AN: Okay, I need at least one more part before the wedding.

Oh, did you know that Bono (Clay Calloway) is a Christian? And quite ironic that Clay is a LION. I'm sorry but I get a kick out of that.

I'll admit, this Alphonso is partially based on one of my favorite characters from one of my favorite book series called the Christy Miller series, including the College Years. Todd was such an awesome character. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. Written by Robin Jones Gunn.

Part 16

"No!" Linda Le Bon said sharply to the little cat who was at her feet.

"What do you mean by no?" Jerry asked incredulously, following her through her dressing room.

The mare looked away. She and Suki were close friends and the saluki had warned her of Jerry's vendetta. "Exactly that. It's a bad story and you have no evidence aside from one tape which is circumstantial at best." The young mare looked into the mirror.

The tortoiseshell cat growled. "Then you're a traitor too! I can't just drop it! They killed Mr. Crystal! Don't you have a problem with that?"

Linda sighed. "Jerry, you have no proof. Besides, which would you prefer for him? Swift, painless death or life behind bars? Without any chance of parole. Porsha ruined? Everything he had taken from him, her reputation destroyed along with his own?" She shook her head.

"He could have beaten the rap!" Jerry insisted. "They had no right! It wasn't their place to handle it! They broke into the theater!"

She waved her hoof at him. "With keycards he gave them, that he had not deactivated. Porsha Crystal was in the show. Try and tell a jury that Mr. Crystal did not authorize a show that his own daughter was in. Go ahead. Make sure you get it on video. If you keep at this Jerry, you'll only be hurting yourself." She walked him to the door. "I know how you felt about him but you're not the only one who's grieving right now. Let it go. Before you make things worse for all of us." She pushed him out and slammed the door.

Jerry clenched his tiny fists. Let it go? Let it go? That's all anyone had to say? He couldn't find one person to help him go after the behemoth that killed his Mr. Crystal. Not even his bodyguards were interested. He was on his own.

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When Nooshy woke up on Thursday, June 10, it felt like just a normal day. Except Marcus was actually making breakfast. He didn't do much cooking. He admitted that he was never a very good cook, even though he did try. They usually ate fast food breakfast unless Johnny felt like cooking and he'd be moving out soon. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. She understood why. He was a grown gorilla. He wanted to live with his boyfriend but he was her first real friend.

She smiled. "Can I help, Mr. Green?" She asked as he made pancakes. "Big Daddy…" she said when he looked at her. "Sorry, it's still…"

He nodded. "Do you know what today is?" he asked.

The lynx shook her head while she set the table. "Just another day. I wanted to go dancing maybe…"

Marcus chuckled and sat down. "Actually, today, I was planning to take you and Porsha to the courthouse. So that… I can formally adopt you."

She sat there staring at him. He said he wanted to adopt her but she didn't think he meant to go all the way. "Really? You really want to adopt me?"

He smiled at her. "If you will let me. I understand that it's been a long time. You're 15, 16… I know you've been living pretty much independently up until now, and I understand if you don't want to give up the freedom you've had. No matter what, you will always have a home here. You will never sleep in a cardboard box again."

Nooshy thought of herself as strong and capable. She didn't see herself as the sentimental type. Except… she couldn't help the wetness filling her eyes. She threw herself at him. "Yes… yes… I want to be adopted. I want a dad… I want a family so badly."

He chuckled and hugged her close. "Now you have one. Suki will be here soon. She is going to go with us."

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June 14th, 2021

Kickenklober found himself impressed by his students' serendipitous find. He could easily picture hosting his dance class in the building. "Yes, this will do rather nicely." He said as Johnny and Ryan were moving what little they both had up to their apartment.

Ryan was glad Klaus seemed to like it. "We thought you'd have one of the apartments, we have ours, and the rest would be for other students. A place where we can all live and dance."

Johnny nodded. "Directly affiliated with the theater across the street, so every dancer also has a guaranteed gig every show." Getting through auditions was the hardest part and it would help if they didn't have to audition new dancers for every show.

Klaus turned to his other student, his eyes hard and slightly untrusting. Since learning of their relationship, he'd been giving Johnny those looks. It felt like he'd taken several steps back in the instructor's good graces. "Hmmm. Indeed."

Ryan took Johnny's hand while Klaus proceeded to ignore him. "Forget him. You don't need his approval. You already have mine." He nuzzled his cheek. He sent Klaus a disapproving look. "How about we go break in our new bed."

He didn't need to twist his boyfriend's arm as they went back to the entrance and up the stairs leading to the two floors of apartment units. In the apartment, Johnny sighed. "What do I have to do? I thought we had turned a corner but now…"

Ryan rolled his eyes. "He'll get there. I don't need him to approve, neither do you. Because the choice is ours, not his. He's a bitter, lonely, old monkey just stuck down memory lane, idling in neutral." He kissed his lover. "I don't need his permission to love you." He pulled Johnny into the only bedroom.

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Over the last couple of weeks, Meena noticed something about her fiancé. Every morning, he would get up early and he'd just sit at the small table in the hotel room with one very large book and a smaller notebook. She just watched him as he read the larger book, every now and then making some notes in the smaller book. He always kept the light on the dimmest setting, clearly trying to let Meena and Tyler continue to sleep. He would spend a full hour just reading, notating, and sitting in quiet contemplation.

That morning, she realized he wasn't just sitting there. His lips were moving and she could hear him speaking. "Thank you Heavenly Father for another beautiful day. And thank you again for leading me to Meena. She's so wonderful and I pray that you'll help me be a good, loving husband to her and give me the wisdom to lead our family someday."

She blushed and closed her eyes, pretending to still be asleep when she saw him turning to look at her. When she learned how spiritual he was, she was hesitant. However, the more she saw and heard, the more she decided she liked this part of him. He loved her and if prayer and reading this big book meant he'd be a good husband to her then she would take it. Sure some took religion too far. Some used religion to bully and control others. Alphonso wasn't like that. He had even asked Johnny and Ryan to be groomsmen and he genuinely supported them.

She just didn't know what she believed. She didn't know how to talk about this stuff with him, but she couldn't help being curious.

At the end of the hour, he would mark his place and go take a shower. This morning, she waited until she heard the water running and his phone playing his favorite music before she got up. She put together a pot of coffee and went to the table. She looked at the book covers. She saw the title on the smaller book. "Loving Your Wife?"

"It's a study on being a good husband. He bought that after you got engaged," Tyler announced he was awake. "If you want to read it, he won't mind." He told her.

She shook his head. "I just don't know. It's so big. It would all probably go over my head anyway." She really did want to look at the big book. She didn't know why she was so nervous about it. It was just another book. "Do you understand any of it?"

Tyler shook his head with a laugh. "Ehhh, I mean, I get it. I believe but not like Alphie. I mean I could probably explain a little bit but you'd get a better explanation from him."

She sat down and curiously opened the book to the marked place. "If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn't love others, I would be nothing." She thought about the words.

They looked up as they heard his voice coming from the shower. "If all the heavens are singing along with the saints and the elders in glorious song. And the praises they sing never seem to get old. So I'll stay here forever singing…"

Tyler grinned mischievously and called out. "Don't stay there forever, Alphie, some of us out here need showers too." He and Meena laughed at his joke.

She smiled. "I knew he had a beautiful voice." It was exactly as she imagined it would be. The way he spoke and sang, she wanted to understand his belief. She wanted to know what it was about this big book that brought him such peace.

She was so busy reading the chapter she had turned to that she didn't hear the water shut off or the bathroom door opening or his footsteps. Until he sat beside her, watching her quietly with a smile of his own, still blushing at having been heard.

Meena hid her face when she realized it. His trunk moved one ear away. "Tyler said you wouldn't mind if…"

He shook his head. "I don't mind at all. You can read it as much as you want." He said eagerly.

"I was just so curious," she admitted. "I'll be honest, I don't know what I believe. I don't know if I believe in God." She bit her lip. What if that made a difference? What if he wanted a wife who did understand and could believe with him? She wouldn't blame him if he did.

He nodded in understanding. "That's okay. Meena, if you want to and come to believe then I'll be very happy but I will never expect it or ask it of you. I'm happy to explain any of it as best as I can and answer any questions to the best of my ability." He hugged her close. "But I will never try and force you to believe. You are the one he meant for me. I fully believe that."

She thought about what she wanted to ask while savoring his embrace. "Why does he let bad things happen to good people? If he's real and so all powerful, why couldn't he…" She let the question hang in the air but he understood.

"That is a very common question actually. When my mom died, I didn't want to believe, either. I was angry. I still needed my mother. How could he possibly take her away from me? It just felt so unfair. I didn't know what to think," he shared with her.

She listened and asked again. "And what is the answer? Why did he take away my dad when I was a baby? Why did he let Crystal… why did he take Mr. Moon?"

Alphonso was quiet for several minutes, thinking about his response. "It's complicated. May I?" He gestured to his book and she passed it to him. He flipped to another section. "When the first creatures first did wrong, death and all the evils of the underworld were allowed to enter." He explained for context. "And he gave us free will. He won't force us to believe or follow him. He wants us to do so because we want to. Some people insist on using that free will to hurt others."

She sighed. "Then… why? If he can't or won't stop bad things from happening?" She wasn't criticizing his belief, she just wanted to understand. "How did you stop being angry at him? How did you keep believing?" She wanted the peace he had. She wanted to know how to feel that way.

He took her hand. "I had to remember that God never wanted any of us to suffer. He wanted us to lead fulfilling, prosperous lives with him. Unfortunately Death was allowed a place in this world because of Sin. Suffering is a sad part of life but we don't have to suffer alone. That's why he came in the form of his son to die for us. So he could make a pathway to Paradise."

She thought about it. "Do you think Mr. Moon is in Paradise?" She asked.

He thought about his answer again. "I do. From what you've told me, he sounds like he was a very good person. So yes, I do." He hugged her comfortingly.

She leaned into his hug, hugging him back. "I love you Alphonso." She still didn't think she believed but it comforted her to know that he did. And she'd let him believe for both of them.

He caressed her head with his trunk. "I love you too, my beautiful goddess."

She sighed happily. "My ice cream guy."

"Um, speaking of ice cream. It's going to be ninety degrees today. We need to go get the truck open and take advantage," Tyler said.

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As maid of honor, Ash had the job of planning the shower. Meena had expressed discomfort at the idea of a bachelorette party with strippers and alcohol since neither she or Alphonso had a taste for the stuff. Alphonso was the first time she had even talked to a guy so she was way too shy for strippers. So a wedding shower would have to do.

She went to the only one she could think of who might be able to help her.

"Well, since it's Meena, I think we should keep it small," Rosita said as she and Ash looked through magazines for ideas. "So the two of us, Gunter, Nooshy, Porsha, Johnny and Ryan, Clay. Her family. The usual suspects. Nana and of course Eddie." She smiled over at the sheep who was playing video games with her kids.

"What? Me? You want me there too?" He asked. "I didn't even know I was invited to the wedding." He wasn't sure he wanted to go. He didn't want to go back to the place that had taken Buster from him.

Ash rolled her eyes. "Of course you're invited. You're one of us!" She wished she'd gotten a shot at his parents. They made her want to call her own parents and thank them for at least instilling her with a sense of independence. She'd love to get them with Clay's paint gun. "Hey, have they been giving you any trouble since…"

Rosita smiled. "Not at all. They tried at first but they have too much packing to do. I still can't believe we're going to be moving. We don't know what we're going to do with the condo."

The porcupine thought about it. "Well you know, Meena and Alphonso will need a place to live after the wedding. They can't live at the hotel forever."

Blue eyes went wide and the mother pig smiled brightly. "That's a great idea! I'll have to talk to Norman but that would be perfect." She and her family had many good years in this condo and it would be nice if it could go to someone she cared about and knew would take care of it well.

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Several hours later, Ash was on her way home, satisfied with the work they had done. Her journey took her through the local park. She couldn't help but think of the upcoming event. She was happy for Meena, she really was. Alphonso was a good elephant and she hoped they would be happy. However, she couldn't help feeling jealous. She was about to be the only one of her friends to not be married. She knew it was better than marrying the wrong guy but she was also lonely.

Living with Clay helped. He was a really good friend and he seemed to take pleasure in making sure she was cared for. If it brought him comfort and healing after 15 years of wallowing in his own grief then she was glad to let him but it wasn't the same. She wanted someone who looked at her the same way Alphonso looked at Meena. The way Norman looked at Rosita. Even Johnny had Ryan.

She had never even thought of dating after Lance. He was the only guy she had even come close to feeling that way for. Until he cheated on her and she realized how toxic he had been to her.

"Push me, Daddy!" She turned her head to the playground. What were the odds? Lance was there, pushing his kids on the swing set. She smiled. It was sweet how much he cared for them. When they had been dating, they had agreed that neither of them wanted kids but that was five years ago. He was a much different porcupine now.

She couldn't believe Becky could be so selfish to just leave them with him in favor of her own career. And given she never heard Becky's name anywhere, it was obviously for nothing. It was her right, of course, but Ash couldn't help feeling sorry for Lance's situation.

"Hi Miss. Ash!" Little Lance cried out when he saw her and she realized she was busted. He waved from the swing.

She waved back and went over. It would be rude not to say hi now that they'd seen her. "Hey, are you guys?" She asked.

"We're doing great," Lance replied. "They love this playground and it's close to our apartment." He explained. "How about you?"

She shrugged. "I'm doing alright. This park is right between my place and Rosita's. We were planning Meena's wedding shower. It's a surprise shower."

The young father smiled. "Sounds like fun. I'm sorry, I can't picture you planning a shower." He quickly realized that could be misunderstood. "Sorry, I just meant…. It doesn't seem like your thing."

She shook her head. "No, I get it. But she asked me to be her maid of honor. She didn't want a bachelorette party. She's getting married in a month."

The boar-porcupine's eyes went wide. "And how long have they been dating?" He laughed. "I remember her. She couldn't even get through her audition. And she's getting married to a guy she literally just met?"

Ash nodded. "They're both convinced that they're in love and I can see it. He's a good guy. A little too spiritual for my tastes but I think it works for him."

"Hey, different strokes for different folks," he agreed. "You know… we were just going to head to Croc's for dinner. Would you like to join us? I'll pay."

She shook her head. "I'd be happy to but I'll buy my own." Set the boundaries. She realized she still liked him but didn't want there to be any misunderstanding. They couldn't be more than friends. She couldn't let herself get in too deep.

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Porsha was surprised when Meena asked her to be a bridesmaid. She didn't even expect an invite. She was still not sure why they were being so nice to her. She understood why Marcus was being nice but they didn't owe her anything. A part of her wanted to try and warn them not to go to Redshore. Suki had called and told her about Jerry's thirst for vengeance. She didn't know what Jerry could do but she didn't want her friends to be in danger again.

"Shouldn't I tell them?" She asked Marcus after hanging up with Suki. "What if Jerry tries something?"

The large gorilla shrugged. "I wouldn't worry about it. I'll be there. Stan and Barry too. We'll make sure he doesn't ruin their party." He crunched his knuckles. He wouldn't fail this time. He just hoped he wouldn't have to get his hands dirty again.

Nooshy came out of the bedroom holding the dress that Meena had picked for the bridesmaids. "I don't really have to wear this, do I?"

Porsha nodded. "Yep, we both do. Come on, Noosh, it's just one day and just for a few hours. I can't believe they really want it in Redshore City. Maybe I should ask Suki if we could have a room at the hotel. I mean, it's my hotel I guess…"

"I don't think that would be a good idea," Nooshy said. "We just need a small motel near the church."

Marcus nodded. "I'll second that. I think they're all going to have a hard enough time going back at all." He understood why but it didn't help. He only hoped his son could handle it.

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Croc's was a small fast food chain restaurant with a beautiful blue roof and a statue of a crocodile clown standing outside. There was an indoor dining room as well as an outdoor patio with a jungle gym and ball pit.

Lance handed kid's meal portions to his twins. Little Lance elected to get the deep-fried chicken nuggets while Raquelle got a plain hamburger. A small French fry and a pack of apple slices was split between the two kids while he secretly pocketed the toys for later. Otherwise they'd never eat. Individual jugs of milk accompanied the meal.

While eating her own, she watched him. "You're really good with them, you know." She said.

He blushed a little, not knowing why. "I never thought I could be. I didn't really have a choice though."

She shrugged. "Well, technically, you did but… And you really gave up music?" This was the part she didn't understand. "Why?"

He laughed. "You're kidding right? Ash, I sucked. And don't say I didn't because we both know I did. Your friend saw it. I should have let you lead our band. I was so self-absorbed." He sighed. "I made so many mistakes back then. I gave up music after because it just reminded me of… of you…" His voice was quiet. "I was such an idiot."

She touched his hand. "Lance, it's okay. I forgave you for that. Don't beat yourself up over it. You made mistakes and it looks like you learned from them." She reassured him.

He looked at his twins over at their smaller table. "Because of them. Without them, I'd still be the immature, self-absorbed jerk who cheated on the greatest girl he ever knew."

Ash sighed. "Lance, really, it's okay."

He shook his head. "No, no it's not. All I did when we were together was tear you down and then I… all because I was so jealous. Your friends are right. All I did was hurt you and that's not okay."

The rockstar bit her lip. "Okay, let's clear the air. Fine. Yes, you hurt me. I was a mess for a long time. I was so angry with you. At the time. But you know what. I wrote my first song. I'm having a pretty successful career. Granted I don't know when our next show will be or what it will be. Buster always came up with the ideas." She ate her fries. "But that's not the point. You hurt me but I was ultimately better off because of it. And at least we can at least be friends now."

The young boar-porcupine turned his eyes up to her. "Yes, we can be friends now. I'd like that…"

She seemed to be thinking. "You know… I'm allowed to bring a plus one. And there's going to be childcare for the reception. Would… would you like… just as friends…" She didn't know why she was asking other than she really didn't want to have no one to dance with.

Her former boyfriend looked like he wanted badly to say yes but he shook his head. "I would but I couldn't get the time off of work and the kids have school." He replied.

"Come on, it's not until the end of the month. School will be over for the year by then," she pressed. "Besides, it's just what, kindergarten, right? What would they be missing?"

"Pre-K actually. No offense, Ash, but your friend hates me. She would not want me at her wedding," he pointed out what he thought was obvious. "You'd be better off asking someone who'll treat you well. Ask Clay. He seems to like you a lot."

She shook her head. "He's singing at the wedding. And I told you, it's not like that between us. He's just my roommate. He's a friend."

"Are you sure? Because he seems pretty protective of you," he said. "And determined to keep me away from you."

She sighed. "You know what. Maybe you're right. Maybe going to the wedding together isn't a good idea. And I think I should get home. Have a great night." She got up, threw her trash away, and left. If he wanted to be jealous of Clay, fine. They were just friends in the loosest sense of the word. She didn't even know why she tried to ask him. Maybe she was just lonely. She was the only one of her friends aside from Gunter, who really showed no interest in romance, without anyone special in her life and, lately, she'd really started to feel it.

'Forget him,' she told herself. 'He broke my heart once before. And I really don't want kids.' Though she was starting to wonder about that too. 'I would be a terrible mother.'

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The following morning, Rosita woke up to the entire world spinning around her. She ran to the master bathroom, unaware of her husband following her.

"Honey, are you alright?" He asked her from outside, hearing her getting sick.

The toilet flushed and she called back, "Yeah, sweetheart, I'm fine." She came out. It had been awhile since she'd been really sick. In fact, she'd only felt this bad twice before.

"Honey, this has been going on for days. I'm worried. You need to see a doctor," Norman told her.

She shook her head. "Norman, I promise, I'm fine. Let's get the kids ready for school." She kissed him good morning.

He sighed. "Rosie," he used a nickname that he rarely used unless he wanted to make a point. "I'm afraid you might be really sick. Please go see your doctor."

Rosita contemplated her response. "I really don't think I need a doctor, Norman. Well, maybe but I don't think it's anything to be too worried about." She kissed him deeply. "But I'll go see her if it'll make you feel better." She wouldn't say anything until she had confirmation.

AN: Okay, think this has gone on long enough. Sorry for no update yesterday but server outages sucks. Seriously considering a Ryan spinoff about his high school days and his journey to discovering dance among other things. Also I think there'll be one more chapter before the wedding.