"Electricity"
by Invisigoth Gypsy (IvG@garnetsigma.com)
http://www.garnetsigma.com
10-4-98

Summary: Jane sends Trent to patch things up with Daria, who gets more than she bargained for when an electrical storm strands him at the Morgendorffers' over night.

Thanks to Nuit Coeur/Elizabeth for all her help. I couldn't have done it without her!

If you liked the ice-cream-and-chocolate-syrup scene, you'll love Nuit's "Syrup Saga." Check it out at http://members.xoom.com/DegaStreet/.







(Scene opens in Daria's room. She's lying on the bed reading '1984' when the phone rings. She jumps, glares, then picks it up.)

DARIA: Hello?

(Cut to split screen with her and Jane.)

JANE: Hey, 'sme.

DARIA: Hello to you too, Captain Hook.

JANE: Say, er, Daria, I think I left my Beastie Boys CD on your nightstand.

(Daria duly looks at the nightstand.)

DARIA: Is it the one with the guys in a sardine tin on it?

JANE: The very same. I, uh, really want it back, so... I'll come over and get it, okay?

(Daria looks out the window.)

DARIA: It looks like it's going to rain. Why don't I just give it to you tomorrow?

JANE: I, uh, think I might *really* want to listen to "Intergalactic" tonight, so I'll just... come over.

DARIA: Er... okay.

JANE: (casually) Say, Daria, you haven't talked to Trent recently, have you?

DARIA: No. (suspiciously) Why?

JANE: Because you've been avoiding him ever since that little... incident with Jesse.

DARIA: (looks down) Well... I haven't talked to Jesse either.

JANE: But you never talked to Jesse to begin with... well, before you *kissed* him, anyway.

DARIA: (trying to change the subject off of Trent) You aren't mad about that, are you?

JANE: Daria, we watched "Sick Sad World" together not more than an hour ago. I do not partake of television in the presence of mine enemies. (more gently) There's only another month or so of summer, and it started out so good for you two--

DARIA: Us two who?

JANE: You and Trent, genius.

DARIA: (glares) What does Trent have to do with the summer? Or anything else for that matter.

JANE: (sighs) You're impossible, Daria. Absolutely impossible.

DARIA: I try.

JANE: Anyway, I gotta go.

DARIA: You're still coming to get your CD?

JANE: What C--Ohh. Yeah, sure. Be there in a minute.

DARIA: Uh, bye.

(Cut to shot of her alone as she hangs up the phone and gives it a strange look.)

DARIA: (to the phone) Jane is a very strange creature, isn't she?

(The phone rings. Daria jumps and glares at it, then picks it up.)

QUINN: (phone VO) Stacy, hiiii! I was just going to call you...

(Daria quickly hangs up again.)

DARIA: (to the phone) Just when I thought you were actually trying to communicate with me. Traitor.

(She sighs and goes downstairs to wait for Jane. Helen is sitting on the sofa doing paperwork.)

HELEN: Daria, turn on the Forecast Channel, will you? It looks like it might rain.

(There is a loud clap of thunder.)

DARIA: I think that's your answer.

(The doorbell rings. Daria gets up and goes to answer the door.)

HELEN: What kind of idiot would be out in this weather?

(Daria opens the door to find Trent on the other side, looking a little nervous.)

DARIA: (surprised) Trent? (She lets him in, then closes the door.) I didn't hear your car.

TRENT: It's in the shop. I walked. Janey, uh, told me to come get her CD.

(Daria looks surprised.)

DARIA: I thought *she* was going to--(She narrows her eyes. thought VO) She's gonna pay for this.

(Helen gets up and comes over to them, with her usual reaction to Trent: overprotectiveness mixed with relief that yes, Daria is human after all.)

HELEN: (cautiously sweet) Hello, Trent.

TRENT: Uh, hi Mrs. Morgendorffer. I just came to pick up something Jane left.

HELEN: Well, I--

QUINN: (offscreen VO, yelling) Mooo-ooom, the phone went dead! And I was right in the middle of a call!

(Helen sighs and heads for the kitchen to see Quinn through her grief.)

DARIA: (thought VO) Maybe the phone is on my side after all. (out loud, to Trent) Er, Jane's CD is upstairs. You can come up if you want.

TRENT: Okay.

(They go upstairs to Daria's room, and Trent stands awkwardly by the door as Daria gets the CD and hands it to him.)

DARIA: Where *is* Jane, anyway?

TRENT: (shrugs) She said she was in the middle of a really important project.

DARIA: (thought VO) Yeah. Controlling my life.

TRENT: Uh, well, guess I'd better get home.

(There is another huge clap of thunder, followed by very hard rain. Daria kneels on the bed and looks out the window.)

DARIA: It looks pretty bad. You'd better wait until it quits.

TRENT: (pauses) Yeah.

(He looks at Daria, who is morosely looking out the window, then goes over and sits next to her on the bed. Daria looks surprised, then sits down. They are quiet for a long time.)

TRENT: Daria?

DARIA: Yeah?

(Trent remains silent for a long time. Daria finally looks at him bemusedly.)

DARIA: Trent?

TRENT: Hunh?

DARIA: (prompting) You were going to say something?

TRENT: Oh. I was just thinking.

DARIA: Oh.

(There is another long silence. Daria glances at Trent again.)

DARIA: About what?

TRENT: Hunh?

DARIA: (darkly) Never mind.

(There is another long silence.)

TRENT: (abruptly) So, are you still into Jess?

(Daria looks surprised.)

DARIA: What? (guardedly) Why?

TRENT: (shrugs) I just wondered if you still liked him.

DARIA: (defensively) I never liked him *that* way to begin with!

TRENT: Come on, Daria. You kissed him. (slightly offended-sounding) It's not like you can't trust me. I'm not going to tell Janey or anything.

DARIA: Look, Trent. I know it was a dumb idea, but it really *was* just to make Jane jealous. It has nothing to do with Jesse *or* me.

TRENT: (with narrowed eyes) Then why did you kiss him?

DARIA: (looks down) It was his idea. To make it more believable. I guess I went along with it because I wanted to see what it was like.

(She gets an "I said too much" look on her face. Unfortunately, Trent notices what she said.)

TRENT: To see what *what* was like?

DARIA: Er... kissing.

TRENT: (a little more gently than before) You'd never kissed anyone before?

DARIA: (embarrassed) No.

TRENT: (smirks a little) No wonder you were overwhelmed.

DARIA: Yeah. It was really... different. (wryly) And I really didn't expect my first kiss to be with *Jesse*. I thought it would be with someone I had a real relationship with.

(Trent looks more at ease after this statement, but Daria doesn't notice.)

DARIA: (even more wryly) I can't believe I was actually subject to a romantic notion.

(Another loud clap of thunder makes Daria jump. Trent looks out the window.)

TRENT: It doesn't look like it's going to stop any time soon.

DARIA: (thought VO) Can this situation get *any* more awkward?

HELEN: (yelling offscreen VO) Daria? The storm's getting worse! You and Trent had better come downstairs!

DARIA: (deadpan thought VO) When am I going to learn to stop asking that?

(Cut to shot of Trent and Daria descending the stairs. In the living room, Jake and Helen are sitting on one sofa watching TV. Quinn is sitting on the other sofa, pouting with her arms folded.)

DARIA: (to Quinn) What's the matter with *you*?

QUINN: (irritated) Oooooooohhh, the phone line went out! Aren't they supposed to have, like, people who fix things like that?

DARIA: (deadpan) I'm sure the phone company is dispatching some men right now to fix our phone line in the middle of gale-force winds, just so *you* won't miss any of your calls.

(Quinn's face clears.)

QUINN: Oh. Good!

(Daria and Trent sit down on Quinn's sofa reluctantly. Quinn looks at Trent in disgust, but Helen and Jake beam at him.)

JAKE: Hey, dude, want to watch the Pigskin Channel?

TRENT: Uh, no. I don't like football.

QUINN: (horrified) You don't like *football*? Are you *really* a guy?

HELEN: (pleasantly) What *would* you like to watch?

TRENT: Do you get MTV?

JAKE: (shocked) MTV? Do you know what kind of *trash* they show on that channel? Like videos by that horrible Marla Manson woman!

DARIA: Dad, that's *Marilyn* Manson. And he's a guy.

JAKE: *What*?

HELEN: (quickly) Why don't we watch a video? (temptingly) 'Titanic' is in right now.

QUINN: Cool!

DARIA: (deadpan) Goodie, I haven't gotten my Leonardo DiCaprio fix today. (Trent gives her a strange look. Daria gives him a Look in return.) I was *kidding*.

(As Helen starts the tape, cut to a shot of the TV screen, with Quinn, Daria, and Trent's silhouettes in front of it, MST3K-style. The scene is the one where Jack and Rose are running through guts of the ship amid all the workers running the dang thing.)

DARIA: (VO, as Rose) Oh, don't mind us. Just keep right on with your back-breaking, torturous work while we frolic and make out.

(The two protagonists run out of the engine room and into the cargo hold, where they find an old [well, actually I guess it would be new to them] car. Jack opens the door and helps Rose in, pretending to be the driver as she condescends to him.)

TRENT: (VO, with disgust) Even when they're playing around, they keep emphasizing that that chick is above the guy. Like if a guy's not rich or something, no girl will go out with him.

QUINN: (VO) No *smart* girl, anyway.

(Jack gets into the driver's seat of the car, then Rose suddenly grabs him by the shoulders and drags him into the back with her.)

DARIA: (VO) Hmm, she's straight-forward. Wow, I actually found a *likeable* characteristic in her.

ROSE: Put your hands on me, Jack!

HELEN: (offscreen VO, a little shocked) Oh my!

(Rose and Jack begin to make out in earnest. The scene suddenly changes to events above decks. Quinn, still in silhouette, picks up the remote and fast forwards through the scene back to Rose and Jack.)

DARIA: (VO) That's right, subject us to as much concentrated Leo as possible. (bitterly) Sadist.

(The windows of the the car are now steamed up.)

DARIA: (VO) Look familiar, Quinn?

QUINN: (VO, vaguely awe-struck) Wow, they're the first people to ever make out in the back seat of a car! This *is* a historic movie!

(Rose's hand smacks against the glass of the car window, leaving a mark in the steam.)

DARIA: (VO) Thwack. Just what I'd like to do to James Cameron about right now.

(The scene changes to Rose and Jack in the heights of passion. Cut to regular shot of the Morgendorffers and Trent from the TV's POV, with blue light flickering on their faces. Jake and Helen are staring at the screen with deer-in-the-headlights looks. Quinn is watching with her hands clasped and a joyful look on her face. Daria is looking straight ahead, completely expressionless. Trent raises an eyebrow at the screen, then looks at Daria and smirks slightly. He starts to put his arm on the back of the sofa behind her... then the lights flicker and go out.)

QUINN: (voice over, wailing) I can't belieeeeeeeeeve this! First the phone goes, then the TV! Things couldn't get any worse!

HELEN: (voice over, tiredly) Oh, this is just *wonderful*. Jake, go get a flashlight.

JAKE: (VO) Okay.

(We hear Jake's footsteps, then a loud thud.)

JAKE: (VO) Owww! Dammit, when did we put a table there?

DARIA: (VO, sighing) I'll get the flashlights.

(There is another thud.)

DARIA & TRENT: (VO, simultaneously) Ow!

DARIA: (thought VO) Things couldn't get any worse, hunh?

HELEN: (VO, annoyed) *I'll* get the damn flashlight.

(A few minutes later, the room is dimly lit by a battery-powered camping lantern. Jake looks depressed, Quinn looks mad, Daria looks embarrassed, and Trent is rubbing his shoulder ruefully. Helen sets the lantern on the coffee table, then sits down beside Jake.)

JAKE: (trying to sound cheerful) Well, kiddos, looks like we'll have to dust off the ol' imagination tonight!

(Cut to a shot of Quinn, Daria, and Trent. They look at Jake skeptically.)

JAKE: (a little daunted) So, uh, what shall we do?

DARIA: (with a very slight smirk) How about a board game?

(Helen and Jake look at each other, rather panicked.)

HELEN: Um, why don't we do something else?

(Trent leans over to whisper to Daria.)

TRENT: (whispering) Your family's scared of board games?

DARIA: (whispering) Yeah. Because they always lose.

QUINN: I know! Let's play Truth or Dare! (She looks sneakily at Daria, but no one notices.)

TRENT: (disdainfully) "Truth or Dare"? How--(Helen glares.)--uh, entertaining.

QUINN: I'll go first. (She gets an all-too-innocent look on her face.) Truth or Dare... *Daria*.

DARIA: (sighs) Truth.

QUINN: (smugly) Have you ever kissed anyone before?

DARIA: (just as smugly) Yes.

QUINN: (shocked) *What*?

HELEN: (shocked) *What*?

QUINN: But... but *who*?

DARIA: (smirks) Only one question at a time. *Sis*. And now it's *my* turn. (She looks around at the other four, thinking.) Hmm. Truth or Dare. Mom.

HELEN: (surprised) Erm... Truth, I suppose.

DARIA: (looking especially evil) Mom, last night when you stayed late at work, what were you and (ahem) Eric *really* doing?

HELEN: (puzzled) Why, we were looking over some briefs.

(Trent snickers, then starts coughing.)

DARIA: (still smirking) *Thanks*, Mom. Your turn.

HELEN: Quinn, Truth or Dare.

QUINN: Umm, Dare.

HELEN: No dates for a week.

QUINN: Mooo-ooom, that's not a *dare*. That's a *punishment*.

HELEN: All right, Truth then. As to why (disdainfully) Linda thought that Sandi was spending the night with *us* the same night *you* were supposed to stay over *there.*

QUINN: This isn't fair!

DARIA: You keep saying that. I wonder what your basis for comparison is.

QUINN: (sighs) All right, Dare. (glaring) Truth or Dare, Daria.

DARIA: Truth.

QUINN: *Who* did you kiss?

DARIA: (smugly) Jesse.

QUINN: (frowns) Who's that?

DARIA: You know. The guy with lots of *muscles*?

QUINN: Ooooh. *Him*. (She glares even more.) How come he kissed *you*?

DARIA: No, no, no, it's not your turn anymore. (a little nervously) Truth or Dare, Trent.

TRENT: (confidently) Dare.

DARIA: Umm... (thinks a moment) Walk around the room three times... backwards.

(Trent looks surprised at the rather goofy suggestion, then shrugs.)

TRENT: You're on.

(He stands up and begins his circuit of the room. Helen, Jake, and Daria watch, while Quinn boredly examines her nails. On the third circle, Trent's orbit gets slightly off kilter... and he trips on Quinn, knocking her to the ground, then goes sailing over her head and lands rather awkwardly.)

QUINN: Oooooooowwwwwwwww! *God!*

(Daria starts snickering as Quinn sits up, rubbing her head. Trent blushes and returns to his place near Daria.)

TRENT: (a bit abashedly) Truth or Dare... um, Mr. Morgendorffer.

JAKE: Call me Jake, son. Call me Jake. (thinks) Hmm... not sure which way I'll go. (kicks into reminiscing mode) I remember playing Truth or Dare when *I* was a kid. I always went with Truth. (glares) They called me "chicken" for never taking a Dare, but the questions they asked... Oooh, they think I wasn't *brave*? (raging) Why, I woulda been chicken to *take* the Dare!

TRENT: (puzzled) Er... sorry?

JAKE: (ranting) I'll be damned if *my* girls have to go through the adolescence *I* experienced. I'll give them a *good* home to grow up in, just like I did for their childhood! (to Quinn and Daria, a little worried) You two had a good childhood, *didn't* you?

DARIA: Is this a multiple choice question?

HELEN: (glares at Daria) Of *course* they did, Jake.

JAKE: (cheerful again) Say, *I* have an idea! Let's get out the ol' photo albums and take a look! It'll bring back all those great old memories.

(Daria looks horrified.)

HELEN: (glad to get Jake sidetracked from ranting... and from Truth or Dare) That's a *wonderful* idea. I know right where they are!

(She gets up and goes to get the albums.)

DARIA: (thought VO) I guess it's too late for suicide.

QUINN: (sensing humiliation for Daria) Ooh, this sounds like fun! (vindictively) *Doesn't* it, Daria?

DARIA: (completely deadpan) Oh yes, loads.

(A moment later, Helen returns with a large picture album and sets it on the coffee table.)

HELEN: (reminiscing parent mode) It's been so long since we all sat down and remembered all the wonderful times we had as a family.

DARIA: And there's a very good reason for that.

(Cut to shot of the photo album as Jake opens to the first page. We see a photo of a very pregnant Helen, beaming maternally. Cut to shot of the family again.)

QUINN: Mom, was that when you were pregnant with Daria?

HELEN: (sappy maternal mode) Oh, yes, sweetheart. (sighs, tearfully happy) I remember the day your father took that picture.

JAKE: (innocently earnest) So do I! You'd just spent the whole morning throwing up, then you--

HELEN: (warningly) Jake...

QUINN: Eewww, you were *puking*?

HELEN: (slightly embarrassed) Er, well, when a woman's pregnant, she gets sick a lot in the mornings.

QUINN: (disgusted) Ugh! And you got so *fat*!

DARIA: Quinn, maybe you should keep this picture in your purse, to look at when you feel inclined to follow in Jack and Rose's tradition when presented with an empty backseat.

(Trent snickers a little at this, then starts coughing.)

HELEN: (deadly) Turn the page, Jake.

(Cut to shot of the album again. On this page is a picture of a newborn baby who, judging from its deadpan expression, could only be Daria. There are also assorted other pictures of baby Daria being held by Helen and Jake. Cut to show the family again.)

HELEN: (fond once more) And there's our little Daria at the hospital. (to Trent) Wasn't she just the cutest little thing?

(Daria blushes and picks at the hem of her skirt. Trent mumbles something to placate Helen.)

QUINN: God, Daria, you look pissed in these pictures! (beat) Actually, you *still* always look pissed.

DARIA: I just never lost touch with my inner child, Quinn.

(Cut to the photo album again as Jake turns the next page. This one is filled with pictures of Quinn as a baby. They are much like Daria's pictures except for the baby's apparent outlook on life. Cut to family.)

DARIA: Enter the bane of my existence.

HELEN: (ignoring Daria's comment and pointing at a picture of Quinn smiling) That was Quinn's first smile. We just happened to have the camera ready to catch it. Wasn't that lucky?

DARIA: I thank God every night.

(Cut to show the same pictures in the photo album again.)

QUINN: (VO) Awww, I was such a cute baby!

(Jake turns the page to reveal another set of photos. Right at the top of the page is a picture of baby Quinn in a high chair, red-faced and crying, with a bowl of cereal overturned on her head. Toddler Daria is standing behind the chair looking smug.)

DARIA: (VO) Weren't you though.

TRENT: (wry VO) *That* one's interesting.

(Pan down the page to show Trent's hand pointing at the omnipresent baby-in-the-bathtub picture: Daria is trying to hold Quinn's head under a sea of soap suds.)

(Jake turns the page again. We see a picture of Helen, toddler Quinn, Jake, and young Daria with a twenty-something Aunt Amy and three other girls with big hair and 80s-ized makeup. Amy and one of the other girls are holding guitars. Cut to show the family again.)

TRENT: (with interest) Who're they?

HELEN: That's my sister Amy and her band.

TRENT: (looking at picture again) Cool.

(Daria narrows her eyes slightly.)

(Cut back to the album page. Below the picture of Silver Goddess is a picture from a Barksdale family reunion. Everyone is smiling except for Daria, who is about eight, and Amy: they have matching deadpan expressions. Cut to the family again as Trent leans over to whisper to Daria.)

TRENT: (whispering) I can see the family resemblance.

(Daria smirks. Helen notices and smiles knowingly. Daria notices *that* and immediately scowls.)

JAKE: Well, that's the last page. Should we get out another album?

DARIA & QUINN: (simultaneously) No!

JAKE: (taken aback) Er, okay. (thoughtfully) It would be great if we could watch some old home movies. Too bad the power's out.

DARIA: (thought VO) Thank God for small favors. (out loud, ever so slightly smug) Hmm, looks like we're down to board games again.

HELEN: Er, why don't we play cards instead?

QUINN: We could play poker.

HELEN: (sharply) I'll have no gambling in this house!

DARIA: (to Quinn) Never suggest activites illegal for minors around a lawyer. (to Helen) Mom, we wouldn't have to play for money.

TRENT: Yeah, we could play strip poker!

(The Morgendorffers stare at him.)

TRENT: What?

DARIA: How about old maid?

QUINN: *That's* appropriate.

(Daria glares. Helen sighs; her nerves are wearing thin.)

HELEN: (irritably) Why can't we just have a normal *conversation*? Is there anything so wrong with that?

DARIA: (thought VO) Yes.

HELEN: (more pleasantly) Quinn, why don't you tell us about what your little club is doing right now?

QUINN: (brightly) Okay! (talking a mile a minute) Well, we had a meeting two days ago at Tiffany's house, and we decided to expand the club once school starts, although the new people won't be actual *officers* or anything 'cos, like, then they might think they were as good as *we* are, and we couldn't let *that* happen, but we could be sort of like *mentors* or something and maybe teach them how to be cool, well they'd have to be *kind* of cool already, because we wouldn't want *uncool* people in the Fashion Club, but we'd help them to be cooler and--

(As Quinn babbles on, Trent leans over to Daria.)

TRENT: (whispering) The longer I'm around your family, the more I respect you.

(Daria smiles a little.)

QUINN: (still babbling)--and then *Stacy* said that she didn't see what was wrong with having an election for officers, but Sandi said that it was a really dumb idea because then someone uncool might get elected and--

HELEN: (interrupting, with a look of shock) Uncool? Ohmigod, the freezer!

QUINN: (blinks, annoyed at being interrupted) Hunh?

HELEN: If the power stays out much longer, everything in the freezer is going to be ruined.

DARIA: Mom, consider what we *have* in the freezer: a six-pack of microwave lasanga and a carton of ice cream. I don't think we'll suffer much damage.

JAKE: (perks up) Ice cream? (He looks little-kid excited.)

DARIA: (in manipulate-Dad mode) Yeah, Dad... All that nice, cold ice cream. Just sitting there, melting. (pauses) *Vanilla*, Dad. Vanilla.

JAKE: (with feeling) We can't let all that ice cream go to waste, Helen!

HELEN: (sighs again) All right, we'll eat the rest of the ice cream.

JAKE: Yay!

HELEN: Daria, *you* go fix it.

DARIA: Me?

QUINN: Daria, I want three scoops with chocolate syrup and nuts, and one of those little cherries if we have any.

DARIA: (stands up, slightly annoyed) Oui, madamoiselle.

(She departs for the kitchen. Jake still looks happily excited, Quinn yawns boredly, and Helen turns to Trent with a predatory smile.)

(Cut to Daria in the kitchen as she gets out the ice cream and bowls and sets them on the counter. As she as searching for the scoop by flashlight, Trent comes into the kitchen.)

TRENT: Need some help?

DARIA: (turns around quickly) Uh... sure, thanks.

(She hands the scoop to Trent, then goes to find spoons as Trent divides up the ice cream.)

DARIA: Why'd you come in here? (looking a little embarrassed) I mean, er--

(Trent starts rummaging through cabinets, looking for toppings.)

TRENT: When your mom started asking what I wanted to be when I grew up, I decided to take a break. (He pauses.) Daria, you want some chocolate syrup?

(Daria looks up suddenly.)

DARIA: *What*?

(Cut to shot of Trent, holding a bottle of syrup and looking a little puzzled.)

TRENT: Do you want some syrup on your ice cream?

(Cut back to Daria, blushing.)

DARIA: Er, sure.

(She takes the spoons to Trent. He's pouring an unhealthy amount of chocolate syrup on one of the bowls of ice cream.)

DARIA: You think you'd better eat that much? I don't think my parents will be too tolerant of one of your sugar highs.

(Trent stops pouring the syrup and looks at her with a smirk.)

TRENT: Oh, this isn't mine. This is *yours*.

(Daria looks at the bowl in surprise.)

DARIA: Damn, Trent.

(Trent gets Helen, Jake, and Quinn's ice cream and turns to leave. Daria smiles a little before getting her and Trent's ice cream and following him.)

(Cut to the dim living room as everyone is eating. Quinn is still babbling cheerfully to Helen about the Fashion Club, Jake is concentrating whole-heartedly on his ice cream, and Daria and Trent are a little off to one side. Daria is looking pointedly at her syrup-drenched ice cream as she eats. She glances at Trent's bowl and notices with surprise that he's already finished.)

DARIA: That was fast.

(Trent grins a little sheepishly.)

TRENT: I was hungry.

DARIA: (nervously) You, uh, want some of mine? I'll never eat it all.

TRENT: Sure.

(As he starts eating her ice cream, Daria stops eating and stares at him almost dreamily, her spoon in mid-air. Suddenly there is an especially loud clap of thunder. Daria jumps in surprise, unfortunately forgetting about her spoon. Suffice it to say that she ends up with ice cream on her face.)

DARIA: (thought VO) Even God's against me, dammit.

(Trent snickers a little. Daria glares at him, and ruefully wipes her face with a napkin.)

TRENT: (meekly) Sorry.

JAKE: (happily) I *like* it when the power goes out.

(Helen sighs and shakes her head as everyone finishes off their ice cream.)

HELEN: Why don't we try to get some sleep? It sounds like the rain's slacking off a little.

QUINN: (quickly) I call the sofa! (She quickly scrambles up on to the sofa nearest her.)

HELEN: (politely) Trent, do you want the other sofa?

TRENT: No, it's okay. (He smirks a little.) I can sleep anywhere. Daria, why don't *you* take it?

DARIA: Uh, I guess.

(She lies down on the sofa behind where she and Trent had been sitting. As Trent and Jake stake out spots on the floor, Helen turns off the lantern and flashlight. The screen goes dark for a moment.)

QUINN: (VO) 'Night Daddy.

JAKE: (VO) G'night, Quinn!

QUINN: (VO) 'Night, Mom.

HELEN: (VO) Good night, sweetie. (pauses) Good night, Daria.

DARIA: (hesitant VO) 'Night, Mom. G'night, Dad.

JAKE: (VO) 'Night, Daria! (pauses) G'night, Travis.

TRENT: (VO) It's Trent. Good night.

HELEN: (VO) Good night, Trent.

TRENT: (VO) 'Night, Mrs. Morgendorffer. (long pause, softly) Good night, Daria.

DARIA: (flustered VO, muttering) Um, er, 'night.

(Fade to scene early the next morning. The room is grayish colored in the dim light. Daria slowly opens her eyes, yawns, and sits up to look around. Quinn is asleep on the other sofa, Helen is snoring slightly on the floor, and Jake is curled up in fetal position. Daria then looks down at Trent asleep on the floor beside her sofa, lying on his back. She smiles very slightly, then carefully steps over him and goes to the window. Cut to Daria's POV as she looks out. The sun has barely risen, but it's shining. Everything has that drippy, it-just-rained-to-beat-the-band look. Cut back to shot of Daria as she leaves the window and goes back to the sofa. After she lies down and closes her eyes once more, Trent opens one eye and smiles.)

(Cut to the Morgendorffer kitchen later that morning. Helen is mixing pancake batter while Jake is sitting at the table reading his paper. Daria comes downstairs.)

HELEN: (over her shoulder) Daria, help me with breakfast, will you? (as Daria obligingly begins to get things from the refrigerator) Is Quinn up yet?

QUINN: (freaking-out offscreen VO) Oh my *God*, where's my hair brush?

DARIA: (wryly) I'd say so.

(A few moments later, Quinn, having found a brush and made good use of it, comes into the kitchen and sits down at the table. Helen begins to serve up the pancakes.)

HELEN: Quinn, was Trent still asleep?

QUINN: (with an air of disgust) Yeah. He looks, like, dead or something.

HELEN: (motherly again) Daria, why don't you go tell him breakfast is ready?

DARIA: (thought VO) So much for the theory that mothers *protect* their children.

(She goes into the living room, where Trent is still asleep on the floor. Daria nudges him with her foot.)

DARIA: Trent. Hey, Trent, wake up.

(There is no response. Sighing, Daria crouches down beside him and shakes him half-heartedly.)

DARIA: Trent, wake up!

(She pauses, looks thoughtful, then smirks very slightly.)

DARIA: (quietly) We're having pancakes.

(Trent's eyes open, albeit sleepily.)

TRENT: Hunnnh? (He blinks.) Oh, hey Daria.

(Cut to later that morning as Trent and Daria go outside. Trent yawns.)

TRENT: Man, I need a nap.

DARIA: (wryly) I guess an evening with the Morgendorffers was just too much excitement for you.

TRENT: (grins) Yeah. (He pauses a little nervously.) Actually, though, it was kinda, uh, fun. You know.

DARIA: (surprised) Er, yeah. It was.

TRENT: (awkwardly) So, uh, we're okay now? I mean about... Jesse and all.

DARIA: (looking down, just as awkward) Yeah. We're okay.

TRENT: (smiles) Cool. I guess I'll see you, then.

DARIA: (looks up) Yeah. See you.

(Trent heads back toward the Lane house as Daria turns and goes back inside. As she shuts the door, Helen comes up to her, looking puzzled.)

HELEN: Daria, why is there a CD with some men in a sardine tin on it sitting on the hall table?







THE END