All the right friends in all the right places

Mary wanted to hug her friend, but Kim told her that was probably a bad idea. Her whole body was a mass of aches and pains.

“You’re really okay with this?” Mary asked again for the billionth time. “You’re okay with me taking your day to talk with Nick?”

Kim waved her hand. Even her wrist felt broken. “It’s fine. Look, what am I going to do? Thanks to Dani, I’m already scheduled to do a ton of working out tomorrow, that’s probably going to break my back. Then I’m going to have to go to work on top of that. So yeah, if you want to take tomorrow and ask him out for an official date, that’s fine with me. But again, that’s just me.”

Mary winced. Her friend raised a good point. Mary could go out with Nick to her heart’s content, as long as he was fine with it.

But there were other girls to consider.

Until this point, they had tried to mind each other’s space and time with Nick as much as possible; something helped by the fact that Nick spent most of his time holed up in the Master’s Suite. But now he was spending more time out with the girls, getting to know them.

Could Mary really claim that time for herself? It sounded so… forceful and underhanded!

“So wait, you want to marry him, but you’re not even willing to assert yourself?” Kim found that rather amusing.

Mary blushed. “I’ve never been good at the whole… ‘standing up for myself’ thing.”

Kim suspected that was at least partially a lie- she’d seen Mary lay into people pretty damn well. But she kept her mouth shut and nodded.

“Well, alright then. For what it’s worth, I already gave you my permission, so if they have a problem with it, tell them to bring it up with me.” She paused. “Oh, and just to be clear, you only have my permission to go on a date with him during the day. I retain my right to a night with him.”

She said that a little more forcefully than she’d intended. Maybe her feelings for Nick were stronger than she gave them credit for.

“Um… yeah, that’s fine,” Mary assured her with a nod. “And about the… referring them to you thing…”

“I’m serious, Mary. I don’t want anyone to try and start anything. If they give you trouble? Tell them I said it was okay. It’s a courtesy thing, right? If I give you permission to use my day, then they can’t do anything about it.”

Mary shook her head. “No, that’s not the right thing to do.”

Resolve burned in her eyes. “I’ll have to go ask them myself!”

Kim’s jaw dropped. “Wait… you mean all of them?”

The thought of Mary going to each of the women in Nick’s harem, her romantic rivals, and asking for permission to go out on a date with him tomorrow with the intention of determining if they should be married was about as insane of a thought as one could have. But Kim wasn’t in Wonderland right now, she was talking with her friend.

Part of her wished she wasn’t functionally paralyzed so he could accompany Mary and watch her crash and burn.

“Still, you’ve got to find out where they are,” Kim reminded her. “It’s not like you can just wander all over the place, right?”

“Was someone saying something interesting?” Sylvia popped into existence between the two girls, startling them. Mary almost fell over.

“S-Sylvia?!” She sputtered.

“Were you listening in on us?” Kim groaned.

Sylvia smirked. “Why, of course I was my girl, what did you expect?”

Kim rolled her eyes.

“Look, I’m sure you must be getting your kicks out of Mary’s predicament-”

Sylvia shook her head. “Not at all. I actually think it’s very sweet.”

Neither girl thought the witch of a woman knew what the word “sweet” actually meant, so they said nothing.

“Anyway, Mary, you wanted to go to the other girls, and ask them for permission to go on a date with Nick tomorrow, isn’t that right?”

Mary nodded. “It’s the right thing to do,” she confirmed.

“Aww, isn’t that the most naïve and adorable thing in the world?” Sylvia smirked. “…Well, whatever. With that being the case, I would be happy to help you, my girl!”

She tapped her head.

“After all, I know everything there is to know about the locations of the contestants! I can be your guide, what do you say? Much faster than wandering around the hotel with no idea where everybody is, wouldn’t you agree?”

Mary looked suspiciously at her, but couldn’t refute what the other woman was saying. “I-I guess that makes sense,” she admitted.

“Of course it does!” Sylvia chirped. “So with that in mind, let’s be off!”

She gestured to the door, much to Mary’s confusion.

“Um… can’t you just…” Mary indicated to Sylvia’s cane.

The blonde blinked. “…Oh, well, yes, of course, I could do that,” she nodded. “And we’d be done in about five minutes. But I would much rather watch you stew in your own juices for a little, my girl!”

Mary glared at her. Why was Sylvia always like this?

“Fine,” she muttered in resignation. “Let’s talk to Dawn first, I guess.”

Dawn was the most rational one there, and also the girl who intimidated Mary the least. Of every contestant not presently in this room, Dawn was the closest one she could consider a friend.

She really hoped the feeling was mutual.

“Well, it’s your lucky day, my girl!” Sylvia grinned. “Dawn isn’t that far off- she’s still finishing off her breakfast.”

She gave Mary a coy wink. “What could you expect? She might be eating for two, after all!”

Mary scowled. She didn’t like the insinuation that Dawn might be pregnant. Even if it gave her loins a forbidden thrill.

“But she might not be,” Mary pointed out. “You don’t know for sure yet.”

Sylvia smirked. “Don’t I?”

Then Mary realized that if Sylvia could transform their bodies on a whim, it was entirely possible that she was aware of whether or not said bodies were pregnant.

A thought that made her equal parts excited and terrified; it sent a chill down her spine.

“Don’t listen to her, Mary,” Kim urged. “Just be yourself. The girls will understand.”

Mary took one last look at Kim and nodded. The truth was… she had another issue that she hadn’t confided in her friend about. She knew that Kim had feelings for Nick… and might object to her marrying him. The fact that her friend supported her anyway made her heart hurt.

“Let’s go, come on now!” Sylvia clapped her hands together, eager to throw Mary to the wolves. She led the other girl down the elevator and back to the banquet hall, where Dawn was finishing up breakfast.

“…Oh…” The veterinarian said when she saw Mary approach. “…You’re back.”

Mary nodded shyly. “Um… Dawn…”

“Yeah?” Dawn asked warily, not sure if the other girl was going to chew her out or not.

“Can I… that is, can you… can we…?” She fumbled for words, suddenly finding herself intimidated by a woman that was shorter than her. Then her eyes caught Sylvia sitting on the sidelines eating popcorn, and she received newfound resolve.

“Dawn… I want to take Nick on a date tomorrow!” Mary firmly declared. “I’m going to ask him out, with the intention of seeing whether or not we should get married! We may be gone all morning, no, all day, and he might not spend time with you! I’m sorry, but I wanted to tell you now, so you knew!”

She paused for a second to catch her breath, then continued.

“So… if you don’t want me to, you need to tell me now, before I ask him!” She finished, looking hopefully at Dawn.

Dawn stared at her like she was an idiot.

“…Why would I have a problem with that?”

Mary gave her a blank look.

“Um… I mean…” She didn’t? Mary couldn’t believe it.

Dawn sighed. “Look, Mary, everybody knows that you’re head over heels for Nick and that you want to marry him. If you want to spend the day going out with him to make sure you’re both ready? That’s fine by me. Heck, maybe you’ll both mellow out that way.”

“But… won’t you get jealous?” Mary winced. The reason she’d gone to Dawn first was because she thought that the other woman would be the most likely to object- like Kim, Dawn’s feelings for Nick were genuine, and she might not want to give him up to her.

Dawn shook her head. “Yeah, sure, maybe I would be jealous… and I won’t deny my own feelings for him either. But… this is important to you, Mary. What am I going to do, throw a fit and say ‘no, you can’t go out with Nick, it’s not fair!’ out of nowhere? No, of course not. But fair is fair. I want something too, in exchange.”

Mary tensed. “What is it?” She asked warily.

“Have fun?”

“Henh?” The redhead squeaked.

“You. Have some fun for once. It seems like you’re just getting more high-strung and nervous, and I’m worried about you. Are you sleeping properly?” Dawn asked, her brow furrowing with worry. “It’s important to maintain your health, Mary. And that includes emotional health as well. So try not to worry too much on your date with him, and just focus on having a good time. I’m sure that will be a much better indicator of whether or not you should get married.”

Mary nodded obediently, surprised by Dawn’s response. “Thank you so much!” She gushed, moving to hug the other girl, but Dawn held her hands up.

“I, uh… think I might get suffocated,” she laughed ruefully, and Mary’s cheeks flushed scarlet. She could see the other girl had a point.

“Yeah, uh… I’ll be going then,” Mary nodded. “Again, thanks.”

She turned to Sylvia, who was much less amused by this outcome, and the two women headed out to find the next harem member for Mary to cajole.

Before Sylvia left, though, she looked back at Dawn, and smirked. Dawn scowled back, trying to ignore the stabbing pain in her heart.

No matter how hard she tried to avoid it, she kept seeing the image of Nick and Mary standing at the altar together, starting a family, while she was off on the sidelines pretending to be happy.

Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. Dawn was starting to understand the meaning of those words. But this was the right thing to do. Mary loved Nick far more deeply than she did. Nick was practically her everything. How could that compare to Dawn’s light crush?

If it’s between the two of us, she’s the one who’s the better fit to be his official wife, I’m better off… doing my own thing. That’s how it always was with her. And she even managed to convince herself she was okay with it.

Meanwhile, Mary had no idea as to the internal dilemma raging through Dawn at the moment. She was just interested in talking to the next person on her list.

“It’s your lucky day, Pretty Mary Sunlight,” Sylvia cooed, patting her on her jean-clad ass. Mary shot her a withering glare and she quickly withdrew her hand. “Ahem. Pardon me. But the reason I said you’re lucky is because we’re going to get two girls for the price of one!”

Mary didn’t like the lilt in Sylvia’s voice when she said that.

She was proven right a few minutes later when Sylvia led her into the boutique, where Gina leaned over the counter giving Dani the business.

“Look, all I’m saying is that you just give me a few of those bras over there free of charge, and I’ll let you cop a feel,” Gina said, wearing the widest shit-eating grin in the world. “Everybody wins!”

“Absolutely not!” Dani hissed, her cheeks flushed. Mary was impressed. The tomboy’s muscled figure practically bulged out of the lacy blue lingerie she wore. It looked completely out of place, but still somehow good.

Dani, of course, still sulked over the fact that she had to wear lingerie in the first place. Oh, sure, when Kim turned into a tomboy, she got to wear a sports bra! But no, I have to wear this frilly crap! Why am I not surprised!?

She seethed with fury and Mary kept her distance, not sure what to say.

Luckily, Gina was happy to pretend the pigtailed redhead wasn’t there, and continued with her flirting.

“Come on, Dani!” She smirked. “It’s no big deal! I’ve seen you watching, you know. Unless of course, you’d rather give me a few spanks on my ass?”

Gina turned and wiggled her ass teasingly at the bluenette, and Dani couldn’t resist. She swatted Gina’s ass a few times, then a couple more out of her own volition, to teach her a lesson. Like that mattered to Gina in the slightest.

“You don’t even want to buy anything, do you?” Dani hissed. “You’re just here to make fun of me, aren’t you?”

“No, no, I’m here to get my kicks ogling you in that unsuitable excuse for underwear, while you **** yourself!” Gina grinned.

Dani’s eye twitched and it looked like she was about to lunge across the counter and strangle the shit out of Gina.

Mary figured she should probably step in before this devolved into a slaughter.

“Um… excuse me?”

“Oh, hey!” Gina greeted her with a wave. “Come for a good milking? I’d be happy to help again, unless you want Dani’s meaty paws to give you a go!”

Mary turned scarlet and her jaw hit the floor. Dani’s eyes bugged out as she couldn’t help imagining getting ahold of Mary’s milkers, but she quickly regained her composure and turned her ire on the person responsible for putting that image in her head.

“Gina!” Dani snarled, lunging at the punk, but Gina easily ducked her, cackling like mad.

Mary soon realized that if she was going to say something, then she needed to ignore the niceties and just spit it out. Because Gina’s trolling was never going to give her a word in edgewise if she didn’t.

“I need to talk to you both about something!” She said firmly, and Gina finally stopped tormenting Dani. Both girls turned to Mary.

“Yeah, what is it?” The punk asked, sobering up and taking things seriously for once. Dani listened intently, still shelving inventory behind the counter as she kept her ears open.

“Tomorrow… I asked Kim… and she said that I could spend tomorrow with Nick, going on a date, if he was okay with it,” Mary informed them. “I know you guys might have some plans of your own for him, but if not… I would really like to use that time. I just… I want to see if Nick and I are ready to get married. Or… if he even wants to get married to me, and have kids.”

That was the doubt that kept Mary up at night, and always brought her crashing back down to reality whenever her horny fantasies got too overwhelming.

What if Nick just didn’t want her?

She knew that he had feelings for her again, if he’d ever stopped in the first place, but that was one thing and this was another. Just because you care about a person and are attracted to them, that didn’t mean you wanted to get married. As this show had proven, not everyone shared Mary’s view of relationships and the world.

What if Nick didn’t want to marry her? Or if he did, what if he didn’t want children? Mary had been dancing around those issues because she wasn’t sure if she could remain composed if things didn’t go the way she hoped.

But she couldn’t run from it anymore. Dawn had been right about one thing- she needed to be responsible and think about her own situation with a clear mind. Even if that meant confronting her own doubts.

Hopefully they’ll see it that way, she thought. She doubted Dani would care one way or the other, but Gina? …Hm. On the other hand, maybe Gina would be fine with it. She seemed to be the kind of person who let stuff like this slide.

“You’re really going to do it?” Dani’s eyes sparkled with delight. “You and Nick are getting married?!”

“What!? No, I mean, not yet!” Mary stammered, freaking out a little. “This is just, like, about floating the idea! Making sure we’re on the same page! It’s not like I want to propose right away or anything!” She wailed.

Liar.

Certain parts of Mary wanted to marry him right fucking now. And skip the boring stuff too, just get down to the “swear before God” bit and then she could enjoy everything that came after. But those were the bad parts of her, the parts she didn’t want to listen to.

Gina, the only one of the two women with feelings for Nick (complicated though they were) seemed just as on board as Nick did.

“Hmm… I think it’s nice,” she mused. Her eyes turned glassy. “You know, I remember when I wanted to marry him myself… but things change, I guess.”

She shrugged, offering a lopsided grin that, to Mary, seemed filled with sadness.

“I’m just not the marrying kind, you know? He deserves someone like you.” Gina patted Mary on the head, a gesture that should have been seen as condescending, but to Mary felt strangely, wistfully genuine. “Someone who can give him everything he wants.”

Mary winced. “Do you think… I mean… could he really want me, though?” She asked weakly. “What if… I mean… what if he doesn’t?”

Dani and Gina glanced at each other. Gina shrugged.

“Make him want it then.”

“HUH?!”

The punk girl smiled an evil smile. “Go on that little date of yours, and make him fall so far in love with you that he can’t not want to wife you up as soon as possible. Then, once you’ve done that…”

She traced her finger down the unbuttoned collar of Mary’s shirt, causing her milk-inflated boobs to bounce.

“…Maybe see what he can do about that little problem of yours.”

Mary’s mouth flopped open and closed for a bit as she tried to say something, but with her brain not working properly the words just didn’t come out.

But she was thrilled. Gina didn’t have a problem with it, and Dani…

Mary turned to Dani, and gasped when she saw the condition of the other girl. Dani seemed a little… troubled, as if there was something she wanted to say, but was holding back.

It can’t be… then, does she really…? Mary couldn’t believe it. In spite of her appearance being the most masculine Mary had ever seen her (minus the lingerie) Dani looked almost… feminine in her uncertainty. She bit her lip in just the cutest way, too, and it looked like her tanned skin was starting to blush.

She felt a little queasy, like her father’s rants about how lesbians just hadn’t met the right man were being vindicated.

“Look, it’s not like… I have an issue with it in principle, or anything…” Dani said, struggling to look Mary in the eye. “It’s just… well, this is important to you, so if you want it… well… I want something in return!”

Mary was shocked that someone as nice as Dani would actually try to play hardball with her like this, especially when she had no interest in Nick personally. Was she really going to hold Mary over a barrel and extort a favor out of her?

Dani blushed, and glanced away.

“Um… could you… maybe teach me some things about cooking sometime? You know, when you get the chance?” She mumbled.

Gina burst out laughing and Dani shot her a withering glare. Mary almost teared up, finding Dani’s request so sweet.

“Of course!” She beamed. “I’d be happy to!”

Dani smiled, and at just that moment her body jerked.

“Eh?” She looked down at herself as her skin started to expand.

“Whoop, time’s up,” Sylvia smirked, lounging back as Dani’s muscles softened away. Her boobs ballooned out, popping out of her bra, as her hips grew so fast the strings on her panties snapped. Her hair shot out from her head like a waterfall, and she let out a scream, covering her body and fuming with shame.

Gina, of course, went into conniptions.

“It’s not funny!” Dani hissed, chasing her around the store.

“I, um, I need to go!” Mary stammered, her eyes swimming in her head. She didn’t want to get a full frontal of Dani like that, and quickly fled, with Sylvia chasing after her, cackling like a madwoman.

“Well, that’s those two,” she mused. “Now you’ve just got four left! Should be easy, right?”

Mary frowned. The last four… they were all difficult. Dakota, Rose, Carly, and Morgan. I’m not good with any of them… this is gonna be hard.

She took a deep breath, and exhaled. The easy asks were done. Now she’d entered difficulty mode.

Would this go okay?