Kuro looked deeply into his coffee cup. "So you're getting married," he said. "Next month," Sheila replied, "on Saturday ninth." "It should be a nice day," Sandi added. The big fox nodded. He sighed. He stared into his coffee some more. "You're invited," Sheila offered, "if you want to be there." He shook his head slowly. "Better if I don't." He sighed and shook his head again. "It's been over for a long time now, hasn't it." "More than a year," Sandi replied. "I'm judging from the way it's felt. Sheila agrees." She picked up her cup and took a sip. "You make better coffee than I do." Kuro laughed, (the first time any of them had smiled.) "I have a way with Keurig machines," he chuckled. "The sex was always good, too," he offered. Sheila smiled over her cup at that. "Always something new," she purred. "But me and Sandi..." "You belong together," Kuro finished for her. He nodded and had another sip. "I've always been faithful to you. Both of you. Now that it's over, I have to admit, there have been times... if I'd been free... adventurers like me, who knew what was going on, what was at stake, ready to defend themselves..." "I can defend myself!" Sandi said, annoyed. "You have, a couple of times. But it's not right for me to put you where you have to." "It was our choice!" Sandi growled. (Sheila nodded.) Kuro put his cup down, his face gone dark. "You know I can never tell you what's really going on," he growled. "Nobody can know who isn't in it. The only way for innocent people like you to sleep safe in your beds is for me and the few others like me to keep it in the shadows, where it belongs! That's what I chose. You didn't and that's what keeps me going! I've done my best not to drag you into it! Married..." He looked away and shook his head. "Just as well that it's over." "Kuro," Sandi started, "look..." "No!" Sheila said. "Baby mouse, no. He needs to move on." "So do we," Sandi replied. Kuro just nodded and chugged his coffee. "Speaking of which, Matt's on his way up, I'd better get going." Kuro took his coffee cup to the kitchen and left it in the sink, then went out on the balcony. Sheila and Sandi came after him. He stood beside the railing. "Will we see you again?" Sheila asked. "Not if you're lucky. I'll look in on you now and then, for a while, just to be sure. You trust me for that, right?" Sandi nodded and hugged the big fox. Sheila took her turn when Sandi had done. "You are the best!" he whispered. Then, pulling away, he jumped over the rail. Sheila and Sandi both looked over the side of the building, but he was nowhere to be seen. A few seconds later there was a knock at the door. "Let me get it," Sheila said, and went down the hall. (Sandi loaded the cups into the washer.) Sure enough, her brother Matt stood on the other side. "You have got to be kidding me!" he exclaimed. "Hello to you too, big brother," Sheila replied. "ABOUT WHAT?" came Sandi's voice from up the hall. Sandi followed it. "The date? The church? The mouse?" "Good morning, Sandi," he told her. "You're seriously marrying her?" he continued to Sheila. "You got a problem with that?" "Well, let's see. She's a mouse, you're a cat, both of you are girls..." "And this is news to you? She was a mouse and I was a cat when mama died! Were you too upset to notice?" "But now you are trying to get married!" he yelled. "No, we are not trying to get married, we are going to get married! And you and the family are not going to stop us..." "By who? Reverend Robinson won't perform the ceremony, he told me himself..." "We have an appointment with the Mayor of New York City..." "Oh my God! You're not even getting a church marriage?" Matt groaned and palmed his face. ("It begins," Sandi muttered.) "Forget that. Where is he?" "Where is who?" Matt gave Sandi a dangerous cop glare. "Oh him, he jumped off the balcony a few minutes ago." "What?" Matt exclaimed and ran to the kitchen. Sandi counted down silently on her fingers. "Aw damn!" Matt exclaimed from outside. Sheila opened the door to the condo. She and Sandi moved back against the wall. Matt leapt from the kitchen door and ran past them, out the door and down the hall. He turned at the door to the emergency stairs and wrenched his way through. "He'll be back," Sheila sighed. "Fire alarm," Sandi reminded her. Sheila took her cell out of her cleavage and dialled the concierge.

"Spring is here, the sky is blue, whoa oh oh "Birds all sing as if they knew "Today's the day we'll say, we're through "And you won't matter any more..." "What the hell am I even singing!" Diana yelled. "...uh... we're singing Chapel Of Love by the Dixie Cups?" Mary ventured. "Then you switched to It Doesn't Matter Any More by Buddy Holly," Flo added. "How could she marry that mouse!" Diana went on. "It is not natural! It's... wrong! A cat and a mouse... a girl and... another girl! What am I supposed to do with that? It's wrong!" "...I like Sandi..." Mary murmured. (Diana and Flo glared at her; she returned an embarrassed smile.) "Our sister is a lesbian." "She's bi," Flo corrected. "She goes with anybody she wants. And she wants a lot." The three sisters stood in the basement rec room of their childhood house, now a rehearsal hall. Mary and Flo looked vaguely at their music stands; Diana sat down in an old arm chair. The silence stretched out. "Just like mama," Flo added. Little Mary and Diana in her chair looked up at Flo, who let the silence stretch a few seconds further. She looked at Diana as she spoke. "She's family," Flo said, "whether we understand her or not. She needs us to sing a set at her wedding reception. We can't let her down. Because that would be wrong of us." Diana blew a hard sigh, nodded and stood. "Let's try again," she said. "This time I'll look at the music." Mary smiled at Flo, but the tall cat shook her head and leaned close. "Just for now," she whispered.

The display on Sheila's cell said front door, something she seldom saw. She took the call. "Hello?" she said. "Put my sister on the line!" a male, tenor voice demanded. Sheila gave her phone a bemused stare. "You have the wrong number," she replied and hung up. A few seconds later the front door called her again. "Hello?" "I do not have the wrong number! Now put my sister on the line! At once!" Sheila pulled herself up to her full height. "You most definitely have the wrong number, sir," she growled and hung up again. She quickly dialled building security. "Hello. This is Ms Lacy, penthouse suite. Somebody keeps calling from the front door demanding to speak to his sister. Would you please look into it?" She listened for a moment. "Thank you," she said and hung up. Sheila went to the living room and turned the TV to a special channel. The front door appeared. A mouse in a formal suit was furiously dialling the annunciator panel. Sure enough, her cell rang again. "Will you stop calling me, sir!" "Now listen here, girl," the mouse scolded. "Do you know who I am?" "You might not have noticed, sir, that you are in New York City. If anybody who mattered knew who you are, you would not need to ask that question. I have summoned security to where you are, sir. If they catch you there, they will certainly question you and probably have you arrested..." "Well then you call them and tell them to go away! Now put my sister on the line and no more foolishness from you, girl!" Sheila opened her mouth to reply, but saw as she did two men in the building's livery approaching the door. She hung up and watched the security guards grab the man and take him away, yelling and struggling as he went. Sheila turned the TV off, set down the remote, closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. She stared for a minute at the blank TV screen, then got up and went to the kitchen. She reached into a box of K-cups, set one into the coffee maker, took a coffee cup from the shelf above it and put it under the spout, then pushed the go button and watched coffee pour into the cup. She added two sachets of sweetener and stirred it in, then sat at the kitchen table, sipping slowly. She'd finished about half of her coffee when her cell rang again. The display said building security. "Hello?" "Ms Lacy, it's security. I have a gentleman at your door who claims to be Mr Carter, Ms Carter's brother. I'm afraid his identity checks out, Ms Lacy. Could Ms Carter come to the door, please?" "Sandi's not in right now. I'll be right there." Sheila stood back a little from the door. She set the security chain and cracked the door open enough to see. With a thud of boots, it immediately flew to the limit of the chain. "Cut that chain!" the mouse exclaimed. "Go and get cutters and cut it at once! Go now! I will not be barred from my sister! Go and get cutters and cut that chain! Go now! Now!" "Shut up!" Sheila screamed. (The mouse looked up at her.) "That's better. Sandi is not in right now. She is being fitted for a tuxedo. I expect her back this afternoon..." "Less lip from you, girl!" the mouse interrupted. "Open this door! Now!" Sheila stared for a moment, stunned by the mouse's arrogance. "No," she said, at last. "What?" Mr Carter exclaimed. "Did that sound to you like a request? I said that you will open the door! Now open it! Now! Don't stand there staring like you'd suddenly gone deaf! Open the door! Open it! Open it!" "Are you quite through being an ass?" Sheila exclaimed. (The mouse gaped at her, momentarily stunned.) "Guard," Sheila added quickly, "please escort Mr Carter to the door. If he wishes to catch Sandi when she's in, he should try after two." "I will see my sister!" "She's not in." "I will see that for myself! Open that door, girl!" Sheila shook her head at the guard and closed the door. She locked it before she removed the chain, then returned to the kitchen. There was a pounding at the door, but it ended quickly. She picked up the cup, still warm and comforting from the coffee within and started taking slow, measured breaths. When they were smooth, rather than ragged, she took a sip of coffee, then pulled out her cell and dialled. "What's wrong?" Sandi's voice answered. "Baby mouse, you're not gonna believe this..."

Sheila's cell rang. The display said front door. On the TV, the same mouse stood, fuming. Beside her, Sandi was growling. Sheila set it to intercom mode. "You will open this door! I will come up! When I get there, you will open the door and let me in! And you will keep your mouth shut!" "Yes, she's in now," Sheila replied. "Just a moment please," and she handed her cell to Sandi. Sandi handed her own cell to Sheila; she'd already dialled security. "Rapist!" Sandi spat. "Sandi? It's your brother! Let me in right now, girl!" "My brother died when I was fourteen, trying to save my step-father from a fire." "What are you talking about? You jumped on me, you stopped me from saving his life!" "And the fact that you tried to save that arrogant, violent, ass-raping son of a bitch is why you're dead to me!" "Our father was a good man! He was strong!" "He was a rapist!" "He never raped you! You went in the basement because you wanted to! Slut!" "You took your turn with me! Incestuous rape!" Sandi's brother was silent for several seconds. Sheila leaned close. "Security's on its way," she whispered. "I... I-I was drunk..." he stammered. "And... y-you wanted it..." "You still believe that," Sandi growled. "Why did you come here?" (Again there was silence.) "Quick!" "The... cat... bad enough lesbians pretending to get married, but a cat..." "It's none of your business." "The family, we won't let you... You can't! We won't allow it!" "The family can... Your family can sit and spin! Sheila is my family! I'm making that official and I don't want you or them anywhere near!" On the TV, two security guards opened the door behind him. "My brother is dead!" Sandi exclaimed. "Don't ever come back here! Or the rest of your family!" Sandi hung up and passed Sheila's phone back to her, accepting her own. She watched, her face set and grim, as two big dogs dragged her brother out to the street, although he was no longer putting up a fight.

"I want to apologize for my son," Mrs Carter said. "He's a very... a very traditional young man, he holds to traditional values..." "He's an arrogant ass," Sandi shot back from the far side of the desk. Mrs Carter's face on the monitor froze over briefly. It melted into a long-suffering mother expression. Her whiskers sank, blending into her white fur. "...one could say that. He gets it from his father, I'm sure." "Step-father," Sandi corrected. "Dad was a good man." "You know," Mrs Carter said, "I've never used these Instant Message things before. Is it considered polite for somebody who refuses to appear in my screen to... to kibitz like this?" "I don't think Miss Manners ever had to deal with Internet technology," Sheila replied, "it being a bit before her time." "But surely if she had, she'd have considered it rude to refuse to show your face to the person to whom you're speaking." "I never want to have to see you again," Sandi replied. "And I don't want you lying to my fiancée, either. And her name is Sheila." "Under the circumstances, I think Ms Lacy will do. I'm sure you agree, Ms Lacy?" "If cold formality is what you're comfortable with, I'll put up with it. At least you're being polite. Will you pardon me for a moment, please?" The older, white mouse nodded. Sheila muted the messenger. She walked around behind the desk and sat beside Sandi. "Baby mouse, please, I know you don't want to talk..." "She turned a blind eye and let him rape me!" "...but this could go on for hours the way she's taking things! It's already taken twenty minutes just to say hello!" Sheila sighed. "You're being deliberately rude, it's bugging her and you're enjoying it." "Maybe," Sandi smirked. "But you're also stretching this ordeal out! Should I get your mom to call our bedroom? I could let her try to talk to you while we're doing B&D." Just for a moment, Sandi seemed confused, then horrified. She scowled and looked away. "Oh, all right, but just until she's had her say. And if she tries to stretch it out with pleasantries, I'm leaving the room!" "Thanks, dear." "And I won't promise to be polite, either," she added, standing. "And I'll need you there all the time. Come on." The two women walked back around the desk and sat before the monitor. Mrs. Carter waited until Sheila unmuted the messenger before she spoke. "Thank you, Ms Lacy. Good morning, Sandi. It's been a very long time since we've spoken last." "Cut the crap. I'm only talking to you to get this over with." "I see. Ms Lacy, my daughter and I have family matters to discuss now, so I would appreciate some privacy. I'm sure you understand." "Oh, I'm sorry, Mrs Carter, it was a condition of Sandi's appearance that I stay with her." "Sheila's my family, not you. Anything you have to tell me, you can say in front of her." "Sandi, I think Ms Lacy would rather excuse herself so that we can talk in private." "Actually, Mrs Carter, I think you underestimate me. Sandi is my mate, my fiancée. I would never leave her side as long as she needs me. Were our situations reversed, I believe I would respect that." "She's staying!" Sandi added. "That's final!" "I want you to know, Ms Lacy, that I am not in the habit of airing my family's dirty laundry in public. If you both insist upon it, however, I suppose I have no choice. "I suppose, Ms Lacy, that my daughter has told you wild stories about my second husband? I see from your expression that she has. Sandi was still a child when he began to... have his little basement experiments with her..." "He had a dungeon down there! He tied me up and raped me! He brought in his friends to rape me! He got Aaron drunk and had him rape me..." "Stop this!" Mrs Carter exclaimed. "I know what he did..." "And you never lifted a finger to stop it!" "What would you have had me do? Speak up and be beaten until I couldn't take care of your younger sisters and brothers? Your father..." "Step-father!" "Your step-father was a violent man! Abusing you kept him from doing much worse things to the rest of the family!" "Then why did you marry him?" "Because I loved him!" "Because... you... loved... him?" Sandi replied, as if that was the one thing more incomprehensible to her than her mother letting him abuse her. "Why am I even talking to you." "I loved him. I was too blind to see what sort of man he was until it was too late. I thought it was just..." Mrs Carter glanced at Sheila. "You are determined to humiliate me." "I have my own secrets to keep," Sheila replied. "I know my reputation is for kissing and telling, but there are some things I will never tell." "Then I can only hope that this will be among them. Sandi, dear, your step-father did for me what your father could never bring himself to do. He would beat me..." She looked away and drew a heavy sigh. "...beat me for my sexual pleasure. The dungeon was mine dear, originally." "I knew it," Sandi muttered. "You can't understand what it's like, to be so driven by pain and humiliation, that it makes you..." "Cum," Sandi finished for her. The older mouse looked away. "I do not wish to be in your judgement." Sheila looked at Sandi. Sandi glanced at her, shook her head, turned back to the monitor. Sheila watched her partner for a moment, then turned back to the mouse in the monitor. "I don't care how you get off," Sandi replied, at last. "I know that he did the same thing to me. Hurt me. Humiliated me. Degraded me. And worst of all he pretended that I wanted it." "It stopped him from doing worse things." "I... Death stopped him from doing worse things." Mrs. Carter looked up at Sandi at last, shocked. Sandi glared back levelly. "Mother, what do you want of me right now?" She stared back at Sandi, pleadingly. "There's so much we have to talk about..." "Aaron said that you would try to stop Sheila and I from getting married." "You can't marry her! It's lesbianism, miscegenation, against the laws of God and man!" "Okay, now I'm curious. Which of those do you think is the worst?" Mrs Carter stared blankly for a full minute. "You mustn't do this!" she said, at last. "We'll find you a nice man, a mouse like us, you'll have beautiful children..." "Don't forget come to understand and forgive you," Sandi replied. "I knew that if I just spoke to you that you'd come to your senses." "Sheila and I are getting married. I've already collected recent images of you, Aaron and the rest. City Hall security will receive them and they'll be instructed to use deadly force to keep you out if necessary." "You treat your own family like your enemy!" "Sheila is my family. You can all go to hell. Good bye, mom." With that, Sandi reached over, logged off IM and exited the messenger. She sat staring at the wallpaper on the monitor. Sheila looked at her for a moment, then pulled the mouse into a cuddle. Sandi snuggled under Sheila's chin. "It's over," she muttered. "No it isn't," Sheila replied. "You heard how she described us. They have conviction, they'll keep trying."

The Entertainment Tonight logo swept across the screen. When it had passed, Sheila and Sandi were walking into a banquet hall behind a wall of security dogs. "New York City!" the ET announcer leered. "The society marriage of super model slash financier Sheila Ann Lacy to inventor Sandi Carter..." Sheila grabbed the remote and paused the PVR. "Sandi!" she yelled. "Come quick! We got ET coverage!" "What?" Sandi yelled back from her office down the hall. "ET!" "What?" "Come quick!" Sandi walked in, wiping her hands with a paper towel. "What's wrong?" "We got coverage on ET!" "For what?" "Looks like those were ET cameras outside the stag party after all." "So what's the big deal? We never let them in." Sheila un-paused the PVR. On screen, Sheila gave them a regal smile-and-wave as the couple entered the hall. "We weren't allowed inside," the announcer leered, "but we got a word with one of the entertainers who told all!" The scene cut to a head-and-shoulders shot of a handsome, white-furred mouse-rat in a plain, grey tee who smiled frankly at the camera. "Why that sneaky, little faggot!" Sandi growled. "We paid him to keep his mouth shut!" Sheila paused the PVR again. "He couldn't have said too much. We're..." She checked a corner of the TV. "...more than a minute behind real time and the phone's not ringing." "Better record this, we might need evidence. Gimmee the remote." Sandi took the remote from Sheila. She pressed record, then play. "Well I can't really say very much," the mouse-rat said in a soft, southern accent. "It was a bachelorette party and after all, a gentleman never tells." "Did anything happen in there?" the ET reporter demanded. "Well I can tell you one thing. Sandi Carter is the biggest sweetheart you'd ever want to meet! I was just blown away by how nice she was." Sandi paused the PVR. "What happened?" she demanded. "You were drunk," Sheila replied. "How drunk?" "You have to ask, that should tell you. Put it this way, do you remember pinning him down and riding his cock?" "I did what?" "That's why I made you put foam in your cunny before we left. I got a safe on him, too." "I must've been completely shit-faced," Sandi moaned. "Did... you..." "You wouldn't let me near him, except to change his safe. Let the show play," she added. Sandi pressed play again. "And Sheila Ann Lacy is a real lady," the mouse-rat went on. "Not pretentious or stuck-up you understand, just considerate and kind, always minds her speech, a real class act! It was a true honour to have met them both." "Did you dance for them?" "Well that's what they paid me for!" "Could you show us a little?" "Why I'd be happy to dance for Entertainment Tonight!" The camera pulled back, but the mouse-rat only took a card out of his black jeans pocket and offered it to the reporter. "Here's the agency that represents me. Be sure to mention it's a follow-up to this interview." Sandi paused the PVR and burst out laughing. "Clever lil' bugger!" Sheila purred. "I hope they do get him to dance. He'd need a pole, though." Sandi unpaused the PVR, only to see the mouse-rat cringe. He went on about a pole as the camera zoomed back in on him. They looked at each other. Sandi rewound the recording by a few seconds and played it again. "...sure to mention it's a follow-up to this interview..." "Faggot!" somebody off-screen screamed. "I'd need a pole, you see," the mouse-rat went on, his smile turned forced. "You're a pole-dancer?" the reporter asked. "Fuckin' faggot!" The mouse-rat turned a little towards the heckler. "Ev'ry chance I get, shoog," he replied. "Yes, I..." "Fuckin' distemper faggot insult to marriage oughta burn in boiling tar 'n go t' hell!" "Hey!" Sandi exclaimed. "Was that..." The mouse-rat grimaced. "Well if you don't approve of gay marriage then don't marry a gay man!" he shouted back. "I'm a straight man!" "Then marry a comedian!" The mouse-rat shook his head sadly. "People surely do pay a lot of attention to things that really are none of their business!" he declared. The scene froze. For a few seconds CGI fireworks erupted over him and a big, green check mark blinked on screen to the ringing of a bell. The Entertainment Tonight logo swished across the screen again. Behind it, a video of Diana, Flo and Mary on a stage was playing. Sandi paused it and rewound to before the mouse-rat grimaced. "...temper faggot insult to marriage ought to burn in boiling tar and..." She stopped it and rewound it again. "That sounded like..." Sheila started. "...'kin distemper faggot insult to marriage ought to..." Sandi paused the video again. "Aaron!" she growled, as she fast-forwarded to the ET logo again. "How did he find out about the party? Shit, we'll have to review security." "I warned Matt about your family, he warned everybody else. We can deal with that in a minute, let it finish playing." "More on the wedding!" the voice-over declared. "Sheila Lacy's sisters..." "Sheila Ann Lacy!" Sheila declared. "I'll have to talk to them about that." "...and Mary, will be performing at the couple's gala reception." The scene cut to a head-and-shoulders shot of Diana. "First and foremost, it's my sister's wedding," she said. "We're very happy to express our love for her and her bride in song." "Hey! You're the bride!" Sandi paused the PVR again. "I thought we told them that." "Diana would never talk like that, she's reading a prepared text." "Who wrote it?" "Good question, it wasn't me. Maybe Matt got somebody at the FBI publicity department, I don't know. Let it finish!" Sandi pressed play. "We're still preparing our song list," Diana went on, "but 'Chapel Of Love' will be featured." The scene switched back to the video. "Diana Lacy and The Sisters motown revival gold record winner is going to the wedding! A sly hint about the city hall ceremony?" Once more the ET logo flew past to reveal a pair of actors pretending to beat each other up. "Hollywood! This season's new action movie..." Sandi pressed stop and the actors were replaced by a tampon commercial, already in progress. She muted the TV. "I like that boy," she said. "He's quick, he doesn't take shit." "He's a nice boy," Sheila replied. "If I have kids, I want him for the sire." "The boy's right. It's none of their business. Our families, I mean. We can't put up with them interfering. We have to do something." "Got something in mind?" "Cut through the excuses, get to the root of the matter." She thought a moment. "They know what their real motives are. We just have to get them to spill, then deal with them." "My family hates your family. Your family hates my family. The rehearsal?" Sheila smiled fiercely. "The rehearsal."

"Everybody," the chief usher yelled, "the actual hall is smaller than this one, so stay inside the dividers. I know there's more room outside the dividers, but on the actual day there won't be because it will be in a smaller hall! Is everybody clear on this? Good, then could that small person over there please more that divider back! Thank you! Now can we have the bride's family take the second row and back on the right and the groom's family second row and back on the left. Remember, the mayor needs first row left for his entourage and the singers get outside first row left. Media will be taking the back rows. Everybody else please just find a place..." Sheila and Sandi watched from the side as their families and volunteers standing in for officials shuffled through the "doors" of the "courtroom" set up in the hotel conference room. "Tell me again why we booked this room for the morning," Sandi grumbled "The bar's not open yet!" "That's why!" Sheila replied. "Last thing we need is either of our families trying to do this drunk..." Sheila paused to stare at a mouse girl who'd taken up position behind them. "Sandi!" the mouse girl whispered. Sandi instantly stood up straighter, a pole-axed expression on her face. "Evvy," she whispered. "This might be my only chance," Evvy went on. "I'm here for everyone except Mom and Aaron. Sandi, we're so ashamed! We knew what was going on, we were all afraid to do anything! We thought Dad would get mad and hurt us, but we should have at least said something. We didn't and... we're all so ashamed of ourselves..." Evvy's sniffle was microscopic, but Sandi shuddered at it as if an electric wire had touched her. "We want you to forgive us. We'd do anything if you could, but Lys and I can't imagine it. Sandi, please, at least forgive Penny. She was too young to understand!" "She was two," Sandi hissed to Sheila. "Trouble," Sheila hissed back, nodding towards Sandi's mother, who was approaching. "Please, Sandi, do you have an answer for us?" But Sandi only stood, stunned and watched her mother approach, mouth agape and teeth slowly emerging. "Good morning Sandra," said Mrs. Carter. "Were you and Evelyn having a nice chat?" "I was just saying good morning, Mom," Evvy replied. She slowly came out from behind the couple. She tried to put a card into Sandi's hand as she did. Sandi's hands remained clenched. Sheila coughed as she leaned closer to Sandi, took the card herself, smiling all the time. "Now that we're going to be related by marriage," Sheila said, cheerfully, "you'll have to tell me all about your family!" Mrs Carter's smile instantly became forced. "But this is hardly the time and place for pleasantries," she said. "I'm sure we'll be very busy today. Perhaps, after it's all done..." "You're right, of course. Another time." Mrs Carter took Evvy's hand and lead her back to the seats where the rest of her family was waiting. Sandi leaned close. "Thanks," she said. "Evvy was sincere," Sheila murmured back. "Not now!" Sheila nodded, but slipped the card into her black jeans pocket. More guests were seated as Sheila and Sandi looked on. The singers, Diana and Flo kept looking towards the gap in the dividers that represented the door they'd be using. Finally, Diana came over. "Have you seen Mary?" she asked. "Not since we started the rehearsal," Sheila replied. "Sandi?" The mouse just shook her head. "Maybe she's powdering her nose," Sheila added. "Well she'd better show up soon or we'll be rehearsing a duo!" She glanced towards the far side of the hall. "Who's the kid?" A young, teenaged mouse girl with a determined smile was approaching from the direction of he Carter family. "Penny," Sandi replied, through gritted teeth. "Sandi's youngest sister," Sheila explained. "Be nice." Diana nodded and smiled, but Penny came straight to Sandi, her arms open wide. "You're Sandi!" she said. "I didn't even like recognize you, it's been so long and I was just like little! Hugs?" Without waiting for Sandi to reply, Penny snuggled into her sister's small bosom. "I missed you!" Sandi's front teeth bared in terror. Penny pulled Sandi's arms around her, but Sandi still stood rigidly, her eyes wide. Diana leaned closer to Sheila. "The heck?" she whispered. "Sandi's family makes ours look like the Waltons," Sheila whispered back. "I don't even know if I can explain." Penny let go at last and stood beaming at Sandi, seemingly oblivious to her sister's terror. "I was just like little when you went away!" she said. "It's been like a long time! Do you like FPS games? I like kicking boys' asses!" "...I ...I play..." "We should start like a team some time! I'll give you my name... Do you have like some paper and a pen?" Sandi shook her head. Sheila searched her handbag and came up with a pencil, but nothing to write on; Diana, hands empty, just said, "Sorry." Penny looked back and forth between them. "You're Diana Lacy!" she exclaimed. "No kidding," Diana replied, offering a hand. "Wow, I love your music! You make like the old stuff sound amazing!" Then Penny looked at Sheila again. "Wait a second, you're Sheila Lacy!" "Sheila Ann Lacy," she corrected. "But you might as well get used to calling me Sheila since we're going to be family soon." "Sorry. But... you're like related?" "My lil' sister," Sheila replied, putting a familiar arm over Diana's shoulder, which Diana lifted back off at once. "Don't muss-up the taffeta!" she growled, and brushed at her dress. "Oh wow!" Penny exclaimed. "I mean, like I've got your Cosmo cover pinned up behind my monitor, I picture you when I'm playing like my night elf?" "Um..." "It's a character class from Warcrack," Sandi explained, (looking a bit relieved to have something familiar to talk about.) "She probably means your cover from August last year." "You mean the fantasy cover where I had just a cloak and a leather thong!" She chuckled and bent a little to level her face with Penny's. "So how much do you think I look like that in real life?" Penny gave Sheila an appraising look. "Well... you kinda gained like a little weight?" Sheila shook her head. "Photoshop, my dear. I couldn't be as skinny as that and live!" "Skinny... Oh, I was going to ask if you've seen Aaron! He was like behind us when we came in, but he never got to the pew." Sandi's teeth bared again, her face now creased in anger. She shook her head. Sheila looked to Diana, who shook her head, too. "Sorry," said Sheila, "I haven't seen him today." "Sandi," Penny went on, "what happened to Aaron?" "I told you, I don't know where he is." "No, I mean like what happened? Why is he so like angry all the time, cutting himself and everything? His doctor says he's like severely neurotic, like even on drugs he can't even work, we're not even supposed to let him out alone! He's been like that since like you left, but nobody will talk to me about it! Except Mom, she says he had like a terrible dream one night and never recovered, but we all know Mom's fulla shit." "He raped me." Penny's mouth fell open. She looked away, looked back and shook her head. Sandi looked back, her expression implacable and angry. Diana, too looked away, looked at Sheila, her eyes begging an explanation. "It was her step-father," Sheila said. "He had a dungeon in the basement..." "Mom's dungeon?" Penny whispered. "Mrs Carter is a bottom," Sheila added. "Well our families are going to get along just fine," Diana replied, her voice still unsteady with shock. "But one bottom wasn't enough for him, it seems. He used his new step-daughter, too. Raped and tortured her. Then he forced his step-son to get in on the act..." "It broke his mind!" Penny exclaimed, light dawning behind her eyes. "He doesn't hate everything, he just hates himself!" She looked up at her sister again, impulsively hugged her and stroked her back. "Oh my god, Sandi! Like I can't even imagine!" "He took months. He and his friends did everything to me. And just when I thought he'd done everything there was to do to me, he brought Aaron down! Go on, fuck the slut! And... he..." "My God," Diana murmured, "if Matt..." "Matt would never do that," Sheila said, "not to any of us, not for anything! He's..." She swallowed. "He wouldn't." Sheila and Diana looked towards the benches at Matt. Their brother noticed and started moving towards them. Flo noticed and started towards them as well. On the other side of the aisle, Mrs Carter was at last making her way past her other children to fetch Penny. Suddenly, a loud squeak sounded from behind the dividers, followed by a mewl. Sandi gasped. "Aaron," she cried, "Mary!" She pushed Penny away and made for the gap in the divider, Sheila with her sisters and Mrs Carter on her heals. The hall beyond the rear dividers was empty. Hurrying past the groom's-side divider, they found more open space. Penny, at the bride-side divider, waved them all back and pressed a finger to her lips. They approached cautiously. Mary, her dress off and to one side, and Aaron, his trousers around his ankles, were cuddling in a corner against the wall. "He's smiling!" Penny whispered. "I didn't even recognize him, he's smiling!" "Mary!" Aaron said. "Oh, precious! Nobody's ever been so kind to me, so giving. It was... it was good! The first time ever, it was so good!" "I love pleasing my man," Mary murmured back. "Please me!" He chuckled, smiling even more broadly. "It was beautiful! I never want to lose you!" "Who says you have me?" Mary purred a giggle. "We only just met! But the sex is right. I think my feelings are right." She looked up from Aaron's chest into his eyes. "I think we should give us a try!" Aaron held her tight. "I'm so happy! We're going to work out, I just know! I promise you, I'll be the best..." His smile faded. "I'll be..." His lips parted and fear creased his brow. "Stay away, Mary." "What? What's wrong?" "You don't understand. I did something... something terrible. I'm a monster, Mary. Stay away from me, or I'll hurt you." "Oh, grow up!" Sandi roughly pushed her way into the narrow passage between the divider and the wall and started slowly stalking towards them. "Stay away from me, I'll hurt you!" she mocked. "Think you're a force of nature? I'm a monster! Think you can't choose? You chose what you did!" "Sandi, no!" Aaron pleaded. "Don't!" Mary stood trembling, but put herself between brother and sister. "Please Sandi..." "Mary!" Flo exclaimed. "C'mon over here, honey. No, just leave your dress, come with me. It's okay, she won't hurt him. C'mon, honey." Mary edged past Sandi. "Don't hurt him," she begged. "He's hurting already!" and she went and joined Flo and Diana. Sandi glanced at Mary as she passed, then turned her angry gaze back on Aaron and continued slowly towards him. "You could have said no!" she growled. "He would've beat the shit out of me! I said no and he hit me! He would've done worse!" Sandi paused in her advance. "He did hit you?" "He slapped me so hard I went down on the floor! And he said it was just a warning! Then he gave me a bottle and made me drink it." Sandi came closer, the rage draining from her face. She knelt beside him. "I know I chose what I did," he whimpered. "I know I'm responsible for hurting you..." "But it was under duress?" (Aaron nodded.) "Tell me! Tell me you didn't want to!" "I didn't want to!" Aaron squeaked. Sandi reached for Aaron, folded her arms around him and held him. "I'm sorry, Sandi!" he sobbed. "I'm so, so sorry!" "I..." Sandi began. "Forgive," she added. "I forgive you," she whimpered. "Sandi, no, you don't understand! I... when I fucked you... I came, I orgasmed, I felt it going into you and... Oh Sandi, it was wonderful! I nearly fainted, it felt so good, like I was dying... and I wanted more! It was my first time, the best I ever had until today! I hated myself for it! I felt like I was made of dirt! I'm a dirty, evil thing, Sandi!" "No, Aaron, you're not! I came, too even though I was hating it! It's reflex, just reflex! You're not evil, I forgive you!" "Sandi!" Aaron sobbed and held her, weeping freely. "I forgive you!" Sandi added for good measure and wept with him. By the entrance, Sheila grinned. "One more skeleton," she murmured, "out of the closet and laid to rest!" "So," said Flo, "what were you saying about a mouse marrying a cat?" Diana glanced at Flo, then at Mary. "Happens all the time, it seems," she replied. "Who is anybody in our family to say boo?" "And a woman marrying another woman?" "Wait a minute!" Sheila said. "Diana, do you have some kind of trouble with me marrying Sandi?" Diana turned her attention to her sister. "As if you didn't know?" "Did you want to marry her?" "No!" "Well then mind your own business!" "All right, I'm sorry!" "Well I forgive you, then." (Flo turned to Mary and nodded smiling. Mary started to hug Flo, but stopped at the crinkle of taffeta.) Diana hummed a few notes experimentally, found a key and took a deep breath. "Ooo-ooo-ooo-ooh," she sang, "for the longest time!" "Ooo-ooo-ooh," Mary and Flo joined in, improvising close harmonies, "for the longest..."

"...If you said goodbye to me tonight "There would still be music left to write "What else could I do, I'm so inspired by you "That hasn't happened for the longest time

"Once I thought my innocence was gone "Now I know that happiness goes on "That's when you found me, when you put your arms around me "I haven't been there for the longest time..." "They're singing Billy Joel?" the reporter asked and pointed her mic at Sheila's face. "Moldy old gold," Sheila commented. "Maybe their next hit single!" "Do you think it's significant to your wedding?" "Maybe more like Diana's opinion of it. She had a little trouble at first accepting Sandi and I, but she got over it. Did I mention that the proceeds from their next album are going towards a new foundation to promote interspecies relations!" "Do you know what the album is going to be?" "I believe they're calling it Wedding Bell Blues, after the 5th Dimension song, which is the opening track by the way and yes, they'll be singing it later. The track list is to be taken from their play list tonight. Now if you'll pardon me, I'm going to attend my other guests. Enjoy the reception!" Sheila ducked out of the camera light and edged into the crowd. She made her way quickly through it to a mouse girl in a tuxedo who was dancing with a teen-aged mouse girl in a dress to which she was obviously unaccustomed. Sheila cut in on Penny, who left Sandi with surprising grace. Sheila lead. "Hello Mrs Lacy," she said. "Hello Mrs Carter," Sandi countered and paused in dancing for a quick kiss. "What?" "You're loose!" "Loose like a goose?" "I'm serious. Ever since I've known you, there's always been a little tension in your body, sometimes a lot. Ever since the rehearsal, there's not a tense muscle in your body!" "That's obvious! Finally dealing with Aaron was like the weight of the world off my shoulders." She cuddled close. "I'm glad I didn't kill him," she added. "Kill... You were going to kill him?" Sandi nodded. "I wanted to kill him since... since Dad lead him down the stairs to the dungeon. But when the time came, I couldn't. Penny was watching. And Mary pleaded for him, then stood and watched, too." "What about me? I was watching!" "You were okay with me killing dad." "I'm okay with a young teenage girl killing her stepfather to get out of his dungeon! A grown-up woman killing her own brother for revenge... no! Sandi, you'd have turned as neurotic as he is. And you'd certainly have gone to jail! I don't know if I'd be there with you." "You'd leave me?" "I love you! Sandi, I don't want to have to think of you being like that!" "Well anyway, that's not what happened. The time came and I just couldn't do it." "And now you're finally happy! Well, happier anyway. And you have your family back." "Except for Mom, she still can't admit anything bad happened." "Give her time. Oh oh, look at that!" Sheila pointed to the stage where her sisters were singing; she and Sandi stopped dancing to watch. Aaron had come and sat on the edge near Mary, watching as she sang. "...I had second thoughts at the start "I said to myself "Hold on to your heart "Now I know the woman that you are "You're wonderful so far "And it's more than I hoped for..." Aaron took Mary's hand and kissed it. Mary didn't miss a beat, but her ears blushed a little inside. They held hands. "...I don't care what consequence it brings "I have been a fool for lesser things "I want you so bad "I think you ought to know that "I intend to hold you for the longest time" The song ended. Sandi's smile took an ironic turn at the corners of her lips. "This will break up the group." "Flo was talking to me about that," Sheila replied. "She believes Mary will be okay if Aaron can get himself straight. Flo's happy with the house and her old job." "What about Diana?" "She doesn't need them. She can make it on her own, with a little help and some new songs to call her own. She has a star in her!" Sandi took Sheila's hand as the next song began, but Penny cleared her throat behind them. "I'm supposed to like remind you not to be like late for the plane. There's a cab out back like waiting." "Honeymoon time, Mrs Carter," said Sandi. "Right behind you, Mrs Lacy," Sheila replied as they made their way towards the back door, new gold bands glinting on their right ring fingers.

# #

Story copyright © 2012 Allan D. Burrows, All Rights Reserved except as follows. Characters copyright © 2013 Roochak except Kuro St James is © 2013 by Chris Zygmunt, (aka Kaleb Fenoir.) All characters are used by permission. "Chapel Of Love" is copyright © 1964 by Red Bird Records, written by Leiber, Stroller and Goldner, recorded by The Dixie Cups "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" is copyright © 1958 by Coral Records written by Paul Anka, recorded by Buddy Holly "The Longest Time" is copyright © 1984 by Columbia Records written and recorded by Billy Joel