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An'''Fortunate One''' is 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.
=Plot Sumary=
The Morgendorffers have just arrived toin Lawndale, and Quinn is driven to school by her father, Jake, to school, where she quickly makes friends inwith 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 herslefherself, and bridbesbribes Jane into driving her home, austensibelyaustensibly 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 remembers more and more remembers particulars ofabout her childhood, including an unknown babysibling, eventually concluding she hadonce had a sister that had disappeared. Her dazingdrifting off and crying at school eventually makeleads to her bebeing assigned to self-esteem- class.
A few days latterlater, on a fridayFriday, Jane and Quinn again go sneak inback theto MorgendorffersQuinn's andhouse theyand retrieve some documents from a safe. That night, before she goes to bed, Quinn opens the folder to discover a condolence letter of condolence and a death certificate offor a Daria MorgendorrferMorgendorffer, three and a half years old. Hurt and stunned, she spendsis andunable sleeplessto find sleep all night. and, inIn the morning, she shoutsargues atwith her mother over her discoveries and flees home to Jane's home, taking the documents and Daria's things with her.
At Jane's, that afteThereafternoon, she watches a tapevideotape that hadwas comefound with the documents:. it It shows the birthday of Daria,'s 33rd yearsbirthday oldparty, andas laterwell theas Quinn's birthday, of Quinnat whenwhich Daria is 3 and a half yearyears old. In both, Daria is scornfullscornful of Quinn and statingstates that she can't stand her sister. AlsoAt the end of the tape, itDaria is shown Daria wandering off after a nasty remark atdirected towards Quinn, presumably to her death.
Later that day (saturdaySaturday), Quinn returns home to a releivedrelieved family, including both her auntsAunts amyAmy and Rita are there as well. Quinn is moody and, talking to her auntAunt Amy, screams at her and accuses the laterher of never contacting them. andShe also accuses herself of having killed her own sister, breakingand breaks 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 that she'll make more of an effort in the future to keep in contact.
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, righton what would have atbeen Daria's 16th birthday. It is revealed theQuinn, formersHelen, and Jake are attending therapy and all makehave made plans to spend more time together. That night, alone in her hotel room, Quinn lights up three candles by the window and haswatches as the wind blowblows them out, as if Daria had done it.
'''Alternate ending'''
The alternate ending startstarts right after Quinn screamingscreams 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 teenagerQuinn is still depressed until she reads an article about cloning.
The action thanthen 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 custodianlegal guardian, 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 possibilitiespossible reasons Quinn makescomes up with regarding Daria's dissapearancedisappearance would originbe anotherthe TAGinspiration for another story by TAG, the serial [[The Outers]].
=External Links=
[[https://web.archive.org/web/20090717051719/http://www.theangstguy.com/fanfics/fortunateone.htm]] -Fortunate storyOne] at TAGthe author's website.
[[Category: Stories]]
[[Category:2004 in fanfiction]]
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