Authors Note: Hey guys, this is my first ever attempt at a story. Please read and review, your feedback is invaluable.
I hope it is ok, but I wanted to almost combine together a few of my favourite FanFiction types of story, so it will take a while to introduce my OC. Write what you want to read, right? If I break any rules, please let me know because this was never my intention.
Also, I am not American. I apologise in advance if I get some of the "Americanisms" wrong!
Earlier that day
"Mummy, what's for dinner?"
"Spag Boll, baby girl" Abbey replied to Zoe, tweaking her nose at the end.
"Can I help you make it?" She asked, trying to climb up on the step stool next to her mother. Five-year-old Zoe loved making a mess in the kitchen, but she knew she could only do this with either of her parents or Lizzie. She and Ellie had gotten in trouble for trying to make some cookies when no one else was there to help them, neither of them was willing to repeat that mistake anytime soon.
"It's nearly done sweet heart, but you can help me make the fruit salad for dinner." Ever the doctor, Abbey ensured that the meals her family ate were always healthy, much to the chagrin of her husband.
"Ok! Can I do the mixing?"
"Sure, take this spoon." Abbey replied, handing the wooden spoon to Zoe as she continued cutting up the apples. "You can also take these grapes off the stem and put them into the bowel if you want."
"Mum!" Lizzie roared as she came stomping down the stairs.
"In the kitchen. What's wrong now?" Abbey asked her eldest daughter. Lizzie had been in a bad mood all day. She finished High School last week and Abbie and Jed had decided that she needed a summer job to keep her out of mischief. Lizzie did not take kindly to the idea, she very much thought that she had done all the hard work she needed to do for a while and deserved to spend the whole summer before college with her boyfriend of 6 months, Doug.
"I wanted to wear my new purple shirt tonight but it shrunk in the wash and now I have nothing to wear that will match with my new skirt. All my friends are going out to this actual restaurant tonight because we're now getting older and more mature and we want to hang out together before we all have to start working or going to college because all of our parents are so unfair."
"Yes Lizzie, I can see how having to get a job to have enough money to live on in College is so terrible, especially when you just have to keep buying all these new outfits." Abbie replied, thinking she did well to not roll her eyes at her eldest daughter.
"But isn't this why you and Dad have these huge careers that mean you can't spend time with us like other parents do? Isn't the money you make some sort of compensation for that?"
"No Lizzie, our salaries do not exist just to validate the time your Father and I have to miss spending with you girls. And, for the record, there has never been a time that you or any of your sisters have missed out on things that you have needed. You all have well furnished bedrooms, clothing, food on the table and even parents who love you to boot. There are many people out there with far less than you and I'm not sure that they complain as much as you do either!"
Abbey had to remind herself at this stage to take a breath. She could see that there was something else that was upsetting her daughter that Lizzie didn't want to admit. She took a breath and calmly continued "Your Father and I wish we could spend more time with you girls, but you know why we can't. And every time the opportunity comes up for us to actually do something about it, like before he ran as a senator, you keep insisting that you are proud of the work that we do and can't imagine us stopping because we help so many other people. Why don't you take a seat, I'll make a hot chocolate and you can tell me what's really wrong."
"I can't because the walls have ears" Lizzie grumbled, nodding her head towards Zoe.
Abbey turned around and walked over to her youngest daughter. "Hey ZoZo, why don't you jump down from there and go and do your homework upstairs. I'll be up to check in on you in a little while and you can go through your reader with me then."
"Sure Mummy" she said, popping a grape into her mouth and going off skipping.
Lizzie pulled out a chair and sat down, while her mother quickly and quietly made a hot chocolate for her daughter and a cup of tea for herself. Abbey took a quick glance at her obviously upset teenage daughter and also pulled out a few of the choc chip cookies from the jar before sitting down.
"Alright sweetie, what's going on?"
"Oh Mum, I just don't know what to do. I have spent the last few days doing chores around here for you and going crazy in my room. I knew what to do when I was at school, I knew my classes and where I had to be when, but I don't know what to do anymore."
"Sweet heart, that's the exact reason why your Father and I want you to get a job. The truth be told the money isn't what's important, your Father and I fully expect to help you out financially while all 3 of you girls are in college. We really want you to have a sense of purpose about your life in this difficult transition period. When I recall this time in my life, I went stir crazy with nothing to do! It's also a good opportunity for you to start learning about the value of money and how quickly it disappears when you actually need to start using it for things like food and transport. What's the real reason you don't want to get a job?"
"I guess I never thought about it like that, I only ever thought it was about the money and that you and Dad weren't going to help me through college. It made me feel really alone and angry. I guess I also don't really like the idea of a dead-end job working in fast food or something, even if it is just for the summer."
"Tell you what, I still need to talk this over with Dad so no promises, but what if instead of just getting a job for the summer, you found somewhere to volunteer. Somewhere that is important and lets you give back to the community, I know that's always been important to you. If you get desperate, I can always put in a good word for you at the hospital for you to work as a candy striper."
"That would be great, but can I think about it? I might like to earn a little money over the summer, I just don't just yet."
"Sure thing Baby Doll. Your Father and I both love you very much and we are so proud of you no matter what you do."
"Thanks Mum. My photos from the Prom have come back, would you like to have a look at them with me? Some of the dresses were really ugly!"
Abbey shares a laugh with her daughter "I would love to! Go and grab them while I check in on your sisters."
Both women finish their drinks, Lizzie puts the cookies back in the cookie jar and Abbie puts the kettle back on. Abbey pulls her daughter in for a hug and kisses her head as they go to leave the kitchen "I love you to the moon and back Lizzie, never forget it."
"Thanks Mum" and they both walk up the stairs together, Abbey with her arm around Lizzie. As they reach the top of the stairs they separate, and Abbey walks straight into Zoe's bedroom.
"Okay ZoZo, what are we reading tonight?"
"The Hippo and the Birthday Cake!"
"Sounds excellent, off you go."
When she had finished with Zoe she went looking for her middle daughter, who she found sitting at her desk in her bedroom.
"How's the homework going Ellie Bellie?"
"Almost finished. I just need to start reading this book that my teacher set us. It's really old and really boring – I would much rather read Nancy Drew instead."
"What's the book?"
"Anne of Green Gables."
"Do you know that that book used to be one of my favourite books when I was your age? How about I read a little bit of it to you, see if it helps you to get into it?"
"You haven't read to me since I was closer to Zoe's age."
"Does that mean you don't want me to?"
"No, I miss having you read to me!"
"I miss reading to you too. Maybe I should try to do that more often when I am home in the evening. Go jump into my bed and we'll read a little. I'm just going to go and see if Lizzie or Zoe wants to join us for a bit. I know that Zoe might be a little young, but she wouldn't want to miss out and I know that Lizzie loved the book too."
"She did?"
"Mh-hum. She sure did."
"Well if you both loved it then I'm sure that I will too. Now it's one of my favourites!" Abbey just laughed as her 11 year old daughter scampered out of the room.
This is why when Jed got home from Washington DC early that evening as a surprise for his family that he found all four of his girls in his bed, the book long forgotten, just singing, talking, brushing hair and doing all manner of other things that young women enjoy doing.
He silently unlocked the front door, put his bag down and went to try and find his family. He tried the kitchen and the dining room as it was dinnertime and found both empty. He then went back to the lounge room and eventually followed the sounds of giggling up the stairs. The women folk were all so engaged in each other's company that it took them a few minuets to notice him standing in the doorway.
Zoe noticed him there first and yelled out "Daddy!" as she ran and jumped into his arms. Jed carried her back over to the bed and the five of them spent the next 20 minuets catching up until there was a loud knocking on the door downstairs.
"Oh my god, I forgot all about Doug and going out for dinner!" as she jumped up and ran out the door.
"Lizzie, do not take the Lord's name in vain" Jed called out after her, but it did no good as she was already out the front door.
…
Lizzie, Doug and the rest of her friends were going to the new Italian restaurant that had just opened on the main street of Manchester.
"Tommy said that he saw Coach Mahoney and Miss Blanch making out under the bleachers last week" Samantha was saying.
"No way! I totally thought that she was a Lesbian!" Cried out Christina.
"That's just because you wanted to picture the girl on girl action in your head, admit it – you totally had a crush on her!" Matt teased
"Yeah right, in your dreams" Christina replied.
At the far end of the table Doug and Lizzie were sitting, not talking much, just looking at each other, with his hand on her knee.
"Want to get out of here and go somewhere special, just the two of us?" Doug whispered in her ear.
"Sure, just let me say goodbye to everyone" Lizzie replied giving him a kiss on the cheek.
"Sorry guys, I'm going to go home early. My dad surprised us and came home early, and I wanted to spend a bit of time with him before he goes back to DC" Lizzie told her friends in the way of an excuse to leave early.
"Liar, liar pants on fire" Doug teased as they got into his car.
"It wasn't all a lie, my dad is home early and I would like to spend some time with him. Just not as much as I would like to spend time with you!" Lizzie exclaimed. "Where are we going anyway?"
"I found this really great spot in the State Park that I thought we should check out."
"And by check out, you mean…"
"Make out?"
"Just as long as that's as far as we go. I told you at Prom that I wasn't ready for anything more and that my family would probably kill you if they ever found out. Then they would kill me."
"I swear, I won't make you do anything that you don't want to do."
Doug drove them to the park and found somewhere to park the car that wasn't far from the waters edge.
"Feel like going for a little swim?" Doug ask as he got out of the car.
"But I didn't bring my swimmers"
"Neither did I" he replied with a wink as he started taking his clothes off and running towards the water.
"Hey, wait for me" cried Lizzie as she started following after him.
The water was pleasantly warm for the May weather. Lizzie and Doug spent a good hour in the water splashing, swimming, having breath holding competitions and just a little bit of kissing. When they got out of the water they ran back to Doug's car, where he pulled out two blankets from the boot. They wrapped themselves up in the blankets and went to sit back on the sand beside the water.
Doug faked a yawn and put his arm around Lizzie, who in turn snuggled into his arms. They eventually lay down on the sand, wrapped in their own separate blankets and started telling stories about the stars and clouds that they could see in the night sky with the bright full moon above them.
"You are the most beautiful girl that I have ever seen" Doug said in a moment when a quiet had settled over the two of them. "I love you Lizzie."
"No one has ever said that to me before, I bet you're just saying that because that's what they say in all the movies" she teased him.
"No, I mean it. I love you. But I understand if you're not ready to say it to me yet Lizzie."
"It's not that I don't want to or anything" she started to say "but I don't know what this is yet" she told him.
"That's ok, I understand" he told her.
"That's what makes you the best Doug" Lizzie said as she leaned over him to share a passionate kiss.
Doug kissed her back, one of those deep and lingering kisses that made Lizzie's toes curl up. Before she knew what was happening she was on her back being kissed. The more Doug kissed her, the less she could follow a coherent thought. The way his tongue caressed hers just made her stomach do backflips and made the centre of her being throb.
They continued their heavy petting session, Doug making it down to her breasts at Lizzie's urging but respected her boundaries enough not to take it any further. Doug could tell that he was reaching the end of his tolerance, that he was about to lose it. He went to move away and stop but Lizzie wouldn't let him.
"Don't stop"
"Lizzie, if we don't stop here then we're not going to be able to stop"
"I don't care!"
She cried out as she pulled his head down towards hers.
"Doug!" She cried his name as she reached climax.
In that moment of distraction, he lost control. In one swift movement Doug found himself burring down inside her hot depts and instantly came.
That one movement was too much for Lizzie and she cried out as she felt a sharp pain.
Doug instantly knew that he had gone too far. He pulled out of her and put his hands on her face.
"Lizzie, are you okay? Are you hurt? I am so sorry, I didn't mean to do that. Oh my God, Lizzie sweetie I am so, so sorry!"
Lizzie just lay there, the pain already receding into distant memory.
"Doug, it's not your fault. I should have listened to you. What have I done?"
At that moment, Lizzie burst into tears. Doug just remained there, holding her and repeating "Lizzie I love you, I am so sorry" as she cried.
They lost track of how long they remained like that, Doug just holding her until she stopped crying.
"Are you ok?" he asked her, his eyes full of concern and love for her.
"I think I'm just a little surprised and in shock. I am so sorry Doug, I never should have put you in that situation."
"Hush, that's ok. I just never wanted to hurt you or do something that you weren't ready for."
"I know, I should have listened to you when you told me we had to stop."
Lizzie sat up and felt a little pain in her vaginal area. She put her hand down there to see if she could tell what the problem was and just put her hand in the evidence of Doug's loss of control.
"I'm just going to go and clean myself off and then can you take me home please?" she asked him.
"Whatever you want" he replied.
Lizzie went back into the water, washed herself off as best as she could, dried herself and put her clothes back on. Despite washing in the river though she still felt dirty, like she had made herself so unclean that she would never be whole again.
Doug was true to his word and drove her home in silence.
When they turned down her driveway Lizzie turned to look at him. She was feeling an avalanche of emotions, none of which she understood. She knew that it was because of her that they had gone too far that night. She knew that Doug hadn't wanted to hurt her and had only tried to look out for her since. But still she felt somehow used and dirty and didn't know how to make those feelings go away.
Lizzie turned to Doug and said "Doug, I know that what happened tonight wasn't your fault and I wanted to thank you for looking after me the way that you have. But I think we need to cool things off for a while. I don't think I can see you anymore. At least, not just yet."
Doug was shell shocked. He didn't know what to say. He barely managed to get the words out "If that's what you really need right now," even though he didn't mean it.
Lizzie got out of the car, "Goodbye Doug," she told him, kissed him on the cheek and went inside the house. He just kept standing there for 20 minuets after she went inside, unable to move.
Lizzie on the other hand went straight up to her bedroom, got into bed still fully clothed and cried herself to sleep.