A/N-This is the last story, it will be based on the final episode of Designing Women which was named 'Gone with the Whim'. it was so badly written and just plain, well, stupid! That I haven't even come up with an idea for the characters that were on the show.

The door opened and in came Charlene in a beautiful vintage 1940's bridesmaid dress that is teal colored and her blond hair pulled back in a beautiful snood with delicate netting and a beautiful ribbon.

Bill stood beside her in a classic 1940's blue business suit and a handsome blue fendora to match. They look around and see B.J. as she sat in a chair, Etienne as she just was coming off the stairs, and Charlene asked,

"How's Mary Jo doing?"

B.J. gave her a sarcastic smile then suddenly they hear Mary Jo shouting,

"Etienne!"

Etienne sighed in frustration, shook her head then she said with a bit of impatience in her voice:

"What Mary Jo?"

"Where's my veil?!" asked Mary Jo then Etienne said, "You're not wearing a veil."

Silence came then she said, "I knew that."

B.J. finally said, "I think she needs a tranquilizer the size of a bull."

Charlene gave a nervous giggle then she said, "Well, she's getting married."

B.J. slowly nodded her head then she said,

"Yeah, she's getting married and Etienne and I are thinking of starting a blog for bridesmaids who have gone bonkers!"

Charlene giggled then she said,

"Oh, she can't be that bad, the Mary Jo I know has a strong head on her shoulders."

B.J. and Etienne looked at each other then a minute later they hear Mary Jo yelling:

"B.J.!"

B.J. looked at Charlene then asked, "Yes?"

Mary Jo ran out of her bedroom and as she was running downstairs she said,

"The glasses were just delivered! You need to go check them ! I just know they are going to be broken! What am I going to do? I just know they are going to be broken! It happened to Shelby..."

Etienne then said, "I'll go check them Mary Jo! I'll be glad to go check them..."

She lowered her voice then said to B.J., "I'm voting for the tranquilizer."

Etienne quickly walked to the door then as soon as the door closed, Mary Jo looked at Bill then walked over to him then said, "Well, look at you Bill!"

He puffed his chest out like a proud bird and Charlene smiled with pride and Mary Jo opened her arms to hug him then she stood back and said, "Aren't you dapper!"

Charlene put her hand on his shoulder then she said, "Isn't he just a dreamboat?"

Bill put his arm around Charlene's waist then said, "I just wanted to look good for my baby doll."

Charlene 's face lights up and they share a quick kiss then Mary Jo said,"D.P. has refused to wear his 40's suit so...if he isn't wearing his...you are going to take your suit off right then and he is going to put it on even if I have to dress him like his mother!"

She quickly turned around and stormed back up the stairs to her room while Charlene and Bill just stare off in shock then Bill finally said, "She threatened to undress me!" Charlene finally came out of her shock then asked: "What was that about the glasses?"

B.J. explained to her: "Oh, she watched 'Steel Magnolias' last night and now everything that happened to Shelby will happen."

Charlene looked up the stairs then said, "Gee, at least she didn't watch Runaway Bride."

"She watched that two nights ago."

Just then Mary Jo came running back out but instead of going down the stairs, she goes to the round balcony and yells down to them: "I need my fingernails painted! Somebody come up here !"

Mary Jo ran back into the room then B.J. looked at Charlene then asked: "Why don't you go?"

Charlene looked in horror at her then said, "Are you kidding? She's nuts!"

B.J. stood up then said, "Oh, I'll go...I'm used to her by now."

Just then Mary Jo came flying out then she said, "Never mind! I decided not to...not that many women in the 40's painted them anyway, I'll just clean them up and shape them!"

She flew back in her room then B.J. rolled her eyes and Bill and Charlene looked at each other.

(((oOo)))

A little while later, Mary Jo is in her room still getting ready for the wedding. She is going though drawers like a teenager getting ready for prom. Charlene then opened the door and she asked,

"Can I come in?"

Mary Jo barely looked at her then said, "Yeah, come on in; you can help me look for some pantyhose."

Charlene looked on the bed and saw some white pantyhose then said, "Well, here's some."

Mary Jo didn't even look at them, just kept searching drawer after drawer then said:

"Not them, I need sheer ones."

Charlene just nodded then walked over to the dresser and asked Mary Jo:

"Did you look through these?"

Mary Jo just nodded her head then Charlene said, "I'll just look through this bottom one."

After a few minutes of looking in it, Charlene stood up, sighed then said:

"Well, that's it; we can't find any more."

Mary Jo stood back, put her hands on her hips then said in a loud but firm voice, "NO! I know, I'll go look in the guest room, there may be some in there."

Charlene sighed again and she turned around to face her friend as Mary Jo started out then she said:

"Mary Jo, you know all that's in there is Quinton's things that he keeps over here."

Mary Jo raised her arms then said, "There may be some stockings in there! He's gay! There's no telling what's in there!"

Charlene raised her voice just as Mary Jo had her hand on the knob then said, "Mary Jo! Why are you acting so...crazy?"

Frustrated at herself, Mary Jo yells out, "Because it has to be perfect! This wedding has to be perfect!"

Charlene tells her, "No, it doesn't! ..."

She goes over and gets Mary Jo by the hand, bought her to the bed and they both sat down:

"Mary Jo, what's going on?"

Mary Jo put her hand on her forehead then she said, "Don't you see? It has to be perfect...it has to be better than..."

Charlene finishes her sentence by saying:

"Better than your last wedding?"

Charlene put her arms around her then said:

"It will be."

Mary Jo looked at her with a confused look on her face then asked, "How do you know?"

Charlene thought about it then said,

"Because...that was just a test run, this is the real thing."

They both just bust out laughing like best friends do then they hug then Mary Jo stood up then said,

"It's just that I want everything to be perfect...Ted and I just got married in a little judge's office and this..."

She just stopped talking and walked in a small half circle then Charlene walked over to her then she touched Mary Jo's cheek then said, "This wedding will be great and you are going to have a fantastic life with D.P."

Mary Jo looked at her then asked with a little girl's pain in her voice,

"How do you know?"

Charlene rolled her head from side to side then she said, "Because you are a great friend..."

Just then Claudia and Quinton open the bedroom door then Charlene finishes her sentence :

"And a great mom."

Mary Jo smiled and her friend then Charlene said, "I'm going on downstairs."

Charlene smiled at Mary Jo's children and they both go up and hug Mary Jo.

With her arms still around her children, she said to them:

"Oh, I'm so happy you are both here..."

She turned her head to Quinton then said, "And that you are giving me away...now, you're okay with this? No hidden feelings of remorse of "giving" me away?"

Quinton rolled his eyes then he smiled and said, "No mom, I'm more than happy to do this, I'm just happy you finally found someone."

Mary Jo snickered then said, "Hey, I dated."

Claudia then said, "Mom, people started calling you the designing nun !"

They all laugh then Mary Jo caught her breath then said:

"Oh, I just wish you wasn't moving to New York Quinton, I feel, I feel like a team is breaking up."

He smiled then said, "Mom, we're not breaking up...we're not Tony Orlando and Dawn, I'm just moving to New York."

Claudia then puts in her two cents, "Besides mom Atlanta is tired of him, he needs to go to New York so they can get tired of him!"

He knows she is just joking to lighten the mood so he says, "Hey!"

Mary Jo swallows a lump in her throat then asked, "Will you be back for Christmas?"

He looked at his mother like she is crazy then he said, "Mom, I'm gay, do you really think a gay man is going to leave his mother alone at Christmas?"

They all laugh then a knock came on the door and Mary Jo said, "Come in!"

Charlene stuck her head in then said, "I got something for the bride."

Mary Jo smiled then asked, "What?"

Her hand slowly comes up and she holds up a pair of sheer stockings then Mary Jo smiled and laughed again then went over and got them then said to Charlene:

"Thank you."

Charlene then stepped in the room then said, "Well, you better get dressed Mary Jo, it's almost time."

Mary Jo looked at everybody in the room then said in a low voice,

"Yeah, it is."

(((oOo)))

Mary Jo came out of her room with a long and lightweight, white jacket over her dress. She then went down the stairs and halfway down, she stopped because she saw her friend, Suzzane standing with her brother Clayton. Charlene stood beside her with tears rolling down her cheek , B.J. and Etienne stood off over to the side smiling then Charlene pointed her hands to Suzzane then said, "Look who's here."

Mary Jo continued to walk down and she walked up to Suzzane smiling then she said with a small crack in her voice,

"I'm glad you are here Suzzane."

They hugged then Suzzane took a step back and looked around the room then she said as only Suzzane could:

"Well, when I got your invitation to your wedding, I got to thinking that you deserve the most beautiful, spectacular wedding Atlanta has ever seen so that's when I decided to come."

Suzzane gave her cheshire cat smile and Mary Jo and Charlene looked at each other and they knew that from Suzzane saying that, they knew and they both said at the same time:

"She's getting better."

After a few short minutes, B.J. clapped her hand then she said,

"Well, I don't know about y'all, but I'm ready for a wedding! Does anybody know of one around here?"

They all laugh then Bill opened the door and everybody heads out for the church.

Later at the church, everything is beautifully decorated in white gardenias and soft tan/brown colors. Charlene and D.P.'s brother walked up first then B.J. and Etienne shortly behind her then finally a soft guitar and piano version of 'Embracable you' plays and Mary Jo appeared in the doorway then Quinton came up beside her and she wrapped her hand around his arm, they looked at each other and smiled.

Mary Jo looked simply stunning in her white satin knee length dress as it clung to her small frame. The three quarter length sleeve showed the gentle pinkness of her shoulders. The dress was visible under the lace overlay and blew around gently as she moved. The quaint ruffles at the bottom of the dress were hardly noticeable as she moved.

Just as she got to where her future husband to be stood, she unwrapped her arms from Quinton and took D.P.'s hands then Robin, the minister who is marrying them; she smiles and says to everybody in the room:

"D.P. and Mary Jo have asked Charlene to sing a song that means a lot to the both of them."

Robin moves to the side and Charlene walked up to the microphone beside the piano and she wipes a tear away and the beautiful strings of "I'll Be Seeing You" that has been sung by so many great artists but for that moment in all of their lives, Charlene sang it the most tenderly and full of love for her best friend for life.

After singing it, Charlene blows a kiss to Mary Jo and D.P. then Robin stands back in place in front of the bride and groom then she asked, "Who gives this woman to be married?"

Quinton and Claudia both stood up then Quinton said, "Her son and daughter."

Mary Jo gave him a warm smile and he smiled back then they sat down and Robin continued,

"Before I go on, is there anyone here who thinks these two should not be wed? Let him speak now or forever hold their peace."

Mary Jo slowly moved over to Charlene than she said in a whisper, "If anybody says anything, you take them out?"

Charlene nodded her head in agreement than she said, "I don't have to, Suzzane will have Consequla throw a voo-doo curse on them." Mary Jo quickly nodded her head then said, "Good enough."

Charlene, B.J. and Etienne scan the crowd with evil eyes then after a few more minutes, everybody relaxes then goes back into their places then Robin continues the ceremony:

"Marriage was given to people to show the world that this is the person..."

With the flat of her hand, she points to D.P. and Mary Jo then said:

"D.P. LeBoof and Mary Jo Shively that they have decided to spend the rest of their life with and are willing to share all their worldly possessions but before I go on, D.P and Mary Jo have their own vows that they would like to say to each other."

Mary Jo and D.P then face each other, Mary Jo gave her flower bouquet to Charlene then she cleared her voice then opened up a piece of paper she had hidden in her hand then she threw the paper on the floor then said,

"I had something wrote down but...I would rather speak from..."

She chokes on her words but she pats her heart then she cleared her throat again, took D.P.'s loving hands in hers then she said to him,

"D.P., it wasn't love at first sight for us...in fact it was 30 years but I think...it made us closer..."

Her voice cracks and a lone tear rolls down her lovely cheeks then she said,

"And I want to say in front of God and all our friends that I promise to love you all my life, hold you close in my heart and do my best to make you happy all the days of your life; but not obey you because as everybody knows, I don't obey very well."

The whole room erupts in laughter then D.P. moves his hand on top of Mary Jo's then he cleared his voice then he said, "I loved you from the time we first met but I didn't fall IN love with you until years later..."

Mary Jo blushed then Charlene said in a low voice that only B.J. and Etienne can hear,

"I think I'm going to cry."

B.J. muffled a small laugh then she said, "Newsflash Charlene, you are."

Charlene laughed then she brushed her cheeks with her small baby blue silk handkerchief then said, "Well, I'll cry some more!"

Etienne then said, "I know what you mean Charlene, I have so many tears out of me that I feel like I'm Holcomb creek !"*

All the girls laugh then they listen to D.P. as he continues with his vows,

"All I can promise you Mary Jo is to love you more each day and make you the Queen in my life..."

They both look over at little Carolyn, his grand daughter who has her front two teeth missing and she beams just as bright as as a ball of sunshine then D.P said, "Just as Carolyn is the Princess."

Then they both turn to Robin who has tears running down her face then she said, "Well, with that being said; let me ask...do you Mary Jo Shively take this man D.P. LeBoof as your lawfully wedded husband to love, honor and cherish until death do you part?"

He smiled with pride then he said in a voice loud and clear, "YES."

Robin then turned to Mary Jo and she asked her the same holy questions then Mary Jo said,

"You bet I do."

Robin then said, "Let's present the rings."

D.P. turned to the man beside him, the man gave D.P. a stainless steel ring with a 6mm koa wood inlay and rose gold. He then slipped the ring on Mary Jo's 4th finger. Mary Jo had to contain herself to keep from squealing but she turned and Charlene gave her a matching ring only his wood inlay was a little larger , 8mm for D.P. but . She turned and slipped it on D.P.'s finger then they turned to Robin and she said,

"Now, with the power vested in me by the state of Georgia and by the Methodist church, I pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Mary Jo reached up to put her arms around his broad shoulders then he said to her, "I've been waiting for this all day."

She gave him a deep kiss then she whispered to him, "Now wait for tonight."

He gave a happy, sinful smile then Robin said, "I now present to you Mister and Mrs. LeBoof!"

Mary Jo and D.P. turn and face the crowd and everybody jumped up, yelled with pleasure and clapped their hands then Mary Jo and her new husband run down the aisle.

(((oOo)))

A little while later Mary Jo, Charlene, B.J. and Etienne and of coarse Suzzane all meet up at a table with the wedding cake on it. Charlene then said in a very soft voice,

"Well, you're married."

Mary Jo nodded her head and smiled then said,

"Yep"

There is a moment of everybody being quiet then B.J. said,

"Oh shoot, let's stop this. Just show us the ring! That's what we all want!"

Mary Jo happily puts out her finger to show off her beautiful, unique ring then with the happy music of Bing Crosby then Charlene said in her happy little girl voice,

"Mary Jo! It's beautiful!"

Suzzane rolled her eyes as only she can then she said,

"Where's the diamond?"

Charlene puts her hands on her hips then said,

"Suzzane!"

Suzzane looked around then she said,

"Well, it's the truth! Having a wedding ring with no diamond is like watching Gilligan's Island without Gilligan!"

Mary Jo then said,

"Well, I don't care! It's special to me!"

Meekly, Suzzane than said, "Well, it does have gold on it."

Charlene then asked Mary Jo,

"Where are you going on your honeymoon?"

Mary Jo shrugged her shoulders then said, "I don't know, D.P. is keeping it a secret."

Charlene clapped her hands then said, "Oh, that little devil! Well, when are you coming back to Sugarbakers?"

Mary Jo slightly tenses up, glances at all the close friends in her life then she tells them,

"Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about, I already talked about it with Peyton last night and I'm glad you are all here so I can talk to you all..."

Everybody looks at each other then B.J. asked,

"What Mary Jo?"

"Well,as you all know, I worked like a dog when I was married to Ted..."

B.J. broke in then said,

"That's because he was a dog."

They all laugh then Mary Jo continued, "Well, I didn't get to really be there for my children as I wanted and I feel like I got this 2nd chance being with Carolyn as she grows up so...I think I need to just...retire."

Not a sound is made by any of women of Sugarbakers then Charlene tells them,

"Well, Sugarbaker's is just not going to be the same without you Mary Jo so I think I'll just retire with you Mary Jo and just stay at home with Bill."

Etienne spoke up and said, "And I think I'm going to go to all those places that Charlene told us about...and told us about...and told us about and..."

Everybody laughed at Etienne's joke then Charlene asked, "Oh, I don't talk that much ...do I?"

Mary Jo looked at Suzzane and Suzzane looked at B.J. who looked at Etienne then they all burst out in laughter then Suzzane said,

"Why don't we just retire Sugarbaker's?"

B.J. then spoke up and said,

"Oh hell no! We'll just put Sugarbaker's in my company's hand! And that way we can all retire, hell's bells; everybody knows I wasn't cut out to be a rich interior designer...I was just meant to be rich!"

They all laugh then Charlene asked, "Well, don't you think it's time to cut the cake Mary Jo?"

Mary Jo smiled then tuned to the table and picked up the antique sliver plated cake slicer and B.J. goes over to get D.P. then they cut the cake. Mary Jo of coarse smacks the cake into her new husband's face. Everybody then gathers around and shouts out: "All single ladies in the room, gather around!"

B.J. and Charlene look at each other then quietly walk up and grabs Etienne by her arms and she looked on in shock and just as Mary Jo threw the bouquet everybody moved out of the way and Etienne caught it. She tried to protest but finally she just smiled and gave a sexy smile as the photographer snapped a picture.

(((oOo)))

At the time when D.P. drives up in a 1940 Ford Two tone convertible coups and Mary Jo gives all her friends last minute hugs and kisses and they drive off for their honeymoon, Bernice and Julia sat unseen on the church's rooftop over on the edge and their legs crossed at the ankle and Bernice said, "Well, now you seen Mary Jo get married, let's hit the high road ( she points toward Heaven ) and I mean it... I was told in very clear terms that I was not to bring a human down here..." ( She looked confused then said) "Or was it cumin? Either way, those meddlesome angels will start saying that I did it again... ( she looks off into nothing then starts singing ) Here I go again on my own, on the only road I ever owned..."

Julia rubs her arm then said, "Bernice?"

Anthony came along and sat down and he said, "She's getting in one of her Whitesnake moods."

Julia nodded her head then asked, "Anthony, why are you here and more importantly, why are you in that...suit?"

Anthony looked down at his brown suit then he said,

"I got this from Bernice's husband, he zapped it up for me."

Julia shook her head then she said, "Anthony, that suit is from the 20's, Mary Jo's wedding is 1940's"

Anthony sadly nodded his head then said, "I know, Bernice's husband is off on decades as she is."

Julia nodded her head then said, "Well, that answers one question, what about the other one, what are you doing here? "

Anthony sat down on the roof then said, "Well, the Big Man as Bernice has so lovingly called him in the past gave me special permission to come escort you to the lovely land that is called Heaven and Bernice to...Witchdom. "

Julia then smiled and said, "Can you believe it? Bernice , a witch? I suppose now there is tooth fairy's and talking bunnies."

Just then Carlene sat down in a beautiful powder blue 1800's southern belle dress and she said, "I hear the new girl Barbra Rogers is trying out for the new tooth fairy role, she's even got a shiny new tooth bag."

Anthony, Bernice and Julia look at Carlene and they all three said,

"Carlene!?"

Anthony looked around then he said, "Now, I know why I'm here, why are you?"

Before she can answer, Julia asked her,

"WHERE did you get that outfit? I know Anthony is in the wrong decade but you are in the wrong century!"

Carlene looked down at her dress then said, "I got it from that last Southern belle to get in, Patricia Le Belle? "

Anthony, Bernice and Julia all look at each other then Carlene said, "What? I think she nice and beside it was the only dress I could get."

Bernice then said, "Oh, whatever, let's get out of here, the show's over anyway let's say adios amigo, hit the road Jack., let's go! Over and out!"

Carlene's face drops to the rooftop and she sadly asked, "Oh, I missed it? I missed seeing Mary Jo and Charlene?"

Julia looked at Bernice then she turned to Carlene then said, "No, you didn't, Mary Jo and her new husband and are just now leaving for their honeymoon and I think she is just about to hug Charlene."

Julia takes Carlene's hand and they look down at Mary Jo hugging her then Mary Jo get in the car and they drive off. A tear rolls down Carlene's cheek and Julia said,

"She's fine Carlene, they all are...Mary Jo,Charlene, Suzzane, B.J. and Etienne."

Anthony smiled down at Etienne then said, "But my wife is still the best ! Look at that bod!"

They all laugh at Anthony, even Anthony himself then they all join hands and Bernice blinks her eyes and they disappear, then a few minutes later, Anthony said, "Bernice! We are in Canada!"

Carlene then said, "Cool! Hey, can we go see Niagra Falls?"

All of them expect for Carlene say: "Carlene!"

(((oOo)))

Several hours later at Charlene's house, she came walking to her couch in her pink silk pajamas, Suzzane is in her glamours flowing white gown then Charlene said,

"I finally got Carolyn to sleep! She was so excited with the wedding happening and her new Gigi."

Suzzane looked confused then asked, "Gigi?"

Charlene smiled then said, "That is what she is going to call Mary Jo, gee, it's been so long since I had a little girl in this house...I think Bill and I are going to become foster parents."

Suzzane gave her ghost smile then asked, "Where's B.J. and Etienne?"

Charlene looked around the room then said, "Etienne went to go make some popcorn and I guess B.J. went to the bathroom, I'm not sure."

Etienne came in the room with a big bowl full of popcorn and B.J. right behind her holding a DVD then Charlene asked her, "Where did you go B.J.?"

B.J. took off her coat and said, "Well, I decided that if we are going to have a girl's night out and Etienne has made a big bowl of popcorn, I decided that we need a big ol' movie to watch and what's better to keep us in the wedding mood than My Big, Fat Greek Wedding!"

The girls all laugh and squeal with joy then B.J. continued to say,

"It only lasts 95 minutes but with what went on today, we'll all be out like Carolyn by midnight!"

Just then Charlene's computer dings, she goes over and sees that she has a message and when she opened it, she smiled a country mile smile then said,

"Girls, it's from Mary Jo!"

They all run over then Suzzane said, "Don't keep us in suspense! Tell us what she said!"

She smiled and said, "Dear Charlene, B.J. Etienne and even Suzzane, I just wanted to tell you all that unless it's our house on fire or somebody has died, you still cannot contact us on our two week cruise to anywhere we want!"

They all squeal again and Charlene gets up and walked around her huge living room then she put her hands together then said, "I just wish...that Carlene was here for the wedding, she would have loved it."

Etienne then said, "And my Anthony."

Suzzane thought about it then said, "He would have done Fred Astaire all night!"

They all laughed then B.J. said, "And sounded better than Fred Astaire!"

They laugh some more than B.J. said, "Oh! And Bernice! She would have had more fun than twin cowboy clowns at rodeo school!"

Charlene then said in a chocked voice, "And Julia. This would have been her classiest time."

B.J. thought about it then said, "You know what? This may sound crazy but I think they were."

They all fall silent and look at each other then give a firm nod then start talking and putting the DVD in and eating popcorn and just enjoying their life.

*Holcombs creek is a real place that I found while doing my research and I just couldn't resist putting it in since one of my friends is named Holcomb...last name of coarse.

I know I didn't put any of the guest characters from that episode, I just couldn't but I do hope you liked me bringing back Charlene, Suzzane, Anthony and Carlene . It just seemed the right thing to do. And I know this is one of the LONGEST stories but for the last episode/ story, I felt that was just the right thing to do also.

Sand n' Sable