Bill could only stare wide-eyed in shock as he watched Willow, his daughter, bounce down the stairs in a red dress he never remembered her having and stop at the bottom of the concrete steps that led up to the house he and his family apparently lived in. He felt Tammy grab his dangling hand and he cast a sideways glance to his best friend turned wife who seemed to share his feelings of utter shock and surprise.
Gloria, on the other hand, simply stood off to the side of the large porch of the new Strasserman household and watched with mild interest as Willow quietly spoke with someone, her apparent fiancee, who was hiding behind the wall of trimmed hedges that blocked the house from the road. She felt the cold gemstone in her hand and she stared down at it for a moment in her hands, stretching out her wrinkling palm and once again being horrified at the how old she was now. And how much she looked like her mother. And Gloria's own artificial memories didn't help, sitting there, clawing for dominance over her teenage memories. Her TRUE memories, she had to remind herself. It just wasn't fair though, she had put in all that time, business school, spent the best years of her life clawing her way up the ladder only to watch Bill sail past her and become, more or less, her boss! That was why he had the perfect family, the massive, if somewhat old fashioned house in the expensive part of Shermer, and why Gloria never managed to get out of her parent's house (which was now hers as her parents were permanently snowbirding in Florida), much less Shermer!
Gloria felt like she was forgetting something important as well. These new memories, a lifetime lived, seemed to hit all the important things yet leave others out. Was she married in this new reality, or a spinster? The thought of being married to anyone but Tom (even if he was some dumpy fat housewife now) was intolerable. She always believed that she and the former sports superstar of Shermer High were destined to be together, even if he hadn't been rich like Jon Ingerman or impossibly muscled like Rob Bolstrum. Tom was hers...But the cruel wish that had somehow come true had thrown that all off track now. Gloria watched as 'Mr. and Mrs. Strasserman' stared warily at the retreating form of their daughter, and once again memories swelled up from the well of her new adult mind. She was definitely sure she didn't have any kids, though. The closest thing she did have was Willow Strasserman.
Gloria had become Willow's glorified babysitter, watching over the little brat for Tammy and Bill while they took vacations, went on dates...All part of her 'duties' as Bill's executive assistant as he rapidly ascended the rungs of Ingerman's company. At first she had hated it but over time she'd developed some form of attachment to the little girl, turning from 'Ms. Gloria' into 'Aunt Gloria'. Buying her candy or the odd toy, letting her stay up to play video games or watch TV, giving Willow her first (highly supervised) sip of alcohol when she grew into a teenager. And then being a confidant and giving the young woman advice on subjects Willow had clearly not felt comfortable talking to her parents about.
Gloria stifled a gasp as she realized that, while she had no idea who Willow was about to bring up the walk, but she KNEW the younger Strasserman was engaged before her parents even did! The thought of all of it, being someone that their daughter trusted just as much and in some ways more than Bill and Tammy made Gloria want to smile with smug satisfaction. A small, permanent victory for a lifetime of injustices and her career being nothing more than a glorified secretary.
But that was when Gloria's original personality re-asserted itself.
But none of that was true, was it? Just like the young woman who was finishing her conversation by the street and turning, her hand clasped in the mystery fiancee's, it was all just a fake? With every passing second it seemed like the memories of being Gloria Vanapolous, queen of Shermer High seemed to fade the longer she remained here in this new reality. She wanted to make a wish, to escape and be young again, to change her life so that she didn't end up as Bill's glorified secretary, but the anger just seemed so...tempered by disappointment, regret and acceptance that the Ahn'Ger Stone only sparked to life for a brief moment before going dark once more. Instead Gloria's curiosity began to get the better of he as she stared intently at Bill and Tammy's daughter as she pulled her mystery lover out into plain view.
As the stranger was revealed she felt her thinning eyebrows arch in surprise as Bill and Tammy let loose a shared gasp.
There, following closely behind Willow, was a gorgeous red-headed woman with pale skin in a soft, very springy green top and white pants that ended in what looked like designer sandals. Her breasts seemed barely contained by the top and the woman's hips threatened to split the white pants that stretched over her wide hips and generous posterior before stretching down her long legs. Even with the height difference from the stairs giving Willow Strasserman several inches of height it was clear this new woman was tall. A mane of fiery red hair shook and bounced in time with the jiggling of the woman's almost impossible curves as they ascended the concrete stairs. The woman's heart soft, round face seemed happy but extremely nervous to Gloria, a heavily lipsticked smile on large full, pouty lips that revealed perfect teeth, with brilliant green eyes resting behind a small pair of glasses darting back and forth between the middle aged group at the top of the stairs, Willow's backside and her own feet.
And then Willow and her fiancee were on the porch of the Strasserman abode.
'She almost looks like that one chick from Aquaman' Bill thought, a hazy memory surfacing in the back of his 'dad mind' of a movie that had come out during his first semester in college. What was that actresses's name? If it hadn't been for Willow's voice Bill might have been momentarily concerned by this sudden development.
"Mom, dad, this is Roberta! Roberta Bolstrum!" Willow said with what seemed to be all the excitement in the world about to burst out of her. Her face was full of joy that only seemed to falter for a moment as she realized the look of shock, confusion and...anger? on the faces of her parents. But then the love of her life seemed to break the awkward, tense silence that was forming by holding out a slender, feminine hand.
"Actually I, umm, I-I prefer Bobbi" Roberta said, her voice shaking and her outstretched hand matching it as it hung in the early morning spring air. Her voice, nervous as it was, was pleasant and melodious. There was absolutely nothing about her that seemed to justify the warning bells going off in the heads of the three teens turned middle-aged adults, that this was simply a lovely young woman nervously trying to meet her fiancee's parents.
A few moments passed in silence, with only the sounds of Shermer around the group of people. Tammy could see the smile start to falter on her beloved daughter that she had just actually met face and she gave Bill's hand a tight squeeze, which made the boy turned man jerk in surprise.
"Oh! Uh, yes, it's, uh, very nice to meet you Ro...Bobbi" Bill stammered as he enveloped the small, smooth and rose topped fingered hand in front of him a quick shake. "I'm, uh, Bill and this is my wife Tammy" He said releasing Bobbi's hand and motioning towards Tammy.
"Oh it's so nice to meet you!" Tammy said with a sweetness that sent even more alarms going off in Bill's 'dad mind'. That was the 'angry Tammy' voice, and it was more than clear, to him at least, that his best friend turned wife was clearly not happy with the turn of events.
Bill watched as his wife and Willow's fiancee shared a quick handshake before Willow seemed to remember that Gloria was there on the proch with them, and quickly ushered the terrified looking redhead over to the withered Vanapolous. He took this moment to lean over and whisper into Tammy's ear.
"You...You don't really think that's Rob, do you? I mean why would he even be here?"
"The same way we're all old and blessed with a wonderful family, Bill" Tammy whispered in return as the two of them watched Gloria fumble through the introduction. "Listen, if we both can remember two full lives, be this old and have a full grown daughter, who knows what that magic rock can do?"
"you want us to just sit here and watch our daughter get married to the asshole that made you and me miserable? We can't let that happen Tammy!" Bill hissed back, but Tammy released her ironclad grip on Bill's left hand and he felt a throb of pain from it from how hard Tammy had been clenching it.
"I'm not passing judgement until I know this young woman better, honey." Tammy whispered back and planted a small kiss on Bill's cheek before she walked away to rescue Gloria from a very uncomfortable situation. Bill simply just shook his head.