Disclaimer: Still not mine.. Sadly, this is true.

Spoilers/Summary: All in the previous chapters

Notes: Italics for thoughts; bold for emphasis; Chapter is somewhat of a filler chapter.

Thank You: To everyone who has reviewed!

…………

En route to the roller coaster, Dawn suggested they try something else. After all, the line for the roller coaster was looking pretty long.. And really, did they want to waste time standing around? Chris was ready to protest about how they had been standing around all day already, and just as the blonde man opened his mouth to protest- the brunette stomped on his foot. The blonde man scowled, but the brunette had gotten her point across without Lita or John finding out that they had been spied on. At any rate, the six of them stood around near the middle of the amusement park, debating on where to go next. Dawn suggested something indoors, while Victoria and Chris still wanted to try the roller coaster. Jeff pointed out that there were smaller rides within the near vicinity.. And it wasn't like they had to leave the park just yet anyway, so if it all came down to it, they could go on the roller coaster later. That had lead to the six splitting up with Chris and Victoria taking off for the roller coaster, while Jeff, Dawn, John and Lita took off for one of the smaller rides. The stuffed animals had been stashed in a locker once more, along with the white tank top and Victoria's backpack.

"So.. Tell me something." Jeff raised an eyebrow as the four waited in line for a ride. "How'd you two end up here?"

The redhead shrugged, "Well.. It just happened."

"Just happened?" Dawn echoed incredulously, "These things don't just happen.. I mean, all we knew was that you two were heading to the convenience store to pick up soda and ice."

John nodded, "An' we did stop at the store.. We jus' didn't come back."

Jeff made a face, "An' I wanna know why."

Lita tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "Well.. We were just gonna drive around for a bit.. And we did. We were just about to head back when the car ran out of gas. We got that taken care of, I called from the gas station.. An' then, I just didn't feel like coming back yet."

Dawn shook her head, "So was that when you two decided to take a joy ride to Myrtle Beach?"

"No," John rolled his shoulders, "We were tryin' to figure out what to do an' we ended up at a bowlin' alley."

"Keep talkin'."

Lita rolled her eyes, "We made a little bet an' after all was said an' done, we decided to drive here."

Jeff raised an eyebrow again, "All because of a bet? Then-"

"We were gonna drive all night," the redhead interrupted quickly. "But, we stopped for a snack, found out about the roadwork and thought it would be best to stay the night in Fayetteville before we drove here."

The brunette Diva raised an eyebrow in interest, "So you stayed overnight in Fayetteville.. What happened?"

John and Lita exchanged a look, twin mischievous smirks forming before the West Newbury native shook his head.

"Nothin' happened."

Dawn glanced between the two, "Nothing happened?" she stepped closer to the redhead, "You spent the night in Fayetteville and nothing happened?"

"Correct." Lita nodded solemnly, hazel eyes twinkling lightly with mirth. "He slept on a cot, I had the bed.. That was that."

"Well, aside from the fact that ya pinched me."

Lita glared, "I warned you.. You didn't listen."

John scoffed, "That gave ya no right to pinch my nipple."

The redhead raised an eyebrow, "You shoulda kept your trap shut."

The West Newbury native raised his hands in mock defense, "Ain't my fault you move in your sleep.. Did I ask ya to use me as a pillow? No, I didn't."

She rolled her eyes, "Well I coulda just let ya sleep on the floor, but I didn't."

Dawn coughed, "Didn't you just say he slept on a cot?"

Lita smiled sheepishly, "The cot never exactly got there so.. I was feeling generous."

"Generous." Dawn nodded slowly as the line moved an inch, "Uh huh.."

The redhead snorted, "Look Dawn, think what ya want.. But nothing happened, okay? Just a small water and ice fight, but that was it."

Jeff chuckled, "Water an' ice? Do I wanna know?"

John smirked, "Well we had been watchin' a movie.. An' I fell asleep, when that one over there decided it would be nice of her to wake me up with ice cubes."

The green eyed man snorted, "Usin' that ole trick again, Li?"

Lita crossed her arms over her chest, "Well it woulda worked.. But noooo.. Someone had water guns."

"Children," Dawn let out an exasperated sigh. "But that still doesn't explain how you two ended up sharing the bed."

The redhead swept her hair from her face, "Does it really make a difference? The lady at the front desk said she'd have a cot brought there, but it never got there. It was getting late so rather than wait.. I felt like bein' nice."

Dawn just shook her head, "So where did you two get the change of clothes?"

"We stopped before we got here," John mentioned then as the line moved another inch. "Did some shoppin' an' had lunch."

The brunette Diva snorted, "You willingly went shopping?"

John rolled his eyes, "Well it wasn't like I could walk around in jeans in the middle of summer, right?"

"Exactly," Lita nodded, "An' since we didn't wanna wait until y'all showed up.. We took care of it."

"But still," Dawn glanced between the two, before her eyes settled on John. "You never willingly go shopping with the girls.. You claim it's the worst torture ever."

"An' it is." the West Newbury native stated with a grin, "Y'all are the worst people to go shoppin' with cos' ya take forever."

Lita snorted, "Excuse me? You took just as long as I did to find clothes."

John raised an eyebrow, "Says who? You weren't the one who had to sit around waitin' while ya tried on three different bikinis in each store we stopped in."

Lita smiled sweetly, "You didn't complain, did you? No, so shut up before I pinch ya again."

John shook his head, "An' here we go.. Back to those violent tendencies of yours."

"Only when necessary."

"Whatever," John leaned against the railing, "You agreed to pick one mood an' stick with it, so which is it gonna be?"

"I knew you were starting to burn." A familiar -and unwanted- voice beckoned behind the four. "You should have taken that sunscreen."

Lita raised an eyebrow at the blonde woman, "We got sunscreen, so just trust me.. We're fine."

"Well," the blonde woman stepped between Jeff and Dawn, standing before John. "You might want to use some aloe vera on that later.. Just to be on the safe side."

"I'll keep that in mind." John stated evenly, "Thanks."

The blonde winked, "Good.. Because it would be a shame if someone like you got all burnt."

"We'll make sure we get some aloe vera." Dawn broke in crisply before the blonde could say another word. "Thank you for your assistance."

"If you insist.." the blonde replied to the brunette Diva, her eyes still on John. She licked her lips, a suggestive smile forming on her face. "I could give you my phone number.. Just in case you need anything."

Jeff turned his attention the knots on the railing, Lita took a sudden interest in her sandals, while Dawn glared at the blonde.

"I assure you- it won't be necessary."

The blonde woman raised an eyebrow, "An' who are you? His girlfriend?"

"Dawn, please." Lita tossed her hair over her shoulder, "If she wants to give him her phone number- let her. No harm, right?"

The brunette Diva raised an eyebrow, "Why would he even want her phone number?"

Lita shrugged, "We'll never know unless we give her the chance, will we?"

……

The collective attention of the three women shifted then to John, he in turn shifted his weight back; rubbing his forearm while he thought over what to say. But before he said anything, he took a moment to gauge their faces. The look on the blonde woman's face, well it was one he had seen often.. If things were different and the scenario wasn't how it was.. Or maybe not. The look on the brunette woman's face was also familiar- it was Dawn's 'I dare you to say something stupid' look combined with her 'Say something stupid and you will get slapped' look. The New Jersey native's eyes narrowed a fraction before he moved on to the next face. This face, out of the three, was the one that he couldn't quite read. Most of that was due to the fact that Lita had slipped her sunglasses back on, but even her body language wasn't giving away any clues.

"Alright," he stated finally as he turned back to the blonde. "First, I gotta say- I appreciate your help an' all, I'm flattered that you'd wanna give some complete stranger your number.. But that stranger ain't gonna be me."

The blonde woman blinked, "But-"

He held up a hand, "I don't even know your name.. An' aside from that? With my job, I ain't really got the time to be in a relationship." .. well that wasn't a total lie,.. "Sorry."

The blonde sniffled, "There's always a way to work around that.."

Dawn snorted, but kept her mouth shut.. For now.

"I barely got the time to call someone I do work with." the West Newbury native shook his head, "Again- I'm sorry, but it ain't gonna work."

The blonde woman nodded slowly, "Then let me at least give you something to remember me by.."

She stepped forwards until she was standing right before him and before anyone could react- her lips were on his. She pulled away after she got the message that he wasn't interested, but she smiled all the same as she left.

Dawn glared as the woman retreated, the line having moved several inches by that time. "Good riddance.. Gutter slut."

"I thought she woulda gotten the message earlier," John shook his head, the two brunettes turning their attention back and expecting to see Lita and Jeff.

"Where'd they go?"

The West Newbury native shrugged, "Beats me, but I'm guessin' they're right up ahead."

'I hope so', "Yeah you're probably right.. " Dawn jammed her hands in her pockets, "I mean, we would've noticed if they'd left the line, right?"

"Right," was all he said as the two closed the gap between them and the rest of the line.. And sure enough, they met up again with Jeff and Lita.

"Have Lil an' Shawn set a date yet?"

The redhead shrugged, "I dunno Jeff, I mean- they just announced the engagement the other night."

The green eyed man nodded, "I jus' figured you might know.. Since you hosted the party an' all."

Lita rolled her eyes, waving it off nonchalantly. "Like I told Lil, all I did was provide a locale and pay off you an' Matt to cook."

Jeff snorted, "Speakin' of .. Lil asked me for the ribs recipe.. Something 'bout Shawn absolutely lovin' it."

The redhead smirked, "You could have a career in catering ahead of you."

Jeff chuckled, shaking his head a touch. "Now, now.. Lets not get ahead of ourselves, Li-Li.. It was only ribs. So unless people want their guests dinin' on ribs, fried chicken and grilled cheese sandwiches? I ain't gonna cater."

Dawn cleared her throat, "Lillian said she's thinking of a Spring wedding actually.. Or maybe late Fall."

Lita inclined her head a touch, "Fall would be nice outdoors I think."

The brunette Diva nodded, "That's what she was thinking.. Harvest theme and what not."

The redhead nodded in turn, "Yeah.. Its not traditional, but it's still stylish."

Dawn rolled her eyes good naturedly, "And we know you're just a stickler for tradition."

Lita snorted, "Honey, if I ever walk down that aisle? It'll be on a beach or on top of a mountain or something else out of the ordinary. No fancy church weddin' for me."

Dawn chuckled, "To be expected from you."

Lita just shook her head, opening her mouth to respond when Dawn's cell phone beckoned. Silence fell over the three while Dawn answered the phone, the silence continuing until it was put away.

"That was Vikki." Dawn informed them as she pocketed her cell phone. "She and Chris are skipping out on the roller coaster.. Something about the line being too long."

Jeff nodded, "I ain't surprised actually.. I mean, this ride ain't even a main attraction an' we've been in this line how long already?"

"Long enough," Lita stated as she stretched her arms overhead, "Where are we meetin' Vikki an' Chris?"

Dawn motioned to the end of the line, "She said they'll meet us at the entrance to this ride."

The redhead spared a glance in the indicated direction, "It'll take us forever to backtrack." She swept her hair from her face, hopping the railing only to land in the bushes. "I don't 'bout y'all? But I'll take my chances with these pricker bushes over fightin' through that line."

The brunette Diva's nose wrinkled slightly in distaste, the New Jersey native watching on as Jeff and John hopped the railing.. Dawn opting to fight through the line.

"So…" Victoria swung her arms at her sides as the group reconvened. "Where to now?"

Chris shrugged, "We can always see if there's something else that isn't so crowded here."

"We could," Jeff conceded with a nod, "Or we could go explore more of Myrtle.. There's a butterfly pavilion, plus there's some stuff to do 'round here.. We can jus' walk around for a bit."

"Or," Dawn interjected as they started off towards the lockers, "We can check into the hotel and then wander around. It's gotta be check in time now, anyways right?"

Victoria nodded in agreement, "That works for me. I'd really like to see more of Myrtle though.."

"We will," Jeff promised with a grin, "Me an' Li can be your tour guides."

The redhead rolled her eyes as she removed her sunglasses. "Or I can be.. Last time Jeffro here played tour guide- Christian, Val and Ivory got so horribly lost that they vowed never to let Jeff do that again."

"Wasn't my fault that they couldn't keep up with me." Jeff stated defensively, "How was I supposed to know?"

That struck up a good natured bantering between Jeff and Chris; Victoria and Dawn falling to the middle of the group to 'chat' while Lita and John brought up the rear.

"Somethin' botherin' ya?"

Lita's shoulders lifted lightly, "Nah, not really.. Why?"

John raised an eyebrow, "I dunno, you've been.. Maybe it's because you've been quiet."

Lita shook her head, "Since when? I'm talkin' to ya know, right? How's that bein' quiet?"

He rolled his eyes good naturedly, "You know what I meant.. Ever since we left the line-"

"Well, maybe I'm just tired." Lita cut him off evenly, "Ever think of that?"

"I was just sayin'," John held up his hands in mock defense, "No need to get all hostile."

"I wasn't 'hostile', I was merely replying to your question."

"Uh huh," He stated disbelievingly, "Then did I do somethin' to piss you off? Cos' you sure are actin' hostile to me."

"Like I said John, I'm tired." Lita jammed her hands into her back pockets. "It's been a long two days, before I flew home I had a meet and greet to attend that started late and ended late. I haven't had much time to really relax and enjoy my days off."

"Alright, if you insist." He watched her from the corner of his eye, "Just looks like there's somethin' botherin' ya."

"There's not." She insisted, as she rolled her shoulders. "Everything's fine, I'm just tired."

The two fell silent then, John not bothering to press the issue any further. It was plain to see that something was bothering her.. And while he did have an inkling as to what- he didn't want to voice his opinion. Because if he did, she would more than likely get on the defensive.. Which would only add to her already hostile mood. That was something he didn't really want to deal with, especially since the day had been going relatively good before. All the same he figured it would die down and she would go back to her previous mood of jovial and immature. Or at least he hoped- otherwise the remainder of the day would be nothing short of uncomfortable.