Dear readers,

I know I am going to sound insane, but this paring is not the one in the movie. My school is doing Steel Magnolias as a play and the actors are wonderful. Ouiser is the best at doing her part and Clairee is the best counter-part to Ouiser. The two of them have such chemistry together, and I'm not sure they're even trying for it. They just fit together, you know? They're the two (in character, of course!) who you can see walking down the street, arm in arm or hand in hand, talking and laughing. And with Ouiser's personality, that's saying something! So please, bear with my insane logic and read it however you want: as though they are good friends or something a tiny it more.

Tori

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It was Christmas morning in Chickuapin Parish, and all was quiet. The snow fell heavily on the ground, muffling any and all sounds. No birds stirred in the trees, no squirrels dared venture from their nests on that cold morning. All was still and silent. Only one soul dared to stir amid the quiet.

She was quite alone in the little town's graveyard. No one watched her as tears streamed down her still youthful face; no one watched her back heave with quiet sobs. No one was there to see her crying over a small grave, hunched over in the dirt. No one cared that Ouiser Boudreaux, a still young girl of 25, was ruining her reputation as a conniving, mean ol' witch of a girl with no heart and no friends. Her dark black hair fell from her tight bun in long wisps, wet with snow and her tears. Her deep brown eyes were glassy, her cheeks red and flushed. Her sobs quieted, drowned out by a howling breeze that whistle between the gravestones.

"Hello?" The whisper of a word echoed across the muffled land, drifting on the wind past Ouiser and the grave as no more than an echo. The woman stopped, spinning around in anger, wiping the tears from her face. The strange girl was standing at the gate to the graveyard, youthful face a mask of worry. Her eyes shone with true concern.

"What do you want?" Ouiser snapped, standing. She tensed as another cold breeze blew through the cemetery, shaking what little leaves were left on the trees to the ground. The strange girl came closer, stopping a few feet from the much taller woman.

"Why are you crying?" The girl asked, tilting her head slightly in question, her brown ringlet-curls that were not tightly bound in her low bun bouncing around her face. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold, her neck and chin buried beneath a thick wool scarf. Her hands were covered in matching wool gloves and shoved into her pockets. On her head was a matching hat, the fabric covering the tips of her red ears. She wore a thick coat and boots that carried snow with them. Ouiser, in comparison, was dressed rather sparsely in a simple overcoat, boots and scarf.

"I was not cryin'!" The taller corrected, pointing with a very cold and rather red hand. "And who are you, anyway? I know everyone in this town, but I've never seen hide nor hair of you." Ouiser closed the gap between them with a single step, so that you could barely pass a penny between them. She then realized that this girl was not as short as she once appeared; she only had to look down slightly to meet the other's bright green eyes.

"You must be Ouiser Boudreaux. My name's Clairee, Clairee James. I just moved in three days ago." The shorter said, sticking out her hand for Ouiser to shake, and then sticking it back in her pocket when the taller made no move to take it. Her smile was genuinely friendly; something Ouiser never saw anyone do when talking to her.

"Being here three days, you must know of my reputation. Be that as it may, you're still here. Why?" Ouiser said, confused. Clairee's face returned to being drawn with worry.

"You were crying..." She started.

"I said I was not cryin'!" Ouiser snapped, face flushing redder. Clairee didn't jump back or even flinch like most would have reacted. Instead, she began again.

"It does not matter if you were crying or not, because even if you weren't, I still would be here. Its Christmas morning and no one should be alone on Christmas, even cranky old witches." Clairee said, smiling. She reached out and put her hand on Ouiser's arm in a comforting way. "You should be with your family."

"I am with my family." Ouiser said, but her normal confidence was gone from her voice. She slouched slightly where she stood, covering her exposed ears from the sudden gust of cold wind that blew by them.

"Well, then, that won't do. You can come with me. I was on my way to the beautician's down the way. The owner invited me over for Christmas morning hot chocolate and presents." Clairee said. She reached out and touched Ouiser's cold hand lightly before taking it in her own. The warmth of Clairee's gloved hand radiated down Ouiser's arm, making the taller smile.

"I'm not 'zactly sure Annabelle's gonna want me in her shop, as dirty as I am." She said, resisting Clairee's pulling. "And... I gotta admit, you were right. I was crying. My... my dog died yesterday morning. They just finished burying him today. He was my only true friend in this town. No one else likes me." Ouiser wiped at her face with her sleeve angrily, willing her tears away.

"I'll be your friend, then." Clairee said with a smile, pulling the taller along with her as she made her way down the road. "And you'll be my first friend, too."