MOTHER'S PRIDE
Prologue

It was so quiet, somehow.
For a moment she just stood there, watching as the tide lapped lazily over the shore. A gentle breeze flipped through her thick dark hair, but she was lost in her thoughts, and she did not notice it teasing at her, trying to loosen her curls from their tight red clasp. Slowly she made her way down the stone steps to the sand, pausing, then settling herself down on a rock not far from the water's edge. Around her, children screamed with excitement as they played, but she took no notice.
Today was, after all, too important.
She glanced at her watch, a smile touching her lips as she registered the time, and she turned, scanning the landscape for any sign of him. At first there was nothing, but then, in the distance, she caught a glimpse of his familiar features and she was on her feet in an instant, moving slowly to meet him. Despite her eagerness, it was not in her manner to throw herself at him, friends or not. It was enough that he had agreed to meet her, and that now, after long weeks alone, she would see him again.
"Steffi!"
He greeted her with a warm, genial grin, hugging her tightly. "So, how is everything?"
"I'm all right." Stefana cast him a thoughtful look, then, "Thanks for coming. I wasn't sure if you;d be busy or lagged or whatever, today."
"Well, I told you I'd come and see how you were when Copper and I got back from Valencia." He told her gently. "And I have. Today we start over, Stef, as friends. Wipe the slate clean - yes? No more tricks and no more secrets - isn't that what you want from me?"
"You never tricked me or kept secrets from me." Stefana said ruefully. "But yes. Yes. Aaron...I'm not over it, but I want us to be friends. Need us to be. But will Copper let you? She and I..." She made a dismissive gesture. "She hates my blood and that's that."
"Copper told me to come." Aaron told her gently. "She said she'd see to the unpacking, because obviously you needed me at short notice. She doesn't hate you, Stef. She's accepted that you and I, we're friends and that's how it will stay." He eyed her keenly. "So long as you can accept that Copper is my wife now, and that's also not going to change."
"I know that." Stefana nodded her dark head impatiently. "I conceded that, you know I did. I coulda blown your wedding sky high if I'd have wanted to, and you know it. I have the contacts, I know the right people and the way to cause chaos. I don't have many scruples - it could have been done. But..."
She faltered, shaking her head.
"Not to a friend." She whispered. "Especially not to you."
"I'm glad." Aaron grinned, linking his arm in hers and leading her along the beach. "I was happy to get your phonecall, too. I was worried about you, while we were away."
"What, on your honeymoon?" Stefana snorted. "I bet Copper loved that."
"I didn't discuss it with her." Aaron responded. "It was just a private wondering, how you were doing, whether everything was okay. Is it?"
"I don't know." Stefana looked thoughtful. "But I don't feel like blowing myself away, Aaron. I don't know...maybe I've taken stock a little. I'm clean, if that's what you want to know. It's not easy - it's not been long enough for it to be easy, and I have had a lapse or two. But Marissa and Sadie aren't tough on me - I mean, they don't yell. They're supportive as much as they can be. Luca too. Sadie...I hate to admit that talking to a Jewel helps, but she does. I would never have spoken to her had you not made me, but...but I suppose I'm glad I did. And she hasn't told anyone. Even Mari and Luca don't know who it is I'm seeing."
"Sadie's very discreet." Aaron nodded. "She won't betray anything you tell her, I know that."
Stefana nodded.
"Once I realised that, it got easier." She admitted. "Though it's not been long yet, Aaron. I have a long way to go - but I will beat this!"
"And no more messing with Jewel?"
"Perhaps." Stefana pursed her lips. "For now, I'm associated with the husband of one and am being counselled by another. Not to mention Nancy's your sister. I can't see my way round that one - but I'll find someone else to play games with if I'm bored. I'm done with Jewel anyway. I need a new challenge."
"Well, be careful." Aaron warned. Stefana laughed, and despite himself, Aaron was glad to hear that the hollow, bitter note was already fading from his friend's laughter.
"Oh, I'm not so dumb or so reckless when I'm sober." She assured him. "I'll be very careful, don't worry. I'm not gonna get myself in trouble with the law."
"Well, that's good. So long as you're inside the law..."
"I didn't say that. I said I wasn't going to get myself in trouble."
"Steffi!"
"Oh, all right." Stefana rolled her eyes. "I'll be good. For now, anyhow."
She fumbled in her pocket, pulling out her cigarettes and lighting one, exhaling slowly. "So, how was your flight? Isn't it a long way from Spain to California?"
"It seems it when you're coming home." Aaron agreed. "I've had a great two weeks, Stef, but once you start coming home from a vacation, you want the journey over as soon as possible. It's been fun, too, because we've come back to our house and it's all new and special. We're going to have a housewarming party in a few weeks by the way. You're welcome if you want to come."
"I won't." Stefana shook her head, but a tiny smile touched her lips. "But thanks for asking me. Just that's too far into the lion's den for me. Copper knows...knows too much about me and about...well...my feelings for you. It'd be too humiliating."
"I haven't said anything to her about them." Aaron said quietly. Stefana shook her head.
"No, but she's taken me on about them a couple of times before you got hitched." She replied. "And I'm proud, Aaron. I don't want her to crow it over me. Yes, she won - you're in love with her and I can't compete with that. But I don't have to lap it up."
"You make me sound terrible, you know."
"Well, I don't mean it." Stefana sighed. "I'm sorry. I will get over it, I know I will. Just it's hard to at first."
"I realise. And I feel to blame." Aaron admitted. "I should have seen it coming."
"Nah." Stefana shook her head, flicking ash onto the sand. "I don't talk about feelings and stuff like that. Usually because I don't have them."
She rolled her eyes. "Like I said, I'll beat it."
"How are things on the music front? I saw a big Diablo billboard as we drove in from LAX."
"Good." Stefana nodded her head. "Mari and Clay have written most of our new album and we're laying it down. They've given me a vocal on one of the tracks - it was an experiment because I kept telling Maddy how she should sing it. She got mad, but in the end I sounded better, so she told me to take the track." She smirked. "Maddy's still like an annoying big sister, but at least this time she conceded I was right and went with my way. It was fun to sing for once. Kinda a buzz."
"I'm curious." Aaron laughed. "You've not sung for Diablo yet, have you?"
"Well, not since we came to Cali." Stefana shook her head. "I did back home on the East Coast, from time to time. But we've all been more structured here." She curled her lip. "And Rory Llewelyn thinks I'm not useful for anything other than his dirty work."
"Well, maybe Diablo should browse the market for a contract elsewhere." Aaron suggested. "Starlight Music might be looking."
"From what I've heard, that place is more mental than where we're at now." Stefana shook her head. "And Misfits Music is not an option for us, either. No. Better the devil we know." Her eyes glinted with humour. "After all, we are Diablo."
"I know it's only been a couple of weeks, Stef, but you do look better." Aaron reflected. "You're smiling more, youve more colour and you don't look so fragile as you did when I last saw you."
"Well, Mari coaxes me to eat, Luca drags me out with him whenever we've a free afternoon, Sadie arranges for us to meet here when we meet...I guess I'm not given time to dwell in my room." Stefana laughed. "Oh, I'm tougher than I was, so don't worry about me. I had a momentary lapse in sanity, that's all. I'm on the right road now the chemicals are pumped out of my system - for good, I hope. I'm remembering what a blast Mari and I used to have before I wound up having no money for anything any more." She grimaced. "Though I still owe Luca till the end of time for my credit card bill, he's been nice and let me keep something from each month's pay so I can buy shoes or go out or whatever. It could be worse."
"I'd do the same for Nancy." Aaron grinned. "He trusts you, then?"
"Yeah, well, he does ask to see receipts sometimes." Stefana admitted. "But mostly."
She spread her fingers, examining her chipped black nail polish, then, "I hoped you would come back when you told me you would, and not get convinced to spend another week." She admitted. "I didn't want to miss you."
"Well, couldn't if we'd wanted. Copper has work and so do I." Aaron looked rueful. "Jewel are on tour in a week or two's time...why? What would make you miss me - I don't understand?"
"Jewel are?" Stefana looked startled. "I didn't know that."
"Yes. Going to the East Coast for some rock festival or other." Aaron agreed. Stefana bit her lip.
"East Coast Rock Festival?" She echoed him, consternation flickering in her green eyes. "In the next few weeks?"
"Yes. Why?"
"You're going? You...and Jewel?"
"Yes, as far as I know. Unless plans have changed between me checking the answerphone last night and now." Aaron looked confused. "Why? What's up, Stef?"
"Diablo are playing a festival in Connecticut in a couple of weeks." Stefana said slowly. "And it sounds to me like it might be the same one." She grimaced. "Ugh. I don't need a head to head with Jewel this early on! Especially not there, of all places."
"Your home state, isn't it?" Aaron asked gently. Stefana nodded.
"Yes. Worse, it's my hometown. Hartford." She said bitterly. "Though don't expect there to be any fond family reunions."
She sighed. "I'm not looking forward to going much. Even less now I know that we're gonna be upstaged on the bill, too."
"Don't be like that." Aaron scolded her lightly. "It might not be a bad thing to go back to your hometown a star - and that is what you are, Steffi. You know it and so do I, even if right now things are rough for you. The world don't know that. Don't imagine they can see through you and read what's in your head."
"I know." Stefana managed a faint smile. "And it'll be all right. I'll tough it out. Normally it wouldn't bother me but it hasn't been the best few weeks I ever had."
She took a drag on her cigarette. "Oh well. If nothing else, it will mean I can speak to Sadie without calling long distance." She mused. "That's something. And I know she can keep discreet, even if the other Jewels are flitting about."
"Yes." Aaron agreed. "And anyhow, Hartford is a huge city, as far as I know. You probably won't even see your mother."
"Let's hope not." Stefana said darkly. "The last person I want to meet when we go to the East coast is that bad excuse for a human being!"


MOTHER'S PRIDE
Prologue
Chapter One: Jewel At Work
Chapter Two: Jetta's Visitor
Chapter Three: A Surprise For Topaz
Chapter Four: Farah
Chapter Five: Jewel's Rehearsal
Chapter Six: An Unwelcome Encounter
Chapter Seven: A Secret
Chapter Eight: A Call For Help
Chapter Nine: The Real Stefana
Chapter Ten: Machinations
Chapter Eleven: A Reunion
Chapter Twelve: After The Show


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!