Author's Note: Again, I'm so glad that you guys like the story! This is a really fun chapter. And, I did it, Julie/Adam strikes again. BTW this story has nothing to do with any of my others. Kill me though it does to not have continuity, this is separate. It's like my Jersey Girl if you will.

Disclaimer: I still don't own anything. Do something!

Chapter 3: The Perfect Surprise

This is going to be great. It's great, they're coming today and I'm getting married in a week. These three months have gone by so fast. So the whole team couldn't come, but almost every one is coming.

Alex walked in with two bottles of wine. He walked over to the kitchen where Connie was tossing a salad.

"So, I didn't know if your friends drank red or white, so I got both." He said holding them up.

"Oh," Connie said, looking at them. "Alright, well, good, I'm sure Julie at least will drink it. Maybe Adam."

"These are like hundred dollar bottles Con!" Alex said, "Everyone will drink them."

"You bought hundred dollar wine?" Connie panicked. "For the Ducks? Are you insane?"

"I figured it would be nice." He shrugged.

"It's a waste!" She said. "They don't know anything about wine! They're gonna think you're stuck up. Oh God! This was a horrible idea. They probably hate me, I mean why shouldn't they? I completely left them out of my life for like three years, and then I expect them to just come back in and everything be fine? What am I insane?"

"You are not insane." Alex said, sitting her down on the couch. "Everything is going to be great. They are going to be so happy to see you. And I am going to be charming and wonderful, and they are going to be so happy that you are marrying me."

"I hope your right." She said, as she heard the buzzer sound. "That's probably the pizza." She walked over to the buzzer. "Hello."

"Connie!" She stopped short at the sound of shouting.

"Dude, is she there?" She heard another voice.

"Dude, come on I got it covered."

"Oh dear God, no!" She said, pressing the button. "Dean? Fulton?"

"AH! She knew it was us man!" Dean Portman said. "Yeah, it's the Bash Brothers baby!"

"Great guys, come on up." She said, buzzing them in and opening the door.

"Ok, Dean and Fulton. Dean Portman, Fulton Reed, the Bash Brothers," Alex said quoting the life stories that Connie had told him. "Fulton's been with the team since the beginning,"

"No he joined halfway through the first season." Connie corrected him.

"Right. And Portman is from Chicago, he joined the team for the Goodwill Games, didn't come to Eden Hall until Bombay convinced him too."

"You're gonna be great." Connie whispered.

"Connie!" The two guys said walking in.

"Hi!" She said rushing over to greet them. Fulton gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek and then Portman picked her up in a full bear hug.

This is going to be fun. I just have to remember that this is fun.

Over the next hour most of the Ducks arrived and Adelle and Lizzie stopped by. They were eager to meet Julie, the old friend who had supplanted them as maid of honor. Connie looked around and saw Alex talking with Charlie Conway and Greg Goldberg. She really had forgotten a lot of things, like that Charlie had become a lawyer too, thanks to Bombay. She did notice a few people missing and she walked over to Julie who was being filled in on the wedding stuff by Lizzie.

"Ok, so the cake, is five layers." Lizzie said, "And it had roses made of butter cream…" Connie walked over and sat down.

"Liz, sweetheart, Adelle has a question about her shoes." Connie said. Liz wrote the shoe shopping column in the paper so she knew this would draw her away. "Sorry about that."

"It's fine." Julie laughed, taking a sip of her beer. "I think you chose the wrong maid of honor though."

"Absolutely not! By not having Lizzie be maid of honor, I kept a large amount of her input out of the wedding." Connie laughed. "I noticed some missing faces, Guy and Adam? What happened?"

"Guy had to work." Julie shrugged. "He's coming tomorrow, and Adam had already committed to being a groomsman for a friend from college."

"Oh, um Ok." Connie said. "Have you talked to them?"

"Yeah, we all see each other a lot Connie." She said. "We all live in Minneapolis-St. Paul. Well, except Adam, Russ and Kenny, but we talk."

"Right." Connie sighed. "So how do they feel about it, the wedding I mean."

"They?" Julie said. "You really care what Adam Banks thinks about you getting married?"

"No," she said quietly, "How does he feel, really?"

"He's fine with it Connie." Julie said flatly. "He was surprised. We all were. You told us you wanted to be your own person, live life one your own and now you're getting married, it's a little in conflict you know?"

"I can be my own person and get married!" Connie said.

"Connie," Alex said walking over and sitting down, "Hey Julie. I just got a call from my roommate from college. He got in a day early, so he's coming up, is that OK?" He kissed her.

"Oh yeah, of course, your best man right? Because your brother got sick?" Connie smiled.

"Right, exactly." Alex said.

"Sounds good. You did tell him everything's open right?" Connie smiled.

"Yeah, he's on his way up." Alex smiled. "See you later Julie."

"Bye." Julie said waving.

"Do you like him?" Connie said. "I really really want you guys to like him!"

"He's great Connie." Julie nodded. "He's perfect. Really."

"Banksie!" Charlie shouted as Alex and Adam Banks walked through the door.

"Hey Cake Eater! You got here early!" Russ walked over and gave him a high five.

"Hey guys," Adam said, confused "What are you all doing here?"

"Adam?" Connie walked over and gave him a hug.

"Connie?" Adam said. "Alex, you're marrying Connie Moreau?"

"Yeah, you don't like read her stuff right?" Alex said, "Because even though she's a sports writer man, it's Modern Woman magazine."

"No, Alex," Connie said, realizing that Adam had never put it together. "Adam's a Duck. I've known him my whole life."

"Oh, wow, ok." Alex said. "That's great!"

"Yeah," Adam said seeing Julie sitting on the couch, smiling at him. "Great."

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