One Door Closes and Two Windows Open
By Missy

SUBSERIES: One Door Closes and Two Windows Open
MAIN SERIES: Goosebumps!
PART: One of three
RATING: PG-13 (Some adult themes regarding Carmine's addiction and Shirley's divorce; some Lenny/Laverne Snogging ;-) )
PAIRING(s): Shirley/Carmine; Lenny/Laverne, Squiggy/Rhonda
DISTRIBUTION: To Squeaky, LW, Kai and FG (if the very act of reading this doesn't kill her) so far; any other archives are welcome to ask, but disclaimers must be included, my email left intact. send a URL, and provide full disclaimers as well as credit me fully. Please inform me if you are going to submit my work to any sort of search engine. Please do not submit my work to a search engine that picks out random sets of words and uses them as key words, such as "Google"
Please contact me in order for this story to be placed on an archive, or if you want know of a friend who would enjoy my works, please email me their address and I will mail them the stories, expressly for the purpose of link trading. MiSTiers are welcomed! Please do inform me that you'd like to do the MiSTing, however, and send me a copy of the finished product. I'd also love to archive any MiSTings that are made of my work!
CATEGORY: Humor, SOL,
FEEDBACK: PLEASE?!
SETTING IN TIMELINE: Post "Hair Today..."; Five years after the series' cannon ceases.
SPOILLER/SUMMARY: It's a time of change, as Shirley tried to figure out what to do as she sepperates from Walter. Meanwhile, Laverne and Lenny have to decide upon their future location.
NOTES: Another bit for the Goosebumps fannon!

****

A scarf, a jacket and two ties; these were the remains of Walter Meeny's existence in Shirley Feeney's life. She sat down and stared at the outfit, which lay spread across what used to be their bed. Walter had arrived and gone, taking everything he wanted of the stored possessions that were theirs mutually; he didn't even have the courage to face their daughter yet.

Shirley stood back and stared at the possessions; she could remember knitting him the scarf. The ties were from their fifth anniversary, just months before. He had worn the jacket when they met. How easy it was to understand; he was trying to flush her out of his life.

Her princess phone rang, drawing Shirley from her misty funk. Answering, Laverne's enthralled voice came through the lines.

"Shirl! Len an' I're gettin' married!" She abruptly informed Shirley. A sheet of glass slammed down between Shirley and her emotions; Laverne getting married; she had to be happy for her.

"I can't believe it! It's so wonderful." Normally they'd be jumping up and down together, shrieking, but one can't hug through the phone lines. The worst of it was that Shirley only half-listened to her best friend as she excitedly related recent events. "Huh?"

"I said I gotta go to bed, Shirl," Laverne explained, then added, "Oh, Fonz says hello; so does Pinky: My dime's runninoutgottagobye!!"

Shirley held onto the receiver, a dial-tone burring incessantly into her ear. Listlessly, she dropped it back into the cradle as she slumped onto that abandoned marriage bed, tears flooding her eyes.

Laverne was getting married, enacting the rite that Shirley held most dear...with LENNY....while Shirley lay forlon and alone, her marriage dead and a child to raise.

It was easier in the fairy books, She thought to herself, and then broke down into tears, allowing self-pity to wash over her again and again...

****

Hours later and miles away, Laverne awoke upon a couch...with a long, silm-fingered hand lying loosely across her mouth. Instinct sent her to panic; her WAC training kicked in and she yanked at the arm attached to that hand. Firmly yanking, she rolled the body beside her away...only to have it land on top of her with a heavy plunk. She muffled a shriek and opened her eyes...and met Lenny's gaze.

Memory returned abruptly and, with a sheepish smile, she let go of Lenny's hand. "Sorry," She rubbed at his hand absently.

"S'OK," He whispered, "I'm kinda used ta fallin' offa that table by now." She shot him an odd look, and his own puzzlement became apparent, "Don't ya remember that time me an' Squig slept over. You an' Shirl went of ta that baby shower, an' ya had Carmine stay with us so we wouldn't go through yer lin-jerry drawer..."

Laverne held down a giggle of her own, "Yeah, an' Squiggy thought he was a duke?"

"Uh-huh. I slept on a table like that fer a whole week."

She frowned, "It's good that Shirl never found out..."

"Squig was sleepin on the couch!" He laughed, "I bet the idea of Carmine in 'er bed made're happy, tho."

Laverne sat up (or tried to; his weight was pressing her halfway down), "It usedta..." She couldn't help but notice the way the thought of 'bed' had changed Lenny's very demeanor. She grinned, "We gotta figure out when we're getting' hitched, Len."

His face became comical as he said in a mock-suave voice, "Soon, I hope."

Some naughty impulse that glowed beneath her skin, "Mmmm...How's now?"

He answered her with a kiss; a kiss and a motion of his hands upon her skin...Fairly quickly, she lost herself to him...

A sniffling sound drew her attention; prying her lips away from Lenny, she saw K.C. watching them, blotting tears, "Y'all are so sweet together!" she bubbled.

"Yeah, thanks," She'd completely forgotten that this wasn't her property anymore; Lenny's flushed face showed his own embarrassment clearly.

Jenny Piccalo jogged into the room, pushing an earring into place. She took in Lenny's expression, smirked, and uttered, "Aww! I missed the floorshow!"

KC frowned at her friend, "Jenny, don't ya recognize true love when ya see it?"

"True love, a good make-out session," She winked, "The symptoms are the same." Laverne felt sorry for Lenny; he looked as if he might want to sink right through the couch cushions.

"Don't mind her," KC fiddled with her dress as she made her way to the kitchenette, "Does anybody want some breakfast?"

Lenny was ready to accept, but Laverne cut him off, "Nah; as soon as you girls leave, Len an' I have to get goin'."

"Yeah, The Moldy Apple's callin' us." Len continued. "I got exams next week, an' I've gotta figure out where we're gonna live after graduation...an I'm gonna marry the greatest woman in the free world!"

"Ooh!" KC burbled, and Jenny rolled her eyes as she fished a box of Cornflakes out of the cupboard.

Laverne just smiled.

****

Once KC and Jenny had finished off their breakfasts and run out to the canning plant, Lenny and Laverne traded off turns in the bathroom, where they dressed and prepared to meet the day.

"Ya don't have to carry that for me, Len," She insisted, as he carried her suitcase to the door.

"Nah, It's OK," He carried it up to the step before pausing. "You packed kinda light."

"C'Mon," Laverne announced, ignoring the comment, "I'll buy ya some breakfast...Then I wanna take ya somewhere.." He bit his palm, "Not that sorta somewhere, Len," She sighed. He removed his palm from his mouth and instantly became solemn.

"Well, if it ain't that kinda somewhere," He asked as he pulled the door open for her, "Where're we goin'?"

She smiled, "You'll see." She let him pass before pausing one last time in the doorframe to the apartment.

For years, it had been her home. Now, she could only see the resemblance if she closed her eyes to remember the way things had been. But now wasn't the time for reflection and longing; only for the future; one that she and Lenny would share together.

It would be beautiful.

She smiled and closed the door.



To Chapter Two

Back To "But He's My Weirdo"