A VERY happy wedding...

[jwhouk]

--- --- ---

I joined in the applause for Monica's toast. Wow, I thought. She's come a long way from being a naive girl.

I put down the Diet Coke that I had thrust in my hand for the toast.

Glad I stuck around for that.

I turned to see where Monica had headed off after climbing down from the bar - and nearly ran into a gangly kid in a tux.

"Oh, excuse me," I began - then I realized this was the groom. "Oh! You must be Neil. Congratulations!"

"Thank you," he replied. "I assume you're a friend of Monica's?"

"Sort of. I found her dog wandering around Lake Calhoun a few years ago. She's come a long way since then."

"I'd say she has." Another voice came up behind me. I turned to see Phix - resplendent in plain blouse and Brown cotton skirt, sipping on a broken-stem glass of Courvoisier Cognac - and very obviously pregnant. "The nerve of her, upstaging me at my own wedding!" She added a bit of a laugh to that.

"Just the person I was looking for," I said. "I know it's your big day and all, but that trickster of a co-worker of yours has been giving me fits."

"Nudge?" she asked, slowly sipping on her bubbly. "What did she do now?"

"It's what she has been doing," I explained. "Apparently, she's found it funny to keep me from actually entering the Library through the portals - until now, of course." I shrugged a bit. "She's been sending me to various other entrances - the last one was an In 'N Out Burger in the Phoenix area."

"Oh, my," Phix considered. "I didn't even know we had one in the Phoenix area." She gave a laugh at what apparently was an inside joke. "So - has there been any reason why she's done this?"

"None other than her trickster nature," I replied. "Ever since I had to deal with that Fae kid, I..."

"Hold on," she put her hand up to stop me. "That was you that dealt with Cavin?"

"Well, I really didn't have a choice in the matter," I began.

"Say no more," she said, raising her hands briefly. "I'll take care of the portal access issue. Since you know Monica, and you're familiar with Mr. Foxglove - and, well, you're here and in one piece - I don't see a problem with Library access."

I wasn't sure if I was more relieved or thrilled at the prospect.

"One thing, though," she used her glass to accentuate her point. "Don't abuse the privilege. If you do..."

She motioned over towards where a human woman was seated - with an iron choker collar on her neck, and what appeared to be a very nasty bruise on the side of her face.

"...That's how we deal with things."

She took another sip of the champagne.

"Understood," I said, wide-eyed.

[lake_wrangler]

RE: Castela- I have to admit, as I pictured the event in my mind (that's how I work- I visualize, then describe), my eyes were moist.

I have to admit, you have captured Castela's voice quite nicely. And it's nice to see a call back to the source material. (Dawwww! How sweet!)

RE: Monica- She has been aware for some time that Vampires are treated as vermin-

That, I knew.

when Suzi offered her fealty (that was exactly what her actions indicated hen she said 'Thank you'), Monica realized that she could ignore it no longer- thus the public declaration of 'Peerage' or 'Equality amongst fellows', in accordance to the customs of the post-Roman European courts. I did a great deal of paraphrasing regarding the actual wordage... brought it up to date and more generic as opposed to 'Kingdom Specific'- but the point gets across.

Makes sense. I hadn't thought of that.

That Nicodemus insists on paying more for his drink than it should cost is an indication of the Old Goat's understanding of the toast- it is an oath of acceptance, one that you do NOT seek at a bargain.

I figured as much.

He then celebrates as he knows best- shatters the glass and dances on the shards, indicating that the old way is now in the dust and he dances on it's grave.

Is that what that tradition's about? I never knew that.
(I guess I'll go to be a little less stupid, tonight... )

[lake_wrangler]

I remain impressed by your ability to run with someone else's characters and keep it believable. I look forward to reading more.

I had made a mental note to post the same thought, addressed to both Sarge and JW. I've thoroughly enjoyed these two trading fours, as it were.

Well, you snooze, you lose...

Of course, nothing's stopping you from saying it too, you know...

[Sgt. Howard]

Lilly traipsed through the crowd, searching for her daughter. She was beyond exited- she was officially accepted as a 'Peer'... an equal... somebody who had rights and privileges.

She was somebody who nobody ought to be ashamed of association with!

She searched high and low to no avail... so she reverted to her old skills. She knew the smell of Katherine's blood- any vampire could identify (and track) a human by the scent of their blood. She started sniffing...

It didn't take long... there was an old storage closet next to the main exit. She was in there... with somebody else. Their pheromones were quite evident, one was clearly male, equine, trace of human- she heard Katherine giggle and the man say "Hush, silly,"... there was bumping, the occasional 'OOF!', plenty of giggles... Lilly smiled broadly, enjoying her daughter's happiness.

She could wait. She had waited this long, she could wait a little longer. As little Castela had told her, "We aren't going anywhere,"

Yes... she could wait... in the meantime, she could play with and talk to her Grand-daughters...

[DinkyInky]

(Point of order - due to the complexity of the English language, no one generally retains their accent while singing - unless it's intentional.)

if you don't sing that one with a twang, you don't know it(used to be one of my favourites).

[Sgt. Howard]

"HUH,HUH,HUH,HUH,HUH,huh,huh,huh,huh... y'know, (huh) I hate to say this,(huh) but NEITHER one of us is(huh) ready to go any further(huh,huh)... and if we do, I(huh) certainly don't want to(huh) do so here..." Katherine huffed as she tried to catch her breath.
"I'm (huh,huh,) ... I'm (huh) not... (huh) ... going to ...(huh) ...argue... (huh) who would have thought...(huh) ... that kissing... (huh) ... could get you so...(huh) exited....?
Kathy smiled- "Your hands (huh) were not idle (huh)..."
"(huh)... nor yours...(huh)" gasped Buck.
They both stood, basking in the glory of their efforts as they resumed normal bloodpressure and respritory rates.
"You know," she stated, "we ought to make ourselves more presentable and step outside,"
"Or " he countered, "we can try some more more kissing...?"
She looked at him in the semi-darkness.
"Well... twist my arm..."

... and they were back at it...

[GlytchMeister]

*turns up air conditioning*
>_>
Nothing to see here, move along...

[Sgt. Howard]

*turns up air conditioning*
>_>
Nothing to see here, move along...

thank you for running interferance!

[GlytchMeister]

*turns up air conditioning*
>_>
Nothing to see here, move along...

thank you for running interferance!

I'm not sure how I feel about being a traffic cop of covert makeout sessions.

[jwhouk]

---

I looked at my watch. I'd really overstayed my welcome.

Of course, I'd planned on getting tossed out of the portals again, and not actually end up with Library access.

The problem was, I didn't have any idea how to access the portal to my particular entrance.

There was a pack of "beings" standing off to the side of the dance floor, next to the stacks. Since those particular stacks were near the main entrance - or so I seemed to recall - I went up to the tallest of the bunch.

"Excuse me," I said, tapping her on the arm.

Good thing I ducked, because I nearly got a roundhouse kick to the side of the head.

"ATSALI!" A girl with dark, upswept hair was yelling at the kicker.

"Ooohhmigosh, I'm sorry!"

An incredibly tall, human woman with a stuck-out-straight hairdo and an incredibly ample chest loomed over me.

"You startled me, and I just revert to automatic sometimes! I'm sooo sooo sorry!" She offered me a hand up.

"I was just trying to... OW!" I stood up, only to collide with the bottom of her ample cleavage.

The girl with the dark hair giggled uncontrollably.

"Oooh, sorry, sorry," Atsali said as I stepped back.

"Uh, I was just looking for the exit, actually," I explained. "I don't quite know which portal is where, though. First time here."

"Oh, that's easy," Atsali said with a beaming smile. "Nadette? You want to show him how to activate the directory?"

"Heh, it's taken me a bit to learn how to do it, too," Nadette said, turning to me. I noticed that she was blushing beet-red.

"Anyways - you just bring up the directory..."

The air in front of the end of the stacks was suddenly filled with a hexagonal 3-D map of the entire Library complex.

"...then you just flip through this column over here to find your exit."

I tentatively reached out, and saw that the projection scrolled down through an alpha-numeric list of names.

"Hey, not bad," I said. I quickly found the "S" and scrolled down to "Scott".

"There it is - right before 'Scottish Moors'. Who said this place didn't have a sense of humor?"

"TELL me about it," Nadette said. She pointed to the column next to the list. "Floor 373, Wing E, aisle 21." She looked up. "That's one floor up, and just above where we are," she pointed.

"Oh, hey, I can help you get up there!" Atsali promptly shook her shoulders for a moment - and a pair of huge wings emerged from her back. "Least I can do for you!"

Before I could protest, she jumped up, grabbing me by the shoulders, and lifted me up to the balcony of the floor above the party.

"There you are," she said, landing slowly next to me. "The aisles are in numerical order, so you should be able to find your entrance, easy peasy!"

"Uh, thanks, uh, Atsali," I said, unconsciously dusting myself off.

"Bye, now!" She jumped back into the air and soared back down, out of sight.

[GlytchMeister]

I can't help but remember a certain scene from Who Framed Rodger Rabbit? where some dude headbutts Jessica's breasts from underneath.
Complete with *BWOOMPF* sound effect.

[Sgt. Howard]

I can't help but remember a certain scene from Who Framed Rodger Rabbit? where some dude headbutts Jessica's breasts from underneath.
Complete with *BWOOMPF* sound effect.

Kettle drum

[Sgt. Howard]

---"I was just trying to... OW!" I stood up, only to collide with the bottom of her ample cleavage.

She was wearing her girder-and-rebar bra that day...

[GlytchMeister]

---"I was just trying to... OW!" I stood up, only to collide with the bottom of her ample cleavage.

She was wearing her girder-and-rebar bra that day...

Yeah, I was wondering about that. Ordinarily, such an event would be a singularly pleasant experience. I think. Kinda hard to hurt your noggin on boobs.
But bonking your head against a Lydia Bra? Yeah. That might be like hitting your head on a low car hood.

[Sgt. Howard]

"But- but where's Mama? Mama should'a been here for- for this... where's Mama, Gramma?" Castela was nearly begging.
"Look here, kid- your Mama is right where she needs to be right now. She will find out about this soon enough, you don't need to... CRAP!!! OK, Nadette's got it... your sister nearly punched the time-clock on that short fellah over there... good job ducking on his part... where was I? Yea, you don't need to worry about her, she'll be fine... just a moment, OK? There's somebody I gotta talk to..."
And with that, Lilly went searching for Monica.

"Hey there little rosebud- Murph is out on the dance floor without a partner... you think that's right?"
"NO! That's- that's not right! I'm- I'm commin' Murphy! I'm commin'" she hollered as she pelted straight towards the hulking Murphy.
"She really is easy to amuse, isn't she?" Kevin asked.
"S'long as you have a Minotaur to amuse her with, you're good... (deep sigh)... don't mind me right now, Kevin- I'm ... I'm kinda wishing I wasn't what I am right now... I mean, I am still trying to figure things out, you know?"
"I think I do... after all, most of us are still trying to figure things out- but you have an odd choice- sterile immortality, or fertile death sentence. Now as I see it," he explained, "you can easily ponder this for some time before you decide to get an 'expiration date' without risk... so why not take your time?"

"Kevin... and please don't freak out... what if I want to have children by you once I decide?"

"We'll have to see- as it is, we have JUST started dating- people don't usually talk about children at this stage,"
"I guess not- one day at a time, then?"
"One day at a time, Bud... one day at a time,"

Monica had just found a seat near the ladies' room when Lilly found her... Monica raised her glass in salute.
"You saved my life... and now you've made me an EQUAL... why?"
"I saved your life without thinking about it- that is just my nature- I granted you equality because... well, because I saw a gross injustice... heh, I guess that's just my nature too. Atsali and Castela both deserve their Gramma... Kathy deserves her Moma... and YOU deserve YOUR FAMILY! You and Suzi both..."
"But... Suzi doesn't HAVE any family!"
"REALLY? Look over there-"
Lilly looked where Monican had gestured- Suzi was about to down shooters with Shelly, Brandy and Amanda. Bud and Kevin were watching and laughing.
"'No family', you say? That looks like family to me- and she has every right to it! NOW- if she or you throw it all away by being assholes, that is on YOU TWO! But you deserve the chance to be better than that,"
Lilly looked at her for a short moment... then threw her arms around Monica.
"Thank... you..." she said between tears.

[jwhouk]

---

Your typical library, depending on size and location, usually has aisles of book shelves – colloquially known as "stacks" by bibliophiles – that generally consist of two to five shelving units per "stack". They're kept this way for various reasons; most of them are due to physical size constraints. There is also consideration of the organization of the stacks, and enough room for library employees to restock the shelves.

Of course, in a library like the Bibliothiki, restocking is not an issue. Nor is the physical size, as the Library contains one of every book ever printed. As for the organization? I couldn't quite tell if Mr. Dewey's system was used, but there does appear to be rhyme and reason to how things were placed on the shelves.

What was surprising – and frustrating – was the length of the aisle I was in. The stacks seemed to go on endlessly. You could literally get lost in this Library. At this point, the din of the party was but a memory, and the lighting was at what I'd call "low reading level".

"These shelves can't go on forever," I said out loud, as I went past a section of books on rural farming. Just as my eyes turned back to the aisle itself, a wall appeared at the end of the stack where I was. There was a cross aisle, leading to more stacks on the one side, and on the other a short hallway leading to what appeared to be an opening.

The walls were painted in two shades of what I'd call "institution beige", with a wooden wainscoting halfway up to differentiate them.

I walked down the hallway towards the opening. It was one stack over from the aisle where I'd come from. There was a small, lobby-like alcove – like you'd see by an elevator in a hotel – and four doors. Two of the doors were on the long wall, opposite the hallway; the other two doors were placed, opposite each other, on the other two walls.

There were signs just above the wainscoting, next to each door. The ones on the two "side" doors were marked "MEN" and "WOMEN", respectively. The sign next to the two doors on the one wall read "EXIT" on top and "JANITOR'S CLOSET" on the bottom.

It wasn't immediately obvious which door was which, so I figured I would try the one door first. I assumed that a janitor's closet would be locked, to prevent anyone from walking off with cleaning supplies.

It wasn't locked.

But it was the janitor's closet.

And it was occupied. By what appeared to be a rather amorous couple, in the process of making out.

"OH!" The woman, dark haired with even darker eyes, turned with a start.

"What…" The male – who looked like he'd just walked off the set of a GQ photo shoot, fell back onto the sink in surprise.

"Oh! Excuse me…" I stopped short of closing the door. "Katherine?"

She eyed me briefly.

"Oh, uhm, it's, uh, Houk, right?" I nodded. "I didn't, uhm, know you had Library access."

"Ever since the incident with that fae kid," I said, nervously. "Sorry to interrupt."

"Wait a minute," the hunk said, getting up from the sink. "You were involved with the Cavin Foxglove case?"

"Yeah," I said, uncertainly.

"Wow," he whistled in an almost equine manner. "You've got some cajones, how you dealt with that. I'm impressed."

"Uh, Buck?" Katherine was eyeing both of us nervously.

"What? Oh. OH! Uhm, yeah." He proffered his hand. "Nice to meet you. Name's Buck..."

"Uh," I said, tentatively shaking his hand.

He realized my hesitation.

"Oh! No, uh, we weren't… that is, we were just…"

"Yeah," Katherine interjected. "We were only, uhm… not that."

"Kissing."

"Yeah, that was all we were…"

"…doing," they said together.

"I've been to plenty of wedding receptions. I know the drill." I pointed to the other door. "I was heading to the exit, anyways. I'll let you two, uhm…"

If there was such a thing as an embarrassment meter, it would be bending the needle.

"See ya," I said, closing the door a bit too abruptly.

I went over and opened the other doorway, which led to a small foyer – and a door that I immediately recognized.

As I walked out onto the porch of the old Scott Town Hall, I swore that I could hear laughter – mixed in with drunken hiccups.

[GlytchMeister]

Uhm...
>_>
<_<

*AWKWARDNESS INTENSIFIES*

[Sgt. Howard]

After their 'introduction' to Joe, the two decided perhaps they ought to re-join the party... and plot a few getaways for the VERY near future. Buck squared away Katherine's dress (and got a few gratuitous fondles in the process) while Kathy did the same for him... on both counts. Smiling, giggling, holding hands like two love-struck teenagers, they made their way towards the bar. Once they walked through the noise barrier, they became aware of the commotion there- the two vampires... one of which was her Mother... were cavorting with the general crowd.
"WOW!" thought Kathy- "....and about time. It was as bad as the segregation of Blacks in another era,"

Lilly spotted them.

She was there too fast for either to know how, standing before her daughter with tears streaming down her face.
"Mother? What happened?"
"Monica named me as a Peer! Suzi and I both! We have rights! We have privileges! We have real status! We have... we have FAMILY!!!"
"Oh Mother," returned Kathy with a warm smile, "... you've ALWAYS had family... you were just afraid to claim it," and she threw her arms around her Mother.
Mother and Daughter stood together for quite some time in embrace, silently swaying, tearing... until Lilly opened her eyes and wrinkled her nose a bit. She backed her face away and looked at Kathy... then at Buck (who had been awkwardly standing by, waiting for something to happen).
"Young lady..." she stated in mock severity, "WHAT on earth have you two been doing?"
Kathy went fourteen shades of red- "Well, uh... you see, uh... but WE DIDN'T really... uh... um.... nuthin'..." she said with her eyes dropped, her hands behind her back and her legs twisted together.
Lilly burst out laughing...

Monica surveyed the scene with satisfaction... she was SUPPOSED to be here. And by herself. She had shown courage, honor, justice, friendship and loyalty... and had just enough champagne to enjoy it all without having a painful morning after. She figured to bow out now, while things were on a good note... then go home and tell Georgette about everything... when she heard her name-
"Monica! Just a minute, please,"- she stiffened at the tone of Kevin's voice. She turned just as Kevin walked up to her- not more than five steps away was Bud, looking rather nervous.
"Monica... I just wanted to say... 'thank you' for the time we had together. I won't lie, seperation from you hurt- it hurt real bad- but these things happen, and for whatever reason. I will never forget what you meant to me, but that will not stop me from moving on. I truly hope you find in Georgette what you couldn't find elsewhere... or at least, the two of you help each other heal... that's all I wanted to say..."
Monica looked at Kevin with big, wet eyes- "Kevin... I... I... oh shit," and wrapped her arms around him, embracing for the last time.
"I will never forget you either. Thank you for just being you. Now go, " she said at last, "go and have fun with that young lady over there before she gets jealous. You two need to not worry about me,"
She turned toward the exit, totally free of all care or concern... and filled with joy...

[GlytchMeister]

Warm Fuzzies! Getcha Warm Fuzzies hea! Fresh outta de oven! Softer'n Tribbles an' chinchillas! Warm as a mother's hug! Warm Fuzzies! Getcah Warm Fuzzies hea!

[jwhouk]

Georgette Sundahl was not the type to pace and worry, but she was doing it anyways.

It had started just after her girlfriend, Monica Villareal, had left for the wedding of a friend of hers. She had been so worried about whether or not she should go, since it was likely that her ex-boyfriend – and his new girlfriend, who was also a friend of M's – were going to be there. She had reassured M, and sent her away with her blessing.

And then, right after she left, she decided to take a quick nap. She didn't know exactly why she'd decided to do it – maybe it was because she'd been running all over the last few days, trying to find some exotic dresses that they could re-sell at the shop for a profit. Maybe it was because that wonderful French Press coffee made by that… strange barista that Monica had introduced her to had finally worn out.

Maybe, of course, she actually was worried about Monica.


The nightmare started right away. Monica was sitting at a bar when some strange half-goat being started shooting a sawed-off shotgun into the air. Some young man in a tuxedo came running up behind the goat – and promptly had his head blown off.

It was strange how she remembered it: the top half of the young man's head disappeared in a pulpy, red splash. His body rolled back from the impact and lay motionless across the floor.

She heard Monica scream.

It was the groom.

That was when pandemonium set in. All of the sphinxes that were in the Library for the wedding suddenly turned on the patrons. She saw blood everywhere. Even this Phix lady had suddenly been overcome by another female sphinx.

Just when she thought it couldn't get worse, four of the sphinxes surrounded Monica. She went into her feral form – a form she only vaguely remembered, from that one time in the coffee shop – and tried to take them all out.

They were too big, though, and too many. She was first ripped in half, then torn limb from limb. She regenerated, but the astral fire that she'd wielded in defeating the Tar inside her had no effect on her attackers.

They kept attacking – and attacking. And attacking…

She heard someone scream:

NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!


That was when she woke up.

She was sweating profusely, to where the dampness had gone right through her clothes and into the cushions of the couch.

She looked around. She had fallen asleep in Monica's living room. The light from the setting sun had cast a strange shadow against the one wall, where it looked nearly blood red.

"AAAAAHHHH!" She screamed with a start.

This was bringing back too many painful memories.

She quickly looked over at Monica's grandfather clock. It read 8:45 PM. She shook her head to try to clear her thoughts.

It was just a dream, she told herself. A vivid, nightmarish dream – but only that. It wasn't real.

The wedding had been that afternoon. Monica hadn't said how long she'd be gone, but she figured to be home before 10.

Jet got up and went into the kitchen. She needed coffee.


She had caught herself pacing, several times. The clock was seemingly moving in slow motion. It had chimed at nine o'clock, then promptly at ten.

And then eleven.

Shortly after, just as she'd plopped herself down on a chair in the kitchen, folding her hands in her lap like a frightened child, she heard the distinctive sound that of a poit!

"Dietzel! Georgette? I'm home!" Monica called out.

Georgette moved maybe a little too fast to the source of the poiting.

"Mon-i-caaaaaa…" she said, nearly tackle-hugging the one she loved.

"Oooooff!" There were times that Monica was reminded how tall Jet was compared to her. Unfortunately, Jet had forgotten in this particular instance. She nearly fell over from the momentum, but somehow retained her balance.

"Oh, M, I was so worried I had this nightmare where you'd been attacked and tortured and killed and I just…"

"Relax, sweetie," Monica managed to get out in between squeezes and kisses. "Things went all right."

"No shotguns?"

"Well, there was a brief scene made by one of the Library's staff…"

This made Georgette grab Monica in fear.

"OOF!" She managed to free herself enough to breathe. "For a skinny girl, you got a death grip on you!"

"Sorry, sorry," Jet apologized profusely. "It's just that the nightmare started with someone shooting a sawed-off…"

"No one was hurt," Monica insisted, tapping Jet's collarbone in emphasis. "Everything turned out okay. I even reconciled with Kevin."

"Kevin?"

"Yeah," Monica said, taking a step back. "We both agreed that we needed to take a step back, go our own ways." She hugged herself unconsciously for a moment. "He was there with Bud, too."

"He was?! That's great!" Jet realized immediately how that sounded. "I mean, well, that they're both happy…"

Monica gave a low chuckle.

"Bud seemed a bit sad, though, after she found out that Jin was pregnant."

"Wait," Jet held up her hand in protest. "You've got so many of these paranormal friends, I don't know who's who."

"The Timekeeper's Daughter," Monica began to explain.

"Oh! Oh, yes, you did tell me about her. But I thought," Jet scrunched up her face a moment, "that she was a golem?"

"Apparently fixing her mental issues also made her human. And human enough that she could have kids."

"Wow," Georgette said, looking at Monica with a loving look. "You really did have a great time." She grinned. "Just like I said you would."

M laughed.

"Yes, I did." She thumbed towards the stairs. "I really have to shower, though. The dance floor they had got me all sweaty."

"Better not have slow-danced with anyone," Jet teased.

"No, I was just trying to keep up with Katherine's little one." She took a step toward the stairs. "Oh, and I found out who my 'rescuer' was back at the mental hospital. Turns out that not only is she now an MIB agent, she was also at the wedding." She had a satisfied look on her face. "I can tell you more about that tomorrow, though."

"That sounds great," Jet replied.

She gave Monica a gaze through lidded eyes.

"Need someone to scrub your back?"

Monica giggled the entire way up the stairs.