Photograph

A/N : CHRISTMAS (AU) FICCY! MERRY CHRISTMAS! This story will contain at least three pairings. I'll try to include a little bit of everything, but the three main ones I'll most likely focus on are Lackson, Loliver, and Moliver. Being the huge anti-Jake person I am, I probably won't include him much to spite him. D But he will have a part in the story, even if only in a flashback.

Chapter 1

Broken

Barns & Noble always smelled like coffee in the morning, mainly because most of the staff preferred to resided in the café area until customers began to come in. Ginger-haired Lillian Truscott was seated at her favorite table, across from a middle-aged woman named Katherine.

Lillian absentmindedly took a sip of her drink, and eyeing Katherine across the table she began to make small talk. The woman's silence was a bit unnerving, as she had quickly earned herself the nickname 'chatterbox' shortly after she began working in the audio/video section with her.

"It's nice out today, huh?" Lillian remarked, deciding to go with the typical weather remark. But it was exceptionally beautiful outdoors, the air was crisp and cold and the skies were abnormally clear, which was rather refreshing after weeks of dreary gray clouds.

Katherine nodded to show that she had barely acknowledged her remark, staring into space. Lillian tilted her head, causing some light auburn hair to splash across her cheek.

"OK, Kathy," she began, calling Katherine by her nickname, "what's up?" Katherine fixated her dark eyes on her.

"Nothing." She said calmly, taking a small bite of the remains of a blueberry muffin. Lillian stared back at her with a skeptical look.

"I'm fine." Katherine insisted, finishing her muffin and standing to toss the paper plate into a nearby trashcan before brushing invisible crumbs off of her dark blue pantsuit. Lillian also rose to her feet, dropping her coffee cup into the trash. She then began to count off of her manicured fingers.

"One, you seem totally spaced out - you're not talking when you normally won't shut up, two, you've only had one muffin today, and three, you're wearing a pantsuit and high heels of all things when you usually wear peasant skirts with Crocs." Katherine looked at her strangely.

"Goodness, Lillian, I never noticed you were so…observant." She replied, bewildered. A faint tinkling was heard and Lillian saw an elderly man enter the store out of the corner of her eye, causing the bells attached to one of the door handles to jangle slightly. He began to make his way over to the classics section, filled with thick novels and inviting, overstuffed chairs.

"I'm not." Lillian continued plainly. "Just today. But really, everyone notices the change -" she paused to look around at her fellow coworkers, still lazing around and talking to each other casually, "-they just haven't said anything." She finished.

Katherine sighed, defeated, and motioned for her to lean in closer. She obliged eagerly, her blue eyes sparkling at the prospect of learning what was behind Katherine's strange behavior. At twenty-nine she was still as gossipy had she been in middle school.

"The truth is," Katherine murmured in Lillian's ear, "I have a job interview today after work."

"What?!?" Lillian exploded, drawing back quickly to stare at her older friend. "I thought you liked working here!"

Her outburst earned her the attention of employees and customers alike, and everyone on the first floor turned to look at her with annoyed expressions. She bit her lip before speaking once more in a much quieter voice. "Kathy, you can't leave -" but the older woman cut her off.

"And why not? I'm -" she caught herself, "- middle-aged, and I am bored to tears. I live with a Yorkshire terrier named Maggie in a trailer home, and this job opportunity is the best thing that ever happened to me."

Lillian opened her mouth to speak. "Where exactly will you be working?"

"If I get the job," Katherine corrected, "I'll be working as a 8th grade English teacher at Seaview Middle School." Figured. Katherine had come to the bookstore in the first place because she was drawn to eloquence, or so she claimed.

"Well that's great." Lillian retorted sarcastically. "I'll work in the audio/video section all by my lonesome - except for Yolanda - with only Jaime to talk to during breaks."

Simultaneously both woman turned their heads to catch a glimpse of Jaime, a twenty-five-year-old with tacky jewelry and hair that changed color every month. It was currently a flashy purple hue.

"Lillian, you are perfectly capable of making friends." Katherine scolded. "Besides, I probably won't get the job."

"Shut up!" Lillian said. "Of course you'll get the job, Kathy. You love kids and the English language is your passion."

Katherine smiled in reply.

"Thanks, Lillian."

"Don't thank me." She groaned. "I probably just fully convinced you to go after that job with your all… Hey," She paused as a thought struck her. "What are you going to say? That you're between jobs?"

"If I get the job I'll quit tomorrow." Katherine assured her.

"It was nice knowing you." Lillian said grouchily. Katherine simply smiled wider, the corners of her eyes crinkling.

Lillian glanced at a nearby clock on a wall, gasping audibly.

"Oh jeez, we talked for too long." She said.

"Yolanda's going to kill us." Katherine quipped, referring to the mild-mannered Asian girl that worked at the audio/video section and rarely spoke.

"Well the chances are higher seeing as how long we dwindled." Lillian retorted, and the two woman made their way over to the audio/video section, positioning themselves behind a counter.

Yolanda didn't remark at their lateness, she was busy with a customer. As her shift dragged by, all Lillian could think off was how boring work would be without Katherine. Truscotts were very social creatures, and Lillian was no exception.

HMHMHM

"Kids, I'm home!" Lillian's voice echoed through the spacious two-story house, and almost immediately three children came clambering down the staircase.

"Mom! Mom!" Nine-year-old Jacob shouted, running up to his mother excitedly. "I beat my high score on-"

"I got a C+ plus on my math test -" Twelve-year-old Rachel interrupted, pushing a glossy strand of dark brown hair under her backwards baseball hat.

"Mommy! I colored inside the lines!" Five-year-old Brooke squealed. Fifteen-year-old Chelsea was nowhere in sight.

Scooping Brooke up in her arms and twirling her around playfully Lillian smiled.

"Mrs. Johnson called me and explained to me why she dropped you off early." She said after placing Brooke down on the ground, planting her hands squarely on her hips and cocking an eyebrow. "How come no one told me there was a Christmas show today Alexandra was dancing in? I would have let you go, Rachel." Rachel pulled a face.

"I wouldn't have exactly looked forward to it, mom. Tutus aren't my thing."

"But wouldn't it be fun to see a friend?" Lillian coaxed, but Rachel just shook her head in reply.

Deciding the ballet was a lost cause, Lillian turned to Jacob.

"Jacob, where's Chelsea?"

"Upstairs." He replied.

"She's mad about some guy." Rachel rolled her eyes. "I don't get her. Boys are idiots." Jacob glared at her.

"Mom, I got a smiley-face sticker on my math homework today." Brooke said happily, her blue-like-Lillian's eyes glinting mischievously.

"I am so proud of you!" Lillian smiled. But her expression quickly changed when she heard the shatter of glass coming from upstairs.

A/N : That chapter was boring, just to let you get a feel for the characters. Lilly dyed her hair red! And goes by Lillian! And is OOC! Well yeah, it is AU after all. The action starts around chapter 3 so stay tuned! And sorry about the shortness of this chapter, I was in a huge rush. It gets much better, I promise. And if it doesn't I'll write a Jiley fic -- and believe me, THAT would be extreme.