*Author's Note*

Thanks for the follows, faves, and reviews.

Meeting King And Queen Troll

Brock POV:

"Wake up, baby." I told Gem, pressing a kiss to her cheek, as I sat next to her in bed. She just groaned and buried her face into my pillow. It was cute. "We gotta get going soon if we wanna get to Culver before the move in rush. Dorms'll be hectic the later we get there."

"Virginia's only 5-hours away. Let me sleep for a couple more hours." Gem mumbled into my pillow.

Lightly running a hand thru her messy light brown hair, I told her, "Baby, we're gonna run into traffic since it's move in day and we're coming in from out of state. We need to leave soon."

"Fine, I'm up." Gem sighed, swatting my hand away from her before sitting halfway up in bed and rubbing her the sleep from her groggy eyes.

"I'll go downstairs and get us some coffee. Want anything to eat?"

"No. I don't think I can handle food right now."

"Plan B make you sick?" I asked, knowing that the chance of her saying yes was high.

"I'm not sick, my tummy's just flippy." She explained while folding her arms over her middle and rocking slightly in bed. God, she looked good in my shirt.

"Okay, then I'll just get myself the coffee. You can have a Gatorade instead, okay?"

"Yea, okay." She softly said, sounding tired as hell. Guess I was a little too rough with her last night. Maybe I should've saved the kink til we got to Virginia.

"Go ahead and shower. I left you some gym clothes to borrow on the dresser."

"Okay." Gem nodded, looking both exhausted and nauseas. God, I hope she doesn't get sick in my Jeep on the way to Virginia.

I just rubbed her back and pressed a kiss to her temple before rising from the bed and walking out of the room. As I walked down the hall and descended the stairs, I smelt coffee brewing in the kitchen. The kitchen my Pops hasn't updated since my Ma died with a drank needle in her arm on the couch. At least he got rid of that fucking couch tho.

"See you're up early. Thought you'd be sleeping in with all that messing around yinz been doing." Pops remarked from his spot sitting at the kitchen table, which was really just a breakfast bar that extended off of an end of a counter.

"Don't go there, Pops." I warned as I made my way over to the countertop the coffee maker was at.

"You taking one of my t'go mugs." Pops barked as I grabbed my mug.

"No, Pops, this is my Yeti mug that I brought here with me." I told him while unscrewing the top and setting it on the counter.

"It better be." Pops gruffly grumbled under his breath. "So, you plan on seeing Gem for a while now?"

"Pops, it ain't like that. She's-" I began to explain only for him to cut me off with, "She's what? Too damn young or too damn good for you, son? Cause where I'm sitting looking in, she's a good girl that you better snag up or else she'll be the one that got away and you'll be stuck watching her with some dumb bastard."

"She's moving into a freshman college dorm at Culver today, Pops. She's no way ready for a serious relationship with a guy like me. We're good friends, that's it." I explained while placing the coffee pot back into it's holder after pouring myself a large amount in my stainless steel travel mug.

"Good friends that mess around at every opportunity that arises." Pops pointed out like a true wiseass as I screwed the cap onto the Yeti travel mug. "Hell, son, you like her as more than a friend otherwise you wouldn't 've had her 'round the house so much." He told me as I went over to the fridge.

"Of course, I like her. We get along and both like fighting, but she's too young to get serious. She needs to experience college and grow up a little bit before she settles down." I explained while going over to the fridge to grab Gem some Gatorade. Pops always kept a shelf full of the shit.

"Your ma was that girl's age when we got together." Pops pointed out as I opened the fridge.

"Yea, Pops, and look at how that turned out." I bitterly snapped while grabbing a bottle of yellow Gatorade and forcefully slamming the fridge door shut. Leaning against the old fridge with a drink in each hand, I told my Pops the harsh, but blunt truth of, "Ma was a fucking party girl that got knocked up by you at some after-fight party. You did right by her; made her an honest woman, but she wasn't ready to be a wife or a Ma. Fuck, she couldn't handle being a Ma since she had to shoot up to deal with me."

"Brock, don't you dare disrespect your mother around me. She had her struggles, but she was a good woman."

"Oh, my fucking god. How can you sit there sipping on your coffee, defending a fucking crackhead that loved her fix more than us?" I asked incredulously. Shaking my head, I sneered, "I mean it's a miracle she even stayed clean long enough to have me, but as soon as I popped outta the toaster she went back to being the crackwhore she was when you met her at some coked out party."

"Your mother was sick, Brock. You need to understand that and stop being so angry about her dying from an OD. Fuck, you wanna hate somebody then hate the dealers that sold her the bad shit."

"Oh, believe me, Pops, I hate those fucking drug dealers. I do, but nobody made her do that shit either. She was a crackhead that wasn't fit to be a Ma and you were too busy fighting to even notice that she was shooting up all damn day long." People like my Ma and the drug dealers that got her hooked on that shit that killed her were on HYDRA's shit list. HYDRA wanted to make the world better and that meant eliminating terrorist, drug dealers, and anyone that was deemed a threat to a normal and thriving society. Shaking my head, I sighed, "At least you quit fighting and bought the gym in order to raise me."

Sipping his coffee, he shrugged, "Can't raise a kid while on the road or laid up after a fight. Needed a stable income to support ya with." Well, the gym income wasn't stable enough to raise me on, but don't try to tell him that. He insists that it was.

"Brock, I'm ready to go if you are." Gem announced as she shuffled into the kitchen, looking a little green around the gills, with her CVS bag dangling by her side.

"Yea, baby, I'm ready." I assured her, crossing the kitchen to go over to the archway she was standing in. Once I reached her side, I handed her a bottle of Gatorade. I placed my hand on the small of her back and looked over my shoulder to tell my Pops, "We'll see you for Thanksgiving, Pops."

"Yinz go on and get outta here." Pops shooed us off while a wave.

"Bye, Arlo." Gem told Pops as I ushered her away from the kitchen.

"Bye, girl, and keep our boy outta trouble. Lord knows he needs a good girl like you to polish his rough edges." I heard Pops tell Gem as we reached the front door.

Neither on of us said a word as I opened the door and led her outside. I think we both wanted to get going even tho dawn was still on the horizon.

Gem POV:

So far, the ride was long and quiet, other than the sound of classic rock music filling up the Jeep. I was mostly looking out the window while going back and forth between sipping on Gatorade and Pepto-Bismol. Brock kept on an eye on me and even offered to pull over onto the grassy side of 95 if I needed to puke. So nice of him, huh? Wonder if he was used to doing that, pulling over so girls could get out of his Jeep and puke their guts out.

Honestly, that thought lingered in my head and was eating me up. So much so that I ended up turning my head to look at Brock only to ask him, "I'm just another notch of your bedpost, ain't I?"

"Baby, no, you're not another notch on my bedpost. We're friends; we get along and I've grown to care about you since we've been hanging out." Brock told me before giving me a furrowed look and asking, "Why would you assume I'm using you?"

"You were so calm when the condom broke and knew about the Plan B. I figured you've been in the situation with other girls before."

"No, I don't go around buying a ton off girls Plan B. My condoms don't break left and right either. It just broke last night cause we were a little rough."

"Oh…" I trailed off, my eyes dropping to stare at the CVS bag that was on the floorboard.

"Hey, don't do that. Don't assume the worst about me just cause your ex was a fuckwad." Brock sternly told me while pointing a finger at me.

"Okay, but it's hard not to when you were so calm about everything."

Brock took a deep breath before telling me in a calm and slightly stoic tone, "Gem, I was so calm because with the shit I've seen and still see a broken condom's nothing. Trust me, when your fellow SEAL, your buddy that's like your brother, gets shot dead right next to you in an ambush or you jump out of plans to land in some terrorist infested place to enact a world protection mission, a broken condom's low on the panic list."

"Oh…I didn't even think that you experienced stuff like that. With you working for SHIELD I should've realized that you've been in dangerous situations. Now I feel kinda stupid."

"Don't feel stupid, baby, you only reacted like anyone your age would. It's understandable, you're young and want to go to college; the thought of an unwanted pregnancy scared you."

"Yea, but the pharmacist said that the Plan B might not work and if I'm a week late then most likely I'm pregnant."

"Gem, don't worry about that." Brock told me. Patting my knee he went on to say, "If you're pregnant I'll support you with whatever you decide. If you want to keep the baby, then I'll help you raise it and will support you both while you're in school, and if you decide it's too soon and want an abortion then I'll hold your hand during the procedure at the clinic."

I was stunned by his words. Blinking, I asked in a mere whisper, "You'd really do that for me?"

"Of course, I would. We're friends and I do take responsibility for my actions."

"No wonder you're a STRIKE Commander, you're so responsible."

"Yep." Brock popped his tongue before adding in, "Guess I'm the man with the plan here.", as a way to ease some of the tension that was looming in the air.

"Yea, you are." I agreed with him.

Glancing at me real quick, Brock seriously told me, "You know once you get your period you should make an appointment with the clinic at Culver to get some birth control."

"College clinic give out birth control?" I skeptically asked.

"Yea." Brock nodded as The Eagles came on the radio. Looking between me and the crowded highway, he explained, "Some do it free and others low cost, but yea they give out birth control. It's so their students can focus on school and not getting knocked up."

"Oh, okay, but how am I going to pay for it? My family made it clear if I want spending money then I need a job. What's in my account's for my books and food."

Brock didn't even hesitate or blink while telling me, "I'll pay for it considering I'm the reason you need it."

"Are you sure you wanna do that, Brock?" I asked, taken aback that he was offering to pay for my birth control.

"Yea, Gem, I'm sure. I'll go with you to the appointment whenever you make it and I'll pay for the birth control. Okay, baby?"

"Okay. Thank you."

"No problem, baby. I don't mind helping you out with this stuff since it's impacting me too." Brock told me before giving me a smirk and asking, "You still feel like you're gonna puke or do you wanna get off at the next exit and get something it eat? Something mild like toast might help your stomach."

"I think I can handle toast. Let's go get something to eat." I weakly smiled as the suggestion of food made me feel a bit hungry.

"Okay, looks like we're turning off at the Cherry Hill exit." Brock said, reading the name on a sign that showed what the upcoming town was on the pine tree lined major highway that was I-95.

We went to Olga's Diner in Cherry Hill, New Jersey for breakfast. The diner was a large brick building with a clock tower and retro red awnings over the windows. The inside had a retro red and white theme going on too. Brock had steak and eggs; he gave me his toast since he didn't eat bread. I just ordered some scrambled eggs and toast. The waitress tried to pressure me to order a meat, but Brock snapped at her and scared her half to death. Brock had black coffee while I just had some hot tea with honey and lemon.

After our breakfast, we piled back into his Jeep and headed down 95 towards Virginia. We'd been on the road for a good 7-hours whenever we reached Norfolk. "We're gonna stop and get something to eat, then we'll drive the rest of the way to Willowdale. Okay, baby?"

"Okay."

"You wanna go to Freemason Abbey? It's in historic downtown, in an old church. Food's great and I think you'd like it."

"Sure, we can go there." I nodded with a smile.

"I was hoping you'd say that. They got a great selection of food Both vegan and non-vegan. They do brunch, lunch, and dinner. Maybe once you get settled into Culver and want a break from your roommate and cafeteria food, we can do dinner?"

"Yea, we can do that." I smiled while taking in the scenery that was historic downtown Norfolk. It looked very beautiful and charming in an old sea town type of way. It was clear that it was a naval town by how it had a lot of nautical themed colors and décor along the old structured buildings and walkways. It reminded me of Boston (Yea, my Uncle Dom lives in Boston and we visited him once when I was younger) in a way, just warmer with a Southern Charm.

"You like it here, don't ya, baby?" Brock asked with a knowing smirk.

"It's really nice and naval. Reminds me a lot of historic Boston." I answered with a small smile.

"You've been to Boston?"

"Once, to visit my Unlce Dom. He's the oldest of my Gramps' and Nonna's kids."

"Oh, yea, didn't Gramps say they he's the reason he married Nonna?" Brock asked in an 'aha' type of tone.

"Yes, he is." I confirmed. "Actually, everyone in my family gets married cause a girl got knocked up." I told Brock before looking at him and revealing, "I don't wanna be like that. I don't want to get married cause I got knocked up."

"Then don't." Brock simply told me.

"But if the Plan B doesn't work my family and your Pops is gonna expect us to get married…" I heavily sighed.

"We won't get married if you're knocked up. I'm not old school or chivalrous." Brock said seriously while pulling off of the road and into the parking lot of an old building that was large and looked like a cathedral.

"Oh, thank god." I let out in a sigh of relief.

"You were worried I'd drag you down the aisle for a big, fat, shot gun Italian style wedding, huh, Gem?" Brock asked while coasting in the crowded parking lot, looking for an open space.

"Kinda, yea." I admitted.

"Well don't. If something comes up, we'll deal with it our own way."

"Meaning we'll take care of a baby as unmarried fuck buddies?" I asked right as a car pulled out of a spot, leaving it open for us.

"Yea, pretty much." Brock nodded, pulling into the only open spot in the crowded lot.

"God, I really hope that Plan B works cause I don't want to be living the plot of a '70's sitcom." I told Brock, unbuckling my seat belt, as he turned off the car and unbuckled his own.

"Don't worry, it'll work." Brock assured me before opening up door and telling me, "Let's go eat."

"Okay." I thinly smiled, grabbing my phone from its spot on a dash shelf and opening up my door.

Quietly, I got out of the Jeep and went over to the front of it where Brock was leaning against the hood; waiting for me. Once I was by his side, he placed his hand on the small of my back and led me to the beautiful old cathedral that was the restaurant Freemason Abbey. When we stepped up to the front door it was one of those large wooden double doors that had to be at least 15 feet tall. You know, one of those old church doors. I still can't believe that an old catherdral was converted into a restaurant.

"Told ya you'd like it." Bock told me as soon as he opened the door and ushered me inside of the brightly lit lobby of Freemason Abbey.

The look in my eyes or my hitch of breath at the beauty of the place must've given me away. And it really was beautiful. Stained wooden high-back benches and tables lined one side while tables and simple wooden chairs lined the other. The dining room was separated by a large white winding staircase that reminded me a lot of the one in Gone With The Wind. One the other side of the staircase was a large redtop bar and some matching red tables with pub height chairs. The upstairs had dining tables scattered around too. The building was also littered with stain glass windows. This was an old church I didn't mind going to.

"Yea. It's really pretty." I nodded as he led us over to the hostess station.

"Two?" The hostess asked, her voice giving way to her exhaustion, as she looked at me and Brock.

"Yes, please." Rumlow simply answered, causing the woman to grab a pair of menus and some napkin rolled up silverware from the shelves in her hostess podium.

"Follow me." She sighed before heading into the direction the very packed dining room was.

Silently, me and Brock followed her to our table. The tables around us were filled with families that were having lunch before moving their teenagers into the college of their choice. There were a few Navy SEALS eating lunch at a table too. I only knew that they were SEALS cause they were all wearing shirts with the Navy SEAL logo on it. I wonder if Bock knew them since he used to be a SEAL. Hmm, prolly.

"Your server will be with you in one moment." Our hostess told us, tossing our menus and napkin wrapped silverware onto our table, when we were barely even sitting good in our booth, before taking off.

"It's usually not this busy, but with it being college move in day…" Brock trailed off as we grabbed our menus and opened them up.

"Yea, I kinda figured."

"Rumlow, you old salty seadog, you finally found a girl to put up with your shit long enough to take her to eat." A tall and stocky SEAL told Brock in a teasingly tone as the group of SEALS left their table, after paying the check, and came over to our booth.

"Shut the fuck up, Harry." Brock playfully replied to his friend. Shaking his head, he pointed to the group of SEALS and introduced them with, "This group of ballbusters are my old team. SEAL TEAMN SIX." His finger pointed to every man as he listed off their names as: "Harry, Jed, Darrel, Kendall, and Karl with a K." Then he pointed at me and explained who I was with a smirk, "This is Gem. Met her at my Pops' gym beating a bag."

"Damn, a girl who can fight. Talk 'bout lucking out." Kendall, a tall blonde, whistled as he glanced at me.

"Um, we're just friends. Brock's just helping me move to Culver." I told the SEALS in a tentative tone.

"You're just friends and you're going to Culver, Culver down the road?" The SEAL named Jed asked.

"Yea." I nodded.

The team of SEALS all started laughing boisterously. Harry, the ballbuster of the group, gestured to me while saying, "She's cute, Rumlow. Trying to play you two down cause she's gonna be in Culver."

"Right when Rumlow finds a pretty girl she's leaving him alone for better and brighter things." Darrel snickered, causing Brock's jaw to twitch.

"Shut the fuck up. Ain't like I'm never seeing her again. She's only a few miles down the road, you assholes." Brock snapped at his friends, cutting his hazel eyes at him.

"Excuse me, fellas, but since you already paid and tipped you should get going. The dining hall's crowded enough with you standing around in the way." A middle-aged waitress snapped while barging right on thru the group of SEALS only to reach our table.

"We'll catch up over poker and cigars something, Rumlow." Karl with a K told Brock before him and his team walked off, leaving me and Bock alone at our booth with our waitress.

"I doubt you're ready to order since you were talking with your buddies so I'll just take your drink orders and leave you to go over the menu." The waitress told us as she took a notepad and pen out of her apron.

"Lemon water." Brock simply ordered, causing the waitress to nod and scribble into her small notepad.

When the woman looked at me expectantly, I ordered a Sprite. The waitress just nodded before telling us, "I'll be back shortly with those drinks.", and taking off. She wasn't even a couple of tables away whenever she got flagged down by a booth crammed with a large family, bitching about needing extra ranch for a cobb salad.

It took more then the 45 minutes it should've taken to drive from Norfolk to Willowdale. Gosh, with the crowded highway it took a good hour and a half to get to Culver. The university was packed when we arrived. The campus was like a zoo with families frantically running around; helping move their children into their assigned dorms. It was a miracle that Brock was able to find an open spot to park in front of my dorm building consider how packed the place was.

"You know if this building has stairs or an elevator?" Brock asked, opening up his trunk as I stood next to him.

"Stairs, why?"

"Wanted to know the layout so I know what you can carry and what I have to carry up to your room."

"You're giving me my electronics bag and the small tub of books while you carry the big tubs with my clothes and bedding, huh?"

"Yea, I am." He nodded, grabbing my electronic bag and hanging it over to me. "You didn't feel good this morning; I don't want you falling downstairs cause you got off balanced carrying heavy things."

"Oh…um, thanks." I said, taking the small tub he held out to me. I was taken aback that he was concerned about me taking a tumble down some dorm stairs cause I had some side effects from the Plan B earlier.

Brock nodded while grabbing the two large tubs that were stacked on top of each other. "Can you get the trunk, baby?"

"Yea." I nodded before juggling a small tub with books in it and pulling Brock's trunk closed. "Time to join the zoo, huh?" I softly chuckled, gesturing to the dorm building that had a herd of people coming and going from it.

"Yea, my baby tiger, let's go."

"Baby tiger?"

"What? It's a good zoo animal from Brooklyn." Brock defended his baby tiger remark as we navigated a sea of people towards my building.

"Okay." I half-giggled, biting my lip so I wouldn't burst out laughing. For some reason his explanation was funny to me.

"God, this is worse then when I moved to the Naval Academy." Brock muttered under his breath as some old lady (most likely somebody's nonna) held the door open for us after she exited the building. "Thank you, Ma'am." Brock politely told the lady as we passed her.

"Thank you." I smiled at the woman, but she didn't smile back. She just cut her eyes while giving us a sour look and a curt nod.

Either Brock didn't notice the old lady's iciness or he didn't care, cause he didn't miss a beat walking towards the staircase while asking me, "What floor are we headed, baby?"

"Third." Was my one-word answer.

"Eh, that's not too bad." Brock mused with a half smirk on his face. "Could be worse, like the top floor."

"There's 7-stories in this building, so I'm glad on not on the top floor."

Brock just let out a deep chuckle before heading up the stairs. "I'm glad you're not either." Brock admitted as a middle-aged couple walked by us on their way downstairs, all the while giving us a scrutinizing look over.

That was the second time that happened today. Hmm, wonder why?

Silently, we walked up the stairs until we reached the third floor. "What room's yours, baby?" Brock asked as we started to navigate the hall crowded with freshman and their families.

"Room 310."

"Okay, so we got a bit of a walk." Brock said right as we passed by a large common room for my floor. "You know there's a ping pong table in that room. Bet it's for beer bong." Brock remarked, nudging his head in the direction of the common room slightly behind us.

"You know what beer bong is, honey?" I teased as some students and their families walked by us, carrying tons of stuff.

"I'm 15-years-older than you, not dead. Of course, I know what beer pong is." Brock dryly remarked.

"You know that booze isn't allowed in a freshman dorm or on campus, right, Brock? I think it's just a normal ping pong table."

"I know, Gem. I was just fucking with ya; trying to ease your nerves so you won't be worried about meeting your roommate."

"What if she's mean or worse, what if she hates me?"

"Nobody could possibly hate you. You're too sweet and intriguing to hate."

"Gee, thanks for the pep-talk, Brock." I sarcastically told my more then a friend, but less then a boyfriend, as we walked side by side thru a crowded hallway.

"You're welcome, baby." Brock said right as we passed by room 308. "Looks like your roommate's already inside." He pointed out as we reached room 310, which had its door wide open.

"Yea." I nodded right before walking inside of the room.

A petite brunette standing on her bed, stringing up twinkle lights over a tapestry she'd hung up with command strips, while singing off key was what I saw whenever I set foot inside of my room. "Your roommate sounds like a dying cat, baby." Brock remarked, following right behind me.

"How rude, dude." My roommate snipped, looking over her shoulder at me and Brock. "Oh, hey, dudette. You're my roomie, Gemma Rizzo-Schulze, right?"

"Yea, that's me." I confirmed my identity as I set my tub of books and my electronic bag on the desk by my bed. "So, um, you're Darcy Lewis?" I asked while Brock set down the large tubs he was carrying right between my bed and desk.

"Yepperdoodles, that's me." Darcy cheerfully replied with a big smile taking over her face. Looking between me and Brock, she blurted out, "Ooo, girl, you got yourself a sugar daddy."

"What?! Oh my god, no, no, no, he's not my sugar daddy!" I protested, my eyes as wide as quarters, while Brock let out a low chuckle.

"She's right, I'm not her sugar daddy." Brock told Darcy before a wry look crossed his face and he added in, "Sugar daddy would mean I'm rich and I'm not. I'm just a STRIKE Commander that lives in Norfolk."

"Ooo, you're sugar daddy's a commander. Nice." Darcy whistled as she jumped down from her bed, wobbling a bit to balance herself once her feet hit the ground. "My hot jack-boot's a Marine Lieutenant. I totally get the appeal."

As if on cue, a man (with a 5 o'clock shadow and dark hair that was cut similarly to Brock's) came strolling into the room carrying a large cardboard box full of paperback books and Funko Pops while complaining, "Darce, your mom's a crazy fucking nutjob. She kept throwing her empty vodka bottles at my head while screaming hysterically about how I was stealing you away from her. She told me that I was going to destroy you the way the Dorian Gray destroyed Sybil."

"Billy, you know how my mother is by now. Why're you surprised that she's having a drunken mental breakdown about me moving across campus to Freshman housing from facility housing?"

"She compared us to Dorian Gray and the actress he knocked up that drowned herself cause he dumped her, that's why I'm upset." Was Billy's answer as he dumped the box he was holding on her bed.

"Billy, stop being so dramatic. You know that we're an OTP like Edward and Bella from Twilight."

"Jesus Christ…" Brock mumbled as he helped me make my bed.

"Oh, Billy, I almost forgot to introduce you to my roomie and her sugar daddy."

"Oh, roomie's got a sugar daddy? Sweet."

"Brock's not my sugar daddy." I quickly told Billy, causing him to just arch his brow.

"Brock? Oh yea, that's totally a sugar daddy name. Or a stripper's name." Billy mused in a light chuckle.

"Yea, boo, Brock is a strippery name." Darcy told her boyfriend.

"Jesus H. Christ, my fucking crackhead ma named me after a soap character she had the hots for in the '70s. Brock's not a stripper name."

"Oh, you got a crackhead mama too?" Billy rhetorically asked before smirking, "Welcome to the club, brother."

"Oooo, we're going to be great friends!" Darcy exclaimed while giving me a sudden bear hug. Breaking the hug, she animatedly told me with a huge smile, "We have so much in common, like having jack-boot thugs with crackhead mommy issues for our bunny bang-bang lovers."

Oh my god…how was I going to survive being roommates with Darcy Lewis?

Brock made a strangled scoff deep in his throat as he adjusted the comforter on my XL twin bed. I just shot him a look that screamed 'help me', but all he did was smirk and shrug.

Then the awkwardness in the air was cut by a ringing coming from the back pocket of Billy's jeans. Yea, his cell phone was going off. Billy quickly pulled the phone out of his back pocket, looked at the caller ID, and answered it with a friendly, "Hey, brother."

"Oh, Frank's on the phone. That's his Marine bro. They went thru bootcamp and the gauntlet together; are on the same special team in the Middle East too." Darcy told me and Brock, thinking that we cared about who Billy was on the phone with when in reality we didn't.

"Bro, Maria's more then a friend since she's pregnant." Billy told his friend. He nodded his head as Frank said something back to him. "Of course, I'll stand up for you at your rushed shotgun style wedding." Billy smiled before snapping his fingers and adding in, "Oh, you mind if Darcy's new roommate and her sugar daddy come to the wedding too?" Billy nodded as he listened to Frank give him an answer. "See you Saturday, brother. Oh and make sure to polish your buttons, wouldn't want Maria to be marrying an ugly slob, now would we?" Billy told Frank, causing the man on the other side of the phone to shout out a friendly 'Fuck you, pretty boy.', before ending the call and putting his phone back into his pocket.

Turning to me and Brock, Billy announced, "You're invited to Frank's wedding too. My bother says that I can drag along Darcy's new and colorful fucking friends if I want."

"Yay! This is gonna be so much fun. I swear, you're going to love New York."

"You're fucking kidding me. Hell, we just came from New York." Brock groaned in ironic disbelief.

"What part?" Billy asked while Darcy just pouted and whinned, "Boo, am I seriously the only southerner in the group?"

"Yea, you are." I told Darcy while at the same time Brock answered Billy's question with, "Bensonhurst, Brooklyn."

"Ah, Little Italy." Billy nodded in recognition. "I'm from Hell's Kitchen, the poor side of Manhattan."

"Looks like we're both military men from rough New York neighborhoods."

"I told you we had the same taste in dudes, my dudette." Darcy smiled at me before turning to Brock and telling him, "You gotta drive us cause Billy's staying at the local Norman Bates style hotel and uses a cab to get to the airport."

"Nah, you don't gotta drive us. I can get a decent rental somewhere."

"No, he can't. His idea of a decent rental's a car that doesn't exist. I keep trying to tell him that he can't rent a bullet proof car with blackout windows, but he just won't listen."

"Don't worry, I'll drive us to New York." Brock said, waving his arms slightly in the air in a 'calm down' motion since Darcy was getting all squeaky and worked up while Billy's shoulders were squared and his jaw was clenching slightly.

"See, he's gonna drive us." Darcy stuck her tongue out at Billy, causing him to roll his dark brown eyes at her.

"Hey, you better do your sugar daddy duties and buy your sugar baby a sexy dress for my brother's wedding. It's a Marine wedding, not some firehall bullshit."

"Oh my god…" I groaned, my cheeks flushing pink with embarrassment.

"Don't worry, I'll drag her to the big mall in DC to get something for the wedding." Brock told Billy, his tone half-light and half-serious.

"Oh, Billy, can you help me make a photo twin line around my twinkle lights so I can hang up all the photos I have of us? I even did arts and crafts with the clothes pins to make then pretty for picture hanging."

"Sure, babe, but we're talking about the PG photos, right?"

"Of course, my Boo-tiful Butthead. I have the naughty ones hidden in my favorite Jane Austen book."

"Come on, baby. Let's hit up the mall in DC." Brock told me, placing his hand on the small of my back and ushering me out of the door.

"You don't need to buy me a dress."

"I know that, but I think I need to save you from King and Queen Troll before you combust with embarrassment." He told me, leading me down the packed hall,

"Thanks." I simply told him while a few eyes burned holes into our backs as we walked together towards the staircase.

AN:

Well, Gem and Brock meeting the King and Queen of troll aka Billy Russo and Darcy Lewis was interesting, huh? Brock's totally into Gem, but he's giving her time to 'grow up'. Did anyone see that coming? Anyone? Anyone at all? What did you guys thinks about Brock's offer to support Gem in whatever she decided to do if Plan B fails?