@vera just reminded me that i mentioned this fic i wrote in 2002 in the tags of one of her gifsets last year. and i totally forgot that i found that fic a couple months ago on an old cd-rw, along with a livejournal icon i made of this rarepair couple: dana foster from step by step and kennedy from btvs (in name and face only; she’s not a slayer in this.)
so if you want to read a ~4k word exploration of dana coming out to her family after she meets a new girl at school (which may or may not have also been me trying to manifest a similar conversation with my family...), then read on! and be gentle, this was written by a 15 year-old lol
She's A Wonderful Girl
“Hey, Dana. Meeting still at your house tonight?” Melissa asked on the way to class.
Their conversation piqued the interest of a young girl walking down the hall. Kennedy was new to the area, having moved there for college. She was worried about not fitting in and making friends, but she had to try. And this girl seemed like just the place to start. Judging by their conversation, there was a chance that the two women were gay, if Kennedy was lucky. And they didn’t seem to be together.
“You bet! I can’t wait to hear the opinions of all the smart women in our community. And I’ve made sure that all the men of the house are gone so it won’t get messed up like last time.” Dana frowned, still slightly mad at Cody for his antics.
“Maybe,” Kennedy thought, “I have a chance with the pretty blonde…”
--*--*--
Kennedy walked up to Dana as they approached the water fountain. “I overheard part of your conversation before. What were you two talking about? It seemed interesting.”
Dana turned to face the attractive brunette. “Oh, I’m having a women’s rights meeting at my house tonight,” Dana answered. “Would you be interested in coming?” she asked excitedly.
Kennedy smiled and nodded her head yes. “Of course. I’d love to come. My name’s Kennedy, by the way. I just moved here from San Francisco,” she extended her hand.
Dana took it in hers and smiled. “I’m Dana.”
They remained smiling at each other until Kennedy broke the silence. “If you need any help setting up or anything, I’d be glad to help.”
“You don’t have to,” Dana said.
“I insist. Plus, I kinda don’t have anything to do, what with no friends yet…” Kennedy admitted.
Dana laughed. “Well, I guess I could put you to work. And you do have a friend. Me.” Kennedy once again smiled, realizing that she had to get to class. The two parted ways after arranging to meet when their classes were over.
--*--*--
“I love your house. It’s so nice,” Kennedy observed, helping Dana set chairs up.
“Well, it’s nice now because no one is home. When everyone’s here, it’s crazy.”
“How many people live here?” Kennedy asked.
“Well, there’s me, my sister Karen, brother Mark, half-sister Lily, step-sister Al, step-brothers Brandon and JT, Mom, Frank, my cousin Cody, and JT’s best friend Rich. So…eleven,” Dana counted.
“Holy crap. That’s a lot of people. Well, if it ever gets really crazy, you can come stay with me in my dorm,” Kennedy offered, testing the waters.
Dana smiled, “Thank you. I might have to take you up on that offer sometime.”
“So, do you do this thing often?” Kennedy asked.
“Well, I try to hold one once a month. Last month’s got messed up, though. Cody decided he wanted to come to the meeting and my so-called feminists jumped all over him. And then he tried to help the situation by recruiting more members by promising them dates with him,” Dana explained.
“You don’t have to worry about that with me,” Kennedy said, looking into Dana’s eyes.
“I don’t have to worry about that with anyone. All the men have left the building.”
“Smart girl,” Kennedy stated, eyes not leaving Dana’s. Dana returned her gaze, getting lost in the depths of Kennedy’s brown eyes. The door bell rang, interrupting the staring contest.
Dana didn’t know what she was thinking. For some reason, she found herself wanting Kennedy to look at her. For some reason, she didn’t want to answer the door. Instead she wanted to remain alone with Kennedy. “What the hell is going on?” Dana asked herself, opening the door.
--*--*--
The meeting had gone pretty well. There were thirteen women in attendance, and fortunately, they were all there for the meeting this time. Everyone had left, leaving Dana and Kennedy alone again. Having cleaned everything up, the two were now in Dana and Karen’s bedroom, sitting on Dana’s bed.
“So…tell me about San Francisco,” Dana requested. Kennedy told stories of her childhood and growing up in California. Dana, in turn, told her own life story. During this time, the two had drifted closer together.
They were practically sitting on top of each other when Dana decided to address their situation. “Uhm…Kennedy, I need to ask you something. I’m kind of feeling something here…” Dana’s voice trailed off.
“That’s more of a statement,” Kennedy said, tentatively resting her hand on Dana’s knee. Dana looked up into her eyes, finishing her train of thought.
“Are you feeling it too?” she asked.
Kennedy slowly moved her mouth closer to Dana’s. Dana closed her eyes, waiting to feel Kennedy’s lips descend upon hers. Their lips met in a soft kiss, effectively answering Dana’s question. They both pulled away after only a few seconds, searching each other’s eyes. This time Dana was the one to lean in for the kiss.
She really didn’t know what she was thinking. She had never considered herself to be a lesbian, but she felt so right with Kennedy. She also wasn’t sure what surprised her more: that she felt this way about a woman or someone she just met. “I guess it doesn’t really matter, though. They say when you find the one, you know,” Dana thought to herself, breaking for air. Her lips quickly found Kennedy’s again.
At that moment, the two heard a voice in the hall. “Dana! Are you home?” Carol yelled. Dana and Kennedy practically jumped off of each other.
“Yeah, mom.”
Her mom opened the door and walked in. “How was the meeting? Oh…who’s this?”
“This is Kennedy. She just moved here from San Francisco. The meeting went fine, by the way,” Dana informed her mom.
“Hi, I’m Carol, Dana’s mom.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Kennedy said.
“Okay, well, I’ll let you girls get back to whatever it is you were talking about,” Carol said as she left the room. As soon as the door was closed, Dana moved back onto the bed. She leaned in to kiss Kennedy, but the other woman moved away.
“As much fun as I was having doing that, I think we should talk,” she explained.
“Okay,” Dana began. “I am feeling very attracted to you right now and I can’t really explain it. I just know that it feels right.” Dana tried to explain it to Kennedy, even though she wasn’t really sure what was going on in her own head.
“I feel the same way. When I heard you talking in the hall before, something just went off in my head. If you don’t think it’s too fast, I was wondering if you wanted to go out sometime,” Kennedy nervously asked.
“As in dating?” Dana wanted to make sure. Kennedy nodded her head. “Well, it is a little early, but I don’t see what waiting is gonna do. My heart is saying yes.”
“Aww…such a romantic,” Kennedy smiled, moving forward to kiss Dana. They were once again interrupted when they heard footsteps outside the door. “You wanna go to my dorm?” Kennedy asked.
“Sure.” They stood up to leave just as Karen entered the room.
“Hey Dana, Dana’s friend,” she greeted.
“This is Kennedy. And this is my sister, Karen. I’ll see ya later, sis,” Dana said.
“Bye,” Kennedy said. The two got into Dana’s car, driving off to the dorms.
--*--*--
“Will your roommate mind?” Dana asked as Kennedy unlocked the door.
“What roommate?” Kennedy mischievously asked as Dana took in the room. Single bed.
“Sweet.”
Locking the door behind her, Kennedy took Dana into her arms. “You’re sweet,” she said, running her hands down Dana’s back. She brought her lips to Dana’s neck, gently sucking the skin into her mouth. Dana maneuvered them so they were sitting on the bed, Kennedy still hungrily sucking on Dana’s skin. Soft sighs were coming from Dana’s mouth as she ran her fingers through Kennedy’s hair.
Kennedy gently pushed Dana’s body down onto her bed. She moved her mouth up to cover Dana’s, trailing her tongue along Dana’s lips. Dana quickly parted her lips, inviting Kennedy inside. Their tongues dueled for a few moments, Kennedy’s hand slowly moving to cup Dana’s breast. Dana froze at this movement.
Moving off of her, Kennedy quickly apologized. “I’m so sorry, Dana. I didn’t mean to…”
“No, it’s fine. I just think we should slow it down a little. At least for now,” Dana took Kennedy’s hand in hers.
“Fine by me. Come here,” Kennedy held her arms open, Dana snuggling into them. They held each other for a long time, almost falling asleep.
Rolling Kennedy over, Dana pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I gotta go.”
Kennedy frowned and sat up. “If you must,” she said, bringing her lips to Dana’s again. Dana parted her lips, pushing her tongue into Kennedy’s mouth. Ten minutes later, Dana left the dorm, heading back to her house.
Al and Cody were watching TV in the living room when Dana came in. “Where’ve you been?” Al asked.
“Out,” Dana answered evasively.
“Dana finally has a life,” Al joked.
“Shut up, you,” Dana started to say, stopping when she noticed Al staring at her. “What?”
“Is that a hickey?” Al got up to look closer at Dana’s neck. Dana’s hand moved up to cover the spot on her neck where Kennedy had branded her.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Dana said, looking at the floor.
“They’re all over your neck,” Al exclaimed after further inspection. Dana hadn’t realized it, but Kennedy had been a tad bit voracious. “Where were you?” Al asked again.
Again, Dana answered, “Out.”
“Did you at least know the guy?”
“There is no guy,” Dana stated.
Al rolled her eyes. “Okay, you get into a fight with a vacuum cleaner?” she asked sarcastically.
“There was no guy, okay?” Dana said before walking up the stairs to her room.
“Methinks the lady doth protest too much,” Cody pondered out loud. Al shrugged her shoulders and went back to watching TV.
--*--*--
A month had gone by, Dana and Kennedy still dating. Dana had spent many nights in Kennedy’s dorm, claiming that she needed to study. The two had progressed to experimental touching, never losing their clothes, though.
Dana had done a lot of thinking during those four weeks, deciding that whether she was gay or not, she loved Kennedy. Maybe that meant she was bi, or maybe she didn’t need a label. Either way, she loved Kennedy and was having a hard time holding back whenever they were near each other.
They found themselves in Dana’s house, once again empty. This was a very rare occasion, so they were making the best of it. Dana knew that the rest of the house’s occupants wouldn’t be back for quite some time, so she led Kennedy up to her bedroom.
Shutting the door behind her, Dana walked Kennedy over to her bed, pressing her lips to Kennedy’s. Dana’s hand reached for the bottom of her shirt, pulling it over her head. Kennedy stared up at Dana, taking in her topless body.
“Are you sure?” Kennedy asked. Dana nodded her head, smiling at Kennedy as she pulled her back down on top of her.
Meanwhile, downstairs, Al had just gotten home from the movies. Realizing that no one was home, Al made her way up the stairs. When she got to the top, she could hear loud moaning coming from Dana and Karen’s room. “No guy, my ass…” she thought to herself, returning to the living room.
“We should probably get dressed now. I don’t know how much longer the house will be empty,” Kennedy stated.
Dana looked up into Kennedy’s eyes. “Unfortunately, you’re right,” Dana agreed. The two gathered their clothing from the floor and headed downstairs.
Al was sitting on the couch reading a book when the happy couple emerged. Looking towards the stairs, she expected to see Dana with some hunky guy. Her jaw hit the floor as she openly stared at the beautiful brunette woman who was walking down the stairs with her sister.
When Dana saw Al staring at them, she cleared her throat self-consciously. “Al. When did you get home?”
Al looked at Dana. “A little while ago.” Al returned to staring back and forth between Dana and Kennedy, taking in their frazzled appearance.
Kennedy looked at the door, straightening her shirt out. “Uhm…I’m gonna go now. Nice meeting you,” she said, quickly opening the door. Dana followed her outside, closing the door.
“Do you think she heard us?” Dana asked.
“Your neighbors probably heard us. Damn, baby…you’re vocal,” Kennedy laughed, opening her car door. Dana blushed, pulling Kennedy in for a hug.
“That was wonderful. I’m writing a thank you note to whoever pierced your tongue,” Dana joked, pulling back and kissing Kennedy’s lips.
“I love you,” Kennedy said after they parted.
“I love you, too, baby.” Dana pulled her in for one final kiss. Kennedy got in her car and pulled out of the driveway, blowing Dana a kiss as she drove away. Walking back inside the house, Dana sighed at having to face Al.
“So…is that book any good?” she asked in a lame attempt at avoiding the topic.
“Not as good as that girl, apparently,” Al looked over to Dana whose face was hidden in her hands.
“So you heard?” Dana asked.
“Well, you weren’t exactly discreet. She must be one hell of a lover.”
“She is,” Dana answered before actually thinking about it. “Sorry. Are you freaked?”
“As much as anyone who hears her sister having sex. But the girl? Not really. Just as long as she makes you happy, which clearly isn’t a problem,” Al said.
Dana once again found herself blushing. “Please don’t tell anyone. Not now, at least,” Dana asked.
“Your secret’s safe with me. Just be careful next time, or more people are gonna start finding out. Half the neighborhood probably already knows as it is,” Al joked.
“You’re never gonna let this go, are you?” Dana asked.
“Nope.”
--*--*--
Three months had gone by now. Dana and Kennedy had been more careful where their intimacy was concerned. They no longer had sex in the Foster-Lambert house. It was too risky, Kennedy proving to be just as loud in bed as Dana. Instead, they spent most of their nights at Kennedy’s dorm. Every time she left the house, Al smirked at her, earning a glare from Dana.
On one of the rare nights Dana spent in her own room, Karen decided she wanted to talk to her sister. “Hey Dana? Can we talk?” Karen asked.
“Sure. What’s on your mind?”
Karen sat up in bed. “You’re spending an awful lot of time with this Kennedy girl. Is there any specific reason?” she asked.
Dana sighed. “Well…I guess you had to find out sometime. Kennedy and I are kinda dating,” she explained, trying to gauge her sister’s reaction.
“Oh. That’s…great…” Karen said with as much enthusiasm as she could muster.
“I understand if you’re uncomfortable with this,” Dana said.
“I don’t want to be uncomfortable.”
“But you are.”
“It’s gonna take some time for me to be alright with this. I’m sorry,” Karen said.
“It’s fine,” Dana said, rolling onto her side and sighing deeply.
--*--*--
The next morning, Kennedy drove over to Dana’s house, picking her up for breakfast. It was relatively early, Dana not expecting anyone else to be up. She invited Kennedy in to her kitchen while she got her shoes on. Ready to go, Dana pulled Kennedy in for a quick kiss, which soon turned more passionate.
The two froze when they heard JT’s voice. “Oh, sorry Barkey. Didn’t know you had a date,” he said, reaching in the refrigerator. JT quickly turned back around when he realized Dana had been kissing a woman. “Oh my god…”
Dana and Kennedy quickly stepped away from each other. Dana turned to face JT.
“Barkey…I knew you were a lesbian!”
“Shut up!” Dana hissed. She did not need her mom overhearing this conversation.
Karen and Al walked down the steps to see what the commotion was. Taking in the grin on JT’s face, Al immediately knew what had happened. “Geez, Dana. Can’t keep your hands off her?” Al asked with a laugh.
A blush began to creep up both girls’ cheeks. “Once again, shut up!”
Karen turned away, claiming she had to use the bathroom. JT just kept staring at Kennedy.
“Okay…we’re going to get breakfast now,” Dana said, taking Kennedy’s hand in hers and pulling her out the door.
JT turned to Al. “This is freaking awesome!” he said before returning his attention to the refrigerator.
Meanwhile, Lily had been sitting on the stairs while all this was taking place. She got up and went to her parents’ room, wanting to ask what that word meant.
--*--*--
Lily opened the door after Frank said she could come in. “Mommy, what’s a lesbinim?” Lily asked, pronouncing the word wrong.
“A lesbinim? Do you mean lesbian?” Carol asked.
“Yeah, that’s it!” Lily said with a smile.
“Why do you want to know that, sweetie?” Carol asked, a little concerned.
“Because Dana’s a lesbinim!” Lily informed her parents.
“What gave you that impression?” Carol asked, now concerned about a different daughter.
“Well, JT came into the kitchen and said, ‘Sorry Barkey, I didn’t know you had a date.’ And then he said, ‘I knew you were a lesbinim!’ What’s a lesbinim?”
Carol stood up, walking to the door. “I’m sure JT was just kidding. You know how he likes to bother Dana.” Carol laughed self-consciously.
“Lily, a lesbian is a girl who loves other girls,” Frank explained.
“Oh, well that makes sense. Dana loves Kennedy,” Lily said very simply.
“What?!” Carol asked.
Lily just rolled her eyes as if to say “Duh!” Carol walked downstairs, encountering Al. “Have you seen Dana?” she asked the young girl.
“Yeah, she went out to breakfast with Kennedy,” Al informed her.
“Al, can I ask you something?”
“Sure. Shoot.”
“Uhm…are Dana and Kennedy… more than just friends?” Carol asked tentatively.
“I don’t know…” Al said, not very convincingly.
“Are you sure you don’t know?” Carol asked more pointedly.
“Look. Even if I do know, it’s not my business to tell. This is something you really should ask Dana,” Al said, walking out the door. Carol sighed.
--*--*--
Walking back up to her bedroom, Carol sighed once again. Was it possible that her little girl really was a lesbian? She opened the door and sat down next to Frank.
“Did you ask Dana?” he asked his wife.
“No. She was out with Kennedy so I asked Al. She told me I’d have to ask Dana, but she pretty much gave the impression that there was something going on,” Carol said, leaning up against the headboard.
“Well, honey…does this really surprise you?” Frank asked.
Carol sat up again. “What do you mean? Of course it surprises me! It doesn’t surprise you?” She looked to Frank to read his expression.
“Well, there’s the whole feminist, woman power thing. And JT always jokes with her about becoming a gym teacher with short hair and tons of cats. Plus, there’s Kennedy,” he summed up.
“I guess it’s not all that shocking. I mean, there have been some signs that I guess I just chose to ignore. And once again, there’s Kennedy. Hell, even Lily could see that one…” Carol was trying to process the information.
“That’s because you’re older and less wise than Lily is. Children have this ability to see the truth. It’s weird. Every time I sneak a piece of cake before you cut it, she knows it was me,” Frank told her.
“I guess I just need to talk to Dana. If Kennedy is her girlfriend, I don’t want her to feel ashamed. I’ll talk to her when she gets back from class,” Carol resolved.
--*--*--
Dana walked into her house, Kennedy in tow, prepared to help her mother with supper. “Hey mom. Do you mind if Kennedy eats supper with us?” Dana asked.
“No problem. We’re having pork chops and mashed potatoes. That okay?”
“That sounds delicious,” Kennedy said, smiling at Mrs. Lambert. Lily came running down the stairs at that moment.
“Hi Kennedy!” she giggled.
“Hey munchkin!” Kennedy reached down and scooped Lily up in her arms, twirling her around. “And how are you today?” she asked.
“Good,” Lily replied as Kennedy put her back on the ground. Lily grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the living room. “You gotta check this out, Kennedy. It’s so cool!” Lily dragged her off to see some cool toy she just got.
Dana smiled at the scene that had just played out. Carol took in Dana’s smile and spoke softly. “She’s a wonderful girl, Dana.” The tone of her voice left little doubt as to what she meant by that.
Dana’s eyes became large, fear striking her insides. She turned to face her mother. “I know,” Carol said, once again in a soft voice, not wanting to scare Dana.
Dana opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She was speechless. She hadn’t exactly planned on when or how she was going to come out to her mom, so she didn’t know what to say.
“Dana, it’s okay. I’m not mad or anything. I just want you to know that I support you no matter what. So don’t be ashamed of her. You obviously love her, and I can tell she loves you and makes you happy. I can see it in your eyes, Dana,” Carol went on while Dana stood there staring at her.
“Uhm…how…?” Dana tried talking.
“Lily told me, as a matter of fact. From the mouths of babes, you know?”
Dana was relieved that Al hadn’t betrayed her trust, at least. She was still a little uneasy about her mom knowing, but that uneasiness was replaced with joy when Kennedy walked back in the room.
“Hey, you,” Dana said, brushing Kennedy’s arm. “You wanna go outside for a minute?”
Kennedy glanced at Dana’s mom self-consciously. “Uh…sure.” The two moved out into the back yard.
“She knows,” Dana said simply, a small smile on her face. Kennedy felt her stomach drop, then noticed Dana’s smile.
“You’re smiling…”
Dana nodded her head, smiling brighter and taking Kennedy’s hand in hers. “She’s completely fine with it.” At that information, Kennedy smiled too. Dana placed a light kiss on her lips before heading back into the kitchen, hand in hand with her girlfriend.
Dana Foster plays Carol Foster Lambert’s oldest child on Step by Step. Dana is a complex character. She is super smart and into her studies and often takes things a bit too far. She often criticizes Frank’s children. She often times fights with her own sister Karen for being boy crazy. The girls got along better as the series went on. Dana and Al always went at it as well and so did Dana and JT. Dana and Cody also had a very interesting relationship. I always thought that Cody had a crush on her, and her drove her up the wall. Deep down she liked him as a friend. She ended up dating JT’s best friend Rich in the later episodes.
