This story takes place 5 years after the events of Undone.
It was a dark and stormy night. Suddenly Daria snapped awake. She was soaked in sweat, and her bedclothes were cold and clammy. "What else is new?" she thought. Then she realized that something else WAS new. The shower was running. Curious, she got out of bed and headed for the bathroom. Opening the door, she found Trent, lathering up with Irish Spring soap. She stared at him for a moment, and then she realized...
"It was all a dream." She said aloud.
"hmm... oh, hey Daria. What was all a dream?" Trent asked. He had finished rinsing off and stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around himself.
"It's not important Trent. Let's just get back to bed..." Daria responded, still a bit stunned.
"Yes Trent, come back to bed..." a sultry voice called from the bedroom.
Daria snapped the lights on, and gasped at what she saw. Posing on her bed, wearing the outfit that had been Daria's uniform throughout high school, was Monique.
"Doesn't it just look Soo much better on me Trent?" She asked.
Daria watched as Trent walked by her, seemingly in a trance, a look of lust on his face. As he approached the bed, he flings the towel off of his body, sending it flying behind him, where it landed over Daria's head. Daria could hear Monique's triumphant giggle....
Suddenly Daria sat up in bed, with the covers still over her head. It had been another cruel dream... She slowly reached for her glasses, and looked at the clock. 3:12 AM. "Super." She thought. "I'll NEVER get back to sleep now". She picked up one of her pillows and hurled it across the room. "Dammit! Five years and I'm STILL having these dreams. Could things possibly get any worse?" As if on cue, the phone rings. Daria looks at the ceiling and says aloud "Um..God? That was a retorical question." She sighs, then answers the phone.
"Hello?"
"Daria?"
"Jodie. I take it that you're not calling me at 3 in the morning to berate me for not coming to the ten year reunion."
"Daria... Your father's been in a car accident. It was bad. He's in intensive care now... You might want to come here...."
"Oh my God... I'll be there as soon I can get there... And Jodie..."
"Yes?"
"Thanks."
Daria hangs the phone up and puts her hands on her head. "Return to Lawndale." She says to herself. "Another thing I never thought I'd do." As she begins to back her bags, her thoughts return to her dream. "Monique." She says the name as if it is a bad word. "I wonder what ever happened to that bitch?".
Meanwhile, on the seedier side of town, 'that bitch' is returning home. Her apartment is rundown and messy.
"Brad, honey I'm home. Did you find a job today? Brad? Lousy, good for nothing... Not like anyone will hire me. Trent and his bitch sister had me blacklisted all over town. I can't even find a band that'll hire me." As she is muttering to herself, Monique wanders into the bedroom. She finds 'Brad' sitting in a chair. His arm is tied, and there is a needle in his arm. Monique looks at him, then yelps.
"EEP! You're dead! Shit. I've got to get out of here."
She reaches into his pants and takes his wallet and keys. She gathers a few things into a bag and rushes out. She gets into an old Pontiac and tears away. Since she is quite drunk and high, she doesn't pay attention to where she is going. She ends up on a country road. She falls asleep at the wheel, and the car plunges off the road, busting through a fence before coming to a stop in the middle of a pasture. A bunch of cows begin to exit the pasture through the hole in the fence. They go over to a railroad track, and begin eating the tall grass near the tracks. A train comes by, and is forced to stop because of the cows. The engineer keeps blowing the horn, but the cows continue to mill around. Meanwhile, the noise has awoken Monique, who gets out of the car and heads toward the Train. Several of the cars are marked 'Central Soya'. Monique walks toward the back of the train, and gets into one of the freight cars.
"I remember this train. It used to run through daddy's farm. I'll just head back to Lawndale, and hide out for a while..." Monique passes out again, and soon the train is moving again.
Daria finally got on the plane, and settled into her seat. Her eyes were red, and she had no doubt that she looked like crap. She had spent the last several hours frantically preparing for this trip. So now, only a few hours after hearing from Jodie, she was on a plane, and would be in Lawndale within the hour. She hadn't been able to get in touch with Jane, but had left a message. She had gotten Jodie, who promised someone would meet her at the airport, and that her dad was about to undergo emergency surgery. Daria sighed and tried to get comfortable. Her eyes fell on the couple in the seats across the aisle from her. The guy was kind of cute, in a scruffy sort of way, and the lady bore a slight resemblance to Jane, but slightly more 'full-figured'. They were all over each other, much to Daria's disgust.
"Why don't they just get a room?" Daria thought to herself. A stewardess approaches them. "Good," Daria thought, "I hope she reminds them they're in public...". The stewardess walked up to the couple.
"Excuse me," the stewardess said "but are you two newlyweds?"
The woman of the couple giggled. "No, we've been married for AGES!" she said.
"Well, you guys just look so happy together, won't you please accept this bottle of wine from the staff?"
"How nice!" The woman said, taking the bottle.
"Di would never pass up a free bottle of wine." The guy chimed in.
"ROB-BIE!" Di said, giggling again. she reached over to him and began to smooch him.
Daria rolls her eyes and pulls out a book. "Yep," She thought to herself. "It's gonna be one of those days..."
Soon Daria found herself in the airport. Hoisted over her shoulder was an army surplus bag she'd picked up while in college. It was quite useful for holding a lot of stuff. It was also heavy. She glanced around, but didn't see anyone she knew. In fact, there was no one around except for that cop... Who was walking right toward her.
"Hey Daria." The cop said. Daria realized it was Mack. "Hey Mack. Guess you're my ride?"
"Yep. Here let me help you with that." He took her bag and hoisted it over his own shoulder. They walked out to his car in silence. "I can ride in the front, right?" Daria asked.
Mack smiled "Sure Daria, just don't touch anything." He tossed her bag in the back and drove off. "I haven't heard anything more about your dad. He was going into surgery last I heard..."
"Is he in trouble Mack, I mean was he..." Daria wasn't sure how to ask.
"DWI? Yes, but you don't need to worry about that." Mack added, somewhat bitterly.
"Why, what do you mean?"
"Your father has some friends in high places. He's been pulled over for DWI on a number of occasions, but is never prosecuted. Someone pulls some strings and he gets off."
"That doesn't sound like something my dad would do."
"(sighs) It might not even be him doing it. One of his clients does it. Of course, it never occurs to them that he needs help... I'm sorry Daria, you've got enough problems without being burdened with this."
"That's Ok, Mack." Daria replied. "Time for a subject change" she thought. "So, how'd you get into law enforcement?"
"Well, after high school, I went into the marines." He sees Daria grimace. "I know, but it's sort of a family tradition. Anyhow, when I got out I got a business degree and found out it wasn't worth much. So I decided to be a 'public servant' it was either law enforcement or postal work..."
"Good choice"
"Yeah, I figured being a cop would be safer. Then Jodie got out of medical school and decided to stay in Lawndale..."
"I'll bet her dad loved that."
"He was, shall we say, less then pleased. But she loves this town, and I suppose I do to. So we got married last year, and we've been perfectly happy ever since. Oh, and of course we never miss reading your column."
"Well, thanks. It's good to know someone can be happy here." Daria added. They had arrived at the hospital.
"I'll have to drop you off." Mack said, pulling her bag out of the back and handing it to Daria. "Duty calls. See you later. Give Jodie a kiss for me."
"Fat chance."
"See ya later."
Daria hoisted her bag and entering the hospital. She headed for the information desk. Soon she was in the intensive care waiting room. Soon she is slumped over on her bag, asleep in the chair. Some time later, a tired looking Jodie, dressed in surgery scrubs, comes up to her. "Wake up Daria."
"Huh..Oh, hey Jodie." Daria said sleepily. "How's my dad?"
"He's going to make it. He's been stabilized, and he'll be moved to a regular room tomorrow. He was very, very lucky Daria. His alcohol level was VERY high. If he hadn't gotten in this car wreck, he would have been here in the hospital before long anyhow. He needs HELP Daria."
"But what can I do? That is his decision...or Helens. Where the hell is she, anyway?"
"Well, Daria...Um.. I don't like to repeat rumors..."
"No, please, repeat some rumors..."
"Word is your mom is planning to divorce your dad..."
Daria sighs heavily. "So what can I do?"
"Well, as the only present relative, you can sign him up for a rehab program, and when he regains consciousness, you can have him give you power of attorney so you can take care of his affairs while he's in rehab. It really is a great program. Not only will they help him to recover from his injuries, but he'll also be helped with his addictions."
"Ok, you've convinced me. I'll sign him up. Can I get to his coat? I don't have a house key any more."
"Sure. And I'll give you a ride, too."
Later, Jodie was trying to think of something to say as she drove Daria to her childhood home. Daria had always been more of an acquaintance then a friend, and, despite Jodie's people skills, she often found herself at a loss for words around Daria. As she drove past the Lane house, she noticed Daria give it a strange look. "So how IS Jane, anyhow? I can't believe her brother is teaching at Lawndale High..."
"Is he?" Daria answered, in a voice so cold it could have caused a blizzard.
"Um.. (realizes this is NOT a good subject) oh look. There's your house. Well, see ya later..." Daria gets out of the car, taking her dad's coat and her bag. Jodie watches as she goes inside, then drives off.
Daria is slowly walking up to what used to be her room. She slowly opens the door and is shocked by what she sees. Her bed, posters and beloved rubber walls were still there. Her father had added a bookshelf, and had set her books, collections of her articles, and a scrapbook. Out of curiosity, she went next door, to Quinn's room. Same story. Still a horribly pink room, with the fancy bed. A similar shelf had been set up, containing magazines Quinn had appeared on, her 'makeup tips' video (Quinn had sent a copy to Daria when it came out. Daria had never managed to bring herself to watch it...) and many other things. Daria went back down to the living room. She grabbed her dad's coat off the couch where she had set it, and took it to the closet. something fell out of it as she was putting it into the closet. She bent down and picked up the envelope. It contained the divorce papers... and a short note.
|
ATTORNEYS-AT-LAW Jake, I have enclosed the divorce papers. Please sign and return them ASAP so that we can both get on with our lives. Best regards, Helen Morgendorffer DICTATED BUT NOT READ |
"That Bitch! She didn't even sign the letter!" Daria sat down and began to read through the divorce papers. She had learned to read 'legalize' a long time ago. "Does he get to keep his dignity?" She asked herself, as she flipped to the last page. "Nope, there it goes! I cannot believe this. Well I am NOT going to sit still for this." Daria grabs the phone and begins to dial. As she is dialing, she sees the clock on the wall, which reads 1:00 am. Daria hangs the phone up. "Tomorrow then." she told herself, as she hoisted her bag over her shoulder, and returned to her rubber room.
The next day was another busy one for Daria. A few phone calls in the morning, one to arrange a rental car be delivered to the hospital, and several others to various people Daria needed to arrange for her stay. She was planning to be in Lawndale for a while. She took a cab to the hospital. Her father had woke up, and she needed to get him squared away before worrying about anything else. She met a lawyer, and a judge, both who had no ties to her mother (in fact the judge actively disliked Helen and had once jailed her for contempt) She would need them to arrange the power of attorney and having her father committed to rehab. She went into his room alone.
"Hey Kiddo." He said weakly. He was a shell of himself. His left arm was in traction, and both his legs were in casts. He was also in a body cast, and several tubes ran into him.
"Hey dad. I guess you know you're pretty lucky to be alive."
"Yeah, lucky" he said, with zero enthusiasm.
"Dad, how long have you been trying to kill yourself?"
"What do you mean Daria?" He looked into her eyes. "Ok, I've been kinda down, what with your mother divorcing me and all. And I admit I got a bit carried away today, but I'm not trying to kill myself."
"According to a police officer I talked to, you've been hauled in on DWI a few times..."
"They overreact! I wasn't drunk! Besides I was never charged..."
"Because one of your high-powered clients pulled some strings for you. Jodie says that your liver is almost SHOT! You need to quit drinking and take better care of yourself."
Jake heaves a deep sigh before he answers "You're right, but what do I have to live for? Your Mother? She's leaving me. AND she plans on taking everything we own with her. She even wants half of my business. What do I have to live for?"
"Lots of things. Two daughters who love you for one. Look, I want to check you into a rehab program. They'll help recover from the accident AND get over your addiction. I'll take care of things at your consulting firm, and square things with Helen. OK?"
"Whatever you say Kid.. Daria. I'm glad to see you."
"I'm glad to see you too." Daria approaches Jake, and very carefully hugs him. They share a moment, then Daria brings in the lawyer and judge and takes care of the paperwork. She stays by her fathers side until he drifts off to sleep. Then she leaves. She picks up her rental car, a black Volkswagon Bug. "At least it's not that horrible green color." She thinks as she drives away.
Daria soon arrives at Morgendorffer Consulting. As she expected, she sees that none of her father's hired consultants are there. However his receptionist is. She approaches the front desk. A nameplate on her desk identifies her as 'Judith Findley'. "Let me guess... They all show up, see that the boss isn't coming in, then head for the golf course, right?"
"That's pretty much par for the course around here. You are Jake's daughter Daria, right?"
"Yes, how did you know?"
"Follow me. And you can call me Judy, by the way." Judy leads Daria into Jake's office. We see on the wall a photo of Daria. Near it is an article on her, clipped from a newspaper. Also present is her first article for The New Yorker. She looked around, and found a somewhat smaller picture of Quinn. "So what can I do for you Daria?" Judy asked.
"Well, I want to go over the books. Dad will be out of the loop for a while, as he recovers from his injuries..."
"Injuries? Oh my GOD he was in a car wreck? Is he all right?"
"He will be. He was taken out of intensive care this morning. He's going into a rehab program that will not only help him get back the use of his legs, but also help him get over his alcohol problem."
"That's GREAT! Um.. could I visit him?"
"I don't think so Judy. They plan to move him to the rehab place this evening, and he's only allowed to have family visit. It's for his own good..."
"Oh, well I suppose..." Judy sighs. "I suppose you'll want to go over the books. I'll get them for you." Judy hurries out of the room. Daria looks after her, slightly puzzled by her behavior. Then Judy brought back a big stack of business ledgers, and Daria dug into them.
Three hours later, Daria knew two things. One: Most of her father's hired consultants were deadweight, and TWO: looking at ledgers for three hours gave her a splitting headache. She left her father's office, rubbing her head. Judy quickly got up from her desk and brought her a glass of water and a bottle of Exedrin ® Migraine. "Here, I thought you might need this." She said, handing the bottle to Daria. "It has two kinds of pain killer plus caffeine. What more could you ask for?"
"Thanks." Daria said, taking a couple of the pain killers. "I needed that."
"Let's go sit in the park. You look like you could use some fresh air."
"Good idea." Daria and Judy leave the office and walk to a nearby park. They sit on a bench, and watch joggers and dog walkers go by. Soon Daria's headache is gone. Judy suddenly looks off to the left. "Oh, look at that one. You know what they say: small dog, small.." Daria looks up, and her face goes white. And she hears something she's been dreading since she returned to Lawndale.
"Hey Daria".
Earlier that same day
Trent Lane slammed his hand down on the alarm clock, silencing it. He slowly got up and went through his morning rituals. Soon he was dressed, and he went out the front door of his childhood home. Soon he was driving to Lawndale High, and pulling into his space. "Just another day in hell." He thought to himself. He got out of his car and, as he had feared, saw the film teacher/football coach waiting for him. "Please let me have the strength to not kill him today..."
"Hey Trent-man!" Kevin said with his usual moronic enthusiasm. "Ready for another great day?
"Whatever. And don't call me that." Trent walked past Kevin and went into the teacher's lounge. As usual, no one had made coffee, so Trent went about it. It was just starting to brew when someone else came in. Trent turned to see Ms. Barch. "No," he thought "it's Mrs. O'Neill now. Have to remember that, or she'll get pissed at me... again. Plus she prefers for me to call her..." "Good morning Janet." he said out loud. "How's James doing." James was the O'Neill's two year old. Trent was amazed that the toddler seemed to be fairly well adjusted.
"He's doing great. And he might have a little brother or sister before too long..."
"You're expecting? Congratulations!"
"Thanks. If it's a girl, Timmy wants to name it after his favorite student, Daria."
Trent's face shut down at the mention of that name. He quickly poured himself a cup of coffee and prepared to leave. "That's great Janet. I'd better get to class." He hurried out of the teacher's lounge, so that she wouldn't notice his reaction. "Just one day." He thought to himself, "I'd like just one day when I'm not reminded of what I did..."
"Just another day in hell." Trent thought to himself as he left Lawndale high. Most of his students had little interest in music, and the ones who did seemed to have no skill and no patience. Not that Trent considered himself especially adept at teaching them. He arrived home. As he expected, his dog was waiting for him. "Ready for your walk, Meatloaf?" He asked the dog. It was one of those tiny little dogs that could fit in one hand. Trent had no idea what breed it was. Meatloaf was a good dog, though, and Trent's only companion since his parents moved away. His only friend, too. Jane wouldn't return his calls, and all his letters to her came back stamped 'REFUSED'. He put Meatloaf on a leash and headed for the park. As he was walking through the park, he was shocked to see Daria. He had forgotten how beautiful she was. He was often amazed that others considered her to be plain. He knew he should run in the other direction, get away before she saw him, but he couldn't stop looking at her. The woman next to her noticed him, and made some remark he didn't hear. Then Daria looked up. He watched her face shut down. "Maybe this will be good for both of us." he thought, as he walked closer. But he really didn't believe it. "Hey Daria." he said, when he had gotten closer.
"Trent." Daria said. The coldness in her voice was incredibly intense. Not anger, not hatred, pure coldness. that was exactly what Trent had expected. Judy quickly got up and headed away "I'll just go...um do something other than be here." she said as she left. Trent looked back into Daria's face, and saw nothing there, nothing at all. "The worst I can do is try..." he thought to himself. "Daria I..."
"Save it Trent. You hurt me. It took me more than a year just to recover to the point I could function. I'm in Lawndale because I have to be. I suggest you stay out of my way." Daria begins to walk away. Then she turns back for a second "And that, is the stupidest looking excuse for a dog I have ever seen." With that, she stalked off.
Monique made her way stealthily down Dega street. The last thing she needed was for someone to see her. She had been forced to jump out of the train while it was still moving, and had rolled through a hay field upon landing. She looked like crap, plus she had the shakes. She needed a fix, and she knew just where to get it. Sure enough, Axl's Piercing Parlor was right were she remembered it. She walked in, waited for Axl to recognize her, then fainted. Axl sighs, then carries her up to his room, over the shop. This has happened before...
Daria sat at her father's desk and reflected. Not a bad piece of work. She'd fired the deadweight employees (she had been quite angry to learn they had been hired because they were relatives of partners at Helen's law firm...) and replaced them with recent college graduates, who were eager to learn the trade, and knew that their paychecks depended on their performance. The clients seemed ok with the change, although they were used to the personal touch from Jake himself. She assured them that Jake would be back at work in a few months. She'd gotten a letter from him. He sounded much better, and at peace with himself. He even asked how Judy was doing (Judy had actually blushed and left the room when Daria told her this, confirming that her father's receptionist had a crush on him.) "Well," Daria thought, "she might be good for him, after the divorce is taken care of. Speaking of that, I wonder when Helen will be getting those papers from my lawyer..."
"Daria, Helen is on line 1." Daria rather enjoyed the way Judy made her mother's name sound like a bad word. "She called herself? Not her assistant?" Daria asked.
"Yes, to my surprise."
"Sounds rather hysterical, perhaps?"
"Yep. What did you do?"
"Inform Helen that I am in a meeting and cannot be disturbed. Make her an appointment for a week from tomorrow."
"With pleasure. Judy went back out to her desk. Daria smiled to herself. Everything was going according to plan.
Later that day, Daria was grocery shopping when she came across one of the few teachers from Lawndale she actually liked. "Ms. Defoe! How have you been?"
"Daria! How nice to see you. But it's Mrs. DeMartino now, or Claire."
Suddenly Mr. DeMartino joined them. "Ah, Daria. How nice to see one of my favorite former students. How are you?" As he says this, he casually takes Claire's hand into his own. Daria is a bit thrown off by this, as well as by how calm and together he seems. His characteristic eye bulge is no where to be seen.
"I'm Ok. Running a little late though. Talk to you later." Daria grabbed her cart and quickly wheeled it away. "Everywhere I go, I see happy couples. I may puke." She thought to herself. To her surprise, and amusement, she knew the cashier too. It was Quinn's old nemesis Sandi! She had added quite a few pounds, though. Daria pretended not to recognize her, and Sandi probably didn't recognize her. Daria couldn't think of a more horrible fate. Soon Daria arrived at her home. As she expected, there were several messages from Helen. They ranged from 'motherly' to furious. Daria was looking forward to their upcoming meeting.
Meanwhile, during this time Monique had regained her health under Axl's care. But she was still plagued by dreams. Jane, Trent and Daria humiliating her over and over again. She had learned from Axl that Trent was living in Lawndale. Axl had also seen Daria in the grocery store. She would have her revenge.
Daria was once again sitting at her father's desk, working at a computer. Judy came in and shut the door behind her. "Ms. Morgendorffer," Judy began, using a formal, businesslike voice "A Helen Morgendorffer is here to see you." Daria decided to play along.
"Does she have an appointment?"
"Yes, for 10:30." Daria glanced at a clock, saw it was now 10:45. "So she's in the waiting room?"
"Why, yes. I knew how busy you were, so I told her to wait."
"And is there fresh coffee and refreshments in the waiting room today?"
"Now that you mention it... I may have forgotten to put them out today."
"Well, she's had long enough to stew. Send her in." Judy left, and shortly returned with Helen. Helen was in her typical 'business-woman' outfit. She looked furious. Judy left and shut the door behind her. Daria looked at Helen, then asked in her most innocent voice "So, Helen what did you want to see me about?"
"Daria you know damn well what this is about. THIS!" Helen slammed down a manilla envelope, filled with legal documents. "What the hell is this all about?"
Daria picked up the manilla envelope and removed the documents. Then she slowly pretended to look them over. "They appear to be divorce papers. Now, I'm not a lawyer, but it appears as if dad is divorcing you for adultery and mental cruelty. What does this have to do with me?"
"Save it Daria. I know perfectly well that you've somehow tricked your father into giving you power of attorney. Do you honestly think you can prove any of these ridiculous allegations?"
Daria reached into a drawer and pulls out an envelope. "You and Eric made an error in judgment. You stayed in the Ruttheimer Inn. A very poor choice indeed." Daria produced pictures of Eric and Helen entering a room at a motel. "You see, This motel is owned by Charles Ruttheimer III. He likes to keep track of who stays at his motel. And when you signed the register, Mr. and Mrs. Jones, how original! you agreed to allow the hotel to record you 'for security purposes'. I'm afraid this tape is rather juicy." Daria pulled a videotape out of the drawer. "It is also time dated. I could show you more evidence that the detectives I've hired have collected, but I hardly think it is neccessary. We can, and will, prove these charges." Daria saw that Helen was defeated. "However, there is an alternative." Daria pulled another set of legal papers out of the drawer. "This is a bit fairer divorce agreement then the one that you gave to dad. Why don't you sign it, so we can all get on with our lives?"
Helen read over the document. "This is not acceptable..."
"It beats the alternative, doesn't it?"
"Very well. I'll have to have it notarized..."
"No need for that, Dad's receptionist is a notary public." Daria went to the intercom, and saw it was on. She pretended to activate it. "Judy, could you come in here for a moment, and bring your notary stamp."
Judy came in. Helen signed the documents, and then left angrily. Judy looks at Daria and gives her a thumbs up. Daria allows a slight smile to come across her face.
Yet another day of hell. Trent Lane got out of his car and opened his front door. To his surprise, Meatloaf did NOT come running out. Trent went inside to look for him. As he did, he heard something boiling over in the kitchen. He also noticed an awful smell in the air. As he heads for the kitchen, he notices that the picture window in the living room is shattered. He arrives in the kitchen, and sees that a large pot is on the burner, and that it's boiling over. The weird smell is coming from it. He shuts off the burner and looks inside the pot. To see his dog...
"MEATLOAF! NO!"
A half hour later, the police are on the scene. We see a badly shaken Trent talking to Officers Mack and Ted. "Do you think this could be a prank by one of your students Mr. Lane?" Mack asked.
"No way. None of them are capable of something like this. And call me 'Trent'."
"What about Daria Morgendorffer?" Ted asked. "I know you to used to have a relationship, and you know what they say, 'there's nothing like a woman scorned...'"
"Nah, Daria would never do something like THIS. This was someone deranged."
One of the other officers came up and spoke to Mack. "We've got a fingerprint on the window!"
"All right, lets take it down to the station and see what we come up with."
"How long will it take to ID that fingerprint?" Trent asked.
"Only a few minutes, if it's someone local with a record, why?"
"I want to come with you. I have a real bad feeling about this."
A half hour later, Trent was at the police station, letting loose a string of profanity. "Monique, shit." He was headed for the door. "Trent where are you going?" asked Mack.
"I've got to warn Daria. Go down to Dega street, check at Axl's Piercing Parlor. She should be there." Trent raced out the door and got in his car. He was soon racing toward the Morgendorffer house. He only hoped he wouldn't be too late. He arrived there in record time, and noticed that Daria's rental car was there. He ran up to the front door and pounded on it. "Daria! Open up! This is important!"
The door opened a crack, and he saw Daria "Go away Trent!" She said. Trent pushed in. "You have to listen to me Daria" Trent said, as he entered the house. "You are in danger."
Daria put her face into her hands "No shit, dumbass." she said. Trent slowly turned, to see Monique standing behind the door, holding a gun on them. She shut the door, and as she did, Trent realized this was his chance. "I can make it up to Daria. I destroyed her life once, now I can save it." He charged Monique. She fired seven times, right into his gut. He fell at her feet. Daria moved forward, but Monique quickly brought the gun up. Daria smiled at her. "Why are you smiling?" Monique asked.
"Because you are out of bullets." Daria slapped the gun out of Monique's hand, then spin-kicked her in the head, sending her tumbling backwards. Monique crashed into the wall, but got to her feet quickly. She pulled out a switchblade, and extended the knife. "I'm gonna make you a whole lot uglier, Daria." She hissed and then charged Daria.
To Daria, the whole thing seemed to be happening in slow motion. She could almost hear her self defence teacher's voice in her head as Monique approached her. "There are seven working defences from this position. Three of them disarm with minimal contact. Three of them kill. The other.....hurts" There is a sickening <KRUNCH> sound, and Monique goes down in a heap. Daria hurries over to the phone and calls for an ambulance. Then she goes over to Trent. "Well THAT was pretty stupid." She said to him.
"Daria," his voice was weak. "I never had a chance to tell you how sorry I am..."
"Trent, just save your strength. The ambulance will be here soon."
"I don't want to die without letting you know I'm sorry...sorry I wrecked your life. Our lives."
"Trent you are NOT going to die. It takes forever to die from a gut wound. You might wish that you were dead. But you won't. I can hear the sirens Trent. Just save your strength."
"I love you Daria." Trent said, as he lost consciousness. Daria's face was covered by tears. "Dammit, I love you too, you bastard." Daria went to the door, and let the ambulance people in.
Outside a church, we see a car, painted up with 'just married' painted on it with soap. A couple come out of the church, and run to the car as they are pelted with rice. As they get into the car, someone approaches and the window is rolled down. "It was a beautiful wedding dad. I hope you and Judy will be very happy together."
"Thanks Daria. And I hope... things... work out for you and Trent."
"I think they will dad, in time. I really think they will." Jake drives off and we see Trent, standing behind Daria with a slight smile on his face.
Ok, Ok. I admit it! I, Crazy Nutso, wrote this travesty. I've tried to follow Diane's style as much as possible, and I resisted the temptation to take the story to my normal excesses. If you feel this is disrespectful to Diane, DON'T! I would NEVER have posted it without her permission. In fact, if she asks me, I'll even let her put her two cents in below. Rest assured that she IS hard at work on the actual REAL sequel to 'Undone', and rest assured that I'm looking forward to it as much as you are! Oh, and I know I portrayed Helen a lot more harsh then the standard, but I assure you it was done PURELY to annoy Kara Wild! Vengence is mine Kara!
Diane Long adds:
Hee hee hee. Wasn't that fun? Crazynutso is such a dramatic young (hah) lad. I am actually very flattered that he was inspired to make up his own sequel. I'm really touched (but not in the head). He also got in some fun inside jokes. Two in particular come to mind. One, Trent's puppy. Anyone from IRC #Daria+ will get an extra chuckle from that. Two, Daria's snide comment about the green VW Bugs. When I went to visit Crazynutso, just a couple of weeks ago, I saw one of those and commented how much I liked that shade of green. Crazynutso just can't resist teasing me. As for issues of style, I'm not sure that I agree that he wrote in my 'style' (whatever that is), but maybe I can't see the forest for the trees. I think his own style is present through. For example, Daria was a strong character who literally could kick some ass. That is sooooo Crazynutso. Any who, I am working on UNDONE2 and hope to release it live on IRC from London this summer while I am hanging out with the ever delightful Canadibrit. Get your tuxes pressed it's gonna be one swanky event! Smooches to you all, particularly my buddy Crazynutso! Smooooch!