Disclaimer- Don't own this stuff, except Lauren and Marissa. Everyone else is created by Jim Henson and Brian Froud, and the Three Musketeers is owned by Alexandre Dumas

Author's Note-

Not sure if I want to create a huge story out of this so I might write a couple of chapters and see where it takes me. However, if any of you like the story please review. I'll be looking for a beta for this story if I continue it so if you are interested please contact me! Thanks

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Sarah pulled into the parking lot of the little Italian restaurant which was mainly a local hangout on a dreary late Sunday morning. She sighed as she threw the car into park and turned off the windshield wipers. As she gathered her purse and, clutching her windbreaker together tightly due to a broken zipper, she grumbled to herself in a fit of self pity and angst.

"Great, just freakin great. It's pouring outside and Lauren just had to have lunch today. Frickin worst weather all week…it's cold and I didn't even bring a frickin' jacket…in a shady part of town…I'll probably get frickin food poisoning."

She streaked across the wet parking lot, trying to avoid the deep pot holes filled with water. Sarah hadn't had the foresight to wear golashes and she did not want to get her canvas sneakers soaked. As she pulled open the door to the entrance and stepped inside, a resounding crack of metal on metal shut out the cold, blustery air. Running a hand through her now moistened hair, her modest diamond ring affixed to a white gold band snagged on a long chocolate lock. She rolled her eyes at her lack of luck and walked up to the hostess.

"Excuse me, I'm here to meet Lauren Graftly, is she here yet?"

The hostess scanned the paper reservation list. "Yes she has arrived miss, please follow me."

Still grumbling to herself, she followed the hostess through the spicy smelling restaurant toward the back of the building. Sarah noted the disgusting orange hue to the once off-white carpet and the flaking finish to the wooden walls. She also couldn't help but notice that the restaurant was very nearly empty, but it was only 11:30 a.m., still slightly early for lunch.

As they reached the back of the restaurant, the skinny blonde hostess opened a door and motioned down the stairs.

"She's right down there miss, and she's the only one in the room so you can't miss her."

Sarah took a moment to readjust her outfit and wonder why Lauren would reserve a seat in the basement when the upstairs was clearly more than able to seat the two of them.

"Hopefully it smells better down there," she thought to herself as she descended the staircase, gripping the handrail tightly just in case one of the steps was rotten.

"SURPRISE!!" yelled a chorus of girls, herding Sarah away from the drafty staircase and into the warm room. "Welcome to your bridal shower!" Lauren shrieked, running up to Sarah and hugging her tightly.

"Oh man…you guys really got me, what in the world? You guys planned this all behind my back?? The wedding isn't for another two months!"

"We know, but we just had to throw you one! You're so important to all of us, Sarah, and Jeremy said if we threw it earlier than normal that it would really catch you off guard."

Looking around the room, Sarah realized just how many people cared to show up. There were girls from her job at the costume store, girls from her college, and a few girls she didn't recognize, so she assumed they were other girls' guests or forgotten acquaintances. If they were part of the latter, she would feel like kind of an ass for not remembering them.

She also noticed that three tables had to be shoved together to hold all of the gifts that had been piled up by 30+ girls. In the back of the room there was a huge sheet cake with chocolate frosting, adorned with chocolate-covered cherries. The sheer gratitude that Sarah felt when she saw all of the hard work the girls had gone through for her was overwhelming. She had to sit down and let all of her thoughts settle.

Most of the girls were locals, so they all ordered their favorite food, which included ordering for Sarah because her first impression of the place had caused her to lose her appetite. As they waited for their appetizers, one of Sarah's college friends, Marissa, pulled out 7 4-packs of toilet paper.

"Alright girls, everyone divide into groups of 4. It's time to play Toilet Paper Bride! Sarah, you get to judge each group's dresses and the winner gets to buy Sarah a drink!"

Sarah sat in a chair behind the ruckus, watching the girls dress up the "brides" with toilet paper and laughing. Considering how crummy the day had been, her spirits had been lifted considerably at their show of kindness. She hadn't been sleeping well lately; in fact, she hadn't been sleeping well since Jeremy proposed to her. Not that Sarah was nervous about the wedding; she just never pictured herself marrying someone like Jeremy. He did not share her passion for costumes and plays and seemed bored whenever she would talk about her interests. He got along alright with her friends but he never seemed to enjoy himself around them, so Sarah felt as though they led different lives most of the time.

They had met at the local college while Sarah was working in the costume store at an entry-level position. Jeremy had come in with a couple of friends a few days before Halloween who were insisting that the trio had to dress up as the Three Musketeers. Jeremy had been rather quiet, but his friends seemed drunk and rowdy. While Jeremy seemed attractive and reserved, his friends were tall, obnoxious, and were inflicted with some serious acne. The friends kept hitting on Sarah, making lewd comments and making her feel uncomfortable.

After Sarah had taken their measurements, she was relieved to get a chance to momentarily escape the relentless onslaught of pick-up lines. She had just gone back into the dark storage area to find their costumes in the correct sizes when she thought she heard someone following her. Turning, she shrieked when she saw one of the drunken friends tumbling toward her through the narrow, costume-covered pathway, muttering come-ons and making kissy-faces.

As she climbed a display rack, her adrenaline pumping, she looked down to see the tall oaf get knocked down by the quiet, mild-mannered blonde she had just measured. When she made sure the oversexed horn dog wasn't getting back up anytime soon, she climbed down and thanked Jeremy, and accepted his offer to go out a few nights later. The rest, as they say, is history.

Snapping back to the present, Sarah realized she had been adrift in her own thoughts not nearly as long as she thought. She took the moment to watch the girls work with the toilet paper, making veils, stuffing bras, attempting to create skirts. Thoroughly amused, she stole a glance at some of the girls she didn't recognize, which caused her to shift in her seat and re-cross her legs. A couple of the girls were complete strangers, as far as she could tell. However, a couple looked mildly familiar, thought she could not place them exactly.

Her eyes fell upon a tall girl with short, raven colored hair, wearing a tasteful knee-length a-line skirt in black, and a white short-sleeved blouse. Something about this young woman stood out because she looked incredibly familiar, but Sarah could not recall ever actually meeting or talking to her.

"Maybe she's a morning news anchor…she has the facial structure for it. Or a model for the costume store? She has the body for it. Or maybe I've just seen her around campus, in a class?"

Sarah noticed a small brooch on the young woman's chest which, from this distance, looked like wings given out during transatlantic flights.

"A pilot? Well I've only flown once in my life, but I doubt that's the same girl…but where else would I have seen her? God this is going to bother me, I'll have to ask Lauren who she is." The girl looked over at Sarah, then quickly turned back to tying a bow on her "bride" after seeing Sarah's eyes boring into her. "CRAP! She saw me staring…great first impression, Sarah Williams-almost-Corban."

"Alright, Sarah! It's time to judge the contestants!" Marissa bubbled, shattering Sarah's daydream like a chair to a mirrored wall of a ballroom.

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After lunch had been eaten, cake had been passed around, and gifts opened, Lauren and Sarah hauled boxes and bags of goodies out to Sarah's modest silver sedan.

"Lauren, thanks so much for today. Not only was that the best frickin' Italian food I've had in this town but that party really made my month. You are the best." Sarah gushed as she shifted the contents of her trunk to make room for the mountain of gifts.

"Girl, don't you even mention it. I got a call yesterday that our bridesmaids dresses are in so I will be picking them up for everyone tomorrow morning." Lauren replied, pulling a strand of hair out of her mouth.

Sarah suddenly remembered the all-too familiar girl from the party. "Great…hey, before I forget, who was the girl with the short black hair and the black skirt?" She asked as she slammed the trunk shut.

"Who are you talking about?" Lauren cocked her head to the side and looked at Sarah, puzzled.

"You know, the girl with the airline pin on her blouse?" Sarah couldn't remember much about the girl except how she looked.

"No, I don't even know who you're talking about, but perhaps Marissa knows."

"Mmm…maybe," Sarah agreed. As Marissa emerged from the restaurant carrying the last of the cake, Sarah called her over to the car.

"Marissa, hey, do you remember that girl at the party with the short black hair and the black skirt? She was wearing the airline pin on her blouse."

Marissa looked just as confused as Lauren. "No, Sarah, sorry, but I have no idea who you're talking about."

"Marissa, she was in your frickin' Toilet Paper Bride group. She was the one who suggested the eggplant parmesan for me. She cut the frickin' cake for God's sake!" She yelled, as bits and pieces of the party came floating back to her.

"Alright, calm down," the girls urged their friend. "No use getting upset over it. Look over the gift list and see if there is a name you don't recognize when you get home, jeez."

Realizing her friends were right and that she was being slightly irrational, Sarah said her goodbyes and gave another round of thanks to her friends before getting into her car and pulling away. She arrived at her small, one bedroom apartment and started the first of several trips inside with her arms full of party goods, starting with the cake. As she returned to her trunk for the last load of gift bags, she noticed a small present that had not been opened yet.

"That's strange," she thought, "I know I opened everything at the party…and this is at the bottom of the trunk, its bow should be crushed."

Shrugging, she tossed the small box into a gift bag and carried the last load into her apartment.

"Boots, I'm home!" she called to her Maine Coon. Sarah set a saucer of milk under the kitchen table while she stacked the gifts on top. As she emptied the last gift bag, she found the small box which had mysteriously turned up in her trunk. Shrugging, she pulled out the notebook which kept names and coinciding gifts and tore open the paper to the gift.

A note fell out of the box and Sarah stooped to pick it up, brushing a hand over Boots' head as she did so. Standing, she held the note toward the light and she read, "Jeremy may seem like a nice guy, but I wonder what your basis for comparison is."

She dropped the note as her eyes traveled to the open box sitting on the table. Inside, nestled on a cushy cotton sheath, was a miniature pendant of an owl with outstretched wings, reminding her of 9 and a half hour trip she had taken nearly eight years ago. From far away one might mistake the amulet for a pair of transatlantic flight wings.

Sliding across her polished hardwood floors, Sarah ran to her bedroom and stood in front of her vanity mirror.

"Hoggle, I need you."