Yeah… that last chapter had been coming since the beginning. And also OH MY GOD I'M SO SORRY – this was never supposed to have such a crazy hiatus, but consider this season two! We're finally moving on, and I'm more determined than ever to keep writing. :)

Thanks for reviewing the chapters I put up God-only-knows-how-long-ago ScipioPB, imagine believe, CAPJHMPAgirl, HersheyChocolates101, teamBLAZE, MikariStar, and the Guest! Thanks for all of the support, you guys! Sorry again for letting you down with the updates. 'Twasn't cool.

The Dating Game

"No."

"God dammit, Vaughn; you've gotta help me out here!" Denny slumped against the dash, giving his friend puppy dog eyes.

Vaughn, for once, focused on the road. Staring straight ahead, he repeated his flat mantra: "No."

Denny crossed his arms and slouched back into his seat. Without a belt on, he was free to slump as far as he wished. Soon, his knees were above his head, and his curly hair barely reached the window. "You just don't get it."

Holding in the bored sigh, Vaughn had to agree. It was incredibly difficult for him to sympathize with his friend when he couldn't understand why Denny couldn't understand how obviously stupid the whole situation was. Or… yes. Wait. Vaughn grit his teeth as he tried to wrap his head around the drama. "Hm."

"It's for real this time!" He insisted. The aqua aquarium hat twisted in his fists, Denny's face downcast as he fiddled with it. "It's done. We're over… I told her I didn't want to fight anymore. I'm so… tired…"

"I've heard this joke before."

"I'm serious!" Denny whined as he quickly sprung up in his seat, angered that Vaughn wasn't buying into it. "That's why you've gotta help me out—"

Vaughn was about to open his mouth, but the driver ahead of him stopped short. He slammed his foot on the brake, sending Denny lurching forward. He didn't seem fazed at all.

"Everyone knows that the best cure for a broken heart—" Denny was waving his hands to prevent Vaughn from interrupting him.

Vaughn talked over him, switching back into gear and passing up the car he deemed too slow. The gas burned and the engine roared with his temper. "—is in no way another—!"

"—another girl!" Denny laughed. He gave Vaughn a sharp jab in the cheek with his finger. "Aw, aren't we adorable? Finishing each other's sentences."

Vaughn slapped his hand away, causing the car to swerve and hit the ridges spaced on the white line. "You moron…"

Denny kicked back, tossing his legs up on the dash and leaning into his hands behind his neck. "You've got a million chicks you can set me up with at your fancy office."

"There are three…" he grumbled, realizing how lacking in gender diversity the office was now that Candace had more or less kicked the bucket.

"Well, it's good then that I've already got my foot in the door on the cute one!" Denny smirked. The sideways glance he gave Vaughn caused him to grow concerned once more. "You can set me up with her, right?"

Vaughn rolled his eyes and slowed as they reached the city's aquarium. "You're only going to hurt people. Besides, Molly's not… the dating type."

"What are you talking about? Of course she's dateable – she's single and cute. What more can you ask for? Her father's permission?" Denny sneered, but he soon went back to his pouting. He jutted out his lip for the full effect, clasping his hands together. "Pleeeeease?"

"Get away from me; I can't drive with you breathing on me like that," Vaughn grumbled. He wasn't quite sure what got him so angry. It was probably the road, and the traffic, and Denny's immaturity. Still, he couldn't deny that the thought of Molly dating Denny on a regular basis was strange to him. They wouldn't make a terrible couple, but he knew Denny better than he knew Molly, and that meant he knew the rough relationship history his friend had. There was no way to protect either of them from each other, or at least, he didn't have the power to do so. Which only made him grumpier

Oblivious to Vaughn's internal struggle, the aquarium employee continued to beg at an ungodly decibel. He only increased his pleas in volume as the aquarium came into view and the car slowed at the curb. "Please! Please! PLEASE! PLEASE!"

Vaughn hit the brakes and grabbed his friend's shirt collar. Roughly tugging him forward, Denny was forced to shut up and cower under Vaughn's hardened (though 'dreamily purple') glare. "If… If you don't use her and lose her, and you never ask me to set you up again…"

Denny's eyes widened with newfound hope, no longer intimidated by the silver haired driver.

He sighed. "I'll do it."

"Yes!" Denny fist pumped, successfully punching the roof of the car and creating a new dent. His eyes gleamed in excitement. "You're the best, Vaughn!"

"She can probably take a half day…" he was grumbling, settling back into his seat as Denny slowly left him in the car trailing praises behind him.

"You're the man!" He winked, pointing obnoxiously.

"Maybe today, if you're lucky…" Vaughn continued, his grip on the steering wheel tightening.

"You old so-and-so!" Denny put on his jaunty cap and waved, walking backwards to work. His shouting was garnering pedestrian attention.

"Just take a half day!" He called, hoping his friend would hear through the open car window.

"I owe you one!" Denny saluted, disappearing into the building with a wide grin.

"Damn right you do!" Vaughn shouted back, tearing back onto the road.

"A… date."

The office was strangely quiet with Hamilton's firmly locked door and the absence of Luke and Tina on a business trip. They were sent scouting for the next poor, isolated town Persuasive Papers could prey upon, leaving the office in blissful, awkward order.

Vaughn wasn't looking much less grumpy since getting out of his car. His phone was buzzing off the hook all morning, and he was using his first and probably only coffee break to stand at Molly's desk and beg her for a stupid favor.

He shrugged, feeling like a foolish schoolboy asking permission to go to the bathroom with the doe-eyed expression she was wearing. "Yeah. Take a half day. You could use one anyways."

"I-I don't know…" Molly was blushing furiously, like her whole head was about to explode from the glow. "I-I'm not really r-ready for a relationship, a-and…"

"What are you stuttering for?" Vaughn quipped, crossing his forearms atop her high rise desk. He held his coffee mug aloft with two fingers, idly tapping it against the tabletop. "I just asked if you were free for a date. Denny won't quit bugging me about it, so it'd be really doing me a favor if you went out with him."

"Oh!" Molly's hand flew to her mouth, her face only growing impossibly redder.

Vaughn felt eyes on him and looked back. He saw at least four heads snap back to their desktops, pretending they weren't avidly eavesdropping moments before. He frowned, turning back to his friend. "So? It doesn't matter if you hate him, just tell him for me. I'll even pay you. Just get him off my back."

Molly rolled her eyes as her cheeks turned slowly back to their usual pallor. "Oh, you don't have to pay me; that's silly… Of course I'll go. I guess you're right… I really could use a break from here…"

He felt bad asking her for a favor so soon after Candace had left, leaving the girl virtually lost, but perhaps it would work out better than he originally thought. Molly really should get out and away from it for at least a day. Forget for a little while. Get preoccupied with something else. Maybe this was killing two birds with one stone.

"Great," Vaughn swallowed the last of his coffee and nodded to her. "I really appreciate it."

"Never mind," she shook her head, her hair sprayed tresses stiffly following her along. She gave him a beaming smile. "It'll be fun!"

"Right…" he started to walk away and suddenly stopped. Whirling back around, he said: "Oh, you might want to go to Applebee's."

"Applebee's?" Molly asked, her nose scrunching. "But that's, like… halfway across town. Why would we go there for lunch?"

"Because!" Vaughn was suddenly flustered, garnering the attention of everyone in the office again. "He said he had a gift card or something. Anyways, they have good food. Ish."

Molly giggled. "Okay, if you say so…"

"Thanks, Molly," Vaughn waved with his mug and went back to his seat. It felt like a walk of shame. Everyone's eyes were unabashedly on him as he slowly sunk into his chair, looking around at the faces wondering what on Earth he did that must have been so wrong for the attention he was getting.

"Why Applebee's, I wonder?" Allen's curious red head popped up from over top the cubicle wall, his arms propping up his chin.

"Sounds… suspicious," Basil walked by, toting a heavy box of files. He was brandishing his brand new ID/shameless dog collar around his neck.

"I was gonna say that!" Rod hissed, pointing threateningly at the intern. "I back up Allen, you got that? Nobody echoes him but me. Nobody…"

Basil looked like he peed a little.

"Not suspicious at all," Vaughn tried to play it casual, putting his headset back on. He chanced a glance at Gill who was too absorbed in his work to even notice that they were having an off topic conversation. Vaughn brought up his browser for cover before quickly hitting a hidden window. It was a video chat.

"Who're you calling?" Alice appeared beside Rod, making the ginger about as uncomfortable as he had just made Basil.

"And why is she gorgeous?!" Allen practically panted, lunging over top of the cubicle and leaning on Vaughn's head to get a better look.

"He knows I can hear him, right?" The blonde woman asked, tilting her head to the side.

"He's the type not to care," Vaughn replied, speaking into the microphone on his headset.

"What did she say? Tell her I'm down for booty calls," Allen frantically tapped Vaughn's forehead to get his attention.

Vaughn leaned forward in his swivel chair, causing Allen to completely lose balance. He fell with a scream and a crash over onto Vaughn's side.

The girl winced. "Is he okay?"

"No," Vaughn smiled pleasantly.

"So, what's this about, Vaughn?" She asked, scooting her chair forward. She was surrounded by what looked to be a dark, wood-paneled office. There was a picture or two on the wall of family members, and one of them had Vaughn in it. "Vaughn? Hey!"

Vaughn switched back to the browser, and everyone looked up with guilty expressions as Molly appeared in front of Vaughn's desk. She looked between the faces with unease, clearing her throat. "Um… so I sent Mr. Hamilton an e-mail, and he said I was free to go…"

"He's not in the office today?" Alice asked, miffed that she hadn't known beforehand. Otherwise, she would have worn her most dangerous V-neck without fear.

"Coward…" Vaughn muttered, still wanting revenge for Candace's lay-off. He wasn't so keen on losing his own job by punching him flat, but he was more than willing to make him wet his pants with a cruel prank or ten.

"He's at a meeting," Molly said, ever the dutiful secretary. She coughed into her fist, hiking up the purse on her shoulder. "Anyways, I just wanted to ask if you had Denny's cell phone number."

"Oh! Yeah. 'Course," Vaughn reached into his pocket and produced his cell phone. He shrugged and tossed it to her, which she struggled to catch. "You know what? Just take my phone. Take it with you; I don't need it."

"Vaughn, are you going to ask me to do something illegal? Who are you talking to?" The woman on his computer was still talking despite being concealed by an internet search page.

"You're… acting very strange," Molly said, pointing first at Vaughn and then gesturing to everyone around him. "And is that Allen behind your desk?!"

"Care to join me, babe?" He licked his lips.

"Not a chance," Molly held up a hand to block him out. "If you haven't already heard, I'm going on a date!"

"To Applebee's," Vaughn reiterated.

"Yes, to Applebee's," Molly clarified with an eye roll. She huffed her bangs out of her face and gave them all a wave in farewell, muttering as she went to the elevator. "Obsessed with Applebee's!"

Vaughn released a sigh of relief once the elevator doors shut. Everyone's focus went back to his computer as he pulled up the video chat box again. This time, she was looking less than hospitable.

"Why are you talking about Applebee's?" She asked in a very suspicious drawl.

"That's what I wanted to – hey!" Vaughn griped, holding his ears at the sharp beep.

Allen had reached up and yanked his headset out of his computer. "Come on, we all want to hear this!"

"Hear, hear," Alice grinned though she was still wary of this 'other woman.'

Vaughn grumbled and bopped Allen over the head with his ear piece and microphone.

"Hear what?" Gill suddenly looked up, finding half the office staring back at him.

"That…" Vaughn thought quickly. Sorry, Louis. "Louis's having a heart attack!"

"What?!" Gill jumped up, springing into action like the Peter Parker he always dreamed to be. The coworkers watched as he dashed across the main floor, attempted to hurl himself over Dan's sleeping form, failed, squashed them both, brought them to the floor, rose, kept going, kicked open Louis' office door, failed again, held his swelling ankle, cracked the door, then kicked the door open, and disappeared inside. "Louis, help is on the way!"

"What the flying knickerbockers just happened?" Dan held his head. When he wasn't given an answer, he cursed them all and took his pillow with him under his desk to finish his nap.

"You're wasting my time, Vaughn," the girl on his computer was thrumming her fingers on her desk.

"Sorry, Jules. Had to get rid of a few obstacles," Vaughn apologized, putting his chair back into place.

"When are you going to tell us what's going on?" Allen leered over Vaughn's shoulder, still trying to get a good look at the ponytailed blonde beauty. Her bust was about as big as her head, so it was no wonder the pervert was so interested.

Vaughn grumbled, knowing this wasn't going to get anywhere if he didn't handle his coworkers first. He pointed to the girl. "Everyone, Julia. Julia, everyone. She's my cousin who manages the Applebee's downtown."

"Cousin?!" Allen seemed disappointed as the girl waved back in greeting from the restaurant. He looked Vaughn up and down. "Damn. Why couldn't you have been a girl?"

With swift, easy force, Vaughn sent a punch straight into Allen's nose, sending the man crippling to the ground. Various 'ooo's were ooo-ed. Alice held up a ten, Rod a seven, Basil a seven, and Rod did the same to Basil as had just happened to Allen for copying his answer.

Vaughn cracked his knuckles, clenching his fingers after the impact. He turned back to his cousin. "Listen, Julia, I need a big favor from you. After this, I'll forget about the cow festival incident."

Julia paled considerably at the mention of her somehow scandalous past and sat up straighter. "Okay… I'm listening."

"There's a couple who's going to eat lunch there. Molly and Denny—" Vaughn didn't have to explain further.

Julia gushed, squealing and bouncing in her seat. "Denny?!"

"You remember him?" He sounded disappointed in her.

"Of course I remember Denny!" Julia laughed, leaning forward. "Is he as handsome as I remember him?"

"Considerably less so; he's damaged goods," Vaughn deadpanned. "Getting to the point, I need you to use this webcam you're using right now and put it on their table."

There was silence both on Julia's end and in the office.

"You want me to what?" Julia gaped.

"Look, I don't trust either of them as far as I can throw 'em right now. Just this once," Vaughn said. "And remember what I'm willing to forget."

Julia quickly composed herself, sitting back in her chair away from her computer. She crossed her arms. "Fine. I'll have them sit at the table closest to my office. It's not much of a view, but this cord isn't that long, and I don't need all of our security cameras to put me on the local news as a creep."

"You're the best, Jules," Vaughn thanked her. He didn't realize how his conversation was similar to how he had spoken to Denny that morning.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," she smirked. "Okay, gimme a minute."

Julia's camera shook and rattled as she leaned over her desk to dislodge it from her monitor. Her chest was the only thing on the screen. Allen sat up as if he could sense it, holding his bleeding nose. "Oh, it's getting good…"

Vaughn held up his fist again in threat, and Allen cowed away. Soon, the camera was released and Julia was clumsily carrying it across her office. The floor spun in circles, making the viewers slightly sick as she propped it up just outside her door at a lonely corner booth.

"What's the point of his, Vaughn? Why are you spying?" Rod asked, calm now that Basil wasn't giving him any trouble.

"Seems a little dark for you," Alice pursed her lips. "I like that."

Vaughn shook his head, leaning back in his seat as he watched his cousin fiddle with the broken audio. There was a screech as she moved the furniture around in her office to better catch the sound. She really wanted him to forget that cow festival. "I just want to see how things pan out."

"Aw, you're so protective!" Basil cooed. This sentiment was looked down upon by everyone, so he put himself in the corner as punishment.

"Whatever, this should be fun!" Alice ran around the cubicles and seated herself on the other side of Vaughn, squishing them both in order to do so.

"I'll make the popcorn!" Rod cheered, hurrying to the break room.

"I'll call my doctor!" Allen pulled out his cell phone, having his beautician on speed dial. He couldn't have a purple broken nose if he was going to keep his role as most handsome man in the office. "Marian, if I Snapchat you a picture of my face, will you be able to tell if it's broken?"

"This is cozy," Alice smiled, still practically hugging the wall in order to fit.

"Not really," Vaughn said. "And since when did dating become watching a football game? You guys should go back to work!"

"No way! That's not fair," Alice whined. She looked back at the monitor that was lying in wait. "Besides… we could all use a little fun today."

There wasn't time for further conversation. Someone shushed, and everyone watched wide-eyed as muffled voices were getting closer amongst the clattering of plates and conversation. Rod raced in late with scalding popcorn everyone immediately started digging their hands into.

"Turn it up!" Allen said, having Rod squish in next to him. Cubicles weren't made for four people, and definitely not five. But there was no refusing Basil as he climbed and crawled his way in for a seat, too.

Vaughn complied with the order and adjusted the volume. Voices could be clearly heard now.

"I'll be your waitress; my name's Julia! Can I get you a beverage to start out with?"

Molly appeared on screen and everyone gasped in excitement. She shrugged out of her coat and slid into the booth. The camera was angled just right. "Um, I'll just take a water with lemon, please."

"Wow, he's cute," Alice whispered. There was no need to since the microphone was back in Julia's office, but it was the appearance of watching a movie.

Vaughn rolled his eyes.

Denny slid in on the other side, taking off his work hat and ruffling his hair loose. "Got any beer?"

"Boo!" Allen shouted suddenly. "That's not the drink you order when you're with a lady!"

Julia was already gone, and the pair were looking over the menus. Allen seemed incredibly bored, but the others were still enraptured. "You're wasting your time, ladies. Everyone knows that the juicy stuff starts in act two – after they get their food."

"Sh!" Alice hushed him anyways, squinting to see them better.

"So…" Molly began. "I haven't really seen you since…?"

"The fall picnic! I was the handsome one," Denny smiled.

"Right," Molly laughed, but her face obviously blanched. It wasn't a subject she wanted to talk about. "So… what did you do for Christmas?"

"I went to my parent's house. Broke up with my girlfriend," Denny shrugged, leaning back into the seat.

"Oh, that's… rough," Molly sympathized somewhat.

Julia came back with their drinks, and the two ordered. The office people were starting to dose off from boredom. By the time their food came though, the action started picking up like dinner theatre.

"Can you pass me the salt, please?" Molly asked, holding out her hand.

"Salt?" Denny looked around. He spotted it and reached for it too fast. Molly's water swayed and fell to the table with a thud, dousing the spot between them. "Whoa! Sorry about that!"

"No, I'll get it!" Molly volunteered. She went to grab her napkin off her lap and accidentally took the table cloth instead, rattling everything and upsetting Denny's beer onto the floor. "Oh my God! I'm so sorry!"

"Oh my God is right!" Alice chortled, holding her gut and reaching for more popcorn.

"This is a disaster!" Allen agreed, leaning in ghoulishly.

"I think it's cute; like a Sandra Bullock movie!" Rod sighed. Everyone pretended he didn't know what Sandra Bullock movies were.

Vaughn was biting his tongue, embarrassed enough for them both.

After that fiasco was finished, the pair seemed to be more at ease with each other. They started laughing and talking more openly. Those in the cubicle had settled into more comfortable positions by this time, and the popcorn was long gone.

"Okay, this one time," Denny started, still chuckling at Molly's last story, "back when Vaughn and I first came to the city—"

"Turn it off," Vaughn threatened darkly. He sprung forward, trying to stop the chat. "Turn it off!"

"No!" Alice lunged at him, holding him back. "I wanna hear this!"

"This was a bad idea…" Vaughn was forced to listen and wait, slowly crumpling in on himself.

"Hey, it was yours," Allen smiled devilishly. He received a stony glare.

Denny was still having a hard time getting the story out, but he managed to continue. "So, we're going down the street, and it's really dark out. We're crazy lost, and we're in this sketchy part of town."

"Oh, I think I know where this is going…!" Molly held her fingers to her lips to contain her laughter.

"Where's it going?!" Rod wailed. He was promptly shushed.

"We come across this girl, right? Really pretty, but she looked a little worn out. Obviously, a… you know, right?" Denny was trying not to say any offensive words out loud in the crowded restaurant. Everyone was ogling Vaughn for his reaction, but his face was buried under his hand. "She comes up to the window because Vaughn slows down, and I'm just thinking 'what the hell are you doing, man?'

So she greets us real polite and all, and Vaughn – I swear – he has no idea what she's trying to do, and he asks her, and I quote: 'do you need a ride?'" Denny got to the punchline of the story, and the two burst into fits of laughter. Everyone around Vaughn did the same, Allen shaking his shoulder and Alice had tears in her eyes.

Denny's laughter died as he tried to finish the story: "She just gives him this look like, 'wow, so he's experienced with this?'"

Molly was crying, and Vaughn felt like he was melting from the inside out.

"So she starts crunching numbers, and Vaughn gets this wild look on his face and says: 'Pay you? I was the one offering you a ride!'"

More howls of laughter, and poor Vaughn was tossed around like a party balloon. Denny took a swig of his new beer and sighed. "I mean, he figured it out eventually, but it was the funniest thing to see him so totally baffled."

Molly wiped her eyes, checking her napkin for the make-up she lost in doing so. She took a deep breath to regain her bearings. "That's so like him, though! He seems so scary, but that was a really sweet thing for him to do. You know, since he had no idea she was on the job…"

"You cannot tell him I told you that," Denny made her promise as static started to clog the screen.

"No! The signal!" Allen cried, jumping up and shaking the computer to fix the problem.

"Fix it! Fix it!" Alice pressured, but the audio kept going in and out. A second later, and a box informed them that the call had been dropped due to connection issues.

Everyone sat back and groaned. Rod checked his watch and realized that they only had a half an hour left of work. The popcorn bag was thrown away, and everyone stretched and giggled and discussed the date.

"I think it could work out! As long as they have some more juicy Vaughn stories," Allen teased, whispering to Alice but not in any way that was subtle.

"Oh, stop teasing him!" Alice defended him. She couldn't explain quite how she knew he was already incredibly dense, so she had to be vague. "How could he know any better?"

"That was great, Vaughn," Rod gave the sales representative a firm pat on the shoulder. "You really brought them together."

"Yeah, it was super. Everybody go home!" Vaughn grouched, not liking his embarrassing stories blurted out for everyone to enjoy.

"Home? Way ahead of ya," Dan emerged from behind his chair and fluffed his pillow. He carefully stuffed it into his bag and headed out.

"Uh, guys…? Guys!" Louis was strapped to a gurney and was being lifted into the elevator by four paramedics. No one had heard the sirens outside from the ambulance from all of the laughter and merriment at Vaughn's expense.

"If you hadn't given him CPR, he might not be alive. Good work son," a medic was congratulating Gill who had proud tears in his eyes.

"It's my duty… as assistant regional manager!" Gill saluted.

"But I didn't have a heart attack! Help! Help!" Louis' cries were drowned out as the lights went off, everyone packed their things, and the office cleared after another successful day of hard work.