Disclaimer: Characters aren't mine and I'm making no money.
This is a challenge response from Babe_Squad. I just threw this together and uploaded it so it hasn't been beta'd. Please excuse all my mistakes. I hope they're not too distracting.
No Way Did We Just See That!
"Zero, Junior...today's your day off. Why are you both here?" Tanks voice boomed through the command floor when he spotted the two me. A new policy had been implemented requiring the men to leave the building on their days off. Too many of them had become introverts and refused to go outside their safe sanctuary unless they were needed to for work. "Get your asses out of this building and that's an order." Tank walked back into his office and slammed the door.
Junior looked at his friend sitting beside him and grimaced. Neither man wanted to do anything, but since it was policy and they were both given an order, they knew they had better leave. They stood together and waved goodbye to the remaining guys left on the floor.
Once down in the garage, the two men stopped and looked at each other. "Where do you want to go?" Zero asked first and he had to smile at Junior's obvious annoyance.
"Shit, man. I don't know. Where do you want to go? I hate this shit." Junior was pissed off.
"I hate this shit too, but we have to do something. May as well do it together." Zero reasoned with the other man and walked toward an SUV. He hopped in the driver's seat and smiled when the passenger seat opened and Junior climbed in too.
"Fine, but I'm not picking. Just drive somewhere." Zero shook his head as he started the vehicle and pulled out of the underground garage.
About an hour and a half later, Zero was driving into Atlantic City. Junior turned and raised his brow at him, but Zero just shrugged it off. A day of gambling and girls sounded good to him. It didn't matter to Junior, he just wanted to get it over with and back home.
They pulled into a random casino and decided that it looked good enough to suit their purposes for the day so they parked and walked into the bustling building. The second they stepped inside, they were both on high alert. There were too many people around and wasn't enough cover for them to feel comfortable.
"Let's head to the bar and have some drinks to loosen up. Then maybe we can mix out here and gamble." Zero could hear the intimidation in Junior's voice so he nodded and followed the other man to the bar located on the outskirts of the gaming floor.
They picked a table in the back corner and each sat so their backs were against the wall. They ordered their drinks and both sat back to watch the people come and go. After about two hours, and numerous drinks later, a familiar figure walked into the bar and sat down at a small table close to the front.
"Shit, isn't that Bomber?" Zero whispered and pointed to the woman.
Junior took a minute to look but then realized it was. "Yes, but I've never seen her look that good. She's gorgeous." Stephanie was wearing an off-white dress that clung to her curves perfectly. Her hair was twisted up and pinned so her long neck was exposed to anyone sitting behind her. Her make-up was subtle and almost looked natural. Neither man had ever seen her without the subsequent Jersey layers on her face.
"I wonder what she's doing here?" Junior's voice was whisper soft as he and his coworker watched her from across the bar. After a few more minutes, another familiar figure walked into the bar and both men cursed under their breaths.
Joe Morelli strode smugly into the bar wearing a dark tailored suit. He looked like a pit boss and both men had to chuckle at his obvious discomfort in his attire. He gave Stephanie a kiss on the cheek and sat beside her. Stephanie's smile was huge as she talked with Joe.
"You don't think..." Zero started to say but Junior stopped him.
"She wouldn't. We all know she loves Ranger. She'd never..." Junior let his words fall off because as much as he wanted to believe in what he was saying, the facts in front of him told him otherwise. After a few minutes the two men saw Mary Lou come rushing into the bar. She was wearing a light blue dress and she was carrying a bouquet of flowers. She kissed both Joe and Stephanie and then handed the flowers off to Stephanie. They all ordered a shot of something clear and then after clinking their glasses together, each downed their shot. Joe paid their tab and then they all walked out of the bar together.
"Fuck. I have a really bad feeling about this." Junior got up and threw some cash on the table. "Come on. We have to stop this shit." Zero agreed and followed the other man out of the bar.
They tailed the trio in front of them at a respectable distance. Since Joe was a cop, they were extra careful not to be seen. They both wanted answers and they needed to stay hidden to get them. If Stephanie saw them, she would be beyond pissed. She might think Ranger sent them and that wouldn't be good. Stephanie Plum in rhino mode was never a good thing.
They both dove behind potted plants when the trio stopped in front of the hotel's chapel. Joe was talking to Stephanie, but they couldn't hear what exactly he said. When he headed into the chapel, they made the move to get closer to the two women. Stephanie was distracted as she talked to her best friend.
"Are you sure you want to do this? You don't have to get married just because you're pregnant." Mary Lou asked and both men looked at each other panicked.
"I'm more than sure. The second he asked, I knew I wanted to do it soon. I don't want to wait any longer, Lou. I love him more than anything and I want to be his wife and it's not just because of the baby. He asked me to marry him before I told him I was pregnant." Stephanie gushed and it made her best friend smile.
"I know that. I just had to be sure." Mary Lou hugged Stephanie and then they turned to head into the chapel.
Junior and Zero stood outside the door debating on what to do. Should they rush in and stop the wedding? Would Stephanie even listen to them if they did? Should they call Ranger and tell him? He couldn't get there in time to stop it, so why bother calling him? Hearing that Stephanie wasn't just married to Morelli, but that she was carrying his baby was going to kill Ranger and both men knew it.
"Shit, man. What do we do?" Zero's voice was laced with disappointment and sadness.
"I have no idea. I always thought she'd end up with the boss man. I never thought she'd give in and marry Morelli." Junior ran his hand through his short dark hair and let out a long sigh.
Zero repeated the gesture before talking. "God, this sucks. Ranger's going to be pissed. He's going to kick our asses for weeks after this."
"I know. Maybe we just act dumb. We didn't see anything or hear anything. Hell, we weren't even here. I can keep my mouth shut if you can." Junior glared at the younger man.
"My mouth is shut, tight. I ain't saying shit about this." They nodded at each other as they stood by the chapel doors. They heard music start playing and realized that the ceremony was over and that the people inside would soon be coming out. They both looked around frantically for somewhere to hide. Their previous plants were too far away and the closest form of cover was a fountain not far from the doors.
They both took off running and dove into the water right as the doors opened. They heard Stephanie's giggle and both men peaked above the concrete rim to watch the newly wedded couple, even though they really did't want to. It was like a train wreck, you knew it was bad, but you just had to look. Their eyes widened when they finally saw exactly who she was with.
They watched as the couple kissed passionately outside the chapel doors. The man's hand rested possessively on the woman's flat stomach. Her hand was placed over his and she smiled up at him sweetly when they broke the kiss. "You ready for the honeymoon wife?" The man asked with desire laced words. "Oh yeah!" Came Stephanie's reply. The two men watched them walk arm in arm toward the elevators. Junior looked wide-eyed at Zero who had a similar expression on his face. "No way did we just see that." Zero's voice was full of awe.
"Hell yeah we did!" Junior smiled and climbed out of the fountain. His clothes were soaked but he really didn't care. Zero followed him and they both sat on the ledge. Mary Lou and Joe walked out of the chapel a few minutes later and only briefly glanced at the two soaking wet men sitting on the fountain's edge.
"I guess that means we're going to have a mini-boss running around soon." Junior said and laughed. "Too bad my phone was ruined when I dove into the damn water. No one is going to believe this shit." Zero nodded and laughed.
"Oh well. We'll get to rub it in that we knew before everyone else when the time comes. You think they're going to tell us soon?" Water dripped off Zero's noise as he spoke.
"Now that we know, we'll make sure they tell us sooner rather than later. For once, we have the upper hand with Bomber and the boss man." Junior looked at his partner with an evil grin on his face. "This is going to be fun."
The two men sloshed through the giant hotel getting weird looks but they really didn't care. Once they were back in the SUV and headed home toward Trenton, Zero spoke up. "You know what. I kind of like that new policy. This has been the best day off, ever!" Junior laughed and nodded his head. He couldn't agree more.