“Rachel.” Tracy said, in a soft, sweet voice. “Wake up, Rachel.”

“Five more minutes.” Rachel grumbled before rolling over in the bed.

“No. You got to get up now.” Tracy said as she got up and went to Rachel's bed. She sat on the edge of the bed and began to tickle at Rachel's ear. “You wouldn't be this tired if you hadn't stayed up all night.” Rachel turned over and tried to hide her ears from Tracy, so Tracy went to plan B and uncovered Rachel's feet and began tickling her toes.

Edited by Djkauf

Tracy returns! She's in Livermore, staying with friends and missing her mother, it can get better, right?

February 10th 1983

Molly's arraignment was being held off for one more day. She just wanted it over so she could prove her innocence. She was getting tired of the mental health facility. It was almost evening of the fourth day she was there as she went to the main room where everyone was watching TV. She took a seat far from the people she thought were the really crazy ones and sat there, missing her children and husband.

Molly saw the two women out of the corner of her eyes get close. They hugged, then the one woman kissed the other woman's cheek. She turned her head, aware that someone else had visitations with their children at that current moment. She could hear the screaming and begging of a young child, pleading that the women leave her alone, and a picture flashed in her mind of the two women kissing over the abused body of the child she had seen enter earlier. With that image, Molly's clam demeanor snapped.

“You freaks! You're all rapists and you'll burn in hell!!!” She screamed as she got to her feet, glaring daggers at the two women, both of whom now looked very startled. She rushed over to them and grabbed one of them by the arm and yanked her away, then she looked to the one who was a patient there. “You freaks do nothing but hurt everyone! You'll burn in hell!!!”

Several people from the staff jumped on Molly as she was about to backhand the woman on the couch. She was pulled to the floor, screaming obscenities at the two women, who were cousins and not lovers at all. And the kiss had not been of passion, but just a kiss one gives family. Molly was still screaming as she was pulled away from the main part of the room.

“Damn.” The main doctor on duty whispered. He didn't look forward to the call he would make, telling Molly's husband that there had been issues, and visitations would be stopping for a while.

~o~O~o~

February 15th 1983

Tracy woke up when Rachel's alarm clock went off and the first thing Rachel did was groan and slap at the snooze button. Tracy decided to sleep in a bit, so she rolled over, leaving her back against Rachel's Five minutes later the alarm went off again and this time someone tapped at Rachel's door. “Bathroom is yours, Rachel.” Jamie's voice said through the door. Rachel slapped her alarm button again and this time Tracy rolled over.

“Rachel.” Tracy said, in a soft, sweet voice. “Wake up, Rachel.”

“Five more minutes.” Rachel grumbled before rolling over in the bed.

“No. You got to get up now.” Tracy said as she got up and went to Rachel's bed. She sat on the edge of the bed and began to tickle at Rachel's ear. “You wouldn't be this tired if you hadn't stayed up all night.” Rachel turned over and tried to hide her ears from Tracy, so Tracy went to plan B and uncovered Rachel's feet and began tickling her toes.

“Argh!” She replied, as she balled up.

Tracy pulled Rachel on to her back and pulled up her nightgown, just high enough to expose her belly, she put her mouth over Rachel's belly and blew. One hand tickled Rachel's side. Rachel began squirming and thrashing on the bed, giggling and pleading, as she struggled with her friend. After a few seconds of Rachel pleading, she stopped and as she lifted up, she realized that Rachel wasn't wearing anything under the nightgown and from her position, she got a good view of her friend.

Tracy's cheeks went bright red, but like Brooke, she had a hard time turning away. As Rachel realized that Tracy was staring, she managed to bring her legs together, then covered her crotch with her hands, but couldn't find the words to snap Tracy out of her staring. Tracy saw she had covered herself and knew Rachel had seen her staring. Then she saw Rachel's eyes drift down and she knew that something had grown. She hadn't worn her gaff that night and in the struggle, she knew her pants had been pulled tight and she was making a slight tent in them. She panicked, feeling shame for having the male parts, for it growing in front of Rachel, and she hopped off the bed and ran out of the room, tears starting to stream down her cheeks.

Rachel sat up on the bed as her father called out for her to get a move on, wondering what had just happened. She got up, determined to ask Tracy what had happened. She stepped out an started to walk down the hall to the stairs, when Lance came out of his room and shooed her off to the bathroom. “Shower, now. You can get breakfast in a bit.”

~o~O~o~

Tracy had waited for Rachel to get in the shower to rush back into her room and gather her stuff for the day. After having seen her friend naked and having gained an erection because of it, she couldn't face Rachel. Logic was ruled out in her mind and she knew she had to leave and fast. It was the fear that Rachel would hate her for looking at her without permission. She quickly jumped into her clothes and grabbed the bag that held her books and tai chi uniform. She made her way down the steps, then she quickly went to the front door and left.

Lance had been in the kitchen with his wife and eldest child when they heard the feet running to the door and the door slam. He got up and went to the door and opened it up and looked out, but didn't see anyone. “That's weird.” He said. He tested the front door handle, to make sure it was locked. “Maybe Rachel was checking to see if the girls showed up?”

“I don't know, could be. I'll go see if Tracy is hungry.” Lynn said as she went up the steps.

She went to the bedroom and saw it was devoid of life. She peeked into Jamie's room and found it empty. She went to the bathroom and wondering if Rachel and Tracy were both in there. She tried the handle and found it was locked. She knocked. “Rachel?”

“Yeah?” A muffled voice replied.

“Is Tracy in there with you?”

“No.” Rachel replied back. “Why?”

“She’s not in your room, or downstairs.” Her mother stated. “Finish you shower, though, breakfast is ready.”

She turned and headed for the stairwell, as Rachel stood in the shower, wondering what was going on. Lynn looked to her husband and shook her head. “She's not up here. Could she have been the one to leave?”

“I'll call Karen.” Lance said.

~o~O~o~

Five minutes later, Tracy was standing at Brooke's door, crying because she figured that she was about to lose a friend for what she had done. She knocked and a moment later, Brooke opened up the door and looked at her. “Hey, come on in.” She turned to face the hall. “Mom, Tracy's here.”

Tracy walked into the house, crying intensifying. Karen came around the corner, phone in her hand. “Yeah, Lance, she's here. She's crying, but I'm not sure why. I'll talk to her and give you a call later.”

“Hey, you okay?” Brooke asked and Tracy just ignored her, letting her bag drop to the floor as she sat down on the floor, brought her knees to her chest, put her head on her knees and cried.

“Tracy, what's wrong?” Karen asked. “Are you hurt?” Tracy shook her head. “Did Rachel say something to upset you?” Again she shook her head. “You missing your parents?”

“I am.” She said between sniffles. “But that's not it.”

“Tracy, you got Lynn and Lance worried. They didn't know where you were.”

“I messed up!” She yelled, raising her head, tears had stained her cheeks. “I messed up and Rachel will hate me!” She began sobbing and Karen put an arm around her and tried to help her sit up. After a moment of that not working, Lok came over and picked up the preteen as though she were just a baby. He carried her to the living room and put her down on the couch, so the doorway was free for Brooke to get to school on time. He left the room as Karen sat on the floor near her. Brooke had wanted to stay, but Lok pulled her away.

“Tracy, what happened?” Karen asked, but Tracy was too busy crying to answer. “Tracy, calm down and let me know what happened.” But the girl wouldn't stop crying. She buried her head into a couch cushion and stayed there. Karen prompted her once more and Tracy finally answered.

"Stupid body." Tracy's voice managed to be heard, just slightly. "Cost me my friends. Stupid body."

Karen looked at the crying girl, very confused.

~o~O~o~

Lance was using the phone in his kitchen, listening to Karen. He could hear crying in the background. “I don't know, Lance. All she said was she messed up and Rachel will hate her now. She keeps saying she lost a friend and that her stupid body caused it.”

“One moment, Karen.” Lance said. He looked to his daughter. “Sweetie, what happened with Tracy this morning. She's at the Han's and she thinks you hate her now and something about her body causing it? Did you or her do something that the other didn't want?”

Rachel sighed. Even she didn't understand it. “I don't know. I hit my snooze, like always and she came over the second time and started to tickle my feet. I rolled over and then she rolled me on my back. She lifted my shirt and blew on my chest.”

“Okay. What else?” Lance asked.

“I don't sleep with panties on, Dad. She saw me naked and she saw me down there.” Rachel replied. Her cheeks went red at the subject matter. “Her, um....her thing, you know, her boy thingy got hard and she suddenly ran out of the room. I didn't yell at her or anything, honest. I didn't touch her and she only blew on my chest, nothing else, I promise. I was gonna follow her, but you had me take a shower, I didn't even know that she had left.” Rachel began to cry, as she realized it was her fault. It was her body that made Tracy excited and that made Tracy angry with herself.

“Lance, I think I know.” Lynn said. “Tracy ran because she saw Rachel naked and her body reacted like normal. She got embarrassed by that, because she hates her boy parts and she ran for safety.”

“That’s got to be it.” Lance agreed. He held the phone to his ear. “You hear that, Karen?”

“Yeah. Tracy saw Rachel and got excited. I can talk to her if you want. Or I can have Mom do it.”

“Please.” Lance said. “We'll cover Rachel here and maybe we should give Tracy some space. Just tell her that we don't hate her and she's still welcome here tonight.”

~o~O~o~

“Tracy?” Karen said, sitting on the floor next to the couch. “You know that no one is mad at you. You have Rachel scared because you ran off.”

“She'll hate me.....I hate this stupid thing!” Tracy brought her hands up, then slammed them into her crotch. Karen put her hands on Tracy's, to keep her from hurting herself. “I hate how it gets hard at the worst times! I just want it off me! I wanna cut it off!!!” She began crying again an Karen just scooped her up and into a hug.

“Shhhh.” She did her best to soothe the young girl. “It’s going to work itself out. Don't beat yourself up for something you can't control.”

~o~O~o~

Sage walked with Rachel and Brooke the mile to their school and halfway there the strange silence finally got the best of her. “Okay you two, what happened? Neither of you are listening to me. What went on that got you both shook up?”

“There was an issue this morning with Tracy.” Brooke stated.

Rachel shot her a mean look, not wanting to get into it again. Sage looked at Brooke. “Like what? Is she okay?”

“It’s not important.” Rachel said.

Brooke shook her head. “Rachel, Sage is the one person we should go to with these problems.”

Sage stopped in her tracks. “Alright, you two tell me what happened, or I don't talk to you both for the next week and we invite Tracy to stay at my house.”

Rachel sighed. “Fine.” And she quickly covered what had happened with Tracy that morning, including the tickle war and the aftermath. Brooke took over and told her how Tracy was hating her male parts at her house.

“Well, what her body did is normal.“ Sage said, after thinking about the story for a moment. “Mine does it too. And you couldn't have done much to stop it, Rachel. Stupid things are on automatic. I think Tracy just may like boys and girls, but then that's just me guessing. She is trying to discover herself.”

“I think she does.” Brooke stated. “At Christmas, she was watching me change, and I think she wanted to watch more, but she kept getting nervous, like I'd say something. I know it grew then, too.”

Sage nodded, then turned to Rachel. “Rach, you can't be your normal aggressive self. She's gonna be thinking you hate her and I'd bet that she's upset that she got hard in front of you. Nothing you could have done, it's just life. But remind her that you are her friend and you don't care what is on her body. It's the inner package that you know and love.”

Rachel nodded and then Sage pulled her into a hug. “And tomorrow.” Sage added with a light chuckle. “get up at the first alarm.”

~o~O~o~

Vance was enjoying a quiet day of school. So far no one had bugged him about his brother. Instead the talk had gone to Scotty Hallmark's mother and the stories of how many children she could attack at one time. He sat off in the field, at a bench near the baseball diamond and ate his lunch. He would have found Emily and eaten with her, but he was afraid of running off her friends. He was halfway through his sandwich when a shadow fell over him. He looked up to see Scotty Hallmark standing there, holding his own lunch.

“Hey, can I sit here?” Scotty asked Vance.

“It’s a free country.” Vance replied.

“Thanks.” Scotty said as he sat down. A dozen ideas on how to talk to Vance all popped into his head. He could discus the weather, like his Dad did when they were stuck near people his dad didn't care for. But he went the direct route. “Hey, I'm sorry for what my mom did. I don't know why she attacked your brother.”

“Who knows?” Vance replied. “Maybe she is crazy. I heard what happened and it wasn't good.”

“You know Vance, we're almost the same.” Scotty said. “You've been getting shit for Troy and I've been picked on because of how Robbie can be. Sure, it's not the same, but I know how it is to be picked on all the time.”

“Do you agree with what your brother does?” Vance asked.

“You mean the bible thing? I don't know. I mean I used to pick on him a lot, I still do, but I care about him, you know? I mean at times it feels like Mom only cares about him and Dad can get on my case when I'm mean to him, but now, with the whole attack thing, he doesn't have Mom and we've been talking more.”

“I used to have that problem too, but we're getting better now.”

“Better? Since the pictures of the dress thing?”

“Well, I mean before that. I used to be an ass to Troy, but since he started wearing the dresses, we had a few fights, then, well, then we got closer.” Vance said, then he took a bite of his sandwich.

“Does he just dress as one? A girl I mean. I mean why did he go to the mall like that? I don't think I'd ever be able to go out in public like that, not wearing a dress.”

“But if you were to wear a dress, would you look like a girl, like Troy does?” Scotty thought about it for a moment, till Vance asked another question. “When you first saw that picture, did you know it was Troy, or just think it was some girl, who looked a little like him.”

“Honestly?” Scotty asked, even though it was a rhetorical question, Vance still nodded his head. “I thought it was a girl. It was the note that made me look closely at his face and you can see Troy in the eyes.”

“Same with me the first time I saw him in a dress.” Vance replied.

“You know, after he got attacked, and then those pictures, I've wondered something.” Scotty turned to face Vance, by straddling the bench. Did Bruce really cut off his penis? Like everyone said? Is that why Troy does it?”

“Bruce didn't cut off his penis. But they did destroy his testicles.” Vance answered. “They kicked him so hard in the crotch, they crushed his nuts.”

“Ugh.” Scotty replied, scrunching up his nose in discomfort. “So, is that why he does it?”

“I don't know.” Vance said with the shake of his head. He knew Tracy's feelings about being a girl, but he wasn't sure he wanted Scotty to know, just in case Scotty had a big mouth. “I just know, when he is in a dress, he seems sure of himself. And he's not a pansy. Did you know that after Bruce, Kenny and Frankie crushed his nuts, broke his ribs and beat the tar out of him, he managed to get back up and protect our elderly grandma. He took on all three at once, while injured. I think he fought them for well over two minutes while hurt. It was only when my parents got to them that he let Bruce go and collapsed from the pain.”

“How much did he hurt? I remember stepping on a rake once and it hit me there. I couldn't move for an hour.”

“Well, a week in the hospital, then the two weeks of walking slow, until Bobby Anderson tripped him.”

“Yeah, then he went into the hospital again, right?” Scotty asked and Vance nodded.

“Bobby tore out his stitches. Troy could have bled to death if they hadn't taken him to the hospital.” Vance said, but then he smiled at Scotty. “But Troy got back at Bobby. Clark came over to the house not this past weekend, but the weekend before and Tracy fought both him and Bobby, at the same time. And won.”

“Well, Clark was a bit of a wimp. Always had Bruce to fight for him.”

“Well, he did show up with his cousins. But I think if we had let him, Troy would have taken them all out.”

“Really?” Scotty asked, clearly surprised.

“Yeah. Troy had friends up and he made sure that they got in the house so Clark couldn't hurt them, only him.” Vance stated. “He's learning martial arts from an old Chinese dude. Like straight from China. He looks like an older, shorter Bruce Lee. His granddaughter is a friend of Troy's. In fact she was there when your Mom went after Troy. I know the two girls she attacked. One of them is six and her sister was really cute.”

“You know, there are times I can't stand Mom. She has all these rules and expects us to live like the bible wants, but she must read a different bible. She's always gossiping about people, telling lies she has heard, she doesn't want us watching TV. But she does. She always thinks she is better, but I've done some reading and it's in the bible that you should treat others like you want to be treated, but she don't do that.”

“I know my mom has been reading her bible more, but after we left the church, we never went to another one.”

“Was it because of those women?” Scotty asked. “The lesbian ones?”

“Yeah. Your Mom threatened anyone who supported them, at least that's what I've heard my parents say when they talk about it. They were talking about it after she came to the house a couple weeks ago?”

“Mom was at your house?”

Vance nodded. “Yeah, she came over the weekend those pictures were spread around. I guess she threatened to run the family out of town.”

“Really?”

Yeah. She tried telling Mom and Dad that Tracy was a danger...”

“Who is Tracy?”

Vance stopped as he realized he had slipped. He sighed and decided that damage was done, but to tell Scotty anyway. “Tracy is Troy's new name. Tracy is my sister. She is living in the Bay Area now, not he. She will be going to a school as a girl in a year.”

“You know, it's weird, but the more I thought about Troy...er, Tracy, the more every thing he...she did seemed girlish.”

“Tracy thinks she should have been born a girl and we have several doctors that agree. So since Clark fucked things up here...”

“Clark? How did he mess it up?”

“Clark took those pictures, but he also sent them to my parents work and had his cousin calling the house.”

“Stan?”

“No, an older cousin. He was calling and telling Tracy that he was going to rape her, rape and murder Mom, kill Dad and me, then rape her again and finally kill her, after making her watch him kill us all.”

“That...that's sick.” Scotty replied.

“Well, Clark came to the house, but the cops had found out that it was him, so he is in jail for sending death threats through the mail and Tracy beat him bad and all she did was slap him like a little twit.”

“Wow....”

Vance nodded. “So Mom and Dad decide to send Tracy to the Godparents and then in June, Dad and I will move down. Kinda sucks, but after leaving Bruce as a friend, I haven't made many more friends.”

“There's always me.” Scotty said. “Although Mom said that we were not to speak to you or Tracy, ever again. But now she's in the funny farm....”

“You can't tell anyone about Tracy.” Vance warned Scotty. “I mean it. We're not out of here yet and last thing we need is to have more people try and murder my Mom.”

“I won't tell. Not even my stupid mother.”

~o~O~o~

Sage went into Doctor Ivan's office and sat on the couch as he went to his usual chair. “Hello young lady. You seem a bit distracted.” He said.

“Sorry, just thinking about a problem that happened earlier today.”

“Oh, tell me about it.” Ivan politely prodded.

“Well, it didn't really happen to me.” Sage said.

“Sage, it has you thinking. So it clearly has involved you. But if you don't wish to speak about it, I can accept that.”

Sage thought about it for a moment, then she looked up. “It's like this....” And she laid out the story as she had heard it from Rachel and Brooke. When she finished she looked up at him. “Now Rachel thinks Tracy hates her, no matter how much I've told her she isn't responsible for Tracy getting hard. She thinks because Tracy hates her body, and Rachel's body caused her to get hard, that Tracy will hate her. Tracy is at Brooke's thinking that people will hate her...And I just wonder what would happen if they saw me? Would Rachel freak out? Would Tracy run off if her body got excited for seeing me?” Sage looked up at him, sadness in her eyes. “Would anyone get excited to see me naked?”

“Sage, I'm sure that you will meet someone who is happy to be with you, no matter what you look like.” Ivan replied, leaning back in his chair. “But you're just twelve, that's a bit early to worry about that, don't you think?”

“Yeah.” Sage said with a nod.

“But you have real concerns. I can see this. You've been very nervous about your body for as long as I have known you.”

“Yeah.” Sage nodded. “I know it's not that big, but I really hate that my body looks like it does, you know, down there.”

“I know, Sage. There are things that can be done. Surgeries, but I think waiting another year for your body to grow is still a good bet.”

“But what if it grows in that time? Then I have more skin that's in the way....”

“Sage, I think we have ways to deal with it. But if you want, we can bring your mother in and we can discuss it all together. Would that be okay?”

Sage nodded. “Please.”

~o~O~o~

Class was over and Brooke rolled over to where Tracy was at. “Hey, Mom is gonna be a bit. Wanna go see the store fronts or something? Grandma is staying to help Grandpa with his class so Mom is your ride home.”

“Sure, I guess.” Tracy sadly replied.

“So, you feeling any better?” Brooke asked as they left the school.

“A little I guess.” Tracy replied. “Is Rachel okay? You saw her at school, right?”

“Yeah, she was there. She's worried that she did something wrong.”

“It wasn't her.” Tracy shook her head, then gestured down to her crotch. “Its this stupid body. Why me, Brooke? Why?”

“I know.” Brooke answered her back and she grabbed at Tracy's hand, making her friend stop walking. “Things happen. I don't have the answers. I just know that somethings you're faced with difficulty and it's like a test. It is how you deal with that problem that defines you. Take you for instance. You were born wrong but you've done your best to hold your head up high. You're a good friend and worried about others. You're a special girl.”

“She has a point.” Karen said, causing both girls to flinch.

“Mom! Don't do that!”

“Sorry. I saw you two and decided to see if you were ready to grab something to eat. I called Lynn and told her I'd make sure Tracy ate before we went back. Plus this way, we can enjoy a nice talk.”

~o~O~o~

Karen pulled up to Rachel's house and Tracy slid over to the door. “Thank you for the ride, Mrs. Han.”

“You're welcome, Tracy. I'm glad to be able to help.”

“You really think she won't mind?”

“Like I said at dinner, Rachel is worried about you. You scared her and she thinks you hate her for what happened to your body.” Karen said. “And if you cherish this friendship, you'll go in there and you two can talk and settle your problems now. I know you hate your body, but in running away from Rachel, that will just hurt you two and all the girls.”

“Okay.”

“See you tomorrow?” Brooke asked her.

Tracy nodded. “Yeah, after school, right?”

“Yeah. You with Grandma, or Rachel's Mom?”

“I don't know yet.” Tracy admitted.

“Lynn tomorrow, I think.” Karen stated.

“You're back!” Rachel said as the door flew open. She rushed to the car and opened up Tracy's door, then leaned in and hugged her tightly. When she finally let go of Tracy, she smiled at her, taking a moment to brush some hair out of her face. “How was class?”Tracy noticed out of the corner of her eye that Sage was there as well.

“It was good.” Tracy replied.

“Hey, Brooke!”

“Can I hang out, Mom?” Brooke asked. “Just for a little while?

“Sure. It will give me a moment to talk to Lynn.”

A few minutes later, Tracy, Rachel, Sage and Brooke all ended up in the living room and Tracy was scared as to what Rachel would do.

“Rachel, I'm sorry for freaking out on you this morning.” Tracy said, putting her arms around Rachel. “It's just that you have something I don't and I can't help looking at it. I asked Brooke and she said I could tell you that this past Christmas, I was at her house and I watched her strip for bed and couldn't help but watch. You two have the body parts I want....” Tracy began to cry and Rachel just held her close.

“It's okay.” Rachel said as Brooke held Tracy's hand. “I understand.”

“I didn't want things to be weird.” Tracy said. “Because I think you're both beautiful, too. That's why it got.....”

“That’s why you were excited?” Rachel stated in a questioning manner. And Tracy nodded at her, but looked to the floor.

“I shouldn't have left early and I'm sorry if I hurt you.”

“You scared me.” Rachel replied. “And I thought you hated me because I made you get hard.”

“I thought you'd hate me and I hated myself for this stupid thing.” Tracy felt Brooke hold one of her hands and Sage pressed up to her backside and the three of them held her.

Sage put her chin on Tracy's shoulder and spoke softly, but loud enough for Brooke and Rachel to hear. “Tracy. They went through this with me. We know you hate your body and we'll do what we can to help you out. Sure, it may not seem like much, but if we can help, then we will.”

“Yeah.” Rachel said.

“We won't hold it against you when you have issues.” Brooke stated. “We know it happens and you can't control it. We'll do our best to ignore it and you're still one of the girls.”

“Yeah.” Sage and Rachel agreed.

~o~O~o~

Tracy was stepping into the bedroom, after dressing for bed in the bathroom and she smiled at Rachel, who was already dressed in her night shirt.

Tracy lay down a moment later, the light switched off, then she felt the bed shift and Rachel slipped under the covers. “You don't mind, right?”

“No, I don't.” Tracy said as she reached over and touched Rachel's side. “And I promise, no raspberries.”

“Good, cause I'll return the favor.” Rachel said with a smile. Tracy flipped over and Rachel snuggled up against her back. “I'm so glad you're my friend.” Rachel said. “You're a lot of fun to be with.”

“Thanks.” Tracy squeezed a hand that lay over her side.

Up next, more fun with Tracy and some of Maggie and William

Maggie was at the stove, not really paying attention to the pork chops in the frying pan, even though she was looking right at them. It was when her mother put on an oven mitt and grabbed the frying pan and moved it to a free burner, that she realized something had happened. “Hey, I was watching those.”

“Watch them do what? Burn?” Bernice asked and Maggie blushed when she saw she had burned the chops. Vance was in the kitchen as well, opening up the windows to clear the smoke out. In the living-room, her father was opening up a couple of windows, despite the cold weather. William was walking into the kitchen with a fan. He placed it in a window so it sucked the smoke out the window by the table.

Edits by Djkauf

Time to focus on the Patterson women.

Wednesday February 16th 1983

Somewhere in the night the two girls had rolled over. Rachel's eyes opened slowly and she realized that she was in bed with Tracy still. She could feel the bare skin of Tracy's lower leg against her bare leg. She decided to just slip out of the bed and let her friend sleep. Tracy stirred as she slipped out of her arms, but began snoring again. She knew it was early, but she was hopeful that she could get in and out of the shower before her sister got up.

Thirty minutes later, Tracy's eyes opened as the door opened up, as Rachel stepped into the room, then she shut the door. Her hair was in a towel and she had a second one wrapped around her waist. Tracy rubbed at her eyes as she sat up in bed. Then she realized that her shirt had ridden up in the night exposing part of her chest. She sat up and adjusted her clothes, and noticed that Rachel wasn't even paying attention to her.

“You woke up before your alarm?” Tracy asked. “Not because of yesterday, was it?”

“No, not at all.” Rachel stated. “I got up early and wanted to spend time with you, before I have to go to school.”

“I think I'm here today.” Tracy replied, for no reason at all.

“Yeah. Mom has today off. And after school, we're thinking of heading to the park. Wanna go?”

“Sure.” Tracy half-heartedly replied. She looked into Rachel's eyes and asked. “Are we good? I mean after yesterday? I just recall falling asleep and then you were out of the bed. I didn't do anything in my sleep, did I?”

“We are very good.” Rachel said as she hugged Tracy. “And all you did was snore in your sleep.”

“You want me to leave as you dress?”

“Only if you want.” Rachel said. She picked up Mittens the kitten from her bed and held the little ball of fur to Tracy. “Or you can pet the boss here and I'll quickly get dressed.”

Tracy took the kitten and put it in her lap and began scratching at it's ears. “I wish I had a cat.” She said as the little kitten began to purr.

“Lot of responsibility. Just like a dog.” Rachel said as she half stepped into her closet to get dressed

“Yeah, and till we leave Aunt Shelly's house, we shouldn't get one.” Tracy said, as the kitten got up, turned in two complete circles, then rested on her lap, in the same spot it had just been in.

“How are you feeling today? Ready for lots of learning?”

“I'd still rather be with you three.” Tracy grumbled. Tracy looked up as she only a glimpse of Rachel's back as she put on a training bra.

“I know.” Rachel tossed the towel she had been covered up in onto a hamper and she went to Tracy, after grabbing a pair of girl’s pants and a shirt. She pulled on the shirt, then sat down next to her friend. “Next school year. Then we all go together.”

“Yeah. I can't wait.” Tracy replied. “I got to make sure they'll let me be in your grade.”

“Then focus on the school work. Focus hard.” Rachel stood up and pulled on her pants. “You gonna wear pants or a skirt to the park today?”

“Do you think I should wear pants?”

“Well, I looked out the window and it looked like rain today, so you may wanna wear pants, so your legs don't get all muddy.”

“Okay. I got a pair with me.”

Rachel's clock radio turned on and this time she had set it to music, instead of alarm. There was a break in the music as a commercial played, then the DJ announced the song and the drum started the song with the keyboard following a few seconds later. “Ooooh, hey you hear this one yet?” Rachel asked as she went to the radio and turned the volume up. “It's Africa from Toto.”

Tracy didn't say a word, instead she sat there, petting the kitten, and watching Rachel dance in her room. As the song ended and the DJ announced the title, he went through the quick report of the weather and traffic, giving Rachel some time to get her hair in order. As she was pulling on her shoes, another song started and Rachel gasped again. “Prince!!!”

“Prince?” Tracy asked as the song little red corvette started to play. "Like a royal guy?"

“Just listen, this guy is awesome. He has other songs, too.”

~o~O~o~

Tracy had wanted to walk with Rachel to Brooke's house, but she didn't want people wondering why she went back to Rachel's home, instead of going to school. So instead she walked her to the door and watched as her friends walked off.

“Mrs. Williams?” Tracy called out to her as she walked into the kitchen, her books for her schooling in her hands. “Could I do some laundry? I got something that needs to be cleaned and I want it for when Sage and Brooke come home today. They want to go to the park.”

“Sure, dear. You want to grab it and we can work on cleaning it now?”

“I think it needs to air dry, though.”

“Well, let’s see, okay?”

A few minutes later, Tracy brought down the gaff and showed it to Lynn. “Sweetie, you can't machine wash this. It would tear apart in the wash. Have you ever hand washed clothes?”

“No, is it hard?”

“No, but let me get things started and I'll show you. Do you have any other things that need to be washed?”

“Just my skirts and stuff, but I can wait for Aunt Shelly to come home.”

“Well, if you want to bring them down, you can. I know Rachel and Jamie both have stuff that needs to be cleaned.”

“I can help you, if you want...”

“Well, you also have school work to do.” Lynn reminded her.

“I know.” Tracy grumbled.

“Hey, school work is important. This way if they test you for next year, you can be in the same grade as your friends.” Lynn told her, then she changed the subject, to save on grumbling. “So, where are the legs to these nylons?”

“Sage called this a gaff.”

“A gaff?” Lynn asked as she started to show Tracy how to clean it.

“It....” Tracy looked down and her cheeks went red again. “It holds my boy parts in place, so it won’t be seen by people.”

“I see. That's very smart.”

“I need to get more, but I'm not sure how to find them, or make them.” Tracy stated.

“Well, it looks like it is just pantyhose. And it looks like two pair. Tell me, Tracy, are they tight? Do they dig into your sides?”

“A little.” She replied.

“Would you like to do some shopping later and get a few more pairs? We can make you a couple of backups, in case one gets too stinky.” Lynn said. “I can call Persephone and make sure I know how to make them.”

“Could we? I have some money that I can use. It's part of my Christmas money.”

“I'll take you to the store in a bit. There's a pharmacy nearby.”

~o~O~o~

Maggie sat at her desk, half paying attention to the picture in front of her, the one with Tracy and all of her daughter’s friends. She had found it hard to focus on the job the past three days.

Chris had been in there for several minutes when he took a seat on the counter and he faced Maggie's desk. He finally cleared his throat to get her to realize she wasn't alone. “Maggie, Are you going to be able to make it the next week and a half?”

Maggie jumped. She hadn't heard him enter the building. He repeated his question and she answered with a nod of her head. “Yes.” Something in her voice told him that she didn't want to be there.

“Maggie, I'm going to let you quit at the end of your workweek, so tomorrow. My wife will come in and cover the desk until we get someone new.”

“You're firing me?”

“Maggie, I'm not firing you. It's just that you're not really here anymore. And being away from Tracy is tearing you apart. You said you're going to see her on Friday?”

Maggie nodded. “We have an appointment with two of her doctors.”

“And you have a place to stay already?”

“Yeah, with Tracy's Godparents.” Maggie said with a nod of her head.

“Then Maggie, move now. If you're this torn up from being away from her, think of how the kid is feeling.” Chris said. “Talk to William and tell him I'm willing to let you leave a week early and to make up for that missing week of work, I'll give you a Christmas bonus now. You've been here for almost ten years, so you can call it a severance check if you want and I'll even sweeten the deal with a glowing recommendation for any job you apply for after this.”

“You...you'd let me go a week early? And a Christmas bonus? But Christmas passed.”

“Call it severance then. I'd let you get to your child because I know how important this is to you.

Maggie almost flew out of her chair and hugged him.

~o~O~o~

Tracy was at the table with Lynn, there were clippings of pantyhose on the table when Rachel came home. Tracy's school work had been done for the day, even though Lynn felt there should have been more. Rachel stepped into the kitchen and smiled at her mom. “Hey, Mom, can we go to the park for a little, while it’s not raining anymore?”

“Homework?”

“I got a little. Can I do it later?”

“I'll let you do it really quick now. Have the girls come here and you can go when you're done, but Tracy and I are in the middle of doing laundry and fixing something for her.”

“Laundry?” Rachel asked, looking to Tracy.

“My gaff was nasty. It needed to be cleaned.” Tracy replied. “So it's drying off and we're making another one, so I can go to the park and not have issues rise.” Rachel began to snicker and her mother shot her a dirty look.

“Sorry, Mom, but it is kinda funny.”

Tracy just nodded and smiled at Lynn. “Okay, but try to not tease her too much.” Lynn warned her daughter. Rachel went to the phone and made two quick calls, then she came back to the table.

A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door and Rachel went off to answer it. She heard Rachel, Sage and Brooke come into the kitchen as she cut the last pair of nylons.

“Okay. You go get dressed and I'll let these hang and dry. Then you can take care of them, when you get back.”

Tracy took one of the gaffs and headed for a nearby bathroom. Ten minutes later, she came out, wearing her jeans and a clean pink shirt.

Sage was looking over the gaffs they had made. “Cool, you both figured it out. I forgot to tell you how to make more. I should have said something.”

“Its okay. My other one was getting dirty and Mrs. Williams decided to help me with more. We talked to your mom and she guided us on how to do it.”

“Awesome.” Sage replied. She leaned in close and whispered into Tracy's ear. “Have you got it down to a science yet? The tuck, I mean.”

Tracy blushed. “Yeah, took some doing.” She whispered back.

“It does. But it's a good skill to hone now.” Sage stated.

~o~O~o~

Maggie was at the stove, not really paying attention to the pork chops in the frying pan, even though she was looking right at them. It was when her mother put on an oven mitt and grabbed the frying pan and moved it to a free burner, that she realized something had happened. “Hey, I was watching those.”

“Watch them do what? Burn?” Bernice asked and Maggie blushed when she saw she had burned the chops. Vance was in the kitchen as well, opening up the windows to clear the smoke out. In the living-room, her father was opening up a couple of windows, despite the cold weather. William was walking into the kitchen with a fan. He placed it in a window so it sucked the smoke out the window by the table.

When he had turned on the fan, William gently touched his wife's shoulder. “We can just do hot dogs or something, but what is wrong? You're not even here.”

“Just thinking.” Maggie said as she moved away from the stove, after shutting it off.

“Tracy?” William asked her.

“That and an offer Chris gave me today.” Maggie replied and she nodded.

“What type of offer?”

“He's willing to let me leave at the end of the week, instead of waiting through next week too. He's offered to pay me next week like a Christmas bonus.” She gave him a hopeful look and held his hands. “I want to go. I need to be there.”

“Okay.” William said with a nod of his head. “You can go. This means way too much to you to make you wait. We move you when we go for her meeting. I already have it off as vacation time.”

~o~O~o~

Thursday February 17th 1983

Tracy got into the car and sat between Jamie and Rachel. The day had been very uneventful, with her going to Brooke's house to do her school work. When she got back to Rachel's, they hung out, watching T.V. till dinner time. That was when Lance herded the girls to his car. “Where are we going?” She asked as they got in. “I thought Uncle Frank and Aunt Shelly didn't get home until tomorrow?”

“They won't be, but you are with us and we wanted to go out to eat tonight. There is a new place we wanted to try, so you're coming with us.” Lance said. “And actually, they will be home later this evening, they were going to catch a show at seven and drive home, but I don't want to wake you up at ten to take you over there. Frank will be home tomorrow, so they can get you to your meetings if your parents are running late.”

“What time are they?” Rachel asked.

“It's in Dublin at three thirty.” Tracy answered, then she added. “And the Doctor's appointment is at four thirty or later. Mom said he'd stay open for us.”

“Awesome. So you can get the girl hormones in your body?” Rachel asked and Tracy nodded.

“I wonder if Shelly and Frank are ready for that?” Lance asked.

“What do you mean?” Tracy leaned forward in her seat. “Will something happen?”

“Sweetie, he's trying to be funny.” Lynn said, glaring at her husband. “You're just going to be a bit emotional for a day or two.”

“And have a desire to eat chocolate.” Jamie added from her seat with a giggle.

Lynn turned and saw a mix of fear and confusion on Tracy's face. She reached back and patted the girl's knee. “It's totally safe. It's just hormones will play havoc on your emotions. But be thankful that you don't have to deal with the other part to it.”

“Yeah.” Jamie said. “Pads and periods are no fun at all.” She looked at her father who was driving and then she looked to Tracy and gave a little wicked smile. “I could tell you some stories about mine. Like the time I was wearing...”

“Okay. We can stop this conversation now.” Lance said, looking in the rear-view mirror at his eldest. “We don't need to get into that now or at dinner time. And you don't need to emotionally scar Tracy.”

“But we can talk later if you want, Tracy.” Lynn said. “But you should save your big questions for your mother.”

“Okay.” Tracy replied.

"For now, don't worry about it." Lance told her. "Women have dealt with hormones for years. It's nothing to be scared of. Just focus on dinner out with a friend and not about tomorrow."

Up next, Maggie comes to town.

“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

“I kinda guessed they would, but I was mad.”

“Why were you mad?”

Vance went back to looking at his shoes. “I thought that Tracy had less work to do around the house. I had to help my Grandpa out in the fields, and all she had to do was work inside the house. Then I went over to the back porch to see if Grandma had any more work for me that day and there was Troy, resting on the back porch in a dress, just sitting around and having fun. I just got mad.”

“Anger often shuts down common sense.” Ivan said with a nod. “And thinking a sibling has it easier then you, that makes things bad. Did you ever find out if she had it worse?”

Edited by Djkauf

More of Tracy and her family

Tracy was in the doctor’s office with her mother. Her father was in the waiting room, not wanting to make his daughter uncomfortable. She had been unaware that they had changed the time of the appointment, so she was there for her hormones, before seeing Ivan and before food. She was grateful that it took very little time to move her mother's clothes into the house. And she was looking forward to something to eat, as her stomach kept rumbling while she sat in the exam room.

The doctor looked at her results, then at Maggie and her. “We ran the blood tests and found no hormones in her body, other than the little amount that would be made naturally. It seemed to be a bit heavy in testosterone, but nothing to be concerned over. What does concern me is the fact that the growth of your chest could be your weight. On one hand, I could say that it's just youth and you'll grow out of it, but on the other hand, I must think that you could be gaining weight, due to your castration.”

“And this is bad?” Maggie asked.

“It can be, if left unchecked. Do you exercise, young lady?”

“I do Tai Chi.” Tracy stated.

“Well, I want you to do more, like walk daily. I recall that in your file, you have a grandmother who has osteoporosis?”

Maggie nodded. “Yes. Tracy's paternal grandmother.”

“This is what I want you to do. I would like you to get together with your Tai Chi master, and have him or her give you a work out that you can do for half an hour each day. It could be more, but at least, I want you to do half an hour, daily. I also want you to start walking each day. Run or jog every other day. I don't mean that you have to do a marathon, start out slow. A mile for a little while, then when it is no longer a chore, step up to two, then three. This will help combat a possible weight gain. Also, you may need to watch your intake of calories. Now don't starve yourself, because that will cause more problems than it helps. But I want you to cut back on how much you eat. But as you work out more, you will increase your food intake. You're burning off what you eat, so you have to replace it. We may add weight lifting into this. Not like Olympic lifters, just enough to keep working your bones and keeping them strong, but you may wish to speak to your master about how to do it, so you don't lose flexibility for strength.”

“Okay.” Tracy nodded.

“I'll make sure your mother has a full list. But for now, I would like to give you your first dose of hormones.”

"Awesome." Tracy said as she turned her head from the needle that he had and she flinched as a needle poked her skin.

“And there you go. One dose of female hormones.” The doctor said as he turned around to face Maggie.

Tracy smiled as the Doctor handed a piece of paper to Maggie. “Keep an eye out for these symptoms, this is a list of known reactions to the hormones. You'll know the normal problems that will occur, so be ready.”

“Be ready for what?” Tracy asked.

“Mood swings.” Maggie answered. “But every girl deals with them.”

“Here is a list of vitamins she may need to keep up on, to help with her bones. And calcium is a must. Without testosterone in her body, she needs to help strengthen the bones somehow. She is still growing, so it is important that she gets enough calcium daily.”

“Thank you.” Maggie said and she walked out of the little room, to talk to the doctor more, and let Tracy dress.

Ten minutes later, after she had dressed and checked her hair in the bathroom mirror, Maggie and Tracy walked into the waiting room. William put down his magazine, tapped his son on the arm and stood up. He had met with the doctor, just to introduce himself, but he had wanted to leave Tracy some privacy. “Are we done?”

“Yes. I got a list of vitamins she needs to take, plus a list of things to watch for. But other then that, we're good to go.” Maggie stated.

“So, young lady, want to hit that hot dog place now?”

“Please, I haven't eaten since breakfast.” Tracy said as Vance stood and her parents started for the door.

“Okay. So where is this Caspers?”

“I can show you.” Vance said. “It's by the main highway.”

“How do you know?” William asked.

“Uncle Frank took me there when we were down here in November.”

The drive only took a few minutes, then one quick order later and William was sitting at a table, his wife across from him and his kids to either side. “So, how have things been?”

“For the past week?” Tracy asked with a chuckle and William nodded. “Good, I guess. I stayed with Rachel, till this morning and she has a kitten.” Tracy looked up from her food. “Can we get a kitten, when we get our own place?”

“We'll think about it.” William answered her, then gestured for her to continue.

“It was okay. I had my Tai Chi class on Tuesday and I hung out with Rachel, Sage and Brooke a few times during the week. Did some homework, helped cook at Rachel's. Not much else.” Tracy looked to her Dad. “What about you?” He knew that she had skipped her running from Rachel's house, but he didn't want to push her. He was sure Maggie would question her later, and he only know part of the story.

“Me? Well, I go home from work and wish I didn't have to go back. I miss my wonderful daughter and now I'll miss my beautiful wife. We eat at Mom and Dad's and that's about it.”

“I'm sorry I had to leave.” Tracy replied, looking up at him, eyes threatening to fill with tears.

“Stop that.” William commanded. He was thankful the restaurant was mostly empty, that way people wouldn't be questioning it if Tracy cried. “We brought you down here for your safety. This wasn't your fault. We've covered that before. And in four months, We'll be here too.”

“But I feel guilty.” Tracy stated.

William shook his head and gently spoke. “Tracy. No one would have known that Clark and Molly would attack you. Soon, both of them will be no more then a bad dream and we'll be down here, living a better life.”

Maggie nodded her agreement with her husband. “He's right. I really think that you're safer here. No Molly, No Clark and who knows how many other people Molly told about you.”

Tracy sighed and sat back in her seat. William knew he didn't want her in a bad mood all night, so he decided to cheer her up. “So, do you need anything for your Tai Chi class?”

“Shifu Jaio has ordered me a uniform and it should be here next week.”

“What about your old one?”

“It's the wrong color and it has the wrong markings on it. The color is a different rank in Shifu Jaio's class. Plus this is a different school and I'd rather not remember that jerk.”

William nodded as he put himself in her shoes. “I can understand that. Be like if I had worn someone else's rank in the Army. Did she tell you how much it would cost?”

“Helping clean her house a few times, and helping clean around the school on Tuesday nights, after Shifu Lok's class.”

“For how long?”

“Just a couple of weeks.” Tracy replied. “ She said they can insist it’s part of my training, so they don't get in trouble by having a minor work. Then the other work I do goes into taking money off the bill of the school.”

“Well, we'll help with that. They are charging the same as the other guy, and you like them more.” William replied. “And I must say, that Lok fellow is a nice man.”

~o~O~o~

It was quarter after three when Maggie had signed them in and Tracy was shocked to find none of her friends were there. She sat down and huffed out a breath. “Where are they?” She asked in a whisper.

“Hey, come on now. You know they just got out of school fifteen minutes ago.” Maggie said as she took a seat next to William. Vance had sat near Tracy, but leaving one seat space between them, hoping to steer Sage into it if she showed up.

“I know, I just want them here.” Tracy said as she slumped in her seat.

“They'll get here when they get here, honey.” William said as he picked up a health magazine from a nearby table. He wasn't used to being in this situation. The last time he had spoken to a shrink, he had been wounded in 'Nam and he hated the sessions he had. “Is this what you're like when they are in school?”

Tracy looked away and blushed. “No....”

“According to Shelly, it is. Or at least that's what Lynn and Jaio said. They had problems getting our young lady to focus on the homework any time after noon. But some of that could be because we were in another town.”

Tracy picked up the book she had brought with her and tried to read, but her attention was all over the place. It was hard to focus when she knew her friends were coming. She did her best to ignore her parents, knowing they were right.

At about three twenty-five, the door to the waiting room almost blew off its hinges as Rachel burst in. Sage held back long enough to hold the door for Brooke. By this point, Tracy was already out of her seat and in Rachel's arms. A few moments later, Persephone came in with Andromeda and Moony, who went to Vance and sat down next to him.

William and Maggie got up and greeted each of the girls. He made sure to give a big hug to Brooke, then he took his seat again. As they talked between themselves, the back door opened up and Doctor Ivan walked out. As he got close to Maggie, she turned and smiled, but Vance stayed seated. “Maggie, it’s good to see you again.”

“It's good to be here.” Maggie replied. William was wishing that he hadn't come down. He just wasn't a fan of the man's profession. It had nothing to do with the man himself, after all, his daughter liked him, so he couldn't be all bad. Maggie gestured to William. “I'd like you to meet my husband, William.”

“William, it's good to see you, I've heard a lot about you from your daughter, you must be proud of her.” Ivan held out his hand.

“I am. But then I'm proud of Vance as well.” William answered as he shook the man's hand.

“Speaking of our son, this is Vance.” Maggie said as she gestured to her eldest child.

“Vance.” Ivan held a hand out. “Hear a lot of good things about you too.”

“Thank you Sir.” Vance replied, shaking his hand.

“How did the basketball season go?”

Vance smiled brightly. “We finished seventeen and three. Second place in our district. Baseball is going to start soon for us, well the school is. The kids at school are trying to keep me from trying out.”

“Well keep your chin up and maybe you can move here and get on the new school team.” Ivan said, before he went to the four girls. “Tracy, it's good to see you again.”

“Doctor Ivan.” She said with a smile, while she shook his hand in a feminine way.

“Sage, Rachel.” The doctor said as he shook their hands. “And who might this beautiful young lady be?” He asked, looking at Brooke. He had a great guess, but he wanted to make sure.

Brooke looked up at him, her cheeks burned bright red at the term beautiful. “I'm Brooke.”

“It's good to meet you young lady.”

“Are you taking Tracy's parents first?” Sage asked.

“Like I normally do. Yes.” Ivan replied. “But today, I want to shake things up. So you may be out here for a bit.”

“That's okay, we got homework we can do.” Sage replied. “Plus my cousins may be here for Tracy, too.”

Ivan chuckled, then in an imitation of the movie Jaws, he looked to William and Maggie and in a worried tone, he said. “I'm gonna need a bigger boat.”

“Come on, you love us and you know it.” Sage playfully replied.

He gestured to Maggie and William. “If you two would like to come back...”

Tracy watched as her parents were led back to the room and she grabbed her brother and went over to Jill. “Ma'am. I'd like you to meet Vance, my brother. Vance, this is Mary Beth and Emily May's aunt.”

“Ma'am.” Vance said with a smile.

“Hello, Vance. How are you today?”

“Doing good, Ma'am.” Vance replied.

“That's good. Everything better up north?”

“I guess. Oh...I almost forgot.” Vance went over to his coat and pulled out a couple of envelopes. “These are for Tracy and her friends, but Emily said if I saw you, to give this to you, or have Tracy give it to you.” He handed a couple of envelopes to her. “Emily said there was a letter from her and Mary Beth in it.”

“Thank you. It means a lot to keep in contact with my family, no matter how stupid their father is being.”

“When we move down here, Peter has agreed to send the mail to us and Tracy can bring it in to you.”

“Well thank you. Thank you both.”

~o~O~o~

“Please, have a seat.” Ivan gestured to the couch as he took his usual seat across from it. He watched as William let Maggie sit first, then he sat next to her. “I must say it's good to finally meet you.”

“Well, I almost didn't come.” William admitted. “I had a bad experience with a shrink after 'Nam, .”

“I can understand. War is a traumatizing experience.” Ivan said, not wishing to correct him on the slang title of his profession.

“You're telling me.” William shook his head. “I heard about hell in the bible and that has been the closest I think I've come to seeing what it would be like. Did you serve?”

“Yes. I was a Captain with the ninety-fifth evac hospital. Psychiatric consultation. Got there in sixty eight and was there for the move to Monkey mountain and stayed till seventy.”

“I was a cook in a camp outside of Da Nang. I recall Hell's half acre very well.” William stated, using the nickname of the doctor's old camp. “I was only a Sergeant and a cook of a small camp, but I spent a couple of weeks at the ninety fifth after our camp came under fire. Took some shrapnel through my right knee.”

“Can I ask? Did you get drafted, or enlist?”

“I enlisted.” William said.

“Why? Most of the kids our age were trying anything they could do to get out of it.”

“My brother is older then me and he was already in the air force. He had four kids at that point and I had heard that if I went over, he'd be kept out of the fighting.”

“I see. Were either of your kids born then?” Ivan scratched out a quick note and William began to wonder how much he should tell.

“It's okay.” Maggie whispered when she saw his hesitation. “Trust me, William.”

William sighed and decided his wife was right, again. “Vance was. In fact that was the one thing that kept me going when I was there. I kept getting tapes that Maggie recorded each week. Sure, I got them a month or two later, but I got them. I heard Vance's first word over those tapes. Hell, I still got that tape.” William gave the doctor a small smile. “When I got hurt, I must have played that tape three or four times a day, just to give me the strength to keep going. But we had a plan ready if something happened to me. Both Maggie's parents and mine would have made sure she was taken care of. That never had to be used and Tracy was born about nine months after I first got home.”

“That's also normal.” Ivan said with a nod of his head. “Tell me, how has Troy becoming Tracy affected you? Were you sad, angry, supportive?”

“Well, I never knew, not until Thanksgiving. Then I heard Maggie talking to Shelly and I put the pieces of the conversation together. Maggie and I talked about it and I decided to trust Maggie and let Tracy do her thing.”

“Her thing?”

“Well, she was Tracy, but only at the house and only after school. I actually gave my permission to let her do it.”

“Most men would have fought this tooth and nail, but you didn't. Why?”

“Well, in September or October, Vance had been giving Tracy, well Troy, a hard time at school. Troy let the school and walked home, then he fell asleep on my mother's back porch. When My mom told us where he was, I went there to yell at him, but both Maggie and Mom pointed out how I had been treating Troy badly and letting Vance do everything he wanted. Well, my Mom offered an idea, where the boys did more work at the house and I went with it. I had no idea that it was Tracy doing the cooking and cleaning, not until Thanksgiving. But while Maggie was down here, the weekend after Thanksgiving, I got to doing some thinking and I realized she has always been acting like a girl and I knew I had to change my attitude, or lose a child and a wife.”

“Now I know many men relate to their male offspring better then the female and it gets a bit more strained when the girls get older. Are you spending time with her? Before the move, I mean?”

“Well....” William thought about it, then he hung his head. “Not much. I mean I'd talk with her each morning as she made breakfast, but Vance and I have always been closer. “

“Well, just remember to take some time each month for her as well. Each child needs to feel loved by both the mother and father. I'm not saying take her shopping, but maybe a meal at a fast-food place, just the two of you. Maybe a walk in the evening and let her open up to you. I know it will be harder, now that you're in another town, so phone calls on the weekends, stuff like that. Take time to mail her a letter. Write something from the heart for her.”

“I think I can do that.”

“Now, I would like to know, in the past two weeks, has anything major happened?”

“Not really.” Maggie said. “My Mom and I stayed here until Friday and from what Shelly said, it hurt Tracy a lot when we left. We did get the temporary restraining order filed and we have an appointment for this Friday to get the full order. We're not sure if Molly will be there, as far as I know, she's in the mental health facility in Chico.”

“We did get to see Tracy during the week.” William added, not wanting to seem like they just abandoned her. “On Valentine’s day. We had Frank and Shelly take her to Sacramento for dinner. We brought Vance and had a nice meal.”

“That sounds nice. I bet she loved it.” Ivan stated.

“She did. She sat between Maggie and myself and I don't think she stopped talking long enough to eat.” William chuckled as he thought about that visit.

“That's true. I was shocked that she had that much stuff to talk about. I had only been gone for three days.” Maggie said with a chuckle.

“And how was she after that? Did the other parents let you know if she was missing you?”

“From what I heard, she did.” Maggie replied. “Shelly and Frank had already planned on being out of town, so Tracy stayed with Rachel and I guess there were a few bad days. Lynn called me on Tuesday and told me that Tracy had left the house early in the morning, after something happened and she went to Brooke's, I guess she thought Rachel was mad or something.”

“Ah. Do you know everything that happened?” He asked, even though he knew some of the story from Sage

“I think so.” Maggie replied. She quickly told him what she knew and he nodded as she told her story. When she finished he made a quick couple of notes and leaned back.

“I try and approach the subject carefully, but it’s a talk that she needs to have with me.” Ivan said. “From what I can get, it is that she's worried that her body is going to run her friends off. But I don't think the girls are leaving.”

“I hope so. I've never seen Tracy this happy.” William stated.

~o~O~o~

“Have a seat Vance.”

“Yes sir.” He replied as he took the offered seat.

“Now you're probably wondering why I wanted to talk to you, right?”

“Yeah.” Vance said with a nod. “It's not like I can do anything. I'm just the brother.”

“Wrong, Vance. You can do a lot.” Ivan said. “You had two paths when you first found out about Tracy. Path one was bad. You could have made Tracy's life a living hell. Path two is good, you could have supported her, which you have and being one of many people who helped her two weeks ago proved that.”

“But I did do the bad one.” Vance said as he hung his head in shame. “I told my friend about Tracy, when she was Troy and that he wore dresses, he was the one who attacked Tracy in December. He came over 'cause we were going to beat up on Troy.”

“Okay, but what happened?” Ivan asked.

“Grandma Modine did. She made me wear a dress when Bruce and Frankie came over.”

“And how did they treat you?”

Vance shrugged. “They teased me. They kept teasing me at school too, till Troy caught Bruce stealing from a class, then they tried to beat us both up.”

“Did they?”

Vance shook his head and looked up. “Kinda. We got in trouble for fighting at school and got suspended for three days, but Bruce and Frankie got ten days suspension. That was at Thanksgiving.”

Ivan held up a hand to stop him. “Let me back up a bit here. Why did you tell your friends? Did you know that they'd want to hurt Tracy?”

“I kinda guessed they would, but I was mad.”

“Why were you mad?”

Vance went back to looking at his shoes. “I thought that Tracy had less work to do around the house. I had to help my Grandpa out in the fields, and all she had to do was work inside the house. Then I went over to the back porch to see if Grandma had any more work for me that day and there was Troy, resting on the back porch in a dress, just sitting around and having fun. I just got mad.”

“Anger often shuts down common sense.” Ivan said with a nod. “And thinking a sibling has it easier then you, that makes things bad. Did you ever find out if she had it worse?”

“When she was hurt, I noticed how dirty our house and my Grandparent’s house got. I realized how much she really did then.”

“How long did you have to wear the dresses?”

“Tracy talked to Grandma and had her stop it after a week. Both Dad and Grandpa had laughed at me and she felt bad for it.”

“How did you feel when they laughed at you?”

Vance sighed. “I hated it. It hurt bad, worse than any name I've been called.” Vance looked up at him. “But I got to thinking after that, that me telling Bruce and Frankie was just like Dad and Grandpa laughing at me.”

“Very mature of you to figure that out on your own.” Ivan said with a smile.

“Well, I had a lot of time to think over the Christmas break.” Vance replied.

“Thinking is always good. Not enough people do it though.” Ivan said with a smile.

“Dad said that before.”

“Yeah, Dad's get those hints of wisdom in the Dad cheat book. So, what about this most recent attack.”

“Yeah. I came in at the middle, with Tracy's friend, Peter, plus Jerry, who was there the last time Tracy got attacked, but he left because he didn't know Bruce was going to do that, and Moonglow, Sage's brother.”

“So you were where when it started?”

Vance leaned back in the couch. “We were hanging out at my Grandfather's house, while the girls were at our place. Then we heard Clark yelling at Tracy so we went over and made sure that it wasn't four on one.”

“Tell me, how have you been after all of the pictures and the phone-calls? Any nightmares?” The question caught Vance off guard. He had thought that this man was there to see Tracy and get his reactions about her, not to ask him about himself.

“I had a couple of dreams, but nothing too bad, nothing like Tracy.”

“Her dreams are back?”

“Well before she moved they were. I didn't tell you this, but the guy was calling and saying what he would do to her. I heard Mom tell Dad about it one night. I guess he was planning to show up and rape Tracy, after they raped Mom and make Tracy watch. Then they were going to make her watch as they killed Dad and me.” Vance stated. “I mean this was what he said. That guy was a pot head and a coke snorter, so who knows.”

“And I'm guessing that there were bad dreams because of this?”

“Yeah. She would wake up crying. Usually it was because she had dropped her bear on the floor.” Vance stated. “But normally, If I could, I'd stick it back in her arms and go back to bed.”

“Very thoughtful of you.” Ivan said. “Tell me, Vance, have you been adjusting to the absence of Tracy well?”

Vance shrugged. “Okay I guess. I mean she was making dinner and we ate at five each evening, but now we eat at the Grandparents, or when Mom gets home from work.”

“Any thing else? I recall that you shared a room with Troy, did you share one with Tracy?”

“Well, we had to. I mean I could have slept in the living room, but Mom and Dad didn't make me.”

“How did that make you feel?”

“Well, I was glad I didn't lose my room, but when she would come home from school and change, I always gave her space and waited in the kitchen.”

The Doctor scribbled down a note. “Why? After all, you had been in the same room as her for the past eleven years.”

“But it was Troy. This was different. Tracy is my sister and she deserves the chance to dress without her brother watching her.” Vance stated and Ivan smiled at him.

“That is a very mature attitude about this, Vance. You have the chance to watch your sister grow up to be a wonderful woman and you get the fun of being there and watching it happen.”

Vance smiled. “And I get the bonus of her cute friends too.”

“Yes, there is that too.” Ivan nodded. “And for a boy of your age, that can be quite important.”

~o~O~o~

“So young lady, how are you today?” Ivan asked Tracy. She was all alone in the room. He had planned on bringing in the family as a whole after this, then her friends, but he wanted to get to talk to her alone.

“I'm good.” She beamed at him. “Mom moved down today!”

“That is excellent news.” Ivan said with a nod. “How about the past week?”

“Well, we met with Mom and Dad for Valentines day. Aunt Shelly and Uncle Frank took me to Sacramento and we ate there. I also went to a garden club and met a bunch of ladies and got a couple of people to compliment on my cooking.”

“That is very good.” Ivan nodded and he wrote down a quick note. “What about Tuesday?”

“Well, I had to stay with Rachel, Aunt Shelly and Uncle Frank went to Reno.” He noticed that Tracy's attitude seemed to sour.

“And how did that go?” He asked her.

“Okay. I tried to do school work and Tuesday I spent with Brooke's mother.” Tracy replied.

“Tracy, you seem a bit down. Did something happen on Tuesday?”

Tracy didn't want to reply, but he seemed to know, so she nodded. “Yeah.”

“Tell me and we can work on it. Like I said, I can't help you, if I don't know what is wrong.”

“It....” Tracy started and she got quiet for a second or two, then she shook her head. “It’s stupid.”

“Tracy, something happened to you. And it is something bad enough to ruin your happy mood. This concerns me as your doctor and a friend. So please, help me, help you.”

Tracy was quick for a few moments and as he was about to change the subject, she sighed, then answered. “When I was at Rachel's the first morning, she kept hitting the snooze and I went over and tickled her, then I blew on her chest, just to wake her up. When I stopped I noticed that she was totally naked under her shirt.” Her cheeks went a bright red. “My thing got hard and I panicked.”

“Panicked how?”

“I left their house, while Rachel showered.”

Ivan leaned forward. “Why? Why did you leave, Tracy?”

Tracy sighed again. “I was upset that my stupid body did what it did. I started to think that she saw me and she would get mad and hate me, then my body would have cost me a friend.”

“I see.” Ivan wrote down another note. “And did she leave you?”

“No.” Tracy shook her head. “From what Sage told me, she was mad at herself for getting me excited and making me hate myself.”

Ivan waited for her to finish, then he put down his pad and pencil, so he could focus on her fully. “Tracy, your body will do things at the worst times in life. You will get gas in a church, you will burp at the worst times. Hiccups can bring a class to a halt. You only have so much control on this body. You can't stop blood flow. You will blush at the worst times you can think of. You will trip over nothing, but only when people are watching. Goofs like that happen. Rachel was just as worried about you as you were about her. Next time, and there will be a next time, stay and talk to her. I somehow doubt that a simple little problem like that will make Rachel hate you.”

“I guess.” Tracy answered, not totally convinced.

“Tracy, trust me. She's been your main supporter of the girls, along with Sage, since they met you. I'd bet she has you listed as one of her five best friends, just as you have her listed. So don't let this ruin that relationship.”

“Okay.” Tracy replied, a bit more sure.

More of Tracy to come and soon, more of Molly.

“It's a Valley girl thing. It's getting huge, but it sounds stupid.” Sage replied.

“Is she always like that, being a jerk, I mean?”

Sage, Brooke and Rachel all nodded. Brooke answered. “Always. Her and her friend.”

“So I left Clark and now I get that?” Tracy asked.

“Tracy, mean people are everywhere. That is a fact of life.” Sage stated.

Edited by Djkauf

Tracy and family for some more fun. This time, William debates his choices,and Tracy gets something done that all girls have.

Friday February 18th 1983

William sat in a chair, on the side of the class, where several other parents were seated. Persephone, Moony and all Tracy's friends were with them. Maggie was next to her husband, as they watched their daughter go through her class. William had never put much faith into this style, not until Tracy had defended her grandmother. She was still sore from her hormone shot, but her attitude was unwavering.

Almost an hour later, as kids came in for Lok's class, a tired and slightly sore Tracy walked over to them, bowed at the edge of the mat and sat down. Jaio came over and smiled at them. “She is doing well in her placement in the intermediate class. As for her Mandarin, she is learning the basic greetings, and Brooke is taking her time, so we don't overwhelm her.” To Maggie's side, Brooke nodded.

Lok came over and smiled at her. “Tracy, since your parents are here, and my class is showing up, we will work on the other techniques I have been teaching you on Tuesday.”

“Thank you, Shifu.”

“You are most welcome. So, go and have a fun night.”

“I will. Mom moved down here today.”

“Well, that is great news.” Lok replied.

“I know. Now to wait till June for Dad to move down.”

“Patience. One must learn patience in life, or waiting will drive you crazy.”

~o~O~o~

Maggie, Vance, and William followed Tracy and her friends into the Mall. They had time to spare before they needed to be elsewhere, so Persephone had driven the girls and Maggie, while William took Moony and Vance to the local mall in Pleasanton. Tracy had begged for earrings and she had the money to pay for it, so William told Maggie to cover half of the bill, if she wanted, or the whole bill, if it was cheap enough. As they entered the mall, Vance tried to get near Sage, but each time he did, the girls would dash off to a store, leaving him watching as they raced in.

William finally stopped by him and chuckled. “It's worse when you're the parent and the kids won’t stay near by.”

“I just want to hang out with her.” Vance said.

“You got to remember, she's Tracy’s friend and you never get in the middle of a group of girls, unless you wish to be trampled.” William said with a grin. “But I hear there's a sporting goods store here, so maybe you and I could go check that out while they get Tracy's ears pierced”

“Pierced?”

“Yeah. She's living as Tracy now, so earrings are important. Unless you want to wear some as well.”

“No.” Vance answered.

“Persephone, can we take your son, so he isn't hanging out in the jewelry store?”

“Please, I'm sure he'd hate it.”

Moony nodded. “Yes, I would.”

“Come on then. You know the way?”

“Yeah, past the food court.”

“Good. Maggie, meet us in the food court. We can get the girls dinner, because it is late enough.”

“I will.” Maggie said as she moved to catch up with her daughter and the girls. She found them as she looked into a jewelery shop for teens.

Tracy moved around the racks, her eyes going over all the earrings. Her friends stood with her as they held up each card, pushed her hair out of the way and let her look in the tiny plastic mirrors. The clerk walked over to Tracy's group and she looked to Persephone and Maggie. “Getting your daughters some earrings?”

“Well, my youngest is going to wait.” Persephone said, putting a hand on Andromeda. “But we're actually here for her daughter, the sandy blonde with the blue skirt. She wants to get her ears pierced.”

“Mom, could I get a pair too?” Sage asked, holding her hands out in a pleading manner.

“Okay.” Persephone turned to face the clerk. “We need to get her ears pierced too.”

“We have a special going on right now. One pair of earrings at regular price and a starter set, half price with a piercing. So if the two who are getting them want a few more minutes, just let me know when you're ready.”

“Okay.” The girls chorused together. Maggie looked around the shop, letting her daughter have her space, till a voice caught her attention.

“Mom!” Tracy said as she ran over and showed her four cards, each with different styles of earrings. “I need help. We've narrowed it down to these four and we're all thinking of getting one set that matches. The ones with the tiny stars. Should I get a birthstone for me?” She held the card up to her ear.

“I think pearls would look good on you, but remember, you'd have to wear the first set for a couple of weeks, before you take them out.”

“Oh. Well then, yeah, I'd like to get the stars and the pearls.” Tracy had turned to put the stuff back, she stopped half a step away. “Thanks, Mom.”

“No problem, sweetie.”

~o~O~o~

“So where are we going for the night?” Tracy asked Sage and Brooke as the girls sat at one of several tables pushed together in the food court. Vance and Moony were up at a counter, looking for more food. Her hands kept playing with her earrings and each time her mother would gently move her hands and tell her to stop.

“My place.” Sage replied. “Brooke's mom isn't feeling well and her Grandfather wants to keep us from getting it. So Brooke is staying with us until her mom gets better.” William began to chuckle and Tracy laughed, causing Brooke to give them a funny look.

“What?” Brooke asked.

“I kinda told Vance that we would be at your house because your mother lets us run around naked, just to see what he would do.”

Brooke's face broke in a big smile, then she began laughing. After a few minutes, she looked to Tracy. “We gotta have fun with him.”

Sage just groaned. “Noooo.”

“Now girls, don't tease him too much. I have to deal with him for the next few months all on my own.”

“I have to agree. I wouldn't tease him too much.” Persephone added. “You don't want to ruin his relationship with Tracy.”

“I'm sorry, Sage. I tried to ask Aunt Shelly, but they wanted to keep the house to the adults tonight, but she said tomorrow we could stay there, if you want.”

“That’s okay, I can survive. My bedroom door locks.” Sage replied, then she smiled. “Besides, we got a surprise now.”

“What?” Tracy asked.

“We have a TV and cable. Dad finally agreed that it doesn't rot the brain, but he wants us to watch some PBS each week, so we are cultured.” Sage rolled her eyes at the last part.

“Cool, so MTV?”

“Maybe. I know Moony is having Vance over, so who knows. We have to agree on the show.”

~o~O~o~

William's car pulled up to Sage's home. He had offered to take Vance and Moony, while the girls and Maggie rode with Persephone. As Persephone's VW bus pulled up, Vance looked over as the girls got out.

“Are the girls staying here tonight?” Vance asked. His father went over to Brooke and offered to carry her, which she nodded her approval.

“Yes.” William replied, as he picked Brooke out of her chair. “Your Aunt has something going on tonight, so do the Parker’s and William’s. So they are doing the sleepover here tonight.” He walked the few feet to the steps.

“Sleepover? I thought they were going to Brooke's?” Vance asked. "So Sage is going to be here?!?" He began to perk up.

“Brooke's mom is sick, and your Aunt, Uncle, Mom and I are stepping out for a bit.” William went up the steps, then in the house, where he waited for Brooke's chair to be brought into the house, then he placed her in it.

There was a knock at the door and Persephone answered it. Jamie, Rachel's sister walked in. “We're going to be gone for about an hour or two, but you can call the William's house if there is a problem.” Persephone told them.

“Okay Mom.” Sage and her brother replied.

“We've also called Jamie over, because Lance wants her out of the home for an hour or two. We'll dish out ice cream or something a bit later, but for now, just have fun. Vance, soda is in the fridge, help yourself.”

“Okay.” He said with a nod of his head.

~o~O~o~

William, Maggie were at Lance and Lynn's house with the parents of Sage and Stacey and Casey. Lok and his wife had just returned from their school in Dublin and they were there for Brooke. Shelly and Frank were there as well. Lynn was busy passing out sodas to the parents and William was getting ready for possible trouble, or news that his daughter hadn't told him yet.

Lance sat in a chair and faced the Pattersons. “William, Maggie, we wanted you two here because my wife and I, Harvey and Lilian, Carl and Persephone and Karen and her parents have been talking over an idea for the past couple of months, ever since Christmas. We know how much the girls are looking forward to hanging out for spring break, but instead of letting Rachel have us go all over the Bay area for mall shopping, we came up with an idea.”

“What type of idea?” Maggie asked.

“See, we were going to take Jamie and Rachel on a trip for Easter break, but Rachel said they had plans and she didn't want to miss out on Tracy's first Easter break. The others were having the same issue.”

Harvey chuckled. “Stacey was throwing the same problem up at us once Tracy took off in December.”

“Same with Sage and 'Romy.” Persephone added.

“Brooke has been better. She knows she has competitions and if she is not good, we don't let her go.” Lok stated.

“Where are you thinking of going?” William asked. He was afraid of being put on the spot and if it involved money, he would have to find a way to politely decline.

“Disneyland.” Lance stated.

“I don't know, it's kinda expensive.” William replied. He didn't want to be rude and he didn't want to ruin their ideas, but he knew that would be more money then they had at the moment. “what with Maggie moving, it may be hard for us to make it, but don't let us ruin your vacation.”

“And as the Godparents to Tracy and Vance, we owe them several years of gifts, so we'll pay their way, hotel bill, and help you with your tickets into the park.” Shelly stated. “William, that job is going to run you into the ground the next few months, take this chance to have some fun. You said you already asked for the time off, right?”

“Yeah, I figured I was bringing Tracy down here for Easter to hang out with the girls.”

“Well, then just show up and we'll bring you with us.” Lance stated. “You push yourself too hard and you may start to resent your children for the move. Relax. I know how hard it is to ask for help, but remember, you have money coming in from those cars that the O'Brien guy is selling for you.”

“True. I keep forgetting those.”

Lance turned to face the others. “Lok, can you and Jaio take time off of work?”

“With the school, we may take the week off of training, but what if just Karen went, to save on money and rooms.”

“So you're all in for this idea?” William asked.

“This beats my idea of just finding a campground up north.” Harvey stated. “The girls weren't too happy about sleeping in the trailer.”

“We do have an issue.” Lilian stated.

“What's that?” Lance asked.

“Well, there are how many of us? I mean including Mooney, Jamie and Vance? I'm guessing we're taking them with us. So what does that total to?”

“Twenty three.” William replied rather quickly. Math had been his strong point and he knew he had done the count for all the families before. “That's with the three oldest, Lok and Jaio, plus Karen and Shelly and Frank.”

“Twenty two. I took some time off work already and wanted to save the rest of my time off till September and December.” Frank stated.

“Twenty two people then. We have to transport that many people.” Lilian said.

“Well, my truck holds nine, as does yours. That's eighteen” Harvey told his wife. “I think Karen's van can hold six, so it may be out, so we can focus on leaving the luggage with that vehicle. The trucks don't have much storage space.”

“I have a van.” Shelly stated. “I can take seven people, including me, or I can take three others and fill the back with bags, so Brooke will be in the vehicle with her wheelchair.”

“Let's take Shelly's van, Take my truck, Lilian's truck and we keep the girls in one truck, except Jamie, unless she wants to be there.”

“When would we go?” Lance asked. “Later Friday, after school got out?”

“I couldn't go, not on the Friday.” William said. “I have work until Saturday afternoon and Vance has a full day the Friday before. Even if I could get the weekend off, we wouldn't get here till seven, that means Disney at midnight, if not later.”

“Okay, Monday then. Harvey, that work?”

“I'm off from Friday to Sunday the next week.”

“So more then a week? Good.” Lance said with a smile.

“I do have Sunday off, so we can travel then, or Saturday.” William said.

“We may not go.” Lok said, patting his wife’s hand. “But we would make sure that Brooke can go. She needs happiness in her life. But could we think about it?”

“Please do, we have a month and a half. But I would like to call a tourist place, so we can get the tickets and book the hotel early” Lance replied, then he looked to Carl and Persephone. “You two are good to go, right?”

“Yes. I'm just trying to think if we want to subject Mickey and Donald to my two girls. 'Romy is a total Donald nut.” Carl smiled brightly. “Actually, Persephone and I had been kicking around this idea for a while. We can use the tax money and go with that.”

William's eyes lit up. “I forgot about tax refunds.”

“We got it covered, William.” Shelly reminded him. “Save taxes for other expenses, like a moving van.”

“The Doctor and Therapist is on the eighteenth, so that's one saving grace.” Maggie stated.

“Two less stops?” Harvey asked.

“That too, but hopefully she won't be high on the hormones and in a mood when we go.”

“Here's hoping.” Lance nodded. “Lets just remember that Tracy isn't the only one we have to worry about with hormones. What about the court thing, Maggie, that's Friday, right?”

“Yeah, Early morning.” Maggie answered.

“I wish I could be here for that.” William grumbled. “Stupid job.”

“We know.” Maggie patted his arm. “I know you want to be here.”

“William, no one is looking down on you.” Shelly stated. “You're doing what you feel is right and instead of switching Vance mid school year, you're waiting.” William thought about her statement and he really wondered if they were doing what was best for Vance.

“Okay. So starting Friday before we go, we get the kids packed, we can load up on Friday and be ready for Saturday. William, when are you due to be off?”

“Noon. Also lately they've been doing their best to piss me off. Six on, then six, then four, then eight. ” He replied.

“So, if there were no issues, you could be here by three if you come straight down?” Lance asked and William nodded.

“I got a thought.” Carl said. “What if, the person with the smallest amount of people waits for William. When William gets to that person, we take off for Disneyland.”

“No. We all go together, in case one of us has car problems.” Harvey said.

“I got to side with Harvey on that. Together is safest.” Lance said and William agreed.

“One caravan is better. That way we all get there at once and all the parents are with their children.” William said with a nod.

“Very good. So we leave in a large group. William will bring Vance to Shelly's. We meet at Shelly's and we load up from there.”

“Yeah.”

Shelly leaned forward. “So do we tell the girls now?”

“We should, that way they will all be on their best behavior.” Lance stated. “And the older ones too.”

“Tomorrow.” Harvey replied. “After I get off work, we can meet at Persephone's.”

“No. They're going to my place. So meet there and we can have a pizza or something.” Shelly replied.

“Tomorrow at Shelly's for pizza and carnage.” Lance said with a chuckle.

Harvey leaned forward and cleared his throat. “I would like to offer something to Vance and Moony. Disney may seem childish to them, so what if this summer, I offer to take them camping? I can take Carl and William too, that way the boys get to hang out with their fathers.”

“That could work.” Carl said. “Moony and I do need to hang out more.”

“Same with Vance and me, but we shouldn't forget our daughters.”

Carl smiled at William. “Will, we're going to be at Disneyland with our daughters. Your son will be with my daughter. So I think we have the girls covered.”

“Poor Sage.” Maggie chuckled. “So much for it being the happiest place on Earth.”

“I have a thought.” Persephone chimed in. “For when we get there, since Vance and Mooney are the only boys in this group, what if Tracy comes our way for a couple of nights, so we have Tracy, Sage and 'Romy, then we switch, so the boys can share a bed and the girls can share one too.”

Maggie nodded at the logic. “Good idea. We could do that.”

~o~O~o~

“Would it be wrong to admit that I've thought about moving now and not waiting for June?” William asked, while he sat at the table in a restaurant with his wife, Shelly and Frank. “They are doing their best to fire me. Why not save them the problems and just quit, move Vance down to this school system and have Dad watch our stuff. We can just as easily drive up, pack the house up and move.”

“William, we're always ready to help you move.” Frank replied. “Well, on the weekends would be easier. But we're there for you.”

“We can do it, but what brought this on?” Maggie asked.

“Work, mostly. The managers are by the time clock, almost daily, and they are getting nit-picky if I clock in or out, a minute early or late. So far the union is covering my backside, but I'm almost to the point of saying it just isn't worth it. Then there's issues on the floor and if I am driving, they make me stop and help, then they get on my ass for not doing my job. It's getting to be more than I want to deal with.”

Maggie lightly touched his hand. “William, none of us can tell you what to do. I know Tracy would love it if you were to move with us. But I can't speak for Vance. I know he is mad because the boys on the teams won't let him play in the sports, but that can't be his only reason to move. You have to do what feels right for you.”

“What feels right is having my family together, not split between two towns and hours apart.”

"William, I love you and I want you with me, but if you have to wait till June, then so be it. But if you choose to move now, I will make sure Vance is enrolled here and I can get that taken care of rather quickly."

~o~O~o~

Saturday 19th February 1983

“Go Vance!” Brooke yelled from their sideline show of the two on two game that Moony had set up.

Vance had been paired with Moony, while they went against two boys that Moony went to school with.

Vance faked a pass to Mooney, then he rushed the basket, getting closer to the basket, but the boy covering him stayed between him and the basket. Vance quickly passed to Mooney, then ducked past the boy as Moony made the shot. It hit the edge of the basket and bounced towards him. He scrambled to get the ball as the boy who was covering him rushed for it too. Vance got his fingers on it, then he spun and passed it back to Moony who took yet another shot.

This time the ball hit the backboard and bounced into the hoop. As it dropped to the ground, Tracy and her friends all cheered.

“Hey no fair.” One of the other boys said. “We don't have our own cheerleaders.”

“Just one of the perks to having sisters with friends.” Moony said with a grin. “It's not my fault that your parents just gave you brothers.”

“Although it would be funny to put your brother in a skirt to cheer us.” the other boy said with a chuckle.

“So I know which one is his sister, which one is yours?” The one that had called himself Bryce asked Vance.

“That one.” Vance pointed to Tracy. “The one with the blue skirt.”

“The one next to his sister?”

“Yeah.” Vance said.

“She got a boyfriend?”

“Yeah.” Vance said. “Big mean kid, about her age. He actually helped out when she got attacked.” He chuckled. “Actually he was there both times she got attacked.”

“Who attacked her?” Bryce asked.

“First time was an asshole from school. Someone who used to be my friend. Him and two other kids tried to attack her. They manged to hurt her, then they fucked up.”

“What did they do?”

Vance smiled. “When she was hurt, like hurt so bad she had to get emergency surgery afterward, she got up and fought all three of them and beat the shit out of two of them because they attacked our Grandma. No one touches our Grandma.”

Moony nodded. “Yeah. I heard she was moving damn slow when she visited in December.”

“Then two weeks ago, the younger brother of the guy who attacked her in December came to the property, but this time Tracy beat the snot out of him and one other guy, at the same time, while Tracy's boyfriend and I held back the two big dudes who came with them and Moony had Tracy's back with one other guy. She kicked some major ass that day.”

“The other guy, his name is Jerry, he was pretty cool.”

Vance nodded. “He's been all over the world. His Dad's in the Army.”

“Peter was pretty cool, for an outdoors type.”

The fourth looked to his watch really fast. “Well, come on, let's get playing. I got to get going in an hour or so.”

“Sure, I got time.” Vance said.

~o~O~o~

The girls were walking the nearby park, making sure to keep out of the bigger puddles. The game was over and they knew they had to be back at Persephone's place, so the girls could go to Shelly's for the night. Moony and Vance were following them, but giving them some space. They had almost reached the entrance of the park, when a voice disturbed their day.

“Look, it's like, Orca, the gimp, the, um, freak and like, Porker pigtails.” One of the two girls who had become the constant thorn in Rachel, Sage and Brooke's side said with a laugh. They all turned to see just the one girl standing there.

“Porker Pigtails?” Tracy asked, looking to Rachel

“Meet Yvette.” Rachel replied. “Together with a friend of hers, they share a brain-cell. But I think it’s on vacation today.”

“Like, um, shut up Orca.” Yvette told her.

“Like, um.” Rachel started to reply, doing her best to copy the valley speak, then she dropped it and spoke one word normally, but with a lot of annoyance. “No.”

“Come on, I don't want more problems.” Tracy said. “Let’s just go down the road or something.”

“Yeah.” Brooke agreed with a nod. “No point in being insulted everywhere we go.”

Sage put her hand on Rachel's shoulder, so she wouldn't get worked up. “Yvette, we're just hanging out with our friend. We don't want any problems.”

“Well, then, like, um, stay out of my, um, park.”

“Sure, we'll stay out of your park, but this public one is still fair game.” Rachel replied.

“Let’s just go.” Tracy stated. “Last thing we need is more problems.”

“What's going on?” Vance asked as he got closer with Moony.

“Nothing. Yvette was just leaving.” Sage stated, then they started to walk for the entrance again.

Yvette looked at the two boys and her cheeks went a bit red, then she turned and ran off. She didn't want to have problems with older boys, not cute ones like they were.

“So is there a reason she speaks like that?” Tracy asked as they reached Brooke's street. “Is she mentally retarded or something? I don't want to be mean, but she sounds like she is.”

“It's a Valley girl thing. It's getting huge, but it sounds stupid.” Sage replied.

“Is she always like that, being a jerk, I mean?”

Sage, Brooke and Rachel all nodded. Brooke answered. “Always. Her and her friend.”

“So I left Clark and now I get that?” Tracy asked.

“Tracy, mean people are everywhere. That is a fact of life.” Sage stated.

“Come on, let’s get to the house. It must be time to go by now.”

~o~O~o~

The girls all piled out of Persephone's VW bus and headed for the door of Shelly's house. Tracy led the way. She tried the doorknob and found it locked, so she knocked, then they waited. William opened it up, looked outside and started to close it. “No thanks, we gave at the office.” He said with a chuckle. He shut the door, then locked it.

Tracy knocked again and she heard her the door unlock, but it only opened up a crack. “Hello?” William asked, but he tried to speak in a voice higher then normal.

“Daddy, it's us. Can we come in?”

“Us who? I'm not expecting an us. We're expecting a group of them, but not a group of Us. Are you sure this is the right house?” He shut the door and locked it again.

A confused Vance, Moony and Jamie came around the corner. Sage looked at her brother as Harvey and Lilian walked around the garage. “What's going on?” Sage asked.

“Just a talk with everyone.” Harvey replied. “Nothing bad.”

Tracy grumbled and knocked one more time. “Daddy, can we come in?”

The door opened once more and William peeked his head out. “Are you selling Avon? Maybe candy for school?”

“Daddy. Come on, we all got our bags and stuff.” Tracy whined. “And its raining out here.”

It was only a mist, but it was still mean of him. “Okay.” He said, opening up the front door and stepping to the side. “Were you good last night?” He asked, looking at Persephone.

“She was good and so was your boy.”

~o~O~o~

William and Maggie both pulled the parents and Shelly outside leaving all the kids, including Jamie, Vance and Moony to wonder what was going on. “Persephone, do you know what school district Vance would be in, if he were to move and live in Shelly's house?”

“Yeah, he would be in Moony's. Why?”

“I'm considering moving him down now. Sure, it could cause some problems, being three months to the end of the school year, but I don't know if I can take it.” William stated.

“Being away from the wife and daughter?” Persephone asked him.

“That, and work. They really are trying to get me fired. If I go now, I don't have that fired mark on my work record. I get fired and it’s just a bit harder to get a job.”

Persephone nodded at the logic he had. She just wanted to help examine all things, in case he didn't think of them. “But what about moving? Will you store your stuff, until you can find a place?”

“Well, there is a storage place near your house. And God knows Tracy will want to go to school with her friends and Vance could use someone like your son, since he knows a bit of what Tracy is going through.” Maggie stated.

Persephone nodded. “Well, let’s talk about it after pizza. We can let the kids watch the TV or something and we can cover the main issues you may face.”

“Yeah, Jamie wants to go to a friends house, so her ride is showing up shortly.” Lynn stated.

Shelly stood up from the swinging seat they had on their covered porch. “Frank has left for the pizza, but he said to start without him.”

“Come on, let’s go make their days.” Persephone said with a smile.

They all walked in and made the kids all take seats in the small living-room. “Okay, we have all of us here to ask you all an important question.” Lance started. He looked to his two daughters. “We were thinking of taking a family trip for Spring break. By luck, Stacey, Casey and Vance all share your days off from school, so I offered my idea to the other parents.”

“What decision?” Rachel asked. “We were going to try and go to as many malls as we could that week.”

“Well, you could, or would you rather go to Disneyland?” Her father asked. It took a moment, then all the girls started to squeal.

“All of us?” Sage asked. And when the parents nodded, the girls squealed again.

“Me too?” 'Romy asked and her mother nodded, this caused the little girl to dance around in one place.

“Now, we know Disney may seem for younger kids.” Harvey told Vance and Mooney. “So this summer, while your father is moving here, Vance, and when Carl takes a week off for the summer, I'm taking you boys camping in the mountains for a week.”

“Vance, this means on the Saturday before your spring break, you need to make sure you are packed for a week and ready to go when I get home. I'll be picking you up and we're headed straight down here and then we're headed for Disneyland once we get here.”

“Okay.”

"Then it's settled and you all want to go?"

Moony and Vance shrugged, but Jamie, her sister and the rest of the girls all erupted in cheers.

~o~O~o~

“Vance, Tracy? Could we speak to the two of you in private?” William asked.

His children walked over and he led them upstairs to the bedroom that Tracy had taken over. “There are two main things we want to cover, before Carl takes you back to his house, Vance.”

“Are we in trouble?” Tracy asked.

“No, you're not in trouble.” William said with a shake of his head. “Vance, I have been considering moving down here a bit earlier. Work is really riding my backside and I think it’s only a matter of weeks before they find a reason to fire me. So would you be upset if we moved you down here earlier?”

“I guess not. It’s not like I got a lot of friends at school anymore. I mean Emily May talks to me, but not that much. And Peter did say he'd mail the letters for us.” Vance said with a shrug. “Moony did say that baseball was starting soon, so I'd be able to try out for that team, at least.”

“So is that a yes?” William asked.

“Yeah. I'd move. But what about the rest of the stuff? Could I take a day off of school for it?”

“I think we'd start with the clothes and stuff like that, so we don't fill Aunt Shelly's house, then we work on the rest in the summer.”

“So you'd move sooner?” Tracy asked, like next week?”

“Well, I have to give work two weeks notice, but the sooner I can do it, the better.”

“Awesome.” She replied, a huge smile on her lips.

William looked at her. “This is thing number two. Tracy, you mother and I are looking at going to the church that the William’s attend. Rachel is going to be with them, so would you like to go?”

“It will just be us, and the Williams. The Parkers go to their own church, Brooke has things to do and the Millers don't go to a church.”

“Sure, I guess.”

“Vance?”

“Do I have to?” He asked.

“No. You don't have to go, but we may ask again, in a few months, that is.”

“Then could I hang out with Moony some more?”

“Sure. We can allow that, if Persephone doesn't mind. We can ask her in a bit.”

~o~O~o~

When Vance had taken off and the girls had taken over the living-room, Rachel and Sage pulled her to the side. “So, what did your parents want?”

“Well, they wanted to see if I'd go to church tomorrow.” Tracy replied. “I guess Brooke, Stacey and Casey have stuff going on, so I was thinking about it.”

“Please.” Rachel held her hands up, begging to Tracy. “Please, come with me.”

“Can I think about it?” Tracy asked. “After Molly, I'm scared to get near churches for fear someone will attack me.”

“Okay, you can think about it.”

“Dad's also thinking about moving down early.” Tracy stated.

Sage gasped and Rachel hugged her. “See, it will work out!” Rachel said as her arms wrapped around her.

Soon, all will be right, next up, Church!

“Did you know that I do blame myself for what happened in December?” Modine asked her husband. “And I feel guilty for this whole crazy Molly situation too.”

“Modine, how is any of this your fault?” Conner asked.

“Well,” Modine looked up at him and she frowned, while shaking her head. “I went to Maggie’s and found Tracy that one morning. I gave Tracy a chance to come out, but only here and only when you were gone. But I could see that each time she came out, putting her back was getting harder. In October she decided to be just Troy, so Vance couldn’t find out and a part of me was relieved. I was so afraid that something would happen and that since I gave Tracy the chance to be out, it would be my fault. Then Thanksgiving happened and you found out, because of Bruce.” Modine wiped a tear from her eye.

Edits and help by Djkauf and the Rev. Anam Chara (including some well needed advice on the religious side of the story

A bit of fun with the Patterson family, and church

Saturday 19th 1983

Modine sat at the table in the kitchen, while her husband worked on making her dinner. The silence was slowly getting to them. The house next door had been quiet, since Maggie’s parents left early that morning. William was in the Bay area and not due back till Sunday evening. Modine was slowly dreading to see June approach. She didn’t want to lose all contact with her son and his family.

“Conner, do you think we were greedy by having William move his family next door, all those years ago? I mean we almost begged him to move with us. I hated L.A. so much and now…”

“No,” Conner answered, then he looked over to her. “What brought that question on?”

“Well, with Tracy and Maggie being moved away, and soon Vance and William, I wonder if we’re to blame for them moving from the L.A. area.”

Conner shook his head and answered her. “Baby, they moved from there because they wanted to. William wanted to get back on his feet after his injuries, but in a slower environment. And I’m sure that if they had known about Tracy before now, they would have done everything to put her through school as Tracy, so no one knew any better.”

Modine sighed. “Is it wrong that I wish that a doctor would find something and say she is like her friend, Sage?”

“Not at all. In fact, I bet Tracy is begging for that too,” Conner answered her and he nodded.

“Did you know that I do blame myself for what happened in December?” Modine asked her husband. “And I feel guilty for this whole crazy Molly situation too.”

“Modine, how is any of this your fault?” Conner asked.

“Well,” Modine looked up at him and she frowned, while shaking her head. “I went to Maggie’s and found Tracy that one morning. I gave Tracy a chance to come out, but only here and only when you were gone. But I could see that each time she came out, putting her back was getting harder. In October she decided to be just Troy, so Vance couldn’t find out and a part of me was relieved. I was so afraid that something would happen and that since I gave Tracy the chance to be out, it would be my fault. Then Thanksgiving happened and you found out, because of Bruce.” Modine wiped a tear from her eye.

Conner took dinner off the burner and he took a seat next to her. “I talked to William just around the first of the year and he said that in a talk with the new shrink guy, Tracy said that if Tracy had to be Troy, she would kill herself. In helping Tracy come out, you may have saved that girl’s life,”

“But look at all the trouble she has to put up with,” Modine stated.

“What trouble, Modine?” Conner asked. “Tracy is now in Livermore, living with her friends and living as a girl. No one knows of Troy and, if they did, she is living with Shelly and they could throw them off. She is safer there and no matter how much you think it, you did not cause Molly or Bruce to attack Tracy. I may not totally understand what is going on in her head, but I know she is not to blame for Molly or Bruce and neither are you and Maggie. People like them are just looking for an excuse to attack someone and then blame their victim for their actions.”

Modine sighed, shook her head, then said. “But I still feel guilty.”

“And I bet Tracy hates herself for bringing Bruce and his little jerks this way and the fact you got hurt defending her. But things happen and we can’t always control them. So you have to learn to let go.” Conner shook his head. “Why am I telling you this? You’re the level-headed one of us.”

“I guess. But even the Dalai Lama can have his off days, right?” Modine asked with a small, sad smile.

“Modine, no one said you have to be perfect. I love you, imperfections and all. But don’t dwell on the things that you had no control over. This move of theirs? This move would have happened sooner or later. Do you really think a girl like Tracy would have made it in school in a few years? I’m sure most schools won’t let her change with the girls and to make her change with the boys could cause a ton of problems. Taking Tracy to a new town to be herself, that may be for the best. And its three hours away. The two of us can make that drive and I’m sure they’d love to have us there around Thanksgiving, or Easter. This isn’t the end.”

“I know,” Modine replied.

Conner took her hand and gently squeezed it. “Come on, let’s get some food in you and maybe we can come up with an idea for a vacation in a month or two. Maybe we can help William and Vance move away.”

“Yeah. I think I’d like to help them, even if I can’t do much.” Modine gave him a sad smile and a slow nod of her head.

“That’s a start. Now you relax and I’ll get dinner finished.”

~o~O~o~

Sunday February 20th 1983

Tracy was walking down the steps of Rachel’s house. Sage was with her and they had just waited as Rachel quickly got dressed. The three of them were headed for the living-room, to tell their parents they were ready. They had come over to Lance and Lynn’s house early, that way Rachel could get dressed for church. Tracy had put on one of her dresses, not the pink one, but a nice one with nice shoes. They had stopped long enough for Sage to grab a nice dress and ask her parents if she could go. Brooke was with her Grandparents, and Stacey and Casey were on their way to the church their father went to.

The three girls were almost to the ground floor when Tracy finally voiced her concern. Rachel had known something was going on, so she waited to see if Tracy would speak. Finally she was rewarded and Tracy stopped at the bottom of the steps and looked to Sage and Rachel. “What if they know? What if people attack me?”

“I gotta admit I’m a bit worried too,” Sage stated.

“Relax, no one is going to attack you. Either of you. No one attacks little girls during church; God doesn't like that,” Rachel said trying to soothe them.

Tracy was unaware her father was now in the doorway to the living-room, watching them. Maggie was with him as well, as was Jamie. Tracy shook her head. “But Rachel, I’m not a girl. Well, not physically anyway.”

“Sweetie,” William spoke, causing his daughter to jump in fright. He didn't waste any time, he kept speaking. “As your father, my word is law, correct?”

“I guess.”

“The correct answer is yes. If I say do it, you usually have to do it or get in trouble, right?”

“Yeah,” Tracy said with a nod.

“Then when I say you’re a girl, you have to believe it.” William gave her a smile. “Besides, I’m with you. Someone has a problem with you and I set them straight. But honestly, I’m not telling anyone about your birth defect and neither will your mother or Rachel’s family.”

“Really?” Tracy asked as she looked from Rachel to Jamie. Both girls nodded in agreement.

“We know what could happen. Rachel told me about what you've been dealing with. I heard her and Sage talking about the crazy woman in the store,” Jamie said.

Lance had been listening to the conversation and he decided to help his daughter out. “Tracy, where we’re going, it’s not your normal, run-of-the-mill church. Lynn and Frank’s brother goes there and he is openly gay. There are others like him. This is a church built on love and acceptance. It’s not one that will condemn you for being you.”

“See?” William stated. “And if you like it, we can come more often.”

“I think you’ll enjoy it,” Lynn stated. “You just have to trust us that nothing will happen to you.”

Maggie bent down and touched Tracy’s shoulder, to get her attention. She whispered in her daughter’s ear. “You going to be okay in the youth services?”

“Yeah. Rachel said it’s just half an hour or so,” Tracy whispered back and nodded.

“Then you’re with us for the rest of the service. And after that, we’re going out for lunch. We’ll meet with the Millers and get Vance. From there, we’ll go to Shelly’s and get things in order, before I leave,” William stated. “And I believe that Harvey and his girls are meeting us for lunch. The girls are spending another night with you.”

And that one statement helped to perk Tracy up and make her forget her fears, even if just for a few minutes. “Awesome!”

~o~O~o~

The church was on the outskirts of Livermore, and it sat on a piece of land just about an acre big. There was only one building. It was in a large L shape, with a parking lot in the front and a side lot as well. It wasn't as big as the last church she had gone to, but it was a decent size. The lawns that were usually taken care of were gone for the winter. The only thing that was green were the shrubs along the road and fence line. Lynn pulled her van into a parking spot and William pulled up next to her. Tracy was still worried, but her father got out, opened up her door and offered her a hand. “Come on. I’ll keep you safe.”

As everyone went inside, the adults and the children all seemed to part ways and Tracy began to get worried that something would happen. William jogged over to her an put a hand on her shoulder. “We'll be inside. You get worried you come straight to me, but I don't think anything will happen.”

“Okay, Daddy,” She replied. Tracy followed Rachel down the main hall of the building, as their parents went into the large chapel area. There were several doors along the inside of the hall and Rachel told her which each one was for.

A few girls ran up to her. “Hey, Rachel! Who are they?”

“This is Tracy and Sage,” Rachel said. Then she gestured to the other two girls. “This is Wendy and Halley. They’re Reverend Banks’ girls.”

“Tracy? The Tracy? Like, the one who was attacked on her property a couple weeks ago and made sure you and the other friends got to safety?” Halley asked.

Wendy started with the next question, before the first one was answered. “And the one who was attacked in December and who hung out with you near Christmas?”

“This is her,” Rachel said. Tracy began to wonder what Rachel had told them.

Both girls looked at her with surprise and excitement. Wendy started the questioning again. “Rachel told us that some kids tried to beat you up and you beat two of them at once a couple of weeks ago.”

“Honestly, neither could fight,” Tracy said with a shrug, trying to think of a way to get off the subject.

“Wow! And I thought Oakland was bad when we lived there,” Halley replied.

“Why did they do it?” Wendy asked.

Tracy decided to give a quick telling, but not cover the whole story. “Well, see, back in November I caught a kid stealing. He attacked me on my parents’ property because he almost got sent to jail for stealing at school. It isn’t the first time he was arrested. Well, him and two of his friends tried to kill me and then when I got away, they caught me and beat me. My Grandmother came out to stop them but she has really brittle bones so they hurt her. I managed to get up and fight them away from her, but ended up in the hospital for almost four days after that. Then when I got back to school, someone tripped me and tore out all the stitches I had from the surgeries I had."

She took a deep breath and finished the story detailing just the key points of Billy, Clark and Bruce and how they were all related.

“Wow, so you can fight?” Wendy asked.

“Yeah,” Tracy said with a nod. “I learned Tai chi.” She wasn't ready for the thousand questions and a part of her remembered how her cousin Angie had been at Christmas.

Wendy stepped closer. “Rachel said you’d rather live here, is that true?”

“Yeah. I got more friends here than back at home. And Mom and Dad moved me down here last week.”

A shadow fell on them from the doorway. “Come on everyone, find a seat. Let’s get the class started.” Tracy looked and saw a woman that looked just a bit older than her mother. She looked to Tracy and Sage, then cocked her head slightly. “You’re both new here. I’m Abigail, the fifth grade Sunday school teacher.”

“Ma’am, this is my friend, Tracy, from Oroville,” Rachel said. “And my friend from school, Sage.”

“Ohhhhh!” She drew the word out. “So these are two of the girls you’ve spoken so highly of?” Both Tracy and Sage blushed at being so well known. A part of Tracy was still worried that people would find out what she had been born as.

“Yes Ma’am,” Tracy replied.

“So, are you here for a visit?” Abigail asked Tracy.

“I moved down here last week, but my parents may start coming here each week.”

“Well, then in that case, welcome!” The teacher happily exclaimed as she smiled at Tracy, then she looked at Sage. “And do you go to a different church?”

Sage shook her head. “No. My mother is letting my siblings and me all make our own choices in life. She taught us right and wrong, but she is letting me come, to see if it feels right for me.”

“I see. Well, welcome to you as well!” The teacher gestured to the door. “Please step inside, and we can start the class.”

~o~O~o~

As the adult services broke up, the preacher had found his way to Lynn and her husband. Then he smiled at Maggie and William and held out his hand. “Hello! It’s good to see new faces at our church.”

“Well, it’s just for the weekend, at least for me," William stated, shaking the man's hand. “We actually live north of Sacramento, about three hours away. But we are moving here, and when we do, you may see us more.”

“Well, if you do move, please feel free to join our family, you’ll find we’re a very loving church.” The man smiled. “I’m Ian Banks, the pastor here.”

“I’m William Patterson, this is my wife Maggie.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” the Reverend Banks said with his warm smile.

“Our daughter Tracy is here as well. She’s with her friend Rachel, Lance and Lynn’s daughter.”

“Wait, Tracy? Tracy Patterson? That friend of Rachel?” The minister asked.

“You heard of her?” Maggie asked with a smile. He wasn’t the first person who seemed to know of the tale of Tracy, bully fighter, defender of the weak and young.

“I have heard of all of you through Lynn’s daughter, Rachel. She has been speaking about how brave your daughter was in facing down two attackers two weeks ago on your property while making sure her friends, including one in a wheelchair got to safety. Plus, she spoke of another attack back before Christmas. Something about defending her grandmother?”

“That would be our daughter. She defended William’s mother when some boys tried to beat them both up,” Maggie agreed. “She’s with Rachel in the Sunday school.”

“Well, stop by on your way out. I’d love to meet this girl who Rachel speaks so highly of,” the Reverend Banks said with a slight nod of his head.

“We will,” William said with a smile.

“If you will excuse me, I got to make sure I’m ready for the sermon.” As he headed towards the front of the main hall, the children all walked in and started looking for their parents.

~o~O~o~

To Tracy, the preacher was an average man. Not too tall, not too fat and his face just seemed plain. Tracy wasn’t sure she had ever seen a person who just looked so plain. What he lacked in looks, he made up in charm and charisma. He had a wonderful speaking voice and it wasn’t one of those that would put you to sleep in a matter of minutes. His whole attitude was upbeat and friendly. He had a way of captivating the congregation. The half hour sermon went fast and soon she was listening as he gave the final prayer for the morning service, her head bowed and eyes closed. The congregation all said "Amen," then the pastor said a few more words and people started to stand up.

As everyone stood up, Tracy’s parents held her back, before she could run off with Rachel and the girls. “Hold on, sweetie. We want you to meet the preacher. If we’re going to come here more often, he should meet you now.”

She was a bit worried that the man would guess she had boy parts and attack her–like Molly had–but she trusted her father that nothing would happen. Rachel had insisted that people like her wouldn’t be hurt there. She had even pointed out a few men that Rachel claimed were openly gay, or women who were lesbians. But Tracy’s fear wouldn’t go away.

It took several minutes as the parishioners thinned out. Many of them stopped to say hello to Tracy and her parents. Finally they were headed out the door when they stopped and William held his hand out to the Reverend again. “I must say, it was nice to be back in a church again. You have a way with the crowd.”

“I had a great homiletics professor at seminary,” the Rev. Banks stated with a chuckle. “Helps to reach people if they don’t fall asleep on me!”

“Too true,” William replied and both he and Maggie chuckled as they thought about some of the preachers they had seen in the past and how bland they were at speaking. William put his hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “This is our youngest, Tracy. Tracy, this is Reverend Banks.”

“It’s good to finally meet you, Tracy,” the Rev. Banks said as he held his hand out. “I must say, when Rachel told me of this girl who can stand up to three boys who are bigger then her, and being injured at the same time just to protect her grandmother, I pictured you a bit bigger and taller, Like a Valkyrie from the old tales. Guess it’s what’s on the inside that counts, right?”

Tracy gave a shy smile. “Yeah.”

William put a hand on her shoulder. “We’re quite proud of her for defending my mother. Mom has osteoporosis and she doesn’t move to well. And to see Tracy get back up, after a major injury, well, she was driven to protect my mother that day.”

Then Maggie added, “Then she made sure that her friends got into the house safely, when the brother of the boy who attacked William’s mom came back for revenge. She stayed between them and the girls.”

“Normally fighting is not something that the Bible allows, but Psalm Eighty-Two, verse four, says to rescue the weak and needy: ‘Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked,’” the pastor told her. “There may be a lot of verses that state not to fight, but there are some that say if you don’t defend the weak, you are just as guilty as those who harm them.”

“My Grandma said that,” Tracy said with a small smile. “But I never wanted to fight them. I just couldn’t let them hurt my grandma and I wasn’t going to let Brooke, Andromeda and Casey get hurt a couple of weeks ago. They were there to beat me up, not my friends.”

The Reverend Banks patted her on the shoulder. “Young lady, you have a good heart. Never, ever, lose that.”

“I’ll try not to.” Tracy’s smile got brighter.

Next up, more fun with Tracy, Vance, Maggie and William…

“Walk me to the car?” William asked his daughter and she held his hand as they walked to the back parking lot. He put his bag into the back seat and turned to face her. “Now you be a good girl and I'll see you in two weeks.”

“So much for five months, huh?” Tracy said with a smile.

“I like this plan better.” William stated. He turned and pulled his daughter into a hug. “This way I don't miss out on five months of my baby's life.”

Tracy blushed at being called a baby. “Daddy, I'm not a baby.” She whined, but she couldn't be angry.

Editing by DJkauf

Tracy is back and its time to get her life moving along

Sunday February 20th 1983

Sunday morning hit and Vance was at the park with Mooney, but the other two guys weren't there. Instead the two of them were just playing any game that came to mind, mostly HORSE. They had been playing for several minutes when they first noticed they were being watched. The two of them ignored it and continued their game, but Yvette sat on the swing with her older cousin, Mary, nearby with her friends, playing field hockey in the partly wet grass. Yvette's attention was on the boys as they played basketball, and nothing else. But as their game finally ended, she decided to get closer.

She was near the two boys, trying to build up the courage to say hello. Her attention was on them so much, that she was not paying attention to the path she was walking, so when she slipped on a bit of mud and fell, she shrieked out with fright, which caught the boy's attention.

The boy she didn't know was over to her first. He bent down and held out a hand. “You okay?”

Her cheeks were bright red and she was embarrassed from slipping like a child and even worse, they had seen her in the mud, and not to mention how she had treated Mooney's sister the day before. With them close to her, she got nervous and she scrambled to her feet, with the boy's help. “Um...thanks.” She said. Her eyes looked for a way out of her embarrassment and she could see her house across the street from the park. Without a warning, she took off in a rush, passing between with Vance and Mooney, who just traded confused looks.

Yvette had made a bee-line for her house, and when she got in, she made sure to lock the door and then she headed straight for her bedroom. It wasn't just her bedroom, but the one she shared with the cousin she went to school with, Heather, who was the younger sister of Mary. Heather was the other thorn in the side of Rachel, Sage and Brooke, but no one at the school seemed to know of their relation, except the staff. Both their mothers lived in the large house, to share on the bills. Today was the day that Heather was forced to visit her paternal grandparents, as she had a different father then her sister Mary.

But Yvette's mind wasn't on the girls she tormented, or her family. Instead her mind was stuck on the boys she had seen at the park. The ones who had come to Sage's defense. The ones who had seen her down in the mud. She knew of Sage's brother, but the other one was a mystery to her, but both of them had caused feelings to well up in her, feelings that made her blush all over. She didn't want to rush away from them, but after she was mean to Sage and her friends the day before, and after making a fool of herself, she could hardly stay there.

But there was another reason she didn't get close to many people. A secret she hid very well. She stood in front of the mirror in her room and she could see the mud all over her clothes, then she pulled the zipper of her jeans down. She slid the muddy jeans off and followed them with her slightly damp panties she was wearing down and as she did, she exposed parts of herself known only to her family, and doctors.

She stepped out of the jeans, the pulled off her shirt and took off the bra that she stuffed to hide her flat chest, and looked into the mirror. It was just a simple mirror, but it never lied to her yet. It could only show her the truth of how she looked.

She looked at her body, thought about the way she treated the kids at school and how she teased them for their weaknesses and how she held a bigger secret then any of them could ever guess. She stood there and began to cry, then she went to her bed and flopped down.

Several minutes past till she heard a faint knocking at her door and it opened just a crack “Yvette?” Her cousin Mary asked. “Are you okay?”

“Go 'way.” She said, in between sobs.

“I don't think so. You worried me when you ran from the park after those boys came over. You confused the heck out of them by running away. They just wanted to make sure you were okay.” Mary stepped in and went to her bed. Her cousin lay, completely naked, on her side and curled into a ball, her knees against her chest and a pillow in her arms. She sobbed into the fabric of the pillow, muffling her cries.

There was a knock at the door and it opened just a crack. “Don't open it all the way, she's not decent.” Mary called out. She grabbed a blanket and put it on her cousin, so her secret would be kept safe.

A voice replied. “Okay. Hey, Mary? Yvette, those boys want to make sure everything is okay. Can I tell them you're okay?”

“I'm fine.” Yvette replied and Mary looked to the door.

“Could you tell the others I'll be a few minutes?” Mary asked her friend at the door.

“Sure thing.” The voice at the door replied. Then the door shut and they heard someone walking away.

Mary lay behind the girl and cradled her body, letting the young girl lie there and cry. Several minutes passed as she sobbed into the pillow.

“Tell me what happened.” Mary finally said as the sobs died out.

“I hate my body.” The little girl replied, then she sniffled and wiped at her nose.

“All women have days like that. You're not alone.” Mary said, reaching back to grab a box of Kleenex.

As she turned to face her cousin again, Yvette rolled over, her head flopping against her other pillow. Her eyes were red from the crying and she just looked annoyed at Mary. “Do other woman have to deal with boy parts on their body too?” With one free hand, she gestured to her crotch, where she was cursed with male parts. She was sure that she was the only kid her age that had been born wrong. She had known since she was a child she was a girl, but her father never believed it. But finally he left and her mother took her to a man in Dublin, who agreed. That had been when she had entered second grade.

“No. But all woman have some part of their body that they hate. For me, it's my butt and my jaw.” Mary stated.

“There's times I hate being me. I hate that I have a boy's body.” Yvette said again. “And other times, I hate hanging out with Heather.”

“Why do you hate hanging out with Heather. I thought you loved her?”

“I do. She's family and I love her but ever since the last school, she keeps telling me I should just be mean and make sure no one gets too close. She swears that people are going to hurt me if I let them get close.”

“Is that what this is about? Is this about your old school? Is that where those boys are from?” Mary asked.

The question was a subject that Yvette still had nightmares about. She had only been gone from there for a few years, but she recalled how she had to leave in a hurry. Her father had felt the need to tell the school and many of the bigger kids, so one day, parents were trying to keep her from the school, but the kids were worse. They had caught up to Yvette and Heather after school and attacked them. It wasn't a bad attack, having been mostly elementary school kids, but many brothers had joined in on the fun and both of them had their hair cut in places, before the staff broke it up. The cops didn't do much, only warn the older kids who had no reason to be on the elementary school campus, but it was enough that both her mother and Heather's mother moved to Livermore. That was better, because Heather's mother worked out of Livermore in the first place.

“No. The one isn't. I'm not sure about the other one.” Yvette sighed, then she sat up. “I don't know what to do half the time.” She flopped back onto the bed, in a dramatic fashion. “I hate my body and how I was born, I hate that Heather is so scared that she will get attacked again and she won't let me have friends outside of her and I hate that each time I see someone that's cute, she gives them attitude and they hate us. And even worse is she got me into the habit of being mean to people, out of reflex.”

“So, what brought this on?” Mary asked.

Yvette groaned, as though her cousin couldn't see what the problem was.. “He was kinda cute. They both were. And when they helped me, I remembered what I had done yesterday.....” She stated, as though Mary knew who she was speaking about.

“Now you got my attention.” Mary said as she turned away, so Yvette could adjust herself and sit up on the bed. “So both of them were good looking and you insulted them yesterday?

“Not them....” She sighed and decided to tell the whole story. “Yesterday at the park, I was being mean to some girls from school. One of the boys is a brother to one of the girls. But I don't know the other boy.” Yvette said.

Mary nodded in comprehension. “And now you're kicking yourself because of what?”

“Well, I was mean, and what if they won't tell me who he is? And what if he does like me and then he finds out I wasn't born right, then what? And what if he does like me, but he hates me for making fun of those girls?”

“Alright, you know the first thing you should do, is stop being mean to everyone. I know you hang out with Heather and you could start a big fight if you go against her, but in a year, you'll be on your own at the school and she can't protect you all the time. Not to mention, she needs to learn to trust people too. You are a bright and beautiful girl. I know I'm family, so that may not count, but everyone I know likes you, if you'd lose that chip on your shoulder.” Mary said, in a not too stern voice. “But you should start with something easy. Go to those girls, the sister to the one boy, and offer an olive branch. Apologize to them. You don't have to tell them your secret, but be nice.”

“What if they figure it out?”

“Then play it one day at a time. But go to them and say you’re sorry.”

“I guess that could work.” Yvette said.

“It beats insulting them. There is strength in numbers. And having a lot of friends means you have a lot of shoulders to cry on.”

Yvette looked to her cousin and decided to unload something else that had been bugging her. “You know there are times where I'm worried that Heather will just start picking on me? She does it so quickly to other people, what is keeping her from insulting me?”

“Tell her that.” Mary said. “Tell her that each time she run's down someone's body, she is insulting you as well. Make her see the pain you feel. She needs to know and you both need to talk about it, before you begin to hate her and troubles start.”

“Yeah.....”

“Now get a shower and dressed. The girls will be headed here soon. We're going out to grab some lunch and you're not staying here to mope. Not while your Mom is at work and mine is elsewhere.”

“Okay.” Yvette said with a shrug of her shoulders.

“And then we go to the mall.”

This perked Yvette up. “The music store?”

“Weeeellll....” Mary drew the word out for a moment, then she nodded. “It is in the mall. We could stop for a couple of minutes.”

“Cool” Yvette said, a smile forming on her lips.

“Feel better?” Mary asked.

“Yeah. A little better.” Yvette replied.

“Well, then go get ready. I'll keep the girls entertained in the living-room.”

I'll take a fast shower, okay?” Yvette said.

“Good, and get the muddy clothes into the wash room, or our Moms will kill us.”

She looked over to where her muddy jeans were and she nodded. “Okay.”

Mary rolled off the bed and headed for the door. “And wear something fun, okay?”

“Okay....and Mary?” Yvette called to her cousin. “Thanks for coming home.”

“No problem, Yvette, now get ready. The girls will be here in a little bit.”

~o~O~o~

Persephone's van pulled up to the buffet and Vance and Mooney came walking up to them from Carl's car. “William. Good to see you again.” Carl said with his hand outstretched.

“You too, Carl.” William smiled, shook Carl's hand and decided to go with a joke. “It feels like just a day since the last time I saw you.”

“How time seems to fly.” Carl replied with a smile.

“So, how was my son?”

“He was good. I feel sorry for him though.” Persephone replied, then she chuckled. “See, the girls were gone this morning, and since last night Vance and Mooney played a board game with Andromeda and this morning, at seven, she wanted to play again and she woke them up.”

Tracy chuckled. “She did that at Christmas time too.”

“Why?” Vance asked.

“She wants to play with the big kids.” Sage replied. “She is six years younger then I am, she wants to be cool too.”

“Oh.” Vance said.

William stopped Vance as he noticed a slightly thoughtful look on his face. “You okay, Son?”

“Yeah, we just had a run in with this girl who was giving Sage and them a hard time on Saturday and she like freaked out on us.” Vance said.

“Yeah, she tripped and when Vance helped her out of the mud, she ran off to her house.” Mooney added.

“Yvette?” Sage asked.

Vance nodded. “Yeah, the girl that was picking on all of you.”

Rachel groaned and shook her head. “She's a pain at times. I swear she goes out of her way to be mean.”

“Yeah, but Heather is worse.” Sage stated. “Yvette normally just follows what she does.”

William gestured to the door. “Well, let’s get something to eat and we can discuss it later, okay?”

~o~O~o~

They got back to Shelly's town house and William and Maggie went to the bedroom that Tracy was using. They had their kids sit on one bed and they took the other one. “Now, your mother is going to be coming to Oroville on Tuesday. Tomorrow she will go to the school here and see about getting Vance enrolled. But she may need to go get his records from the school.”

“I think I will, so they know where he'll fit in at.” Maggie replied. “But I was thinking of going there first thing in the morning and seeing about enrolling him. I'm not sure if they'll be closed for the holiday or not, but I can still go there. And if they are open, I can call Palermo and see if they are open. I know it's six hours round trip, but if I can get the paperwork and be back in time to drop it off, I'll do it. For now, we have to treat it like Vance has to go to Palermo.”

“Vance, it is important that you talk to us here.” William said, getting his son's attention. “Do you have a problem in moving in the next week or two? This will mean losing all your friends and starting over.”

“What friends? Emily May is Tracy's friend, so is Peter. There is Jerry, but he is in the elementary times, not middle school, so I don't see him at all except before and after school.” Vance honestly replied. “I move now and there is a chance I can join the team for whatever sport is next.”

William held up a finger to stop his son and make a point. “But remember, you may not get the chance to join or play. Don't put your answer of moving all on sports.”

“I know that, Dad. But I'm all alone at school. I....” He looked to his feet. “I didn't want to say anything, but they've been teasing me. They haven't since Mrs. Hallmark attacked Tracy, but some of the kids are trying to turn the school against me again.”

“So by moving, this gives you a clean slate?” Maggie asked.

Vance nodded and replied. “Yeah. One where Troy never existed and I can be whoever I want to be.”

“Okay. Well then, we work on moving you now.” William said and he looked to his wife, who nodded her agreement. “We can pack things up over the next few nights. Then when we're ready, we get a U-haul.”

“What about your work?” Maggie asked.

“Easy, I put in my two weeks tomorrow. They fire me before that, then I leave and we have to tighten our belts. If I have to, I'll skip the Disney Trip and look for a job.”

There was a knock at the door and they looked over to see Frank standing there with Shelly. “William, I know this is a private family talk, but we already said the trip to Disney is on us. Also, don't forget that some of those cars are being sold and the money is going to you. Why not use that to tide you guys over and if there is enough, put it into a down payment on a home? Or it can get an apartment?”

“I keep forgetting those.” He replied.

“What cars?” Tracy asked.

“You remember Billy O'Brien? The man who was calling the house?” William asked his daughter and she nodded. There was no way she could forget what he had said to her. “He had a bunch of cars, old ones that would be worth a lot of money as parts. Well, his father gave them to us to sell and your Uncle Frank has told his car club, so they went there and many of them are in the process of making offers on the cars and the part cars.”

“I was going to hold on to one for you two, but I felt the money was more important. This can help get your life into order down here.” Frank stated. “We can worry about a car in a few years, when Vance gets old enough and proves he is responsible enough.”

“Yeah.” Maggie said with a nod. “A car is a big responsibility.”

William looked to his wife. “So it is settled then. Vance and I go home today, You follow tomorrow or the next day and we work on getting Vance enrolled here this week.”

Maggie nodded. “Yeah, I can do that.”

“Good. And Shelly can keep an eye on Tracy while we take care of everything else.” William stated.

“I can do that.” She said from the doorway.

~o~O~o~

“Walk me to the car?” William asked his daughter and she held his hand as they walked to the back parking lot. He put his bag into the back seat and turned to face her. “Now you be a good girl and I'll see you in two weeks.”

“So much for five months, huh?” Tracy said with a smile.

“I like this plan better.” William stated. He turned and pulled his daughter into a hug. “This way I don't miss out on five months of my baby's life.”

Tracy blushed at being called a baby. “Daddy, I'm not a baby.” She whined, but she couldn't be angry.

“Now hush. I can call you baby, princess, little girl, brat....any number of names and I get to pick which ones I use.”

Persephone's van pulled into the lot, and Sage and Rachel got out, both in their normal clothes. Harvey pulled in a few moments later and Stacey got out, followed by Casey. “Well, that is your cue to get headed inside. I got to get on the road, so I can make Vance pack up the house.”

“Hey, that's not fair.” Vance replied.

“I was joking. All of Tracy's stuff is already down here But you and I will be working on packing up half the house.” William told his son. “Besides, we got a plan for the moving day, we just need you to make sure your clothes are ready to go by tomorrow. Tracy and your mother will come back, help pack up the rest of the house and we can go from there.”

“Oh.” Vance said, glad he wasn't doing all the work on his own. “Cool.”

“Well, I will see you tomorrow.” He said, kissing his wife's cheek. “Or Tuesday. And you young lady....” He kissed Tracy's cheek. “I will see you in two weeks.”

“See you in two weeks.” Tracy said and she hugged her dad again.

“Two weeks, I promise.” William said as he patted her shoulder, then turned to get in his car.

~o~O~o~

Monday February 21st 1983

Maggie started her morning off at the phone, dialing the number for the local school district, but she was met with no answer. As she hung up, she looked at Shelly. “Maybe the office is closed for the holiday too?” The girls were in the kitchen, except for Stacey and Casey, who had set the breakfast table.

“Could be.” Shelly replied. “Wanna try Vance's school now?”

“Yeah. I think I need to.” She said with a nod.

Tracy was busy cooking breakfast as Maggie dialed the phone. After a more then half a minute, she shook her head and hung up. Then she tried another number and was met with the same lack of response. “No answer. I'll try tomorrow. But for now, I want to go out and get a few applications. While I'm out, I'll swing by the schools office and see if they are there.”

“Well, eat first. Then we can work on getting you some applications. Or just relax in the house.” Shelly replied and she pulled out a seat at the table. “Relax and we'll get it to you.”

“Okay.” Maggie said.

Shelly leaned back in her seat and faced Maggie. “Besides, maybe you should wait till the end of the week to put in applications. What with moving Vance, that court thing and possibly helping William move, you're going to be busy.”

“Yeah, but I feel that I should put in some now.”

“Well don't forget about Disneyland. Some companies don't like it when you want a vacation right after you hire in.”

“True, but I'd feel bad if I just sat around the house all day.”

“Maggie, Tracy has her friends here and I can talk with you. The girls are taking off near dinner and then we got things going on for us. Frank will be grabbing dinner on his way home from the lab. You can hang out with me and make sure the girls don't drive me crazy with that music thing on the cable.”

~o~O~o~

William waited till his first break, not wanting to give the managers a reason to fire him for lollygagging. He went into the office and had Susan call Steven out. When Steven came out, he looked a bit worried. “What is it this time?” He was getting tired of being in the middle of the war the higher ups were having with William. He wasn't even sure why they were doing it, other than to prove they were God's in their own minds.

“Nothing this time. I need to give you this. I have a copy for myself.” William stated as he handed the man a piece of paper.

“What is it?” He didn't want to pick it up, in case it was a law suit.

“My two weeks notice.” William replied. “With my family being attacked on the property twice, almost three times, and in stores, we're moving my family out of town and I'm going with them, before someone murders all of us, which they've tried more then once now.”

“I see.” Steven looked over the paper, which only said that he was giving his two week notice and the date he was no longer working for them. Had had seen the story in the newspaper and while it didn't name Maggie, or the children, he knew who it was. It was that article that made him realize how much was happening to William and his family. “I'll tell HR. We'll mail your last check, if you give us the new address.”

“You can, but I made a stop there before I came to you. I wanted to make sure they had the right address.”

“Good idea. Less chance of someone messing it up.” Steven said.

“Keep in mind, I'll still call my union rep if I feel the management is trying to screw me over. I am being nice enough to give two weeks and I am getting tired of the managers watching my every move.”

“I understand.” Steven replied. “And I'm sorry it came to this.”

“Me too, but my family means more to me then this job and what kind of a man am I if I let them get hurt when I can stop it?”

“Good question.”

“Thank you, Steven. I need to get back out there before the break is over.”

William walked out of the office and he felt a mix of sadness, for leaving a job he had been at for almost a decade, and happiness for taking a stand. He was prepared to just leave if the company forced his hand, but if they fired him, he had a chance to fight for unemployment. Plus he had well over two hundred and seventy hours of sick time that he had saved up, and that would be paid out with his last check and that would be a good severance check.

~o~O~o~

“So, which house are we going to be at next week?” Tracy asked. They were getting ready for the girls to leave. She knew they had school the next day and a part of her wanted to be with them, but she knew she had to wait.

“Can't be ours.” Stacey said with a shake of her head. “Grandma Parker's birthday is Saturday and we're celebrating it at our place.”

“We're meeting with Mom's family.” Rachel stated. “At least on Saturday.”

“We're not doing much on Friday, who knows?” Sage stated.

Brooke shook her head. “Sorry, it can't be me. I got a competition this weekend. We're thinking of going Friday night, but it's on Saturday.”

“Where at?” Sage asked.

“It's at UCLA.” Brooke replied.

Rachel pointed a finger out her and in a fake scolding tone she warned Brooke. “No going to Disneyland. We all go together.”

“Agreed.” Brooke said.

Sage giggled. “I so can't wait.”

“Me either.” Tracy agreed. “I think I was Romy's age the last time I went.”

“Cool, then you may remember some of the rides?” Rachel asked.

“Some, but it's been a while.” Tracy replied. “But I do remember the Pirates and the haunted Mansion.”

“Come on, Tell us...” Rachel said, moving closer to Tracy. “This way we know which ones we want to see first.”

~o~O~o~

The girls had taken off before dinnertime and Maggie was in the living-room, looking over the paper that she had picked up at a nearby store. She had waited till almost noon to go see if the school's office was open, but it wasn't, so she had gone back to Shelly's home, but not after picking up the paper and some ice cream for later. She worked her way though the want ads, making notes on a piece of paper, so she could recall which ones she wanted to go after.

“Wanna go with us?” Shelly asked, interrupting her writing. “It's a garden club and I think there's someone there you should meet.”

“You'll like this.” Tracy said as she put a cake pan on the counter to cool. “It was a lot of fun at the luncheon.”

“Maggie, you deserve a break. Come with us and you can say hi, then if you want, we can leave.”

“Please Mom?” Tracy gave her a hopeful smile and added. “It could be fun. We made more of the chewy square things.”

“Sure, I guess.” Maggie said with a shrug of her shoulders.

~o~O~o~

Maggie stayed with Tracy, who was busy trying to remember people's names, just so she could introduce people them her mother. She carried the cake pan of deserts to the table with paper plates and other goodies on it. Near the end of the table, Shelly spoke to a larger woman. As Tracy got close, she came over. “Hello Tracy.” Beth said and she pulled the girl into a hug.

“Hello, Mrs. Paulson.”

“I told you, it's Beth.” The larger woman said.

Tracy shook her head. “I'm sorry. But my mom is here and I can't use your first name, she doesn't like it when we call an adult by their first name.”

Beth looked to the woman with them. “Your mom? Maggie? Little Maggie Richter?”

“It was, but it's Patterson now? Do I....do I know you?” Maggie tried to think of everyone she knew named Beth or with a last name of Paulson, but she was coming up with blanks.

“Its been about twenty years, but yeah, I lived near you in Castro Valley, went to school with you and Shelly since the first grade......” Maggie still looked confused, so Beth gave her another clue. “I have a brother named Mark....”

It took Maggie a couple of moments, as she recalled her past, then she smiled. “Beth? Bethany Leone?”

“Well, it's Paulson now, but it's still me, Maggie.” The bigger woman pulled Maggie into a hug. “And I met your daughter last week. She's almost a spitting image of you at that age. Even Mark and our mother think so.”

“She met your brother and mother?” Maggie asked.

“Sure. After the luncheon, Shelly showed her where our shop is. We have a bakery in the downtown area of Livermore, its called Big Mama's.”

“Oh. I guess I should find it at some point. Didn't sight-see much today. Just moved here on Friday and I was trying to get a hold of two school systems to my move boy down here.”

“Well, when you get the chance, swing on by.”

“It may be a few days. I have to get my son moved down here next.”

“Well, you stop by when you can. I'm sure Mark would love to say hello.”

Shelly watched as another woman headed their way and Shelly stopped her.

“Chloe, this is Maggie, Tracy's mother.”

“Ah. So this is the woman raising a very courteous daughter. I must say, you have a wonderful little cook on your hands there.”

“Thank you.” Maggie said. “But my mother-in-law has been helpful in training her to cook as well.”

“I see. She is a wonderful young girl and many in the club enjoyed talking to her last week.”

~o~O~o~

An hour later, after club business had been taken care of and the food had been eaten, Maggie walked with Tracy and Shelly to the van. “That was fun.” Maggie said with a nod of her head. “And it was really nice to see Beth again, after all these years.”

“Well, you met most of the ladies. Chloe is currently the club president. They talk about gardens, flowers, vegetables, stuff like there. They also swap recipes too. Tracy was thinking of joining the club. With her home schooling, it would work for science I think. But it's also good for talking to people that aren't us. ”

“Yeah, that could be a great idea.” Maggie said as she got into Shelly's van, “I think this week and looking for work is going to be a wash. With the court date for the restraining order, getting Vance into school here, and who knows how long changing schools will take, I may be too busy to fill out applications.”

“Then wait for next week.” Shelly answered as she started up the van. “There are a few ideas I wanted to run past you, like does Alice know?”

“No, but I'm sure Mom told her all about it.”

“Well, we can always work on telling her ourselves.” Shelly replied. “What if we go to L.A. This weekend, then come the Disney trip, they can meet us there and the girls can see Tracy with her friends?”

“Thats a wonderful idea.” Maggie said she thought of the possibilities of it going well. “But with the court date, what if we look at next weekend?”

“What about William? Doesn't he move next week?”

“Maybe, plus he has a house to pack up and he may be alone.”

“Hey, Brooke said something about going there this weekend. She had a big sporting thing going on at the college. The UCLA place.” Tracy stated.

“Hey.....” Shelly cast a quick glance to Maggie. “Let's call Karen when we get home. Maybe we could go and watch Brooke compete and see Alice?”

“Sure.” Maggie replied. “Sounds like fun.”

More family to meet, more places to go. More Tracy to follow

At about six o’clock, a car pulled into the drive and Tracy ran to the window, just to see who it was. Once she saw her father get out of his car, a smile on his lips, she raced for the door. She flung it open and jumped out, leaping into William’s arms. “Daddy!!!”

“Hello, Princess.” He pulled her in close and kissed her cheek. “How have you been?”

“Good. I’ve missed you, though.” She said, then she added. “Missed you a lot.”

“A lot? Its only been four days.” He said with a grin, while he let go of her and started to go into the house.

“True, but I still miss you.”

Edited by DJkauf

Tracy returns and this time, they meet Molly at the courthouse about the restraining order. The ratings are up for threats and violence

Tuesday February 22nd 1983

Vance got off the bus and he went straight for Emily May and Mary Beth. “Hey, can I talk to you Jerry and Peter before class starts?” He asked. Emily May nodded and they started to look for Peter, who was getting off of his bus.

As Peter and Jerry came over to them, Vance pulled them to a less populated part of the playground. “Hey, I just thought I'd tell you all that I'll be leaving the school before the end of the year.”

“Like in the next few months?” Emily May asked. “We already know that.”

Vance shook his head. “Like in the next few days. My Mom is due here today to get paperwork taken care of and I may be moved down today or tomorrow.”

“Well....that sucks.” Jerry replied. He had few friends and now one more was leaving. Since he helped out in Tracy’s last fight, Peter had lightened up, just slightly, but Peter was still just one person. “What about your grandparents?”

“They are staying.” Vance replied. “It's just my parents, Tracy and me.” He knew that all of them knew who Tracy was, so he wasn't afraid to use her proper name.

“At least you'll get out of this boring town” Emily May stated.

“Yeah.” Vance agreed. “Peter, I need you to take care of mailing the letters. I know the girls will want to speak with Emily May and Mary Beth....speaking of which....” Vance took off his pack, opened it up and handed several letters to Emily May and Mary Beth. “I gave the one to your Aunt and she said she'll send letters to Peter to get it to you. I gave her Peter's address, I hope that was okay?” Peter nodded his approval.. “This is for Peter and one for Jerry.” Vance handed out two last letters.

“Cool, I feel included.” Jerry said with a grin.

“Come on, let’s go eat something and try to cheer up.” Mary Beth said as she looked at the letters in her hand.

“I agree. I'm hungry.” Vance said with a nod.

~o~O~o~

Maggie had been at the office of the middle school in Livermore as soon as it had opened at seven. She got the information and paperwork she needed and less than a half hour after that, she had rushed back to Shelly's home, to grab a snack for the road and to give her daughter a kiss. She knew if she was on the road by eight, she'd be at the school by eleven. That would be after a fast stop at the Air Force base and grabbing Vance's medical records. So she was hoping to get as much done as she could and after doing the paperwork for the school, she could go and start packing at the house. Her plan was to pull Vance on Wednesday and take him to Livermore. Then Thursday afternoon, she would head to Oroville, with Tracy and Shelly, and the three of them would pack up as much as they could. Then there was the court date for the restraining order on Friday. The multiple trips wouldn't please William, but they were necessary, and paid for by Shelly.

It was almost eleven forty-five in the morning when she walked into the school's office and asked to see Alvin Harper. It took about ten minutes till he walked out and she smiled. “Hello Alvin. I need to speak to you about Vance.”

“Come on back.”

Maggie followed him and took a seat on one side of the desk. “Alvin, this is kinda difficult, so I'm just going to tell you the whole story.” She quickly covered the fact that Clark had been arrested, something he knew about, but she covered Molly attacking Tracy, without naming names, but he had read the paper and heard the insults the kids were throwing to the Hallmark brothers, so he knew who she was talking about. Then she covered the fact that Tracy had been moved from the town. “So I'm here to see what I need from you to move Vance to the Bay Area.”

“At the end of the school year?”

“By the end of the week.” Maggie quickly replied. “He isn't happy and William is close to being fired for calling the cops on Clark's cousin. He was the one who was calling our house with the threats. He worked with William and I guess his garage was filled with pictures and threats.”

“So you found the adult responsible too....this is good news. It doesn't stop the bad news, but at least they caught him.” Alvin sighed. “Well, we can do it. It just involves you giving us a listing of the new school, in case the authorities question where he is. I trust you need his school records too?”

“Yes, I’ll need his records. I was going to pull him today, but William said to stay in town and just go tomorrow. I already got his medical records. So tomorrow, I can take him to the new school and sign him up there.”

“So we can consider his last day of school to be today, or the end of the week.”

“Today, for now. I'll call when I find out fully tomorrow.” Maggie replied. “I know that Friday we’ll be in town, we have a court date to get a restraining order out on the lady who attacked the kids in the store. Well, I will be, not Vance. Modine and Conner are getting one as well, since they were threatened as well. Plus friends from the Bay Area, since their children also got hurt.”

“Molly Hallmark?” Alvin asked and Maggie nodded.

Maggie sighed. “Yeah. She actually came to the house after those pictures were sent out and she did her best to tell us she was going to run us out of town, no matter what. I was stupid for trying to talk sense into her, but after the last time she dealt with something like this, I’d rather leave on my terms.”

“Last time?” Alvin asked, slightly curious.

Maggie leaned back and began to explain. “We went to a church with the Hallmarks and there was a pair of ladies who moved in together to save on the bills. Molly insisted they were lesbians, and did her best to ruin their lives. From what I have heard, she told their employers that they abused their children, did drugs, were thieves and all sorts of other lies. It wasn't pretty, so they left. Well, her sights are firmly on my family now.”

“I'm sorry. If we had known....” Alvin started to apologize, but Maggie stopped him.

“Alvin, the kids are happy, I know Tracy is. So that is all that matters. Vance has no friends since Bruce stopped hanging out with him, and he already knows three other boys in Livermore who like him. This way Tracy can have a chance at the life she wants to live, not the one she hated, and Vance can live without the constant teasing.”

“That makes sense. I am sad to see you leave, but I understand.” Alvin said. He stood up and held out a hand. Maggie stood and she shook it.

“Thank you, Alvin.”

Alvin smiled at her. “You are more than welcome. Now let’s go get your son’s records.”

~o~O~o~

Vance came home and he noticed his mother's car was sitting in the driveway. Instead of going to his grandparent’s place, he went to his house and tried the door, which was unlocked. He stepped into the sounds of Elvis Presley playing on the record player and the sight of his mother putting books into a box. His grandparents were in the room, each working on putting stuff in boxes. The smell of something cooking in the oven caught his attention. “Hello Vance.” She said. “You wanna give me a hand and get this stuff boxed up today?”

“Sure, I guess. Do I gotta do up my stuff?” He asked.

“Well, unless you wanna run around naked down there, but the cops won't allow that. Plus you only have some books and stuff. We can focus on the books and clothes, the rest can wait for the big move.”

“Come on, Vance.” Conner said. “You and I can go together and do up your room and leave your mom in here. We can load the car up when we’re done.”

“Cool. Thanks, Grandpa.” Vance said as they headed to the kitchen.

“Think nothing of it, young man.” Conner said as he put an arm around his grandson. As much as he didn't want to openly admit it, he was going to miss the children. And a part of him already was missing them.

~o~O~o~

Tracy walked into building that housed Lok’s school and business, just behind Jaio. Shelly had let her take Tracy, while Maggie was in Oroville, that way Shelly got a few hours to herself. As Tracy got in there, Brooke, who had been at her gym with her mother, seen her and can rushing over. “Are you really going?”

“What? You mean Disneyland?” Tracy asked. “Of course I'm going, you were there too.”

“No. To UCLA with Grandpa, Mom and me this weekend.” Brooke asked as Jaio went into the studio, where Karen was working through her Tai Chi forms.

“Oh, yeah. Mom wants to see family down there and Aunt Shelly thinks it’s best if Aunt Alice meets me now. This way they can meet us at Disneyland. I guess Grandma Bernice is dying to tell them” Tracy replied as she headed for the bathroom area.

“Cool. I'll see you when we go for the court thing. I hear that Rachel is coming too.” Brooke said, as she followed her friend.

“Yeah. You were both witnesses to our attack.” Tracy said with a nod.

“Mom is thinking of going down that morning, but she may go the night before, so we’re not in a rush.” Brooke stated.

Tracy opened up the door and stopped. She looked to Brooke, her lips turned into a large smile. “You know, we should see if Sage, Romy, Rachel and you can all come down with me, and we can just hang out at my place.”

“We should. I can ask Mom, when she’s done.” Brooke said. “Are you staying with us in LA?”

Tracy nodded. “I think My Mom is getting with your Mom and she's going to go with her to share the cost. Your mom was all over the idea.”

“Yeah. Grandpa usually gets his own room, so mom and I can change in peace.”

“Cool. The only thing is I will miss the friday night class.” Tracy stated.

Jaio stopped her. “Tracy, there is always Monday.” She smiled at the preteen.

“Awesome!” Tracy exclaimed.

“Now change. Class is soon.” Jaio said, shooing Tracy away. “Brooke can talk more later.”

~o~O~o~

Wednesday February 23rd 1983

Vance was in the front seat as his mother drove to Livermore. She had saved time by grabbing his medical records on the way down, so all she had to do was go to the new school and take care of everything there. The back of her car was loaded with his clothes, toys and books. The only thing left in his room had been a bed, a dresser, the bar in the closet and the curtains that covered the window. A lot of the living-room had been done after dinner, leaving just their Dad’s books and clothes, which William had been working on, and all of the kitchen stuff to pack, which Maggie was planning on doing when she returned the next day.

“Am I coming back on Friday?” He asked.

“No. You weren't at the store for the attack, so no need to come down for the court date. I'll just bring Tracy. But you and your Uncle will be alone from tomorrow night to Sunday. Aunt Shelly wants to take Tracy to meet your Aunt Alice, so they know about her and Tracy is helping Brooke with her race at UCLA. Persephone said you could come over and hang out with Moony, if you want. But that won’t be till Friday night. I think tomorrow and Friday afternoon, you’ll be at Lynn’s. Only Lance will be at the courts for Rachel.”

“What about school?” Vance asked. “Will I be going tomorrow?”

“I may see about getting you started on Monday, in case we need more stuff, okay? Or if there are tests you have to do.” Maggie replied.

“Tests?” Vance warily asked.

“Well, they do need to make sure the records aren’t false and that you can handle the classes..” Maggie stated.

“Oh. Hey, could we grab something to eat?” Vance asked, while watching as his old school passed by on his side of the car.

“I thought you’d want something more. We’ll hit something in Marysville. There’s a nice sit down diner that has breakfast there.”

“Awesome.” Vance said and he leaned back in his seat and watched as they drove away from his old life and into his new one.

~o~O~o~

Just after noon, when there was a knock at the door and Tracy got up and sprinted to answer it. Her day had been a busy one. Jaio had shown up that morning to work on some of the stuff that Tracy needed to learn for her classes. After that, she started on her schooling. Her work was spread out into three neat piles on the table. She had the history in front of her, and was saving Math and science till her Uncle got home.

She peeked through the peephole, then threw the door open and jumped out, surprising Vance. She hugged him tightly. “Hey!”

“Hey, Tracy.”

Tracy looked to her Mom. “Have you gone to the school?”

“We did. Vance has to take some tests, tomorrow, so they know where to place him. He took a couple today, but they knew moving can be traumatic. But he’s down here as of now.” Maggie said. Shelly came around the corner.

“You got his stuff?” Shelly asked.

“We do. Is Frank home?” Maggie said in reply.

“No. It's only noon. Want some help getting his stuff inside?”

“Yeah.” Maggie nodded. “Tracy, can you give us a hand?”

“Sure. I can do that.” Tracy looked to Vance. “I get the bed by the desk. I’ve been using it already.”

“Okay.”

Tracy smiled brightly. “And you have your own dresser. It was in the garage.”

“Cool.” Vance replied.

~o~O~o~

Thursday February 24th 1983

Tracy and her mother were back in the house that she had spent most of her life in. It felt weird to her to see her old bedroom mostly empty, with just the bunk bed left standing. It had been taken apart to form two separate beds and they were now sitting in the middle of the room. William and Conner were set to tear it apart and place it with the other stuff to be put into a u-haul.

The ladies were working on the kitchen and as each box was filled, it was moved to the living-room. All of the living room had been done, and that left William’s bedroom and the loose stuff in the bathroom, but that wouldn’t take long.

Tracy had already gone through each of the board games that were in the hall and placed them into the trunk of back of Shelly’s van. They were just finishing the kitchen, leaving enough dishes for dinner. They had planned on a late dinner, so Tracy’s friends could enjoy it with them.

At about six o’clock, a car pulled into the drive and Tracy ran to the window, just to see who it was. Once she saw her father get out of his car, a smile on his lips, she raced for the door. She flung it open and jumped out, leaping into William’s arms. “Daddy!!!”

“Hello, Princess.” He pulled her in close and kissed her cheek. “How have you been?”

“Good. I’ve missed you, though.” She said, then she added. “Missed you a lot.”

“A lot? Its only been four days.” He said with a grin, while he let go of her and started to go into the house.

“True, but I still miss you.”

William nodded, but took a sniff at the air. “Smells good. What’s for dinner?”

“We’re having stew. We wanted to make sure we have enough, for the others, so we have two crock-pots going.”

“Nice. Well, can I change out of my work clothes and we’ll talk more in a few minutes?” William asked, as he went to his wife and kissed her cheek, then hugged his mother and Shelly.

“I guess.” Came the glum reply from Tracy.

“Hey, young lady. You’re here all night. It’s not the last time you’ll see me. Besides, I have to pack up my room and I thought you could help with that, unless you’re going to be too busy hanging out with the girls.”

“I don’t know. But I’ll try to help.”

“Well, don’t ignore your friends. That wouldn’t be fair to them.”

“Okay, Daddy.” Tracy said, before hugging him once more.

~o~O~o~

Tracy and her friends all found themselves in her old room. They had pushed the old bunk beds against the walls and Tracy shared with Sage, while Brooke and Rachel took the other bed. The nightlight from the hall was helping to cast shadows in the room. It wasn’t a large room, but the lack of furniture made it seem that way.

“I can’t believe how empty this room is.” Tracy stated.

“It is kinda big. Almost as big as the room you’re in back home.” Rachel said.

Tracy chuckled. “Back home.” She mused. “I never thought of anywhere but here as home. Now it’s one more change.”

“A good one.” Sage said. “You get to go to school with us next year. And no one knows about you.”

“Sage is right.” Brooke added. “Plus, we’re all down there.”

“Yeah. I love it there. So much more to do there.” Tracy said as she lay her head against the pillow.

“Yeah.” Rachel said. “Shopping!”

A moment later, they heard Brooke’s mother come to the doorway. “Girls, we let you stay up late, but William is sleeping, so try and keep it a bit quiet.”

“Okay, Mom.” Brooke said.

"Sorry Mrs. Han." Rachel said. "Just talking."

"I know, just keep it down, so William can sleep." Karen said.

They waited a few moments, till they heard Karen walk away, then Sage giggled. “See Rachel, shopping will get you in trouble.”

“Funny.” Rachel replied back.

“It sucks that you two can’t be in Livermore tomorrow.” Sage said. “I mean, good luck on the race, but now I got to hide at Rachel’s all weekend.”

Rachel giggled back. “But Vance loves you.” This caused Brooke and Tracy to join in on the giggles.

“I know.” Sage sighed. She felt Tracy hug her tightly.

“Don’t focus on him. Just think about Disneyland in a month.” Tracy said as she hugged Sage tight. Besides, Uncle Frank will be home on Saturday, so he may go home. And next weekend, we’re doing the move.”

“Good. And then you’re a full time Bay Area girl.” Sage said as she snuggled into the hug.

“Yep. And this is going to be awesome. In a month, I will be Tracy, legally. We'll go to Disneyland and then we can make plans for the Summer."

"Yeah." The others all replied.

~o~O~o~

Friday February 25th 1983

Morning came and found Tracy at the stove, making sure her father had a breakfast, before he headed off to work. In the middle of her cooking, they heard a vehicle pull into the driveway. Tracy looked out the window over the stove. Her Grandmother's truck sat in the driveway.

“Grandma's here?” Tracy asked.

Maggie nodded. “Yeah, your Grandmother was there and If we need a witness, she can act as one. Plus, they will follow us down to LA.”

“Awesome.” Tracy waited as the stove, while her mother went to the door to let them in. Bernice and Marion both came in.

Her grandmother walked over to where Tracy was at and smiled at her granddaughter. “Hello, young lady."

“Hi Grandma.” Tracy answered back, then she gestured to the frying pan. "Want some eggs?"

"Sure. We could have a little snack."

Marion hugged his daughter, then patted Tracy’s shoulder.

A few moments later, another car pulled up. Tracy looked out and saw Lance in the drivers seat, with another man, who looked slightly younger than Lance, in the passenger seat. They both got out and once more Maggie opened up the door. “Lance, how was the trip?”

“Fine, except sleeping beauty didn’t like waking up at four this morning, so we could be here early.” Lance stated.

“Sorry. We didn’t ask for an early appointment. But there are hotels, or we could have put you up around here.” Maggie said.

“Its okay. I had a big party to attend last night and I can only blame me for staying late.” The man said. “But for now, let’s talk strategy for today.”

“And breakfast. Have you two eaten?” Maggie asked.

“Not yet.” Lance said. “We grabbed a little before we left town, but he is not a fast food fan.”

“Well, find a spot and we will get you some eggs.” Maggie said with a smile. She held her hand out to the stranger. “I’m Maggie Patterson, this is my husband, William. He would come with us, but he is watching what he does at work. They’ve been looking for any excuse to fire him.”

“Sounds sticky.” The man replied. “I’m Bart Rogers. My full name is Bartholomew, but I like Bart better.”

Maggie quickly introduced everyone in the house, including those who were seated in the living-room. When she finished, with the adults, she gestured to the stove. “I’m sure you know Rachel, but the redhead is Sage, she’s the Miller’s daughter.”

“The Miller’s are also getting a restraining order.” Lance added.

“The girl in the wheelchair is Brooke and she was at the store during the attack. She was near the girls and watching with Rachel. Her Grandfather and Mother are here with her.” Maggie went to Tracy and put her hand on Tracy’s shoulder. “This is my youngest. Tracy.”

“Sage, Tracy, Maggie, Persephone, as I said before, Bart is taking care of this. This is more of his type of case. And as Rachel’s father, I’d rather not represent her. I can do it, but I’d rather someone who isn’t related to all of this take the helm.” Lance put a hand on Tracy's shoulder. “Tracy, so you know, I told him about you and trust me when I say that he doesn't care. He supports you fully.

“He’s right. I know many people who were born as the wrong sex. The only important thing is what is between your ears, not your legs.” The man didn’t blush, but the girls did. “Having said that, I have to say this. Tracy, it's important that you and everyone else here watch your pronouns and names today. Girls, from the moment we leave the house, till we leave the courtroom, that is Troy, not Tracy.” He looked to Troy, who looked glum. “I know that hurts, Tracy, but we can't give this woman any ammo against you. Once this is over, you can be you again, until then, it is only Troy, him his and he. Okay?”

“Okay.” Tracy said as she lowered her head, as though her greatest dream had been crushed.

"Okay, everyone?" Bart asked again.

Everyone else just nodded and a few replies of yes were heard. Maggie began helping the girls with breakfast. William headed for the sink and he put his dishes away, then he patted Tracy’s shoulder. “Want to see me to the car with your mother?” His daughter smiled and nodded. Bernice took Maggie spot at the stove.

William went to his car, his lunch already packed. He put his lunch into the backseat, then turned and hugged his wife, than his daughter. “Be safe, and stop by, if you are out in time. I’ll be at my car for the breaks. Let me know the outcome. Leave a note on the seat if you have to. Call from LA when you get there.”

“He knows we’re going?” Tracy asked, looking to her mother.

“Yes, I know you’re going to help Brooke in her race. I also know that your Aunt Shelly is paying the way so I better not argue with her or I get yelled at.” He gave a big smile, so Tracy knew he was joking. “Be safe down there and no going to Disney, till I can be with you.”

“I promise.” Tracy said, putting a hand on her heart.

“Good, now I’ll see you two in a week or so.”

“Next Friday. We’ll come here, once Vance is out of school.”

“Okay.They have me scheduled till Saturday, but once that is done, I am out of here.”

“Good.” Tracy said. He hugged then again, then he got in his car. As he pulled out, this time, Tracy didn’t cry, she knew she could last one more week.

~o~O~o~

Maggie went into the kids old bedroom and she saw her child, sitting on the bed and looking at her feet. Her gaze was firmly aimed at the shiny boy’s shoes she had yet to get rid of. She wore a suit that fit a bit tight on her and her hair was long for a boy's cut. Maggie knew they would have to pin it back, or put it in a ponytail. Although the child looked like a boy, except for the long flowing hair, she knew in her heart that it was her daughter and nothing could change that feeling.

Without looking up, Tracy simply stated. “I hate this.”

“I know, baby. But think of it this way. We get there and get through this quickly, we can try and be back here by ten or so and you can wear what you want to.” Maggie put a hand on her child’s shoulder. “We need to get moving. But as soon as its done, I promise you, I want Tracy to be back at my side.”

“And its just an hour or two?”

“I promise. Once we’re out of the courthouse and get back here, you change, then we follow Brooke, Karen and Lok to LA. Your Grandparents too.”

“Good.” Tracy looked up and he smiled, but just slightly.

“Come on, Bart wants to get there a bit early. So we’re not running late.”

“Okay.” Tracy got up and followed Maggie out of the room.

~o~O~o~

Molly was being good. She had been out of the mental health facility for just a few days. They had let her go when she hadn’t showed any other outbursts. That had been two weeks earlier. There were few who fought her release, but the head man insisted and signed them, since she had been a model patient after her outburst. After that she was able to be released on bail, something her husband reluctantly paid. Lance had kept track of it, through the D.A’s office, but luckily they didn’t have to go to the arraignment. They were still waiting for the pre trial conferences and any other reasons they would have to come down, since Molly took a not guilty plea.

Molly knew she could beat the restraining order and if she did, it would help her case. And to put on a good show, she had just gone to visit an old family friend, and the Godfather to her sons, one of the judges for the county, June's son, Andrew. Before she got to his office, she witnessed something that made her stop and listen closely. She was still focused on what she had seen and heard from his office and it didn't phase her that she had not even spoken to him. Her mind was working over the juicy information she had just witnessed. Instead she slipped away before anyone had the chance to know she was there. She was to meet with her lawyer, but not for another ten minutes.

As Molly came around a corner of the hall that led to the judges chambers, she saw Maggie, her child and the redhead, plus many others all pass by. None of them had seen her, but to be safe, she stepped to the side, so she was next to the wall, but could still see them.. She stopped and just watched them. She knew she had to keep her distance, because of the temporary restraining order, or she could get in more trouble. She watched as Troy and the girls all talked. A part of her hated seeing him that close to the innocent girls, but she knew she was on thin ice and had to be good.

She could see the sadness in Troy’s face and for some reason, his sadness gave her a sick glee. She was doing fine in watching them walk by, until she watched as the redhead slipped her arm behind Troy’s back and the larger girl hugged him as well. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, all of it became a blur.

Once more she could hear crying and the sounds of a young girl pleading and the image of Troy standing over the redhead, her clothes in tatters and Troy forcing himself on her flashed in her mind. She could hear Troy’s sick laughter as the image in her head molested not only the redhead, but the other two as well. She could see the little monster that no one else could see and she knew she had to act.

Molly bolted towards them. None of them were ready for her when she screamed out just as she neared Tracy. “Leave that girl alone you sick little pervert!” The scream caught the attention of several people nearby, including some officers who had come in for different court dates. The girls turned as did Tracy, but none of them were ready for the fact that Molly was that close.

Molly plowed into Tracy, a string of obscenities flowing from her lips. Molly’s fist connected with Tracy, catching her over her right eye. The blow staggered her and when she fell, she caused Sage and Rachel to fall with her. Karen quickly pulled her daughter's wheelchair away from the mess of bodies.

As they landed, Tracy’s hand landed on the larger girls chest, and Molly saw it. “RAPIST!” She screamed out and hit Tracy once more, this time she managed to turn her head and she only grazed her cheek. Tracy brought up one arm and covered her face, as her other arm was trapped by Sage. Tracy curled into a ball and did her best to hide her face, as Molly kept swinging. She could hear the sounds of shouting, fighting and scuffling of feet and then what felt like a dozen people dancing over her and Molly, but through it all, she kept her face covered.

Then a hand grabbed her and pulled her away. She felt a pair of arms wrap around her and she could hear her mother soothing her. “I got you, Baby.”

She couldn't help but cry, burying her face into her mother's chest. She stopped, just long enough to see what was going on, as Molly let out another string of swearing. She watched the woman launch herself at her and her mother, but several cops wrestled her to the ground.

Then began the questioning from the police on the scene, and other officers, once who were on duty were called to take the reports. More then an hour passed, Till Bart looked up and at a clock. “Shit. Maggie, Persephone, Modine, we need to get to the courtroom. We got five minutes.”

The officer who was taking statements stopped him. “We need to finish taking statements. You need to wait.”

“Officer, could you come with us? We are here to get a restraining order for these children, against the woman you just arrested. This isn’t the first time she has attacked the Patterson child in public, or the redhead. We need to be there in fifteen minutes, or it could get tossed out.

One of the older cops came over. “Let’s see about getting these kids into a side room. I doubt they’ll let them in the courtroom at first, but we can question the children about what happened and then you won’t miss the appointment.”

“Thanks, officer.” Bart said. "This can help in our cases against her."

~o~O~o~

Tracy was left in a side room with Rachel, Brooke and Shelly. Each of the girls had spoken to the cops about the attack in the courthouse, each had given their statement, along with their parents and those who had seen what had happened. Each of them had gone in and spoken to the judge, not only covering the attack at the start of the month, but Molly's attack in the courthouse that morning and it was currently Sage's turn.

As they had sat there, each of the girls had started to cry, which set the others off. Shelly was doing her best to calm them down, with Lok’s help. Each time the crying fits started, the adults started asking questions about the upcoming trip to get them thinking about other things. When Sage had gone in, her father and mother went with her.

By time Sage came back, the crying had stopped and they were sitting with a few sodas on the table in front of them. Sage came in, shaking her head in disbelief. “You'll never believe this.” Sage said as she slipped into a chair. Her parents followed her into the room. “That woman was going to try and get a restraining order out against you, but to cover me.”

“What? What do you mean?” Tracy asked, very confused by what Sage had said.

Persephone spoke up as she took a chair. “Molly was going to claim that she was Sage's aunt and legal guardian and was going to put a restraining order out, keeping you from Sage. It was one of the many restraining orders she was trying to get today. Her lawyer told us. He showed us all the actions she tried to take. She was to see the judge right about now.”

“And did they say yes?”

“With both Sage's dad and myself here?” Persephone asked in response. “No. Bart and Molly’s lawyer went to the other judge, who tossed it out when he learned that we're not even related. Thankfully with her being removed from the courthouse and arrested, she wasn't able to fight the restraining order and now it really looks bad for her. The others were to keep Brooke and Rachel from you as well, but Rachel’s Dad and Brooke’s Mother helped stop those.”

“What did I even do?” Tracy asked.

“She was screaming that you were raping Sage, but Sage was just hugging you.” Rachel stated.

“I never did anything to her. Ever. I swear.” Tracy said, tears starting to fall from her eyes again, this caused her friends to start thinking about the attack and they started to cry. Once again the adults tried to stop them..

~o~O~o~

After about ten minutes, when the girls had finally stopped crying again, and were all talking about which rides at Disneyland they wanted to go on first, the door opened up and Maggie, her parents and In-laws all came in. Lance and Bart came in and took seats at the big table. Tracy didn't see them at first, instead she was talking with Brooke, then she felt her mom's hand on her shoulder.

“Mom!” Tracy turned and jumped into her arms. After hugging her for a moment, she looked up. “Can we go now? Or do we have to stay longer?”

“We gave the cops all the information they need to arrest Molly again. I heard that they are sending her to the mental health place again. But yeah, we're done. Do you want to go to the hospital, for your cheek and eye?”

“Do we have to?” Tracy asked.

Lance spoke up. “It may be for the best. One of the officers has agreed to come with us, so we can try and get in and out, in a hurry. Plus, if they come, we don’t have to come back to here to give them the report.”

“Then we can leave town” Tracy asked.

“We were thinking of having you meet us at our place.” Modine replied. “Mr. Rogers and Mr. Williams are invited too. But I think you girls could use something to eat, and that gives Tracy a place to change into her normal clothes.”

“Maggie, you should go. This way they got more proof for the court case and the second charge of assault.” Lance stated.

“Okay. Then we’ll go to the hospital and meet you all at Modine’s.”

Bart leaned back in his seat and looked to Maggie, before speaking. “Maggie, if I could, can I ride with you? Lance can go with someone and I’ll meet him at your in-laws. I want to make sure that a lawyer is there with you, for any tough questions.”

“Please do.” Maggie replied.

At some point, I promise this girl will get to Disneyland.

“Tracy, I know you're scared, but the sooner they know, the better. Your Grandmother will be there and she is dying to tell them. Your aunt could know already but Shelly and I agree that this is for the best. Plus, we’ve gotten a hold of Joy and Angie and while we’re at Brooke’s race, we’re gonna meet up with them. So when we’re at Alice’s, if you want to go, or she treats you bad, then we go. That instant. No waiting, just leaving.”

“Promise?” Tracy asked her, not totally believing her.

“Promise.” Maggie replied.

Edited by Djkauf

More of Tracy and Family.

Friday February 26th 1983

Vance sat in the living-room of Lynn’s house. He had been there since seven that morning, when his Uncle had dropped him off. He had been sitting at the TV for most of the morning, till he realized that they were repeating a lot of the music videos he had seen. There wasn't much on the TV that looked good and he was getting bored. He could hear Lynn moving around the house and he recalled something his mother told him before she left Thursday morning.

“Don’t be a pest tomorrow, and if you can, offer Lynn some help. It won’t kill you to help a little.”

He turned off the TV, then got up and started searching for her. It took him a few minutes to find her in the laundry room. She heard him as he rounded the corner and she looked up. “Something wrong, Vance?”

“No. I just wanted to see if you had anything you wanted to get done. I feel kinda bad just sitting around and watching TV all day.”

“Well, you don’t have to help. You’re a guest. There’s not a lot to do around here. The girls keep up on their chores. I guess there’s always the dishes from breakfast.” Lynn replied. “I was going to do those after I started the laundry.”

“Oh...well I can do them now, so they’re out of the way.”

“You don’t have to....” Lynn said again.

“I know. But I want to.” Vance replied. He really didn't want to, but he was growing bored with the TV. There would be nothing but music videos all day, other than the soap operas, which he would never watch.

“Okay, you do the dishes and I’ll join you in a bit. Then we can tidy up the house, if you still want to help.”

The phone started to ring and Lynn passed Vance and went to the phone in the kitchen. “Williams house, Lynn speaking.” Vance went to the sink and began rinsing off the dishes as he heard her speaking. “Hi, Honey. Yes, we’re good. And you? How did the case go?” There was a pause, then Vance heard Lynn say. “Again? She attacked them again? In the courtroom? Was she arrested?”

Vance was curious, but he knew better than to ask questions while she was talking. He turned his attention to the dishes and after a few minutes, Lynn finally hung up. She sighed as she headed for the laundry room.

“Mrs. Williams? Did something happen at the court thing?” Vance asked.

“Yeah.” Lynn replied. She stopped at the doorway and turned to face him. “From what Lance said, that Molly woman attacked Tracy again and she got hit a few times. Molly also knocked down Rachel and Sage. But they are all fine. Your mother and sister are at the hospital. They need to be checked out so there is a medical report in the arrest record.”

“Are they still going to L.A.?”

“Yeah. They are still going, or so Lance thinks. We’ll find out when he gets here.” Lynn said. “I thought you were hanging out with Moony and his friend this weekend?”

“Yeah. I just thought that maybe they’d have stuff that has to come up today.” Vance replied. “So if they needed help moving stuff, I could do that.”

“That’s next week. At least I think that’s what your Aunt said.” Lynn replied, before stepping into the laundry room.

“Yeah. But you never know.” Vance stated and Lynn knew how things could change.

“True, but you father is still there for a week and they need to rent, not only a Uhaul, but a storage place.”

“Yeah. I guess you’re right.” Vance replied back. “But still, I just thought maybe they’d just move it all today.”

“And hold onto it for the weekend?” Lynn asked, peeking her head around the corner. “No, I don’t think so. But don’t worry Vance. I’m sure they will let you know when you have to help.”

“Yeah. I know.” Vance replied back. “I know they will.”

~o~O~o~

They left the hospital and on the way to Modine’s house, Maggie looked at the clock, then she took an unexpected right hand turn. Tracy watched as they drove towards the highway, then to the road that led to where William worked.

“We’re going to Dad’s work?” Tracy asked.

“Yep.” Maggie said with a nod, then she quickly glanced at Bart. “I hope you don't mind, Bart. But it should be about his break time and he wanted to know what happened.”

“I totally agree.” Bart said with a nod, but he kept his attention on the small town that he had never been in before that day.

“This way, if he has questions, you can explain it.” Maggie added.

“I don’t mind.” Bart replied. “It is my job.”

Maggie pulled onto a side road, that paralleled the mill, then she went to the guard shack. She stopped at the guard shack and was waved in by one of the men who knew her. She pulled into the parking lot and headed towards the part of the lot that William always seemed to park in. As they got close to his car, she noticed he was on his way to the car. He started jogging to catch up to them.

William slowed down when he noticed Bart in the passenger seat and Shelly and Tracy in the back. Maggie parked behind his car, blocking him in. She shut off the motor and stepped out as he slowed to a walk and then stopped next to her. Bart got out of the passenger seat.

“Hey, how did it go?” William asked, as he hugged his wife..

“Bad and good, all at once.” Maggie said. Tracy slipped out, still looking like Troy. “Ask Bart, he can explain the court proceedings.”

“Well, Bart?” William asked. His daughter hugged him and he looked down and noticed what would be the start of a black eye. “What the hell? Who hit you?”

“That would be Molly.” Maggie said. Bart came around the car and stopped near William.

“She hit Tracy? While at the courthouse?” William asked.

“Yeah.” Maggie said with a nod.

Bart took over, while leaning against Maggie’s car. “ It’s like this, William. We got to the courthouse and as we were headed inside, the kids were walking together, but behind us. The Asian lady...”

“Karen.” Maggie chimed in.

“Yeah her. She was with the girls, pushing her daughter though the crowd. The rest of us were discussing what would happen and how I wanted to call on people when the hearing started. That Molly woman came out of nowhere and started attacking the kids. Mostly yours, but Rachel and Sage got knocked over. It took several cops, your mother-in-law, the old Asian man and your father to keep her away from the kids. When the kids were knocked over, Tracy’s hand hit Rachel’s chest and Molly began calling Tracy a rapist.”

“A rapist?” William asked.

“Yeah. Tracy did her best to protect her face, but Molly got a few shots in. She was arrested and by the sounds of it, it looks like she is going back to the mental institution. Not to mention that she broke the temporary restraining order, so she’ll have to answer for that. There is also the fact that she hurt Sage and there was a temp order on Sage as well. So yeah, the next time you see her should be for the trial.”

“I see. Thank you.” William looked at Tracy’s face closely. “You may want to get some ice, crush it up and put it in a bag, for your trip down. That should help slow down the black eye.” He looked up to his wife. “What about the restraining order?”

“We got it. So do your parents, the Miller’s, the Han’s and the Williams.” Maggie said.

“There is more.” Bart added, then he continued before being asked. “That woman tried to place a restraining order on Tracy, but it would have kept her from being near Rachel, Brooke and Sage.”

“Is....” William blinked a couple of times in surprise. He wasn’t expecting something that underhanded. “Is that legal?”

“Well, if she had been a relation, like she was claiming and she was the legal guardian, like she also claimed, then yes. But with the parents of each girl there, we got it thrown out. In fact it was her lawyer who had told us that she wanted to file them.” Bart added. “He had no idea that she wasn’t a relation to the girls.”

“So it’s all over?”

Bart shrugged and nodded. “Till her criminal trial, but with her outbursts, I would think she is going to go for a plea of insanity.”

“I can see her getting that.” Maggie said. “She was screaming, calling Tracy a rapist, and she was trying to bite and my mom and me, as we tried to get her off of the girls. She was like a rabid animal.”

Through the telling of the story, Tracy didn’t cry. Instead, she leaned against her father. William held out a hand to Bart. “Thank you for coming down.”

Bart took the hand and shook it firmly. “It was no problem. Kinda feels good to get out of the Bay Area. You do need to decide if you both wish to sue her in a civil court, for her actions. I can help with that, that way Lance can be called as a witness.”

“I think we should.” Maggie replied. “At least make sure Molly gets the medical bills for these last two trips to the hospital. The Miller’s should, too.”

“I agree.” William said with a nod. He looked at his watch. “I got about fifteen minutes. So I’d like to get back inside, so they can’t try and fire me for being late in clocking in. Rather be early than late in clocking back in.”

Maggie leaned in and kissed him. Then he hugged Tracy. “Thank you for coming.” He said to Bart. Shelly, you take good care of my ladies today.”

“I will.”

~o~O~o~

Tracy wasted no time when she got to her grandmothers place. She rushed in, grabbed her girl clothes, and raced for the back bedroom. The others were in the process of eating as she went to change.

It only took her a few minutes to change, during that time, Maggie reminded her to fold up Troy’s suit, so it could be used for the court dates, should she have to go. When she walked out, the adults were all at the dining room table and the kids were around the kitchen table. Modine hadn’t heated up much, but it was enough for all of them.

“So, you’re headed on Five all the way?” Lance asked Maggie as Tracy passed.

“Yeah. When you all cut off, Tracy, we’ll keep following Lok and my Parents, till we get into the heart of the city.” Maggie said. Tracy ignored the adults and she went to the table where her friends sat. She took a plate and went to the stove, where the food was. She was feeling hungry and the thought of food was helping her forget about what happened.

“Hey, you wanna see if you can ride with me?” Brooke asked as Tracy sat at the table. “At least until we get to, like LA, or something?”

“Sure. I guess.”

“Man. This blows. You two get to go have fun and we get stuck with Vance.” Sage stated.

“Aren’t we going to Stacey’s?” Rachel asked.

“No. She’s not feeling well, so her parents want to keep us away from it.” Sage replied.

“Then come to my place.” Rachel said with a smile. “Then there is no Vance.”

“True.” Sage said with a nod. “We should, just to keep me safe.”

~o~O~o~

As they headed to the car, after hugging Rachel and Sage, Tracy looked to her mother. “Do we have to see Aunt Alice?”

“Tracy, I know you're scared, but the sooner they know, the better. Your Grandmother will be there and she is dying to tell them. Your aunt could know already but Shelly and I agree that this is for the best. Plus, we’ve gotten a hold of Joy and Angie and while we’re at Brooke’s race, we’re gonna meet up with them. So when we’re at Alice’s, if you want to go, or she treats you bad, then we go. That instant. No waiting, just leaving.”

“Promise?” Tracy asked her, not totally believing her.

“Promise.” Maggie replied. “And when we’re there, we may ask Alice if the girls can join us at Disneyland, but only if you all get along over this weekend. We’re also thinking of seeing if Joy will meet us, so Angie can hang out with you too.”

Persephone came over from where she had been talking to Lance. “Since you’re heading in our direction and the girls are riding together until Los Angeles, why don’t we let Sage and Rachel go right with you to Tracy. You can get off before the off ramp to five eighty and fill up, then we take ours and head home.”

“Sure. It looks like Brooke is riding with Shelly, Tracy and Karen. I’m riding with my Mom and Dad wants to ride with Lok.”

~o~O~o~

“So, what do you all have planned for tonight?” Tracy asked Sage, as they passed through Marysville.

“We’re looking at Rachel’s place. Mom heard from Aunt Lillian and Stacey is sick and Casey was just getting over it.” Sage replied.

“Oh. Well, at least you're out of the house.” Tracy said with a chuckle.

“Yep. No Vance.” Sage answered with a giggle.

“Isn’t Vance hanging out with Uncle Frank today?” Rachel asked.

“I think Mom said he was going to hang out with Moony tonight, so they could have sleepover with those other boys, so Vance can meet new people.” Tracy replied.

“What about you two?” Sage asked, not wanting to think about Vance in her house.

“Well, Mom is taking me to Aunt Alice’s place and then we’re going to stay the night with Brooke and her mom at the hotel. Then the race and more hanging out. I think Joy is bringing her daughter Angie too. She’s kinda cool. She met Tracy at Christmas.”

“Good luck in your race.” Rachel said, reaching over the seat and patting Brooke’s shoulder.

Sage patted her arm. “Yeah. Show them what Livermore girls can do!”

“I intend to.” Brooke replied. “Just think. In another month, we’ll be headed down there, all together.”

“For Disneyland!” Sage exclaimed. “I can’t wait. ‘Romy can’t either. She’s saving her hugs up for Donald Duck.”

“She is?” Tracy and Brooke both asked.

“Yeah. She refused to hug Dad the other night before bed. She said Donald deserves her best hug.” Sage said with a chuckle.

From the front seat, Shelly chuckled, but the girls didn’t pay her any attention.

“I’m waiting for Mickey.” Tracy said.

“I wanna see Hook.” Sage stated. “Or Minnie.”

~o~O~o~

As the adults filled up the vehicles, Sage and Rachel were busy talking to Brooke and Tracy as they all came from the store with goodies for the trip. “Can you come over on Monday?” Sage asked Tracy.

“I’ll try. I know next weekend is out because we’re moving our stuff in Oroville.”

“Yeah.” Sage nodded. “Dad said something about maybe helping move the stuff from the truck to the storage, if your Dad wanted.”

“He should call Mom on Monday and ask. She could tell Dad.” Tracy replied.

They reached the van and Tracy put her stuff into the back. “Well, see you in a few days.” She hugged Sage, then Rachel.

“Remember, no going to Disney without us.” Sage stated again.

“We know.” Tracy replied. “We’ll just kidnap Mickey, but not ride any of the rides.”

“That’s mean.” Sage said, bending down to hug Brooke. “Have fun. And here’s hoping your cousins like you.”

“Yeah. I’m scared of that too.” Tracy said.

Rachel hugged her again. “They’ll love you. We love you, don’t we?”

“Yeah. Yeah you do.” Tracy said, getting one last hug in.

~o~O~o~

Rachel came home, and headed for the kitchen. She stopped as she saw Vance in the living-room, helping Lynn to move one of the couches.

“Hello, Pumpkin. How was the trip?”

“It was good. Dad went to the office to write up what happened.” Rachel replied as she put her night bag on the floor. “What’s going on?”

“Vance is helping out. We vacuumed the den and now we’re working on the living-room.” Lynn said.

“Oh. You didn’t do our rooms, did you?” Rachel asked.

“Nope, that is your job. Besides, do you want him moving things in your room?" Lynn asked her daughter.

"Well....not really." Rachel replied.

"He was bored and offered to help. But we're almost done and he's off to Sage's soon." Lynn said.

"Oh. Well, I wanna put my bag up." Rachel said, heading for the stairwell. "Sage will be over soon."

~o~O~o~

It was around seven thirty when Bernice and Maggie first reached Alice’s driveway. Marion pointed to Shelly, the best place to park on the street. Tracy looked up as her mother got out of the truck and she saw the curtains get moved from the living-room window. A moment later, the door opened up, as Shelly and Marion got out of their seats.

“Maggie! You made it!” Alice said as she came out of the modest little home she had with her daughters.Two girls, one older then Tracy, the other younger, both came out of the house and made for Bernice.

“Alice. It's been far too long.” Maggie said as she hugged her sister.

“It has been. I should have visited sooner.” Maggie replied.

“So, no William, or the kids?”

“Well, William is still in Oroville, and Vance just moved to Livermore last week. He’s getting settled into Shelly’s and starting school on Monday, but he wanted to stay, so he could hang out with his new friends.” Maggie said. She turned slightly around and gestured to her daughter to come closer. “But Shelly and Tracy managed to make it with me.”

“Tracy? Who's Tracy?” Alice asked. “And what about Troy?”

“Have the girls eaten dinner?” Marion asked.

“About five.” Alice replied. “We knew you were going to be late, so we didn’t wait.”

“Then, why don't I take Tracy, Heidi and Cheryl out for some ice cream.” Marion said as they all headed to the house. “Let you ladies talk a little bit. That and I want some ice cream.”

“I don’t mind.” Alice replied.

“Me either. Tracy had dinner already.” Maggie said. He started to guide the children to his truck, when Shelly gave him the keys to her van. They watched as he left, then they all went inside.

Alice watched the door shut, then she looked to her sister and her mother. “Okay, the only time Dad clears the kids out is when there is a talk coming. So what is going on?”

“There is something going on and it's about Tracy and Troy....” Maggie replied. “And I think it is something you should hear about from me.”

~o~O~o~

A short while and one quick telling of the past few months later, Alice was trying to wrap her head around the news. “So, my nephew Troy is no more and now he's a girl named Tracy? Am I getting this right?”

“Yeah. Mom found out and she had a bit of a meltdown.” Maggie said with a nod.

“But I was wrong.” Bernice said with a nod.

“I would have never known that was Troy....” Alice absentmindedly said.

“We know. She does hide well. But you haven't seen her in a few years.” Maggie started, cutting her sister off, who cut her off, before she could continue.

“This is what you were going on about.” Alice said as she looked to her mother. “Isn't it?”

“Yes.” Bernice answered, then she looked to Maggie and Shelly. “I've been trying to soften the blow for when it comes. I've been really pushing the whole what's on the inside speech with the girls and I've asked Alice what she thinks of people that live like Tracy does.”

“I've never had a problem with them. I've known a few guys who dress in drag. The girls have met many people like that and they’ve never had a problem, either. I know some others who like to dress up around the house. I've also met a few who want to become a woman and I've never really thought about what could happen if it were my own family.”

Maggie nodded and leaned back in her seat. “Alice, you have to remember, Tracy is still the same child. The same morals and stuff like that. The only difference is that she should have been born a girl, not a boy. She's even getting girl hormones. Got a shot last week when I moved to Livermore. We're not sure why, but her chest is starting to grow as well. The doctor thinks it may be from the castration and a lack of other hormones in the body. This isn't a little boy in drag. This is a young child who was born into the wrong body.”

“Fact is this, Alice. Troy was never much of a boy.” Bernice said. “I remembered back to his visit in Wyoming a few years ago and the boy that was there was never really there. He was quiet and he hated to do the boy stuff that Vance wanted to do. But that child spent as much time with Maggie and myself. Tracy knew what she was, but was too afraid to tell any of us.”

“What does William say? He always seemed to be a bit macho, can't expect him to be agreeing with this. Or is this why you two are not together?” Alice asked.

Maggie arched an eyebrow. “Alice, we're still together. He's all for Tracy. Ever since Vietnam, a part of him has always wanted a daughter and now he has one. He's in Oroville till next Saturday. Then he will be getting a Uhaul and we’ll go to help load it. He’s been boxing up what he can the past few days. Conner will be helping us in selling the farm while William is moving to Livermore. William is catching hell at work because of the pictures I told you about. Someone pasted one in the lunchroom there and he called the cops, now they want to fire him.” Maggie said.

“What about Vance?” Alice asked. “I mean boys can be mean with information like this.”

“Vance was a bit harder to deal with. When he first found out, he told his friends. The same ones who attacked Tracy, well Troy at the time and Modine. But they attacked him because he caught them stealing, not because of the dress. And that boy was the brother to the one that tried and failed to beat up Tracy when Mom was there.”

Bernice chuckled. “Little punk couldn't fight his way out of a wet bag Tracy slapped him around and the boy who was with him, at the same time. That was the funniest fight I've seen in awhile.”

“Funniest?” Alice asked. “Maggie said that Troy had a friend in a wheelchair and four other girls there. They could have been hurt.”

“It was the funniest because Tracy went up against these kids, one against four, well Vance and Tracy's friend Peter held off the other two, but she faced them down and won, against bigger kids, by slapping them. Backhand slapping mind you.” Bernice stated. “I am thankful the girls never got hurt, but the fight between Tracy and the punks was so one sided, you had to laugh.”

Maggie decided to help her mother out and explain it. “Alice, it's like a villain in a movie. The one who is so sure of his victory and then the hero does almost nothing to them and still wins because the villain is that inept.”

“Now the other attacks, that wasn't funny.” Bernice added.

“Other attacks? There have been more than two?” Alice asked. “Other than the boy from December?”

“The Gas station.” Bernice replied. “The reason we went to the court this morning.”

Maggie quickly covered the gas station too, so Alice decided to ask a question that had popped into her mind. “So she just threw those other two girls away from Tro....um Tracy, and started beating on hi...her?”

Bernice nodded. “Then I happened. No one attacks a member of my family while I'm there.”

The name was still new to Alice, but she was doing her best to remember and to get used to everything. “Wait, now does she hate Tracy, because she thinks Tracy is a lesbian? I have children, I don't go attacking kids. That's just stupid.”

Maggie shook her head in the negative, and she sighed. “She kept quoting the bible and how man can't wear women's clothes. Yet one of them was at my house, in jeans and a masculine haircut, and that verse goes both ways.”

“Some people just shouldn't call themselves a Christian.” Alice said.

Maggie nodded in agreement. “I found out that her father thinks he is a preacher and he is one of those wrath of God type people. All doom and gloom and we're all sinners, he's the only good one.”

“Wow. Nice family. You sure pick some good enemies.” Alice said with a forced chuckle.

“When we were at the courthouse this morning, she attacked Tracy again. They carted her off to jail, once more.” Bernice stated.

“Well, that’s good. I’m guessing that is how Tracy has the start of a black eye?”

“Yeah, and if we could get some ice for that. We’re trying to stop her eye from getting bad.” Maggie said with a nod. “There’s more. She tried getting restraining orders for all of Tracy’s friends, but each of them had a parent with them, so those got shot down.”

“Is she really that crazy?” Alice asked.

Bernice shrugged. “Who knows.”

“I want you to see something.” Maggie said as she pulled a picture out of her purse and handed it to her sister. “This was taken at Christmas time. Tracy is next to the girl in the wheelchair. Notice the smile on my daughters face?”

“Yeah. She looks happy, but then a lot of children look like that for pictures.”

“Now here's one of last fourth of July. Look at Troy's face.” Maggie passed the other picture over.

“Wow.” Alice said as she looked at the boy who barely lifted his eyes for the picture. “But maybe he was just sad that day?”

“No. I've gone over a lot of pictures while I packed my stuff up and I haven't seen a smile on Troy's face since he was a toddler. A lot of the pictures you can just tell it was forced.”

“Okay, you said he has friends?”

“Yes, five girls who love Tracy to death. And please, it's she and her now. Female pronouns. Call her Tracy. You say Troy, him or he and we'll crush her spirit.”

“Okay. I can do that.” Alice replied. “Sorry, it’s still new to me.”

“Actually, Brooke, the Asian girl in the wheelchair is down here for a wheelchair race. She races tomorrow and then after that, I was thinking she and her mother could join us at a restaurant or something. Something to let them see Tracy is a girl and how open and friendly she can be.”

“I think we can do that.” Alice said with a nod of her head.

“Tracy has five friends.” Bernice stated. “All of them are very nice girls. Each of them have seen some sort of discrimination in their lives.”

“We all have.” Alice replied.

Maggie leaned forward, putting her coffee cup on a coaster. “Yes. But Tracy has family who loves her. So she had it a bit better than some. I was told by Persephone, a mother to one of Tracy’s friends, many kids kill themselves because of their feelings and how their family treat them.”

“Maggie is right.” Shelly added. “They get treated badly and others get put into mental health places because their family thinks they are sick. But Tracy isn’t. She’s a good girl.”

“Just with a male body.” Maggie said. “But that can be taken care of too.”

~o~O~o~

Tracy was nervous. She wasn’t sure if she should tell her cousins, or if they would figure it out. So for now, she was just along for the ride, and the ice cream. Heidi looked to her grandfather, then pointed to the radio. “Can we turn on music?”

“I can’t see why not.” Marion said. “Just keep it down.”

Heidi was flipping through the stations and found a modern music channel. The sounds of the Go-Go's started playing and Tracy squealed. Heidi looked back to her and she smiled. "You like them too?"

"Oh yeah." Tracy said with a nod.

"Grandma was talking about a Tracy who saved her Grandmother from being attacked. Was that you?"

"Yeah." Tracy replied.

"And you saved your friends from a bunch of kids who were trying to attack you?" Cheryl asked her.

"Yeah, that was me too." Tracy said as her grandfather pulled into an ice cream parlor.

"That's cool." Heidi said as Marion pulled into a parking spot.

"Come on girls, let’s get some ice cream." Marion said.

~o~O~o~

Forty minutes later, Marion led the girls back into the house and they all went into the living-room where the adults were.

“So girls, you enjoy the ice cream?” Alice asked.

“Yes.” All three replied.

“Did you say thank you?” Alice asked her daughters.

“Thank you, Grandpa!” Alice's girls said, Tracy copied them, leaving off the Grandfather part. She wasn't sure how to proceed, but her Aunt and mother took control of that.

“So what do you girls think of Tracy?” Alice asked her daughters.

“She's cool. She likes good music, not like yours.” Cheryl, the younger girl said. “She is the same Tracy that Grandma said defended her grandmother from a bunch of bad people.”

“And defended her friends when people tried to attack her a week or two ago, like Grandma said.” Heidi added.

“Really.” Alice asked her daughters, trying to sound surprised.

Tracy nodded. “Yeah.”

“Girls, you know you've seen Tracy before, right?” Maggie said with a smile.

“We have? When?” Heidi asked.

Alice couldn’t hold in the surprise. So she took over. “Girls, you remember your cousin Troy? The one who was Vance's younger brother? The one who would play house with you two?”

“Yeah.” They both answered as they nodded.

Maggie took over, and decided to just let the whole truth out. She held out a hand and Tracy went to her. She sat next to her mother and leaned against her arm. “Well, Troy isn't here anymore. She's Tracy now.”

“Tracy....Tracy is Troy?!?” Heidi exclaimed.

“Heidi, remember what we've been talking about the past week?” Bernice asked and the girl nodded. “It's what's on the inside that counts. Tracy has always been a girl, but no one knew that. Her body may look male, but trust me when I say she is all girl on the inside.”

“Let me tell you two how this all came to be.” Maggie said and she started the story once more. When she was finished, both girls were looking at Tracy, who was looking at her feet and trying to be invisible.

“So, in the past hour, has either of you thought that maybe Tracy was a boy?” Bernice asked. Both girls shook their heads. “Good, that's because she is a girl, just born wrong.”

“Do you really have girls for friends?” Heidi asked.

“Don't you?” Tracy asked in reply.

Maggie decided to help her daughter out. “Brooke is down here too and she wants to hang out with all of you tomorrow, after her race. Now she is in a wheelchair, so she can't go climbing in the hills or anything like that, but she can go to the park, if there are sidewalks, or someone to push her.”

“She’s in a race?” Cheryl asked. “Can she run?”

Bernice chuckled. “There are wheelchair sports. She is in that tomorrow.”

“Yeah.” Tracy nodded. “She even does fencing, that’s like with swords and she plays basketball. They did good last year, from what she said.”

“Awesome!” Heidi replied.

“Plus she likes cool music too.” Tracy added. “But then, each of my friends are great. Even the ones in Oroville.”

“Girls, you are both okay with Donna, right?” Alice asked and her daughters both nodded. Alice looked to Maggie, her parents and Shelly. “Donna used to be Doug, but he finally went through the doctor’s appointments and is now living as a woman. They’ve known her for years and were totally okay with Donna.” She looked to her daughters. “This is the same thing, just that Tracy started younger.”

Heidi bit her lower lip as she thought about something and then she asked. “You remember back when you were here last? And we were playing house? And you seemed bummed out ‘cause we wouldn’t let you be the Mom?”

Tracy thought about it and it had been years earlier. The day was a blur. She could only barely remember back that far. “Kinda.” She finally said.

“You wanted to be a girl back then, didn’t you?”

“Yeah. But when Vance found out, I kinda hid it from myself. But I was wearing Mom’s skirts and stuff.” Tracy replied.

“So Grandma was right. You were always a girl?” Heidi asked, working through the news on her own.

“Yeah.” Tracy replied with a nod.

“Cool!” Heidi jumped up from her spot near her mother and she went to Tracy and held her arms out for a hug. Tracy got up and she stepped into the hug. A moment later Cheryl got up and rushed the two of them and joined in on the hug.

Alice chuckled. “If more people were this friendly.” She got up and waited for Tracy to be released from her daughters. “Can I get a hug from my niece too?”

Tracy had started to cry for joy, not streams of tears, but a few tears dropped down her cheek as she hugged her Aunt.

“How would you two like to meet Brooke tomorrow?” Alice asked her daughters and they just nodded. “Then good. Maggie, let me know where the race is and we’ll get over there.”

“UCLA.” Maggie stated. “We’re staying at the Holiday inn near there. I can give you the number when we get there.”

“Good. You do that.”

~o~O~o~

Maggie had taken off from Alice's house just after eight thirty and her, Shelly and Tracy made their way from Bell Gardens to the area near UCLA. The drive was short in miles, but traffic was still out as they moved across the LA area and it took half an hour to get there. The sun was down already and Tracy was impressed by the sheer amount of cars. Finally they reached the hotel and pulled in. Maggie had already had Karen call with the room number and that just left Maggie with the job of getting a room key. As they got into the room, Tracy saw a small folding bed near one of the other beds. The adults talked for a moment as Brooke looked over to Tracy.

“So how did it go?” Brooke asked

“They’re cool with me.” Tracy answered. “They have no problem at all and want to meet you tomorrow.”

Brooke smiled brightly. “Awesome!”

Tracy felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked to see her mother standing next to her. “Tracy, we’re going to put you on the cot for tonight.” Maggie said. “That way Brooke can be with her Mom and Shelly is older than you.”

“Okay. I don’t mind.” Tracy answered. She put her bag down, near the cot, then looked out the window that overlooked the highway. Once again the amount of cars out just surprised her. She looked back to her mother as she noticed the time. “Can I change in the bathroom, really quick?”

“Go on sweetie. We need to discuss a few things and I got to call Alice.”

Five minutes later, Tracy came out, ready for bed. Brooke patted the bed place on the bed next to her and Tracy went over and sat down.

Knight Rider began to play as the two girls watched. Their mothers and Shelley took care of preparations. As the first commercial started, Brooke looked to her friend on the other bed. “Ready for tomorrow?”

“Yeah. What all are you doing?” Tracy asked as she watched the old cartoon.

“Well it's racing and there is some fencing, but I'm just going to watch that. Not many kids in that yet. I may look at other sports for something to do. But the youth races are early in the morning.”

“Am I able to be with you?”

“Well, Grandfather is listed as my coach, you're listed as a helper, if you want. You can get drinks and stuff for us. Mom said you got more people to meet on Saturday after the race.”

“Yeah, we’re going to meet my cousins on my dad’s side.”

“So where are we hanging out?”

Maggie looked over from the small table that was in the room, that the adults were using to plan the weekend. “We'll be meeting Olivia at the university, where the race is happening and I think Joy is bringing Angie over too. From there we can go find a park or someplace like that.”

“More Cousins?” Brooke asked, not sure who was who anymore. “Were they the ones from today?”

“No. This is Dad's side of the family. I hung out with them after Christmas. Olivia is cool, so is Joy and her daughter is cool, but she is like a mile a minute.”

“Ah, like Rachel.” Brooke asked and Tracy nodded.

“Just like Rachel.” Tracy agreed. “And she is about Stacey’s age, actually.”

Brooke smiled as the commercial break ended. “You know, this is awesome. You're here, and in a month, we'll be here again and we get to go to Disneyland.”

The phone rang and Tracy looked to her mother, who starting to pull out her night clothes. She nodded to Tracy, who rolled towards the phone. Karen was stepping into the bathroom, for a shower. “Um, hello?” Tracy asked. “Oh, hey, Aunt Alice. One moment.” She pulled the phone away from her ear. “Mom, Aunt Alice wants to talk to you.”

Tracy watched her mom as they talked and she tried to not eavesdrop, but the phone was right next to her. Finally she heard her mother say. “Okay, Alice. We'll see you tomorrow. Yep, we'll meet you there.” Maggie nodded at Tracy and smiled. “Okay, night Alice.”

When her mom hung up, Tracy arched an eyebrow. “What's going on?”

“Your Aunt, cousins and Grandparents are going to go to meet us at the college. Mom wants to watch Brooke compete.”

“Awesome!” Brooke exclaimed. “Now I got to put on a great showing.”

“So they'll be with us all day? Cool.” Tracy replied. “Are we going home tomorrow evening?”

“Maybe. It depends on what Shelly wants to do. And Brooke and Karen, if they want to stay. Let me talk to Shelly and Karen, when she is out of the shower and we'll let you know. But for now, watch your show. Bed time is after Knight Rider.”

“Okay Mom.”

“Karen said the same goes for Brooke, too.” Maggie stated. “So you’re rested for tomorrow.”

“I know. I need my sleep so I can win!” Brooke exclaimed.

“I hope you do.” Maggie replied with a smile.

More with Tracy in LA coming soon.

Olivia jogged over and hugged Maggie as she stopped. “Hey, glad you made it.”

“Me too.” Maggie said. “And Joy? She's coming?”

“She is here with Angie. They’re inside the grounds already. They are with friends of mine.” Olivia turned and hugged Tracy. “Hello young lady. It's good to see you out in public like this.” She whispered into the girl’s ear.

“Thanks.” Tracy said, hugging her back.

Editing by Djkauf

A look in on Tracy, Brooke and their mothers in L.A, Yvette and her family, and another look into the story on the Hallmark's side. And introducing Lewis and Nancy Horton, Molly's parents.

Friday February 25th 1983

Lionel was sitting at his desk, work spread out in front of him. It had been a quiet morning so far and he had gotten a lot of his work done. He was focused on his work, so he wouldn't think about his family life. He was tired of the questions from his co-workers. Those were almost as bad as the people from his church, many of them claiming that he had not supported Molly when she had been falsely imprisoned.

So it was his work that let him relax. Let him concentrate on something other than being yelled at and blamed for everything in the world. But that peace was to end. The phone rang and Lionel reached out and picked it up. “Lionel Hallmark’s office. How can I help you?”

“Mr. Hallmark, this is Evan.” The voice of the family lawyer said over the line.

“Hey, Evan, have you heard about Molly’s court date? Did they give a date yet? Molly should be at the house, if you want to call her.” Lionel asked. The thought of his wife attacking children still chilled his blood, even though more than two weeks had passed. Lionel wasn’t happy with her being at the house alone with the children, but she insisted that she was better now. He had paid for the bail, just so the boys didn’t lose their mother.

The families lawyer spoke up. “Um...Lionel, there was trouble at the hearing today.”

“Hearing today? What hearing?” Lionel asked. “I thought the next hearing was the pretrial conference and that’s not for a few months.”

“You....She never told you?” A very confused Evan asked.

“Told me what?” Lionel asked.

“She had a hearing for a restraining order.”

“She did?” Lionel hadn’t known about her court date. “She never said anything.” He then asked, now a bit worried. “What happened?”

“Well, the family who was getting the restraining order was the one that she had the altercation with, the Pattersons. I was going to meet up with her at the courthouse, but she said she wanted to visit an old family friend that works there. A Judge Olsen?”

“Yeah, he is the Godfather to our boys.” Lionel answered.

“Ah. I see. Well, from what I got from the police, she attacked the Patterson child again, as they headed into the courthouse. I heard that she was claiming she saw him molesting the other kids who were with him, but no one else saw it. There were a few cops there and they never saw anything, until your wife started hitting that Troy kid and trying to bite him and his mother.”

“Not again.” Lionel groaned out. “How bad is it this time?”

“Well, she broke the temporary restraining order that was out on her. But since she was yelling and ranting again, she was put into Mental Health once more. There will be no bail and when she is deemed fit to be released, she is being sent to the county jail.”

“I understand. If there was a restraining order, she broke the law. But why? Why now? ” Lionel asked, rhetorically. “I guess I should have never paid the bail.....”

“Lionel, I know this is bad, but there is more.” Evan said.

“More?” Lionel leaned forward. “How can there be more? The kid isn’t dead, is he?”

“There were several restraining orders she wanted to file today. Each of them she claimed was for a relative. But I found out who the children were.”

“Who?” Lionel asked.

“A Brooke Han, Sage Miller, Andromeda Miller and a Rachel Williams.”

“I....” There was a pause as he thought about the named. Finally he replied. “I don’t know those names.” Lionel stated. “Who are they?”

“Those would be the friends of Troy Patterson. Molly was trying to place restraining orders on a child’s friends. I dropped them, because the parents of those children were there with Tracy.”

“Good.” There was a slight pause, then Lionel asked. “Evan, how is the child she hurt?”

“Scared. She got in a couple of punches and knocked over a pair of other children and almost hit a girl in a wheelchair, but the Patterson child is okay. Molly did try to bite both the mother and the child.”

“Has she changed her plea? Or plead for this attack?”

“Not yet, she needed to be sedated.” Evan said. “But with everything in place, she is going to jail for breaking the restraining order. Not much I can do there. Not to mention that Mental Health will hold on to her for a couple of days. When she is safe, they move her to the county jail.”

Lionel sighed, then he simply said. “Okay. Keep me informed. And thanks for calling.”

“Not a problem, Lionel. Sorry I didn’t have better news.” Evan stated.

“I know. It’s not your fault.” Lionel stated. “Thanks. I have some calls to make.”

He hung up on his lawyer, then Lionel looked at the small Calendar on his desk. His wife’s birthday was just a couple of days away and he knew his sister-in-law was due to come over, as were Molly’s parents. Now there was no reason to hold the party. He sighed and started dialing the phone, deciding to call her parents first. He was sure that they would be in their home in Sacramento.

He wasn’t a big fan of her father. To him, Lewis Horton seemed way too obsessed with Hell and had a bit of a chip on his shoulder when it came to who all would be saved. Lionel tolerated him, just because he was married to their daughter. He had only attended his father-in-law’s church once and that was enough to tell him the man was not the kind of preacher he wanted his kids to see. That didn’t change the fact that he was Molly’s father and if he had been in Lewis’s shoes, he would want to know if something had happened to his daughter.

The phone only rang a couple times before someone picked it up. “Horton’s.” A male voice said.

“Hey, this is Lionel. I wanted to talk to you really quick.”

“Hello Son. What’s going on? Are we still on for Molly’s birthday surprise? After the past few weeks, she needs something to take her mind off of stuff.”

Lionel leaned back in his seat and shook his head, even though his father-in-law couldn’t see it. “No, actually I called because there has been an issue.”

“Is she okay? Is she at the hospital?” The man automatically asked.

“No....well, yes and no. She’s not at the normal hospital, but they took her back to mental health.”

“Why!?!” His father-in-law asked in a loud tone of voice.

“She attacked a child at the courthouse today.” Lionel stated.

“Who? That same little brat from the last time?” Lewis Horton’s voice held a lot of anger, something Lionel knew the man had a lot of.

Lionel paused for a moment and he wondered just what Molly had told her parents. “She did attack the same child, but in full view of about twenty people, several of which were cops. They had to pull her away from the child, she was kicking, screaming and trying to bite the kids mother. They took her back to mental health.”

“Are you getting her out?!?” His tone was getting louder.

“No, I can’t.” Lionel said.

His father-in-law almost roared. “WHY NOT!?!”

“Because!” Lionel shouted. He knew there had been times where Molly’s dad ignored the little things she did. And Lewis was always critical of people he considered evil, even if they had been in the right. He was also arrogant and thought that only his family was smart. But since Lionel was not family by blood, clearly he was an idiot and this was showing that he was a coward, not willing to stand up for his wife.

Lionel sighed and continued. “Molly broke a restraining order. There is nothing I can do. When she is done at Mental Health, she will be moved to the county jail. There is no bail this time. She broke the law.”

”Well, maybe I should pay a visit to the health place and see if I can have her released into my care, if you don’t care enough to protect her.”

“It’s not that I don’t care. It’s that she broke the law and was arrested!” Lionel snapped. He waited a moment and tried to get himself to calm down. He knew that in snapping at the man, he had just angered him. Lewis Horton never liked being yelled at and he was sure that a sermon was being thought up and that gave him a few seconds to deflect him. “There is nothing I could have done! Till five minutes ago, I had no idea she had a court date today. I thought she was at home, cleaning the house! Instead I find out she lied to me and hid her court date and now is back in prison.”

Lewis was mad, but willing to question the situation. “What about that Judge she knows? Maybe he can get her off of this?”

“You’re not listening.” Lionel groaned. “She was arrested for assault. And when she is entered into the mental health building, they can keep her for up to three days to observe her. Since she broke the law, she will be going to jail and I doubt anyone can do anything about it. I could call Joe, but she broke a restraining order and assaulted three children, while on bail. That’s not looking good for her. And I really doubt that he wants to get involved with this, because him helping her could look bad on his career.”

“She is in Chico?” His father in law asked.

“Maybe. If they took her to Mental health, then yes. If she is at the jail, then no, she’s here in town.” Lionel replied.

“Why don’t you know?” His father-in-law asked him, accusingly.

“Because, this all happened like an hour ago. Her lawyer was tied up with court stuff and just called me less than five minutes ago.”

The old man sighed. He knew he wasn’t going to get anywhere with Lionel, not if he was out of the loop. “Fine. Keep me up to date, but I may try and see her. I doubt those places are doing her much good.”

“Go ahead. I don’t know if the boys can go. I’ll ask later. I want to call the others.”

~o~O~o~

Lewis Horton hung up with his son-in-law and he sat back in his chair, shaking his head. “Trouble in Oroville.” He said to his wife as she came out of the kitchen.

“What kind of trouble?” She asked.

“From what Lionel said, Molly was arrested an hour or so ago. I guess she attacked that freak child again.” Lewis said. “I am thinking of going to Chico to see her, if she is there. Do you want to come with me?”

“Yes. Let me get into something nicer.” She said.

“Lionel said she was attacking and biting the child, so she must have seen something, like she saw last time.” Lewis said. “Maybe the child was attacking another child and no one else saw it.”

“Maybe. Little freaks like that are all about assaulting children. She could have saved someone’s life today.” His wife proudly stated.

“That’s what I was thinking. This may just be a big misunderstanding.” He said as he stood up. “Come on, let’s get ready and we’ll go see her.”

“Will we stop in at Lionel’s and Eve’s?” She asked her husband, as she headed to the bedroom.

“Maybe not Lionel. You know how irrational he can get when things he doesn’t understand are happening. He’s already giving up on Molly. He keeps saying that nothing can get her out of the Mental Health building.” Lewis sighed. He knew Molly could have found a better man, one who could fight for her. He used to think that was Lionel, but now he had his doubts. “We may stop by, just to see the boys.”

~o~O~o~

After he had hung up with Lewis Horton, Lionel had spoken to the county mental health doctors and a part of him was glad that Molly was once again under the care of Doctor Knowles. He had been the only one who wanted to fight Molly’s release. So Lionel warned him that he was sure that Molly’s father was going to do what he wanted anyway.

Lionel’s next move was to call Molly's sister. He dialed her work phone number and after a couple of rings, there was a reply. He was sure she would be there. She was mostly a glorified secretary. She didn’t have the job of checking up on complaints. “Department of Children Protective Services, Evelyn Jones speaking.”

“Eve, this is Lionel. I wanted to call you and warn you about Molly.”

“What happened? Is she alright?”

“Not really. She had a court date for a restraining order, this is concerning the child she attacked a couple weeks ago. While at the courthouse, she attacked the same child again. They arrested her and took her to mental health. When she is out, they will send her to the jail, due to breaking a temporary restraining order.”

“Have you called Mom and Dad?” Eve asked.

“Yeah and your father seems to think I can get her out by pleading with the mental health people. But she screwed up. She really screwed up.”

“Are you sure? Maybe she saw the child doing something?” Eve asked.

“Eve, she attacked this child in full view of several cops. None of them saw the child do anything, they just watched your sister attack three kids. None of the kids said that the Patterson kid did anything. Evan said that Molly was kicking and trying to bite that child and his mother. Plus she had a restraining order out on her from the kids parents. So she’s going to jail, once Mental health lets her go.”

“Is there anything we can do?” Eve asked.

“I don’t know. She really put her foot in it and I didn’t even know she had a court date today.”

“She never told you?” Evelyn asked. “I heard about it when she got out a few days ago.”

“No. She never told me. Did you know that she tried to put protection orders on three girls, all friends of the kid she attacked?”

“She what?”

“Molly tried to get protection orders on three girls, to keep Troy from being near them, the problem is that Troy is their friend and she lied about being family. I guess the girls’ parents were there and asked for the orders to be withdrawn.”

Evelyn was silent for a few seconds, then she asked. “Have you told the boys?”

“No. I just found out and they are still at school. I’ll have to tell them when I get home.”

“What will you tell them?” Evelyn asked him.

“The truth. What else should I tell them?” Lionel stated. “Scotty found the story in the paper the last time and there is almost always a reporter at the courthouse, so I have no doubt that it will make the paper tomorrow. So I’ll have to break it that there was another altercation and Molly is at the hospital again.”

“You’re going to tell them that?!?” Evelyn replied, stunned at his honesty. “You’ll crush Robbie!”

“Eve, what can I tell them? That Molly was wrongfully arrested. The story could make it in the paper or on the TV. It’s hard to hide something like this.”

She could see the logic in his argument. “Yeah, you’re right. Maybe you should think about suing the papers for slander.”

Lance shook his head, once again aware that the other person couldn’t see. “It would be hard to sue for slander. On the first attack, it simply stated that she was involved in an altercation with a trio of minors. She was involved and it happened, so it would be hard to claim that was a lie. Slander would be them saying she did it, but was never there.”

“I suppose.” Eve replied. “Are you still going to church this weekend? I know it’s been getting a bit hard with everyone.”

“I’ll go, but I doubt it will get better overnight.” Lionel said. “But what can I do?”

“Keep your chin up. Molly will be out soon and then she can focus on being the best mom she is.”

“Well, I hope you’re right. Who knows how long she is in for.” Lionel said. He looked at his phone and saw another line blinking. “Eve, I got to get back to work, before I get chewed out, so I’ll see you on Sunday.”

~o~O~o~

It was almost two in the afternoon when Lewis and his wife reached Chico. He found a decent parking spot and the two of them headed for her front door. They got to the front door and he reached out and tugged on the door handle, but found it was locked. “They locked the door?” Lewis asked aloud. “I wonder why?”

“Lewis, over here.” His wife pointed to a call box with a note on it saying to page for attendant. He pressed the button and waited. A few moments later, a man came over and opened the door slightly. “Can I help you?”

“My name is Lewis Horton and this is my wife. We’re here to see our daughter, Molly Hallmark. I heard she was wrongfully detained here today.”

“Hallmark?” The man asked to make sure, and Lewis nodded. The man held up one finger. “One minute, I’ll get one of the doctor’s.” He quickly shut the door and went inside. It took about five minutes till another man, this one a bit older came to the door. He stepped out, then gestured them into an inner waiting room.

“You said you are the parent of Molly Hallmark?” The Doctor asked. “I’m Doctor Knowles, I am overseeing her stay.”

Lewis wanted to make a comment about being surrounded by idiots, from the fact they kept asking him her last name, but he decided to go with the direct approach. “Yes, she is my eldest daughter. I am Pastor Lewis Horton. This is my wife, Nancy. We wanted to see her and see about getting her released into our custody. Her husband seems to think you won’t allow it.”

“Actually sir, we can’t.” Doctor Knowles replied.

“But I’m her father!” Lewis angrily snapped back. “Why? Is something wrong that she can’t walk out of here? Is she ill?”

“Sir, I understand your frustration, but I can not discuss a patient to a stranger, without the patient's approval.” Doctor Knowles said. “There are laws forbidding me to do so.”

“But I’m her father. I think I know what is best for her!” the tone of Lewis’s voice was getting louder, but the doctor just let him yell. He was thankful that Lionel had called him just as Molly was being checked in, to warn him the parents were coming to try and release her.

“Sir, please, stay calm. Without Molly’s approval, I can not discuss any part of her stay here with someone else. I’m sorry, but that is the law.”

“Then ask Molly. She’ll let you tell us. I know she’d want to speak to us.” Lewis said, a bit calmer, but he tried to put on the air of authority.

Doctor Knowles shook his head. “I can’t do that. Mrs. Hallmark is currently involved elsewhere and we are currently restricting visits to her, possibly for a day or so.”

“Is there anyway we could have her released into our care?” Lewis asked again.

“No.” The doctor firmly replied, shrugging off Lewis’s attitude. “I’m afraid I can not release Molly into anyone’s custody.”

“Why not?”

“As with all arrivals, we have a seventy two hour observation period. After that I can not say what will happen, due to the law.” Doctor Knowles replied.

“So you’re refusing to let me in?” Lewis sternly asked.

“Yes. I am refusing your entrance.” The Doctor calmly answered. Lewis’s face began to turn red, from dealing with such a stubborn jerk who he thought, did not have his daughter’s best interest in mind.

“You can’t do that.”

“Mr. Horton, I can keep anyone from entering this building. And if you push me, I’ll have you arrested for trespassing.” The Doctor met his stern gaze with one of his own. “As for seeing your daughter, it is my job to see to her safety and the safety of the public who visit. As of right now, I am not allowing anyone to see her. That may change in a day.” He pulled a business card out of his pocket and held it out for Lewis to take. “You may call that number and inquire tomorrow, if she is available to see.”

“So we have to leave and we can’t see her?” Lewis asked. “But we drove in from Sacramento.”

“Sir, I’m sorry you drove in for nothing, but you can not see her right now. Please use that number tomorrow and we will tell you if she is able to have guests.”

Lewis was about to make a fuss, when he noticed a few of the larger orderlies were coming over to the door that kept him from the patients. “Fine, but I’m not happy and I will be talking to someone about getting her out of here.”

“Very well sir. I can’t stop you from doing that. But you need to leave, before you upset any of the other patients.” Doctor Knowles said.

“This isn’t over. I will see my daughter safely home.” Lewis threatened one last time.

The Doctor didn’t reply, he just waited for Lewis to take the hint and leave. It took a few moments and he turned and pushed through the outer door, his wife following him. As they got to the car, Lewis unlocked it, but didn’t climb in. “We need to find someone who can help us. Maybe a lawyer. I refuse to let Molly rot in here.”

“And not letting us see her. Who does he think he is?” His wife asked as they both climbed into their car.

“Clearly, he is a sad man, drunk with the power of his position. It is said that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, clearly that man is a shining example.” Lewis took a moment to calm his nerves. He knew he didn’t need a speeding ticket, not from another county.

~o~O~o~

Doctor Knowles waited at the door, watching as Lewis pulled out, and left. He turned and the orderly opened the door and let him in. One of his superiors came over to him. “What was that?”

“That was Molly Hallmark’s parents.” Doctor Knowles said. “He was trying to get me to release her into his care and didn’t like to be told no. I actually got a call from Molly’s husband, warning me he was on his way.”

“Does he know that after here, she is headed to the jail for the attack?” The doctor’s superior asked.

“Nope, and until I have Molly’s approval, I wasn’t going to tell them. I don’t want to be sued. He wanted to talk to her, but she’s still out cold from the sedative. There was no point. Not to mention him trying to insist he could take her.” Doctor Knowles shook his head. “He’s going to go ask a lawyer for help. So you know now.”

“Good, I hate surprises.” The other doctor said with a smile.

~o~O~o~

Lionel was home by time the boys got off their bus. Dinner was going to be an easy meal. He had already picked up pizza and was waiting at the table as they came in. Scotty and Robbie both passed by the kitchen on their way their rooms. Scotty stopped and looked in, at his father, who was reading the paper. The paper had managed to get a quick snippet of the attack in the paper. He knew he had no choice but to tell them.

“Dad, you got the paper already?” Scott asked as they both came back into the room. “Why are you here, already? What about work?”

“Boys, I want you to sit down. We need to have another talk.” Lionel said.

Scott went to a chair and pulled it out, then sat down. Robbie looked around the kitchen and noticed there was no sounds of his mother. “Dad, where’s mom?”

“Sit, Robbie. I’ll cover it.” Lionel said and his son did as he asked. “Today there was a court date for a restraining order, against your mom.”

“What’s that?” Robbie asked.

“Its a legal thing that says if someone is say, five hundred feet from you, and you have one against them, they can be arrested.”

“And Tracy was getting one against Mom?” Scotty asked.

His father nodded. “Yes. They had one that covered up to today, and were there to get a full time one, but when your mom went to the courthouse, she attacked the Patterson child again.”

“Is she back in Mental health?” Scotty asked.

“Yeah.” Lionel said with a nod. “And after that, she is headed for jail, because she broke the law.”

“Jail?” Robbie asked, as tears started to fall down his cheeks.

“I’m afraid so, Robbie.” Lionel replied with a nod. “But she still loves you.”

“Why did she attack Troy? Was she seeing him do something bad again?” Robbie asked.

“I don’t know.” Lionel got up and went to his youngest, then he pulled him into a hug. “I just don’t know. I only know that she did attack him, but the cops in the courthouse say he wasn’t doing anything to anyone.”

Robbie looked up at him. “Will she come home?”

“I don’t know. She broke the law and she has to pay for what she did.” Lionel said.

“I miss her.” Robbie said. He hugged his father tightly and Scott came over and hugged his father as well.

“I know you do.” Lionel couldn’t bring himself to say that he missed her. In fact with the two attacks, he was getting worried about his children being near her. But for now, he just wanted to comfort his boys.

~o~O~o~

Saturday February 26th 1983

Lok drove all of them to the University, to save on parking. He navigated the roads, headed for the event parking, while Brooke and Tracy were busy looking around at the different buildings.

As they pulled to a stop, Maggie got up and out, as Karen was headed for the back, to get Brooke’s chair. Both her racing chair and her regular chair were with them, so she wouldn’t ruin her racing chair.

As Tracy got out, she looked around and saw her mother flagging down Olivia, who was walking through the parking lot.

Olivia jogged over and hugged Maggie as she stopped. “Hey, glad you made it.”

“Me too.” Maggie said. “And Joy? She's coming?”

“She is here with Angie. They’re inside the grounds already. They are with friends of mine.” Olivia turned and hugged Tracy. “Hello young lady. It's good to see you out in public like this.” She whispered into the girl’s ear.

“Thanks.” Tracy said, hugging her back.

“We came for support for Brooke and to see my sister, so she gets to meet Tracy on our terms.” Maggie admitted, even though Olivia knew already. “And this is Shelly, I don't recall if you met her, but she is my best friend and Tracy's godmother.”

“We met, but that was years ago. I think Vance was two and Tracy was a baby. I was in middle school at the time.”

“And this is Brooke, Tracy’s friend, plus Karen, Brooke’s mother and Lok, Brooke’s grandfather.”

“Its good to meet all of you.” Olivia said. “I am Olivia, my dad and Uncle William are brothers.”

Lok gave a slight bow. “Good to meet you. Could you point us to where the contestants are to go?”

“Sure, a friend of mine is helping with the games officials. Head that way.” Olivia pointed towards a small gathering of people.

“Tracy, would you push that chair for me.” Lok asked.

“Sure!” Tracy grabbed Brooke’s racer and she followed Lok to where he had to go, as he pushed Brooke, to save her arms.

~o~O~o~

Lok was with Tracy and watching as the junior races were in progress. With only a few children racers, they were only doing one race for the kids, instead of a bracket. Tracy’s Mom and Brooke's mother were both in the stands, sitting with Olivia, Joy and Angie, plus her mother’s sister, and parents.

As the racers rounded one of the turns, almost on the home stretch, Tracy bounced in place, her skirt moving with her as she cheered out. “Go Brooke! Go!!!”

Lok smiled at her and shook his head. “So excitable.” He said to her, then he waited for Brooke to make her turn into the final leg of the race. In Chinese he yelled out. ~Now Brooke! NOW!!!~

Brooke didn't hear them, but she knew the hand signal her grandfather gave and she began working her hands over her wheels as fast as she could. She threw her whole essence into the race, working the wheels as best as she could.

When it was down to twenty feet to go, she could see a shape out of her peripheral vision. Another kid her age, doing his best to keep up with her. She was near empty, but she threw what she had into working her wheels as hard as she could.

As she crossed the finish line, even with the kid, she let her chair coast for a few feet, before she started to slow down. After a few more feet, she turned around and Tracy and Lok stood back, watching the boards to see where she had ended up at. As she neared him, he turned and held up two fingers.

“Second.” He said with a hint of pride. “By a matter of half second.”

“Damn.” Brooke muttered.

Lok got down on one knee and shook his head at her. “Not damn. Did you give your best?” He asked and she nodded. “Then that is all I can ask. This just means that next time you must give more and above all, be a gracious loser.”

“Yeah.” Brooke said as she started to wheel over to the boy who had beaten her. When she got close, she held out a hand. “Hey there.” She said with a smile. “That was a great race. Congratulations.”

“Thanks.” The boy replied. “You almost had me. I thought it was your race till the results.”

“I'm just glad I posted so high.” Brooke said with a smile.

“Yeah, me too.” The boy said.

“You race often?” Brooke asked.

“I just got into it. You been doing this long?”

Brooke nodded. “A couple of years now, but there are not a lot of races for kids. So I practice when I can. But I play in the basketball leagues back at home. We have enough kids there to make a few teams.”

“Where is that?” The boy asked. “If you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind.” Brooke said. “I live in Livermore. In the Bay area.”

“Oh. I’m near Monterey.” He replied.

“Find a league. I know we play a team from there, if you like basketball, that is.” Brooke said.

The boy nodded. “I might. It beats sitting here and feeling sorry for myself.”

“I know the feeling. A friend of mine had to scream in my face when I first got in the chair, then she had to keep me from doing something stupid.” Brooke said, once again grateful for Sage and how she didn’t give up.

“I hear that.” He smiled at her. “I’m Lucas, by the way..”

“Brooke.” She replied. “Let me introduce you to my fan club.” She said with a big smile.

Brooke and the boy slowly came over to where her Grandfather and Tracy were at. “Hey, Lucas, this is Tracy, one of my friends and Lok, my Grandfather.”

“That was a good race, young man.” Lok said.

“Thank you sir.” Lucas said. A woman came walking over to them. “Come on you two, we’re getting the top three winners to the circle, for pictures.”

~o~O~o~

Tracy's mother and grandparents led the others to where Tracy and Brooke were.

With a shout of “Tracy!!!” Angie darted over to her and two met in a big hug. Heidi and Cheryl followed and they hugged Tracy as well, leaving Tracy to do the introductions for the girls. When Maggie got there with the adults, she did the rest of the introductions. Then Maggie's parent's offered a thought.

“How about we go find some food for the girls, then we can find a park and the girls can hang out.”

Lok nodded. “I talked it over with Karen and Shelly. She said she is staying tonight and leaving with you, tomorrow, I will leave after lunch and Brooke and Karen can ride home with you tomorrow. I will take Brooke’s racer with me. I will give Shelly a ride to her van.”

“Okay.” Maggie said with a slight nod. “That works for us.”

~o~O~o~

As the day wound down, Maggie led the other adults away from the girls. “Okay, I wanted to let you know that we'll be back down in March. We're going to Disneyland on the twenty-fifth. We'll be coming down after the court date to change Tracy's name, and we're making Saturday the first day at the park. I didn't want to tease the girls with it if you can't come.”

“I already told Alice we'll cover her for that first day at the park.” Marion stated.

“I can get the second, if you don't mind us being there.” Alice replied.

“It's been a couple of years, but we're looking at Sunday, if you don't mind.” Joy said. “Angie kept talking about Tracy since Christmas, so she would love more time with her.”

“Good.” Maggie said with a nod and a smile.

“I heard that Nana and Papa are coming. Is that true?” Olivia asked.

Maggie shook her head. “No, they decided to not come. Modine’s back would hurt too much after that trip. I don't know about your father.”

Joy shook her head. “Nah, I think he has plans. Besides, do you want him to meet Tracy this way?”

“Well....” Bernice smiled at them. “Less chance of him getting mad in a park with thousands of people.”

Maggie nodded as did Shelly. “She has a point.” Marion said.

Maggie sighed. “Well, if he goes, he meets Tracy. I just don’t want to deal with Leonard. Not till Christmas. See, by time Christmas rolls around, Tracy will have been on hormones for ten months. She’s bound to have more breast development, so hiding her will be hard. Plus, she will be full time in school, so it will be impossible to bring her back. Bad enough she has to be Troy for the court dates. Once those are over, her life is hers. In September, she is going to be attending school as Tracy Kristen Patterson. ”

“Really?” Olivia said with a smile. “That’s awesome. So Tracy is here for good.”

Maggie nodded. “No going back now. If we did, we’d kill her. She already threatened to kill herself if we made her be Troy again.”

“You said that at Christmas. She really feels strongly about this, doesn’t she?” Joy asked.

“Yeah.” Maggie said with a nod. “She’s more sure of this, than anything else.”

~o~O~o~

Sunday February 27th 1983

Tracy woke to the sounds of horns on the highway. She sat up in bed and noticed that her mother, Aunt and Karen were near the bathroom, whispering. She noticed that Olivia was there with them. She looked over and saw that Brooke was awake already and missing from the room. Olivia saw her move first, so she gave Tracy a small finger wave. Karen saw that and turned to see Tracy sitting up, so she tapped Maggie’s shoulder and Maggie turned and smiled at her daughter.

Maggie went to her bed and sat on the edge. “Would you be up to visiting with Alice and her girls for breakfast today? We’ll meet them, Mom and Dad and Joy and Angie too. We could go to a mall when we’re done.”

“If we could get your sister to meet us there, we could go to the Beverly Center. That is eight floors, but they have elevators and a lot of stores to look at. Plus some good eating nearby. The other good one is near here, it’s Westfield Century City. That’s just a couple of miles from here. I don’t know about any in Bell Gardens.”

“I think this would work for her, but I can call.” Maggie said. “As soon as Brooke is out of the bathroom, you can take a shower and then we’ll get going.”

“Okay.” Tracy replied.

“And when you’re done, we’ll load the car up.”

~o~O~o~

Tracy waited by the van and Brooke got out and was put into her chair. Then the two of them waited for the adults. As they started to head to the elevator, they heard the sound of running and Tracy turned to see Angie coming towards her from one direction and Heidi and Cheryl from another. They met in a giant hug, then went to the elevator, after hugging Brooke. They continued on to the elevator that led them to the mall and waited for one to get to their floor.

As the door shut, Heidi broke the silence. “So, when are you leaving?”

“About one or two, so we don’t have a lot of Mall time. Mom said it should be a four to five hour trip home, and we may eat on the road. But Brooke has school tomorrow.” Tracy stated.

“Did they tell you?” Angie asked. “I’m gonna meet you at Disneyland!”

“We’re going, too!!” Heidi exclaimed. The girls began screaming and jumping in place, except for Brooke, who just screamed and bounced.

When the door opened up, Maggie chuckled, along with Karen and Alice, as the girls exploded out and into the mall.

“It’s almost as bad a Rachel and the mall.” Karen stated. “I hope you all brought your running shoes.”

“That bad?” Joy asked as the girls darted ahead of them.

“Well, if Rachel was here, she’d want a full day to shop. Each store, at least twice. Her mom is training her to be a great bargain hunter.”

“Girls, don’t run too far off.” Alice called after her two.

“You either, Angie.” Joy called out.”

As the girls bounded into one of the stores, Maggie slowed down her pace. I am glad that Angie, Heidi and Cheryl have all accepted Tracy. I worry about next Christmas.”

“Leonard and Amber?” Olivia asked.

“Yeah.” Maggie said with a nod. “That and your father. Although your father is more of a live and let live person.”

“Don’t forget Carter.” Olivia said, mentioning her brother, who was in the Army.

“Or Walter.” Joy said. “He’s bound to come home one of these holidays. I know Angie was begging to see her father last Christmas. But with him being on a ship, it just doesn’t happen.”

“I haven’t. We’ll have to deal with it at some time, but the good thing is that Conner and Modine are on Tracy’s side already. So Modine won’t let anything happen to her.”

As they followed the girls into a store, Joy asked. “Hey, you never said, how did the court thing go on Friday.”

“Bad. That woman attacked Tracy and tried to bite both her and me. Then she was going to put restraining orders on Tracy’s friends, so she couldn’t hang out with them.” Maggie said.

“Really? That can’t be legal.” Joy replied.

“It’s not.” Olivia answered.

Maggie nodded in agreement with her niece. “Olivia is right. We got them dropped, mostly because the parents of the other girls were there. Molly would have had no case.”

“So, Tracy is living in Livermore full time now?” Olivia asked.

“Yes. I am too.” Maggie stated.

“How is Uncle William taking being apart from you two?” Olivia asked.

“Three.” Maggie corrected her. “Vance moved down on Wednesday.”

“All three of you?” Joy asked. “And he was okay with this?”

Maggie shook her head. “Not really, but next Saturday, he moves down with the rest of our stuff. He was getting grief at work and had he stayed, he would have been fired.”

“Why?” Joy asked.

“He called the cops on a co-worker. Let me fill you in completely.” Maggie quickly covered what all had happened from December to February and when she was done, both of her niece’s were stunned.

Joy was the first to respond. “So he called and they were going to fire him because he called the cops?”

“Yeah. They claimed he was making it a hostile workplace.” Maggie stated. “But they wouldn’t listen that he was dealing with that too. I guess guys are teasing him daily while he is working. Finally the union guy stood up for him. But William wants to leave. Before anything happens.”

“I may be wrong.” Olivia said with a grin. “But I think something already happened.”

“More than once.” Maggie said with a chuckle. Her mother laughed.

“You should have seen the little punk who tried to beat her up at the start of February. Tracy took him and one other boy on, all on her own and all she did was backhand them.” Bernice smile proudly. “My granddaughter protected her friends, while facing four boys, all bigger than she was.”

“That is one good kid you have.” Olivia said and her sister nodded.

“Damn good and I wouldn't trade her for anything in the world.” Maggie replied. “She makes me proud almost daily.”

~o~O~o~

At twelve thirty, Maggie went up to where the girls were, and tapped Tracy on her shoulder. “Tracy, we should think about taking off. It’s twelve thirty and we need to get Brooke and Karen home.”

“I guess I gotta go.” Tracy glumly said, once she looked back to Angie, Heidi and Cheryl. “But we’ll be back next month.”

“Yep and we get to go to Disneyland!” Cheryl said and she began to dance around.

Alice walked over and patted her youngest on the shoulder. “Come on girls, let’s walk them to the parking lot.”

“You too Angie. We can get Olivia home and head back ourselves.” Joy said.

As they left the mall, this time the girls trailed behind the adults. Each of them walking slower than before, hoping to stretch out the little time that they had. They did the best to talk as much as possible, but finally they reached Shelly’s van. They stopped and began hugging each other and finally Heidi broke the slight silence that had started.

“Can we get your address? We can write to each other.” Heidi asked. “Both of you. You seem cool, Brooke.”

“Sure, I don’t mind.” Brooke said. “I have paper in my purse.”When they reached the van, the girls quickly traded their addresses, then the adults loaded Brooke into the van and Tracy got into the middle seat with her.

“See you all in a month.” Maggie said as she hugged her mother, then her sister.

“By, Tracy!” Olivia said. “See you at Disneyland.”

Time seemed to drag as the adults said their goodbyes, but finally the adults were in the vehicle with them and ready to head home.

Tracy and Brooke leaned over and looked out the window as Shelly backed out of the parking spot. They watched Heidi, Cheryl and Angie as Shelly pulled out, all five girls waving to each other, as hard as they could. As they turned the corner and lost sight of them, Tracy sat back in the seat. “This was a fun weekend.”

“Yeah. Just wait till the Disneyland trip. That is going to be awesome!” Brooke exclaimed.

“Yeah!” Tracy said, bouncing in her seat. “I’m so glad we moved.”

“Me too.” Brooke replied. “I told you it would be better when you were in Livermore. Didn’t I?”

“Yeah, you did.” Tracy nodded slightly. “You were all right on that.”

“See, I know what I’m talking about. Hey, I got some cards with me. Wanna play Go Fish, or something like that?” Brooke asked.

“Sure.” Tracy answered.

~o~O~o~

Yvette and her cousin had gone to the local park to hang out. On their way home is when her attention got snagged. She had noticed that there was a basketball game going on. There she could see the boy who had caught her attention earlier in the month. All the way to the house, she kept thinking about him, and tripping every few steps. Finally as they reached the house, her cousin had to ask.

“Okay, like, um, you've been a space cadet all week, now you can’t walk.” Heather said as she and Yvette walked into their house. “Like, um, what's going on?”

“Just thinking.” Yvette answered, not using the Valley talk.

“About what?”

“Those boys in the park.” Yvette replied, dreamily.

“You, like, know ‘em?” Heather warily asked.

Yvette nodded slightly. She could hear her mother and Aunt in the kitchen and she was sure her cousin was elsewhere, with friends. “One was a new guy and the other was the brother to the redhead, Sage, from school.”

“Sage? Oh the Freak?” Heather asked. They had never really stated why they called her that, other than Sage tended to act older than most kids their age and that was just weird. Or that her parents seemed to be dirt poor. Or just because they could.

“Do we have to do that?” Yvette asked. “Do we have to run them down all the time? Would it be bad if we were nice to them?”

“You really got to ask that? After our last school and after your Dad told the school you wanted to be a girl? Those jerks attacked both of us.” Heather said. It was her biggest fear, to be found out again and have to move once more.

“I know...but....” Yvette started to say more, but her cousin cut her off.

“Yvette, people hate people like you. No one can understand it so they get mean. But it's like Uncle Hank said, if you're mean to them first, it shows you won't stand for their crap.” Heather wasn’t aware, but both her mother and her aunt were busy listening in on the conversation.

“But he also said that there is strength in numbers. And what he said was that I should be strong, no matter what they say or do. He said that when I give in, that's when they win. So why can’t we have more friends?”

Heather got a hurt look on her face. “I'm not enough?”

“Heather, there was just two of us at the last school and look what happened there.” Yvette reminded her.

Heather was about to reply, when she thought about it. The teachers had stopped the fight before it got too bad, but some of the kids had their older siblings there to help out and in the end, several of Yvette's teeth had been knocked out, and Heather's hair had been cut in places.

“What if the Gimp, Orca and the Freak are just like the others? What if they can't handle a girl who was born into the wrong body.”

“Stop that. At least use their names.” Yvette pleaded.

“Why should I?” Heather asked.

“Look at me. I'm bigger then you are. Do you think I'm fat? Or am I stupid because you have more smarts? Am I retarded?” Yvette shook her head and turned away. “You know that each time you insult someone, I'm afraid that you'll insult me. It comes so easily to you.”

“I'll never insult you.” Heather said. “I promise you.”

“How can I believe that? You seem to get a thrill from insulting people. Why not just attack me?” Yvette asked. Tears were running down her cheek. It had been a real fear of hers, that Heather would abandon her at the first sign of trouble.

“I would never hurt you.” Heather’s expression was a kind one, but then her stubborn side took over. “But I still think we're better off alone.”

“What about next year, when you're going to the middle school and I'm at the school alone?” Yvette asked her cousin.

“I....I could look in from time to time....” Heather replied with her best offer.

“What about when I'm alone?” Yvette asked, tears were forming in her eyes. The thought of being alone was scary to her and her Cousins paranoia made it hard to combat the fear.. “Heather, what if they don't hurt me. I'm not saying them, I'm saying anyone really. You never know. Someone may be cool about me.”

Heather felt as though she was being abandoned and that hurt. “What if they do hurt you? Is this because you think I’m not good enough to hang around? That you’d be happier with the freaks? Is that where you belong?!?”

Yvette took a step back. She had heard what her cousin said, but her mind heard “You are a freak. That’s where you belong.”

“You think I’m a freak?!?” Yvette said. Tears were rushing down her cheek at that point and the mothers moved to stop them. “You hate me, don’t you?!?”

“I never said that.” But before she could say anymore, Yvette turned and ran away from her, almost plowing into Heather’s mom. She righted herself and ran for her bedroom.

“Young lady.” Heather’s mom glared at her. “Why did you just call her a freak? You know she’s sensitive about how she is.”

“I didn’t!” Heather exclaimed.

“You just asked her if she would be happier with people you consider freaks. You heard her say she thinks that you said she is a freak.” Heather’s mother said. “So now what do you think is going on in her mind.”

“Mom, she’s doesn’t understand how people can be!” Heather tried to reply, but her mother stopped her.

“Understand what? How people can attack someone like her? I think she got that message. She is also aware that next year, she will be all alone and you have done your best to alienate everyone from you two.

Heather’s mom pulled her into a hug and held on tightly, as Mary came into the house. With just a look from her mother, Mary made herself scarce. “Heather, I know that fight hurt you a lot. You’ve been the one main supporter of Yvette from the beginning and Uncle Doug was your favorite Uncle. You were hurt. Your picture of him as the perfect father was shattered when he told the school and they attacked both of you. But hiding away from life isn’t going to solve anything. Fear can be a bad thing to deal with and hiding from life will turn you bitter.”

“But mom....” Heather started to say, in an attempt to stop the speech.

“No buts, young lady.” Her mother said, stopping her excuses. “You know at the last few parent teacher meetings they have said the same thing. You are a gifted student, but when it comes to group participation, you are combative and rude. That’s what hurts your grade.”

“It does?” Heather asked.

“Yes. Your interactions with your class rate heavily on your grades. Plus, if you stay like this, the chances of you getting a job will drop significantly.” Her mother stated. “I am not saying to trust everyone, but at least open your eyes and your heart.”

“But what if they hurt me again?”

“Then you learn from that. What if you miss the love of your life by hiding? Living in what if’s can really drive a person crazy.”

~o~O~o~

Yvette’s mother was sitting on the edge of her bed, her daughter’s head in her lap and she was gently stroking her daughter’s hair. “I’m sure she didn’t mean to hurt you, Yvette. You know how scared she can get.”

“I know.” Yvette said between sobs.

“She loves you. She’s just worried. I can understand that, but you have to do what you feel is right for you. You can’t live by Heather’s rules.”

“I guess.” Yvette replied. She lay there and her crying slowed down. Her mother didn’t budge, instead she just kept doing what she could to calm her daughter. Finally Yvette looked up at her, wiped a tear or two away, then asked. “Why me? Why was I the only girl, born as a boy?”

“I’m sure you’re not the only one. And I’m sure that one day, we’ll meet more girls who were born like you.” Her mother said. “But till then, you need to stay strong. Okay? Can you do that for me?”

“I can try.”

“Good. Now would you like to help me in the kitchen?”

“Sure, I guess.” Yvette replied. She wasn’t a cook, by any stretch of anyone’s imagination. So her mother let her do the easy stuff, just so she could help.

There was a tapping at the door and Mary stepped in. “Hey, how is everything going?”

“We had some emotions, nothing to bad.”

“I kinda heard. Mom and Heather are talking down stairs.” Mary said. “Yvette, you ever tell her what you think? About how you’re scared she’ll tease you?”

“What do you mean?” Yvette’s mom asked.

“Last weekend, Yvette was having a good cry and she said she is worried that one day, Heather will start picking on her too.”

“You said that?” Yvette’s mother asked her daughter.

Yvette nodded. “Yeah. She does it so easily and I’m afraid that if I do something she hates, she’ll tease me too.”

“I don’t hate you.” Heather said. This caused Yvette to look over as did her mother and Mary. “I’m....I’m scared.” She admitted, trembling as she recalled that day a couple years earlier. She could still feel the terror she felt as the mob of kids rushed them, kicking and swinging. She could still smell the blood that ran from her nose after someone had hit her with a fist. She could hear the sounds of scissors that were used on both her head and Yvette’s. ‘

Heather’s voice trembled as she spoke again. “I’m scared that people will hurt us again. I don’t want that. I don’t wanna be hurt again.” She began to cry harder. “I hate being mean.....but I hate being afraid more.”

Yvette got off the bed and went to her cousin. She pulled Heather into a big hug. “Then we go slow. Okay. Let me talk to them. Please?”

“Do we have to?” Heather asked, pleading with her tear stained eyes.

“I think it could be good for us.” Yvette said.

“How? What can they help us with?” Heather asked, wiping at her eyes.

“Heather, Brooke is in a wheelchair, Rachel has a weight issue, and that other girl they were with in the park is kinda big too. Sage gets teased for her hair and her mother. They know what it’s like.”

“Do they?” Heather asked.

“Heather, we tease them daily. They know how it is to be teased.” Yvette replied back. “I hate it. I hate being mean just to hide.”

“One day you’ll get attacked for just being a bitch.” Mary stated.

“Mary, ladies don’t use that word!” Yvette’s mother snapped at her.

“Okay, but that’s what the others are going to be thinking about them. Too mean and they’ll think these two are the B-word.” Mary said.

“I don’t want to hate anyone.” Yvette said. "Not any more."

Heather sighed, sniffled, then she spoke softly. “I’m just scared, I’m sorry.”

“Then let me be strong first.” Yvette said, letting her cousin put her head on her shoulder. “I’ll be strong for both of us.”

There was silence for a moment, then she felt her cousin nod and heard her say. “Okay.

As I told Djkauf, Lewis Horton is a mixing of several people. Yes, he is like that famous Phelps guy, just without a congregation that large. He is also very arrogant, thinking everyone but him and his family are fools. Yes, he is totally under the frame of mind that Molly is being wronged.

“Vance, are you mad that you came down here?” Tracy asked.

He shook his head. Than he whispered. “Not really. I mean since Bruce stopped hanging out with me, I was bored. Jerry was there on the weekends, but other than that, I had no one. So coming down here, I can change that.”

“I miss Mary Beth and Emily May, plus Peter, but I think this is better.” She whispered. “More things to do.”

“A school that doesn’t know either of us.” Vance said in a whisper.

Edited by Djkauf

Tracy, Vance, Maggie and a glimpse into a side of Sage's family, yet to be shown

Sunday February 27th 1983

Tracy walked into the house, following her mother and Aunt Shelly. At the T.V. was Vance, watching Ripley’s Believe It Or Not. Frank was in his favorite chair, watching with him. As the ladies came in, Frank looked over. “How was the drive?”

“Long. Very long.” Shelly said.

“We heard about Friday. How are you all holding up?” He asked, looking to Maggie.

“Well, we’re good. The weekend helped her forget, I think.” Maggie said. She looked to her daughter. “That reminds me, put some ice on that eye again. Go up and change, then you can come down and hold some ice on it.”

“Okay, Mom.” Tracy said. She headed upstairs, knowing her mother was covering the attack in the courthouse. It took her twenty minutes to change for bed, and round up her dirty laundry. She headed down the stairs, laundry in hand. She passed the kitchen and stopped at the washing machine, that was next to a giant freezer.

“Tracy, hold off on wash till tomorrow and we’ll do it all. But grab some ice cream and we’ll dish that up.” Shelly said. Tracy put her laundry down, then went to the freezer and pulled out a half gallon of rocky road. She took it to the kitchen, where her mother handed her a bag of ice and her aunt shooed her off and into the dining room area.

She pulled out a chair at the table and started watching the show on the T.V. A few minutes later, her mother put a bowl of ice cream down and called Vance over. Vance sat down across from her. “Wow, she really gave you one heck of a shiner.”

“Yeah.” Tracy said, nodding her head. “I wish I would have known she was there.” She sat there, looking at her ice cream, then she looked up to her brother. “She was worse than last time. This time she tried to bite mom and me.”

“Wow.” Vance exclaimed.

“Yeah.” Tracy said, then she decided to drop the subject. “How was your weekend?”

“Hung out with Moony Friday and yesterday morning, then I hung out with Uncle Frank and his car club.”

“Ready for school tomorrow?” Tracy asked.

“Not really, but it’s better than Palermo.” Vance said.

Tracy nodded in agreement. “Yeah. I’ve seen the school from the outside and hey, you know Moony and Jamie.”

“Plus Kevin and Bryce.” Vance added. “Hey, how was L.A?”

“Busy. I don’t think I’ve seen that many cars on the road ever.” Tracy said with a laugh. “Even this morning, the road was busy.”

“Really?” Vance asked.

“Oh yeah. I woke up to the sound of horns the past two days.” Tracy said with a nod. “Lot of traffic. But we got to see a mall. Nice one, several stories tall.”

“Cool. Did you talk to Aunt Alice, Heidi and Cheryl?” Vance asked as he dipped the spoon into the ice cream.

“Yeah.” Tracy nodded as she scooped up a spoonful of ice cream. “They are okay with me and they are going to meet us at Disneyland. Angie too.”

“Really?” Vance asked and Tracy nodded. “Cool. That will be fun.”

“Mom’s mom and Dad will meet us there too.” Tracy added. “But not Grandma and Grandpa from Oroville.”

“Well, we did just see them for eleven years.” Vance said with a chuckle.

“But still it would have been nice to see them again.” Tracy said,

Maggie sat down at the table with them. “You saw your grandparents on Friday and you will see them on the weekend when we go to move.”

“Move....” Tracy got out of her seat and went to her Aunt Shelly. “Aunt Shelly. can I use your phone? I wanna call a friend of mine, so he knows that I will be in town next weekend.”

“Sure, just make it fast. We’re expecting a call for your uncle Frank.”

“Okay, thank you!” Tracy darted for the phone in the kitchen and she began dialing the number she knew very well. A few seconds later, Peter’s voice came over the speaker.

“Hello? Lowery house.”

“Peter, it’s Tracy.”

“Tracy! How are you, tell me everything that’s been going on!”

“Peter, I can’t talk long, my uncle is expecting a call. I wanted to say that I will be in town on Saturday and Sunday. We’re moving on Sunday and getting the last of the stuff from the old house. So can you let Emily May and Mary Beth know about it?”

“Sure, I can do that.” Peter said. She could hear the sadness in his voice.

“I wanna see you there too.” Tracy added.

“I wouldn't miss it for the world.” Peter replied.

~o~O~o~

Sage walked into her mother’s bedroom, just as Persephone was pulling on a clean shirt, her hair still damp from her shower. Moony and ‘Romy were off with their father. That left Sage’s chance to get to know more of her mother’s religion. Persephone looked to her daughter. “You’re sure, Baby? You want to go?”

“Yeah, Mom. You’ve let me make my own decisions for a while now. You’ve let me read every book I can get my hands on. I’ve read about the major religions. I’ve decided that I want to watch your monthly ritual.”

“You may have read them, but do you understand them?”

“Kinda. A lot of it just seems like the same story, from a different perspective.”

Persephone nodded. “I have heard that before. A lot of the stories seem to run in line with each other, but then there are things that differ. If you listen to what the Jewish people say, the Saviour has yet to be born.”

“And when I was at the church with Rachel, it just seemed like a lot of things are looked at badly. Like you can’t even breathe without making their God mad.”

“Their religion does seem to have a lot of rules, doesn’t it?” Persephone asked, aware that getting her daughter to ask questions and think could help Sage discover more about the different religions in the world.

“It does and when I’ve read the bible, it seems that some things are bad, then halfway through, it’s okay. But you don’t believe in that, do you?” Sage asked

“Sage, a better question is to ask what you believe.” Persephone said. Then she asked. “What do you think?”

“Well, a part of me doesn't know. I mean there must be something out there that watches over us. But if it’s like the Christian God, why doesn’t he stop things like when towns flood? What about hatred? I saw the passage that said love thy neighbor. Tracy and Rachel have even said it. Why....” Sage bit her lip, thinking of how to word what she was thinking.

She looked up at her mother. “What about those women like the one who attacked Tracy and me? She says she’s a Christian, but I thought they were supposed to be nice and love everyone. She’s attacking Tracy and threatening to do anything to get her out of town.”

Persephone patted Sage’s shoulder and shook her head, a slight frown on her face. “Sage, baby, you know that there are bad people in all walks of life. Christians, Muslims, Hindus even my religion. Each group has someone who makes the rest look bad. It’s how you act that matter.”

Sage seemed to cock her head slightly to the side and she asked. “How so? Like what you cast and stuff like that?”

“Sage, I believe that there are things bigger than us, who created us. I believe in a duality. A male and Female creator, ones who have been known by many names over the years. I believe that all life comes from them and returns to them. I believe in reincarnation. I believe in doing good, it will create good back to you and doing bad, will bring bad to you as well. I think we are all responsible for what we do in life and it is up to each of us to stand above the petty squabbles and try to promote peace in the world. I feel it is our responsibility to see past our hatred, anger and pride and be there to help others. That’s why I raised you the way I did. I wanted you to be responsible for your actions. You have to own up to your mistakes.”

“What about magic? You believe in that, right?” Sage asked

Persephone neither nodded nor shook her head, instead she kind of shrugged. “I believe that each of us has a power in us to tap into the Gods and Goddess to promote small changes on a personal level. I believe that we all have a power in us and we can do great things, but you have to be careful, sometimes ego, and anger can pervert a beautiful thing like magic and then you end up cursing someone and getting that curse back on you.”

Sage had been thinking one question that she just had to ask. “Mom, do you think magic works?”

Persephone nodded. “Yes. It’s not like you see in the cartoons, or in that dungeon game your Uncle played with you and you cousins, but I think it works. But what we do is more subtle. Quiet, but there. Like a whisper in a loud room. Like a light breeze on a warm day.”

“Like helping someone get better?” Sage asked.

“Yes, like sending healing thoughts to a sick friend.” Persephone said, nodding her head.

“Kind of like praying, like Rachel does?” Sage asked.

“Yes. See, in that way, a Christian is sending good will to someone, but asking someone else to heal the person in question. What I do I am personally aiming the healing power, I just ask the Gods and goddesses to help in the sending.”

Sage bit her lip as she thought about it for a moment. “I see. So you can heal and stuff.”

“You have seen what I do. You have used my bath herbs and oils before. You’ve practiced meditation with me before. You know a lot, for someone who isn’t in the craft. What I do is good, but it is between me and the God and Goddess. Others may look down on it, but that is because they don’t understand it.”

“Like Tracy? People don’t understand, so they hate her?” Sage asked.

“Yes, just like that.” Persephone looked at a clock. “Okay, we need to get going. That is, if you still want to learn.”

“Yeah.” Sage said with a nod.

“Okay, but you know the rules. You sit to the side and watch, but no getting into the circle, and no speaking while we are in the circle and busy, okay? When it’s over, before we come home, you can talk to the ladies, but I’ll tell you when.”

“Okay.” Sage replied. “Um, I...uh....”

Her mother stopped when she saw her daughter’s cheeks go a bright red. “What’s wrong, Sweetie?”

“Are they gonna be naked?” Sage asked. She had heard her mother and aunt talk about other rituals and she had heard they had been naked and that one was thing she was worried about.

“If they are naked, no one will force you to be naked. We understand how you feel about yourself. Plus, it’s about forty degrees right now, so it is cold. I doubt many of them will be running around in the cold night air, while naked.” Persephone stopped and smiled in that motherly way. “Also, you’re not a legal adult. That makes you way under age and I wouldn’t force you to be naked in front of anyone, other than a doctor.”

“Thanks.” Sage said, feeling relieved.

“I’m your mother and a Wiccan, not some evil monster.” Persephone put her hand on her daughter's cheek. “Just be good and quiet and I promise you can speak to the others later.”

“Okay.” Sage said again and followed her mother out of the house.

Persephone stopped to lock the door and she decided to give her daughter one more chance to back out. “Sage, if you want, you can stay home. I promise, all we are doing is the ritual for the full moon.”

“No, I wanna go. I wanna watch.” Sage said.

“Okay. Also, your cousin Casey is there. Lilian figure’s she is old enough to get to see this, and we’re trying to make sure that you’re thirteen before you join the coven. But when you’re there, you can not play around. You two have to be good.” Persephone locked the door, then checked it, then she headed for her VW bus. She unlocked the passenger door, then walked around. When she got into the driver’s seat, Sage was looking at her and as she put on her seat belt, Sage asked another question.

“What about Stacey?” Sage asked. “Will she be there?”

Persephone shook her head. “We’ll break Stacey into this when she gets about eleven and a half.”

“So in half a year?”

“Well....” Persephone held out a hand and wiggled it back and forth. “We agreed that you three would get exposed to this and then you can make your own choices. We may expose her now, and just let her come along, but only when you hit thirteen, can you join in the celebrations. But one big rule is that you can’t go telling people about this. No telling Rachel, Brooke or Tracy.”

“Why not?” Sage asked.

“Sage, not a lot of people understand this.” Persephone told her daughter.

“Why not?” It was a simple question, and one that was hard to answer at time. Persephone knew this. “It’s not illegal, is it?”

“Sage, you know how some people just hate something just to hate it. Its nothing you or I can do, they just hate us. Be it your red hair, your way of thinking, or how your body is.” Persephone said. “People blown things out of proportion. If you were to say your mother is a Wiccan who does magic, people would hear you say I am a witch and then they would get defensive, thinking I am here to rot your soul.

“Does Uncle Harvey know?”

Her mother nodded. “He knows and while he may not agree with it, he will not get in the way of your Aunt’s religion, unless he feels the girls are in danger.”

“And he’s never felt that was going to happen?” Sage asked.

“Not that I know of.” Persephone said. “Now let’s get going.”

“Where are we going?” Sage asked as her mother started her VW bus.

Persephone smiled. “It’s a secret. We’ll meet your Aunt, cousin and Grandma Baker there.” She put the old bus in reverse and pulled in to drive by their trailer.

Sage looked at her and shot her mother a huge grin. “Grandma?”

“Yeah, she stays up here on the full moons. She’ll be with your Great Aunt Agnes.” Persephone said with a nod.

“Aunt Agnes?!?” Sage asked, getting more excited.

“Yes. She’ll be there too.” Persephone said with a nod.

“What about Moony, Romy and Dad?” Sage asked, looking in the mirror at the house.

Persephone waited to answer her, until they pulled onto the main road. “Well, your Dad has no problem with me and my religious choices. He doesn’t push or pry and I don’t force my beliefs on him, although, his old hippy ways are still in tune with my thinking. Moony hasn’t really asked about it, nor does he seem interested. He knows about it, but I guess its just not cool enough. And as for ‘Romy, I would like to wait, until she is old enough to not tell everyone in her class that her mother dances around naked, in the woods, casting spells. That’s not a meeting with the school I look forward to. But you, you’re grown up and you understand the need for privacy.”

“Yeah.” Sage said with a nod. She leaned back in the seat as her mother headed down the road and stopped at a light to merge on the highway.

~o~O~o~

Sage had sat off to the side with her cousin and they watched, while Sage translated for Casey. When it was over, the girls were separated and Casey was talking to their grandmother. That left Sage and Persephone. But after a few minutes, Persephone excused herself and left the room. It was then an older woman came walking over, smiling at her.

“Aunt Agnes?!?” Sage said in surprise

“Sweet pea.” The woman said in her British accent. It had been almost three decades and she still had it, and was proud of her accent. It was a bit softer than when she first moved to America, decades earlier, but she still had it. Agnes leaned in, but didn’t do any of the cheek pinching her other great aunts did. Instead she hugged Sage, which Sage never minded. Agnes always smelled of fruit and flowers. “How are you, Sage?”

“Good.” Sage replied.

Aunt Agnes nodded. “Good. I see you finally wanted to see what it is we do here?”

“Yeah. Mom has let me ask questions and she lets me read things, but I wanted to see first hand.” Sage stated. “I never knew you went to her rituals.”

“I helped train your mother. Your Grandmother and I both. I trained your Aunt Lillian and your uncle Joey too. I learned from my mother, your Great Grandmother. She was a wonderful woman. Plus others in her circle.”

“Will Mom and Aunt Lillian teach me?” Sage asked.

“Sage, honey. Your mother has been teaching you for years. The herbs, the incense, the lessons about you having the power to change you. The talks about how you should treat the Earth and others. That’s all how your mother thinks. That is how we all think. She may have been a hippy for a while, but unlike many people she knew, she was that way, before it got big. She promised to not shove her thinking on you, but to give you access to all the information you wanted. Be it Judaism, Hindu, Buddhist, or Christian. She wanted you to make your own choices in life. That’s the reason she pulled you away from the hospital when you were a wee babe. She wanted you to make all your choices. She didn’t want to place your fate in the hands of a stranger that doesn’t know you.”

Sage nodded as she thought about what her Aunt said, then she asked a question that had puzzled her for some time. “I always wondered why, if Mom was a Wiccan, why she celebrated Christmas?”

“Well, there is a good reason for that. First of all, is that Yule is our Christmas and like Christians, we decorate an evergreen tree. We give gifts. We do a lot of things that Christians do. But the other reason is family. Your father’s family is Christian, he just doesn’t shove his political or religious views on you and your siblings. They are not hardline Christians. But they can get opinionated. If his family comes over, they would question the lack of a tree and presents. Also, you kids would be teased for not getting gifts. You’ve seen how the children who don’t celebrate Christmas get treated at school, right?” Her Aunt asked and Sage nodded.

“We have a girl from the Jehovah's witness that gets teased for it. Plus there is a boy who is Jewish, he gets teased too.” Sage looked to her aunt. “But why do you celebrate it? I mean you, Mom, Grandma, Aunt Lilian are all witches, why do you celebrate Christmas, if you don’t believe in it?”

Agnes chuckled. “I told you. We celebrate Yule. It is like a different version of Christmas. But still we give gifts for you kids. Your Uncle Joe in Vermont is the same. He has his own path. It’s like ours, but he has a wife who understands. She’s also very good about his hobbies, religion and political belief, so he doesn’t push his lifestyle on her. She doesn’t push her life on him. They found a good middle ground and the two of them love each other a lot.”

“Oh. Like letting him play the role playing games he brings out with him?” Sage asked.

“Yes. Just like that.” Agnes said.

“Oh.” Was the only thing Sage could reply with.

“We still hold our beliefs, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be nice and help other people with theirs, or give our family what the others have.”

“That’s nice.” Sage said.

“And that is what we want to give to you. That sense of playing fair. Helping others who may think differently and always be responsible for your actions.” Her aunt said. “But that’s enough talking for today. You need to get back with your mom. You have school in the morning.”

“Yeah.....”

“Baby.” Her Aunt Agnes said, as she hugged Sage. “You’ll see me again and if you come with your mother, you’ll see me in a month.”

“Okay. I’d like that.” Sage said and she hugged her Aunt back.

~o~O~o~

Tracy rolled over on the bed and looked at her brother, the glow of the night light barely showing him. “Hey.” She whispered to him. “You awake?”

“Yeah.” He answered back. The beds they were using were along the east and north walls of the room, both stopping at a table near the window. Tracy’s head was near Vance’s and the room was quiet. She knew her aunt and mother were both downstairs, watching T.V. and talking, and their Uncle Frank was in bed, so he could get up early and drive to his job in Berkeley.

“Vance, are you mad that you came down here?” Tracy asked.

He shook his head. Than he whispered. “Not really. I mean since Bruce stopped hanging out with me, I was bored. Jerry was there on the weekends, but other than that, I had no one. So coming down here, I can change that.”

“I miss Mary Beth and Emily May, plus Peter, but I think this is better.” She whispered. “More things to do.”

“A school that doesn’t know either of us.” Vance said in a whisper.

“Yeah. I am sorry for any of the bad things. Like the dress Grandma made you wear.”

“You had her stop. So I don’t mind.” Vance said. He rolled over and propped himself up on one elbow. “And God knows what I would have done if I would have stayed Bruce’s friend. I may have beat you up in December....”

“Vance....” Tracy didn’t what to say. She had hoped that Vance would have never been bad to her, but he used to be a jerk.

“Tracy, face it, I was mean to you and I tried to ruin your life.” He sat up and sighed. “I practically handed you to him, with telling him about your dress over the phone. I had been a jerk to you for so long, but you never cared. Heck, you helped me....”

Since their heads were near each other, she reached out and touched his arm. “Its okay. I love you too, big brother.”

“Thanks. I just hope I didn’t screw up your life too much.” Vance said.

“How did you screw it up?” Tracy asked him as she sat up in bed.

“I called Bruce. Bruce wanted to embarrass you in front of the school. But you caught him stealing and he got really mad.” Vance said, sitting up and facing her. “So in calling him, I gave him a reason to try and hurt you. Then he really wanted to hurt you after we both stood against him. Then Clark took pictures because you got his brother arrested.”

“Vance, you didn’t make him come to the property.” Tracy stated.

“Maybe not, but I still feel guilty.” Vance replied.

There was a tapping at the door and it opened up, showing Maggie standing there. “I know you two want to talk, but you have school in the morning, Vance, so you should get some sleep. Young lady, you should rest too.”

“Yes, Mom.” Both kids said.

“Good night, you two.”

“Night, Mom.” Both of her children said. She waited for them to lay down before she shut the door.

Once they heard her walk from the door, Tracy reached out, touched her brother’s shoulder again. “Vance, thanks for everything you have done. I’m glad to call you my brother.”

“Thanks.” He said in a hushed tone. “I’m glad to have you as a sister.”

Now I kicked around the idea of Persephone and family being Pagan for some time and felt the time was good to bring her out of the broom closet. Keep in mind, this is not a magic story, but just a story, involving a religion that exists.

Sage was already outside and waiting for Brooke and Rachel to join her for the recess. As the two of them came over, they went to a side part of the playground, near the classes, but near one of the basketball courts. As they watched the boys play, Sage saw Yvette coming over to them and she warned Brooke and Rachel.

“Hey, like, um.....” Yvette sighed and she dropped the Valley-speak. It had been just a day or so since she talked to her cousin. She had wanted to take Heather and apologize together, But today Heather was sick, due to nerves of possibly being attacked, so that gave Yvette a chance to speak freely to people. “Can I ask you all a question? Please?”

At the word please, Rachel and Brooke's jaws dropped and Sage just blinked a couple of times. When they didn't respond, she asked again. “Please, can I ask a question? I know I've been...well, I've been a jerk, and I really am sorry about it, but I want to know something.”

Edited by Djkauf

More of Tracy and those around her. A bit of fluff this time, but slowly adding to the story

Monday 28th 1983

Vance was a bit nervous as he was led into the main part of the school. The principal led Vance to his new home room. Vance had decided that he could go on his own, so the kids wouldn’t tease him for having his mother with him. As he went through the school, he passed Moony and the boys he had played basketball with and he gave them a small wave, but they kept moving. The principal led him to a room and gestured inside. Vance had a crude hand drawn map of which classes he had next and they had met with a few of the teachers on Thursday, but the home room teacher he was getting had been out sick.

The principal knocked on the frame to the room and he cleared his throat, before stepping in with Vance. “Lois, I want you to meet Vance Patterson. Vance just moved to town in the past day and they are starting him here. I have his records from his last school, and since you'll be his reading and English teacher, we felt you should meet him and if you want, test him. We're also placing him in your home room, because you have the space.”

“I understand.” the teacher said with a nod.

“Vance, this is Lois Rosewood.”

“Ma'am.” Vance said.

“Well Vance, there is only one open desk in my room, that one in the back. I'll trust that you're not going to talk in my class?” Lois asked.

“I don't know if the people I know are in this class.” Vance honestly replied.

This caused the teacher to question him. “What are the names of the people you know?”

“Moony...I mean Marcus Miller, Bryce Holcomb and Jamie Williams.” Vance stated.

She nodded. “Jamie is in my class. I believe that Marcus is in Mrs. Peabody's class. I don’t know about the other two.”

“Ah, okay.”

The Principal waited for a moment, then he spoke up. “If you have any problems, the number of his Godparents is listed as a contact number. The parents are in the process of moving down here and are currently out of town.”

“Well, I can do that.”

“Young man, it’s good to have you here as a student.” The Principal said with a smile.

“Thank you, sir.”

~o~O~o~

Jamie walked into her class and as she took her seat, she watched as Vance Patterson walked in and went past her to the open seat in the back. He smiled as he passed her. She turned in her seat. “Vance? What are you doing here?”

“I go to school here.” He replied with a smile.

“Started today?” She asked and he nodded. “Moony know yet?”

“Yeah, just had breakfast with him, Kevin and Bryce.”

“Nice.” Jamie said. As more of the class came in, many of them were baffled as to who he was. The teacher called them to order, then she quickly gestured to him.

“Everyone, this is Vance Patterson, he is in our home room and he'll be in many of your classes. He just moved into town in the past two days and is starting here today.” She stopped and gestured for Vance to stand up. “Vance, tell us a bit about yourself.”

“I just moved from a small town, it’s kinda a farming town, north of here about three hours. I like to play basketball, baseball and soccer. I play some football, but not much and I like track.”

“Very good. Any siblings in the school?”

“No. I have a sister who is in the elementary school.”

“I see. Well, have a seat and we'll start with roll call.”

~o~O~o~

Sage was already outside and waiting for Brooke and Rachel to join her for the recess. As the two of them came over, they went to a side part of the playground, near the classes, but near one of the basketball courts. As they watched the boys play, Sage saw Yvette coming over to them and she warned Brooke and Rachel.

“Hey, like, um.....” Yvette sighed and she dropped the Valley-speak. It had been just a day or so since she talked to her cousin. She had wanted to take Heather and apologize together, But today Heather was sick, due to nerves of possibly being attacked, so that gave Yvette a chance to speak freely to people. “Can I ask you all a question? Please?”

At the word please, Rachel and Brooke's jaws dropped and Sage just blinked a couple of times. When they didn't respond, she asked again. “Please, can I ask a question? I know I've been...well, I've been a jerk, and I really am sorry about it, but I want to know something.”

“What is it?” Sage asked, afraid the niceness was an act to lure them into an insult.

Yvette wanted to run away, afraid of what could happen. She began to picture all three of them just hitting her for being so mean, but she wanted to know who the boy was. “The weekend we met in the park. Who was the boy with your brother? The one with dark brown hair?”

Rachel decided to reply, and she was not as nice as Sage was going to be, but she wasn't rude, just truthful. “His name is Vance. He's Tracy's brother. She's the one you called Porker Pigtails. They just moved from a farm town up north.”

Yvette blushed in shame. “Oh...” And she kicked herself for shooting herself in the foot with her big mouth. She knew she had to turn over a new leaf, but she didn't want to lose a cousin in the process, but she also didn’t want to be attacked either.

“Tell her I'm sorry for that. I shouldn't have called her that. I shouldn't.....” Yvette couldn't look them in the eyes and she was doing all she could to not just run away, sobbing. She knew how it felt to be teased and insulted and she had been doing it to keep others from doing it to her. A tear streaked down her cheek and was quickly followed by another. “In fact I'm sorry for being mean to you three as well. I should have never said anything mean to you. I'm sorry for everything I've ever said to you all. Sorry....”

Before they could say anything Yvette turned and sprinted away. Sage just watched her, but Rachel looked to Brooke and shook her head in disbelief. “Okay, what just happened?”

“I don't know.” Sage said, “but I'm gonna go find her. She looked like she was about to cry.”

“Sage, she has done nothing but run us down with her friend. Why should we care?” Rachel asked.

“Because it’s the right thing to do and your bible tells you that.” Sage replied. “Turn the other cheek and be kind to those who run you down and all that. It's the nice thing to lend a hand when people need it.”

Brooke nodded. “If you two wouldn't let me be after I was a jerk to both of you, you think she will let Yvette be after she just did that to us?”

Rachel thought about it and shook her head as Sage and Brooke started to move away from her. “I guess not. I'll help, too.” She followed after her friends.

Sage came around the corner of the building to a little used area of the school. She was about to turn and leave when she heard the sounds of someone crying. It only took a moment of looking around until she noticed a pair of feet by the backside of the base of a tree.

“Yvette?” Sage asked as she stopped near the girl. “Are you okay?”

“No.” Yvette said, wiping at her eyes. “Just go away.”

Sage didn't give up. She moved closer and stopped near the tree. She could see the tears dripping off Yvette's cheeks.

Sage dropped to one knee by Yvette, but she didn't touch her. “Yvette, I'm willing to talk to you, If you want. I don't mind that you've been mean before. You look like you need someone to talk to.”

Yvette didn't say a word, so Sage sat down, near her and they just sat and listened as Yvette cried into her arms. After a few minutes, the bell rang, warning them they had five minutes to get to class.

“Come on, class is about to start again.” Sage said.

“I can't go in there like this.” Yvette said between sniffles. “They’ll tease me.”

“Then let’s take you to the office and you can sit in the nurse’s office.” Brooke said, making her presence known.

Yvette turned and saw Rachel was there as well. “Why are you all being nice?”

“Why shouldn't we be?” Sage asked. “Come on, let's take you to the office. Rachel, I got this, if you and Brooke want to go to class. I'll see you at lunch.”

“Okay.” Rachel said as they got close to their room. “We'll see you then.”

As Sage passed her class, the teacher stepped out. She saw the tears on Yvette and Sage's determination. “Is everything alright, Sage?”

“She's having a bad day and needs the nurse’s office.”

“Okay. Here, take this hall pass.” The teacher said. “Get back as quickly as you can.”

“Yes Ma'am.” Sage said as she pushed through her class.

When they got to the office, Sage opened up the door and held it for Yvette. The secretary stood up from her desk. “Can I help you girls?”

“She needs to sit in the nurse’s office for a little bit.

“Come on back.”

Sage led Yvette into the nurse’s office, and helped her climb up on the bed. Yvette was about to ask why Sage was being nice when the Nurse came in.

The Nurse looked over Yvette, not throughly, though. She was one of the few who knew about both girls and a part of her was shocked that the two girls had not became friends earlier. “What happened?”

“Just nerves and stress.” Sage said. “She just started crying and she isn’t feeling good.”

“I see. Well, you should get to class and I can take care of her.” The Nurse said.

“Okay.” Sage said with a nod. She looked to Yvette and gave her a sad little smile. “Feel better Yvette. We can talk at lunch or tomorrow.”

“Okay.” Yvette replied, but the guilt struck her again and she began to cry again. Sage took one more look before heading out of the nurses office.

~o~O~o~

Peter was bored. No Tracy to keep him company. Mary Beth had her own friends and he was still not too sure about Jerry. He had been spending his time in the library, reading and talking to the librarian. She was busy this time, so he found a table off to the side and he sat, reading a book, the best he could. He wasn’t the smartest child there, and his reading was a grade or two behind what he should have been in. While he read, A pair of shadows fell on him and he looked up to see Bobby Anderson, plus another boy his age.

“Well, look who it is.” Bobby said, pointing at Peter. “The fag’s boy friend.”

“Go away. I don’t want any trouble.” Peter said, turning his attention back to his book.

“Too bad, queer.” Bobby replied.

The two boys tried to puff out their chests and look intimidating, but Peter kept reading. “Please go away.”

“Why, so you can read your baby book, you big baby?” Bobby teased. Then he yanked it out of Peter’s hands.

As Peter stood up, the Librarian came over and cleared her throat. “Okay, Anderson, Winslow, you can leave.”

“We ain’t done nothing!” Bobby exclaimed.

“You just ripped a book out of his hand and tore one of the pages.” The Librarian said. “This young man was reading before you came in and disturbed him. So you may leave, now.”

Both of them knew she could call the office and get them into a lot of trouble, so Bobby decided to leave. But he wanted to threaten Peter just once more. “This ain’t over, baby.” Bobby said as they headed for the door.

~o~O~o~

Maggie walked into Big Mama’s deli at a little after noon. Like Lok’s martial arts studio and acupuncture shop, there was an entryway, with two doors inside, one to the left and one to the right, each clearly marked. The left was marked Big Mama’s Bakery and the right one was marked Big Mama’s deli. She had tried the bakery door, before reading the note that the bakery was closed and the deli was open. So she turned and went to the deli door. As far as she knew, her daughter was at home, doing her school work. Vance was busy with school. This left her with the fun of finding a job. She had a few applications with her, and she was ready to fill them out that night. Even with the vacation to Disneyland, she was sure she could get a job, she had ten years experience as a secretary, several years as a waitress and a few other odd jobs. So she was hopeful. But she wanted something part time, till she could get another job.

Beth had offered her a job, just for part time, and she thought it would be smart idea to take her up on the offer. She knew Shelly and Frank had offered to help out, but she hated to feel like a mooch. And the sooner she had a job, the sooner William could look for work and then they could move. She loved Shelly, but she had kept thinking of the old adage, visitors and fish begin to stink after three days. And she didn’t want to ruin a good friendship.

The bell rang as the door opened up to the deli. As she stepped in, she looked around and saw the door that led to the bakery from the inside was closed as well. There were a few tables, and a couple of booths, only a couple of places had people in them. The main counter of the deli had seats, like at a diner and a few more people sat there. Then there was the place to give your order and pay and as she stepped up, a man in front of her stepped away.

“Hello!” A chipper young lady behind the counter said. “Can we interest you in a salad or a sandwich today? Mark is in the back working on a wonderful vegetable soup. Very good for a cold day, like today.”

Maggie’s stomach rumbled and she realized she hadn’t ate since breakfast. She was hungry, but she wanted to inquire about a job, before she ate anything. “Maybe later. I had stopped by to see if Beth Paulson was here? I wanted to ask about a job.”

“Just a moment.” The girl turned to the side and leaned so she could see the kitchen. “Mark, is your sister here? We have a lady who wants an application.”

“Okay, just a moment.” He called out. A moment later, he stepped out, holding a piece of paper. “Who was it for?” He asked the girl and she pointed to Maggie.

“Oh My....” Maggie said with gasp. “You have barely changed, Mark.”

“Do I know you?” He asked.

She smiled and nodded. She wasn’t going to make it easy on him. “I hear you met my daughter, Tracy, on Valentines day. She was here with Shelly Cooper.” Maggie said.

“Shelly.....Tracy? Maggie?!?” His face broke out into a huge smile. “Little Maggie Richter?”

“Well, not so little anymore, and no longer Richter. Now I’m Maggie Patterson.”

“So I heard from your daughter. I must say, she is a spitting image of you as a girl.” Mark replied.

“Thank you. She is a very special little girl.”

“And a talented cook. I hear Beth is asking her for some recipes from her grandmother.”

Maggie nodded. “My mother-in-law has been helping me teach her to cook, so she was making dinner at our old house, so it was ready by time we got home. I hear from Shelly that she is still doing that. Tracy did say she would have to ask permission for the recipes.”

“Well, we enjoyed what she had made. I think it could sell very well here and we’d compensate her and your mother-in-law.”

“Well, Modine said that if you offered, to just give it to Tracy. She did the work of showing it off.”

“So you are looking for a job?” Mark asked.

“Well, I am looking for something part time, till we are fully moved down here, this way there isn’t a long period with no money.”

“Yes, I can understand that. We are looking for a bakery to deli worker, but Beth can tell you about that.”

“I do have my resume and a letter of recommendation from my last employer, but I’d need the letter back, he only gave me one.”

Mark looked at the people who were walking in, then he looked to Maggie. “Tell you what. I need to get back in the kitchen. She is in the office and busy for a few minutes. Give me the resume and the letter, I’ll give it to her and you can go fill out the application, if you’d like. You can take over one of the smaller tables.”

“You don’t mind me taking over a table?”

“Not at all.” Mark replied.

“Thank you.” Maggie said as she handed over the resume and letter of recommendation. She took the application, turned and headed for the table in a corner. She took a seat and started filling out the application. About ten minutes later, she looked up and saw Beth coming out to her. Beth stopped her from getting up and she slid into the other seat.

“Hello, Maggie.”

“Hello Beth. I hope you don’t mind me taking one of the tables.” Maggie said, putting the pen down.

“Not at all. I was hoping to see you, or at least your daughter.”

“She is at home, doing schoolwork.”

“Well, that is more important.” Beth said with a nod. She had already called Maggie’s old boss, Chris and got his glowing verbal recommendation, then there was the fact she had been there almost a decade with no issues. She just wanted to question Maggie on her lack of recent restaurant work. With Shelly’s vote of confidence too, she knew Maggie was a good person, she just needed someone who could handle the stress of a job like that.

Beth looked at the application, then at Maggie. “So, Mark gave me your resume and letter of recommendation. I wanted to ask you a couple of questions. The first is that you haven’t worked a restaurant since about nineteen sixty nine?”

“That’s correct. I have been working my last job full time since we moved to Oroville.” Maggie replied.

“The Wright cleaning place?”

“Yes.” Maggie said with a nod.

“What did you do there?” Beth asked.

“Secretarial work. Answer phones, send out bills, take payments from clients. Occasionally I had to take over for some of the workers and do some of the cleaning jobs.” Maggie replied.

“And you left to move here, right?” Beth asked, trying to recall what Tracy and Shelly had told her.

“Yes.” Maggie said with a nod.

“And when you worked the restaurant, what type was it? A diner? A fancy place, a fast food establishment?”

Maggie thought back and tried to think of how to best describe it. “It was a small family diner in Encino.” Maggie replied. “I bussed tables, was a waitress and even helped with running the till, when we got busy.”

“I see.” Beth looked at the paper, then back at Maggie. “When could you start?”

“Is tomorrow too soon?” Maggie said with a smile.

“Not at all.” Beth replied, then she leaned forward. “But I want to know. I know you have your kids, and I’m sure that you’ll want to look for something a bit more full time, which I can’t offer. What hours are you looking at? Our bakers get here kinda early. Two of them are here at three or four in the morning. They work till noon. We close the bakery at about eleven thirty and move to the deli. The deli starts at about ten thirty, and we could cross train you. We do have bakers, so the early morning is out, but if you wanted, you could start at like seven and move to the deli at eleven.”

“Could I work from say six or seven, til two, so I can still look elsewhere, and be home for the kids?”

“Sure. You’re just going to be part time for now. So you have a fluid schedule.” Beth replied, then she asked. “What about moving from the other town. Have you brought up all your stuff?”

“Well, we are moving this weekend. William gave his two weeks and that is up this weekend. I wanted to take the kids there on this Friday, after Vance gets out of school, then we’re going to load up a Uhaul on Saturday and move on Sunday.” Maggie said, then she added. “And in March, the Godparents of my kids have paid for us to go to Disneyland, so I’d be unavailable for a week.”

“What week?” Beth asked, pulling out a small calander.

“The twenty fifth of March, to the first of April. We also have a series of important appointments for Tracy on the twenty-fifth. So I need to be with her for those.”

“Nothing bad, I hope?” Beth asked, genuine concern in her voice.

“Well, nothing too bad, just getting a full check up and dealing with a therapist for her stress.” Maggie replied.

“Stress? In an eleven year old?” Beth raised an eyebrow. Then she recalled something and she began tapping a finger in the air. “Is this concerning why you all left? Tracy mentioned that someone was trying to hurt her.”

“Well, in a sense. There were some attacks, but the most recent happened at a court date this past Friday, where the woman who attacked her in a gas station attacked her and two other girls in a court of law. She ended up with a black eye from this attack.”

“Wow. She attacked Tracy in a courthouse?”

“Yeah and if you see Tracy, don’t bring it up. I think she is trying to hide her fear.” Maggie said. “But she knocked Tracy to the floor and was trying to bite her face. The woman was like a rabid dog.”

“I’ll keep quiet.” Beth said. “Is Tracy okay?”

Maggie nodded. “Black eye, and scared, but she is okay. And the Woman is in jail, for breaking a temporary restraining order.”

“That’s good.” Beth said with a slight nod. She leaned back in the chair. “The poor little girl of yours. Why would someone attack such a good child.”

“I don’t know....” Maggie said with a shrug. “That woman was just crazy. Ranting on how Tracy is a rapist and a murderer.”

“Wow. That’s out there.” Beth stated.

“Yeah” Maggie nodded again. “Could we change the subject. These attacks are getting hard to deal with and I’d just rather not focus on them.”

“I can respect that.” Beth said. She leaned forward, held out a hand and smiled. “We can talk more later, when you want, but for now I want to offer you a part time job.”

“Thank you.” Maggie said, smiling and shaking her hand.

~o~O~o~

Yvette sat in the waiting room to her therapist. She had been seeing Doctor Ivan for more than three years now and each time, she rarely talked. Today she was mentally absent, after her breakdown at the school. When her mother had picked her up, she had also set up a meeting with her therapist, due to the problems at school.

Her mother had already talked to the therapist, and now Yvette was sitting on the couch in his office, thinking about Sage and how she had been nice and crying over how she had treated people for the past few years. Finally after a few minutes of her just crying, Ivan spoke up.

“Yvette, each time you come here, I tell you that you can speak your mind, and you never do. Something is bugging you today, more than normally. I can help you, but you have to help me help you.”

“Something happened at school.” Yvette said.

“Did someone find out about you?” Ivan asked.

“No.....” Yvette replied. “But I....”

“What happened?”

Yvette didn’t look up, but she wiped at her eyes with her shirt sleeve. “There were some girls and I’ve been picking on them, but I’ve been feeling bad about it, so today I kinda apologized.” Yvette went quiet and she kept looking at her hands in her lap.

“How did it feel to say you were sorry?” Ivan finally asked, after several moments of silence.

“I...there's been like a weight on me and when I told them I was sorry and really meant it, I ran away. I know how it is to be treated like dirt and I was doing it to them. I figured they would hate me, but Sage followed me and sat with me while I cried.”

“Sage?” Ivan asked.

“Yeah, she goes to my school. Her friends Rachel and Brooke are our usual targets because Rachel is big, Brooke is in a wheelchair and Sage's family is poor.” Yvette said, her head hung in shame. “And Heather thinks it’s better to insult people, so they don’t find out about me.”

Ivan was only slightly aware that two of his patients were at the same school, but he wasn't going to tell either one about the other. He also knew that the Millers lived in poverty, but they weren’t poor, just that Carl was strict about spending money with no purpose. He continued with questioning Yvette. “So what happened after you cried?”

“Sage helped me up and she walked me to the nurse’s office, because recess was almost over.” Yvette said.

“Did she stay with you?” Ivan asked.

Yvette shook her head. “No. The nurse called my mom and she sent Sage back to class.” She looked up at him. “Why did she do that?”

“Because those other girls should be in class and your mother is a better choice in calming you down.” Ivan replied.

“No....” Yvette shook her head again. “Why did she help me? Sage I mean? We've been mean to her for two years now and she willingly helped me out when I was crying? Why would she do that?”

“Yvette, some people just have a good heart. You have one, but your cousin has you so afraid that something will happen, that you attack any kindness, because you think it's a ruse to hurt you.”

“Oh...” She thought about it and he was right. She looked up into her eyes. “What should I do? About Sage, I mean?”

“Well, you should talk to her, so she knows that you're being honest about what happened. You don’t have to tell her everything, but at least tell her you really are sorry.” Ivan suggested, then he added. “Telling her that you’ve been attacked and were afraid you’d be attacked again is a great place to start. You could explain that you thought you were doing what was best.”

“Do I have to tell her about...” Yvette gestured to her crotch. “About my parts?”

“No, I wouldn’t.” Ivan said. He began to think of a way of making sure that Sage and Yvette ended up with an appointment on the same day. He knew that could help show how alike they were. He also knew it could blow up in his face too. “Yvette, just tell them you were beat up once and you were being mean to keep from being beaten again. You don’t have to tell all, just be honest about what you do say. Because, sometimes people can surprise you.”

~o~O~o~

Tuesday March 1st 1983

Tracy was headed for the kitchen as she descended the stairs. When she got to the bottom, her mother was already dressed and ready to leave. She paused at the door and Tracy quickly got down the last few steps. She hugged and kissed her mother. “Want breakfast?”

“Can’t. I got to get going now. Beth wants me there about six thirty, so she can teach me the register in both the deli and the bakery.”

“Oh.” Tracy said, sounding slightly sad. “Well, have fun.”

“Smile, Tracy, soon you’ll be worrying about school and not if I am home.” Maggie patted her arm. “I’ll be home about noon and we can go grocery shopping with your aunt Shelly before Vance is home from school and before Tai Chi.”

“Okay.” Tracy said while she headed to the kitchen. She got in there and poured herself a bowl of cereal. She took her seat and was halfway through the bowl when Vance came down, mumbled something and he poured his own bowl.

“So....” Tracy started to say, when he seemed to wake up a little. “Ready for school?”

“Yeah. I guess.” Vance said. “I think they got baseball tryouts starting soon.”

“Cool. I hope you get it.” Tracy said.

“Me too. I just got to remember which classes I have today.” He said, then he took a bite and looked at the clock. “Darn it, half an hour to go.”

“Wake up when I do.” Tracy said with a grin.

“Meh.” He muttered as he shoveled in another spoonful.

As he left the table, Tracy got up, put her bowl in the sink and went to the desk where she kept her school work. She wanted to get started early, so she was ready for shopping later.

~o~O~o~

The shopping for another two weeks was done an Tracy was now headed to her Tai Chi class, with her mother. Her Aunt and Uncle were at home with Vance. She was ready for a good workout, then to go home and go to bed. But as she got to the door of Lok’s school, she heard the sounds of someone running towards them. She turned to see Stacey running to her and her father just behind her.

“Tracy!” Stacey said as she caught her in a running hug.

“Stacey!” Tracy exclaimed back as she hugged her back. Are you going to take the classes here too?”

“No, I actually came to give you this.” Stacey held out an envelope.

“What is it?” Tracy asked, opening the envelope. Inside was a pink piece of paper.

“An invite to my birthday, on the ninetieth.”

“At your house?” Tracy asked.

“Not all of it.” Stacey said. “We’re going to a roller rink in San Ramon, then we’ll go to my home, but my two friends from my school will be there and we’re having a sleepover.” Stacey followed Tracy into the studio, their parents were behind them. Harvey slipped Maggie an invite for Vance, so they could have enough kids for the minimum needed for the party room.

“Will....” Tracy stopped and looked to Stacey. “Will your friends be there for the sleepover?”

“Yeah.”

“I...um...I”

“Tracy.” Harvey said, getting her attention. “Are you worried that someone will find out about you?”

“Yeah.” Tracy said with a nod.

“I will keep you safe in my house.” Harvey stated.

“They’re good people and I really want you to meet them.” Stacey said, then she pouted her lip and looked at her friend with pleading eyes. “Please, no one will find out. Sage is coming, Rachel and Brooke too. It’s only two girls from school. Please?”

“Tracy, I think you should go.” Her mother said. “You can always call us if you get worried.”

“I could?”

“Yes.” Maggie said with a nod.

“Please?” Stacey pleaded again.

“Okay.” Tracy said with a nod.

“Thanks!” Stacey hugged Tracy.

“Are you staying for the class?” Tracy asked.

“No, we got things to do and Dad has to get me home. He has the evening shift tonight.” Stacey said with a shake of her head.

“Saturday then?” Tracy asked.

“Yeah. I think Rachel wants to go to her place, so we can plan what places in Disneyland we want to see first.”

Tracy chuckled and shook her head. “I vote pirates and the haunted mansion.”

“Come on Stacey, we should get going and Tracy needs to change.” Harvey said, knowing if they got started on the topic, they could talk all night.

“Okay, Dad.” Stacey said. She hugged Tracy. “See you on Friday.”

“Bye Stacey.” Tracy said.

Up next, more fun with Tracy, Vance and the rest. And now we are out of February 1983!

Tracy is back! One again she has returned.

Edited By Djkauf

No spoiler this time. Instead I ask that as you read this, you forget the Halloween one, for now. That was made as a look into her future. This is still back in the past, just a month before Disneyland. In fact this starts where the last one stopped, after her Tai chi class.

Tuesday evening March 1st 1983

While the car cruised through the night traffic, taking Maggie and Tracy back to Livermore, after a very exhausting Tai Chi class, Tracy could hear the song playing on the radio. It was an old one, Honey, by Bobby Goldsboro. She wasn’t really focused on the radio. nor did she have the energy or will to lean forward to change the channel to something a bit more modern. As they passed by the last Dublin off ramp, Tracy seemed to pick up on the words being sung.

“One day when I was not at home, while she was there and all alone, the Angels came. Now all I have are memories of Honey and I wake up nights and call her name. Now my life’s an empty stage....”

Tracy didn’t hear any more as she began to cry. Thoughts of losing Peter, or her father came rushing to her mind. She feared being alone. Sure, she had her mother, but something could happen. She feared that something would.

Maggie put a hand on hers, just for a moment. “It’s okay baby. It’s just a song. Let me change that.” Then she reached up and changed the channel.

She thought she would find a safe song on the country channel. But the sad sounds of a country guitar was there and before she could turn it, they heard George Jones cry out.

“He stopped loving her today. They placed a wreath upon his door.”

Maggie slapped the volume with one hand as Tracy began to bawl. Her first attempt just turned the volume up, not down. She quickly spun the knob and the song died off, but it was too late, Tracy was sobbing in the passenger seat.

Maggie checked the mirrors and she pulled off the road, turning on her hazards and putting the car into park. She leaned over and held her daughter, who was sobbing uncontrollably now.

“Tracy? What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know!” She sobbed out, leaning into her mother’s chest and cried. “It’s just so sad! He loved her and she left! Both of them!”

Maggie wasn’t sure what she could do. So all she did was to sit there, holding her daughter, until the crying stopped, while traffic kept passing by. Minutes passed and still Tracy remained crying. Finally, after nearly twenty minutes, when the fits of tears stopped, she looked her daughter in the eyes. “Baby? Are you okay now?”

“Sorry, Mom.”

“Baby, don’t be. Every woman needs a good cry every now and then.” She thought back, her memories went to the night before, when her, and her children, plus Shelly and Frank were watching the last episode of M*A*S*H. As the show came to a close, Tracy had been crying, and she had cried several times during the episode. But even Maggie had shed a few tears during the episode. Frank had left the room a couple of times too. So it wasn’t just her daughter. And she knew that if she had heard those songs, during her time of the month, she would have been a wreck. But it couldn’t be Tracy’s time of the month. As far as she knew, she would never get one. Plus, by now, the shots would have worn off. At least that’s what she suspected.

Maggie knew that they should get moving again, in case someone with less than honorable intentions stopped to help them. With a soft sigh, she sat up in her seat and put the car into gear, then continued on to Shelly’s home.

~o~O~o~

The evening didn’t get better for the young girl, and her emotions got the best of her, while watching T.V. Not only did she cry during a show, but during commercials. Finally her mother sent her off to bed, sure that she just needed a little sleep.

After a few minutes and before she headed to bed herself, Maggie went back downstairs, after checking on the kids, where Shelly was sitting at. Maggie sat down on the love seat, and sighed.

“Is Tracy asleep?”

“Yeah.” Maggie said.

“That was a weird evening. I’ve never seen her cry at a cat food commercial before.” Shelly stated. “Not even when you were still in Oroville and she was all alone here.”

“The past few hours she has been emotionally off kilter. On the way home, she just fell to pieces at that song, Honey? The old sad one? Then the George Jones one from a couple years ago.” Maggie shook her head. “I just thought maybe she was lonely, but her crying over that cat food commercial tonight? Something is wrong. I just don’t know what.”

“Well, Maggie, with everything that has gone on in her life, just for the past three months....That poor kid has been through the wringer.” Shelly put a hand on Maggie’s knee. “Maybe with leaving her home of ten years, losing her friends, and not having her father around, not to mention that Molly woman and all the stuff from her, she could just be dealing with emotions that have welled up.”

“I guess.” Maggie said, shaking her head. “But what if it’s more? I mean the hormones should have run their course by now. But what if there is some kind of problem with her having them?”

“Maybe you should call that doctor and get an appointment? See if he could run a test or two?”

“May be a good idea.”

“Oh yeah, before I forget, I have something going on tomorrow. I totally forgot it, with Tracy’s crying. But I can’t watch her tomorrow or Thursday.” Shelly paused for just a moment and added. “I already tried Persephone and Lynn, they are both working tomorrow. So is Karen. Lilian is out of town and Jaio and Lok are busy too.”

“Crud....” Maggie leaned back in the seat. “I work in the morning.”

“Call Beth. Maybe you can get out of work? Or maybe work something out? I know her mother lives upstairs from the bakery....”

“Hey....I wonder.....”

~o~O~o~

Wednesday March 2nd 1983

The dream was a nice one, something Tracy didn’t seem to get a lot of lately. This one was a nice quiet walk, just her and Peter. There were birds in the trees, singing, flowers blooming by her feet. And as she was walking along the sunlit path, hand in hand with Peter.

As his lips began to touch hers, something began to wake her up. A shaking sensation, one that rattled her until the dream was lost and she was peeking through the mop of dirty blonde hair.

“Tracy, I need you up and in the shower in five minutes.” Maggie said as she shook her daughter.

“What?” A sleepy Tracy asked.

“Your Aunt has something important she forgot about to do today. She can’t take you with her. So there will be no one here. I called Beth and got the approval to take you to the deli. She offered that after you do your schoolwork, you can help them make something for the deli.”

“Okay.” Tracy said. It was the first time in weeks that she had slept in, and Maggie watched as she rolled over, covering her bare shoulder. “See you later.”

Maggie chuckled, and then sighed. Then she began shaking her daughter again. “Sweetie, get up, please. I know you’re tired, but we need to get going. You need to be moving here really soon.” This caused Tracy to open her eyes again.

“Okay. Bye.” Tracy curled up and shut her eyes again.

Maggie shook her head as tapped her daughter on the shoulder. “Come on baby. I need you up. We’re spending the morning with Beth and her mother.” With her other hand, she began shaking her daughter.

The constant shaking and tapping were keeping her from her sleep. Her dream was now lost for good. Tracy’s temper snapped and she rolled over, glaring at her mother. “Okay! I’m awake! I wanna sleep!”

“Okay, you may be tired, but don’t you dare snap at me like that.” Maggie said, pointing a finger at her youngest child’s face. “Now you better remember that, but for now, get dressed. Beth is waiting to see you.”

“Beth who?” Tracy asked as she moved and rubbed at her eyes. She was tired and confused now, but still a bit angry from being woken up so early. At this point, Vance was watching them.

“Beth from the bakery. Beth Paulson. And her mother.”

“Mrs. Paulson and her Mom?” Tracy asked as she lay there. “Why are they coming here?”

“Sit up and I’ll tell you.”

Tracy sat up and Maggie sat on the edge of her bed. “Your Aunt has something important to tend to and she may be gone today and tomorrow. Beth won’t come here, but we’re going to the deli. You need to come with me and we can hang out with Beth today, until around one or two in the afternoon. It’s too early to call Persephone or Karen. So I’m taking you with me. Not to mention, Karen works today."

Tracy thought about it. Hanging out in the house alone could be fun. But a part of her thought that being in a restaurant all day could be even better. “Okay.” She said.

“Get up and get in the shower. Your Aunt and Uncle are gone already. So get going.” Maggie said as she got up. “Vance will need a shower too, so save him some hot water.”

“Okay Mom.” Tracy got up and she headed to the bathroom. Now that she was awake, a trip to the bathroom was becoming a pressing matter.

~o~O~o~

As Tracy stood in the shower, her hair clean and now she was just letting the water run down her back and relax her muscles. Her workout at Lok’s studio had been a good one the night before and she felt a little tense now that she was awake. Yet as she stood there, she began to think again, and the thought of her father just staying in Oroville crossed her mind. The thoughts of everything over the past few months came rushing back and she started to think that maybe she ran him off. She shut the water off and stepped out, grabbing at a towel hanging by the tub.

Little time was spent in the bathroom, drying off. Instead she quickly patted herself down, then headed for her shared room. She was hopeful that Vance would get up soon and get in the shower.

As Tracy walked past her mother, who could see something was bothering her youngest kid. The tear stained cheeks were a big tip off.

“Tracy, are you okay?”

“I don’t know.” Tracy replied, wiping at her cheeks and sniffling as she headed for her room. Vance passed her in the hall. “You think Dad will stay away? Because of me? Because of all of what I caused?”

Maggie smiled, warmly, and put a hand on Tracy’s shoulders. “No baby. He’s moving down at the end of the week. He called just the other day, remember? After the MASH finale? You two talked for half an hour.”

“Yeah. But will he still....” The tears were in her eyes and Maggie began to think back on how her daughter had been emotional the past two nights. Not all the time, but for the last show of MASH and then a sweet commercial. Something was up. And the mother part of Maggie was worried. From the breakdown in the car to her crying over the T.V. Something was wrong. She knew Tracy was still having a hard time, with nightmares of Bruce, Clark and even Molly. She was impressed that Tracy kept moving forward. But as she thought about it, there were other things. Little things that had almost passed her attention. She decided to put it out of her mind for now. She had to get to work, or she could lose the job just after getting it. She did make a mental note to call Doctor Addams, just to get an appointment.

“Well, get dressed. It may rain and it will be a high around the sixties, so you may wanna dress in pants.”

“Do I hafta?”

“Beth said she wants to do some cooking with you. Her and her mother. So you may want pants. But you’ll also need to bring your backpack and homework."

“Homework too?!?”

“Just some reading. Your Aunt told me what she was going to have you do today. So just History and English. That’s all.” Maggie said and this seemed to calm her daughter down. “And bring a book, in case you get done early.”

~o~O~o~

Tracy came down the steps, backpack over her shoulder, purse over the other one. She stopped to look at the clock long enough to realize it was almost seven. She figured she had been woken up at six, or so.

They headed to the door, almost right away, as Vance was finishing up his breakfast. His shower was fast, almost a fast step through the water, due to a lack of hot water. His ride was on its way. He was going to get a ride with the Millers to the school. He was a bit jealous that she was getting the whole day to spend at a restaurant, but he knew he had no choice.

The ride to the bakery was quick and uneventful. Just a matter of minutes was all it took to get from where they were staying to the downtown area. Maggie found a parking spot in a pay-by-the-day lot, near the bakery. They parked, got out and Tracy walked with Maggie to the main entrance.

Tracy was surprised at how empty the stores looked along the main road. “When does everything open?”

“Not for a couple of hours. If you want, we can go check the stores when I’m off of work.”

“Sure. We’ve never been down here that much.” Tracy said with a nod as they walked to the front door of the bakery. Tracy followed her mother to the bakery and as she stepped in.

As they went in, Maggie steered her to the bakery, where Beth was standing on the customer side of the counter. Maggie gave her a sheepish grin. “Sorry I’m late, Beth.”

“Nonsense. You called and I totally understand. Besides, you’re just learning, so we can keep you here an extra hour to make up for lost time.”

“Thank you.”

“Go and get back there. Douglas is back there with Mom. We will be having you learn the register over here today.”

“Okay.” Maggie said. She turned and hugged Tracy. “Be good.” She said, before kissing her daughter's cheek, which made Tracy blush from embarrassment. It would have been fine, but there were customers in the bakery.

Beth put a hand on Tracy’s shoulder. “Sweetie, you want a doughnut, or something to eat? We have some fresh from the oven.”

“I didn’t get breakfast, but can I have a cinnamon roll? I got some money on me.”

“Consider this one on the house. Okay?” Beth asked in reply. Tracy looked to her mother, who nodded, so Tracy nodded to Beth.

“Please?”

“We’ll get you a spot in the deli in a moment. I’d suggest the booth closest to the counter. That way people can’t see you from the sidewalk. They see you and they’ll try the door all morning, thinking we’re open early.”

“What about customers?” Tracy asked.

“Sweetie, there won’t be customers in there until about ten thirty. Then we start to have the lunch crowd trickling in. You have the deli to yourself for about three hours. Well, you and Mark. We’ll get you something else to eat, too. So you’re not just eating sugar for breakfast.”

“Okay.” Tracy meekly replied. Now that she was here, and there were a few adults in the place, all going for coffee and doughnuts and other things, she felt very much out of place and on the spot.

“Be right back.” Beth went to where the bakers were and she started moving to the back, while Tracy waited and watched her mother being trained on the register.

Beth came from the back of the bakery with a plate, a tray and a small pint of orange juice. “This way, sweetie.”

Beth sent her through the employee area and Tracy went into the darkened deli. It felt weird to be in there with only a handful of lights on and no customers.

Tracy took one of the booths near the counter of the darkened deli and she spread out her work in front of her. A the light above her was on and she kept her back to the main window.

As she took a bite, then started to read, Beth’s grandmother stepped out of the back office.

“So, what are we working on?” Mama Leone asked as she slid into the seat across from her.

“History.” Tracy replied. “I’m reading about gangsters and that Al Capone guy.”

“Ah, I remember those days....I was young and we lived on the west side of Chicago.” Beth’s grandmother said with a nod of her head. “A bad time. But it had its moments. Good music, lots of excitement.....” The old lady looked over the work. “Now do you need any help with this, or are you just reading things today?”

“I’m just reading. But Aunt Shelly will be working on it more tomorrow.”

“Well then. I’ll let you read and I can get back to the bakery.” Beth’s Grandmother said.

Tracy looked to her book, then at the old woman. “You don’t have to.”

The old lady smiled and shook her head. “Sweetie. I know you’re bored. But I have a job to do here. But I’ll be back in a little while. I promise. Besides, Mark is due in soon, too.”

Tracy sighed and nodded her head, just slightly. “Okay.” She said. Her voice was soft and with that the older lady turned to head for the bakery. She was gone before she could see the tears forming in Tracy’s eyes.

Tracy didn’t like this at all anymore. Not being at the Deli, but being alone. It was like everyone kept leaving her. She couldn’t help the feelings of loneliness and the tears kept falling. She leaned against the wall and started to crying. She sat there, leaning against the wall, softly crying and wishing that Sage could have been with her for the day, or Rachel and Brooke. She just wanted someone with her, just for a few minutes.

After about ten minutes of crying, she got up from her seat, grabbed her purse and found her way to the bathroom. She just needed a moment to collect herself and get the tears off her face. Crying for no reason was stupid and she didn’t want to look like a baby in front of any adults who would have come in there. What she didn't know was that for the past few minutes, Beth's Grandmother had seen her, between trips to the walk in cooler.

~o~O~o~

About two hours later, Tracy was done with her cinnamon roll, and the breakfast sandwich she had been given. Her history was history, but she was willing to put the rest of her work off, until later. Yet she didn't want to lose the fun of night time, so she did her writing assignment, just to get it done. After that her day was free. She hoped that Beth and Beth’s mother would be headed that way soon, so she could get into the fun part of her day.

Mark patted her shoulder. “Hey kiddo. You doing good today?”

“Yeah.” She said, shrugging her shoulders.

“Well, I’m gonna be right there.” He pointed to a window on the wall. “So if you wanna talk, I can hear ya through that.”

As she worked on her writing, a woman came in from the back of the deli, having used the employee’s entrance in the bakery. Her hair was disheveled from the late morning mist that was happening outside. Tracy looked up as she passed and the woman looked at her. She was near her mid twenties, or so Tracy through, but as she looked to Tracy, she got a look on her face that was either a sour look, or confused.

“Hey Eva. You ready for today? Looks like nice soup weather.” Mark said from his spot at the stove in the back. It was quiet enough that Tracy could hear them in the deli.

Yeah, its cold, but whose little girl is that?” Eva asked, looking back at the booth again.

“That’s Tracy, Maggie’s daughter.”

“Who’s Maggie?” the woman asked again.

“The new lady, she’s going to be doing odd shifts, while looking for work. You met her a week or so ago.”

Eva huffed out a breath, like this new turn of events directly affected her. She recalled Maggie from the week earlier, but she wasn’t aware they had become a daycare. “Okay, then why is her kid here? Too cheap for a sitter, so we get the privilege? And why isn’t she at school” Her tone quickly turned bitter.

“Well, Tracy is home schooled, but the lady who does the homeschooling had something big going on, today and tomorrow. Maggie had no one else to call because they are new to town. So Tracy will be here till about noon, or one this afternoon, then someone can get her, or Maggie takes off early.”

“What about cops and stuff? Like truant officers?” The attitude kept seeping through her speech and in her body language. Tracy did her best to ignore the woman, but with little noise in the place, it was difficult.

“Well, if a truant officer shows, Maggie said she has the paperwork handy and we can move Tracy to an office when we open up this side. But for now, the office is in use, while Mom works on payroll.”

“So we have to babysit some snot nosed little brat, while her mother tries to prove she is not a total drain on society?”

“HEY!” Tracy yelled. “Leave my mom alone!” ,

“Go.” Mark commanded as he pointed to a back hall and he followed Eva. He looked to Tracy and gave her a nod of his head. “Keep on with your writing, Tracy. I’ll talk to her.”

She waited a moment, then she nodded, still fuming that someone had insulted her mother. She looked back to her papers, but as she sat there, tears began to form. As far as she knew, she had never seen the woman before, and here she was, already judging them. It was Molly all over again.

Mark went to the hall, just past his stove and he stopped near Eva, who now looked like she was ready to cry. “Okay, first of all, we open in half an hour, so lose the bitchy attitude. Secondly, we can take care of cops when they show up. Third, Maggie has moved here just because of issues in their old town. Not that it matters to you, but there were people who were trying to rape and murder that sweet little girl out there, and her mother.”

“What?” Eva said, not sounding like she believed it.

“Someone was trying to get back at Tracy because she got someone arrested for attacking her and her grandmother on their old property. Tracy was hospitalized for a week and another week after that when someone tripped her and tore out her stitches. Then someone was calling and threatening to rape Tracy, rape and murder Maggie, murder Tracy’s dad and brother, while Tracy was forced to watch, then he was going to rape Tracy again and then kill her. So they are not a drain on society. That person was who threatened them was spreading rumors and Tracy was attacked twice, by church ladies, who believed the stories. The most recent attack was in a courthouse and she gave Tracy that black eye. Maggie is a good mother, who moved to a new town to protect her children from a growing mob as self-righteous assholes. So remember that. Hell, according to Maggie, Tracy was almost raped in that attack back in December, the one that put her in the hospital. She is a good kid and Maggie is proving to be a good worker.”

“What’s going on?” Beth asked. “We heard Tracy screaming from the bakery.”

“I’m working on that now.” Marc said. It was silent for a moment and they could hear the sounds of Tracy sobbing again.

“Well, Maggie is looking in on Tracy. You two got her in tears. So I want to know what you said to her.”

“I’ll handle this, but this is what happened.” And Mark quickly told her the story. Before Beth could speak, he turned to Eva.

“Now what crawled up your ass and died?” Mark asked. “Tell me or I send your ass home for a month with no pay.” When she was silent for a moment, Beth spoke, going with the good cop treatment.

“Eva, is something happened, we may be able to help. Even if it’s someone to talk to. So please, what is wrong?”

“Robert....” She said, in a quiet tone, but from Tracy’s seat, she heard them, but only barely through her tears. They weren’t too far down the hallway. Her Mother was in the booth with her, her arm around her crying daughter. Both of them were watching the new girl. Tracy tired to reign in her tears, just to hear what had happened. The girl continued. “He dumped me....Over the phone....”

"That horse's ass did what?!?" Beth exclaimed. "And over the phone? What an asshole." Maggie's expression hardened too.

“Oh...I understand now.” Mark said with a nod of his head. His gruff attitude slowly cooled.

“And he picked the worst week in the month too.” Eva grumbled. “Cramps and now this grief. Plus I gotta move back home now....”

“Yikes. I don’t need to know any more.” Mark said.

“Mark!” Beth snapped. “Be nice. She’s having a tough day.”

“I found out that the snake has been sleeping with my best friend, saying I told him it was fine. He even slept with my sister.”

“That jerk.” Beth said with a growl in her voice.

“Look, Beth, you help Eva, I got to get the lunch stuff ready.” Mark stated, not wishing to be a part of the womanly problems.

~o~O~o~

Once she was presentable again, Eva came into the main area, while Maggie was still out there. She went straight for the booth that Tracy was in.

“I’m sorry about earlier.” Eva said as she slipped into the seat opposite Tracy. “I kinda get extra bitchy once a month.....Well, you know how that goes, or you will.....” She trailed off and shook her head. “And today just hadn’t been the best. I didn’t have the best morning and it’s just getting worse and I should have never yelled at you or said what I said about your Mom. I’m really sorry.” She looked to Maggie. “To both of you, really. I was just being....well, a bitch.”

Tracy looked up and she could see tears in the woman’s eyes. She wasn’t sure, but she had been feeling like crying a lot too, so something made her want to listen. “What’s wrong?”

“Its nothing.” Eva said, shaking her head.

“You got mad at someone?” She had heard the conversation Eva and Mark had and she knew she shouldn’t say she heard, but as a kid, the vocal filter wasn’t quite working. “You said someone made you mad....”

“Yeah. It’s not important.”

“But you’re mad, doesn’t that make it important to you?” Tracy said. “I talk to my therapist about things that bug me. Maybe you could find someone to talk to for your problems.”

It was times like that that Maggie was proud of her daughter. Thinking of others and their problems too. She hugged Tracy a bit harder. “Tracy is right. Sitting on problems can cause you to feel even worse.” Maggie stated. “And while we’ve only known each other for just a week or so, I’d hate to see this eat at you.”

Eva thought about it for a moment, then she sighed and decided to tell them her story.

“I’m in a bad mood because I got dumped, for not sleeping with my boyfriend, but he was slee....” She trailed off as she realized that she was about to say sleeping with and decided to change it. “He was seeing someone else, my best friend. And my sister.” Eva said. “So when you get older, just remember that sometimes love can hurt.”

“I have a friend I like, but he is in another town now.” Tracy said with a nod. “It hurt to leave him there.”

“Trust me. I think I can understand. I’m from the midwest. We moved here when I was in High school. I left everyone back there....”

“I’m sorry.” Tracy said.

Eva reached across the table and took Tracy’s hands. “Sweetie. It’s not your fault, so don’t take the blame, okay.”

“Okay.” Tracy said with a small nod.

“Thank you for listening, but I better get to work now.”

Tracy started to move and her mother got the clue, so Maggie got out of the seat, while Tracy slid out. She hopped onto the seat and leaned over, hugging Eva. “I hope you feel better.”

Maggie smiled and put a hand on hers. “I do too. I know how love can hurt. All too well.”

~o~O~o~

As Maggie and Beth headed back to the bakery, Beth stopped her in the back hall, when she was sure that Tracy couldn't hear her. "Maggie, is something wrong with your daughter?"

"Why do you ask?" Maggie asked her.

"Well, one comment from Eva and she was sobbing into your shoulder. Earlier, Grandma swear she saw Tracy crying at the booth, but nothing was going on around her."

"I don't know, but could I call her doctors?" MAggie asked, then she added. "See, the last couple of nights, Tracy has been all over the emotional board. We watched MASH and she cried for that..."

"So did I."

"But did you cry for cat food commercials too?" Maggie asked her boss.

"Um....no." Beth said with a shake of her head.

"Then last night, she was sobbing in the car, over old sad songs." Maggie stated, again, with a shake of her head, as though this would help her thing. "I want to call her doctor and make sure all is well."

"Use the office phone. We'll get you started in here, when we're done with the bakery. Just join me there."

"I will. And thank you Beth."

~o~O~o~

It was getting closer to ten and Tracy had totally given up on her school work. It was still with her, just now it was forgotten. Instead she was reading one of her books.

Beth came over and patted Tracy’s shoulder. “I am headed to the back kitchen. Want to join me and we can look over that recipe?”

She was about to get up and go ask her mom, when Maggie walked into the deli. “It’s okay, Tracy, I called Modine and she said you could show them.”Maggie handed her daughter a couple of pieces of paper.. “Here are the recipes.”

“Sure!” Tracy quickly shut her books and pushed them into a bag. She took it and followed Beth to the back kitchen, stopping by the office long enough to put her books inside..

“Now, do you want to help me make these?” Beth asked. “We’re going to use the oven back here, but if anyone asks, we were upstairs, okay? And after a test batch, I made more down here.”

“Why?”

“Because if someone heard a minor was working our oven while we’re open, we could get in trouble. It’s a labor law thing.”

“A labor law?”

“Child labor. You’re too young to be working in a restaurant. So we’re doing this upstairs, got it? Or we, your mother and you could get in trouble.”

“But why aren't we up there?” Tracy asked.

“More space here and the oven down here is better.” Beth stated.

Tracy shrugged. Either way she didn't mind. It wasn't school work and this could be fun. "Okay."

As they were boiling the noodles, Tracy was mixing the ingredients for the chewy bars.

“Can I give one to Eva, as a taste test?” Tracy asked. "Please?"

“Sure, Tracy. You can do that.”

Tracy put one of the chewy bars on a napkin and she headed for the counter area

“Eva, you wanna try this? It’s a bar my grandmother used to make for big family get togethers.”

Eva nodded, took the bar, bit off a small piece, then another. “Oh my God, this is good.” The chocolate was good, and very much needed. She finished the bar and looked to Tracy. “You did that?”

“Grandma’s recipe, but I made it.”

“Well, Tracy, that was a wonderful snack. I loved it.” Eva said with a big smile, which made Tracy smile.

“Eva, we’re going to put these up for sale at the counter.” Beth’s mother said. “I want you to try these salad ideas too.” She brought out a small bowl and handed it to Eva.

After she was done, Eva nodded, while chewing, then she pointed at the first bowl. “I loved the chicken one. Ham was good, but I am a chicken fan.” She looked from Tracy to her boss. “Are these another one of Tracy’s recipes?”

“Well, her grandmother’s, but we've gotten the okay to make them here. We’re only making half bowls today, to see if they catch on, but we have a listing of all the ingredients for you.”

~o~O~o~

It was a little past eleven and her mother was now working in the deli, working the counter with Eva. She was also running back and forth, from the walk-in refrigerator to the counter. Tracy was sitting in the same booth again. She had wanted to stay at the counter, but Beth had told her to stay in the booth, unless they got too busy.

She hadn’t picked her own salad for lunch. This time she went with a soup and sandwich combo, and a side of chips. They even let her pay for her own meal, which made it taste a bit better, or so she thought. Her attention was on her food and a magazine that had articles on some of the more popular bands. She was so engrossed in a story about Pat Benatar, that she didn't notice the cops come in.

Her mother was also in the fridge, getting more lettuce, so she was unaware of their arrival too. The only one who was there and seen them, was Eva.

The two cops headed for the counter, but when they saw her, they stopped heading for the counter, gestured to Tracy, and headed her way. Eva saw this and turned to get Mark’s attention. The two cops were a man and woman team. He was a white male and the woman was short, but latino.

“Excuse me young lady.” The male cop said as he stopped at Tracy’s table. “Shouldn't you be in school right now? And do you have a guardian or parent with you?”

“I’m Home schooled. But my Mom is in the bakery.” At least Tracy thought she was there. She wasn't sure where her mother kept wondering off too.

“The bakery is closed now.” The male cop replied, arching an eyebrow. “And why are you just sitting out here? And if you’re home schooled, Shouldn't you be home, doing schoolwork?”

Tracy started to get nervous. She couldn't see her mother, and now cops were questioning her. Once again, fear started to well up in her. She thought about what could happen. Jail. A work camp somewhere. And the little girl began to shake.

Ha! A cliff hanger! Sorry to do that, but this chapter was growing out of control and needed to be stopped. So now, what will become of Tracy? Tune in next time and no, it shouldn't be a year from now.

Tears started to pour from Tracy’s eyes and she began sobbing for now, out of fear. Fear of being taken away from her mother. The more she sat there, the more she wished she had never come with her mother. The more, meant more of the customers looked her way.

Eva had left the counter, as there were no other people at the counter. Even though she had questioned Tracy’s reason to be there, seeing the girl cry was more than enough reason to go to her rescue. She went to the booth where a now scared Tracy was. “Her mother is in the cooler, right now, grabbing more lettuce. She has the papers to show she is home schooled. Tracy has been here for the morning, but she and Grandma Leone were upstairs, doing her school work. Tracy came down for lunch and her mom should be off of work soon.”

Editing by Djkauf

A return to Tracy at the deli. When last we saw her, she was starting to cry. And we return, before the next teardrop falls.

Tears started to pour from Tracy’s eyes and she began sobbing for now, out of fear. Fear of being taken away from her mother. The more she sat there, the more she wished she had never come with her mother. The more, meant more of the customers looked her way.

Eva had left the counter, as there were no other people at the counter. Even though she had questioned Tracy’s reason to be there, seeing the girl cry was more than enough reason to go to her rescue. She went to the booth where a now scared Tracy was. “Her mother is in the cooler, right now, grabbing more lettuce. She has the papers to show she is home schooled. Tracy has been here for the morning, but she and Grandma Leone were upstairs, doing her school work. Tracy came down for lunch and her mom should be off of work soon.”

“Jonathan Paulson!” Beth’s mother yelled at the officer. “How dare you make that poor little girl cry like that!” She walked past the counter and towards the cops.

Officer Paulson flinched at the sound of his mother-in-law yelling at him. The latino officer didn’t smirk or smile, she did however look from the little girl, to the adults, then back. Now Tracy was crying into Eva's shoulder.

Mark came out of the kitchen, Beth behind him. “Why did you get her crying?” Mark asked. He had already grabbed Maggie and warned her the cops were there, before he noticed it was his brother in law. He had also warned him mother and Grandmother, plus his sister.

“Ask John, he did it.” Eva replied.

“You made Tracy cry?!?” Beth snapped at her husband. “How dare you make some innocent girl cry, you big jerk!”

“Beth, please. We’re just trying to determine why this young girl is sitting here, eating, as opposed to being at school.”

“You could have asked someone. Bad enough this poor little girl has been on an emotional roller coaster all day, thanks to monthly hormones, threats, and a move from her old home. Now you have to go and make her cry again.” Beth said, glaring at her husband.

“This is Tracy. She is home schooled.” Mark said. “Tracy, this is officer John Paulson. He’s my brother in law. He is Beth’s husband. The other one is Officer Hernandez.”

Hernandez, spoke up. “So, if she is home schooled, why is she here? Why not at home?”

“This is for her home ec training.” Eva stated, her arm around Tracy.. “She was doing English and history reading earlier, with Grandma Leone. but to make sure she was a good grounding in home ec, her mother wanted to make sure she could cook. Well, the person who usually teaches her is out of town, so Tracy had to come with her mom, so she wasn’t left home alone. Grandma Leone was with her in the upstairs apartment, until lunchtime.”

“I see.” The female cop said. By this point, Maggie was there, with her papers.

“Is there a problem?” Maggie asked. “Did Tracy do something wrong? Why is she crying?”

“John made her cry.” Eva said, casting a glare at the cop. She got up and Maggie slid into the seat next to her daughter.

“Is this your daughter?” The female cop asked.

“Yes, Tracy is my youngest. Did she do something wrong?” Maggie said with a nod.

John spoke up first. “We’re trying to determine what is going on. Why is this child here, during school hours.”

“John....” Beth leveled her husband the cop, a stare. “Mark told you. She is home schooled. That means she doesn’t have set hours. It also means she doesn’t have to be in any one particular place. I know you have dealt with home schooled children before. Eva told you that she was with Grandma, upstairs, until lunch time.”

Beth’s grandmother came into the main room. She had been listening in on what was going and and she was thankful that Eva spoke so loudly. “Is there a problem with Tracy? I only left her for a moment.”

“So she was under supervision the whole time?” The female cop asked and Beth’s grandmother nodded. Hernandez could see the situation was getting out of hand and now some of the ladies who were eating their lunches, were glaring at the cops for making the young girl cry.

“Yes, until I needed the bathroom.” Beth’s grandmother said. “We’ve been doing her history, English and home ec classes today. Then I figured she could have lunch without an old lady lording over her. Plus, when mother nature calls, at my age, you don’t tend to ignore it.”

“Home ec?” The female cop asked.

“You know. Cooking, checkbook balancing, stuff like that. How to take care of the house? Well, today was cooking.” Eva stated.

“Well, today we worked on basic recipes, like a cake and those bars at the counter.”

“The bars? She made those? Here in the restaurant?” Hernandez asked, arching an eyebrow.

“Kind of. She made a small batch with myself, Carla, and Beth, up in my apartment. The one upstairs. We wanted to see if we could use something like that in the deli. We would have never had her working in the main kitchen. With Mark in there, the four of us would have gotten in his way and he’d be in an even fouler temper.” Beth’s grandmother said, then she added. “Plus, it would be very illegal.”

“So, how did the candy get down here?” The female cop asked again.

“That’s easy. See, I’ve had one before and with Tracy’s blessing, Mom and I came down here and we made more for the store, once she gave us the recipe. We’re actually buying the recipe from her. That’s why they’re named after Tracy.”

“I see.”

“We also bought her chicken and ham salad ideas. Just to keep our menu fresh.”

John was aware that the women in the restaurant were staring and the men seemed a little miffed too. He wanted to put the situation to bed and quickly. “Rosa, it’s okay. I’m sure the girl is in safe hands and as a homeschooled child, she doesn’t have to be in any one place. There is no law stating where a home schooled child can be taught. And as for being in a restaurant, she could have done the cooking upstairs, in the apartment, like they said.”

“Do you really think we’d let a child, who should be at school, just sit out in the open?” Beth asked. “Knowing full well that you were headed here today? You should know that your own wife would have called the police for a wayward child. But Tracy isn't that. She’s been as good as gold.”

“I guess not.” Hernandez said with a shake of her head.

“I have the papers with me, but could we discuss this elsewhere?”

"Sure, I guess." John said. Beth gestured to the back and Maggie led them to the bakery.

When they got there, Maggie held out her home schooling papers. “These are the papers the school system gave me. It’s all legal like. I still have the papers from her last school, as well, if you need those.”

“These should suffice, for now.” John said. The officers looked over the papers. Then they handed them back. “Honestly, if there were some kind of issue, they would send a letter first, then a truant officer. So if you got these, this is good by us. Wait.” He paused for a moment. “Why are these listed as Troy and not Tracy?”

And Maggie started the lie she had been working on. She was thankful for meeting Sage, because it was that girl’s story that gave her the idea. “Back in Oroville, at the end of last November, Tracy was attacked by some boys. She ended up in the hospital. During a surgery, they found ladies parts in her. Ovaries, uterus. The whole nine yards. They also noticed that Tracy is slowly developing like a girl her age. Being male, it turns out, was a mistake they made at birth. What would have passed as a testicle was smashed and I guess, it never worked. So now Tracy is Tracy, and until we get the name change finalized in a few weeks, she has to be listed as a boy. That’s why she isn’t in school. So the reason we’ve down here was because of this change. There were issues and people don’t believe it. We had a crazy church lady trying to run us out of town and ruin our lives up there. They think she is a boy, even with medical proof. I also have the papers for the name change on me.”

John and Rosa both nodded, while looking at each other. After a moment of silence, John spoke up. “Okay. I can understand why you’d keep this quiet. We’ll consider this investigated and I'll make a call to the school, and not press the subject. I do suggest that when the name change is done, you change all her school papers.”

"We were going to. Do you need to speak to my lawyers, to make sure it's all on the level?"

"It could be best." Rosa said with a nod.

"Okay. Their business card is in with these papers."

“You won’t say anything? I don’t want to have to move again.” Maggie said.

“Did you move because of this?” Rosa asked.

“Yes. Three attempts on my daughters life was three too many." Maggie stated. "Someone knew that Tracy had been a boy, found out about the girl thing and started to spread a campaign of lies and threats. My lawyers can tell you more.”

"John. We can deal with the lawyers after lunch. We'll check up on it and I'll consider this closed."

"Yeah." John nodded. "There's no way in the world that girl is a boy."

"Not with those waterworks." Rosa said. "I got three daughters and she burst into tears like they do."

"Come on Maggie. We'll let you get back to work, but we'd like to make it up to Tracy and talk to her, so she isn't scared of us, or other cops."

"Okay. Beth trusts you. So can I. I just ask that you don't tell anyone about her birth sex. Please."

"We won't." Rosa said with a nod. "On the lives of my daughters, we won't."

They headed back to the deli and all three went to the booth that Tracy was in. Now Grandmother Leone was in the seat with Tracy, hugging her. Eva was at the counter.

“Tracy, since your mother is busy and this seems to be the only open booth, can we sit with you?” Officer Hernandez said. “We’d like to apologize for making you cry.”

“Am I under arrest?” the little girl asked, and John chuckled, but he got a glare from his wife.

“We promise you’re not being arrested. We just want to be in a booth. It works better for us.” John said. “Plus, the tables are taken too and we’ve got another pair of cops coming in soon.”

Maggie gave her a comforting nod, and Tracy smiled back. “Sure. I don’t mind.” Tracy said with a shrug. She pulled her stuff closer to her and moved to where she was sitting next to the wall. The two cops went to the counter to order their food and after a few minutes, they came back and sat down, Rosa sitting on her side. Grandmother Leone had left her again, but was hanging out near the counter.

“This is good.” the female officer said with a nod of her head, after taking a bite of one of Tracy's salads.

“Which did you get?” Tracy asked.

“Chicken salad.” The lady officer replied. “And it is delicious.”

“These little chocolate bars are great too.” John Paulson added.

“Thanks. It started out as my Grandma’s recipe, but I made changes.”

“So, how do you like Home schooling?”

“I miss hanging out with my friends, but I like the freedom. Although my last school was up north.” Tracy said. “With home schooling,I can get up and go to the bathroom, and not have to beg for permission. I can pick what subject to do first.”

She hadn't noticed the other cops come in, but they stopped at the booth. Another man and woman team, this time the woman was black, and the man was older, and of Asian descent. “Hey, you feeding the kids you find now?” The male cop, said. He had no accent, but had a very thin mustache. This caused Tracy to look up from her soup.

Rosa shook her head. “Nope. This little girl was here when we showed. She is homeschooled and this is her home ec lessons. Well, upstairs was her home school lessons. Ask for the chicken salad Natasha. You’ll love it.”

“Or the Chocolate caramel bars. Those are also good.” John added.

“Will do.” The two new officers turned to the counter and within five minutes, they were back.

The lady cop slid in, next to John, while the male grabbed a nearby chair and pulled it over.

“So tell me young lady, who gave you the black eye?” Natasha asked. “Looks like its fading, but it must have been big when you got it.

“Some crazy woman.” Tracy replied. “She tried to bite me too.”

“This wasn’t a parent or something that hit you? Maybe a brother or sister?” Again Natasha kept asking the questions.

“No. Dad was still at work and Mom got bit by the woman and hit too. She tried to bite us and my Grandmother.” Then Tracy smiled. “And my brother couldn’t beat me in a fight if he tried.”

Natasha suppressed a chuckle, but continued. “Where did she attack you at?”

“At a court appearance.”

“You were at court and got attacked? Were they after someone else and you got in the way?” John asked.

“No.” Tracy put her spoon down. “See, she attacked me once in early February, and we got one of those order things on her. The thing that says she can’t be near me.”

“Restraining order?” John asked. The story that Maggie and Rosa was now beginning to some into the light. With a daughter who echo’d a story of an attack, it could be rehearsed, but something told him the girl was being honest.

“Yeah, that.” Tracy said with a nod. “But it was a temporary one. When we went to Oroville for the real one, she attacked me in the courthouse and hurt me and a friend of mine, Sage Miller. That’s one of the girls she attacked the first time, too. She had also come to our house and threatened to run us out of town and threatened to make our life horrible. There was another guy who was calling and threatening to rape Mom and I and murder my whole family, but they never knew each other. They took the woman away and put her in the mental hospital place. She kept yelling that I was going to hurt other kids and rape and murder. It was all kinda crazy.”

“Why did she attack you in the first place?”

Before Tracy could reply, Maggie had walked over, surprised to see her daughter in with now four cops. “She was under the thought that my daughter was a rapist and a murderer.”

“She what?” All four officers asked.

“The woman was very religious, and delusional and there was a picture of my daughter hugging another girl. From that picture, she insisted my daughter is a lesbian and she believes that lesbian meant rapist. She also thinks that lesbians are cold blooded killers. Same with gays. I heard that she has had mental issues before, but this isn't the first time she attacked Tracy. Heck, it’s not the first time she attacked anyone she thought was a lesbian. We’ve put out a personal suit against her for the second attack. And if you need proof, I can get a hold of my lawyer.”

“The same two on the buisness card you gave us?” John asked. He didn’t want to, but now that the story was out there, they’d have to confirm it. “No offence, but it is our job.”

“I understand.” Maggie said with a nod. "It's the same two. Bart has been taking most of the case work for us."

"Bart? Rogers?" Natasha asked.

Maggie nodded, just slightly. "Yes. We've only known him for a short while, but we like him. We hired him and Lance Williams."

"Both are very good men." Natasha said.

"Yes. Tracy is friends with Lance's youngest. He's the in-law to Tracy's Godmother." Maggie stated.

"Ah, so he's like family." John asked her. Tracy was glad her mother was taking the hard questions. It kept her from revealing too much.

"Distant. But yeah."

When she finished, the Asian male cop took over. “So was this all around here?”

“No, a town north of here, called Oroville. North of Sacramento and in the foothills.”

“I’ve heard of it.” The Asian cop said with a nod. “Small town, lake nearby. Large earth dam.”

“Yeah, thats the one.” Maggie said with a nod.

“Were you visiting there?” The Asian cop asked her.

“We lived there for ten years, until someone was spreading rumors about my child, so we left town. There were threats on Tracy’ life, mine too, and I am determined to keep my daughter safe. My Lawyers can attest to this. We’ve kept them informed on the threats.”

“So was the woman the one spreading rumors?” Natasha asked.

“Actually, no. Like Tracy siad, there was another person. this was a man. He was spreading the rumors.. She only tried other things, like getting a restraining order on Tracy so she couldn’t be with her friends. And attacking Tracy and her friends in public. Plus threatening us in our own home. She heard the rumor second hand from her kids, they got it at school and she took it as the truth.”

“What?” John asked. “Bring that by me again. The restraining order thing.”

“When we got the full restraining order. She tried to get one that covered Tracy’s friends, so Tracy can’t be around them.” Maggie stated.

“Wait, she wanted one on Tracy’s friends, so Tracy couldn’t see them?” John asked, looking to make sure he was hearing her right. He had seen many people try and use the restraining orders to their advantage, but this was a twist he had never seen used before.

Maggie nodded. More of the people were doing their best to listen in, but not look like they were. “Yep. Claimed she was their guardian.”

“So was it a lie? I’m guessing it was thrown out? That doesn’t seem too legal.”

“It did. Since her first attack also managed to get two of the other girls hurt, their parents got a restraining order on her too. We had all the parents of her friends with us that day. It kinda worked in our favor. And with her being arrested before the hearing, we got them thrown out. Plus, two of the kids she tried to cover, are two that she hurt.”

“And this wasn’t the person threatening her? How bad was that person?” Natasha asked.

“He was actually a kid. Well, one of them was” Maggie quickly gave a brief telling of the attack from Bruce, Clark and the calls from the cousin, but she kept Tracy’s birth sex quiet. John knew, and so did Rosa, but Maggie knew stuff about them that could equally hurt their lives. So it evened out.

Natasha quickly put the pieces together. “So that kid spread pictures and rumors, sent threats through the mail and the crazy lady got one mailed to her?”

“No, the brother of the first attacker took them to the school Tracy went to. They were in the same grade, different classes. And the crazy lady’s kids go there too.”

Natasha nodded. “Ah, now that makes sense. So that’s how it got spread around.”

“And in a situation like that, I can see why you moved.”Officer Hernandez stated. “We’ll still need to check it out, though.”

“I totally understand." Maggie said with a smile and a nod of her head.

“Is there a number or address we can check up on you at?” John asked. “In case we need to ask any more questions?”

“Beth has it. But I’m willing to give it again.” She quickly wrote down her address and Shelly’s number.

“Thank you, Maggie. We’ll keep in touch. I’ll be sure to let you know what’s going on.” John said.

“Thank you.” Maggie replied. She was about to turn to go when Tracy spoke up.

“Are we leaving?” Tracy asked.

“Not yet. I want to see what all Beth wants me to learn, so you can sit here and not pester the nice cops too much. When your lunch is over, see what Mrs. Leone wants you to do.”

“It’s no bother. She’s a very well behaved child.” John said.

“Thank you. With all she has been put through, I’m surprised she is so talkative to strangers.”

“They’re nice, Mom.” Tracy said with a smile. “Like Keith.”

“Keith?” John asked.

“I’ll let Tracy fill you in. I got to get back to work.”

“So, who’s Keith?” Natasha asked. “A boyfriend?”

“No.” Tracy giggled. “He’s old. He’s like thirty. But he’s the cop who came to my first attack and the one who helped find the man calling me and the boy sending the pictures. He was also there for the crazy lady.”

“I see. At least you had a helpful experience with the police. Sometimes the police can seem very scary to a kid.”

“Like earlier?” Tracy asked.

“Yes. Like earlier.” John said with a nod, but he also blushed.

“Earlier?” Natasha asked John.

“We made a young lady cry and we got yelled at in front of the deli.” John replied.

“Cry?” Natasha asked.

“Hormones.” Hernandez stated, in a quiet voice. “Monthly ones.”

“Ah!” Natasha said, looking to Tracy and giving a motherly nod.

Tracy wanted to change the subject, so she asked a basic question. “So, what are all of your names?”

“I’m John Paulson. This is Rosa Hernandez, That is Natasha Billings, and he’s Katsu Maki.”

“Chinese?” Tracy asked. “I’m learning to speak it for my Tai Chi class.”

“No. I’m Japanese descent, but American by birth.”

“Cool. I should try and learn Japanese too.”

“Hey, don’t forget Spanish. The Bay Area has a large hispanic population.” Rosa stated. “If you’re going to stay here for a while, Spanish isn’t a bad language to learn.”

“I guess, I could try to learn both.” Tracy said with a shrug.

“Being multi-lingual could help you land any number of jobs, when you get older.” Natasha said with a smile. “I know Spanish, English and French.”

The rest of the hour had passed by with your average small talk. The officers took the time to get to know Tracy, as much as she would tell them. But it ended when Officer Paulson looked at the clock. “Well, that’s our lunch hour.” Mr. Paulson said with a nod. “We need to get back out there and protect and serve.”

“Another five hours till home.” Rosa stated. Natasha got up and let John out, and Rosa got up.

“Bye Officer Paulson, Officer Hernandez!” Tracy said with a wave. Katsu slid into the seat next to Tracy, but he kept a bit of distance between her and him.

“So, tell me young lady, what subjects do you like the best?” Natasha asked.

“I kinda like history and English. I hate math.” Tracy stated.

“I hear that. Math is the worst.” Natasha said with a grin. “And home ec, you seem to love that?”

Tracy nodded. “I love cooking. Back home I was doing a lot of the cooking, with mom’s help that is.“

“I love the eating.” Officer Maki said.

“Me too.” Tracy said with a giggle.

“So if Mama Leone is teaching you history, who teaches the other subjects?”

“Well, she only helped. My Aunt usually does all the teaching. Except science and Math.”

“Why not those?” Officer Maki asked.

“Her husband, Uncle Frank, he does those. See he works at that Government lab in Berkeley and he really knows science and Math. And he makes it fun.”

“Well, a scientist would be a good person to teach science.” Officer Maki said. “But is it really possible to make math fun?”

“He kinda does.” Tracy said, shrugging her shoulders.”But he’s not really a scientist. He works on computers.”

“I see. But if he has a good grounding in it, that makes him the best choice to teach you.” Officer Maki stated.

“And do you get enough exercise?” Natasha asked.

Tracy nodded again. She was starting to feel like a little dog she had seen in the back of a car once. “Yeah. I take Tai chi and Mom and I are walking every now and then.”

Natasha smiled and patted her hand. “Good. Never stop working out. Your health is very important to a child.”

“Yeah. I know.” Tracy nodded.

~o~O~o~

The weather was cold and misty as Maggie and Tracy walked the main road, starting on the side that the deli was on. There were several restaurants, although for Bakeries, Beth’s was the only one. There was another store that worked in the sandwich trade, but nothing else. “Seems busy.” Tracy noted.

“Only subs. Nothing else.”

‘A hair cutting place?” Tracy said, pointing to the store.

“Yep. Maybe we can get you styled, when we have the money.”

“Neat. But I like it long.”

“Hey, an ice cream shop. And this makes four pizza places?”

“Yeah. I don’t see how all of these can keep going strong.”

“What’s this?” Tracy asked, pointing to a darkened door.

“I don’t...Hmmm...” Maggie read the sign over the door. “Emil’s?”

“Hey. A menu.” Tracy pointed to a sign on a window near the door.

“Looks like italian food." They had reached the end of hte road, so they turned around. Tracy now paid attention to the other side of the street, but they didn't cross over.

“Hey. The same bank you have back home.” Tracy said, pointing to a place just down the street from where they were, and across the road from the bank.

“Yep. Already moving some of the account information.” Maggie said.

"So we're really moving?"

"Yep. Into what could be a better life than what we had before." Maggie stated as she put an arm around her daughter's should. "Come on, let's get out of this weather and go get your brother."

Ha! Nice cops are deflected by angry mother-in-law! More Tracy coming soon.

With Edits by Anam Chara

~o~O~o~

As they entered the house, Vance went running up the stairs, so he could ditch his backpack. As he thundered up the stairs, the phone started to ring, Maggie moved to answer it. A moment later, she peered around the corner. “Hey kiddo, the phone is for you.”

Tracy walked over to it and looked at it. “Who is it?”

“Stacey.”

That put a rush her movement. Tracy grabbed the phone and spoke. “Hello? Stacey?”

“Hey Tracy, I know you’ll see me this weekend, but something has changed.”

“What?”

“Well, I forgot Brooke and the roller skating thing may be a bad idea. She could only watch, so Dad found a pizza place that does parties, or a few other places. We’ll let you know on Saturday.”

“We’re moving Saturday. We're leaving Friday afternoon, when Vance is out of school.”

“I know, silly. I’m coming with you. So is Sage and Casey. Rachel too, I think.”

“Okay. Cool.” Tracy said. There was a noise in the background and Stacey sighed.

“Hey, I gotta go. Dad needs the phone and I got homework to do.”

“Oh. Ok.” Tracy said. “Talk to you later.”

~o~O~o~

March 3rd 1983

Once again, Tracy was with her mother at the deli. This time she vowed she was going to spend more time in the apartment when the deli opened up, just to avoid police issues. But for now she was in her booth, in the deli and enjoying a light danish and reading from her history book. Mark and Beth were both in the kitchen of the deli, plus their mother and grandmother. Eva was a bit early and she was also back there, but Tracy was focused on her work.

At a little before ten in the morning, A man in an expensive business suit walked into the deli through the employee's entrance. Beth came over to him and he hugged her, than kissed each of her cheeks. Mark was out from behind the counter and he was also hugged, then each cheek was kissed. The man resumed his path for the counter. Halfway to the counter, he stopped, looked to Tracy, arched an eyebrow, then continued.

«Buon giorno!» His accent came on fast and Tracy was lost as she tried to pick up on the accent and the language. She was sure she had heard it on some T.V. show at some point. He began talking with Eva and Beth as he sat on a stool by the counter. Finally, after gesturing to Tracy, she had to ask.

“Um...what’s he saying?”

Eve smiled at her. “Tracy, this is Mr. Leone, Mark and Beth’s uncle, and he was asking who you were. He helps me learn Italian.” She said. “I wanna go to Rome some day.”

“Oh. Is he from Italy?”

“No, but he does do business over there.” Mr. Leone said, referring to himself in the third person. He had no accent at all and that surprised Tracy. “Hello young lady.”

“Hello sir.”

There was a shuffling behind the counter and he turned to see his mother. “Cara Mamma!” Mr. Leone said as he slid off of the seat, got up, kissed the cheeks of Grandma Leone and then hugged her.

“Are you a mobster? Like in those movies?”

The man laughed. “No, young lady. I’m a legitimate businessman. I actually am....how to put this....” He leaned back in his seat. “Think of me as an investor. I help startup companies, and then I retain my share for helping them. I invest my money as well. I own properties and other investments that help me make money. All of it is very legal.”

“So, you live around here?”

“Actually, I do business all over the world. But I have a yacht and penthouse in San Francisco and a condo in New York city. But I have a vacation home in Italy, too.”

Tracy gestured to the room around her. “Do you own this place?”

“Well, no. But I did help with money, so my mother could start up the bakery. That was years ago.” He stated. “But I don’t like to think I own this place. The loan there was one of love, to my mother, so she could do what she loved. With that investment, she has helped her daughter in law and my niece and nephew.” He walked over to her. "Could I sit down?" He asked.

"Sure. I don't mind."

Maggie walked in, just to check on Tracy, only to find her talking to a strange man. Beth seen her look and guessed what her question was. “Maggie, this is my Uncle, Anthony Leone. He’s Dad’s brother.” Beth said, then she turned to her Uncle Tony. “Uncle Tony, this is Maggie, Tracy’s mother.”

“Enchanted. Now I see where she gets her good looks from.” The man said to Maggie, with a charming smile. “You have a very bright and friendly daughter.”

“Thank you. She’s a really sweet girl, even after our move down here.”

“That’s good. At least she kept her cheer after a move. That can always be hand on the younger ones.”

~o~O~o~

Tracy was enjoying her lunch, while sitting across from Mr. Leone. So far she found him to be charming, with a very cute smile and a good laugh. But their visit ended when Noon rolled around. He headed out for a big meeting, giving Tracy one last smile before he left.

She sat there for a moment, watching the man leave, then she turned to her salad and homework.

“So.” Beth said as she sat in the bench seat. “You seemed to hit it off with my uncle?”

“Yeah.” She nodded. He is really funny. And he was telling me about the places he has seen.” Tracy replied. “He’s been to Rome and London, England.”

"Yeah. He does Travel a lot. Is that all you talked about?" Beth asked Tracy. The young girl wasn't sure, but Beth seemed to be worried about something.

"Yeah. He must have a lonely life. Moving around like that all the time." As Tracy said it, Beth could see a tear begin to fall.

Beth leaned over the table and gently held Tracy's hands. "None of that now. This is a no crying day, understand?"

Tracy wiped at her eyes. "Yeah."

"Now your mother is almost done. She'll be out to join you in a nice lunch in a few minutes, okay? So until then, no crying."

"Yes Ma'am." Tracy said, as she did her best to smile.

March 4th 1983

Tracy had been pacing around Shelly’s place when two o’clock hit. Waiting impatiently for her brother to get there, so they could go down to Oroville. Her mother had already placed the bags of clothes for both of her kids, plus herself into Shelly’s van. Now all she had to do was deal with her pacing daughter. She knew that school was out and Persephone was bringing Vance home. But they had to wait for them to catch all of the girls, plus Stacey and Casey.This meant more waiting.

It was almost five o'clock she heard a rapid fire knock on the door. Maggie was up and caught her daughter before she could race to the door and fling it open. She gently opened the door to see Persephone, Sage, Rachel and ‘Romy standing there. Tracy slid to a stop by her side. They could see her VB bus and Brooke was at the back window, waving at Tracy.

“Harvey’s around back with Carl. Carl will take our truck, Harvey and Lilian will take the boys. I figure I’ll have the girls. You want to go with me, or Shelly? Lok said we could take Brooke, but he can’t cancel too many classes.”

"I'll ride with Shelly. So she has company too."

“Come on. Let’s get a move on. Your husband will be home by now. I doubt Conner and him want to move everything alone.” Shelly said as she headed to the door.

~o~O~o~

One more time the Patterson’s old house was filled with girls. Shelly and a couple of the parents were staying at Modine’s, while Tracy and her parents stayed in the old home. The U haul was already in the drive and partly loaded with the bigger items, like the sofa’s and beds. Conner had been loading the light things before the girls had arrived. When William got home at Two, he started to help too. When the girls had arrived, it was well past eight in the evening. The sun had set and the parents decided to wait till morning to start with the last of the stuff.

Dinner had happened at Nine, with some fast food from a local chicken place. After that, William gestured to the door and Tracy walked outside with him.

“Am I in trouble?” Tracy asked as they started walking down the road.

“Not at all.” William said as he put an arm around her shoulder. “I wanted to talk to you. I’ve heard you’ve had some hard times lately and wanted to make sure you’re alright.”

“Just sad is all.” Tracy said as they walked out the door.

"A lot of sad times, from what I've heard." He replied.

"I've been missing you and my friends up here." Tracy replied.

William didn't want to start a cry fest, so he ignored her friends comments. Instead he went to the reason he called her outside. “You know, I’ve done a lot of thinking about the first time I found out about Tracy.” Her father said as they walked along the road. He put an arm around her as they walked. His other hand held onto a bright flashlight.

“What do you mean?” Tracy asked, worried that he would stop her, after he had given her his blessing.

“I found out about you on Thanksgiving. That next morning, you were making me breakfast and you bent down to get something from the fridge and your shirt rode up and I could see the pink panties you had on. The ones with the little yellow flowers.” William shook his head. “It was at that moment that I realized that you weren’t the little boy I had raised. I wasn’t sure how to talk to you about it. I wanted to hug you and tell you I supported you, but I was still confused....”

“I was thinking about everything so much the next day or two, that I almost caused several accidents at work.” William stated. “I was so out of it, Steven sent me home. The next morning, I went to Livermore. I had made the choice to support you, but I had never thought about what you would do.”

William stopped a little ways from the old house and the two of them looked towards the back field. The sun was down already and her friends were all in the house, doing anything they could. “When Persephone met me at the townhouse, I was feeling a mix of emotions. Part of me wondered what you had told her, and then I realized you were scared of how I had been.” William reached up and wiped at his eyes. “When I looked in that vehicle and saw you lying there, crying, afraid of what I would do, it broke my heart. I knew you saw me as nothing more than an ogre. A monster. I vowed to myself that I would do what I could, but even then, I let you down.” He started her back towards the house.

“How?”

“Well, instead of moving then, you got attacked. Then I made a big fuss about money...” He trailed off and looked to the fields.

“Don’t Dad’s do that?” Tracy asked.

“It seems like it.” William said with a nod. “But what I am trying to say, is I should have put your well being first, not worry about money.”

“But you always worry about money. You always told us that it is better to save, then spend on pointless stuff.”

Heh.” William said with a chuckle. “At least you listened. Your brother still likes to spend.”

William turned to face his daughter, then he got down on one knee and looked her in the eye. “What I am saying is that I support you. We may have to tighten our belts for a while, till we can get out on our own, but when we do, I will do what I can to help you along with your new self. Is that good with you?”

“Yes Daddy!” Tracy leapt into his arms and hugged him.

“Now keep in mind, this isn’t me saying we’ll be at the mall every week, buying you all the clothes in the world, or music tapes every week, but I mean things like your medicine, your doctor visits. Stuff like that.”

“Thank you Daddy.” She said again, this time she leaned closer and kissed his cheek. “I need that more than clothes.”

“So grown up.” He patted her shoulder, then he stood up. “But for now, lets get back inside, before the girls get worried. We have a long drive and a move tomorrow, so you should get to bed early.”

~o~O~o~

March 5th 1983

Tracy stood in her now empty bedroom in the old house. Each step though the old wooden house seemed to echo now, a testament to how empty and lonely it had gotten after she had left. She looked around the room and in her mind, she could still see where her dresser had been just two days before. Then there was the bunk bed that should have been against one wall, with the bookcase at the end of that. She wasn't focused on the sounds of someone walking towards her. Instead, she was focused on the millions of memories of that room. The sights and sounds of her and her brother playing as children. The smell of the house on a cool Christmas morning as they woke up and planned their attack on their father, just to get him out of bed so they could get to the presents.

She wasn't sure when she had started to cry, till she felt the tears drip off her cheekbone. She wiped at her eyes with one hand, then turned and saw her mother and Father, in the doorway. Maggie put an arm around Tracy and William put an arm around both of them.

“I know baby.” She put a hand on her back. “Moving does this to ya..”

“So many years here. So many memories.” Tracy said.

William nodded as Vance walked around the corner. “What's wrong?” Her brother asked.

“Just thinking of the memories in the house.” William stated.

“Yeah.” Vance said with a nod. “I’ve been thinking too.”

Peter peeked into the doorway. “Mr. Patterson, Mrs. Patterson? The girls checked the cupboards and We got everything from the shed loaded into the....” As the four of them turned to face him, he saw the tears and he realized he was intruding. “I...I'm sorry, I'll wait outside.”

“It's okay, Peter.” Maggie said as she reached a hand out and pulled the bigger child over to her. “Come here.” She pulled Peter into a group hug with her and his daughter. After a few moments, she looked to Peter. “Everything's out?”

“Yeah.” Peter replied.

“Okay.” William looked to his daughter and released the hug. “Tell everyone to give us a few moments and we'll meet you all next door for lunch, okay?”

“Okay.” Peter said, then he slowly made his way out of the bedroom. They could hear him walking across the floor, till he reached the front door and left the house.

The Pattersons stayed in the doorway to the kid's empty bedroom, almost waiting for something. Her eyes went to the window and she saw something perched on the top of the window sill. Finally Tracy fought to hold back a slight chuckle, which was followed by a sniffle and the sounds of her choking back some tears.

“What's wrong kiddo?” William asked.

“Just remembering something. A few years ago, Mom bought Vance some hot-wheels for Christmas?” Track asked as she smiled at her family. “You tried telling Vance that it was rattlesnake eggs and had that thing in the box with them, so it rattled when he shook it?”

Maggie thought back, then began to chuckle too, wiping at her own tears. “He was so scared of that box. I had to open it for him. He always called that his snake cars.”

“Was not.” Vance grumbled.

“Yeah. You got him that tackle box and said it was the tank to keep them in.” Tracy said with a grin, as more tears fell. She walked over to the windowsill and reached up to grab it, but she was too short.

Maggie stepped over and picked up the car and handed it to her. “Yeah. That was a good Christmas.”

“They all were.” Tracy said with a nod as she passed the car onto her brother.

Her mother gave her one more hug. “Come on, before they worry about us.”

~o~O~o~

The U-haul was loaded, as was the truck that Sage's father owned. Some of the back of Shelly's van had the more fragile things. Several vehicles were lined up along the road, waiting for their passengers.

Tracy went to Peter and Jerry Rivers first and she hugged them. “Be safe you two. Know that I still care about my friends here.”

“We care too.” Jerry said as he got his hug.

As she hugged Peter, he bent down and kissed her lips. When he pulled away he tried to smile. “I'll miss you, but keep writing, I can get the messages back and forth for everyone.

“I will.” Peter replied.

She turned to the three Higgins children that had snuck over. Wally had gone with his sisters, to say goodbye to Vance and to make sure they had an alibi for their father. “Mary Beth, Emily May? I know we've barely hung out, but you're still my friends. I'll write every chance I get. I'll send them to Peter to give to you.”

Sage, and her Livermore friends had already given them hugs. So this left Tracy to say goodbye to each of them.

Finally she reached her Grandparents. “I don’t want to go.” She said as she hugged her grandmother.

“It’s safer for you this way. “ Modine said as she gently hugged the young girl.

“Yes. It is.” Conner held his arms open and Tracy fell into a hug. After a few moments, he patted her side. “Alright. You need to get going.”

She nodded. Tears were already running down her cheeks. She turned and walked with her parents to Persephone’s VW bus and climbed in. Brooke was loaded in and Tracy watched her friends and Grandparents stand there. As her parents closed up the last of the vehildres, Peter, Jerry and the three Higgins kids all got on their bikes. Due to the speed of the bus, Persephone was the last to leave the driveway. As she did, Peter gave chase on his bike.

Peter's legs pumped his bike pedals as hard as he could, doing his best to keep up with the van on the side road that used to lead to Tracy's home. They were almost halfway to the main road with he felt his chain come loose. His feet spun wildly as he began coasting. He started screaming in frustration. Wally Higgins and his sisters stopped by him as Tracy slowly rode out of his life.

Persephone kept driving as she watched Tracy turn in her seat to keep an eye on Peter as the vehicles began to pull away from him. Once he disappeared completely, Tracy began to sob and Persephone watched as Sage and Rachel pulled her into a hug. She wiped away a tear of her own, but she kept going, despite how it was tearing at her heart to separate the two young friends.

~o~O~o~

Peter got off his bike, then grabbed the center bar with one hand and threw it into a field that was next to the road. He started to walk away from the group when Mary Beth came running up to him and pulled him into a hug. He fought it at first, but finally he rested his head against hers and sobbed. “I know.” Mary Beth said as tears fell down her cheeks. “I know it hurts. We're going to miss her too.”

“Stupid Clark.”: He muttered. “Stupid town.”

“I know. Life sucks.” Mary Beth replied. “It’s just not fair.”

~o~O~o~

The trip to Marysville was a hard one for Persephone. Every couple of minutes, Tracy would start to cry again. The girls did their best to keep her from crying, but it seemed futile. Each time she cried, it tugged on Persephone's heart strings. Yet she knew she couldn't go back. Finally around Sacramento, they paused at a fast food restaurant for something to eat. While she didn’t feel like eating, Maggie didn’t give Tracy a choice.

By time they reached Tracy, the town, Tracy the girl was doing better.

As much as no one wanted to do it, they still headed to a storage place when they got into town, just before four in the afternoon. The kids were pushed off to the side, while the adults formed a line, making sure the unloading process was fast. Shelly was in the unit, helping orginize where things would be kept.

As parts of her life were placed into the storage unit, she couldn't help but cry again. Like this was all her life boiled down to. A few boxes in a small metal shed. Persephone did her best to calm the girl, until they were done. After that, it was decided to skip eating out and they traveled to Shelly's for delivered pizza.

~o~O~o~

Sunday March 6th 1983

Tracy was rushing down the steps in another dress. Her dress shoes in her hand and her purse strap over her shoulder. Maggie and William were both already waiting at the bottom of the stairs. “Um, is Vance coming with us?” Tracy asked, when she noticed her Aunt and Uncle were both dressed nicely.

Vance came down the steps in his nice dress pants and a dress shirt with a tie. “It’s just this week, right?” Vance asked. “I don’t have to go weekly?”

“Not if you don’t want to. And if you don’t want to go today you don’t have to. But the good thing is Jamie should be in your class.” MAggie told him.

“That’s good, I guess.” Vance replied.

“Keep in mind that after church, we are going to lunch with the Millers.”

Vance smiled at his parents and asked. “Will Sage be going to church with us?”

“No.” Tracy shook her head. “Just Rachel and Jamie.”

“Are Uncle Frank and Aunt Shelly going with us?” Vance asked.

“No, we have our own place to be, but we will see you back here tonight for dinner.”

The ride to the church was a fast one, now that William knew where it was. They got out of the car and the parents seemed to split with the kids as they entered. Vance followed Jamie and Tracy down the hall. Tracy ducked into a side door with Rachel and Vance kept following Jamie.

“Tracy! You came back!” Halley exclaimed.

“Yep.” Tracy replied.

“You look tired.”

“We are. We moved the last of the stuff yesterday. We’re beat.”

“I’ll bet. You have a house?”

“Not yet. We’re staying with Rachel’s Aunt and uncle still. But soon, when Dad and Mom get jobs, we’ll start looking for an apartment.”

A teacher stepped out and called to the girls. "Alright everyone. Step on in for class."

Jamie patted Vance's shoulder as Tracy and Rachel stepped into the side class room.

~o~O~o~

Once again Tracy sat with her parents as the preacher went through his sermon. It was another one about helping others and being there when needed. After the service, William kept a hand on both his kids, as they waited for the crowds to thin. Finally when it was clear, they headed for the door. There they were met with the preacher.

Ian smiled at the Pattersons. "Welcome back, William, Maggie.” Reverend Banks said to William and Maggie, on their way out. “We missed you last Sunday.”

“Well, we decided to change our moving date and we moved everything up this past weekend and Tomorrow, I will start looking for work.” William stated. “The last job was looking for any reason to fire me and I just couldn’t stand to be away from my family.”

“All good reasons to move.” Ian Banks said. “Tell me, who is the young man? Is that your son?”

“Yes, this is Vance.” William turned to face his son. “Vance, this is Reverend Ian Banks.”

“Hello sir.” Vance said.

“Are we going to see you here each week?”

“Maybe sir. I may come.” Vance replied.

“Very good. Well, it was wonderful to meet you and we hope to see you next week.” Ian said, holding out a hand for Vance, which he shook.

“Hello Tracy, I heard you had a bit of excitement last week?”

“Yeah. From that lady in the courthouse to seeing family in L.A. it was bad and good.”

“At least its going away.” Pastor Ian said. “Your black eye I mean.”

“Yeah. Now if the other things will go away.” Tracy grumbled. This left Ian feeling slightly confused.

~o~O~o~

March 6th 1983

Lewis Horton had taken the time out of his busy Sunday to see his daughter once more. She had been locked up since Friday and he wanted her out, so he went to the Mental health building in chico once more and waited at the door.

“Hello, I am here to see my daughter, Molly Hallmark.”

“She is here, just a moment.” The voice on the speaker said. They were buzzed in and after a few moments, they saw their daughter come over to them. She looked tired, and a bit angry. The three of them sat down on a nearby couch and began to talk. While they visited, Lewis formed a plan in his mind. He just had to speak to the head doctor, not one of his lackeys. So when the visit was done, Lewis sought out the doctor in charge.

“Excuse me, Doctor Forest?”

“Yes, it was Mr. Horton, right?”

“Yes. Reverend, actually.” Lewis corrected him.

“Ah, then reverend, how can I help you?”

“I’d like to have Molly released to me, and I’ll keep up on her care.

The doctor shook his head. “I’m sorry sir, but I can’t release her into your custody.”

“I am here father and an upstanding member of my community.

“But you are not from Chico and we have our orders. We can not release her.” Doctor Forest knew he had tired the same thing the week before. He had met this type of person many times before. Someone who thought they were above the system.

“This isn’t fair! You can’t do this!”

“I’m sorry you feel that way sir, but our hands are tied. We are only holding her until she is able to be transferred to the county jail. We can’t release her to anyone.”

“Fine, two can play this game.” He said, turning to head to his car. He pushed his way through the locking doors and out to his car. Unaware that his departure had caused some of the guards to stand at the ready, in case he tired to remove Molly. His wife jogged to catch up with him. “Lewis, dear, what are we going to do?”

“Go to the court and petition a judge to let Molly free.” Lewis said. “She’s innocent. I can feel it.That monster of a child is to blame for all of this. We’ll just have to make those court idiots see this. With any means possible, before he hurts someone.”

I pick up in Livermore, just the same day as the last post. If you feel the need to go back and read those, I'll wait right here for you. I couldn't pick a good part to make as a preview, so I'll just leave it all down below.

~o~O~o~

March 6th 1983

It had started just past lunch. The family had gone out to eat after church and everything had been just fine. Until it hit Tracy. Almost two hours after lunch her stomach started to rumble, then she felt nauseous. After an hour or two of misery at Home, Maggie got her dressed and headed for Letterman in San Francisco.

Tracy sat in the E.R., dressed in boy’s sweats and a boy’s sweat top. Her head felt like it was on fire. So did her backside. She was so in misery, she had little time to lament on her clothes. Any time she tired, she started to get sick. There was no time to read. No time to walk. Just time to sit and be miserable.

After going to see the doctor, then waiting as a test was run, finally about eight in the evening, A doctor came up to her in the tiny curtained off area in the E.R.. “Mrs. Patterson, it’s just food poisoning. Not much we can do here, but we’ll give you something to give him and things should work themselves out. If there isn’t a change in a day, seek us out again. Please keep him hydrated and I’d watch what you eat.”

The two of them headed for the car that was in the lot of Lettermen Army Medical Center. Maggie had brought Tracy there to avoid waiting in a normal ER. Plus to save from the hospital bill. This now meant a long trip through San Francisco on the way home.

“Glad we got a good working heater. Feel that breeze coming off the bay. Bet it's in the forties right now.” Maggie said as she unlocked Tracy’s side of the car, then went around to her side.

“Mmmm.” Tracy said as she got into the car. The young girl didn't care. She just wanted to feel better. Her mother had made her go to a bathroom until something happened before they left, so they had a better chance of getting to the bridge.

“Alright. We head for the bridge, but I’ll ask two off ramps prior to the bridge if you need a bathroom. Okay?”

“Yeah mom.” Tracy said with a nod as they both got into the car.

Maggie started up the car and turned the heater down. She’d keep it down until the car got warm, so they didn’t freeze from the cold air first. “You still got the towel under you, but warn me if you need to stop, okay? Not that we can on the bridge.”

“Okay, Mom.” Tracy said as she set the seat back a little.

“At least we got out before midnight. City changes at midnight. Too many weirdos out.” Maggie stated. Then she added. “That said, lock your door please.”

Tracy did as she said and then the two of them headed for Livermore. The city still had a lot of life to it, for being after eight in the evening.. A lot of cars were on the road and several people were out walking. Some of the stores were closed, but liquor stores, restaurants and gas stations still had their lights on. Tracy just watched as the town passed them. “Mom, do you think I can sleep on the couch? In case someone is in the upstairs bathroom?”

“If Shelly is still up, we’ll ask. Either way it may be wisest.” Maggie replied. “Food poisoning is nothing to play with.”

There was a silence for a little bit, then Tracy asked. “So was there a lot to do here when you were a girl?”

“Well, mall’s weren’t much of a thing yet. But we had a place in San Francisco. It was called Playland at the beach. On the ocean side of San Francisco. Had all sorts of rides and was fun. There was the one near Monterey. Santa Cruz Boardwalk. We didn’t go there often. A place in Oakland. Children’s Fairyland. We took you when you were like four or so. But other than that, I don’t recall off hand. Keep in mind, at around sixteen, we moved to Los Angeles and there is Disneyland. San Jose had a place called Frontier village, but that went away in the early eighties.”

“Yeah. I kind of remember that place.” Tracy replied. Her mother sped up to get around a slow moving car. “The city has grown a lot in the past thirty years, so some stuff has come and gone. I’m impressed that some of my old landmarks still exist. Maggie stated as they went up Gough Street.

“You spend much time in San Francisco?” Tracy asked.

“Only if Mom and Dad had to come over. Never came on my own.” Maggie said to her as they drove up the steep road. “I only had my licence about a year before we moved and the house only had two cars. One was moms, one was dads.” She was thankful for the questions. This way she could hear if Tracy was about to get sick, and it meant she was awake to warn her.

“So if I get my licence, I’ll have to share with you guys?” Tracy asked.

Maggie nodded as she stopped at a traffic light. “And Vance. But you still got about five years till you can take the test.”

Tracy looked out the window and up towards the tall homes. “Aww. That’s not fair.”

“Then save up and buy a car when you get a licence. Also get insurance.” Maggie told her with a smile. “Life isn’t fair.”

Tracy was about to reply when she gasped. “Holy crap, there’s a naked woman in a window. About four floors up.”

“Happens.” Maggie said with a chuckle. “Think they are invisible up there. So they change and never shut a curtain. Or they like to be watched.”

"Weird. I think I'd be scared to do that." Tracy stated.

"Different people act different." Maggie said. "Some have no issue with nudity. And so you know, when we stop, I’m getting something light for me to eat over the bridge. And a water for you.” Maggie told her daughter.

“Okay. I am feeling thirsty.” Tracy replied.

~o~O~o~

It was almost ten in the evening, when William made his way down the stairs of Shelly's house to see the flicker and glow of the television. He had just looked in on his kids and found only one of them in bed. He had already spoken to Maggie and Shelly. Both were good with Tracy being on the couch, what with her possible need for a bathroom. But he wasn’t happy that it was almost eleven and she was watching television. As he came down the steps, he could hear the T.V. He wanted to tell his daughter to shut it off and go to sleep, but he could hear her crying over something. After the past week, he didn’t want full blown crying fits to happen.He knew she had been feeling sick as they had gone to bed, but he was hopeful that it has run its course. She was sitting on the love seat, with her back to the steps. As he came down, the last two steps creaked. This cause Tracy to look over at him for just a moment, then she looked back to her movie.

“Hey there. Mind if I sit down?” He asked in a whisper.

“Sure.” She whispered back.

“So, what are you watching?” William asked her.

“Some weird movie about King Arthur. It’s really funny.” Tracy replied, still whispering. “It just started. They just ran into some guy who started making fun of how he got his sword.”

“If it’s funny, why are you crying?”

“My stomach still hurts.” She said as a few more tears raced down her cheeks.

While he could have told her to go to bed, instead he put a blanket over her and pulled her in close to him. He knew could have told her to sleep, even if it was on the love seat. Then the two of them began to watch the movie. After her past week, maybe this was something she needed.

"Feeling better?" He asked Tracy.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Kinda, I guess. Haven't ran for the bathroom for ten minutes or so. Barely made it over the bridge and almost didn’t make it home."

"I heard.. Food poisoning is not a fun experience." William said with a nod. “But is your stomach feeling queasy?”

“Yeah.” Tracy said. “But each time I lay down, I gotta get up, so I’ve just stayed up. Plus the cramps in my belly hurt.”

“Tell you what. For tonight, we’ll say midnight is your bedtime. Just lean back and take it easy.” William said to her as he put an arm around her.

No more than five minutes later, Tracy bolted from the living room and she raced through the kitchen. He could hear the sounds of her getting sick once more. This was going to be a long night for her.

~o~O~o~

William heard Frank coming down the stairs and he sat up and realized that the T.V. was still on. His daughter was resting against his side, and a blanket covered both of them. In front of him was the giant window and a crack in the curtain showed that the sun was not ready to show itself just yet.

“Hey.” William whispered. “Is it five already?”

“Almost five thirty. I noticed the T.V. was on, so I stayed upstairs for a while. I just need to get my coffee.” Frank replied. “Maggie is getting out of the shower about now.”

“I should wake sleeping beauty and have her get up to bed.” William said to him.

“Yeah. But I wouldn’t let her sleep in today.” Frank said. “Be a fight to get her back to bed tonight.”

“Tonight I’ll put my foot down. No sitting up watching TV.” William said. “But from the time I came down, she used the bathroom at least ten times before I went to sleep.”

“Yeah. Think she got it here?” Frank asked.

“I think it was that lunch. I had some of her stuff and it tasted a bit off. I didn't eat much of it, thankfully.” He gently shook Tracy’s arm. “Hey kiddo. Get up and get ready to go to your own bed. Everyone is getting up for the day.”

William got up and stretched his back as his daughter got up and headed for the bathroom. She wasn’t running, nor has she said anything about an accident. So the food poisoning had run its course, or so he hoped. A few minutes passed and he heard his wife coming down the stairs.

As Tracy came out of the bathroom, Maggie was passing the couch. “Feeling better?”

“Yeah.” She said, nodding her head.

“We’ll I’m off to work. You be good to your Aunt and Father.”

“I will, mom.” Tracy said as she stretched then headed up the stairs

“Will, did she sleep down here?” Maggie asked him. “Shelly said it was okay.”

“Yeah. She was down here at eleven, watching some British comedy movie. I was gonna send her to bed, but she was crying half the time from the pain in her stomach. She ran to the bathroom over ten times in the hour I was awake.” William said as the sounds of his daughter’s footsteps could be heard going to her bed. “Next thing I knew, Frank was coming down the steps a few minutes ago.”

“You slept down here then?” She asked.

“Not out of choice. Just got into making sure she didn’t make much noise.” William stated. “Then I fell asleep.”

“Well, I’d keep her from sleeping too long. She already got five hours.” Maggie said to him.

“I know.” William replied. “Off to work?”

“In a few. I wanted to get something to eat first.” Maggie said as she headed for the kitchen.

~o~O~o~

William was moving around the house when Tracy came back down the stairs. It was just a bit past eight in the morning. She had showered and was feeling a lot better then she had the night before. As she got to the table, she noticed her father was looking at want ads in the daily paper.

“Hey Daddy. Any luck?” Tracy as she passed the table to go get some eggs to eat.

“Not yet, but a lot of good places to start.” He said, still looking at the want ads.

“You know....” Shelly said, peeking her head out from the kitchen. “There is a temp agency in town. They have all sorts of jobs that you can do. Go down tomorrow. Easier to take time to go to Disney.”

“Plus Sometimes those places are the only way into a good job.” William replied.

Tracy poked her head out from the kitchen. “Really? Why?”

“This way the company doesn’t have to have someone doing interviews. They have an outside company do that and they keep who they like. It really saves money.” William stated.

“Sounds weird.” Tracy said as she started cooking her eggs.

~o~O~o~

March 8th

Tracy found herself in the doctor’s office once more that week. The doctor had been out of the office the week before, due to a death in the family. So this had been the soonest Maggie was able to slip her in. Tracy’s emotions were back in check, but Maggie was still worried. But since she had work, This left William as the one to take her.

“Patterson? Tracy?”

“Come on kiddo.” William said as the two of them stood up.

They got into the back and Tracy was left to change, before having her height and weight recorded. Then William and her sat in the room and waited for the doctor to come in.

“Hello young lady. I heard you have a not so fun night on Sunday?” Doctor Addams said as he entered the room.

“Tracy nodded at him and looked to her bare feet, which were swinging off the edge of the bed. “Yeah. Got sick and couldn’t stop going to the bathroom.”

“She got food poisoning.” William told the doctor. “Was late in the evening, but we think it came from where we ate lunch at.”

“Now since Maggie called last week, I doubt this meeting today was for that? Care to enlighten me?” Doctor Addams asked

William nodded. “It’s like this, Doctor. Tracy got that shot from you in February. Then the first week of March, her emotions were all over the board. Like crying at cat food commercials, and crying at old sad songs. It was worse then around the time you gave her the shot.”

“Interesting.” Doctor Addams said. “Tracy, If I recall, your last lab test showed a lot of testosterone in you. I’d like to draw more blood for another test. To test your levels again.” He paused for a moment. “Has she been moody past few days?”

“Just when dealing with her food poisoning.” William answered.

“Hmmm. That’s to be expected. For now let me get another test ran and then we can figure out what in the world is going on.”

~o~O~o~

Her Tai chi class was over and Tracy was tired once more. Her father had taken her this time, so he could spend time alone with her and bond. Vance was at home, hopefully doing the homework he had ignored until dinner.

He sat in the chairs meant for the parents as his daughter came jogging over. She paused at the edge of the mat, turned and bowed, then she turned again continued to him.

“I got some light cleaning to do. Be about half an hour or so. Is it okay?” Tracy asked him.

“Sweetie, you agreed to it. I won’t stop you from paying off a debt. So go ahead. I’ll sit here and wait. At first he sat in the chair as Tracy cleaned. Then he got up and went over to her and started to help. It began with sweeping and moving mats. After that came the light dusting of the studio. William promised himself that with as hard as she worked, she was getting something special on the way home.

~o~O~o~

Friday March 11th 1983

It was just after nine in the morning when the phone rang and Shelly moved to answer it. “Hello, Coppers residence. Yes. Yes he is here.” She held the phone away from her face and looked to William. “Will, it’s one of the temp places.”

Tracy looked up from her school work as her father answered the phone. “Yes, this is William.” He said. “Yes. I can be there in about thirty minutes. Bring my certificate? I can do that. Really? That’s great!” William said his goodbye and hung up the phone. He went to Tracy who was now watching him.

“They hired you?” Tracy asked. She had gotten used to him being at home every day. In fact in a little while, she was going to make lunch for the three of them. Part of her didn’t want him to return to work.

“Well, one group has, it looks like. Starting out, but at least I can start on a forklift.” He bent down and kissed her forehead.

“Okay. I hope it works out.” She said glumly.

“Hey, be happy for me. We need this so we can find our own place, one close to your friends.” He said.

“I know. Just got used to you here all the time.” Tracy said, they she sighed. “Good luck.”

“I’ll be back, kiddo.” William said, before he kissed her forehead once more.

She watched as he ran up the stairs. About five minutes later, he came back down, dressed nicely. His certifications for forklift driving in his hands. He headed for the door. “Be back later.” He called as he went out the door.

Shelly watched as Tracy just sat there, watching the door and ignoring the schoolwork she had. “Tracy, you know he was going to get a job, right?”

“Yeah, I guess. I was enjoying our time together.” Tracy replied. “Finally it was him and I, not just Him, Vance and sometimes me.” She sighed again. “I know they need money to pay bills.”

“Hey now. I hear he is planning on taking you to your class, just you and him one of the two nights in a week. So you’re not losing time with him. Just have to wait.”

~o~O~o~

Saturday March 12th 1983

Tracy had come to Big Mama’s deli with her mother who was killing time till William could join them. Both William and Vance had gone to do some quick shopping that was needed for Will’s new job. Shirts and pants mostly. After that William had taken Vance to a sporting goods store to check out camping gear.

Tracy had been happy to see Mr. Leone in there when she arrived. Currently he was busy in the office with his mother. Tracy had spoken to him for a short time, but Beth seemed to hover nearby as she did. But for now, as she waited on her family, she was alone in the booth, just her and her magazines on current music acts.

Maggie was taking care of a personal errand at another business, and that left Tracy there in a booth, keeping it held for them. From the booth behind her, Tracy could smell the alcohol on the man who sat there. And it was worse for Eva who was busy walking around and cleaning. Each time she would pass by, he would harass her.

After the man ignored Eva’s requests to stop patting her ass, Tracy finally snapped. She shut her magazine and huffed out a breath. She slid out of the seat as Eva was walking past and stepped in the way, not wishing to catch his arm, but to stop him from harassing her friend. Anthony had been coming back from the office and was about to act himself, but Tracy moved faster.

The man’s hand stopped as it made contact with Tracy's crotch and she gasped. Then she screamed and her hand gripped his wrist, and her other hand lashed out, slapping the man in the face.

“What the hell!” The man’s face went dark red. He brought his arm back, in an attempt to strike Tracy.

“Hold it right there!” A voice called from the door. Tracy glanced to see the cops from the week before, Officer Maki and Billings.

“Mister, we were walking in as you had your hand on the crotch of an eleven year old girl.” Officer Maki said. “You really think you can explain yourself out of this one?”

"Back off pigs! You don't wanna mess with me!" The man growled out. He reached out to grab Tracy, but she hopped backwards.

They kept moving forward. Officer Maki wasn’t ready for it, neither was officer Natasha Billings. The man seemed to get pissed when he saw the cops. He turned and punched officer Maki in the face, his fist cracking the cop’s nose in one hit. Then he kicked out catching Natasha in the gut and pushing her into a nearby table.

“Now for you, you little bitch! No one hits me.” He said as he turned to face Tracy. "And definitely not a snot nose little bitch."

His arm went back, but her training came into play. She brought up her arms and deflected the first punch as Andrew and Eva moved to save her, but the next second proved that she didn’t need their help.

Tracy kicked out, her foot having to go up higher than normal to connect with his crotch, but as it did, it got the response she wanted. He staggered, screamed out and dropped to one knee. After that she pressed her attack, throwing two kicks, both aimed for his face, one connected with his nose, the other with his cheek. She stepped forward and launched a knife hand jab to his throat as officer Maki was getting to his feet again. Officer Billings had come up and put her arms around Tracy and pulled him backwards, so her attack missed him by inches. Officer Maki, Andrew Leone and Eva all jumped the drunk man. Thankfully there were few people in the deli, but the ones who were there were stunned from the turn of events. Mostly it had just been a few groups of women. Each of them were slowly coming to their senses now.

~o~O~o~

William found his daughter sitting at the booth and he had just seen his wife in the bakery, so he slid into the seat and put an arm around his daughter’s shoulder. She was down. Worse then she had been at home. And while Vance was busy at the convenience store, using his allowance money on candy for that night, he had a few minutes..

“Hey, you okay?” He asked as he wrapped her in a hug.

Before she could answer, someone stepped up and put his hands on the table. It was the shadow of a man looming over him that got him to look up. “Mister, get your hands off my godchild” Mr. Leone said through clenched teeth and with an Italian accent. He stood next to the table, glaring at William.

“Mr. Leone, its fine, this is my Daddy.” Tracy said with a smile.

“He is?” Tony kept his gaze on William, waiting for a response.

“I am, and I don’t recall Tracy having another godparent." William said with a bigger smile. He looked to his daughter. “can you explain how this happened?”

“We’ve had a fun day so far.”

“Is He really your Dad?” Eva asked Tracy, from her place behind the counter. In her hands, she held a phone.

“Yep. And that’s Vance, my brother.” She pointed to the window, where Vance was coming in from street.

“Well, in that case....You just missed the cops.” Eva said.

“The cops?” Is Tracy in trouble?”

“Tracy isn’t. But the guy who grabbed your daughter's crotch is having some explaining to do.” Eva said, trying not to laugh.

"What?!? Who grabbed Tracy’s crotch!?!" For Tracy, it was scary to see how fast her father could go from happy to angry.

Eva, and Mr. Leone went into a quick telling of what happened. And William just sat there, shaking his head.

“So he grabbed Tracy by mistake?” William asked.

“Not mistake, as much as your daughter intercepted his hand, and he got her fist in his face and some local cops saw it. They got a bit roughed up by him, he was drunk. Then he turned on Tracy. I was going to defend her, but I didn’t need to.” Mr. Leone said. “I must admit, I was going to do the same, but Tracy beat me to the punch. Literally.”

Maggie came in and the story was shared once more. She looked to her daughter. “Wow, you had all your allotted excitement for the month, haven’t you?”

Tracy giggled. “Yep.” She looked over to Andrew, who was sitting at the counter. “Please Mr. Leone? You could pull a table over....”

“Tracy, I’d be taking three seats from Beth and its the later lunch hour, so no. I can still talk, from the counter, but for now, I will let you all eat in peace. Besides, I have paperwork to do and I’m going to use mother’s office.”

As William, Maggie, Vance and Tracy sat there, enjoying their meal, the cops started to come in.

“Hey Tracy.” They called to the young girl.

Tracy waved at them and smiled. “Hi Officer Paulson. Hi Officer Hernandez.”

“Maggie.” Officer Paulson said.

“Hello John, Rosa, I want you both to meet my husband, William. And the boy is our oldest, Vance."

“Maggie, Officer Maki asked us to get Tracy’s statement. No problems with that, is there?”

"Nope. None at all." Maggie replied.

~o~O~o~

March 14th

“Excuse me, are you Maggie Patterson?” A voice asked her from the other side of the counter. She looked to see a tall black man, standing at over six foot tall there, and wearing a police uniform.

“I am, can I help you?” Maggie asked the dark skinned cop standing in the bakery.

“I’d like to speak to you about your daughter. Tracy is your daughter, right?”

“Yes she is. Is there a problem? I’m guessing this is about Saturday?”

“In a way, yes. We had to do a check into Tracy's schooling. Well, Officer Hernandez did say she called the school and checked it out, but I just wanted to make sure that you know that someone had complained that there was a child here during school hours.” Captain Hill said. “Of course, it was the same man who grabbed your daughter. But he’s already in trouble for public intoxication and assault of a police officer. Assault of a minor. But I wanted you to know he made a complaint to us and threatened to call CPS. I’ve spoken to CPS on your behalf.

“Are we in trouble?” Maggie asked. “Because I was under the impression that It was up to us on how to teach her, as long as she learned from the subject matter that the school district said she needed to know. She does put in many hours, daily, in different subject...Plus the fact his attack of my daughter was a Saturday. No school that day.”

“Well, Tracy is home-schooled, but there is no rules stating that home schooled children must remain at home. Officer Paulson and his partner did say they checked it out and spoke to Tracy's lawyers. Plus you are right. It was a Saturday. CPS decided to let the case drop without much hassle.”

"Good. I'm getting tired of her being attacked and she has to pay the price in the end." Maggie said to him.

~o~O~o~

March 15th

Tracy looked up from her homework and saw a tall black man standing there with a nice uniform and markings the others didn’t have. Behind him were Officer Paulson and Officer Hernandez. “I’m not in trouble, am I?” She knew her aunt had answered the door, she just wasn’t expecting to see three cops in the apartment.

“Not at all, young lady.” The Black man answered.

“Tracy, this is Captain Hill.” Rosa said.

“Captain? Like a Military captain?” Tracy asked. So far in her life, she had only met a few black people, Natasha being one of them. But this man seemed not too happy to be there.

“Rank is about the same concept, but as a Captain, it means that I am in command of these young people here.” Captain Hill said to her. “I’m the Captain of the Livermore police department.”

“Please, have a seat, if you can.” Shelly said to them.

“Now I’ve spoken to your mother yesterday, and I have personally stopped a complaint from the man who attacked you and Officers Maki and Billings. He tried to call CPS on you. But don’t worry. He didn’t get far. As for you, he threatened to sue, but that had been taken away and you won’t have to worry about him. Not that you couldn’t handle him.”

What he didn’t tell her, at the request of her mother, was that the man who had attacked her and the officers was in a prison hospital. After his attack, prisons found out and he had been beaten within an inch of his life. This had happened just after his visit to Maggie the day before. Currently he lay attached to machines, trying to keep him alive for the court appearances. He knew Tracy had trained in some kind of martial art, but he also knew she was lucky. The man had been wanted for a string of other crimes, mostly assault and one of them had been one of his own child. He knew she had been very lucky. But her mother asked them to downplay it and not tell her too many details.

“So I’m not in trouble?”

“:Well, not really. You did defend yourself. But next time, let the police deal with the bad guys, okay?” Captain Hill said to her with a smile. “They do get paid to stop criminals. Be a bit unfair if you did their work and they didn’t have to do anything.”

She smiled back. “I will. But I will defend myself too.”

“I understand.” Captain hill said as he stood up.

“Do you all want something to eat? Maybe a snack bar or something?” Tracy asked.

“Like those caramel chocolate bars?” Officer Paulson asked.

“I tried something new. Wanna test them for me?”

~o~O~o~

Well, once more Tracy is moving along. Like with the others, I'll try to get to this story once a week, or once every two weeks. But for now I hope you enjoyed.

Tracy pushed on the door in front of her and it swung open. and they stopped as they realized that they weren't alone. It only took Tracy a moment to realize she was looking at Yvette, the girl who had insulted her weeks earlier. But what really caught her attention was the fact that below her belt-line, Yvette was built just like she was. Sage was equally stunned at the sight.

Yvette was stunned by the appearance of someone else in the room, she thought she would have been alone. When her mind caught up to her, she gave a shriek of fright and turned, and tried to hold her clothes in front of her crotch, her arm reaching back and trying to shut the door that she thought she had locked. .

“Sorry.” Tracy quickly said as she reached forward and pulled the door shut.

They heard the sounds of Yvette moving in the changing room, then what sounded like someone falling to the tile floor, then they heard the sounds of crying, again. Sage looked to Tracy, who felt bad. They both knew the shame and fear the girl felt. Tracy and Sage both headed into the room, shutting the door behind them. Tracy was going to lock the door for privacy, but the lock didn’t seem to work right. Sage took her towel and as she got close, she draped it over Yvette.

“Go away....just please don't hurt me.”

Tracy has returned. More fun in her life.

~o~O~o~

March 16th 1983

Tracy had been shocked at noon to find out she had an appointment with Doctor Addams in three hours. She had always believed that appointments took weeks or months to get. Yet the doctor called them that morning. At three in the afternoon, Maggie and Tracy stepped into the office of Dr. Addams. After a few minutes, they were called back. But instead of having Tracy undress, the nurse just told them that the doctor would be right in.

The doctor knocked, then he opened the door slightly. “Ah, Maggie and Tracy, can I step in?”

“Come on in.” Maggie said to him.

I’ll make this fast. When we reran the blood work, we found something in it.” The doctor told them.

“Something what?” Maggie asked.

“Well, According to this paper from the last blood test, it says that Tracy’s blood had hormones, about the level of a girl entering puberty. But by now, that shot should be gone.” He paused for a moment and Maggie asked.

“What does this mean?”

Dr. Addams shook his head. “I don’t know as of yet. I have a few ideas, but for now I set an appointment up today for you to see a specialist. They are right down the road and they are expecting you. Just head down there from here and walk right in.” He passed her a business card.

“What kind of specialist?” Maggie asked before she looked at the card.

“This is a colleague of mine. He is an ob/gyn. He is going to run an ultrasound on Tracy.”

“What will that do?” Maggie asked. “Does it even work?”

Tracy however asked a different question, as another one was bounding around in her head. “What’s an ob...thingy?”

Dr. Addams looked to Maggie first. “Ultrasound technology has improved over the years. Maybe, just maybe, we can see inside our young lady, so we don’t have to operate on her to check something. But I am wondering if there is more to Tracy than meets the eye.”

“What do you mean?” Tracy asked.

Yet Maggie caught on faster. “Are you saying there could be other parts in her? Female parts?”

“That’s what we are going to find out.” Then he looked to Tracy. “And Tracy, Ob/gyn stands for obstetrician and gynecologist. Both are doctors that help women. One is more for babies though. Like when a woman is pregnant.”

“Oh.” Tracy replied.

“It’s a walk in appointment. The office is just a mile down the road. I suggest going there now. They should be waiting for you.”

“We’ll leave right now.” Maggie started to get up. “Who do we go to for the results.”

“I’ll have them send them here, if you don’t mind.” Doctor Addams said to them

:”Thanks.” Maggie stated. “Let’s go kiddo.” Tracy was still a bit curious about why she would go to such a doctor when her other question popped into her head as the doctor walked out of the room.

Tracy ran out of the room and quickly caught the doctor. “Doctor Addams! I have a question.” She looked over her shoulder at her mother. “A private one. About my boy parts.”

~o~O~o~

Tracy lay almost naked on the bed, a towel over her budding breasts. Her panties were still on, just rolled down to cover her male parts and just her belly was exposed, but she still felt weird about being in front of someone and showing so much skin. Doctor Addams had been right. They had gone in almost right away. Maggie had to finish the paperwork in the back room where the device was at.

As Maggie did the paperwork, the The nurse who ran the machine spread the jelly over her stomach. “All right, young lady, lets run this. Now you may get a tickling sensation, and I know the gel is cold, but lay still and we’ll do our looking

As she waved the wand about, Tracy kept trying to crane her neck to see what was inside her. A hand pressed on her forehead. “Lay still so we don’t have to do this again. You move and it messes up the readings. Got it?”

“Sorry.” Tracy said as she blushed a deep red.

“I know you’re excited. But I need good clear pictures and you moving will ruin that.” The nurse said. “You can talk, but don’t bend your torso.”

~o~O~o~

March 17th 1983

Tracy went into Big Mama’s deli at about nine in the morning. Shelly was with her as she was dropping her off for a bit to work on things with Grandma Leone. Shelly had waited till that morning to let her know Grandma Leone had wanted to do some cooking with her that day. After the day before, Tracy was glad to not be in another doctor’s office. A part of her was hopeful they would hear something soon. Hopefully great news.

“There’s my little helper. Ready to go upstairs?” Grandma Leone asked.

Yeah! I got new ideas!” Tracy exclaimed as she followed Mrs. Leone to the stairwell.

Shelly called to her from the doorway. “Tracy, I’ll be back in an hour or two.”

“Bye Aunt Shelly!” Tracy called to her as they went upstairs.

~o~O~o~

At eleven Tracy was in the booth near the deli counter with Shelly. Her mother was in the back of the deli, but Tracy wasn’t bugging her. So far her mind kept going back to the doctor’s office yesterday and the weird test they ran. She was hopeful that things would work in her favor. The door opened up and Officer Maki and Officer Billings stepped in with another pair of cops, both of them female. “Tracy!” They went up and ordered their food quickly.

“Hey, how is your nose?” Tracy asked as the two cops she knew sat down with her.

“Hurts. He only broke it a little. Just hurts to sneeze, blow my nose and smell things.” The Asian cop said with a smile as he got up and helped one of the other cops move a table over.

“How are you holding up?” That had to be scary for you.” Natasha Billings asked as the other two cops came over and sat down.

“A little. I’m just glad my training kicked in.” Tracy said with a shrug.

The other two cops had heard by now what had happened, and who the man was and what his priors had been. They had been impressed that she had gone up against such a monster. Natasha gestured to the two female officers. “Tracy, these are officer’s Cunningham and Henderson.”

“Hello.” Tracy said to them.

"Young lady." Officer Henderson said to her.

The door chime rang again and someone else walked in. Tracy looked up and smiled. Tracy called out to him. “Captain Hill! Pull up a seat when you get your stuff!”

“Oh... Okay. I can do that.” He nodded to her and headed for the deli counter. As he made his order, the other officers got up to go get the food.

As they all sat down, Captain Hill had Officer Maki get up and he slid in. Tracy gave him a funny look. “Can’t he sit there?”

“Well, yes. But as he may have to run out the door for a call, I feel it’s easier if I sit here. I don’t have meetings until one this afternoon.”

As the lunch hour progressed, the five cops, Shelly and Tracy all kept the conversation light. Tracy kept touching on the fact that she was headed for Disneyland soon. Both groups of cops got calls on their radios. They headed for the door, food in hand and that left Captain hill to move the other table away from them. He moved to the other side of the table, across from Tracy.

“It’s sad they don’t get to finish their food.” Tracy said to him.

Captain Hill nodded to her and said. “A fact of life. When I was a beat cop, I barely got to eat a meal in peace. But I was doing my job to keep people like you safe, so I could forego a meal or two.”

“It happens a lot?” Tracy asked.

“Yeah. Sometimes they have to wait to get home to have a full meal. But if they don’t go, someone's life could be on the line. Would you rather have cops with full stomachs and people in danger, or hungry cops and crime being watched.”

Tracy thought about it for a moment and answered. “I guess you’re right. Seems wrong.”

Captain Hill nodded to her. “What about doctors. Have you ever been to an emergency room?”

Tracy nodded. “A couple times.”

“Same concept. Doctors may go most of the day on little food or sleep. All in the name of keeping others alive.” Captain Hill said, continuing his line of thought.

“That seems harsh. A day without sleep?” Tracy asked.

Captain Hill ignored her question and finished his thought. “Emergency people, police, firefighters and medical personnel make a sacrifice of comfort to help keep the country safe. Same with the military. If it wasn’t for the actions of the emergency teams and military, this country would not run nearly as smoothly as it does.”

~o~O~o~

Tracy sat in the bedroom with Rachel. They were waiting for Sage to go to the park, but she was at Dr. Ivan’s. So Tracy was just hanging out and listening to music on the radio. She looked to her friend who was reading a magazine article about some newer bands and started speaking. “So yesterday I spoke to the doctor about something.”

“What about?” Rachel asked her, without looking up.

“I asked him about my...” Tracy blushed. “Well, I asked about my thing. You know how I ran off that one day? I haven’t seen it get hard since. Not that I look at it often.”

“Yeah, I remember.” Rachel replied as she looked up.

“He said it shouldn’t have happened. Without testicles, I shouldn’t get hard.” Tracy was blushing hard, but for some reason she needed to tell her this. Maybe Rachel saw something that could help with this mystery. She didn’t want the object on her, but she had to know if it was really working like it should. No matter what she had done in the past. “He said it could have been in my mind and that I just guessed it had. So I wanted to know, didn’t you see it?”

“I don’t know. I mean I always thought it had.I swear I saw something, but what if you were just sitting weird?” Rachel said with a shrug. “It doesn’t matter. You’re still a girl to me.”

“I thought it got hard... But that doesn't matter. Mom and I had another appointment and this one they took a thing and looked inside my belly. I guess I’m making hormones like you do.” Tracy stated.

Rachel was silent for a moment, then asked. “So you’re like Sage?”

“Maybe.” Tracy said with a shrug. “We did a thing and maybe we’ll hear before Disneyland.”

From downstairs they could hear the door open. And the sounds of someone running up the stairs. “Yeah that would be cool.” Rachel said as the door opened up.

Sage stepped in “So, are we still going to the park?”

“Yeah. You ask Brooke?” Rachel asked her.

Sage shook her head. “Training thing. She’ll see us tomorrow.”

“What’s tomorrow?” Tracy asked.

“Tomorrow we have a day off for teacher enrichment. So we’re going to the pool place in town. The pool is inside, so it’s heated. Plus you don’t have to swim. You can just relax in the pool.”

“Oh...I...uh...”

“Tracy, I go all the time.” Sage told her. “We’ll all be there and you can even have some fun.”

Tracy looked at her lap. “But I can’t swim.”

“Stay in the shallow end.” Rachel suggested.

“I don’t have a swimsuit.” Tracy said, hoping to end the discussion. She didn’t want that much of her body on display again.

“I know a place.” Rachel said. “And I know your size. So if I can get you a suit, a new one, all one piece that doesn’t show much skin, can you go and trust us?”

“I don’t know.” Tracy began to whine. Sage put an arm around her shoulder and asked.

“Do you trust me?”

Tracy nodded after a moment of thinking about it, then said. “Yeah. You’ve been good to me.”

Sage smiled at her. “I swim. I’m in a small suit too. So if I say everything will be fine, then do you believe me?”

“Please, we won’t let anything happen to you.” Rachel added.

Tracy looked from one to the other and finally said. “Okay, I’ll go, but I need a suit.”

“I’ll have one by pool time tomorrow.” Rachel said with a grin. “A good one too.”

~o~O~o~

March 18th 1983

It wasn’t even noon on Friday and Tracy was with her father who wasn't needed that day at his temp job. Her mother was still working. Sage and Rachel were with their own mothers, and were planning to meet her at the center. Tracy still wasn’t wild about the idea, but to play around in the water, that had sounded fun. She just had to watch how much she played, as she still had her tai-chi class that night, plus a sleepover at Brooke’s.

As they pulled in, so did Lynn and her friends. Tracy waited for her father to get out. When she did, she was met by Rachel who handed her a bag and said. “There you go. Let’s go in and find a stall to change in.”

“My belly will be exposed?” Tracy asked as she looked at the swimsuit in the shopping bag. Rachel led the way to the building. Brooke was being taken out of her Grandfather’s van. “And I don’t swim” This weekend was planned to be a long one.

“Come on Tracy. It's a one piece suit and all you have to do is sit in the shallow end. Usually this place isn't packed in the winter and you can help get Brooke out of the water, but I think Lok will help with that.” Sage took her to the side as they walked to the main entrance. “And that other gaff should work, just make sure to tuck, but the tape won't hold, so in a bit we can make sure we're still good.”

It's not that big, anyway.” Tracy said quietly as they moved to the door of the huge complex that had a pool. As they entered in and Persephone paid for their four hour session, Tracy looked to Sage. “Sage, why couldn't I change at the house?”

“Because we didn't have the swimsuit from Rachel yet.” Sage replied. “She just got it from the store. They had them out already.”

"Already? March just started." Tracy shook her head.

“Fact of life.” Persephone said to them. “Clothes are always out in the wrong season.”

“Come on, let’s go change.” Rachel said, leading the way to the ladies changing rooms.

Tracy was surprised at two things. First was with school out, this place wasn’t filled. The second was how big the changing room was. Rachel had gone to a booth near the main door. It didn’t matter how fast they got changed. They had to wait until the bell rang to get in the water. That would be another fifteen minutes. Sage and Tracy headed towards the back, where even fewer people would go.

Tracy pushed on the door in front of her and it swung open. and they stopped as they realized that they weren't alone. It only took Tracy a moment to realize she was looking at Yvette, the girl who had insulted her weeks earlier. But what really caught her attention was the fact that below her belt-line, Yvette was built just like she was. Sage was equally stunned at the sight.

Yvette was stunned by the appearance of someone else in the room, she thought she would have been alone. When her mind caught up to her, she gave a shriek of fright and turned, and tried to hold her clothes in front of her crotch, her arm reaching back and trying to shut the door that she thought she had locked. .

“Sorry.” Tracy quickly said as she reached forward and pulled the door shut.

They heard the sounds of Yvette moving in the changing room, then what sounded like someone falling to the tile floor, then they heard the sounds of crying, again. Sage looked to Tracy, who felt bad. They both knew the shame and fear the girl felt. Tracy and Sage both headed into the booth, shutting the door behind them. Tracy was going to lock the door for privacy, but the lock didn’t seem to work right. Sage took her towel and as she got close, she draped it over Yvette.

“Go away....just please don't hurt me.”

“We won't hurt you. And we won't let anyone one else hurt you either.” Tracy said, but she wasn't sure why she had said it. Yet she meant it. After all, this girl had run her down just a few weeks prior, just to be mean.

“Yvette, I won't tell anyone.” Sage said.

“I can't believe you, not after the last time.....” She began to cry and Sage realized that there was more to her breakdown at the school a few weeks earlier.

“Yvette, we don't care. You say you're a girl and that's all we need.” Tracy stated and Sage nodded.

“Yeah. You're a girl, despite what is on your body.” Sage said to her and this time Tracy nodded.

“How can I trust you? How do I know that you won't just tell everyone?” Yvette said, through her tears, then she added. “Just like my dad did.”

“Yvette, I'm like you. I was born a boy too.” Tracy whispered. She wasn’t sure why she said it. But she knew the pain and torment Yvette felt. Plus the only other person like her was Sage. She wasn’t sure if she would ever meet anyone else like herself again.

Yvette eyed her warily, as though waiting for an attack, or insults. In the back of her mind, she knew if insults were lobbed, she deserved them. After her actions the past few years, she deserved anything that happened to her.

“Right....You’re pretty, not like me. I’m just a stupid boy....”

Tracy took a deep breath and tried to think how she would be if someone had walked in on her. She decided that her best course of action was to show Yvette how alike they were. With one hand she pulled up her skirt, and the other hand grabbed her panties and gaff and she pulled them down enough to expose her own crotch, just enough to show them the truth. Her cheeks went bright red as she stood there, exposed to both her friend and Yvette. “Yvette, Sage won't say a word, because she knows that I'm just like you.” Yvette looked to Tracy and she was surprised. She wiped at a few tears in her eyes as Tracy pulled her panties and gaff back up, letting her skirt drop enough to adjust herself.

“You're a boy too....” Yvette said. “Well, born a boy too?”

“Yes, she's a girl. We both are, we're just born wrong, like you were.” Sage offered.

Yvette looked to Sage and her jaw dropped slightly, but she managed to ask. “You're like me too?”

“Kinda. I was born with both sets of parts.” Sage said. “I have a penis and a slight opening.”

“No....you were a girl all the time.” Yvette was shaking her head.

Sage blushed and looked away. “Please, don’t make me show you.”

“I don't believe you. How will I know that you won't use this at school? I don’t wanna get hurt, not like last time.....”

Sage sighed. Fair was fair. She had gotten to see more of Yvette then she had ever expected. She steeled herself, stood and exposed herself, but Tracy looked away.

Tracy sat on the floor next to Yvette. “I won't say a word because I know what happens when people find out. I was attacked in my hometown, and some woman came over and started telling people that I was going to rape and murder all the children in the town. She attacked Sage and I in a gas station and at the court appearance to get a restraining order, she had to be hauled away by a bunch of cops, cause she tried to get me again. I had a black eye because of her. Heck, she tried to bite me.”

“Hey, Yvette?” A voice that Sage knew well called out and a moment later, Heather knocked on the door to the changing room which caused it to swing open. As Heather saw them in there, her attitude went frosty. “Like, Oh my God, what do you want, Freak?” She noticed the stains of tears on her cousin's cheeks and she went to the offensive. “What did you do to my cousin?!?”

“Cousin?” Sage asked, not knowing of their relationship.

“Nothing, Heather.” Yvette said. “They didn't do anything, other than scare me and help me out after that.”

She noticed, as Yvette shifted, that she was naked under the towel that wasn’t hers. “They know, don't they?!?” Heather asked, her valley-speak totally forgotten. “They know about your body?!?”

Yvette nodded. “They saw me changing.”

Heather turned towards Sage. “You better not tell anyone.” She balled up her fists as she took a step closer. Tracy got up and put herself between the two girls.

“Please don't fight. We won't tell anyone.” Tracy stated.

“Bullshit. We've been tricked and hurt before.” Heather said.

“Heather, Tracy is like I am. She was born the same way.” Yvette said, not sure if Tracy wanted to keep it a secret, but she knew it could help stop her cousin. “And Sage is cool with her, so I am cool with them.”

“So, porky is a boy in a dress, is he?” It was scary how fast she moved into an insult mode.

Yvette stood up, angry at Heather for how she started to attack someone like her. Sure, she didn’t know Tracy, and the last time they met, she had insulted her. Yvette however wanted to stop being a bitch towards everyone. This was the one chance to keep things getting better.

“Dammit Heather! Stop that!” She stepped forward and the towel fell down, but Yvette was getting angry at her cousin, the fear that Heather really hated what she was still lingered in her mind. She wrapped her arms around her cousin and Tracy and Sage both blushed as they realized that Yvette was totally naked. “Heather, any insults like that, that you aim at her, you are aiming them at me.” Heather looked Yvette in the eyes, as her cousin kept speaking. She blushed once she realized that her cousin was naked. “You call her a boy and I'll know that you secretly hate what I am, too. I'm just the same.”

“Yvette, I don't hate you, but you know what happens when people know....” Heather replied.

Sage picked up the towel and as Yvette kept holding her cousin around the waist, Sage did her best to cover up Yvette.

“I know it too.” Tracy said. “In the past four months, I've been attacked more than three times and threatened several times from the cousin of one of my attackers. One of them threatened to rape and kill my whole family and me. Another of them attacked Sage, her sister and me in a store, just because I was born into the wrong body. My dad almost lost his job because of me. Heck, the woman who attacked Sage and me, she attacked me again at a court case to get a restraining order on her.”

“I'm not saying you have to be nice, but don't go blabbing the secret, cause if you do, you're no better than those jerks who beat us up. And as bad as my father.” Then Yvette added. She realized that Sage was trying to put a towel on her, so she loosened her grip on Heather and grabbed the towel instead. “And if you tell people about her, what's stopping them from telling them about me? And face it, she doesn't go to our school. So I'd get beat up and have to move and she could just fade away again.”

“Look, I don't want trouble. I just want to live my life in peace.” Tracy said, to which Yvette added.

“And that's all I want too.” Yvette added.

Heather sighed. “Fine, but if you hurt her, I will spread your secret around.”

“Heather, just stop, please.” Yvette pleaded. She moved over to her cousin, while adjusting her towel and pulled Heather into another hug. “She won't say anything, because I can get her in trouble too. So please, don't be mean. They want to be nice. They won't make fun of us.”

“How can we trust the freak?!?”

“Her name is Sage!” Yvette snapped.

“Heather, I’m a bit like Yvette, and a bit like you. I got both sex organs.”

“What?!?” Heather asked her warily. Yvette nodded to her.

“I don’t believe you.”

“You can talk to my mother if you don’t believe me. Or Yvette.” Sage said. “Heather, we're holding out the olive branch here, we're not saying that you have to be our best friends, but we can at least be friendly and we could hang out at times. Having friends to lean on is good for Yvette and you. And Tracy and Yvette could share stories and help each other out. They each know how hard their lives can be.”

“Oh really? Did she get attacked?” Heather asked in a snotty tone of voice that tried to prove that no attack was as bad as the one she suffered with her cousin.

“Yes. I said that already." Tracy replied. “By a former friend of my brothers and he tried to rape me on my parents property. He cut off my shirt, bra and was cutting off my skirt when I managed to slip away. I got to my grandmother's place and they tried to hurt me there, but Grandma came out to stop them. I was hurt badly but I still defended my grandmother when they tried to kill her for defending me.”

“She's telling the truth here.” Sage stated. “I saw her in the hospital after the attack and they messed her up kinda hard. They crushed her testicles. She'll never be male again. Then there was the lady who tried to shove me into a candy rack, beat my little sister and then she tried to murder Tracy in a gas station. In full view of ten people. Tracy's grandmother came in and beat the shit out of her.”

“My maternal grandmother, the Paternal is the one I protected, and she has osteoporosis.”

“The brother of the guy who tried to rape her tried beating her up in February and she fought him and three other guys, so we could get Brooke and my little sister to safety. That crazy woman attacked Tracy at the end of February in a courthouse too. So yeah, she’s been beat up.”

“See. I’m not alone here.” Yvette stated.

“Hey, could we get dressed? Sage asked. “So we're not wasting pool time when it starts. Plus Yvette can put on more than a towel?”

“Sure, I don't mind.” Heather went to a bench and sat down in the cramped space.

“Um, I know you've seen me, but could you give us space?” Yvette asked. “You wouldn't change in front of Sage or Tracy, so why should they change in front of you?”

“Tell you what, Tracy and I will find another changing stall and you two can be in here.” The two of them left the tiny cubicle and Tracy was glad to see no one else was in there. To be honest very few people had been there when they pulled up.

Heather wasn't looking happy when they stepped out of the changing room, but Yvette went to her and hugged her. “Thank you. But please Trust me. This can work. The more of us, the better.”

“How can you be sure she is what she said? How can you be sure she is a boy?”

“She showed me.” Yvette stated. “They both did and I don’t care. If I’m a girl, despite my outward appearance, so are they.”

~o~O~o~

Tracy and Sage stopped by Heather, as the two came out of the changing room. “A truce.” Sage said as she held her hand out. “Like I said in there. You don't have to be our best friend, but at least give us a chance. What if you two come with us tonight. We're staying at Brooke's place and my cousins will be there too. They all know about Tracy and I. But they don’t have to know about you, just that you two need friends."

“It’s best if we don’t have people near us.” Heather began to say, but Sage cut her off.

"Everyone needs someone." The redhead told them.

"Hey!" Rachel called towards the back. "Fifteen minutes till swim time. Let's get going."

~o~O~o~

Tracy was in her swimsuit, but she stayed out of the pool. She took a spot on a bench with Yvette and the two of them sat there, exchanging stories with Heather and Sage

“So you're like me, just with a worse attack?” Yvette asked.

“I don't think any attack is a good one.” Tracy replied. “But it does happen.”

There was a bell sounded as a second lifeguard stepped into the room.

Heather came over to them and gestured to the water. “Um, like, you gonna go swimming?”

“I can't swim.” Tracy admitted. “But I'll stay in the shallow end. But you all can go swimming.”

The door on the far end opened up and Harvey walked in, with Stacey and Casey in tow, both already in their swimsuits.

Yvette jumped into the water, while Tracy walked around the edge and slowly stepped into the water. Brooke was already in the water and swimming laps

~o~O~o~

Yvette's mother walked into the large pool area. Her sister met her as she came in. “You'll never believe this.” The woman said and she pointed to where Yvette was sitting with a large group of girls and Heather was there too. It was a half time break where everyone was out of the pool for thirty minutes so they could test the water and everyone could make sure they felt well. “I came in and Yvette was talking to them. I guess there was a slight problem in the changing room and they saw Yvette naked.”

“Oh no.” Yvette's mother started to slump her shoulders.

“It's okay. Yvette didn't say who, but she said she is not the first girl like that that those girls have seen. Yvette said one of them is just like her. I don’t know which one.”

Yvette came running up to them. “Hey Mom, I was wondering if Heather and I could stay at someone else's house tonight?”

“I don’t know...”

Yvette wasn't going to let this chance slip away. "Come on, we can talk to Tracy and her dad."

Yvette led her mother to a quiet part of the center's indoor pool area. “Mom, I met Tracy in the changing room and she is like me. Born into the wrong body. So is Sage and they both go to Doctor Ivan in Dublin, too. Tracy's dad is here, so is Sage's mom and they offered to meet you, so you know they are okay people. Those are Tracy's friends, Rachel, Brooke and Sage we go to school with." She pointed to the bench where Tracy's friends were all sitting, watching them. "Casey and Stacey are Sage's cousins from Dublin. They had no problem with Sage of Tracy.”

Tracy quickly told her dad, Persephone and Yvette and Heather’s mother the short story of her life, quietly so no one else heard it. She also covered what had happened in the changing room.

“You exposed yourselves?” Persephone asked and both girls nodded.

“Hmm, not sure how I feel about that.....” William stated.

“Daddy, it was important, plus we saw her. She thought we’d hurt her.”

“Sage!” Rachel called from across the room. “The pool is open again!”

The girls all stood there, but Yvette’s mother shooed them off. “You all go swim. I need to speak to them really quick.”

~o~O~o~

“This is my sister. Heather’s mother.”

“I’m Persephone Miller, The redhead’s mother. My daughter was with Tracy at the time.”

“My daughter is the one staying near the side. Tracy.” William said to them. “My wife isn’t here right now.”

“So my sister told me.” The woman said with a nod. “She also said that your daughter said she is okay with....well, how Yvette is?”

“Yes. In fact, Yvette and Tracy are the same.” William said to them as they sat down away from other parents.

“The same?” Heather’s mother asked.

“Yes. Tracy finally had the nerve to come out this past year and began living as a girl.”

“My daughter Sage, the redhead, is like them, in that she has both sets of genitals. So she kinda has an idea of the internal torment your daughter feels. The girls wanted to hang out together tonight. They offered a sleepover to Heather and Yvette. They’ll be at Brooke’s house, which is just down the road from your house, I believe.”

“Well, I don't know about her being at another person's home....” Yvette's mother said. “I mean you can understand, right? With our daughters being....well being the same, I'm sure that you keep a closer eye on her then normal parents.”

William nodded. “I totally understand. I was afraid until Persephone told us that the girls knew about Sage and were fine with Tracy. We had Tracy's Godmother keeping an eye out for her too.”

“Why don't we go eat something to eat. We could find a pizza place or something.” William suggested. “There is bad blood it seems between your girls and the others, so why not help find some middle ground. Tracy has a class soon, but let's meet at six, okay?.”

~o~O~o~

And so we have come to an end. But fear not, I won't wait another year to post a chapter.

“I see that grin. You got something different, don’t you?” Beth asked.

“Yep. A new variation on the chewy bar things. Plus some more goodies and salads.” Tracy stated.

“I swear.” Chloe said, with a shake of her head. “Between the two of you, we’re all going to become diabetics.”

Tracy chuckled. “Eat just a few.”

“Yeah, what my helper said.” Beth replied.

It's been three years, but hopefully I can get back into writing. Here it is, picking up from the last chapter, more Tracy!
Once again, if you feel the need, go back and re-read the old ones, I had to.

March 18th 1983

The pizza idea had been changed at the last minute. They didn’t want to do two pizza nights in a row. Tracy was in the backseat of her father’s car as he drove to Brooke’s home. After swimming and her tai chi, she was ready for bed. At least the day was going well. Her night bag was already with them. She couldn’t wait till bedtime.

They pulled up near the house and Karen stepped out. Then waved at them to enter. Tracy got out of the car and grabbed her bag and headed for the home. Her parents trailed after her. Tracy was shocked to see Heather and Yvette get out with their mothers and they followed the group.

William stepped into the house. He wasn’t sure if he had ever been in the Han home before. Little touches around the house gave it an Oriental feel. “Shoes by the door please.” Karen said as they all entered. Tracy took off her shoes and headed for the living room, where she could hear her friends. William and Maggie were guided into the dining room.

After a few minutes, with Lok leaving to get food, the conversation started. William and Maggie gave Heather and Yvette’s mothers an abridged version of Tracy. Persephone told them about Sage. While the kids were watching music videos in the living room.

“I'm just amazed that you stayed.” Yvette's mother said to William. “When my ex heard about Yvette, he ran as fast as he could, but not before telling everyone in Oakland her secret. That's how we ended up here. Had no one else to go to and I love the Bay area too much to leave it. Not to mention he got killed in a drug deal gone wrong just after that.”

William shrugged. “I'll be honest. If Maggie hadn't smacked my nose around Halloween of last year, for favoring one child over the other. That when I heard about Tracy on Thanksgiving, I would have been mad and would have probably punished her for being herself. But I was shown that I was playing favorites and being a complete moron. But since Thanksgiving, I have found that I have the best little daughter that I could have ever asked for.”

“I wish Doug could have stayed and seen what a good daughter Yvette has become.” Connie said with a sigh. “Though the attitude they have had...that will be their undoing. I know it was to stay safe, but someone was bound to fight back.”

“That is his loss.” William said. “I am glad I didn't leave. I'm also glad I never forced Tracy to be what she isn't.” He was silent for a moment, then said. “Well, I did. For years I tired to make Tracy a man, but once Maggie opened my eyes, the pieces all fell into place.””

They were interrupted by Sage, Stacey, Tracy and Yvette coming into the room.

Yvette went to her mother. “Mom, Stacey gave me an invite to a birthday party and a sleepover tomorrow. Could we go? Both Heather and I?”

“Tracy will be there for the night.” Maggie said. “You've met Stacey's father. He's the cop.”

“Ah.....The one from Dublin?” Yvette’s mother asked.

“Yes.” Stacey replied.

“Mom, we could use this.” Yvette said. “Both Heather and I.”

Her sister leaned close. "I'd say go just to the party. If they make it through bowling and no problems, let's let them make the decision."

March 19th 1983

Tracy had hitched a ride with Sage, but her parents had brought Vance and Mooney to the party. They were slowly getting ready for the start of their time to bowl. Tracy had her shoes already. So did the others. Harvey had rented a room in the back and there was a table filled with presents already. A local pizza place would be bringing in a bunch of pizza’s, but they had to get the drinks from the bowling alley.

Yvette and Heather came walking into the bowling alley. Sage and Tracy broke away from their friends to get their attention. Heather didn’t want to come along. She still thought the whole thing would blow up in their face.

“Hey, are you both staying the whole night?”

“”I...” Yvette looked worried. “I don’t know. It took an hour just to get Heather to come and I don’t want to face things without her.“

Tracy smiled, then looked at Heather who was really feeling bad for how she had treated Sage, Brooke and Rachel all those years. Tracy tapped her on the shoulder, causing her to look up. When she did, Tracy hugged her. The girl stiffened. “Thanks for coming. Wanna get some bowling shoes?”

“Just make it bowling.” Sage told Heather. “Once it’s over, you don’t have to feel like we’re holding you hostage.” As she got her shoes, she saw Harvey leading Stacey over to a lane with her friends from school, whom Tracy had yet to meet.

“Okay, so it’s fair, we’re putting all the names into a hat. Stacey is one name. The head of team two is...” Harvey pulled out a name. “Brooke.” He began calling names. One by one they got picked and Tracy ended up with Stacey, Casey, Sage and Mavis, a friend of hers from school. Stacey’s other two friends, Nancy and Greta, were put on the other team but they were in the same alley and could talk while seated, though it only had three seats per land

In the next set of lanes, William, Harvey, Lance and Carl. Plus Mooney, Romy and Vance, all of whom wanted to bowl as well. Msggie, Persephone and Lynn had all joined in as well. The rest of the mothers, and Jamie were all behind them at tall, free standing tables with drinks for everyone.

As the bowling happened and the girls got into the game, Tracy could see moments where Heather’s face held a slight smile. Same with yvette. None of them were great at the game. But they had fun trying to get the ball down the lane. The others began to cheer on whoever was up. The only one who was even close to good, was Brooke, who had to remove a part of her chair, belt herself in and throw from the side.

The guys on the other hand were cut throat and trying to one up each other. Tracy had known her parents used to bowl. So seeing them up against Lynn, Lance, and the boys was fun.
Heather’s mother showed up near the end of the three hours. As Yvette and Heather went to leave, Tracy and Sage walked with them to the main door of the bowling alley.

“Maybe next time? Please?” Tracy asked. Heather just shrugged. “You were nice...”

“I guess?” Heather replied.

“You’re worried that something will happen?” Sage asked as they walked to the car.

“Yeah.” Yvette said.

“I’d keep you safe, but I won’t force you.” Tracy told them. “But this isn’t the last time. We can do this again. At your pace.”

“Tracy’s right. We’re not pushing you. But we’re here for you.” Sage stated

As they arrived at the house, Tracy had to admit to herself that she was a bit worried. Until she realized that Stacey’s other friends were what the bully's Palermo would have labeled nerds. One of them talked with Sage on the way back to the Parker house about an old T.V. show named Star trek. Both had thick glasses on and one seemed to have a speech problem. She had seen Star Trek a few times, at her uncle’s home. And recently her father had taken them to the movie Star Trek II the wrath of Khan. The other seemed in her shell and didn’t speak much.

Yet as the later part went on, Tracy realized she had nothing to fear. By the time she put her head to the pillow, she could barely keep her eyes open. The night had gone by, with them watching movies on a VCR machine. All movies that Stacey had picked. And popcorn. Lots of popcorn.

March 20th 1983

Morning came and as the sun began to filter into the house, the sound of a dog running into the living room could be heard, but not by the sleeping girls. Tracy had been awake and already had gone to the bathroom when Lilian let the dog back in the house. Tracy was busy reading as the puppy came padding over.

She stayed in a corner, with the puppy over her lap, reading quietly as her friends and the other girls slept. She was hoping that this could become the norm. Just hanging out with her friends, reading and petting the dog.

She had been glad nothing had happened. Not that she expected it. Stacey’s friends were interesting. Polar opposites from Brooke and Rachel. Neither of them were athletic, and none were huge on shopping. But they did love to read.

And Tracy realized that if her friend group increased by two or three, that would not be a bad thing.

Sunday afternoon came and Tracy was dropped off at Shelly’s house by Harvey. Harvey and his daughters walked Tracy to the front door. They knocked and waited. As it opened up, William gestured for them to come inside. “Wanna come in?”

“We would, But Lil’s family is getting together for Stacy’s birthday. We gotta get going. It’s near Monterey.”

William nodded to him. “Well, in that case, thanks for bringing her out of your way. I could have come and got her.”

“Had to drop off the others as well.” Harvey stated. “But for now, have a good evening and I’ll see you Friday, if nothing big comes up between then and now.”

“See ya then.” William told him. Tracy turned and hugged Stacey, then Casey.

“Bye. See you soon.” Tracy said.

March 21th 1983

Tracy was sitting in the waiting room at Dr. Ivan's office, waiting for her turn. Her appointment was early in the day this time. Her parents were both at work and she was with her Aunt Shelly. The room was mostly empty, except for one other kid who was sitting on a chair by a table, coloring a picture. Tracy could see he was younger, but wasn’t sure how much younger

The rest of the weekend had been horrible. The waiting to get all her legal stuff done and go to Disneyland. She had pushed herself hard to get everything ready. She even had a book or two ready to read if they had down time. She was unsure if she could make it to Friday without going mad from the waiting.

“Hi. I'm Tracy, how are you?”

The young boy looked up, but only barely. He was feeling out of place in his skirt, with his shaved head. “I'm fine.”

“That's a pretty skirt you have on.”

“I guess.” The kid replied.

“What's your name?” Tracy asked.

“Carl.” He replied, then he looked up. “But I wanna be Carrie.”

“I’m Tracy. How old are you?” She asked.

Carl, soon to be Carrie replied, while looking up for a moment. “I’m nine.”

“Cool.” Tracy replied. “You been coming here often?”

Carrie shook their head. “No. Third time.”

“Dr. Ivan is great. You’ll like him. Just remember to tell him everything that is wrong and he can try and help.” Tracy said with a smile

She was gonna say more, but her name was called. She got up and followed the good doctor back.

“Tracy, I saw you talking to Carrie. You know Sage. What would you say if I were to start up a bi-monthly meeting, so all you kids could get together and talk about your problems and stuff. There's only a handful of you so far, but I think talking in a group can help you.” Ivan said to her as she sat in a chair.

“Sure, I guess.”

“No one will force you, but there is strength in numbers. So you and Sage can think about it and give me a call when you get back from Disneyland. I'm actually going to see if your parents want in on a parents support group, too.”

Tracy thought about it, then nodded. “Yeah, I can do that.”

“Good. Now I don’t want to push you too much. I know you have a garden meeting tonight. How do you feel about that?”

“Great. We’re going home and making treats to tease Mrs. Paulson with. Plus Dad may go and meet some of the ladies. But I get to talk with Betty and the other grannies.”

“Well, have fun. That’s the main thing.” Ivan said with a smile.

“Oh. “Tracy reached into her purse. “Mom said to give you this. It's the court time and day.”

Tracy was at the oven as her father came into the kitchen and watched as she pulled out a cake pan. And placed it on the burner to the stovetop. “So, what’s all this for?”

“Garden club. Aunt Shelly signed me up so I can count this as science and I’m getting out some.” Tracy said with a smile. “I’m trying one of Grandma’s other desserts tonight, just to tease Mrs. Paulson.”

“Leave any for me, or do I get teased too?” He asked, playfully.

Tracy pointed to a second pan that was already cooling off. “Right there. Just cover the dish when you’re done with it. Save some for Uncle Frank.”

“We can do that.” William said with a nod. Vance looked up from his homework and nodded.

“Vance, I want that homework done, before you start on the T.V. and remember the dishes. Tracy already did a lot of them, you just have the soup bowls from dinner and the cups.” Maggie said to them as Shelly was coming down the steps.

“Okay Mom.”

Shelly led Tracy and Maggie into the clubhouse where they were doing the meeting. The older ladies greated Shelly first and said hello to Maggie as she came in with one dish. Betty moved closer to the table Tracy was going for. “Hello young lady. It’s so good you keep coming. Flowers and plants are important things. As are gardens.”

“Hello Mrs. Betty!” Tracy exclaimed. The old lady held her arms out and Tracy leaned in for a hug. Then she moved on, leaving Tracy waiting by the table. Beth came over with her own pan.

“I see that grin. You got something different, don’t you?” Beth asked.

“Yep. A new variation on the chewy bar things. Plus some more goodies and salads.” Tracy stated.

“I swear.” Chloe said, with a shake of her head. “Between the two of you, we’re all going to become diabetics.”

Tracy chuckled. “Eat just a few.”

“Yeah, what my helper said.” Beth replied.

The meating started and Tracy went to a corner seat and sat with her mother. It was fun to learn about different plans of growing. She also learned about an idea for a group garden. That led to voting for what vegetables to grow in it.

Tracy was enjoying this, though it didn’t teach her much about growing. Though Shelly had been right. She was getting the chance to trade recipes with people.

I have said this many times in the past, but hopefully I can kick start this story again. Life has been tough, but I really want to keep this going.
I do have a few pages ready to go and hopefully I can get into a habit of posting.

“Yes. Well, first of all, when the doctor got the results of Tracy’s blood test back, there was an issue. And her ultrasound thing.” Maggie said as she passed Shelly a baked potato, and took one for herself. She pushed the plate to her son. Tracy was serving Shelly a slice of meatloaf.

“The results from like two weeks ago?” William asked.

“Yes.” Maggie nodded.

“What issue? And does it pertain to Tracy’s....emotional problems?”

“It does. In fact, it was a big cause.” Maggie said. Tracy had passed her father the potatoes and Vance was getting a slice of meatloaf. Tracy had made enough for a second one, in case someone wanted seconds.

“The report they sent about Tracy’s hormone level that first time was wrong. They sent a copy of a boy with a similar name, he goes to Doc Addams too. They mixed up the results. Doc Addams found it and realized that on the eighteenth, Tracy got a second dose. Now it isn’t enough to start puberty, or so he thinks. But they are stopping the hormone shots.

“A second dose? Where did the first one come from?”

“Tracy.” Maggie stated.

Here's another Tracy. This one is a bit longer and we got some trouble brewing, hence the cautions.

March 24th 1983

Lewis Horton and his wife stood in Judge Andrew Joseph Olsen’s office. The judge was the Godfather to their grandchildren, Scotty and Robbie. He also happened to be the son of June Olsen

The Horton’s were only there because no matter how hard they tried, the entire county refused to release Molly into their care. And a private talk with her, one that they had finally been able to get, at the mental health facility uncovered a bunch of information, including a way to get her out of there and possibly punish the evil child in Molly’s town.

“We want the charges on Molly dropped and that stupid restraining order taken away too.”

“You need to take this up with the District Attorney’s office. I’m not overseeing that case.” Judge Olsen said. “I’m in the traffic courts, not in the criminal. courts”

“No, see we know that you’ll help us, or we’ll ruin your career.” Mr. Horton stated. He flashed a smile that wasn’t anything good. Judge Olsen was sure this was the look that snakes give before biting people.

“Lewis, I can not do anything. I am not a part of that case. And again I'm in traffic courts.”

“How about this? You get Molly out of that jail, or we have Amy Smith go to the papers and tell them how a family court judge slept with her and impregnated her, when she was just fifteen years old. Think you’ll still be sitting there, lording over people after that happens?”

Fear flashed across the Judge’s face, but he tried to get his poker face back, but the Horton’s had seen it. “What are you talking about?!?”

“You know what I am talking about. You slept with a minor, just so she could get a lesser sentence and now she is pregnant. I also know that in February, she was here to tell you that she was pregnant and Molly overheard it. I also know that if you refuse, we take her to the papers and we watch your life go down in flames.”

“You’re crazy.” Andrew muttered.

“Oh, we have a plan and we can get the finger of blame taken away from you.” Lewis said. “But first, you need to get Molly released into my custody. And I want it done today.”

~~~~****~~~~

Tracy went into Doctor Addams’s exam room. It was just past three in the afternoon. After about ten minutes there was a knock at the door and Doctor Addams stepped in, then he held the door and asked. “You don’t mind Ivan being in here as well, do you?” As far as she knew, this was a last minute appointment. Again. But it was to tell her things they found out after her last appointment. And the inclusion of her therapist was amazing.

Tracy shook her head. She sat on a bed, while her mother sat in a chair by the bed. “We’re okay.” Maggie said. Clearly something big was found to include him. Ivan went to a far corner of the room and leaned against the wall. William had wanted to be there, but he had been called into a temp job for the day.

Doctor Addams spoke up. “Okay. We found some stuff. The Ultrasound was good. And we also got the second set of blood tests back.” He placed it on a white screen and turned a light on. “This here shows Tracy’s insides. This is her ovaries and her uterus.”

Maggie’s head popped up. “What?”

“Ovaries? Like real girl parts?” Tracy asked.

“Like honest real girl parts.” Doctor Addams replied.

“There’s no chance the test is wrong?” Maggie asked. She knew if it was, Tracy would be crushed.

“We'd like to do an exploratory surgery, just to check and see the status, before we do much more. Then down the road, if Tracy wants this, we open the uterus up and maybe she even has a monthly cycle.” Both Tracy and her father blushed. “Would you want that? And I mean you have to be sure, little lady.”

“I’m sure.” Tracy stated.

“Tracy, this is important. We will do some more counseling sessions, but we need to make sure that you’re okay with becoming a girl. Once done, there may be no going back.” Ivan told her. “By law, we have to do this.”

“Doctor Ivan, I’d rather be dead than a boy.” Tracy echoed something she had said a few months earlier.

“I get that. But we need to do this to the letter of the law. Plus if we work it right, you may get the military to do it.” Ivan told her, looking at Maggie as he covered the last part.

“So how did we not know this? Why was her first blood test showing she was a boy?” Maggie asked.

“That’s on the lab. I have another patient with almost the same first and last name. The lab mixed the paperwork and I am at fault for not seeing it at first.”

“You’re at fault?” Tracy asked. “But I want to be a girl. So everything is great.” She looked to her mother. “Isn’t it?”

“How is this even possible?” Maggie asked. “I know Sage has it, but how is this even a thing?”

“Well, honestly, She has something close to what they classify as a micro penis. It’s a bit bigger, but not by much. And maybe, just maybe Tracy’s testicles were never good. It’s too late to tell. All of that was destroyed months ago. But keep in mind this is all guess work.”

“So what does this mean for us?” Maggie asked

“Well honestly this makes things better. With an ultrasound, and if we can get the right person, we may be able to get the military to do the surgery so it’s no bill for you.” Doctor Addams said to her.

“And this means that Tracy’s life is going the way she wants to.” Ivan stated.

Tracy smiled. “Cool.” Then she looked at Doctor Addams. “How are we gonna make me a girl then?”

“It will take a surgery and there is a man in Colorado that we can get out here for that. If the Army won’t do it.”

“Do you think they would?” Maggie asked.

“I don’t know.” Doc Addams said

Ivan just shrugged. “First time I’ve had a case like this with military people. So we shall find out.”

~~**~~**~~

When Tracy had arrived at her aunt and uncle’s home around four, she had started cooking dinner. Her father was out, working a temp job. She was told he would be back, roughly when Frank was. She had already gotten some stuff and was making a favorite for her family. Meatloaf and baked potatoes. She was hoping to time it so Frank was there as well. She was going to wait and surprise the girls on the trip to Disneyland.

Her father and Frank both arrived shortly after five thirty in the evening. Tracy was pulling the meatloaf's out of the oven as her father stepped in. “Hey Dad. Dinner in a few. Uncle Frank just went upstairs. We’re having meatloaf. It'll be on the table in a few minutes.”

“Good. I’m starving.” He said with a smile. He headed for the stairs. “Just give me a few minutes to change.”

After a few minutes, Frank and William had come downstairs and the food was on the table. Frank sat at the head of one end of the table and Shelly was at the other. Maggie sat to Shelly’s left. Across from her was Tracy. On Frank's left and Tracy’s right side was William, with Vance in the final seat, between his mom and Uncle Frank. There were two meatloafs on a plate that was closer to Frank's seat. Baked potatoes, butter, sour cream and chives was near the ladies. In the center of the table was a bowl of steamed broccoli. There was a store bought pie on the kitchen counter, as they didn’t have the time to make one after the appointment. And while Tracy was worried about gaining weight, this was going to be the last meal with all six of them for the next week, and it was a day to celebrate.

As it was their home, Frank too the first slice of meatloaf, then he moved the plate to William

Before anyone could ask, Maggie decided to break the news. She could see her daughter was bouncing in her seat. “William, we had an interesting day today.”

William asked as he pulled a slice of meatloaf. “Really? How so? Was it what the Doctor wanted to talk to you about?” He pushed the pan to his daughter, who took a small piece.

“Yes. Well, first of all, when the doctor got the results of Tracy’s blood test back, there was an issue. And her ultrasound thing.” Maggie said as she passed Shelly a baked potato, and took one for herself. She pushed the plate to her son. Tracy was serving Shelly a slice of meatloaf.

“The results from like two weeks ago?” William asked.

“Yes.” Maggie nodded.

“What issue? And does it pertain to Tracy’s....emotional problems?”

“It does. In fact, it was a big cause.” Maggie said. Tracy had passed her father the potatoes and Vance was getting a slice of meatloaf. Tracy had made enough for a second one, in case someone wanted seconds.

“The report they sent about Tracy’s hormone level that first time was wrong. They sent a copy of a boy with a similar name, he goes to Doc Addams too. They mixed up the results. Doc Addams found it and realized that on the eighteenth, Tracy got a second dose. Now it isn’t enough to start puberty, or so he thinks. But they are stopping the hormone shots.

“A second dose? Where did the first one come from?”

“Tracy.” Maggie stated.

“What do you mean?” William raised an eyebrow, shaking his head, as though that could make him understand better.

“We went to a specialist that Doc Addams suggested and she ran an ultrasound last week. Doctor Addams had the results too.....” Maggie paused for a moment.

“What? Is it bad?” William had grabbed a potato and he placed it on his plate.. He looked at his daughter, who was smiling very brightly.

“Not exactly, but it is better than good.” Maggie said with a grin

“Dad, I got girl parts!" Tracy said, a huge smile on her face.

“What? Like your chest?”

“No, William.” Maggie paused to look at the rest of the people at the table. “Sorry everyone, but I need to get this out there.” She continued. “She has a uterus, ovaries and other parts. Or at least they said she has them. The images are hard to see. They want to do a surgery, to see if there is a possibility of cancer, but to also see how much of the parts are there. And Doctor Addams said they can do a surgery to open the vagina.”

Frank had ignored what they had said, William got a bit squeamish, but then he had to know his next question. “But what about the testicles? What about what got crushed?”

Maggie went into explaining what she had learned from Doctor Addams and what he had found out from the Doctor in Oroville. By time she was finished. William was tapping his finger on the table and looking at Tracy, shaking his head in surprise.

“Well?” Maggie asked him, after several minutes of silence.

“Well, this sure changes things.” He said with a nod.

“I know.” Maggie agreed, nodding as she said it.

“I have a thought. Could we get the doctor to speak to a military doctor? If we have to do a surgery, we can get it done that way and save some major money.” William offered the idea

“Yeah, I was thinking that as well. Ivan said he wasn’t sure if they could cover that.” Maggie said with a nod. “Hospital stays can get pricey.”

“Hospital stay?” Tracy asked. “Again?”

“Well, if they open the passage, then yes. But even for surgery too.” Maggie said, turning to face her. “See, from what Doctor Addams said, they need to make sure that neither your ovaries or any of your male parts could be cancerous. So they have to take a sample. That means they have to operate on you, but I will make sure that Disney happens first.”

“Ewww.” Vance said.

“Well, this is good news and it really means that we need a three bedroom place.” William said.

“Yeah.” Tracy replied with a nod of her head.

“Let’s table this talk for now. Please.” Shelly said. “But this does mean you can attend school next year.”

“Yep.” Tracy said with a grin. “And I get to do it with my friends.”

~~**~~**~~

That night as Tracy lay in her bed, she couldn’t go to sleep. Vance was already snoring. Tomorrow would be a huge day. With her court date to legally change her name and the trip to Disneyland, she was going to be busy. But her mind kept going back to what she had learned. She was a girl. A real girl. And she could finally live like one. The world was looking up. She had already done her packing for the trip, as had everyone else. She had even helped Vance with dishes. And she had been able to watch a little of MTV as they did dishes.

From downstairs, she could hear her parents and godparents talking softly. “We need to find a place. One with at least three bedrooms and close to here.” Her mother said to their father.

“Yeah. At least in the same school systems as both the Miller kids.” William replied. “Maybe I can get full time at that place I’ve been at twice. I think they’re about to fire some people. It’s not fancy, but maybe there is a good place where the Millers live.”

“I was thinking that. Most homes are going to be expensive and take both of us to pay for.” Maggie’s voice came back

“You know we will help any way we can.” Shelly stated. “And before you fight it, William, you can’t do everything alone in life.”

She could hear her father’s voice. “Yeah, I know.” She was shocked that her father wasn’t fighting it.

“Well folks. I need to go to bed. I got to work in the morning.” Frank said. “I hope you all have a safe trip to Disney.”

Tracy tried to stay up a bit more, but her eyes had begun to get heavy.

~~**~~**~~

Friday march 25th 1983

Tracy waited for her turn with her parents. It seemed all the cases in the morning had parents with lawyers. But they were being called in alphabetical order. Lance was to her side as they got called, and her parents were right behind her. Ivan and Doctor Adams were with them as well and suddenly she began to worry that her name change would get ignored, and she would have to live as a boy. She was glad that for the most part, the courtroom was empty and they were the last people in the group that had been called at Ten thirty. Of course it was only a group of four. The first two had gone quickly. The third case took a bit of time. Finally Her name was called. Her parents stood up, as did she. They followed Lance up to the podium. She paused to look in the seating area and was glad that no other people were left in there.

It started with Lance covering the reason for the visit. She tried to keep up with the legal speech, but it was all over her head. She could understand parts of it, like Lance saying she wanted to change her name and her birth certificate. After a few minutes, she thought she was going to be called, but Doctor Ivan stepped up and began speaking.

Most of what Ivan said she understood, all she could keep thinking about was what if she couldn’t get the name change. What if the Judge said she had to be a boy. She bit her lip and absentmindedly played with her hair.

Then when Doctor Addams told the court about her female parts, and how they were maturing. She blushed and tried to not think about it. How her inner workings were being made public knowledge. Then she heard the judge clear his throat.

“Young...um lady” Judge Rayne stopped and he looked at Tracy. He pointed to the stand with the microphone. Her mother tapped her shoulder to get her attention. “Tracy, could you stand closer to the microphone?”

“Yes sir.” She said, A bailiff came over and pulled out a stool for her to stand on. This brought her almost to the same height as her mother.

“Now, do you understand what is going on here?” The judge asked.

“Kind of, your Honor Sir.” Tracy replied with a shrug. “I don’t know the legal words, or the big medical words, but we are getting my name changed.”

Maggie looked at her. “And change your birth certificate to read female.”

“Yeah and making my papers say girl.” Tracy said to the judge.

“And you are okay with this? Do you want this? All of what is happening to you?”

Tracy looked to Lance who chuckled. “You weren’t listening?” Lance asked and Tracy shook her head.

“Too many huge fancy words. I got confused.” Tracy admitted.

Lance looked at her, but smiled. “As you know, your doctor found out that you’re a girl inside, so we’re just getting the legal papers to show that too. Name and birth certificate”

“Yes sir. I am positive that I want these changes. I want the name changed too.” Tracy said, looking at the judge.

“Why? I mean is there any chance you want to still be a boy?” The judge asked.

“Your Honor, sir, for years I have felt like a girl, but at one point, I thought it was like a release, something where I could imagine my mean brother and my father didn’t exist. I’d sneak off to mom’s closet and wear her clothes when I thought no one was home.” She looked at her dad and blushed because she was bearing so many secrets. “See, Sir, I thought they both hated me and when I got beat up, My brother defended me. And Dad has been behind me since I first told him I was a girl. Now with what's inside me, I feel I knew somehow, all along, and now I want to be complete, inside and out.” She paused for a moment, then she added. “Sir, if I had to be a boy again, I would do anything I could to stop it. I never want to be a boy again. I don’t want to live if I had to be a boy again.”

The judge heard her, but continued asking other questions. “And you’ve been living like this for how long?”

“Since February.” Tracy replied.

“Actually....” Maggie said as she stepped forward. “Tracy has been Tracy most of the time since at least last August. When she was home, and William and his father were gone, Tracy would stay at my Mother-in-law’s house and spend the day as Tracy. The Monday after Thanksgiving she started being Tracy all the time when home and she hated going to school as Troy. When she got put into homeschooling, she was Tracy full time, all under the watchful eye of Doctor Ivan Krenshaw.”

“I see.”

“And you want your legal name to read Tracy Kristen Patterson?”

Tracy nodded again, but she couldn’t help but smile. “Yes sir. I want it more than anything. This way I can go to school with my friends next year.”

The judge nodded slightly, Then he frowned as he looked down and he wrote something down, pausing to look at the clock. Then he took a leap of faith. “Then, by the power vested in me, from the state of California, at the time of eleven twenty, on March the twenty-fifth. In the year of nineteen eighty three, I approve your name change. Young lady, as of now, you are Tracy Kristen Patterson. I am also approving the petition to change your birth certificate. Counselor, you may have a bit of a hurdle because she was born in another county.”

“She was born on a military base. But we’re ready to fight each step, sir.” Lance said to him.

Tracy’s eyes sparkled with delight. Between going to Disneyland and the name change, she was on top of the world. She started to bounce in place and almost slipped off the stool, but her dad put a hand on her shoulder to keep her from falling.

“Relax, don’t fall.” William said.

She waited for the legal part of the proceeding to finish, but soon it was over and her joy had to come out. Tracy turned from the space she had been standing at with her parents and Lance. She was so excited that her name changed that she couldn't help but launch into a cartwheel, while in the courtroom. This was followed by a backflip. William called after her. “Tracy, not in here!”

But as Maggie looked to the judge, the fear that Tracy could get in trouble for treating a courtroom like a playground, she saw him laughing and shaking his head. He gave them a wave of her hand to show he wasn’t going to call her back and with the display, he knew he had made the right decision. The court reporter chuckled and shook her head.

When Tracy was back on her feet, she looked to her Dad. “Sorry, I was really excited.”

“So I see.” William said with a chuckle. “Let's save the celebration for Disney, okay?”

As the room was emptied, the court reporter looked up to the judge. "There is no way in the world that she was a boy.".

"I know. Kinda reminded me of my daughter when she was that age. Including cartwheels in a courtroom."

“I must admit, I don’t know much about the world. But that was no boy in a dress.” The bailiff said with a shake of his head.

~~**~~**~~

William and Maggie led Tracy, who was dancing out of the courthouse, much to the amusement of the people passing by. As she got outside the courthouse, she saw Harvey walking towards them, with Casey and Stacey. Tracy darted towards them and caught Stacey in a running hug.

“Is it approved?” Stacey asked.

“Yep. I'm Tracy Kristin Patterson as of today! And my birth certificate will read female too!” Harvey quickly translated for Casey, as Stacey and Tracy were jumping up and down, while hugging. When he finished, Casey joined the bouncy hug.

“Well congratulations, Tracy. But I think we need to get to Livermore. We got to pick everyone up.” Harvey said.

“Where's the wife?” William asked him.

“She went to Persephone's earlier, with Shelly, to load clothing.”

“Why did you come here?” William asked as they headed for William’s car.

“Well, Stacey’s school is just a couple of miles from here and I knew that you should be done by now. So I thought I’d see how it went before we headed to Livermore. Already got the girls' stuff packed for the trip.”

“Well, I'd like to make a stop, on the way out of town.” Maggie stated. “Beth said she would have my paycheck ready by noon.”

“So the deli and the bank?”

“Please?” Maggie asked. “The bank is right near there, in the downtown part of Livermore. Shelly knows I want to get it today.”

“I think we can do that. Plus with a deli, the girls can get something real to eat, instead of the snack foods” Harvey said. “Do you two need to get your son?”

“No, he is walking home with Moony and Jamie. He will meet us at Shelly’s place. We loaded all our clothes into Shelly's van earlier.”

“Can Tracy ride with us to Livermore? Please?” Stacey pleaded.

“I guess, if Maggie and William don't mind.”

“We don't.” William said. “Besides, we have Lance, so he gets the back seat to himself.”

“I get to feel important.” Lance said. “My choice of seats. I'll be like a rich man, riding in style.” He exclaimed, almost childlike, to which everyone laughed.

Doctor Ivan walked with them to the car. “Well, young lady. Have fun at Disneyland and don't forget your schooling. Next year you can now join Sage, Rachel and Brooke at school.”

“I know.” Tracy beamed with joy. She reached out and hugged Ivan. “Thank you.”

“You're welcome. Now you better get going, before Mickey decides to close the park for the week.”

“Young lady, you have fun.” Doctor Addams said with a smile and Tracy hugged him too. “When you return we’ll work on getting you looked at and setting up the surgery.”

“Awesome!”

Something seemed off to Marcy. Molly was standing at the front door to her home. As far as she knew, the court date had not happened yet. So how she got out was beyond her. Lionel was gone on a trip and she was to watch the boys for a few days. But now Molly was there and insisted she could take care of everything.

“It's okay. I’ve been let go and all the charges were dropped.” Molly said as she led Marcy to the door. “I’ve got this. I need some time with my boys.”

The boys came home from the half day of school and were surprised to see their Grandparents' car in the drive.

“Mom!” Robbie ran over and jumped into his mother's hug.

Something ate at Marcy the whole way home. She had known about the attack and somehow, Molly getting out early just seemed fishy. She just didn’t know what to do. Lionel was out of the country for a work conference and would not return for at least a couple days. She had no idea what to do anymore.

Either way, she had to call him.

William's car pulled up to Shelly's, taking one of Shelly's normal parking spots. To his side he could see Lilian's suburban and Shelly's van, Plus they had added Lynn's van at the last moment, for more storage. They were all gathered in front of the vehicles. Sage, Rachel and Brooke joined Stacey and Casey with Tracy. Jamie just stood with Mooney, and Vance

“Well?” Sage asked.

“It’s approved. I’m a girl on paper and my name is legally Tracy now!” Tracy said as she started to bounce in place. Her friends, except for Brooke, joined her. “And guess what? That doctor’s appointment yesterday? The doctor said I have all the female stuff in me, like Sage does!” They began to bounce again.

“Cool. So next year you get to go to school with us?” Brooke asked.

“Yep!” Tracy bounced some more.

~~**~~**~~**~~

Tracy and the girls all piled out of Lilian's truck. As they stood around, another vehicle pulled up and Persephone turned and looked, then smiled at the passengers in the vehicle. She tapped her sister on the shoulder, who also looked. “Sage, Moony, ‘Romy, Stacey, Grandma and Grandpa Baker are here. Your Aunt Agnes too.”Sage grabbed Casey’s attention, then the Miller and Parker kids went running off to see their grandparents and Aunt.

The large group headed from the back parking lot and around the building. They headed into the entryway of Big Mama's bakery and deli., passing by a few tables that had been placed outside so people could enjoy the good weather. Maggie followed them inside. Beth was in the process of locking the bakery to go into the deli. “Hello Mrs. Paulson. These are my friends.” Tracy quickly introduced all of her friends.

“A large group. Why are you here? I thought that you were going to Disneyland today?”

“We are.” Maggie said. “But we wanted to get them all something to eat, none of them had lunch at school today, and I wanted to grab my paycheck. With the bank just across the road, I can put it into the account and come back for something.”

“Mom’s in the office and she has it in there.” Beth replied.

“Thanks Beth.” Maggie said and she headed into the back.

“Hey Tracy!” A voice rang out and she looked over to see Officer Henderson and Officer Cunningham sitting in a booth. In another booth was Captain Hill.

“Hi!” Tracy bounded over. “How are you?”

“Good and you?” Officer Cunningham asked.

“Great! We’re about to go to Disneyland!”

“That’s great. I haven’t been there since I was a little girl.” Officer Cunningham said with a smile. “I bet my girls would love it....”

“Oh yeah. I remember the last time I went, like six years ago.” Tracy said. “I was a little girl and loved it.” She looked to the older Captain. “Hello Sir. How are you today.”

“Good. But it looks like you’re doing just a bit better than me.” He said with a smile. “Enjoy L.A. and be a good girl.”

“I will.” Tracy replied as Eva came out from the kitchen with food for customers.

Harvey walked over and began talking shop while the girls all ordered their meals. The six girls, plus Vance, Jamie and Mooney all took over the bar type seating at the deli. The parents grabbed a couple of tables. Each of them ordered and went back to talking

As their meal ended, Beth went up to the three tables that the adults were using. “I was wondering, do you have snacks for the girls? Disneyland is a good five or so hours away.”

“Some, we filled the vehicles up and the ladies bought snacks for the kids.” Harvey said, looking to the other fathers for confirmation. They all nodded.

“I got a bunch of baked goods that I'll just toss out tonight. They were cooked this morning. They are the cleaner ones, no cream filled or stuff like that.”

“Sure, if you don’t mind. Do you want anything for it?”

“Well, it was due to be tossed, if you don’t mind charity.”

“Tracy, you and the girls wanna come on back and we can pick up some goodies for the road?”

“Sure!” Tracy got up and led her friends to the back.

“You sure you don’t want anything for this?” Harvey asked.

“Nothing, but if you want to pay something, I’ll make it half off cause this isn’t even a day old.” Beth told him.

“Sold.”

~~~***~~***~~~

Scotty stepped back, tears forming in his eyes. He held his right arm with his left and where it had been hit with the belt hurt badly. He had never seen his mother this crazy, but now he was worried about being left with her. And then there was his Grandparents, he knew they were there, but they weren’t stopping this attack. Instead they encouraged it.

“HIT HIM!” Molly screamed at Scotty. “HIT YOUR BROTHER!!!”

Robbie was curled into a ball on the floor while his mother whipped his brother with a belt. He had never seen her this mad, even when Scotty had done something bad. His lip was already split, his nose bleeding and his eye had been hit, but Scotty had only done it after his mother had whipped him. Now he was refusing.

Molly turned to Robbie, and her face looked sad, but determined. “I’m sorry baby, but this is necessary to stop an evil person.”

Her hand with the belt went back and he covered his face as she swung. Scotty was curled into a corner of the locked room, too afraid to stop his mother.

~~~~****~*~****~~~~

Back in Oroville, something was wrong and Keith Klein knew it. He sat back in his chair, calling the number he had for the Pattersons, but no one had been answering. He had already stopped by the Patterson place, but no one was there. He knew he had to warn them somehow. He wasn’t sure where to begin, or what to say, nor was he sure how things had reached the point they had reached.

He just knew there was trouble coming for the family and coming quickly. He was feeling helpless and wished there was a good answer on how to reach them, but so far, he was striking out. He wasn’t aware of the connections that Molly had in the county, just that she had been released from jail. He had heard that the restraining orders had been removed too

_____________

Well it's gonna get a bit dark from here. Will Molly turn her evil to the town? How will this effect Tracy?

“Yes. It was all Troy’s fault.” Molly’s glee was very evident. A sick smile had been on her face for a little while now. Her parents were helping with the story to the deputy, while the boys were huddled in a room together.

“You know, just a couple of boys fighting won’t be enough to arrest and jail him for long, if he has a clean record.” The deputy said. “You need something bigger.”

“Like what?” Louis Horton asked. In his mind this was open and shut. If the courts were God fearing. “Isn’t this bad enough?”

“Not really. With their ages...boys fight all the time. But sexual assault could work, like you’re doing with Amy. But what about another kid?”

“Like Robbie?” Molly Inquired. “We’ve beat both boys.” She said so nonchalantly.

The deputy shook his head. “I was thinking about a girl. You attack a little girl and people lose their minds.”

“We already have Amy. Why do we need another?” Molly’s mother asked.

Tracy has some dark times a-coming. But she is also going to have a fun time at the Happiest place on Earth.

Harvey pulled the adults to one of the empty tables in the deli. He unfolded a map of California. “Here's my thought. We stay on Five all the way to LA. About five or six, we pull off and find something like a Denny's or something like that and feed the kids, then gas, so we’re filled all the way, then head to Disney.”

“Works for me.” Carl agreed, nodding his head. “By that point, 'Romy will be starving, even with snacks. And who knows how many bathroom stops we will need.”

“And if it’s anywhere before nine at night, there will still be traffic.” William stated, using his knowledge of the area. After all, he and Maggie had lived there for a short few years. “So stopping just over the Grapevine could be our best bet.”

“In Santa Clarita?” Carl inquired.

“Yeah.” William nodded his head. “And the kids can stretch and so can we. That should be the four or five hour mark. Then an hour or so to Disney.” He looked at Harvey. “As for bathrooms, at least when we went through a few years back, there were a few truck stops along the way. Like I said, that was a few years back, but I doubt those go away very fast.”

“Yeah. But we call the shot on that. If it looks shady, we won't get near it.” Lance spoke up. To his side the wives all nodded.

“And when we get to the hotel we’re at, keeping the girls together may already be hard.” Lillian stated.

“We’ll lay down the law when we are headed there.” Harvey offered with a shrug. “Threaten to bring them home early.”

“That would work.” Persephone stated. “I know the girls will want to sit together. After a while we all can change vehicles as well.”

“We can stay in a line and if someone needs a bathroom we can flash our lights at the car in front of us.” Shelly offered.

Harvey looked at her and arched an eyebrow. “But if I’m in the front, who do I get to warn?”

Shelly smiled. “Your truck is the hold it truck.”

Harvey began to laugh. “Let me guess, tie it in a knot?”

“Maybe. If it helps, then do it.” Shelly replied back.

“Well, lets get going. Before the kids realize we have been here for almost thirty minutes.” Carl suggested.

Harvey folded the map up as the other parents gathered the kids. Being in downtown had it’s bad side. They had to park nearly a block away.

~~**~~

At the Hallmark home, a deputy was taking a report from her. He was a distant relation on her parents side of the family. He knew it was a false one. But to make this stick, they needed to do the report. She also knew he was very anti-gay and he wasn’t the cleanest person in the sheriff’s department.

“Troy Patterson, right?” He asked and Molly nodded. “Two t’s”

“Yes. It was all Troy’s fault.” Molly’s glee was very evident. A sick smile had been on her face for a little while now. Her parents were helping with the story to the deputy, while the boys were huddled in a room together.

“You know, just a couple of boys fighting won’t be enough to arrest and jail him for long, if he has a clean record.” The deputy said. “You need something bigger.”

“Like what?” Louis Horton asked. In his mind this was open and shut. If the courts were God fearing. “Isn’t this bad enough?”

“Not really. With their ages...boys fight all the time. But sexual assault could work, like you’re doing with Amy. But what about another kid?”

“Like Robbie?” Molly Inquired. “We’ve beat both boys.” She said so nonchalantly.

The deputy shook his head. “I was thinking about a girl. You attack a little girl and people lose their minds.”

“We already have Amy. Why do we need another?” Molly’s mother asked.

“Simple. If Amy starts showing, her story could be gone and he could get an appeal. Plus claiming it happened this weekend and then her having a baby in September could get him freed.” The deputy stated

Molly began to think about the little girls she knew and June’s granddaughter came to mind. She held up one finger. “I got one. I can make this work.” In the back room, they could hear both of her boys still crying.

“Good. You’ll need evidence. Good evidence. Something that can’t be fought.” The deputy offered.

Lilian began to question if she wanted to be driving the truck with all of the girls as they started singing “it's a small world” for the tenth time since they had left Livermore. And they had only gotten out of Tracy and were merging with Interstate five. She knew this would be a very long trip. Just the six in the back was bad, but they also had ‘Romy sitting between her and her sister. Casey had taken the far back seat and was there with Sage and Tracy. Casey had a sketch pad out and was drawing something. Ahead of them was Stacey, Rachel and Brooke by the door. Magazines aimed at girls their age were on both seats. She looked at Persophone, who just shrugged her shoulders and smiled. “Just go along with it. Or we could turn up the oldies channel and drive them to a revolt.

“Girls, I have a box of tapes under my seat. If you can agree on one, I’ll play it.” Lillian called back to them.

Sage leaned down and pulled out a large box. She pulled the lid off and there were many tapes in there.

“The stranger!” Sage exclaimed, pulling one out. “Side one is awesome!”

“No fair, what about Trouble in Paradise?!? It has I love L.A.!” Stacey pouted, holding up that cassette.

Hey, John Denver!” Rachel had also grabbed a cassette. She was holding up the tape and giggling. “That’s like Sage’s Dad’s favorite stuff. That could put us to sleep.”

“She’s got a few beach boys tapes in there as well.” Stacy added.

Tracy blushed. Her father listened to Denver as well. If she was honest, she loved the music as well. There were a few oldies in the box. One or two Elvis cassettes in there. Stuff her mother would have gone with.

The girls put it to a vote and the Stranger was passed forward.

“Which side first?” Persophone asked. “We go with one side, then the next tape comes up.”

“Side one.” Sage called out, after looking at the track listing.

In the back of Harvey’s Truck, William was seated behind his son and Marcus, and next to Lok. Lok reached into a bag and pulled out a small travel chess game. “Ever play chess?” He asked with a thick accent.

“A few times. I’m no master at the game.” William said.

“Neither am I. Just a game to pass time.”

"I thought you weren't coming?" William inquired, thinking back to the night they were asked about going.

Lok shrugged. "Most students are gone for break. No need for school this week."

He put the pieces in place, thankful for the tiny magnetic version of the game. Ahead of them, Vance, and Mooney were looking at sports illustrated. Jamie sat next to a window and was reading from a teen magazine she had brought.

"What about you? You find good job yet?" Lok asked.

"Looking. Been working that temp agency. But I'd rather have something full time. But I was waiting for this trip to end." William answered,

"You know, William, We can see if we know people that are looking." Harvey said from up front. "If you don't mind going out of Livermore."

"I know I may have to." William said. "Afterall, it's a huge area I have to pick from. I just don't want to be traveling for several hours a day."

Carl nodded and turned to see him. "Understandable. What about the BART system? Park it and leave it till you get back. Save on gas money and get a monthly pass. Or ride in with Frank and just go from there."

"Frank may have suggested that. I figure when I get back, I put my nose to the grindstone and look as hard as I can. I'll start with Livermore, then move to Tracy and Dublin. After that I'll just spread out. I know I'd rather not work retail. I've got the training to drive a forklift and I can do work in like a mill."

"Keep in mind, for a job like that, you may have to go to the ports. Like Oakland, or near Benicia." Carl shrugged. "But would retail be bad, if it is paying the bills?"

William sighed as he moved one of his pieces. "I guess not. Money is money and when I'm employed, I can move on from there."

June was shocked to see Molly at her front door. As far as she knew, Molly would be in prison for a very long time. “Molly...you’re out?”

“Yes, they decided to drop the charges. Nothing was going to last in court.” Molly lied as she gestured them in. June noticed the Horton’s were behind her. In the car sat two little heads.

Molly wasted no time. “June, I need your help. Well, yours and Cindy’s, if we are to end the evil in our town. And I know you will help me.”

“What evil?” June asked. Then she wondered out loud. “You don’t mean the Patterson's do you?””

“Yes we do.” Said Molly’s father.

“No. You were already in court and the deputy warned me about threatening the Patterson's after you threatened to run them out of town.”

“June. You really think your husband would like it if we told him about how you’ve had not just one affair, but two? And maybe the IRS would like to know about how you cheat on your taxes?”

“You wouldn’t.” June said back, fear began to creep into her mind. While she had cheated. The taxes were done by her husband. Not that it would matter much to the government.

“Help me, and I’ll forget everything.” Molly said with an evil grin going across her face.

~~~***~~~

The sun had set on the four vehicle caravan as they topped the Grapevine pass and was headed down into the greater Los Angeles Metro area. Lilian had expected it and when the girls gasped at the number of lights shining out across the valley she chuckled. In front of her was her Husband’s vehicle, with William now in the passenger seat. Behind her was Shelly, with Maggie, Karen and Jaio. Behind them was Lynn and Lance and all of the luggage. Sage's grandparents took up the end of the caravan

“There it is!” Stacey began to jump around in her seat. The other girls began to cheer.

Persophone cleared her throat and shook her head. She spoke loudly for the girls. “Girls, that’s Magic mountain. We have to go though most of LA to get to Disney.”

“That’s not Disney?” Rachel looked confused. It was large and had rides.

Persephone chuckled. “Nope, even the billboard said it wasn’t it. Besides, we haven’t even reached where we are having dinner.”

“Will we be there in a bit?” Sage asked.

“Dinner, yes. Hotel? No. We're only in the northern part of the LA area. We have to go through it to get to Anaheim.” Lilian answered.

“Does Aunt Shelly know which way to go?” Rachel pondered as the vehicles began to take the off ramp. She looked behind them to see the other three vehicles follow them. She was shocked to have seen Sage’s aunt and grandparents show up. She knew Tracy’s grandparents would be there as well.

“Yes. Maggie is guiding her, but Harvey is taking the lead, William is telling him the way. They lived down here, so he remembers most of the route. Tracy’s mother will be coming with us.” Ahead of them, Harvey was heading for a nearby Denny’s restaurant. The kids were hungry, as were the adults. William had gotten out when they stopped and jogged inside so they could set up enough tables for everyone.

As everyone got out of the vehicle, they all gave a short stretch, except for brooke, who waited for her chair to stretch. Even though they were on the outskirts of the LA metro area, the feel of the city was different. If felt much busier than Livermore. William was standing by the door as they all walked over. “Fifteen minutes, they hope.”

“Good. I need a bathroom.” Carl stated. This caused the kids to realize they should go as well. As the last of the group was returning, the waitress called them over and led them to a group of six tables in the back area of the restaurant all pushed together. The girls all sat together, with Andromeda sitting with them in a booster seat. Tracy was happy with this. Life was clearly looking up. Even if her father was gesturing to the kids menu for her.

An hour or more after they had returned to the road, they were in heavy traffic. Tracy was busy singing along to the music, from a station she remembered her cousins listened to. It was modern stuff and all the girls were busy singing. They had gone through most of Los Angeles, or so it felt.

Due to how dark it was, the girls had given up on their reading and art. Now they were watching the traffic and the scenery go by. The area was super busy. All the girls looked forward as they heard the turn signal. Shelly had passed them earlier and now they were behind two vehicles.

Rachel and a couple of the others looked over their shoulders to see the other vehicles in their caravan were also turning. Of course, many other vehicles were also turning.

“Oh My God.” Sage said as she started to bounce in her seat, shaking her cousin Stacey. With her free hand she pointed to a big Disneyland sign. “We’re here, we're here!”

All the girls in the back, and ‘Romy, in the front, began screaming at the top of their lungs.

Lilian rolled her eyes as they broke into “It's a small world” Once more. Persephone turned in her seat and called out to them. “Girls. Remember. No running off. Stay with us and bring in your own bags. We all have our own stuff.”

~~^@^~~

Molly chased Cindy down the hall and she shoved her into the bedroom.

From the living room, the boys could hear the sounds of Cindy screaming as though someone was hurting her. June turned away from the sounds, afraid of how Molly could ruin her marriage and her life, but aware she was allowing her granddaughter to be hurt worse..

June wasn’t sure who Molly was anymore. Even her parents weren’t doing anything to stop this. But then, neither was she.

Trying to keep the girls together while they all checked in was hard. Even the older kids wanted to run and look around. The pure joy of being there was great. And the thought of being able to see their favorite characters was almost too much for them to bear. While several of them had seemed tired before they got there, every one under the age of eighteen was now on their second wind. It took a while to get them all checked in. And Carl had gotten with his travel agent to try and get them all on one floor. That had worked, with just two rooms down the hall from the others.

After checking in, the girls all formed a single file line and began marching to their rooms. While they marched, they began to sing, which helped other little kids near them to start up.

“We’re following the leader, the leader, the leader
Te-dum te-de
Tiddly doe da day

Soon the whole lobby was a mass of kids singing loudly.

Harvey looked to William and Lance as they got on one of the elevators. “Think they sell beer here for the fathers?”

“Nope.” William replied. “Besides, it's just a little singing. Maybe this will tire them out.”

Lilian chuckled. “William, you weren't forced to hear It's a small world for almost an hour straight.”

They could hear singing coming from the elevator shaft as the girls were on another elevator. Shelly chucked, glad she had gotten on with most of the guys.

As the elevator stopped, they got out and waited for the whole group to meet them. Then they began walking the halls. Once again the girls began to sing, with Rachel marching at the front of the line.

“Lance Williams?” A voice called out, causing Lance and the rest of the group to look down a hallway. This caused all of the girls to stop.

“Reverend Banks?!?” Lance exclaimed in surprise. “I wasn't expecting to see anyone else I knew down here.”

“The kids had a break, so we decided to treat them to Disneyland.” Reverend Banks replied. He looked at William and Maggie. “Hello Maggie. William? How does the work search?

“Well, I will admit that I waited the past couple of weeks. I’ve been working at a temp place, but nothing seems to be lasting. Thankfully We had my check from work for my sick time I never used and that was better than a normal paycheck. Over ten years and no days taken till this past November.” William stated, then he chuckled. “Wish they would have split it up though. They really took out a lot of it for the taxes.”

“Yeah, that does happen.” Ian replied back. “But when you get home, you can start your search in Earnest and if you want, I can send some ideas your way. I do happen to know several of the men who go to the church are hiring.”

“That would be wonderful.” William answered with a smile. A part of him wanted to do the work search on his own, but he would be stupid to turn down help. Especially with the amount of people that went to his church. And those people knew people and those people knew people.

“Maybe we’ll see you tomorrow.”

Reverend Banks nodded. “Well, we’re here for a few days. The girls wanted to go see the sights, but I’m not too sure.”

“There is a cool mall north of Los Angeles. It's the Beverly Center.” Tracy said and Brooke nodded.

“Big one.” Brooke added.

“Hello Tracy.” Reverend Banks said, nodding his head to her.

“Reverend.” She replied back.

“And hello Vance. It's good to see you again.”

“And who are the rest of your friends, Tracy?”

“This is Sage and her parents, Mister and Mrs Miller. Casey and Stacey and their Parents, the Parkers, Brooke and her mother and grandparents, the Hans. And You know Rachel’s parents....oh yeah, Mooney and ‘Romy are Sage’s siblings.”

“Wow. Big group.” The preacher said. “Well, young ladies, you all be good and listen to your parents.”

Saturday morning hit and Tracy seemed to wake up before the sun had risen. All of the girls were in the room with her parents. None of them had wanted to go to sleep the night before. They were all too wired. She cast a glance to the window and saw no light coming from the bottom of the curtain. Sage was laying next to her, wide awake and 'Romy had been awake for a few minutes. Someone knocked at the doors and Tracy bounced off the floor and ran to the door.

“Tracy!” Maggie said as she sat up in the bed, while Tracy was touching the door. “Look through the peephole first.”

Tracy stood on her tiptoes and looked out. “Looks like Vance.”

Her mother nodded. “Open it.”

“Hey, I need my bag. I left it here.” Vance said as he went to his bag. The night before the Patterson’s had ended up with all the kids under fourteen, leaving the Miller’s with the boys.

“Dad, it’s time to go get breakfast.” Tracy said to William.

“Nah, we can wait a few hours.” William said. “I need my sleep.”

“That’s what Mister Miller and Mister Harvey said.” Vance replied.

Tracy looked at Vance and smiled. “Like Christmas time?”

“Yeah.”

Tracy leaned over and whispered the plan and then Tracy and her friends, plus Vance and Romy attacked William's bed and they began bouncing on it. After this they would have to attack the other dad’s.

“Wake up Daddy!” Tracy said as they started shaking him. Brooke sat back and chuckled.

“Okay, okay. I'm up.” William said. Tracy shook her head as Sage started to get off the bed.

“Feet on the floor Daddy, or we keep bouncing.”

“I'm awake.” He stated again. He headed for the empty bathroom.

“Come on! Let's go to my parents now!” Sage said, “Then Rachel's and Stacey's!”

William looked out of the bathroom and smiled when he didn't see the girls. He stepped out and took a step to where his bed was and he could see the mattress cover was lumpy, as though seven little bodies were under it, because they were. He could hear giggling from under the covers. Tracy flipped the covers back and looked at him. “No more sleep. Get dressed. We got to wake the others!”

“Nope, it's nap time.” William said as he began to push on the bodies under the covers.

“That’s what my dad said.” Rachel grumbled. Then there was a knock at the door. Maggie went to it and looked out. Then she opened the door to see the other families there. Shelly had stayed with her parents and she had gotten a suite with two bedrooms. She had also helped Lilian and Persephone find another with two bedrooms. William chuckled and left the mass of kids alone.

Once all of the kids were seated on the floor and listening, Persephone took over. They were all facing the kids, to let the kids know they all felt the same.

“Now here are the rules.” Persephone said. “We're going to stay together. I know you want to run around and see everything, but we're here for the week and don't have to leave till Sunday. So no running off. We may look at Knott's Berry farm or other places this week, too. I was thinking of a mall for the girls on Tuesday or Wednesday. Rule two is for 'Romy. Stay with an adult at all times. An adult will be with the girls at all times, just to help Brooke transfer faster, okay?”

Brooke nodded. “So I can ride the rides?”

“We'll do our best to make sure you can.” William stated. He flashed her a smile, as did her Grandfather.

When Persephone was done, Lance looked to Harvey, Carl and William, who all nodded. “Well.” Harvey said as he moved to the bed. “The fathers and I have decided that we can wait, till we all get a nap in.”

“No!!” The children, including Jamie, Vance and Mooney all shouted.

“Well then, let's all head for food. We need to eat so you have energy to run us ragged. We still have to get tickets to get in though.”

“What about ticket books?” William asked. “We still have to buy E-tickets?”

Carl shook his head. “Nah, the travel agent I talked to said they stopped those last year. So it's one price to get in and ride any ride as much as you want.”

“Good, that was the biggest rip off, at least I always thought so.”

“What about the others?” Persephone asked. “Maggie's family?”

“They called this morning. Joy and Olivia are in the local area and will meet us on Mainstreet USA. Alice, My parents and the girls are going to hang out near the main gates. Both will be there about nine or nine thirty”

William spoke up. “Plus my parents will be there as well.”

“Grandma and Grandpa are here too?!?” Tracey and Vance both asked.

“Yep. They are headed to Phoenix on Monday. They wanted to spend some time with Olivia and Joy. before going to see your Great Aunt Betty.”

As they got to the main ticket gate, Tracy felt a hand on her shoulder, so she turned to look and stopped as she saw her Grandmother Bernice, her Grandfather Marion and her aunt and cousins. They began hugging as the parents pushed through the ticket booth. Once through the main gate, they went towards the large flower bed but not under the railroad track.

After the introductions of the adults were made, the girls all banded together. “So you're her cousin from her mom's side?” Sage asked.

Heidi nodded her head. “Yeah.”

“And you're the ones that Brooke met?” Rachel asked, Heidi nodded again.

“We met Brooke when she came here for that sporting thingy.” Heidi said.

“That's cool. I'm Sage, this is Stacey, her sister Casey and they are my cousins. Plus Rachel and Brooke and the little girl over with my parents is my sister Andromeda, but we call her 'Romy.”

“We heard the radio station you told Tracy about. It’s almost as good as some we have in the bay area.” Rachel blurted out.

"You wish. L.A. music is the best." Heidi said with a grin. Then a voice pulled Tracy's attention away.

“Tracy!” Angie shouted and she darted over to where Tracy was at.

“Everyone, this is Angie, she’s from Dad’s side. Her mother is the one with dark hair, over there and the other one is Olivia, my cousin.”

“Now let me see if I can do this.” Olivia said. “Brooke, Sage, Stacey, Rachel, Casey and Andromeda?” She said, after pointing to each girl.

“How did you do that?” Tracy asked in amazement.

“You spoke about them nonstop at Christmas.” Olivia said. Tracy was aware her parents and Joy had come closer.

“I did?”

”You did.” Maggie said with a nod. “But for now, let's head into the park, okay?”

“Angie, you can be with them, just try and stay near us.” Joy said. Behind them, Connor was wheeling Modine in a wheelchair. She could walk, but she didn’t want to tire herself out.

“Heidi, Cheryl, same thing.”

To keep together, Brooke let Stacey push her chair, mostly to save her arms.

~~&&~~

It had taken nearly three hours to get into the area with the haunted mansion and the pirates. Brooke hadn’t seen many things she could ride. The adults were afraid she could fall out of the teacups and the Matterhorn. William walked over and patted Brooke on the shoulder. ”You wanna go on the pirates?”

“It's Okay. The line's long. I can just watch or something.”

“Come on.” William said and he got into line with her. Unbeknownst to her, Harvey had split from the group and made sure they could take her wheelchair in there.

Thirty minutes later, William got close to the loading area. He still pushed Brooke and Tracy and her other friends were all behind him. As they got to the “William, switch her off to me.” Harvey said and he held out his hands. We'll do a switch at the boat, you get in and I hand her off to you.”

It took another agonizing forty minutes to get to where they were together. To each of the kids, it felt like a lifetime. They had let a few people pass by them so most of their group would be together. Lok got to the front and used his foot to keep the boat from moving. William step[ped in as the other girls got in behind them. Harvey passed off Brooke, then as William sat her down, he stepped in and Lok hopped in with them.

The girls were singing along with the song by the time they reached it and Brooke sat in the front seat, now partly wet and laughing loudly.

Brooke waited for William to get up, then Harvey lifted her and William moved her to the wheelchair. “Next up, haunted mansion” William said as he began pushing her. All of the kids fell in line behind them. It made William feel good to see the usually stoic Brooke finally breaking out of her shell.

Deputy Barnes pulled up to the address given to him by Molly for the Patterson's, and he saw no one around. He walked up to the house she described and knocked, but after a minute, no one answered. He walked around the house and all the windows had the curtains drawn, but he could barely see through the white curtains in the kitchen and the kitchen looked empty.

He walked next door and knocked there, but still he got no answer. “Weird.”

Half an hour later the Deputy was in the Judge's office. This judge was dealing with him directly. He didn't have to go to the DA this time. Plus this meant they already had a prefabricated plea made up. “I can only tell you that the Patterson house is empty and it looks like it has been that way for some time. The house next door belongs to William Patterson’s parents and no one answered there, but there is still furniture there.”

“I want that kid. I need him arrested, do you understand?” The Judge said in a firm tone. He knew if he waited too long, he could end up in prison himself and he’d be treated badly for his own crimes.

“Well, till someone is there, I am at a loss of where they are.”

“Keep stopping there daily.” Judge Olsen ordered.

At the gates, Alice and her parents broke away from the group, with Maggie and her family, plus Shelly, who were almost like family.

“It was good to see you again Maggie.” Alice said, pulling her sister in for a hug.

“You too. We're in the Bay Area now, so it's closer to visit. Who knows, maybe we should try Thanksgiving some year.”

“You know, that would be nice. All the girls ever go to their dad's parents on Thanksgiving and Christmas.”

They fell in line behind the others, all the children were exhausted. Andromeda was the only one who ended up being carried, passed out and drooling slightly on her father's shoulder. Even Vance and Mooney were beat. After a day of trying to keep up with the girls.

“Tomorrow, I wanna go on Pirates twenty times!” Sage announced.

"Me too!" Brooke exclaimed. Harvey looked at William and shrugged.

“Well, we do have a good system going on.” Harvey stated. “And they let us take her on the teacups.”

March 29th

Day four dawned and William led Vance away from the girls. On day three they went to Knott’s Berry Farm. Today they were planning on making Rachel happy.

“Where are we going?” Tracy asked.

“Well, Olivia said she had something to show you all when we go to the Beverly Center today. She said you’d like this.”

Olivia had Lilian stop a little ways down the road, then the girls all followed her down the road to a fountain at the side of a busy road. Olivia turned and gestured to it. “Girls, this is the Electric fountain. Want a picture?”

“That’s cool, I guess.” Tracy replied. She couldn’t tell what was so important about the fountain. But it was a gasp from Sage that caught her attention.

“Tracy, this is the fountain! THE Fountain!!!” Safe forced her to look at it.

“Which one?!?”

“From the video, our lips are sealed by the Go-go's!” Sage said, looking around at the fountain they had seen, countless times. “The one they danced in!”

Tracy walked around it until she could see the street behind it and saw the buildings they saw in the video. “Holy cow!” She exclaimed. To her, this was holy ground.

“Want your pictures now?” Olivia asked them.

William, Vance, Lance, Carl, Moony and Harvey all got out of Harvey’s truck and the boys saw where they were. The entire trip they had been in the back, just watching the city pass by, but neither of them knew where they were at, until they saw the building.

“Wait? What? This is the forum?!?” Vance was surprised. He turned to see his father. “We’re going to see the Lakers?!?”

“Really?!?” Mooney asked. While he wasn’t a Lakers fan, he was a fan of basketball.

“Yes. We thought you boys, and us dad’s all needed something...not as girly?” Lance offered.

“Cool.” Vance said.

“Keep in mind, boys. This is just a game and one drink. We don’t have a lot of money for memorabilia.”

"Hey, we get to see the Lakers. That's cool enough."

Vance and William stepped into the hotel room and Tracy looked up from the T.V. One one bed was Sage, Andromeda, Rachel and Jamie. The other bed had Casey, Stacey and Tracy. Maggie was elsewhere, enjoying some adult time. So they left Jamie in charge of all the girls and the ladies were all in Persephone’s room, which was next to them. “So who won?”

“Lakers. One twenty seven to one oh nine. Played the clippers!” Vance exclaimed. “It was a great game too!”

~o~O~o~

On the last day of their Trip, Tracy felt sad. They had gone to see the Mall for Rachel. Plus they had fun at Knott’s berry farm. And at least four days at Disneyland. Plus a day of going to the ocean to watch the crazy surfers. She felt sad to leave all of it. But to also be leaving her grandparents, and other relations. Modine and Conner had already left and had only really stayed one day at Disney. But she felt bad for other reasons. She hadn’t been feeling well since the day before and she had stayed in the hotel, resting as she was really sick. . She had woken that morning with a headache and red, itchy eyes. For now she was riding away from her friends. As far as she knew, her grandparents would be headed home to Wyoming and another set of grandparents would be going back to Oroville soon. This meant it would be awhile till she saw either set again.

When she returned home, her life of homeschooling could continue. But she had her friends and everything was looking up in the world. The soon to be future surgery did scare her. But she could deal with it when it happened. She closed her eyes as the van traveled on. Her mother was in the front seat and her Dad was in the backseat with Vance and she had been lying down on the far back seat. She was sad she couldn’t be with her friends, but her mother insisted when they heard her eyes felt itchy and watery.

~o~O~o~

Trouble is brewing. Big trouble.