"Dreams Of The Past"
A Piece Of Daria Fanfiction By
Brandon League
(Brnleague@aol.com)

Legalese-Daria and her pals are owned by MTV/Viacom and NOT me. There, you happy?

Summary-Ten years after her encounter with the "Sinister Stranger," Tiffany Blum-Deckler dozes and dreams of the past. A SHORT sequel to "Anything." Read it first!!!
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Tiffany Blum-Deckler was in Heaven, absolute Heaven.

The young Asian woman lounged lazily on a beach chair, protected from the harsh, midday sun by the mammoth pink umbrella that plunged her entire body into artificial shade. Even though she was wearing a brand new FOUR HUNDRED dollar swimsuit, she was content to just lie here and snooze, rather than do any actual swimming. She just wasn't in the mood to get her hair wet, plain and simple. Here on the Caribbean island of St. Martin, there was plenty of time to go swimming anyway, or gambling, or clubbing or fishing, or whatever tickled her fancy. As she snoozed, Tiffany dreamed. She dreamed of that night, over ten years ago, when she had seen the true face of Lucifer, the Fallen Angel. She remembered him as she had seen him; dressed all in black, with a clipped, neat goatee, coal-black hair, and the deepest, purest ice blue eyes. She remembered how terrified she had been of him, but at the same time, truly mystified. All her fears had been for naught, however, as Lucifer (cunningly calling himself "Lou") had taken her by the hand and taken her places and shown her new things. He had taken her to "King Cashman's" Department Store in the heart of New York City, which she would learn years later, was on the Island of Manhattan and offered it all to her, she had accepted and later discovered that Lou had been teasing.

He had also shown her things that she was not supposed to know. He had taken her to her best friend Sandi Griffin's bedroom and they had eavesdropped upon a shocking scene in which Sandi had tearfully caressed a photograph of fellow Lawndale High Fashion Club member Quinn Morgendorffer, sadly lamenting the fact that she, Sandi had a crush on Quinn. Until then, Tiffany hadn't had the slightest idea that Sandi might be bisexual, but looking back, it sure did explain a lot. Tiffany remembered how bitchy Sandi always was to Quinn, how condescending and sardonic she was. Tiffany remembered Sandi's favorite saying, "Gee Quinn, if you know so much why don't you be President of the Fashion Club?" To which Quinn would always give a nervous titter and reply, "Oh NO, Sandi, I could NEVER replace you." Then the two girls would glare daggers at one another while Tiffany and Fashion Club Secretary Stacy Rowe stood nervously by, hoping that THIS wouldn't be the day that Sandi and Quinn came to blows. She remembered Lucifer's haunting voice saying, "Now do you see why Sandi is so hateful and malicious? Do you see how helpless she truly is?" Then he had dropped a major bombshell on Tiffany, telling her that Sandi would come out of the closet during her freshman year of college and be happy! Tiffany had been floored, just as much at the news that Sandi would actually be happy for once as the fact she was bisexual. Imagine Tiffany's surprise, when, a year and a half later, she got a postcard from Sandi at college begging Tiffany's forgiveness for all the nasty, spiteful things Sandi had said and did to her, plus indeed, Sandi went on to say that she was coming out to all her friends as being "like, openly bi, or whatever."

Tiffany hadn't been surprised, not as much as she would have ONCE been, after all, Lucifer had told her that it would be so...but then, there was his other prediction, made almost offhandedly. That night, in the woods seventy-five miles south of Seattle (where Lucifer had taken her to say goodbye) he had mentioned to her that one day she would be a success in the fashion industry, but had ventured no more information. Then he had kissed her goodbye and left forever, trying to return to Heaven, as Tiffany had convinced him that he could. He wasn't evil anymore, just misunderstood...then Tiffany awoke in her own bed, staggering into her bathroom and discovering that the five pointed star necklace that Lucifer had given her in King Cashman's had changed into a blue, sapphire crucifix, and she knew things were all right...and from THEN on they were. Her father never again hit her after that and her grades in school improved gradually, plus she gave up smoking pot for good and slowly but surely lost her characteristic drawl and began to speak normally. Two years after she graduated from Lawndale High, Tiffany Blum-Deckler had been spotted in the food court at Cranberry Commons flipping through a Waif magazine and eating strawberry yogurt by one Carl LeChance, the Vice President of Frederick's Of Hollywood. VP LeChance knew a good thing when he saw it and hired her on the spot to do thirteen catalog spots! Now, eight years later, Tiffany was a multi-millionaire at the age of twenty-eight. Even though, she technically didn't need to work anymore, she LOVED to model and still did some freelance work occasionally. Also she had been on the cover of Playboy magazine four times. So, life wasn't bad...not at all.

Tiffany awoke from her dream with a start. A bellhop from one of the hotels she owned was tapping her on the shoulder.

"Yes," she groggily asked.

"Sorry to bother you, Mademoiselle Blum-Deckler," the bellhop said courteously, "but I'm afraid you have a phone call. It's long distance..." He trailed off.

She gave the bellhop a winning smile. "Thank you, Andre," she said, "I've been expecting an important call."

Andre smiled and handed her the cordless phone. As she expected it was Carl LeChance, calling from his office in western Spain. As Tiffany talked to Carl, she smiled and reached into her small clutch bag lying next to her on the beach. She took out the small sapphire crucifix pendant and clutched it tightly, grinning as she handled her business...

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End Notes-Ha...ha...ha...My sixth work for Outpost Daria! Despite the fact that it only took about forty-five minutes to write (sniff) I still love it like the son I never wanted! Be kind to me, I usually write fics in SCRIPT form. This is the first Daria Fanfic that I have written in story form, and God Almighty, I know it shows! That being said, be kind. Feel free to send me your thoughts on my work, good, bad or indifferent, it doesn't matter. Just DON'T send me any death threats or marriage proposals, I will accept neither! Now, for what you've all been waiting for...it's "Big B's List Of Thanks!!!"

Big B's List Of Thanks-Martin J. Pollard (St. Martin), Thea Zara (Mega Smooches), Lawndale Stalker, Renfield, Crazy Nutso, Canadibrit, Kemical Reaxion (That hopeless romantic), Mman, Kara Wild, and everyone else who gave me love on Paperpusher's Message Board! You guys are the best!

I'm Back!!! :)