Subject:  DS:The Next Generation 3
From:  Aesgaard
Date:  Tue Jun 11, 2002  1:52 pm

Lizzie was screaming as Carolyn picked apart her daughter's life. Willie and J.R. shared a gaze between them that could only be shared by father and son. It was going to be another night.

"I have never been so embarrassed in all my life." Carolyn held her head as if she had a headache. "My daughter putting on a live sex show !"

"Did you hear what some of those guys were yelling ?" J.R. remarked.

"You are not helping." Willie looked to him. "Go to bed." J.R. glanced briefly at his father and started up the foyeur steps but stopped and hesitated on the balcony as his little sister got yelled at."

"All I did was sing a song !!" Lizzie screamed louder than her mother.

"You didn't have to sing it like that ?!!" Carolyn poured herself some sherry. "You also didn't have to take your Aunt Angelique's bridal dress. You do know it was handed down from Naomi Collins !"

"She said I could wear it !!"

"When you got married !!!" Carolyn narrowed her eyes in disgust. "Not to throw yourself at a bunch of boys !!!" Lizzie squealed in disgust and stamped her foot. Her father had dropped to the sofa and rubbed his forehead.

"Daddy ?!"

"Don't look at me." he rolled his eyes to her. "I'm on your mother's side on this." They looked up as Mrs. Johnson wandered in the back way into the drawing room. Clad in her robe and with her hands around her cup of hot chocolate, she stood as a mute by-stander to the family squabble.

"Mrs. Loomis," She looked up wearily. "I just wanted to tell you that Christopher went to bed at eight on the dot without a fuss, and that everything is locked up."

"Thank you, Mrs. Johnson." Carolyn calmed as she lowered her voice. "But you needn't bother. You're retired now."

"Me ? Retired ?" The former housekeeper scoffed. "Not when I have to keep on the toes of your new house staff." She almost turned. "By the way, how was the talent show ?"

"The school raised over $38,000." Willie reported from the sofa as Lizzie brooded next to him. "And Barnabus and Angelique's son, William, won second prize."

"I don't know what I did that was so wrong." Lizzie mumbled under her breath. "Mrs. Johnson said you were a hell-raiser in your day."

"Oh-no," The elderly house keeper turned back the way she came. "Keep me out of this."

"Well," Carolyn sipped her sherry and grinned to her problem child. "My life has nothing to do with this. " She stared into Lizzie's blue eyes as the girl tried to break her will. "Go to bed. I'm sick of talking about this."

"Fine...." The thirteen year old girl bounded up in disgust and tramped out of the room mumbling under her breath. "I hate this house so much..... when I hit eighteen, I am so gone........" She met J.R. at the top of the stairs.

"Did they see your report card yet ?"

"No," Lizzie ignored him as best she could. "And they never will...." The curly-haired blonde wild child wandered off to her room.

Dark Shadows is a Dan Curtis Production.