TITLE: Should've Been Easier By Three

AUTHOR: Faith Alana Alastair

DISCLAIMER: : I'm not Mike Judge, who had the original idea, or Glenn Eichler, or Susie Lewis Lynn either. I don't own any of these characters, (except Scott, Natasha, Caine, Jason, Dayton and Maggie.)

FANDOM: Daria

PAIRING: Daria/Jane, Daria/Lindy, Jane/Lindy, Daria/Jane/Lindy. Also Natasha/Jason(oc's) and Andrea/Scott

RATING: NC-17/M/FRAO

SUMMARY/PROMPT: It's College, Now. Daria decides it's time to live a little, now that she's in college.

SPOILERS: Everything through "Is It College, Yet?"

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I'm not sure where this came from, but after a Daria marathon, I decided to challenge myself a la NaNoWriMo, and managed it. I actually wrote the 50k+ words in this in 12 days.

FEEDBACK: God, please. I love this fic so much, tell me what you think.

DISTRIBUTION: Want...Ask...Have

WORD COUNT: 51,158

Daria lay in her bed, laptop next to her and a book open on her lap. She sighed, and picked up the phone, dialing home.

"Hello, Morgendorffer residence," Helen's voice came through the phone.

"Hi, mom," Daria said simply.

"Daria! How good to hear your voice. Nothing's wrong, is it?"

"No, Mom. Everything's fine. I called to tell you something."

"Oh god, Daria, you're not pregnant, are you?"

"No, I…"

"Joined a cult?"

"Mom!"

"I'm sorry, sweetie. Tell me what's going on."

"I just called to tell you I'm dating someone."

"Daria! That's wonderful! What's his name?"

"Lindy."

"That's an odd name for a… wait, what? Daria, are you dating a girl?"

Daria's eyes narrowed and she sat up, the book sliding off her lap. "Yes, Mother, I'm dating a girl. Her name is Lindy, and she's pretty amazing. She gets me like no one else ever has and treats me well. And I'm sleeping with her."

"Daria, I didn't mean to insinuate that… what? You're… sleeping with her?"

"Yes, Mother. As in sex. I've lost my virginity, and I don't regret it."

Helen dropped into a chair. "Alright, Daria. I'll support your decisions. Thank you for telling me."

"I did promise I would tell you when I had sex. The fact that Lindy is a girl seemed to come first, though."

"Well, would it be too much to ask for you to bring her home for a weekend? I'd like to meet her."

"Well, there's a complication with that. She and Quinn know each other. I'm not sure how Quinn would react."

"I see. Well, why don't you talk it over with… her, and let me know. Then I'll see what I can do here."

"Okay. One more thing."

"Yes, Daria?"

"She's a recovering alcoholic. I'd really appreciate it if you could keep Dad out of the martinis."

"She's a what? Oh, Daria…"

"What? She's in recovery, and doing really well. I support her, and I don't see why it has to be a big deal. She's already made the hard decisions and is sticking by them. She avoids places with temptation, drinks soda at parties, and stays with me when her roommate is drunk. She's accepted responsibility for the choices she's made, and accepted the consequences of them. I'm really proud of her."

Helen paused for a minute, a tiny smile appearing on her lips. "You're right, Daria, I apologize. She sounds like a mature young lady, and I know you are.

"Thank you." Daria sighed. "I don't know how to tell Dad, but could you put him on the phone?"

"Of course. If I were you, I'd be direct and honest. I'll sit here and keep him focused, alright?"

"Alright. Thanks, Mom. I love you."

"I love you too, sweetie. Jake! Daria's on the phone!"

Jake picked up the phone, grinning. "Hey there, kiddo! How's college?"

"It's great, Dad. I have something I'd like to tell you."

"Of course, I always told you that you could tell me anything. Not like my father. What is it, Jakey? Did you hu…"

"Jake! Daria's talking to you."

"Huh? Oh, right. What's on your mind?"

"I'm dating a girl."

"You're not becoming one of those Chinese girls, are you?"

"Jake, you mean Lebanese. And that's wrong too."

"I'm not becoming anything, Dad. I really like Lindy, and she likes me. I don't think I need to call it anything."

"Okay, fair enough, kiddo. When do we meet her?"

Daria sighed again. "Maybe in a couple of weeks."

"Okay! Well, you know I support you, no matter what. I'll talk to you soon, okay?"

"Okay, Dad. Thanks."

Helen picked up the phone again. "That went well. I'll re-explain it to him tonight."

"Thanks. Well, I'm writing a paper, so I'll talk to you later."

"Okay, Daria. And thank you."

"You're welcome." Daria hung up the phone and took a deep breath. She dialed Quinn's cell phone and waited.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Quinn."

"Hang on, I can't talk. Give me a minute." A moment of static followed, accompanied by grunting and what sounded like a drawer of silverware falling. Another moment and Quinn's voice returned. "Okay, sorry. What's up?"

"What were you doing?"

"I was trying to put a dress on the rack, and the whole thing fell. I'm at work."

"Oh. Well, if you don't have time, I'll call you later."

"Nah, I took a bathroom break. Talk to me, Daria."

"Remember your friend Lindy?"

"Yeah… wait, I never told you her name…"

"She goes to BFAC with Jane. She transferred there after flunking out of Lawndale State."

"Oh. How'd you even know it was her?"

"I told her about the cheesecake you brought home from Governor's Park. She filled in the rest."

"How is she?" Quinn's voice sounded a little sad.

"She's doing well, actually. She's in recovery, almost a month sober. She said she wouldn't have done it if it weren't for you."

"Really? That's great, Daria. I'm so glad I did the right thing. I was so sad when she left, I just knew I'd never see her again."

"She really liked you, Quinn. She's told me that she's sad about not being friends with you anymore. She walked away from you because she was embarrassed about her problem, and that you noticed."

"Well, could you tell her that she doesn't have to be embarrassed? She taught me a lot of stuff too, and I'm really happy that she's getting help."

"I promise I will. Um, Quinn… there's something else, though."

"What? She didn't like, become unattractive, did she? I know that happens sometimes…"

"No, she's beautiful. It's just… I'm dating her."

"You're WHAT?! But you CAN'T be! She's not like one of those… girls! She's smart, and pretty, and… oh my god, you're not joking."

Daria clenched her jaw. "Neither she or I know if we're one of those girls, Quinn. What we do know is that we like each other, we get along, and we're attract…"

"Okay, Daria. Well… I guess it's okay, I mean… as long as she doesn't turn into those girls with the plaid. I mean really, Daria. Plaid? Even you're not that unfashionable… Are you?"

"Not that I'm aware of. Anyway… thanks for being okay with it all."

"You are my sister. What else was I gonna do?"

Daria smiled. "Fair enough. I'll see you soon, Quinn."

"Bye, Daria."