Title - Admiration and Love
Author name - Carol

E-mail -
Rating - PG

Spoilers – everything
Disclaimer - All I own is a plant which is slowly taking over my bedroom. It's an ivy that is weaving its way through my blinds. I call it…. 'Living Curtin.'
Summery - Chloe's video project takes on a life of its own.

Author's Notes –

1. Singer is still alive…..she's the character we love to hate.

2. I have no clue when this could take place during the show. Maybe season 7 or 8. It's one I dusted off of the computer files. One down 64 to go.

3. BIG SMILES to DJEGirl for beta-ing and for reminding me about it…he-he….Thanks.

Admiration and Love 1/11

Monday May 4

1:57 PM

'I hate English class. I know how to write. Why am I sitting here? I wonder what's for dinner tonight. Bored party of one, your table is ready. Now paging bored,' Chloe thought to herself as she drew another picture in her English notebook.

"Miss Madison," the teacher called, snapping Chloe out of her meandering thoughts.

The whole class turned around and looked at Chloe. "Yes, Ms. Thompson?"

"I was wondering what you thought about the new assignment?" Ms. Thompson said knowingly.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Thompson, I wasn't paying attention." Chloe tapped her pen against her fingers.

"At least you're honest, Miss Madison. However, you will have to sever an after school detention. This was your third time getting caught not paying attention this class period," Ms. Thompson informed Chloe. Some of the students took it upon themselves to whisper over Chloe's misfortune.

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Ouch," Hannah leaned over and whispered to Chloe.

"Hannah, since you're so interested in Miss Madison's bad luck, perhaps you would like to join her," Ms. Thompson told Hannah.

"No, Ma'am," Hannah quickly said as she turned in her desk to face forward, starting to blush in embarrassment.

Ms. Thompson took a breath and resumed her lecture about the assignment. "Now, as I was saying about the assignment: The point of it is to tell me about the person in your life who has had the largest influence on you. It can be a written project, computer presentation, an interview, or something new and different. It must show creativity and be done by you, not your parents." Chloe raised her hand with a question. "Yes, Chloe?"

"Can I do a video presentation?" Chloe asked.

"Yes, you could." The bell rang, interrupting Ms. Thompson, but she continued, "The project is due on May 25, which is in three weeks. Be good and enjoy the rest of the day." The students started to leave. "Chloe, if I could see you for a moment?"

"Okay." Chloe packed up her book bag and walked over to Ms. Thompson. "I'm sorry I dazed out on ya, but my mom's been away and I've been staying with some friends."

"I know. Your mother called me and told me she was going to be out of town. Do you know she is going to return?" Ms. Thompson asked.

"She called last night and told me she would be home today. She has to go to work first, but she's going to pick me up after orchestra practice."

"When is practice over?"

"5:15, she tries to get me by 5:30."

"Okay. After practice you'll serve the detention," Ms. Thompson said as Chloe rolled her eyes. "Then I'll meet with your mother."

"Yes, Ma'am," Chloe said dejectedly.

"Chloe, you need to focus more during class." Ms. Thompson gave Chloe a tardy pass to her class.

"I know, and Mom will tell me the same thing once I get home," Chloe commented as she walked out of the room and the tardy bell rang.

5:16 PM

"Hi, Ms. Thompson. Sorry I'm a minute late, but Mrs. Evans wanted to make sure that my music was marked." Chloe sat down in her desk.

"No problem," Ms. Thompson said from her desk. "Have you thought about your assignment?"

Chloe turned around in her desk so she could talk to Ms. Thompson. "I have an idea, but I'm not sure about it yet."

"What's the idea?"

"I was thinking about videotaping my mom and have people who know her talk about her. Then, at the end I'll explain why she is the person I most admire," Chloe quickly explained.

"I think that sounds like a great idea. How is your mom going to like it?"

"I don't think I'm going to tell her."

"How are you going to tape her then?" Ms. Thompson asked as she stopped grading the paper in front of her.

"I think I'll tell her I have to do a report on my parent's job and just ask the people she works with to go along with it. I'll surprise her with it when the assignment is over." Chloe had a devilish smile on her face.

Ms. Thompson walked over to Chloe. "How will she react to it?"

"I think she'll love it. But I kind of need my English teacher to go along with my idea. My mom's really smart and can see through one of my lies in a minute."

Ms. Thompson took a deep breath and sighed heavily. "I should say no."

"I promise I'll pay attention for the rest of the school year."

"I want that in writing."

"No problem." Chloe quickly wrote her promise. "Okay, how does this sound? I, Chloe Madison, promise to behave myself for the rest of the school year… as long as Ms. Thompson goes along with me on my idea for the English assignment." Chloe handed Ms. Thompson the paper. "So I need to sign it?"

"Yes, you do." Ms. Thompson gave it back to Chloe. "This is a contract, Chloe."

"I know."

"Okay. I'll put it in my grade book." Ms. Thompson placed the paper into her grade book. "Chloe, you really need to pay attention in class."

"I know. I try to, but no offense… I get bored."

Ms. Thompson laughed. "Hey, I got bored in school, too."

"How did you get un-bored?"

"I found something that I was really good at."

"What was that?"

"I liked writing stories."

"Wouldn't you and my other teachers get mad at me if I started writing stories in the middle of class?" Chloe bluntly stated.

Ms. Thompson ignored Chloe's question, even though she knew the answer to the question was yes. "You're a smart kid. I want to help you, but you need to show me that you can do better."

"No offense, Ms. Thompson, but I'm in all honors classes, orchestra, Honor's Club, Debate, Student Council, other after school clubs, and I've got straight A's. I just get bored in class."

"I know. I'm going to talk to your mom about that," Ms. Thompson said as there was a knock at the door.

"Excuse me, Ms. Thompson, Chloe's mother is here," Hannah said as she opened the door.

"Let her in, Hannah," Ms. Thompson told the young girl as she stood up to greet Chloe's mother. "Hello, Ms. Madison. How are you?"

"It's MacKenzie, and I'm fine. How are you?" Mac replied to the teacher before she looked over at Chloe. "What did she do now?"

"Mom, I'm shocked you would just assume I did something wrong." Chloe attempted to defend herself.

"Chloe, you either did something wrong or you were dazing out in class again."

"She zoned out in class," Ms. Thompson interjected as she watched Mac and Chloe interact.

"Chloe…" Mac motherly stated.

"I'm sorry, Mom."

"Did you tell that to Ms. Thompson?" Mac asked.

Chloe turned to Ms. Thompson. "I'm sorry that I zoned out in class. I'll try not to do it again."

"Thank you, Chloe," Ms. Thompson said to her.

Chloe stood up and walked over to Mac. "Good, can we go now?"

"Chloe," Mac stated in the 'you're in trouble' voice.

"Actually Chloe, I would like to talk to your mother alone." Ms. Thompson interjected, knowing full well that Chloe was going to get a good talking to once she got home.

"But, I haven't seen her in three days!" Chloe whined.

"Chloe Anne Madison! I know you have some manners," Mac said as Chloe bit her lip and realized she was officially in trouble now. "Go wait outside with Hannah."

"Yes, Ma'am." Chloe walked out of the room.

Mac watched as Chloe walked out of the room. "Let me apologize for my daughter's behavior."

"It's quite all right. I can tell the two of you have a great relationship."

Mac smiled. "Thank you."

"I wanted to talk to you about some of Chloe's writings in class. A few weeks ago she had the assignment to write about her family. She wrote about the two of you. Later in class, we were discussing the class projects, and I got the distinct impression she doesn't like to talk about her family to people. Is there a reason for that?" Ms. Thompson said as she and Mac sat down.

Mac took a deep breath. "Let me give you the history on Chloe that's not in her file: when she was baby, her mother and father broke up. Her mother remarried and died of cancer when she was very young. Her mother told Chloe and her step-father that her father was killed while he was stationed aboard a battleship. After a while Chloe's step-father started dating and she joined the Big Sisters Program, where we met. A few months after that, she ran away from her step-father because his girlfriend was abusing Chloe. She came to me to get away. Bud, one of my coworkers, got a little curious and found out some information about Chloe's father. We found out Kyle was still alive, and we ended up reuniting them on Christmas Eve. Kyle was able to get leave a few weeks later and he met Chloe in person. A few months afterward, Chloe went to go live her grandparents in Vermont."

Mac paused. "Last July, there was a car accident. Chloe was hurt very badly and her grandparents didn't survive. I went to Vermont to help her and Kyle with the legal matters. Kyle wasn't able to get permanent leave after the funeral, so we decided Chloe would come to DC and live with me until he could get stationed out here. In early August he called and said he would be assigned to Norfolk. The day before Kyle was to come home, he was involved in an accident aboard ship. He died."

"Oh, my." Ms. Thompson gasped in shock.

"Chloe took it very hard." Mac turned her head to look out the window in the door. She smiled softly, watching as Chloe was talking to Hannah. "Well, to make this long story a little shorter, Kyle changed his will to state if anything happen to him I would get custody of Chloe. In less than a year, we've gone from her staying with me temporarily to a parent-child relationship. We're both still trying to figure this thing out. But I think we're doing well."

"Chloe is a great kid and smart as a whip, so I know you're doing something right. But she just zones out."

"I know. You're not the only to say something about it." Mac sat silently for a moment. "I have an idea."

"Okay."

"Can I call her back in?" Ms. Thompson nodded her head and Mac walked to the door, "Chloe, we would like to talk to you."

"Go with God, my child," Hannah whispered with a chuckle to Chloe as she made a sign of a cross in the air.

"Hush, Hannah." Chloe walked back into the room and sat down at her desk near Ms. Thompson.

"Chloe, I have an idea to help you focus better in school," Mac informed the teenager.

"What's that?" Chloe worried Mac was going to take away an after school activity or ground her.

"If you can focus for the rest of the school year, you will get one weekend where we will do whatever you want to," Mac offered.

"Whatever I want to?" Chloe smiled as Mac nodded. "Including camping?" Mac nodded again. "With Harm?"

"You'll have to ask him that," Mac told her.

"How will you know if she's not zoning?" Ms. Thompson asked.

Mac pulled a card out of her purse. "Here is my card. You can call me any time at work. If I'm not there, leave a message with whomever answers."

"I like your Mom," Ms. Thompson said to Chloe.

Chloe grinned. "She may be strict, but so do I."

"Deal?" Mac extended her hand to Chloe for a shake.

Chloe shook. "Deal."

Ms. Thompson smiled at the pair. "Good. I think that about wraps everything up. Ms. MacKenzie, it was a pleasure to meet you."

"You too, Ms. Thompson. If you have any problems with her, please call me."

"She won't, Mom. I promise." Chloe grabbed Mac's hand.

"Okay. Goodnight, Ms. Thompson," Mac politely said to the teacher.

"Goodnight, Ms. MacKenzie. I'll see you tomorrow in class, Chloe," Ms. Thompson said as Mac and Chloe walked out the door.

"Bye," Chloe said to Ms. Thompson. "Come on, Hannah. We're going home."

"Cool," Hannah said as she stood up from the floor.

End Part 1/11

(This part was dedicated to all the teachers, like me, who have to get out of bed this morning. Be it for back-to-school week or the first day. I miss summer already.)