(A/N: Sorry it's taken so long to get this chapter up.  I finally know what everyone else is going through juggling projects.  I've got…*counts…uses two hands…* 7!  I'll try and pump 'em out quicker.  That said, enjoy Act IV!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Act IV-Oh Sweet Irony!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scene I-Disk The Desperate

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Father Garam and Disk stood in the large, carpeted aisle of the 24-Hour Wed 'n Bed (buy two weddin's get the third one free).  The building was, in a former life, an IHOP (International House Of Pancakes), and as such still reeked of rancid bacon and maple syrup.  The floors were still covered with linoleum, and the door still had a large dancing flapjack on the front.

"So," Disk said smugly, "what do you think of that Gum?  That's some sweet ass piece of pie right there, eh?"

Garam stared blankly at him, bloodshot eyes hidden behind his fly-eye goggles.  "Oh man," he muttered, "I have no idea what's going on right now…damn those were some good brownies."

"Oh yeah," Disk continued obliviously, strutting back and forth in front of Garam, "I'm gonna get a slice of that!  You know what I mean, right Father?  Oh, that's right!" he added deliberately, "You wouldn't know at all, Mr.Vow of Celibacy."

"Boy, I oughta smack the hell out of you!" Garam snapped, squinting at him, "If there weren't about seven of you…and one behind me…what's all this vow of celibacy crap?  Father's just a formal term…most girls end up calling me 'Daddy'."

Disk grimaced.  "Yeah…anyway…you think this will be a good place for Gum to get married?"

Garam gave a skeptic look about.  "Not as good as the place she got married in last time," he muttered.

"What was that?" Disk asked.

"Um…I said…I like food in space and hairy crime."

"I think you oughta lay off the brownies, Father."

"Screw you."

"Yyyeah…So I was thinking we'd walk down through here," Disk began again, nonplussed, "and right before we trade vows, I'd give her the ring."  He dug around in his pocket, producing a small gold band with…something sparkly at the top.

Garam squinted, the 'brownie-vision' still apparent.  "Those are some nice rings you got there.  But what's that little shiny thing there?  Is that a piece of glitter?"

"That's the diamond.  Well, actually, it's cubic zirconium.  Cool, huh?"

"Not as good as the one Beat gave her…"

"What?"

"I said screw you."

"You're mean."

"Your mother."

"…Ah!  There's my little Gum-mi bear!" Disk cried, looking at Gum standing by the door.

"Hello Disk…" she replied, distaste apparent in her voice.

"Now now, my pet," he replied, smugness quickly returning to his voice as she walked toward the two, "no need to call me Disk anymore.  When it's just us, you may call me by my real name.  Ferguson Bartholomew Johannsen III…or Fergy."

Gum's eyes narrowed.  "Whatever, Disk."

"Fergy."

"Shut up."

"You know, this backtalk is sooo not gonna fly when we're married."

"Go away, Disk.."

"Fergy."

Father Garam spoke up, waving Disk away with one hand.  "It's time for you to leave now, Disk…me and Gum have to discuss some wedding plans.  I got you an early gift though."  He reached into the pockets of his robe, bringing out a small paperback book.  "It's called "Jet Set Romeo and Juliet".  By a guy named Lotus.  Thought you should give it a read."

Disk snatched the book away from Garam, striding away.  His voice was heard from the door.  "Ooooh...soft pages…"

"Alright, listen up Gum, cos I'm gonna save your ass here, alright?  I've been working in my…ahem…garden, and lately I've been trying out some cross pollination.  Along with some…extremely, extremely potent strains of…herb, I've found a few that actually stop all respiratory and circulatory functions, making you appear…well, pretty much dead.  It wears off after about 2 days."

Gum looked at him skeptically.  "How do you know that?"

"Found it out the hard way," Garam replied with a grin, "they were lowering me into the ground when I woke up.  Why do you think they kicked me out of the convent?"

"Sorry I asked…"

"Most are."

"Just give me the stuff."

"Here.  Smoke it wisely, my child."

"Shut up."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scene II-Forgiveness Is Thine, Sweet Child O' Mine!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gum forced a smile for the 12th time that hour.  For some reason it just wouldn't stay on.

"Alright," she muttered to herself, "you're happy…you're very very happy…"

She took a deep breath, stuck her stupidest grin on, and stepped into Clutch's room.  He was sitting down on the bed, taking off his skates with one hand and slugging down bottles of Corona with the other.  A small pile of about 6 empty bottles was on his right, with a cooler on his left.

"Ah, there you are!" he cried, slurring a bit, "Excited about tomorrow?"

"Of course!" she replied cheerfully, "I can't wait to marry Disk!"

"That a girl," he said, raising his Corona to the sky, "I'd like to propose a toast!"

Gum glanced from side to side.  "There's no one else here, Clutch."

"Pishposh!" he practically yelled.  "Pisshhh…possyyy…pishyposhy…" he trailed off, amused by the word.

"Maybe you should get some sleep," Gum said, raising an eyebrow while still keeping the smile on, "You want to be well rested for the wedding, don't you?"

"Of course I forgive you!"
"I…I didn't ask for-"

"SHH!  Do you hear that?"

Silence.

"What is it, Clutch?" Gum whispered.

"The chinchillas…they're coming…they're coming for me!"

"Good night, Clutch."

"'Night, Gum…watch out for the chinchillas."
"I'll do that."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scene III-Because I Got High…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gum let out a long, laborious breath.  She'd locked herself in her room, and had been staring at the small bag of weed for the past half-hour.

Go for it, she told herself, the worst that could happen is that you get high and fall asleep…

"Ah, what the hell."

She reached towards the bag, picking it up, digging the rolling papers out of her pocket at the same time.

"Hello?  Gum?"

Jazz.

"Yo!  Gum!  Open up, girl!  We wanna talk to you!"
'Rahna

Cursing under her breath, she put the weed and papers into her side pocket, moving towards the door and unlocking it.  She opened it slowly.  "Hello."

"Why was the door locked?" Jazz asked quizzically.

"Um…woman troubles."

"Ah.  Say no more," Jazz said cheerily, "I have those all the time!"

"Yes, well…thanks for sharing.  Anyway, I'm really tired you guys…you think we could talk some other time?  I need to get some rest.  Tomorrow's the big day!"  She forced that same smile back onto her face.

"Oh, sure," Pirahna said, flashing a grin, "see ya' tomorrow!"

Gum closed the door with a sigh of relief.  Now to get to business.  She sat back onto her bed, removing the contents of her pocket and placing them on her bed.  She rolled herself a nice big fattie, and proceeded to light up…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scene IV-OD!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Birds weren't chirping on that day.  The sun wasn't shining, the grass wasn't bright and glistening with dew.  Even the crackheads weren't up for their morning hit.  This, they all knew, was a bad day.

But Jazz didn't know that.

She had woken up hours before, beside Clutch, who for some reason had on only a speedo and an army helmet.  She'd been waiting outside of Gum's room for that long, waiting for the clock to strike six.  When it did, she knocked lightly on the door.

"Gum?  You up?"

No answer.  She knocked again.

"Hello?  Gum?  Rise and shine!"

Still no answer.

Jazz opened the door a crack, poking her head into the room.  "Gum, honey?"

Gum lay, still fully clothed, on the bed, an arm and a leg hanging off the side.  Ashes lay on the floor beside her bed.

Jazz opened the door all the way, tip-toeing into the room, up beside Gum's bed.  "Gum?  Are you alright?"  Jazz shook her lightly, still getting no response.

No…she couldn't be…could she?
She reached her hand toward Gum's neck, placing two fingers on the girl's jugular…no pulse.

She was dead.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(A/N: Drugs are bad!  ^ ^ One more chapter to go.  I'll try and get it out faster than this one.  YARR!)