Sunday Morning Rush

                   Allie woke up to noise and sunlight, "It's too early."

          Dash pulled her in close and kissed the side of her face, "I know. Just roll over and go back to sleep."

          "I gotta get up. I'm coming back to bed though, just have to pay back the coffee from last night. I should have known it would have been Irish coffee."

          Dash grinned and flung an arm over his eyes to shut out the offending sunlight, "Yeah. Nice welcome, huh."  Allie got up and found the clothes she, or rather Dash, had thrown across the room last night.

          She walked out of the room and shut the door behind her. "Well whatever it was earlier it's all quiet now." She spoke too soon; what seemed to be an army of red and black haired women came pouring out of various doorways and up the stairs. She thought she heard Shauna's voice coming from the kitchen but decided not to brave it. After all, there was mass confusion here and Dash waiting in the bedroom. She turned around and went back to Dash who greeted her with open arms. "Find out what the noise was?"

          "No. I don't care. I think Shauna's up and in the kitchen-which in itself is a scary thought but I didn't go find her. I didn't think she had any sisters?"

          "Brothers. We're sleeping in one of the brother's beds."

          "There are a number of women running around half naked in this house."

          Dash quirked an eyebrow, "Really? Maybe the noise is worth investigating after all."

          Allie grabbed his arm, "Dash! You're not dressed!"

          He laughed, "And this scandalizes you?"

          "No. I just don't want to share, now get back here. Shauna is more than capable of taking on an army of half-naked women. They're probably all related to her anyways."

          Meanwhile, in the kitchen Shauna was helping to make breakfast. This consisted of frozen waffles and burnt coffee. "Mmm, real appetizing sis. Now I remember why you didn't take over the kitchen when mom died."

          "Sean!" Shauna rushed to greet her brother with a hug

          "Hi! What are you doing here? Did you get leave?"

          "Yes and no, I don't know how long I'll be here. Aren't you supposed to be next door? I thought John was hosting an early morning bible study."

          "Yeah he is, which means all his sisters, including Ash, will be over here getting ready. Besides, what do I want to sit and listen to one of John's lectures for? He'll just start preaching at me for sleeping with his sister."

          "Are you?"

          "Sleeping with me? Who's sleeping?"

          Shauna turned toward the speaker, "Ash!"

          Ashley Campbell rushed forward to give Shauna a hug, "So the prodigal daughter has returned! How's it going? You're not wearing that to mass are you?"

          Shauna looked down at her robe, "No. Your sisters' got the shower first this morning. I forgot your brother was doing bible study. Where'd your mom go?"

          "Mom's at church with your father sitting in senior citizen Sunday school."

          "So that's why we don't have any breakfast this morning."

          "Yep. You are coming this morning, aren't you?"

          "Of course. I just have to get dressed and find Conrad a suit. Oh, my. I have to find a suit. Shit! He doesn't even know about church yet!"

          Sean grabbed his sister's arm as she rushed out of the kitchen, "Who is Conrad?"

          She turned back, "Are you really sleeping with Ash?"

          He let go of her arm and she raced up the stairs. "Morning Shauna."

          "Morning Meredith. Morning Elise. Are ya'll done getting ready yet?" She came into her room and made her way to the closet through the Campbell women who were using her room as a staging area for morning mass.

          "Running late, Shauna?"

          "Yes, Meredith. I'm running late. If you're ready you could help you know. Do you have the curling iron?"

          Meredith got up and handed Shauna the curling iron, "Here, let me. Did Ash make it yet?"

          "Yeah, she came in with my brother. Is something going on between them?"

          Elise answered, "We're just her big sisters she doesn't tell us didily-squat."

          "You never freakin' ask!"

          "Ash!" her sisters cried in reproach

          Shauna, whose language that morning had also been colorful stood up for Ashley, "Oh, come on Elise, we're not in church yet."

          Ash decided to get even "Did you tell Shauna you're going to marry a minister? A Presbyterian minister?"

          Shauna brought her hands to her face in fake shock, "You mean you're marrying outside the faith?"

          "Good for you Elise, shake 'um up a little!" Sean cheered her on

          "Agh! Sean O'Hara you get out of here this instant! We're gettin' dressed! Shauna, get your brother out of here! It may be all well and good for him to see you in a robe but I won't have it!"

          "Come on Ash, we know when were not wanted!" Sean took Ash and led her down the hall to his room, "Besides..." he whispered in her ear, "We didn't come up here to talk to them anyways."

          Ash opened his door and pushed him though. She giggled, "We didn't even come up here to talk!" she kissed him deep and pushed him back against the wall with a thump.

          Duke turned over and smacked the wall a few times just as a reminder to Dash and Allie that they weren't on base at the moment, "You two think you could cut it out for a day at least! It's Sunday morning for crying out loud! I'm trying to sleep."

          Ash broke the kiss "Who was that?"

          "I don't know. Frank's not here, or at least he's not supposed to be here, besides, you didn't tell anyone yet did you?"

          "No. I left my ring at your apartment just like we discussed."

          "Well, fun's over anyhow let's go see who it is."

          The two of them went in Frank's room and found Duke. Ash's eyes lit up in delight, "Shauna O'Hara! You've been holding out on me! You've got a man in here! A go-orgeous man!"

          Sean turned to his girlfriend, "Hey! What about me?"

          Ash patted his arm, "Sean I love you babe, but that is still a beautiful man."

          "Who are you and what are you people doing here?! It's Sunday morning!"

          Shauna came rushing in after shoeing Meredith and Elise out of her room and off get everyone in the car.

          "Oh good! You're awake. Sorry I didn't tell you yesterday, I forgot. This is my brother Sean and Ash Campbell. This is Conrad. Sean, go find me a decent tie. Come on Ash, I need your help finding a suit."

          The two women disappeared from the doorway leaving Sean standing there eyeing Duke.

          "If you're trying to decide whether or not to beat the crap out of me because I'm here with your sister please take into account that while I am sleeping under the same roof as your sister it is with your father's invitation and I am not sleeping in the same bed." 

          Sean grunted, "Yeah, well walking into church bloody isn't what I planned on today anyways.  We'll talk later." With that Sean left and Duke laid back down thinking that he had gone to sleep in a quiet suburban home and had woken up in a war zone.  

          Ash followed Shauna into Brain's room. "Wow! Another one! Are they up for dibs?"

          "This is Dash and Allie. As you can see he's occupied and the blonde Adonis is mine so hands off."

          The man in question looked up for an explanation as to what Shauna was doing in their bedroom this early in the morning. "Sorry you two. Dash, you didn't perhaps pack a suit with you, did you?"

          "A suit? No, why?"

          Shauna and Ash were at this point riffling through her brother's closet. "Duke needs one."

          "Why does Duke need a suit this early on a Sunday morning. Oh? You're taking him to church. Does he know about this yet?"

          "Sure. He figured it out and if he hasn't he will soon."

Shauna burst back into the room Duke was sleeping in carrying what looked suspiciously like a suit. "Here, put this on! Don't just lie there! Hurry up, get a move on!"

          Duke groggily raised himself into a sitting position. A an unfamiliar female voice called to Shauna from down the hall, "Sean's got a tie!"

          Shauna stuck her head out into the hall and called back, "Great! What about shoes? Sean's are going to be too small!" 

          The voice called back, "Just stuff him into the suit, I'll go borrow some of James'! His feet are bigger than John's and John's are bigger than any of ya'll's."

          "Hurry, Ash! Remember what happened last time we were late for mass?!"

          Shauna turned back to Duke, "Hurry up!" she scolded

          Duke fingered the suit, "Nice suit. What's it for?"

          "Mass. We're leaving in..." she looked at the clock, "seven minutes."

          "Shauna, I just spent the last forty-eight hours battling cobra during a hurricane, spent the night-alone-in an unfamiliar bed, and now you expect me to get up and be dressed in seven minutes to go to church? Go without me. I'll keep Flint and Allie company when they wake up…in about four hours."

          "You have six minutes. Ash will be back with shoes in three and if you're not dressed I'll have her help me stuff you in your clothes."

          "They're not mine. Listen, maybe you could take oh, about thirty seconds and explain to me what the rush is?"

          "All future hopes you have for this relationship will be nixed if you don't show up at mass, with me, on time.  If you are still in this bed when my father gets back he will come up here and send you to a hotel and forbid me to marry you."

          "Marry? We aren't even engaged yet!" Duke eyed her warily, 'There's no way she knows. I was careful. I didn't even tell Allie. Only Flint knows about the ring and he swore he wouldn't tell-just demanded that he and Allie be allowed to witness the engagement. That's why they came with us. That and moral support for when I had to face her father and brothers.'

          She sat down on the edge of the bed, "Conrad, I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

          "So, do I babe, but is all this really necessary?" 'Ha! Joy triumphant! I knew this was the right time to buy a ring!'

          "Do you love me?"

          "Yes, of course."

          "Then do this because you love me and I'm asking you to and because I need you there with me. Fair enough?"

          Duke ran his fingers through his hair careful not to smile at her declaration, "Fair enough. I'm glad I got a shower last night."

          That voice came again, loud and shrill in the early morning, "I've found them! They're a little out of style, but they're dress shoes!"

          "Perfect! Bring them here!" Shauna took the shoes and handed them to Duke as she leaned in and planted a kiss on his unshaven cheek. "Thank you." She whispered and left the room closing the door behind her and running down the hall to her own. "Ash! Help me find my pearls!"

          Duke shook his head, "I must be dreaming. That or I've woken up in a mad house." Duke had his legs though the pants before the door was thrown open. "Hey!"

          "Who are you? What are you doing in here?"

          Shauna came to the rescue, "Frank! Leave him alone, he's getting dressed."

          "Is that one of my suits?"

          "No. It's one of Brian's."

          "Who the hell is he? And what are you doing here?"

          "I'll tell you later, were almost late! Here, make yourself useful and fasten the back of my dress."

          Frank dazedly fastened the back of his sister's dress while keeping an eye on the frenzy of activity surrounding the house. She turned around, "Thanks."

          He caught her wrist, "Hey. Look at me." She turned back around to face him, "Who is he?" Frank cocked his head towards his room door.

          "A good man."

          "Yours?"

          "Yes."

          "Does dad know?"

          "He will at lunch. I didn't have time to tell him last night. I fell asleep. I think he knows. Frank, I really love Conrad and I want daddy and everyone to like him."

          "Are you going to marry him?"

          "If he ever gets around to asking me."

          Frank eyed his sister, "Okay. I'll see if I can help. Carolina is in the car with Mel."

          Shauna's eyes got big, "Oh, I haven't seen them in so long! How big is she?"

          Frank laughed, "Big enough. Now go finish getting ready.  I'll do what I can to help him."

          Shauna gave her big brother a tight hug, "Thanks, Frank."

          "Thank me later."

          Shauna turned and went back to looking for her pearls and Frank knocked on the door and went in to his room to help his sister's boyfriend.

          "That'll never do."

          "Excuse me?"

          "It'll never do. What size are you?"

          "What? Who are you?"

          "I'm Frank. I'm the oldest and I just promised my little sister that I would make you presentable in the next two minutes."

          "This is what they brought me."

          "Here, I'll trade ties with you. You're a lot wider in the shoulders than I am, even Brain's suit is a little tight but it'll have to do. The tie and the hair we can fix. Where did they dig up those shoes?"

          "Your sister brought them to me."

          "Yeah, well I guess it's the closest thing they could find.  Can you wear shoes that are too small for a couple of hours?"

          "If I have to, why?"

          "I'm already married I don't have to worry about making a good impression on anyone except Carolina's father, whom I rarely see. She's my wife. But you on the other hand, you have to make a good impression on my father. And that's a hell of a lot harder to do."

          A car horn sounded, "Come on troops, we're going to be L-A-T-E!!!"

          Frank took a step back from Duke. "Well, not bad. You could have shaved, but just tell dad you're growing a beard. He'll appreciate that.  Now let's get in the car before they come and drag us out by our arses."