"Look around mostly. Its not often you're in Vegas." Valerie said. It was a lie of course, they were really going out to look for whoever she had accientally married the night before. Chris gave her a secret wink knowing this sad truth as well.
"Groovy. We got rehersal today." Micky said. "You are welcome to join us and the other band."
"Other band? What other band?" Chris asked.
"Riverbend." Micky said. "You remember them from when you were on our last tour."
"All too well." Valerie said with a frown starting to form on her face. "Are they still with..." She asked as she felt a presence behind her.
"Elijah?" Mike said slowly. "Yes."
Valerie felt a headache coming on.
"And he's right behind you." Davy noted.
Valerie felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped out of her chair, and turned around to face him.
"Oh you." She said gritting her teeth. "What do you want?"
"We have another tour run with your boyfriend, luv." Elijah said. His hair was shorter than it was when she had last seen him.
"The guys signed a new five month contract when I was at the hospital with you." Mike explained as she glared at him. "I had no idea till I got back. Todays the last gig date with him."
"Why am I not surprised?" Valerie said doing a mental eye roll. Chris got out of her chair.
"You remember Chris right?" Valerie said as Chris approached him.
"Ah Christiana Reynolds." Elijah nodded.
"I got married you big idiot." Chris reminded him with a jab of her finger. "Christiana Johnson now."
"Oh yes." Elijah said touching his lip with one finger. "And how are the little ones? I heard you had at least one baby recently."
"Still little." Chris said. "I heard about what happened on the last tour." Vaelrie had told her the whole story, about how Elijah tried to pull a small scheme to break her and Mike up to have her for himself. It didnt work.
"Oh did you?" Elijah said.
"And I want you to know, I forgive you." She held out a hand. Valerie felt her eyes grow wide. Was she actually gonna forgive him? Elijah accepted her hand and shook it. This gesture of friendship was a little shocking to her, but then something else happened that was more shocking. Chris reached out and socked Elijah in the gut with her free hand. Elijah folded like a paper doll and fell backward to the floor. He fell to the floor with a bang. He laid on the ground for a minute trying to catch his breath. He rolled over on his back and stared up at the girls. Chris had a clear look of triumph on her face.
"You see, no hard feelings." Chris smiled at Valerie. She held up her hand. "The key is to put the effort behind the thumb, wham!" She demonstrated the move for her friend. Valerie backed up a little bit, suddenly afraid for her life.
"I thought you were a mother." Valerie said still in shock.
"You're wrong. I am THE mother." Chris said sitting down. "Oh waiter? We'd like to order breakfast now. Mr. Cunningham will pick up the check."
Elijah hadnt hung around for breakfast. After Nigel and the rest of Riverbend showed up, he took the band elsewhere to have breakfast. Valerie couldnt help but notice that Nigel, a notorious drunk on the last tour she visited, seemed to be having a bit of hair of the dog with him that morning. He had a soda bottle but his breath suggested that he was drinking something other than soda.
"Nigels a little ranky." Chris commented to the guys as they left.
"Nigels supposedly not drinking anymore." Davy said thinking aloud. "He got religion I heard. Discovered god or something."
"Correction, I think he discovered the communion wine." Valerie pointed out. The group had a good natured chuckle.
"Damn I hope the hotel is insured." Chris remarked.
"So where are you guys off to?" Mike asked again. Valerie wrinkled her nose at the question.
"To see the sights. You keep asking as if I have a agenda here." Valerie said taking Mike off to the side.
"I'm just curious to see where you are later when we have lunch." He kissed her on the forehead. "Don't get into trouble."
"Michael, you know I am the most innocent little lamb." Valerie said batting her lashes.
"I know you." Mike said. "Where angels go, trouble follows."
"Well if follows angels, it wont be following me." Valerie smirked. "Don't worry about me."
Mike kissed her on the forehead again. "I'll see you later." He then walked off while dusting some dust off of his hat. The other guys didnt follow him.
"Off you go. A singing you will go." Valerie said waving.
"Yeah, like, what do you want?" Chris asked.
"We waited until Mike left to ask you something." Peter said as they got closer to the girls.
"Ask me what?" Valerie asked with a innocent smile.
"I think you are in trouble already." Micky said.
"Trouble?" Chris asked. "Whats that?"
"Oh come on." Davy said. "You said you were at this fleabag the Pacifica. When we arrived in town that was the first place we went. The manager there, and some creepy little kid, said you checked out this morning. Mike doesnt know that though."
"And now you end up here. Conicidence?" Peter asked.
Valerie thought for a moment. After a lengthy pause she answered. "Yes?"
"We really got lucky the first night in Vegas." Chris said covering for her friend.
Valerie shifted her feet. She had no idea what they were getting at. Her sudden uncomfortable movements seemed to confirm their suspicions.
"Something happened to them all right, and it was very recent." Davy deduced. "Now, if I am the looks of this outfit and Micky is the brains we ought to put this together."
"Hey, what am I?" Peter asked with a hurt look on his face.
"Harpsichord." Chris answered.
"You don't really have that many clues Sherlock." Valerie said with a smirk. So you can't tell whats really going on here, if there is anything really going on here, without one of us blurting it out."
"Val married someone by accident last night and doesn't know who it is and Mike can't find out." Chris blurted.
"I can't take you anywhere." Valerie rolled her eyes.
"The moneys under the big W." Chris continued.
"Shut up!" Valerie clamped her hand over her friends mouth. "It's the desert air. It clogs up the mind."
Chris swatted Valeries hand away.
"How can you marry someone and not know who?" Peter asked.
"I had a Long Island Iced Tea." Valerie said. "Maybe someone slipped me a Micky."
"I beg your pardon!" Micky said frowning.
"You know what I mean." Valerie said.
"I know, but still..." Micky said with a fake groan.
"I have to find out who the lucky man is.."
"Or unlucky man." Davy said.
"Hey." Valerie said socking Davy in the arm.
"Oh god," Davy said clutching his arm. "You lasses are dangerous!"
"I have to find out who it is, and then have the marriage disolved before Miike finds out." Valerie said. "But I all I have is this certificate." Valerie unfolded the certificate she found in her room. She gave it to the guys.
"Happy Acres Wedding Parlour." Peter read out loud.
"Ok who feels really stupid for not looking at the name of the wedding chapel on the certificate, raise your hand." Valerie said. Valerie and Chris both raised their hands.
"Its just across the street." Davy said. "They will have a record of who you married. Its that simple."
"Hah, we don't do simple around here." Chris said. "We do a whole run around... " She said waving one finger around in the air. "and then return to the first point we should have gone to in the first place."
"What?" The boys chorused.
"Uh nothing." Chris said lowering her hand. "I have to go potty." She said and darted back into the hotel.
"You guys better to rehersal before Mike wonders what happened to you." Valerie said.
"All right." Peter said as Micky and Davy walked toward the back of the hotel. "Good luck with that annulment thingy."
"Thanks." Valerie smiled. "I think."
"We'll try and help you girls out." Micky called.
"Just don't let Mike know." Valerie reminded them.
Davy waved as they went back into the hotel. A man with a bell boy outfit came to her with an envelope.
"Are you Mrs Valerie..." The bell boy started to say her new married name when a man who was driving by honked his horn.
"I am she." Valerie said taking the envelope. Darn, it was the second chance to hear her new name and somehow fate screwed it up. She tipped the man, and he went back into the hotel. He passed Chris on the way out.
"God, those belgian waffles hit me hard." Chris said. "Hey you don't think you are married to Elijah, do you?"
"Are you kidding?" Valerie said slicing open the white envelope with a fingernail. "I'd be playing in traffic about now."
"What is that?" Chris asked.
"The bellboy gave it to me. Its a note, I think." She said unfolding the cream colored paper. "Something special awaits you in your room." She read aloud.
"Wow." Chris said. "A present!"
"I think we ought to go see whats in my room." Valerie said heading to the door.
"Our room." Chris said. "If its anything chocolate I get fifty percent." Valerie didnt repsond to this offer. "60-40?"
"Whatever." Valerie said as they reached an elevator bank. "But somethings telling me its not going to be that sweet."
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