Amanda's New Apartment

"My parents haven't cut me off yet, and I doubt they ever will. No need. I'm just... shocked, I guess. Yep, I guess I'm twenty. Two whole decades!"

"Twenty..." she shock her head. "It's crazy, isn't. We're getting to be so old!"

"I know, it sucks!" Olivia crossed her arms. "What's there to do, anyway?"

"Get a job. Achieve your dreams. Get married. Have kids-I've done those two so far. Anything you want!" she said cheerfully.

"I have no dreams, Rachel. And, for god's sake, I am a free woman! It's not like we need to get married or any of that." Olivia had never thought Rachel would have become such a doormat - and only one and a half years out of school!

Rachel stared at her-drilling holes into her eye sockets. "You've been buying into those 'Girl Power!' messages too?! Olivia, 'girl power' comes in all sorts of forms. It takes quite some power you know, to go through all that I've been through."

"You fucked a ten year old and got knocked up." Olivia said in her typical monotone, looking Rachel up and down, before returning her gaze to Sophia. So cute! "I can tell by the way you're dressed that you're not all that poor. And you seem pretty happy."

"My sister is dead. My parents disowned me, and refuse to speak to me. I've had to gone and went to work to support this baby and Nick while I was pregnant. Now, I'm pregnant AGAIN, and I already have a baby." Rachel turned back to stare at Olivia. "And YOU'VE sat on your ass all day."

Olivia turned away from Rachel, flinging her arms out. "Drama all around!" she exclaimed.

Rachel gently took Sophia upon her lap, and she pulled out two tiny little hair bands from her pocket. She then separated her hair in two sections, and began too braid one of them.

"Tell me, what has Serenity gone and done?"

"Well, I'm not exactly sure how, but she got herself roped into being a whore down in Amsterdam. Was stuck there for a while..." Her voice trailed off somewhat. The next part was barely audible. "Chuck got in on it... She left the day after; I'm not exactly sure what happened to her after that, or where she is now, even. And then..." She stopped altogether, eyes fixed on a small, brown spot on the wall. "Ehh, either way. Not sure where Ser is now."

Rachel turned from her braiding to look at Liv. She gently muttered at Sophia to hold still, and she went over, and gave Olivia a very long hug.

The first embrace they've shared in the entire time they've known each other.

"Liv... things are going to get better." she mumbled.

Olivia seemed completely unphased; she probably didn't realize it was the only hug they'd ever shared. "You've heard, then?"

"No, I haven't."

"Oh." There was a pause as Olivia swallowed her lingering apprehension. "Well, to summarize, Angel killed Chuck for buying a night with Ser. I happened to be standing in the same room when it happened, and, uh... He got committed. For life."

Amanda walked in, wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. She had her hair up, and while Rachel and Olivia were talking had gotten ready. She looked down at her feet, feeling as if it wasn't a good moment. But hey, this was HER house. "Hey Rachel." Then she saw Sophia, and her eyes lit up. "Sh-she's beautiful."

"Isn't she?!" she said, but her attention was directed more towards Olivia. "...That's really happened?" her eyes bulged. "...Is he in prison or what?"

"I don't know." She swallowed the lump in her throat. Damn it, she was OVER this! Enough!

Amanda figured out Olivia was explaining the Angel incident-Incident? Understatement. So she just kind of stood there, awkwardly shifting her weight from foot to foot.

"Maybe he's in a mental institution." she said quietly. "That would be better then prison, right?"

Olivia let herself out of Rachel's hug, averting her attention back to Sophia. "I don't care. Isn't she just the CUTEST little june-bug!"

Amanda sighed, and gave Rachel a sad look as if to say, "I tried." But, she just turned to Olivia. "I know, she really is adorable."

"Does she sleep yet? Wait... When did you get her, anyway? I mean, have. I know when you GOT her." She poked the baby's stomach.

Amanda made a 'tsk tsk' sound. "Liv, don't poke her, might make her upset."

She shook her head. "No, she's actually a really quiet baby-she'll probably make up for that when she's older. And I had her on December 29th, 1997."