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The First Party Part 4
Daria and the others found Jane in the kitchen. “Welcome,” Jane said. “Ready to go?” she asked.

“Of course,” Daria said.

“Um, your brother’s car, is it safe?” Stacy asked.

Jane thought for a moment. “Mostly, Don’t worry.” She answered. She added; “At least we won’t be stranded if it does break down.”

“How often would it break down?” Quinn asked.

“It varies,” Jane said.

“Is this such a good idea, Daria? We know we can walk there.” Quinn said.

“Let’s do it anyway,” Daria said.


“So, Crewe Neck, Cool,” Trent said as he started the car five minutes later. Jane was in the passenger seat, and Daria, Quinn and Stacy in the back. “I haven’t been there since a party in my senior year.”

“Ok,” Daria said. She hoped that Quinn didn’t see her blush.

“Directions?” Trent asked.

“Different from yesterday, Daria?” Jane asked.

“Yes,” Daria answered.

“Approach it from the direction of Sloane Hill,” Jane directed.

“Sure,” Trent said.

( Ten minutes later... )

Mysteries of Lawndale 02 – The First Party Part 2
Twenty minutes later, Daria, Jane and Jason met Stacy, Quinn and Corey at a park across from Jason’s house on the corner of Glen Oaks Lane and Page Drive.

After their mutual surprise had subsided Daria asked, “Now we’ll compare notes.”

“We have to take notes?” Stacy asked.

“Not literally, but that would help,” Daria said as she placed her notebook on the table.

“No problem, I have an eidetic memory,” Stacy said.

“Huh?” Corey asked.

“Photographic,” Stacy answered.

“Remember that if you want to help us long term,” Daria said, with tone of slight annoyance.

“Right,” Corey said.

“Stacy, that is a good thing. With your recall you’ll be a great help,” Daria said, with a slight tone of encouragement.

“Well, one thing I have noticed, not only today, but occasionally, is the manhole covers. They all have the town crest on them.”

“Manhole covers have the town crest,” Daria repeated as she wrote it down in her notebook. She turned back to Stacy. “Could you sketch it?”

“Not very well,” Stacy admitted.

Daria turned to Jane.

“Sure,” Jane answered. “It’ll take a while, though.”

“That’s fine, we’ll go through what else we have discovered.”

( Read More )

Untitled Esteemsters/The Invitation/Daria Dance Party/The Lawndale File crossover

"So, for now, I'm vice president of the Fashion Club, and head of the Dance Committee and that's it," Quinn said.

"Sounds like a well-thought out decision, honey," Jake said.

"As long as you can join pep squad later -- if you want. Never know how much we can handle till we try, though," Helen said.

"What about you, Daria? How was your first day?"

"Well, my history teacher hates me because I know all the answers, but there are some interesting idiots in my class. "

"That's great! "

"Jake! "

"Daria, your father's trying to tell you not to judge people until you know them. You're in a brand-new school in a brand-new town. You don't want it to be Highland all over again."

"Not much chance of that happening... unless there's uranium in the drinking water here, too. "

"I'm talking about you making a friend or two. Don't be so critical. Give people the benefit of the doubt."

"Well, a cheerleader did invite me to her party on Saturday night, after I helped her in art class."

"What! You can't go, Daria!" Quinn interjected.

Helen was about to scold her younger daughter when the phone rang.

"I hope that's not the booster society again."

Helen answered it. "Hello? ... Yes ... Uh, yes, she's my daughter. ... I see. Listen, will this require any parent-teacher conferences or anything, and if so, is this the sort of thing my assistant can handle? ... Okay, great. Bye! (hangs up) You girls took a psychological test at school today? "

"They said we wouldn't be graded!" Quinn said.

"Daria, they want you to take a special class for a few weeks, then they'll test you again."

"You flunked the test?!" Quinn asked.

"She didn't flunk anything. It seems she has low self-esteem."

"What?! That really stinks, Daria!"

"Easy, Jake. Focus. We tell you over and over again that you're wonderful and you just... don't... get it!" Helen slammed her fists on the table. "What's wrong with you?!"

"If this weren't a school night, I might have the time to begin answering that."

9th

Excerpt from: Meeting a Community
I hope you have had a good week. Let’s pray and thank God for what He has done.”

Words: 18


Excerpt from: A New Generation - Farpoint
“Captain’s Log, Stardate 41153.7. Preparing to detach the Saucer Section, so that families and the majority of the ship’s company can seek relative safety while the vessel’s Stardrive, containing the Battle Bridge and main armaments, will turn back and confront the mystery that is threatening us.”

Saucer Separation was hardly new. The Galaxy class had simply taken the concept further. The earlier classes of ship (the Excelsior and Ambassador classes mainly) could reconnect with an involved manual process, but the Galaxy could do it with various automated modes.
( Read More )
Total: 437

“Isn't that Daria?” Kristen asked, when she noticed Daria waving and shouting.

“What is she doing?” Cindy asked.

“Ooh! Turning the embarrassment factor up to eleven!” Quinn exclaimed. 'Of course she would do something like that!' she thought.

“That would be embarrassing!” Kristen, sure that Kelly would be doing something similar if she had wanted to crash the party.

“Let's go somewhere where she can't see us,” Cindy suggested.


Brittany was in one of the upstairs rooms looking at Ashley-Amber's collection of 'dance' CDs.
'Songs of the Moulin Rouge. Sounds interesting,' she thought.

“Babe? What are you, like, looking for?” Kevin asked.

Brittany jumped. “Kevvy! Were you hiding in here?”

“Yeah. Burnout Girl was, like rather scary,” Kevin said.

“Kevvy! If you didn't call her that to her face, she wouldn't have been 'scary',” Brittany said. She turned back to the CDs. She thought of using the example of Mack not liking to be called Mack-Daddy, but she decided to keep things simple. 'He has been calling him that for years, and still doesn't understand that he doesn't like it,' she thought.

“Oh, What were you looking for again?” Kevin asked.

“Party music,” Brittany said.

“Oh,” Kevin said.

“Exotic dance music. I don't think so,” Brittany said. That topic didn't seem appropriate for a teen party.

“Hey Babe? What about this one?” Kevin asked, holding up a copy of Heffner's 34 Favourite Songs.

Brittany glanced at the explict image on the cover. “Kevvy! Put that back. There is nothing suitable here. I am sure that I have a copy of Oops, I Did it Again somewhere.” She headed towards the door.

“Not that Spears chick, Babe!” Kevin exclaimed.

Brittany just glared at her boyfriend.

“You have any Aguilera?” Kevin asked.

“Maybe,” Brittany said.


After Quinn and her friends had retreated from her embarrassing calling out, Daria turned back to her friends. But Jane had gone, only Jennifer was there.

“Where's Jane?” she asked.

“She went off to the Laundry room with the big-headed dude. I think his name is Bobby,” Jennifer said.

“Interesting,” Daria said. 'Have fun, but not too much fun,' she thought, with a Mona Lisa smile on her face.


At the gate house, the security guard had continued to pore over Jane's life drawings. Finally he couldn't stand it any longer. “I gotta take this class. I've got to find Tiffany,” he said. He turned over the sketchbook and saw Jane's name written there. “I mean... Jane.” 'Why did she have to lie about her name?'
He deserted his post and headed towards the Taylor's mansion.

Unfortunately, several bored Lawndale State students (and one of their High school aged friends), whom had taken to driving around Lawndale's boondocks, saw him desert the gatehouse and head deeper into the gated estate. They had heard about Brittany's party on the grapevine (mostly via MySpace) thus they decided to crash it. They drove around the lowered wooden gate, onto the lawn, and back onto the street. “Woo-hoo!”

“Party!”

They called more of their friends...


Brittany came to Cindy, Quinn and Kristen in the Breakfast-nook. “I'm sorry. All I could find was recent pop music. That's just for listening to,” she said.

“I guess that will have to do,” Kristen said.

“Sure,” Brittany said, as she put the music on.

Kristen started dancing. “This is actually a good beat,” she said.

“Yeah,” Cindy said. She and Quinn joined her.


The now expanded Fashion Club (minus Stacy, whom hadn't been invited) looked on the trio of geeks dancing. “That is abominable!” Sandi proclaimed.

'The hide of her!' Kristen thought as she looked at Sandi “Have you done any dance lessons?” she asked.

“Well, no,” Sandi admitted.

“Then you have no right to say that our dancing is abominable!” Kristen said. 'That should make her think!'

“You mean that you have?” Tori asked.

“Of course,” Kristen said. She grabbed the approaching Joey and began to waltz with him. He was so shocked that it took about 15 seconds for him to respond.

“Woa, Kristen. That was unexpected,” he said. There was a time when he thought Kristen was pretty, but then she went goth. 'She's still pretty, but she has nothing on Quinn,' he thought.

Jeffy and Jamie took advantage of Joey's distraction to try to dance with Quinn.

“Guys! One at a time!” Quinn exclaimed.

“I'll dance wth you, Quinn!” Jeffy said.

“No, Jeffy. I'll dance with Quinn!” Jamie said.

“I said it first!” Jeffy said.

“I saw her first!” Jamie said.

“Guys!” Quinn exclaimed.


Sandi couldn't stand the sight of two of the Three Js fighting over wanting to dance with the Geekendorffer. She spun around and walked off in a huff.

Tori glanced back before following her. 'Looks like the Three Js all have a crush on her. I guess that means that their popularity is going to go down if hers does,' she thought.


Joey was still talking to Kristen and Jeffy and Jamie were still fighting over was going to dance with Quinn. Cindy decided to intervene. She grabbed Jamie and spun him around in a flamenco move.

“I guess you took dance lessons too?” he said.

“Yes, Johny, I did,” Cindy said.

'Of course she has to get my name wrong, like everyone else,' Jamie thought. He and Cindy then danced to the beat.


Angie walked into the living room with a CD. She showed it to Brittany. “I found this in one of your father's shelves in the Rec Room. This is a lot better than the music that is playing now. You just have to know where to look,” she said.

“Thanks, Angie!” Brittany said. She went and changed the CDs over. The change in the mood was instantaneous.


“This music is a lot better!” Kristen said.

“Definitely! But I think I saw Upchuck somewhere!” Cindy said.

“You're probably imagining things,” Kristen said, as she grooved with Joey.

“Don't sweat it, Cindy,” Jamie said.

“You're right, Jared. Now lets do some groove-waltzing,” Cindy said, wanting to try something new.

“Groove-waltzing?” Jamie said, momentarily overlooking Cindy getting his name wrong again.

“Yeah, a combination of a waltz and grooving, which is what Joey is doing with Kristen,” Cindy said.

“Cool,” Jamie said, uncertain.

“Don't worry. I'll lead,” Cindy said.

Quinn looked at her friends dancing and wondered what it took to dance like that. 'I'll ask if they can teach me at some time,' she thought. Jeffy looked like he was enjoying himself though. 'It's not the dancing that matters, I guess. Its the company.' She didn't know what to think of Jeffy and his friends though. 'I am not ready for a steady boyfriend.'


Daria and Jennifer stood near one of the food tables. She turned to Tori, whom was dancing nearby and said flatly “It's the Soul Train. Beep-beep, get on board.”

Jennifer quietly laughed at this.

Daria flashed a Mona Lisa smile in response to Jennifer's laugh.


The carpet around the laundry room door was covered in soap and suds. Then the door opened a crack and Jane peeped out. She saw nobody who would see her exit the room. She then slipped out and looked for Daria and Jennifer.


Jane quickly found her two friends. Jennifer was laughing. She quickly found what she was laughing at. A sock had adhered itself to her shoulder. She picked it up. “Very funny, Jennie,” Jane said.

'Jennie' snatched the sock off Jane and handed it to Daria. She didn't much like being called by the diminutive but it was preferable to the name which Kevin had called her by earlier.

“What happened to Bobby Bighead?” Daria asked.

“I wasn't really interested,” Jane said, with nonchlance.

Daria noticed that Jane's lipstick was smudged, and stared.

“OK, fine. He thought my head was a lollipop. Are you two ready to go?” Jane said, with some resigned irritation.

“I was ready to go before we got here. But I still need to look after Quinn,” Daria said.

“I think she is taking care of herself,” Jennifer said, looking at Quinn, her two friends and the Three J's dancing. Cindy and Kristen's impromptu dancing had grown more complicated, with Jamie and Joey changing between the two every twenty seconds. Jeffy looked besotted with Quinn and clearly wasn't taking notice of anything else.

Daria looked in that direction. “I guess so,” she said. She lead her two friends to the door.

“Leaving already?” Nikki asked.

“Yes. We need to get home early,” Jane said.
The trio left the mansion just as the gatecrashing college students pulled up outside (after they had raced around the estate a couple of times). 'looks like we have left just in time,' Daria thought. She knew that Quinn would be able to get away without any trouble. 'Its what she does best.'


The door slammed open as the college students entered the mansion.
“Come on in!” Nikki said oblivious.

They went to the living room, making loud noises over the dance music...

Daria knocked on the Lane front door. A tall lanky young man answered it. “Hi, you must be Daria, Janie is waiting in the kitchen with Jennifer,” he said.

“You must be Trent,” Daria said, recalling Jane's description of the younger of her two older brothers.

“Yes,” Trent said.

'He is handsome. Did I just think that?!'


Daria walked into the kitchen, blushing. Jane noticed the blush. “I see that you have met my brother,” she said.
“Go to hell, Lane,” Daria said, with a slight embarrassed tone “How old is he anyway?” she asked.

Jane didn't answer, but Jennifer did “21,” she said.

“I'm not even 16 until next month!” Daria said.

“True,” Jane admitted. Daria was quite embarrassed. She didn't expect it to be 'crush at first sight'.

“Are you ok?” Jennifer asked.

“I will be,” Daria answered.

“Good,” Jennifer said.

“So, how are we going to the Party?” Daria asked.

“I'm thinking that Trent can drive us to the Party,” Jane said.

“Trent?” Daria asked.

“It can't be that bad,” Jane said.

Jennifer held back a sigh. Instead she asked; “Why Trent?”

“Where can we leave your car?” Jane asked.

Jennifer thought for a moment. “Good point,” she said.

“What about afterwards?” Daria aked.

Jane shrugged. “We can walk, the area between Crewe Neck and West Lawndale is well lit, and there is very little crime in West Lawndale,” Jane said.

“Generally true,” Jennifer said, agreeing with Jane.

“So we can walk, or catch a lift with one of the other partygoers,” Daria stated.

“Yes, if we must,” Jennifer said.

“What about Quinn?” Jane asked.

“She would be making her own arrangements,” Daria stated, flatly, though Jennifer was sure that she detected a hint of hostility.

'What is it between those two?' she wondered, not for the first time.

“Ok,” Jane said.

The trio continued to talk for a while before going to wake up Trent.
Keith pulled his car up in front of the Brolsma/Robinson house.

“We will be ten minutes at most,” Kristen said, as she got out.

“Ok,” Keith said, as he turned off the engine.

Kristen went towards the house.


The sound of the doorbell resounded as Cindy finished putting on a red dress that she hadn't used since the beginning of the previous summer.

“I told you that you would look great!” Quinn said.

Cindy looked at herself in the mirror yet another time. She did look great. “Thankyou, Quinn. This isn't what I call overboard,” she said, and did a pirouette.

“Thanks. I do have great color-sense. You look great, Cindy. Boys will notice you,” Quinn said.

“Hopefully, not the wrong sort of boys. Like the football team, or Upchuck,” Cindy said.

“I don't think the latter would be there, but Joey, Jeffy and the other one aren't that bad,” Quinn said.

“I wouldn't be surprised that Upchuck found a way to get invited,” Cindy said.

Quinn's would be reply was interrupted by Cindy's mother announcing Kristen's arrival.

“Hi, Kristen,” Quinn said.

“I see you have redecorated since I was last here,” Kristen said, taking in the many new posters on the walls.

“Uh, yeah,” Cindy said, embarrassed as she stepped in front of one of the many World of Warcraft posters. Quinn glanced at a Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal poster.

“That's ok, I should have visited since last year anyway. You look good in that dress, by the way,” Kristen said.

“Thanks, Quinn helped me pick it out,” Cindy said.

“Cool,” Kristen said.

They talked for another minute before leaving to go the the party.


At Casa Lane, Trent walked into the kitchen. “Are you and your friends ready to go, Janie?” he asked.

“Of course we are,” Jane said.

“Do you know the way?” Daria asked quietly.

“Um, sure. Crewe Neck, right?” Trent asked.
“Yes, Trent,” Jane said.

“Cool,” Trent said.

“I'll move my car out of the driveway,” Jennifer said.

“No need, I can drive on the lawn,” Trent said.

“No, Trent, remember the last time you tried that? You almost hit the scupture, and the mailbox, and almost crashed into the house!” Jane said.

“Actually, that was Jesse,” Trent said, in defense.

“Really?” Jane asked.

“Yes,” Trent said.

“I'll move the car anyway. Just in case,” Jennifer said.


15 minutes later, the three teens got out of the ageing Plymouth close to the main Crewe Neck gate/entry.

“Are you sure that you don't want to crash?” Jane asked as she got out.

“A high school party? Please. Don't you think I'm a little mature for that?” Trent asked, prior to Daria and Jennifer getting out.

“Don't do anything I wouldn't,” Trent said as he drove away.

“Bye,” Daria said.

“Nice Conversational Skills,” Jane said.

Jennifer rolled her eyes.

In Quinn's 'hacker cave' of a room, Andrea Hecuba looked at the Javascript code on the screen as Quinn typed. “You want my opinion on what to do?” she asked.
“Of course,” Quinn said, as she continued typing.

“Just sneak them in,” Andrea said.

“Huh?” Quinn was confused.

“Brittany will be focused on the party. She won't notice two people whom she didn't invite,” Andrea said.

“How do you know that?” Quinn asked, she knew that Brittany and Andrea didn't hang out.

“We were friends in Elementary School,” Andrea said, with some bitterness; “two rough and tumble tomboys having fun.”

“Rough? Brittany seems nice,” Quinn commented.

“Not as rough as I was,” Andrea said, with a tone of lamenting regret.

Quinn could hear the regret in Andrea's voice. “What happened?” she asked.

“A long story,” Andrea said, in a tone that reminded Quinn very much of Daria.

7 years earlier
Nine year old Andrea and Brittany, dressed in boys clothes, were playing with Lego in Brittany's bedroom. They stopped as they heard Brittany's mother, Vivian, yelling at her father, Steve.

Brittany twirled her finger in her short blonde hair “It is happening again!” she said with slight panic in her voice.

“Do you know why she is yelling at him?” Andrea asked, as she nervously ran a hand through her mid-length, dark brown hair.

“She says that he needs to be at home at night every night, or something,” Brittany said. Andrea could hear the certainty that Brittany felt that her mother wasn't telling the whole truth. Brittany leaned against the bedroom door to listen. Andrea also leaned next to the door, next to her friend, to offer support if required.

They winced as they heard a door being slammed downstairs.
End of Flashback


Quinn typed slowly, waiting for Andrea to speak after saying “A long story.”

A minute passed.

“Sorry,” Quinn said. 'Must be rather unpleasant memories,' she thought.

Andrea snapped out of her reminiscence. “Right,” she said.

“You were saying that Brittany won't notice Cindy and Kristen?” Quinn asked.

“She won't. You can just sneak them in,” Andrea said.

“Ok,” Quinn said, thinking.


It was a usual Morgendorffer dinner. Jake was reading the paper (the Lawndale Sun-Herald), Daria was reading the book she had purchased on the life of Mozart 2 weeks previously (she was almost finished), Quinn was reading a game guide (the game in question being a RPG on the X-Box) and Helen was wondering if there would ever be any family interaction at dinner. “Did anything interesting happen at school today?” she asked.

Quinn put the game guide down. “I was invited to a party this weekend,” she said.

“A party, where?” Helen asked.

“Brittany Taylor's. Actually it was her boyfriend who invited me,” Quinn said.

“That's fascinating!” Helen said.

“Yeah. My first party in Lawndale!” Quinn said.

Helen turned to Daria. “Have you heard of this?” she asked.

“Brittany invited me, I haven't decided if I am going to go or not,” Daria said.

“You can't go, you will embarrass me,” Quinn said.

“Touché,” Daria said.

“You should ground her because...” Quinn said. She groped for a reason; “her room is a mess!”

Helen looked at Quinn, knowing that her 'hacker cave' was as messy as her sister's unusual room.

“If I go down for that one, I'm taking you with me!” Daria said.

Helen sighed. Before Quinn could come up with a retort she said; “I think it's great that you two are going to be spending time together. Dad and I would be happy to drive you to the party and pick you up.”

“No!” the sisters said in unison.

“There are another two days of school before then, I'll find a way to get there,” Quinn said, she finished her vegitarian lasagna and left the kitchen nook.

Once Quinn was gone, Helen said; “Daria, I would like it if you would keep an eye on Quinn at this party.”

Daria looked at her mother “As if!” she said.

Helen sighed. “She doesn't have to know about it, Daria!” she said.

Daria ignored her mother, as she chewed on the tasteless lagagna.

“Daria, answer me!” Helen demanded.

“I don't know what I did, but it couldn't have been that bad,” Daria said.

“I just want you to keep an eye on her,” Helen said.

“Is this a way of acknowledging how much more trustworthy I am?” Daria asked.

“It's my way of saying that if you don't do it, I'm sending both of you with a babysitter.”

“I'll take that as a ringing declaration of parental approval,” Daria said, in her customary monotone, she then finished her lasagne and left the kitchen nook.

Helen sighed.


Thursday, October 7, 2005
Daria arrived at Casa Lane. She could see Jennifer's Beetle parked behind Trent's Satellite. 'I see that Jennifer takes better care of her car than Trent does,' she thought as she passed the unusual lawn ornament. She knocked on the door. Jane answered it. “Hi, Daria, come in,” she said.


Jennifer had brought Jane some takeaway breakfast, as the Lane fridge and cupboards were rather empty (It seemed that Trent hardly did any grocery shopping).

“So, Brittany invited you to the party?” Jennifer asked, as she took a bite out of a muffin.

“Yeah,” Daria said. “And Kevin invited Quinn, as I am sure you have heard,” she continued.

“You are not thinking of going, are you?” Jane asked.

“My Mom has roped me in as a babysitter, Now I have to go,” Daria said.

“Ouch,” Jennifer said. 'About as bad as having to babysit my cousins in middle school,” she thought.

“Bummer!” Jane exclaimed.

“I don't want to go with Quinn alone,” Daria said.

“You want us to come with you?” Jennifer asked.

“Yes,” Daria said.

“Someone has to ensure that you don't embarrass Quinn too much, I guess. I'll come.” Jennifer said, shyly. She really did not like parties. “But how are we going to get past the guards?”

“Actually, I have some life drawings that may come in handy,” Jane contributed.

“You did life drawings?” Daria asked.

“Last summer,” Jane answered.

“Interesting,” Jennifer said.

“There is time before school. You want to have a look?”

“Sure,” Daria said.

“Your art always gives me a laugh,” Jennifer said.

“Cool,” Jane said, as she stood up. 'All this time, and she never told me,' she thought.