FINALLY, Christina has come back to fanfiction . net!

lol Okay, I'm being stupid. It's totally The Rock's fault though.

But seriously: I'm sorry for making you wait for this chapter but I've been very busy at work. And with an injured husband at home, my life is more stressful and exhausting than it normally is ;-)

So please be patient with me as I don't know when I'll be able to update again. Thanks for your understanding.

Now enjoy & review! :)

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Chapter 26: One more step to take

"I can't believe I'm getting married tomorrow...ahhhh," Shannon, currently also known as 'bridezilla', announced excitedly, making everybody at the table burst out laughing.

A few weeks had passed and everyone was once again gathered in the Ambrose backyard to have some kind of bachelor/bachelorette party which was nothing more than one of their typical barbecue get-togethers. With Karo being 8 months' pregnant, they didn't want to do anything extravagant and decided to have another boys'/girls' night out as soon as Siaki was born. Karo couldn't wait for this day to finally come.

"I really can't wait to get this over with. You're driving me insane. Was I that horrible before we got married?" Karolina asked innocently, directing her question at Roman when all of a sudden everybody nodded their heads frantically while groaning annoyed.

"I think you were even worse," Seth stated, yelping when Karo threw an empty paper cup at his head while glaring at him. "It's true though. Tell her, Roman."

"Do you actually expect me to stab my wife in the back when she's a highly emotional mess at the moment?" Roman asked seriously, chuckling when Karo lightly swatted his chest.

"Stop being a dick. It's your fault I'm in this so-called mess," Karo replied while air-quoting the word 'mess', looking at her husband with a playful angry expression on her face.

"It's actually his dick's fault," Dean butted in, taking a sip of his beer while another empty paper cup was now flying his way. "It's time you pop that baby out. You're SO aggressive, woman."

Dean knew he was playing with fire by teasing Karo like this. Shannon had warned him months ago that they should be more considerate when setting the date for their wedding as Karo would be mentally and physically exhausted by the time she hit the 8 months' mark and that was exactly the case now.

"I will just ignore you being an asshole and enjoy my lovely cup of water," Karo said with a fake smile on her face, sipping at her drink.

"Don't forget the lemons. I especially bought them for you this morning. Be at least a little grateful, bitch," Shannon said, sticking out her tongue at Karo who gave her the bird in return.

"God, you all are acting like fools. Where has the harmony gone?" Maxine asked no one in particular, this being the first time she had spoken up that evening.

They all looked at her with confused expressions on their faces, laughing when she started blushing.

"Angel, when have we ever been harmonious with each other?" Seth asked, still chuckling. "We need to bicker with each other or else we feel empty inside."

"You guys are such weirdos," she mumbled, pouting a little which made Seth smile at her warmly. "But I wouldn't have it any other way."

Shannon was about to reply when suddenly the doorbell rang, interrupting their conversation promptly.

"Have you invited anybody else?" she asked Dean, shrugging her shoulders when he shook his head no. She just hoped that it wasn't his mother who had somehow gotten wind of her son finally getting married. That would just ruin everything.

"It's the stripper I booked for you," Karo yelled after Shannon who had already made her way into the house to open the door, the comment making her laugh even more when she heard Dean growl in annoyance.

That Karo wasn't exactly wrong when she used the term 'stripper', that they didn't know.

Shannon's breath caught when she looked at the person on the other side of the door, shock rippling throughout her body. That couldn't be her. She wouldn't really have the nerve to come to her house, would she?

She felt the woman's eyes wander all over her body slowly, up and down, a cocky smirk on her face when their eyes once again met.

"So, you are Shannon?" she asked disbelievingly, although it was more a statement than a question, laughing to herself in a mocking manner as if she couldn't believe it.

"And you are...?" Shannon trailed off, deciding to play along and give her just as much shit as she was giving her.

"Oh come on, sweetheart. You damn well know who I am. So, where's Mox?" the other person asked, wanting to get into the house but Shannon wouldn't let her, blocking her way.

"Ohhh, it's you, Trina? Gosh, I didn't even recognize you. I'm more familiar with your vagina than your face. I'm sincerely sorry," Shannon said as seriously as she could, playfully placing a hand over her heart to stress how sorry she was for not recognizing her.

"Real cute, bitch. Now move outta the way. Mox is awaiting me," she snapped angrily, eventually losing her patience with the woman that had stolen her man away from her.

"Oh he is, isn't he? Well, how about I'll bring you to him? I'm sure he'll be thrilled to see you," Shannon retorted, an overly fake smile on her face now.

She closed the front door after stepping aside to let Trina enter the house, without another word leading the way to the backyard, the sounds of laughter getting louder and louder with each step they were taking. The frown on Trina's face gave away that she didn't expect anybody else but 'her' Mox to be there when she decided to pay him a visit. She was prepared to deal with Shannon, maybe even their son – although she doubted the spawn was really Dean's – but that sounded like a lot of people were out there.

"Guys, look who's here? Isn't it awesome?" Shannon shouted, interrupting the conversations her so-called family were having, all of them falling silent the second they saw it was indeed Trina Michaels.

"What the fuck...," Dean asked no one in particular, maybe even directing this question to himself but he knew he wouldn't find an answer for that. He was actually in a state of shock.

Although Shannon had more or less 'invited' his former valet and fuck buddy, he hadn't expected the porn star to have the guts to really turn up at their house. She obviously had lost her mind. Well, she clearly didn't know Shannon though. Otherwise he would say that Trina was weary of life.

"Mox..." she said with a huge smile on her face. A smile that faltered as soon as she realized that Dean looked at her wide-eyed when she made her way over to him, making her stop dead in her tracks.

"What the hell are you doing here, Trina?" he asked, his lips in a thin line, giving away that he was more than pissed off that she started to worm her way back into his life. A life he now loved and cherished, with people that meant the world to him. He was happy Dylan and the kids were asleep so that he didn't have to hold back when he would rip her a new one.

"You weren't answering my calls and texts and so I t...," she started but he cut her off immediately.

"Have you ever asked yourself WHY I haven't answered any of your attempts to contact me? Have you, Trina?" he almost yelled, not believing that his past was haunting him the day before he was about to get married to the love of his life.

"Mox, I thought that..." she tried to answer but this time Karo interrupted her.

"Mox is no more, bitch. It's Dean. Get that into your little brain, dumbass," she spat, not noticing how Seth and Roman first looked at her surprised, and then at each other, both of them trying their hardest to suppress their laughter.

"And who are you to tell me that, you fat bitch?" she asked with one of her eyebrows raised, chuckling when Karo all of a sudden jumped out of her chair, making it fall over.

"Who are you calling fat, huh?" she yelled, about to make her way over to her, only to be stopped by Roman who grabbed her by her wrist gently.

"Trina, you'd better shut your dirty mouth now. Don't you ever talk to my wife like that or...," he threatened, clenching his fist in an attempt to calm himself down, but anybody who called his woman fat or even a bitch was definitely his worst enemy.

"Or what? Huh? You wanna hit me? Real cute, Bigfoot," she said with a smirk, not caring that it was her versus all now.

That was until she felt a hand on her left cheek, a yelp escaping her lips when she felt the stinging on her skin after being slapped with such force that she had to take a step back.

"Who the fuck do you think you are coming here and wreak havoc, huh?" Maxine, the one that had surprisingly slapped Trina, asked with fury reflecting in her eyes. "You have no business being here. So shove your jealousy up your ass and get outta here. And as Karo has already said: there is no more Mox. And Dean doesn't need a fucking whore like you in his life who apparently can take three dicks all at once. If you think this is an accomplishment, then let me congratulate you for being a sorry excuse of a woman. Fuck off now. Just leave us the fuck alone."

Everybody looked at Maxine with a shocked expression on their faces, not believing that it was her that exploded like this when she was actually the one that was the least involved. But she loved her family and friends just as much as they loved her and she couldn't bear hearing her friends being attacked by somebody like Trina Michaels.

"Don't even think about talking back to my wife, or we'll have an even bigger problem here," Seth said before Trina could defend herself, seeing in her eyes how she wanted to get back at Maxine but he wouldn't even let her.

"Wow, is this your life now, Mox? Spending your time with people li...," she started but once again she didn't have the chance to finish her sentence as Shannon mimicked Maxine's action, slapping Trina's cheek as hard as she could.

She moved to stand in front of her as close as she could, turning her back towards her friends so that only Trina could hear her, both of them face to face, only mere inches distance between them.

"You listen to me now, bitch. And you listen closely. Get out of our life! I've had enough of your stupid, childish games. Just accept that Dean is no longer interested in you. You're pathetic, Trina. You can't handle the fact that he doesn't want you anymore...that he's with me now. A woman that can give him all he wants and needs. Too bad you couldn't meet our son. I'll make sure to send you some pics. He's just as handsome as his father. Until then I never ever want to see you again. Do you understand me?" she said through gritted teeth, looking into Trina's eyes deeply, letting her feel her breath on her skin.

Trina closed her eyes for a brief moment, swallowing hard when she realized that she had lost the fight. She didn't even want Dean back, not for good. She was hoping that he would like to hook up with her once in a while, like they always had back in the day. But it seemed that he had indeed changed. He was a family man now, in love with a woman. A woman she detested although not really knowing her. She hated to admit that she was defeated. But there was no need to keep fighting for something she would never get back.

"Fine...okay...I'll go. But just keep one thing in mind: he will come back to me one day, begging me to take him back when he's sick and tired of you. He's never gonna be faithful, he just can't. I'm really sorry for you, sweetheart. Keep on living in your own little bubble...it will soon burst," she whispered with so much hatred in her voice that one could literally feel the tension in the air.

Before she turned around to get out of the house, she looked over Shannon's shoulder, giving Dean a sweet smile before blowing him a kiss. "Bye Mox. Can't wait for you to call me again."

She was clever enough to quickly leave after that, knowing that Shannon would beat the shit out of her should she have stayed just a second longer.

As soon as they heard the front door being slammed shut, Shannon let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, her shoulders sagging in exhaustion. She couldn't believe this had just happened.

"Well, next time you need to check your sources, Karo. That stripper sucked," Seth said, trying to lighten up the mood a little as there was an uncomfortable silence between them.

"What a bitch," Maxine mumbled, rubbing her hand as it was hurting from slapping Trina so hard.

"I've never seen you like that before, Maxi. Jeez, what has gotten into you? What a ghetto bitch," Roman said with a chuckle which Seth and Karo immediately joined, laughing even harder when Maxine shrugged her shoulders innocently, a sheepish smile on her face.

But their laughter soon faded off when they realized that Shannon still had her back turned to them, Dean looking at her expectantly but it seemed that she wouldn't turn around.

"Uhm, shall we leave you guys alone? We can take the kids and...," Roman suggested, surprised when Shannon all of a sudden turned around, a sly smirk on her face.

"And what? Guys, we have to party. I think I just had an orgasm slapping the taste out of that bitch's mouth. This is something we need to celebrate," she said cheerfully, making Dean breathe out a sigh of relief.

He was afraid this would have thrown her off course, just one day before their wedding. He knew that the subject Trina had always been very sensitive, but so far she had always been far away. Now she had just been here, having to face her which was a completely different story. But it seemed that it gave her some kind of satisfaction to bitchslap that slut into no man's land with all of their friends supporting her – even Maxine who was normally more reserved and cautious.

"Here's to Shannon and Dean, the weirdest couple I've ever met in my life," Roman shouted, raising his glass up high and waiting for everyone else to join him.

"TO SHANNON AND DEAN," they all saluted in unison before clinking their glasses and enjoying the rest of their night.

Without Trina.

...

"It seems there is a lot of pent-up aggression inside of you, angel. Anything you need to tell me?" Seth asked with a chuckle when he entered their bedroom that night, seeing her hidden under the blankets with a small smile on her face.

"I just had the feeling I needed to say something," she replied nonchalantly, watching him undress until he was left only in his briefs.

"With your hands?" he wondered, walking over to their bed to join her under the covers, snuggling close to her.

"I know, violence isn't the key to resolve things but that bitch really deserved it. I would have freaked out should one of your ex-girlfriends have appeared out of nowhere the night before we got married. She's a porn star too, for God's sake," she mumbled, placing her head on Seth's well-toned chest, a few single hairs tickling her which made her giggle to herself.

"Last time I checked you liked porn," he said bluntly, addressing that one time he got her off in the sex shop booth when they were watching an adult movie. One that she chose with even two girls involved.

By the way she tensed up next to him, he could tell that she was blushing. He had no idea why she was still that shy sometimes, with them being married he was sure there were no more secrets or boundaries.

"Stop being so timid with me, babe. It's nothing to be embarrassed about. I actually enjoyed watching porn with you. We could do this more often," he proposed, lifting her chin with his index finger, making her look up at him.

"We could do one of our own and watch it together," she whispered after plucking up all of her courage, her heart beating fast in her chest when she saw the frown on his face. Now for once she stopped being shy and here comes the rejection. "Uhm...nevermind...just forget that I said this. It was stupid."

She immediately broke the eye contact and tried moving so that her back could face him, but he quickly stopped her mid-movement, not wanting her to misunderstand him.

"Angel...stop...let me explain," he pleaded, trying to make her look at him but when she kept staring at the ceiling, laying on the bed with her back, he swiftly moved so that he was now hovering over her. "This has a slightly bitter taste somehow. You know, this is actually how we met Karo. Seeing her on a sex tape."

"But Seth, she was filmed without knowing...with a guy she barely knew. We're married," she insisted, feeling incredibly stupid for bringing up this topic in general.

"I know...I understand. The first thing that came to my mind was that stupid Drew thing...I can't help it, I'm sorry. It doesn't mean that I don't wanna do it. It's actually...quite exciting if I think about it," he admitted, wiggling his eyebrows playfully which made her giggle.

"So, you think we should give it a try? As soon as my boobs are done?" she asked, grinning when he rolled his eyes.

"Ugh, why did I already know that this was a condition?" he asked no one in particular, supporting himself on his elbows that were next to her head, bending down to kiss her lips sweetly. "But fine, it's a deal then. Just don't tell the others though. I'm pretty sure Dean would want to see it."

"He would probably tease you about the size of your dick," she said with a giggle, even grunting when he looked at her wide-eyed in shock.

"What's wrong with my dick? I'm pretty sure it's doing its job pretty damn well," he retorted, rubbing his clothed crotch against her panties-clad mound, smiling to himself when she let out a moan.

"I love your dick, baby," she whispered against his lips, kissing him over and over again.

"So, you love me just for my dick?" he teased, making her giggle.

"You know I love your ass too...and your abs...other than that...bleh," she replied, yelping when he started tickling her sides, trying her best to fight him off without screaming too loud since she didn't want to wake Joan and Hayley. "Okay okay, I surrender. I love all of you, I promise. Each and every inch."

He immediately stopped after she had finished her sentence, grinning mischievously at her when he thought that he had won, but he didn't expect her to be that sassy. "Your character sucks though."

And once again she yelped when he started to tickle her all over again, her laughter being music to his ears and he loved seeing her so happy. He remembered the times when they fought for no reason, with her crying and complaining about everything he had done wrong. That was before he knew how sick she was, how mentally exhausted she felt deep inside.

They were happy now, of course having their ups and downs like most couples did. He loved her with all his heart and had even fully accepted her wish to get surgery now. At first it was difficult for him to understand why she wanted to get under the knife just to get her breasts back in shape as he loved her the way she was, but both Karolina and Shannon explained to him over and over again that she needed to do this to love herself again as well. That was what probably did it for him.

It didn't take long for Hayley and Joan to wake up crying due to their parents being loud and noisy. It didn't stop Seth and Maxine from laughing even harder though, knowing that their girls wouldn't go back to sleep if they wouldn't rock them back and forth on their rocking chairs. They were just as cuddly as their daddy was.

Together they made their way into their children's room, smiling when both Joan and Hayley were standing on their two tiny feet in their respective cribs, the crying immediately stopping when they caught sight of their parents.

"Hey hey, did mommy and daddy wake you up, huh?" Seth asked in a baby voice, picking up Hayley while Maxine picked up Joan, kissing her forehead softly before sitting down on one of the two rocking chairs. "You need to get used to us being loud, sweetheart. Daddy won't be able to keep his mouth shut during sex all his life and..."

"Seth, shut up, for God's sake. You can't just tell our daughter about our sex life," Maxine admonished, chuckling when he pouted at her like a little puppy.

"She doesn't understand anyways," he retorted, shrugging his shoulders innocently when Maxi rolled her eyes at him playfully. "By the way, the two of you will not have sex before marriage. Got it?"

The only answer Seth got from Hayley was her drooling all over his chest which in return made Joan giggle.

"You can't just forbid them to have sex before marriage when you yourself knocked me up before we even got married, dumbass," she observed, shaking her head in disbelief, a smile on her face.

"Okay, right, no sex at all then. Roman raises his girl like that as well. So why shouldn't I?" Seth asked, not really expecting Maxine to answer as he knew that both him and Roman were stupid for even thinking that.

"Lemme guess, Dylan and Siaki will be allowed to do whatever they want?" she wondered, grinning when Seth only shrugged his shoulders, his chocolate-brown eyes reflecting pure amusement.

"Our son, too," he replied nonchalantly, immediately placing kisses all over Hayley's face to hide from Maxine's questioning stare.

"Our son?" she asked, completely dumbfounded.

She watched how Seth was all lovey-dovey with their daughter, knowing that he actually hadn't intended on saying this but now he couldn't take it back anymore. "Seth?"

She frowned when she heard him sigh heavily, watching him get up and place Hayley back into her crib, taking Joan away from her shortly afterwards to do the same with her.

"Angel, I think I can now say I would love to have more kids with you. I don't mean right away...not even in a year, but seeing Roman and Karo, I feel the itch to have that again as well. I mean, yes, we need to agree on this first and I will totally accept if you say no, but maybe you should give it a thought," he replied truthfully, taking both of his wife's hands into his, squeezing softly. "No pressure though. We have all the time in the world."

"Boobies come first?" she asked with a smirk on her face, making him laugh.

"Boobies come first," he agreed, wrapping his arms around her waist to pull her close, placing his lips onto hers softly, putting all his feelings into the kiss.

He had no idea how he came up with this just a few minutes ago, but having another baby with her sounded very tempting. They were both still young, Joan and Hayley were still small...so he would give her all the time in the world and hoped that in the end she would agree.

Of course given that there wasn't anything or anyone putting its oar in. Who knew what the future really held for them?!