Millie and Juliana had been planning to celebrate New Year's at a bar with some friends, go out drinking, and play it by ear. Ever since the Great Change, all of the former Milton's repressed desires had exploded, creating a very impulsive, very spontaneous and opinionated young woman. Juliana didn't know if she could keep up with her! The nerdy Millie had even recently tried some ecstasy that she bought from a now college aged former student of hers from over a decade ago, and that experience had ended in the two lovebirds having a night of intense lovemaking that would have measured an 8.9 on the Richter scale had anyone cared to listen. Millie had been super excited, practically bouncing off of the walls, ever since, and this was the first New Years she could remember where she was with some special. Millie forlornly thought back to the previous twenty New Years Eves. As Milton, she had always rung in the New Year at home, alone, sadly blowing noisemakers at the TV, or sometimes with Mrs. Sabrina Carter, god bless her heart, or, best case scenario, at some lonely bar where Milton knew nobody and thus felt awkward trying to join someone else's party. He could only watch their happiness, their joy and camaraderie, vicariously. Remembering those years as the "bad times", Millie had been so excited to meet all of Juliana's friends and exes from over the years and starting her life over in earnest. Alas, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry, and Millie and Juliana were no exception to that rule. The day before, Juliana's mother Paloma and father, now going by Natalia, had invited themselves, as well as the entire family, over to the home of their now monogamous lady killer of a former son, now daughter. Of course, Juliana, being a family kid, couldn't say no to her mother.
Millie and Juliana waited for the brood to show up while they sat together on Juliana's comfy couch in the living room. Both ladies were wearing matching strapless black cocktail dresses, although neither were really trying to impress anyone. Millie wore some comfy ballet slippers while her soon to be wedded wife went around barefoot. Millie occasionally drank some preemptive champagne from her wine glass. At 8:00 P.M sharp, the doorbell rang.
"Honey, could you answer the door?" asked Juliana as she kissed her blonde lady love. "I'd like to surprise my folks with you."
Millie smiled.
"Of course, darling" she said as she sauntered over to the door and opened it, first checking through the peephole.
Millie opened the door to find an entire army of gorgeous Latin women waiting. The one at the front was perhaps the most gorgeous of all. Her pin-straight black hair reflected the light from the streetlamp in the most gorgeous way possible. She had curves that just wouldn't quit, and most striking of all, she possessed the face of an angel. Nevertheless, just by her matronly bearings, Millie had guess this was Juliana's mom.
"Are you Paloma?" asked Millie meekly.
"Are you the woman who tamed my former son, the woman my Juliana is going to marry?" she asked back authoritatively.
Millie blushed.
"I am."
"Then from now on, none of this 'Paloma' business. From now on, you call me Mom" said the woman, her lips widening into an expression of pure friendliness. She grabbed Millie with an air of utter authority and gave the blonde bombshell a loving maternal kiss.
"Now everyone, come in. It's freezing out here" she practically ordered.
Paloma invited herself in, followed by Juliana's father, her sisters, brothers, cousins, aunts, uncles, and even the family dog who had survived to the ripe age of twenty, and thanks to the Great Change, could perhaps live for fifteen more.
**
Meanwhile, Shelly and Carrie were in Time's Square in New York City.
"I don't know why you wanted to do this" said Carrie querulously, looking all around her.
"It's freezing, we're packed in by thousands of strangers, there's nowhere to piss or shit, and we're going to be here for a good six-seven hours."
Carrie then saw Shelly's innocent face staring up at all the pomp and circumstance of Time's Square, seemingly amazed at the progress society has made in the ten years she had been gone.
Carrie smiled.
"OK, now I know why you wanted to come here."
Shelly turned around and grinned. Carrie noticed the practically childlike mannerisms that her girlfriend still possessed.
"I've always wanted to be here. I've always wanted to feel like I was part of some huge communal experience. Millions of people, all at once, feeling the same feeling. Because of...because of him, I never got to."
Shelly's story and rescue had made her somewhat of a minor celebrity. Shelly realized that this wasn't entirely fair. There were plenty of missing kids still out there, and the media had probably focused on her more because she was a pretty, young blonde white girl. If she had been Hispanic, or black, or Indian, or even just not attractive, the media may not have paid as close attention. Then again, the salaciousness of her escape, of how The Great Change had allowed her to overcome her abductor, the now deceased boogeyman Sean Franklin Myers, and how he was killed by the hands of his captive, was too sensational to ignore.
Carrie touched Shelly's shoulder and rubbed it, gently trying to veer Shelly away from that topic.
"At least you didn't have to witness Dick Clark's post-stroke era. Those New Years Rocking Eve's were pretty painful to sit through".
Shelly immediately turned around.
"Dick Clark died!?"
"You didn't know? Yeah, the dude from American Idol host is no-"
It was at that moment a random purse snatcher effortlessly slashed the strap to Carrie's handbag and ran off into the distance.
"Bitch!" yelled Carrie ineffectually, as if it were going to do any good. It was still relatively early, and there weren't any cops or witnesses where the two lovers had decided to watch the ball drop at Midnight. "I guess that's New York for you."
"It's OK, honey. I'll get it back. Wait a minute!" said Shelly as she ran after the assailant. Shelly had been on the track team during high school, and post-Great Change, she had recovered her athleticism and was eventually able to catch up to the woman. She tackled the thief to the ground.
Unfortunately, Shelly still possessed some residual sadistic earmarks of Sean Myers, the maestro of pain, who occasionally set Shelly free and forced her to abuse other abducted women and children. One of the most painful things that Shelly remembered from her past was being forced against her will to slit the throat of an abducted woman Sean had kidnapped when posing as a taxi driver. She grabbed the thief by the neck, and started ferociously banging the woman's head against the pavement.
"YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST STEAL FROM MY GIRLFRIEND, HUH!? WELL TAKE THIS! AND THIS! AND THIS! AND THIS!"
Carrie caught up to Shelly.
"I got your purse!" said Shelly excitedly, handing it over to her horrified lover.