Part 1

One day Mary comes to see Nancy at her new place. It had been quite awhile since her sister moved out and they've heard very little from her since. And she hadn't bought the updates from David who's words were always. 'Don't worry she's fine. Leave her alone.' ~Hmph what did
brothers know?~ She knocks on the door and rings the doorbell several times before the door is finally answered.

"Hey Mary come on in." Nancy let's her in.

"Hey stranger, long time no see." Mary hugs her. Nancy uncharacteristically breaks away from the show of affection.

"Sorry I've been busy. How have you been?"

"Ok, you?" Mary looks at her strangely.

"Like I said I've been busy. What do you need? I have to leave soon." She says leaving out the truth. That she and Noah split up a couple of weeks ago, she'd been plagued with nightmares, and that life alone wasn't all it's cut out to be. She missed her family terribly but she didn't want to burden them with her problems anymore. ~What good would it do? They'd only worry and not be able to do anything about it.~

"Why don't you come with me for dinner you don't look like you've been eating well."

"I can't I have to work."

"That's what you always say when we call you too. Have you disowned us or something?" Mary asks.

"Of course not, am I not allowed to have a life?"

"Of course you are, but I'm a little concerned when you first got this place you kept in regular contact and now it's like you're gradually trying to make a clean break."

"Hey you guys can come over anytime you want and you know where the extra key is if you need to get out of the house and need a cool off place."

"Fine but would it kill you to come see your family every now and then. Everyone misses you."

"Mary between work and keeping this place up it leaves me with very little time so freaking back off all right!!"

Mary is stunned. "Don't think I've seen this side of you before, and I don't think I like it very much."

"Well you know where the door is."

Mary shakes her head. "You might have left home but you have not grown up if anything you've become worse." She leaves and heads home.

Nancy throws a vase at the door. ~Why does she always have to pry?~

The telephone rings so she answers it.

"Hello... yeah it's still on come on over, see you then." She hangs up and cleans up the mess before the partiers arrive.

Later during the party.

"You know I can give you something to knock those nightmares you've been having right out." Her rebound guy says.

"I can't I'm a recovering drug addict." She tells him.

"Oh they're non addictive." He lies hoping to hook her as a customer. "Don't worry about it. I wouldn't give you anything that would hurt you. They're prescription come on. You don't drink at your own parties, you don't smoke, you don't allow drugs in your house, my goodness woman
what do you do?"

"Roger."

"Come on you've been wrapped up tighter than a drum you really need to loosen up."

Noah crashes the party comes over and glares at Roger. "Stay away from her." He growls knowing this guys history.

"Noah what are you doing here we broke up remember?" Nancy says.

"We agreed to stay friends remember." He counters.

"I'll be back later I'm going to mingle." Roger kisses Nancy and goes to talk to the other partiers.

"That guy is bad for you." Noah says.

"You're the one who wanted to start seeing other people. 'Oh Nancy I love you but I want to make sure it's true love by sampling other women.' "

"Remember all the trouble you went through will Alan?"

"Noah I'm not going back to drugs ok."

"Why flirt with temptation?"

"Look it's not like there's emotions involved he's only in it for the sex and so am I. He'll be leaving for Detroit next week anyway and we're breaking it off then."

"If your Dad and Abby knew what was really going on here they'd flip a lid."

"The way I live my life is none of their business." She says flatly.

"And your mother is probably turning over in her grave right now." He says.

"Get out you bastard." She says on the verge of tears.

"Nancy I'm not the enemy here. Roger is and so are all these people from your industry pretending to be your friends."

"Go away."

"Never."

She shoves him. "Get out!!"

He stands his ground. "Uh uh, I know I hurt you two weeks ago and I'm not going to do that again. I was an idiot to break up with you."

She pushes him away harder.

He still stands his ground. "I love you, and I don't know why you're so angry all the time but I'm going to find out. I'm never going to give up on you. From this point on you'll always come first with me."

Roger overhears this. "Nancy take him back I'll find someone else to keep me company before I move. Hey everyone party's over!!" He clears out the penthouse and then leaves himself.

She breaks down and starts crying. Noah grabs her and holds her as she sinks to the floor. A little while later.

"Have you been using again?"

"No but I feel like I have. Noah I don't know what's wrong with me but It's about to drive me crazy. The nightmares are getting worse in intensity and I still can't remember what the dreams are about."

"Have you talked to your parents about this at all?"

"What can they do about it? Besides they both have too much on their plates already. The younger kids need their time more than I do."

"That's a line of bs if I ever heard it. You're their kid too."

"I'm not going to cause them anymore grief. They've put up with enough from me already. As far as they are to know. I'm fine, my life is fine, things couldn't be better."

"You're being pretty bad to yourself, you need them babe."

"Noah please."

"Ok, but only if you come with me to see your counselor tomorrow."

She nods in agreement. She then calls Mary to apologize and say everything is fine not to worry.

Mary hangs up the phone and quietly says. "Yeah right."

The next day at the appointment her counselor decides to put her under hypnosis.

After awhile she starts becoming fidgety and agitated and soon is screaming. The counselor brings her out of it.

"Ok that's enough for today."

Nancy catches her breath. "Did it work, did I say anything?"

"Just a name, *Rick*."

Her face clouds over. "Let's try this again."

Abby comes home and goes looking for Tom.

"Hi Honey." Tom says from the sunporch.

"Hi. How would you like it if your favorite woman invited you out for dinner?"

"I didn't know Doris Day is in town," Tom jokes.

Abby swats his shoulder.

"I'm joking, you know that." Tom says. "I'd love dinner, what do you have in mind?"

"Whatever you want. We're celebrating."

"Whatever I want?" He asks. "Must be a pretty big celebration."

"I had a meeting at the publishers' today. They gave me a publication  date."

"In that case, champagne is in order."

"The whole family, or just the two of us?"

"Let them buy their own champagne." Tom states.

Abby kisses him. "I was hoping you'd say that."

"When did you want to go?"

"When do you think the kids will parole us?"

"Now." he says.

"In that case, I'm all yours. But you still haven't said where I'm taking you."

"The Grease Pit?" he jokes.

"If that's what you really want," Abby sighs dramatically. "Of course,  you'd be getting a half hour of pleasure and giving up a lot more."

"Then how about a lean steak somewhere?"

"That's a good idea. I've just got to change--why don't you tell the kids they're on their own?"

"OK."

Abby kisses him before heading upstairs to change.

Tom gives the kids money for pizza.

"Thanks, Dad," Joannie says. "You know, we ought to have Abby's  parents here more often."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. It's the only time you take us to a restaurant, too."

"I am not taking Abby out, she's taking me out."

"You're taking him out?" Joannie asks Abby.

Abby nods.

"Oh, wow. OK, everybody--who bet on today in the 'When Abby will drag Dad into the 20th century' pool?"

Tom's face turns red.

"Joannie, I can't believe you bet on that," Abby chides.

"I can't believe I let you guys know we did," Joannie admits.

"Let's get out of here before I start grounding people." Tom tells Abby while eyeing Joannie.

"But..."

Abby interrupts Joannie before she can turn bad to worse. "Yeah. Come on, Tom, let's go."

"But what?" Tom asks sweetly.

"But it's not polite to leave your date waiting for you," Joannie tries to worm her way out.

"You had something to say, so say it."

"Can't a kid change her mind?"

"Uh huh." he says.

"Tom, why don't we discuss this later?" Abby suggests.

"Right." Tom leaves with Abby.

"Why were you so hard on Joannie?" Abby asks once they're outside.

"Wouldn't you be upset too?"

"That your kids think you're not hopelessly square?"

"No, the fact that they were betting on it."

"Only if they don't give us a cut."

"Abby..." Tom shakes his head. "Let's go, I'm starved."

Abby kisses him. "Ah, the one thing that will make you forget you're angry with the kids--dinner."

Tom grumbles.

"Dinner with a pretty lady?" Abby amends her statement, trying to get the frown off Tom's face.

Tom finally breaks in a smile. "OK, you win."

"I always do. And you're what I've won."

Tom kisses her. "You have that backwards, I am the one that won."

"How about a compromise? We both did." Abby walks to the car. "Since I'm taking you out, do I drive, too?"

"Sure why not? You dragged me into the 20th Century." he deadpans.

"While you're grumbling about that, just remember the benefits of living in this century."

"Oh? and what would they be?"

"A wife who works and can take you out. Being married for months and months and me not being pregnant."

Tom turns white. "I see your point."

"I thought you would." Abby walks around the car and holds the door open for her date.

Tom rolls his eyes. "You are enjoying this aren't you?" he says as he gets in the car.

Abby gets in her side of the car, then leans over to kiss him. "Spending time alone with you? Yes, I am."

"I'm surprised you didn't buy me a corsage." he jokes.

"Why didn't I think of that? There's a florist's on the way."

"Don't you dare," he says. "Unless I buy them for you."

Abby shakes her head. "I haven't had a corsage since my senior prom. You know, it's a pity we took my car and not the sedan."

"Why the sedan?"

"Well, if we're talking like I'm taking you to the prom, I ought to end the evening by trying to grope you in the back seat."

Tom laughs. "Well at least there would be no one to interrupt us."

"Don't bet on it. We're still in Sacramento--one of the kids would find us and start knocking on the windows."

Tom sighs. "We need a vacation."

"You did say we'd go away this summer," Abby reminds him.

"What about Nancy and your book tour?"

"Well, Nancy. The book's not coming out until September, so I don't have to do anything but wait until then."

"OK, then lets do it. You name the place."

"A cruise," Abby says. "I figure if we stay anywhere on land, the kids will track us down."

"I'll call the travel agent tomorrow."

"You're such a good husband. How did I get so lucky?"

"Remember that the next time we fight."
 
"Only if you promise to remember how lucky you got, too."

Tom smiles. "I do, everyday."

"Best kept secret in town."

"How about I hire a plane and advertise it."

"That sounds like something Tommy would do."

"Well you know what they say..."

"Don't tell me you used to sleep with pictures of girls under your pillow like Tommy does."

"I plead the fifth."

"When we're alone, just the two of us, I will find out all your secrets. I have ways."

"What, truth serum?" he laughs.

"Oh, I think you might enjoy what I have in mind a little better than a truth-serum injection."

"I can hardly wait."

"The first stage in my plan," Abby says as she pulls into a parking spot, "is dinner."

"Oh? There's more?"

"Of course there's more. Lots more."

Tom smiles. "Lead the way."

Abby opens the door for him and escorts him into the restaurant.

"I think I'll have a porterhouse."

"Tonight, you can have anything you want."

"I'm beginning to like this."
 
"See? The twentieth century's not so bad after all."

Tom laughs.

"So, the porterhouse and what else will you be having tonight?"

"Definitely dessert."

Abby nods. "There's a place down the block that does amazing things with fruit."

"Is it a private place?"

"No more private than here. Why, did you have something else in mind?"

"Look the kids are taken care of, let's go home get a few things and go spend a night at a hotel, to really celebrate."

"Tom Bradford. That sounds like an indecent proposal," Abby protests. She lowers her voice. "Let's do it."

Tom chuckles.

"And if we stop off at the grocery, I'll even make you dessert."

"Lady, I like your thinking."

"When we get to the hotel, we'll see what else it is you like about me."

"Hmmm, let's eat quickly."

"Suddenly, I'm not all that hungry any more."

"Me either, can I take a rain check on the steak?"

"If tonight goes the way I hope it does, you can write your own ticket."

Tom laughs. "C'mon lets go."

Abby kisses him, gets the check for their drinks and pays it.

Meanwhile back at home. The kids are eating pizza and goofing off a little while Mary eats oblivious to it all. Her mind is on other things. ~Maybe I should just try going over there again. Things are obviously not fine. No not alone, maybe I'd get better results if someone went with me.~ A piece of pepperoni flies past her. "All right you animals who threw that?"

Tommy snickers.

"Don't look at me" Susan says.

"Nicholas?" Mary stares him down.

"It wasn't me."

"Joannie?"

"Me? Waste good pizza?"

"In the name of a good food fight definitely." Mary counters.

"If I say I did it, do I get a good food fight?"

"Sure."

"Well?"

Mary flings some cheese Joannie's way.

Joannie pulls an end of her pizza, eats the cheese, and flings it sauce end first at Mary.

Mary ducks and it falls to the floor and Sam snatches it and gobbles it down.

"He's the smartest Bradford."

"Hey I'm the smartest Bradford." Mary objects.

"Are you smart enough to duck this?" Joannie says, throwing some milk her way.

She ducks and hits David who is just getting there.

"Oops."

"You've messed with the wrong man." David says as he grabs a slice of pizza and throws it at Joannie.

To defend herself Joannie grabs the nearest thing--a gallon of milk--and hurls it, not noticing it's got no cap.

Mary bursts out laughing.

Joannie throws some pizza her way.

She ducks again and this time it hits Tom and Abby as they're stopping by the house to pick up their things.

Tom wipes the pizza off his shirt, slowly fuming.

"You're home early." Mary says.

Tom takes a towel and wipes up the mess on his shirt. "What in heck is going on here?"

"Um a tornado blew through."

Tom is not amused.

"Dad aren't you going to say anything?" David worries.

"David, I am too angry to say anything." he warns.

Sam slowly approaches Tom, licks his hand and wags his tail looking for a reprieve.

"The way you kids are acting, I should have put Sam in charge.”

"Didn't you ever do anything like this?" Mary asks.

"No." he says.

Sam runs from the room and hides underneath the sofa in the sunroom.

"Maybe we should just let them clean up," Abby suggests.

"When I see this kitchen in the morning, it better be spotless!" he shouts.

"Spotless?" Joannie says.

"SPOTLESS!" he reiterates.

"Tom, why don't we go get our things?" Abby asks, trying to salvage something from the disaster.

"I don't know if we should, we might find the house burnt to the ground in the morning."

"Aren't you exaggerating just a little?"

"Am I?"

"Fine. If you think we should stay home, we will," Abby says, her voice frosting over the room.

Tom looks at his wife. "No let's go," he says.

Abby starts heading out of the kitchen. "No," she calls over her shoulder. "Let's stay. Got to watch out for what the kids might do."

"Abby." he says. "I promised you a night at a nice hotel, so let's go."

"And have you worry all night about what's happening here? No thanks."

"Nancy sure is lucky that she moved out." Mary grumbles as she helps clean.

"I'll ignore that remark." he says and then leaves the kitchen.

Mary glares at his retreating figure.

"Maybe we can get jobs and move out, too," Joannie mutters.

"Sounds good to me."

"I heard that." Tom says from the foyer.

Joannie sticks her tongue out, sure her father can't see.

Mary stifles back a laugh.

Tom pulls Abby into the study and closes the door.

"Abby, it was a front, I am not worried."

"You're a terrible liar."

"I had to act upset, so chaos wouldn't take over."

"You could have let me in on your plan."

"It was too short of notice, besides you did great."

"I did great? You think I was joking?"

"Honey, that's not what I meant." Tom says.

"Sure. I'm going to go get some aspirin. Suddenly I have a raging headache."

Tom sighs. ~Great Bradford.~

Abby leaves the study and heads upstairs.

Tom goes in the kitchen and swallows his pride. "Kids, I am sorry."

"I think my ears are broken," Joannie whispers to Mary. "I thought I just heard Dad apologize."

"They're not broken I heard it too."

"We must be hallucinating."

"For what?"

"For yelling."

"Oh all right."

Tom then leaves.

While Tom is apologizing to the kids, Abby goes upstairs and turns down the bed, grumbling all the while.

Tom soon returns. "I apologized to the kids."

"Well, isn't that wonderful."

"How did this evening go from perfect to complete disaster?"

"It didn't. You just changed your priorities for tonight and I didn't choose to change mine to match." She takes her pillow off the bed.

"Where are you going?"

"The sun porch. Someone's got to make sure the kids don't burn down the house."

"Abby, you are blowing this out of proportion."

"Am I? I was going to get one night alone with you and you chose to lecture the kids instead of getting ready to go. Well, you can lecture them all night for all I care."

"Abby, I'm sorry."

"Oh, I'll bet you are--now that you're not getting what you want."

"That's not why I am sorry. I am sorry I ruined your evening." Tom says with sincerity.

"I don't mind sharing you with the kids," Abby explains herself. "All I want is for us sometimes to be alone together, and not behind a locked bedroom door."

"It's not too late you know." Tom says. "We can still have that evening."

"Sure. If the kids don't get into another food fight or come crying to you or need cash or help with their homework or to discuss their future career plans, or....I wouldn't mind being second best, but ninth is a little hard to take."

"Come on, let's get out of here." Tom says as he holds his hand out.

Abby looks at him and then puts the pillow back in its place. "We don't have to. We could take a raincheck on the whole deal."

"So are you saying, you don't want to go tonight?"

Abby shrugs. "I wanted to celebrate, but now--the mood's kind of gone."

"We can get back that mood, besides someone in this room owes me dessert." he  jokes.

"I'll go get you an apple," Abby pouts, not mentioning what it is she thinks Tom owes her.

"Apples are boring."

"Well, I'm not making you pie a la mode with chocolate sauce."

Tom sighs. "This isn't going well."

"No, it isn't," Abby agrees. "Look, it's obvious you didn't really want to celebrate my book in the first place and you're only doing this to placate me. Forget it--I don't like being patronized."

"Abby, did I say anything tonight to give you that impression?"

"You certainly grabbed the chance the kids offered you to get out of it."

"That's ridiculous." Tom says. "I told you it was a setup."

"Why did you have to set the kids up at my expense?"

"It wasn't at your expense. Do you think I planned the kids to have a food fight, so that I would get upset and I wouldn't have to spend a night alone with you?

"I didn't say you were responsible for the food fight. But you are responsible for the way you acted. Instead of talking to them you played a game, and that hurt everyone."

"I already apologized. What more can I do?"

Abby shrugs. "Once in a while make me feel like I'm the most important person in your life, even when there are other people around."

"You are."

"That's what you say now when we're alone. But if the kids came knocking on that door looking for attention..."

"I am doing the best I can, I guess it isn't good enough." Tom says.

"How would you like it if anytime someone more interesting came along I dropped you like a hot potato?"

"If I didn't know better, I would say you are jealous of the kids."

"Of course I'm jealous of the kids."

Tom shakes his head. "You knew this going in."

"I know," Abby concedes, "I just thought it would be a little different once we got married."

"Different? How?"

"You expect me to have the answers to everything, don't you?" Abby laughs. "I don't know. I guess I figured that once you didn't have to run back and forth between me and them it wouldn't be so clear cut: alone together equals Abby's important, downstairs equals kids."

"Tell me what to do and I'll do it."

"I'm supposed to tell you how to court me?"

Tom smiles. "I am kind of rusty."

"I'll bet you could learn," Abby smiles back. "After all, you remembered enough to get me in the first place."

"Look, I have an idea." Tom says. "The kids are out of school soon, let's you and I take off for a week."

"And what about Nancy?"

"What about Nancy." Tom states. "We can't put our lives on hold for something that might or might not happen."

Abby's smile broadens. "And what if the kids have a food fight on the morning that we're planning to leave?"

"We'll give them twenty dollars for the cleaning bill." he jokes.

"We could have done that tonight, too."

"OK, I get your point."

"I wonder."

"You don't believe me."

"We're up here talking, the kids are downstairs cleaning--why should I believe you?"

"Come on, let's go." Tom holds his hand out to Abby.

"Where are we going?" Abby laughs as she takes Tom's hand.

"Out." Tom says as he leads her down the stairs.

"But our stuff--we never did pack anything," Abby says, though clearly delighted by the idea of going out.

"Who needs it?"

"No one. You going to tell the kids we're going, or should I?"

"Neither, we will leave them a note."

"You know their chances of finding it border on the infinitesimal," Abby says, not really caring much. ~They do it to us; we can do it to them for a change.~

"We will put it near the phone, at least Elizabeth will find it."

Abby laughs and pulls Tom close to her. "I love you."

"Good, because I love you too."

"Go write your note. There is one thing I have to go get from upstairs."

"OK, but hurry."

"Believe me, I will. I always hurry for dessert."

Tom shakes his head and writes the note.

Abby gets what she needs from their room and hurries back down.

"Let's go." Tom says. "Why do I feel we are sneaking out against our parents wishes?"

"Because your kids are worse than my parents will ever be?" Abby guesses.

"Now that's hitting below the belt." Tom jokes.

"Now you know I'd never hit you below the belt," Abby says, a gleam in her eyes.

Tom rolls his eyes. "Let's go."

They head out to the car.

Tom drives to a hotel in town.

"Forget about against our parents' wishes," Abby says after Tom checks in, "this feels like we're having an affair."

"We are." Tom says. "An affair of the heart."

Abby kisses him. "Sometimes you can be so sweet."

"Only sometimes?"

"When you're not hiding it."

Tom feigns a pout.

Abby kisses the pout away.

They go to their room.

After the kids are done cleaning. "I'm going over to Nancy's, anyone want to come with me?" Mary says.

"I'll go." Liz says.

"Thank you, anyone else?" Mary says.

"Thank you, anyone else?" Mary says. No one says anything. "I guess not." ~Out of sight, out of mind.~ "Let's go Elizabeth."

After Mary and Elizabeth leave the house Nancy pulls into the driveway still a little shaken by the therapy session. ~Sheesh what did Rick do that I completely forgot about? And do I really want to find out.~ She had been pondering this ever since leaving the therapist office a few hours ago. Her thoughts of independence creep up again but she quashes them. ~No this is too much to handle on my own right now.~  She goes inside. Sam runs up to her. "Hey boy." She kneels down, pets him and gives him a hug. She then starts crying.

Joannie calls out, "Hey, Sam, who's there?"

Nancy attempts to dry her tears and keep the despair out of her voice. "It's me Joannie!!"

"Boy do you sound down..." Joannie walks in. "And your mascara's running."

"It hasn't been a very good day." She admits.

"What happened?"

"My therapist tried hypnosis with me today and it worked we had a breakthrough. I don't know what it was yet. But Rick is the guy in my nightmares." She says to her.

"Makes sense. He was a scary kind of guy."

"That he is, but the kicker is I'm dreaming about stuff that really happened and I'm not sure I want to dig deeper into this."

"You've got to. Otherwise it'll drive you nuts."

"But what if whatever I find at the end of this drives me nuts."

"It won't."

"And there's things in life we have to do no matter how much we don't want to."

"You got it."

"I'm really scared here Joannie."

Joannie hugs her. "I know."

She hugs her also.

A little while later at Nancy's place. "I'm sorry I should have made sure she was home first." Mary says to Elizabeth.

"Wonder where she could be," Liz says.

"Who knows, want go home or do something else?"

"We might as well go home."

"Ok," they go home and see Nancy's car in the drive way. "Yep, definetly should have called first."

"Oh brother." Elizabeth laughs.

So does Mary. They go inside. Joannie has Nancy somewhat calmed down by now.

"Hi." Elizabeth says.

"Hi," Nancy says. "Where did you two go?"

Mary laughs again. "Your place."

"Oh all right." Nancy replies.

"How are you?" Liz asks.

"I'll be ok, how are you?" Nancy says trying to avoid telling an out right lie.

"Your eyes are red."

"Yours are brown." She jokes trying to spare her younger sister to what happened that day.

"Uh huh." she says.

"What's wrong?" Mary asks Nancy, and when she doesn't answer she turns to Joannie. "What's going on?"

Joannie look over at Nancy, not prepared to divulge anything she isn't.

"Everything is fine now." Nancy says.

Later Elizabeth goes to the phone to use it and finds the note. She starts laughing.

"What's so funny?" Joannie asks.

"It's ten o'clock, do you know where your parents are?" Elizabeth says as she hands the note to Joannie.

Now Joannie laughs. "You know what this means?"

"That we have the house to ourselves?"

"And no curfew."

"I like your thinking, but what about Nicholas?"

"I think he's old enough to be introduced to the joys of no curfew."

"Oh boy, you are bad." Elizabeth says. "What should we do?"

"Anything we want--as long as we keep the kitchen spotless."

Elizabeth laughs. "How about the drive-in? I hear they are having a Bette Davis movie festival."

"Well, it is short notice."

"So? We can still make Dad regret he yelled at us over a silly little food fight."

"Ok, a party then."

"Cool, but no liquor. I don't feel like spending the summer in Abby's boot camp."

"Spoilsport. OK, OK, no liquor. But lots of men."

"College guys?" Liz grins.

"Any one you want," Joannie says, happy to see Elizabeth interested in guys again.

"Joannie, no guys are going to come to a party without liquor especially not college guys."

"College guys are not as shallow as you make them out to be. Well, not all college guys. If they have to choose a party with the guys and beer and a party with beautiful girls, they'll...you're right." Joannie sinks down onto the steps. "We're sunk."

"Maybe not. You, Mary and Susan are of age. So if you have liquor, who am I to stop you."

"Yeah. But you, Tommy, and Nicholas stay away from it, OK? Don't need to look for trouble."

"We will."

Part 2