Julian, Sophie and Maddie belong to me. Sadly, the rest don't.

Mary Alice's Choice

Mary Alice paced the length of her bedroom, nervously tugging at her long dark curls. Her eyes kept roaming towards the neatly made bed, where brochures she had snuck into the house lay opened on the comforter.

Stopping in front of her mirror, she stared at her reflection. At seventeen years old, she was tall and slender and even though she wasn't vain, she knew she was pretty. She was strong and athletic, qualities that she had her Aunt Stephanie and Uncle Carlos to thank for. If it hadn't been for them, her mother would have never allowed for her to take self-defense and train like she had been. As it was, Grandma Ellen thought that such physical exertion was a waste of energy for a young Burg lady. She should just go to nursing school and get engaged to a nice, well to do young man like Angie had. She should be the beauty pageant contender that her mother had once been.

Mary Alice was really starting to understand why Aunt Stephanie never spoke to Grandma Ellen anymore. She was tempted to follow in her aunt's footsteps.

Years of Burg expectations had struck Mary Alice hard. While girls her age were basking in their Home Ec glory, she had gone against the norm, joining the softball, basketball and swim teams instead of the Future Homemakers of America Club. She had taken Drafting and Engineering classes instead of Art and Music, being deemed the class Lesbian in the process. Only her true friends understood her. They understood her need to break away from the mold that they all grew up from.

Her mother tried to understand her. Although she never discouraged her daughter from her dreams, Mary Alice couldn't help but notice the confusion and disappointment in Valerie Kloughn's eyes when her middle daughter didn't turn out as expected. Only Aunt Stephanie and Uncle Carlos understood her.

She glanced once again at the brochures covering her bed. It was then that she knew what to do. She knew who to talk to.

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Ranger leaned back in his chair, running a hand over his weary eyes. Eight hours of paperwork and the pile seemed to be growing larger instead of smaller.

He had never thought that paperwork would be such an integral part of running his own company when he first started out. He should have known better.

A knock sounded on the door and he looked up in relief. The interruption couldn't have come at a better time.

"Come in."

The door opened and Tank popped his head in. "You've got a visitor, man."

That was unexpected. As far as Ranger knew, he had no appointments for the day. "Who is it?"

"Mary Alice. She seems a little tense."

Ranger stood up immediately, his eyebrows raised. "Send her in."

Tank stepped back and a moment later, Mary Alice walked into the room, her backpack slung over her shoulder. She looked up at him and gave him a tiny grin.

"Hey Uncle Carlos. I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Ranger stepped around the desk and pulled her into a hug. "Not at all, querida. You know you're always welcome here." Over her shoulder, Ranger gave a slight nod to Tank, who left the office, closing the door behind him. "Is something wrong?"

The girl shook her head and Ranger had to smile at the way her dark curls bounced against her shoulders. She looked so much like his Babe. Except for Julian and Sophie, Mary Alice was more like his wife than anyone else. She was strong and intelligent and didn't let Burg expectations hold her back. Although he knew she was under some pressure from the Plum side of the family to follow in her older sister's footsteps, Mary Alice put her foot down and refused set herself up for an unsatisfying life.

He wondered now, as he led her to an empty chair, what would bring her to him like this. Usually when she needed to talk to someone, it was Steph. He was as close to his niece as if she were one of his own children, but he was no good when it came down to 'woman to woman' talks. From the look on her face, though, he guessed that this wouldn't be one of those talks.

Sitting down on the desk in front of her, he leaned down so they were eye to eye. "What's going on, Mary Alice? As much as I love you, we both know that you usually don't come to me for one to one talks."

She grinned up at him and shrugged. "Can't a girl come to visit her favorite uncle without any special reason?" At his blank stare, she sighed. "You're right. I am about to make a life altering decision and I need your advice."

That was something new. He couldn't imagine what the bright, beautiful young woman in front of him was thinking and what it had to do with him, but he was extremely curious to find out. Smiling reassuringly, he held his arms out. "Lay it on me, M.A."

She chuckled as she unzipped her backpack, removing a stack of brochures. Ranger's eyes widened when he saw what they were for.

The Air National Guard.

Mary Alice looked from the brochures in her hands up to her uncle. "I know what I want to do with my life. I'm pretty sure that you and Aunt Steph will understand my decision, but I don't know how to make everybody else feel the same way."

To say that Ranger was stunned would be a bit of an understatement. Although he never pictured Mary Alice becoming a nurse or a teacher, he usually imagined her playing sports or going to college for business or advertising. She had an uncanny knack at selling and he grinned, remembering the time she convinced him to buy three hundred boxes of Thin Mints so her Girl Scout troop could go on a camping trip. He could even see her going into Civil Engineering, what with her obvious enjoyment of her elective classes in school. Never had he pictured her going into any of the military branches.

Ranger took the brochures that she offered him and flipped through them absently. "How long have you been thinking about this, querida? It's a big decision."

She nodded emphatically. "I know! If you told me a few years ago that this was what I'd want to do, I'd have you committed. But then a recruiter came to the school a year ago and it's all I've been thinking about since. I could become a pilot. I could help people after natural disasters. I could be one of those people on the ladder who saves the family from the flood. I can do this, Uncle Carlos. I want to do this." She leaned forward in her seat, her eyes bright in excitement. "I could start out in the reserves and get money for college at the same time. And if I decide that I want to do this full time, I can do that, too. I can make a difference this way, more than I could doing anything around here."

Ranger looked up into her eyes and he couldn't deny the way they sparkled. But he had to be sure about something first.

"I know your parents can't afford much in the way of college tuition. This isn't just to get an education, is it, Mary Alice? You know that your aunt and I will pay your way through whatever school you want."

Mary Alice shook her head. "No, the college thing is just a bonus. I feel like this is what I'm meant to do. Have you ever felt that way?"

Ranger couldn't deny that feeling. It was what drove him to join the Army and become a Ranger. It was what convinced him to take that step with Steph and get married. It was how he felt when his children were born.

Looking into his niece's face, Ranger recognized the look of pure elation and determination. She truly knew what she wanted to do. Nothing would change her mind.

Not that he would try to if it was something she really wanted. It would be like denying his wife or children something they desperately wanted.

Handing the brochures back to her, he nodded. "What do you need from me?"

The squeal of glee almost shattered his eardrums as the tiny young woman launched herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck. He hugged her back, biting back a smile at the Steph-like reaction.

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"I have a feeling something is up," Valerie Kloughn declared, sitting back in her seat. Stephanie couldn't help but agree as her husband and niece whispered to each other in the far corner of the room.

Ranger had come home the night before, declaring that it was long past due for a Plum family dinner. Considering that it was pretty tough to get everybody together without Ellen Plum, Stephanie was surprised and immediately suspicious. It wasn't like her husband to initiate family get togethers like that.

Somehow, though, in less than twenty-four hours, he had managed to get Frank, Grandma Mazur, Valerie and Albert and Angie and her fiancé, Ben to the house for an elaborate dinner. Julian, Sophie and Lisa were spending the night at the Elliot's house and the once lively dinner was turning into something a little heavier and a lot suspicious.

By the time Stephanie was ready to burst, Ranger and Mary Alice returned to the table, both carrying brochures. Ranger gave Mary Alice a kiss on her forehead before sitting down beside his wife.

"The floor is yours, querida," he said. Mary Alice nodded, taking a deep breath. Everybody else turned their attention to her.

"What's going on, sweetie?" Valerie asked, gripping her wineglass nervously. "You're not pregnant, are you?"

Stephanie kicked Valerie under the table and Mary Alice rolled her eyes. "No, Mom. I am most definitely not pregnant."

Valerie sighed in relief, throwing a glare at her sister before draining her glass. She turned her attention back to her daughter. "Then what's all this about?"

Mary Alice cleared her throat. "I know what I want to do with my life." Turning slightly, she reached out and covered her mother's hand with hers. "I need you to listen to me without interruptions on this one, okay? I promise, I'll answer any questions when I'm done."

Valerie nodded, fear creeping into her eyes.

Mary Alice glanced at Ranger, who winked at her. She grinned before turning back to the rest of her family. "Do you remember how we watched the news whenever a tornado or hurricane or flood hit somewhere and I said that I wished I could help out somehow?" At everybody's nod, she continued. " And do you remember how much I enjoyed the engineering classes at school and mentioned maybe doing something like that with my life?" More nods. She took a deep breath and passed out the brochures. "I found a way to do both."

"The Air National Guard?" Valerie shrieked, her hands flying up to cover her mouth. She turned wide, terrified eyes to her daughter. "You're joking, right? Sweetie, that's the military! That's no place for an innocent young lady!"

Although she was stunned by her niece's revelation, Stephanie reached out and grabbed her sister's fluttering hand. "You promised to let her finish, Val. M.A.'s a smart woman. Let her speak."

Valerie's shrieks sputtered to silence. Mary Alice threw her aunt a grateful smile. Stephanie just winked and sat back, leaning slightly against her husband's side.

"I think I can really make a difference this way. I really want to be a part of the humanitarian effort. I want to help people and I can get an education at the same time. I can train to become a pilot," she grinned at her aunt and Stephanie blinked back tears. "I can save people whose lives are in immediate danger. I'll be able to help in search and rescues. If, God forbid, we're attacked again, I'll be able to help here at home. And I can go to school for civil engineering and really do something with it if I choose to make a career in the military." Mary Alice sat down beside her mother and grasped both of her hands in hers. "I really feel like this is what I'm meant to do, Mom. I know it's not what you would have picked for me, but I need to do this. I know I can do this and do it well."

Tears were spilling unchecked down Valerie's face. "What happens if they send you off to some war torn country? What happens if you get killed flying that damn plane? What happens if you're searching for someone and you get lost?"

Mary Alice smiled at her mother. "What happens if I'm in school and some crazy freak comes in with a loaded gun? What happens if I'm walking across the mall parking lot and get hit by a bus? There's a lot of 'what if's' everywhere, Mom. Worrying about them is no way to live your life."

Angie leaned forward in her seat, grinning conspiratorially at her younger sister. "Mom, you remember Sally from school, right? Annette Gianetti's daughter?"

Valerie nodded, dazed and teary eyed.

"Well Sally went to nursing school and joined the Guard last year. Remember how proud everybody in the Burg was of her?"

Mary Alice gave her older sister a grateful smile before jumping on the bandwagon. "Yeah, Mom! Remember that huge party the neighbors threw for her before she started up? How everybody said what a good girl Sally was for doing that?"

Valerie nodded again and wiped her eyes. She looked from one daughter to the other before looking down at the brochure in front of her. "It is a brave thing to do, baby, but its still the military. What do we really know about it?"

Ranger cleared his throat then, catching everybody's attention. "A good friend of mine is the Director of the ANG and would be more than happy to speak to you about some of the things Mary Alice will be doing if she joins up. I spoke to him yesterday and he'll be in the area next week if you're interested."

Mary Alice turned to her mother, her eyes pleading. "Please, Mom? Just talk to him?"

Valerie took a shuddering breath and studied her middle daughter's face. She couldn't ignore the excitement emanating from her child. "You're sure this is what you want?"

Mary Alice nodded. "I'm positive."

Valerie looked over at her husband, who was still staring at his brochure in surprise. After a long moment, she looked back at her daughter. And nodded again. "Okay. We'll talk to him."

Yeah, its been a while since I've written anything Plum, but this idea just jumped out of a dark corner the other night and attacked me while I was minding my own business. Can you believe that? I realized that poor Mary Alice was being neglected in this series, and although she isn't one of Steph and Ranger's kids, she's an important part of their family. I know nothing about the Air National Guard except for what I've skimmed online, so hopefully, I haven't screwed up anything and ticked anyone off. Hope you like it!