Two weeks later Susan, Nicholas, and Nancy get a clean bill of health. That Friday they're doing the girls night out.

Currently in Nancy and Elizabeth's room. Nancy is getting ready for the appointment for the modeling job. Thankfully the guy interviewing her was willing to postpone the interview for when the mono was gone. Tom couldn't get out of work so Abby is taking her.

Nancy finishes getting dressed and then goes to see if Abby is ready.

"Hey Abby are you ready to go?" Nancy asks.

Abby is sitting by the window, reading a textbook.

"Hmm?" Abby says, distracted. "Oh, yeah, sure."

"Abby do you really have time to take me? If not I can go by myself."

"Lately I don't have anything but time. And I promised your father I'd go."

They leave for the modeling agency. Later while waiting for the interview Nancy tries to remain calm but fails miserably.

"Nancy, stop fussing," Abby says.

"I'm trying, I'm trying."

Abby silently agrees.

The guy from the mall finally comes out of his office.

"Hi Nancy." he says.

"Hi Brad." She introduces him to Abby and Abby to him.

"Nice to meet you Mrs. Bradford."

"Nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you these past two weeks."

"Won't you both come in my office?" Brad replies.

They come in and sit down. Nancy shows him her portfolio. Some pictures Joan had taken, the others Tommy took and developed for her.

"Very Nice." he replies. "You definitely have a love affair with the camera."

"Thank you." She goes on to tell him the modeling experience she's had so far.

"Well, how soon can you start to work?"

She smiles. "Is tomorrow too soon?"

"I was hoping you would say that." He smiles. "There is a local catalogue company that needs a model to fashion their spring line up. Are you interested?"

"Very."

"Mrs. Bradford?"

Abby steps in, as Tom has asked her to. "Wait--before you start planning work, I need to know some more about the kind of work you expect Nancy to do."

"Catalogue work."

"That much I gathered. What sort of catalogues?"

"Spring and Summer Fashions."

"You're not answering my question," Abby says. "What sort of spring and summer fashions?"

"Dresses, pants, tops and swimsuits."

~Please don't say no, please don't say no.~ Nancy thinks.

"See, what I want to know is--are you going to have Nancy doing anything her father wouldn't approve of?"

Brad laughs. "It all depends on what year of fashion he approves of."

Abby also laughs. "You told him about your father, didn't you, Nancy?"

She smiles. "Yes."

"All right, then," Abby says to Brad. "Are you going to ask Nancy to do anything I wouldn't approve of?"

"No." Brad states. "It is all on the up and up. I assure you."

"Do you have a contract for Nancy to sign?"

"Yes." Brad says and pulls out the contract. "You don't have to sign it now, just bring it back with you tomorrow afternoon."

"I'll do that." Nancy says.

"I'd like to give my father a call, read the contact to him," Abby tells Nancy.

"Ok."

"And how much will I be making?" Nancy asks Brad.

Brad writes down a figure on paper and hands it to Nancy. "Is that satisfactory?"

Nancy looks at it and gasps. "Uh yeah."

"Good." Brad says.

Nancy shows the figure to Abby unable to voice it aloud yet.

Abby gives a low whistle, then becomes concerned. "For modeling clothing?"

"Yes." Brad says.

"Wow." Nancy says.

"What's the catch?" Abby asks.

"No catch." Brad says.

"I'll have to talk to my husband about this," Abby says.

"Of course." Brad says. He stands up and says. "I guess I will see you tomorrow then."

"Yeah." She stands up and shakes his hand. "And thank you. I won't let you down."

"I don't have a doubt."

"One more thing, when will I be working?"

"When will you be available?"

"Weekends and after school."

"That will be great."

"Good." Nancy says.

"As long as it's understood," Abby interjects, "that Nancy's education comes first."

"Of course." Brad replies.

"Absolutely." Nancy assures her.

"Well, then, unless her father has any objections or my father finds something untoward about the contract, I'll leave the rest up to you and Nancy," Abby tells Brad.

"Thank you Mrs. Bradford, it was nice meeting you." Brad extends his hand.

"And you, too," Abby says, though she doesn't fully trust Brad.

A while later on the drive home Nancy does some calculating in her head on what the money will be able to provide. She's concentrating so much that she doesn't realize that she's starting to think out loud. "Yeah a new condo with a hottub."

"Making some plans?" Abby asks.

"Just dreaming actually." Nancy smiles. "Everything will work out, Dad will love the idea and I'm sure Grandpa Harry will say that the contract is legit."

"Sure they will." ~No they won't.~

Nancy continues to day dream on the drive home.

As they drive up to the house, Abby checks to see if Tom's car is there.

Later Tom comes home and finds Abby upstairs. "Hi, how did it go with the agent?"

"I'm not sure. He gave her a contract, which I plan to read to my father over the phone tonight, and he agrees her schooling comes first, but he's offered her so much money that I can't believe he's on the up and up."

"Really? How much?"

Abby tells him the figure. "Do you realize that's almost as much as I make? After ten years and a masters degree?"

"Oh my." Tom says. "But my sources told me he was legit, but now I wonder."

"I'll read the contract to my father over the phone, but even if its all right, I'm worried. No one pays a young woman that much money to model clothes, do they?"

"Well, I guess it isn't as easy as it looks. Joan told me of a girl she photographed once that she owned her own townhouse at age 20."

"Guess it's better to have looks than brains."

"You have looks." Tom states.

"Not looks that would pay me that kind of cash."

"I know what you mean, I just hope Nancy doesn't get hurt." Tom worries.

"Hoping is enough?"

"No." Tom agrees. "I guess we will have to keep our eyes open. Now she isn't thinking of quitting school is she?"

"She seemed glad that the work wouldn't interfere with her schooling, but she was also daydreaming about moving out, so who knows?"

"I guess I am going to have to put her straight on that issue, she didn't sign anything yet did she?"

"No. I wouldn't let her until we had a lawyer check it out."

"Good." Tom says. "Thank you for taking her today, I couldn't let her go alone."

"Not with this sort of deal on the table, no."

"Yeah, knowing Nancy; she would have signed her name in blood for this."

"More likely she would have signed it in your blood."

Tom chuckles.

"Well, I'd better go call my father. You want to speak to him?"

Tom laughs "You are joking right? Me talk to your father?"

"He's checking out *your* daughter's contract," Abby reminds Tom.

"OK, I'll talk to him." Tom concedes. "But I won't like it."

"Don't do me any favors," Abby grumbles.

Tom dials Pasadena.

Abby pulls the phone out of his hand. "I'll take care of it. You go do--oh, I don't know what."

"Abby, I was joking." Taking the phone back from her.

"No, you weren't."

"I was too." Tom says and waits for someone to answer.

Katherine answers the phone.

"Katherine? Its Tom."

'Tom! This is an unexpected surprise."

"How are you?" Tom asks.

"Fine. What's wrong, Tom? Is Sandra Sue hurt?"

"No, No. She is fine, in fact she is sitting right next to me." Tom assures her. "We just need to talk to Harry about a modeling contract Nancy has received."

"Oh, business," Katherine says, relieved that she can understand why it was Tom who called. "I'll go get him."

"Thank you." Tom says and turns to Abby. "I think I nearly gave your mother a heart attack."

"Hearing from strangers can do that to people," Abby answers.

"I am not a stranger." Tom replies

"You only act like one."

On the other end of the line, Harry picks up and says "Thomas? What can I do for you?"

"Hi Harry, we have a situation we need for you to look at." Tom explains about the contract.

"I don't suppose you could Telex it to my office in the morning?"

"Sure, thanks Harry." Tom says.

"I'll call Sandra Sue after I've looked it over."

"Goodbye." Tom hangs up.

"Well, that was abrupt," Abby says. "What did he tell you, and why are you scowling?"

"Because he said he would call you with his assessment instead of me." Tom pouts

"When is he calling?"

"He said he would call once he took a look at it." Tom replies.

"You mean tomorrow then; you'll have to send it from the office."

"Yes." Tom says.

"See, he probably just doesn't want to bother you at work. Besides, it'll be easier for him to tell me--you're not the one who grew up around lawyers."

"That's true." Tom says. "So which one of us goes tells Nancy?"

"Depends on how you feel about the whole deal."

"Honestly?" I don't know how I feel."

"Well, I think Nancy knows how I feel about it."

"Gut feelings?" Tom asks.

"I think there's a catch."

"Maybe, but my sources are reliable." Tom says trying to calm her suspicions.

"It's probably just professional jealousy," Abby admits. "I'm finding it hard to accept that a person could get paid so much just to stand around and smile."

"I know, it doesn't seem fair does it." Tom relates.

"Well, maybe my father will find something in the contract to explain it."

"For Nancy's sake, I hope he is on the level."

"How upset do you think Nancy would be if someone chaperoned her to photo shoots?"

"You really are worried aren't you?" Tom asks.

"Yes, I am. Maybe it's just that I don't have enough experience at this whole looking out for kids, but I am worried."

"Well then, we will make that one of the conditions to Nancy's job right now." Tom decides.

"I don't want to make problems for her. I'm probably just being silly."

"It's not silly." Tom assures her. "I mean if this Brad person is on the level, then he won't mind. If he does mind then we know something is up."

"OK."

"Good we will talk to Nancy after dinner."

Meanwhile Nancy is waiting in the kitchen for the verdict and failing at trying to be patient when Joannie walks in.

"Hey." Nancy says while tapping on the kitchen table with her fingers.

Elizabeth walks in and sees Nancy and Joannie in the kitchen. "Hey, what's up?"

"I got the modeling job, now I just need Dad and Grandpa Harry's go ahead on the contract."

"Cool, do you think Dad will give you any hassle?"

"I sure hope not, because if I manage the money well I can get my own place. Which means you get your own room."

"Awesome." Elizabeth says. "Look's like I wasn't the only one who had a good day."

"Spill." Nancy says.

Elizabeth face turns red. "It's nothing much, I just met this guy."

"What guy?"

"His name is Jason, he is new here."

"And how cute is he?"

Elizabeth smiles. "Very cute."

"And when are you going out with him?"
 

At dinner Elizabeth speaks up. "Is my grounding over yet?"

"Have you really understood what you did wrong this time?" Abby asks.

"Yes." Elizabeth says. Tommy listens closely to the answer.

"Then I'll consider it. After the weekend."

Elizabeth face falls.

Abby throws Tom a 'back me up here' look.

Tom looks at Elizabeth and then Abby. "Elizabeth, don't tell me you made plans this weekend, because if you did, you can just break them."

"But." Liz says. "I had a date."

"That's exactly right Elizabeth, the word is *had*. Tom tells her.

"You shouldn't have made plans until you knew you could keep them," Abby adds.

Elizabeth begins to say something, but Tommy gives her his 'if you blow this, I am going to throttle you look.'

"After this weekend is fine." Tommy says on his and Elizabeth's behalf.

"Now that we have that settled..." Tom says "Nancy? Abby and I would like to see you after dinner."

"Ok." ~I hope it's not no.~

Later Nancy finds Tom and Abby in the living room. "So what's the verdict?"

Given how touchy Tom got that Harry would call her back, Abby decides to let him handle this.

"Harry is calling Abby tomorrow after he looks over the contract." Tom explains.

"But I have to show up tomorrow. Hmm, I'd better call him and tell him there'll be a delay." ~Oh please don't take the job away over this.~ "Can I talk to Grandpa Harry tomorrow to thank him for looking over the contract."

"Why don't you wait and see what he says before you thank him," Abby cautions.

"Ok, but I'll still thank him for looking it over." She goes to call Brad, tells him about the delay, and waits for his reply. After talking to him she returns to Abby and Tom. "He says it's no
problem, he's willing to wait."

"He's being awfully cooperative," Abby notes.

"Abby I know you're worried, but he's a good guy really." Nancy tries to assure her.

"How would you know? You met him what--twice?"

Nancy cringes but doesn't say anything for a moment and then finally speaks. "I know because he seems like a nice guy and Dad had him checked out."

"Oh, now I'm all reassured," Abby says sarcastically.

Nancy's about to reply but decides against it. She goes upstairs and slams the door instead.

A minute later Joannie knocks on Nancy's door.

"Come in!!" Nancy shouts.

"So, what did the door do to deserve it?" Joannie asks as she flops down on Elizabeth's bed.

"Nothing." She dries her eyes. "It was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Want to talk about it?"

"What is it about me? That makes some people in this house want to end conversations with me as quickly as possible? Even if they have to be mean to do it?"

"Which 'some people'?" Joannie asks, getting angry.

"Abby." She says quietly not wanting to be overheard.

"Abby? I thought she liked *you*."

"So did I, but I don't know lately. Sure she cares, she worries, but beyond that...."

"What happened?"

She tells her everything.

"Sounds like she's jealous."

"Why would she be jealous?"

"Come on, You're getting an incredible amount of money for being beautiful. I think even I'm jealous."

Her face clouds over. "Great." She absently twiddles with the blanket. "You know modeling isn't all about posing. A lot of hard work goes into it."

"Hey, I didn't say it didn't. But all that money--think what you could do with it. Even get your own apartment and never have to answer one of Dad's post date inquisitions again."

Nancy smiles at this. "Actually that's what I plan to do."

"And Dad's letting you do this?"

"They're waiting on Grandpa Harry to ok the contract, and I haven't mentioned moving out to Dad yet."

"Did you mention it to Abby?"

"Yes, why?"

"If Abby knows, Dad knows. Especially if she's jealous of what you're doing."

"What are you implying?"

"That if Dad's not yelling and screaming and saying 'no,' I'd be worried if I were you."

"You mean maybe he wants me to move out?"

"No, I mean maybe they're playing 'good cop, bad cop' and Abby's getting on your case for the both of them. Just watch your back, OK?"

~If that's the way it's going to be maybe it was a mistake trying to get Dad and Abby's ok in the first place.~ "Oh don't worry I will." She starts plotting.

The next morning she retrieves the contract from Tom's briefcase and leaves the house. ~No one is going to ruin this for me.~ She signs the contract and hands it over to Brad.

She starts work that day and gets an advance on the money when she sure that no one is home she packs up as much things as she can and Noah helps her move it to a new place she found. She leaves a note for her family and then they leave. Later at her new place.

"Are you sure about this it is awful sudden?" Noah asks.

"I'm very sure about it. I'll never be able to grow up as long as I'm under that roof. Something positive finally comes into my life and they act like it's a bad thing."

"What I'm not a positive thing." He pouts.

"You're a positive, you're not a thing." She answers.

He smiles and kisses her.

Joannie finds the note. ~Ruh-oh, bad move. I think I'll pretend I just didn't see it.~ She puts the note back where it was, leaving it to someone else to break the bad news.

Mary walks in sometime later and finds the note. ~Hmm, do I show it to Abby?~ Looks and sees that Abby just got home and is in the kitchen. ~Or do I take it to David and let him handle Dad and Abby?~

David walks in. "Hey what's for dinner?" She shows him the note. "And you want me to tell them?"

She nods. "You are the oldest."

He cringes and enters the kitchen with the note. "Abby can we talk?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"Nancy's moved out." He shows her the note she left behind.

"I don't believe this. I do not believe this. If I had doubts before about that shady man who calls himself an agent, I don't anymore."

"What shady man, and what agent?" He asks.

"Your independent sister is going to be a model, making a fortune doing things I'd rather not think about."

"How do you know that she'll be doing things that you don't want to think about?"

"She's just starting and she's making enough money to move out and support herself. No way that's legitimate."

"What's his name?" David asks.

"Brad Jackson. Your father says he checks out, but I don't trust him."

David sighs in relief. "Brad is a good guy and he would never hurt anyone especially after what happened to his sister."

"His sister?" Abby repeats.

"Yeah," David sits down. "She was an aspiring model but she didn't want big brother to hold her hand so she went with this other guy for modeling. Which turned out to be a big mistake. The guy she went with drugged her and overworked her. After the autopsy, the coroner told them that they found massive amounts of cocaine in her system. Brad vowed that it would never happen to anyone else's sister or daughter."

"And just how can he afford to offer so much money to a girl just starting out?"

"He's very successful."

"No one is that successful."

"Abby if I thought for a second that he is a danger to her I wouldn't be here talking to you. I'd be over there beating him to a pulp and demanding him to tear up the contract."

"She agreed not to sign any contract until my father looked it over, so this Brad's already leading her down the primrose path."

He sighs. "Well reading the note over it sounds like she felt that she was backed into a corner."

"If she's interpreted concern as backing her into a corner..."

"It wouldn't be the first time one of us has misunderstood something and panicked. I'm afraid they get that from me." David cringes.

"From you?"

"Yep, with five sisters there's plenty of opportunity for misunderstandings to occur."

"Somehow I don't think the number of people you have to argue with matter."

"Maybe you two need to talk before it goes any further."

"And tell her what? That's I'm sorry I was concerned for her? I'm not, you know."

"No, to let her know that you weren't trying to back her into a corner. How she got it into her head that you and Dad were is beyond me, but if history is any lesson in this house it had to be someone that saw it that way and told her that that might be the case."

"If history is anything to go by, I know just who did it, too."

David cringes having a good idea who did it also.

"I thought things were finally straightened out..." Abby sighs. "Great. So now who do I talk to first--her, Nancy, or do I go tell Tom his daughter's moved out?"

"I think Joannie is home, we got Nancy's address, and Dad's still at work. So I guess one of the girls first."

"Maybe if Joannie sees the light, she'll help convince Nancy," Abby says hopefully.

"Yeah." David nods.

"Well, wish me luck. And if I don't make it back alive, tell your father I tried my best."

David laughs. "You'll do fine."

"Humph." Abby goes upstairs and knocks on Joannie's door.

"Enter at your own risk!!" Joannie says.

"Truer words..." Abby mutters. "Hi, Joannie."

Joannie looks up from her script when Abby walks in. "Oh hi Abby." She greets her trying to pretend not to know anything.

"Hi. I hear you and Nancy had a talk last night," Abby guesses.

"Who told you that?"

"You know this family--everyone knows everything."

"Yeah the walls are awfully thin." Joannie says flatly. "Yeah we talked."

"So I guess you know she moved out," Abby says, hoping to shock Joannie.

"What?!" Joannie pretends to be shocked. "Of all the harebrained...."

"You know, if you want to go into acting professionally, you're going to have to do a better job than this. You knew, didn't you?" Abby says, seeing through Joannie's act. "When did you know?"

Joannie sighs. "I saw the letter when I came home and she was a little upset last night."

"And you didn't say anything."

"I'm busy, Abby I have a play to rehearse for. I didn't have time to go showing the letter to everyone."

"Joannie, she's your sister!"

"If I dropped everything each time she had a crisis I would never get anything done."

"You mean each time you helped create a crisis."

"Abby I didn't tell her to runaway."

"What exactly did you tell her?"

Joannie remains silent.

"Well?"

"Only the truth."

"Your truth."

Joannie sighs. "Abby what do you want from me? And why can't you just let it go and let Nancy go."

"If she left because she was ready, fine--I never was much of an advocate of staying in one's parents' home forever. But to leave like this, running out when no one's home."

"Maybe she wanted to avoid a scene?"

"And what is it you wanted to avoid, Joannie?"

"The drama of the week."

"You wanted to avoid drama," Abby repeats. "So why go out of your way to create so much of it?"

"Nancy's the one who made a mountain out of a molehill not me."

"Not without help. Look, you can talk to me, or, after I tell your father that Nancy's moved out, he'll come looking for you."

"Look Abby she was starting to think that maybe you didn't like her anymore. Oh she knows you were worried and cared about her. I had to say something so she wouldn't think that about you."

"Think what? That I didn't like her? Or did you set out to convince her I don't care?"

"Nancy thinks the world of you so I didn't want her thinking that you didn't like her, and I definitely don't want her thinking that you don't care. So I convinced her that you and Dad were just playing good cop, bad cop with her." Tells her the rest.

~Sure, that's all she said. Does she think I'm dumb enough to buy that?~ "I guess I'd better go talk to Nancy then."

Joannie shrugs.

Abby leaves Joannie and her shrugs, grabs her purse, and sets off for the address she's been given.

Nancy has sent Noah home with a kiss and returns to unpacking when there's a knock on the door. She looks through the peephole and stalls a little before letting Abby in. "Hello." She says quietly.

"Hi," Abby says. "Nice place."

"Thanks, are you hungry? Want anything to drink?"

Abby almost says no, but realizes Nancy won't kick her out while she's eating. "Yes, please. Things at home have been a little crazy today."

Nancy fixes her something to eat and drink. "I guess you got the letter."

"Several of us did, but only David saw fit to share it."

"He has chronic big brother behaviorisms."

"For once he was right. I guess Joannie just figured it wasn't something we needed to know."

"What?!"

"She read it and put it back where she found it. Then she went to her room and started practicing for some play."

She sits down and laughs bitterly. "So she didn't give it a second thought." She starts to consider the truth of the things that Joannie said to her last night and really begins to feel like an idiot. "Oh no." She groans.

"What?"

She tells her what Joannie had told her the night before.

"Maybe she's right, at least a little bit," Abby admits.

"Right about what?" Nancy asks not sure she wants to hear the answer.

"Maybe I am a little jealous. You'll be making an awfully good salary."

"Wonderful." Nancy says with a tinge of sadness. "You see I was hoping that my family would be happy for me."

"I am, if this man is everything I've heard about him."

"If you're that worried you can come with me until you're sure of him."

"It won't bother you?"

"No it won't bother me, and I'm sorry I left like that. I promised I'd let Grandpa Harry look at the contract first but I panicked."

"Because of what Joannie said?"

"Partly, that's what set me off."

"And the other part?"

"You know 18 year olds still have insecurity left in them maybe that will change next month you think?"

"Probably not. But what do you have to be insecure about?"

"I was starting to think you didn't like me anymore."

"Of course I like you. If I didn't, I wouldn't be so worried about you."

"I know, but I get stupid sometimes. In case you haven't noticed."

"No, I haven't."

"Well I do."

"Like moving out before you came to talk to us?"

She nods.

"You can always move back home."

"That I could seeing as I haven't signed the lease yet. The landlady is an old friend of mine, said I could try out for a day or two before signing. Abby I really am sorry that I didn't let Grandpa Harry look at the contract first."

"What's done is done. But maybe he could still look at it. It's probably fine, and then none of us will worry."

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

"OK, then. You need some help packing your stuff up?"

"Sure do." She gives Abby a hug. "Thanks for coming over."

"I'm glad you were willing to talk to me about this."

"Of course I am, a little late, but..."

"Never too late."

Nancy smiles but soon frowns again. "How am I going to trust Joannie again?"

Model Behavior--Part 1

"Funny--I was going to ask you the same question."

"I love her so much Abby, but sometimes...."

"Maybe you ought to talk to her."

"Why? It doesn't do any good. We'll never be back to the way we used to be." Nancy says as they pack.

"Don't say that. You moved out in part because of how you thought it was between you and me. Now we've talked and straightened things out."

"And you haven't been known to lie to me."

"Joannie just...dramatizes things."

"I'll say."

"Make it up with Joannie. Family's too important for feuds."

"I'll give it my best shot."

"Good. You ready to come home now?"

She nods. "Yeah." They manage to get what she brought over so far in Gwendolyn and Nancy drops off the keys with the landlady.

"Somehow kid I knew you wouldn't be staying."

"Well I think I still need to be at home for a little while, take care."

"You too."

She and Abby then leave for home.