* Chapter nineteen – No POV *

"Yeah, and so, Lanny invited me over to his place." Matt smiled innocently up at his mother, who was eyeing him with suspicion. She wiped off her hands on a dry towel.

"At the exact same time your sister is going to the dance?"

"Yup. Exactly." Matt didn't even flinch.

"And you're coming home the exact time Lizzie's coming home?"

Matt flashed his infamous smile, batting his eyelashes. "Lanny has a sister… named, um, Tracy, and she's going to go with her boyfriend, er, Derek… yeah. Lanny is staying by himself, but his mom said it was okay for me to come over." Jo narrowed her eyes.

"Tracy? I've never heard of Tracy…"

Matt's eyes darted around the room, looking for an escape. He saw the rat poison bottle on the mantel, and grinned, turning to Jo with a confident smile. "She's been sort of indisposed because she drank rat poison. Poor dear… sadly enough, she has been in the hospital. Her parents are ashamed – they don't talk about her anymore. Don't want to bring dishonor to the family name." Mentally, Matt patted himself on the back. He was pulling this off perfectly. Jo furrowed her brow, but threw up her hands, obviously not willing to argue anymore.

"Sure, why not?" She turned away and began to wash the dishes again, rubbing the towel along the fragile base of the plates. "Just have Lizzie walk you over to Lanny's, okay?" Matt smiled mischievously behind his mother's back.

"Sounds great."

**********~**********

"Mooommm!" Lizzie wailed, burrowing frantically through her clothes closet. She picked up a pair of jeans and a pink shirt, and threw them to the side. With a nervous groan, she banged her head on the closet door. Suddenly, Jo's head appeared in the doorway. Lizzie motioned to the scattered garments, and turned to her mother quickly, unable to hide her anxious expression. Jo had to stifle a laugh; Lizzie looked as ruffled as an overprotective mother hen.

"What is it, honey?" asked Jo.

Lizzie replied, "My poodle skirt! Where is it? I need it for the dance!" Jo put her hands on her hips.

"Ah. I see. Well, the last time I checked, it was in my closet. Because, it was my poodle skirt." Jo smiled, and peered over her spectacles at Lizzie, who was suddenly fumbling nervously with a button on her shirt.

"Well, yeah, I guess…there is that. Hey Mom!" Lizzie grinned cheerfully. "May I borrow your poodle skirt for the dance tonight?" Jo grinned and casually leaned against the doorframe.

"Sure, go ahead. Oh, by the way. Can you take Matt to Lanny's before you leave?"

Lizzie stood there with a bemused expression, arms just opened wide as to give her mother a hug. She furrowed her forehead, staring at Jo. "Matt's going to Lanny's house?" she asked, her confusion deepening. Jo nodded.

"Seems as though Lanny's sister Tracy is going to the dance. Such a nice name, Tracy is. Do you know her?"

Suddenly Matt, who was walking past the door, stopped in his tracks. His face whitening, he made a cutting motion across his throat, making small gagging noises. Lizzie glanced at her brother as if he were insane. But then, she realized. Smiling, she sat down on her bed.

"Yeah, Tracy… great girl. I don't really know her though…" Lizzie looked past Jo at Matt, who was pretending drink out of an imaginary bottle. Lizzie frowned. "She drank a lot." Matt slapped his head quietly, as Jo raised her eyebrows.

"What?"

Lizzie realized how strange that must have sounded, but… what the heck. "She drank a lot. It's like a disorder," she repeated lamely. Jo shook her head sadly.

"Matt told me all about the rat poison incident," she said. Lizzie smiled stonily.

"Yeah, it was…" - she searched for a word - "terrible." Jo patted her on the back, and Matt slipped from view into his room.

"Well, if you see her tonight, say hi for me!" Jo walked out of Lizzie's room, and returned seconds later, holding a pink, cotton poodle skirt. Lizzie grinned.

"Thanks, mom."

Jo laughed. "I can't believe you're actually wearing this! It's from the fifties, you know." Her expression turned thoughtful. "It was my mom's, and then she gave it to me. Hopefully it fits." Smiling, Jo left the room. Lizzie rushed to the doorframe and stuck her head around the corner.

"Mom!" she called to Jo's retreating back, "I'll take Matt as soon as I'm done, okay?"

Sighing, Lizzie closed the door. With trembling hands she took off her pants and shirt, and slipped into the skirt. It was a little large, but Lizzie took the shoulder straps and twisted them, using a pink hair-tie to bind them together just below the back of her neck. Then it fit perfectly and snugly. She glimpsed herself in the mirror. It looked normal – not too weird. She smiled, and picked up her hairbrush. Carefully, she brushed out all the tangles and knots; running her fingers through most of the snarls to deafen the pain. Soon, her blonde hair was silky and soft.

She tilted her head to the side, looking at herself. Another figure appeared in the reflection of the mirror, and Lizzie rolled her eyes, not even turning around.

"What do you want, Matt?" she asked, framing her hands to figure out what style would look the best with the skirt.

Matt sighed. "Can't I even compliment my sister? You look nice, Liz. Oh, and keep your hair like that."

"Thanks, I guess… But you know Matt, I really need to do something with my hair." Matt raised his eyebrows.

"Um… why?"

"Because."

"Because you need to impress someone?"

"No!"

"Gordo?"

Lizzie turned around and faced her brother, her temper flaring, her eyes flashing angrily. "Don't you dare mention Gordo around me, Matt! You've done enough damage."

Shrugging, Matt sat down on the bed. "Gordo likes it when you have your hair down."

Lizzie faced the mirror, gritting her teeth. But still, a flush spread across her cheeks, making her sweat. With the back of her hand, Lizzie wiped off the excess fluid from her forehead and cheeks, watching her devious brother from the corner of her eye. Matt smirked.

"You care what he thinks." It wasn't a question; it was a statement. Lizzie held up her head in defiance, but didn't change her hairstyle.

"Of course not, Worm." She sounded confident, but her voice wavered slightly. "C'mon, we need to go." In a lower voice she added, "Got your tux?"

Matt laughed. "Ready!" He looked around, imitating his sister. He unbuttoned his shirt partway, revealing a nicer suit underneath. "Got it," he whispered. He buttoned it back up.

"Okay," Lizzie said softly, getting up and putting a hand on the door, "We go to the dance. We stay away from Kate – she knows who you are. To everyone else, you are my cousin from Alaska. Got it? And your name is… uh…"

"David?" Matt suggested, smirking. Lizzie shrugged.

"Su – Hey! Matt, I told you to get out of my business! You are so lucky I'm going through with this stupid, annoying, brain-dead plan in the first place…" Matt grinned.

"It was an innocent mistake, sis…"

"Innocent my butt! And now, your name is Richard."

"Richard it is. And by the way, call me Rich."

"Shut up, Richard."

"Shuttin' up."

Lizzie and Matt made their way downstairs, still bickering under their breath. When they reached the door, Lizzie reached out with a hand –

"Oh! Lizzie! You're going now? Have fun, sweetheart! And Matt…" Jo looked at her son sternly, "Don't get into trouble. I expect no call from Lanny's parents. You understand?" Matt smiled and hugged her.

"Of course, Mom."

Lizzie rolled her eyes at Matt. Then she beamed at Jo. "Bye Mom – I'll see you later, okay? I'll pick Matt up after the dance." Jo's eyes widened. Her expression clearly said, 'Um, why?' Lizzie smiled. "Because I want to." Jo shrugged, still surprised.

Suddenly, Matt jumped up and ran to the other room. Lizzie and Jo exchanged a glance.

Matt scurried over to the kitchen counter. "Pictures… pictures… where are the pictures…?" He fished through a pile of paper. Finally, he held up a Kodak envelope. "Aha!" He smirked and tucked it in his pants pocket. "Payment, here I come…"

With a confident laugh, he ran back to his sister and mother, grinning like an idiot.

"Ready to go, Liz?"

She nodded and hugged Jo. "I love you."

"Have fun." Jo smiled and ushered her children out the door.

Jo watched her children until they were out of sight, and walked into the kitchen, reaching over to a small hook and wrapping an apron around her waist. She began to out some ingredients for pasta: butter, a boiling pot, some different spices… Jo grinned. She knew that when Sam came home, he would be hungry. No sooner did she say this, than the garage began its rumbling hum. Jo watched the door as Sam came in. He was tired, she could tell. And hungry. Sam smiled as he saw his wife, and gave her a quick kiss.

"Yum… is that pasta you're cooking?" Sam asked, gesturing towards the opened spaghetti package. Jo grinned.

"You know it. Hey, sweetie, will you help me with this?" She pointed to the stack of papers and letters on the kitchen counter. Sam sighed, nodded his head, and dropped his suitcase by the door. He grabbed a huge pile and dropped it on the couch. Jo eyed him with a raised eyebrow, and he chuckled, going back to work on sorting. Jo picked up the rest of the papers. Most of it was mail, and Jo glanced over it quickly.

"Bill… bill… bill…" Jo grumbled, shuffling through the letters and tossing them back on the counter, "Can't they give us anything else? Oh, here's a catalog from JC Pennys… bill…bill… Oh! Sam! The pictures arrived!" Sam looked up, unimpressed.

"Oh. Okay."

"Sam… they're from your mother's family get-together back in March… you should at least look at them!" Sam sighed.

"Maybe later, Jo. I have to finish this." He pointed to the large stack of junk in front of him. Jo looked disgruntled.

"Fine." She picked up a letter-opener from a little tray next to the sink, and carefully ripped the top off of the envelope horizontally. When she was done, she peered inside. As her eyes traced over the pictures inside, her eyes widened. Agape, she turned slowly around to her husband, her face dazed with disbelief.

 "Sam? You'd better see these…" she whispered carefully.

A/N: Oooo… I love doing this to you poor, poor people. Lol. *grins*

From now on, I'm going to respond to your reviews here, k? I find it fun and entertaining. What a wonderful life I live… hahaha…

GordosGirlie: Thanks! You've been so consistent, reviewing my stories and all… your reviews are so awesome, and so are your stories! *giggles*

tnortej: Thanks, and I definitely will!

ShuisLove: That's so sweet of you. And I will, except that I broke my promise for this chapter… *hides behind bed* Next one will have some fluff, I promise! ^_^ 

cutechica06: Manda! Buddy! Hey, thanks for the nice review! And, well, what can I say? I was born that way. Lol. Thanks, girl!

Lara: You are *too* cool. Thanks again, and, well, here it is! I love tension building. Can you tell?

Jenna: I thank you endlessly. *bows* And, fluff is great. It is my oxygen, shelter, food, and water – it keeps me alive, like reviews. *grins at Em*

Kobe-Mac: You are like a personal stalker, and I like it. *grins* You are so cool, sticking with my story like that! You rock my sock! Pluralism not allowed here. Lol. Thanks so much!

Nimrodel: *smiles* Thanx. I always love praise (you know that by now…lol…) Anyways, about the Animorph stories, I might not continue, unless I get a sudden burst of motivation. Sorry. I always try to finish stories, but with those… I dunno. Maybe… maybe not. But hey, thanks for being such a loyal reader! ^_^

Donzabobo: Hey, I know you! Dini – thanks for the wonderful, spiffy review. I always enjoy reviews from my #1 fans… *sigh* "Another lemonade, Watson…" so, what was that again? Anyways, I'm just so famous… rofl – J/K! And yeah, I am totally writing another *long* story (notice the emphasize on LONG?) lol. It's going to be cool. And, I might just throw in a song-fic or two. I have approximately a million songs that would work.

Baby Bunnie: Hey Jasmine! I totally understand. That was happening to me the other day… really infuriated me. *sigh* But, what can I do? Anyways, Hope you liked this chapter! ^_^ o… and, I'll get around to posting your story soon, k? Right now I'm too lazy (j/k: I really do have stuff to do…). ASAP, I promise.

Cheers and too much caffeine ~

Tic-Tac  ^_~