3:16:39

Somewhere in a private home on the outskirts of Pittsburgh, a sweet refrain was diligently being rehearsed. Mindless of the time, the refrain was repeated over and over until it was perfected. It was a pleasant tune, evoking romance, hope and longing. It would be well after dawn before the musician finally went to sleep.

3:21:17

Briana shifted in her sleep and hugged her grey bunny closer. She was dreaming. She was walking down the aisle at the wedding and that mean man was staring at her. She could feel his disapproval. There were lots of other eyes staring at her too. She could see Patrick up ahead, and that made her feel better. She looked up, way down the long aisle, and there was her Dada smiling at her. She felt herself stand up straight. She could do this. Her Dada was holding Muñequita. He was waiting for her. He was proud of her. She knew she would never let him down. She glared at the mean man and continued her walk down the aisle. She would make her Dada proud.

3:27:51

"Carl? Honey, is that you?"

"Is their someone else you'd let into your bed, sweetheart?"

"Of course not, smartass. But what are you doing up? We have to be at the church at ten."

"Can't help it, babe, years of working nights. You know what that's like."

"Yeah, I do....HA!"

"What's so funny?"

"In a few hours sweet little Molly Taylor will be saying 'I do'. Oh Carl, I remember when that child first came into our lives. Such a pretty, perky little thing, smart as a whip. Briana looks a lot like her."

"Except Briana has her father's personality," Carl snarked.

"Which father?" Debbie asked, knowing full well what father Carl was referring to.

"Brian!" They said in unison, then laughed themselves silly.

"Speaking about Brian, when are you going to give him notice?"

"Deb, we discussed this. I like my job."

"But it's not like you need the money."

"Baby, it was never about the money, although he pays more than I ever made on the force. I like feeling useful and he trusts me."

"Sweetheart, of course he trusts you but lets face it, you're not getting any younger."

"Babe, if I asked you to hang up your apron and retire from the diner, would you?"

"Hell no! I mean, I'd discuss it with you."

"Deb, your first reaction is closer to the truth."

"Jeez, once a cop, always a cop. Okay, so I'm not ready to hang it up anytime soon, but that doesn't mean you have to keep on working too. Besides, the kids need me."

"And it's those same kids who come into Babylon practically every night. I make sure it's safe for them."

"What about all the drugs and sex?"

"The bouncers and the kids know my stand on the drugs. I'll look the other way on the small shit, but if they want to come into my club looking to sell or push the hard stuff, I'll have their ass in jail faster than you can say Brian loves Justin. As for the sex, what happens in the backroom stays in the backroom."

"You old softie, you."

"Who you calling soft?" Carl took Debbie's hand, placing it strategically on his person.

"Soft? Did I say soft? My mistake. I love you Carl Horvath," Debbie said as she snuggled closer.

"Let me show you just how much I love you," Carl murmured as he made love to his wife.

3:52:17

Lacy had come home after pulling extra hours at the diner. She made herself a cup of tea and was about to go up to bed when some groaning noises stopped her ascent of the stairs. Lacy recognized the sounds. With an all knowing silly smile on her face, Lacy took her tea back to the kitchen to finish.

3:57:03

Beau gave a little whimper and his eyes flickered open. He looked around knowing that he was not in his usual spot. He nuzzled his rope of socks and sniffed the scents of his people. He was with the people who lived up the lane. They were good to him. They had brought him here so he wouldn't be lonely. The lady kept telling him that his people would be back soon. He wanted to believe her. He could wait a little longer.

Beau gave out a doggie sigh, nuzzled his rope of socks and went back to sleep.

3:59:13

Brian turned over and opened his eyes. Why was he having so much trouble sleeping? They all had a lot to do for the wedding. He should be getting his rest.

He had managed to solve the Beau problem, thank the gods. He chuckled softly. Justin would have had a fit if Brian had to drive back to the cottage to settle Beau down. Brian hoped Beau was behaving himself now. He hadn't had another call from Rachel so that was a good sign.

Brian's mind was racing. He had dealt with so many crises, albeit small ones, all day long. There was Molly's meltdown, and Emmett's, and he had tried to deal with Craig Taylor. As usual that had got him nowhere. It looked like Justin was going to walk Molly down the aisle. And that was fine. They both seemed all right with that now … sort of. Fucking Craig Taylor! Why couldn't he get his fucking head out of his ass and act like a real father for once in his life? The asshole had no idea how much he would regret missing his daughter's big day. And Molly would never forget how Craig let her down on her wedding day.

Brian rolled onto his side. He would make sure Briana's wedding day was perfect. He would be there for her. He and Justin would walk her down the aisle together.

'Christ, Kinney,' he said to himself. When had he gotten so traditional? Briana might not even want to marry. She might turn out to be a lesbian. Brian shuddered at the thought. He wasn't sure how he would deal with that, but he would. Nothing Briana could ever do would make him love her less. He would be there for her no matter what.

Brian closed his eyes and willed his overactive brain to shut the fuck up.