"OK it's been almost 2 years since I've done this, so go easy on me." Marty laughed as Collins and Roger came over to the table with 2 trays. One had tequila shots, salt and lime and the other had beer on it.
"OK, do you remember how to do this?" Mark asked as everyone laughed.
"I seem to remember teaching you how to do it film boy, let's just get the first shot down." she said laughing as Roger licked his hand and put the salt on it.
"I think Marty should make the first toast." he said smiling at his wife as he took her hand and licked it for her.
"OK, I'm gonna go with an old favorite that still holds true. No Day But Today." she said as everyone raised their shot glasses in agreement.
"No Day But Today." they all said in unison as they drank their shots.
"You know Baby, when Tony first saw you come in with us he started complaining that he only had 5 bottles of tequila out. He said we should have called ahead." Roger said taking the lime out of his mouth.
"Wise ass." she said laughing as she looked up at Tony who smiled at her.
"Yeah well, we've finished off quite a few between all of us in our day." he said leaning over to kiss her.
"I know. God, we were drinking almost every night back then." she said looking up at him.
"Doesn't compare to our life now, huh?" he asked smiling at her.
"Not even close." she said as Collins passed out the next round of shots.
"But it's still nice to get a night out just us. Without the terror." Collins said smiling at them.
"Oh you know you're gonna miss your nephew more than anyone. You know in the morning you're gonna be calling Roger's mom to bring him home." she said laughing at him.
"Would you stop torturing me and do the next shot. I want to make the next toast." he said laughing as Roger licked Marty's hand and she licked his.
"I almost forgot how gross you two used to be." Maureen said laughing.
"What, just because we have a kid we can't still be crazy in love with each other?" Marty asked smiling up at Roger.
"Don't listen to her. Your love is an institution around here." Collins said laughing.
"Or they belong in an institution." Maureen said laughing.
"Very funny Mo. Anyway, go ahead Collins. Make your toast." Marty said smiling at him.
"OK. To Roger, Marty and RJ. A beautiful family who has so graciously allowed us to be a part it." Collins said smiling as Mark, Maureen and Joanne nodded.
"You guys are our family. Maureen and Joanne are my lesbian sisters and Mark and Collins are my wonderful, protective big brothers." Marty said before drinking her shot.
"She got you there Col." Roger told him laughing before picking up his lime.
"Yeah well, I'm out of practice. I haven't had my drinking partner in a while." he said smiling at her.
"So what made you let Rogers parents take RJ home with them tonight? You never let him sleep out." Mark asked curiously.
"I missed going out with you guys and Roger looked like he really wanted to hang out." she told him drinking her beer.
"I figured you needed a night off. You've been so busy lately with RJ, your writing, helping Mark with the documentary and getting ready for RJ's birthday party, you needed a break. And I wanted to spend the night out drinking with my wife. I missed you." he told her kissing her head.
"I'm sorry Roger. I know I've been spending all of my time and energy with RJ and I haven't had much left for you. That's not fair to you. I mean, you've had me all to yourself, for the most part, for 6 years and now in a year I've done nothing but spend all of my time with RJ." she said looking into his green eyes.
"Baby, I love spending time with RJ too. Don't apologize for loving our son. I just like being a grown up with my wife once in a while." he said caressing her face.
"You're right. I'll do better, I promise. When our parents volunteer to take RJ over night, I won't say no." she said leaning up to kiss him.
"Baby, it's not like I'm looking to get rid of RJ, you know I'm not. He's our son and I love him so much, but you and I need time too, you know to be crazy like we used to." he told her smiling at her.
"I know. I get that. I love you Roger and I'm not trying to make RJ more important than we are. While I want to spend time with him to make up for having to leave him so soon, you and I are gonna have to leave each other too some day. We need to spend time preparing for that too. I know you love him. You are the greatest father in the world. You play with him, he follows you everywhere now that he's mobile. He hangs on your every word and note when you're playing for him. You are his idol. I know you're not looking to get rid of him." she told him caressing his face.
"OK, now that we got that settled it's my turn to make the toast." he said leaning down to kiss her.
"OK Baby. Go ahead." she said smiling at him.
"To my beautiful, generous, loving, caring, sexy wife. You have given me the greatest 7 years of my life." he said holding the shot glass up.
"That is so sweet Roger. I love you too." she said kissing him before even taking her shot.
"And there they go." Mark said as Collins, Maureen and Joanne laughed.
"What?" Marty asked laughing.
"Just like old time. You two all over each other like you were the only two people on earth." Mark said smiling at them
"Sorry guys." Roger said holding Marty in his arms.
"Don't apologize. You love your wife. We're used to it after 7 years." Joanne said laughing.
"Yeah Rog, I mean I can barely remember the days when you used to just sit in the loft playing Musetta's Waltz moping around." Collins said laughing.
"Yeah, those were the dark ages, weren't they?" Roger said kissing Marty's head.
"Like you always say Honey, when you rescued me, I rescued you." she said looking up at him.
"Yes you did Baby." he said leaning down to kiss her.
"So, are we doing this shot or not?" Collins said laughing still holding his shot in his hand.
"Oh my God sweetie, I'm so sorry. Yeah, let's do it." she said laughing as she sat upand everyone drank their shot.
"OK, so who wants to talk about the little terror? I know you want to Babygirl." Collins said laughing drinking his beer.
"No, I'm good actually. I'm enjoying having no responsibilties tonight. Just being with you guys again is fun. Celebrating life again." she said smiling at them.
"You wanna call my mom, don't you?" Roger said laughing.
"Oh God yes. Just give me one second Honey, OK." she said laughing as she got up from the table and went to the pay phone in the back.
"She really needed this. Remind me to do something awesome for my dad for suggesting it." Roger said drinking his beer.
"Yeah she really did. But she is a great mother Roger. No one could love that boy more that she does." Mark said smiling as he watched Marty on the phone.
"I know, but she worries so much about when she has to leave him. She doesn't want him to just have you guys telling him about us. She wants him to see it for himself and know how much he was loved and how much we didn't want to leave him." he said smiling at her.
"She has that motherly glow about her, doesn't she?" Collins said seeing the twinkle in Roger's eye as he looked at his wife.
"Yeah she does." he said quietly as he watched her make her way back to the table.
"Why do you look so goofy?" she asked leaning down to kiss him as her golden blond hair fell around his face.
"Because I'm crazy in love with my girl." he said smiling as he kissed her back.
"Oh yeah? Lucky girl." she said caressing his face.
"Is the baby OK?" he asked smiling up at her.
"Yeah, he's having fun with Grandpa. He slept all the way there, so poor Grandpa has him in the basement playing with your old train set." she said sitting down next to him.
"I can't believe they still have that." he said smiling at her.
"Yeah well good thing. At first he didn't want to go anywhere near it, but when your dad told him it was daddy's, all of a sudden he became interested. I told you he worships you." she said drinking her beer.
"Well I worship him too." he said putting his arm around her again.
"OK, are we ready for another shot? It's my turn to toast." Mark said smiling at them.
"OK Marky, shoot." Marty said laughing as she picked up her shot.
"To my best friends. I may be the one to survive, but you guys taught me how." he said as Maureen and Joanne nodded and tears formed in Marty's eyes.
"Marky, that was perfect." she said smiling at him as they drank their shot.
"Couldn't have said it better myself." Maureen said leaning over to hold Marty's hand.
"OK. Mo, you're next. And nothing sappy. From you, I expect something fun and senseless." she said wiping her eyes gently as to not smudge her eyeliner.
"Alright, you ready?" she said wiping her own eyes before preparing to do her shot.
"Hit me with your best shot." Marty said laughing.
"OK. To the mexicans. Tequila rocks." she said as everyone laughed.
"To the mexicans." Marty said laughing as they took their shot.
"That was totally senseless Mo, but I love it." Roger said laughing playing with Marty's hair.
"Yeah well. Marty always loved that one." Maureen said taking the lime out of her mouth.
"Well tequila does rock." she said laughing.
"OK Jo, it's all you girl. Give us a good one." Collins said smiling at her.
"You guys know, I've never been any good at these things, but given Marty's 2 year hibernation, I've had a lot of time to come up with a good one, so here goes. To bohemia. It's not just a great place to visit, living there's not too bad either." she said as Marty smiled at her.
"Amen to that." she said laughing as she looked around at her family before taking her shot.