The party was showing signs of slowing down as Marge returned to the hotel. The band that Homer knew was playing a soft melody that seemed to say it was time to rest up for a new day. A few people were mingling by the door enjoying the last few sips of their liquor and remembering old times together. As Marge looked around, she noticed that her parents were nowhere to be seen as they must have gone off to bed after all the excitement. Some people were still dancing, some were sitting down watching. It had been a very nice party and she was glad that Artie had suggested it. Now where was he?

Marge searched the room until she found him mingling with a few guys near the stage. He had a glass of scotch in his hand and was laughing at the silly joke the one of the guys were telling, but he quickly ignored the conversation when Marge made his way toward him. He gave her a warm smile before bidding his friends adieu and walked over to her while the glass of scotch was still in his hand.

"How was the conversation with Homer?" Artie asked as he took a sip. Apparently he hadn't had too much yet, he still sounded very sober. She knew it would change probably, unless she wanted him to go to the room with her. But for some reason, spending time to herself for a while seemed like a better idea to her. Artie would most likely be okay with that, they had shared the same bed for nearly a week now; some down time was probably in order.

"It was okay I guess, apparently he lives here and works with the guy on the guitar," Marge replied.

"Well that's a bit surprising, I was thinking he was still in Springfield in the gutter somewhere," Artie replied with a short laugh as if what he said was extremely funny.

"Or at least working at something dealing with minimum wage like burger flipping or box manufacturing or even chicken sexing," one guy replied.

"Dude, people will have sex with chickens for money?" Another guy asked in astonishment, this guy had clearly been drinking way too much already.

"No you dumbass, they just check the baby chickens bottom to see what sex they are for processing and stuff," the other guy replied.

Marge rolled her eyes, clearly this conversation was going nowhere spectacular and at the moment she really was in no mood to hear anyone making fun of Homer. He was just a confused man who went through a lot, he couldn't help it and hopefully tonight he would finally understand that he and Marge would never work out. With any luck, she probably would never see him again, unless he came back to Springfield for something, but the chances of seeing him on the street were slim so she really had nothing to worry about.

"Artie, you don't mind if I go to our room now do you?" Marge asked after watching the guys argue for a minute. She was tired now, especially after the talk with Homer. She felt she got nothing accomplished out of that, but hoped it did work out with Jenna. She seemed like such a sensible young lady who seemed perfect for Homer, he should be happy to have her, they were the perfect match from the few minutes she saw them together.

"Sure babe, I'll just mingle with the guys for a few hours," Artie replied as he took a sip of his scotch.

Marge knew he would be gone for a while, most of the guests here were his friends, she never made many, so the ones she did invite were few and of course most of them had called it an early night.

"I'll be waiting for you," Marge replied as she gave her husband a kiss on the cheek. Artie gladly accepted it and gave her a quick hug before he turned back to his friends to talk.

Marge watched him for a second before letting out a yawn, she really was tired. She and Artie had been planning this for weeks now, staying up late with Artie hoping to make everything perfect for the both of them and even having restless nights because of it. Bedtime did seem like the best option now that things had quieted down and no one was willing to bother her. Yes, sleep was good, tomorrow was another day. She was going to visit the Dry Tortugas with Artie first thing in the morning, then if there was time, a marine sanctuary. What a great idea for a honeymoon.

Quietly she made her way up to her room and opened the door. It was a lovely suite overlooking the sparkling water that shone in the night. There was a king sized bed for the both of them and a nice big TV if they felt the need for something to watch. Marge let out a sigh and closed the curtains before putting on her nightshirt and putting herself to bed. She had not sat on it yet, but when she did, she already felt the welcoming embrace of it and quickly lay down. Not long after, she was sound asleep, dreaming of her wonderful new life.

The hours passed, and one by one, all the guests began to make their migration to their rooms for a good night's sleep. The ones that did stay up were a small group of Arties good friends who sat at the hotels bar talking about random things and just enjoying the night in Key West. All of them were being easily amused by Artie and his lame jokes thanks to him and his never-ending tab that he set up. So by around midnight the guys had their fare share of booze before finally deciding to call it a night. Artie did not realize that all of them where gone until his friend Phillip left him alone in the bar.

But he did not mind, he sat there alone, sipping his scotch while the bartender helped out a few other guests at the hotel. He knew it was probably best to call it a night himself, Marge was probably waiting for him or most likely asleep since she had left him alone hours ago. He knew he could stay where he was for another two hours, enjoying the silence before finding his way to his room and meeting up with friends again tomorrow. But bed did sound kind of nice, like Marge, he had been sleeping less lately, and a long night's sleep was in order. He did wonder how the conversation with Homer went too, but knew he would not find out until morning.

He was so wrapped up in thought that he did not notice a young lady slowly making her way toward him until she was inches away leaning against the barstool.

"Is this seat taken?" she asked calmly.

"All yours," Artie replied without looking.

The woman took her seat and asked the bartender for an apple martini. She remained silent for a long time, even though she would often glance at Artie hoping to get his attention. But apparently he was too busy staring at his ice cubes melting than at a strange girl he barely knew. That is, until she finally decided to talk.

"So, what's it like to be married now?" The girl asked as she turned to face him. She had a martini in her hand and her legs were crossed. Still it did not cover up much; her short skirt was rather short.

"Oh it's not too bad at all; I got the girl of my dreams. Sure it's a little nerve racking at first because you realize that you will spend the rest of your life with her, never to really have time to yourself, but I know things will work out," Artie replied as he turned to the girl. Once he got a good look at her, he stared back in shock.

It was Gina Bannelli, one of his friends from the internships girlfriend who was believed to have quite a reputation like Olivia. Artie could definitely see that in her with her long black hair that matched her long legs. She was wearing a very tight skirt that had to be two sizes too small. Her breasts looked like they were about to burst out of the dress and the skirt itself was very short. If she wanted to, she would reveal a lot more than she already was.

"Oh Gina! I didn't know you were still up," Artie replied.

"Yeah Joe decided to turn in early. I decided to get myself one more cocktail, I wasn't expecting you to be down here, especially since you are newly married and would probably want to be with your wife," Gina said.

"Well we have been together for days now, I think it's nice to have a little quiet time and just enjoy some scotch," Artie replied as he shook the ice filled glass before setting it back down in front of him. One more couldn't hurt.

"Oh dear, that doesn't sound good at all," Gina replied in a tone that sounded serious but in reality she was hoping to bait him.

Artie stared back at her for a moment before finally responding. "What do you mean?" Apparently he was getting tired; his reaction time was rather slow.

"Well," Gina began as she took another sip of her martini. "I know you've heard about my reputation?"

"Yeah, no offence but we do wonder on occasion," Artie replied.

"None taken, you see Olivia and I did work together in the strip bar in the bad part of town and well, how do I put this, you know when a marriage doesn't work when you are better than what the woman he loves does," Gina replied.

"And why are you telling me this?" Artie asked raising an eyebrow and looking back at her suspiciously.

Gina was silent for a moment a she ruminated with the martini in her hand before getting off the stool and grabbed Artie by the arm. "Let's talk in a more secluded spot; the bar doesn't seem like the best place for this conversation."

Artie knew he had no choice and had her lead him toward a pair of couches on the other side of the bar. There were some fake palm trees all around the area so it seemed like the perfect place to talk, Gina took a seat on one side while Artie sat on the other, a coffee table separated both of them from being too close.

"Yes this is definitely more comfortable, plus people can think that we are just catching up on things," Gina said as she set her drink down and crossed her legs as she stared back at Artie with a smile on her face.

"So what are we talking about now?" Artie asked.

"Well, you have said that you are happily married, but for some reason I see something very different. You seem to want to go your own way, that you like your peace and quiet away from her. Not that it's a bad thing, but it's a little early to want to do that," Gina replied.

"Well, the guys just wanted to talk to me and Marge was tired, I see no harm in that," Artie said.

"I guess not, but what surprises me most is how you were willing to cheat on her the day you wanted to propose."

"I didn't cheat though; I caught myself before I went further. But I love Marge enough to know I want to be with her through thick and thin."

"Ah but would you give into temptation even though you are now married?" Gina asked in a rather seductive tone as she uncrossed her legs for just a moment to set her drink down, bending down just enough for Artie to see her cleavage before sitting up straight once more with her legs crossed.

Artie stared at her, this was a test Gina liked to play on married men, she had seen this many times before in the club. Newly married men revealed that they were not really ready for a big commitment and were willing to see someone else. Even men who had been married for years had fallen for this and they even admitted that they were no longer enchanted by the women they loved. Olivia and Gina were more for them and they would often leave the club with the two girls beside them or saying they would be back for more. Gina wondered if this was what would happen to Artie, he had made love to Olivia months before, and would he do it again? His eyes seemed to say yes but she knew he would lie. She waited for his response, but he seemed to be in a trance, until he realized she was waiting for an answer before bringing himself back to reality.

"Huh? Oh of course not, I made her mine and that's who I need to stay with," Artie said.

"That's what a lot of men say, but they forget why they really got married," Gina replied.

"Oh and what do you suppose the reason is?" Artie asked.

"Why love of course," Gina said with a bit of a laugh, expecting this. "But as I've watched over the years, love just doesn't seem like the biggest priority to them. They just seem to know them a long time and want to settle down with them. But then something happens, and they lose interest and things get a little hairy."

"But I did marry for love, Marge is the one for me, I just know it. Whenever I think about her, I imagine her charming smile, her lovely eyes and a body that just calls out for my affection. And she loves me just as much, she said yes that's got to mean something," Artie replied with a sigh before slinking in the chair at the thought of a scantily clad Marge spending the evening with her.

"Well you did ask her in a difficult time in her life, you were there for her that was enough for her to say yes. But I still see something different," Gina said as she started getting up.

"You're wrong," Artie said.

"Sure I am, and you haven't been watching my every move," Gina said with a smirk as she sat down beside him and tickled his shoulder. Artie let out a shudder before backing up a little while staring at her cleavage at the same time. "I can prove it too, just come to room three hundred and sixty in ten minutes. I can give you the time of your life."

As she said this, she slowly began untying Artie's tie until it just hung from his collar. But Artie barely noticed as he stared back at her with intense amazement and satisfaction. This girl really knew how to push the right buttons and it got him interested enough to want to follow her. But he stayed put in the chair as she slowly began to walk away, her butt swaying back and forth with her tightly bound clothes. He kept watching her until she was out of sight and once she was; Artie let out a sigh and looked around the room.

Everything seemed so strange where he was sitting. Nothing felt right and he felt a little dizzy and nervous, but also felt the urge to follow that girl. A girl that could mess up his life entirely. Should he go to her room or back to Marge? For some reason his mind was making him feel torn both ways and he knew this was not the right way of thinking.

He had made love to Olivia before and remembered the guilt he felt afterward, but Marge never knew and now it was just a silly little memory. He could probably do it to Gina too if he wanted, Marge was probably sound asleep in bed anyway, and one more little fling with another girl probably wouldn't hurt. Sure he loved Marge and cared very much for her, but at the same time he wasn't afraid to be a little frisky, no harm would be done and just like Olivia it would be a silly memory over time. Those girls really knew how to tempt him with their curvy hips and there big giant bosoms. Of course Marge did that too, but these girls, they were just so different, mainly in personality and of course in their habits of having sex.

Gina would be very different from Marge that was for sure. Now that he was married to Marge, he knew that she was very soft and careful. Gina, like Olivia, would be more wild and crazy, mainly because of working at the strip club and being around so many different guys. Maybe one more couldn't hurt, no one would know and he could do it quickly, just slip in and slip out within the hour. Once this was over, it would never happen again and he would still be happily married to the woman he truly loved. These girls were just in it for the sex, there was no love involved, it was just a profession that was hard for them to get out of because they were so used to it. Artie knew he had to be careful with that and keep an eye on girls like that once he returned to work again after the honeymoon.

Artie got up and made his way toward the elevator, he hit the number three button and as the elevator went up a thought suddenly occurred to him. He was in room three hundred and forty-five. Just a few doors down from Gina, now this was a problem. The elevator opened up and he stepped out and stared down the long hallway. A few doors down would be the woman of his life waiting for him to cuddle with him, while a few more doors down sat another woman waiting like a snake coiled in the bushes, waiting for her chance to strike.

Artie slowly walked down the hall, thinking things over on what to do, who he should go to and realizing what rotten luck he was in. He didn't want to make too much noise if he did go to Gina's room or Marge would hear. He had to think fast, but it was hard for him to do such a thing this late at night with scotch still fermenting in his system. He let out a sigh, he really wanted one last fling, but was too afraid to move forward.

He kept trying though and inch by inch he moved closer to his destination but of course he had to pass his own room and Marge. He was only a few feet away, when he suddenly saw the latch on the door of his room move before it was opened and a concerned looking Marge peeked.

"Oh there you are, are you finally done for the evening?" Marge asked.

"Yeah, everyone went to bed," Artie replied feeling a bit shy about what he was doing.

"That's good, I think it's time we got a good rest for tomorrow," Marge said.

"Yeah I agree," Artie yawned. He suddenly felt very tired now, probably from the booze and being up all the time these past few weeks. Being tired was not a good idea for someone like him if he went off sleeping with someone else for a while. He would probably end up falling asleep and not waking up until morning. He didn't want to know what Marge would think of that.

"Well come on then, I've been waiting for you for fifteen minutes," Marge said as she made her way to the bed. Artie held the door open and looked down the hall one last time. He saw Gina standing there waiting for him to come to her.

Artie shook his head, letting her know the invitation at been denied. Without a second glance, Artie quickly made his way into his room to the woman he loved and there he would stay.

A/N: I don't know if I should hate this chapter or not, the fact that it survived a major virus is pretty shocking so I give it credit for that. Yeah I got a virus a few days ago, definitely not something you want to deal with for hours on end. But my computer is fine again so no worries there. But this chapter, man I feel like I am missing something, maybe a good plot function, I have no idea. Still it just leaves you questioning how Artie will act later and what not.

So if you thought this chapter was okay, mediocre or awesome like some of you strange readers, then go ahead and review. And heck if you thought this chapter was crappy go ahead and let me know. I'm starting to wonder if I really needed it now. Who knows, until I get further in. Well see you all soon.