neon lights (PARTY::OPEN::OLDER ADULTS ONLY!)

[Deleted]

"Yeah, everything's great. Mmhm. I love you too." As Andrew hung up the phone, he sighed. Lying was getting easier and easier. He stared at the phone, tempted to call Andre and confess that he had lied, beg him to come home. But no, no he couldn't. He just needed to take his mind off of things and have fun. And when he asked the kids what he should do, the consensus was: throw a party.

So, Andrew started making some phone calls. He decided the party would be the same night as the Spring Fling dance. Once he decided that it would be on his yacht, he called up catering companies, arranged for a cook and servers to be on deck, as well as a bartender to serve an open bar, because, according to Davey, he couldn't have a party without alcohol. Since Andre wasn't there, he decided it would be fine. He also hired three professional card-dealers, so they could have a black-jack table, a spades table, and a poker table. And of course, he hired a DJ to host kareoke on the deck. Once all that was finished, he made phone calls and spread the word: adult party, open invitation. He honestly didn't care who showed up, or if he even knew them. He just wanted to feel better. And of course, he allowed Davey to join him, and escorted Elena onto the yacht as well.

Now, he stood in a suit. He had been clear that there would be a dress-code. He asked for semi-formal attire. Andrew knew that this was not the party the kids had in mind, but it was the kind of party he threw. He had lanterns lighting up the spot on the marina where his yacht was docked. Once it hit 8, they would be setting sail. Right now, it was 7:30.

[Deleted]

Elena wasn't so sure about this. When Andrew was doing his planning, Elena had resolved to stay home. She wasn't accustomed to these types of parties. And anyways, she wasn't so sure she wanted to get out right now. But, there was a problem. She couldn't be left unsupervised. It was part of her parole agreement. So, Elena agreed, despite not really wanting to go. She'd rather go to a party than jail.

Andrew had even bought her a new dress, which ended at her knees, and was a simple, black dress. Elena had to admit, she loved the dress. When they got to the yacht, she watched as Andrew did a quick run-through and make sure all of the staff were there. Silently, she made her way to where the cook was busy at work. There were appetizers, like cocktail weiners and hour-derves, but then there was steak kabobs being cooked, as well as shrimp. Giving a polite smile to the cook, she picked up an hour-derve and popped it in her mouth. It wasn't like there was anything else to do.

[Antonio Del Rossi]

Antonio was always up for a party. When Elena called him up to ask if he would be there, he had grinned and said absolutely. It wasn't very often that he got to play with the big kids. Of course, he had come with a puppet for his cousin for having invited him, and when he stepped on the yacht and saw her eating, he tapped her on the shoulder and showed her the puppet with a grin. Antonio loved his line of work. It might not have gone over so well with the ladies, but he didn't care.

Once he had given her gift to her, Antonio went back to where his jeep was parked. He had called up Dominic, Lorenzo, and Rosa. Hey, what was a party without the Del Rossi clan? "Ciao, Andrew!" he greeted his cousin with a grin, patting his back. "very nice. How do I look?" he chuckled as he looked down at his own suit, with a tie that was covered in cars. marionettes. Hey, he had to add in his own flair!

[Lorenzo Del Rossi]

Open invitation. Lorenzo definitely was not expecting that to come from Andrew. Especially since Lorenzo himself had not spoken to Andre since his wife died. He hadn't done much, actually. It had hit him hard. And now that their wedding anniversary was coming up, he needed something on his mind other than his dead wife. So, when he received the notice from Antonio, he agreed to go and even called up Nathan and asked if he would be coming. While Lorenzo hated Ben, he didn't mind Nathan. After all, Nathan wasn't the one who had cheated on Marco.

After getting confirmation from him, Lorenzo put on a silver suit and made his way over. Honestly, he wasn't too surprised by the way the yacht was completely catered and decked out. Andrew definitely had expensive tastes. Which, since he was rich, was fine for Lorenzo. Parking, he got out and looked around. "Which way to the bar?" he asked, half-jokingly...half.

[Deleted]

Dominic was thrilled to be going to a party--especially one of Andrew's. As soon as he found out, he had called up Marco and left a voicemail. "Come on, Marco. Don't make me go to your house and force you into a suit. This party will be good for you...so get your ass out here!" he had said, getting into a white suit with a purple tie himself. "Ciao!" he called as he pulled up. He probably should have been manning the restaurant, but he didn't care. When did he get to do this? Not that often.

After parking, Dominic went ahead and boarded the yacht. "Blackjack! A man after my own heart," he joked as he went to the bar. "Ciao. I'll have a mimosa." God, this was so awesome. He wished he had the money to do stuff like this. Someday, he decided. He looked around in high spirits. Dominic rarely got to have fun, especially since he found himself as a single dad lately. Yeah, not fun.

[Deleted]

Finally. A real party. Rosa had not been to a real party since she left Carlos. Honestly, she missed them. Rosa had gotten used to the life that she lived, the life her children had grown up living. She had developed an incessant need for the material possessions she lived with. It was almost enough to make her want to go back to him. Almost.

Thinking clearly, though, she knew better. Carlos was manipulative and emotionally abusive. He made her feel like she only had the value of a trophy. He even stopped touching her after Helena was born. He would keep her at a distance, as if she were on display. And he'd make sure to take her with him to any and all political events. She was the pretty face who helped him get votes. But then he hit her, and when he did that, Rosa decided he had taken things too far.

But leaving Carlos meant suddenly being broke. It suddenly meant no more top-of-the-line clothes or purses or anything like that. And it definitely meant no more parties. So, when Antonio called her with the invitation, she was thrilled. Rosa had rushed to the mall and spent the last of her money to buy a cream-colored evening gown and a brand new pair of shoes. She left behind the anxiety that she was literally down to zero dollars with no source of income. She wasn't going to worry about any of that. Tonight, Rosa was going to have fun.

She got Erick to drop her off before he headed to the dance. Purse in hand, Rosa headed for the yacht, waving at her brothers as she approached Andrew. "I hope you invited plenty of single men tonight," she said as she kissed Andrew on both cheeks. "Ciao."

[Deleted]

"You have to go," Ellie told Marco when she found out about the party. "I need this. We both do." And she believed it. Ellie was finally sober, but she felt stuck. She had been in Marco's place for almost as much time as he had been separated from Ben. The one time Jessa gave her back her keys and wallet, Ellie went out and got drunk again. It was then that her brother rejected her.

Ellie didn't want to drink anymore. It was incredibly hard. Every time she saw alcohol, she was drawn to it. But, for the first time, Ellie was willing to fight it. Tonight, she was ready to prove to herself and to Marco that she could be trusted. Besides, both she and Marco could use a night of fun.

Now, in the car next to her best friend, wearing the dress Hannah had loaned her that Marco had bought for the Valentine's Day dance, the redhead reached over and put her hand on his leg. "Thank you," she said, and she meant it. Marco never had to do anything for her. He could have simply cut her out of his life, just like everyone else had. After all, he had his own problems. But, Marco never did. He took the time to help her sober up. She would forever be grateful to him.

[Deleted]

This was one experience Nathan had never had. The last time he wore a suit was at Danny's wedding, which had been just months after his own. Before that, it was prom. Nathan had a decent career, and his family was sitting pretty, but he hadn't known anyone who hosted parties quite like this. Of course, he wasn't going to turn it down. When Lorenzo called him up, he accepted the invite and called Ben and Danny. Ben needed to get out of the house, and there was no way Nathan was going without his best friend.

Of course, he had to make an emergency trip to the store. The suit he had from his wedding didn't quite fit anymore. In fact, when he tried putting on his pants, they ripped. He didn't dare try to force the shirt on. He picked out a nice, dark blue suit, with a white shirt, changed into it, and headed for the Marina.

Finding a place to park was kind of hard to do, but after about twenty minutes, he was parked and locking his car. His eyebrows raised when he saw the lanterns. Whistling, he shook his head. "Definitely not in Kansas anymore," he muttered.

[Deleted]

"I'll be home in a few days". Ben held the cell phone to his ear as he listened to Jonathan. take your time. How did this happen? Ben's stomach churned at the thought of his boyfriend returning home. This wasn't right. He wasn't supposed to end up like this. Especially not when he tried to leave him. All that resulted in was a dead cat. And Ben knew that if he didn't return, it would only get worse.

"Stay safe. Love you," Ben forced himself to say as he hung up, but he didn't mean it. Sometimes, he wished the man would get shot or something. At least he had a few days away from him. Ben knew it was a reprieve, albeit a small one. His whole world was messed up. Megan was in the hospital, Matt had been in juvenile hall, most of his kids weren't even with him. And, God, he missed Marco. He would give anything to be able to take off somewhere.

When the phone rang a second time, Ben's wish was granted. Nathan was calling to let him know that they were invited to a party on Saturday. At first, Ben hesitated. Any party hosted by Andrew Simpson was bound to have every Del Rossi imaginable. The family was like a freaking mafia. But, then, Ben thought that if Andrew was inviting him, then maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Besides, Marco might be there. And with that thought alone, he agreed to go, but not before calling Damon and inviting him.

He arrived, wearing a black suit, and parked beside Nathan. As he got out, he looked to his older brother. "It'll be fine...I think." As he headed for the yacht, though, he saw Antonio, Lorenzo, and Rosa. Stopping in his tracks, he turned around. "I just remembered. I have to go...shave."

Nathan grabbed his arm to stop him. "Not so fast. Come on, don't be a wimp. At the very least, hang out with Kari. She doesn't even know anyone but us."

Ben sighed. Eyes fixated on the Del Rossi's, he scratched his head and nodded. "Ok."

[Deleted]

Faith was glad that she had stopped by to give Nathan a helping hand. He had told her about the woman now living in his house, and, curiously, Faith went over, under the pretense that she was going to give the woman a makeover. And when Lorenzo was placed on speaker-phone, and the invitation was extended, Faith insisted that she and Kari go too. Nathan wouldn't have gone without Kari, anyways. And Faith -- she wasn't about to miss out on a party.

She had handed Kari her credit card, and told the woman to go buy herself a new dress. For herself, she wore a long, gold evening gown, one that showed her 'girls' very nicely. She parked her motorcycle and took her helmet off, hanging it on the side. With a grin, she walked past her brothers and approached the group at the front of the yacht. "I'm here, now. The party can begin," she announced with a smirk as she winked at the men and boarded the yacht. Why hang around when there was a perfectly good bar on deck?

[Gina Jeremiah]

"Hey, sis. There's a party at the marina; everyone's invited. I can't go, I promised Darcy I'd play at the dance. But I thought I'd let you know. It's this Saturday; the boat takes off at eight. Hosted by Emma's uncle. Oh, and wear a nice dress. Bye!" As Gina listened to the message Craig left on the answering machine, Gina already knew her answer to that. It had been a while since she had gone to a party like this. The last time she did, it was strictly for business purposes. She had gone to make contact with Caitlin Ryan. It would be nice to get out and have some fun. Of course, she would also extend the invitation.

So, after calling up her favorite photographer, Gina invited Peter, telling him to pass on the word as well. With that finished, Gina spent the rest of the week shopping for the party and even getting her hair done.

She took a taxi, arriving in a turquois dress. And when she saw the other Del Rossi's, Gina got excited. Did that mean Marco would be here as well? She hoped so. Gina still had her autograph Marco had signed for her back when they were teenagers. He had been so confused. It had been what -- 12 years since she had seen him? Gna looked forward to the reunion. She stepped on the yacht to look for him, and when she saw the dj getting his kareoke machine hooked up, she wondered if Marco would agree to a song, for old time's sake.

[Deleted]

"A little birdie told me that you'd be home today. I bring you gifts from all of your friends from Sesame Street!"

Larisa shook her head as she opened the door wider. "JT, you'e such a dork!" Staring at her older brother in his big bird costume, with his arms full of presents, she couldn't help but laugh. She did take a couple of gift bags from him and let him in the house.

"You never said when the baby shower is," he reminded her as he struggled to keep from falling. He made his way over to the couch, emptying his arms and sitting down.

Larisa rested one hand on her back, the other on her stomach. "You know better than that. I don't believe in baby showers. I don't like the idea of throwing a party, simply to solicit gifts. Besides, I don't like asking people for things."

"You take care of everyone else. If I hadn't been the first one Uncle Joe got ahold of, you'd have Audrey here, too, bunking with the babies or something like that."

"Yeah, how is Audrey doing, anyways? Losing her mom like that--"

"She's fine, Larisa. That's not the point. See, you're doing it again. It's like you want to mother everyone in the world."

Larisa blinked. "Is that so bad?"

JT sighed and put his padded, yellow hand on her knee. "Of course not. But, you should let people do things for you sometime."

Larisa shook her head. She knew he was just being concerned, but still..."I do let people do things for me. It's just that a baby shower doesn't happen to be one of those things. What's the big deal?"

JT nodded. "No, you're right. I'm sorry. But hey--you should at least get a night out with Johnny."

Larisa smiled. "Actually, that doesn't sound too bad."

"And I know just the thing. Emma called, her uncle is throwing a party. It's one of those kinds with an open bar and a line cook, and you have to dress up. It's an open invitation."

Larisa considered that. "Are you going?"

"Me? No. Audrey doesn't want to go to the dance, so I'm taking her out on a special Big Bird and Audrey night. I'm going to ask her about adoption. But you should really go. It's on Saturday, so the kids will all be at the dance. You wouldn't have to worry."

She shook her head. "Connor won't be going."

"So give him fifty bucks and let him order pizza. He's old enough to stay home alone. And if you show him that you trust him, and you actually treat him like you would Jenna or JJ, he'll feel more welcomed."

Larisa tilted her head. "You don't think he feels welcomed?"

"Larisa....he's Johnny's son, and you had to force Johnny to let him stay. No, I don't think he feels welcomed. He needs to feel like one of your kids. Larisa, listen to me. Let him stay here alone while you and Johnny go to the dance."

Larisa nodded. What he said made perfect sense. She just had hpped that it would have gotten better by now. But apparently, she still had some work to do.

Knowing that, Larisa called up Rhean, as well as Bruce, since he was good friends with her husband, and invited him. She then approached Johnny with the idea, insisting that she would give anything if he took her. She even went and bought a brand new champaigne colored dress. Before leaving, she had gone down the list of rules with Connor--no more treating him like a house guest. "I want you off the phone at midnight. And don't pick up the phone unless it's me. No smoking in the house. I would say no drinking, but I locked the liquor cabinet, and I really don't think I have to tell you not to break into it. Here's fifty dollars, spend it on anything legal. And you can have two friends--two malefriends over. No parties. I know, as a teenager, you're programmed to automatically rebel and throw a party, but I mean it. No parties. "

After that, she kissed his head, told him she loved him, and then went and got in the car. Now, walking up to the lit-up yacht, she giggled. "I feel like I'm going to the prom I never got to go to!" Looking down at her seven-month pregnant stomach, she chuckled. "I was huge then, too!"

[Deleted]

Rhean never took time away from her cases like this. The woman was a workaholic, spending 24/7 on her cases until she had the right person behind bars. And she was pretty damned successful at it, too. She and her partner were a great team. But then, everything changed.

The ringed scars stated appearing on bodies. At first, it was just another case. But then the letters started coming, and they were all for her partner. And after that, it wasn't long before his head was delivered to her. Rhean had been working on her own after that, even after Andre movedi n. She tried not to get too close. After all, she had no way of knowing how long he would last.

But now, the bodies suddenly stopped. Rhean felt like it was a bad omen, like a storm was coming, so to speak. And she intensified her search. But, she was bone dry of leads. She had no idea what to do next. Her mind and body were both exhausted. And for the first time in years, she called up her father.

One thing that could be said about the Kid, no matter how busy he was with tours and signing autographs, he always made time for his daughter. And as soon as he heard from Rhean, and listened to her cry about how she was a failure, he showed up. He didn't care how much media attention he got. His daughter needed him.

He had sent her to bed, insisting that he could take care of things. And, he did. He cleaned her house, went grocery shopping, did her laundry, and watched Natalia for her. So when Larisa called to invite Rhean to the party, it was he who picked up. It was a good idea, he decided. So, he bought her a long, purple dress and a new pair of shoes, and when she woke up, thirty-two hours later, he informed her that on Saturday, she was going to a party.

But, maybe it would be good for her. It had been so long since she had done anything extra for herself. And as her father stated when he pushed the dress in her arms and told her that he'd stay with her daughter, how much difference could one night make?

He even had his driver take her to the marina. Now, as she stepped out of the limousine, she could feel butterflies in her stomach. She was launched back into the lifestyle she had grown up with. And she wasn't so sure that she liked it. But, she told herself to relax and have fun.

When she spotted Larisa, Rhean approached her, putting her arm around the other woman's shoulder. "Hey, Larisa. You look great tonight."

[Bruce the Moose]

"You're kidding, right?" Bruce asked Larisa tauntingly. What made her think that he would want to go to a fancy party where he had to wear a suit? He didn't even wear a suit to Johnny and Larisa's wedding. He had worn combat boots and jeans. She should have known better to invite him. There was just no way.

"Are you gonna a prince, daddy?" Kaylia asked him, suddenly making him realize that he wasn't alone.

"No, I'm not."

"but I want you to be"

Bruce sighed "Daddy doesn't have a suit," he said, thinking that would get him out of it.

"we can go shopping!" the four year old always had the solution.

"well..."

"Come on daddy! It'll be fun!"

And just like that, Bruce was stuck. There was no way his daughter was going to let him get away with not going. Kaylia was the bossy one out of the seven, and out of the three girls, she was also the girly girl. Of course, all seven of them had him wrapped around their little fingers. But, apparently, Kaylia had the power to make him do strange things, like put on a suit.

He even let her choose the suit, which is why when he showed up at the marina, he was wearing a bright, yellow suit. He would have felt ridiculous either way, so he figured it was just as well. He had called and invited Paris, so he now looked around for her.

[Deleted]

It was the hardest thing imaginable, losing a child. Paris would never forget the day she had to id her seven-year-old son at the coroner's office. Timmy had been the Sniper's youngest victim, but that didn't give him any sort of reprieve. He had been tortured. When Paris looked at her son's body, she could barely recognize him. It tore at her since. Paris had never felt so destitute, so...empty. A piece of Paris died with Timmy.

If there was anyone who tried so hard to get her out of her slump, it was Bruce. He often took her to lunch, just to get her out of the house. It was off-season for her work. Bruce didn't think it was healthy for her to be inside twenty-four/seven. Of course, when he was invited to a party, he called her up and invited her as well. She didn't want to go without Lucas, though, so after she relunctantly agreed, she called him up as well.

The light green dress she wore was actually a costue she wore on the ice. She had taken a taxi, and shyly got out of the cab, swallowing the lump in her throat. Suddenly having second thoughts, she turned to get back in the car, but the taxi was already gone. Slowly, she turned back to face the yacht. Well, this would be fun