What're you lookin' at? | Ramblings from a self-proclaimed yada yada yada...ist

Brain Fest Friday: Killing two birds with one (tragic) stone

When I first brought up the idea of TLF part three, I'll admit, I was nervous. Without the charm and naiveté of 'lil Frema, how could this saga possibly continue? Is it worth it without the commentary? Did I have it in me? (Your mom has it in her!) And where on earth would I find the time to write pages of morally reprehensible fiction when I can barely manage to update my blogs?

Despite my concerns, I decided to go for it, and with the help of a stellar creative team, have pulled together some kick-ass storylines sure to keep both you and your mom on your toes. The first installment will be posted next Friday as planned, and I can't think of a better way to spend my (very little) free time than bringing these characters back to life. Literally, for some.

But first I want to pick your brain. Getting a feel for where you're at with these characters will add further direction to the group's ideas and give us all a refresher course in what makes this tale so darn tragic.

TLF fans, I'd be much obliged if you'd answer one or more of the following questions:

• Out of the entire series thus far, who is your favorite character? Why?
• Who's your least favorite?
• Which character would you define as the most tragic?
• Any loose ends you want tied up?
• What do you want more of in part three?
• What could you do without?
• Who is your favorite couple? (Answers can include dead characters and those of the non-romantic variety.)
• What you describe as the most defining moment in the series?

For those unfamiliar with the antics of the 90210 gang from hell, check out the reader recaps for parts one and two. If you're feeling really ambitious, read the entire archive. You won't be sorry.

Horrified, maybe. But not sorry.

Moods, swinging of, even moreso than Jenna's

At the time of the start of this entry it's 2:08 in the morning. I should be catching some zzzz's, but instead I've chosen to burden the Internet with my tormented, sort-of-depressing thoughts. Lucky you.

The time has come for Luke and I to put our one-income-family plan into action. His last day of work has already been acknowledged by his department with a farewell lunch at Rock Bottom. I've been in contact with my supervisor and made plans for us to share a meal of our own before heading back to the office, to get up to speed on what I've missed and mentally prepare for what things will be like upon my return. It's no longer numbers typed into an Excel spreadsheet; it's our reality. Luke is a stay-at-home dad. I'm a working mom.

And even though there are still almost three weeks until I have to swipe my security badge at the lab's employee entrance, I feel like my maternity leave is already ending, because come five o'clock tomorrow, Kara and I will say good-bye to this special time we've had getting to know each other. I'm happy for my husband, but so bummed for me.

After Friday, things will be different. No longer will I be the primary parent with whom Kara spends most of her time. Gone will be the days of Luke walking through the door after a long day at the office and me greeting him from the living room couch, spewing happy words about the funny sounds the baby made that morning, cradling her sleeping body in my arms. No more singing "Peppermint Twist" while dancing around the apartment at eleven a.m.

It's not mommy guilt I'm suffering from; it's sadness.

I'm trying to be strong. I'm trying to get excited about shopping for work clothes and grabbing a shower before noon every day and talking to other adults again. I don't want people to feel sorry for me. I don't want Luke to feel bad (happy birthday, honey!). I know that somebody's got to work and my bond with Kara will continue to grow and eventually it'll all get easier.

But IT EFFING SUCKS, just the same.

To keep myself from drowning in a pint of Ben and Jerry's, I'm hereby announcing the official return of Tragic Love Friday, if only to have something awesomely trivial to focus on in my spare (ha!) time. It won't run every week, or even every other week right now, probably just once a month until a solid plot's been established, but no worries, because you'll have Brain Fest Friday to hold you over between installments. We'll have our first official BFF session tomorrow, so be sure to tune in. In the meantime, I'm going out on a limb and setting a TLF season premiere for...(flips through Norman Rockwell calendar) March 28. Those of you interested in being part of the writing team, please e-mail me so I can add you to my newly created Gmail group, which should allow us to swap ideas in an orderly fashion. If you don't have a Gmail account, let me know and I'll send you an invite. Also, don't stress about your literary skills or lacking soap opera background; I'll be controlling the main direction of the story and do eighty percent of the writing, anyway, but from time to time I'm sure I'll need pinch-hitters, and who better than a TLF fan?

Whew. Just thinking about the tragic possibilities makes me smile.

Edited to add: Of COURSE Kara choose this particular morning to wake up at five o'clock making the cutest sounds imaginable. But how can I be mad at this sweet little face? Does she not kill with the adorableness?

Edited to add AGAIN: Luke's V-Day present to me? A TWO-DISC collection of love songs by Phil Collins. It doesn't get any better than this, folks. (Seriously. I'm beyond giddy.)

I guess we're all two nuggets short of a six piece.

At least in the common sense department.

Can I tell you how much I loved reading about everyone's verbal shortcomings? Your stories were so awesome that I only felt the tiniest bit guilty for not updating the rest of the week. I'm thinking this pick-your-brain fest needs to become a regular feature. Ever since the season-two finale of Tragic Love Friday, I've missed giving people something to consistently look forward to, so it's fun to imagine "What're you lookin' at?" as a landing spot for shits and giggles once again.

Unless...

Speaking of TLF, I've been thinking a lot about our batshit-crazy fivesome (well, foursome really, continue to RIP, David) and how much I miss their morally questionable antics. Back when I was still pregnant and clueless about how often my chest would double as a bassinet, I had high hopes for continuing the insanity in the form of a reader-inspired, online soap opera, setting up the initial plot outline myself and soliciting excerpts from all of you. Then Kara was born, and I kind of lost touch with reality for a couple of weeks, and now I'm mentally preparing myself to go back to work, and it's already hard enough to keep things fresh around here without wondering how many of you are groaning each time I post yet another baby picture. The pressure associated with reviving TLF just might do me in. But damn, how fun would it be to give part three a go? We could even assign a role to my latest celebrity crush:

(Stacy, I know you'd approve.)

Since it wouldn't just be a matter of typing out pre-written pages, I'm not sure how much time I'll have to devote to TLF, but I really think it's a worth a try, as long as you guys are still on board and enough of you are willing to share your literary talents with me--and of course, by "literary talent" I mean "smutty love scenes (with Matthew Fox! and Jenna! yes?) and V.C. Andrews-style storylines." We could rotate Brain Fest Friday (BFF!) and Tragic Love Friday so that we all have more time to dedicate to this very important and not-at-all-fluffy writing project.

So, what say you? Are you with me? Or should we just resign to being BFFs?

On a random note (except not so random because Matthew Fox is on Lost and what I have to say is kind of related to Lost), a couple of weeks ago I was mortified to realize that my hair, which hasn't been professionally tended to since October, had grown into such a state of disarray that I am now a dead ringer for Hugo "Hurley" Reyes:

Don't believe me? See for yourself:

Is time for haircut, yes?

Luckily, there's one gal in the Frema-Useless Clutter household who looks perfect just the way she is.

Hat courtesy of the lovely Isabel.

My beautiful baby is eight weeks old today, which means Luke and I take her in at one o'clock this afternoon for her first batch of shots. I may not be the patient, but already I feel nauseous.

Tragic Love Friday: Audrey to the rescue

Hey! Remember back in August when I solicited recaps for part two? And how nobody was up for the job and I was very, very sad about the lack of TLF love?

Well, happy days are here again, because Audrey of Sangria Lover came to the gang's rescue. She actually rescued me at the beginning of the month, but I've been too busy to format her Word entry within TypePad and I was adamant about posting it on a Friday because duh, Tragic Love FRIDAY, and anyway, now it's the end of the month and I hope she forgives me.

Because her recap? Is AWESOME.

Enjoy.

-------

Tragic Love Friday – The Sequel

I tried to keep it short and sweet, but there was A LOT of tragic lovin' going on these last few months! I also looked back at the Part 1 recaps for inspiration and loved Silly Hily's idea of including the best commentary from each chapter so much that I went ahead and stole it. Because TLF just wouldn't be the same without the commentary. And you know what else it wouldn't be the same without? The comments! So I re-read all of the hilarious comments and copied and pasted my favorites for each chapter here as well. I felt it was important to recap every aspect that makes TLF so amazing--Lil' Frema's writing, Adult Frema's commentary, and TLF Addicts' comments.

Prologue – Kayla

Kayla, Cassie, and Kyle arrive in Cedar Springs, Iowa via plane. Their car will arrive via u-haul truck, obviously.

Kyle is the result of Kayla being gang-raped by some security guards in prison, just a month after her daughter was taken from her to live with Jenna and Michael.

Katherine is the reason they're in Cedar Springs. Kayla's dick (p.i.) located Katherine, and the Kayla-Cassie-Kyle clan have come to … spy on her?

Kayla has a new last name and a new hair color. Kay is Clark Kent to Kayla's Superman, and Michael, as we will learn, is far too stupid to see past the metaphorical eyeglasses and recognize her.

Kyle has no idea about his half-sister or the circumstances of his birth. Kayla's painted a nice picture of a family-abandoning father figure for him to admire.

Kayla hopes for a brother-sister bond between Katherine and Kyle. Be careful what you wish for, sweetie.

Best commentary: "Don't cry!" my friend said. "It'll be OK, Kay. I promise. I feel the same way you do. I'm dying to see my niece." [You'd think these women would've sworn off exaggerated death references forever. Such poor taste!]

Best comment: Pink Herring. Here comes the incest! Woohoo! It's not a real soap until a long-lost sibling pair unwittingly falls in love, forgets to use protection, and then finds out about their parentage when the chick is already knocked up.

Chapter 1 – Katherine

At school, Katherine meets Kyle and immediately develops a not-so-sisterly crush on him. The feeling is mutual. Actually, Kyle is a big flirt, and Katherine is annoyed by this. Lucky for Kyle, Katherine is asked to tutor him because he's "a little behind." They make arrangements to "study" together.

Best commentary: He seemed satisfied with my response. "Fair enough. I'm sorry if I rubbed you the wrong way today." [And that wasn't even an innuendo!]

Best comment: Isabel. My prediction is that Kyle really wasn’t asleep in the back of the car. The kid is smart, don’t forget. He totally knows what’s going on. He knows that Katherine is his (half) sister and he’s into that kind of thing.

Chapter 2 – Jenna

Jenna works as a personal assistant in advertising. For a company that "wasn't really recognized as trustworthy and worthwhile." Her boss lands the big Folger's account, so naturally she has to do all of the work. With bitch Agatha's help.

Jenna and Michael have twins--Luke and Leigh. But they want another--one to name after Michael, preferably (because Luke wasn't good enough? Or Michael and Michaela just didn't sound as good as twin names?)--but they've hit some infertility struggles and their marriage is suffering a bit as a result. The lines of communication, they are not good.

Best commentary: [OK, in my line of work, I've seen managers fired after five MONTHS of non-performance, but what can I say? Lil' Frema hates to put people out of work. Killing off innocent babies is fine, but contributing to America's poverty population is not an option. For now.]

Best comment: May. I'm glad that lil' Frema has Jenna & Mikey still in love & nice to each other, despite the pressure of 3 kids, crappy jobs, infertility, etc... I mean, haven't they been through enough? (Answer - no, we still have more sequel to go! Yay!)

Chapter 3 – Kyle

It's time to tutor. Kyle invites Katherine over then does what every girl dreams of by asking her to help him unpack when they're done studying. Swoon! Then he goes and hides in the bathroom because he has no friends. Gee, Kyle, maybe if you invited more people over for manual labor…

Incestual flirting takes place. (I'm pretty sure I made up the word Incestual. Just go with it, k?) Kyle tells Katherine that she looks just like his (their) mother. Ew.

Speak of the devil, Kay(la) comes home and is surprised to see her long-lost daughter. Aunt Cassie meets her niece. Kyle gets suspicious, but is placated with an "it's complicated, you'll understand when you're older" brush off. Katherine stays for a k-lassy frozen pizza dinner. More incestual flirting ensues, and Kay does NOTHING to stop her children from getting involved in what is quickly becoming an inappropriate relationship.

Michael comes to pick up his "daughter," and we learn that he is incredibly stupid and cannot recognize [that murdering bitch] Kay.

Kyle goes to bed but doesn't fall asleep for "a long time." My guess is he was "contemplating the trials and tribulations of his complicated existence." *wink, wink*

Best commentary: [Geez, with all that time he spent contemplating the trials and tribulations of his complicated existence, he could have just masturbated.]

Best comment: Rachel. And, I am so glad that Michael is not teaching at my kid's school! He is definitely not the brightest crayon in the box. I'm pretty sure that if I dyed my hair blond tonight, um, my face will still look the same.

Chapter 4 – Michael

Michael and Jenna visit the fertility doctor to find out (who's at fault) what the problem is. Doctor has bad news--basically it's a really really bad idea for Jenna to get pregnant again. Her body can't handle it.

Michael tries to smooth things over by suggesting a weekend getaway. Jenna's far too busy with the Folger's account to mess around with romantic nonsense.

Michael later runs into Kayla who "conveniently" has a flat tire in his school's parking lot. Even though she's a "complete stranger" to him, he gives her a ride home and pours out his heart about his failing marriage.

He comes home and his son tells him to "Get some, Dad." He probably doesn't, though, even though he and Jenna are having a rare romantic moment at the end of the chapter.

Best commentary: "I hate it when that happens," I said, and she laughed. "I can't replace your stuff or turn back time [or even put two and two together to realize you're the same woman who tried to kill my wife fifteen years ago, even though "Kay" and "Kayla" are about as different from each other as, well, "Mike" and "Michael"], but I can give you a ride home."

Best comment: Isabel. I love how the doctor is named "Peters". The 13 year old boy in me giggled when I read that. Tee-hee.

Chapter 5 – Kayla

Kayla is loving that Katherine comes home and makes out with her son every day after school. Is developing a major crush on Michael. (Chandler: Could things BE any more inappropriate?)

Michael and Kayla run into each other at the grocery store and then decide to spend the whole day together. Except instead they go see a movie that night.

Kyle is sketching Katherine. Probably nude. Kayla lets it slide.

Cassie is, for once, a voice of reason and advises Kayla not to date Michael. She is ignored completely.

Kayla dresses for an 80s-themed date, despite the fact that she is living in 1994, and all but encourages Kyle to pursue his love for his sister.

Michael picks Kayla up and both have apparently forgotten all movie plans. They go to a bar instead. And talk about how crazy Jenna is losing her shit. He notices a scar from a past suicide attempt of Kay's and then takes her to … uh… Lover's Lane? Where Kayla describes how Kyle saved her from her botched suicide attempt.

After that oh-so-romantic discussion, they start making out. Then she stops things before they go too far (for now), and he takes her home.

Best commentary: Everybody did their own thing [did their own sister]
and
but only an idiot could miss the added sparkle that I knew could be found in my eyes. [Kayla, have you met Michael Spencer?]

Best comment: David McNelis. Kay is so gonna end up boinking Michael. But then at least Michael will be able to honestly say to Katherine, "Yeah, well I porked your mom!" and not be lying in the least. Won't he be happy to get that off his chest. :)

Chapter 6 – Katherine

Kyle asked her to go to the video dance, whatever the hell that is. None of the adults stop this from happening, naturally.

Katherine gets all gussied up with her suspenders and striped pants. When snooping around to steal her mom's perfume, she stumbles upon some adoption papers but doesn't realize they are her own.

Kyle picks her up, gives her a rose, and we end the first part of TLF 2.0 with Katherine dreaming about how magical the night will be. If only she knew what was in store for her… So long, innocence! So long, sanity!

Best commentary: [Oh, Jenna and Michael, please produce more children who you can ignore and leave alone to fend for themselves, with only a pizza to console them!]

Best comment: Rachel. Don't ring loud!

Chapter 7 – Katherine

They took a cab to the dance. How romantic. They dance. They kiss. And it's great, as only a kiss between siblings can be. Or maybe I mean weird and creepy. Not great.

Then they go outside and Kyle rapes her. It's not pretty at all. Katherine is understandably angery. But at least Kyle was thoughtful enough to leave her cab fare (prostitute fee?). Which she rips to shreds in anger.

Best commentary: It was sweet and passionate and tender. [And also against God's plan!]

Best comment: Isabel. My notes do indicate that I instantly thought of Brian Astin Green's character in 90210 dancing like a FOOL when you mentioned Kyle being a good dancer. Sweet.

Chapter 8 – Jenna

Katherine is losing her shit, but nobody seems to notice.

Michael misses the special dinner Jenna makes, so the hungery twins have to eat without him. Katherine continues to lose her shit.

Michael gets home late. They fight.

She slaved over the Folger's presentation and then the bitch assistant stole her materials and so Jenna got fired. Because that's what happens in the cold, harsh world of ad agency assistant work.

Best commentary from Frema: At home, I was surprised to see Katherine was already there. [I have a daughter? Cool!]

Best commentary from Jennifer/Pink Herring: "By now, Michael, you shouldn't need my help! You should be able to understand me!" [Honestly, Michael. I don't even know why we paid for all those mind-reading classes!]

Best comment: Virginia Gal. Is it wrong of me to think that the only difference between Michael's mistress (Kay) and Jenna's (her job) is that he is getting laid and she is getting laid off?

Chapter 9 – Michael

Michael comforts Jenna after she gets canned. Then thinks how old she looks and makes her go take a nap while he goes to tell Kay that he's in love with her. And then they get it on.

Best commentary: Just last weekend we put up her Christmas tree. [Because baby Jesus loves it when adulterers come together to honor his birth with flashing lights.]

Best comment: Lizarita. You're KILLIN ME SMALLS.

Chapter 10 – Katherine

Is pregnant with her half-brother's rape baby. Jenna is flippin' burgers at Burger King.

Katherine decides to take matters into her own hands and take a bunch of her mom's anti-depressants.
Lucas is starting to be affected by the tragic drama going down around him. Katherine tries to be a good sister for a minute before going to spend the night at Shannon's house.

Best commentary: I had to pee on a stick (provided by the box, how thoughtful). [Honey, that stick is the test. Peeing on anything else just means you're weird.]

Best comment: Sant. I like how Lucas went from being raunchy hormonal to a shirt sleeve sobbing 6-year old in no time flat.

Chapter 11 – Katherine

Shannon's house is where she pops the pills to pop her baby out of her stomache. All the while she's having hallucinations of her little daughter, whom she affectionately names Katrina before blacking out. When she comes to, she finds herself in Shannon's bathroom, covered in blood and shit (quite literally). Which she proceeds to rub on her face. She feels okay, but something is still swimming around inside of her. (Excuse me while I add to the vomit in the room.)

Shannon is a saint and washes the bathroom. Three times.

Best commentary: "Kath, you were pregnant. You lost your baby." I nodded. [Um, how would Shannon know this? Katherine's only a few weeks along, and unless there was an arm or toe bopping on the surface, there'd be no way for a teenager to diagnose this as a miscarriage.]

Best comment: Molly. Beatings and vomiting and rubbing dead baby pieces on faces, oh my!

Chapter 12 – Kyle

Kayla reveals that she's pregnant. Cassie punches her. Frema celebrates the return of batshit crazy. Kayla and Cassie duke it out.

Kyle is a little freaked out that his whorish mother is pregnant. He almost feels bad about what he did to Katherine, but then talks himself out of it and convinces himself that it was her fault for being such a tease. He hates her. And also is in love with her.

Best commentary: [This is where the "Anything you can do, I can do better" part of today's title came from, because God forbid something good or bad happen to anybody without this woman jumping in with a one-upper. Jenna gets pregnant? Kayla gets pregnant AND carries the baby to term. Jenna gets married and enjoys a committed, monogamous relationship for over a decade? Kayla steals him in two weeks. Biological daughter is raped? Kayla gets knocked up by said daughter's father. Kayla wins, every time!]

Best comment: Molly. The kitchen scene with the sisters was awesome. I loved that they kept beating on each other like wild apes.

Chapter 13 – Jenna

Christmas morning starts with a good ole marital fight. Michael has huge balls; I'm not sure how he shops for pants. Jenna accuses him of having an affair. They hear the twins sobbing and find the twins, whose Christmas has been ruined forever, comforting Katherine who is having a conversation with Katrina.

Michael and Jenna start throwing punches in front of the kids. Katherine tries to intervene and gets kicked in the stomache. Her stomache "rumbles and bursts," breaking the water of her still-swimming fetus. Jenna realizes with horror that her little girl is pregnant and Michael calls the paramedics. The twins continue to be traumatized.

They get to the hospital and Michael immediately calls Kayla. Balls = huge. Michael lets it slip in front of Jenna that Kay(la) is preggers. Jenna quickly proves she is smarter than Michael (doesn't take much) and realizes that Kay is, in fact, Kayla. Kayla tries to claim Katherine as her own, but Jenna won't allow it.

The doctors deliver Katrina via c-section and it barely resembles anything human. Still, Katherine caresses her baby (better than rubbing shit on her face, at least!) and apologizes for hurting her.
Katherine has to stay at the hospital for a week, so Jenna takes her family home--except Michael, who chooses to stay with Kayla.

Best commentary: [Talking to the spirit of your dead fetus. One of those pesky side effects Planned Parenthood failed to include in their brochure.]

Best comments: (Chapter 13 was pretty long and there were too many great comments to pick just one!)

Silly Hily. Oh the irony (and confusion) here. Jenna, who's baby was killed by Kayla, kills Kayla's baby's baby. Is she going to take out Kayla's new baby as well? Can she make it two ladies and gents? We shall see.

Kathie. Because, when would be a more appropriate time to introduce your wife and your mistress than when your daughter was in hospital having a miscarriage that isn't entirely not your own fault? It's like Michael thought "Hey, I'm up shit creek without a paddle here, I might as well get it all over with at once...". The man either has ginormous balls, or is clearly insane. Or both.

Isabel. Dr. Frema, will you deliver my next child? You've got mad medical skillz.

Chapter 14 – Kyle

He is reeling from everything he's learned. He raped his sister. Aunt Cassie isn't his aunt. His mom's gettin' it on with Katherine's dad.

Kayla tries to explain. She sums up TLF part 1--baby killing, baby-daddy killing, prison rape, and all.
Kyle admits to raping his sister. Naturally, Kalya understands and, a rape victim herself, isn't mad that her son is a rapist.

Best commentary: [You'd think the fact that she was pregnant herself would have caused her to show more remorse for killing an innocent life that hadn't even been born yet, but no, she still mourns the jackass who couldn't keep his dick in his pants.] [I'm sorry, David, I didn't mean it. Love you! Mean it! RIP!]
and
[But you're still grounded! No sex for a week.]

Best comment: Angela. Kyle: Momma, the thing is... I raped my sister, just like what happened to you, I'm so sorreeeeee! Kayla: Oh, it's okay sweetie, that doesn't shock or horrify me as a former rape victim whatsoever, let's go eat cookies and sing kumbaya!

Chapter 15 – Kayla

Kayla pays a visit to the Spencers. Completely ignores Jenna. Has a chat with Michael--he's pissed about the betrayal and stuff.

She's making her rounds, so she heads to the hospital next. Katherine apparently can't get a nurse to keep her clean, as she's lying in a pool of blood in her hospital bed. And she's pissed at Kayla, too. Abandonment issues and all that.

Best commentary: He filled up a part of me [snicker] I thought I'd closed off."

Best comment: Silly Hily. "Grow up...not everything revolves around you." ???? Oh no bitch didn't!

Chapter 16 – Cassie

She and Kyle have a little heart-to-heart in which Cassie earns zero character development. They mostly talk about how upset and hurt Kayla must be feeling.

Best commentary: "He hit her?" Kyle looked angery. [Really. Forcing a woman into sex and impregnating her with your child is one thing, but slapping one is quite another!]

Best comment: Virginia Gal. Kyle: "If I had known Katherine was my SISTER..." Though I do feel better that he's sorry because Katherine was his sister, does that mean he wouldn't have been sorry if he'd done that to another girl?

Chapter 17 – Michael

Katherine comes home on Frema's birthday and promptly demands to see her adoption papers and photos of her parents. Michael despairs about how much weaker than Kay(la) his wife is. (Bastard.) Then he realizes that he's in love with both Kayla and Kay--all of her. He immediately tells Jenna. The entire Spencer family goes to pay Kayla a visit.

Best commentary: [Michael, you sonofabitch. A woman forced to bear the brunt of her HORRENDOUS mistakes, at least two of them made at the expense of YOUR OWN DAMN WIFE, hardly makes her admirable.]

Best comment: TasterSpoon. Poor Jenna. First the Folger's presentation, now this.

Chapter 18 – Katherine

On the way to Kayla's, she goes through a roller coaster of emotions but ultimately forgives Kayla and Kyle. No commentary.

Best comment: Fraulein N. Has Katherine been taken over by a pod person?

Chapter 19 – Kayla

Kayla is spiraling into deep depression. She's alone at the house. She grabs some pictures and goes to the garage, which she drenches in gasoline. She gets in her car, puts some Beethoven on the radio, and tosses a match out the car window.

Best commentary: "God, bless them and keep them safe," I whispered, closing my eyes. "I can't do it anymore." [Especially now that you're going to burn in Hell.]

Best comment: Silly Hily. And poor Jenna. She's still left all alone. Kayla not only kills her baby and her baby daddy and then takes her husband away from her but then she goes and kills herself as to get to David first. So, now she's got first dibbs on him, too.

Chapter 20 – Kyle

Sees the flame in the distance and runs to his mom's side. Kayla has passed out (and probably already died) due to inhaling too much smoke. He starts to try to save her but then remembers when he saved her from her botched suicide attempt when he was only 11. He "had saved her from death, only to let her go through more pain."

He apologizes and promises that he won't let her go to heaven alone, then joins her in the car.

Best commentary: "I won't leave you go to Heaven alone." [Oh, Kyle. You'll have to set your sights a wee bit lower. Maybe Purgatory will have you.]

Best comment: Isabel. When I just had to verify my comment, the code was "Kye". I think it was Kyle contacting me from the dead.

Chapter 21 – Cassie

At Kayla and Kyle's funeral, she recalls the scene when she arrived at the burning house. An officer starts to tell her about "the corpses," but Michael insists that she hear the news from him.
When the Spencers arrive, Jenna runs to get help while Michael stays and makes sure the twins witness the whole traumatic scene.

Back at the funeral, Cassie pays her respects. And maybe makes me cry a little. Then she and Katherine walk away from the graves, hand in hand.

Best commentary: We stayed behind until all the others were gone [what others? Her gang rapists?].

Best comment: Pink Herring. The bodies were burnt beyond recognition? No mention of compared dental records? FAKED DEATH!!

Chapter 22 – Jenna
4 years later

Jenna and Michael divorced but managed to stay friends.

Cassie's mom got AIDS from being a slut early in life, so Cassie and Katherine moved to Illinois to take care of her.

The twins are 16; Lucas is failing in school but excelling at painting creepy portraits of Katherine. Leigh has completely dropped out of school and dates a lot of worrisome boys. Stellar parenting, Jenna.

Michael comes over for dinner. The end.

Best commentary: I could see she was unhappy, so I didn't make her go, which didn't go over well with Michael. [Seeing as he's a FUCKING TEACHER, I would guess that no, Mikey wasn't jumping for joy at that.]

Best comment: Silly Hily. Can I just say that I was so hoping there would be a BIG twist, like her "visitor" in the end being David or something. What? People come back from the dead all the effin' time on Soaps.

-------

How are you guys doing without a weekly dose of TLF in your life? Are you adjusting or drumming your fingers impatiently for part three? Be honest. I can take it.

Maybe.

Tragic Love Friday: I'm so glad we had this time together

Before I proceed with killing a Friday tradition many of us have grown to love, let me first say that last night's class went well. I accomplished everything on my to-do list and was able to fill up all but forty minutes of the two-and-a-half-hour session, which pleased me immensely because my primary fear was running out of material. And really, who doesn't expect the first day of an undergraduate class to let out early?

One down, twelve more to go.

This week has been so insanely busy that I'm not sure I'm in the right frame of mind to give TLF the send-off it deserves. I can't stop thinking about the Web site I need to update for work and the two entries I have to write for Parents.com sometime between now and 11:59 p.m. Saturday night. But know that I am so, so sad about its conclusion, because what good will Friday be without a serving of tragic love?

To keep things fair, I'd like to do the same thing for the sequel that I did for part one: hold a reader contest to determine who can produce the best summary. There will be a prize, but it won't be a 90210 box set because Geez Louise, didn't you hear I'm having a baby in December? Part Two soundtracks for everyone!

Be sure to send in your submission by Friday morning so I can post them later that day.

Under the circumstances, I don't think it's inappropriate of me to beg all TLF readers to post a comment today, if not for me, then for lil' Frema. God, she would've loved this.

-------

CHAPTER NINETEEN - KAYLA

I had failed. Michael hated me, Katherine couldn't stand me; Jenna was terribly bitter towards me. And I had ruined Kyle's life, and dragged Cassie into my plans, eliminating her chances at having love, a family, happiness. All those wrongdoings rested upon me; I blamed no one but myself.

The emptiness I felt engulfed me like the tide. I was lonely. I was also a burden to those around me. And I was going to subject another innocent child into all of this?

[Chin up, Kayla. The sun'll come out tomorrow. It's only a day away.]

Cassie was out at work, and Kyle had taken off, not saying when he'd be back. I came out of my room slowly and observed my house. I gazed at the pictures on the walls, and took the family portrait of Cassie, Kyle, and me. Then I went back to my room and searched through old photo albums until I found the pictures I needed. Clutching them all to my chest, I exited the house. The sky was a brilliant blue, and the snow had melted away. The air was crisp, and deeply I inhaled it, not wanting to lose the moment in which I finally felt peaceful.

Our garage was extremely messy and cluttered, but I finally located the gasoline. I poured it in the corners and around my car. I made sure the garage was sealed shut and locked. Then I made myself comfortable in my car, arranging my pictures by the window. When I found my book of matches, I gave it a gentle kiss. I couldn't stop smiling. I was free! I was whatever I chose to be!

[Apparently Kayla's court-appointed stint in therapy was NOT LONG ENOUGH.]

I turned on the radio, and Beethoven delighted my ears. I struck the match and threw it out through my door window. It landed in a corner, and a flame appeared. I thought of my children, Cassie, Jenna, Michael. "God, bless them and keep them safe," I whispered, closing my eyes. "I can't do it anymore."

[Especially now that you're going to burn in Hell.]

CHAPTER TWENTY - KYLE

As I walked along the dirt road, I saw a flicker of red-orange, not too far off. "Oh, God," I whispered, my insides turning cold. "Mom!" I broke into a run. "Auntie! Momma!"

[OK, hate the boy all you want, but even he doesn't deserve to watch his only parent go up in flames. Why couldn't Kayla just fake her own death via a horrible car accident in Switzerland like Dixie did on All My Children?]

I was there in a matter of minutes, fumbling through the smoke in the garage. The door had been turned to ashes. It took me forever to bump into the car. I couldn't see, and I felt a little dizzy. I yanked on the door and hurried inside.

Mom was sprawled out over the front seat, and if I didn't know better, I'd think she was sleeping. But she wasn't breathing.

"Momma!" I screamed, and screamed again when I saw how close the flames were to the door. The smoke was terrible. I slammed the door, then lifted up my mother's frame, checking for any signs of life. Nothing. "Get up, Momma! Mom, come on!" I yelled, slapping her cheeks and shaking her. "Please!"

[Of course his first reaction would be to physically abuse his mother. You'd think he was Michael's kid!]

Common sense was telling me to drag her out of the car; there was still a chance... Instead, though, I gazed at her pictures. There was our family portrait. Along with it was her and my d--- I mean, Katherine's dad's dance picture, the one Katherine had noticed the first day she came over; one of her and Jenna, arm in arm and laughing; a picture of a baby girl: I knew it was Katherine, my only true love. Michael was by himself, smiling shyly at the camera. He looked very young.

I caressed my momma's face and saw the serenity captured in its expression. I thought back to when I was 11 years old, when I found her like this, only then she was sprawled on the bathroom floor, and blood was pumping out of a huge gash on her wrist. I had saved her from death, only to let her go through more pain. Only to let her try again.

"I'm sorry," I sobbed, then went into a coughing fit. I knew what I had to do.

I laid Momma on me, cradeling her in my arms. "I love you, Momma," I told her, knowing somewhere she could hear me. "I'm sorry I saved you before, and for all your troubles. Hold on. I won't leave you go to Heaven alone."

[Oh, Kyle. You'll have to set your sights a wee bit lower. Maybe Purgatory will have you.]

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE - CASSIE

"As we lay down to rest Kayla Evans Hart and Kyle Hart, let us rejoice in their newfound happiness with God, and know that they will no longer suffer in his hands. Amen."

"Amen," I echoed, and shut my eyes as my best friend and her son were lowered into the ground, far below where sunlight could never reach them again. Right then I felt my heart break again. Jenna looked at me with red-rimmed eyes and held my hand. My mind flashed back to four days before today, when I'd found them....

On the drive home I'd seen fire trucks and police cars fly past me, sirens flashing. When I finally saw the orangey-red flames leaping off the garage and house, I pulled over and ran the rest of the way.

[Because that's faster?]

The garage had been completely destroyed, the house well on its way, but the firemen were getting it under control. I saw the ambulances, and two gurneys holding two people. White sheets covered them; or at least, they used to be white.

"OH MY GOD!!!" I screamed and fell to my knees. I dug my nails into my head.

[Is it wrong that this image makes me laugh?]

The police hurried to me, a mob of people following them. Michael, Jenna, Katherine, the twins.

"Cassie Donovan?" an officer asked kindly. I grabbed his collar. "Tell me they're OK! What the hell happened?" I shouted between sobs.

"Apparently, somebody doused the garage with gasoline, causing the scene you see here," he said, and I let go. "The corpses--"

The young officer checked his sheet, but Michael said, "no. She'll hear it from us." His eyes were bloodshot; his hair smelled of smoke. He knelt with me. "I'm sorry, Cassie honey," he choked, his eyes filling fast. "It was Kayla and Kyle. They said the bodies were burnt beyond recognition, so they won't say officially yet, but--it's them. Kyle had Kay in his arms--my Kayla--"

I look past this sobbing man towards Jenna and Katherine. Jenna looked as bad as Michael. "We came and found it like this," she whispered brokenly. "Mike tried to run in, but the flames--he stayed with the kids and I got help. They're gone, Cas. It's true."

[I'm sure the twins weren't at all traumatized at being left to watch their father's mistress and sister's biological brother meet the Grim Reaper. Smooth move, Spencers!]

"Oh, God," I wailed. My body couldn't keep it up, the uncontrollable crying hiccups that punctuated every sound. I'd lost the last of my family; no one else was left, except...

Katherine met my eyes briefly, and their spark was gone. Her face was streaked with tears. Her fists clutched tightly two photos. "They--they're with my baby girl," she told me, her voice wistful and heartbroken, but also relieved. "My parents, brother and daughter--my family is together. They'll be OK, I think." She started to cry. "Right, Auntie?"

I got up and hugged her fiercely as we sobbed on each other's shoulders. "Yes, baby, they will. Our family is together."

* * *

After the funeral, we all gathered outside. The twins seemed restless, which was understandable; they really had no bonds with Kayla and Kyle. Since the fire had destroyed practically everything, I was staying with Jenna and Michael.

[Selfish Kayla, too busy killing herself to remember that insurance companies don't pay out for suicides.]

We stayed behind until all the others were gone [what others? Her gang rapists?], and it was just us. Then each one of us went to pay our own (private) last respects. Michael was first, and when he was through, he kept his head down and hurried to the car. Jenna went next, then Katherine, finally me. I went over to their joined tombstones. In the corner of my eye, I saw everyone was in the car except my niece, who was waiting for me several feet away.

"Hi, guys," I said softly, gazing at their graves. "I have a few things to say to both of you. You first, Kay. I'm a little angery at you, I'll admit that. How could you do this, when you knew Kyle and I needed you? You took Kyle, too, and that pain is so deep in my heart." I held back a sob. "I know it wasn't easy for you, but-- You left me alone, and I've never been alone before. David protected me 'til the accident, and then it was you, and Kyle, too. Thank you for that. I truely think of, and will always love you as my sister, as well as my best friend."

[Notice she didn't say "gay lover," so there goes your lesbian theory. Nice try, guys.]

"Kyle. I really loved being your auntie; you made it so easy. I couldn't have been as happy as I was if you weren't around. You left me too, but I can figure out why, and I don't mind. Your mother came first, the way it was supposed to be. You made her real proud, and made me feel special. I was a somebody when I was your auntie." I sighed heavily and wiped my eyes. "Good-bye my angels. Remind my brother that his bitchy sister loves him, and to send some prayers my way."

I stepped away, and Katherine was instantly at my side. We stared at the graves. "I loved them both," she whispered. "I miss them so much."

"Me, too."

"I'm glad you're here, Auntie. I love you."

"I love you, too," I answered. Hand in hand, we walked to the car, our bond growing stronger with each step. I stared up at the sky. Thank you, I mouthed. Thank you for hearing me so soon.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO - JENNA
~ FOUR YEARS LATER~

The sky was a magnificent mixture of pink, blue and purple, as the sun started to set. The rolling hills and flat lands were a lush green. It was a breathtaking sight, and I was reluctant to leave my chair on the front porch, but I had to. I was expecting someone for supper.

[Lil' Frema sure was a fan of adjectives!]

I stood up and thought about time; it can do so much with so little. [?] I was now 38; I found my first grey hair this morning. It makes me feel old.

Michael and I divorced; it was hurtful, and it tore us both apart, but it had to be done. Kayla was his love, and by her death he'd been devastated, not to mention his grief over the child she was expecting. There were no hard feelings, and we kept in contact, but... It hurts me still to wake up and not have him beside me. No more anniversaries to celebrate, no loving words to whisper to each other. My best friend-turned-lover has gone back to being my friend. And we thought we'd last forever. Only forever lasts.

[Cheesy cliches aside, the idea of anybody's marriage breaking up makes me want to cry, especially now that I'm married myself. Can't they try just a little bit harder? Can't they give just a little bit more? Can't they try to understand it's love they're fighting for?]

I don't see Cassie and Katherine too much anymore. A couple of years ago Cassie got a surprise call from her mother. She developed AIDS, probably from being so loose and carefree with men when Cassie and David were teenagers. [Yeah, Jenna, it was "probably" that. The next Nancy Drew, ladies and gentlemen.] So Cassie moved back to Illinois to take care of her, and Katherine went with her.

"Mother," she'd told me when she had said good-bye to me, "She needs me in a way no one else does, and she understands me better than anybody else. We belong to each other now." I had known what she'd meant, and it cut like a knife, but I let her go. She was only 17 at the time.

Lucas and Leigh are 16 and live with me. Lucas isn't very good in school; it doesn't interest him. He mostly stays at home reading. Recently he took to painting. His first work was a beautifully done portrait of Katherine, and it hangs on our living room for all to see.

[Um, can we say "creepy"?]

If Lucas does bad in school, then Leigh is terrible. She dropped out, as a matter of fact, a couple of months ago. I could see she was unhappy, so I didn't make her go, which didn't go over well with Michael.

[Seeing as he's a FUCKING TEACHER, I would guess that no, Mikey wasn't jumping for joy at that.]

She's not a bad child, but a lonely one, who didn't get enough attention from her family. She wasn't the boy or the oldest, so she got the short end of the stick. That was my and Michael's fault.

[Sweetie, Lucas didn't turn out so well, either. Both of your biological children were shafted.]

She's beautiful, and goes out on a lot of dates. I worry when I see some of the boys she brings home, but I never stop her. They are the only ones who can make my Leigh smile.

[Imagine how ecstatic she'll be when taking her first pregnancy test!]

Sometimes I try to think back to when I was young, but the memories are distant and that makes it hard. I visit Kayla's grave on her birthday and every holiday, and whenever I need to talk to her. If only she were with me; I'd have so much to tell her. [Like "step off my husband, bitch!"] I even visit David and Mary Katherine's graves when I go see Cassie and Katherine, because they're family, too.

I shook my head and gazed at the sunset one more time before I went inside. I cleaned and then cooked dinner, spagetti with garlic bread. I set the table and stood by the screen door to wait for my visitor.

I spotted him on the road a short time later. His black hair shone, his eyes twinkled and his face broke into a smile when he saw me. I waved. he picked up his pace, and I met up with him in front of my house.

"You're late," I commented.

Michael laughed. "I know and I'm sorry." He shrugged and said, "Work. Nothing I could do." He kissed my cheek and offered his hand, just like he had so many times before [except when he wanted to leave you for his pregnant mistress]. I accepted, and together we walked up the steps. I smiled. I was never alone.

THE END

-------

Final thoughts:

I don't think Kayla was Michael's true love. He and Jenna belong together, just like Ross and Rachel. I really wish lil' Frema had written scenes with Michael and Jenna at Kayla's tombstone, because hot damn, those would have been good. I like the new relationship between Cassie and Katherine, though I'm not crazy about Katherine leaving her "old" family behind. I hate what happened to the twins and think both Jenna and Michael need to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and RAISE THOSE CHILDREN before it's too late. Which it kind of is already, but still.

See all the loose ends we can tie up in part three?

Thanks, everyone, for indulging me all these Fridays. I really AM so glad we had this time together. And TLF?

See you in 2008!

Tragic Love Friday: The end is near

There are fifteen pages left in lil' Frema's notebook, and the way the action breaks up, I'm pretty sure next week we'll all be crying into our hankerchiefs at the conclusion of TLF. I have mixed feelings about this; a part of me is relieved to finally scrape something off my already-overwhelming plate, while the other will miss the excitement that always came with posting a new installment, refreshing my site for comments, and trying to rationalize the batshit-crazy actions of my characters, all of whom I love, despite their flaws. Yes, even asshole Michael.

Anyway, brace yourselves, is all I'm saying.

-------

CHAPTER SIXTEEN - CASSIE

For the next few days, Kayla locked herself in her room, coming out only when Kyle and I weren't around, which wasn't often. When she had come back on Christmas, she didn't say anything. She'd looked devastated and defeated.

"I miss my mom," Kyle said. The two of us were cuddled up on the couch, wrapped in bundles of blankets and watching reruns of "Welcome Back, Kotter."

[Don't ask why lil' Frema settled on this particular show. She never watched an episode a day in her life.]

"I know you do, babe. So do I. But we have to let her work this out on her own. She'll come to us when she's ready."

"What do you think happened to make her like this?" he asked. I thought for a moment, deciding how much he should know. Then it hit me: everything.

[So dramatic!]

"Well, she didn't tell me, but I think Michael wasn't treating her nicely."

"He hit her?" Kyle looked angery.

[Really. Forcing a woman into sex and impregnating her with your child is one thing, but slapping one is quite another!]

"No, sweetie," I assured him quickly. "I mean I think they broke up because of your mom lying to him. She also might've gone to see Katherine. Maybe both."

"Oh."

"Kyle, what are your thoughts on all of this?" I asked gently.

He sighed. "I'm not sure yet. I mean, I know my mom went through a lot, especially to have me, and I love her for that. But she killed people. And she lied. A lot. If I had known Katherine was my SISTER..." His voice trailed off, and he looked at me with sad eyes. "Kath already hates me. Now she'll be too embarrassed to even come near me."

"How do you feel about the baby, Kyle?"

He gave me a stricken look. "I don't want to talk about the baby, OK? Not ever."

"OK." I hugged his trembling body. "I'm sorry I mentioned it. And don't worry about your mom. She'll be fine." But for some reason, I wasn't believing my own words.

[It's obvious lil' Frema narrated this chapter in Cassie's voice strictly to move the plot along and not to actually, I don't know, DEVELOP her character. If I had it to do over, I would try to give her a more significant presence in the story. Has her cherry even been popped yet? Who's to say?]

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN - MICHAEL

We were able to bring Katherine home on January 9. [My birthday, thank you very much for the well wishes.] I picked her up and took her home, where Jenna and the kids were there to welcome her.

She walked slowly through the house as through she'd never set foot in it before. Lucas went to her and hugged her tight. She smiled weakly while we all did the same.

"We're all glad you're home, Kath," Jenna said softly. "We missed you like crazy."

"Thanks." Then she said something that blew us away. "I want my adoption papers, and pictures of my parents," she said flatly. Jenna went to say something, but Kath cut her off, looking at her straight in the eye and added, "you owe me at least that much."

"No!" Lucas cried. "I thought you liked being my sister." Leigh had tears running down her cheeks. "Are you gonna live with that woman now?" she asked fearfully.

[Because Jenna would LOVE that.]

Kath shook her head. "I love you both, just like I always have. But some things are different now."

I went and fetched the shoe box that contained all of Kath's adoption papers and old photos. I gave them to her wordlessly. The twins left the room crying. Jenna's face crumbled, and she started to shake. She was so weak. Not like Kayla, who carried the world on her shoulders. I mean, Kay.

[Michael, you sonofabitch. A woman forced to bear the brunt of her HORRENDOUS mistakes, at least two of them made at the expense of YOUR OWN DAMN WIFE, hardly makes her admirable.]

Kath's expression was blank as she read through the papers. It was when she got ahold of the pictures that caused her emotions to show. One of the pictures was a group shot, before Kay and David--that is, KayLA and David--had broken up. David had his arms wrapped around her neck, and she was holding his hands. Cassie was giving the finger [poor Cassie, she really is the Jo of Melrose Place], and Jenna was giving me bunny ears while I had my eyes crossed. We were all smiling. "Is that--" Kath pointed to David hesitantly. "Yes, sweetie. That's David, your father," Jenna answered, her voice trembling.

"He was very handsome," Katherine said softly. Her tone was wistful. Jenna smiled. "Yes, he was."

My daughter smiled, too. "Kyle looks so much like Kay. Look at her hair." Her smiled faded. "And me. I look like--my mom." Her chin trembled. "My momma. She loved me?"

"Very much," I replied, smoothing her hair. "Your momma's a strong woman, but she can only take so much. Kay--I mean, Kayla was...is..."

"They're the same person." I heard her whisper in my mind. And they were.

So which one did I fall in love with?

All of her.

"I do love her," I said aloud, and I knew in my heart it was true. I turned to Jenna. "I'm sorry." She nodded. "I knew that you did, in here," she replied, pointing to her skull. "But I couldn't accept it, in here." She clenched a fist over her heart. "Go to her. She needs you."

[Who's the weak one now, ass wipe?]

[Also, sob.]

"I love you," I whispered fiercely and held her tight. "Thank you a million times over."

"I know you do," she whispered back. "Don't forget me too soon."

[Dammit, there are tears in my eyes. Thank you, hormones.]

"Never," I promised. We pulled apart, and I saw my reflection in her tears, just as I know she saw hers in mine.

"Dad, can you take me, too?" Katherine asked, sobbing, clutching the group picture along with another one. It had been taken when Kayla was in jail, and Kath was almost a year. She gazed at it as if it hypmotized her.

"Yes." I offered my hand to my wife. "Come with us." Jenna shook her head. "She doesn't need me anymore." I didn't take back my hand until it was attached to hers. We got the twins and got into the car. It was a long drive to Kayla's.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - KATHERINE

As we drove my stomache churned. My head pounded, and I couldn't breathe easily. I wanted so much to apologize to my mother, to hug her and say, Yes! Let's be friends, always! And I wanted so much to see Kyle. I wanted to hold him tightly and start over. I'd always love him in that way. Blood wouldn't change my feelings, just how I handled them. Maybe one day we could talk like brother and sister, and about our Katrina.  For now, though, I just wanted us to look into each other's eyes and know that we're forgiven. I hoped it wasn't too late.

-------

I know what you're thinking. Yes, yes, it's all coming together way too neatly, why in the hell would Jenna want to befriend Kayla now, why is Katherine suddenly so eager to forgive her rapist brother, why is Michael willing to trade in his marriage to a woman he loved so deeply for so many years for one who betrayed so many of his loved ones?

I don't know. I'm still wondering if Cassie's lost her virginity.

Tragic Love Friday: Poor, poor, pitiful Kayla

My sincerest apologies for flaking out on last week's TLF. I don't think today's segment is juicy enough to make up for it, but since there's only twenty-two pages left of the sequel, believe me, the action is on its way. I can probably squeeze out three entries after this one, which means we should wrap things up by the end of the month.

In related news, I've made a decision regarding part three; if you guys are up for it, I'd like to give it a whirl and see what happens. However, this fall is going to be super-busy for me, too busy to nurture another new undertaking, so I don't know when it's going to start. The New Year, maybe? Much will depend on how Luke and I are adjusting to life with Freka. In the meantime, having some time to mull over possible storylines will be good for all of us, I think, and if we experience a change of heart and realize we're all over the whole TLF thing, we can scrap it with no hard feelings.

That said, let's watch Kayla make an ass out of herself, shall we?

-------

CHAPTER FIFTEEN - KAYLA

The rest of the afternoon, Cassie, Kyle, and I talked about everything. The past, the future, the baby.... I thought my son would be furious with me, but he handled it all with astounding maturity and understanding.

[This reminds me: it seems like a few of you were upset about the lack of violence and/or bloodshed in Kayla's big reveal. What can I say? Lil' Frema loves a good mother/son bonding session. Maybe you guys could take a page from her book and celebrate the reunion of a fractured family instead of rooting for its demise. Heartless bastards.]

We were sitting around our little tree eating ice cream when he asked about Michael. "Is he gonna leave Jenna, now that he knows?" he asked softly. I closed my eyes and Michael's image was conjured. I felt Cassie grab my hand.

"I don't know, sweetie. With Kath in the hospital, he might not."

"Does - does she know about you and me?" He swallowed hard, and I could only imagine his pain. It was not going to be easy for him.

"She might not," I replied, "but she's going to have to, soon."

"I'm tired," Kyle commented suddenly. "I'm going to bed." I checked the clock. Six-thirty.

I hugged him tight; Cassie did the same. Her eyes followed his slouched frame. "He's such a good boy, Kayla."

"I nodded. "I know."

[And I know how much ya'll hate him, so go ahead and let it rip, but if you had the proverbial carpet ripped out from under you on Christmas Day, you'd probably sing your rapist boy's praises, too, is all I'm saying.]

I sighed and raised my eyes to the ceiling. "God, Cas. I lost my granddaughter this Christmas. How can my kids face each other now? Will Kath accept me? Will Michael?"

"I don't know. They can't ignore you for long. And Kay." Cassie's voice became gentle. "As much as it hurts, you can't keep referring to Katherine as your daughter. She is, technically, but she only knows Jenna as her mom. Be careful not to offend either one. Although I think it's too late as far as Jenna's concerned."

"I agree. She hates me more than ever. But what can I do? Kath needs to know about me, and you, and Mike needs me now."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! Cassie--" I fought back tears. "I need him too. I don't know if I can be by myself anymore. He filled up a part of me [snicker] I thought I'd closed off."

"And what are we, chopped liver? You'll never be alone. Kyle and I love you like crazy."

I smiled wistfully. "Thanks, hon, but you know it's not the same."

[I hate when women refer to each other as "honey" or "sweetie." I think it's condescending. In case you care.]

"I know it's not. You don't see me with somebody, do you? That's how it's always been, always gonna be. I've accepted it, though. Maybe that's your only option." I shook my head, not wanting to believe her. "I have to try."

[In other words, Cassie, Kayla would rather rot in Shady Pines then become your Golden Girl partner-in-crime.]

For a while there was quiet. I finally stood up. "I have to go to him." My friend didn't scold or discourage me, just extended her hand. "I'm here if you need to grab onto something." I held it and gave it a squeeze. Then I walked out the door.

[And if you threw a party and invited everyone you knew, you would see the biggest gift would be from me, and the card attached would say...]

* * *

As I rang the Spencers' doorbell, I had no idea what to expect. Would I be welcomed or cast aside?

A girl with blondish-brown hair answered the door. Leigh, I realized. She looked at me first with shock, then disgust. "You want my Dad, don't you." The statement made me blush. "Please?"

"C'mon." She led me through a sunny kitchen and into their living room. Jenna was there, looking through papers. Michael just sat on the couch, looking angery.

"Daddy, THAT WOMAN is here." Both of their heads snapped up as Leigh shot me a dirty look and slammed into me as she walked past me and out of the room.

"What the hell do you want?" Jenna snapped sharply. "Haven't you done enough for one day?"

"How's Katherine doing?" I asked Michael, ignoring her.

[Bitch has some nerve showing up unannounced and then not even granting Jenna the courtesy of acknowledging her present. If I were Jen, Kayla's face would've already been kissing the carpet, pregnant or not.]

"She'll be OK; she has to stay in the hospital a while longer," he replied somewhat stiffly. I could tell he was looking me over, searching for a clue that would prove I was not Kay, just Kayla.

"Let's talk," I said. He nodded and glanced at Jenna, who caught his eye. "Don't worry about me; have a ball," she said snidely.

"Grow up," I couldn't help saying. "Not everything revolves around you."

[Insert your own snark here, because seriously.]

"Let's go." I followed Michael outside. "We'll take your car," he added. "Jenna might need ours."

"Whatever." We got in. "Where are we going?" I asked, gripping the wheel tightly.

"I don't care." In silence I drove, and he didn't contribute a word until I came to a stop. "Why did you pick here?" It was the field we had come to on our first date. It was covered in snow.

"No reason." I looked him straight in the eye. "You first."

[Coward!]

"Fine. Why didn't you tell me who you were? How could you do something like this?"

"I couldn't tell you. Nobody was supposed to find out. I just wanted my kids to be together."

"Well, together they certainly are," Mike said sarcastically.

"It's not my fault!"

"Do you think I care? You lied to me! I don't even know who I'm talking to--Kayla or Kay."

I was hurt. "They're the same person. I haven't changed."

[That's true. Selfish? Check. Delusions of self-entitlement? Check. Producing illegimitate children with emotionally unavailable men? Hell to the check.]

"You have in my eyes. To think I loved you! I bet that baby isn't even mine."

[Way to hit your mistress where it hurts, Mikey!]

I slapped him hard. "Get out!" I screamed. He obeyed. "Go to hell, Kayla!" He shouted. I gunned the engine and drove like mad. You'll be OK, you'll be OK, I told myself. Breathe, breathe, get control, don't think about it. I didn't cry as I drove to St. Mary Magdalene's Hospital. I went to the information desk and was relieved to learn Katherine was given a room out of emergency, and she could receive visitors. My hands were clammy as I took the elevator to the third floor and located room 324. I knocked softly and opened the door.

Katherine was in the bed closest to the door. She had an IV dripping into her arm, and blood below the waist of her hospital gown. Her hair looked dull and stringy; her head was turned to the wall.

"Katherine, it's Kay." She moved her head and stared at me but said nothing.

"How are you feelin', sweetie?" I asked tenderly. She gazed at her bloody gown. "Not well," she admitted. Her voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper. "Why are you here?" Her tone was edgy.

"You know, don't you," I stated. She nodded. "We have nothing to say to each other. Don't slam the door on your way out."

I was stunned. "What did they tell you?"

"The truth." She looked so fragile, and hurt. "You killed my sister and my father. Then you hurt my mother even more and chased after my dad. You broke up my family." Her eyes filled with tears. "You let me be with Kyle when all along you knew--you knew he was my brother! Then he raped me, and I was left with a baby! I had no other choice!"

"You did!" I whispered. "You could have come to me! I would've helped you!"

"Never!"

"I know I lied, and I'm sorry. I did the best I could."

"Bullshit!"

"Listen to me!" I grabbed her arm [hopefully not the one with the IV in it], and she was too weak to pull away. "I did everything I did because I loved you. I always have. I was no good to you. Jenna and Michael are wonderful to you and love you as their own. It hurt me, but it's been better for you this way."

"Do you think I care? You've ruined my life in just a couple of months! The past doesn't matter to me!" But I looked into her eyes and saw that it did. "How could you keep Kyle and just leave me be?" she blurted.

"Oh, baby, I--"

"Shut up! I don't need you, I'll be fine with the family I've got. Just go away!"

She was shaking uncontrollably, and I released my hold on her. "Please understand what I've gone through to get to this moment with you. I need you in my life," I begged.

"I don't give a damn. Go to hell."

That was the second time that phrase had been thrown in my face. I fled from the room.

-------

If there was any chapter I could rewrite in the sequel, my first choice would be the one with the rape. But this one's definitely second, because lil' Frema really missed some great opportunities for stellar dialogue. Especially since it's the last time that Jenna, Michael, and Kayla will ever be in the same room alive.

Dun dun dun!

Why don't you pick one of the confrontations and give it your own spin in the comments? I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with.

Tragic Love Friday: Let the healing begin

If you're reading this post on Friday afternoon sometime after 10:00 a.m. EST, then it looks like TypePad's "Publish On" feature has done its job, because right now I'm not behind a computer at all, but instead finishing up one of my track sessions at BlogHer and probably thinking about lunch, because my God, does this baby get hungry a lot.

Anyway, I'm actually typing this on Thursday morning, at a time when I really should be thinking about the last of my three posts for Parents.com, but it's much easier to type from a notebook than produce original material, so you guys win.

-------

CHAPTER FOURTEEN - KYLE

The car ride home was extremely tense. I was torn up inside. First I find out that Katherine was pregnant, then her mother says that Aunt Cassie really isn't my aunt, and finally I realize that my own mother's fooling around with Katherine's dad. I was angery. Nobody was saying a word.

When Mom pulled into the driveway, I jumped out of the car and hurried inside, using my key. I slammed the door in her face and ran to my room, where I locked the door.

"Kyle Hart, open this door right now!"

I ignored her and curled up on my bed.

"I know I'm the last person you want to talk to, but we DO need to talk."

"About what?" I shouted. "My SISTER or your LOVER?"

[Judging by the flippant way he mentioned his newfound connection to his rape victim/love interest, Kyle must not understand the implications of his updated family tree yet. Why else would he be more focused on his mother's affair?] 

"Both." She sounded tired. "If saying I'm sorry could change everything, I'd say it a million times until I turned blue in the face. But it won't. It's time you knew the truth."

"Go ahead, then."

I"m not going to pour my heart out to a slab of wood."

I got up slowly and unlocked the door. She made herself comfortable in a spot next to the doorway and motioned me to join her. I shook my head and sat down again on my bed.

[I like to compare this part of the story to those transitioning segues in video games; you know, like when after you've beaten a particularly difficult level and Nintendo gives your brain a bit of a break by entertaining you with cheesy synthesizer music and backstory about whatever world it is you're fighting in. I'm specifically thinking of the original system's Ninja Gaiden, where in between levels, you learn more about the demonic statues Rayu is trying to find and destroy.]

As for our riveting tune of choice for this heartfelt mother-and-son scene? How about Tori Amos's "Professional Widow"? Could you GET more creepy?]

"Katherine's mom--Jenna--used to be my best friend in high school. We did everything together. She didn't have much of a family, so she became a part of mine. She helped me in a lot of ways." Mom had a far-away look in her eyes, and her smile was somewhat wistful; I knew she wasn't Kay, a grown woman anymore, but Kayla, a happy teenager.

"I had a boyfriend who I'd been with for a year and a half." She chuckled softly. "I thought he was wonderful. He had a way of making me feel so special! And loved! And oh, I loved him with all of my being. I pictured David standing beside me at the altar, and going to the Bahamas for our honeymoon."

David. My father's name.

"When I was 17, David broke up with me. I couldn't take it. I wanted him back so bad, it hurt, physically as well as emotionally. I hung onto his sister Cassie so I could try to get a glimpse of him. In the end, though, I really liked Cassie, and she became a very close friend." She paused for a moment to let the news sink in. My Aunt Cassie wasn't Mom's sister, but she was still my father's, so she was still my aunt.

"I wanted you to have some family, but I couldn't give you any," she said. [You know, seeing as I relinquished all legal rights to your sister and disowned my parents, even though they were kind enough to look after you while I was rotting in jail.]

"But Aunt Cassie's family no matter what." Mom shook her head. "Don't make any conclusions until I've finished."

"Anyway, I finally asked Jenna to talk to David and put in a good word about me. She didn't want to get involved, but I begged her until she said yes. A while later, I found out that she'd been secretly dating him. She said nothing happened 'til we'd broken up, but I didn't believe her, or even care. Our friendship ended like that," she said, snapping her fingers. "Soon she was pregnant, and the two of them got engaged."

"So David is Katherine's father, too?" I cried, feeling sick.

She gave me a Look and I shut up.

"By this time, we were divided. Cassie and I were friends, but not with Jenna. I never talked to David. Jenna stayed with David and hung out with Michael, her other best friend. Yes, my Michael," she added before I could ask.

"One night, David came to visit me. He was drunk, but only a little. We got to talking, and to...other things. We had sex for the first time." She sighed.

[Not really the way you hoped to explain your deflowering to your horny little son, is it, Kayla?]

"A month later I was pregnant. I already knew he wouldn't leave Jenna since she was farther along than I was. I would be cut short on child support and his attention. [And..other things.] I was out of my mind." She looked at me pleadingly now, and reached for my hand. I didn't pull away. "This next part is delicate. It was Cassie's idea, but I chose to go along with it. I thought then that everything would be OK. Still, though, I was scared out of my mind."

My blood felt like ice. "What happened, Mom?"

Her voice was shaky, and barely above a whisper. "Cassie picked me up and drove me to an ice cream place [what, no shout-out for the DQ?] where David and Jenna were. I got in the driver's seat, and when they came out and crossed the street--" She broke down, her face crumbling. "It was Jenna I wanted to kill, so David wouldn't cheat my baby; maybe he would've loved me again. And we hit her! I saw her go down. But the car only brushed her. David pushed her out of the way and got the impact." My mother's body shook with sobs. "Jenna's baby died, but she was OK. My David left me, too, and went to Heaven."

[You'd think the fact that she was pregnant herself would have caused her to show more remorse for killing an innocent life that hadn't even been born yet, but no, she still mourns the jackass who couldn't keep his dick in his pants.]

[I'm sorry, David, I didn't mean it. Love you! Mean it! RIP!]

I was shocked, but didn't speak. I let her compose herself enough to continue.

"Cassie and I went to jail. Her for three-and-a-half years, me for only three. She was a little unstable for a while [ha!], so she got longer for therapy. I got paroled." Mom squeezed my hand hard. "I gave birth after seven months in jail to a little girl."

"No," I whispered. She nodded.

"I named her Katherine Marie Evans, in memory of Jenna's baby; it would have been a girl, and she was gonna name her Mary Katherine."

"She didn't stay with you?" I asked. I felt a lump in my throat.

"The law wouldn't allow it, sweetheart. I couldn't keep her more than a year. My parents wouldn't take her, under the circumstances."

"Why Jenna?" I cried. "And where did Evans come from?"

"Evans is my real last name. I changed it later. And Jenna... She missed her baby, and wanted mine. Her and Michael--they took Katherine from the prison, but Jenna changed her mind. They got caught on the way from Wisconsin back to Illinois." She wiped her face. "They got married. When my year was done, I let them adopt her."

"My sister...my God!" I yelled. How could this happen?

Mom rushed on. "Don't freak on me! This is important. You've realized by now that David's not--he couldn't be--your father."

[THAT'S the important part?!]

After a moment, it hit me that she was right. I had had all the facts, but didn't want to piece them together. My father figure image had been shattered.

[Because every boy prays for a daddy who abandons him before he's even left the womb.]

"Yes," I whispered.

"About a month after I gave Katherine away, the pain was still as fresh as if it had happened yesterday. I fell into depression, and that left me open. Many people picked up on it, including two security men. They--they hurt me bad, sweetie." She smiled through a haze of tears and stroked my cheek. "Do you see what I'm saying?"

[Rape child, never meant to be! Rape child, born in minimum security!]

I saw.

"I'm sorry, Momma," I choked. She held me to her tightly.

[I think it's appropriate to change tracks, don't you? Enter "A Song for Mama" by Boyz II Men.]

"Never say that again," she said softly. "You saved my life and made me whole. Nobody but you could have done it. Not Cassie, Katherine, David, nobody but you. I'm sorry I lied. I just wanted you to be OK. I thought if we found your sister, we'd all be OK."

"I'm not mad." [Of course you're not. Your newfound guilt over being a product of rape has now overshadowed any of Kayla's heinous wrongdoings. Well played, Kayla!] I looked at my mother with shame. "Momma, I hurt Katherine, the way you were. That's why she's--" I couldn't say anymore. I begged for forgiveness with my eyes. I knew she understood.

[But you're still grounded! No sex for a week.]

She hugged me again, then stood up. "Why don't you go find your aunt? I know she needs you."

I stared at her.

"She's still your aunt, Kyle. Love made you her nephew." I nodded and went to Aunt Cassie's room. The door was open. I found her sitting on her bed, hunched over. "Auntie," I said. She looked up, and her face radiated pure joy at that one word. I gave myself to her opening arms.

[Journey, anyone?]

"I'm sorry about your brother," I whispered, "but I'm glad you're with me."

"Me, too, baby," she replied. "Me, too."

-------

Is Kyle redeemed YET? You people hold grudges for way too long.

Tragic Love Friday: RIP, incest/rape baby

Don't give me any crap, there's no way you can call that a spoiler. This kid never had a chance.

I realized something this week: For the next two Fridays, I will be on vacation. Next week because of BlogHer, and the following week for a three-day, two-night "girls only" camping trip for my mother's side of the family. What to do about TLF?

I'm perfectly aware that I can draft posts beforehand and program them to publish on the appropriate day, but I'm a little nervous that I'll do something wrong and everyone will be mad at me and my lack of technological skillz. Also, I actually have tried this before--typed up the installment and set it to publish at noon--but when fifteen minutes had passed and the entry still hadn't posted, I just went back in to TypePad and overwrote it.

Not to mention I'm still working on my blog book and trying to "find myself" over at Parents.com. Also, I'm in no hurry to see this sequel end. On the last day, I think I might cry, even though I'm sure the reader-inspired part three will be tons of fun.

I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm not sure what to do yet. I'm eighty-percent sure I'll skip next week since a lot of us will be gone. You have been warned.

-----

CHAPTER THIRTEEN - JENNA (CONTINUED)

"I'm sorry," she told him sadly. At me, she smiled weakly. "I didn't plan on us meeting again under these circumstances."

[Would the baby shower for her and Michael's love child have been more appropriate?]

I wanted to hug her and hit her at the same time.

"This is your son?" I asked, awed.

She nodded proudly.

"Did you know my dad?" Kyle asked me hopefully.

"Your dad?" He fumbled in his wallet and pulled out a photo. It was old. It was David.

"Please don't," she begged me. "It'll come out later, but not now."

"You've lied to everyone!" I shouted.

"I had to! I went through hell to keep my family!"

"About this family thing--you don't have a sister, so who the fuck is that?" I pointed to the woman beside her, who had kept quiet the whole time. Kayla looked at me sharply, and Kyle's face crumbled. "You lied? I'm not your nephew?" he asked the woman.

"Cassie!"

"You have wonderful timing," she informed me angerily.

[On Monday night, I had a dream that I was on the run in a third-world country where they wanted to throw me over a balcony and onto a mattress of suspected criminals. I ran into a dusty building and parked my ass behind a school desk, remaining still as a mouse, while police followed and searched every nook and cranny for a trace of my wherabouts. One of them was standing right next to me but was oblivious to my "awesome" hiding place until one of his smarter counterparts shone a light on my face. Then they wanted to throw me into a pit of fire. The mattress-throwing thing sounded pretty damn good then.

What does this have to do with TLF? Absolutely nothing. Moving on.]

"Jenna and Michael Spencer?" We all turned to find a young-looking doctor rush out of Katherine's room. "Come with me now." He headed quickly toward the room again.

"What's going on?" Kayla shouted.

"We're gonna lose her if we don't get that baby out."

"I'm coming, too! That's my daughter!" she cried.

[OH NO SHE DIDN'T.]

Michael disappeared with the doctor. I pushed Kayla away.

"No! She's my daughter! Don't come near her," I threatened. "You lost the right to call yourself her mom a long time ago." I left her standing there and burst through the door.

About seven doctors were working on her. She was stuck all over with tubes. My baby was conscious on top of it all. She saw everything, and was quite aware of what was going on. Or so it seemed.

"You've gotta push, Katherine," the young doctor told her. "Help us help you."

[And to think, this was written two whole years before Jerry Maguire.]

"I can't! I'll hurt her," she replied tearfully.

"You won't, I promise. You'll actually help her. We can try to save her if we can get her out."

"Why don't you perform a casaerean on her?" Michael asked sharply. "Time's being wasted!"

[I love how the man who couldn't recognize he was cheating on his wife with the mother of his adopted daughter is now clever enough to disperse medical advice.]

[Also, Frema, M.D. to the rescue once again!]

"Because it's dangerous," Dr. Brock answered. (I finally read his tag.) "But we now have no other choice."

My husband and I watched in silence as they gave her a shot in the spine. She yelled out. When they finally cut her open, I buried my face in Michael's shoulder.

"We've got it," Dr. Brock called a while later.

"She's here! Give her to me!" cried Katherine, weakly opening her arms.

I heard the doctor gasp, and I turned to look.

When I use the word "baby" to describe its appearance, I use it for lack of a better word. It barely resembled a human being.

I could make out the body, with two short stubs for legs, one longer than the other. The baby had part of one arm. Its head was totally deformed, and it had maybe half a skull. I saw two shut eyes, and I think a nose. Blood was wrapped around it like a blanket.

[*Frema takes a deep breath, rubs belly reassuringly, reminds herself she has not recently overdosed on antidepressants.*]

"I'm sorry," Dr. Brock said kindly to Katherine, his face a mask of pity. "She never had a chance."

"Give her to me," she repeated. He glanced at me as if to say, I can't deny her. He placed her gently in my daughter's care.

"Hi, sweetie," she said, caressing her face. "I'm so sorry I did this to you," she whispered brokenly. "You don't deserve this. I do." Katherine viewed the baby's body intently. "I hurt you bad, didn't I?" She started to cry. "You're still the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I love you, Katrina. I always did." She closed her eyes. "Pray for me when you get to Heaven."

[If your eyes aren't wet after that scene, you are made of stone. Hopefully, the batch of spinach dip I made for today's department pitch-in will see me through this difficult time.]

* * *

Dr. Brock escorted my husband and me out of the room. "I think she'll be OK, physically at least. She informed us that she took some of your pills," he added to me. "Are you on any kind of medication?"

"Sedatives, anti-depressants, and something to help me when I can't sleep," I answered guiltily.

"That induced her labor, and you could say 'part' of an abortion took place. That's why the fetus came out so damaged. Katherine will need about another week here." He added sympathetically, "I wish your Christmas could have been better."

"Thank you, Doctor."

"Go on home. She'll be asleep the rest of the day, maybe part of tomorrow."

The twins jumped out of their seats.

"How is she?" Lucas demanded.

"Is Kath gonna be OK?" Leigh asked desperately.

I glanced at Michael, who nodded.

"Kath will be fine, but she's gonna stay here for a while."

"What about the baby?" I turned around and saw Kyle, wringing his hands and looking really nervous.

"I'm sorry," I said, and I meant it. "It was just too undeveloped to have a chance."

He took a deep breath; his chin quivered. "Could I see Katherine?"

"She's asleep now," I warned, "and they're only allowing immediate family in."

He nodded and walked quickly away. I suddenly realized that that was Katherine's immediate family. I felt sick to my stomache. It was a hidden blessing that the baby died.

I glanced over to where Kayla and Cassie were. Kayla had her head on Cassie's shoulder, her eyes closed. Cassie was stroking her hair. She had a faraway look on her face. I thought about going over to them. It had been so long! But the image of Kay and Michael hurt me too much. Let HIM comfort her. I also couldn't get over the fact that she told her son that David was his father. Lies!

"Let's go, kids," I said, leading them. "We'll come back later."

"I'm going to stay," Michael said softly. I glared at him. "I didn't include you in our plans, anyway. Have fun with KAYLA." He flinched as the twins and I walked out of the hospital. I felt utterly alone.

-------

And I am utterly hungry. Time for lunch.

Tragic Love Friday: When worlds collide

Look at me and my mad posting-five-times-in-one-week skillz. Did you enjoy the ride? I hope so, because I don't predict it happening again anytime soon, at least not solely on this site (did you take that as a hint that new and exciting things are on their way? I sure as hell hope so, because otherwise, no offense, but you're really not that bright).

Anyway, in addition to my new Secret But Awesome Freelancing Gig, I also have a blogging class to plan for, a class that has not received nearly enough TLC. There are books to read, syllabi to plan, and assignments to plot out that will hopefully cause my students to pump their fists in the air with glee instead of groan over the injustice of receiving such an incompetent teacher. At this point in time, it could go either way.

Before I jump into TLF, though, I'd like to thank everyone for all the kind comments I've gotten over the last two days. Because I've been swamped with work, I won't be able to respond individually to everyone, but know that your support and well wishes mean so much, and there would be no Secret But Awesome Freelancing Gig if it weren't for you. If any of y'all are attending the BlogHer conference in Chicago in two weeks, I will have no choice but to crush you in a bear hug as a token of my thanks. Unless you don't like to hug. Then I'll leave you alone. As long as you don't put your hands on my stomach(e).

-------

CHAPTER THIRTEEN - JENNA (CONTINUED)

"How did this happen?" An attendant asked as he hooked her up to IVs.

"She - she was kicked and smashed her stomache. She's pregnant," I added brokenly.

"How far along is she?"

"I have no idea," I admitted sadly. He glanced at me sharply, and I quickly added, "She wasn't showing, so she can't be that far."

[How much you wanna bet this guy's next phone call is to Child and Family Services?]

The rest of the way to St. Mary Magdalene's Hospital was spent squeezing my little girl's hand.

Once there, they took her away to a room in the EMERGENCY wing. I filled out the necessary paperwork and told her nurse what I knew. Then I sank in a chair in the waiting room, waiting for my family and praying for my baby. For the first time in a while, I thought about Kayla. She didn't know what was happening; never would. That saddened me because I was sure that wherever she was, she still loved her daughter.

[That she does. And your husband, too!]

I also thought of Mary Katherine, my unborn angel. She would've been 15, just like my oldest. I wonder what she would've looked like, been like? Probably the spitting image of David. To think, so much would've turned out differently if I hadn't been hit by that car all those years ago. I would've married David and had Mary Katherine. He would've been paying child support to Kayla for Katherine, who probably wouldn't have been named Katherine. It sounded nice, but then Katherine wouldn't have been mine, or Michael's. Michael and I would never have admitted our love for each other, and Leigh and Lucas wouldn't have been born. Cassie... I had no idea what happened to her.

I sighed.

[Wouldn't it be fun if I rewrote that scene just to see what would happen? Maybe it'd go something like this: Kayla misses both David and Jenna and smashes into the Dairy Queen drive-thru window. Is discovered and hauled off to jail. Gives birth to baby girl, who she names Kaylene because she's self-centered like that. Meanwhile, David and Jenna are married and ripping each other's heads off in a cramped one-bedroom apartment with little Mary Katherine, who is born without thumbs because I love to tormet little children. David falls in love with Kayla's svelte mom figure and Kaylene's ability to properly fill out the finger holes in her mittens. He and Kayla engage in another night of passion thanks to the prison's flexible stance on conjugal visits. Kayla gets pregnant AGAIN. Michael is impressed with her fertility and proposes marriage, because we all know he's jonesing for a wife, and what other prospects does she have? Little does he know that Kayla has all the men, while Jenna is left trying to shed those last ten baby pounds. Jenna does something crazy, but I don't know what, because holy crap, how many stories can I work on at one time?]

"Momma!" I looked up and saw Leigh running to me, Lucas right behind her. They crushed me into a hug. "Hi," I said. "You guys doin' OK?" Leigh didn't answer but wouldn't look at me. Lucas just shrugged.

"Where's your father?" I asked hesitantly.

"By the payphones," Leigh answered.

He was calling his bitch. I stiffened. Well, great. I'd finally meet her.

Forty-five minutes later, not one woman showed up, but two. A handsome boy was with them. He was crying, hard. A woman with short brown hair met Michael in the corridor, and he embraced her fiercely. She had tears down her cheeks as well.

[These people really have no shame, do they? I mean, Jenna is RIGHT THERE.]

After a few minutes, they pulled apart and Michael nodded in my direction. The woman shook her head [coward], but he lead her to me anyway. I rose out of my seat and stood tall.

"Jenna." Michael looked almost embarassed. "This is Kay. Kay, my wife." He cringed at the word "wife," but I pretended not to notice.

"Lovely to meet you, Kay," I said sarcastically.

"I'm so sorry about Katherine," Kay said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. She was shaking like a leaf. I took a closer look at her. Something was oddly familiar. "Has the doctor said anything?"

"He hasn't come out yet," I replied, looking over her shoulder.

"That's my sister with my son, Kyle," she offered as she followed my gaze. I raised an eyebrow.

"You're Kyle's mother? Oh, well in case Michael hasn't already told you, my daughter is pregnant. Since she and Kyle were such good friends," I commented sharply, stressing the word 'friends,' "it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what happened."

"Lord, no," Kay whispered, looking horrified. "That can't be."

"Are you telling me my daughter's NOT lying in a hospital bed with a baby inside her?" I yelled angerily.

[How many times in life does one get to pose that question? Not many, I'll bet.]

She wasn't paying attention to me. Her chin was trembling, and she kept blinking her eyes really hard. She clutched her stomache, and her breathing became irregular.

[For some reason this description reminds me of The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, specifically that scene where Claire is suffering from an asthma attack and can't find her inhaler because the bitch nanny, Peyton, hid them all in a blatant attempt to kill her off and steal her family.]

[Do I have babies on the brain or what? Also, paranoid much, Frema?]

"Are you OK? Is it the baby?" Michael asked her worriedly.

She was pregnant?

"Not the baby," Kay managed to say between gasps. "Oh God, what did I let happen!" She broke down completely, burying her face in her hands.

"Mom?" The boy - Kyle - was at his mother's side, the sister close behind. He looked at me curiously. His hair was so bright; like gold...

"Kayla," I whispered. She looked up at me and didn't answer, and I knew it was true.

"Son of a BITCH!" I cried. Michael pulled away instantly, shock on his face.

-------

I want to keep going, but I'm so afraid of the time when I have to post the last entry, so I'm putting it off as long as I can. In the meantime, consider this idea I have for a part three:

Remember that game telephone, where the kids sit in a circle and one kids says a message and every other kid has to pass it down to the one at the end, and that one is the one who has to say it out loud and see how close it is to the original message?

Well, my idea isn't like that one at all, but kind of. Part three could involve a group of people (preferably not children), but instead of repeating the message, each one would build on it.

Like this. Say I write the first entry for part three. Next week, it could be...Isabel. The week after that? Your mom David. After that? Pink Herring. Then Silly Hily. Then Audrey. Then Fraulein N. Then maybe back to me. And so on and so forth.

I'll be super busy this fall, what with work, teaching, freelancing, and gestating, so this would be a convenient way to continue TLF without the burden of all that writing falling on my shoulders. Plus, having new authors could take the story in interesting directions, directions I probably wouldn't even have considered on my own, and it really could be like a soap opera, with no end in sight. Also a plus, since it's not my writing, I won't bitch and moan about losing creative control. This will be TLF for the people, by the people.

(To make sure the plot doesn't completely run away from me, though, I would reserve the right to veto one plot point per entry and revise it in case a character's actions keep me from sleeping at night. The strike-through feature will come in especially handy for this, so you can see the author's original thought process, and I could explain my reasons for any changes.)

Potential downfalls? Well, you guys, I guess. This won't work if I don't receive a steady stream of volunteers, and there's always the possibility of somebody flaking out on their installment, thus leaving a big fat hole for that week of TLF.

What do you think? The future of TLF is in your hands--literally--so don't be shy with your opinion.

Tragic Love Friday: Pop, pop goes the baby, baby

Pop goes the baby and the baby goes pop!

(Please tell me somebody else can name this tune and that I'm not alone in my fondness for early-nineties rap.)

Things continue to get better around here. Thanks to my recent raise and HR's willingness to compensate me from my original June 13th hire date, today's paycheck was padded with an extra grand. Whoopee! And just in time, too, because last month's credit card statement is due in the mail any day, and vacations and new furniture don't exactly pay for themselves. Plus, our DSL connection finally turned on last night, which saves me from the fury that is dealing with AT&T.

I'm really looking forward to this weekend. My sisters Samantha and Ryan are driving down today for an overnight visit, and Luke and I just need to hang up our pictures and set up our (read: my) knick knacks to stick a fork in this apartment. Well, except for a couple of boxes of Luke's stuff in our bedroom, but those are his problem, not mine.

-------

CHAPTER THIRTEEN - JENNA

It was pitch black when I awoke on Christmas morning. I climbed out of bed as