I Now Pronounce you: Mancini and Wife (Open to All)

[Leonardo]

It was an hour before the wedding. Everyone was bustling about. There was no space to step, and everything was being rapidly arranged. Ordered were being barked, and being followed without any question. Everyone had been given the day off today in the Mancini Family. It didn't matter if they left their posts. No one could take over a post in one day. It took time. Especially against an organization. But nevermind that, today was a happy day. Music from the 50s played on the records and the smells of too much cologne ran throughout the warehouse. Each guy inside was combed slick and was very presentable. It was actually just all guys in the room now--the males were separated from the females at this point. They were to help the groom get ready for his big day. The women were in another section of the warehouse, helping the bride. They were probably gossiping or something, but for the most part, the men just talked amongst themselves quietly and did more work than speaking. Many of them didn't even work for Mancini, but they recognized the need to serve him today, and they were going to do just that.

Of course, no one was happier than Leo.

He was beaming, staring at himself in the mirror while Frankie tried various methods to make him look exceptional. There wasn't much to work with, so Frankie was getting frustrated.

"Put on da hat," he ordered. Frankie himself had chosen to wear his novelty hat today. It had been a gift from his wife.

The guys put on a black fedora on Leo's head. Leo had it tilted to the side, and then asked everyone. "How do I look?"

Several mumbles of approval and kiss assery came Leo's way, but he only heard one thing. That was from Frankie. "You look like a more-ahn." Everyone laughed. "Take dat off."

"Leave it to Francesco to keep it straight with me huh?"

"Just doin my job. Look guys just pick out a chain and slip it on his neck we's got stuff to do."

Leo picked out his favorite chrome chain collar, and put it on. He then started ordering everyone around as far as arrangements and guests and food. "Guido, make sure Ajax Castillo is on da guest list. MVP. If he doesn't show, go out an' find 'is ass an' drag 'im heyah. You unda'stand? She likes dat lil guy."

"No prollem bawss."

"Vinny!"

"Yeh Boss?"

"Brush ya hair."

Vinny's smirked in disappointment and went off to brush his hair (or pretend to)

"Louie, Joey, go out to da Red Robin neah Milla, take a couple of boys an' get whateva da hell you can find. I want her to 'ave Red Robin."

"Sure Bawss."

"Mario, I need flowahs, Mario. Let's go, move it."

"I'm on it Leo."

Frankie watched them all scurry off and then walked up to Leo, beckoning him to come down a little closer so he could talk to him privately. "'30+ almost heyah fuh ya weddin' from Gravesend. Luchessi's boys an' theah families."

"'Ow many guests awl togetha you think?"

"More den da building can 'andle."

"Wow." Leo scratched his head. "I guess we'll figgah somethin' out, huh?"

"We awlways do. Relax, huh? I'll take care of everythin'. Bobbi, Lonni, give this guy a massage, will ya? He's too tense. No....no I'm jokin' you gay wads why would you..." he jumped at them, making them run. "Get the fuck outta 'ere.....don't worry, this will go off perfect, Boss. perfect."

[Fen]

This day. The big day. It had been planned from the moment Leo had asked her to be his wife, and she was an utter ball of nerves. She was pacing, finally having to be sat down by her bridesmaids so they could make her look beautiful, not that she really needed it. They were pinning flowers in her hair, brushing her fur, and giving her all the little things she needed. She appreciated it, but she had hardly gotten to know them. She knew their names and faces, but she was still getting used to being the center of attention. Her stomach was in knots and her chest felt like it was going to cave in.

One of the girls, a pretty, slender greyhound must have noticed because she gave her a smile and shook her head. "Calm down, hon. You should be happy!"

Juliet nodded as the girls finally finished pinning the flowers in her hair and dabbing a bit of perfume around her neck. She sneezed a bit at the strong smell, but one of the ladies fanned at it and the smell began to fade to a pleasant aroma. She looked at herself in the mirror, the beautiful white roses complimenting her golden hair perfectly. She looked beautiful, and she could scarcely believe that it was the same girl looking back at her.

"You look amazing!" One of the ladies exclaimed, hugging her and rushing over to a box to pull out a small trinket. "Well, the flowers are new, so here is your something borrowed, something old, and something blue."

Juliet looked down at the beautiful jeweled collar that the girl had gotten for her, and they put it around her neck. She felt herself tearing up as she looked at the brilliant sapphire stones. She turned and hugged her back. "Thank you," Juliet whispered, "It's beautiful."

She finished getting ready and looked around. "Hey, is an Ajax Castillo here? I really need to see him." She needed a familiar face a midst all these people she barely knew. She had asked Ajax a few weeks before if he would give her away. She didn't know anyone else in the city that she would rather have. She didn't have a father or a mother or a family to speak of. The Mancinis were her family now, and after today, she would no longer be Juliet Ryder. She would be Juliet Mancini. Having her friend give her away was the greatest thing she could imagine. Juliet didn't have many friends, and Ajax was definitely her best.

She took a breath, mentally preparing herself for her trip down the aisle. There was no backing out now, even if she wanted to. She knew there were a lot of people out there, and she shuddered at the thought of the crowd, but she was happy. She was excited, and scared, and nervous all at once.

She loved Leo. She was ready to marry him. She just didn't know if she was ready to be looked at by what seemed like hundreds of people.

Sighing, she kept looking at the door, waiting for a certain black cat with a bandanna around his neck to appear.

[Redshift]

"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck," Ajax muttered as he sprinted towards the Mancini warehouse. Not but ten minutes ago, he'd been fast asleep in the park. Luckily, some fat dachshund pet was barking up a storm, pulling avidly on his owner's leash as he smelled the cat napping in the bushes. As soon as he opened his eyes, he knew he was late for meeting Juliet before she was to get married. He was just barely able to jump in a bucket of water to clean his fur and pick up his present before he made his way towards the wedding.

He reached the warehouse in record time, his sides heaving and fur thoroughly fluffed. The guard at the front scowled at the black cat, but still asked curtly, "Name."

"Ajas Cassio," the feline replied, the bag in his mouth obstructing his speech.

"Huh?"

He spit out the handles and said impatiently, "Ajax Castillo. You know, only the guy who is giving Leonardo Mancini his blessing to marry Jules. A little respect, dude." Without any further ceremony, the cat waltzed inside. At first, he felt confident, but then he saw how many guests were present and he nearly had a heart attack. Never before had he seen a gathering of dogs this big before in his life, and for a small cat, this situation was naturally unnerving. In fact, he had a strong urge to ditch, but he shook his head and remember Jules. Ajax had to be tough for her; it was the biggest day of her life after all.

Quickly, he was able to determine that the golden-mix would be at the eye of the storm of female attention, so he broke the unspoken rule of gender separation and pushed his way towards his friend. Quite a few of the ladies yelped in surprise as a cat slithered his way through the several pairs of paws obstructing his path. By the time he made it to the center of the circle, many angry glares were pointed his way, but he paid them no mind.

"Jules!" he meowed with a huge grin upon seeing the bride. The other women sure took full advantage of her natural beauty, her soft fur interlaced with various complimenting flowers. In fact, his bright green eyes were already welling with tears. Sniffing, he tried to hold his composure and swiped them away. "Ugh, I told myself I wasn't gonna do this. But God, you just look so beautiful." Before he could break down any further, he embraced Juliet's leg.

Laughing away his sentimentality, the cat looked up to his friend. "You ready for this, dollface? I mean, you ain't got cold feet, do ya? I don't want ya doing anything rash. Leo's a nice guy and all, but you gotta be sure he's your guy. You gotta be sure sure sure." Ajax had already asked this a thousand times before, but he was always worried for his clutzy friend. Anything related to the Mancini gang made him nervous.

He then remembered the plastic bag next to him. The couple's wedding present. "Oh yeah, where's the gift table? I'm sure you're going to like this one." Ajax gave Jules a sly smile.

[Frost]

Lily rushed in quickly, she'd been assigned to be the bride's personal assistant. She barely knew her name, but she was going to do the best she could, even if she didn't have any idea what she was supposed to do. She quickly made her way through the group of women that were probably better suited to the task than she, stopping in front of Juliet and... a male cat? What was he doing in the middle of this group? Well, obviously having a conversation with Juliet, but why? Lily decided not to let it bother her, she waited for the tow to finish speaking before she spoke up.

"Hi, I'm Lily," she said happily. "Sorry I'm late, I should have been here already. Anyway, I'm to be your personal assistant today. If you need anything, just let me know," she said to Juliet, throwing the occasional curious glance towards the odd cat.

[Leonardo]

Leonardo eagerly looked around, hoping to sneak a peak of his soon to be wife if she dared to poke her head out. He didn't see her,but he was sure she was in another room near by. He wanted to see her badly. Perhaps talk a bit in secret, and do a little "bonding" before they were secured in wedlock. Of course it was naughty, but it was always fun to bring out the naughty side in Juliet. He started up to see if he could find her, whenever Frankie appeared out of no where, sitting in front of him.

"Whoa! Jesus Frankie...yous gotta stop doin' dat."

"Doowin' what?" Frankie read his body language. "Wait a minute...yous horny. What da hell do you think ya doowin', bawss? Yous gotta stay 'ere."

"I jus' wanna see 'er forra bit..."

"Don't spoil da surprise, Bawss. Look," Frankie nodded his little chin towards the door. "The Luchessi's are here."

Leonardo wagged his stump and whipped around to witness the joyous Luchessis leaking into the building. In order not to raise suspicion, Guido had them slip in two at a time. There was far more than he thought were coming, and then on top of that were all the guys who worked for him in Bensonhurst with their families. Once they all saw Leo, they all rushed forward and began licking him and falling on him.

"Leon!"

"Leonardo!"

"Don Mancini"

"Amiamo, Leo!"

"Eh Leo it's me! Benny!"

Leonardo was far from overwhelmed. He always loved big family, and he really did miss all of these guys. All of them were from an old life he had, when he worked with their old boss, now deceased. All of them were his age now or older, and they all had children and grandchildren. The wives eagerly pushed their husbands aside and kissed Leo individually, congratulating him (but secretly jealous of Juliet). One of them, a large 5 year old lab mix, pushed her way to the front and gave Leonardo a rather direct smooch.

"Heya dawlin'" She said. The way she talked was like she was chewing bubble gum.

"Eh, Donna." Leonardo remembered this girl from Gravesend. She was an old friend of his, but he knew she had felt a little something for him before. She wasn't his type though..and he always hated how no matter what it was like she couldn't look you in the eye while having a conversation. Always looking off into nothingness while she chewed her invisible gum..."'Ow ya been, good?"

"Yehh well ya know," she smacked her lips, "Good n' awl. I got three kids, six grandkids, an' 9 great grand kids. I hate 'em awl." She shrugged. "So's I 'eard yous gotta lil honey on ya 'ands."

Leo was relieved to find out she had a family already and wasn't here to bother him. "She's just....amazin'. An' so beautifu--"

Donna put her paw on his mouth. "Shhhh" she said, almost looking into his eyes but not quite. "Donna will be da judge of dat. C'maan girls, we's gonna meet da bride." She waved her tail at the other females, and they all waddled off toward the ladies area to help Juliet get ready. "Oh an' wheahs Vinny? tell 'em Aunt Donna wants to give 'em a kiss." And then she muttered to herself. "An' sit on 'is face.."

Leonardo shook his head as she walked away. Joey came up to him and laughed. "She's a piece o' work huh?"

Leo agreed. "Yeh. Hadn't changed a bit....I feel sorry for da poor bastard who 'as to deal wit 'er shit every morning."

"Heh....I dunno. I kinda get along all right."

"...." Oh shit. Joey was her husband? "...Well dis is awkward."

**************

Donna burst into the room where the ladies where. "Donna is 'ere!"

Those that were familiar with her exclaimed in shock and glee and hurried to introduce her to Jules. The lab mix was amazed at her natural beauty. Her and her posse just stared at her for a few moments, and then Donna spoke.

"Oh dawlin'....yous just gorgeous! Look at 'er..."

"She's pretty!" were the mumbles from the posse.

"Yeh...she puts awl of yous to shame..." Donna spoke absentmindedly as she did a little editing to her flowers. But she jumped back. "I can't touch you deah, I might ruin ya perfection." She circled Juliet, nearly stepping on Ajax because she was paying no mind to him.

"You know it's like my alla'jees is messin' up. Like a cat or somethin' is 'ere." She shrugged. "So, dawlin', wheah are you from?"

[Fen]

Juliet was overjoyed as she heard a familiar voice at the door, and she stood quickly to smile brightly and hug the small cat back. "I'm so glad you're here! Couldn't have went through with it otherwise." She giggled a bit at his comment about her having cold feet. All of her nervousness had disappeared when Ajax came in the room and she shook her head. "I told you before, Ajax. Never been more sure of something in my life." She could just imagine how handsome Leo would look, waiting on her at the end of the aisle. She was a lot more excited now that she knew the small black cat would be walking her there, escorting her, giving her away. She nearly teared up at the thought and gave Ajax a rough lick between the ears. "There. You always looked better a little disheveled." She winked and gestured to where the gift table was. "Right over there. But you didn't have to get us anything. You presence is enough."

Before she could say any more, a very pretty kelpie came through the door and headed right up to her. "Lily." She repeated, giving a smile. Yeah, she knew she recognized the girl before. She had seen her around Alonzo a lot. Juliet gave her a small hug. "Thank you. I appreciate the help." She said, feeling a little overwhelmed for a moment at the amount of people in the room.

That's when the door burst open and in stepped a lab mix who smelled very strongly of perfume. Juliet nearly sneezed as the woman, Donna, nearly rushed at her and began to comment on how pretty she was. Juliet was automatically back in her shell, her head falling forward as her eyes turned to the ground, shrinking under the gaze of all the other people in the room. She desperately searched with her eyes for Ajax, but her view of him had been obstructed by the feet of the ladies that had just stepped in.

"H-Hello." She finally said. Well, more of a mumble than anything. "I-I'm from Manhattan." She fidgeted, feeling a little more uncomfortable now that she could place their accent. These women were used to the life she had only just stumbled into. She wasn't anything like them. She wasn't wild-eyed and loud and abrasive. She was shy and terrified of her own shadow at times. She felt utterly alone in the room. At least Lily seemed normal.

"Um...excuse me...but I don't think we've met." She looked down. The woman hadn't even asked her name, though she was sure she probably already knew. "So forgive me if I'm a little..." She searched for a word, and finally mumbled. "Shy."

So many new faces were making her heart race and the anxiety came back in full force. Was this what it was going to be like out there?

[Redshift]

Ajax looked up to the Kelpie that pushed her way through to the middle. Personal assistant, huh? Well, even if she did give him a strange look, Juliet embraced her as a friend. The cat nodded to her and put on a grin. He thought, A friend of my friend is my... enemy? No wait, that's not right. Friend, yes a friend.

Laughing as Juliet messed with his fur, he replied, "Yer right. I ain't cut out for this fancy-schmancy look. So about the ceremony..."

The black cat was cut off as the sea of women was parted, revealing a rather loud lab who caused quite a commotion. With her huge, seemingly plastic enthusiasm, she sent the crowd into a chattering storm. They shifted and moved in closer, sending Ajax reeling into a maze of legs. He then yowled as someone stepped on his tail. He almost unsheathed his claws and attacked the paw, but he realized that would do nothing good for his reputation. Instead, he hopped onto a collie's back. She barked in surprise and demanded, "W-What are you doing? Mr. Mancini's room is across the hall."

"I'm here for Jules, yo. Now take me to her. Mush!"

The collie shook her head with a scoff and bucked the cat off. Luckily, he landed towards the front and it took just a few shoves to make it to Juliet, Lily, and the disturber of the peace. The black cat nearly turned red, seeing his friend caving into her shell of shyness. He stormed up in front of the labrador and said loudly, "Woah, woah, woah, don't mess with the fur, lady." He sat down and pushed on her chest. "And there'll be plenty of time for interviewin' later, during the reception. Right now, Ms. Ryder," he relished calling her that, because he never would be able to again, "needs her space. Lots of nerves, right dollface? You might just projectile vomit at any second?  Yeah, so I would just scoot back a couple feet, just to be safe." Then, Ajax looked to Lily for back-up. Even if he was a loud-mouth, he wasn't going to be much of a barrier between these wedding crazed women and Jules.

[Frost]

Lily had also noticed how Juliet looked overwhelmed, but she was still trying to figure out what to do about it without offending anybody when the cat stepped in front of Donna. She might not know why the cat was in this area, but he was trying to help Juliet, so when he gave Lily a look she stepped in to help.

"Look, I know you want to talk and all, but..." The Kelpie thought quickly, knowing there had to be some way to keep the loud lab and her friends from overwhelming Juliet. "Juliet's allergic the kind of perfume you're wearing, she's trying very hard not to have an allergic reaction," she looked back and gave Juliet a look , urging her to fake a sneeze or something. "So I'm afraid you're all going to have to back up and stay at least four feet away until you wash off the perfume."

It wasn't Lily's best lie, but she thought it seemed believable, and it wasn't rude either. She hoped it would be enough to get the group to back off, because if the threat of projectile vomit combined with allergies didn't do the trick, she didn't know what would.

[Leonardo]

Donna and her friends let out an "Awwww" Whenever Juliet made her confession.

"She's shy! How precious..."

"I don't think she likes us, Donna."

"You're right..." said the lab mix, chewing her imaginary gum. "...she hates you guys."

Donna jumped in shock and sneezed horribly whenever Ajax made himself known. She was allergic to cats, and kind of afraid of them. Stepping back, she knocked over one of her friends and stepped on her...but she hardly noticed. "Ew, a cat!" She was beyond horrified whenever Ajax started talking about vomit. It took Lily's voice to really calm her down. "Oh dyah....this is just harrible. Harrible."

"We just wanted to tawlk!" Piped in another.

"No Mari, she's right.....you guys need to step back four feet an' wash of ya's perfume. They'll be plenty of time fuh tawlkin' latah. Run along now. Goh! We'll be heah." She looked at Ajax. Wait a minute...he was a boy! He couldn't be here right now.

She poked her head out of the door and called out. "Secoorittee? Can we 'ave dis male escorted out? It's ladies only right now!"

****************

Leonardo stared at the mirror, checking himself for flaws. He wanted to be perfect for Jules. She deserved so much more. He was so lucky. Forgetting all his problems, he hummed the tune of "These Foolish Things", reminiscing all his nights alone with her, closing his eyes and reliving the emotions....the sensations...

"Bawss!"

Leo snapped out of his pleasurable day dream again, kind of peeved. "Frankie? How do you do dat? Did you open da door?"

"....Louie wants to tawlk to you."

"Tell 'im come in. Eh, yous seen Vinny?"

Frankie shook his head. "Prolly hidin' from Donna"

Leo laughed as Frankie left and Louie came in. "Louie, buddy. What's up?"

"Eh Boss, I 'eard dat dis uh...Ajax Castillo...he's gonna be givin' away da bride?"

"Yeh." Leo stopped looking at himself in the mirror and turned to face Louie, now concerned. Something was up. "Yeh he is. Prollem?" Leo didn't give a damn if Castillo had been a giraffe. He just wanted Jules to be happy.

"No no no it's just dat, da people are tawlkin' out dere an' uh....basically the word is dat it's kinda weerd. Doesn't go along wit tradition an' such."

"Uh huh...." Leo copped a look of interest. "...is dat how you feel, Louie?"

"I dunno Boss--"

"Whaddya mean you don't know you just came in 'ere--"

"--I mean I don't know how I feel, okay? I'm just sayin', dawgs is dawgs an' cats is cats. I don't mind sharin' da event wit dem, but we segregate to keep everyone safe an' make sure everyone 'as a good time. Dis ain't ya first rodeo Bawss. Yous been to weddings before. It just ain't natural to 'ave a cat up theah to give 'er away like dat. You know wheah I'm comin' from?"

"...." Leo thought for a minute. "Yeah. Look, tell I'll take care of it, aright?"

"Thanks boss."

[Fen]

Juliet scrambled to try and respond to everyone and finally she tucked her head for a moment, preparing. "STOP!" She yelled, looking at everyone pointedly, her body quivering with frustration. "This is MY wedding day! Can't we just have some PEACE?!" She snarled, her chest rising and falling in short breaths as she let her eyes travel over everyone. A low growl emitted from her chest and then she took a deep breath, just in time for Alonzo to stick his massive head in the door, looking at Ajax.

"Hey man, we need ya out heah to 'elp wit da flowahs." The blue dane said, dipping his head to everyone. "Ladies." He greeted, then letting his eyes fall on Lily. "Lily..." He gave a smile and a wink and waited on Ajax before ducking back out of the door.

Juliet watched them for a moment before sighing again and turning her attention back on Donna and the rest of her girls. She sent a look to Lily before shaking her head. "Someone fix my damned flowers, please!" She had nearly had it with all the people, and her body was shaking, her heart pounding. She never lashed out like that. She felt a bit ashamed at having yelled, and she dropped her head again. "I-I'm sorry...It's just...A lot to take in." She looked up, sending an apologetic look around the room. "Please don't be mad." Her blue eyes nearly welled with tears and she blinked them away, looking down as they fell to the floor.

[Redshift]

Ajax froze, his mind not able to comprehend Juliet being angry. He turned his wide green gaze to her, his fur fluffed with worry. He knew this huge wedding thing was not going to be the ideal setting for her, especially with all these new people. The cat had tried to push for a small ceremony weeks ago, but ultimately Leonardo's wishes outweighed. Ajax's tail lashed at the thought. He hated seeing his friend so upset. In fact, he was even able to overlook Donna's outright rudeness just for Jules. And he could get his revenge later.

The black cat looked to the Dane requesting his help and said a quick, "One sec, bro." Then, he turned back to Juliet and put his paw on hers. "Don't be sorry, dollface. It ain't your fault. But hey, water off a duck's back, eh? We all just want ya to be happy. I've gotta scoot, but don't hesitate to call me back. Mkay?"

Ajax looked over to Lily, "You take care of her, a'ight? Don't let her get near that perfume." He grinned and winked. "Bye!" And before he forgot, he picked up his bag and set it on the gift table. Frankly, it looked rather dull compared to the other, nicely wrapped present, but still he knew the contents were worth more.

Like a kid being put into time out, he trotted out of the room, following the huge blue dog. He nearly fell over just trying to look him in the eyes. "So, that Lily, she yours? You guys going to be the stars of the next mobster wedding?" he asked, giving a sly grin.

[Frost]

Lily jumped a little when the quiet bride suddenly yelled, but she recovered quickly. She completely understood why Juliet was getting so frustrated too, there were altogether too many dogs in one area. Before she could try to take care of it, a very familiar voice drew her attention to the door. Her eyes met Alonzo's and she smiled back at him, momentarily forgetting what was going on around her. However, when he disappeared from the doorway, she was brought back to the sticky situation.

"No problem," Lily said to the cat, almost laughing at the fact that the "Drama Girls", she'd just nicknamed them for what they seemed to cause, had believed her outrageous fib. She quickly became serious again as she tried to calm Juliet. "Don't worry about it, I'd yell in your situation to. There are too many people in here and they all have a different idea of how things should be," she said understandingly, then she turned to the group that was supposed to be helping Juliet. "You," She turned specifically to one of the greyhounds, starting to give orders, but in a kind manner. "I would greatly appreciate it if you would fix Juliet's flowers, I'm no good at that kind of thing," she continued to give the women tasks to try and clear the room. "Could you get some water, please? We could all use a refreshing drink of cool water, thanks. Could you go make sure the guys are setting up the flowers right? They might need some help with the arrangements. Could you check how much more time we have? Thanks..." and so on until the room was empty of anyone besides Juliet, the Drama Girls, and the dog fixing Juliet's flowers.

Lily wasn't usually the take-charge type, but it seemed like she needed to be for now. She turned to the Drama Girls. "Now I don't want you all talking at once, if I can't distinguish what you're saying, then too many of you are talking, if that happens then I will have to ask some of you to leave the room to talk. Like Juliet said, this is her wedding, so I don't want to hear any protestation to anything she says. Got it?"

[Leonardo]

Donna and her girlfriends stared shocked, mouths open at the situation. Many of them felt embarrassed and out of place. They'd been to lots of weddings, but never once had they gone to one where the bride didn't want them there. They exchanged glances, and finally, one of them spoke.

"...Maybe...maybe we should just leave?"

"I'LL do da tawlkin', Mari." Donna thought for a minute. "Yea maybe. Look we was just gonna get to know da bride a lil betta, das awl. But if ya don't want us 'ere, dat's fine too. We ain't heyah to run da weddin' or tell yous what to do. It's da brides day, I get dat. I've 'ad two weddings myself. It's stressful. So if baby girl can't deal with us, we'll just go an' leave you two to whateva it is dat yous was doin'. No prollem. My name is Donna Luchessi, by da way."

"She doesn't care, Donna." One snarky little dog added.

"Shuddup Brea. No one asked you." Donna looked back to Juliet and Lily, eerily making eye contact this time. "...I guess it was nice to meet yous." She turned and led her posse out of the door, leaving the room and trying to find their seats for the wedding.

******

Vinny stood just outside of the headquarters. He was waiting on a special date. He didn't dare ask Lily...something was going on between her and Al. The chemistry between her and him was almost completely gone now. He thought he might have a shot with this girl though. She had been amazing that one night....he had gotten in trouble but it was totally worth it.

[Fen]

Juliet felt horrible. That wasn't what she meant at all. She looked down again, her eyes fixing on her paws as Donna and her girls exited. She looked to Lily, and gave a small frown. "I didn't mean to do that....run them off." She sighed a bit and one of Juliet's bridesmaids stepped in, wiping her eyes.

"Hey now. Not your fault. Be happy, darling. It's your wedding day, have you forgotten?"

Juliet looked up between the greyhound and Lily and then smiled. "Thank you both." She said as she focused on finishing up with getting ready. She put all her thoughts on Leonardo, and that made her feel much better.

--------------

A long black car pulled up to Stone's and parked. A human got out of the passenger seat and opened the back door as a beautiful husky mix stepped out gracefully. The man locked the car up and headed toward the restaurant on the corner, obviously his original destination. He called to Vivian, but she was already gone behind the gate. The man, obviously having taken pity on the dog, was going to buy her a meal. But Viva had only used him for a ride. Once Viva was out of sight, the man got back into the car and drove off.

Viva breathed a sigh of relief as she straightened herself, making sure she looked presentable and headed for the figure she immediately recognized as Vinny. A smirk formed on her lips as she walked right up to him, giving him a kiss on the muzzle. "Hello, darling." She said, coming to stand beside him. "Miss me?" Her eyes fell on his seductively as she gestured for him to follow her inside, sliding her tail under his chin as she passed.

Vivian wasn't here because of Vinny. No, it was because of the bride. It was time to get this show on the road.

[Redshift]

Ajax bitterly shoved a poppy flower into the lattice that was at the end of the aisle where Leo and Jules would say their vows. One of the decorators, a shaggy-looking terrier female, noticed the cat's lack of care, and came over to him. "Uh hey, could you be a little more careful with those? You're kinda squishing them."

His head jerked up, hardly noticing her approach. "Wha? Oh right." He flicked his tail and looked back to the two rooms where many of the guests were, laughing and conversing happily. Feeling a growl rising in his throat, he tried to supress it, but instead kept irreverently smashing flowers. The terrier was still standing there with a confused look on her face. Eventually, she coughed, letting Ajax know she was still present.

He shook his head, snapping out of his temper. "Man, I'm sorry. I just... I really need to go get something off my chest. Decorating clearly ain't my strong point anyways. The place looks beautiful, though!" Without waiting for her response, the cat ran off to the groom's room and attempted to get inside.

The door to the room was surrounded by guests, trying to get in to greet Leonardo. Huge, muscled dogs were shoulder to shoulder, creating an almost unbreakable wall. If they couldn't get through, Ajax never would. And unlike in the ladies room, he was much more likely to get trampled or even killed underneath the huge paws of the males. Though it would frustrate him to no end, the cat decided to be patient and wait it out. He chose an inconspicuous corner of the warehouse, hoping to just wait out until the ceremony began.

In the very same corner was a speckled shepherd mutt, desperately trying to avoid conversation. It wasn't very hard, though. Anyone trying to make his acquaintance simply could not understand his accent in the mass of other voices. Ajax plodded sullenly, but his face lit up as he saw the shepherd.

"Obi!" the cat exclaimed. He bounded up to the German dog, his smile beaming. A familiar face was definitely welcome in this situation.

"Ajax?" Oberon said, giving a slight smile. "Vhat are you doing here?"

"I'm givin' away Jules, didn't ya hear? I'm her best friend, so she asked me to do it. Isn't that sweet? A real doll she is."

The shepherd shook his head. "Nein. I had not. Glückwünsche!"

"Haha! I don't know what you said, but I'm going to say thanks anyways." The cat looked around, his eyes scanning the warehouse. "Hey bro, can you do me a solid? Could you get me into Leo's room? I wanna talk to him before all this begins."

Oberon flinched, hardly wanting any attention to befall on himself. "Vhat? Errr... uh, I vas just going to leave. I am looking vor mein Freund, Vinny."

"Aww, c'man. Please? It'll take just a sec."

The shepherd sighed, conceding. "Fine. Only vor a 'sec'."

Ajax grinned and hopped onto Oberon's back. "Thanks! Now mush!" The shepherd groaned and shook his head, but he could not help but smile. Getting off, Ajax sighed, "Man, I'm never going to be able to do that, huh?"

Black cat at his side, Oberon pushed his way through the crowd, saying various pardon's, excuse me's, and Entschuldigung's. His larger stature offer little resistance from the guests and many just nodded their heads, letting the shepherd pass. Once the two reached the door, they spotted Frankie acting as a kind of bouncer. Ajax took in a sharp breath, nervous to approach to ice-eyed mobster. "Hold up, Obi, I changed my mind, maybe..."

It was too late, Oberon walked up to the other feline and tried to enunciate as best he could. "Herr Sardelli. Z..This is Ajax Castillo. He v...wants to speak to Herr Mancini, if z...that is alright."

The cat tried to partially hide behind his friend's leg. "I mean if it ain't any trouble," he added in a small mew.