Sera nodded, chewing on a piece of chicken. "Jake's been getting on my case," she grumbled. "And making me do all the menial tasks because he doesn't want to while he lounges up front at the computers." She rolled her eyes, clearly showing her opinion of him.

"I could do something about that, if you like," Taylor offered. "When I come in tomorrow."

"Yeah, and then it seems like I'm using my relationship with you to influence you and get back at him." Sera made a face. "That's not exactly a reputation I'd enjoy getting."

"I can still talk to him if I see any of this for myself," Taylor pointed out. "It's not favoritism, it's making sure the office is running smoothly, which is something we need."

"Yeah, I understand that," Sera admitted. "But still..." She didn't want to ask him for favors like that.

"If you don't want me to say anything, I won't," Taylor replied. At least, not right away. He would keep an eye on things, though.

"Not for now," Sera said with a sigh. "We'll see how things go." She ate a french fry, chewing it slowly.

"Alright," Taylor replied. Grinning, he reached over and stole one of her fries.

Sera rolled her eyes at him and ate another french fry. She didn't really mind, luckily for him.

About a month and a half later, Rose was running around trying to make sure she had everything packed to head out for her cousin's wedding.

"Dress, shrug, jewelry-- shoes? Shoes..." She rummaged around under her bed, and then went to the bedroom door. "Sera, have you seen my gold sandals with the stacked heel?" she called downstairs.

"Downstairs closet," Sera replied. "From last time you wore them out with Damien."

She was busy packing her own stuff. She and Taylor were leaving the next day on their trip.

Rose went downstairs and started to look through the aforementioned closet. She emerged with a faint 'aha,' holding the shoes.

"Thanks," she said to Sera. "Alright, clothes, jewelry, shoes... I think I have everything I need for the wedding. Now I just need to finish packing for the rest of the week."

Sera chuckled. "Well, you better make sure everything gets into the bag, because I won't be here to mail anything to you that you missed."

She, of course, was almost done packing for her trip she was taking with Taylor. She had to get up at o-dark-hundred, so she needed to be all packed up.

"As long as everything gets there, I'm good," Rose replied as she pulled a few sweaters out of the closet and crammed them into her suitcase. After a moment of thought, a few pairs of jeans and another couple pairs of shoes followed. Then she did her best to get the suitcase closed, barely managing to zip it shut. Toiletries and other such things could go into a different bag.

Taylor, on the other hand, WAS done packing for the trip. Not that he had all that much to pack, really. He was a guy, and packed like a guy; just enough to get through a few days. All of the things he was bringing fit into one suitcase comfortably. He could always find some place to do laundry later on.

Sera snickered as she watched, shaking her head. Even her suitcase wasn't that packed, although mostly because she wanted to leave room in case she found things to buy. Whichwas quite possible, naturally. But she didn't tease her friend about it, instead going over the care instructions she'd left out for the girl who was going to be taking care of their animals.

Damien was also done packing, but he had a garment bag as well as his suitcase. He didn't want his suit to get wrinkled, after all. He was going with Rose because she asked, so he had to look presentable.

Of course, if he'd had his way, he would have just had a duffel bag and that was it. He could live out of a duffel bag.

Rose had a dress that was able to be ironed, so she wasn't worried about that. She could iron it and hang it once they got there. She was big on low-maintenance clothing, it was a necessity when it came to dealing with kids and animals. She glanced at Sera when she heard the snickering.

"Hush, you," she said. "At least I managed to get it all into one suitcase. I never usually have to pack this much for a week at my grandparents' place." Which was where they would be staying, since it was big enough for the whole family to stay in for a few days around the wedding. Leaning on the suitcase, she finally managed to get it zipped up, and she stood it up to prop it against the wall.

Sera just laughed and shook her head. "Yeah, yeah," she said, still grinning. "You might have to get Damien to carry it for you, based on how it's almost bursting at the seams."

But she didn't tease her friend anymore, instead going over her mental checklist of things to do and pack and all that. She still had a few things to pack, but ultimately she was almost ready. "Hey, there's nothing that'll go bad in the fridge while we're gone, right?"

"No, we cleaned out the fridge already," Rose replied. "Nothing in there will go bad in the week we're gone." Hauling the suitcase off of her bed, she plopped it on the floor and tilted it up until it was upright. "And this thing has wheels. I think I'll be okay." She wasn't foolish enough to own a suitcase without wheels on it. She loved her rolling suitcase. Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she checked the time. She had plenty of time until she wanted to leave, of course, but it was a habit of hers when she was anxious.

Sera just shook her head. "Chill. Damien will be here well before you need to get going, I'm sure. At least you don't have to be up at 4.30 to catch a plane." She sighed. Not that she really minded, but it was fun to complain about it.

"No, but we have to be on the road pretty soon to make it in time for lunch at my grandparent's place," Rose replied as she resisted the urge to take out her cell phone again. "It's a long drive."

Sera nodded her understanding. "I know. Well, you can always call him and see how everything's coming with him. Maybe you two will even leave early, hmm?" She couldn't help that bit of teasing.

Although she did have to wonder if it would be a good idea to ask Taylor to stay the night, since they had to be up so early anyway.

Rose couldn't help but blush slightly.

"Hush you," she said. She was seriously considering it, though. There was a particular interstate that they would have to take that was always full of traffic, and an earlier start would only help through there.

Sera just grinned and moved into the kitchen to get some water, already planning what she could do for the rest of the day. She figured Rose would be gone within the next few hours, and then she'd have a good long while until she had to sleep. Even longer if she decided to just stay up through the night.

Damien was already ready to go, unsure if he should try to go over to Rose's house early or if he should wait for her to call.

Once Rose was sure she was packed, she hauled her things out to the car and loaded them into the trunk. After a moment of thought, she took out her phone and called Damien. They might as well get on the road early.

Damien answered almost immediately. "Hello, love." He smiled a little, picturing her blush. "Ready to go?" He already had his things ready to go, so he could leave whenever he had permission.