Begin Again Season Two
Episode 17: Auld Lang Syne
"Just think, by this time next year, we'll be husband and wife again," Lily said as she sat next to Rufus on the couch. She held her glass of Champaign, ready to toast to the soon to be new year.
Rufus nodded. "And this time, we're going to stay married, making this our last year ever of being not married."
Lily smiled. "I think I like that."
"I know I love that," Rufus stated as they looked at each other, their eyes filled with love for the other.
They kissed.
They had chosen to just have a nice, cozy, warm night in, just the two of them for New Year's Eve instead of going to or hosting a party like they usually did.
They continued to kiss until the sound of counting down on the television brought their attention back to the television. They began to count down the last few seconds of the year.
"Ten...Nine..." They counted back in unison. "Eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one! Happy New Year!"
Rufus blew a noise maker.
Lily laughed, and eyebrow raised at him. "Where did you get that?"
Rufus grinned at her. "Henry gave it to me when he was over hear yesterday. He told me to blow it tonight at the stroke of midnight."
Lily chuckled. "Oh, you gotta love that little boy. He's the best grandson I could ask for."
"Me too," Rufus agreed. Even though technically Henry wasn't related to him in any way since he hadn't been the one to adopt Chuck, he still felt like Chuck, Blair, and Henry were family. Anyway, they would be when he married Lily through marriage if nothing else.
"Come on, come on, we have to toast!" Lily said, holding her glass out to Rufus' glass. After all, we have to ring in the new year, right."
Rufus held out his glass to hers. "To us, and the beautiful marriage we'll be a part of come Valentine's Day."
Lily smiled. "To us and our beautiful marriage, and to making it last this time."
"I'll definitely drink to that!" Rufus said, clinking his glass with hers.
They both smiled as they drank down their Champaign.
Rufus then set his glass on the coffee table, and then took Lily's and did the same with her glass. His eyes lowered. "Now we have to ring in the new year with another very important tradition."
Lily smiled, and moved closer to him. "Oh? And what might that be?" she asked, an eyebrow raised.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about," Rufus said with a smile.
Lily grinned. "I do."
"Save the I dos for the wedding," Rufus murmured, before leaning in and kissing his bride to be.
Lily sighed happily and kissed him back.
Both Rufus and Lily could hardly wait to become husband and wife, knowing that this time, it would be forever.
Rufus broke the kiss, then turned off the television. He held out his hand to Lily. "Come on. Let's get to bed. I'm getting too old to stay up past midnight."
Lily laughed. "I hear ya!" She took his hand and let him help her up.
They then turned off all the lights, then headed up to bed, hand-in-hand.
~Begin Again~
Scott smiled as he and Mandy counted down with everyone else as the new year was counted down on television. They all had sparkling cider in their hands, ready to toast the new year at midnight.
"Three... Two... One! Happy New Year!" they all said.
Scott was about to take a sip of his cider when Mandy pulled his face toward hers and kissed him sweetly on the lips.
He looked at her in surprise. She had broken the kiss so soon, he had barely had time to register the kiss, let alone kiss her back. He wasn't even sure he wanted to kiss her back. Even though she was passed on and gone, he still missed Veronica so much his heart ached. "What was that for?"
Mandy shrugged. "For as long as I can remember, I've kissed a good looking boy at the stroke of midnight. I wasn't about to let being in rehab stop me from doing so again this year."
Scott smiled. "Mandy, I'm flattered, but my girlfriend died not that long ago, and I still need time to heal. I'm not ready for another relationship right now."
Mandy giggled. "Don't be silly!" She playfully swatted his shoulder. "A kiss is just a kiss, Dude. I'm not asking you to date me. Anyway, we're in rehab. We need to take care of ourselves before any of us can even think about getting into a relationship."
Scott blushed, feeling a little stupid. "I agree. I just didn't want to lead you on or anything. Sorry, I didn't mean to—"
Mandy cut him off. "Relax! Take a chill pill! Those are probably the only pills allowed in here," she joked.
Scott laughed; happy for her breaking the ice. He held his glass out to her. "Happy New Year. Here's to getting off drugs."
"Here's to getting off drugs!" Mandy agreed, clinking his glass with hers.
They both downed their cider, then grinned at each other.
"Happy New Year," Mandy then added.
Scott smiled, then took another sip of his cider.
"I give it two weeks before you're madly in love with each other," Travis murmured behind Scott.
"Maybe this year you can learn to stop being so nosy," Scott quipped.
"Maybe this year, you'll stop being such a jack ass," Travis quipped back.
They both laughed, then clinked their glasses together, and took another sip.
"Happy New Year, Buddy," Travis said to Scott.
Scott smiled. "Happy New Year, Buddy." It felt weird calling Travis his buddy. After all, not that long ago, Travis was the very last person he'd ever thought he'd be calling his buddy. But a lot had changed in such little time. Anyway, it felt good to have a friend. In rehab, he needed all the friends he could get.
He took another sip of his cider.
~Begin Again~
The New Year had gone by fast. Rufus and Lily had visited with Scott, and were glad to see that he seemed to be doing well in rehab. He was excited for their wedding and informed them that he would be able to not only attend the wedding, but be in it as well. He would have to have a sponsor with him of course, but he was allowed to go. He had asked if he could bring Mandy and Travis, for Mandy loved a good wedding, and Travis just wanted an excuse to get out of rehab for a bit. Neither Rufus nor Lily was all that fond of Travis, but they figured that if Scott could forgive him, then so could they. After all, people changed. Lily also felt like she wasn't one that was in a position to judge anybody. They were both excited to meet Mandy. Lily and Rufus had asked if she was a girl he might be interested in, but Scott assured them she was just a friend. Even so, Rufus and Lily were just happy he had another girl in his life even if she was just a friend for now.
Now, the new year had passed, and Lily and Serena were frantically trying to put together a wedding in a month and a half.
"I'll understand if it has to be a small wedding. I only ask that it is in a church, and that I get to wear white. I want white to represent a new start," Lily told her daughter.
Serena smiled. "I'm pretty sure that can be arranged."
So, Serena had called around and was able to get the same church that Blair and Chuck had been married at. Then, she called around and found a beautiful place in the Hamptons that would be willing to host an evening reception. It was a huge house with a glass wall, allowing for a beautiful view of the ocean without having to step outside into the could air. It was super expensive to rent, but Chuck and Blair as part of a wedding gift to Lily and Rufus, offered to pay for it.
So, two big obstacles were taken care of.
"Now, all we have to worry about is dresses, catering, and the florist," Lily said with a sigh as she plopped herself down onto the couch. She and Serena had been wedding planning for hours. The littlest things took forever to plan. She had forgotten how stressful planning a wedding could be. It wasn't nearly as easy as it sounded.
"You would think after six weddings, I'd finally have the planning down, but alas, I do not!" she said. "This has to be the last wedding, because frankly, I just don't have the energy to plan any more after this!" Lily said.
Serena smirked. "Oh yes, not wanting to have to plan another wedding is the perfect reason to stay married," she joked.
Lily grinned at her daughter. "Don't worry. I also love Rufus more than I ever thought it was possible to love anyone. He makes me so happy, Serena. I let him go three times like an idiot. I'm not making the same mistake four times."
"Well, I'm glad to hear it! It's about time you realize that Rufus is the best thing that ever happened to you!" Serena told her mother.
Lily raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What about that time you tried to help split us up when your father cam back to town? What about that, hm?"
Serena blushed. "I was young and dumb. So sue me."
Lily laughed. "Plus, you love your father, and wanted your parents to be together. There's nothing wrong with that."
Serena walked over and sat down next to Lily on the couch. She placed an arm around her, and rested her head on her shoulder while looking up at her with a smile on her face. "Well, I also love my mother, and I want her to be happy. I know you'll be happiest with Rufus."
Lily nodded. "That I will!" She kissed the top of her daughter's head. "Now, let's go take a lunch break before getting back to work. What do you say?"
Serena smiled up at her mother. "I say, let's go."
They grinned at each other.
~BA~
After lunch, we decided to go wedding dress shopping. Jenny said she could make me one, but it would take time to design one and then she'd have to get he materials, and a wedding dress was going to be very hard to make in a month and a half. Jenny already had a job she had to put her time into. She didn't have time to make me a dress no matter what she said. I knew she was just trying to be nice, and she was trying to make up for the way she had treated me earlier. I had already forgive her. She didn't need to make me a dress to get me to forgive her. Anyway, she had already fixed my Christmas dress, so she certainly didn't have to make me a wedding dress.
"We should get you a Vera Wang dress, Mom. You would look beautiful on one of her dresses! Plus, her gowns are white." Serena winked at me.
I smiled. "Let's check it out."
So, we headed into her shop. She had gotten a new store recently, and it was huge. There were so many wedding dresses, I knew that I wouldn't have to go anywhere else to find one.
"So, what did you have in mind?" Serena asked me.
"Well, I don't want a boring old, plain white gown. I want it to be beautiful and breathtaking. I want to take your father's breath away when he sees me walking down that aisle," I informed her. I had been putting a lot of thought into this dress. I wanted it to be different from all my other wedding dresses. I wanted this wedding to be memorable and perfect. After all, this was to be my last wedding. I wanted to make it the best one yet!
Serena smiled. "I'm pretty sure you already take Rufus' breath away, but let's see what we can find you."
Vera herself then came over to us. "Well, hello there, Lily! I was wondering if I'd see you in my store. I heard of your engagement in the papers. I'm so happy for you and Rufus! It's so wonderful that you guys have a second chance at marriage."
I hugged her. Vera and I were old friends. Well, all right. I'd only met her two times prior, but still. We were friendly with each other. "Thank you, Vera, I appreciate that. I was hoping maybe you would have something unique and different. Still white and classic, but nothing plain and drab. You know what I mean?" I asked her.
Vera raised an eyebrow and put a hand on her hip. "I do not make anything plain and drab, thank you very much!"
"Which is exactly why I chose you to design my dress!" I said, quickly and brilliantly, I might add, covering my faux pas.
Vera smiled. "I was only teasing anyway." She playfully nudged me. "Some women actually like the simplicity of plain and drab. I still try to spice it up in my own little Vera way though." She winked at me.
"You mean your own little Vera Wang," I joked.
Vera laughed. "Exactly!"
Serena shook her head, and snickered. "Mom, you're such a dork!"
I stuck my tongue out at her, and let Vera lead me to her picks on what she felt I would look beautiful in. I could hardly wait to start trying on wedding dresses! It was making this wedding all the more real, and I couldn't be happier.
~BA~
Vera had handed Lily five different dresses to try on. They were all very beautiful, but Lily wasn't feeling any of them. Something was missing. There was a beautiful gown with silver beading across the bodice. Another had a pink lace overlay across the bodice. The third had sparking diamonds all over the skirt. The forth had two tones. It was white on bottom with a pink top. The fifth one was so puffy, Lily felt like a cupcake in it! None of them really felt like Lily to Lily.
"Was there any part of any of them that you liked?" Vera asked.
"Well, I did like the diamonds along the skirt, but there weren't really enough of them to make it worth having them on there. I'm sorry. I don't mean to critique your work," Lily said, blushing a bit.
"Oh, I don't mind," Vera said, hitting the air with her hand. "Trust me, you wouldn't be the first one to critique my work!"
She brought over a sixth dress. "How about this one. Do you like?"
Lily and Serena both examined the dress.
"I think the train is too long for my taste," Lily said honestly.
Serena nodded. "I was thinking the same thing."
"Hm... Well, I could have more diamonds put on the one with the diamonds. It would be pricy, but if you love it enough, it would be worth it. Right?" Vera asked.
Lily didn't want to rush anything. She was going to tell Vera she would just take a look around herself and bring anything to Vera that she was interested in. Then, her eyes fell upon it. It was the most beautiful and perfect dress she'd ever seen. It would be even more perfect since it'd be Valentine's Day. The dress was a white silk. It was formfitting. It would cling tightly to her body like a glove. It had a silvery sheath over the bodice. The dress was sleeveless. Down the side of the dress was a threaded red rose with a green stem that went all the way down the side of her leg. The bottom of the dress flared out in sort of a peplum style, and it had subtle hearts all around the bottom. Little diamonds lined all around the hearts. "That one," she said in practically a whisper as she pointed at the dress. "I would like that one!"
Vera and Serena looked over toward where Lily was pointing.
Vera smiled. "Ah yes, I just finished that one, actually. It's the only one like it. I was thinking it would be perfect for a Valentine's Day wedding."
"That's when I'm getting married! On Valentine's Day!" Lily told her, her eyes and voice lighting up with excitement.
"Really? That's great! I bet that dress will be perfect for you then!" Vera told her.
Serena raised an eyebrow. "I don't know, Mom. Isn't it kind of loud for you?"
Lily shook her head. "Sure, it's different from what I would usually wear, but that's one of the things I love about it!" She looked at Vera. "I'd like to try it on, please."
Vera nodded. "Of course!"
So, Vera took the dress off the rack, and handed it to Lily.
Lily then promptly tried the dress on. She then headed out to look at herself in the full length mirrors.
"Wow. You look stunning. Absolutely stunning!" Vera said as if she couldn't believe it herself.
Serena nodded. "I guess you were right, Mom. It really does look gorgeous on you. Wow!"
Lily could hardly believe her own reflection. She felt like a queen in the dress. She felt beautiful, absolutely beautiful. She looked at Vera, and without hesitation announced, I'll take it!" And that was that. She had her perfect dress. The wedding was already starting off right, and Lily couldn't have been happier.
~Begin Again~
January rushed by. Lily had her dress custom tailored by Vera, and she and Serena had decided upon the flowers, which would be red roses and white roses to represent romance with the red, and a new beginning with the white. Lily would also have some lilies in her bouquet.
The color scheme was to be red and white. Everyone would wear red except for Lily who would wear white.
The caterer was taken care of as well. The guests would have their choice of steak or chicken, and there would also be shrimp for the seafood lovers. There would be a variety of sides, and an open bar. Of course for dessert would be the five-layer red velvet cake with a white butter cream frosting. There would even be a little wax bride and groom on top made to look like Lily and Rufus.
With all the planning, the time leading up to the wedding went by in a blur. It was soon the night before the wedding, and the day of Lily's bachelorette party, and Rufus' bachelor party.
"I don't really believe in bad luck. Do you really have to stay at a hotel tonight?" Lily asked with a pout as she watched Rufus carry his suit and his overnight bag to the elevator. He would be staying at a hotel for the night, then just meeting her at the alter the next day.
He set down his things by the elevator, then pulled her close and kissed her. "It will just be for one night. I think it's more romantic not seeing the bride before the wedding. Don't you?" Rufus asked her.
Lily smiled. "Well, I guess when you put it that way..." She gently stroked his cheek. "Plus, whether or not I believe in bad luck, I guess it's always good to not tempt bad luck. Especially with our history!"
Rufus laughed. "Exactly!"
They kissed again.
"You know," Lily said, still smiling, "this will be the first time I marry you with you having glasses on. It will almost seem like I'm marrying someone else!"
"Would you like me to take them off for the wedding?" Rufus asked, an eyebrow raised. "Because I can. I may not be able to see the audience, but I'll be able to see your beautiful face just fine."
Lily shook her head, and took his face between her hands. "No! I want you to keep them on. You're quite sexy in your glasses." She playfully tapped his rims.
Rufus licked his lips. "So maybe I should start keeping them on when we make love, I mean, since you like them so much."
Lily nodded. "Maybe you should."
They kissed some more until the elevator doors opened, and Dan stepped into the room with Serena.
Dan cleared his throat. "Okay, please stop making me want to vomit."
Rufus kissed Lily even more passionately, just to tick his son off.
"Yuck! Enough! Stop!" Dan complained. He shielded his eyes and looked away.
Serena rolled her eyes and gently swatted Dan's shoulder. "What are you, ten?"
"Excuse me for not wanting to see my father and stepmother-to-be making out!" Dan defended himself.
"Well, I think it's sweet," Serena said with a smile.
"Would you find it sweet if you had to watch them having sex?" Dan asked her, an eyebrow raised.
Serena made a face, and pushed him. "Now you're just being disgusting!"
"All right, you two, we'll stop making out," Lily said with a smirk. "After one more kiss," she then added with a grin.
Rufus grinned too, and they kissed one more time.
"All right, all right, break it up!" Serena said. "As sweet as this is, we have to get you ready for your bachelorette party!" she told her mother.
"And I have to get you ready to meet up with the guys for your bachelor party," Dan said, pulling his father away from Lily.
Rufus sighed. "All right, fine. I hope you didn't go all out. I'm getting too old for partying. I like to go to bed early."
Dan rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, Grandfather. I'll make sure you get a goodnight's sleep," he joked.
"I'll miss you," Lily said as Rufus and Dan got onto the elevator with Rufus' things. "Tomorrow can't come soon enough!"
"I'll miss you too, my Love. I can hardly wait to see you walking down the aisle toward me tomorrow!" Rufus blew her a kiss, then he was gone.
Lily sighed as the elevator doors closed.
"Now, come on! Let's go!" Serena said, tugging at her mother's arm.
"Where are we going?" Lily asked.
"We're going to go get you looking hot for your bachelorette party tonight!" Serena informed her.
"Don't I already look hot?" Lily asked.
Serena shot her a look. "No offense mother, but a woman's suit is not hot."
"Well, I just got back from work not that long ago. I didn't have time to change," Lily said.
"No worries! We'll take care of that," Serena said with a smile and a wink. She then pulled her mother out the front door.
Lily had no idea where she was going, and frankly, she was kind of scared what her daughter had planned for her.
~Begin Again~
"So, who all is invited to this bachelor party?" Rufus asked. "And please don't say Jimmy. I know it would make Lily happy, but for me, it would just ruin my night."
Dan grinned. "No, but I invited William, and he was happy to come."
Rufus shot him a look. "Haha, very funny!"
Dan smirked. "Don't worry. It's just going to be you, me, Chuck, and Nate. You know, you really have to start making some friends your own age."
Rufus shrugged. "I don't know where to meet people. I'm such a homebody. Plus, it's weird going up to someone and asking them to be friends when you're an adult. As a kid, it's easy to make friends. However, once you get older, people just think you're weird if you just go up to them and start talking with them, let alone ask them to hang out. The men think you're gay, and the women think you're trying to hit on them."
"You're not the type to go to bars or clubs, so I can kind of see your point," Dan replied. "How about some of the men in Lily's circle? I bet you'd find that many them aren't as stuffy as they might seem. Maybe one night Lily can invite over one of her friends or acquaintances and have her bring her husband," Dan suggested.
Rufus nodded. "Maybe."
They got to Chuck's. Nate was already there, so they all piled into the limo, ready to go.
"So, where are we headed to? Somewhere with food I hope? I'm starved!" Rufus said. "I haven't had a thing to eat since noon."
"Don't worry. We're taking you out for pizza before the real fun begins," Nate said with a grin. He playfully nudged Dan, who smirked.
Even Chuck had a smirk on his face.
"Why do I suddenly feel scared?" Rufus asked.
The boys all looked at each other.
"There's no need to be scared. In fact, I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy what we have planned for you tonight," Chuck said to him.
Rufus sighed. "All right, all right." Somehow, he didn't feel any better.
~BA~
Pizza was delicious, and normal enough. I had started to relax a bit. After pigging out on a large pizza with the works, a basket of garlic knots, two dozen wings and two liters of soda all split between the four of us, we headed out.
"Don't worry. The alcohol will be in abundance tonight. However, you might not want to get too drunk tonight. Lily will kill you if you're hungover for the wedding tomorrow. She would get nasty. I know my mom," Chuck said.
"Well, I'm not much of a drinker to begin with, so I'll be safe. Trust me, I don't have a death wish!" I joked. I could just imagine how red Lily's face would get, and how big and angry her eyes would be if she found me hungover at our wedding. She probably would kill me! Or at least hurt me.
Next, they took me to a tattoo parlor.
"We're going to get tattoos?" I asked, an eyebrow raised.
"Yeah! Well, if that's okay with you. This will be my first one. You already have some we know, so we figured you might be up for it," Nate replied.
The others nodded their agreement.
"We figured maybe you could get something sweet to commemorate your marriage to Lily," Dan suggested.
I smiled at the thought. I hadn't had a tattoo in years, but I kind of liked Dan's idea. It would have to be a small one though, and not where it would show. I couldn't have a bright red and healing arm in my wedding photos! I nodded. "Sure, all right. I'll do it. Are you guys going to get one?"
"I already have one, but I'm always up for another," Chuck said.
"Where's yours?" I asked. I was unaware that he had one.
"It's over my heart. It's a portrait of Blair holding Henry when he was born," Chuck replied.
"That's actually sweet," I said; surprised. I didn't strike Chuck as the sentimental type. I guess you really did learn something new every day.
"I like the idea of getting Serena tattooed over my heart," Dan said. "I wouldn't want anything big, so maybe just her name."
"I could get Lily written over my heart. I like that idea!" I said. I loved Lily's beautiful face, but getting her face tattooed over my heart seemed like it would be too big for my taste. I also wasn't sure what Lily would think of that. After all, I wasn't sure how I'd like a tattoo of my face on one of her breasts!
We headed into the tattoo parlor.
"So, what are you going to get?" Dan asked Nate.
"I want one of those armband tats. I always thought those were cool," Nate said right away. "Maybe one made up of a blue wave. That would be awesome!"
"I know exactly what I'm going to get!" Chuck said with a smile.
"What?" I asked, wondering how he was going to top his current tattoo.
"You'll see," he said, a mysterious tone to his voice.
Now I was intrigued.
So, we checked in, and told the artists what we wanted. Chuck of course slipped a note to his tattoo artist that stated what he wanted. "I want it to be a surprise," he explained in his usual monotone.
"All right! We only have two artists on today, so you and you will come with me," he said as he pointed to Dan and I, "and you and you will go with Charlie over there," the tattoo artist whose name tag read "Stan" said, now pointing to Chuck and Nate.
So, we headed to our separate chairs.
"Whose going first?" Stan asked, preparing the alcohol swab.
Dan and I looked at each other. "You got first. I need time to work up the courage," Dan said to me.
I laughed. "All right."
So, I got in the chair, and prepared to get Lily's name tattooed over my heart. I knew it wouldn't be that bad. I had a high pain tolerance. Anyway, four letters wouldn't take long at all. I could hardly wait to see what she thought of it!
~BA~
An hour later, they all walked out of the tattoo parlor. Rufus loved the way his tattoo had come out. He thought Nate's was pretty cool as well. As for Dan, well, he got as far as the S, then told the tattoo artist to stop.
"I can't believe you wimped out!" Nate said with a laugh.
"Poor Danny boy can't handle the pain," Chuck said, an amused smile on his face. "Now he's stuck with an S on his chest."
Dan rolled his eyes. "Shut up! So I'm not as macho or tough as you. Big deal! Serena likes that I'm sensitive! Anyway, an S will do just fine since it's her nickname."
"It's a little off center since the rest of the name was supposed to go there, but it's okay. It will still mean a lot to her, and it still looks fine," Rufus said sincerely. He honestly didn't think it looked that bad.
"So, what did you get anyway?" Dan asked, nodding toward Chuck. "You never did show us."
Chuck took off his coat, and handed it to Nate. "Hold this for a moment please."
Nate took the coat from him.
Chuck then carefully lifted his right sleeve up, and showed a black I with a red heart underneath it that had Lily's name written in black inside of it. Underneath the heart was the word Mom. "I wanted something to show Lily that to me, she is my mom even though we're not blood related."
Rufus almost had tears in his eyes. Almost. That was actually one of the sweetest things he had ever seen Chuck do and heard him say.
"That's really nice, Chuck. I'm sure she'll love it," he said.
"Thanks. I hope so," Chuck said, pulling his sleeve back down then taking his coat from Nate and putting it back on.
"She'll probably cry, knowing Lily," Dan said with a smile. "It's cool."
"Yeah, she'll love it!" Nate said.
Rufus nodded. Indeed she would.
"All right! Off to our final stop of the night. Let's go!" Chuck said, getting into the limo. "This will be the fun part," he told Rufus with a wink and a smile as Rufus got into the limo.
Yeah, Rufus was still scared.
~Begin Again~
For Lily's bachelorette party, Serena and Blair had taken her over to Blair's to dress her up in their clothes, and do her makeup. Then, they had taken her to her favorite restaurant for dinner, then they had taken her to the spa for a massage, a seaweed wrap, a mud bath, and then after their showers, a manicure.
Then, they headed back to Lily's place for dessert. Cyrus was sick, and Eleanor had been taking care of him, but he was sleeping by then, so she managed to make it out for a bit. Serena and Blair had gotten Lily a penis shaped cake and made her wear a crown that said bride-to-be. They also had a bright red feather boa that they made her wear around her neck.
"You girls are crazy!" Lily said with a laugh as she saw the cake.
"Wow, that looks painful!" Eleanor said with a wince as Serena cut into the penis cake. "It gives new meaning to circumcision!"
Lily cackled. "You're even crazier than they are!"
"Living with Cyrus will do that to you," Eleanor joked. "Don't tell him I said that," she then quickly added.
Lily laughed. "You're secret's safe with me." She winked.
They enjoyed their cake and ice cream, talked, joked, laughed, and had a good , Blair brought out a plastic penis that had a flat base so that you could set it on the floor, and have the penis sticking straight up. She then handed around three rings apiece, including three for herself. "It's time to play a game! This is like horse shoes only with a penis as our pole, and rings instead of horse shoes," she explained.
"Kind of like get the cock ring around the penis right?" Eleanor asked.
Lily laughed.
Blair shot her mother a look. "Please, Mother, never use those words around me again. It's vomit inducing."
Serena and Lily laughed. Eleanor just crossed her arms over her chest and hook her head, a smile peaking out at the corner of her lips.
They then played the game, and Eleanor won. Her prize was just a novelty prize. It was a hot pink tee shirt with a big black drawing of a penis with the words, "Cock Ring Champion" written above and below the penis.
"I love it!" Eleanor said, putting her shirt on overtop of her blouse.
Lily cackled. "Take that off! You're not going to wear that home, are you?"
"Sure, why not?" Eleanor asked. "It will be the most excitement Cyrus has gotten in a while!"
"Mom!" Blair complained again.
Eleanor shrugged. "I'm just sayin'. It's the truth!"
Serena and Lily both laughed as Blair turned green, and covered her mouth.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
"Gee, I wonder who that could be?" Serena asked with a knowing smile. "I'll go get it." She then headed to the door. A moment later, she walked in with two hunky guys.
"We heard someone here is getting married!" one of them said.
"And that this party needs a little spicing up!" the other one added.
The first guy then turned on a portable CD player he had with him. He set it down on the island, and cranked the music up to a thumping beat.
Eleanor squealed with delight.
Lily looked at Serena in surprise. "You got me strippers?"
Serena grinned. "Surprise!"
"Oh, I don't know about this. I'm too old for this..." Lily said, trailing off.
"Oh, come on, Lily! You're never to old to see some hot young men shaking their asses!" Eleanor said. "Whoo!" She looked at the two men in tight teeshirts and jeans like they were two giant white chocolate bars.
"What would Rufus think?" Lily asked.
"Rufus isn't hear now, is he? Besides, I'm sure the guys got him some strippers of their own," Blair said; amused.
Lily sighed. "Oh, I don't know..."
"Come on, Mom!" Serena gently nudged her. "This is your bachelorette party—your last night of being single. Don't you want to have a little fun?"
Lily was still unsure. But when she saw the too hunky men—who had introduced themselves and Gary and Riley—rip their shirts off like they were made of paper, revealing muscles and abs of Greek gods, she decided to throw caution to the wind. "Ah, what the hell?" she asked. "Shake that booty!" she then yelled.
"Yes!" Now you're talking!" Serena said as she, Blair, and Eleanor cheered along with her.
~Begin Again~
"A strip club? Really?" Rufus asked as he and the guys sat down inside the club.
"Yes, really! It's a right of passage at a bachelor party!" Dan told him, patting him on the back.
Nate ordered them a round of beers. A topless waitress was happy to get the drinks for them.
"I don't know about this place. I'm sure Lily wouldn't like it," Rufus said.
"I'm sure Lily is having strippers of her own," Nate said.
"I don't think strippers are Lily's style," Rufus said.
"You'd be surprised how many women's style strippers are," Chuck said dryly.
Rufus looked at him. "What do the girls have planned for her tonight?"
Chuck shrugged. "I don't know. Blair wouldn't tell me anything."
Dan shook his head. "Serena wouldn't tell me anything either. She said it was top secret. I couldn't get angry though, for we didn't tell the girls what we're doing with you tonight either."
The waitress came over with their beers. She flashed them a sexy smile, batting her fake eyelash encrusted eyes at them.
"Well, hello, there, Boys," she purred.
"It's his bachelor party tonight!" Nate said, gently elbowing Rufus.
The woman smiled at Rufus. "Well, congratulations! First drink's free for all bachelors." She then grinned. "Pick your girl tonight, and I'll make sure she gives you a free lap dance." She winked at him then walked off as Nate, Chuck, and Dan all nudged him and made cat calls.
Rufus rolled his eyes. "Guys, I'm sorry, but this scene is just so not me."
"You're the only guy on this planet who feels that way," Chuck said.
"I just feel like I'm betraying Lily," Rufus said.
Dan rolled his eyes. "Trust me, you're not betraying Lily. It's your bachelor party for goodness sake!"
Nate nodded. "A little looking never hurt anyone."
"Now sit back and enjoy your beer!" Chuck said.
The next girl came onto the stage, and the boys cheered as they intently watched Miss Ecstasy shake and move her body in ways that seemed almost unnatural.
Rufus took a sip of his beer and watched the girl out of curiosity more than anything. Seriously, how did she bend like that?
When the dance was over, she left the stage, and an even prettier and bustier woman entered. This one was Miss Erotica. Her dance moves lived up to her name.
Just then Miss Ecstasy came over to their table. "Hey! I hear it's one of your bachelor parties! Who gets the lap dance?" she smiled.
The boys all grinned. "It's his!" they said in unison, pointing to Rufus.
Miss Ecstasy smiled at him. "Mm, well aren't you a handsome one! Congrats! Now, what do you say we celebrate with a little lap dance from me to you, hm?"
She started to get on his lap, but Rufus quickly sat up. He grabbed his coat. "You know what? Nate over there is single. I'm sure he would love one." He pointed to Nate. "I'm actually on my way out to see my fiancé, but thank you for the offer!" He then quickly took off before the boys could try to stop him. He knew he was the weird one. Any other man would jump at a chance to get a lap dance. But he wanted to stay true to Lily. He didn't want to mess this one up.
So, he hailed a cab and took it back home. He paid and tipped the driver, then headed into his apartment building.
When he got to his apartment door, he was surprised to hear music playing. He unlocked the door, and walked into the apartment, shutting and locking the door behind him. He took off his coat and laid it across the chair, then walked into the main room. Boy did he get an eyeful!
Eleanor was wearing a hot pink teeshirt with a penis and the words "Cock Ring Champion" written on it. She was currently dancing on top of the island with a blow up penis between her legs.
Blair and Serena were in their bras, straddling a male stripper on a chair. They both had one leg over him so that they could both fit. As for Lily, well, she was in her bra, cheering like a madwoman all the while swinging her top around in the air yelling, "Ride 'em, Cowboy!" as another male stripper shook his Speedo clad junk over her. She looked to be enjoying it immensely. Rufus could see she didn't hold the same respect for him (Rufus) as he held for her.
"What the hell?" he muttered quietly.
As if sensing his presence, all four women looked up at him.
"Heeey!" Eleanor said, continuing to dance with the blow up penis between her legs. She waved to him.
"Hey...Rufus." Serena cleared her throat. "What are you doing here?"
Blair looked away.
Lily looked like a deer caught in the headlights. "Rufus, Darling, I was just, um... So, how was your bachelor party?"
Rufus had no words.