A.N. Agh, jeez, I'm so sorry. I really didn't mean to leave this hanging for so long, but I kinda lost interest in it for a while. I think I'm back for now, so hopefully I'll be able to finish this story before my excitement about this story slacks off again. Anyway, I'll stop babbling. Enjoy!

Candlehead shivers as a freezing wind whistles past her. Normally, she wouldn't mind it. She loved that feeling of air streaming around her, like a refreshing, cool caress. But tonight, a cold January night, she did not appreciate the wind at all. She wouldn't even be driving around right now if it weren't for something very important happening tomorrow. Namely, her wedding. And because the big day was tomorrow, Taffyta had insisted they have her bachelorette party tonight. Just her luck that it happened to be the coldest night of the year. And that Taffyta had planned the party as an outdoor event, a barbecue in one of the many park pavilions around Sugar Rush. Rolling her eyes with annoyance, the soon-to-be newlywed takes one hand off the wheel to straighten out her pale pink sweater. A small part of her wished she could just ditch the party altogether and curl up in front of her cozy fireplace, perhaps with a mug of hot cocoa. But at the same time, she knew Taffyta would be crushed if she just didn't show up. The lollipop lover was a tad bit obsessed with tradition, and one of those oh-so-special traditions happened to be the bachelorette party. So, she sucked it up and continued driving to the pavilion.

The young adult wasn't expecting much when it came to the party. She herself was usually the planner for every occasion within Sugar Rush, so everyone else was pretty out of practice. So much so, in fact, that whenever the thought of this event crossed her mind, however fleetingly and brief, she usually just envisioned a dimly lit party in the pavilion, with a simple but delicious meal cooked by Taffyta or perhaps Vanellope and maybe some music. Over the course of that morning, she had revised her vision to include a dozen frozen racers standing around with their teeth chattering. Her vision was something small and simple, quaint even, but a nice gesture all the same.

She couldn't have been any further off.

The sight that greeted her when she pulled up to the pavilion literally made her jaw drop. A roaring bonfire blazed in a stone pit a little ways away from the covered area, shedding wave after wave of delicious heat over the surrounding area. Strings of white fairy lights ran along the outer edges of the pavilion, and more snaked up the pillars supporting it. From where she sat, stunned, in her car, Candlehead could hear fast-paced music intermingled with the cheerful chattering of her fellow racers, most of which had shed their overcoats to leave only sweaters and long-sleeved shirts. And the smell. She let out a pitiful whimper, her stomach rumbling anxiously as she breathed in the smell of cooking meat, a delicious scent which made her realize how hungry she was. She was astonished. But she didn't have long to dwell on the stunning set up before her presence was noticed and a mob of girls rushed over to usher her out of the car and into the heat of the party. For once, she was glad she had dressed for fashion rather than for warmth, as her pink sweater and brown scarf, paired with a simple pair of jeans and brown, fuzzy boots provided just enough protection to keep the windchill off. If she had chosen to wear her heavy winter coat and some thicker pants, she likely would have been sweltering, as the fire gave off enough heat to warm the whole area. As it was, she was just right.

Again, she didn't have long to dwell on this, what with the music pounding around them and the gaggle of giggling girls herding her to the center of the party, where Vanellope and Taffyta were waiting with wide grins. "Girls!" She cried as she finally managed to break free of the group and approach her two best friends. "What..? How..?"

The president cackled with glee at the bride-to-be's confusion, throwing an arm over her shoulder and resting the other on her hip. "What, you didn't think we'd let your last night as a free woman be a bust, did ya?" She said snarkily, though her delighted grin betrayed any amount of sass she tried to portray.

"Well, to be honest, yes!" Candlehead replied with a laugh, nudging her friend. "How in the world did you manage all this? I didn't think any of you knew how to throw parties." She continued, breaking free of Vanellope's grip and glancing between the president and the lollipop lover.

"We all have our secret talents." Vanellope commented, pretending to study her fingernails in the picture of nonchalance.

"Van got some help from the NPC's of Fix-it Felix Jr." Taffyta explained with a grin. "Apparently, they throw parties all the time."

Scoffing softly, Candles shook her head in bewilderment before deciding to forget about how her party had been planned so perfectly and focus on the fact that it had. And to enjoy it. "Well, however you managed it, this is seriously the most amazing thing ever. You guys are the best."

Taffyta grinned cheekily and slicked back her hair. "We know." She replied breezily, holding a pompous pose for a few moments before bursting into a fit of laughter along with her two friends.

After their laughter died down, Vanellope spoke up, raising her hands up in a "hold everything" pose. "Okay, okay, enough chit-chat! The barbeque won't be done for another half hour, but the beat is pumping! As the old folks in Fix-it Felix say, let's boogie!"

This, of course, elicited another round of laughter from the president's two friends, but they quickly heeded her advice and migrated to the dance floor, everyone laughing and dancing for what seemed like hours. In reality, though, barely 45 minutes had passed before Sour Bill started ringing a bell to get everyone's attention, the music slowly fading to low background noise.

"Attention, everyone." The sour candy droned over the crowd. "The main course is ready. You may come up and-" He paused and glanced at a note card in his hand. "Get yourselves some BBQ before the beat drops again." He continued, still in his usual monotone voice. Candlehead noticed Vanellope sniggering before returning her attention to Sour Bill, who was gesturing to a buffet of everything from roasted potatoes to stewed greens. Sour Bill positioned himself at the head of the table, prepared to serve pulled pork sandwiches or slices of smoked ham, whichever came first.

"Well? Are you girls as hungry as I am?" Taffyta asked, eyes darting between the buffet and her two friends.

Candlehead grinned wryly. "I could eat a pig."

"Pfft. Well you're in luck, because that's exactly what we have!" Vanellope interjected, throwing an arm around the bride-to-be's shoulders once again. This time Candlehead made no pretense of trying to get away, instead choosing to laugh along with her best friend.

"Fine, then let's go get some of that!" She replied, swatting at the president playfully.

The former glitch snorted with amusement before allowing her arm to slide off Candlehead's shoulders, instead reaching to grab the bride's hand. Taking the opportunity to snatch up Taffyta's as well, she hardly wasted a second before dragging them both to the buffet.

"What's your rush, Van?" Taffyta laughed curiously, though she made no move to protest being dragged along.

"I managed to get a Burger Time chef to cook for tonight." She replied over her shoulder, earning a set of wide eyes boring into her back for her trouble.

"How in the world did you manage that?" Candlehead hissed excitedly, her eyes darting to the heaps of barbecue awaiting them.

"A little bit of bribery goes a looong way." The president shot back snarkily, pausing to smirk at her two friends for a moment before pressing on, finally arriving at the table. "Bill! We need three sandwiches, stat!"

"Your majesty." The sour candy greeted drily as he plopped three sandwiches on three plates, looking. Of course, the uncaring demeanor was shattered by the fact that he made a point of using pink, teal, and green plates for the three, mirroring the favored colors of Sugar Rush's "princesses." "Would you like any slaw with that?" He continued, casting his droopy eyes over the group.

"Yes, please." Candlehead replied cheerfully, ignoring the gagging motion Vanellope made behind her back as Sour Bill set a perfect mound of cole slaw on her plate, and on Taffyta's at her approving nod.

"I can't believe you two actually eat that junk." The president sneered as the trio moved down the buffet table, piling their plates with food as they go.

"It's yummy!" The bride-to-be protested with a giggle, picking a warm roll from a pile of breads.

"Plus we all know the only reason you don't like it is because you don't eat any veggies." Taffyta continued, smirking as she snatched a bun (or two) for herself.

"That's not true. I eat tomatoes." Vanellope replied, assuming an air of wounded pride.

"Tomatoes are a fruit." Candlehead giggled, guiding the three to sit at one of the long tables around the pavilion.

"Blasphemy." She shot back before biting into her sandwich. She then proceeded to collapse backward dramatically. "Oh my code that's amazing."

Her two friends guffawed incredulously before digging into their own sandwiches, expressing similar thoughts of amazement and adoration. The barbecue really was some of the best any of them had ever had, and they continually affirmed it as such. The meal passed swiftly, interrupted only by sporadic bursts of laughter. Before they knew what was happening, the music had started back up and then Vanellope was ushering them all back to the dance floor, ignoring the playful protests of her friends. "Today and tomorrow may be the biggest parties Sugar Rush is going to throw for a long time, so I am going to dance and you two are going to join me!" She had admonished when they asked for an explanation. Thus the three found themselves on the dance floor once more, though none of them were really opposed to the development. They proceeded to dance and laugh for hours, completely unaware of the ambush which was already in motion...

A.N. Heehee, I can just imagine your nervous fidgeting at this point. "I thought this was just a cute, fluffy story! I didn't think I'd have to worry about violence and danger!" you cry. Well… you're right. XD Don't worry, the adorabubble couple over here will be just fine. But as to what this ambush is, you'll just have to wait and find out. ;)