A/N:Hey peeps,I know it's been a while since I updated and everything.This is sort of a mixed-up,few-sided plot.But hey,I'm working on it!Also,this will be just a brief onlook into past experiences,before I lead it all up to my grandmaster chapter when she's a Senior in High School.Well,things only go on from here,so without further ado,here's...

Repiles:

Barry I. Graumen:Yes,pretty much everything you said works with what I was getting at.Acutally,I was aiming towards the mid-forties.I'm thinking she's probably in her early seventies,so that's why I'm going with she was born in the early-to-mid 1930's.Lauren...Laurice?Hmm,concidence?I guess so,I didn't know that was his wife's name.Well,thanks for the review,umm...what's the "I" stand for?lolz!

Sapadu:It's pretty easy to get a little confused about how Madame "F" looked back then,heck,even I did!I tried my best to describe how I felt she should look,although I do have a mental picture of what she might look like as a kid in the back of my mind,I still haven't managed to master my built-in Art Studio on my computer to place in Devianart yet.

LucyRocks73:Nice to hear from you after this long,you should definitely think about making a sequeal for you're FOP story Coming Clean.I still remember it from all those months ago,well,maybe four.Byez!

Continueing...

The brisk wind of the Autumn air blew thinly againist Laurice's face,as she hurried down the path she had tooken many a time,that lead to her first day back to the Eighth Grade after they had had an extended period off for Parent/Teacher conferences..She hadn't had the time to take Mr. Herrimen with her,she was running late as it was.But the thought that the boy she had had a crush on for the last two years,who had only started to really get around to noticing her last at the beginning of school,lingered perfectly in her mind.As she caught up with her best friend Gloria just a block from school,who was her age with curly short red hair and had green eyesHer brown hair was still flying,as she met up with Gloria and the two longtime friends began racing towards school together.

"You look recharged,"Gloria commented to Lauirce teasingly,as the two neared the familiar building,"I imagine you and Julian Foster had a nice3 daystogether after the fair,"she nudged her friend for feedback,as they entered the School yard,"Come on,Laur.Fess up!You know you like..."

"Him?"Laurice finished for her suddenly,coming to a complete stop just four or five feet from the front doors,as her eyes widened in surprise.

Julian and a few of his friends were busily chatting amongst themselfs right next to the open two doors,as other kids passed through them or stopped to talk for a moment.He was one of the most well-liked kids in the 6-8th grade.And although the School was small with only two classes consisting of 17 and 19 in the Sixth grade,22 and 25 in Seventh and 16 plus 20 in the Eighth.It was no contest when it came right down to who everyone liked the best and who was so cool that he didn't let the attention go to his head like some boys before.He was perfect,five-foot eleven with dark hair that naturally parted to one side down to his shoulder,with icy crystal blue eyes and an athletic bill to match the standerds.

While Laurice wasn't the prettiest or most well-liked student in school,due partlytothe factshe still had her Imaginary friend and it was considered 'very babyish and even juvenile' to still haveone,she was still kind-hearted to nearly everyone she met and mostly thought of as nice but a little too perky sometimes by her peers.She now dressed mostly in hand-me-downs from her sister and played the flute quite a bit,but stood her ground to defend her right to still keep her Imaginary Friend.It had never been a question to her whether she still wanted him or not,but lately it seemed harder with her parent's ever-growing impaitence and whatnot.Still,she found ways to make it work and still relied on him often for certain things.

"Hey,Laurice."Julian greeted her casually,but something in his eyes told her that he meant it more then he was saying it,"Haven't seen you since yesterday,but did you're Mother go crazy when she found you weren't home from helping me and mycousin George rank leafs?"

"Well,she's always sort of loosing her temper if I do something she doesn't really agree with,"Laurice awnsered back a bit uncomfortably,as some of his more self-centered friends gave her akward looks,"Mostly she just told me to not let it happen again,"she went on prudently,trying not to appear anxious or over-excited,"But,you just learn to expect it anyways."

The bell rang from overhead signalling the beginning of classes,with some last unpleasant frowns,the team of secret Laurice-ignorer's began filing in with the rest of the grades.But as Laurice started in after her friend,she felt a hand hault her just before she entered the door and turning a bit off guard,didn't have time to respond as Juilan pecked her lightly on the lips,

"That's for showing me a good time since I met you offically this year,"he told her under his breath precipitously,his breath misting her face in small warm puffs,as he dwindled into the herds of kids going to thier seperate classrooms and left a very entralled Laurice in his wake.

At the end of the day...

It was like Laurice had been in a trance,from the moment he had only just barely kissed her,to now as she walked with a bounce in her step down the road that led to home.She couldn't wait to tell her family,it was these kinds of experiences that she always felt she should share with them.

Once I tell Mom and Dad about this,maybe they'll finally stop harrassing me about getting rid of Mr. Herrimen,she thought to herself mirthfully,as she was walking up the creaky steps up to the door,They'll think I'm growing up and can make my own decisions.

But as sheclasped her hand on the brass door knob,she thought she could her sniffling and hoarse sobbing in the background,shallowing hard she jiggled it just slightly and the door just seemed to fly open,as Candace appeared in the doorway with her eyes strangely dark and watery,staring at Laurice almost like she had done something horribley wrong.Finally,she just shuffled passed her and ran out to get into her car.

"Mom?"She asked out into the empty and dolorus home,as she timidly ventured from the kitchen and into the living room where Joe and thier Mother were holding each other tightly,as she weeped uncontrollabley,"Mother,"she inquired her uneasily,"What's wrong,Mom?"

Later that night,Laurice was still curled up in a mournful and stubborn ball on her bed,as Mr. Herrimen tried reassuring her everything would be alright by bringing back the times and memmories thatthey had had back before all of this sending him into exile and ridiculingher had first started.

"What's the point,"she only groaned miserbley,tears still streaking her cheeks as her normally cheery mood had chattered into about a thousand pieces,"My parents never wanted me to keep you,everyone still talks behind my back at school,now my Father's gone and Mom is so hurt."

While Laurice was at school and Joe had stayed home to go help Candace at the Train Station as she had come by to visit,thier Mother and Father had gotten into one of the most severe fights they had ever been in.Resulting sadly in thier Father,completely fed up,to walk out on them.

Mr Herrimen finally just sighed impotently and sat down on the edge of her bed to reason once more with her,"The last time I saw you this distressed Madame,was the time when you had had to first move,"he continued on sincerely as she glanced upwards at him finally,"But you've always been the strong-willed type,what with standing you're ground and all.It's really quite impressive how you take charge when you need to."

"Now how would you say that?"Laurice laughedinspite of herself,crossing both her legs as she rose up and took in a fresh breath of the crisp air opposed to just struggling to get a good steady breath as she had been tearing relentlessly for the last few hours,"You're right,"she nodded her head understandingly and then raised a brow at him,"Say,you haven't been listening in on certain things the last few years,have you?"

"Such as?"Mr Herrimen pulled at his rgiht red bow nervously.

"I'm not going to lie,"Laurice awnsered for him forwardly,shifting her gaze over to the massive book shelf off to the side of her room,"Mom and Dad have been hammering at me for the last few years to give you up.For a while,I wondered if they were right...if what they said was true and that people just simply out grew thier friends over time,"she turned back to look at him wholeheartedly,"But I could never do such a thing,I love all Imaginary Friends the same and it's just so cruel how some people don't care at all.All my life,I've seen kids just abanden thier friends...well,no matter what Mother or anyone else says,I'm never disowning you."

That's when a silence between the two old friends fell and sense of thier once almost-completely mutual bond began to tighten even tighter.Asfor once in thier lifes,they felt like it was all said and done for the time being.That her decision was final and she was old enough to makeit herself,being thirteen and a half,about how she choose to spend her life and keeping what was dear to her close.And even as the ever-changing world tried to tear what was already seen as fitting for Laurice and Mr. Herrimen,the two would always stand together as friends.But with all that change,came more adjustments that would need to be made for everyone.

Alrighty then,next ch. will focus more on critical details for the foundation of Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends to begin.But with that,comes more surprises and twists around every turn.So,as always,stay tuned!

LP