The Scientist Chapter 1: Part One: Circles, a jem fanfic

This story initially was started in 2002, as a long and winded docudrama of Emmett and Jacqui's relationship, the birth of Jerrica and Kimber, and so on and so forth. As the years passed and "Our Time" got finished, though, things changed and so did this tale.

2. Okay. Since I kept running into big stone walls of loopholes in my little timeline, I've made the decision to edit this a bit so that things get rolling again, and make more sense in the process. Basically, I've just shoved time forward a bit, but I doubt many will take notice. Besides, I f'ed up and had to squish all the chapters into one big one.

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April, 1943.

The girl collapsed onto the cot in her corner of the stockroom. She'd survived another exhausting day of being a gopher for the heathen director whom had gotten her into this situation nine months before. Of course, she knew she couldn't place the blame solely on him.

How stupid can I possibly be? She scolded herself. To think a grown man with a family of his own would leave it all for a naïve sixteen year old runaway like me? The girl rolled onto her side, taking care not to disturb the unborn child inside. She brushed her glossy blonde hair to the side and rested her head on the stained pillow.

I have to keep my dreams alive, the girl thought wearily. I came here to Hollywood in the first place to be a star, and a star I shall be. I'll make it as an actress and provide a stable future for my little baby. He or she deserves that much, she thought. Heaven knows I don't.

Sleep then mercifully claimed her in it's grasp.

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The sound of screams and a tearing in her gut shook the girl awake. She realized with a terrible start that the screams had not been in her nightmare. They were her own.

"What's happening?" She asked aloud. Another hot flash of pain shot across her abdomen as something seemed to burst inside her. Water flooded around her feet as the girl attempted to stand and failed. Her body sank to the frigid concrete floor.

"Help me!" She shrieked. "I'm having my baby, somebody please help me!" Another contraction gripped her, and her screams became louder and more frantic.

Across the lot, the resident night watchmen made yet another round about the premises. The older one lit an ever present cigarette and took a drag, coughing as he did so. "Boy, I tell ya, buddy, nothin' much goes on around here during the night shift."

"You got that right." His younger partner remarked as they turned the corner. "I really should ask the boss to switch us to days." The older man said, and his partner chuckled. "What, and give up all the glamour and excitement?" He quipped, and the men laughed. The sound echoed off of the surrounding buildings and the famous water tower. It carried through the stockroom door, and the harried girl picked up on it. She yelled again for help, praying for someone to answer her.

"Hey, wait a sec. You hear that?" The older watchman asked. The younger one perked up his head and listened to the night. After a few seconds, he heard a young woman's faint but distinct calls for help from the direction of the stockroom.

He looked back at his partner in alarm. "There's a girl yelling for help! It's coming from over there!" He exclaimed, pointing in the same direction. The startled men ran towards the sound. Sure enough, another scream came from beyond the stockroom door. They reached it and began to pound on the frame.

"Hello!" The younger man shouted. "Who's in there? Are you alright?"

Inside, the girl privately thanked her lucky stars. "My name is Marianne! I've been working for Mr. Raymond, and I'm having my baby right now!" She paused to catch her breath and clutched her distended belly. "Please, sir, you have to help me!"

The two men looked at each other.

"So the rumors about John Raymond and his mistress are true," the younger man whispered. "I wonder if his family knows!" The older man glared at him.

"There's no time for that now!" He tried the doorknob, but it was stuck. "Damn!" He turned to his partner. "Quick, go find help! Go now, go!"

"But what about the girl - "

"I'll stay here and keep trying the door. Just go!" Meekly, the young man obeyed and took off like a shot towards the main office.

"Don't worry about a thing, miss." The watchman assured Marianne. "We're getting help for you. Everything's gonna be just fine." As he spoke, he struggled with the stubborn door. He pounded on it, tried all of his keys, kicked at it, to no avail as Marianne's labor pains increased. Hurriedly she hitched up her nightdress and ripped her panties off, feeling the baby's mass shifting lower inside her birth canal, and soon she knew it's head was about to crown. Blackness washed before her eyes as she fought to stay conscious, but she was losing too much blood.

Distantly, she heard the loud skronk of the motorized ambulance cart and people shouting outside the door. With every collision of the battering ram against the wood, her baby inched itself out of it's mortally injured mother.

"I have..to stay..alive.." Marianne gasped. She focused all the energy she had left to give it one more push. The door shook violently on it's hinges under the urgent force of the rescuers.

"Heave!" The older watchman yelled.

"Ho!" The crew shouted back as they gave the ram a terrific shove. The door splintered and began to crack.

Marianne screamed in pain and instinctively held her hands underneath to catch the child and the afterbirth, which she promptly kicked to the side. For a moment all her agony was forgotten as she realized she had given birth to a beautiful baby girl. Finally the door collapsed to the floor with a bang, flooding the makeshift delivery room with the ambulance's headlights. She gazed up at them with eyes glazed over in wonder.

The doctor and his team rushed to Marianne's side to attend to her as the newborn little girl began to shriek. The watchmen who had discovered Marianne's plight knelt beside her.

"Miss? Are - are you okay?" The younger man asked tentatively. Marianne gave him a woozy smile, and a pang of concern stung his groin.

"It's a girl," She whispered hoarsely. "I'm going to call her..Jacqui. After my very favorite actress."

"Jacqui Andrews?" The older man asked with a sad smile. Marianne nodded at him and looked down lovingly at her baby daughter. She knew she didn't have long to live, and she certainly wasn't going to live long enough to be her mother.

"I came here so I could become famous." Marianne said weakly without taking her eyes off of little Jacqui. She squinted her eyes and gasped for breath, then continued. "But..but deep down inside, I always knew that Jacqui was really meant to be the star. I was just the astral body that gave her life." And with that, Marianne's eyes rolled back in her head. The medical team panicked and performed evasive maneuvers, but the two partners knew very well that it was too late. They removed their hats and bowed their heads.

The doctor sighed and closed the dead girl's eyes. He sadly said a prayer and removed the crying baby from her mother's arms.

"Notify the authorities, men." He said. "This little lady is going to need a proper home."

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In a suburb of Washington, D.C, Gerald Benton heaved the last of his family's meager possessions onto the flatbed of his truck while his wife, Francine, settled baby Emmett into his seat. Gerald found a tarp and flung it over the truck, then secured it with strong twine. He dusted his hands off and stepped back to admire his work.

"Francine? Are you ready to leave, honey?" He called.

"We're ready, Gerry." Francine answered. She walked up to her husband and kissed him on the cheek. "Are you absolutely sure this is what you want to do? You still want to move us to Los Angeles?" She asked him. Gerald nodded at her. "That's where all the jobs are these days, honey, if they're even there at all. I swear, that damned recession and the war are going to ruin this country and everyone in it." He sighed sadly and hugged his wife for comfort. They embraced for a while until little Emmett began to cry, wondering where his parents were and what they were doing without him. Gerald and Francine parted and headed for their opposite sides of the pickup.

Francine cooed and played with Emmett until he settled down, and Gerald took a last look at the shack he'd been born in and lived in all his life. Time for a new beginning, he resigned to himself. He put the truck into 1st gear, popped the clutch, and sent the truck sailing onto the road that would eventually lead them to California.

Gerald only prayed that it would lead them to a better life, as well.

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September, 1959.

Another first day of school in another new school, Jacqui Johnson groaned to herself. Why can't fate just pick me a life and stick to it? Oh, if only it were that simple.

"Jacqui!" Came the now familiar yowl of the newest in a long line of foster moms. "Ya gonna miss the bus, girlie! Ya betta hightail it down these here stairs NOW!"

"I'm coming!" Jacqui called back as she gathered up her books. One quick inventory for anything missing, and she was off, galloping down the stairs and out the front door before any more flak could be thrown her way. The school bus pulled up just in time.

Jacqui sighed wearily as she settled into her seat. It was impossible to believe that the day had only just begun.

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Emmett Benton shifted the weight of his backpack as he trudged up the walkway to the high school. He tried to avoid the heavy diesel fumes of the school buses that whizzed past him and ignored the taunts of all the jocks that inhabited the lumbering beasts. He didn't think it was humanly possible to feel so alone, and yet here he was wallowing in self pity.

He checked his watch as he neared the front gate. The bus had just released it's human contents onto the sidewalk, and Emmett looked up just in time to catch sight of the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen in his short life. She had her blonde halo of hair perched in a perfect ponytail. Her face seemed that of a living china doll. She looked up to lock eyes with Emmett's, a pair of sparkling sapphire eyes. Instantly he fell into a trance. He'd always thought the cliché of love at first sight was just that: a cliché.

Well, if that's the case, she is the most stunning cliché I've ever laid eyes on, he marveled to himself.

The harsh clattering of the bell broke his reverie, and as soon as the girl had appeared, she had dashed off to class and left Emmett floundering. "Oh, nice going, Benton." He chided himself aloud as he made his way through the throng. "Why must I always let these moments slip through my fingers?"

He sighed softly, heading for his locker. Number 472, the same as the two years past. Emmett resigned himself to the task of backpack organizing. As luck would have it, he glanced up and spied the same young lady with the sapphire eyes hesitating outside her homeroom. She had her gaze fixed solely on Emmett; the wild thudding of his heart in his chest left no doubt of it. They stared at each other across the crowded hall for a split second before she flushed deep red with embarrassment and disappeared into the classroom.

Emmett Benton slowly began to smile. For the first time, a girl had seemed to actually return his attentions. His spirit soared at the thought. Enough of these missing moments, he vowed. I have to meet her, to get to know her, and I will.

With an ear to ear grin and a spring in his step, Emmett headed for his own homeroom, not caring if he was late to class again.

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By the third day of school, the spring in Emmett's step had lessened a bit. He was already drowning in homework, the principal had warned him angrily about his chronic tardiness, the harassing jocks had picked up right where they'd left off last year, and worst of all, he hadn't seen hide nor golden hair of his dream girl anywhere.

At least the period looming ahead of him was only study hall. Maybe it'll give me a chance to catch up, Emmett thought. He made a mental task list as he headed for the school library.

Meanwhile, Jacqui had finally managed to locate all the materials she needed for her Civil War history project. She dumped them all on the nearby table with a loud thok that made everyone within earshot turn to stare at her. Jacqui mumbled an apology and tried to hide behind the pages of an encyclopedia.

"Please, just make them leave me alone." She whimpered to herself, squeezing her eyes shut.

The noise instinctively made Emmett look up from the card catalog to look for the source. His jaw dropped; he couldn't believe his good fortune! He'd actually found her again! Now there was only that pesky matter of screwing up the courage to talk to her.

She was staring right back at you yesterday, a little voice inside him spoke up. Don't be a moron, Emmett, take a chance for once!

So, for once, Emmett gave the little voice the benefit of the doubt. Cautiously he approached the blonde beauty and took a deep breath. Now or never, my friend, he told himself. Might as well be now.

"Hi." He almost coughed the word out in spite of forcing every nerve in his body to remain steady. The girl glanced up at him. Those sapphire eyes again, Emmett thought, and nervously cleared his throat. "By some chance, would you like to have some company?"

Jacqui didn't quite know what to say. She knew this was the handsome, geeky boy she'd noticed a few days ago looking her way. She smiled at him warmly.

"Sure. I could really use some friendly conversation for a change."

Emmett grinned shyly at her and pulled up a seat beside her. "I'd like to say I don't know the feeling, but I'm not one to lie to a girl just to get her attention." He extended his hand for a friendly shake, and Jacqui accepted it. "My name's Emmett. Emmett Benton. What's yours?"

"Jacqui Johnson. It's nice to meet you, Emmett." The happiness in her voice was obvious, Emmett noted, already finding he liked her tremendously. He noticed the history books splayed before her.

"So what are you working on today?"

"Oh, just a project for my history class," Jacqui sighed. "I can't believe they're giving us so much so soon."

"Yeah, I can relate. My workload is already double what it was last year. I love to learn new things, but the high school environment is not the best place to do it, in my opinion."

Jacqui nodded. "You know, I feel the same way. It's so hard to make any friends when you move around so much."

"Your family moves around a lot, huh?" Emmett asked. Jacqui lowered her head.

"No, no family, just me. I move around a lot. I've never had a family to move around with." Shame permeated her voice, and Emmett's heart sank, feeling like a jackass for being so insensitive. "I'm sorry, " He stammered. Jacqui laid a comforting hand over his own.

"Don't be. It's alright. How could you have known?" She said. "Besides, we've only just met, but it's strange...I feel as if I've known you for years."

"Really? You mean that?" Emmett asked hopefully. That smile graced him again.

"Of course I mean it. You seem to be in the same boat that I am here. It's like nobody knows you, and what's more, nobody wants to."

"Boy, you've got that right. Being a straight A student who loves science and technology is not the greatest way to make friends around here." He sighed, resting his head on his hand.

"Wow, there you go again! I feel the exact same way you do, except my bag is music instead of science. I can't believe that so many people are just so ignorant about life. All everyone seems to care about is football, cheerleading tryouts and who's making out at the drive in." She blushed at her last statement, which Emmett found charming. "Sorry. I didn't mean to be so frank. It's unladylike."

He couldn't help laughing. "Hey, all you're doing is telling the truth, Jacqui. It is true. The world revolves around people like them." He pointed discreetly to a gaggle of cackling teens clad in varsity jackets and poodle skirts, pushing and shoving their way to the cafeteria. Unfortunately, Emmett wasn't discreet enough, because one of the jocks spotted the two glancing their way, and his eyes flashed in anger.

"Hey, four eyes! What the hell are you staring at, huh, punk? You wanna start somethin'?" The boy sneered. Emmett's heart caught in his chest. The last thing he wanted was to end up in some brawl, especially now in front of his new friend.

"Ah, what are you getting all burned up for, Harvey? They're nobodies. It ain't worth your time." His pal said, slapping the boy on the back. The group burst into uproarious laughter and, luckily, continued their reign of terror in the hallways. Emmett exhaled in relief. Jacqui patted his hand sympathetically. He smiled at her gratefully, and she returned the smile.

I think I really like this guy, Jacqui thought.

She's a dream come true, Emmett said to himself.

"Thanks, Jacqui."

"You're welcome, Emmett."

The following day, Emmett waited in the lunch line for some standard cafeteria product, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. He could hardly wait to see Jacqui again. Already in the past few days, the two teens had become very good friends, discussing anything and everything that came to mind. He had droned on and on about recent scientific breakthroughs and the invent of the computer, which was said to be able to change the way the world lives and works in the near future. She had regaled him about blues and folk music, and the burgeoning rock n' roll scene, but neither one was ever bored in the least. Emmett was head over heels for Jacqui, and Jacqui had developed such a crush on Emmett that she had decided to take the plunge and ask him out to see a concert by a band she liked a lot, Bobby Bailey and the Tornadoes. Of course, Emmett had no idea, but she had assured herself he soon would find out.

He emerged from the school kitchen, and Jacqui spotted him from across the room and waved him over to her table. She glanced at the concert flier on the table and gulped. What if he says no? She asked herself uneasily.

He won't. I know he likes me back. It's just a matter of saying so. So ask him out! It's either now or it's never.

"Now or never," Jacqui murmured under her breath before turning to face him. "Hi, Emmett! How's it going?"

"Just fine," Emmett replied brightly, sliding into the bench and setting his tray down. He caught sight of the flier in Jacqui's hand. "What'cha got there?"

Jacqui's heart skipped and she took a deep breath to calm herself. "Well, do you - I mean, would you like to - oh, geez, wanna go catch tonight's Bobby Bailey show tonight?"

Holy cow! Emmett's mind crowed. She actually asked me!

"Wow. Umm..." He was so surprised, he couldn't even squeak the word "yes"! Damn his nerves!

To his dismay, Jacqui's china doll face crumpled with indignance.

"Don't say another word. Oh, I should have known all along! Just when it seems that I've maybe finally made a real friend somewhere, it doesn't even matter because nobody wants to be seen with the nerdy 'new girl'! Well, don't you worry, Emmett Benton!" Jacqui said haughtily, hoisting herself and her books away from the table. "I won't be wasting any more of your precious time!"

Tears burned her eyes as she turned and ran out of the cafetorium towards the biology lab. She couldn't believe her gullibility! Why on earth did she just hand her heart out on a silver platter to someone she'd only just met?

Meanwhile, Emmett watched, frozen in shock, as his dream girl took off in a huff and banged through the cafeteria's double doors. He couldn't move. "What did I say?" He asked incredulously. "I didn't even say anything!" His brow furrowed as he searched desperately for an answer. He couldn't think of a thing, but he did know he had to catch up with her, and fast.

Emmett yelled out her name, leaping from his seat and racing off after her. Predictably, the entire room turned to stare at him. Some laughed, some shouted catcalls and taunts, but all Emmett could hear was the panicked roar of blood in his ears. He deftly maneuvered around the human traffic in the hall, all the while never losing sight of his ultimate goal, who was desperately trying to ignore his pursuit.

Jacqui shot a look over her shoulder as she ran. He was still chasing her, probably, she thought, to finish the job of humiliating her. She took a sharp left turn and burst through the double doors to the courtyard and made a beeline for the most distant granite bench. After what seemed to be an eternity, she finally reached it and plopped down, wiping her tearstained face.

"I'm such a fool," Jacqui cried, folding her legs into an Indian style position. "Such a complete and total fool. Who am I kidding? I'm all alone in this world. My life has just been one big joke." Her body shook with sobs, and her schoolbooks went crashing to the ground.

Emmett stooped over to pick them up for her. "You're wrong about that, you know."

Her eyes flashed as she glared at him through slender fingers. "Oh? And exactly why should I believe such a thing, especially if it's spoken by you?" She shot back, and immediately regretted her outburst.

He ignored the pierce in his heart and continued, gingerly taking a seat beside her. "Well, don't listen to what I believe. You should really believe in yourself, Jacqui. I know you've had a hard time of it, that's true. But we both know that you're better than that, and you have the ability to rise above it, all of it, just by trusting your instincts and listening to your heart."

Jacqui said nothing, though her sobbing seemed to subside a bit. Emmett filled the awkward silence with more of his babbling. "And you're not nearly as alone as you think you are, Jacqui. Because, well, because you've still got me, and I'll never let you down, even though somehow I just managed to, but I have absolutely no idea how or why."

A small, weak smile creased her lips. She exhaled deeply. "I just thought that your not answering me was basically you telling me you didn't want to be with me."

"Is that all? Really?"

"Really."

Emmett couldn't help but laugh gently. "Well, to be perfectly honest, my dear, you didn't exactly give me a chance to accept your offer. You jumped to your own conclusion."

Jacqui managed a laugh, too, and shook her head. "Oh, Emmett, I'm so sorry. I really didn't give you a chance, did I? It's just I've been so anxious about asking you on an actual date. Girls just don't do the asking these days. Plus, I didn't know how you'd take it, and honestly, I'm just scared of losing the best friend I've ever had."

A blush invaded Emmett's complexion. "But you've only known me for a week! How did I become your best friend ever so quickly?"

To Emmett's complete and utter relief, one of Jacqui's dazzling smiles appeared across her face. "You're just so sweet and funny and intelligent, Emmett, not to mention decent and respectful. You treat me better than anyone else ever has, even any of my so called foster parents."

"Does that mean I still get to escort you Bobby Bailey and the Tornadoes tonight?" He asked hopefully. Jacqui squealed in delight and threw her arms around Emmett's neck, completely throwing him off guard.

"I want nothing more in the whole wide world!" She exclaimed. The two then drew away from each other slowly, both feeling an overpowering urge to lean in and kiss the other's lips. If the bell hadn't intervened with a shrill report, it may have happened, but instead the embrace was broken.

Emmett stood up and cleared his throat. "So, um, what time does this concert start?"

"Seven thirty tonight. It's at the Lizard Lounge, downtown. There's directions on the poster, if you need them." Jacqui told him as she gathered her things.

"Ok, so shall we say seven, I'll pick you up at your house?" Emmett asked. Jacqui immediately felt apprehension form in her gut at the mention of her place, but what else could she do? "Sure. I don't live too far from here. 317 Locust Lane."

"Oh, I know where that is, that's fine, then. All right, I guess I'll see you at seven!"

There was another awkward silence while the two gazed at each other.

"Well, we should get going if we want to make it to class on time." Jacqui suggested finally. Emmett looked at her sheepishly. "That's ok. I rarely if ever get anywhere on time." Realizing his mistake, he hurriedly added, "But I'll meet you tonight at seven o'clock sharp, I promise you that." Jacqui just laughed and gave a little shrug of her shoulders. "I trust you, Emmett. I'll see you tonight."

"Yeah, I'll be there. Bye, Jacqui."

"Bye!" She called out, already en route.

So the two hurried off to different destinations. But neither of them could wait until the day ended, so that the night could begin.

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Later that evening, Jacqui was attempting to apply makeup above her already stunning eyes without blinding herself. Even though she knew Emmett by now like the back of her unsteady palm, this wasn't the same thing as lunch period or study hall. This was her first real date, Jacqui marveled as she brushed some silvery shadow on one eyelid.

She'd taken care to look her very best tonight, choosing her best blouse and her only poodle skirt, incomplete without the bobby socks and mary janes. She only hoped her foster mother wouldn't notice the cosmetics she was borrowing and chew her out in front of Emmett for "looking like a damn whore", as the woman would so eloquently put it. Giving her petite nose one more pat of powder, she glanced out the window and spotted a baby blue Chevrolet pulling up outside.

"Oh, he's here!" Jacqui breathed. She dashed out the door and down the stairs, praying that neither "parent" would become an obstacle. For once, it seemed she'd had a stroke of luck, for both the kitchen and living room were deserted, save for the droning of the television set. Jacqui said a silent thank you and snuck out the front door. Emmett waited in his father's Deuce Coupe, for which he'd begged for hours just to borrow.

"Just for this special occasion," he'd wheedled. "Please, Dad?"

His father grunted from behind his evening paper. "Oh, yeah? That so? What makes this such a 'special occasion', huh?" Emmett swallowed hard, but his mother had stepped in, gently convincing her husband to allow their son to use his beloved vehicle for this special occasion. She'd grinned at him knowingly as Emmett's father reluctantly dug the keys from his pocket and dropped them in his son's outstretched hand.

Now, he was even more grateful for the Coupe. It complimented Jacqui's exquisite loveliness the way she looked tonight. He proudly handed her a white rose he'd bought for her especially. Jacqui beamed at him.

"Thank you, Emmett! It's gorgeous!" She took a long whiff of the intoxicating scent.

"Ah, it pales next to you, Jac." Emmett said shyly. It was also the first time he called her by that simple nickname as a term of endearment. Jacqui grinned. "Well, thank you for saying so. I do try!" Emmett laughed and started towards the Sunset Strip, where the Lizard Lounge was said to be located.

They arrived at the crowded venue just in time to find the last parking space. "Boy, this group is really popular, huh?" Emmett remarked to Jacqui as they left the car and headed for the ticket booth.

"Oh, yeah, all the kids are into them today!" She said excitedly, staring wide-eyed at all the commotion. Emmett produced his money to the man behind the counter. "Two, please."

The man handed him the tickets and five dollars change. He thanked him and led Jacqui into the auditorium, which was filled with loud, fun loving teenagers. The place was crawling with them. Emmett felt an acute case of claustrophobia coming on, but one look at Jacqui's face and he relaxed. I really am too uptight, he thought.

"Come on, Emmett, lighten up!" Jacqui said brightly. "I thought this was supposed to be fun!"

"Of course, Jac, don't get me wrong." He paused. "I guess it's just I've never - "

Before he had a chance to finish his sentence, the lights went down and a shriek came up from the unruly crowd. The man who had been manning the ticket booth was now onstage in a tuxedo, mic in hand.

"Allll right, gals and pals!" He drawled into the microphone, inciting shrieks from the mostly underage audience. "You better be ready to rock and roll, because here they are, direct from sunny San Diego, it's Bobby Bailey and the Tornadoes!"

The red velvet curtains suddenly flew up with a flourish to reveal the white hot rock n' roll band waiting for their cue. The drummer began to lay down the beat, with the fretless bassist stepping in to supply the poppy melody.

"Good evening, Los Angeles!" The boy with the movie star cheekbones shouted to his fans. "I'm Bobby Bailey!" Girls all around screeched in delight, Jacqui amongst them, to Emmett's amusement. "And this is my band, the Tornadoes!" More screeching commenced as Bobby began to strum his Fender Stratocaster furiously over the din. He stepped up to the microphone.

"Have you heard the latest word, they're playin' it everyplace

Rockin' and rollin, reelin' and rockin' / Shaking up the human race!

Rock and Roll Forever, Rock and Roll Forever

Rock and Roll is here to stay, hey!

Rock and Roll Forever, Rock and Roll Forever / No matter what they say!"

"This is too cool!" Jacqui shouted in his ear, bopping around as she did so. "Yeah, they're really ace!" Agreed Emmett, but he preferred to stand still and drink in the spectacle, rather than rock around the clock.

An hour later, the doors of the Lizard Lounge spilled open to let all the screaming, sweaty young people out of the building. Emmett and Jacqui leisurely strolled out of the theater, arm in arm, raving about the landmark concert they had just witnessed.

"I'm glad you asked me, Jacqui. I've never seen or heard something that cool in my life!" Emmett exclaimed. Jacqui giggled and kissed him on the cheek. "Well, I'm glad you accepted my offer, Emmett. That was so much fun."

They climbed into the Coupe as Emmett started it's engine. "So what do you want to do now?" He checked his watch. "It's only nine. We've got an hour until your curfew is up. Want to go get a soda?"

"I'd like that." Jacqui cooed. Emmett had to practice deep breathing to slow his heart down and keep his groin in check. I am so in love with this girl, he said to himself. I think she might feel the same! But dammit, I can't be sure of that just yet!

Fifteen minutes later, the two were nestled in a booth at the local diner, sharing a root beer float, and laughing at how typical they looked.

"We could be a Norman Rockwell painting!" Jacqui chortled, nearly knocking the sugary concotion to the floor. Emmett was laughing so hard he couldn't breathe. People were probably staring at them by now, but what did it matter? They were having too much fun to care.

"All this time, I've just been being myself, but as soon as I meet you, we become a stereotype. Oh, it's too much!" The two continued to annoy the diner's patrons until finally they ran out of air and forced themselves to calm down.

Jacqui demurely took a sip of the float and sighed contentedly. "Listen, Em, I'm really sorry about what happened in school today." She said.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I'm not." Emmett replied. "Well, it's embarrassing the way I react to things sometimes. I really flipped out for no good reason. It's just that I've always been so alone all my life. No parents, no friends, and certainly no.." She paused, searching for the right term. "Dates. So I was pretty uptight about asking you."

"So when I stumbled, thinking of something cool to say in response.." Emmett began.

"I immediately thought the worst." Jacqui finished. Emmett took her hand and boldly kissed it. "Well, you're not alone now, Miss Johnson." He said in a faux Southern accent. "Not whilst I'm around."

Jacqui giggled, her cheeks reddening adorably. "Well, if I may say so, Mr. Benton, the same goes for you. You'n I will keep each other company." She replied, using her very best Southern Belle impression.

They were joking, but each could sense the sincerity underneath the lighthearted exchange.

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Disclaimer: As usual, all characters are property of Hasbro/Sony Wonder 1985-2005, and not me.

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July, 1974.

"Dad. Daddy! Come on, you promised!"

Startled out of his endless replay of precious memories, Emmett blinked at the irate twelve year old who was trying, and succeeding, to test his boundless patience.

"Yes, Jerrica, all right. Go ahead and have dinner at Rio's house." The man told his daughter, who beamed in delight. "But I want you to be home by eight sharp, understand?"

Jerrica assured him vehemently that she did as she dashed between the hedges that seperated their residence from the Pacheco's. Emmett watched her leave, and not without a note of trepidation. He could hear Jacqui now, trying to convince him in that patient yet irritated tone that Jerrica was a big girl, and she could handle herself. She had been giving that very speech to him only last week, it seemed. But recent circumstances had catastrophically reinforced his once irrational beliefs.

The thought brought on a spasm of fresh grief, followed by a needle-sharp pain behind his left eye, which throbbed and twitched in response. Emmett tossed the diary to the ground and fought the urge to curl up into a ball, forcing his spine ramrod straight against the quiet firmness of the oak tree.

How, he lamented heatedly, how could this have happened? How could he let it happen? She was just finishing the last of the vocals, they only had one more song to lay down. Now that song would never be finished, and his life was.

Well, you're not alone now, Miss Johnson. Not whilst I'm around.

Emmett fought back a sob, trying vainly to be a man and contain his grief. He was startled by a loud clatter, followed by the ecstatic barks of the family dog and pounding little feet spilling out into the yard with a cacophony of giggling shrieks. Despite himself, Emmett smiled wanly.

"Mr. Benton? Are you feeling all right? You're terribly pale."

He looked up into Irene Bailey's kind face, which was painted with genuine concern. Nodding, Emmett struggled a little, but managed to get himself into a standing position again. "I'm fine, Irene, thank you," he replied, dusting the soil off of his jeans.

Irene did not believe him, and her face plainly said so. "You've barely eaten in the past three days, Emmett. You need to keep your strength up so you can be there for your girls." They glanced towards the gaggle of girls, the shouts of his youngest daughter, Kimberly, echoing above the others happily.

"They need you now more than ever," Irene said, and Emmett nodded knowingly.

- - -

June, 1962.

Jacqui's eyes opened in the darkness at the ubiquitous sound of her daughter's hungry cry. Beside her, her slumbering husband uttered a grunt and turned over in bed. Jacqui nudged him with her elbow playfully.

"It's your turn, you know."

"I know. That's why I grunted."

He struggled to right himself, tossing the sheets aside and bending over to kiss her cheek before retreating to the baby's room. She smiled and lay back down, listening to the high pitched cooed greeting between father and daughter, followed by the shuffling of feet towards the kitchenette. She'd never seen a man so taken with his newborn child before, but then, she noted, she'd never had any firsthand experience in the matter.

She lay there for a while, content to bathe in the blue moonlight filtering through the bedside window as she listened to the two most important people in her life get to know each other better. Soon the sounds of infant contentment shifted to shrill cries of dismay. She heard the floorboards creak rhythmically and smiled to herself. Jerrica loved it when Daddy danced with her - well, for the most part. Maybe while hungry and awake at two in the morning, she wasn't loving it quite as much. Jacqui gave a rueful sigh and rousted herself out of bed to go see what the matter was.

"I don't understand it," Emmett said when she entered and took the baby from his arms. "She just doesn't want to take the bottle tonight." He sounded more saddened than cross, and Jacqui gave him a lingering kiss to appease him. "We females tend to be picky about things like that," she quipped, enjoying the smile she recieved. Gingerly, Jacqui settled herself and Jerrica into the nearby rocking chair and offered her breast, which the baby gratefully accepted. Emmett knelt beside her.

"You should go back to bed," Jacqui chided gently after a few quiet minutes had passed. "Your shift at the record plant is in four hours."

"What about you?"

"What about me?" She replied with a grin. Emmett frowned. "I just don't want you to lose any more sleep than you have to. I don't want to be the good ol' boy, bring-home-the-bacon-and-ignore-the-family kind of husband, Jacqui. I want to be there for you."

"You are there for me, Emmett," Jacqui countered. "All the time. That's why I married you, for heaven's sake, you're the only one that ever has been. Now get in that bed before I have to get up and force you to."

A mischievous smile played on his lips. "Well, now, if you didn't have our daughter in your arms, I'd be more than happy to take you up on that, honey."

"Oh, you - " Jacqui pulled one of the blankets away from Jerrica's many swaddles of cloth and swatted him as hard as she could without disturbing the child. "As I recall, that's what got us our daughter in the first place, Em!"

His boyish laughter followed him back into the bedroom, and Jacqui couldn't help but laugh herself. He always made her laugh, she mused thoughtfully. Unsettled from all the commotion, Jerrica began to writhe uncomfortably, making small grunts of protest that threatened to grow into something more robust. Jacqui covered herself up again and adjusted the infant accordingly.

"That's okay, baby," She crooned. "Your daddy's just a big joker, that's all."

"I heard that!" Emmett called from the bedroom. Jacqui ignored him and looked down at her daughter, who was finally beginning to drift off to sleep. You've got the right idea, Jerrica, she thought, stifling a yawn into her fist. Briefly closing her eyes, Jacqui settled further into the cushion and gently rocked back and forth in the chair, hoping Jerrica would sleep so she could, too. The only sound was the faint squeak of the rungs as they gave slightly under her weight, only slightly accentuated by the recent pregnancy. Jacqui opened her eyes again and turned to gaze out the picture window. That was the nicest feature the apartment had, that huge pane of glass that afforded a beautiful view of the night sky. Other than that, well, Jacqui just repeatedly told herself that anything was better than where she had been.

Unconciously, she hummed a melody to the baby as the two rocked together, something that had been playing in her memory ever since Emmett brought them home from the hospital. It wasn't anything remarkable, really, she thought. Just something she imagined her own mother might have crooned to her in a rocking chair, provided she had lived longer than five minutes after Jacqui's birth. Tears welled in the new mother's eyes; the very thought made her so utterly grateful that she and Jerrica made it through the messy process of bringing new life forth.

"You're such a gift to me, Jerrica," Jacqui murmured, her breath tickling the baby's delicate scalp. "You don't even know how lucky I am." She stared at her sleeping daughter, silently promising both of them that nothing, not even death, could seperate mother from daughter.

Jacqui couldn't explain the feeling that came over her. All in one instant she comprehended the complexities of life and death, and somehow knew deep down her time, much like her mother's, would be short. Everything came to her so clearly then; she couldn't let other girls endure the same atrocities that had befallen her. Jacqui finally had realized her purpose, and drew strength from the knowledge. If she didn't know better, she'd think she'd gotten a direct message from a higher power.

She rose from the chair carefully and went to lay Jerrica in her little crib, immediately reaching for her nearby acoustic guitar after she'd done so. Sitting down on the floor, she began to try and pick out the melody that haunted her. It came out easily, and she sang the first word that came to mind.

"Starlight...is the..." Jacqui paused, contemplating. "Is the message that I send..."

The words seemed to tumble out of her at an alarming rate. She played the melody again and again, altering a note or a tempo here and there to suit her taste. Startled, Jacqui got up as quietly as possible, fetching the only notepad in the house and scribbling down what she had created. She was so focused on the task that the feeling of Emmett's hand on her bare shoulder made her jump out of her skin.

"Sorry," he whispered with a laugh. "The last thing I want to do is frighten you."

Jacqui smiled and reached for her husband. "I love you," she said to him honestly, and he seemed almost taken aback at the direct sentiment. "I love you too," Emmett told her before turning his wife to face him and claiming her lips with his own. "And I heard what you were playing in the baby's room."

In the relative darkness of the room, Jacqui was glad he couldn't see her blush. "It's phenomenal," Emmett said fervently. "I know that you've got others, too." Instantly she thought of the big mahogany crate that housed her meager collection of possessions, and all of the sheet music she'd ever written.

"I'm going to make you a star someday, Jac," he said before kissing her again. Jacqui rolled her eyes and again was grateful for the darkness. "Em, you've been telling me that since we were seventeen. So far I don't see my name on the Walk of Fame."

"I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it."

"You've been saying that since we were seventeen, too."

Jacqui heard his tongue make a soft clucking noise against the roof of his mouth. "So pessimistic," Emmett chided gently, placing a hand in the small of her back and leading her back to the bedroom. "You'll see, Jac," he whispered as they lay down together, cradling each other's bodies. "I'll give you my all."

"You already have," was the last thing she said before allowing sleep to take over.

-----

Disclaimer: As usual, all characters are property of Hasbro/Sony Wonder 1985-2005, and not me.

For my father, and Hondo.

-----

September, 1974.

The omnipresent eye twitch had long given way to an all consuming throb of agony inside Emmett's tortured brain, and now as the young blue haired sylph clung to his waist, sobbing, it took him over yet again. He tried to sigh.

"Please don't give Shana and me and the other girls away, please don't!"

Emmett looked down at the girl with what he hoped was a sympathetic smile and promised her that he would do no such thing. "You're the best group of girls a father could ever ask for," He said, the words coming out a bit garbled from his constricted throat. All of his daughters tearfully embraced him, and Emmett tried very, very hard not to feel dead inside.

Only the icy darkness that was once his stomach had kept him company since that day, that day his whole world caught fire right in front of his disbelieving eyes. In fact, why the authorities summoned his family to the scene of the crash was beyond him; didn't that kind of thing usually get revealed in dank, sterile, unforgiving back rooms in the hospital, the "Family Rooms" with the ragged furniture that represented the horrors unveiled daily in their presence? That's what they had done when his father finally succumbed to that hateful lung cancer (Emmett could hear his mother's admonishing tone to this day: "Gerald, you'll catch your death from those awful things!"). He and Jacqui had kept vigil in the waiting area long enough to force him to take leave from his brand new company and Jacqui to hire her neighbor friend Irene to watch their ever-expanding family. Losing Gerald, obviously, was extremely unpleasant, but losing his strength, his sense of self, the warm love that kept him whole...no one, not even his daughters, could convince him that he would ever recover from that hell.

He felt as if he'd lied to Aja, actually. Some part of him was gravely concerned over the fact that he barely left the study anymore, and that his girls, especially his flesh and blood, were suffering all the more for it. The part of him that had taken over since July assured him it was all right to hire Irene Bailey on full time to tie up loose ends, to allow him to suffer in peace. Emmett had convinced himself he could not carry on what Jacqui had begun. She had been the anchor in the tempest, he only the barnacled chain that dangled from the boat. His daughters would be much better off without that dead weight.

Now, Emmett rose from his chair, all his charges still clinging to his torso, gently telling them that Mrs. Bailey had dinner ready for them downstairs. The prospect of food was enough for most of the girls to tear away and barrel in the direction of the kitchen. Only perceptive Kimberly lagged behind, turning to focus her pale blue eyes on him.

"Daddy?" He was thankful, at least, that the lilt of her voice still warmed him a bit. "Aren't you coming?"

Emmett forced his lips to smile kindly at his flame haired second born. "No, Kimber, that's all right. I'm not hungry right now. Some other time."

Those eyes turned sad and watery, but did not spill over. To Emmett's surprise, Kimber darted over and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, hugging him close. Blinking, he gingerly returned the embrace. "I'll bring you some later," she said to him, and for the first time since his wife deserted him, Emmett flushed with fatherly affection. He told Kimber how much he loved her and stuck out a hand to ruffle her locks before she ran downstairs to join the others.

The spark of happiness died, of course, the moment his door was safely closed and he sat back down in his chair to stare at the photo. It only reminded him of the harsh surrealistic quality death had dealt to him, and heartily reinforced his steadfast stage of denial. Emmett caressed the thin glass plate. The vapor of an idea still danced in his head, played with the frayed edges of his mind.

It could work, he thought. He pulled out the diary and scribbled out a thought or two, like the homely old grief therapist at the support group had advised, before delving into stray formulas, mathematic equations, cold and complex things that erased the agony temporarily and became more addictive with each passing day. Emmett wrote late into the night, failing to hear when Kimber had knocked on the door that evening with a warm plate of Mrs. Bailey's special fried chicken, failing to do anything but fill the pages until the vapors turned to solid theories, and the theories gelled into one startling hypothesis. Emmett stared at what he had written, comparing it with Jacqui's photo.

Back when life was free of this damning heaviness, Emmett had taken up a few courses at UCLA when he wasn't engaged with the business dealings of newborn Starlight Music - with Jacqui's encouragement, of course. His advanced chemistry prof had offered up a similar suggestion in one of his many lectures, something that seemed fantastic at the time but now on paper was real and utterly attainable. Thinking of the makeshift switchboards lying dormant on his workbench in the garage, Emmett jolted straight up from the chair with a passion unknown to him before. He scribbled one last fleeting thought in the ravaged diary before fleeing desperately downstairs to start achieving his new dream.

Life now has new purpose, Emmett wrote out. New meaning.

-----

February, 1973.

"Oh, Em, I'm so happy!" Jacqui crooned in amazement through the delicate hands clasped over her mouth. She gazed up at the shining skyscraper, still unable to quite get the concept into her head. Her company, Emmett had told her. Her very own record label. Finally, after endless rejections from other labels, a means with which to produce her songs and distribute them throughout the country. All this on top of the beautiful new house her husband and father in law had built for months without her knowing.

"Mrs. Benton!"

"Jacqui, how does it feel?"

"Over here, please!"

She whirled around, beaming at the one man who somehow had managed to bring all her dreams to life, and then turned to give the gaggle of local reporters a hearty wave. She felt like she'd just been crowned as Miss America, right down to the sparkling red evening gown that perfectly matched Emmett's anniversary gift laced around her neck. He'd given it to her backstage at the Lizard Lounge after her very first live performance.

"For Jerrica's song," Emmett had tried to explain as he opened the box to reveal the little blood red star. Jacqui gasped at its sheer beauty, trying not to cry as he fastened it behind her neck. "It's for both of our girls now," she remarked, nodding at the bubbly redhead who was busy irritating her older sister and distracting her from the attentions of the Pacheco boy. The breath from Emmett's resulting laugh had tickled her skin, and he tilted her head back to share what she hoped was a private kiss. Jacqui soon realized from Aja, Shana, and Lela's unmistakable collective giggling that it was not, and the girls were quickly ushered away by Irene. But the moment had passed, and the tuxedo-clad emcee was beckoning to Jacqui frantically; the show was already running late, and she wasn't helping.

How Emmett had smiled at her in that one instant, pure devotion radiating from his warm brown eyes. "Go on," he'd said gently. "Break a leg."

Shaking, tripping over her own feet like she was still a gangle of teenaged limbs, Jacqui pushed the thick waves of hair off her shoulders and grabbed her well-worn acoustic before braving the spotlight's glare for the first time. Through the whole thing, she'd had no idea that her husband and the Pacheco boy were secretly recording the show. Imagine her surprise when Emmett proudly presented the reel to her a few weeks afterward.

"Don't say anything," he'd warned before Jacqui could so much as breathe. "Rio and I mastered it, and sent out a few copies to a select few companies."

"Emmett!" Jacqui's jaw dropped. "Oh my, how did you...oh, my God, you wonderful man!" The force of her embrace nearly sent both of them collapsing to the kitchen floor, with Jacqui laughing the whole time. There was more, he'd said, but he refused to own up to the details no matter how desperately Jacqui prodded him. "It's a surprise. I've been saving up for it a hell of a long time...but it's a surprise."

And what a surprise, Jacqui marveled, now seeing dancing blue spots from all the exploding flashbulbs. I can't believe this. I just can't believe this.

She watched, tears in her eyes, as Emmett cut the gigantic yellow ribbon dangling in front of the gleaming French doors, accompanied by two or three of the investors he'd partnered with to accomplish this. Friends of his, he'd said in the car on the way over. Daniel Raymond, who owned a successful chain of banks in California and western Nevada, and Antoine Sands, a lawyer friend of Daniel's who had helped with the mountain of legalities. Jacqui hadn't asked how exactly her husband had come to be close with two of L.A.'s most successful businessmen when he pressed records for a living, but Emmett had always been resourceful. She supposed networking came easily for him.

Bursts of blue light fluttered over the fallen ribbon, burning the images of the three smiling men on film for tomorrow's papers. Emmett smiled at his wife, in that same way he had at her first show, beckoning for her and the girls to come to his side. More flashbulbs tried to blind them all, and Jacqui averted her gaze to look at her daughters.

Both of them stood on either side of their father, who had a loving hand resting on each girl's shoulder. Kimberly had a look of slight boredom on her face, but Jacqui noted that she was still a bit young to be able to digest all of this. It was Jerrica who was staring at everything with a wonder that almost matched Jacqui's, glancing back and forth between her father and her mother as if she couldn't make up her mind whose new career enchanted her more. Jacqui watched her reactions, smiling knowingly. That girl had just fallen hard for the music business, and with all that determination she had, there was no doubt in Jacqui's mind that Jerrica would make a stellar name for herself in it. Kimber, too, she realized as she thought of the many instruments her seven year old had already mastered. Love and pride swelled inside Jacqui, overwhelming her. Emmett felt the change in her body language and took action.

"That's all for today," her husband said to the reporters, gently leading his family inside the building and leaving his associates to the answering of questions. "Thank you all so much for coming today to the grand opening of Starlight Music, Incorporated. Take care now." He turned to Jacqui with worried eyes. "You all right, Jac? It's too much for you, isn't it?"

He knew her so well. Jacqui put a hand to her mouth to quell the threatening overflow of tears, reluctant to admit just how much of her was still gangly and teenaged inside. "Yes," she finally said, "but in the best possible way."

Kimber was tugging on her dress. "Mama? Are you crying, mama? Why are you sad?" Jacqui smiled down at the girl and gathered her little body close. "I'm not sad, baby. I'm so happy that I can't help wanting to cry." Her daughter frowned, perplexed, and Jacqui managed a laugh. "Never mind, you'll understand when you're older."

Kimber's frown intensified. "That's what everyone always says." Jerrica rolled her eyes. "That's because it's true, Kimber. You're just too young to grasp these things."

"I am not!" Came the predictably shrill response, but Emmett quickly intervened. "How'd you girls like to take a tour of the place, huh? I bet you'd like to see the recording studio."

Both girls immediately brightened, and clamored to see all the wonders their father's huge new business held in store. They made a beeline for the spiral staircase, pushing and shoving each other the entire way.

"Why do they have to antagonize each other like that?" Emmett sighed, running a hand through his hair. Jacqui threaded her arm through his in response. "Because they're sisters." Her husband sighed again, a tired smile on his face. "And you want to adopt how many more?"

"Depends. How big did you and Gerald build that new house?"

Emmett groaned. "We're gonna be a couple of modern day Old Mother Hubbards," He groused playfully, and then smiled to make sure she knew he was joking. He knew how important the foster home was to Jacqui, and as he'd already demonstrated on the grandest scale possible, Emmett was willing to do anything, put anything on the line to make Jacqui's dreams come true. This time Jacqui's tears really did overflow as she realized, while embracing her husband and kissing him hard, that nothing in the world could make her feel this close to love.