A/N: Thanks for the reviews, everyone, much appreciated. I know this is not in the rotation for updating, but this story was just demanding it be written so I made the exception. Hope you enjoy and reviews are pretty and nice! :)

"Hey there, sweetie, how are you doing?"

I look up from the book I'm reading to see Marissa standing in the doorway. "Hey, Ris, what's up?"

"This is what's up," she says, holding up some draped hangers.

"Um, okay, what's that?" I ask, not seeing where she's going with this.

"My sexiest dresses, most of which I haven't worn because I usually buy things and never wear them, I know, that's horrible isn't it," she tells me, "but they are all sexy and nobody has ever seen them and we are dressing you up for them tonight."

"Tonight?"

"Yes, tonight," she nods.

"Ris, we're only going to my mom and dad's for the usual dinner that we have whenever everyone is home."

"I know that," Marissa says to me, obviously, but then she comes closer, "but you know that Ted, Loretta, and Chris always come because they're practically family and that means Chris is going to be there and that means you are going to knock him dead."

Oh God, now I can see what Marissa is trying to pull and I groan. I've been trying to keep myself occupied since I left home. When I was living with Chris, I'd always have someone to hang out with. Here, it's different. Shane is usually busy with work so when he's at home, he wants to spend it with his family. Marissa is so busy with the kids that she doesn't have time to just hang out and watch a movie. It's not that I don't like being with my family, it's just that I feel lonely and I've been trying to find ways to just not…think about things.

I'm also trying not to think of tonight. Whenever everyone is at home, we all try to have family dinners. I hate that Chris's family is coming, but they've been coming to dinners like this for the past 29 years so it's not like I can just act like a petulant child now and tell my parents not to invite them…or rather, invite Chris. Barbie is there and I think that she'll probably come to my parent's tonight and I just don't want to see her on my territory, with someone who would be much better suited with me (yes, I'm reaching, give me a break).

"I don't want to knock him dead, Ris."

"Yes, you do, you know you do," Marissa has this gleam in her eye when she says this and I'm wondering if she ever did this with my brother in the few times they took a break. They've been seeing each other forever that all her experience is usually with my brother. And knowing my brother, he probably got super jealous of anything Marissa tried to do.

"I really don't," I tell her, "look, I like Chris, you know this-"

"You love Chris, there's a big difference," Marissa flops down on the bed, setting the clothes (that I haven't even seen yet) on the bed next to her. "You've got o fight for what you want, Steph. I mean, you can't just let Barbie win."

"Win? It's not a game, life is not a game and she's having his child," I point out, a fact that Marissa seems to have forgotten. "It's not like this is some fling, there's a child resulting in this."

"Yeah, if it's his," Marissa scoffs and I tilt my head to look at her, "what, like I'm saying anything that you're not thinking. I know we both think it, at least a little bit. So let Chris make the decision. A kid ain't married, Stephanie, and if it is his kid, then he can still be a father and not have to suffer through Barbie. I had to talk with her at the Christmas party, I could kill Shane for that one by the way, and she is as dim as a bulb. She's not even that pretty. I mean, okay, let's go over this."

I roll my eyes, "Ris, let me just read my book."

"Never, nerd," Marissa teases, grabbing the book from me and tossing it onto the bed. "I want to find the perfect dress, then I'm going to do your hair and makeup and you are going to look so pretty. Now, back to it, I mean, okay, so you are so much prettier than Barbie, first of all, she's a bleach blonde and you've got your beautiful brunette hair-"

"I need a haircut," I finger the ends of my hair, looking distastefully at the split ends.

"Your hair is great, Barbie has squinty eyes, poor kid will probably have those while you have those gorgeous eyes and it's like, are they blue? Are they gray, what are they?"

"They're not really all that spectacular."

"Of course they are, plus you've got that curvy figure-"

"Read, fatter than Barbie."

"Please, you are so pretty, Steph, let me help you," Marissa pleads. "I even talked to Loretta and she agrees with me-"

"Wait, wait, wait, you talked with Loretta about me," I'm mortified. The last thing I need is sympathy from Chris's mother. I know Loretta sees me as a daughter, but this is not how I want things to go. I've always kind of felt that if Chris wants to be with me then he should come to me. I don't want to force his feelings or anything, I would just feel like this desperate spinster or something, is that still a thing? I'm not even sure.

"Yeah, I mean, she knows and everything, she called over here while you took Declan and Kenny to the park yesterday and she wanted to talk to you, see how you were doing and well, one thing led to another and we both realized that we knew you were in love with Chris and so she thought it would be great to show him what he's missing."

I cannot believe people are talking about my (lack of) love life behind my back. "Don't do that, don't talk about me like that. Besides, if I did dress up, I'd be the only one dressed up. Usually I just go to these dinners in jeans and a t-shirt."

"Well this time will be different," she says to me, "look, I'll dress up too and look real nice and then it won't seem weird that you look nice. We can just say that we had a spa day and thought we'd dress up for dinner."

"There's no way I'm getting talked out of this, am I?" Marissa shakes her head and then makes a grab for the clothes. "I can't believe I'm allowing you to do this, but understand, I'm only doing this because it will get you off my back, I in no way think that this is going to even so much as influence Chris in any way."

"Oh, we'll see," Marissa says, raising her eyebrows mischievously. I can't believe I'm giving myself over to her.

I let her do her thing though. We compromise on the dress. Most of the dresses she pulls out, I wouldn't wear if I had nothing in my closet, dresses that are too tight, too low, too…everything. No wonder Marissa never wears them, Shane probably wouldn't let her out of their house with them on. We settle on a cute, white dress. It's rather low cut in the front with a low, but not too deep v-cut and spaghetti straps. The dress is overlaid with a cream chiffon fabric with lacework on it. I look good in it, kind of innocent and feminine, but the way that Marissa does my hair and makeup brings a kind of edge to it.

She curls my hair, then blows it out so it's wavy and loose on my shoulders, but with lots of volume. She gives me a smoky eye and shiny lip gloss. When I look at myself in the mirror, I'm not even sure I recognize myself. I'm so used to looking kind of plain and mostly business-like. When I'm working, I go for comfort over glamorous and my makeup is toned down during the day because I'm dealing with work and not trying to look good. I do look good right now, it's strange, but I do feel a little more confident. Marissa keeps her promise and gets dressed up too and we kind of look like we're going to a club and not a family dinner.

"Wow, what is with you two?" Shane asks as we walk out of the bedroom. He's sitting with the boys, waiting for us so we can drive to Connecticut.

"What?" Marissa asks sweetly, like she has no idea that she's been conniving all afternoon.

"You two look like you're going to some red carpet event and not dinner at Mom and Dad's. Last time I checked, we didn't have to dress up." Shane is in a pair of slacks and a polo shirt, nothing fancy at all. Marissa and I are going to look so out of place, but I'm glad I at least have one partner-in-crime.

"Is it so wrong that we want to look nice?" Marissa challenges him. "We're girls, sometimes we're in moods, so shut up."

"Okay, geez," he says, then gets up, "you both look beautiful though, for what it's worth."

"That's more like it," Marissa kisses his cheek. I love their repertoire. The two of them have known each other since they were kids. I can't even really remember a time in my life where Marissa wasn't in it. I'm jealous of it too. I could have that, I could have that, just like that because I can't remember a time in my life that Chris wasn't in as well. "Okay, let's get out of here and go so we can get there on time, I hate it when your dad gives us that look like being late is a cardinal sin."

We all pile into Marissa's van and start the drive to Connecticut. Shane and Marissa spend the entire time talking about something, I'm not paying attention, all I'm doing is staring out the window at the passing scenery. Now that the dinner is here and I'm all made up and have nothing to argue with Marissa about (she originally thought I should wear a deep red lipstick) all I can think about is the fact that Barbie is more than likely going to be there. Since Chris's parents know and Barbie and Chris are giving things a shot (whatever that means really), there's no way she doesn't come to the family dinners, there's just no way.

So that means the thing I've been fearing is going to happen. I'm going to have to see them as a couple. I'm going to have to look at Barbie and think about how she's giving Chris something that I can't. I've given him friendship, my time, everything for the past 29 years, but I certainly haven't given him a child. Now there's this baby growing inside of her and how can I compete with that. That baby is going to be Chris's world for the next 18 or so years and I can't…there's nothing I can do to stop or change that.

"Earth to Stephanie!"

I slowly turn my head to Shane who is gesturing around him and I only then realize that we're already at my parent's house. How did we even get here? Was that that tuned out? Apparently I was. I scramble out of the car, nearly tripping on my heels. The only reason I don't fall is because Shane is getting out as well and catches my arm. I look up at him gratefully, but he just rolls his eyes and mutters something under his breath about how stupid high heels are and I agree for the most part. They're uncomfortable and well, they're really uncomfortable, need there be more?

I start walking towards the door where Marissa and the boys are waiting for me and Shane. We walk up to the door and ring the doorbell, even though we all have keys. The housekeeper answers the door and lets us all in, telling us that everyone is already here. I knew that Ted and Loretta would be, they live across the street, but I was hoping that Chris and Barbie hadn't arrived yet so I could at least plot out what I was going to say and how I was going to act. No such luck though.

Marissa grabs my arm and we stroll into the living room. There they are. Chris is standing next to Barbie, not touching her thank God, talking to his dad about something while Barbie just stands there. Barbie's in a dress too, the little…wait, no, name-calling doesn't become anyone. The housekeeper announces our presence and Chris turns around for a moment to look at us, then does a double take when he sees me. He abandons all conversation to walk over to me, Barbie half-heartedly and probably nervously trailing after him.

"Wow," Chris breathes out and Marissa is squeezing my arm tighter. "Steph…you look…wow."

"Thanks," I swallow hard, "Marissa and I had a spa day and decided to get dressed up."

"You look, I can't…wow," he has no words and I've never in my life rendered Chris speechless. The only disconcerting part of it is that this isn't me, not the normal me anyways. I don't think I've ever gotten that response…wait, no, no, I have, but that was prom and really, that was playing dress-up too. Just once, I'd love for him to see me at my worst, to see me with tears streaming down my face, mascara making me look like a raccoon, my hair disheveled and uncombed, in my rattiest pair of sweatpants and tell me that I'm the most gorgeous thing he's ever seen. Isn't that what anyone wants?

"You really look pretty, Stephanie," Barbie chimes in politely.

"Thanks, Barbie," I smile politely in return.

"Um, you too…Mrs. McMahon," she addresses Marissa and she, Chris, and I involuntarily snicker.

"Yeah, don't call me that," Marissa says, "talk about strange, just call me Marissa. I mean, you're practically part of the family now, aren't you?" She gives a hard stare to Chris, who has the decency to look sheepish in the situation. "Chris is like the slightly older brother I never had. We all grew up together, me, Shane, Chris, and Stephanie, we've all known each other since we were kids."

"That's cool," Barbie said.

"Yeah, it is, we just know each other so well, so very, very well," Marissa gives that smile of hers that terrifies people. For someone who is so warm and friendly, she can be vicious.

"Who wants drinks?" Linda announces to the room.

"We better…get a drink," I say softly to Chris and Chris alone.

He nods, "Yeah, we…drinks sound good." He turns and leads Barbie away as Marissa gives an almost silent squeal.

"Did you see him, Stephanie!"

"Shut up, Ris."

"The boy was practically drooling!"

"He was not," I lie because he couldn't keep his eyes off me, but it's like looking at a false idol. Nothing that he sees right now is real. I'm flashy, kind of like Barbie and then it hits me that that's probably part of the reason they hooked up in the first place. Gag me.

"Oh trust me, Stephanie, he was."