Disclaimer : I still own nothing Zoey101 .

While the Matthews and Vince and Lola unpacked , Quinn and Lisa helped Chauncey set the tables outside on the large patio by the pool for supper . The water sparkled clear blue and the pretty scientist couldn't help remembering the late night swims with Logan the glorious summer after the PCA stalker had finally been caught . She shivered slightly but continued setting the elegant china plates at each spot as Lisa laid out the silver flatware .

' Quinn, can I ask you a question ? '

' Sure , Lisa , what is it ? '

Lisa dropped the rest of the silverware into a heap as she leaned against the long table facing her good friend , biting the inside of her lip , in aggravation .

.

' I know that you and Nicole are friends but why on Earth did you invite her to spend the entire summer here with us ? ' She threw a glance over her shoulder as if expecting the perky young woman to be behind her but thank God, Nicole was inside with Zoey .

Quinn rolled her eyes heavenward .' You have a problem with Nicole ? I didn't know, Lisa ….I think my idiotic fiancée cc'd her on the invite . I love Logan but he never ever checks when he does these things then I didn't want to figure out how to uninvited her '

She pushed her frames up on the bridge of her nose in concentration .' Granted , Nicole and I are friends . We're certainly not close like she and Zoey ….maybe I can see if Julia can move her into the guest house . Would that be better ? ' She paused as in an afterthought ,' Lisa , why don't you like her ? '

Lisa lifted her long hair off her neck then let it fall .' Besides the fact that Nicole makes Lola look like an amateur flirt or the goo goo eyes she's been making at Michael since she walked through the door ? '

She made a groaning sound then flopped ungracefully in a chair .' Sorry , didn't mean to sound like such a bitch . Despite the 59 miles between us, Michael and I haven't gotten to spend as much time together as we would have liked and I think I may be slightly jealous that Nicole is batting those eyelashes at my man .'

Alarmed , Quinn pulled up a chair beside her and patted her friends hand .' Are you and Michael alright ? I know Nicole was a world class flirt a long time ago - I know she thought Logan was cute but honestly , she never directed her attention to Michael that I am aware of , Lisa . '

Lisa managed an embarrassed smile from her outburst .' Michael and I are fine , Quinn, though I may be in serious need of romance soon . I'm probably over-reacting over nothing seeing as I only just met Nicole a year ago . Something about her just hit's a nerve with me, I suppose '

' Well, I understand that as I tend to get unreasonably jealous about the little bimbos Logan used to date ,' She pursed her lips ,' I use that term, loosely . Still if it would make you feel better , I'm sure moving Nicole into the guesthouse could be easily arranged .'

She paused ,' Oh , that doesn't sound good . I didn't mean that Nicole is a bimbo '

' You're a good friend, Quinn, but I'll live . C'mon , let's finish this up and grab one of those fancy champagne drinks Chauncey was mixing up for us '

Quinn's face split into a grin .' Sounds like a plan '

Meanwhile upstairs in the blue bedroom , Chase had changed into a pair of cargo shorts and a old blue tee shirt as his wife debated on the comfort of something casual or one of the summer dresses she had designed . It had been a long flight and comfort sounded good right now but Zoey did want to show off her new design .

' Zo, our friends wont care if your not dressed fancy for supper '

' I know ,' Zoey hung up the dress ,' I'm still seriously feeling the jet lag . Aren't you ? If Chauncey and Julia weren't fixing this big meal for us I would sleep but I don't want to be rude '

She changed out of her traveling dress into a pair of denim shorts and a roomy blue shirt as she rested her head on her husbands shoulder . Chase kissed her brow .

' Wanna bet that Logan will turn Quinn's dream little wedding into the Hollywood Wedding of the century ? ' teased Chase, knowingly .

Logan Reese never did anything small , the man went full force, all or nothing .

Zoey smacked his arm making him cry out in mock pain .' Don't say that and jinx them . Don't you remember what happened planning our wedding , Chase Matthews ? Besides Logan loves Quinn more than anything so he wont want to mess up her dream day '

' Okay, that is true ,' Chase was quick to change the subject ,' you know , we could check out that little house in the city that Val found for us to look at for when we transfer back here It looked nice in those pictures that Mom sent us of them .'

Michael's mother , Valene , had been dabbling in real estate and discovered a nice starter home in the city at a reasonable price . Val had conspired with Pamela thus emails had been sent . Chase's mother had sent them the email with the pictures and information but right now the topic had been glossed over by Zoey , who had started interning at the fashion institute besides her regular classes . Chase was actually on board with his mother and Valene's thought that they should consider looking at a starter home but his wife had been avoiding the subject when he broached it a few days ago.

He thought an actual house sounded great compared to the tiny , cramped apartment they were living in Paris . There were days he even missed the dorm back at PCA .

Chase had been doing the online classes between working as a waiter at two different bistros around the city and taking pictures for a small paper . He had been hoping to convince Zoey that they should transfer to the colleges they had been accepted to in California but she wasn t crazy about the idea .

' Chase , not this again ! We just got here and our friends literally just got engaged ! It would be rude to just go house hunting in L.A. while we're here '

Chase frowned as he let her go.' Well, its not like I meant right this very moment , honey . I thought we agreed to this compromise after a year in Paris was up ? Never mind , I'll drop it for now because we're both tired and I don't want to fight with you '

Zoey pulled her honey blonde hair into a quick tail .' Chase , I don't want to fight either '

She strode over to her husband, placing a deep kiss on his mouth .' I love you '

Before they could continue their discussion , there was a loud knock on the door before Nicole poked her head inside beaming at them . She had changed into a short dress the color of crushed strawberries , her brown hair shining and not a strand out of place and all of the sudden, Zoey felt like an 8th grader again .

Only now her pretty and chipper friend was a real stunner .

Zoey pasted a friendly smile on her mouth .' Hey '

' We're having supper outside by the pool . Are you two ready ? Isn't this so glamorous ? It feels so weird yet incredibly more glamorous here than it did back when we were kids and Logan invited us for spring break '

Spring break at the fabulously cool Reese mansion, free Tek-Mate's compliments of Malcolm Reese, and being test subjects in Gender Defenders , a new reality show for television that Malcolm was producing . Just blocking out the love you text to Zoey , stealing her phone , and their big fight , oh yeah, that part was suckish . . It had been a summer to remember and never to forget either ..

' Nicole this is as nice as it gets ,' informed Chase , glancing down at his bare feet ,' I might even wear flip flops . If I don't fall asleep in my lobster , it will be a miracle '

A yawn escaped him as if to prove his tiredness .

' Well I suppose that makes sense ,' Nicole dug out a thin tube of lipstick applying a glossy pink to her lips ,' However this is a new dress so I totally had to wear it tonight and show off how cute I look '

' It's lovely , Nicole ,' called out Zoey with a quick glance at her reflection in the large dresser mirror noting the dark shadows under her eyes with disdain ,' Yuk , I need concealer '

' Just a little ….'

' Nicole , reminder , we are very jet lagged '

' Of course you are, Zoey ' said Nicole, leaning against the doorjamb ,' I know you wouldn't go out in public with those circles and the puffiness otherwise …'

Zoey knew her friend didn't mean anything by the careless remark , Nicole was just being herself , but she would drive her nuts before they even joined the others if someone didn't refocus her attention elsewhere. She was just too tired for it to be her .

.

' You should check in on Lola and Vince ….'maybe urge them on moving faster '

' Okay, I will '

Chase rolled his eyes but refrained from commenting .' We'll meet you down there '

He ducked his head outside the door of their room as Nicole turned the corner towards the other bedroom that Vince and Lola were sharing . They had all reconnected with Nicole when she had came down south for their wedding and Chase knew his wife emailed with her off and on . It had been quite the surprise to find out that she was summer vacationing with the rest of the gang .

' Well, Nicole never changes ,' grinned Chase, good naturally ,' we should probably find her a date while she is here to, uh , occupy her time '

' She's between boyfriends at the moment ' informed Zoey, dabbing the make up underneath her eyes ,' and that is as much effort as I have tonight . Come on Chase , we might as well go downstairs since Lola is bound to be late '

' With Nicole jabbering , Vince gently prodding Lola along, I call fifteen minutes '

' Not betting you, Chase '

' Michael and Logan will though '

This was true enough . Men .

************************Wedding Bells *********************************

Vince was tired just watching Lola unpack her two suitcases into the large walk in closet then torture him by holding up various dresses in front of herself then demanding his opinion on which one was better .

It was a time honored traditions of the female persuasion . It was a trick .

Vince had been here before and knew he had to carefully pen her in to get her moving or supper would be over when they finally joined their friends .It had been much easier when the women shared the room leaving him out of these trick questions but he wasn't complaining as this was the first time he and Lola were actually sharing a room together .

' How about this , Vince ? ' Lola held up a lilac colored tee shirt dress up to her frame ,' does this say Lobster by the Pool ? '

Vince adjusted his small Buddha statue on the dresser , counted to five then nodded .Lola could wear a gunny sack dress look gorgeous but it wouldn't be wise to tell her either .

' It's perfect , you should wear it ,' suggested Vince, with a glance to his watch ,' you know, Lo, we don't know that we're having lobster '

Lola chuckled , amused .' Logan asked Quinn to marry him . Lobster is her most favorite food ever, Vince, which means , we're having lobster '

' Which they will surely eat without us if we don't hurry …' Vince kissed her cheek ,' its our friends , not an audition .'

A pout formed across the actresses pretty face .' Nicole looks like a million bucks so I want to look amazing too '

' Not touching that one '

Vince turned away laying a hand on the top of the Buddha's head prayed for strength .

********************************WB*********************************

' Hey Nicole, your going the wrong way ,' Michael intercepted the perky brunette in the hallway ,' the party is downstairs . We are dining in style by the pool '

Nicole slid a sideways glance admiringly Michael's way noting that muscle had replaced some of the huskiness in his physique , the easy going grin that always brought an instant smile to her face, and wondered how it had been possible she hadn't noticed how kind and handsome Michael was when they were in school together .

Granted that had been a long, long time ago but still Michael was super sweet .

Such a shame that he had a steady girlfriend in his life .

' Oh , well, I was going to check on Lola and Vince ,' offered Nicole as Michael directed her down the stairs with him by taking her arm ,' you don't want me to check on them ? I, um, kinda don't know what to talk about with Quinn and Logan ….we aren't that close .back then or now '

She bit the bottom of her lip .' Honestly , this vacation here was exactly what I needed right now . Logan inviting me here was , well, really thoughtful '

Michael imagined how Nicole had wound up in the invite - Logan was an idiot . Quinn really needed to double check his email about half the time but that was beside the point , Nicole didn't need that information . It would hurt her feelings .

' Logan has his moments ,' allowed Michael, holding open the patio door for her ,' and right now you cant go wrong with flowers and like wedding stuff chatter , I figure . '

His arm brushed hers as Michael took in the setting awaiting them - the large table was decked out with fancy crystal candles , their flames flickering over the gold in the elegant china while huge platters of lobsters , a fresh salad , and oversized baked potatoes and their best friends surrounding them . Bottles of champagne filled several ice buckets .

' Look who I caught trying to interrupt Lola and Vince ,' Michael held out a chair for Nicole which didn't go unnoticed by Lisa , who took another sip of her bubbly ,' I herded Nicole out here . Chase , Logan, I'm calling thirty minutes, tops '

' Your on, man '

' You three are ridiculous '

' You love me anyhow ' Logan leaned over to drop a leisurely kiss on Quinn's mouth ,' Besides Lola is always late getting ready since like our junior year at PCA . Poor Vince '

Quinn relaxed against Logan .' No matter the rest of us will look like a bunch of comfortable bums while Lola and Nicole look like models '

' True that, Quinn,' Zoey raised her glass towards her in a mock salute ,' you guys are lucky that Chase and I didn't come down in our pajamas '

' Agreed ,' Chase took a sip of the champagne then made a face ,' I know this stuff is probably like a hundred dollars a bottle but gross . '

' I'll have Chauncey bring us some beer ' replied Logan , dialing the kitchen on the pool phone ,' Julia probably just thought the champagne would be better for the girls .'

' She is correct ' contributed Lisa , playing with the napkin on her lap ,' alright enough small talk, what kind of wedding are you two thinking of having here ? Smaller than what Chase and Zoey had when they tied the knot ? '

Quinn grew quiet , tapping a finger against her lip before answering .' I would be perfectly content with just all of us and our parents but I suppose 50 would be a reasonable compromise '

' Fifty is like tiny, babe,' Logan slipped an arm across her shoulder,' one hundred might be doable cause I'm not really sure if we need to invite all of my like ex-step moms . I don't want to step on any of their feelings or hurt Julia 's either but I still get gifts from some of them and I have a lot of honorary uncles …..'

Outside of Julia , he had six other ex-step moms to consider and growing up in the business with Malcolm, there were probably a half a dozen family /business friends that were like uncles to him . Maybe he needed to have his Dad make them a list .

' I think inviting them would hurt Julia's feelings which I know neither of us want to do, sweetie ,' murmured Quinn , ' I'm sure it would help if we each got a separate list from our parents to help us narrow it down .'

' Now that is a compromise ' said Michael , absently kissing Lisa's knuckles ,' how much longer we gonna wait for Vince and Lola ? I am starving !'

' You are always starving , Michael ' teased Lisa , knowingly ,' here, have a roll '

She handed him a roll which he began tearing into with hearty enthusiasm .

' I don't eat this good at college , man, ' babbled on Michael, matter of fact ,' I'm working part time delivering pizza to pay the bills but its tough . I've been living off leftovers , noodles , and canned spaghetti-ohs and the occasional care package that Mom sends me . I miss sushi and lobster ..this is the good life '

Nicole took a delicate sip of the champagne .' I've been working at this little boutique selling fancy , designer dresses and six hundred purses so my commission is decent . My cooking isn't the best but I make a mean grilled cheese and I can heat soup '

' How thrilling , Miss ' drolled Chauncey , who had brought out a tray full of beers which Chase, Michael, and Logan all accepted ,' I'll just leave this here for Mr. Vince '

' Thanks , Chauncey , appreciate it '

As was his way, Chauncey disappeared as quiet as he had appeared .

.

Determined to shake her bad mood , Lisa aimed a sincere smile towards the perky girl who was currently sizing up Michael with a flicker of those sooty eyelashes .Who had that much time to spend on their eyes to make them look all sexy like that in the first place ?

.

' Are you dating anyone , Nicole ? I couldn't help but to notice your flying solo '

Nicole finished her drink .' I was dating Graham Norton but turned out he was playing around on me so I dumped him . That's been a while and I haven't really dated anyone since then or wanted to , Lisa '

Absently , Michael patted her hand in sympathy .' Ah relax, Nicole, the right man will show up one of these days . '

Nicole beamed .' I think that is the nicest thing you have ever said to me, Michael '

Michael just shrugged . ' Naw the nicest thing I ever did was pick a lame ass fight with Chase to stall Mr. Bender because you girls were always late to class '

Zoey and Nicole laughed at the reminder at the countless times their first year at the boarding school that they had overslept . It was a miracle they hadn't gotten detention that first year because it had taken them nearly three weeks to get the rhythm of their schedule down to make it everywhere on campus on time .

' Nicole and I could move fast when we had to ,' informed Zoey , between bites of a roll,' Dana was awful . She would wait till it was right down to the wire to even get out of bed .'

Quinn smoothed her lips thinly .' You and Dana were close back then, Nicole , do you hear much from her anymore ? '

She knew that Logan would get an occasional email from the exotic Dana once in a blue moon but that had been a long time ago . Quinn had never especially liked the mean spirited girl but had always kept her opinions to herself since she had been close to Zoey and Nicole . She really had zero intention of inviting the woman to her wedding .

' Not really ,' explained Nicole , ' I know Dana moved back to the States after being in Paris but I don't know where she is at or anything . We weren't that close , Quinn '

' Lobster , yeah ! See, Vince, I told you it'd be lobster ! So sorry we're late ' rambled on Lola as she and Vince joined everyone around the table ,' we are starving ! '

' Dig in ! '

Conversation drifted to college life, sports, fashion, news , and other topics while they feasted on the delightful meal in front of them then settled down afterwards to unwind after a long day as the talk turned to the wedding .

' You know this would be a really beautiful spot to have our wedding ,' pondered a thoughtful Quinn , ' we could maybe have an arbor dressed with flowers . We could set up chairs here and have the reception in one of those big drawing rooms inside …Logan, what do you think ? '

' That'd be good ,' agreed Logan , readily ,' or we could have the reception at the country club . It'd hold more people , Quinn, and maybe we could set it up where we'd have more people come to our reception and you know , make our wedding a private event .'

The way that he figured all of his Dad's business partners and golf buddies didn't need to be at the wedding but they would go for being invited to the party afterward . Logan knew how Hollywood worked and he didn't want to step on anyone's toes especially since the film industry is where he was heading plus he figured he knew two of Quinn's favorite scientists professors would be included , it all made sense to him .

' Country club ? I don't know , Logan, I just think having the reception here fits us better ,' mused Quinn , adjusting her frames on her nose ,' unless you thought maybe having the cocktail engagement party there instead ? '

' I'm a Reese , babe, ' reminded Logan, gently ,' it means something in the Hollywood community . I think we can probably keep our wedding private but we have to think about not snubbing old family friends and I'm trying to be practical here with the club '

Quinn spluttered , as the liquid sloshed over her glass which she set on the table with a thud . She knew and understood that there were bound to be the old family friends that they would have to invite but the idea of a reception , their reception , at a hoity toity country club made the bile rise to her throat . She didn't want all the fuss and the pretension and the idea of Logan rubbing palms or whatever they did in Hollywood during their wedding reception made her temper begin to rise .

' It's our wedding reception , not a business outing , sweetie ,' says Quinn, a slight bit of cold in her tone ,' can we compromise and add all of those suits in with our high society engagement party ? '

' Yeah , that might be better ' agreed Logan, sensing her tension and dropped it .as they had only been engaged a little while . He didn't want to piss Quinn off so she'd change her mind .

' Whew , I thought you two were going to fight for a minute there ' spoke up Lola , stating the obvious for them ,' a poolside wedding is going to be beautiful, Quinn '

' I'm almost afraid to ask the colors ,' teased Zoey , looking at Lola and Lisa for confirmation . Quinn's taste had always been eclectic and funky ,' just tell me now while I'm jet lagged and semi-drunk is one of them , orange ? '

Quinn nodded ,' I was thinking how I love burnt orange and forest green '

Groans went out around the table from the women while the men snickered until it occurred to them they would have to have one of those hideous colors in a dang vest or a tie . It was horrifying ! It was bad enough they would have to wear those monkey suits for Logan ! Not to mention they all knew that Logan would agree to whatever colors Quinn dictated so there was no getting out of that .

' Well, if I were a betting woman which I am not , ' declared Lisa with a salute to Quinn,' I happen to look stunning in burnt orange but I beg of you, Q, no paisleys , please '

' I should have known you'd insist upon earthy colors , ' said Lola , content against Vince's chest ,' Quinn, you're my best friend ,and the bride but I cant pull off something insane like that paisley or those boho dressy things you like … '

' I cant say anything here ,' continued Zoey , removing her ponytail holder to run her hands through her hair ,' I was a bride myself recently so its whatever Quinn wants . We shall smile and be the best maid of honor ever for her '

Quinn beamed happily at her .' Ah, Zo, that is sweet '

Nicole helped herself to another glass of bubbly .' I bet you could find really pretty flowers in those colors , Quinn ,' added the young woman ,slyly ,' I adore flowers so I'd love to help with that part . I also want to thank you for not making me a bridesmaid because I would look gross and washed out in those horrible colors …'

Quinn winced , realizing how horrible that sounded .' I am really sorry, Nicole , how rude of me . Of course I would love to have you as a bridesmaid …..'

Nicole held up a hand as if to stop her .' Don't feel bad , Quinn , seriously, you didn't insult me . I am more than happy to help behind the scenes with like decorations and a keen eye on the fashion of your wedding …'

Lola leaned forward , eagerly .' What about your wedding dress, Quinn ? Oh my God , we have to start shopping immediately for dresses unless your having Zoey design yours '

Zoey lifted her head from Chase's shoulder .' I have some fabric samples and mock ups in my bag if you want to look later but as much fun as this is , I need for Chase to put me to bed '

' Sorry to poop the party but my wife and I are about to drop ,' declared Chase , reaching for Zoey's hand ,' game plan for tomorrow , gang ? '

' Shopping '

' Video games and I can get Dad's tux guy out here to fix us up with measurements and stuff '

Michael ran a hand up and down Lisa's arm .' Why does it not surprise me that your Dad has a tuxedo guy ? '

' Part of being a Reese '

' Goodnight , all '

' See you all in the morning '

Zoey and Chase went inside followed shortly by Nicole claiming that she must get her eight hours of beauty sleep in or she would have frizzy hair and bad skin come morning which had caused Lola to teasingly throw a napkin at the woman .

Michael played with the edges of Lisa's hair , just the movement of letting her know he was grateful that they were together and felt her smile up lovingly at him .

' Come for vacation together , help plan a wedding ,' muttered Michael, under his breath ,' it ought to be like a new trend we start . Like vacedding….. '

Groans went up all around with a good natured Michael taking the razzing as they all were thinking of the time he tried inventing his own slang word at school . It had been lame all the way around until it caught on by a couple of seniors in Chase's history class .

' Oh Michael, don't even start with a new slang wedding word , it wont happen '

' Yeah I agree , man, ' chimed in Vince ,' I'd rather use that damn drippin than to hear about a vacedding …..it doesn't even sound like its connected to a wedding '

' It might if like the right people in the wedding deal hear it which they might because Logan's Dad is Mr. . Hollywood Director so bound to be pictures and articles on him and Quinn tying the knot '

Lola glowered at Michael upon noting the color drain from Quinn's face at the idea knowing it was bound to scare the heck out of her . Private was still important to Quinn .

' Oh shut up, Michael, it wont make Wedding Magazine or anything ! You heard our friends, they are having a small, quiet wedding ..right , Quinn ?"

Though her fiancée hadn't spoken a word, Quinn was afraid the wheels were already turning in Logan's mind about his ideas for their special day . A wedding announcement in the paper was all she had expected and didn't want to be splashed across all the newspapers in the country and the tabloids for marrying Logan Reese .

' That is my ideal perfect wedding '

Though Logan was still processing what his idea of letting the entire world know that he was marrying his soul mate, the woman of his dreams, the love of his life, it only partially registered that Quinn was quietly asking him for her dream wedding .

They could work out this other stuff at a later time and without the fuss .

' If that is your dream, Quinn, that is what you'll have, I promise '

Quinn beamed up, gratefully , lovingly at him .' I am really so happy that you mean that, Logan . Honestly I couldn't handle a fairytale wedding , I just want us to have a simple but lovely romantic wedding '

It should have been as simple as that but as they sat by the pool with their friends making those plans , they had no idea what was ahead for them .