One Month Later – Chocoholics Anonymous

"Oh my goodness, guys!" Rosemary shouted as she was looking through the news reports on her PADD. "Listen to this! 'Captain Solok of Starfleet Command has been dismissed from his position at Starfleet Academy. He's being charged with letting a controlled substance make him become a slacker on the job. The tribunal said he can't have his job back until he enters rehab!'"

"What in THEE HECK are you talking about?" asked Bea as she walked from the back of the apartment with her mouth dropped open.

"It says it right there in the article," Rosemary insisted. "He even got in trouble for trying to knock over a 7-11 for their peanut butter cups!"

Lina found herself barely able to contain horrified laughter. "You done did it, Bea! He became a chocoholic. It's all on you, girl!"

"I refuse to believe that!" Bea said.

"Maybe it's all just a big misunderstanding," said Rosemary with the most unconvincing look on her face.

Jan floated out of the bedroom then and flashed her hand. "Guys, look what Bochra gave me last night!" There was a cute medium sized Romulan gemstone on her finger. It was green.

"You're getting married?!" Lina shouted.

"Yes, I am! Next weekend!"

Bea declared, "He works fast!" But she was still distressed about Solok in the back of her mind.

##

They were all crowded into a bridal den trying to pick out bridesmaids dresses. "Please don't make me and Bea wear anything longer than mid-calf?" Lina begged. "We're short enough as it is. It'll look like we're walking into the ceremony on our knees."

Jan smiled. "I'll have mercy on you guys. You get to pick whatever dress you want, just stick to Romulan green."

All of the girls looked at one another, just a little horrified. "Green?" asked Bea.

"Do you mean like mint julep green?" asked Rosemary, "or like aqua gr-"

"Deep green like Romulan blood!" Jan declared with a strange look on her face.

"She done lost her mind," Lina muttered almost to herself.

Trying to change the subject, Bea asked, "How are you and Vreenak?" to Rosemary.

Rosemary's face turned red. "Well, we had a little bit of a disagreement yesterday and um… things being as they are, we um… I um… We broke up."

"What?!" asked all three of the other ladies, horrified.

"What happened?" asked Jan as she put a hand on her cousin's shoulder.

Rosemary tried to act as if she wasn't concerned. "Well, you know, when you have such a fundamental disagreement over something like," she began to sniffle, "you know, LOVE, that it's NOT AN INFERIOR EMOTION and the person can't admit that, it's time to walk away." And then she was crying. And then Jan started crying. Soon Lina and Bea were sniffling and then crying.

The lady from the bridal den walked up to them, then. "Ladies, ladies! You're supposed to be planning a wedding!"

"Men are beasts!" declared Bea to the suddenly frightened lady.

The woman was looking around her, horrified. "Ladies, you're going to make our other clientele rethink their decisions to get married."

"Men are fools, I say, FOOLS!" Rosemary screamed. She looked around at the other brides waiting their turn. "Flee! Flee, I say! Flee while you can free ladies of the world!"

The other girls in the store began screaming and a good chunk of them took off running out of the establishment.

##

"All right so now we're kicked out of the bridal store," sighed Jan. "I didn't like that place anyway."

"They were playing turbolift music," Lina complained. "Who does that?"

"I'm sorry," Bea said to Jan. "I started it."

"And I finished it," Rosemary admitted.

"And I laughed my butt off as chicks went flying out of the store," Lina added.

Jan shook her head. "That's all right. I can't believe I was going to try to make you guys wear deep green gowns. It's like I was possessed or something. So, sea green it is, aqua."

They found another bridal shop with a larger staff and began to shop again. They found the cutest tea length aqua dresses for Jan's midafternoon wedding. It covered their knees, but it wasn't too long and both Lina and Bea were satisfied they wouldn't look like children in them.

Jan found her dress that day, as well, and was measured. The store assured her they could have it replicated and then tailored to her within four days.

They all left the shop relieved and happy. It was Lina and Jan's turn to cook dinner, so Bea and Rosemary sent out the invitations to her wedding.

"You're actually inviting Vreenak?" asked Rosemary, miffed.

Jan looked at her apologetically as she stirred the tofu crumbles in the pan. "That was Bochra's choice. Sorry."

Bea frowned. "Why is Solok invited?" she asked, horrified. "I mean, is he even out on his own recognizance yet?"

"Guys, we should really find out if that was just gossip in that paper," Lina said as she chopped garlic. "I can't believe Solok would fall off the chocolate wagon like that badly. Knocking over a 7-11 for peanut butter cups? Like for real?"

"Why is that so hard to believe?" asked Jan.

"Well if I was going to jack someplace for their chocolate, peanut butter cups would not be the first chocolate on my list," Lina said as she turned and started chopping mushrooms. "A sister have to get herself some Godiva or something!" she laughed.

There was a knock at the door and Rosemary opened it to see a fine Bajoran guy standing there. "Holy cr—Hi! How are you?" she asked.

"Hey, I just dropped by to give Lina back that holodeck program I borrowed from her." He had the dreamiest eyes and his earring was a blend of silver and gold. His face had to have been sculpted by the Prophets themselves out of fine marble or something.

All of the ladies in the house just stood or sat there, staring. Food began to burn. Lina woke up. "Oh, thank you, Gionas!" she ran to him and took the program back from him. "You didn't have to come all the way here to give this back to me. You could have waited until we saw each other at school."

Jan took the almost burning tofu crumbles off of the stove and set them aside. She began looking for a casserole dish.

The two friends stood there talking, Gionas still in the hallway of the building as Lina stood at the door. And then Taurik showed up.

"What are you doing here?" Lina asked the Vulcan, confused. "We're not supposed to study tonight."

"This place is turning into Grand Central," muttered Bea.

Taurik very unmistakably looked Gionas up and down. "I was not aware you had company."

"Gio just dropped by to give me back my holo program," she nodded.

The Bajoran smiled widely. "Gio. I like that nickname. Thank you. I'll wear it with pride."

Lina found herself giggling as Taurik turned green in the face.

"Yo, Taurik!" Bea took his attention for a minute. "Is all that stuff true about Solok? The chocolate bender and ripping off peanut butter cups and stuff?"

Taurik sighed. "I did see him entering a chapter of Chocoholics Anonymous not two days ago." He looked at Lina, then. "Association with human females can lead one to felonious acts." Lina's mouth dropped open at what he'd said, but she didn't get a chance to get a word out over it.

"So he did try to steal peanut butter cups?" Bea asked, horrified.

"No. That was not Solok. The papers got him mixed up with another being with pointed ears, though how that is possible is beyond me. Solok never stole anything, he has simply been suspended until he gets his chocolate dependence under control."

"Well what human female led to some other pointy eared guy stealing peanut butter cups?" asked Lina, confused.

"That would be Senator Vreenak," Taurik said as he continued looking at the Bajoran as if he were a very uninvited guest.

"Vreeny!" shouted Rosemary as she stood, horrified.

"Yes," said Taurik. "I happened to be there for the unfortunate event. And as the senator was being taken away by the authorities, he was shouting some nonsense about losing his woman to a 'Captain Wentworth'. That did not make sense to me because the only Captain Wentworth I am aware of is swimming in that bowl," said Taurik as he looked at the fish.

Jan looked horrified. "Oh my goodness! What now?"

Taurik sighed. "Given his diplomatic situation, he was released immediately. Both he and Solok are currently at a meeting of Chocoholics Anonymous and they are both confused as to how one hard to find Captain Wentworth has stolen their women."

"Well why didn't you say something?" asked Lina.

"Would I have been believed, do you suppose?" asked Taurik.

Lina's mouth dropped open at the circumstances and both Bea and Rosemary exchanged uncomfortable glances. Gionas said, "None of this is making any sense to me."

"Then you should go home," Taurik said, halfway threateningly.

Gionas suddenly looked slightly intimidated as he said to Lina, "I'll see you next week in class."

"See you then," she said as he walked away. Then she looked at Taurik. "What is wrong with you? And what are you doing here?"

Taurik looked at Jan. "I received the invitation to Jan's wedding in my inbox. I decided to stop by and let her know that I shall be attending on my own."

"You can bring a date!" Jan informed him as she started pouring the tofu crumbles into the casserole pan.

He put his hand up. "The one I wish to bring is also attending the event. Good evening to you all," he said and then left.

Lina closed the door, thinking nothing of what he'd said. But Jan was grinning at her. "What?" Lina asked.

"Oh, nothing!" grinned Jan.