A Jewel Whodunnit...
BLAST FROM THE PAST
PART ONE: CURTAIN DOWN
Chapter Four: Jewel's Video

"We wondered when we'd get a call from you."
Sylva opened the front door of the Starlight Mansion, grinning a friendly greeting as she registered the girl on the other side. Zoe Montgomery had befriended Jewel from the off, and had produced almost every one of their music videos since. Daughter of television presenter Constance Montgomery, Zoe had caused a publicity splash in her own right some months earlier, when she had admitted that she had been seeing dancer Fiona Daniels or 'Flame' for over a year. The scandal her 'coming out' had sparked off had made the generally bubbly and cheerful girl rather bewildered and uncertain in her dealings with strangers, but the Jewel girls had taken the news more or less into their stride and she knew that, whatever her choice of lifestyle, their friendship remained unchanged.
"Well, I would've been here earlier in the week, but I had to finish editing up the film for another video and two of the technicians were off sick." Zoe pulled a face, coming into the house as Sylva shut the door behind her. "So we're gonna be running a little behind schedule. But anyhow, I'm here, and I've heard the song, so I've a vague idea of what we're working with. I wanted to discuss concepts with you - are you all home?"
"Yeah, we are." Sylva nodded. "I'm not sure Sadie's up, I think she's plodding round the house in her dressing gown, and I only just got up myself, but we're all here. Topaz is in the kitchen feeding Hollie, I think Nancy and Copper are in the lounge."
"Okay, that's good." Zoe offered one of her patent bubbly smiles. "To be honest, I hope you're feeling inspired this afternoon, because I've had real creater's block trying to think of a new idea for this video. I mean, I know it's about family, but I'm afraid my mind is a blank."
"Well, we'll try." Sylva pushed open the door of the living room. "Go take a seat, I'll get coffee and find Sadie and Topaz."
"Sweet." Zoe looked grateful. "Thanks."
"Hey, Zoe!" Copper greeted the video producer with a warm smile. "Long time no see!"
"Mm, I've been so busy you wouldn't believe." Zoe rolled her eyes. "Not to mention having to deal with that creature known as the tabloid press every ten minutes." She groaned, sinking down into a chair. "You'd have thought they'd be bored with me by now, but apparently not. Apparently, if someone who's even vaguely associated to someone high profile like Mom or Misfit Music or you guys 'comes out', it's a tabloid story for the rest of eternity."
"Tell them where to stick it." Nancy told her bluntly. "It's your life, not theirs."
"Nancy's right." Copper nodded. Zoe nodded.
"I know, but it's just messy." She replied. "I've been kinda on edge about it and Fiona and I have fought and it's just...messy." She sighed. "Don't worry, I'll get it figured. Anyhow, I'm not here to talk about my problems, I'm here to help you fix your video, so." She forced a smile. "Forget it. Let's talk Jewel, huh?"
"I'm not sure I'm in any state to talk anything." Sadie entered the room at that moment, Sylva in tow. As the keyboardist had said, the English girl was still clad in dressing gown and pink fluffy slippers, her long wavy hair messy over her shoulders and her expression half asleep. "I didn't get to sleep this morning till something like three, and I only woke up about twenty five minutes ago, so bear with me, huh? I don't think my brain's fully connected yet."
"Is it ever?" Nancy teased. Sadie pulled a face.
"Thanks." She replied dryly, dropping down into her favourite chair. "Hi, Zoe. Excuse my attire, will you? I was on baby duty last night - Topaz pretty much just collapsed into bed and slept most of the night, she's been so busy with her."
"Not a problem." Zoe assured her. "Is Topaz coming, Syl?"
"She said to start without her, she's putting Hollie down in her crib." Sylva responded, perching on the windowsill. "Life at the Starlight Mansion is all go these days, Zoe, I'm telling you!"
"I'd noticed." Zoe grinned. "Mm, all right then. Your song. Theme of family. Does anyone have any striking ideas?"
"We did wonder if Hollie could be in it somehow." Copper remembered. "But I don't really know. Haven't thought about it."
"Hollie's kinda young." Zoe looked doubtful. "I'm not a huge fan of having tiny babies on set when I'm filming, because of the long hours involved. It's not fair on them."
"Good point." Copper acknowledged. "I didn't think of that."
"They use babies in movies." Sylva objected.
"Yeah, but then they use identical twins. Like you and Anna, for example." Zoe explained. "So that one kid isn't left doing all the work."
"I see." Sylva looked thoughtful. "Dammit, I coulda been a movie star baby, if Mom had thought of it!"
"Oh brother." Nancy rolled her eyes.
"I think she'd be a natural." Sadie laughed. "Syl's always the one playing up to the camera."
"Anna mightn't have been so keen, though." Copper pointed out. "She's a lot more camerashy than Syl."
"Most of the planet are more camerashy than Syl." Topaz put in, entering at that moment and taking a seat. "Afternoon, Zoe. We planning the video?"
"In theory." Zoe dimpled. "Not getting very far, mind you."
"Zoe says Hollie is too young to be in it." Nancy told her. "She reckons it'd be too much pressure on the kid considering how long our filming hours tend to be."
"Point." Topaz nodded. "Ah well. When she's older, perhaps." She grinned. "Baby Jewel likes to get in on the action."
"Baby Jewel sounds a lot like Mommy Jewel to me." Zoe said with a giggle. Topaz nodded.
"Yep, guess so." She admitted goodnaturedly. "But then, she kinda only has me to bring her up, so I'm bound to brainwash her a little."
"Don't you think she'll miss growing up without a Dad?" Zoe asked softly. Topaz frowned.
"I'm hoping eventually that I'll find a way to resolve the situation and tell Cameron the truth." She admitted. "I grew up without a Dad, and I know it's possible, but it'd be nice for Hollie if she could have both parents. For now, though, it's just me."
"I didn't have a Dad growing up either." Zoe sounded a little wistful. "Mom brought me up on her own, too."
"For real?" Nancy looked surprised. "I always figured your Mom and Dad must've divorced or something."
"Nope. I don't even know who my father is." Zoe glanced at her hands. "Mom doesn't mention him and I don't like to bring the subject up, in case he really hurt her or something. I know she was a lot wilder when she was younger, so he could've been any kind of guy. In some ways I'd rather I didn't know, but...well...sometimes I wonder."
"That's rough." Copper said gently. "I might not have my Papa now, but even though it upset me as badly as it did when he died, I wouldn't have swapped the years I did have with him for the world. It's so sad you don't even know who your Dad is, Zoe."
"Well, that's how it's always been. Mom, and me...and my cousin, Vivien, from time to time, too." Zoe shrugged. "Who knows? I don't even know if he's alive or dead or what...perhaps I shouldn't even think about it. I'm twenty four in September, after all. It's not like I need his guidance."
"Still, you have the right to know his name, at least." Nancy pointed out.
"Perhaps." Zoe frowned. "I might try and tackle Mom about it again sometime. Although why any father would want to lay claim to me after the recent press hype I don't know."
"Zoe, just because you're dating another woman doesn't mean you're any less lovable than you were before." Sadie told her firmly. "Your Mum thinks you rock...that should tell you that much." She smiled wryly. "In any case, sometimes I think you got the world right anyhow. Life would be much easier for me if I quit being attracted to men...then I wouldn't wind up with the abusive psycho ones who get me into trouble."
Despite herself, Zoe laughed.
"That's what I like about you, Sadie." She said, amusement clear on her face. "You bring everything down to earth with a bang. I was so worried when you joined the group and we had to work together for the first time, cos of all the stories buzzing about me at the time, having just come out, and all that...and you just looked at me and said, so what?"
"I learnt enough in this life to know that when doing something makes you happy, it's not wrong to do it so long as noone else is hurt." Sadie said with a shrug. "I also learnt to grab anything and everything with both hands and not to judge people unless I want them to judge me." She looked rueful. "I'm not perfect at not jumping to conclusions, I admit it...but you and Flame doesn't bother me one jot."
"Well, it's nice that there's at least one house in Los Angeles other than Mom's where nothing has changed." Zoe grinned.
"Dean?" Nancy protested. She had been dating TV presenter Dean Stacey for some time now, and she knew that he and Zoe were longterm friends.
"Well, yes, Dean too." Zoe amended. "But he's almost like my big brother so it doesn't count. I think of him more as family, even though he isn't." She shrugged. "But this isn't getting your video done, sooo, I propose we brainstorm for an hour or two and see if we can't settle on a theme. After all, we want to make this song a really big hit!"



BLAST FROM THE PAST: PART ONE

Prologue: 1989
Chapter One: The "Anniversary"
Chapter Two: Jewel's Sound
Chapter Three: At Sirena's Place
Chapter Four: Jewel's Video
Chapter Five: Fanmail
Chapter Six: A Stranger
Chapter Seven: Stefana's Date
Chapter Eight: The Results
Chapter Nine: A Moment's Weakness
Chapter Ten: A Shock For Zoe
Chapter Eleven: A Surprise For Jetta
Chapter Twelve: Fire!

DISCLAIMER: PLEASE NOTE
Copper, Nancy, Sylva, Anna, Blade, Raesha, Sirena, Topaz, Aaron, Sophie, Justin, Elliot, Rosita, Luis and any other characters in this fiction which do not appear in the animated Jem series are copyrighted to me (E.A Woolley) as of January 2002 <unless otherwise specified> and are not to be reproduced without permission ANYWHERE. Jetta, Pizzazz, Stormer, Roxy, Raya and all other original Jem characters are the copyright of Hasbro Inc, Sunbow, Christy Marx and the other writers of the Jem series. The future world of Pizzazz, Raya, Jetta, Roxy, Stormer, Clash, Synergy, the fate of Jem and her memorial are all copyrighted to me. The future world of Kimber and Shana is copyrighted jointly to myself and Gemma Dawn.
The concept of 'Jewel' is entirely my own, and any apparent link with any fictional or actual person or persons of this name is entirely coincidental. Equally the characters in this fiction are not based on any real life individual.
The concept behind the future world of Danse, Aja and Craig, the idea behind Jerrica's futureworld and the split of the Holograms is copyrighted to Gemma Dawn, whose Teenangel Outsiders fiction is directly twinned with Just a Dream. The character Sammi and any of the other Teenangel Outsider characters mentioned in this fiction are entirely copyright to Gemma Dawn and appear here only with her permission.
Pay her page a visit!