Disclaimer : I still don't own Zoey101, Another World, or Couples .

The veil was pink .

It wasn't bright, bubble gum, cotton candy pink but there was no mistaking that the sheer formerly white veil was indeed a shade of pink .

There was no doubt about it or missing the pinkness about it though oddly enough the rhinestone encrusted headband was as perfect as could be which was a mystery .

Zoey however was about to become unhinged despite her Grandmothers attempts to calm her as the honey blonde lit into a baffled Quinn as soon as she was led into the suite by Lisa and Lola , who joined in solidarity .

.

' Zo, what's up ? Did you need my help with something ? ' asked Quinn, curiously .

She and Logan had barely walked in the door for a minute before Lola was dragging her away insisting that Zoey was having another crisis. She found all of her friends along with Zoey's mother and grandmother huddled together in the bridal suite as it was which was curious enough.

' Yes ! How could you do that to my veil ? Why would you even do that to me, Quinn ? Your supposed to be one of my best friends ….what kind of dumb Quinnventions did you turn loose on my veil ? '

Quinn frowned as she turned her attention to the veil , noting the white chiffon was now indeed a pale pink in color . Interesting until she realized what Zoey was accusing her of and tried to tamp down her irritation .

.

' Wait a minute , you think I turned your veil pink ? Zoey, I haven't been anywhere near your veil ,' informed Quinn, indignation in her tone ,' Logan and I have been in town shopping and only just now returned . I wasn't even aware that your veil was here ..I thought it was still with your Mom at your house '

Zoey stared at her friend with suspicion .' You swear on your zap watch that you haven't spilled anything like a mutant germ or weird dust near the vicinity of my veil ? '

Quinn bit down on her bottom lip , only mildly insulted by the question .'I swear on my zap watch as a scientist that I haven't been anywhere near your veil , actually I haven't really been working on anything new but a surprise for you .'

Zoey stared hard at Quinn., nearly afraid to ask .' What kind of surprise , Quinn ? '

' Well, it wont be a surprise if I tell you ….oh fine , a perfume made from the flowers in your Grandma's flower garden '

' If you didn't spill something on my veil, what happened to it ? '

Amanda came to the realization that perhaps she had caused the mishap, unknowingly .

Uh oh !

She put down the damp cloth she had been using to dab at the chiffon with no avail to lift a guilty hand, a sheepish expression filling her face .

' Honey, you shouldn't jump down Quinn's throat because I am afraid I might have accidentally turned your veil pink,' admitted Amanda ,' See I had the veil with me when I noticed Quinn's set up in the sunroom . I was curious about the scent so I lifted the topper to smell the scent …' She glanced at the scientist ,' It's lovely by the way, Quinn, but is it potent enough to cause this color change ? '

Zoey's eyes widened as she gaped at her mom.' MOTHER!'

' It was a terrible accident , Zoey,' said a regretful Amanda ,' but I am positive if we take it into a dry cleaners , they can fix it immediately .'

Zoey turned once more to Quinn.' Well, will it come out or not ?'

Quinn crinkled her nose, unsure .' Well, in theory, it should ….I'm not a perfumers , you know . I'm actually surprised it was potent enough to turn the veil pink at all '

Lisa walked around the veil then picked it up.' I like it . It's not amber or anything but kinda making a new , bold fashion statement '

Lola took it from Lisa , examined it herself .' It's kind of edgy cool and makes it less 1986 , Zoey . No offense, Mrs. Brooks '

' It was the edge of fashion in 1986, girls ' informed Amanda, matter of fact .

Zoey dropped her hands to her sides, counted to five, and made herself breath . She might have overreacted a teeny bit upon seeing the pink which any bride would have done if they had been in her shoes . Not to mention Quinn's luck with her inventions weren't always good so it was a plausible way to jump but it wasn't a life or death issue either .

' Bold fashion choice ' muttered Zoey, taking the veil and studying it intently ,' You two are just saying that to humor me . Are you ? '

Lola snorted at the idea .' Nope . I never humor anyone . Period '

Lisa smirked ,' We al know that is true '

' Oh yeah ' agreed Quinn, not skipping a beat .

' I may not be up on the fashion scene , dear ,' suggested Rachel, calmly ,' but why don't you try it on . It's a rather becoming shade of pink , if anything '

Moving in front of the large gilded mirror , Zoey settled the headpiece on top of her hair, as her Mom fussed with the veil , nervously . The bride to be changed the angles of her face, the pink catching in the light , the rhinestones sparkling, and a beautiful smile lit up her face .

' I am so rocking this look ! '

Amanda grinned .' To the Max "

*********************************Wedding Bells **************************

Despite the changes being made to the wedding, once the ball got rolling, everyone from the family and their friends pitched in to make it all come together , though in whittling down the guest list to a modest 167 , Chase and Zoey kept circling back to two questionable invites on their list for the fifth time in a week and a half .

.

They sat together cozily in the sitting room with Zoey's legs in Chase's lap while they debated on two old PCA friends from the past . All of their closest friends were in the actual wedding party and they agreed it made zero sense to invite every person they had a class with but these old friends were another issue at the heart of it .

They knew they had to take a position on it and decide already or it would be like the election all over again . Well, without the politics and Logan's smoothie bribes .

' We can't keep pushing them aside , we need to make the calls '

Chase rubbed the soles of her feet , grinning at her deep sigh .' Zo, Nicole was your best friend for two years ,' reminded practical Chase ,' I think I would feel like a bad person if we didn't at least send her an invitation to her for our big day '

Zoey grew thoughtful. ' That's the other problem, Chase , don't you see ? '

A blank expression played across his face ,' No, uh, not really '

' Men !' muttered Zoey, under her breath ,' Best friend is the problem ! We called and emailed each other a lot our sophomore year but then it kind of stopped . That might have been me cause I was closer to Lola and Quinn - even Lisa , of course, but I didn't hear from Nicole either . Since we were besties when we were kids would she think I was being rude by not making her one of my bridesmaids now ? '

She'd already gotten flack from not putting her cousin in the wedding and that was family .

Chase let out a growl as if the discussion hurt his head .' Nicole isn't like that ,' said Chase , thinking back to the boy crazy Nicole that talked a mile a minute and was obsessed with flossing with fondness,' she wasn't like that when we were all friends. '

Zoey picked at her nail, absently .' No , she never was like that. Your right , we need to invite her to the wedding '

Chase reached for the list and checked off her name .' Invited '

Zoey worried her lower lip as she lifted her head to make sure they were alone . Michael and Lisa had joined Vince and Lola in a walking tour of this afternoon and she hadn't seen where Logan and Quinn had disappeared to after lunch .

' What about Dana ? Back then I thought she was like a best friend too but it's hardly the same thing as Nicole ,' rambled Zoey ,thinking back to her first year at boarding school with Dana and Nicole . It had been a rough couple of weeks at first until they had gotten to know each other better ,' She wasn't always very nice to Quinn back then though I've never heard Quinn say anything negative about her .…'

' Dana was a tough cookie '

The sexy tough as nails Dana had been on Logan's radar back then and Chase knew they had locked lips once or twice . Dana was Dana . She and Nicole always bickered like sisters or enemies and the girl had a lot of sass .

She also did the rest of her schooling in Paris .

' Logan gets an occasional email from her or he used to '

Zoey frowned at this tidbit of information.' Quinn is okay with that ? I figured that would make her mad for sure '

Chase shrugged .' Well, I don't think she and Logan are pen pals or anything . I think it's maybe been a year since Logan even heard from Dana so I can't see why Quinn would be angry over it .'

He studied his soon to be bride waggled a fuzzy brow at her .' Are you worried that if we invite Dana to our wedding , Quinn will kill her ? '

' It's a thought , Chase , and we should consider it ,' went on Zoey, matter of fact ,' if we're going to get technical , I haven't heard from Dana in two years .'

Chase rubbed her calf making her sigh happily at his ministrations .'So no Dana ,' concluded Chase, hoping it was good for him to make the call ,' that was less painful than I figured it would be . I have no guilt or remourse either .'

He gave her a wide mouthed grin .' See, I think we over-thought that one, Zo '

' Probably ,' Zoey rested her head against his chest ,' I was just afraid of hurting their feelings , I think . I am glad we are done with that , finally '

' Me too, Zo, me too '

Zoey marked off Dana Cruz's name , set the list aside , then pulled herself up to settle more firmly on Chase until they were face to face . She wrapped her arms around his neck , rubbed her nose against his, and slid him into a slow, dizzy kiss that said I love you .

' Well, hello there '

Chase caressed the smooth skin of her neck, his touch light .' Hi yourself '

' We've been so caught up in planning this wedding , we haven't really had us time ' murmured Zoey, nipping at his lip ,' and I have another fitting for my dress tomorrow '

' So we should totally make out right now ' asked a hopeful Chase, giving her a puppy dog hang dog face making her laugh at him .

' Hmmmm….'

Just as they lowered themselves to the settee to get comfortable, Dustin burst in the room waving an envelope in one hand and a stack of mail in the other , glanced at them with the disdain of a younger brother then forced their attention .

' You should save all the goopy stuff for your wedding ,' informed Dustin , tossing a stack of mail on their laps ,' You guys are getting wedding mail already ! Grandma is storing the actual gifts in the den '

Chase picked up an envelope reading the name in confusion .' Who are the Bartletts ? Why are they congratulating us on our nuptials ? '

' I think they were clients of Dad in California ' answered Zoey, ' open it '

While Chase was opening the well wishes from someone they didn't know, Dustin made another show of waving a card in the face for intensity .

' You guys invited Dean Rivers to your wedding ? That makes no sense , you two '

' Yes '

Dustin produced a colorful card .' Dean Rivers sent you a gift card for a hundred bucks at the Pottery Barn ! '

Chase and Zoey shared a thoughtful look of appreciation .' Awww , that was kind of sweet of him '

' Pottery Barn is good cause we're gonna need pottery for our own place '

Dustin rolled his eyes at their natural enthusiasm and handed the gift card over to the couple . It was just too weird that they would invite the Dean of PCA to their wedding and he didn't begin to understand their reasoning behind it .

He hadn't seen Mr. Bender on their adjusted guest list and they both thought the teacher hung the moon or something . Dustin thought it was more sucking up to Dean Rivers and really why bother ? They had graduated already and would never see the man again

Though he wondered if he used the gift card as a means to score a upcoming birthday call or as a get out of detention call free .

' So the good news is that means he isn't actually gonna make the wedding '

' I suppose so ,' Zoey searched her brothers face for answers,' Dustin, why are you opening our mail in the first place ? '

' I was lending Grandma Rachel a hand with all of the presents when the cards came rolling in ,' explained Dustin ,' I thought maybe there was some sort of mess up back at PCA when I realized it was from the Dean. ' He shrugged, nonchalantly ,' Just making sure you both really graduated '

Zoey picked up a sachet of rice and tossed it at her brother .' Your such a pain !'

Dustin batted away the sachet .' You are the bratty bride, Zoey! '

' Hey now Dustin is that anyway to speak to your sister ? '

Dustin smirked at his soon to be brother in law .' Yes because soon you two will be hitched and away at college so I wont get to see you until like Christmas . I'm still the younger brother - I gotta get my hits in now '

' Has Logan been giving you how to be obnoxious lessons again ? '

Dustin flashed a devil may care grin at the couple . ' Okay so Logan might have taught me the swagger when I was like 8 but the charm is all mine '

Zoey sat back up, much to the disappointment of Chase, and met Dustin's gaze .

' You want to hang out with me and Chase ? Help us finish up making the rest of these sachets since Lola chickened out claiming she had hand cramps '

Chase stared pointedly at her .' That's not what we were doing '

Zoey smiled ever so sweetly at him . ' It's what we're doing now '

' Bummer '

' I'll stick with the gifts ,' responded Dustin ,' there are perks for working for Grandma '

' Chicken ! ' wailed Chase, pulling out some crumpled up bills out of his pockets,' Come back here and help us , Dustin ! Dude, I've got like 3 dollars and 57 cents '

' Sorry, Chase, but Grandma pays better . ' Turning on his high tops the teenager left Chase and Zoey to their own devices as he sang ' I'm Feelin Alright ' as he be bopped down the hallway feeling pretty darn good about life . It was getting closer to the Brooks/Matthews wedding day , Mom and Zoey had worked out their differences, and Dustin was feeling like he was useful and needed , that his sister and Chase were making a point to include and ask him for his help .

It was all he had wanted all along .

Dustin was starting to feel like an adult and that was alright , too .

***********************Wedding Bells********************************

The moss dripped from the cypress trees near the bayou as a heron took flight in the sky as Quinn and Logan walked together along the edge of the river, her hand tucked in the crook of his arm absorbing the quietness surrounding them . They still had assigned wedding chores ahead of them but had snuck off for some alone time while they could .

Quinn let out a little sigh of contentment .' It's so beautiful down here . I think I am really going to miss this place once the wedding is over and we have to return to real life .'

Logan drew her aside , cupped her face lovingly in his hands as he took his time kissing her . He deepened the kiss, taking her in and under and felt Quinn grip his shoulders as if holding onto him . He nibbled at the underside of her jaw .

' Don't remind me ,' groaned Logan, between kisses ,' we still have logistics to work out, babe . Don't wan t to think about that right now '

Quinn gentled the kiss as she rested her forehead against him .' Logan, let's not go there ago . This is so special and wonderful , can't we just trust that our relationship can weather anything by now '

Logan let her go .' We can and we will or we could start thinking about our future together '

Quinn pushed her braids off her shoulders as she looked expectantly at the man she loved more than she ever thought she could love anyone . She didn't want to spoil the time that had together in this southern paradise together fretting over the long distance issue that plagued them . They had fought , debated , argued, and discussed it to death and she firmly believed their love was strong enough to survive it .

It was undeniably sweet how Logan was willing to alter his college dreams just to be near her and she loved him dearly for it but she couldn't allow him to make that sacrifice .

' Our future is that we will be together ' stated Quinn, kissing him , softly .

Logan studied her pretty face, her upturned nose, the careless way she had braided her hair this morning, the brightness behind the frames of her glasses, and thanked God that this incredible woman loved him back.

He was a lucky bastard indeed .

All of this heavy wedding stuff really made a man think hard about the big picture and the happily ever after . Sure he was going to go to film school and become a producer and his Quinn was gonna kill it as a scientist but they were going to do that together .

They loved each other , there was no doubt about that and Logan knew there would never be another woman for him . Just Quinn. Only Quinn.

Okay so they had talked about marriage once or twice -Quinn was pretty old fashioned when it came to that and he knew he wanted it with her . She had always said that was later on down the line for them but that'd been months ago .

Logan brought her hand up and pressed a kiss on his class ring she wore .' I love you , Quinn,' managed Logan, fighting a wave of dizziness but trusting his heart ,' I know you love me . All of our friends are down here and we could get married down here …'

Quinn smoothed her lips together and placed a hand on her heart .' Oh Logan '

He held up a hand as if knowing what she would say next .' We could get around the paperwork , Dad has connections and so does Mac so it wouldn't be a problem , sweetheart . We could wait till after Zoey and Chase tie the knot so we don't ruin their big day or anything '

' Oh Logan, I love you ,' Quinn draped herself around him,' but you've got wedding fever, baby . You know how much I love you and even as unromantic as that proposal was, I would marry you in a heartbeat if the time was right for us .'

His jaw throbbed ,' Quinn, don't give me that stupid timing crap '

' We talked this over awhile ago ,' continued Quinn, playing with the hair at the back of his nape ,' I want to wait a few years before marriage so that maybe if the opportunity came my way I could travel in my studies . Or what if you got a film internship ? '

Logan let out a frustrated sound .' QUINNN ! Stop being so damn reasonable , I just fuckin asked you to marry me '

Quinn's expression went all soft .' Oh Logan Reese , I didn't say no . Could it still be a yes but for a later date ? '

' You drive me nuts sometimes '

' I love you too '

Quinn took his arm again and they began walking .' Let's get back to the house - I'm on reception detail today with the glue gun and a hundred votive holders '

' Next time I propose , I will give you so much romance, you'll be so stunned that all you'll be able to do is say yes , Quinn Pensky '

Quinn's pink lips twitched ,' Is that a promise ? '

' Damn straight it is a promise '

Wow .

It wasn't today, it probably wouldn't be tomorrow , but someday they would be married .

************************************WB***********************************

Though the wedding was smaller and less upscale , there was still much to be done in the remaining few weeks before the actual event from last minute fittings to the engagement picture , not to mention the wedding announcement for the various newspapers from Baltimore, California , and Louisiana . It was becoming a whirlwind .

Ross and Pamela drove back down south bringing along Chase's Grandpa Joe for the pre- wedding events and were promptly put up in the guest house while Rachel and Amanda sorted through the rest of the guest lodgings . They booked a block of rooms at the nicest hotel in for the out of town guests while deliberating on feasible options for the other guests .

Chase had escaped the madness in side to join his grandfather on the front steps of the house to await the old mans take on the crazy that would be his wedding .

.

Grandpa Joe was thin and on the gangly side and quite the contrast to the debonair Mac Cory . While Mac looked at ease and comfortable in a suit , Joe wore his standard khakis, a blue button down shirt, and his ever present tweed cap . He rocked back on his heels as he surveyed the restored antebellum home with keen green eyes then looked at his grandson with keen green eyes that were sharp as a tack.

.

' Taxes and upkeep must be millions on this place ,' observed Joe , mildly ,' Nice folks though not snotty like or anything . Your Mom's been in a tizzy about the high faultin taste of Zoey's Mom , Chase, so, it's good you got gumption and had your say in the matter like a man .'

' Yeah, probably a lot more than our house at home,' commented Chase , conversationally ,' It's lived in though , Grandpa and they even use the fancy silver all the time . You want to go inside and visit with Zoey ? I think Zo and the girls are tying ribbons on vases and stuff for the tables at the reception '

He made a face .' Michael, Logan, and Vince went in town to pick up the chafers we're renting out for the buffet so Aunt Kim doesn't have to mess with hauling hers out '

Chase took his grandfathers arm to assist him up the stairs and into the foyer of the house which was bustling with activity . Dustin wind up being the gofer going between overseeing the arrival of gifts ( they just kept coming in and Chase thought he and Zo would need a huge apartment to hold them all ) and giving directions to the dozens of people that were somehow involved in getting this wedding off the ground .

' Zoey's family knows practically everybody in the state '

' Fat lot of people wondering around here ,' commented Joe ,' be easier if you just let the ladies handle the fussy details . Your job is to just stand up there and wait to marry your sweetheart, boy '

Chase nodded, solemnly .' That sounds like a plan '

Ross, Mike, and Mac stepped out of the sitting room spotted Chase and Joe steering them away from the insanity of the women folk . Realizing they wanted no part in seating charts or hotel arrangements, they hightailed it out as soon as possible .

' I wouldn't go in there , son, ' Ross informed Chase , clearly serious ,' your mother is going head to head with Amanda on where Val and Roland intend to stay when they get down here in a day or two . It wasn't pretty ….'

Val and Roland were Michael's folks and Chase didn't think it was like an issue or anything . He just figured they would stay in one of the rooms that Logan's parents had booked since Malcolm booked like a whole four star hotel in town since all of their friends folks would be coming in for the wedding soon .

' Crap ! Did you try to stop Mom from blowing a gasket at Amanda ? Malcolm and Julia rented like a whole hotel for the rest of the gangs parents including Val and Roland so it's not a life or death matter , Dad . Geez, why would Mom think it is one ? '

' Michael is your best friend ,' picked up Ross ,' I'm sure Pam just wants Val and Roland to be comfortable '

Joe tilted his head in the direction of the guest house.' They can have my place , I'll go for a fancy hotel with free room service instead '

Mac assessed the situation .' Chase I am sure this is merely a misunderstanding ,' suggested Zoey's grandfather , in his calm way ,' I hadn't heard anything of Logan's father renting out the other hotel . Why don't you enlighten the ladies while I get Joe a cigar and a brandy ..'

Chase looked at his Dad and his future father in law for direction .' Well ? '

' I'm not stepping another foot in there ,' informed Mike ,' Ross and I are going into town to write checks and pay people , your on your own '

' Your mother needs this involvement ,' added Ross, ' I need a beer '

' You are no help ' groaned Chase as they deserted him down the hallway . Lisa came flying out of the room with a frantic look written on her pretty face nearly bumping into him .

' Slow down , Lisa , where s the fire ? '

' We ran out of pink ribbon and need more rose petals ,' said an alarmed Lisa ,' I've got to run in to town to pick more supplies up .'

Chase blinked ,' Rose petals ? '

' Zoey changed her diagram of the décor so emergency supply run '

' Good luck ' Chase took a deep breath staring at the door where the girls were holed up in making whatever it was they were creating and turned towards the sitting room where he could here a lively debate on some old feud of people he didn't know and closing his eyes, he burst in to the room promptly running into an antique tea cart ,' Ow !'

Rachel, Amanda, and Pamela looked up from their very detailed charts with surprise .

' Chase, dear, did you want to weigh in on the Devereaux and Colby table ? Charlotte went to kindergarten with Zoey and her family are dear friends of our family '

Chase rubbed his knee .' Uh no, no opinions at all ,' He looked pointedly at Pamela ,' Just, uh, wanted to check on Mom and tell her that Logan's Dad and Step- mom got a hotel for all of the gangs folks and all . Dad mentioned you were freaking over where Val and Roland intended to stay so I needed to clear that up for you '

Pam gave him a bright smile .' That was very generous of Malcolm and Julia but I thought they might want to stay close by since Michael is your best man and all '

Amanda took a sip of her lemonade .' Pamela brought it to our attention as we hadn't honestly considered the wedding parties family would all be attending the wedding , an oversight on our part, I m afraid '

Chase observed the women expecting to see red angry faces and tears but they all seemed to be getting along . Had his Dad been exaggerating ? It didn't seem like war in here .

' We were considering finagling rooms ' added Rachel, quickly ,' but only if you think it's for the better . We certainly wouldn't want to upset Michael's family …'

Chase searched his Mom's face for answers .' Val would love the antiques and all here but it's a pretty cool old hotel Logan's Dad rented out but what do you think , Mom ? '

Pamela retrieved her address book from her purse on the floor .' Thank you for the information, honey , it does help ,' replied Pam, eager to be in the thick of the details ,' I intend to call Julia to check to see if she has spoken with Val and the others yet . We'll take care of it , I promise '

'Is there anything else you needed , Chase ? '

Chase kissed his mothers cheek ,' Nope, just, you know, checking . I'm just gonna go see if I can help Dustin with whatever it is he is doing now …'

He backed out of the room breathing easy and hoped the guys would get back soon before his brain exploded . Chase needed some video games and mindless insults to de-stress with his best buds .

*******************************Wedding Bells ****************************

' Nicole Bristow ! '

The slender dark haired beauty stood in the doorway of the Kajun King restaurant dressed in a pair of bright pink capris and a sleeveless light blue shirt looking every inch an older version of the 13 year old they had been friends with so long ago at P.C.A.

Zoey gave a jubilant little noise before flinging her arms around her old friend in a tight hug while the others watched from the scarred wooden benches . Nicole hugged her back then pulled her back to look at Zoey noting the cool highlights in her honey blonde hair , the glowy of her skin, and the pretty diamond glittering on her finger .

' You look amazing ! I am so happy you could come, Nicole !'

Nicole brushed a strand of brown hair off her shoulders .'Me - Zoey, look at you! I cannot believe that you and Chase are actually getting married ! It's so exciting !'

Chase muscled his way in to give the newcomer a hug .' Hey Nicole , can I join in the fun too ? '

Nicole kissed his cheek .' How cute are you ! Chase, I am so happy for you and Zo!'

Michael looked at Lisa then at the group hugging near the door .' Sorry, Lisa, but I need in on this too '

Lisa took a sip of her cold tea with an amused smile .'Go on then but I want an introduction, Michael '

' Nicole Bristow , give me some love !' Jumping in , Michael wrapped his arms around Nicole in a bear hug ,' Girl, you look great ! Did you get over that crazy boy crazy disorder finally or what ? '

' Michael , hi ! I think that was so long ago '

Vince let go of Lola's hand with a nod .' You might as well get in with them , Lo'

Beaming at her boyfriend, Lola dropped his hand and joined the group, jostling a yammering Michael to sneak up behind Nicole tapping her on the shoulder and muttering 'Boo' in her ear causing the brunette to jump a mile in surprise .

' You still scare so easy '

' Oh my God, Lola ! ' Nicole pulled her into a hug ,' Don't do that to me !'

Logan and Quinn stood on the fringe of the group holding hands when he raised his voice to be heard over their rambunctious group .

' Got room for two more ? '

' Logan Reese ! You are still hot ' Nicole gave him a friendly hug then turned to take in the resident scientist who had clearly grown into her beauty since the last time she had seen the nerd ,' Oh my God, Quinn, you look beautiful ! I still cannot get over the fact that you two are a couple ! It blows my mind !'

Quinn gave her a hug .' Thanks . It's so good to see you again, Nicole '

Once the greetings and excitement settled down and introductions were made , they all gathered around the large tables , huge platters of fresh seafood and red beans and rice between them , as they caught up with the going ons with one another .

Nicole wiped her hands daintily on a napkin smiled at the couples surrounding her .

' I am so happy you two finally got together ,' expressed Nicole looking at the smiling soon to be Mr. and Mrs. Matthews , fondly ,' You were always crazy about Zoey since I could remember , Chase .' She got a teasing look in her bright eyes,' Chase is so much better than your little crush on Logan. Do you remember that, Zo '

Chase let out a groan as did a red faced Zoey who buried her face in her hands at the memory .

' Noooooo! '

' Don't remind me , Nicole !'

Logan got a haughty look on his face with a smirk .' I knew you always wanted me , Brooks '

' Shut up, Logan '

' I don't need the reminder either, Logan Reese ' Quinn smacked his head, lightly .

' Quinn, come on, babe, it was ancient history ! '

Zoey met his gaze over the cup of her tea with a nod .' Ancient , ancient history '

Nicole swiveled her head to stare at Quinn and Logan .' I cannot get over the two of you being together . How is it possible ? How did it happen ? I thought you hated each others guts …you always made fun of Quinn, Logan '

Logan was sheepish but he picked up Quinn's hand to squeeze .' Not really '

Quinn got over her mad easily enough and nestled closer to Logan .' It all happened so fast , Nicole , and I think it caught us both by surprise . It seemed like one minute Mark had broken my heart and before I could understand what was happening , Logan and I were falling in love '

' It was disgusting ' contributed Michael earning him a dirty look from Lisa .

' Really gross ' added Lola, helpfully .

' Be nice , you two ' warned Vince as always .

' They still cant help themselves , Vince ' offered up Lisa by way of explanation ,' So, Nicole , the girls told me you graduated from an all girls school so how was that ? '

Nicole gave a shudder .' The first year was really rough ,' confessed the chatty young woman ,' I missed P.C.A. and you guys a lot so it wasn't easy . Plus Vermont is so not sunny California so that was suckish until I got used to it .'

Lola dissected a crawfish as she mused .' Hey Nicole, do you remember that time me and Quinn hypnotized you so you wouldn't flunk your classes ? '

Quinn perked up at the thought .' That worked really well '

Nicole stuck her tongue out at both of them then noting the blank looks on the others face began to explain.

' How could I forget ? I kept getting totally distracted by all the cute guys in my classes therefore ruining my concentration , not to mention my straight A's ,' continued Nicole , matter of fact ,' Zoey was too busy helping with the Chase an Michael show to help me but Quinn and Lola got the brilliant idea to hypnotize me '

' Hey, it worked '

' It worked too well because when that totally cutie Harry Matthau asked me on a date, all I saw was my Paw Paw ! Totally ruined my dating life '

Michael rubbed his chin as he worked on a claw .' That explains a lot '

Everyone chuckled as they relaxed and reminisced about the early days of P.C.A. the stress of the wedding miles away as they were comfortable just hanging out , laughing, and pigging out together .

' Nicole are you dating anyone serious now ? ' inquired Lola , curiously .

' There have been a few special men in my life but serious , not really ' admitted Nicole, nibbling on a biscuit ,' so has anyone heard from Dana ? Since she isn't here , I'm guessing she's a no show for the wedding ….'

Zoey bit down on her lip , nervously .' We all just sort of fell out of touch with Dana '

' Are you two still besties , Nicole ? '

' I haven't had an email from Dana for like a year ,' brought up Logan, ' she had been dating some French dude hot and heavy like ..'

' We emailed back and forth for awhile but then I stopped hearing from her ,' replied Nicole,' I supposed it was natural for us to drift apart but I am so happy you invited to the wedding . This ..this is like a big , ole reunion for us and I love it '

' So do we '

She turned to Lisa watched as the young woman observed Michael eating with such relish and joy with such warmth .

' Michael was always a sweetheart . Have you two been together long, Lisa ? '

' He is that ,' agreed Lisa ,' We've been together for about three years now . I like to think that Michael and I are pretty solid , Nicole'

' That is so good '

A band began playing a lively southern tune that had them all turning to the dance floor when Zoey begged a two left footed Chase onto the floor to move and soon the others followed suit . Quinn and Logan matched each others silly moves with him twirling her back in to his arms while Michael and Lisa showed off their dance skills as Vince and Lola tried to match their steps with their own .

Watching them brought a onslaught of happiness to Nicole's face to be included with them and dropping her napkin on the table, she kicked up her heels to join them .

It was the best of the times of their lives .

.