Jan. 19th-20th, 01.
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"Would you like something to drink?" Julianna asks Madison later. Greg Reed, the man who had called Julianna, had left a few minutes ago to give the mother and daughter some time alone.
"Sure. What do you have?" Madison asks, as she and Julianna walk to the kitchen. Madison takes a seat at the island in the center of the kitchen as she watches Julianna open the fridge.
"Uh, I've got...water, lemonade, iced tea, orange juice, Diet Pepsi, and milk. What would you like?" Julianna asks.
"Diet Pepsi, please. It's my favorite." Madison says. Julianna looks over her shoulder and smiles.
"Mine too." She says, getting out two cans for each of them. Madison takes hers with a smile and wipes off the top of the can with her shirt. Julianna does the same and they look at each other. They start laughing.
"I always do that with my cans." Madison says.
"I do too. It just sort of grosses me out if I don't because you don't know what is on the rim." Julianna says.
"I know." Madison says and they giggle. They take a drink, sitting in silence for a few seconds before Madison speaks. "You know what is weird?" Madison asks.
"What's that?" Julianna asks.
"Five days ago I was talking to my best friend, Jenni, on the phone. She asked me to come over because she had something to show me. So I drove on over to her house. She sat me down on the floor with all these pictures of myself on the floor." Madison stares into her pop can, not really seeing what is in it, but seeing what she had seen those few days ago. "She then put a tape into her VCR and pressed the play button. You and some tall balding guy popped up on the screen. I swore that I was seeing myself at first, before I realized that it wasn't me. Jenni knew I had been wondering about you and when she accidentally turned the channel to your show, she knew that she had to show me. So...we went back to my house and my Mom had just gotten home. We helped her unload groceries and then I told her we had to show her something. We showed her the exact same thing that I had seen for the first time, less than an hour ago. I asked her if that was you and she told me yes. I asked her some basic questions, which she answered to the best of her ability. Then..she showed me the note you wrote to her and my Dad after you had had me. Jenni spend the night with me and the next day my Mom was going to the store to get some clay. She was an artist. Anyway, Jenni and I were in the kitchen when I felt a strange feeling pass over me. I knew something had happened to Mom. Jenni tried to assure me that Mom was okay, but I knew. 3 hours after she left a policeman showed up at the house and said that Mom had been in an accident. I knew it wasn't good. He claimed not to know anything, but I could tell something was horribly wrong. As soon as I saw the doctor, I knew she was gone. When Mom regained consciousness for just a few seconds in the trauma room, they said she told me she would always look over me. She told me to find you." Madison says. She looks up at Julianna. They both have tears in their eyes. Madison smiles. "And now..I'm here. I don't think so much has ever happened in a one week period my whole life, until this week." Madison says. Julianna smiles and wipes a tear that had run down her own cheek.
"I'm glad you're here." Julianna whispers. Madison nods.
"Me too." She says and they smile and hug. "I've got a question." Madison says when she pulls away.
"What's that?" Julianna asks.
"Jenni looked you up on the internet that night she saw your show. She said that you had a boyfriend, Rob or Ron or something?" Madison asks. Julianna smiles.
"Had would be the correct word." Julianna says. She looks back up at Madison. "Uh..basically, Ron left me for another woman, I guess." She says, her brow furrowing. "We dated for about...5 years. We were fairly serious, talking about marriage and babies a few times. Things started to go downhill awhile ago. We started to grow apart and we fought a lot. Finally we broke up and I uh, I saw him 2 days after we broke up, kissing another woman. So I can assume that he left me for her. That was two weeks ago." Julianna says, smiling weakly.
"I'm sorry." Madison says, patting Julianna's hand. She smiles wider.
"Hey...no. I didn't love him anymore. I fell out of love with him, but I guess it just hurts, ya know?" Julianna asks, looking down.
"Yeah. I know. I guess you could say it's happened to me before too." Madison says.
"It has?" Julianna asks, looking up at her.
"Well..There was this guy, Nathan. I liked him a lot and we were really close our freshman year and into our sophomore year of high school. I mean..I know I am only 16, but I think it was something close to love, ya know?" Madison asks. Julianna nods, urging her to continue. "Well...I'm not exactly the most popular girl at my school. He tried out for football and he made it, so he started to hang out with the popular crowd. They convinced him to break up with me, and he did. Then I saw him with one of the cheerleaders. To say the least, I gave him a piece of my mind." Madison says. Julianna giggles slightly.
"Good for you." She says.
"Yeah. It was fun." Madison says, beginning to giggle herself.
"I wish I had your courage." Julianna says. Madison smiles.
"Well..I'm sure I got it from someone." Madison says.
"Probably Cathy." Julianna says. Madison nods.
"Yeah. You know...I don't blame you for giving me up." Madison looks up into Julianna's eyes. "I know that I don't really know why you gave me up, but if it is because you didn't think you could give me what I needed, I am glad you gave me to Cathy and Robert. I don't remember Robert much but...Cathy was the best person I could have ever asked to raise me." Madison says. She smiles.
"Would you like to know about why I gave you up?" Julianna asks.
"If you want to tell me." Madison replies.
"I want you to know." Julianna says. She sighs softly and continues. "When I was 16, I wasn't the most popular girl either." Julianna says. Madison nods. "But this guy, Brian, asked me out. He was one of the most popular seniors. I was only beginning my junior year. I went to a party with him and everyone acted so nice to me; I was so excited. Since I was a fairly 'good girl', I didn't want to drink anything. So I had Sprite. The thing I did wrong was let Brian get my drink for me. I eventually found out that he had put something in my drink, causing me to get extremely drunk. The rest is still, to this day, hazy. All I remember is he began to kiss me and everything. I knew what was happening, but since I was drunk, I couldn't think straight. I let everything happen. Technically, it wasn't rape since I went along with it, but if I hadn't been drunk, I wouldn't have ever let it happen. Well, I eventually passed out and woke up later upstairs in a bed, half naked. I went downstairs and he was gone. A girl that was leaving was kind enough to take me home. Soon afterwards, I found out I was pregnant. I didn't tell anyone for about 3 months, until I started to show. I told my parents and they let me quit school until you were born. My mom home-schooled me so that way when I went back to school, I would still be caught up. I finally told Brian and he didn't want anything to do with either of us, so I decided to give you up for adoption. During my 8th month I met your parents and I knew then that they were the ones I would want to have my baby. Even though I was only 17, I knew what you needed and I knew that I would never be able to provide it for you then. So on June 10th, two days after my own birthday, you were born. It was so amazing. I held you for about an hour before I let them take you away. I wanted to keep you so bad but I knew I couldn't. I moved in with my father so I could go to a different high school and ended up going to a good college to study art history. I began to take theatre as a side course but I fell in love with it. I never intended to become an actress but when I was asked to play in a movie, I was delighted. I loved acting and the only reason I didn't want to take the job was because I knew when you're a celebrity you don't have much of a private life and I wasn't sure if I wanted my secret to become known by everyone. It wasn't that I was ashamed of having you, I just didn't want everyone to know that I couldn't keep my baby. If you know anything about paparazzi, then you know I would never be able to live that down." Julianna says. Madison nods.
"I know. So...have you talked to Brian at all?" Madison asks. Julianna shakes her head.
"No. About....two years after you were born, he was shot by his drunk uncle and died. He uh, he had a pretty screwed up family." Julianna says. Madison nods.
"I'll say." Madison says.
"You know what? I never told Ron about you. We dated for five years and I never told him. The only people who ever knew were my family. Then yesterday I also told George, because he was here when I got the call." Julianna says.
"George?" Madison asks.
"Clooney." Julianna replies. Madison's mouth drops open.
"You're friends with George Clooney?" She asks. Julianna laughs.
"I work with him. On ER. He's my best friend." Julianna says, smiling.
"Oh my God! I didn't know that!" Madison says. Julianna laughs. "Wow. This is going to be so strange." Madison says. Julianna smiles.
"What do you want to do?" Julianna asks.
"About what?" Madison asks.
"About this situation. Are you going to stay here...or what?" Julianna asks.
"I want to stay with you, if it's okay with you." Madison says. Julianna smiles brightly.
"It is definitely okay with me." Julianna says.
"Okay....but under one condition." Madison says.
"What's that?" Julianna asks.
"Can Jenni come visit sometimes?" She asks.
"Of course. Anyone you want to come visit, can." Julianna says.
"Thank you!" Madison says, hugging Julianna. "She's the only friend I had back in Ohio. I didn't have anyone else there besides Mom. She had no other family." Madison says.
"Well, you're welcome." Julianna says.
"Just a question..do you have the internet?" Madison asks.
"Yeah, I don't really know how to use it though." Julianna says, a small smile fluttering across her face.
"Would I be allowed to use it? That way I wouldn't have to call Jen all the time. I could e-mail her or instant message her, if that's okay with you?" Madison says.
"That's fine. Maybe you could even show me how you use my e-mail." Julianna says, giggling.
"Of course." Madison says. Julianna smiles.
"I think I could really get used to having you around." Julianna says.
"Me too." Madison says, smiling back. They hug again, tightly, happy to have finally found each other.
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"Would you like to see the room I picked out for you?" Julianna asks.
"Sure. That'd be great." Madison says. Julianna nods and heads up the stairs, Madison following her.
"I'll show you your room, and then give you a tour of the rest of the house." Julianna says.
"Okay." Madison says, looking around, taking in her surroundings. Julianna opens a door.
"Is this one okay? If not, I've got another one I can show you." Julianna says. Madison walks into the big, spacious room. She sees the huge window seat and she smiles.
"I love it! Oh my gosh, it's great!" Madison says. Julianna nods and smiles delightedly, happy she likes it.
"You can do whatever you want with it. We'll have to go shopping. We can also get you a bunch of new clothes and stuff, if you want. I can't wait to spend money on you!" Julianna says, laughing.
"You don't have to do that." Madison says.
"Oh, just let me. I haven't gotten to buy you anything your whole life." Julianna says. Madison shrugs.
"Well...if you want to spend money on me, then I can't argue." Madison says, giggling. Julianna laughs. Madison walks over and gives her another hug. "Thank you." She says.
"No problem. Wanna see the rest of the house?" Julianna asks.
"Sure." Madison says and they walk out.
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"You still have to meet the rest of the family and all my friends." Julianna says. Madison laughs.
"Want to show me off, huh?" Madison asks. Julianna nods.
"Well...I want my family to see you, because, well....they're my family. Also, my Mom is the one who told me to put you up for adoption, because I wouldn't be able to handle it. I just want to show her that I did make a good choice. I dunno. It's complicated. I mean I love my Mom dearly, but ever since she found out I was pregnant, she urged me to give you up, from the very start. I knew it was the right thing to do, but I thought it through and finally decided it would be what was best. But ever since then, I've always had a small piece of anger kept inside because of the way she just threw out the idea of keeping you as quickly as it came. I don't know how to explain it. I just want to show her what she was trying to make me give up, and why I couldn't do it as easily as she could." Julianna says. Madison smiles.
"What about your Dad?" Madison asks.
"My Dad told me that I should do what I thought was best and that he would support me either way. My Dad is great like that. My Mom's not."
"Believe me. Don't hold that anger in your heart. Mom's death was so sudden for me. If we hadn't been on good terms when she died, I wouldn't have ever forgiven myself for being angry with her. It's not worth it." Madison says. Julianna smiles.
"How'd you get so smart?" She asks.
"Good genes, I guess. And a wonderful woman to raise me." Madison says. Julianna smiles.
"All my life, I've wondered if I made the right decision giving you to Cathy and Robert. When I met them, I knew they would take care of you, but I always wondered if they were the best choice. Now I know I was right. And I am glad." Julianna says. Madison smiles.
"Me too." She says.
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Later that night, Madison had just went upstairs to her room to go to bed. She had been exhausted so she went to bed a little earlier than usual. Julianna decided to call her own parents.
"Hello?" Her mother, Francesca, asks through the phone.
"Hey Mom." Julianna says.
"Julianna, dear, it's been awhile." Francesca says.
"Yeah, it has been Mom." Julianna says. They talk for a few minutes, Julianna getting more nervous the longer she holds out.
"I can tell there's something you're not telling me. What is it?" Her mother asks, sensing the tension from the other line. Julianna sighs, but smiles.
"I've found her." She whispers. Her mother pauses.
"Found who?" Francesca asks.
"My baby." Julianna says. Her mother is silent. "I got a call yesterday from Greg Reed, from Children and Family services. Cathy James died in a car crash. Madison had said she wanted to meet me, and in Cathy's will she gave me custody if I wanted it. Mr. Reed brought Madison to Los Angeles this afternoon. She wants to stay and I want to keep her, Mom. I'm getting custody of my little girl." Julianna says. She has tears rolling down her cheeks, but she is smiling. Her mother is silent for a few seconds.
"That's great Julianna." Francesca says.
"Mom, I know that you didn't want me to keep her when I was 17, but...she's my baby. I am 33 years old, Mom. I am old enough to take care of her now. And I will." Julianna says.
"Jules....really, that is great. I am happy for you." Francesca says.
"God, Mom. You should meet her. She is so amazing. She's almost an exact replica of me. She looks just like me and we do so much the same. She's funny..and so smart, Mom. She's fantastic." Julianna raves, her whole face happy and smiling.
"I can't wait to meet her. Have you told your father yet?" Francesca asks.
"No. I was going to call him next. And then Alex and Rach. But first, Mom. Would you be able to come out here tomorrow?" Julianna asks.
"I am not sure. I'd have to ask Rick if he will be able to get off. If he can, we'll be there. I'm sure he'll be able to get off though." Francesca says.
"Well.....you ask him and I'll call later tonight after I talk to Dad, Rach, and Alex. Is that okay?" Julianna asks.
"Sure, that's fine. I love you dear." Francesca says.
"I love you too Mom. Tell Rick I said hello. Bye Mom."
"Bye Julianna." She says and they hang up. Julianna smiles and dials her father's number.
"Hello?" He asks.
"Hi Daddy." She says.
"Jules. How's my baby girl doing?" He asks. She smiles. Her father had always called her his baby girl. After all, she was his youngest.
"I'm doing just fine, Dad. Actually I am doing more than fine. I'm fantastic." Julianna says.
"That's wonderful. What's the occasion?" Paul Margulies asks.
"I've found her, Dad." Julianna says.
"Found who?" He asks, slightly confused.
"Madison." She says. He is silent for a few seconds before he speaks.
"Baby, that's great. I am so thrilled for you. When do I get to meet her?" He asks. She can tell he is happy, truly happy for her, unlike her mother. She smiles.
"Well....Mom and Rick might be coming tomorrow night. If you can't make it then, I understand and we can arrange for a later date. I'm gonna call Alex and Rach and see if they can come then too." Julianna says.
"Well..no matter if you're mother will be there, I'm going to come meet my granddaughter." Her father says.
"I'm so glad, Daddy." She says. He chuckles.
"I'll call you sometime tomorrow to let you know when I will be there. I'll be there, somehow. But for now, tell me about her." He says.
"She is so amazing, Daddy. She's like a younger me. She looks just like me. Earlier, we were drinking some pop, Diet Pepsi--both of our favorites, and we both wiped off the top of the can the same way. You know how I do it. Well she does it too and we did it at the same time. It was funny." Julianna says. He chuckles.
"You always were particular about the germs on those things." He says. She giggles but becomes serious.
"Robert James died when she was only three. I told you that right? Well..4 days ago, Cathy James died in a car accident also. Madison had said something about wanting to meet me and Cathy's will gave me custody. Madison and I had a good conversation about it, and we both decided to have her come live with me." Julianna says.
"That's sad about her adopted parents, but I am glad you've found her." Paul says. She smiles.
"I'm glad you think so. Mom wasn't too thrilled about it." She says.
"I doubt she would be. But I'm sure once she gets to know her, she'll fall in love with her." Paul says. She nods.
"Thank you, Daddy. For being so understanding." She says. He smiles.
"You're welcome. Now call your sisters and see if they can get themselves down to meet their niece."
"Okay. I love you, Dad." She says.
"I love you too, baby." He says.
"Bye." She says.
"Bye." Paul replies and they hang up. Julianna dials Rachel's number.
"Hello?" Rachel asks through the phone.
"Hey sis." Julianna says.
"Hey Jules. Owen, stop that!" Julianna hears Rachel tell her younger son. Julianna giggles.
"Children problems?" She asks.
"I am too old to have a three year old." Rachel says. Julianna laughs.
"You're only 38." She says.
"That's damn old." She says. Julianna giggles.
"Well...do you think you could bring the rugrats and Jeff out tomorrow night?" Julianna asks.
"Tomorrow night? You expect me to get a three year old and a 13 year old on a plane?" Rachel asks.
"Yes." Julianna says.
"Fine, fine. What's the occasion?" Rachel asks.
"I want you to meet someone." Julianna says.
"What? You get a new boyfriend already?" Rachel asks. Julianna laughs.
"No, no one like that." She says.
"Then who?" Rachel asks.
"My daughter." Julianna says.
"What?" Rachel asks.
"Madison." Julianna says.
"She's there?" Rachel asks, her voice disbelieving.
"Yes. Her mother died 4 days ago and she came out here. I'm keeping her." Julianna says.
"Jules..that's..great. Wow. I never thought.." She says.
"I know..me neither. But...I already called Daddy and he's coming. Mom said she'll try and get there, it depends on Rick. She's almost sure Rick can get off though. Next, I'm going to call Alex and ask her." Julianna says.
"I'll get us there if it kills me." Rachel says.
"Thanks. Hell might break loose since Mom and Dad will both be here." Julianna says.
"We'll just have to cover the children's ears." Rachel jokes. Julianna laughs.
"Alright. Well, I've gotta call Alex now. See you later." Julianna says.
"Bye." They hang up. Julianna sighs and thinks of Madison upstairs. She smiles and dials Alexandra's number.
"Hello?" She hears her brother-in-law ask.
"Hey David, is Alex there?" Julianna asks.
"Hey Jules. Yeah, she's upstairs putting Zoe down. I'll go tell her you're on." He replies.
"Thanks." She says. A few minutes later Alexandra picks up. She is only a year older then Julianna and had been one of Julianna's best friends their whole lives.
"Hey Jules." Alex says.
"Hi Alex." Julianna says.
"What's up?" Alex asks.
"You'll never believe what's up." Julianna says.
"What?" Alex says, becoming more alert.
"I've got her back." Julianna says, excitedly.
"Oh God. Madison?" Alex replies, immediately knowing who Julianna was speaking of.
"Yes!" Julianna says and her face lights up. Alex squeals.
"Oh God! That's great, Jules! Why do you have her?" Alex asks.
"Well...Cathy James died in a car accident and she gave me custody of Madison if I wanted it. I know that's awful, but Madison and I decided to have her live with me." Julianna says. Alexandra had been the only one who had wanted Julianna to keep her baby. She had been pretty young herself, and she had been the only one Julianna could turn to in that time her in life.
"She's there with you, right now?" Alex asks.
"Yes. She's upstairs in bed, though. She was exhausted so she decided to hit the sack a little early." Julianna says.
"How long has she been there?"
"Since a little before 4 o'clock. Alex, you have to come out tomorrow night. Mom and Rick are most likely coming. Dad and Rach and her family are coming. You have to meet her." Julianna says.
"I'll be there. I don't know how I'll get Zoe here, but we'll be there. No doubt about it." Alex says.
"You'll love her." Julianna says.
"I'm sure I will. Oh man, I cannot wait. I am so happy for you!" Alex says.
"She's so great. We are already like best friends. Tomorrow I am going to take her shopping and we're going to get her bedroom re-done and everything. Then I'll have her meet you guys and then sometime soon I'll take her to work to meet everyone." Julianna says excitedly.
"That's so amazing. I can't wait!" Alex says. "What are you going to do about the press and paparazzi and all that?" Alex asks.
"Well....I don't really care what they say. I'm sure it'll be talked about. I'm going to warn Madison of everything that could happen and we'll see. But I'm not going to let them ruin this for me. I've finally got her after all these years, Al." Julianna says.
"Jule, that is so great. I wish you good luck with all of it!" Alex says.
"Thanks sis. Well, it's getting pretty late and I still have to call Mom and see if she can make it, because I told her I would call her back. I better go." Julianna says.
"Alright. I'll call you tomorrow and leave a message on answering machine if I can't reach you on your cell phone. Is that okay?" Alex says.
"That's fine! I better go now." Julianna says.
"Bye Jules."
"Bye Alex." Julianna says and hangs up. She calls her mother again.
"Hello?"
"Hi Mom."
"Did you call everyone?" Her mother asks.
"Yeah. They're all coming. Dad included. Can you make it?" Julianna asks.
"Yes. Rick and I already called the airport and got tickets. We'll be there around 6:30 tomorrow night. Is that okay?"
"That's fine Mom. I've gotta go to bed now. I've got a big day ahead of me tomorrow." Julianna says.
"Okay dear. Goodbye." Her mother says.
"Bye Mom." She says and they hang up. Julianna smiles happily and she walks slowly up the stairs. She peeks her head into Madison's room, to find the 16 year old girl, sleeping, facing the door. Julianna smiles again and closes the door gently behind her, making her way towards her own room.
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The next morning, Julianna walks into Madison's room after taking her shower. She finds Madison lying on her bed awake.
"Hey." Julianna says. Madison smiles at her.
"Hi." She replies.
"You been awake long?" Julianna asks.
"Nope. I've got a question." Madison says.
"Yeah, what's that?" Julianna asks.
"Shouldn't you be at work?" Madison asks. Julianna smiles.
"I took 3 days off." Julianna says. Madison nods.
"I've got another question." Madison says.
"Shoot." Julianna says.
"Where am I going to go to school?" Madison asks. Julianna smiles.
"I was going to enroll you in Westwood High. It's not very far from here and I figured you could drive there." Julianna says. Madison nods.
"Okay. That sounds fine." She says. Julianna nods.
"Good. So..you ready to go shopping?" Julianna asks.
"Now?" Madison asks, smiling.
"As soon as you're ready we can go. Do you have any ideas of what you want to do?" Julianna asks.
"Well....I was thinking something orange. I love that color. Maybe a little red." Madison says. Julianna smiles.
"Sounds great. Do you want new carpet or paint?" Julianna asks.
"No, the cream carpet and white walls are fine. I like them this way." She says. Julianna nods.
"Alright. Then we just need bed stuff and accessories. And clothes!" Julianna says.
"I've got clothes. I don't need more." Madison says.
"Too bad. Now go get in the shower." Julianna says. Madison smiles and swings her legs over the bed.
"Yes, ma'am." She says, grinning. Julianna laughs and they head to the bathroom.
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Julianna gets into her car. Madison is already in the passenger's seat, buckling her seatbelt. Julianna starts the car, pulling out of the driveway and onto the road.
"Mad, there was something I wanted to talk to you about." Julianna says.
"Okay, I'm listenin'." Madison says, looking out the window.
"Well..you obviously already know I am on one of the highest rated drama series' and that I'm an actress and am pretty well known, etc, etc. I just want to warn you that while we're shopping we may see some other celebrities. Also..there will probably be cameras. They might become a little bit curious as to why I have a 16 year old, look-a-like shopping with me. We might get our pictures taken. If you don't want to have your picture taken and don't want to be talked about, we can fix that. We can just disguise ourselves." Julianna says. Madison smiles.
"You don't think that I've thought about all that? I know that people are going to wonder where the heck I came from. There will be some rumors around. But...I don't care. My whole point in finding you, was to find my mother, no matter who she was. I've found you and to my great surprise, you're famous. I don't care if people talk about me in magazines as long as it doesn't bother you. They can make up lies but as long as I knew the truth, it won't matter to me. You told me the whole truth right?" Madison asks, looking at Julianna. Julianna glances at her and nods. "So I've got nothing to worry about. So what?..I may have some pictures in some magazines, but as long as it doesn't bother me...or you..it doesn't really matter to me." Madison says. Julianna smiles.
"You're too smart for your own good." Julianna says. Madison smiles.
"I know." She says. "So when do I get to meet everyone?" Madison asks.
"Well...you're going to meet my parents, my stepfather, my sisters, and your cousins tonight. Tomorrow, since I still have the day off, I'm going to take you to meet everyone at work without having to stop to work. Then on Monday, we'll get you started at school. I'll get back to work on Saturday and you can stay home, if that's okay with you? I'll go back for the day and then I've got Sunday off. We'll drive around, get you used to the place. Is that all okay with you?" Julianna asks. Madison smiles.
"Sure it is. But remember, you're the adult, you can make me do things." Madison teases. Julianna smiles.
"Yeah..but I also want your opinion. You're not a little girl, Madison." Julianna says. Madison nods.
"I know." She says, smiling.
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Julianna and Madison walk into the house around 4 o'clock that afternoon with armloads of bags. The phone is ringing.
"Ahhh." Julianna says, rushing into the house. She untangles herself from the bags and dashes into the kitchen, picking up the phone on the 4th ring.
"Hello?" She asks, breathless.
"Hey Sis. Why the rush?" Alex asks. Julianna smiles.
"Hmm..maybe because I had to run into the house with a big load of bags and had to run to get to the phone in time." Julianna says.
"Spent all your money already, huh?" Alex teases. Julianna laughs.
"I'm sure there's some to spare. Even if it's only enough to get by a week." Julianna says. Madison smiles and walks to the refrigerator. She gets out the orange juice, then mouths the word cups to Julianna, who points to a cupboard. Madison gets herself a cup down and motions towards Julianna. She shakes her head. Madison shrugs and pours herself a glass. She puts the orange juice back into the fridge and sits on a stool across from Julianna as she sips from her cup and listens to Julianna's end of the conversation. When she hangs up, Madison asks the question she had been wondering.
"Who was that?"
"That was my sister Alexandra. You'll like her. She's only a year older than me and she was my best friend growing up. Now my other sister, Rachel, she's a little bit more like my Mom. She's 5 years older then me, so I wasn't as close to her growing up. Actually, Alex and I pestered her all the time . You'll also like my Dad. He's a great guy. My Mom might take some time to get used to. You'll like both of my brother-in-laws." Julianna says.
"What about my cousins? How old are they and what are their names?" Madison asks.
"Well...Rachel has a 13 year old son, Jack and a 3 year old son, Owen. Alexandra has an 8 month old daughter, Zoe."
"Any of them I should take precautions around?" Madison asks, raising her eyebrows.
"Owen is a little hellion, but he's adorable. Zoe is a real character. She's so cute. Jack..he's at the stage where you really don't want anything to do with your family and he practically despises his little brother. Since he was an only child for 10 years, he got spoiled. Then his brother came along and he wasn't the center of Rachel and Jeff's lives anymore and he hates it." Julianna says. Madison nods.
"Typical." She says. Julianna nods. "So, what's Alex's husband's name?" Madison asks.
"David. He's great. He's like the brother I never had." Julianna says. Madison nods.
"Alright, I think I've got it down." Madison says. Julianna nods.
"Yeah. So...ready to start on your room? They aren't coming for about an hour and a half. I was going to cook dinner when they got here." Julianna says.
"Sure!" Madison says enthusiastically.
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"I love my room. Thanks!" Madison says, looking at her newly orange room, decorated with red pillows and curtains. Julianna smiles.
"It's sassy. I like it." She says. Madison smiles.
"It's a complete change from the rest of the house." Madison says. Julianna nods.
"Yeah, but I just wanted to give you a room to yourself, let you personalize it. Since my parents were divorced, we always had small rooms that we had to share. Alex and I didn't mind, but we always wanted a space of our own, I think." Julianna says. Madison nods.
"Yeah." Madison says, viewing her room.
"Hey. You alright?" Julianna asks. Madison nods, turning towards her, tears building up in her eyes.
"Yeah..I just miss her, ya know?" Madison asks. Julianna smiles sadly and nods, motioning for Madison to come to her.
"I know." She says, hugging Madison.
"I mean..you're great. Really you are. And no matter how long I'll know you and how much I grow to love you....Mom will always be my Mommy. The one that I grew up with. I will never forget her." Madison says. Julianna rubs her back.
"I hope you never do." Julianna says. Madison nods and leans back, wiping her eyes.
"I'm okay." She says, smiling.
"You sure?" Julianna asks.
"Positive." She says. Julianna smiles slightly.
"Alright." She looks over at the alarm clock they just bought for Madison. "Looks like it's about time for them to get here. How about we go downstairs?" Julianna suggests.
"Alright. I just need to go to the restroom first." Madison says.
"Alright, I'll be downstairs." Julianna goes downstairs and she hears the bathroom door shut behind her. As she reaches the bottom of the stairs, the doorbell rings. Julianna goes down into the foyer, opening the door.
"Hey Daddy!" Julianna says when she sees Paul Margulies standing behind the door. He smiles and hugs her.
"How's my girl?" He asks her.
"I'm fine." Julianna says with a smile.
"Where's my granddaughter?" He asks.
"She using the restroom right now." Julianna says.
"Julianna? Where are you?" She hears Madison call. Julianna smiles and he smiles back, a twinkle in his eye.
"Be right there." Julianna calls back, pulling her father into the house. She walks into the living room where she finds Madison standing, waiting for her. Madison's posture straightens when she sees the man beside Julianna.
"Madison, this is my Dad, Paul. Dad, this is Madison." Julianna says, introducing them. He looks between Madison and Julianna.
"You two are identical. I can't even tell you apart." He says. Madison smiles politely and Julianna shakes her head. Paul walks towards Madison. He shakes his head. "That's amazing." He says. He then hugs the younger girl. She smiles at him, seemingly liking him.
"How are you?" She asks. He chuckles.
"And polite. Someone raised you well." He says. She smiles softly and nods.
"Yeah, she did." Madison replies. He smiles, looking at her and Julianna.
"I'm fine. And I'd say you did a pretty good job, looks-wise." He says to his daughter. She laughs.
"Actually Dad, I'd say you did. If she looks just like me!" Julianna says. He chuckles.
"Yes. I suppose so." He says. The doorbell rings.
"Excuse me." She says and turns to walk towards the foyer. She opens the door and sees Alex. Behind her is David, holding Zoe.
"Hi!" Alex says, hugging her sister tightly. Julianna smiles.
"Hey there. Hi David. Hi Zoe." Julianna says, smiling at the little girl. She smiles back, a tooth showing. Julianna laughs.
"So...where is she?" Alex asks excitedly. Julianna laughs.
"C'mon. Dad's here." She says.
"Okay." Alex says. She leads the three of them into the living room. Alex's mouth drops open.
"My God, she's your duplicate." Alex says. Julianna laughs again and Alex rushes over to the young girl, enveloping her into a huge hug.
"I'm Alex." She says.
"Hello." Madison says. Alex squeals.
"She even sounds like you!" Alex says. Madison can't help but smile.
"Introduce her." Julianna scolds. Alex grins looking over her shoulder at her sister.
"Gimme a minute to gawk." She says and turns back to Madison, holding her an arm's length away. She shakes her head.
"One of these days, I'm going to have to take you and your mother out and we can go shopping or something." Alex says.
"I've done enough shopping today to last me a lifetime." Madison jokes. Julianna giggles.
"I'm going to have to get a new credit card." She teases. Madison shrugs.
"It was your idea!" She replies. Julianna shrugs.
"So..I went overboard, but it was fun." Julianna says. Madison nods.
"Yeah. It was." She says, smiling.
"Okay...now introduce them." Julianna says to her sister. Alex laughs and walks over to David.
"This is my husband David and our daughter, Zoe." Alex says.
"Nice to meet you." Madison says. David nods.
"Yes it is." He says, smiling.
"Isn't she polite?" Paul asks. Alex giggles.
"Hi Daddy." She says. He smiles.
"Hey Pumpkin'." He says. She gives him a hug. "Let me see the little rugrat." Paul says, motioning towards Zoe. Alex takes Zoe from David and hands her to her father. The little baby immediately smiles and reaches for his nose. He chuckles and makes a face at her as the doorbell rings.
"Oh. Be right back." Julianna says.
"I'll get it. You stay." Alex says, walking towards the door. Julianna stops and turns back to her family in the living room. A few minutes later a little brunette boy comes running through the room.
"Aunt Jool!" Owen calls out. She giggles and crouches down.
"Oh-ee!" She says. He grins and jumps into her arms, almost knocking her over. She laughs, hugging him tightly as she stands up. He wraps his little legs around her as another older boy walks through the room, followed by a woman and a man. Alex follows them all.
"Hey." Julianna greets them. They smile.
"Madison, this is your little cousin, Owen." Julianna says. Madison grins at him.
"Hey there buddy." She says. He smiles at her.
"Hi Madson." He says. She laughs.
"How are you?" She asks.
"Good." He says and wiggles until Julianna puts him down. He runs over to his grandfather who is still holding Zoe. He begins to play with the baby, becoming interested in her. Julianna smiles and looks up.
"Rachel, Jeff, this is Madison." Julianna says.
"Hello." Jeff replies. Madison nods.
"Hi Madison." Rachel says, smiling. She smiles.
"Hello." She replies. Rachel shakes her head.
"If I couldn't tell you were in your thirties, I'd never been able to tell you apart." Rachel says. Julianna giggles.
"Maybe we'll paint one of our faces green so they can tell us apart." Julianna says.
"Or how about orange?" Madison suggests. Julianna rolls her eyes.
"Oh, that's right. Orange." She says. Madison smiles and Julianna shakes her head. She looks over at the 13 year old who is sitting on the couch beside his uncle. "Madison, this is your cousin Jack." Julianna says.
"Hi." Madison replies cheerfully. He shrugs.
"Hello." He mutters. She looks at Julianna, raising an eyebrow. She decides immediately that she is going to have to work some of her charm to win him over. Julianna shrugs her shoulder and smiles as the doorbell rings.
"Uh-oh." Paul mutters.
"Dad, be good." Alex warns playfully. He smiles.
"Don't worry about me. Worry about your mother." He says. The three girls roll their eyes.
"I'll go get it." Rachel says, heading towards the door. Julianna looks at Madison.
"And now for the real test." She says. Madison lets out a giggle, not used to having such a big family, although she is delighted by them. A few seconds later, Francesca and Rick walk into the room.
"Hey Mom." Julianna says. Francesca looks around the room, ignoring Paul.
"Hello dear." She says.
"Mom, this is Madison. Madison, this is my mother, Francesca and my step-father, Rick."
"My goodness.." She starts to continue.
"We look identical. She's my replica. Been there, done that." Julianna says. Francesca gives her a disapproving look. Julianna holds in a laugh. Madison smiles.
"How are you?" Madison asks, directing the attention back to Francesca.
"I'm fine, thank you." She shakes her head and walks over to the girl. "It's simply amazing." She says. Madison smiles shyly. Francesca hugs her. She steps back.
"It's nice to meet you." She says. Francesca shakes her head once again and smiles at Julianna.
"She's so polite." She says and turns back to the girl. Madison blushes just slightly and smiles.
"Thank you." She says quietly. Francesca turns around and looks at the rest of her family. Rick gives Madison a quick smile and a hug before stepping back. Francesca picks up her granddaughter out of Paul's lap and she smiles.
"Hey Zoey." Francesca says. The little girl giggles and reaches her little chubby hand out, pulling on Francesca's necklace. "No, no." Francesca says, pulling her hand away and kissing it. Owen stands up from his grandfather's lap, now disinterested since his cousin is gone. He walks over to Madison and tugs on her pant leg. She crouches down and looks at him.
"Hey there." She says. He smiles.
"Want to play a game?" He asks. She smiles.
"Like what?" She asks him. He shrugs his shoulder.
"Ducked, ducked, goose?" He suggests, messing up the words in his three-year-old language. She laughs.
"I don't think we've got enough kids to play that game. What else?" She asks.
"I brought crans. We can color." He says in more little kid talk. She smiles.
"I'd love to color with you, Owen." She says. He smiles.
"You will?" He asks, his whole face lighting up. He wasn't used to other kids playing with him. She nods.
"I will." She says.
"He doesn't have many people to color with at home." Rachel says. Madison nods.
"I used to babysit a lot." She says and stands. She looks at Julianna.
"Where do you want us to color?" She asks.
"You can go in the kitchen. We'll be in there shortly to fix dinner." Julianna says. Madison nods and follows Owen to get his crayons. As soon as they are gone, Alex speaks.
"She's great, Jules!" Alex says. Julianna nods.
"I know..I wish I could take the credit." She says. Alex nods.
"When you said she looked like you, I didn't realize she was your twin." Paul says. Julianna shrugs.
"Yeah, I'm going to take her to get her hair colored blonde." She teases.
"Don't you dare mess with those beautiful curls!" Francesca says. Julianna laughs.
"I'm not, Mom." She says. "Alright, so who's gonna help me cook dinner?" Julianna asks.
"I will." Alex volunteers.
"Me too." Rachel replies.
"Don't even ask, dear." Her mother says. Julianna smiles and the four women head to the kitchen.
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"It's time to eat guys. C'mon." Julianna says, coming into the living room and talking to the men. They nod and stand up. Madison, Jack, and Owen are already sitting at the table after Owen's insisting that she sit beside him. Madison and Jack are carrying on a conversation about a shared interest. Julianna was impressed at Madison's ability to bring Jack out of his shell. David sat Zoe in her highchair and took a sit beside her. Alex sat down on the other side of her. Everyone else sat down and Zoe started to fuss.
"She might need changed." David says. Alex sighs and starts to stand but is interrupted as Madison stands.
"I'll do it." She says. Alex raises her eyebrows.
"You'll change her?" She asks.
"Sure. I've babysat a lot of babies. I don't mind. Here, let me have her." Madison says, walking around the table. Alex shrugs and hands Zoe to her. Madison smiles and cradles the baby to her chest.
"C'mon, lil girl. Let's get you a clean diaper." She says, smiling and heading away from the kitchen. They all look after her, eyebrows raised.
"I think I like her." Alex says, smiling. Everyone laughs. A few minutes later Madison returns, handing the baby to Alex.
"She was just a little wet. I've got to wash my hands." She says and heads back out the door. Alex smiles at the baby who smiles back at her.
"Yeah, we like her, don't we. That was nice of her, huh? Getting you all cleaned up. Yeah." Alex says, placing a smiling Zoe back into her highchair. A minute or so later, Madison walks back out, taking a seat in her chair.
"Thanks Madison." Alex says. Madison smiles.
"Not a problem." She replies.
"Babysit, anytime, anywhere." Alex says. Madison smiles.
"Gladly." She says. Alex smiles warmly and they continue eating.
<o-*-o><o-*-o><o-*-o><o-*-o>
"So, what'd you think of them?" Julianna asks later that night in Madison's room. Madison smiles.
"They're great. Owen is absolutely adorable. Zoe is such a good baby. Jack is great when you get him to open up. Alex is a lot like you. I like her. Rachel is nice. I didn't learn much about Jeff. David is funny. I like your Dad. Your Mom is nice and so is Rick, although I didn't learn much about him either." She says. Julianna smiles.
"Yeah...You'll get used to Mom, Rach, and Rick. They'll eventually grow on you. Owen is definitely a hyper child, but he's a wonderful little boy. Jack is a good kid, you just gotta get to know him, which you did easily." She smiles. "Well..I'm glad you like them. I'm sorry if this is all overwhelming for you." Julianna says. Madison shakes her head.
"Maybe it is a little, but it would be to anyone. Besides, I don't mind. It keeps me from thinking of Mom a lot." She says. Julianna smiles.
"Well..if you ever need to talk about it, remember, I'm always here." Julianna says. She nods.
"I know. Thank you." She says.
"No problem. Now get to sleep. Tomorrow after we usher my family away, we can go to the set and meet all my friends and people I work with." Julianna says.
"That'd be great." Madison says. Julianna smiles.
"Goodnight Madison." She says.
"'Night." She replies. Julianna smiles and stands. She walks out the door and closes it behind her. She makes sure her family is settled into her house and she walks up to her room, closing the door and getting into her pajamas before she goes to bed, a satisfied smile on her face.
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"Don't be nervous." Julianna says, climbing out of the car after she pulls into the Warner Bros parking lot. Madison shrugs.
"Sure, right. I'm about to go meet about 50 famous people and you expect me not to be nervous." Madison says.
"They're just normal people when it comes down to it." Julianna reminds her.
"Yeah. I'll just have to keep reminding myself of that." Madison says, smiling. Julianna shakes her head.
"They'll like you. You'll like them. There is nothing to be nervous about." Julianna says. Madison nods.
"I know. Still...." Madison says. Julianna nods.
"I know, I know." She says, rolling her eyes playfully.
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Later after Madison had met everyone, Noah had volunteered to give her a tour of the set. She readily agreed, having taking a liking to him. Julianna let her go and she was now sitting alone with George.
"She's great, Jules." George says, lazily throwing his arm over Julianna's shoulder as they sank back into a couch. She nods, a smile upon her lips.
"Yeah, she is." Julianna says.
"Have you had any problems?" George asks.
"No. Everything's fine. She met my family and we even already went shopping and bought her a bunch of stuff." Julianna says.
"Uh-oh. She met the dreaded family, huh?" George asks, raising his eyebrows. Julianna smirks.
"Yeah. Alex loves her. So does Dad. But Mom and Rachel were a little wary. Especially Mom. It was so funny..right as we sat down to eat, Zoe started to get fussy and Alex went to change her, but Madison stood up and said she would do it. Alex was impressed. She really likes her, already. I think what Madison did, showed Mom what kind of person she was." Julianna pauses, her face growing more serious. "I just wish I could take the credit." Julianna says, with a sigh.
"What do you mean?" George asks.
"I gave birth to her, but someone else raised her. I can't take the credit for how wonderful she is. I can take credit for her looks..the way she talks..or her walk.....all the physical aspects, but everything she ever learned...or knows, is because of someone else. I don't regret giving her up, I know I wouldn't have been able to give her what she needed. I just wish I could have been there...for, for her first steps, her first words, her first smile, her first day of school, her first day of high school, her first period, her first boyfriend, her first break-up, her first heartache....I missed all that." Julianna says. He smiles and turns towards her, looking her in the eyes.
"You will think of all those things you missed, but you'll also get to be there for her wedding, her children, her first day of college, both of her graduations, her first real job, all the rest of her heartaches, and if it so happens, her divorce. You'll be there for the rest of your life, and that's the best you can do for her. I'm sure she understands that you had to do it for her." George says. Julianna nods, turning away from him.
"It's so weird. It doesn't bother me when she calls Cathy her Mom, but it bugs me when she calls me Julianna. Does that seem strange to you? I mean.....I never have called my parents by their first names, although, I've never been adopted before either. It just sounds weird to have my daughter call me Julianna." She says.
"Maybe she'll start calling you Mom one day. You can't just expect her to do it right away, especially since it's not even been a week since her other Cathy died." George says.
"I know." Julianna says quietly. He smiles.
"Things will be okay." He says. She nods.
"I know that too." She says. She smiles up at him. "Thanks George." She says.
"Hey, no problem." He says. She nods.
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