Disclaimers: First verse, same as the... er, prologue?

Notes: I'm very sorry this took me so long. 2006 got off to a very bad start - small family issues rose up in January, and my grandma (who lived next door) suffered a catastrophic stroke and passed away hours after the Super Bowl in February. March was all about recovering. I hope you guys can understand and extend me mercy - I know I ask for that a lot, but it would mean more this time around.

Dedication (because I forgot to do this on the other chapter...): To my Mom, who told me to 'quit whining and start a trend' by writing this story. I don't know if she knows how much that meant to me, but I hope she will someday.

Chicago, April 2003

"Emerson signed the deal, right?"

"That's right."

"So that means we don't have to worry about it anymore, right?"

"Until something bad happens, yes."

Serena set the tea cup on the table with a loud 'clack', leaning back in her chair and folding her arms behind her head. "Great. Thank God that's over."

"You know how paranoid the guy is. It's only natural that it took him this long to do anything about his house."

"Yeah, but the guy waited until part of it burned before he did anything about it. You'd think that with someone as smart as he is, he would have known that insurance would have covered it."

Amy sighed, closing the folder and putting it in her bag. "Well, at least a two-year effort is finally settled."

The two girls turned their heads to a sudden gust of wind that blew down the street. The Windy City had been particularly gusty that day, but both had come to expect it. Serena pulled her jacket closer to her while Amy sat unfazed. "Do you think Lita's ready for us now?"

Amy looked at her watch. "We told her we'd meet her after lunch. She should be if she isn't already."

"Hopefully she isn't too upset that we didn't choose the restaurant to eat at."

"This place was closer to the company anyway. Besides, pasta is therapy food."

Serena shook her head with a chuckle. "You and your no-carb diet. How many times do I have to tell you that you're the size of a twig? You don't need a diet."

"I sit at a desk all day, Serena. Carbohydrates are only good if you're active." Amy stood, adjusting her jacket and picking up her bag. "You can say anything you like. Do you know how many times I've heard people talking about how they'd kill you have your body?"

"And my job. Don't forget that one."

"I think they want the man that came with the job, not the job itself."

"The man was making the company when we got married. Who knew that eight years later we'd be making a statement in the city of Chicago, huh?"

"Well, for whatever reason, you know that Lita appreciates it. You know how nervous she gets when she meets people she doesn't know."

"I'm surprised she wanted to open a restaurant."

Serena stood from the table, adjusting her own jacket and pushing the chair back into its place. When she didn't hear anything from Amy, she put on her sunglasses and turned to her. Amy only blinked back. "She didn't tell you?"

"Didn't tell me what?"

Amy sighed again. "Oh boy. Serena, I think you should see what Lita's done to the place."

It took a moment for realization to dawn on Serena. The moment it did, her eyes grew wide. "She didn't!"

"She did."

Lita Patterson was widely known for two opposite things. Her culinary skills not withstanding, it was city-wide knowledge that the girl was hopelessly addicted and otherwise incapable of keeping a relationship that lasted for longer than two weeks. When she finally decided that cooking was going to be her number one priority, she immediately went to Serena about the possibility of insurance and finding a place that would benefit her business. It took two years, but Serena finally found a former Subway building that was looking for an owner. Lita jumped on the opportunity and found a place that not only could house her dreams but was only two blocks away from her own apartment building.

When Lita suggested the name Italian House, Serena knew that it was going to be a hit. The building, while looking like a diner, was larger from the inside and was the perfect place for a small business. The insurance was settled and Lita opened her doors to the public two months later.

While Serena knew Lita better than she knew herself there was one factor that also set her apart from the rest of their group of friends: Lita was a die-hard Cubs fan.

As if she isn't bad enough with old boyfriends, Serena thought miserably, watching the city fly by in the cab window. If she's done what I think she has we could both be in a jam.

The situation was bad enough when the cab driver had no idea what place they were speaking of. When Amy spoke the magic words, the driver smiled and spoke a few unintelligible words and drove off, leaving Serena confused and Amy nervous. When he pulled over and let them out, allowing Serena to see what Lita had done to the building the jam was set in concrete.

"Grecian Goddess' Italian House?"

Not only had the small sign they had chosen for the House been taken away but it was replaced with something that looked straight out of Vegas. 'Grecian Goddess' was loud enough, but the 'Italian House' was downright blaring for the small location.

"Grecian Goddess' Italian House!" Serena repeated. "What happened to Italian House?"

Amy put a hand at the back of her neck. "Remember Kenny?"

Serena turned to her. "The boyfriend who liked endearments?" When Amy said nothing and allowed Serena to remember Lita's boyfriend of a month, she turned back to the restaurant. "Oh, God…"

"That's what I said. Do we go in and talk to her now, or do you want to cool off for a bit?"

"How long have you known about this?"

"About a day. I didn't say anything because you looked so stressed from the Emerson deal that I thought this would be small potatoes."

Serena sighed. "Well, let's go in and talk to her."

"Uh, it gets worse."

"What do you mean 'it gets worse'? Wasn't this what you were talking about?"

"Not exactly. Think of Lita. Think of Lita's second love and it's not food."

Serena's eyes got wide and she stormed to the door. Amy only followed fully intent on putting out the fire that was slowly raging in Serena's head.

The restaurant itself didn't have any major attention drawing purposes (beyond the downright blaring sign announcing its name) and any spectator would be in for a surprise if they happened inside and saw what the House was really about. Lita Patterson was also known for her alternating personalities and those who knew her well enough knew that the inside of her new business wouldn't be a surprise of any kind. Serena would realize this only later when the situation wasn't quite so dramatic.

"Lita!" she screamed. "What have you done?"

At least that was what Serena wanted to say. When she saw that a bar had been placed in the center of the building she only froze with her mouth hanging open. Amy followed close behind and placed her hand on her shell-shocked friend's shoulder. "Don't panic." She whispered.

Lita, standing behind the bar and cleaning a glass, turned when then door opened and waived the towel at her friends. "Hey guys! Come on in!"

"In?" Serena squeaked, finally moving and pointing a finger at the brunette. "Into what? Lita what on Earth have you done?"

"Isn't it great? I know the change is a little dramatic, but I think it'll add a comforting effect to the place."

Serena marched to the bar and placed her hands on the shiny surface, the mahogany surface a nice compliment to the color of her face. "What is this doing here?"

Lita stopped and turned to Amy, seemingly unfazed by the blonde's anger. "Didn't you tell her?"

"A few things, yeah."

"I thought you said you were going to tell her everything!"

"You told me last night, Lita. We've only been together for the last hour or so."

"Fine." Lita adjusted the Cubs hat on her head, setting aside the white towel and leaning over on the counter. "I knew that adding a bar of some kind would tarnish the idea of an Italian restaurant, but I really wanted something out of the ordinary. Every place in Chicago had a bar of some kind, so I thought that a juice bar would be perfect."

The slight huffing and puffing from Serena stopped for a moment. "A Juice bar?"

"Yeah! Check it out!" Lita grabbed a freshly cleaned glass and placed it on top of a napkin. She unhooked a nozzle and poured orange juice into the glass, capping it off with a straw. "On the house." She said with a smile, fully expecting the effect to be met with praise.

It wasn't. Serena stared at the glass like it was the abomination of the earth while Amy stared at Serena and wondered when she would snap. The pause lasted for a while until Serena found her voice again. "You do realize this means we have to re-write your insurance plan."

"Why? I only added a juice bar."

"Exactly. Now we really need to consider an electrical fire o-or some drastic disaster happening. If we don't cover this and something happens here you won't get the bar back. This is an ASAP kind of thing, Lita."

Lita blinked back. "Just because I added a juice bar?"

Serena groaned and let her head fall on the table. Amy put an arm around her and looked at Lita who was staring at Serena blankly. "We just finished the Emmerson deal."

Lita blinked again but understanding was fully evident. "Oh, geez. I'm sorry Serena! I should have told you sooner!"

"Or later." Serena groaned again.

"Had I known that you'd taken care of Emmerson I would have let you relax for a while longer. Do you want something to eat? That'll be on the house too."

Amy patted Serena's back. "We just ate. I don't think she's-"

"I like ravioli."

Lita grinned broadly. "Spoken like the Serena Carpenter I know." She turned to the kitchen window and cupped her hands over her mouth. "Hey Mina!"

A mop of blonde hair covered by a black cap that read "Kiss the Cook" appeared over the window. Mina's broad grin showed she hadn't been listening to the exchange at all. "Hi all!"

"Mina, could you get Serena some ravioli please?"

Mina gave a salute and disappeared behind the window. Pots and pans clattered while the cook whistled to a tune to the radio in the kitchen. Lita turned back to Serena only to be met with her blue eyes.

"Just please tell me this is the only thing you've changed."

Lita ran a hand over her neck and grinned awkwardly. "Well, not quite."

She pointed a finger to the corner of the restaurant. Amy and Serena turned and felt their eyes opening wider when they saw a TV set on a stand in the corner. They were even wider when they saw the ivy walls of Wrigley Field along with the jerseys associated with it.

Serena turned to Lita and blinked, expression never changing. "Is this a restaurant or a sports bar?"

"Now, before you get all tight and upset on me consider this: I've gotten seven phone calls in the last few days from wives who were thrilled knowing that their husbands and pals were going to an Italian restaurant to see a ball game instead of a bar. They go home full of good food, juice, and happy faces. They even said they'd tag along one of these days! Now you try and tell me that isn't a good report!"

"You said 'seven', Lita. Seven people called you. I've got more fingers than that!"

"Hey, this helps me get over my fear of being around too many people, right? Let's just try this."

"I'm not saying don't try it. I just wish you'd said something earlier to me before you did it!"

"I would have Serena but you were at that conference in Iowa for a week and when you had gotten back I had already done it and didn't find time to tell you. That's why I told Amy. I hoped she would have told you so that you wouldn't have reacted this way!"

Serena took a drink from the glass before her. "Is there anything else?"

"Does putting stickers on the door count?"

"If it doesn't have to do with 'no shirt no shoes no service', yes."

"Then you should look at the door."

Serena took a deep breath and stood from the stool she found herself sitting on at some point during the conversation. She went to the door and opened it, ignoring the small protests that came from customers when a cold gust blew in. In front of the handle were white-printed words; 'No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service'. She turned to Lita and shrugged. "It's law."

"Look next to it."

Serena turned to the door and noticed another sticker printed in black; 'We reserve the right to discriminate against Cardinal and White Sox fans. Go Cubs!'

Her head fell against the door. Lita turned to Amy. "Do you think she's angry at me yet?"

"I think she was angry with you when she came through the door."

"No, I'm not angry with you." Serena went back to the bar and took Lita's hands. "I'm not mad. I swear. I just wish I had known about this earlier. How about you and Mina come over tonight and we can discuss the changes?"

"Do we have to do it while we're having our Ladies Night Out?"

"We've got to do it sometime soon."

"Okay, but we've got to do it first to get it out of the way."

Serena smiled. "Agreed."

Amy took the seat next to Serena and opened her palms. "Is this settled now?"

"I'd say so." Lita said, glancing at the TV before picking up another glass to clean. "I think it'll be a good season."

"Don't you say that every year?"

"Of course. I wouldn't be a Cubs fan if I didn't!"

Mina showed up moments later through the kitchen doors with a plate of steaming ravioli. "Order up!" She set the plate in front of Serena and smiled. "So what have you ladies been talking about?"

"Serena just found out about the bar and the TV." Lita said, gesturing to both when mentioned.

"Really? Aren't they great?"

Serena gave a small, crooked grin to Lita. "They are great."

"I think they give the place a little life. We certainly get a good amount of customers now. I don't know how many plates of food I've made today."

"Get used to it, Mina. When business grows and the Cubs win, we'll be cookin' like crazy. We might even need another cook in the back."

"You're the only two here now?" Amy asked.

"For right now. We've gotten some applications in but we haven't looked at them yet. Guess that's another thing we'll have to do tonight."

"Not during the Ladies Night Out, right?" Mina asked.

"Oh, yes. You two are getting everything cleared out tonight before my head hits the pillow. I refuse to go to bed with things not settled." Serena pressed her finger against the bar, emphasizing her point.

"You'd better watch out, Sere. If you're not careful you'll end up sounding like Raye." Lita said with a smile.

"And we all know how bad that would be." Amy grinned.

"Speaking of Raye, when are they getting back?"

"They called last night. She said that they were going to leave this morning and be back later tonight, too late to really do anything." Serena said, taking another drink from her glass.

Lita took a fork and stabbed a piece of ravioli. "Don't you think it would be hard to bring your wife along on a business trip?"

"Of course not. We bring good moral support! Besides, we all know how much better Chad operates when Raye's around, so there's no point in making fun. He can be a pretty washed out musician at times."

"I've heard they tend to be. So, what's for dinner?"

"As long as I'm not cooking, I'm good for anything." Mina said.

Lita took a bite of the ravioli and made a face. "Tell me you didn't make this."

"Of course I did."

"Then tell me you haven't been serving this. Mina, this is awful!"

"What?" Mina grabbed a fork from under the bar and took a bite. Her face was similar to Lita's. "Oh, no."

Amy and Serena picked a piece with their fingers and found themselves slowly chewing. Amy swallowed first. "It tastes like-"

"Cheese. Lita, we got the wrong shipment of ravioli in."

Lita blinked broadly and jumped over the bar, running to the kitchen as fast as her converse shoes would let her. Mina followed close behind while Amy and Serena sat and stared at the swinging doors. It was totally quiet until Lita's loud exclamation of "What!" rang through the small building.

"What do you mean the shipments got mixed up? How do you mix up shipments to a place like Grecian Goddess' Italian House?"

Serena, Amy and Mina all had smiles on their faces as they listened to their friends outburst. While Lita fixed the shipment problem (that apparently meant that her beef ravioli had been mixed with the cheese ravioli from another restaurant called Pablo's Italian Cheese) the other girls sat in Serena's living room watching a movie. Lita paced in the kitchen only feet away, holding the shipment papers in one hand and trying to keep her voice down but failing.

"I understand that you can't fix it now. Is there some way I can get another shipment in soon?" There was a pause. "I don't want to pay for it… because I've already paid for a shipment. It's not my fault that the shipment company screwed up… No, you don't understand: I'm not going to pay for another shipment. I want one to make up for the ravioli that got lost… Listen to me, you little punk…"

Mina snorted on the couch. "Ooh, now she's mad."

Amy tucked her legs under her, digging her hand into the popcorn bowl. "How do you think she'll handle it?"

"Hopefully with orderly and business like conduct." Serena answered. She turned to the others from her spot on the floor. "If not, she'll rant their heads off until they comply."

The three continued to watch the movie, keeping close ear to the words floating in from the kitchen. The smiles grew on their faces until they heard her exhausted "Thank you" which they then pretended to not be listening at all and focused on the movie. Lita set the phone and papers on the table and walked into the living room, refusing to make an effort to take off her converse before walking on the carpet. She fell on a couch by Serena. The other girls in the room turned to her. "How'd it go?" Mina asked.

"Why tell it? I'm sure you guys heard everything."

"Not really. This movie's really good." Serena said, putting some more pieces of popcorn in her mouth.

"Yeah. We didn't hear much."

"Well, it turns out that the shipment was mixed up and I demanded that the whole thing be fixed. The guy tells me that in order to do that I might as well pay for a whole new shipment. Of course I said no, saying that I didn't have to because the first shipment was still floating out there. He says, "Well, I'm sorry lady, but what you've got out there is one shipment and we can't replace it with another without cash". So, I told him that he was a two-timing schemer with no regard for people's cash-"

"We heard that."

"-And that he was more than likely ready to have his butt kicked by me if he didn't do something about this shipment-"

"We heard that, too."

"-and he paused, complied, and said everything would be shipped and ready before the week was over, free of charge." Lita rested her head on the back of the couch. "I'm sure you heard all of that, though."

"Sure did."

"Yup."

"No shame in it, either."

Lita chuckled, pleasantly exhausted and happy to be in her friend's company. "I really feel your support, guys."

At the other side of the house, the garage door opened. Allen Carpenter stepped through the door frame and set his bag down. "Hi Honey!" he called.

"Hey Allen!" Serena voice drifted in from the living room.

When he bent over he saw two other pairs of shoes that meant only one thing: Amy and Mina were there and Lita forgot to take off her shoes again. "Hi ladies!"

"Hi Allen!" Three voices chorused unanimously.

Serena came around the corner moments later, a happy smile on her face and her arms outstretched. His jacket was cold but warmed quickly under her touch.

"Is it Ladies Night Out again?" he asked, his voice muffled in her hair.

"I should have told you before I left. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry." He pulled back and grinned. "We men have a great way of avoiding these things. Will it kill you if I order a pizza and hibernate in our room with a ball game instead of stick around with you gals?"

"We never stopped you before. Lita might want a piece though."

"Deal." He let his fingers play with the strands of her hair. "I got that report you left about Lita's place. She changed the sign and added a few details, huh?"

"Did you drive by it?"

"How could I miss it? It's like a Vegas location over there. It's easily the brightest thing in town."

Serena giggled. "I'm sure you were very calm about the whole thing."

"And I'm sure you had a public display of dramatics. It's really not that bad. Only a few things need to be changed. No big deal."

"Speaking of deals," she pulled back and took his jacket, hanging it in the closet while she spoke. "Were you able to work out that deal in Detroit?"

"About expanding the company? It took up most of my afternoon. They insisted on having someone, namely me, head over there to prove our allegiance or something inane like that. I told them that I just got back from a two week trip out of town and refused. They were quiet for a while, asked me if I was married, for how long, and if that was one of the reasons I wouldn't go on another trip. They also asked me if you were pregnant – you aren't pregnant, right?"

"As far as I know."

"Good, because I said you weren't. Then they needed to know why I refused to leave…" he ran a hand through his brown hair, obviously still exhausted with the whole exchange. "To make a long story short, I put my foot down and demanded they comply." A smile grew on his face at her expression, knowing he had her in his story. "They agreed to finish the deal without sending someone over there."

"So that means…"

"The company is officially expanding. Carpenter Insurance Inc. is going to spread its wings to a small location in Michigan."

"Oh, Allen!" she threw her arms around him again, giving a laugh when he chuckled. "This is great! Your dream is coming true. I'm so happy for you!"

"For us," he corrected, putting his forehead on hers. "You are the Vice President of the company, after all. This means more business, more people, and more reasons to celebrate."

"We'll do that later," she said, pointing a finger at his face. "We've got company right now."

"Let them join us! I think we've still got a little bit of wine left in the cooler."

"Are you two coming out sometime soon, or do we need to build a door so you can have a room?"

The two laughed, finally parting and walking hand in hand to the living room. The three girls grinned at the doorway. "Good news, we hope?" Amy asked.

"The company is expanding. We've got a location of interest in Michigan."

A loud exclamation resounded through the room. Mixed voices shouted their consent and the three girls gathered together for hugs. "You do know this means we have to celebrate, right?" Lita said, leaning forward and grinning broadly at Serena.

"You all are welcome to stay for a while." Allen said, pulling back and heading for the fridge. "This is a big deal for the company. A few more deals like this and we can label ourselves a successful business throughout the Illinois state and surrounding locations." He pulled out a bottle of wine and stared at the label. "There should be enough left for all of us. Do you guys want some?"

"Sure!"

"Count me in!"

"No, thank you."

"Come on, Amy! You need to have something. You are an employee after all."

"I'll be fine with water. I'm not a very big wine lover."

Mina crossed her arms, smiling even as she shook her head. "Spoken like the girl we know. You would choose the Earth's natural beverage over something with a little alcohol."

Lita blinked back at Mina, holding a glass out for Allen to pour wine into. "Technically, the wine is Earth's natural beverage, too."

"Yeah, but it's not prominent!"

"Actually, it is."

Mina paused for a moment, processing the statement even as Allen moved to pour her a drink. "Are we sure she should have some?" he whispered to Serena, earning a small giggle and a playful slap on the arm. He let the smile stay on his face while Lita tried to explain the thought to Mina, who all the while looked extremely confused over the whole thing. Lita eventually gave up, giving into the thought that it was better left unexplained and simple than drawn out and more confusing.

"A toast?" Amy asked, lifting her glass of water above her circle of friends.

"To Carpenter Insurance." Serena answered, raising her own glass.

"And the Italian House." Allen added, smiling at Lita when he spoke the words before her. "May they both be successful and keep us together in the years to come."

"To success, then?" Mina offered.

"To us." Lita ended, and the group lifted their glasses together, deciding that the toast really was to their friendship and the connection the two businesses brought between them all. Serena, letting her gaze wander from one friend to another, stopped when she saw Allen staring straight at her with a small smile on his face. She gave her glass a small tilt in his direction, a personal toast to how proud she was of him, hoping he would get the message. It seemed he did – he raised his glass in return and took another drink.

In a small, cluttered apartment on the South Side of Chicago, a young man sighed in relief when his laptop finally turned on and started working. Deciding that cable and other 'necessities' would come later, he took the small computer into his chair and unplugged the charger, letting the cords fold messily by his side. His blue eyes scanned file after file until he came across what he was looking for – a personally typed resume for his application. He attached the file to and email and checked the address for the hundredth time – at least, he thought it was the hundredth time; he wasn't sure at one thirty in the morning anymore – then, hesitantly, clicked the button marked 'Send'.

There. It was done. Another long sigh echoed throughout the room, cluttered with stacked boxes and trash from fast food restaurants. He looked around the small apartment, grateful for its housing but not for its size, and decided checking the order of the apartment would be a good idea before any others. At least he knew where his bedroom things were. He kept the computer on and opened a box, digging through its contents until he found a bar of soap and a bottle of shampoo. Now would be a better time than ever to check that shower.

He stared one more time at the computer screen, his eyes drifting to the yellow post-it note he had pasted on there earlier that morning. An email address was scribbled there, along with the name of the company's owner:

Allen Carpenter, President of Carpenter Insurance Inc.

The name had to be coincidental, and he was sure she wouldn't be working there. At least, he hoped so. Rubbing his eyes and trying to stay awake, Darien turned to the bathroom and turned on the light, ready to prepare himself for the long hours that lay ahead.

You guys have no idea how much fun it was to write this. Hopefully, my odd sense of humor will take a backseat so that it can be funny. Was it? It's supposed to be a romantic-comedy/drama. Lemme know.