"A single parent has to be a doctor, counselor, driver, short-order cook, and fashion guru in addition to all of there daytime job duties. For me, that starts at the crack of dawn when I'm getting my son Rocco ready for school. If I'm lucky my daughter too, Charlotte. I share primary custody with her father Valentine, and only get to see her on weekends. But sometimes I get lucky. The true suspense in my life however starts at work, when I drive up to the Invader, a newspaper outlet, and receive my journalistic assignment. Sometimes it's dangerous and sometimes it's terribly mundane. But whatever it is I have to put it all down at 3 pm to pick up Rocco from school or I have to arrange for a babysitter. I was blessed with a ton of family, but sometimes last-minute is just last minute. Only to go home and produce an eatable dinner that wont end up on the floor under a car wheel. If the new beau I'm dating sends me a meme or a video check-in than it sends me to the moon. Only for me to collapse on the couch, dog tired and start it all over again the next day."

"Your preaching to the choir, sis. But the only thing that needs to change in that schedule is more time for this new beau," Maxie smiled with an eyebrow raised. "At least the smile will last longer."

I shook my head, unable to hold back my own smile. "I feel so bad because I just don't have the time sometimes. I don't want him to think he's not a thought, because he's a couple of thoughts."

Maxie fixed the purple cocktail napkin on the table. Twirling her Cosmopolitan in gently like she had a secret. "You know you can call on your bestie anytime to pull some strings with your boss. Give you some more R&R time, maybe."

I drowned my third Tequila Sunrise and called the waiter over for another. "I actually love my job. So no. I wont be taking any needless time off. I just need to manage my time better."

"Well, you took the first step with me when you actually kept our girls night out tonight."

I frowned. "I know you think I don't like Nina, but in a lot of ways I'm just not sure that it was cool of us to go out tonight all things considering."

"Considering it looks like we are celebrating the very fortunate demise of her relationship with Valentine. So what if we are? Nina's revenge second wedding was everything. And she looked as beautiful as ever thanks to me. I hope you got pictures of Monster's Inc heart as its breaking."

It all felt dirty. As sticky as the tables at The Floating Rib and the barbecue rib stain that planted itself on the bottom of my dress like a tell tale heart. A navy blue draped wrap dress that was very beautiful when I walked out of the house this morning. Even Maxi looked a little worse for wear. Her hair coming undone from the low bun, frizzy stray ends everywhere. It looked like we were the ones left at the alter instead of Valentine. "I want Valentine to get what's coming to him. However, she should have just left him after Sasha's secret was revealed. The second wedding was hard on Charlotte. A part of me wishes that she wasn't involved at all."

"Yeah, she still thinks her father hung the moon," Maxie said, pulling out a compact from her sparkling clutch. Miserably sleeking down fly-aways that probably wouldn't be tamed under this formidable summer heat that chased us into the evening. It was closer to 11 pm at night and the light buzz of fireflies in my head was telling me that I should be heading home.

"She wouldn't even come home with me. She said that she had to nurse papas broken heart."

With a heavy sigh, she slammed the compact on the table. "Well, that's sweet. He's too good for her."

"Everyone in the whole world was too good for him."

Maxie swayed her head from side to side. "Yeah, but he didn't want everyone in the world. He just wanted Nina."

My mouth dropped open in surprise. "Was that pity I hear?"

She scrunched up her nose. "The burn was good."

I started to laugh when my phone rang in my purse. Holding up a finger, I went to answer it to see that it was a call from Charlotte.

Maxie smiled lovingly as she clutched her chest. "See mommies still needed. Even if she is tipsy."

My eyes almost bulged out of my head as I took a deep breath. The last thing Charlotte needed to hear was her mother feeling good and loose. "Hello, Charlotte, baby." I cleared my throat. "What's wrong?"

Maxie laughed. "If I was her age, I so would have seen through that," she whispered.

I put my finger up to my lip to silence her. Turning away from the table, I knocked over the heels I had worn this morning. Maxie had lovingly packed two pairs of sandals to change into. That girl really does think of everything. The only thing going through my mind this morning had been whether I really should attend another Val and Nina after this disastrous first one.

"Mommy," Charlotte croaked as if she had been crying.

My ears perked up as if I were a hound. I nearly tripped over the shoes that crowded my walkway as I headed towards the bathrooms where I knew it would be quieter. my heart beating a mile a minute. "Charlotte, what's wrong?"

"Daddies really angry over Nina and he wont listen to me. I need you to come get me. He's scaring me."

I turned around and almost plowed into Maxie who had been standing behind me. Her arms were full of our shoes and purses and she still had enough sense to grab my drink. "What's going on? You look panicked."

"Charlotte needs me. I have to go pick her up." I took the drink from her hand and downed it. Unsure of what I was walking into.

Maxie handed me my things and shook her head too beautiful for this place in a one-shoulder side slit gown as she followed me back over to our table.

"Call Peter. Maybe you can still salvage the night and go someplace better like the metro court Afterhours nights."

She looked at me incredulously. Ever the beautiful dame as she smoothed her dress underneath her. "Are you kidding me! Roccos probably past out by now. So I'm going to finish babysitting him and I'm sending your mother with you. You should not be driving."

I smacked my lips. "I haven't actually had that much."

"No, I mean you'll need the support. I feared something like this happening," she said reaching out to grab my hand. She didn't actually know what was going on. Neither did I, but it wasn't hard to guess. Clapping her hands together, she snapped me out of my stupor. "Chop, chop, a little girl needs her mother."

It took almost thirty minutes to get everything together and another thirty just to catch the boat over. I felt like the shittiest mom ever. Weren't superheroes supposed to fly over at the first chance of danger? What was my baby going through right now? I didn't even have time to change out of this stupid dress. Now I'd only remind her of the wedding that never happened. Right on top of everything else.

"Lulu, Valentine is a lot of things, but he loves that little girl. Whatever's happening over there is not what we think?" My mother, Laura, encouraged.

I shook my head somberly. She didn't know what I was thinking. I was a mother with two children under 12, I was thinking of bloody murder. My thoughts weren't even with the captain as we docked and he tried to help us off the plank. Sorry, no pleasantries. I'm not a damsel in a distress. I'm supermom and now I'm expected to do super things. Whatever that looks like.

"You're a Spencer. You're a Spencer," I mumbled under my breath.

My mother led the way and I couldn't have been more relieved. Knocking on the door, vehemently. "Valentine. Charlotte?"

There was no answer. Well, a supermom wouldn't wait for one. I went around my mother's side and tried the door to find it unlocked.

The whole house was dark. Except for the roaring fire lighting up the living room.

"Valentine, didn't you hear us?" My mother asked sternly, in that no-nonsense voice that only she could manage.

"Yes, but you don't let rats in do you. You let them knock at the door."

I didn't bother with him, looking around the living room to find no charlotte insight. "Mom, can you check upstairs for her?"

She nodded, looking at this version of Valentine as if he had grown two heads.

"I'm taking my daughter with me. There is no way that she should see you in such a state. You know better than this."

"Better than what!" he screamed at the fire as if it held him entranced. A demon listening to another demon.

"Mom, you came," Charlotte said, running up to me and throwing her arms around my waist.

I shielded her eyes so that she couldn't see her drunken father in this state of such tribulation. A part of me had to half drag her into the foyer with my mother. Who was already holding her overnight bag.

"I'm sorry that you had to see this," I said, getting down to her level. Her small hands disappearing in my hand. "I'm sure your father didn't mean anything that he did or said. He's just really hurting right now. You didn't act like this when Dante left."

It took my breath away because I wasn't expecting it. Its heaviness sitting on my chest like a boulder. "I did, sweetie. You and Rocco just didn't deserve to see it."

Laura approached her granddaughter and rubbed her head lovingly. "Its late sweetie. I'm sure you're very tired and would like to get some rest before school tomorrow."

She looked up at her granny in despair. "I don't think I could face school tomorrow."

"Well, that's something that we can talk about over breakfast pancakes," I said, kissing her hands.

"Okay," she said looking back into the living room. Where it literally looked like her father was being consumed by the fire. Even I would be scared to spend the night here. He was now as ugly on the outside as he was on the inside. "Goodbye pa-pa, I hate Nina too."

My mother made a noise at the back of her throat and rubbed the child's head. "Oh, no, no, no."

"Let's get her out of here," I mumbled to my mother as I got to my feet. Already set to leave this carnival show behind. The heavy doors slowly opening as if the whole house was conspiring to trap us within it.

"She is not going anywhere," he screamed, finally awaking from his Nina induced trance-like a zombie. His hard steps on the expensive flooring like that of an overbearing ogre.

I squared my shoulders and stood up to my full height. Which wasn't much and called for my mother too, "Take her. I don't think Valentine wants me to leave yet."

"Papa don't be mean to mom," Nina said, in the cusp of a fresh set of tears.

"Go!" I called, the only thing standing between Valentine and my mother and Charlotte. My eyes trained on the soulless orbits that could have burned me alive if the devil had only wanted his decrepit soul. "I am going to stay here and talk to Valentine some. Will be fine Charlotte love."

"Lulu?" My mother called, fearful.

I am Spencer. I am a Spencer.

"Rocco has football practice in the morning mom," I said casually.

"How quaint? But my daughter stays here!" His breath smelling strongly of whiskey sours.

"I...said...No," using the same tone that I might with Rocco throwing a fit in a toy store. My hands up as I physically blocked the way with all 5'4 of my slender frame.

Laura covered Charlotte's ears. "If I don't hear from my daughter in the morning. I'm calling the cops."

When the door closed behind me, I knew they were safe. But now I was trapped in the monsters den.

"What is your mother thinking? I wouldn't think of killing you...in the foyer."

Nickolas C. and the codicil in the painting still exist in this universe, but none of that takes place before or at the wedding.