The Magdalene And The Madonna

Megastar Randy Charteris Makes Final Break With Hannah Shepard
Lovechild Lindsay Returns to Space with Heartbroken Hannah
[picture removed] Four-year old Lindsay clings to her mother as Randy Charteris storms out of the hospital where Hannah is undergoing treatment for Element Zero exposure. Randy offered to take Lindsay, but the little spitfire refused to go, looking remarkably like her father. Hannah pleaded with him, but Randy - facing pressure from backers and producers - stood firm and left the young military officer and her child to return to his co-star and wife, Yasmine Charteris, and their mutual children.
Devastated and bereft of the man she loves, Lieutenant Shepard plans to return to service as soon as her treatment is complete. But she won't be left high and dry - Randy settled over five million credits on her, and whatever amount she was given, doubled it for their daughter, Lindsay, for her schooling and any special needs the beautiful little Eezo baby might develop later in life.

"You can't be serious," she sobbed. "This is because of that bitch, isn't it?"
He smiled, handsome but sad. "That bitch," he said softly, "is still my wife. And the mother of my other children. Hannah, I am so sorry." He knelt down next to the hospital bed, and kissed her hand. "I am so, so sorry. But I can't."
"Oh, my God," whispered Hannah Shepard. "What am I going to do? What am I supposed to do?" She stared at him. "How am I supposed to live without ever seeing you again?"
Lindsay stared wide-eyed at her mother, at the tears running down her face. She looked over at her father, kneeling on the floor as if he was praying, still holding her hand, and kissing it softly. She wasn't sure what was going on, and she reached up to kiss her mother on the cheek. Kissing usually made her mother happy.
"My baby," Hannah choked back a sob. "Oh, my God, what am I going to do?"
Her father made a soft noise, and it took Lindsay a moment to realize that he was crying, too. Everyone was crying, and she didn't understand why. Her mother held her closer, and her father stood up, putting his arms around both of them.
"I don't know," Randy groaned. "Hannah, I don't know what to do! I can't do this, I can't!"
Galactic Supermodel Yasmine Charteris Hospitalized After Run-in with Hannah Shepard
Interrupts Photo Shoot to Confront Husband's Flame; Ends Up With Broken Nose
It looks like Yasmine will be collecting on some insurance money after her million-credit nose was broken in an altercation with Hannah Shepard, her husband's one indiscretion. You will remember that the handsome Randy made a final break with Hannah a few months ago, but it seems that Yasmine still holds a grudge. A photo shoot for the House of T'ang on the Pai Mârire space station was interrupted by Yasmine's jealous, enraged attack on Hannah, who defended herself, and the supermodel - questionably sober, we must add - fell over a table and broke her famous nose.
We took the opportunity to have a quick chat with Hannah before she returned to her new ship [name redacted] and we're sure you'll be pleased to hear that Lindsay is in excellent health, doing well in pre-school, and is really enjoying the life of a Spacer baby.

"What the hell? Hold on, just a minute. You! Stop!" Someone ran down the steps, chasing after the young woman in uniform who was pushing a baby stroller past the Promenade.
Hannah stopped, and looked up in surprise as someone came running towards her, a perfectly proportioned woman, dark skin, dark hair, beautiful brown eyes. She was the perfect Human woman. Hannah Shepard brushed her strawberry-blonde hair out of her eyes, and waited. "Can I help you?"
"You're Shepard, aren't you?" the stranger said viciously, and looked down at the stroller. "And that's the little brat, isn't it? What are you doing here?" she demanded.
Hannah stiffened, and met her glare proudly. "Yes, I'm Hannah Shepard. You must be Yasmine. Aren't you supposed to be working?" Hannah glanced back at the set and the photographers, who were all standing around, waiting for their volatile star to return, and at the tabloid recorders, eagerly watching the confrontation.
"You goddamn whore," Yasmine hissed. "What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be in space or something."
Hannah moved so that she was protecting her baby from the curious crowd, and Yasmine's angry glare. "Excuse me," snarled Hannah quietly so that she couldn't be overheard, "I don't know if you've noticed, but this is a space station. Being in space, I happen to be stationed here. So fuck off, you frigid skank."
"What?" Her face, normally so beautiful, was contorted with rage. She looked more like a Medusa than a Madonna at the moment, and the flashes from the cameras of paparazzi around her didn't seem to register. Yasmine knew that the woman in front of her was a soldier, but her growing suspicions that her husband had come to this photo shoot with her just to meet up with his lover was too much to take. She moved to strike the interloper, and when the first blow was blocked, she tried again.
That was just too much for Hannah. It was all she could do not to snap the stupid woman's neck like a twig. Instead, she twisted the supermodel's arms away, and gave her a good shove back towards the set where she was supposed to be working. "Will you get out of here and stop embarrassing yourself?" snapped Hannah.
Yasmine staggered in the direction that she had been pushed, then turned back towards Hannah. "You bitch!" she screamed. She took a step forward, not realizing that the Alliance soldier had broken the heel of her shoe, and she toppled over, hitting a table on the way down with a horrified scream.
Hannah ignored the holocams and the reporters, and knelt down to check on her daughter.
"She was bad, Mommy! What a bad girl!"
Hannah laughed. "Yes, baby, she was a very bad girl." She kissed her daughter's forehead. "Don't you worry about her, she won't bother us anymore!"
Luc Chanel Asks Hannah and Lindsay Shepard to Model
New 'Mother/Daughter' Line for Chanel; Old Controversy with Former Model Yasmine Charteris
Not content with firing Yasmine Charteris for her outspoken criticism of Luc Chanel's pro-military political stance, the House of Chanel has added insult to injury by getting a new face for the upcoming "Mere/Fille" line - Lieutenant Hannah Shepard, and her daughter with Randy Charteris, Lindsay Shepard. Baby Lindsay's first question was to make sure she wouldn't miss any classes if she did this, and Luc, clearly charmed by the little girl, assured her that the shoot wouldn't interfere with her kindergarten schedule.
Hannah has submitted the request to her superiors to make sure it is permitted, but we're willing to bet that Luc "Build more warships, dammit!" Chanel's request will be approved. We look forward to seeing the new Winter line.

"You know, I was trying to stay out of the public eye," Hannah grumbled, and tossed the letterpad on the table.
Lindsay looked up curiously at the noise, but continued playing with her coloring books and crayons. She was going to be starting school soon, and wanted to make sure that she had all the letters memorized. Sometimes, they moved around when she wasn't looking.
"Oh, do it," Chris laughed. Lindsay usually called him "Friend Chris," because her mother kept introducing him as "My friend, Chris," and the little girl had merged the words into a name.
"What? Why?" Hannah glared at him, but smiled. "You don't like models."
"No," Chris laughed. "But I would love to get up close and personal with Luc Chanel. Is he as hot in person as he is on screen?"
"You pervert," Hannah laughed. She flung herself on the couch next to her best friend. "Don't talk like that in front of Lindsay. That little pitcher has big ears."
Lindsay looked around in confusion. What pitcher was her mother talking about?
"Noted," Chris grinned. "Still, if you get to go to dinner with Luc, you're taking me, or I'll cry."
Hannah laughed. "Deal." She looked at him curiously. "What do you think of Randy?"
"Randy? Charteris? This is a trick question, right? Because he doesn't swing that way."
"I'm just asking," smiled Hannah. "Do you think he's hot?"
"He could make a het man flame, Hannah. He's that hot."
"Huh."
"What?" Chris looked curiously at her. "What are you doing?"
"Just thinking," said Hannah innocently.
"About what?" Chris demanded.
"About how much easier my life would be if I were married."
Fashion Week Surprise: Hannah Shepard Getting Married to Fellow Officer
Randy Charteris: "No comment."
In the midst of all the glitter and froth at this year's Fashion Week on Terra Nova, Hannah Shepard has stolen the spotlight again. It appears that after a two-year courtship, Hannah has finally accepted the hand of her fellow officer, [name redacted]. Lieutenant Shepard will be keeping her own name - and a big fat payout from Randy Charteris. The star insisted that the money was hers, and that he wished her the best, saying only, "She deserves to be happy." His wife Yasmine had more to say, none of it printable. Asked if Yasmine still felt threatened by Hannah's former relationship with her husband, the supermodel scoffed and claimed that Shepard was nothing more than a passing fling, and insisted that Shepard was the one who was still clinging to Randy "like some horrible ivy weed thing."
Yasmine, who is walking for the Russian conglomerate, including T'ang, Noble, and Zaitsev, has recently suggested that Randy should close the trust fund that he set up for Hannah Shepard, even going so far as to claim that Lindsay Shepard wasn't his child. Gracious as always, Hannah Shepard refused to respond to any negative press, focusing instead on her upcoming military wedding. Little Lindsay was a bit more outspoken, calling Yasmine a "lunatic" and suggesting that the supermodel "just get over it, already." Lindsay is still the "little girl" of the House of Chanel, and will be on the walk later this week for the new "Embraced" line of children's clothing and protective gear, even as her mother tries to retire from the public eye.

"I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner," laughed Hannah, as Randy pulled her down to the couch, covering her with wild, passionate kisses.
"Neither do I," laughed Chris, and came closer for his share of kisses from Hannah and Randy. "Would have made your life so much easier for the last two years." He moaned softly at Randy's gentle touch, and lay down next to Hannah.
"Is the baby asleep?" asked Randy.
"Yes, she is," smiled Hannah. "She's not a baby anymore, by the way."
Chris laughed. "Not by a longshot. She looks like you, and acts like you, too. It's really funny."
"What do you mean?" grinned Randy. He leaned back and looked at the two lying on the couch.
"She's so confident and she has such poise," smiled Hannah. "She completely copies the way you act in front of the camera."
Randy smiled at Hannah. "When she's with me, she acts just like you. She's very quiet, and likes to sneak up on people."
"Oh, that's not me," Hannah laughed joyously. "She got that from Chris."
"Well, wherever she got it from, it's adorable and I love it." He leaned over to kiss them both. "She's a beautiful child."
Lindsay decided they weren't going to talk anymore, and snuck back upstairs, leaving them to their grown-up kissing.
Ahmed Charteris Shocks With "Gang Life" Photoessay
"Secret Model" Not So Secret Anymore!
Everyone has been stunned and amazed by Ahmed's first foray into the world of photojournalism: the amazing exposé of life in Earth's gangs. Everyone at the gallery opening wondered who his innocent-eyed model was, the sweet little scared face in every one of Ahmed's breathtaking and terrifying pictures. Someone finally scanned the face and changed the eye color - and realized it's his half-sister, Lindsay Shepard! She is supposed to be on her summer vacation, visiting her Shepard grandparents on Eden Prime! Hannah Shepard couldn't be reached for comment, and the Shepards refused to talk to the press, saying only that Lindsay was doing her schoolwork and 'normal' summer activities when we stopped by. Right!
Ahmed refused to talk about his model, focusing instead on the gang problem on Earth and the trouble he'd had getting his equipment around. "If it hadn't been for the mercenaries, we would have been robbed on every street corner." No kidding! And you brought your little sister to that! At any rate, he's probably going to win a few awards for "Gang Life" so maybe we'll see Little Lindsay at some ceremonies this year. If she's not too busy with school!

"Wow! What kind of ammo is that?"
The Blue Suns mercenary looked down at the little girl. "You don't ever get tired of talking about guns, do you?"
She laughed. "I love guns! My daddy says he's going to retire from the military and start his own merc group someday, just so we can have a huge armory!"
The mercenary laughed. "Most seven year old girls want a dollhouse, not an armory." He opened the ammo capsule and watched her look over his questionably legal collection. She knew what she was doing. She was careful, and handled the chemical rounds respectfully, but fearlessly. "I'd give you one, but your dad would probably kill me."
She giggled, and went back to examining the new Armax assault rifle the mercenary was carrying. "Wow."
"Yeah, those Turians really do know how to make weapons. But don't worry, little girl, by the time you're old enough to carry one, we'll have caught up to them."
"Okay, Lin, if you're done drooling over the guns?" Ahmed grinned down at his model.
"Are we ready?" She bounced around. "Let's go!"
The mercenaries went back to patrolling the set and keeping an eye on the gang members, enforcing the uneasy truce. Lindsay checked her outline, and quickly ran over her scenes.
While everyone was getting set up, Ahmed looked over at the doctor and the tutor who had come along to watch over Lindsay. It was part of his agreement with her parents, that she continue her lessons and have access to constant medical care, just in case. But he didn't trust them. They pretended that they had never met before, but a life behind the lens had taught Ahmed how to read body language to a degree that most people never match. They knew each other. They had worked together before, long enough so that they knew each other's habits. And they were watching Lindsay.
Ahmed started recording and taking pictures, directing the gang members, and using the cameras to snap the occasional shot of the doctor and the tutor.
One of the mercenaries that he had hired came up to talk to him. "Hey, those two you were asking about? They're clean. Well, kinda."
"Kinda?" asked Ahmed. "What the hell does that mean?"
"They're not kidnappers. They're - legitimately - interested in your little sister."
"Am I going to have to shoot you to make you make any sense?"
The mercenary laughed. "You've never heard of the organization they work for. They're not going to kidnap her. They're just interested in her."
"What organization?" Ahmed demanded. He knew that no one could overhear his conversation with the mercenary, not with all the noise of the cameras and equipment, and the bustle of the downtown area where they were filming.
"Look, they're cool, okay? Just leave it at that. We're all on the same side, here. Trust me, boss."
Ahmed shook his head and glanced over at the doctor one more time, then resolutely turned back to his shoot. The mercenary walked away. He leaned over his camera, and realized that Lindsay had been watching him, curious as always. He looked up and smiled reassuringly at her.
She smiled back at him.
Ahmed shook his head. "She reads lips, doesn't she? Shit."
Lindsay laughed at him through the camera, and went back to work.
Ahmed Charteris Unveils New Pictures: "Fatherhood"
Randy and Lindsay in Pictures, Yasmine in Shock
The Estrella Gallery opened their new exhibit today, and Yasmine Charteris stormed out in hysterics. Ahmed's subject - another one of his totally top secret projects - turned out to be "Fatherhood," and featured about twenty shots of Little Lindsay and her father, Randy Charteris (!) out and about in perfectly normal off-the-rack clothes, doing perfectly normal things as if he wasn't a galactic megastar. Everyone was enthralled by the beautiful pictures of father and daughter - everyone except Yasmine Charteris, of course! She's never forgiven Randy's little indiscretion with the military advisor for the recording of "Uncontacted," the mega-successful romantic war thriller suspense holovid. How Randy and Hannah escaped our scrutiny during the recording is still a mystery to us, as is the horrible Eezo accident that happened on the set, and cemented Hannah in Randy's affections as she risked her life to save his. So romantic.
"Fatherhood" will be on display at The Estrella until the end of the year. Expect more awards for Ahmed for this amazing presentation.

Lindsay posed with her half-sister, April, hugging her while Ahmed took a quick picture. April kissed her on the cheek, then ran off to chatter excitedly with their father. "This is kinda weird," Lindsay admitted, in answer to Ahmed's unspoken question. "Do you think she'll come back?"
Ahmed shook his head. "Not dramatic enough. Maybe if your mother was here, but fighting with you is no fun, and she never wins fights with Randy."
Lindsay grinned. "I'm gonna learn how to do that, someday."
Valery, April's twin, ran up to her. "Hey! Come here, Lin, this guy from PDN wants to see you dance!"
"Wha?" She let Val drag her away, pretending that she was fighting the pull of a leash.
Randy watched the two kids ham it up for the representative from PDN, the children's movie conglomerate, while April went back to talk to Ahmed.
"April doesn't like to be in the public eye, I take it?" The speaker was a stranger, and he smelled faintly of cigarette smoke.
Randy didn't recognize him at all. The man was about the same age as Randy, average height, average appearance, dressed more like a lawyer than a producer. "She's quiet. More like I wish I could be." He held out his hand. "Randy."
"John. Pleased to meet you."
"You don't happen to have another cigarette, do you?"
John laughed. "No, I knew there were going to be children present, so I didn't bring any extras."
"Damn." Randy laughed. "I guess I'm still quitting, then. Enjoying the show?"
"Yes, the pictures are amazing. You must be very proud of your children, Mr. Charteris."
"I am," Randy agreed.
"They're very beautiful children. You have excellent genes." He looked at one of the shots of Lindsay, smiling up at her father. "She's extremely intelligent, as well."
Randy grinned. "She's a lot smarter than she ought to be, at her age."
"She's eight this year, yes?"
"Yes," Randy agreed. He looked over at his son and daughter, who had their impromptu audience in stitches. "What are those two doing?"
"I'm going to be leaving shortly," said the man quietly. "I might run into Yasmine. Would you mind?"
Randy glanced at the man's tailored suit, leather shoes, silk pocket square. The fact that he smoked was proof enough that he was wealthy, and he clearly had enough taste to keep Yasmine distracted. "Not at all. Please, help yourself. Just don't get me into trouble with my producers."
John smiled. "Of course not, Mr. Charteris. I'll do my best. Incidentally," he smiled politely, "I hear that the SSV San Marino will be docking for emergency repairs in the coming week."
"What?" Randy stared. "How do you - "
"Oh, don't worry, Mr. Charteris. I'm just a friend. It looks like your children have something to tell you." John picked up a glass of champagne, and slowly walked away while Val and Lindsay rushed up to their father with their news.
Burglary at Charteris Estate Reveals Randy's Infidelity!
Yasmine Moves Out, Goes to Amaterasu
The Spitters – a gang of home invaders known for their daring and violent burglaries in the upscale Wharton neighborhood – got an unpleasant surprise when they tried to break into the Charteris estate this weekend. No one was supposed to be home – the three Charteris kids are in school, Ahmed is working on a documentary on the Hanar, Yasmine is on a Noble shoot on Luna, and Randy was supposed to be on Hollywood IV, reading scripts with his producers. Instead of an empty house, the home invaders saw a light on in the master bedroom and went to investigate, only to find themselves on the receiving end of a barrage of military grade bullets! When they tried to run for the door, they were stopped by someone else who beat them soundly. Of the five invaders who entered, only one survived long enough to be arrested, and later died of his injuries at the hospital.
I'm sure Randy is very glad that he just happened to have two military officers over at his house that night. Yes, you read that right: Two. One male and one female, both half-naked – verified by the police officers who first arrived on the scene. Who could it possibly be, we wonder? No, we don't. Yasmine's reaction when she heard the news – yelling, screaming, throwing things at Randy, packing up all her stuff and moving to Amaterasu to be close to her kids – totally gives it away. Lieutenant Shepard, predictably, is unavailable for comment, as is her husband. Or possibly their omni-tools are still with their clothes upstairs at the Charteris estate!

Lindsay ran off with the ice cream, and sat down with Val and April to start making a huge sundae. Randy walked slowly back to where Hannah and Chris were sitting, and tried to ignore the paparazzi just outside the ice cream parlor.
"Great, there's another one I have to pay off."
"I am so sorry," said Chris again. "I shouldn't have killed them."
"Yes, you should have," said Hannah sharply. "They would have killed him if we hadn't been there."
"Yeah," Chris sighed. He smiled wryly. "I get what you mean about trying to stay out of the public eye, Hannah. Those guys don't let up, do they?"
Hannah laughed, and took Chris' hand. "Don't worry about it. They can take all the pictures they want to, the blackout will kick in."
Randy shook his head. "Sometimes, I wish I really was just a boring, ordinary guy."
"Yeah, but then you wouldn't be dating two hot military officers," Hannah pointed out.
"Well, not at the same time," Randy agreed with a wicked grin. He sat down, and took a sip from Chris' soda.
"Hey! That was mine. Wait, this one is mine. Is it?" Hannah looked at the glasses on the table, then up at Randy. "You didn't order your own drink!"
Randy clapped his hands to his face in pretended shock. "Oh, noes! Now you haz mah germs!"
"Ugh, you got that from Lin, didn't you?" said Hannah in despair. "That's unbelievably annoying."
Randy laughed. "No, annoying is not being able to kiss you because I know there are three reporters watching us."
"Four," muttered Chris.
Lindsay flicked her fingers, correcting him.
"Five, actually, and Lindsay, stop eavesdropping."
"What?" Hannah turned around and tried to glare at her daughter, but ended up laughing instead as she checked the area, and realized that Lindsay was right. "Yeah, there really are that many. I'm not sure if they're all reporters though. One of them looks official."
"Official?" asked Randy.
"To make sure the others don't try to secretly publish anything they shouldn't."
"I have a question," said Chris slowly. "So, Yasmine is gone? Forever, or, what? I'm confused."
"Oh, she'll be back," Randy sighed. "Our reconciliations make good press."
"Oh."
"I didn't even know you had a place on Amaterasu," said Hannah. "Was that from your early lovey-dovey days?"
Randy grinned. "I don't have a place on Amaterasu. She's staying with a friend."
"A friend?" Chris looked at him.
"Yeah," said Randy, "a friend. Someone who understands her." He smiled to himself, and took another sip from Chris' drink.
"Oh, really?" Hannah stared at him. "Are you serious?"
Randy nodded. "She won't get caught, though. I always play the bad guy in this story."
"I thought I hated her before," said Hannah.
Randy laughed. "You're a vicious woman, Shepard. Don't worry about it. It's all in good fun."
"So," Chris played with his fries, "when are you going to make up with her?"
Randy shrugged. "I don't plan to. If she gets bored of her friend and wants to come home, I guess, but she has Stephanie to amuse her, and a year's worth of work lined up. I think I have some time." Randy helped himself to a tomato from Hannah's salad.
"You don't even like her," said Chris softly. "Why did you ever marry her?"
"Married stars make more money." Randy grinned. "I like our kids, though."
"You have four kids with her, and you hate her guts."
"What can I say, the make-up sex was awesome. Chris." Randy looked at him. "Stop being jealous of my wife, okay? People only linger around waiting for true love in the movies. Not in real life. Besides," he smiled wryly, "how was I supposed to know it would take two people to keep me faithful?"
Little Lindsay's First Holovid: Record-breaking Success!
Three Year Contract With PDN Studios Signed
Little Lindsay has made a huge smash, starring opposite her half-brother Val Charteris as children left behind when a colony is evacuated in the children's alien adventure action comedy musical "Suddenly Saturday" with their shared father, Randy Charteris, providing a hysterically funny cameo appearance as Captain Blunderthighs. The movie has broken all opening day records for a children's movie, finally knocking "Toy Story 34" from the top spot. Her charming smile lit up the screen, and her infectious laugh can be heard all the way to the bank, with her new three year contract with PDN in hand. The next vehicle for Lindsay will probably be another comedy musical, possibly the AI fantasy "The Secret Life of Telephones," while her brother Val has been signed to the tween romantic alien adventure comedy "Blue Bored."
Randy's new holovid, the romantic survival horror murder mystery "Bamboo Garden" has also been an incredible success, proving that he still has star power, despite the scandals and issues plaguing his personal life. Speaking of Randy's scandals, sources have verified that it was Hannah Shepard that he was seen shopping with last week. Randy insists that it was just because of the recording for "Suddenly Saturday," but our sources verified that the pair was shopping for presents for a male. And we all know that mysterious "other man" is, don't we? Oh, yes we do. And so does Yasmine, who is still separated from Randy despite all his attempts at reconciliation.

Lindsay stared at the alien girl again. She was blue. A very beautiful, amazing shade of blue that just seemed to draw her eyes. She was called Nina, and she had lovely white face markings, and her voice made Lindsay want to sit and listen to her forever.
Val grinned at his co-star, and they started their scene rehearsal over again.
April sat down next to her. "What are you doing, Lin?"
"Just watching." Lindsay forced herself to look at April. "What's up?"
"Nothin'. Chris and Randy are making out in their room, and Hannah is ordering Indian food because she's too lazy to cook, but she says it's because Adora is distracting her." She gestured to the kitchen, where Hannah and Nina's mother were drinking beer and trading war stories.
Lindsay laughed. "Why don't you cook something?"
April shrugged. "I'm lazy, too. Besides, now I want pappadums." She giggled, and watched her brother going over his lines with the alien girl. "I dunno, I'm still not sure if I like her."
"Not sure?" asked Lindsay in surprise. "What's not to like? I mean, she's blue!"
April giggled again. "You're so weird sometimes! She's an alien! Besides, she's so girly."
"What's wrong with being girly?" Lindsay asked.
"Nothing, I just don't have anything to talk to her about. All she does is go on about how cute Val is."
"Oh, well, Val is cute. Obviously, she would like him."
"Boring," April proclaimed. "I know he's cute. I've seen him." She looked at Lindsay. "You think she's cute."
"Well, yeah, for a blue alien chick."
April laughed. "Nah, give me a Human boy. I don't like the aliens. Want to see my newest design?"
"Sure." She followed April to her studio, and didn't look at Nina again.
Little Lindsay Breaks The Bank At Nuevo Monte Carlo!
Unbelievable Jackpot!
At the premiere of her latest smash hit, the star-studded teenage alien horror ghost story suspense thriller "Underjoyed," featuring Little Lindsay as the ghost of a murdered girl at the heart of the twisted four-hour long story, the cast gathered in the Philharmonica Casino for pictures, dinner, and a show. Wandering through the casino, Lindsay apparently decided to play a few games, and ended up at a blackjack table. Three hands later, Lindsay ended up with the casino's piggy bank. That's right, she won every game she played (!) and wiped out the table. Not bad for someone who's got less than a decade of blackjack experience!
The casino initially invalidated her wins, as she is underage (just a tad!), but when she began to cry, they quickly relented - and actually gave her a sterling silver piggy bank, filled with about 375,000 credits - in gold coins! How cute! Little Lindsay's lawyers worked out the rest with the casino, and everybody's happy. Including the casino, as the tables are now off-limits to the little maverick until she is eighteen.

"Chris!"
"I'm sorry, the troublemaker you have dialed is not available for being chastised at this time. Please try your lecture again later." Chris didn't look up from the game he was playing.
Hannah flopped down on the couch next to him. "Chris, do not teach her any more bad habits. She has enough."
"Technically, I didn't teach her anything. She just picked it up." He paused the game. "Hannah, she didn't tell me she was going to a casino. She just said she wanted to know how to win at blackjack."
"Why do you even know that?"
"Yeah, I'm from Earth, remember? Where criminals come from? How do you think I got into the military?" he said bitterly.
Hannah hugged him. "Chris! You're not a criminal, just morally challenged." She kissed him on the cheek. "Randy hasn't stopped laughing, by the way. If you want to see him fall over, just say 'piggy bank.' He's really hopeless." She kissed him again. "You both are."
"But you like us that way," he grinned. "So, it's safe, right? You're not mad?"
"No," sighed Hannah.
"Okay, Pumpkin, you can come out now."
"Hi, Mom!"
Hannah pulled Lindsay out from where she was hiding behind the couch, and drew her into her lap. "You are nothing but trouble, Little Lindsay!" Her admonishment was wasted, as she followed up the stern voice with a hug and a laughing kiss.
"It was pretty funny, wasn't it, Mom?"
"Yes, Lin, it was really damn funny."
"How did Yasmine take being overshadowed?" asked Chris.
"Oh, she was livid, of course. As usual." Hannah sighed. "Her agents called Lin's agents to protest, and Randy slapped them down."
"I have this recurring nightmare," grinned Chris as he continued playing his game. "One day, I wake up and realize that Randy isn't a god."
Stephanie's Scandalous Stories Stir Shepards!
Book Publication Quashed; All Copies Purged From Extranet!
Stephanie Charteris' scandal-filled tell-all has been pulled from publication thanks to the Alliance brass pulling the old "security" chestnut. The two excerpts, claiming that Ahmed and Lindsay had an "unspeakable" relationship and that Hannah's husband is a woman, have both been completely expurgated from the extranet, at the publisher's expense. Stephanie raged on early morning talk shows, telling everyone how her mother's house had been raided and all of Stephanie's computers and files seized. "This is just one more attack on my mother!" cried Stephanie, completely skipping over the part where she was slandering Hannah and Lindsay Shepard. The sheer cruelty of Stephanie's original release date - Lindsay's birthday - isn't very endearing, either. Stephanie has now been added to the gag order controlling Yasmine's ability to talk to the press, so we can't ask how she feels about it.
We did ask ten-year-old Lindsay how she felt: "Best birthday ever!" she quipped. Whether she was referring to the skiing/sledding party that her parents had set up for her and her forty best friends at Mount Kilimanjaro, or the end of Stephanie's aspirations as a writer, we're not sure.

A hotel waiter walked over to the pool, and handed her a comm unit. "You have a call, Mrs. Charteris."
"Hello, this is Yasmine." The beautiful woman had a voice to match, and one could hear the smile in her voice. "Who is this?"
"This is Lindsay."
"Lindsay?" Yasmine was genuinely surprised. "What are you doing? Shouldn't you be in school, sweetie?"
"You put Steph up to this. You make her take it off." For a girl about to turn ten, she sounded very determined. Very angry.
"Oh, come now, dear, it's just a game. Don't be angry. All press is good press," she laughed. Yasmine looked up in surprise as John took the comm unit away from her.
"You're very angry, little girl. I understand. Tell me what you want."
"Who are you?"
"John, what are you doing?"
He waved her back to her seat, and walked away with the comm unit. "Lindsay, I don't want you to make a very big mistake. You have a lot of promise. I don't want that to be lost."
"Make her take it off."
John pulled a datapad out of his pocket, and started sending commands. "Lindsay, by the time you get downstairs again, it will be gone. Every copy from the extranet will be gone, and no one will ever mention it again. I'm sure some people have read it, but they'll all forget, because they won't be able to discuss it. It will be like it never happened."
There was no answer, but he could hear her breathing on the other end of the line. He turned around, and saw what Yasmine didn't: the steady red dot, unmoving, just over her heart.
"Lindsay, put it down. What do you want?"
"She'll just do it again. My mom is crying her eyes out right now."
"She won't do it again, Lindsay. I promise."
"Why are you standing out of range?"
"I really dislike being shot," he said quietly, with a quick flash of humor. "Also, this suit was quite expensive. I'll have Stephanie added to the gag order that keeps her from talking to or about you or your mother. Will that be okay?"
"I don't know."
"Well, call her and ask. I can wait." He beckoned a waiter over, and ordered a drink.
"John, what are you doing?" Yasmine repeated. She stood up, her curvaceous body glistening with water from the pool. The red dot, still invisible to her, tracked her every movement.
"I am soothing an angry little girl. Later on, I'll be soothing an angry woman. Please, sit down." He gestured to the chair, and Yasmine sat down again, still confused, still completely in Lindsay's sights. "Are you still there?"
"I'm still here," Lindsay answered. "I'm waiting for my mom to finish panicking and answer my question."
He chuckled. "I'm curious, what did you do to Stephanie?"
"Nothing," she answered quickly.
"Lindsay."
"I didn't! Chris did something to her car, though."
John made a noise of exasperation.
"My mom says she knows who you are."
The man raised an eyebrow. "Did she, now."
"She says you like dogs." The little girl's voice was confused, but the dot on Yasmine's chest never wavered.
The man swore under his breath. "Your mother is very nosy. Does she accept the offer?"
The dot finally disappeared. "She says it's fine. She says you can be trusted to keep your word."
"I'm glad to hear that."
"I can still kill you," said Lindsay, with an unnatural calm. "And her. Just so you know."
"I don't doubt you," he smiled, "but there's no need for that. I promise, I'll keep her away from you and your mother for as long as you like."
"Forever."
The man laughed. "Go calm your mother down, Lindsay. Enjoy your birthday party. Leave this to me."
Stephanie came running out of the hotel. "Mom! Mom! There are cops everywhere, and they're taking all of my stuff!"
"What?" Yasmine shot to her feet. "What's going on?" She ran up to her daughter.
John disconnected the call, and handed the comm unit back to one of the hotel staff before leisurely following her back into the hotel.