A/N: Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for your continuous support and reviews for this fic. So this chapter is a bit longer than the others. Hope it's enough to keep you sane until my next update. Until then... READ...

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Pinky Promise

Chapter 7: Psycho Mode

Larry and Vivian Evans lived in a quiet, rich neighborhood just south of Los Angeles. Larry was a former real estates agent, and Vivian was a former heart surgeon, and together, they lived out their early retirement at their lovely Victorian-influenced mansion.

"So who is this person that you invited to lunch?" Vivian Evans asked her only daughter as they lounged on the patio in their large backyard.

Bianca took a sip out of her teacup before answering her mother. "You'll see," she simply answered. Earlier that day, John had called Bianca to let her know that he was called into a last-minute interview and he would be joining Bianca and her parents a little later for lunch. So until John would arrive, Bianca was trying her best to hide her left hand from her parents. So far, they hadn't noticed anything different.

"Do we know this person?" Bianca's mom inquired.

Bianca nodded as she munched lightly on a homemade cookie. "Yeah. He's a very old friend of mine."

"He?" Larry Evans piped as he turned to face his daughter from where he stood at the grill. He couldn't recall Bianca having any guy friends, at least not in LA. "So how's that newspaper job coming along?" He decided to change the conversation to a more suitable topic.

Bianca nearly choked on her tea. She was dead meat if they ever found out that she got fired. "It's coming along just fine," she said with a strained smile that neither parent noticed. "In fact, I just turned in another article two days ago."

"Oh yeah? What about?" Larry read the paper everyday; he had been keeping tabs on each and every one of Bianca's articles.

"Oh you know," Bianca stated casually. "The usual. Global warming, rising gas prices, the cost of living in California.."

"That's nice," Larry nodded before chuckling. "You know for a second there, I thought they had fired you. I haven't seen any of your articles in weeks!"

"Funny dad," Bianca laughed nervously. She didn't want to lie to her parents, but for her own sake, she had to. "I've been working with a few of our new writers. I look over their articles and I proofread to make sure that everything is okay," she trailed off, hoping her father would get the hint drop the subject.

"So you've been promoted to editor?" Bianca mentally slapped herself. Apparently, her father had not gotten the hint. "That's what editors do right? Proofread and all of that?"

"Well, yeah, but-" Bianca said but was cut off abruptly by her father, who was smiling so proudly at her, that it made her feel terrible for lying to him.

"Would you look at that, Viv," Larry said to his wife. "Our own daughter; editor of the LA Times!"

"So how much are they paying you now?" Vivian suddenly asked her daughter, smiling at her challengingly.

"Enough," Bianca simply replied, not wanting to disclose her earnings, even to her own parents.

"Enough for what?" Vivian egged on. "Enough to pay rent for a small condo in the city? That's hardly a salary, Bianca," she criticized.

Bianca resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her mother and instead slightly frowned at her. Bianca loved her mother dearly, and they generally got along 85 percent of the time. But when it came to Bianca's career choice, that's when the claws came out. Bianca's mother's side of the family consisted of a long line of doctors. Both her grandparents were surgeons, and even her great grandparents were doctors of some sort. Bianca even had aunts and uncles and cousins who worked in some part in the medical field. But what did Bianca have? A measly degree in Graphic Design and Communications. It wasn't exactly something that a heart surgeon would brag about to her family of medical doctors.

"Oh come on, Vivian," Larry started, trying to divert his wife's attention away from their daughter. "Bianca is doing just fine by herself."

"Still," Vivian continued on, looking at her daughter sternly. Bianca cowered slightly in her seat. "If Bianca chose to become a doctor instead, she would be doing much better."

"She's not a real estate agent, but you don't see me complaining," Larry reasoned in hopes of defending his daughter, but to no avail.

"Dad you're not helping," Bianca finally spoke.

"Larry, you're not helping." Vivian said at the same time as her daughter.

Larry smiled slightly as he shook his head. Career differences or not, there was no denying that Bianca and Vivian were very much alike.

"Bianca, sweetie," Vivian started in calmer, nicer tone. "I only want what's best for you, and being a doctor-"

"-is not what's best for me," Bianca threw in. "Mom," she started. "I didn't want to be a doctor back then and I still don't wanna be one now. Can't you accept that?"

Vivian only stared at her daughter with disinterest. "You know, the other day, I was talking to a friend of mine," she started.

"Here we go," Bianca sighed drastically as she prepared to hear her mother tell her some bullshit story about a friend and how doctors are so important and blah, blah, blah, blah, BLAH! Just then, her cell phone started to vibrate on the table. Reading the caller ID, Bianca shot up from her chair. "He's here!" She said a little too excited as she raced into the house and towards the front door.

Bianca wrenched the front door open just as John was about to knock on it. "You made it!" Bianca managed to smile although she was breathless from running through the house. "You look good," she complimented. John had opted to wear a black polo with thin white horizontal stripes running along it, baggy jeans, and a fresh pair of white Reeboks. His hair was gelled neatly and his face was clean-shaven.

"Thanks," John grinned, but it soon disappeared when he noticed just how out of breath she looked. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Bianca smiled reassuringly after she swallowed down more air. "Come in." She stepped aside to let John into the house.

"This place is huge," John commented as he closed the door behind him. The inside of the mansion was much bigger than what the outside made it out to be.

Bianca simply smiled at him as she took him by the hand and led him through the house towards the backyard. "So how was your interview?"

John shrugged and smiled down at her. "It was a'ight."

"A'ight?" Bianca laughed. It sounded natural when John said it, but it rolled off of her lips in a weird way.

John chuckled at her. "So what have you and your parents been doing so far?"

At this, Bianca's demeanor changed and she scoffed in annoyance. "My mom is in psycho mode again."

"Ah," John understood completely. "Still trying to turn you into a doctor?" Psycho mode, as Bianca lovingly termed it, was when Bianca's mother would verbally go crazy about the wonderful world of the medical field. John had seen Bianca's mom in psycho mode numerous times before, back when he and Bianca were seniors in high school. At that time, Vivian Evans fought her hardest to get Bianca to apply to all the prestigious medical schools in the nation. John shuddered just thinking about it; those were dark, dark times.

"Yeah. She still doesn't get it," Bianca let out a sigh as they made their way through the kitchen and out the sliding glass door to the backyard patio. "Mom, Dad," Bianca started, getting her parents' attention. "You remember John Cena, right?"

John waved at them, grinning brightly. "Hi Mr. and Mrs. Evans. It's nice to see you again." He walked towards the sitting Vivian Evans to give her a light hug before making his way over to Larry Evans to give him a handshake and a manly hug.

"John Cena Jr," Larry smiled as he stared on at the built young man before him. "You're a long way from West Newbury. I didn't even know that you and Bianca kept in touch."

John smiled back at Bianca before turning back to Larry and answering. "What can I say? I guess our friendship was strong enough to withstand the distance."

"So what brings you to sunny California?" Larry asked as he started to remove the burger patties and shish kebabs from the grill.

"I'm traveling with my job," John explained as he helped Larry bring the food back to the table.

"Oh, that's right," Larry said, snapping his fingers. "You wrestle for the WWE. How could I forget?"

"Yes, sir," John beamed proudly as he took a seat to the left of Bianca. From under the table, he grabbed a hold of her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Dig in, everyone," Larry said once he took a seat next to his wife and across from John. "So you must love your job," Larry's interest in John and his career never wavered.

"Oh, absolutely," John said without a doubt in his voice. He continued to talk animatedly with Bianca's father while he subconsciously fixed burgers for Bianca and himself.

Bianca smiled to herself as she observed the interaction between John and her father. They would need to be on good terms before she would have to break the news to them on their engagement. But Larry was fond of John anyway, so breaking the news to him wouldn't be so bad. However, there was still Bianca's mother.

"Bianca." Bianca was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard her mother softly call her name. She looked across the table to her mother questioningly. "I didn't get to finish my story," Vivian simply told her daughter before continuing on. "So the other day, I was talking to a friend of mine.."

Bianca rolled her eyes as she idly munched on her burger. She could see her mother's mouth moving to form words, but she did not comprehend anything that she was saying. It was like sitting in a classroom with Charlie Brown's teacher. All that Bianca heard was Wah Wah Wah Wah Wah. Okay, so maybe it was rude for Bianca to completely ignore her mother; the least she could do was to tune in, even for just a little bit. "… friend's daughter… medical school… cosmetic surgeon… Beverly Hills… six-figure salary…" Bianca fought to stifle a yawn. It was the same old shit every single time. Some friend had a daughter who became a doctor and made lots of money.

"You see, Bianca," Vivian continued. "Had you listened to me and gone to medical school like I told you to, you'd most likely be making a lot of money by now too."

"Vivian," Larry interjected with a warning tone. "Now isn't the time to talk about this. We have a guest," he put emphasis on the last word as he motioned his head towards John.

Vivian ignored her husband. "You're only twenty-seven, Bianca. There's still time."

"Mom," Bianca said sternly, "for the last time, I will never be a doctor. And even if I wanted to, which I don't, I won't have time for it. I have a lot going on for me right now as it is."

Vivian snorted. "The only time you can say that you have a lot going on for you is when you have your own home and you need to balance time between your job and your family," she said, using her fingers as quotation marks. "You're not even married yet, Bianca."

Bianca sighed. It was unconventional, but now seemed to be the perfect time to tell her parents about the engagement. She glanced up at John, and John smiled and nodded, giving her hand a squeeze for support. "That's where you're wrong, mom," Bianca summed up the courage to say. "I am getting married." She glanced at John and smiled, lifting their intertwined hands onto the table, revealing her ring to her parents. "We're getting married," she motioned between John and herself.

Vivian, who chose that moment to take a sip out of her tea, immediately spat the liquid out, all over the front of her husband's shirt. "WHAT!?" She stared at her daughter in disbelief.

Bianca smiled nervously at her mother, and then chanced a glance at her dad, who was trying his best to wipe the dark colored liquid off of his newly bought white shirt.

John surveyed the scene before him. Vivian was frowning at her daughter, Bianca was cowering under he mother's stare, and Larry was just sitting there with regurgitated tea on his shirt. All was quiet, and it was then that John decided to take matters into his own hands. "Don't worry Mrs. Vi," he said confidently, "I'm a doctor." Vivian directed her stern gaze towards John in suspicion. "A Doctor of Thuganomics!" John grinned proudly; he was dying to say that line, and he was damn pleased that he finally got to say it. He looked down at Bianca, expecting to hear her laugh and praise him on how brilliantly clever that line was, but the look on her face was enough to wipe the grin off of his. John ducked his head in embarrassment and glanced up at Vivian Evans innocently.

Vivian merely scoffed and threw her napkin down onto the table. "Excuse me," she said in a cold and calm voice as she stood up and made her way inside. They could hear her grumbling as she disappeared into the house.

"If you two will excuse me," Larry said as he stood up as well. "I'm going to uhh.. tend to this," he motioned towards his shirt, "and make sure your mother doesn't go into some sort of super psycho mode." He gave a weak smile before leaving the couple to themselves. Bianca nodded at her father and waited for him to go into the house before turning to face John.

If looks could kill, Bianca would have killed John a hundred times over with the way she was glaring at him. John smiled at her innocently, trying to lighten the mood, but to no avail; Bianca reached a hand out and gave him a good slap upside his head.

"Ow," John whipped his head to her and frowned. "What was that for?"

"Doctor of Thuganomics!?" She raised her eyebrows at him in disbelief.

"What," he said innocently. "I thought it was funny. It was funny, right?"

Bianca closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. Under different circumstances, it would have been funny. But when it came down to it… "You just insulted my mother."

"No I didn't," John defended, but Bianca continued to scowl at him. "It was just a joke. I didn't mean to offend her." He was starting to feel bad.

"You cracked a joke about being a doctor, John. My mom is a doctor. Of course she'd take it seriously," Bianca scolded.

"Sorry, Binx," John said with all sincerity, but Bianca was still frowning. He held her hands within his own and gave them a light squeeze. "You're still gonna marry me, right?" He stuck his lower lip out in a pout.

Bianca shook her head and smiled lightly, her anger dissipating slowly. "Of course," she answered, jokingly rolling her eyes. "Even if you tell lame, insulting jokes."

John stuck his tongue out at her. "Come on, admit it," he urged on, "it was funny, and you know it."

Bianca shrugged and playfully smiled at him. "Okay, fine," she confessed. "It was funny. Very lame, but still funny." She let go of John's hands and stood up to gather the plates and utensils from the table.

"Thank you," John said lightly as he helped Bianca carry things back into the house.

"I wonder what they're doing," Bianca pondered over her parents as she rearranged the dishes to fit neatly into the dishwasher. "I hope everything's alright," she looked up at the stairs in concern, anxiously waiting for her parents to appear.

"Don't worry so much," John reassured, seating himself on a stool at the kitchen's island countertop. "Everything will be just fine. They're probably discussing some stuff," he said before lightly chuckling. "We did give them a lot to talk about."

"Yeah," Bianca said, a soft smile playing on her own lips. "But still…" she trailed off in thought as she rested her back against the island, adjacent to John.

"You'll have to forgive your mother, Bianca." Bianca and John turned their focus back onto the stairs, where Larry was descending it in a new, light blue shirt. "Ever since she hit menopause, her emotions have been all over the place," he explained as he made his way over to his daughter.

"Daddy, you're not mad, are you?" Bianca asked in reference to the engagement. She put on her best puppy-dog eyes just in case he was.

Larry Evans chuckled at his daughter. "Not mad, just surprised," he assured. "Although it would have been nice to have been informed about this proposal before it actually happened," he eyed John sternly before breaking out into a smile. John grinned at him sheepishly. "Either way, you have my blessing,"

Bianca beamed up at John before wrapping her arms around her father in a tight hug. "Thank you, daddy," she said with great appreciation.

"Thank you, sir," John extended his hand out towards Larry once Bianca let go of him.

Larry accepted the handshake, gave John a manly hug, and patted his future son-in-law on the back. "I always liked you, John. Welcome to the family."

John smiled appreciatively before making his way back to Bianca's side. "What about mom?" Bianca asked hesitantly.

"She's a tad bit upset," Larry said truthfully, giving his daughter a sympathetic smile. "But don't worry, she'll get over it. She's just been very moody lately. And you know she makes the biggest deal out of the littlest things when she's moody."

Bianca simply nodded. Her father was right; she shouldn't have to worry about her mother and her incessant mood swings. She was engaged, and since her father approved, everything would be okay, right?

The three decided to make their way back out to the patio. It was a nice sunny day, why waste it by staying indoors? Bianca sat back and watched silently as her father and John walked around the backyard as they drank beer and continued to talk. Every so often, John would glance back at her and grin. Bianca smiled to herself as she took in the scene before her; she could definitely get used to seeing John and her father laughing together as they joked and shared stories. She imagined that, once she and John were married, this is how it would be; they would visit her parents every so often and they would just lounge around on a beautiful day. It sounded perfect.

Bianca was disrupted out of her daydream when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see John smiling down at her. "You ready to head out?" He asked. Bianca nodded silently as she stood up. Her father, who was smiling ever so brightly, walked the couple back into the house.

Bianca stood at the foot of the staircase and looked up where her parents' bedroom door was closed. "Bye, mom! Me and John are gonna leave now!" She called out loudly.

"Okay, honey! Drive safely! Bye John!" They heard Vivian call out in a much friendlier tone than previous.

"Later, Mrs. Vi!" John replied loud enough for her to hear.

Bianca smiled at John and shook her head. "Mood swings," she chuckled as she and John headed out the front door. She turned to face her father, who was standing in the doorway. "Thanks, dad," she said as she hugged him. "I'll see you later."

"Of course," Larry replied as Bianca let go and stepped back. "John, it was nice to see you again," he said as John stepped up to him to shake his hand once again. "Take care of my daughter," he said as he pulled John into another hug.

"Will do," John replied with confidence. "Later, Mr. Evans," he nodded at him before taking Bianca by the hand and leading her towards his rental. Larry waved goodbye to his daughter and his future son-in-law as they got into the vehicle and drove off.

"So," Bianca said as they drove in silence.

"So," John mocked, a playful smile on his lips. "That went well," he commented.

Bianca snorted. "Aside from the whole Doctor of Thuganomics thing, yeah, it did go well." She turned to give John a sincere smile. "So what are we going to do now?"

John glanced at the time on his dashboard: 4:35PM. "How about that double-date with Randy and Sam?" He suggested.

Although Bianca still was on the fence with Randy, she wasn't going to let one person ruin her day. "Sure, sounds perfect," she said, nodding.

"Then a double-date, it is," John confirmed as he fished for his phone to make the call. He and Bianca had never been on a real date before; this was going to be fun.

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A/N: ...AND REVIEW!