Very Old Rice
By Missy

SERIES: Goosebumps!
SUBSERIES: Very Old Rice
PART: one of one parts for this arc
Author: Missy
Email: lasfic@yahoo.com
RATING: G
PAIRING(s): L/L; S/C; S/R

DISTRIBUTION: To LW, Kai, and FG so far; any other archives are welcome to ask (Please Email Me), but disclaimers must be included, my email left intact. send a URL, and provide full disclaimers as well as credit me fully. Please inform me if you are going to submit my work to any sort of search engine. Please do not submit my work to a search engine that picks out random sets of words and uses them as key words, such as "Google"

Please contact me in order for this story to be placed on an archive, or if you want know of a friend who would enjoy my works, please email me their address and I will mail them the stories, expressly for the purpose of link trading. MiSTiers are welcomed! Please do inform me that you'd like to do the MiSTing, however, and send me a copy of the finished product. I'd also love to archive any MiSTings that are made of my work!

DISCLAIMER: Laverne and Shirley, of course, not my property and belongs to its creators.

CATEGORY: Epic Drama
CANNON/SPOILERS: Pre-Reunion Show Cannon; set five years after the series' conclusion.
FEEDBACK: PLEASE?!
SPOILLER/SUMMARY: Carmine tries to provide Shirley with a surprise wedding on a dwindling budget, and with the "help" of his sepdaughter "Veronica".
NOTES: The first of one chapters in the twenty-first portion to this series. For previous chapters, see the Goosebumps! Section at LAS Fic or The Look.

***

"Hey Laverne?"

"How'd you know it was me?"

"Cause no one else calls here at four in the morning. Yer lookin' fer Shirl, right?"

"Yeah."

"She's out. She got a new job at the child welfare offices, working in the stenographer's pool. But don't hang up."

"Carmine, I got a baby yellin' in my ear...whattya want?"

"Well...I know you know Shirl better than anyone else in the world. Even better than me, sometimes. And I know ya had ta talk about what kind of wedding you wanted one day..."

"Right, right..."

"So...what kinda church did she want?"

"Uh, I dunno...a big one...a big audience. Not too big...yanno Shirl..."

"Okay...big church, lots of family, white dress, formal. You and Len can get five days off to come up for the..."

"No, we can't...maybe you could come and get married here!"

"Milwaukee?" He had to admit it made sense; flying back to California would be ludicrous, and everyone they were truly close to lived in the state now. "Yeah, okay...I guess we could do it there."

"Woah; since when do you have enough money for all this?"

"Since Grease ended it's run! I got my last paycheck here, and since we can't keep this place on Shirl's salary, we might as well have a nice wedding."

"Woah; that's serious. You guys movin' back to town?"

"I want to. But then there's Veronica..."

"Who's Veronica?"

"That's what Veenie wants to be called. I swear to God, Laverne; she turned six, and suddenly all she wants to do is go to Macy's."

"What I got to look forward to, right?"

"They don't have a Macy's over in Milwaukee."

"For now. I can book the church for you guys. And I know Shirl's size."

"Good, that should be right. I got a suit. I'll take care of the invitations..."

"And Squiggy'll do the food!"

"Thanks, Laverne; you're a real pal."

"Ain't nothing, Carmine, ain't nothing."

***

"Why do we have to go to Milwaukee?"

"Cause it's cheaper over there...don't tell your ma that."

Veenie heaved a deep sigh. "She just went to the bathroom for five seconds. You can't tell me everything in five seconds!"

"All you need to know is that we're heading to Milwaukee for a big party, and we may have to stay there."

"When I got on the plane you didn't say ANYTHING about staying there!"

"Why do you think I had you bring Lenny?"

"Cause you didn't want him to be alone!"

"Sorry, kid!"

Veenie glowered at Carmine, sulking in her seat.

"Veenie! Don't' slouch!" Shirley scolded, as she made her way back from the bathroom. Then, snuggling down next to Carmine, she said, "How sweet of you to take us on a vacation!"

"Yeah, it's the least I could do."

"It's just what I need to take my mind off of everything!"

He smiled, as Veenie stared ahead of them, ignoring everything but the roar of engines surrounding her.

***

"The roses go here...lots of roses."

"Since when does Shirl like roses?"

"Len, don't complain, Pull!" Laverne instructed, as they yanked the lattice up onto the alter. "She's always liked roses. What girl don't?"

"Billie. She screamed when I held some over her head."

Laverne smirked. "She'll grow out of it."

"Ya really think this'll make everything okay for Shirl?"

"It should. I know she always wanted a big wedding, and neither one was exactly what she wanted."

"Yeah, everyone deserves a royal wedding." Lenny winked.

Laverne shook her head. "Come on; we gotta be dressed and ready by two."

"I can help with that."

Laverne gasped at the sight of her stepmother. "Mrs. Babbish!"

She smiled. "California felt very empty without your father. When you told me about the wedding, I thought I might be more useful over here."

"Boy, could you ever!" Lenny managed, before Laverne stomped his toe.

"Do you know anything about match sticks?"

"I'll be glad to be of service." She said, and together they began work.

***

"Why do I need to keep my eyes closed? And why are you trying to...ouch! Are those pins?" Shirley waddled against the voluminous dress, which had been slipped, over her head a few moments ago. Carmine had ordered her to close her eyes directly after leaving the airport, and only due to her blind trust of him did she follow.

"Just trust me, Angelface....now open 'em up!"

"You're sure?"

"Yep!"

She did as he bade, and her jaw dropped at the sight before her. "I don't believe it!"

Her friends had assembled, before an altar of flowers, in a beautiful church!

"I thought ya deserved a real wedding."

Their audience clapped their pleasure, and he left her, rushing up the aisle. All Shirley could do was stare at what they had made.

"Hello, honey!"

"Daddy!" She cried, and Jack Feeney wrapped her up in a quick hug.

"Once I got proper word of it, I couldn't miss my little girl's big day!"

Organ music filled the air and, arm in arm, they strolled down the aisle.

***

"To Shirley and Carmine!"

The friends happily clinked glasses. They were seated on Laverne and Lenny's patio, eating a feast, which Squiggy had prepared. Laverne noticed that Veenie wasn't eating, instead she watched little Lenny scramble across the bottom of her cage.

"Hey...the cake's good." Laverne smiled.

She shrugged. "I had better at Neiman Marcus."

Laverne took Veenie by the wrist, excused them both, and found a private place...namely, the sitting room where Moth and Billie were being kept.

"What's eating you, Veenie!?"

Veenie turned away, but said, "Stop calling me 'Veenie!' My name's Veronica!"

"No it ain't! Your name has a great tradition, and you just happen to be named after ME!"

"Carmine says we're moving away from New York."

"So?"

"So, I won't get to see my dad!"

"I'm sure you will...just ask your mom about it."

"But it's not going to be the same. Milwaukee is just not New York."

"Nothing's gonna be like New York. I know that from experience. Honey, your dad can't get a job, and until he can Squiggy's gonna let him sing at the restaurant, just like he did in the olden days. He's probably breaking that to your mom right now." A loud shriek confirmed that. "It's never going to be perfect, but one day it's going to be okay. You're never going to lose your friends."

"That's what you say."

"That's what I know. You're tough for a reason; you're named after me."

"Thanks, Auntie Vernie!"

"Laverne! Laverne, you won't believe it!" Shirley shouted, rushing into the room.

"Shirl, it ain't gonna be forever. So, Carmine has to work for Squiggy for a few months, so what."

"Carmine has to work for Squiggy?"

"Uh...You need to talk to him."

"No! I have to tell you the good news!"

"What?"

"Well, I put a call in to my doctor, because I wasn't feeling well, and..." She grabbed Laverne by the shoulders. "I'm pregnant!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"I'm so happy!"

"I'm so nauseous...what about Squiggy?"

"You've got to talk to dad about that, Mom." Veenie smiled. "Come on, I've got cake to eat."

"She's turning into Rosie, Laverne...she's just turning into Rosie..."

"Don't say that! How many times do I have to tell you not to think like that?" She teased, as they left the room.




To Chapter One of "Blue Is Your Color"
To Chapter One of "Four Walls and a Typwritter Ribbon"