Jennie and Jisoo's Brownstone, June 3rd, 8:57 AM

The next day Jisoo woke up with her arms encased around Jennie, a soft smile on her face as she held Jennie closer to her.

Jisoo slowly took her arms out from around her before she kissed her softly on the cheek, and couldn't help but let out a laugh as Jennie swatted her away.

"What's going on?" Jennie muttered, not opening her eyes.

"It's almost nine a clock. Haein is going to be over soon."

"Why?" Jennie mumbled, trying to rack her tired mind as to figure out what Jisoo was talking about.

"He got his tux this morning and he's coming over to show it to us."

Jennie groaned and pulled the covers over her head. "It's too early for wedding stuff."

Jisoo chuckled as she pulled the covers back. "No it's not. Up and attum."

Jennie let out a tiny spew of muttered cuss words before she got out of bed, grabbing her robe from the headboard, stifling a yawn.

Jisoo pulled on a pair of gray sweat pants and hoodie before following.

Both walked into the kitchen and stopped cold at the scene that awaited them.

Glaring slightly at the woman who was sitting down at her table sipping on her coffee and reading the paper, Jisoo cleared her throat loudly.

Chaerin looked up from the paper and straightened up at once. "Jisoo."

"Chaerin."

Jennie looked in between the two and walked into the kitchen, blocking Jisoo from her mother. "How'd you sleep, mom?"

"Fine yourself?" Chaerin snapped, still glowering at Jisoo.

"Good," Jennie said as she looked between Jisoo and Chaerin. "Where's dad? He's usually up this time of day?"

"Went down to the Deli to grab us some doughnuts, he'll be back shortly," Chaerin said, her eyes still narrowed in anger, but Jisoo refused to back down first.

Both Jisoo and Chaerin looked at one another for a moment, both refusing to break eyes before Jisoo finally won that small battle and Chaerin looked back down to her paper, but her eyes weren't skimming over the page like they had been.

Jisoo continued to glower at her before she walked over to the cupboard, wrenching out a coffee mug and slammed it down on the counter.

"Jisoo, be a dear and grab me the diet sugar," Chaerin asked not looking up from her paper. "You know the one that prevents women your age from getting love handles."

"Calm down, please," Jennie pleaded softly rubbing the small of her back as Jisoo clenched the mug handle so tight she swore she heard it crack some.

Jisoo said nothing but took her coffee and went to the table and yanked the chair away from the table before sitting down, her eyes narrowed at Chaerin still.

Jennie let out a muffled groan before she sat down in between the, slowly sipping her coffee.

An uncomfortable silence filled the air as Jennie looked from one to the other. After several more seconds of this, Jennie forced herself to speak. "Jisoo, after Haein leaves, remind me to call Gold's and see if they have our dresses ready yet."

At this little tidbit of news, Chaerin seemed to perk up. "You've already picked out your dress?"

Jennie took another sip of coffee before she answered. "Yeah. Speaking of that, you still need-"

"Who are you wearing?"

"Some local designer," Jennie said with a shrug. "But anyway, mom, you need to let us know-"

A loud scoff interrupted Jennie once more. "You're getting your first wedding dress from some local nobody designer?" Chaerin shook her head frantically. "No, sorry, will not be having it! My daughter will-"

"First off, what do you mean by first?" Jisoo bitterly snapped. She was in no mood to listen to Chaerin's insults this morning. "And second, he does amazing work."

"Jisoo, don't interrupt, it's rather discourteous," Chaerin told her with a sickly sweet smile.

Jisoo let out a breath of disbelief. "Oh don't even talk to me about being 'discourteous'! Not after that stunt you pulled last night!"

At once, Chaerin began to become very invested in her coffee cup. "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't lie to me! You called me last night and told me that Jennie was cheating on me!"

"Jennie Ruby Jane is cheating on you?" Chaerin gasped, clutching her hand to her heart as she looked back up at Jisoo. "Now that is just something I will not accept in this family! Jisoo, you're better off leaving her."

Jennie glared at her and opened her mouth to stay something but Jisoo spoke first. "I cannot believe you, Chaerin! First off to blatantly lie to me about it, and second, to keep up the lie when both me and Jennie know it's a lie."

Chaerin shrugged as if the fact she had been caught in her lie was as common as getting told she was a blond. "Can't a girl make one mistake?"

"Not when it involves my life you can't."

Jennie put a hand on Jisoo's shoulder as she looked in between them. "Why don't we all just calm down before someone says something one of us is going to regret?"

"Well seeing as how your life is chock full of your own mistakes, you would think my interfering would be an improvement," said Chaerin as she straightened out in her chair, making herself seem taller than she was.

"Like that," Jennie groaned placing her head in her hands.

Chaerin looked utterly confused. "What do you mean, Jennie Ruby Jane? I never regret telling the truth, even if I am a politician's wife."

"Alright, you want truth?" Jisoo all but growled. "I'll give you the truth. You're nothing but a-"

"Doorbell!" Jennie cried as she grabbed Jisoo's hand and pulled her away from the table, thanking god that whoever it was had showed up just then.

"Will you please calm down!" pleaded Jennie softly as she walked over to the door, almost struggling to tear Jisoo away from the kitchen.

"She's being a bitch, Jennie, even more so then usual," Jisoo grumbled, determined not to let Jennie hear the sadness in her voice.

"She has a lot on her plate right now."

"Her plate?" Jisoo screeched in disbelief as Jennie opened the door, mustering a smile for Haein.

"Hi, Haein, come in," Jennie told him, the smile not disappearing off her face, hoping to distract him from Jisoo's glower.

Her hopes went unfulfilled.

"What's wrong?" he asked Jisoo as he walked in, nearly pushing Jennie out of the way, never having quite forgiven her for what she had done to Jisoo last December, his brow wrinkled with concern. In his hands was a long white plastic bag on a hanger.

"Jennie Ruby Jane!" Chaerin's voice called from the kitchen. "Is Jisoo going to get me that sugar, or am I going to have to squeeze it from my hat?"

"Never mind," Haein said with a smirk as Jisoo glared at him. "The witch of the North East is here and Dorothy is pissed."

"Just shut up and let me see the tux!" Jisoo snapped a little louder then she had intended.

"His tux?" the voice called again, followed by the scraping of a chair and foot steps into the living room, looking utterly astounded. "What do you need to see his tux for?"

"He's part of the wedding party and I wanted to see the finished product," Jisoo told her not looking back.

"But... but you're both brides!" Chaerin cried as if one of them may have forgotten that piece of information. You can't have groomsmen without a groom! I know you're a little confused when it comes to gender roles, but men can't be bridesmaids."

"First off," Jisoo growled as she clenched her fists together. "Haein isn't going to be a bridesmaid. He's my maid of honor, or best man, or however you want to classify it."

The only sound in the tiny apartment was the sound of Haein unzipping the bag and the rustling of fabric, and then a gasp.

"Haein it's perfect!" Jisoo said a smile appearing on her face that Jennie hadn't seen since the day before yesterday as she took in the black tux with the light blue tie with the white cummerbund. "And they'll all like that?"

"Yup, they're ready whenever DongGo, Fin, and Minho want to pick them up."

"He's... he's what?" Chaerin finally managed to squeak out, interrupting Jisoo's momentary joy.

Jennie cleared her throat and rubbed the back of her neck. "Haein is going to be Jisoo's... maid of best man or something equivalent to that."

Chaerin seemed to come out of her state of shock and violently shook her head. "No."

Both Jisoo and Haein turned to her, Jisoo's eye brow raised. "I'm sorry?"

"No. You're not going to have a best man or groomsmen when there's no groom involved. It'll look much too trashy. I know you don't have that many female friends, lord knows what female would want to be friends with you, but I know some women of your age who would be willing to do it. I'll give them a call later-"

"No," Jisoo said simply as she cut her off. "I'm not gonna have some hired hands be my bridesmaids or maid of honor-"

"I prefer the term best man," Haein said with a small nod, his comment going unnoticed.

"Just because you think it'll look trashy," Jisoo finished.

Chaerin scoffed in disbelief. "And you would rather look like an idiot? Would you rather my daughter look like an idiot?"

"No one is going to look like an idiot," Haein tried to assure her, looking at Jennie for support, somewhat surprised when he received none. "But I'm Jisoo's best friend, I have been for the past twelve years, and I would be part of it even if she was straight and getting married."

"Well she's not straight and rules are rules. You're more than welcome to attend the event, but I'm afraid that you're not going to be a part of the party."

Jisoo went to take a step towards her, but before she even moved and inch, Haein was behind her, grabbing a hold of her shoulders incase she needed restraint.

"You don't get to make the decisions, Chaerin. This is mine and Jennie's wedding, not yours. Hell you should count your stars that we're getting married in a church by a priest because you wanted us too!"

"Well excuse me for being a part of my daughter's wedding! Mothers do that for their children! Of course you wouldn't know anything about that, but-"

"Don't you DARE talk to Jisoo like that!" Haein snarled, his hold on Jisoo lessoning.

"This is Jennie Ruby Jane's house, and I will be able to talk however about whomever I so choose!"

"Not about that you aren't!"

Chaerin turned to Jennie who looked like she wished she could run from the room.

"Jennie Ruby Jane, are you hearing this? He's completely disrespecting me!"

"And she's acting like a bitch to Jisoo!" Haein shouted back also looking at Jennie for support.

"Mr. Haein, must you really resort to using such foul language?"

"I'll show you foul language," he grumbled, gaining a glare from both Jennie and Chaerin.

Chaerin straightened out her shirt before turning to Jennie. "Jennie Ruby Jane, this is your wedding as well, remember that. Do you feel it is appropriate that Jisoo get grooms maids or bride's men or whatever she decides to call it?"

Jennie looked down at the floor, digging her heels in the floor, praying that they would all just go away.

But she found that her prayers had been unanswered as she lifted her head back up, unable to look at either Jisoo and Haein's anxious faces or at her mother's glaring look. "I um... I'm not sure."

"Jennie, are you serious?" Haein scoffed. "I'm Jisoo's best friend; you can't just say I can't be in the wedding party!"

"Well she... she does have a point about it being, you know unconventional, and we both did say we didn't want some big stereotypical thing... so it kind of makes sense that-"

"You're two girls getting married!" Haein shouted. "Of course it's gonna be unconventional! Almost everything about this wedding is going to be unconventional!"

"Don't shout at my daughter!" Chaerin ordered as she stormed over to them. "Just because she doesn't want you in the wedding and doesn't want some Vegas floor show as a wedding doesn't mean-"

"I never said I didn't want him in the wedding!"

"That you have any right to be angry at her!" Chaerin finished as if she didn't hear Jennie's outburst. "It's not even your wedding after all, Mr. Haein! It's Jennie Ruby Jane's and Jisoo's, and they should be able to plan it without any third party opinions."

"Except for your opinions," he said dryly.

Chaerin scoffed as if it were obvious. "Well of course except for mine. Good lord, Mr. Haein, are you new?"

Haein glared at her, getting that tiny crease in his forehead and Jisoo, who had worked with him long enough, knew that that little crease meant danger.

Although at the present moment, she wouldn't have minded if Haein had let loose on Chaerin, and maybe even let Jennie have some of it too.

"Haein, let's go," Jisoo told him as she all but pushed him out of the living room and out the door.

"Jisoo, wait," Jennie pleaded as she followed them out of the brown stone, shutting the door behind her.

The moment they were outside, Haein rounded on Jennie, his eyes narrowed in anger. "What the hell, Jennie? How the hell can you treat her like that?"

"I didn't do anything," Jennie protested, looking at Jisoo for support and seeing nothing but a cold hard stare. "I told her-"

"You told her to go right on ahead and kick me and all of Jisoo's friends out of the wedding party! You're letting your mother run this wedding, and it's not fair to her! Jisoo, let's go!"

"Don't tell her what to do!" Jennie told him, an edge of fear in her voice that Jisoo would leave again.

"No, better let her stay here and have your mother tell her what to do!" Haein snapped back.

"Excuse me!" Jisoo yelled, "I am perfectly capable of making my own decisions on where I will be going! And right now..."

Jennie took a step closer and took her hands, letting out a silent breath of relief when Jisoo didn't pull away. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to let her over run us again."

"Bull shit!" Haein shouted. "How many times have you told her she was sorry, and then just lied or did the same thing over and over again? Or let Chaerin do the same thing over and over again?"

Jennie stammered as she looked from Haein to Jisoo. "I didn't-"

"Or how about you not telling her that you're running for senate, and she had to find it out from some politician and your shrew of a mother?"

Jennie's eyes widened once more as she turned to Jisoo, hurt in her face. "You told him?"

"He's my best friend, and my fiancée has just made me feel lower then dirt, of course I called up and told him."

"What are you talking about, made you feel lower then dirt?" Jennie demanded, still upset that Jisoo had told Haein something she had only told her and her parents.

"The fact that you weren't defending me when that Taehyung guy told us we should break up, or that I should stay away from you, and you actually considered it."

Jennie looked down at the ground, her own anger forgotten as Haein continued what Jisoo had started. "She was in tears. She called me and told me that you would rather put your job on the line then care about her. She said she was devastated, Jennie. She said when you slapped her, it hurt less then what you did last night."

Jisoo turned around and raised an eyebrow at him. She had been upset, but she hadn't been crying, and she certainly didn't tell him she was 'devastated', nor did she bring up what happened at Christmas. Mostly the call consisted of cussing out both Chaerin, Taehyung, and once in a great while Jennie, but not one tear had been shed.

But Haein got the effect he wanted and a smug look appeared on his face as he turned to Jisoo once more.

"Jisoo, let's go."

"Now hang on!" Jennie pleaded desperately. "Jisoo, I'm sorry, alright? I'll say it a thousand times over if it means that you're willing to forgive me. I swore to you last night that I wouldn't lie to you anymore, and I meant it. I'm not going to listen to Taehyung about our relationship anymore, alright? And I'll tell Chaerin to stay out of the wedding, alright? Just... don't go. Please."

Jisoo looked at her for a moment before she turned back to Haein who was dumbfounded at his partner's choice.

"Haein-"

"You're going to let her get away with this aren't you?"

"I love her, and she said she was sorry and made me a promise-"

"Not to do it again," Haein finished. He suddenly looked confused. "Wow, this conversation sounds so familiar, where have I heard it before, you know, besides from last Christmas? Oh that's right. Nearly half of our victims tell us that exact same story."

Jisoo scoffed. "You cannot be serious."

"Well she hit –"

"Slapped."

"Whatever. But she hit you, you left, she begged to take you back, you did, and now it's happening all over again."

Jennie narrowed his eyes at Haein as she stormed over to him. "Haein, just stay the hell out of things you don't understand!"

"Now she's telling your friends to stay out of your life," Haein said almost with a smirk that made both women want to slap off him.

"I'm not saying that!" Jennie cried in frustration.

"Next thing you know she'll be saying you deserved what she does to you."

"I would never say that and she doesn't deserve any... any of the things that I put her through!"

"Haein, you need to leave now," Jisoo demanded. "Thank you for showing us the tuxes and you will be wearing them come June 15th, but right now you need to go."

Haein and Jisoo seemed to stare one another down, both refusing to accept the fact that both partners were defying the other one.

"You know she'll hurt you again," he whispered harshly, "you know she will Jisoo, it's only a matter of time."

"Get off of my property!" Jennie growled, trying to muster up some courage in the face of him.

"Calling it her property when you both pay rent-"

"Leave!" Jennie screamed, followed by the slamming of a car door and running footsteps.

"What in the name of heaven is going on out here?" a voice cried as he ran over to them.

All three turned to look at who the voice was and Jisoo groaned loudly, not even attempting to cover it up.

"Jennie Ruby Jane, why are you shouting out here on the street... in a bathrobe none the less?" Taehyung inquired as he ran up to them. Do you know how bad that'll be for your image if someone were to snap a picture right now?"

Jennie stayed silent as Haein cleared her throat, turning the attention back on himself.

"Who are you?" Taehyung asked as he looked him over before looking back at Jennie.

"He's nobody, and he's leaving," Jennie said harshly.

"Oh really? Well do you mind taking Butch Cassidy with you?" he asked as he nodded to Jisoo.

"Oh crap," Jennie thought to herself as Haein whipped his head around to Taehyung.

"What did you just say?" he snarled at him.

"Nothing, its fine, Haein, please go," Jisoo pleaded, knowing that if he were to assault or arrest or even both, Taehyung wouldn't rest until her had his head on a silver platter.

"Taehyung, leave her alone," Jennie told him with a note of anger and annoyance in her tone.

Taehyung looked at her for a moment evidently confused before he cleared his throat. "Fine... I'll be inside. We have some things we need to go over about the farmers and welfare mothers in upstate. God knows why those Hicks don't just get their own state, but they still do count for some of the vote. "