Summary: Although each of these stories is a story within itself, together, they may resemble a popular television show about survivors of plane crash who are connected to a mysterious tropical island. Perhaps they are chapters, in a book called Lust.
Included within these stories are characters from the television shows Xena: Warrior Princess , Buffy the Vampire Slayer , Battlestar Galactica , and The Brady Bunch. Not all of the stories are crossover, but some of them are. I have tried not to corrupt the fandoms too much.
Disclaimers: I do not own these characters, I am just borrowing them for my own amusement and, hopefully, yours. Consensual sexual and romantic relationships between adult women is implied and, at times, explicit. Now that I have your attention, if you are minor or it is illegal for you to read such stories, scram.
Fandom: The Brady Bunch , Alt; with a tiny dose of Battlestar Galactica
Teaser: Alice and Cindy go for a walk, and talk about lady heroes.
Alice said she would buy the frogs herself. Peter and Bobby, after all, were at school, and there can't be a frog-jumping contest without frogs.
"Are you sure you don't mind, Alice?" Carol asked, flipping through a magazine. "I have so much to do around the house."
"I would be ... hoppy to do it," Alice said, with a grin.
Cindy, who was staying home from school today, snickered.
"Oh, Alice!" Carol laughed.
Alice smiled. She liked making Carol laugh.
"Can I go with Alice?" Cindy asked.
"Now Cindy, are you sure you're up for it? Alice said you were burning up this morning."
"Yesth mommy! I'm feeling much better now."
"Okay," Carol said. "Help Alice pick out some good frogs."
Cindy nodded.
"Ready kiddo?" Alice said, holding out her hand.
The two walked to the pet store, which was only a few blocks away from the Brady house. After letting Cindy pick out the frogs, they approached the counter to pay.
Reaching into her white apron, Alice removed her wallet and opened it. As she took out a couple of bills, a photograph fluttered to the ground.
Cindy, who saw it fall, bent over and picked it up.
"Alice," she said, tugging on Alice's blue dress, "You dropped this." She was staring intently at the photo.
"Oh!" Alice said, snatching the picture. She quickly put it back into her wallet.
"Here you go, Alice," said the shopkeeper, handing her a box of frogs.
"Thank you, sir," Alice said.
On the walk home, Cindy was silent. Finally, a block from the house, she spoke.
"Alice... who were those ladies?"
Alice swallowed.
"In the picture you mean?"
"Yesth. Why were they dressed like men?"
Alice frowned.
"Honey, they weren't dressed like men. They were dressed like pilots."
"Pilots? But they're girls."
Alice exhaled. Bending over, while holding her bad back, she sat on the curb. There, she patted the cement, gesturing for Cindy to sit down next to her. She pulled the photo out of her wallet, looking at it.
"You remember my cousin Emma, don't you?"
Cindy nodded, sitting down.
"And how she was a Master Sergeant in the Army?"
Cindy nodded vigorously, looking scared, "She's not coming back, is she?"
"No," Alice laughed. "She's not."
Cindy exhaled, relieved.
"Well," Alice said. "The four women in this picture... they're like Emma."
"They like to make people do exercises?"
Alice laughed.
"Sometimes. But more importantly, they're heroes."
"But," Cindy said. "They're girls..."
"Good luck telling them that," Alice said.
Cindy frowned. "What do you mean?"
"What I mean is... it didn't matter to them that they were girls."
"What did they do? Did they help people?"
Alice nodded.
"This picture was taken right after a mission. They had just rescued prisoners from an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean."
Cindy's eyes widened.
'From bad people?'
'Yes, from bad people. And they all got to go home.'
"Wow!"
"Impressive, isn't it?"
Cindy nodded.
"Alice... How did you know them?"
"There was a... bar, and this was before I lived with your family, where heroes who were girls used to go and hang out together. My cousin Emma took me there many times when she was stationed in Hawaii."
Alice's eyes glazed over as she remembered those days. Her head tilted, she was smiling. Starbuck, she had been a pistol alright. A real hard-drinking, cigar-smoking, card-playing ace.
"I was happier there than a frog in a rainstorm," Alice said, wistfully.
"Why did you leave then?"
"Everybody has to go home sometime. Settle down."
Alice shook her head, coming out of her memory, and folded the picture back into her wallet.
"Speaking of frogs and home, let's get these frogs home. Huh kiddo?"
Cindy nodded, standing up.
"Give me a boost," Alice said, still sitting.
Cindy walked behind Alice and pushed on her back. Groaning, Alice stood up, holding her back in the process.
"Thanks."
They began walking the rest of the way home.
"Alice....?" Cindy started, when they reached the front door.
"Yes?"
"I want to be a hero too when I grow up."
"And you can be," Alice said.
Cindy smiled, looking up at Alice.
"And, Alice...?"
"Mmm-hmmm...?"
"I'm glad you're here with us now."
"Me too, Cindy. Me too." Alice gave the wallet that was in her apron a re-assuring pat.
"I don't know what mommy would do without you."
Alice gulped.
"She's a real hero, alright. She could get by," Alice said. "With the help of the pizza delivery man," she added with a wink.
Cindy laughed.
"Oh, Alice!"
As they walked through the door, Carol met them.
"Oh good, you're home!"
"Mommy, we're back!" Cindy said.
Handing the box of frogs to Carol, Alice wiped her brow, which, despite the cool air, had become sweaty.
xxx The End xxx