Fortunate One

An alternate universe Daria fanfic by The Angst Guy. Quinn Morgendorffer is an only child, but she suspects it was not always this way. Her investigations into the past lead her to heartbreak and nightmare.

The story itself is significant as, at the time it appeared in spring 2004, it was one of the earliest serial stories to be published without being beta-read first. It appears to have started a trend in publishing serials without prior editing, which has led to faster publication online but more errors appearing in the text, corrected later as readers point them out.

TAG stated that two endings were developed for the story.

=Plot Sumary=

The Morgendorffers have just arrived to Lawndale, and Quinn is driven to school by her father Jake, where she quickly makes friends in the Fashion Club and becomes a target for dates. She presents herself as a only child. At home, Quinn, Jake and Helen lead a seemingly happy life, though Quinn has the feeling that a secret is being kept from her. Her parents are very protective of her and also seem to constantly be buying her presents, even things that are obviously luxuries.

The next day, at school, she contacts and befriends outcast Jane Lane, presenting herslef, and bridbes Jane into driving her home, austensibely to take care of art supplies. A confused Jane agrees but realises it's not art when she helps Quinn retrieved a box filled with baby's things and the name 'Daria'. Upon examining the box contents, Quinn more and more remembers particulars of her childhood, including an unknown baby, eventually concluding she had had a sister that had disappeared. Her dazing off and crying at school eventually make her be assigned to self-esteem-class.

A few days latter, a friday, Jane and Quinn again go sneak in the Morgendorffers and they retrieve some documents from a safe. That night, before she goes to bed, Quinn opens the folder to discover a condolence letter and a death certificate of Daria Morgendorrfer, three and a half years old. Hurt and stunned, she spends and sleepless night and, in the morning, she shouts at her mother and flees home to Jane's, taking the documents and Daria's things with her.

At Jane's, that afteThere she watches a tape that had come with the documents: it shows the birthday of Daria, 3 years old, and later the birthday of Quinn when Daria is 3 and a half year old. In both Daria is scornfull of Quinn and stating she can't stand her sister. Also, it is shown Daria wandering off after a nasty remark at Quinn, presumably to her death.

Later that day (saturday), Quinn returns home to a releived family, including both her aunts amy and Rita are there as well. Quinn is moody and, talking to her aunt Amy, screams at her and accuses the later of never contacting them and herself of having killed her own sister, breaking down in tears. The rest of the afternoon and the weekend, the whole family talk about Daria and their situation, clearing the air and appologizing for past behaviours. Amy assures Quinn she'll be more present in their future life.

In the last chapter, the Morgendorffers, plus Amy and Rita, go to Austin to visit Daria's grave, right at Daria's 16th birthday. It is revealed the formers are attending therapy and all make plans to spend more time together. That night, alone in her hotel room, Quinn lights up three candles by the window and has the wind blow them, as if Daria had done it.

Alternate ending

The alternate ending start right after Quinn screaming at Amy. The action cuts directly to Quinn attending self-esteem class with Jane, where she says things aren't good but are starting to talk.

The events of the family's reconciliation and visit of Daria's grave are briefly referred to but not shown. Quinn and Jane go on with their lives, being occasional friends. Quinn reconciles with her parents over Daria, and they start to let her on her own. However, the teenager is still depressed until she reads an article about cloning.

The action than cuts to twenty years later. Jane rushes to a maternity ward, where Quinn is giving birth to a clone of Daria. After the girl is born, Jane is stunned to be informed that Quinn had arranged for Jane to be Daria's custodian, as Quinn had been ruled as an unfit parent (due to unethical and illegal means she had used to get herself pregnant with Daria's clone). Jane accepts and moves to Lawndale, becoming mother to baby Daria.

=Trivia= The title is derived from Creedence Clearwater Revival’s song, “Fortunate Son,”. The group itself and the song appear in the story.

The possibilities Quinn makes regarding Daria's dissapearance would origin another TAG story, the serial The Outers.

=External Links=

[] - story at TAG's website.