Author: Tank
Rating: R
Summary: Based on the film 'Now and Then' the four girls plus an extra addition of a beautiful blonde are growing up in the seventies. They think they have enough to deal with already until a secret of Tara's causes a bit of a stir, introducing a well known red head.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my imagination in the creation of this story (and maybe some random characters later on).

The street lights lit Roberta's road keeping watch over the small town. Alone in her front yard, she pounded the basketball against the pavement for the fourth time this week venting out her frustrations. Back and fourth she threw it, dodging herself and turning when she least expected it, (it just wasn't the same on her own) making the occasional shot and scoring every time. Sometimes it was just too easy. She needed something harder, something that would make her even angrier at herself that she already was. Roberta flipped on her heels and made a jump for one last time slamming the ball as hard as she could. Score. It echoed down the empty street and through Teeny's bedroom window. She had heard this for the past few nights knowing something was on her friend's mind. However it was too hard to ask as Roberta was so closed off sometimes. Reluctantly Teeny slid back under her covers trying to block out the sound.

That was enough for tonight. Out of breath and feeling a little relieved, Roberta quickly went into her room before her brothers tried to get her in on some sort of wrestling game.

She slammed the door shut and leaned back on the frame. Letting out a tired moan as she pulled off her black shirt and sat down at the dresser. As she did so, she focused on a familiar picture of her mother caught in the side of the mirror. She was so feminine and nothing like Roberta, or so she felt. Nothing felt right anymore, even this picture she had familiarized herself with for so many years felt foreign. She looked at herself disapprovingly and remembered the days of using that horribly constricting duct tape to just make things a little less hard. Maybe she should do it again, at sixteen she should be slotting into the idea of a 'woman' quite nicely but it didn't seem to be the greatest thrill right now.

She quickly tied up her hair and pulled on a night-shirt avoiding looking in the mirror at all costs, sliding off her new jeans into a pile on the floor she got into bed and tried to take a break from all the thinking. Maybe tomorrow would be a little easier.

The next morning Teeny pulled the covers far over her blonde locks to block out the early sun. Summer was well on its way and she could feel the heat through the window, giving up as the light of the morning worked its way through her yellow floral bed covers, she threw them back and let out a groggy sound and squinted till her eyes adjusted. Teeny slid off the bed into her slippers and found her dressing gown; just as she was about to head downstairs she heard the door slam. Looking out the window she saw her father leave with his brief case in hand once again. She couldn't remember the last time they had all had breakfast together. Teeny found her parents to be more like pure providers and that was it. Still, it didn't matter, one day she was going to be a big star and she wouldn't need them at all. Picking up the walkie-talkie they had had since they were fourteen she tried getting Sam's attention. It took a while so she grabbed her perfume and practiced her 'thank you' speech for the academy award pretending the perfume bottle was a microphone in the mean time.

"Uurgh....he...hello?"

"Up all night writing again? Really Sam, you need a decent sleep at least one night this week, how are you supposed to look your best without out enough rest?" Teeny said casually to the only half awake Sam.

"Urr...teen...teeny? Is that you? Why would...Hmgph..." The line went dead. Teeny laughed to herself knowing her best friend couldn't handle this early in the morning, for hours and hours she would sit writing all kinds of stories. Some were a little to odd for Teeny's liking; still she could see her friend's talent even if it did focus on the supernatural.

Sam threw the walkie-talkie on the ground, nestling itself amongst a pile of papers full of her writing that she had rejected over and over again the previous night. She would've been able to write gold if it wasn't for Roberta's latest trend of slamming down the basketball over and over again across the road. She was concerned for her friend but was too afraid to ask. She knew Roberta's quick temper wasn't something to be messed with. Still, it was going on for too long.

"Roberta?"

"Oh hey, I don't think I've talked to you this early on a Saturday morning before, what are you doing up?"

"Teeny felt a great need to recite her Oscar speech to me at 8am." She laughed.

"Ahh, well it was about time you suffered the brunt of the early morning, so what's up?"

"Oh...well..." Sam suddenly felt herself at a loss of words. How was she supposed to put this?

"Sam?"

"I mean um, you know you've been...urrr...well what I mean is...."

"Out with it" Those few words knew that Sam was going to be in trouble if she didn't tell her friend exactly what she was thinking. Roberta always knew when she was lying or creeping around something.

"You're pissed off right? I mean, ok I could deal with you beating up Scott Wormer on a more frequent basis, and attacking your brother with the Jell-O balloons marvelous idea by the way. Did I mention how cool that was? Oh and stealing Mr. Mac's toupee, genius!"

Roberta sighed impatiently getting more and more frustrated than she already was.

"Sam." She cut her friend short hoping she would click on to her frustration.

Sam breathed, hoping not to offend Roberta. "It's just...there's the not so fun stuff too. Like mot sitting with us for lunch, and not coming out with us anymore to the yard. So, what's going on? I don't want to put you under pressure or anything but, well what is it? Talk to me"

Roberta suddenly got distracted by a blonde outside her window, she cycled passed briefly looking up into her window but quickly resumed watching the road when she saw Roberta looking back. She sighed, 'Tara...'

"Roberta?"

"Yeah, it's...nothing" She breathed and hung up