Sugar & Spice

Chapter 15

A/N: Dedicated to CaPiTaLisAtioN *MUAH* 

Crissy spent the day with Amy and Manu, going to the movies and dinner and even wandering a few stores for new pots and pans for the kitchen. And Crissy didn't think about Quinn once.

But at the end of the day, when Manu pulled to a stop outside the coffee shop, Crissy sighed. Her carriage had turned into a pumpkin again and it was time to get back to reality. As she reached for the door, Amy put a hand on her shoulder.

"You're going to spend the night at our place," she said.

"But..."

"No buts!" Amy said, closing her eyes and tipping her chin up. "I'm holding you hostage."

"For more chocolate covered strawberries?" Crissy teased.

Amy cast her a sly look. "That could be arranged. But that's not my reason. You're staying for a sleepover."

"Oh no," Manu groaned in a mock pained tone. "The last time you girls had a sleepover, you had a Disney sing-along marathon until four in the morning."

Amy snickered and brushed her hand through Manu's hair. "I promise, no Disney this time." She glanced back at Crissy. "You up for it?"

Crissy looked out her window again, at the blank face of the coffee shop. She loved her job, she really did, but she'd enjoyed today, getting away from her life and all the problems she wished would just go away if she didn't think about them long enough. Maybe it would be nice to drag out this rare opportunity at a break for a little while longer.

"All right," Crissy said. "But I have to be here to open up in the morning. And I haven't baked anything all day. I'm itchy."

Amy beamed and patted Manu's shoulder. "Take us home, Manny. Cris, you can always cook up something at our place."

"You've only got a finicky microwave," she pointed out.

Amy feigned hurt. "I make awesome popcorn with that microwave."

"You burned the popcorn so bad last time, the apartment building had to evacuate because of the smoke," Manu added.

Amy punched his shoulder and laughed. "You jerk. See how you like sleeping on the floor tonight."

"You girls will be giggling all night anyway."

"You're right, Crissy!" Amy declared. "Who needs men? Let's go start a tribe of Amazonian women in the depths of the rainforest and live on mangoes and bugs."

"Ew?" Crissy said. "How about no?"

Manu chuckled and leaned over to kiss Amy's cheek.

"You two are disgusting," Crissy quipped from the backseat.

Amy grinned. "I know."

Crissy and Amy piled blankets and pillows in the middle of Amy and Manu's tiny living room floor and watched Disney movies until four in the morning, singing at the top of their lungs, punch-drunk on exhaustion and too many chocolate covered strawberries. Just as Crissy was drifting off to sleep, staring at the ceiling, her head still buzzing a little from the sugar rush, she thought maybe she'd be okay after all. Maybe she'd hurt for a while longer. Maybe she'd swear off any kind of relationship until she really got her feet back under her again. But she would be okay.

Come morning, Crissy and Amy sat up, groggy and hazy from lack of sleep, while Manu pressed coffee cups into their hands. He gave Amy a quick kiss.

"Have to get going," he said. "One of the boys got stuck off the highway so I'll have to swing by and pick him up before we get to the studio for practice."