A/N: Figured it was time to formally introduce the second generation to the world. Some are originally Ellie's (Gleefully Wicked), some mine, but over time they've become more ours than anything else. We own all of them, but none of the canon characters mentioned. Title and chapters based on the old divination rhyme.

Eleanor Calpurnia Addams-Beineke

"Nell"

One For Sorrow.

My knee hurts.

I'm supposed to like that, but I don't. It's not like when Uncle Pugsley puts me on the rack. That hurts nicely. This hurts badly.

I swipe at my dripping nose and push myself up to a sitting position. There's dust on my dress; this part of the playground has no mulch. And there's a hole in my tights, stained red.

"Whatsa matter, freak?"

Oh right. Allison's still here. I look up and her face comes into view. Scrunched into a frown, but still the prettiest I've ever seen.

"Allison-" I start, but she keeps talking.

"You're a bad girl. That's what my mommy says. My daddy says somebody has to beat the bad out of you."

Another kick: her light-up sneaker poking me in the side. I don't fall again. I shouldn't ever have fallen.

Addamses don't fall. Maybe Beinekes do.

I ignore her; the bits of dirt in my cut sting. Carefully, I start to pick them out of my bloody knee. One piece of gravel at a time, easier to think about than the blonde girl who put them there.

"Hey," she shouts, "I'm talking to you!"

Mandy runs over from four-square. She's not as pretty as Allison, but almost, with blue eyes and brown hair held back by a purple headband. She frowns at me, though, and then they look more alike.

"Allison, what are you doing with the weirdo?" she asks.

Allison tugs on the glittery zipper of her jacket. "She tried to kiss me yesterday."

Mandy screams a little. "Ew!" She backs away like I'm sick and she might catch it.

"Girls kiss boys, stupid!"

Allison sneers down at me. "Crybaby."

I'm not crying. Not really. She can't make me cry.

"My daddy says your mommy and daddy shouldn't get to keep you. He says somebody who goes to church more should take you away from them."

I didn't do anything bad.

"Maybe none of the boys wanted to kiss her."

My knee is bleeding worse now, but I have to get all the grit out. It'll get infected otherwise. I don't know what that means, besides pus and bad. Well, not always bad for other people, but bad for me.

"Daddy said someone better set that little lesbo straight."

"What's that mean?"

"I dunno. Probably a girl who kisses other girls."

"Ew!"

Allison's not really there. Neither is Mandy. They're not there and she's not pretty anymore. The dirt under me is all blurry, but I can't cry. Addamses don't cry. I haven't done anything bad. I-

"Hey!"

I look up. A tall girl with dark hair stands over me. She's always quiet in class, I remember. But something in her brown eyes looks more…here than usual. She's staring at Allison and Mandy.

"Leave her alone," the tall girl says. Mandy rolls her eyes.

"She tried to kiss Allison!"

"So? Go away." She holds out a hand to me. "Are you okay?"

I sniffle and don't take it. She's probably just like the others. Uncle Pugsley was right; no-one at this school can be trusted.

"I'm Morgan." And on top of that, she doesn't give up. I sigh, barely noticing that Mandy and Allison are walking away in a huff.

"I'm-" I start, but someone shouts from the parking lot beyond the fence.

"Nell!"

Father, jumping out of his car and slamming the door shut. I didn't know I needed him until now. The latch on the gate shines in the late afternoon sunlight as he opens it. Can't he run faster?

And then he's here. I hug him as hard as I can, forgetting about Morgan. He holds me and strokes my hair.

"Ssh. It's okay, Pina. It's going to be okay."

Father looks at Morgan. "What happened?"

She tugs at her sleeves. "Allison'n'Mandy pushed her down."

"Why?" he asks. His voice isn't loud, but it's still angrier than I've ever heard before.

"Because…um…" Finally, she spits it out in a rush. "She tried to kiss Allison yesterday."

Father sighs hard. I panic. Are they right? Am I bad?

"I don't want to kiss boys," I say into Father's coat. "I'm bad." Any minute now, he's going to push me down just like Allison did and leave me here. Who wants a bad daughter?

"No."

It still sounds angry, but when I look at him, his face is soft.

"You're not bad," he says, and pulls me closer. "Don't ever let anyone tell you you're bad. Never. Not for that."

Over his shoulder, I see Morgan quietly walk away, staring at the ground. She's kind of pretty, too, part of me notices. But mostly I'm too focused on what Father just said. I'm not bad. I don't need to be beaten or taken away from Mother and Father. Allison was wrong.

Father picks me up and carries me to the car. As he buckles me into my seat, I ask, "Can I love girls, Father? Instead of boys?"

For a moment, he's quiet. Then, he puts his hand over mine.

"You can love whoever you want, Nell. And they'll be very lucky to have you."

I'm still not-crying a bit, but my knee doesn't hurt as bad as we pull away from the school and drive home.

A/N: I'm not in the habit of writing "gayngst" (sexuality angst) stories, but this was the part of Nell's life that lent itself best to the chapter theme. So anybody who read the chapter of As We're Slowly Dying about her wedding and got confused: yes, Nell is a lesbian. And judging by this story, she knew it pretty early.