A/N This is one of my favorite chapters, because it's just so sappy, lovie-dovie sweet. On different note, where are all my loyal reviews? I haven't heard from anyone lately! You guys still out there?
Chapter 78
When the beeping started Cass pushed the button on Roger's watch and snuggled closer to him. "Hey." He said, kissing her neck and moving down to her shoulder.
"Hey yourself." She grinned at him. "You have fun with Mark last night?"
"Uh huh." He kept kissing her. "But you and me could have more fun."
Cass laughed at him, pushing him onto his back and leaning on his chest. "You were supposed to be going out and having fun with Mark."
"I did, now I want to have fun with you. Way more fun than I could ever have or would ever want to have with Mark." He grinned running his hand up her side.
Cass pushed his hand away and grinned at him. "You know what?"
"What?" He leaned up and kissed her on the nose.
"We're supposed to get married today."
"Yup." He grinned, running a hand up her back and into her hair as he stared into her eyes.
"You still sure you want to do this? I mean honestly. I'll love you no matter what you say."
He pushed her head closer to him as he leaned up and kissed her. "Completely sure. I just want you Baby." He kissed her again. "What about you? You still wanna do it?"
Cass leaned down onto his chest. "More than anything. All I want is you." She ran her fingers over his shoulder tracing the outline of his tattoo on his bicep. "Just you Baby."
"Good. Me too." He played with her hair.
"They laid there like that for a while before they heard Mark walking around. A minute later he was banging on the bedroom door. "Are you guys up yet? It's after ten."
"Promise me the human alarm clock is not coming with us tomorrow." He whispered in her ear, tickling her with his goatee he still had from when he went on tour.
Cass giggled. "Shhh, behave!" She whispered back. "We're up Mark, don't worry." She called out to him, standing up.
Roger reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her back down on the bed. "Don't go yet. Come lay down for awhile longer." He gave her his best puppy dog eyes. "Please. I am the guy your gonna marry."
"Not if you don't get up, you'll miss it." She kissed him. "Besides Mo is due here any minute."
Roger sat up in bed behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her ear. "She'll be late don't worry."
Cass turned around in his arms, kissing him back. "You think huh?"
"Uh huh." He leaned her back onto the bed, running his lips up her throat to her mouth.
"You guys, Maureen's here!" Mark yelled, banging on the wall.
Roger rolled off of Cass onto his back. "Ahhh! She has never been on time for anything in her life until now!"
Cass laughed at him as she rolled onto her side to face him. "Come on, get up." She smiled running a finger up his chest. "Get up and get dressed. Because tonight it's just you and me Baby." Cass laid a hand on his cheek. "Tonight and then tomorrow we go away for seven days. Just you and me. No Mark. No Mo. No anybody but you and me. And you got me forever Baby." She kissed him lightly. "Forever."
"That's all I want." He smiled as he watched her get up and walk into the bathroom. Cass finished getting dressed and brought him his pills from the bathroom.
"Come on, get up. Mo probably brought bagels." She grinned. "Besides, the kid's hungry." She joked, patting her stomach.
"The kid huh?" He stood up wrapping his arms around her waist, laying his hands on her belly.
"When's he gonna start moving around or something? Something we can feel?"
"I don't know, soon I think." She turned her head back toward him and kissed him. "Come on, let's go."
***********
"Anybody want any more pizza?" Collins asked picking up the box.
"No I'm good." Jason called back.
"Me too. Oh, oh move!" Mark yelled at the video game.
"Yes!" Jason jumped up. "You are out of here!" He punched Mark in the shoulder. "Victorious again! Go ahead, go ahead and say it, Jason is a god and you are a loser!"
"Okay fine, I'll say it, you are a loser." Mark laughed.
"Oh you are gonna get it Cohen!" Jason lunged at him, pinning him down on the couch with one arm behind his back.
"Ow Jason, get off me!" Mark yelled as Collins and Roger laughed.
"Not till you say it!" Jason laughed.
"Ow, okay, you're a loser!"
"That's it!" Jason pushed on Mark's arm while tickling him.
"Okay, get off." Roger told him walking over to answer the door. "Your gonna break him and then we'll all be in trouble."
"Alright, alright." Jason said letting Mark go as he laughed.
"Why do I feel like Roger's help was more to save his own ass than to help his best friend?" Mark asked sitting up.
"Because it was." Roger laughed, letting Molly in.
"Hey!" She smiled, dropping her bag and taking off her coat. "It's really snowing out there."
"Where's Mom?" Mark asked from the couch.
"At home. I took the train and then a cab. She's only really worried about my safety when Cindy's there to start trouble. That and you know Mommy doesn't like to drive in the snow."
"She let you take the train? By your self? She didn't make Dad drive you?"
"She tried. Daddy said there was no way in hell he was driving all the way down to, and I quote, that dump, unquote in this weather." She laughed. "So he gave me forty bucks on top of the fifty Mommy already gave me!"
"So in other words, you're making a profit." Collins laughed.
"A profit?" Jason laughed. "You sure you're related to Mark? He doesn't believe in the 'P' word."
"Hey!"
"Relax Marky!" Roger laughed, pinching his check. "We still love you."
"Whatever."
"Come on, we gotta leave soon. Are you two ready?" Collins asked.
"Yeah. I'm ready." Roger said.
"Did you try on that stuff yet, like Cass said?" Mark asked.
"Yeah, I did. It fits. I said I was ready."
"What stuff?" Jason asked.
Mark laughed. "Cass bought him clothes to take with them tomorrow. She said he needed clothes for summer type weather. When he said he had some she told him he didn't have any she'd let him take to the Bahamas."
Jason, Collins and Molly all started laughing with Mark. "Ha ha." Roger rolled his eyes at them. "Come on we gotta go, before Maureen calls and yells at us."
Collins called a cab and the five of them rode to the hotel. Mark got them checked in, giving Collins and Jason and Molly each a key and keeping one for himself.
"What about me?" Roger asked.
"The girls are already in your room."
"Oh."
"Okay, Molly headed up to see the girls. We're going to get dressed. We'll see you guys in a little bit."
"Yeah, um thanks Collins." Mark said, unlocking his door. He and Roger walked into the room. Mark flopped onto the bed as Roger sat in the chair. "You okay? You been awfully quiet."
Roger got a slight grin on his face. "Yeah, I'm okay. I guess I just been thinking."
Mark shook his head. "But you're okay with this whole thing?"
"Uh huh. I'm really gonna marry her." Her grinned.
"You two deserve each other."
Roger smiled at that. "I kinda wish I had told my mom to come though. I feel kinda bad now."
"Don't worry about it. She'll understand."
"I hope so. That's one of the things I was thinking about."
Mark laughed. "Good. Now think and shave, or we're going to be late. I gotta go check on some stuff." Mark stood up to leave.
"Okay, I'll start getting ready." He kept sitting in the chair as Mark walked out.
*********
"You're gonna mess up your makeup."
"But I'm hungry Mo." Cass protested.
"Will you let the poor girl eat Mo. And sit still till I finish you hair." Jen told her as they heard a knock at the door.
"Who is it?" Joanne asked.
"It's Mark. Let me in."
"I can't, everybody is only half dressed."
"Um, Joanne, I've seen you all half naked before. Actually some of you completely naked before."
Joanne, who was already dressed, opened the door and slid out. "Oh that's so amusing Mark!"
"Sorry, I get my licks in where I can. Is everything all set?"
Joanne shut the door tightly behind her. "Yes if no one kills Maureen. I swear, that girl has managed to lose her keys everyday I've known her, but with this, she's like this organized, crazed machine." She shook her head as Mark laughed. "I was just going to check on everything. Why don't you go get dressed."
"Yeah, I just got to check on one thing first." Mark headed to the elevator and got on as Joanne walked back into the room.
"Well Pookie, how do I look?"
"Wonderful. Do you want to come with me to check on everything?"
"Probably a good idea. We'll be back in a little bit Cass." Maureen said, helping Joanne collect up their stuff. "Let's dump everything in our room first Pookie. Okay Cass?"
"Um sure." Cass said standing up in her robe.
"Me too." Jen said. "Just sit here and relax. Let me finish getting ready. Then we'll come back and finish getting you dressed."
"Okay. Don't forget about me." She sat down in the chair. They laughed as all three walked out. Cass sat there for a few minutes flipping the TV channels. Finally she picked up the phone and dialed a room number.
"Hello?"
"Hey."
"Hey Baby." Roger grinned, knowing he probably looked like an idiot. "You okay? Mo not making you crazy or anything is she?"
"No." She laughed. "She's just trying to make it all perfect is all. How about you? You surviving Mark?"
"Uh huh. He went to go check on something and Collins and Jason are in their room."
"Joanne, Mo and Jen too, so I'm all alone."
"Can I sneak up and see you?"
"No." She laughed. "They'll be back in a few minutes. But I miss you."
"I miss you too. How much longer till I see you?"
"Less than an hour. Then I'm all yours."
"You know I'm not good at waiting."
"Sorry Baby. Soon I promise. I have to go, somebody's at the door."
"Okay. Love you Baby."
"Me too. I'll see you soon." She hung up the phone and walked to the door, opening it. "Joanie! Oh God I'm so glad you're here!"
Joanie walked in, followed by Shelly. "Cass you look gorgeous!" She hugged her.
"You really do." Shelly told her hugging her as well.
"I look hugely pregnant!"
"No, you don't. At least you won't out of that robe in you dress." Shelly told her looking at the dress hanging on the closet door.
"Thanks. I'm so glad you came."
"Are you really sure about this? He's not going to get upset?" Joanie asked.
"No." Cass took her hands, sitting them on the bed. "He wants you here, he just feels funny. Especially after everything that happened at Pat and Shelly's wedding."
"I told him not to worry about that. You either. Okay?" Shelly told her.
Cass nodded, hugging both of them. "Thank you guys so much. It really means a lot to him."
"Me too." Joanie smiled.
"Um, just one thing. What about, um…"
"Jack doesn't know a thing. We didn't even tell Mickey. He's out of town anyway, but I didn't want him to slip. He wouldn't have meant to, but he and Jack have this strange relationship."
"Thank you."
"Look we should go before Pat and Larry get bored an start wandering around." Shelly said. "And then you can finished getting dressed."
"Okay. I'll see you in a little bit." Cass smiled as she hugged them goodbye.
**********
Mark slapped Roger's hand away from his collar as the elevator doors opened. "Will you stop playing with that you're gonna mess it up." Mark started to fix his tie and vest.
Roger smacked Mark's hands off him. "Okay, okay stop."
"I'm just trying to help."
"Well you're making me crazy."
"Well excuse me for trying to be helpful."
At that Jason started laughing out loud as Collins tried hard to keep it together.
"What's so funny?" Roger asked.
"Nothing. Nothing at all." Collins said, losing it and cracking up.
That made Jason laugh even harder. "Remind me again." Jason asked Roger. "You're marrying Cass or Mark?"
Roger rolled his eyes at them. "Oh shut up." He told him, realizing once again what he and Mark sounded like.
"Everybody shut up and behave like adults." Mark instructed. "We screw this up and Mo will kill me."
"Relax, everything will be fine." Collins told him. "That must be Joanne's uncle she's talking to." Collins and Jason walked over to them, leaving Mark and Roger alone.
Roger looked around. Krystal was fussing over the tie Roger couldn't believe Izzy was wearing. Ginny and Leslie were talking to the guy at the mini bar. Jen had walked in and over to Jason, who was hugging her. He looked at Mark who kept playing with his tux jacket and vest. "Why do you look so nervous if I'm the one getting married?" Roger teased him.
"I don't know." Mark shrugged. "Fear of Maureen?" He gave a meek smile as he glanced at the door behind them. "Possible fear of you."
"What?" Roger asked as Mark pointed behind them. He turned around. "Mom! What? How?" He stood there in shock as Joanie hugged him.
"Cass and Mark called us. Is that okay?"
Finally Roger remember to move his arms and hug her back. "Yeah. Yeah it is." He said in a low voice. "I'm glad you're here. Really."
"Good. Me too." She leaned in and whispered in his ear. "It's just us and Pat and Shelly. We didn't tell Mickey. No one else knows."
"Thanks Mom."
Joanie held him at arms length. "You look incredible. Both of you." She leaned over and hugged Mark.
"You really do." Shelly hugged him. "I told you, I'm way over all that other stuff. Pat too." She whispered as she let go of him.
Patrick and Larry came in behind them. "You doing okay Bro?"
"Yeah. I'm cool." Roger grinned.
Larry grabbed his hand and started shaking it. "Well congratulations Roger. And thanks for letting us come. It means a lot to your mom. Really."
"Thanks Larry."
"Well we should sit down." Larry told Joanie, leading them all to seats.
Collins walked over to them. "Mo just called. She's ready to start."
"Well as long as Mo's ready." Mark said sarcastically causing Jason and Joanne to laugh.
"You know what I mean." Collins said to Mark before turning to Roger. "Good luck buddy. You're doing great." He told him before going to sit down with Jason and everyone.
"Gentlemen. So are we ready to get married?" Joanne's uncle the judge asked.
At first Mark thought he meant the two of them when he realized what he meant. "Um, yeah, I think they're ready."
"Mark you got the rings right?" Roger asked, suddenly nervous.
For a moment Mark completely blanked. It felt like an eternity and he was sure his face showed it. All of a sudden he remembered and reached into his jacket. Letting out a hug sigh. "Yeah, they're right here."
"Good. You made me nervous for a second."
"No problem." Mark smiled.
"Liar." Roger grinned looking down.
"Whoa."
Roger's head shot up when he heard Mark, expecting to see Cass at he open door. Instead it was Maureen. She looked good in the tight red dress Cass bought her. Mark obviously thought so. Roger remembered that look on Mark's face. He still had it for Mo, even after all these years.
Roger was about to laugh at Mark when the music started. He looked up and saw Cass. The earth could have stopped in that moment. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Jen had pulled her hair up and back loosely with flowers across the top and veiling flowing out from under her hair. Her dress was strapless and showed off her shoulders. Even from there Roger recognized the pearl choker necklace he knew was her mom's that matched the beads that ran across the top two inches of her dress.
When she stepped into the doorway she looked up at Roger. When he met her eyes, you would have thought they were the only two people on the planet. "Whoa is right." Roger mumbled as Cass walked up.
Mark heard him and leaned in, whispering in his ear. "You so owe me big time."
Roger never even heard him as Cass stepped up next to him and he took her hand.