie gave a slight nod as they heard the door lock being undone.

“Maggie.” Persephone said as she opened up the door to Shelly's house. “Modine.” Vance came up and she could see what he was wearing. A nice button down shirt and clean khaki pants. “Hello Vance. May you look nice today. But Sage isn't here.” He didn't reply, but his cheeks turned a bright red.

“”Where are the girls?” Maggie asked.

“They're at the local high school right now, watching Brooke and her team practice, so we have some time.” Persephone held the door to the house open and gestured inside.

“Team?” Maggie asked.

“Basketball. She's on a youth league team.” Persephone replied.

“Youth team? It's not connected to the school?” Modine asked as she went in.

“Brooke is a paraplegic. She's on a team for paraplegic kids. They are quite good. I think they're near the top of their age level for the central part of the state.”

“Oh. I see.” Modine nodded. “sounds like an interesting girl.”

“She's pretty interesting. But then all of them are.” Persephone said with a grin.

Modine went inside and Maggie stopped at Persephone for a moment. “How has she been?”

“She's had a few bad nights, from what I was told.” Persephone replied.

“Oh.” Maggie was silent for a moment . “I'll take it the nightmares have stayed?”

“Yes.” Lilian answered from the living room.

“Yeah. They got worse, too. She ran into two girls that she goes to school with. That girl from the hospital? Mary...Mary something, I forgot the other part to her name.” Persephone said.

“Mary Beth?” Maggie asked.

“Yeah, that's her.” Lilian said with a nod

“Crap. So she knows about Tracy?” Maggie asked.

Persephone went to one of the couches and took a seat. Modine and Maggie followed. “Yeah, but there's good news. Their Aunt is the receptionist for Sage's therapist. Lilian and her all talked to the girls to show them why they needed to keep quiet.”

“That's good. So they won't talk?” Maggie leaned back in her seat.

“Not that I know of.” Lilian replied. “I know your daughter had a new dream and it was about people finding out.”

“I can understand that.” Maggie said.

“Would you like anything to drink?” Shelly asked from the kitchen. “We can discuss the past few days with a nice snack.”

“That would be great.” Modine smiled at the shorter woman. “You need help with that?”

“I got it Modine, but thank you.” Shelly replied. She looked at the boy near the door. “Vance, I'll get you a soda, if you can get those bags to the guest rooms.”

“Okay.” He said as he started up the steps. Maggie and Modine took seats on the loveseat closest to the door.

“So has Tracy been good?” Maggie asked.

“Good as gold at my place.” Lynn replied. “The dream woke us up, but it's okay.”

“She had one at my place, too.” Lilian replied. “But we also had those other girls there. From what Sage told me, she dreamed that she was at school and everyone knew.”

“She didn't have one at my place.” Persephone stated. “Not bad enough to cause her to wake up.”

“Really?” Maggie asked. “What happened differently?”

“Sage held her the first night they were at my place. I looked in on them as I was about to go to bed and Tracy was curled up into a ball in her arms. Not last night, but Monday night, Stacey held her. She slept the whole night in their arms. It's a safe bet that being held is helping calm her mind.”

“That's good, but I don't know about that when we get home.” Maggie said.

“Well, Lok, he's Brooke's grandfather, he's trying herbal remedies and Chinese wisdom to help her out.” Persephone replied.

“I know the girls have got her something for Christmas. They were hoping it will take the place of one of them.” Lynn stated.

“What is it?” Maggie asked.

“A large stuffed bear.” Lynn said with a smile.

“Here's hoping.” Maggie nodded.

“But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about.” Persephone leaned forward. “Maggie, what would happen if Tracy stays? How would you and William handle it?”

“Honestly, I think we could take it very well.” Maggie replied. “Why?”

“I had a talk with her yesterday morning. She actually opened up to me and I felt you needed to know about it.” Shelly came out and handed a can of soda to her. Persephone opened it up and took a quick sip. “She's had so much fun the past few days, she's dreading having to be Troy for Christmas.”

“When the family is up?” Maggie asked.

“Yeah. She understands that Troy is a necessary evil, but she hates it. She gets to be who she wants now, but when school starts again, she has to hide herself under the guise of Troy and she hates it.”

“I don't know if there's much we can do for her.” Maggie replied. “If we let her go to that school, as Tracy, the abuse she'd suffer...” Maggie let the sentence hang. The others knew the possibilities.

“How did the meeting with that therapist go before you came down?”

Maggie shook her head. “It didn't. She spent most of the time calling her Troy and asking why he had worn a skirt.”

“Maggie? Could I offer a suggestion?” Persephone asked as she leaned back in the couch.

“Sure.” Maggie replied. “Anything if it helps my child.”

~o~O~o~

The girls made their way back into the house with a very tired Brooke. They made their way into the kitchen and sat about the table. Rachel and Sage took over and grabbed glasses for everyone out of the cupboard, then began filling them with water and handing them out. As Tracy got hers, the phone rang and Brooke looked around the room for her mother. It rang a second time and Brooke wheeled herself over to the phone and picked it up. “Han residence. Brooke speaking.” The rest of the girls just sat at the table while Brooke talked. They all looked over when they heard her say. “Yeah, she's here.” She held the phone out and smiled. “Tracy, phone's for you.”

Tracy got up and slowly went to the phone, then took it from Brooke and cautiously held it to her ear, as though whoever was on the other end was going to attack her. “Hello? This is Tracy.”

“Well hello, young lady.” Maggie's voice sounded in her ear. “How are you doing?”

Tracy smiled brightly. “I'm fine, Mama. We just got back from a basketball game.”

“So I heard.” Her mother stated. “Have you been enjoying yourself?”

“Yes. I've had lots of fun so far.”

“I heard that too.” Maggie was silent for a moment, then she asked. “Sweetie, do you have anything planned for tomorrow morning?”

“Not really. Why?” Tracy asked.

“I'm actually in town and I was wondering if you'd like to talk to someone...someone who maybe can help us out with you wanting to be Tracy.” Maggie said.

“Like another therapist?” Tracy groaned for a moment and her shoulders slumped. “I...will they be like that woman in Chico?”

“I asked the same question, but Persephone told me to have you ask Sage what she thinks of her therapist.” Maggie replied.

“Um....okay?” Tracy held the phone away from her ear and looked at Sage and the girls who were all looking at her, wondering what was going on. “Sage? My mom asked me to ask you what you think of your therapist?”

“Doctor Ivan?” The happiness in her voice was matched with her bright smile. “He's totally awesome. Why? Is your mom going to take you to him?”

“I don't know.” Tracy put the phone against her ear and sat on a stool next to the phone. “She likes him. Why?”

“Because you have an appointment tomorrow morning at eight. Persephone managed to talk him into coming in early for you.” Maggie replied. “I know it's short notice, but she explained a lot of what has been happening in your life to him.”

“Really?” Tracy's spirits picked up again. “So I may be able to be Tracy all the time?”

“One step at a time dear. But this should be a better step then the last one.” Maggie told her.

“So are you coming to get me tonight?” Tracy asked. By this time Sage had come over to the phone and was waiting patiently.

Maggie chuckled. “Not at all. We'll pick you up at about eight. Then we'll try for a lunch with all your friends before we leave town, okay?”

Sage began tapping her shoulder till she looked at her. “Are you leaving?”

“No. But she's got me an appointment tomorrow morning with your therapist guy.” Tracy smiled at her. “I get to stay for the night, then we can all have lunch before I leave for home.”

“Ask your mother if I can go.” Sage said, she held her hands up in a begging motion.

“Sage wants to know if she can come along. In fact she's begging.” Tracy asked. “Can she? I mean she knows him, may help out.”

“Persephone said to expect that.” Maggie chuckled. Tracy could hear the phone moving and her mother called out. “You're right, Sage asked.” There was a few voices in the background, then Maggie spoke up again. “Her mother said yes.”

“Awesome.” Tracy nodded her head at Sage who hugged her tightly.

“And as an added surprise, your Grandmother is with me.” Maggie stated.

“Grandma too?!?” Tracy squealed with delight. She looked to her friends at the table who were looking on in confusion. “My grandma is in town with my mother. You get to meet her tomorrow!”

Once she was sure her daughter was paying attention again, Maggie chuckled over the phone. “Tracy, I need to let you go. I'll see you and Sage at seven tomorrow morning. But before you hang up, put Karen on the phone, Persephone wants to talk to her.”

~o~O~o~

December 23rd 1982

It was just before seven in the morning when Maggie and Persephone pulled up to Karen's house. Modine had stayed with Shelly and Vance. They went up to the door and as Maggie's finger was about to touch the doorbell, when the door whipped open, revealing Sage. “You're here!”

“Um...yeah.” Maggie said, blinking at the door. “Where's Tracy?”

“She's getting ready. She's almost done.”” Sage turned and gestured them to follow. Karen came around the corner and smiled at them.

“Maggie!” She went over an hugged the woman. “I keep good thoughts for her appointment today. Just let us know if this becomes a monthly thing and we can find ways to put Tracy up for a night. I know my Father has taken a shine to her.”

“Really?” Maggie looked stunned.

“Oh yeah. He does a lot of the cooking in the house and Brooke has never taken an interest in it. So to have a girl to pass on family recipes to, means he's happy.”

“She hasn't been bugging him for recipes, has she?” Maggie asked.

“Not at all. They got to talking about food the other day and it went on to different recipes and stuff like that.” Karen led them to the living room where the girls are sat.

Tracy had her back to the door, while Brooke and Stacey each worked on doing her hair up in braided pigtails that fell almost to her neckline. “And we're done.” Brooke said as she rolled her wheelchair back.

Tracy stood up and turned around, then she moved as fast as she could, which wasn't all that fast. She wrapped her arms around her mother and hugged her tightly. “Hello, Mama!”

“Hello, baby.” Maggie replied. “Having fun I see?”

“Oh yeah.” Tracy nodded. “So how do I look?” She asked. She had on her nicest skirt and a matching shirt. There was no makeup on her face.

“Very pretty.” Maggie said with a smile.

“Thank you.” She let go of her mother and swayed her hips to each side.

“But we should get going.” Maggie said. “I promise to drop you off when we're done.”

“Okay, Mama.”

~o~O~o~

Tracy sat in a chair next to Sage. There was no music playing over the speakers in the waiting room. It was just quiet. Tracy was glad that they were the only ones there at the moment. Her stomach was doing flips as she sat there, worrying about what would happen. Sage sat there, reading one of the many magazines that littered the table in the center of the waiting room.

“It's going to be fine.” Sage said as she looked over to her friend once more.

“I know, but why did he want to see my Mother first?” Tracy asked.

“He does that with my Mom too. He wants to hear from an adult, then he'll talk to you, then you and your mother.”

“Okay. But why did your mother go in too?” Tracy asked.

“I think it's about what you talked about the other day.” Sage replied. “I really don't know.”

“Do you think he'll let you go in with me?”

Sage shrugged as Persephone came out. “Who knows?” The older woman walked over and took a seat next to her daughter. “Is it her turn yet?” Sage asked.

“No. He wanted to talk to Maggie alone before he talks to Tracy.” Persephone picked up a magazine on woman’s health and began flipping pages.

“Do you think he'll let me go in there with Tracy?” Sage asked.

“You can ask, but I wouldn't push it. I'll bet he wants to hear from her and see how she is on her own.”

Tracy leaned past Persephone. “Why did you go in there with Mom?”

Persephone put the magazine on her lap and looked at Tracy. “To be honest, I wanted to tell him about our talk the other day.”

“Oh.” Tracy replied. “Should I tell him anything?”

“Yes.” Persephone smiled at her. “Tell him the truth. Tell him how you feel about everything. And nothing less then that.”

~o~O~o~

Maggie came out of the back office, dabbing at her eyes with a Kleenex. The Doctor, a man with salt and pepper hair came out with her an pointed to a bathroom. “You can clean up in there.” He said in a whisper. “I'll call you back in a few minutes, okay?”

“Okay.” Maggie sniffled.

“Tracy?” The man gestured to her. “Come on back.”

“Can Sage come with me?” Tracy asked.

“In a little bit.” He replied. He watched her expression fall a bit and he went over to her and dropped to one knee. “I'll bring her in, but I want to cover some things with just you, okay? No one knows you better, than you.”

“It's okay. I can wait my turn.” Sage gave her a nod. “Go on, tell him everything.”

Tracy gave her a halfhearted smile and followed the doctor into the back office. On one side of the room was a desk. The other side had a couch and a chair facing another chair. He took the chair facing the couch and gestured for her to take the couch. She straightened out her skirt before she sat down. Her legs crossed just above the ankles.

“So, Tell me a little about yourself, Tracy.” He said as he pulled out a notebook and began to write. “Just the little things right now. What do you like to do, friends, family, stuff like that.” He watched her out for little clues and gestures.

“Okay.” Tracy replied. She leaned back in the chair, trying to relax and failing at it. “I like to cook. My Grandma and Mama have been teaching me how to. I like to ride my bike, but I can't right now.”

He nodded slightly. “Because of your injury?”

“Yeah. Did Mom tell you about that?” She asked.

“She covered some of it, but we'll get to that soon. Right now I want to know about you. Do you do anything else? Sports? Reading? Skydiving?” He smiled at the last one and she chuckled.

“No I don't skydive. I mean I read. I like to read too. I ride my bike too. I don't really do any sports, other than Tai Chi.” Tracy replied. He noticed her smile dipped, but got stronger.

“Tell me about that. Why did you pick that style.”

“Well Dad made my brother and me take up a style of fighting. Vance picked boxing, mostly because my dad did that back when he was younger. I didn't want to learn any of that, so I picked Tai Chi because it could be a fighting style, but mostly it focuses on yourself.”

“I see. And do you like it?” Ivan asked.

“I do now. At first it was tough. But I got better. I saw a different form of it while I was at a friend’s house and I wanna learn that too.” Tracy stated.

“I'd like to hear about your family. Tell me about your mother and then how you feel she's been with you being Tracy.”

“She's great.” Tracy smiled brightly. “She's always been there when I needed her, well unless she was working. But I love her, a lot.”

“And now that you're Tracy? Has that relationship gotten stronger?” He asked again.

Tracy's smile stayed and she nodded briskly. “Oh yeah. On the weekends, we cook together, we hang out and talk. She was going to teach me how to sew here after the new year.” Her cheeks turned a deep red. “she even taught me to shave my legs.”

“And when she first found about Tracy, how did you think she'd act?”

“I thought she'd be mad. I really did. But my Grandmother said she knew.” Tracy replied.

He leaned forward. “So your Grandparents knew all along too?”

“No, just my grandmother. In fact my Grandpa didn't find out till we were in Livermore around Thanksgiving.”

“And your Grandmother is okay with this?” He asked.

“Oh yeah! She helped with money to buy me some clothes and for the first few months after they found me, I was able to be Tracy at her place with no problems, as long as Grandpa was out of town.” Tracy smiled. She was waiting for the all clear from the doctor so she could spend the night at her grandmother’s place again.

“So who's clothes did you use before your grandmother bought you the new stuff?”

“My mother’s.” Tracy blushed from embarrassment.

“And did you put all this together today?” He gestured to her clothes.

“All but the hair. My girlfriends, Stacey and Brooke braided my pigtails.”

“Well it's good to have friends who are willing to help. Now back to your Grandfather for a moment. He wasn't in on this then? How did he act when he found out?” Ivan made a few quick notes, but kept his attention on Tracy.

Tracy's smile faded once more. “Grandma said he was mad. She never said what he said, but I was told to stay away from him. She even kicked him out of their house, until he was nice to me again.”

Ivan nodded. “And has he made peace?”

“After the attack.” Tracy replied.

Ivan held up the finger to stop her again. “Okay. What about your father?”

Tracy scrunched up her nose as she thought about it. “Dad confused me.” She stated.

“How so?”

Tracy bit her lower lip, trying to figure out how to word her thoughts. “He's always pushed us to be a man. To not show emotions and stuff. So I hid Tracy from him. But he found out and met me in Livermore at our Aunt's place. He said he was okay with me being Tracy. He even made Vance ride with Mom when we came home from San Francisco that weekend.”

“And he doesn't do that often?”

“No. Usually he hangs out with Vance, cause they like sports and camping and stuff.” Tracy replied.,

“And how did you like that?” Ivan asked.

“I loved it.” Tracy smiled brightly. “He called me his daughter all day and even called me Princess.”

Ivan chuckled. “Very good. Now how about your brother. How has he been.”

“Well when he first found out, he told his friends. They're the ones who beat me up. But Grandma made him wear a dress for a week or so and then he got nice.” Tracy shrugged. “He's been okay, I guess. I mean he mostly wanted to hang out with me once I came down here, because he has the hots for Sage.”

Ivan's eyebrow went up and he scribbled down a note. “Tell me about school and your friends there.”

“I only got one friend at school really. That's Peter.” She smiled again and sat up. “He's known me as Troy, but likes me like this.”

“So no other friends at school?” Ivan cocked his head to the side.

“Well, there are a couple of girls that I know from school. We met them at a mall around here. They're the nieces of the lady in the front office.”

“Oh....So you met Mary Beth and Emily May.” He nodded. “How about your new friends? Do they know about you? Both the ones here and back home.”

“Oh yeah. Sage and Rachel said Stacey, Casey and Brooke would understand and I didn't believe them, but when we told them, they were totally fine about it. Mary Beth had heard Peter slip up and call me Tracy at school. They found us at the mall and they seem okay.”

“Good for you. True friends are rare to find.” Ivan tapped his pencil against the tablet for a moment, then took a deep breath. “I would like to talk about your attack now. I know it started before the date of the attack, so I'd like to hear it all, if that's okay with you. But give me a moment.” He got up and went to the door. A few moments later, Maggie, Sage and Persephone came in. Her mother and Sage sat on either side of her, Persephone took the chair next to her. “Okay. Tell me what happened that day.”

“It actually started before that day, so I'll start there.” Tracy nodded and gave a deep sigh. She began to tell him the story of how she found Bruce and Frankie stealing in the classroom. She took the time to point out that they were Vance's old friends. She covered the trip to Livermore and Meeting of Sage and Rachel. He watched as her mood went from dark, to happy, then back to dark.

She wanted to skip the part of the attempted rape, but she remembered what Persephone and Sage had told her. She told the story, every little detail. She continued with the stories of her nightmares and her confrontation with Clark. She told him about Mary Beth and Emily May and the nightmare she had when they slept over. By time she was done, tears were streaking down her face.

“The first thing I want to say is this. You are not to blame.” Ivan leaned forward and kept his eyes on her. “Sure, you were outside, but you are not to blame for them attacking you.”

“Okay.” Tracy sniffled.

“Tracy, he was a bad kid, out to hurt you for what you said to the Principal. You yourself said that. You can't blame yourself for his actions, just from what you wore that day.”

“That's what Lok said.” Tracy stated.

“Lok?” Ivan asked.

“A friend’s grandfather. Old wise Chinese guy.” Sage said.

“Then I can't be wrong if someone else agrees with me.” He handed her a box of Kleenex, then sat back and waited for her to relax a little.

“I'm trying. But I'm so afraid.” She said.

“Life is rarely easy. That goes double for something you want badly.” He stated. “But Tracy, how would you feel if I told you that you had to leave here and never be Tracy again?”

“I'd hate it. I don't want to be Troy. I hate being Troy.” She looked up and her gaze caught Ivan's. “I'd rather die, than be Troy again.”

Maggie held back a gasp, but she hugged her daughter tighter. Ivan looked from Tracy, to Maggie. “What about you? What if I made her go back to being Troy?”

“I only want my child happy. And when she's her true self, when she's Tracy, she's happy.” Maggie replied.

“Good.” He wrote down another note. Then he leaned back in his seat. “Tracy, I want you to do me a favor.”

“What?” She warily asked.

“Do you have a diary?”

“No.” She shook her head.

“When you get the chance, I want you to get one. I want you to write it in daily. Write about whatever you want to. School, friends, life in general. Just write daily. If you have to write more, then go ahead.” He looked to Maggie. “Do you think you'd be able to bring her down here once a month?”

“I'm not sure. I could get together with my husband and check the finances. But I think it may be possible.” Maggie replied.

“Well I want to see her next month.” He shifted his gaze to Tracy who held a straight face. “Bring your diary.”

“Okay.” Tracy nodded.

Ivan looked back at Maggie. “If you can't make it here, I may be able to meet you in Sacramento. But I'd rather not hold meetings in a restaurant or a park. I like the privacy of an office.”

Persephone cut in. “If she needs to get here, I'm sure we can work something out.”

“Good.” Ivan looked to Tracy. “You'll have to be Troy at school and around people who don't know, but I think it would be bad to force you to be Troy all the time. So I want you to keep being Tracy when you feel safe. Around your family and friends that know.”

Tracy and Sage began to squeal in delight. Maggie began to chuckle. The two girls got up and Tracy moved as quickly as she could to hug Ivan. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

~o~O~o~

They had pulled up to Karen's house and before Maggie could shut off the car, the door exploded outwards and four girls came rushing out. Maggie just began chuckling as they swarmed around the backdoor, helping Tracy out of the car.

“How did it go?!?” Rachel asked, half jumping in place.

“I get to stay Tracy!” She bounced for a moment, till she remembered her mother was watching her. The others began squealing.

“Come on girls, let's get you all inside.” Maggie said as she went to the trunk and pulled out Tracy's wheelchair. She waited while her daughter got in, then she pushed her up and into the house. “Tracy, we'll be back in an hour or three. Then we’ll grab lunch before we leave town, okay?”

“Okay, Mama.” Tracy said as Sage took over the job of pushing her.

Tracy watched as her mother and Persephone both left, then Sage took her to the living room where all the girls were seating by the coffee table. On the table was a large, wrapped object, almost two foot tall. All five of them called out “Merry Christmas!” As she came into the room. Sage stopped her by the table and set her brakes.

“That's...that's for me?” She asked, tears of joy beginning to form.

Rachel read the tag and then nodded. “Only one Tracy here right now, That's you.”

“But I didn't get you guys anything.” She stated.

“Hey, you came up here. That's good enough.” Brooke answered.

“Come on, open it.” Stacey pushed it closer to her and then stepped back.

Tracy stared at the package for a moment and read the tag. “To Tracy, from your new friends” A tear raced down her cheek.

Sage leaned over. “Come on. We all pitched in to get you this.”

Tracy began ripping the paper, till she saw the nose of a brown stuffed bear. She finished pulling the bear out of his paper prison an held him up. She smiled at it and then hugged it tightly. “Thank you.” She said, her voice cracking slightly.

“This was all of our idea.” Rachel said. “You seemed to sleep better when someone holds you. But when you go home, you won’t have that.”

Sage put a hand on her shoulder. “So we decided to improvise. Plus, you don't have any stuffed animals, so we had to fix that.”

“Thank you.” Tracy said, standing up. The girls began to surround her in a giant group hug.

~o~O~o~

Tracy let Vance walk their grandmother home, while she went into the house with her mother, her bag slung over her shoulder and her teddy bear in her arms. Maggie brought in the dinner they had picked up from KFC. The trip back had been good, but she was already missing her new friends. Tracy took her bag off her shoulder as her father came out of the kitchen with a fresh glass of water.

“Well hello, stranger.” He said with a smile.

“Hi, Daddy.” She replied and went to hug him, squeezing the teddy bear between the two of them.

“And who's your little friend?” He asked.

“You like him? I got him from My friends.” She replied as she let go of her father.

“Well he sure is nice. Did you thank them?” He asked as she headed for her bedroom.

“Yeah.” She stopped in the doorway. “They got him because of my nightmares.”

“They think a bear will stop them?”William watched her for a moment. “I mean he does look tough.”

“Well.....” He cheek began to burn red as she turned away from him. “We kinda found I don't get bad dreams when someone holds me. So we're hoping that Mr. Cuddles helps keep them away.”

“I see. Well I hope it works.” He replied. “Go and put your stuff on your bed. We can unpack you later.”

“Okay, Daddy.” She turned and slowly walked to her room. Maggie came out of the kitchen and he looked at her. “Mr Cuddles?” He whispered.

“She named him.” Maggie whispered back. “He got to ride in the center of the back seat, in a seat belt too.”

“Cute.” He chuckled. “So how did the appointment go today?”

“It went well. But you should wait for your daughter to fill you in.” Maggie said. “She can fill you in after dinner.”

“Okay. I guess I can wait a little bit more.” He nodded. “It's just nice to have her back here.”

“Yeah, it was getting too damn quiet around here.” Maggie agreed.

~o~O~o~

December 24th 1982
Northern California

It was just before nine in the morning of Christmas eve and the house was quiet, except for the sounds of Christmas music and the occasional pot or pan clinking. Tracy had already taken her shower and was dressed for the day in a denim skirt with a blue shirt. But due to the cold house she had on a flannel shirt for warmth. She was in the kitchen with her mother, helping with prep work for the family dinner on Christmas.

She still wasn't allowed to lift anything, so mostly she was reading recipe books, pealing potatoes and helping with the apple pies and cookies. She was doing her best to follow the doctor's instructions, even though it had been two weeks since the last check up and she was feeling better, but the next check up wasn't till the Monday after Christmas.

Her mother had let her stop using the wheelchair, mostly due to the small size of the kitchen. Tracy had taken over the kitchen table, with a trash can in front of her and a large bowl for the potatoes on the table. Her mother was at the counter, looking over what she had in the cupboard. “So what do you think, Tracy?” Her mother asked, pulling her daughters attention from her work. “Apple, cherry or pumpkin?”

“How many people will be there?” Tracy asked.

“Let's see.” Maggie began counting on her fingers. “The four of us, your grandparents, Amber and her family, Olivia. Carter couldn't get leave to come home and neither could Walter.” Maggie looked at her. “So fifteen or us.”

Tracy gave a light groan, one she hoped her mother didn't hear. “How about all three? We can have leftovers. Plus that many kids....”

“True.” Maggie began pulling stuff out of the cupboards. “So what's with the groan?”

“Amber's coming up.” Tracy replied.

“You used to like Amber.” Maggie stated.

“Mom, I love Amber, but I can't stand Alex. And Little Johnny is just as bad.” Tracy replied. She never had any problem with her cousins, none of them. But Amber had married a man who believed that women belonged in the kitchen, barefoot and pregnant. She could still remember the fight they had one year at Christmas when Amber said she had found a job. It got worse when she started making more then her husband. Amber's son, Alex was worse then Vance had been and his father always looked the other way when he was in trouble.

“Just think of it this way. It's one day, then they leave on Sunday. Plus it's Christmas, we have to make sacrifices for family.” Maggie said with a shrug.

“I guess. But does this mean that he'll be doing dishes with Vance this year?” Tracy asked.

“They both should. I mean you've been doing them since you were nine. Why can't they.” Maggie pulled out a pie dish when a car pulled up into the driveway. Maggie looked through the window over the stove. “Wonder who that is?” She said, trying to get a good view. A moment later, someone knocked at the door. “I'll be right back.”

Tracy kept peeling as her mother walked into the living room and opened up the door. She heard her mother say. “Peter! Come on in.” Tracy put the half peeled potato in the bowl and got out of her seat, went to the sink to quickly clean her hands. She hurried into the living room to find Peter standing there.

“Peter!” Tracy tried to hurry over to him and threw her arms around him in a tight hug. “I didn't expect to see you today.”

“We're going to my Grandparents and I won't be home until after Christmas, so I wanted to give you your Christmas present now.” He held out a thin, rectangular box. “Merry Christmas, Tracy.”

She took it and looked at the wrapped box. “Can I open it now?” She asked, looking from Peter to her mother.

“Well it's up to him.” Maggie said as she went into the kitchen.

“Would you?” He asked. “I kinda wanna see your face when you see it.”

She didn't waste any time. She tore the paper and found a thin, black jewelry case there. She opened it up, very slowly and gasped as the light's reflected on a small gold chain and a ruby red gem in the middle of a silver pendant.

“You...you don't like it?” He hesitantly asked. “I know I couldn't afford a real ruby and it is your birth stone....” Before he could continue, she cut him off.

“It's beautiful.” Her voice was almost a whisper. She ran her fingers over the gem an tears began to form in her eyes. She wrapped her arms around Peter once more. “Thank you.” This time her voice cracked and she pulled away from the hug and wiped tears from her eyes.

“I figured you didn't have any earrings or necklaces and stuff and pretty girls should wear jewelry.” Peter stated.

“You think I'm pretty?” Tracy asked.

“The prettiest girl I know.” Peter's cheek turned a deep shade of red. “Can I put it on you?”

“Please?” She smiled, then took it out of the box and handed it to him and turned around. She could see her mother watching them from the doorway, a huge smile on her lips.

“There.” Peter said after a few moments. She turned around, and a sudden case of shyness came over her. She bit her lower lip, crossed one foot behind the other and her head was lowered, but her gaze stayed on Peter. “Does it look good?”

“It looks awesome.” He replied.

She suddenly stood up and went to the tree. “Before I forget, I got this for you.” She grabbed a larger package, grimaced a little from pain as she took it over to him. She held it out for him. “Open it.”

He raised an eyebrow, then slowly pulled the paper off. In his hands sat a new tackle box. “Thank you.” He said. “I've needed a new tackle box for a while.”

“Open it.” She smiled brighter. He did and his smile brightened as he rifled though a bunch of lures, and weights that she had put in there for him. Then he lifted up a tray and found a piece of paper. He picked it up and began reading. “Two free passes to the movies? Awesome!” He put an arm around her and hugged her as tightly as he could. “Thank you.”

“I know you like your fishing gear and you've been looking at that box for months now.” She said with a grin.

“You saw that?” He said, a bit embarrassed.

“Um, I've been with you each time we were at the sporting goods store.” Tracy said.

“Hey...um.” Peter closed the tackle box and looked at her. “Can I introduce you to my mother?” He asked.

“She knows me.” Tracy replied.

“No. She knows Troy. Don't be mad, but I told her about you and she's totally cool with it.” Peter said.

“You told her about me?” A look of worry crossed her face. Peter put a hand against her cheek and nodded.

“She wanted to know who I bought the necklace for.” He stated. “So, can I introduce you to her? Please?”

Tracy looked to her mother, who just shrugged. “Up to you sweetheart, but if she knows about you, then you should at least be nice enough to say hello.”

“I'll have her come in...” Peter looked to Maggie. “If that's okay with you.”

“Fine by me. It's better then Tracy being outside too much.” Maggie stated.

Peter went outside and Maggie came over to her daughter, who was inspecting the necklace once more. “Isn’t it pretty, Mama?”

“Yes it is.” Maggie said as she looked at it. She heard Peter knock and the door and she just chuckled. “You were just in here Peter, come on in.”

Peter came in with his mother. Tracy tried to take a step back, but ended up pressing against her mother. Peter smiled at Tracy and gestured to her, then looked at his mother. “Mom, this is Tracy.”

“I guessed as much.” She smiled as she stepped closer. She held out a hand. “It's nice to finally see you smile, Tracy.”

“We've met before, but thank you, Ma'am.”

“And polite, too.” She smiled at Maggie. “You should be proud of your daughter.”

“Trust me. She makes me proud on a daily basis. But then so does Vance.”

“Trust me, I can understand. Both of my sons make me proud.” Claire replied.

“Would you like a cup of tea? Or hot chocolate?” Maggie asked.

“I'd love some, but we need to get moving.” She replied. “My parents will worry if we're late.”

“I can understand that.” Maggie nodded. “How about when you get home. We can have a nice cup of coffee while the kids hang out.”

“That sounds wonderful.” She put a hand on Tracy's shoulder. “You look very pretty.”

“Thank you.” Tracy said before giving her a big hug.

“Peter, I'll give you a moment, I'll meet you in the car.” His mother turned and headed for the door. As if on cue, Maggie went to the kitchen and Tracy found herself alone in the living room with Peter.

“Well, I....” He started to say. “I...um...” His cheeks kept their bright red color as he stood there, stammering his words.

“Peter.” Tracy looked up at him and smiled. “Thank you for the beautiful necklace. And Thank you for calling me pretty.”

“I meant it too.” He pulled her into a hug. Once again a familiar sensation began to occur below her waist, the last time she had felt it was at Brooke's house. She moved her hips so Peter wouldn't feel anything odd. A part of her wanted him to scoop her up, off her feet and carry her to her room. But a bigger part wanted him to just kiss her, and it wanted that kiss badly.

After a few moments, he heard his mother’s car start up and he slowly let go of Tracy. “I uh...I need to get going. I'll call when I get home.”

“I can't wait.” Tracy replied. She watched him go out the door, then she went into the kitchen, sat back in her chair at the table and gave out a contented sigh.

Awwwww. Isn't that sweet? Next up Christmas 1982